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quicken me in your way. Establish your word to your servant for your fear. Take away my reproach which I have feared, for your judgments are good. Behold, I have longed after your commandments: quicken me in your righteousness. The saints refer all things to God, teaching us that without God we can do nothing. For if you do not abide in me, he says, you can do nothing. But perhaps someone will say: If all things are referred to God, where is that which is up to me? If not, everywhere he has interwoven what is up to us with what is from God. From God is: 'Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes;' but what is up to us is: 'and I will seek it out always.' Again I ask from God: 'Give me understanding, and I will search your law.' But what is up to me is: 'and I will keep it with my whole heart.' And a third time I ask from God, saying: 'Lead me in the path of your commandments;' what is up to me? 'Because I have desired it;' but it is clear that he means the law mentioned above, so that we may ask that the things from God be added to us, promising also what is up to us and not being false, so that we may not break our covenants with God. Let your mercy also come upon me, O Lord, your salvation according to your word. And I will answer a word to those who reproach me, for I have hoped in your words. And do not take the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for I have hoped in your judgments. And I will keep your law continually, for ever and ever. And I walked at liberty, for I sought your commandments. And I spoke of your testimonies before kings, and was not ashamed. This would gracefully fit one who is brought before governors and kings for the sake of the name of Christ to bear witness 23.1373. And I meditated on your commandments, which I loved exceedingly. And I lifted up my hands to your commandments, which I loved, and I meditated on your statutes. To lift up hands to the commandments is to perform every action in harmony with the divine commandments. Therefore, the Psalmist witnesses both for himself; and at the same time he legislates for us to provide the right action for the commandments of God, and also to provide much meditation and contemplation; for thus we ourselves will be able to act more accurately, and we will be able to lead others to right action. Remember your words to your servant, in which you have made me hope. This has comforted me in my humiliation, for your word has quickened me. The proud have transgressed exceedingly, but from your law I have not turned aside. While the heterodox boasted against the law by slandering it, I was exceedingly concerned with keeping it, not enduring to shake my consent to it even a little. I remembered your judgments from of old, O Lord, and was comforted. Despondency seized me because of sinners who forsake your law. Your statutes were my songs in the place of my sojourning. I remembered your name in the night, O Lord, and I kept your law. This happened to me, because I sought out your statutes. You are my portion, O Lord; I said I would keep your law. He who has renounced worldly affairs, and has no portion on earth, nor in the desire for such things, but is content with the Lord instead of all things, will say: The Lord is my portion. Following this, it is fitting to say: I said I would keep your law, that is, the spiritual one, concerning which Paul says: We know that the law is spiritual, and so forth. For how will they not keep the law or the commandments of the Lord, who have him as their portion, like the Levites, for whom it is commanded to possess nothing in this life? For it has been said: To the Levites and the priests, the sons of Aaron, there is no portion, nor inheritance among the sons of Israel, because the Lord is their portion. I entreated your presence with my whole heart: have mercy on me according to your word. I considered your ways, and turned my feet to your testimonies. I was prepared, and was not troubled, that I might keep your commandments. The cords of sinners have entangled me, and of the law

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ὁδῷ σου ζῆσόν με. Στῆσον τῷ δούλῳ σου τὸ λόγιόν σου εἰς τὸν φόβον σου. Περίελε τὸν ὀνειδισμόν μου ὃν ὑπώπτευσα, ὅτι τὰ κρίματά σου χρηστά. Ἰδοὺ ἐπεθύμησα τὰς ἐντολάς σου, ἐν τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ σου ζῆσόν με. Πάντα ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἀναφέρουσιν οἱ ἅγιοι, διδάσκοντες ἡμᾶς, ὅτι χωρὶς Θεοῦ οὐδὲν δυνάμεθα. Ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ ἐν ἐμοὶ, φησὶ, μένητε, οὐδὲν δύνασθε ποιεῖν. Ἀλλ' ἴσως τις ἐρεῖ· Εἰ πάντα ἀναφέρεται ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν, ποῦ τὸ ἐπ' ἐμοί; Εἰ δὲ μὴ, πανταχοῦ ἐπέπλεξε τοῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ ἐφ' ἡμῖν. Ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τό· Νομοθέτησόν με, Κύριε, τὴν ὁδὸν τῶν δικαιωμάτων σου· τὸ δ' ἐφ' ἡμῖν· Καὶ ἐκζητήσω αὐτὴν διαπαντός. Ἀπὸ Θεοῦ αἰτῶ πάλιν· Συνέτισόν με, καὶ ἐξερευνήσω τὸν νόμον σου. Τὸ δ' ἐπ' ἐμοί· Καὶ φυλάξω αὐτὸν ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ. Καὶ τρίτον ἀπὸ Θεοῦ αἰτῶ λέγων· Ὁδήγησόν με ἐν τρίβῳ τῶν ἐντολῶν σου· τί τὸ ἐπ' ἐμοί; Ὅτι αὐτὸν ἠθέλησα· δῆλον δὲ ὅτι τὸν ἀνωτέρω εἰρημένον νόμον, ὥστε αἰτῶμεν τὰ ἀπὸ Θεοῦ προσγενέσθαι ἡμῖν, ἐπαγγελλόμενοι καὶ τὰ ἐφ' ἡμῖν καὶ μὴ ψευδόμενοι, ἵνα μὴ τὰς πρὸς Θεὸν ἀθετῶμεν συνθήκας. Καὶ ἔλθοι ἐπ' ἐμὲ τὸ ἔλεός σου, Κύριε, τὸ σωτήριόν σου κατὰ τὸν λόγον σου. Καὶ ἀποκριθήσομαι τοῖς ὀνειδίζουσί μοι λόγον, ὅτι ἤλπισα ἐπὶ τοῖς λόγοις σου. Καὶ μὴ περιέλῃς ἐκ τοῦ στόματός μου λόγον ἀληθείας ἕως σφόδρα, ὅτι ἐπὶ τοῖς κρίμασί σου ἐπήλπισα. Καὶ φυλάξω τὸν νόμον σου διαπαντὸς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος. Καὶ ἐπορευόμην ἐν πλατυσμῷ, ὅτι τὰς ἐντολάς σου ἐξεζήτησα. Καὶ ἐλάλουν ἐν τοῖς μαρτυρίοις σου ἐναντίον βασιλέων, καὶ οὐκ ᾐσχυνόμην. Χαριέντως ἁρμόσειε τοῦτο τῷ ἐπὶ ἡγεμόνας καὶ βασιλεῖς ἀγομένῳ ἕνεκεν τοῦ ὀνόματος Χριστοῦ μαρτυ 23.1373 ρεῖν. Καὶ ἐμελέτων ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς σου, αἷς ἠγάπησα σφόδρα. Καὶ ᾖρα τὰς χεῖρας πρὸς τὰς ἐντολάς σου, ἃς ἠγάπησα, καὶ ἠδολέσχουν ἐν τοῖς δικαιώμασί σου. Ἆραι χεῖρας πρὸς ἐντολάς ἐστι τὸ πᾶσαν πρᾶξιν πρὸς ἐντολὰς θείας ἁρμοζομένην ἐργάζεσθαι. Οὐκοῦν ἑκάτερον μὲν ὁ Ψαλμῳδὸς ἑαυτῷ μαρτυρεῖ· ὁμοῦ δὲ ἡμῖν νομοθετεῖ ταῖς ἐντολαῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ παρέχειν τὴν κατόρθωσιν, παρέχειν δὲ καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ πολὺ μελέτην καὶ θεωρίαν· οὕτω γὰρ αὐτοί τε κατορθοῦν ἀκριβέστερον, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἐνάγειν εἰς κατόρθωσιν ἕξομεν. Μνήσθητι τῶν λόγων σου τῷ δούλῳ σου, ᾧ ἐπήλπισάς με. Αὕτη με παρεκάλεσεν ἐν τῇ ταπεινώσει μου, ὅτι τὸ λόγιόν σου ἔζησέ με. Ὑπερήφανοι παρηνόμουν ἕως σφόδρα, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ νόμου σου οὐκ ἐξέκλινα. Τῶν ἑτεροδόξων ἀλαζονευομένων κατὰ τοῦ νόμου τῷ διαβάλλειν αὐτὸν, ἐγὼ σφόδρα τῆς φυλακῆς αὐτοῦ περιειχόμην, μηδὲ κατ' ὀλίγον κλονῆσαι τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν συγκατάθεσιν ἀνεχόμενος. Ἐμνήσθην τῶν κριμάτων σου ἀπ' αἰῶνος, Κύριε, καὶ παρεκλήθην. Ἀθυμία κατέσχε με ἀπὸ ἁμαρτωλῶν τῶν ἐγκαταλιμπανόντων τὸν νόμον σου. Ψαλτὰ ἦσάν μοι τὰ δικαιώματά σου ἐν τόπῳ παροικίας μου. Ἐμνήσθην ἐν νυκτὶ τοῦ ὀνόματός σου, Κύριε, καὶ ἐφύλαξα τὸν νόμον σου. Αὕτη ἐγενήθη μοι, ὅτι τὰ δικαιώματά σου ἐξεζήτησα. Μερίς μου εἶ, Κύριε· εἶπα φυλάξασθαι τὸν νόμον σου. Ὁ ἀποταξάμενος τοῖς βιωτικοῖς πράγμασι, καὶ μηδεμίαν ἔχων μερίδα ἐπὶ γῆς, μηδ' ἐν τῷ θέλειν τὰ τοιαῦτα, ἀλλ' ἀρκούμενος ἀντὶ πάντων τῷ Κυρίῳ, ἐρεῖ· Μερίς μου Κύριος. Τούτῳ δὲ ἀκολουθεῖ λέγειν· Εἶπα φυλάξασθαι τὸν νόμον σου, τουτέστι τὸν πνευματικὸν, περὶ οὗ ὁ Παῦλος λέγει· Οἴδαμεν ὅτι πνευματικός ἐστι νόμος, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Πῶς γὰρ οὐ φυλάξουσι τὸν νόμον ἢ τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Κυρίου οἱ μερίδα αὐτὸν ἔχοντες κατὰ τοὺς Λευΐτας, οἷς διηγόρευται μηδὲν κεκτῆσθαι κατὰ τὸν βίον; Λέλεκται γάρ· Τοῖς Λευΐταις καὶ τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν υἱοῖς Ἀαρὼν, οὐκ ἔστι μερὶς, οὐδὲ κληρονομία ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ, διότι Κύριος μερὶς αὐτῶν. Ἐδεήθην τοῦ προσώπου σου ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ μου· ἐλέησόν με κατὰ τὸ λόγιόν σου. ∆ιελογισάμην τὰς ὁδούς σου, καὶ ἐπέστρεψα τοὺς πόδας μου εἰς τὰ μαρτύριά σου. Ἡτοιμάσθην, καὶ οὐκ ἐταράχθην τοῦ φυλάξασθαι τὰς ἐντολάς σου. Σχοινία ἁμαρτωλῶν περιεπλάκησάν μοι, καὶ τοῦ νόμου