The struggle of the repentant against the accuser
Having been tested and having experienced the despair of salvation, I myself am being subjected to such thoughts, being deaf and unable to hear, not wishing to refute them, lest by being found guilty of this, I should lose the brief readiness for repentance. For, O Lord, not hoping, I do not dare to assume I will be heard. For, being unable to defend myself, I endure the defense, knowing: 'Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for the wrath, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord' (Ps 37:8).
I am ready and well-disposed toward the lashes of the senses. Indeed, even my pain, through which I suffer for past deeds, is before me, wounding and scourging me. And it can be so; since my pain is such that, while I suffer for the evils I have done, it is necessary to receive lashes besides the sins, I am ready for these, that is, I am ready to be struck for the sake of returning.
The clear sympathy toward us is the memory of the one's own suffering throughout. For, as Paul says, since he himself has suffered, he is able to help those being tempted. Just as according to the law, he who commits sin was mindful of those being offered as a sacrifice for it, so it is to care for one's own sin, hurrying to make the work of repentance right.
While I care for my own sin, those who hate me because I have repented live according to the bad life, being strong and powerful to make me weak according to this life. If even they cast me off as a dead thing to be loathed, but You cover me under Your mighty hand; for when You are present, the enemies are weak and feeble.
Since I am surrounded by enemies, both evil men and invisible powers, I need help; I do not require help from another, but from You, Lord; for You also are found to be the God of my salvation, and the cause of this salvation is God.
King David, having brought the ark of God into Jerusalem, arranged certain men as singers for its liturgy and order, so that the hymns of God might be heard.
Regarding these, even Jeduthun, as in the list and numbering of the previously mentioned songs in the Chronicles, carries something like this. He who composed the present psalm himself on behalf of David, or having received it from David, proclaimed it. And in the present psalm, the one proclaiming is introduced from repentance into virtue.
Since almost every beginning of sin occurs through speech, he intending to guard his ways through actions sets covenants with himself, so that he might not sin with the tongue. For if the sinless state regarding speech is kept by him, the cleansing from sins according to action will follow; 'For by your words you shall be justified,' he says, 'and by your words you shall be condemned' (Ps 38:2ab); and 'Amen I say to you: regarding every idle word you shall give an account on the day of judgment' (Ps 38:2c).
After the verse, the sinner and there the devil and the evil angel present with the man are called. If anyone, intending to guard his ways for himself so as not to sin in tongue, sets a guard for his mouth, the sinner, representing himself as such in opposition to the one repenting, reminds him of former things, bringing them into the midst as a reproach, wishing to mock through the reminder, so as to drag back into the former sin the one who has turned away from it.
Not so, he says, the one standing as a sinner before me, I was struck dumb toward the words from which I began to speak good things; for having begun not to speak concerning sinlessness, having understood from good doctrines what one must not answer toward provoking words, I was silent, having said nothing to them, so as, the one saying the aforementioned things, not the pain, but having been freed from sins through sense, being renewed and made new, having been pained again by those whom he reproached, saying the things done to me (Ps 38:4ab).
From the words of the one standing as a sinner before me, my heart was heated, being consumed by fire. But since I said nothing from such thoughts within me, the heating was guarded, and 'In my meditation fire shall be burned' (Ps 38:4c). He who meditates on the divine things not casually but earnestly and with fire will say the...
Greek
πειρώμενοι καὶ ἀπόγνωσιν σωτηρίας ἐμποιῆσαι. ἐγὼ γοῦν πρὸς ου ς ὑποβάλλουσι τοιούτους λογισμοὺς κωφὸς καὶ οὐκ ἀκούων γεγένημαι οὐδ' ἐλέγξαι αὐτοὺς βουλόμενος, ο πως μὴ περὶ τοῦτο καταγινόμενος ἐκλύσω τὴν σύντονον περὶ τὴν μετάνοιαν προθυμίαν. ἐπεὶ ου ν ἐλπίζων, ω κύριε, θαρρῶ εἰσακουσθήσεσθαι. ἐμαυτῷ γὰρ ἀμῦναι δυνάμενος ἐπέχω τὴν α μυναν, γινώσκων τὸ Μὴ ἑαυτοὺς ἐκδικοῦντες, ἀγαπητοί, ἀλλὰ δότε τόπον τῇ ὀργῇ, καὶ τὸ ̓Εμοὶ ἐκδίκησις, ἐγὼ ἀνταποδώσω, λέγει κύριος. 382 Ps 37,18 Ετοιμος καὶ εὐτρεπὴς πρὸς τὰς ἐξ αἰσθήσεως μάστιγάς εἰμι. ἀμέλει γοῦν καὶ ἡ ἀλγεδών μου, καθ' η ν ἀλγῶ ἐπὶ τοῖς προπεπραγμένοις, ἐνώπιόν μού ἐστιν τιτρώσκουσα καὶ μαστίζουσά με. ∆ύναται δὲ καὶ ου τως· ἐπεὶ ἡ ἀλγηδών μού ἐστιν, ἀλγοῦντός μου ἐφ' οι ς ε δρασα κακοῖς κα ν διὰ μαστίγων δέοι ἐκτὸς τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων γενέσθαι, ε τοιμός εἰμι πρὸς ταύτας, τουτέστι προθύμως ε χω περὶ ἐπιστροφῆς τυφθῆναι. Ps 37,18b ̔Η πρὸς ἡμᾶς δηλονότι συμπάθεια η ς ε νεκα τοῦ οἰκείου πάθους ε χει διὰ παντὸς τὴν ἀνάμνησιν· ̓Αφ' ω ν γὰρ πέπονθεν, ὁ Παῦλός φησιν, αὐτὸς πειρασθεὶς δύναται τοῖς πειραζομένοις βοηθῆσαι. 383 Ps 37,19 ̔Ως κατὰ τὸν νόμον ὁ ἁμαρτίαν ε χων ὑπὲρ η ς δεῖ θυσίαν προσαγαγεῖν ἐφρόντιζεν τῶν ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς προσφερομένων, ου τως ἐστὶ μεριμνᾶν 80 ὑπὲρ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἑαυτοῦ τινα σπεύδοντα κατορθοῦν μετανοίας ε ργα. 384 Ps 37,20a ̓Εμοῦ μεριμνοῦντος ὑπὲρ τῆς ἁμαρτίας μου, οἱ διὰ τὸ μετανενοηκέναι με ἐχθραίνοντές μοι ζῶσιν κατὰ τὴν φαύλην ζωήν, ἰσχύοντες καὶ κραταιοὶ ο ντες ὑπὲρ ἐμὲ τῷ ἐμὲ ἠσθενηκέναι κατὰ ταύτην τὴν ζωήν. 385 Ps 37,22 Εἰ κἀκεῖνοι ἀπέρριψάν με ὡς νεκρὸν ἐβδελυγμένον, ἀλλὰ σὺ σκέπε με ὑπὸ τὴν κραταιάν σου χεῖρα· σοῦ γὰρ παρόντος ἀνίσχυροι καὶ ἀσθενεῖς οἱ ἐχθροί. 386 Ps 37,23 ̓Επεὶ ἐχθρῶν περιεστηκότων ἀνθρώπων τε πονηρῶν καὶ ἀοράτων δυνάμεων βοηθείας δέομαι, οὐκ α λλοθεν βοήθειαν ἀπαιτῶ η παρὰ σοῦ, κύριε· σὺ γὰρ καὶ θεὸς τῆς σωτηρίας μου τυγχάνεις, σωτηρίας δὲ θεὸς ὁ ταύτης αι τιος. 387 Ps 38,1 ̔Ο βασιλεὺς ∆αυὶδ τὴν κιβωτὸν τοῦ θεοῦ ἀγαγὼν εἰς ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ ὑμνῳδούς τινας α νδρας ἱεροὺς ε ταξεν ἐπ' αὐτῆς τῆς λειτουργίας τε καὶ τάξεως, ω στε τοὺς υ μνους τοῦ θεοῦ ᾳ δειν. ει ς ου ν η ν τούτων καὶ ὁ ̓Ιδιθούμ, ὡς ἐν τῷ καταλόγῳ καὶ τῇ ἐξαριθμήσει τῶν προειρημένων ᾠδῶν ἐν ταῖς Παραλειπομέναις φέρεταί τι τοιοῦτον. τὸν ου ν προκείμενον ψαλμὸν αὐτὸς ὑπὲρ τοῦ ∆αυὶδ ποιήσας ῃ σεν, η ὑπὸ τοῦ ∆αυὶδ γενόμενον αὐτὸν παραλαβὼν ἀπήγγειλεν. Εστιν δὲ καὶ ἐν τῷ προκειμένῳ ψαλμῷ ἐκ μετανοίας εἰς ἀρετὴν εἰσαγόμενον πρόσωπον τὸ ἀπαγγέλλον. 388 Ps 38,2ab ̓Επεὶ σχεδὸν πάσης ἁμαρτίας ἀρχὴ διὰ λόγου γίνεται, ὁ φυλάξαι προθέμενος τὰς διὰ τῶν πράξεων ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν συνθήκας τίθεται, ο πως μὴ ἁμάρτῃ τῇ γλώττῃ. εἰ γὰρ τὸ ἀναμάρτητον περὶ τὸν λόγον αὐτῷ τηρηθείη, ἀκολουθήσει τὸ καθαρεῦσαι ἀπὸ τῶν κατ' ἐνέργειαν ἁμαρτημάτων· ̓Εκ γὰρ τῶν λόγων σου, φησίν, δικαιωθήσῃ, καὶ ἐκ τῶν λόγων σου καταδικασθήσῃ· καὶ ̓Αμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν· περὶ παντὸς ἀργοῦ ῥήματος δώσετε λόγον ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως. 389 Ps 38,2c.3 Μετὰ τοῦ α ρθρου ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς καὶ ἐνταῦθα διάβολος η καὶ ὁ παρὼν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ πονηρὸς α γγελος λέγεται. Οτ' α ν ου ν τις πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ει πῃ τὰς ὁδοὺς φυλάξαι ἑαυτοῦ τοῦ μὴ ἁμαρτεῖν ἐν γλώσσῃ καὶ θῆται φυλακὴν τῷ στόματι ἑαυτοῦ, τὸ τηνικαῦτα συνιστάμενος ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς ἀντιπαρατεταγμένως ἐναντίον τοῦ μετανοοῦντος ὑπομιμνήσκει τὰ πρότερα, ἐπ' ὀνειδισμῷ εἰς μέσον αὐτὰ φέρων η γαργαλίσαι διὰ τῆς ὑπομνήσεως θέλων, ο πως κατασπάσῃ εἰς τὴν προτέραν ἁμαρτίαν τὸν ἀποστάντα αὐτῆς. ου τω γοῦν, φησίν, συστάντος τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ καὶ ἐνώπιόν μου, κωφωθεὶς πρὸς τοὺς λόγους ἐσίγησα ἀφ' ω ν ἠρξάμην λέγειν ἀγαθῶν· ἀρξάμενος γὰρ η μην περὶ ἀναμαρτησίας λέγειν· η ἐξ ἀγαθῶν δογμάτων διειληφὼς ο τι οὐ δεῖ ἀποκρίνεσθαι πρὸς ἐρεθίζοντας λόγους, ἐσίγησα μηδὲν πρὸς αὐτοὺς φθεγξάμενος, ο πως, ἐκείνου λέγοντος τὰ προειρημένα, μὴ τὸ α λγημα, ο ἐξ αἰσθήσεως ε σχον ο τε τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἀπηλλατόμην, ἀνανεούμενον καὶ ἀνακαινιζόμενον γεγένηται, ἀλγήσας πάλιν ἐφ' οι ς ὠνείδισε λέγων τὰ πεπραγμένα μοι. 390 Ps 38,4ab ̓Εκ τῶν λόγων τοῦ συστάντος κατενώπιόν μου ἁμαρτωλοῦ ἐθερμάνθη διαπυρωθεῖσα ἡ καρδία μου. ἐπεὶ δὲ μηδὲν ἐφθεγξάμην ἐκ τῶν τοιούτων λογισμῶν ἐντός μου, ἡ θέρμανσις ἐφυλάχθη καὶ ̓Εν τῇ μελέτῃ μου ἐκκαυθήσεται πῦρ. ὁ μὴ ἐκλύτως ἀλλὰ σπουδαίως καὶ διαπύρως μελετῶν τὰ θεῖα ἐρεῖ τὸν
About this text
Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.
Original English Translation — new OET from PG Greek.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.