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but I have loved your law. You are my helper and my protector, in your words I have hoped. Turn away from me, you evildoers, and I will search out the commandments of my God. Uphold me according to your mercy and give me life, and do not put me to shame for my expectation. Having said, "Turn away from me, you evildoers," he accordingly calls upon God for this also, so that by His power the evildoers might be driven from his soul, and having obtained leisure for a life according to God he might obtain salvation, and not fall away from his expectation; and again he asks to receive help so as to be saved. Help me, and I will be saved, and I will meditate on your statutes always. You have brought to nothing all those who depart from your statutes, for their thought is unjust. I have considered all the sinners of the earth as transgressors; therefore I have loved your testimonies. Pierce my flesh with your fear, for I was afraid of your judgments. I have done judgment and justice; do not hand me over to those who wrong me. He who is being instructed at the beginning, as one who has already advanced much, and accomplished great things, prays not to fall from his progress. Then, observing that many are envious of the good, and though they have nothing evil to say about them, they weave slanders, he supplicates and begs to be delivered from these things. Instead of, "to those who wrong me," Aquila rendered it: "Do not leave me to those who slander me." I have done judgment and justice; do not hand me over to those who wrong me. Receive your servant for good; let not the proud slander me. He who has repented and come out from those who worked against him and has been redeemed from captivity says: "Receive your servant for good"; for these received me for evil. For if you do not receive me, your servant, who has become subject to the enemies, these proud ones, the opposing powers, are going to slander me. But how do they slander? These worked and persuaded so that I might become a sinner; and these become my accusers, referring the whole cause of the sins to me. Necessarily he beseeches God to become his sponsor, and as it were his surety; so that He himself might become his guardian, keeping for himself and preserving the pledge, in order to give no hold to the slanderers who lie in wait for him. My eyes have failed for your salvation, and for the word of your righteousness. Deal with your servant according to your mercy, and teach me your statutes. I am your servant; give me understanding, and I will know your testimonies. It is time for the Lord to act; they have scattered your law. Looking up to your salvation and your word, all, he says, I have hung upon these my own hopes, praying to be delivered from those who begrudge me my salvation. Therefore I have loved your commandments above gold and topaz. I indeed have done judgment and 23.1385 righteousness, and for you, O God, there will be a time to act, that is, judgment and righteousness on account of those who have scattered your law. Knowing this, therefore, and being on my guard not to fall into that time, I have loved your commandments above all things considered precious among men. Therefore I was directed towards all your commandments; I have hated every unjust way. The human soul, having fulfilled its reason, certainly falls into wickedness. For it is impossible for the natural law to be fulfilled in men without sin being present. When, therefore, wickedness occurs and the soul is distorted, it needs to be set right. What then are the things that set it right? One commandment can somehow straighten the distortion of the soul which comes from wickedness. However, for the soul to be perfectly set right here is impossible without all the commandments. But if the soul is received crooked, it will no longer be set right by commandments, but by fire or darkness, or

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τὸν δὲ νόμον σου ἠγάπησα. Βοηθός μου καὶ ἀντιλήπτωρ μου εἶ σὺ, εἰς τοὺς λόγους σου ἐπήλπισα. Ἐκκλίνατε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, πονηρευόμενοι, καὶ ἐξερευνήσω τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ μου. Ἀντιλαβοῦ μου κατὰ τὸ ἔλεός σου καὶ ζῆσόν με, καὶ μὴ καταισχύνῃς με ἀπὸ τῆς προσδοκίας μου. Εἰπὼν, Ἐκκλίνατε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, πονηρευόμενοι, ἀκολούθως τὸν Θεὸν καὶ εἰς τοῦτο ἐπικαλεῖται, ὡς ἂν τῇ αὐτοῦ δυνάμει ἀπελαθεῖεν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ψυχῆς οἱ πονηρευόμενοι, σχολῆς τε τυχὼν τῆς κατὰ Θεὸν ζωῆς τε καὶ σωτηρίας τύχοι, καὶ μὴ ἀποπέσοι τῆς ἑαυτοῦ προσδοκίας· καὶ πάλιν ἀξιοῖ βοηθείας τυχεῖν εἰς τὸ διασωθῆναι. Βοήθησόν μοι, καὶ σωθήσομαι, καὶ μελετήσω ἐν τοῖς δικαιώμασί σου διαπαντός. Ἐξουδένωσας πάντας τοὺς ἀποστατοῦντας ἀπὸ τῶν δικαιωμάτων σου, ὅτι ἄδικον τὸ ἐνθύμημα αὐτῶν. Παραβαίνοντας ἐλογισάμην πάντας τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς τῆς γῆς, διὰ τοῦτο ἠγάπησα τὰ μαρτύριά σου. Καθήλωσον ἐκ τοῦ φόβου σου τὰς σάρκας μου· ἀπὸ γὰρ τῶν κριμάτων σου ἐφοβήθην. Ἐποίησα κρίμα καὶ δικαιοσύνην, μὴ παραδῷς με τοῖς ἀδικοῦσί με. Ὁ κατὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν στοιχειούμενος, ὡς ἂν ἤδη προκόψας ἐπὶ πολὺ, καὶ τὰ μεγάλα κατορθώσας, εὔχεται μὴ ἐκπεσεῖν τῆς προκοπῆς. Εἶτα συνορῶν, ὅτι τοῖς καλοῖς πολλοὶ βασκαίνουσι, καὶ λέγειν μέν τι φαῦλον περὶ αὐτῶν οὐδὲν ἔχουσιν, περιπλέκουσι δὲ συκοφαντίας, ἱκετεύει καὶ δέεται τούτων ῥυσθῆναι. Ἀντὶ δὲ, τοῖς ἀδικοῦσί με, Ἀκύλας ἐξέδωκε· Μὴ ἀφῇς με τοῖς συκοφαντοῦσί με. Ἐποίησα κρίμα καὶ δικαιοσύνην, μὴ παραδῷς με τοῖς ἀδικοῦσί με. Ἔκδεξαι τὸν δοῦλόν σου εἰς ἀγαθὸν, μὴ συκοφαντησάτωσάν με ὑπερήφανοι. Ὁ μετανοήσας καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐνεργησάντων εἰς αὐτὸν ἐξελθὼν καὶ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας λυτρωθείς φησιν· Ἔκδεξαι τὸν δοῦλόν σου εἰς ἀγαθόν· οὗτοι γάρ με εἰς πονηρὸν ἐξεδέξαντο. Ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ ἐκδέξῃ με τὸν δοῦλόν σου ὑποχείριον γενόμενον τοῖς πολεμίοις, οὗτοι οἱ ὑπερήφανοι, αἱ ἀντικείμεναι δυνάμεις, μέλλουσί με συκοφαντεῖν. Πῶς δὲ συκοφαντοῦσιν; Αὗται ἐνήργησαν καὶ ἔπεισαν ἵν' ἁμαρτωλὸς γένωμαι· καὶ αὗταί μοι κατήγοροι γίνονται, ὅλην τὴν αἰτίαν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων εἰς ἐμὲ ἀναφέρουσαι. Ἀναγκαίως παρακαλεῖ τὸν Θεὸν ἀνάδοχον αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι, ὥσπερ καὶ ἐγγυητήν· ἵν' αὐτὸς φύλαξ αὐτοῦ γένηται, τηρῶν ἑαυτῷ καὶ φυλάττων τὴν ἐγγύην, πρὸς τὸ μηδεμίαν λαβὴν παρασχεῖν τοῖς ἐφεδρεύουσιν αὐτῷ συκοφάνταις. Οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου ἐξέλιπον εἰς τὸ σωτήριόν σου, καὶ εἰς τὸ λόγιον τῆς δικαιοσύνης σου. Ποίησον μετὰ τοῦ δούλου σου κατὰ τὸ ἔλεός σου, καὶ τὰ δικαιώματά σου δίδαξόν με. ∆οῦλός σου εἰμὶ ἐγὼ, συνέτισόν με, καὶ γνώσομαι τὰ μαρτύριά σου. Καιρὸς τοῦ ποιῆσαι τῷ Κυρίῳ, διεσκέδασαν τὸν νόμον σου. Ἄνω βλέπων ἐπὶ τὸ σωτήριόν σου καὶ τὸν λόγον σου, πάσας, φησὶν, ἀνήρτησα ἐπὶ ταῦτα τὰς ἐμαυτοῦ ἐλπίδας, ῥυσθῆναι δεόμενος ἀπὸ τῶν διαφθονούντων μου τῇ σωτηρίᾳ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἠγάπησα τὰς ἐντολάς σου ὑπὲρ χρυσίον καὶ τοπάζιον. Ἐγὼ μὲν ἐποίησα κρίμα καὶ δι 23.1385 καιοσύνην, καὶ σοὶ δὲ τῷ Θεῷ ἔσται ποτὲ τοῦ ποιῆσαι καιρὸς, δηλονότι κρῖμα καὶ δικαιοσύνην διὰ τῶν κατασκεδασάντων τὸν νόμον σου. Τοῦτο οὖν εἰδὼς ἐγὼ καὶ φυλαττόμενος περιπεσεῖν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, ἠγάπησα τὰς ἐντολάς σου ὑπὲρ πάντα παρ' ἀνθρώποις τίμια νενομισμένα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πρὸς πάσας τὰς ἐντολάς σου κατωρθούμην, πᾶσαν ὁδὸν ἄδικον ἐμίσησα. Ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη ψυχὴ συμπληρώσασα τὸν λόγον, πάντως ἐν κακίᾳ γίνεται. Ἀδύνατον γὰρ ἅμα τῷ συμπληρωθῆναι τὸν νόμον τὸν φυσικὸν ἐν ἀνθρώποις μὴ ὑποστῆναι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. Ἐπὰν οὖν γένηται ἡ κακία καὶ στρεβλωθῇ ἡ ψυχὴ, δεῖται κατορθώσεως. Τίνα οὖν ἐστι τὰ κατορθοῦντα; Μία ἐντολὴ δύναταί πως τὴν στρέβλαν τῆς ψυχῆς, τὴν γενομένην ἀπὸ κακίας, κατευθῦναι. Τὸ μέντοι ἄκρως κατορθωθῆναι τὴν ψυχὴν ἐνταῦθα ἀμήχανόν ἐστι χωρὶς πασῶν τῶν ἐντολῶν. Εἰ μέντοι γε σκολιὰ παραληφθῇ ἡ ψυχὴ, οὐκέτι ἐντολαῖς κατορθωθήσεται, ἀλλὰ πυρὶ ἢ σκότῳ, ἢ