Глава III

Mal.3:1: Behold, I send [or: I will send] My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And after that the Lord, Whom you are looking for, and the Angel of the Covenant, Whom you want, will come to His church. LXX: “Behold, I send My angel, and he will prepare the way before Me, and suddenly the Lord, whom you seek, and the Angel of righteousness [or: justification] whom you desire, will come to His church.” In the Gospel, the Lord interpreted this passage as applied to John the Baptist as follows: “He is the one about whom it is written: Behold, I send My messenger before You, and He will prepare Your way before You” (Matthew 11:10); but He did not use the words that the LXX interpreters translated. Evangelist Mark, having combined the testimonies of Isaiah and Malachi into one speech, began [his Gospel] like this: “The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Behold, I send My angel before Thy face, who will prepare Thy way before Thee” (Mark 1:1-2). We read the same thing in Malachi, although in different expressions. And then the following words: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make His ways straight” (Mark 1:3), spoken by the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 40:3); and immediately then the Evangelist explains both the testimonies in question, as follows: “There was John who baptized in the wilderness and preached the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (Mark 1:4). However, the Evangelists, interpreting the sayings of the prophets in relation to John, although they agree with each other in meaning, differ in expression. In fact, instead of what is translated in LXX: make right the ways of our God, Mark and Luke used the words: make His ways right, and John says: Make straight the way of the Lord. From this it is obvious that the Apostles and Evangelists did not follow the guidance (auctoritatem) of the LXX interpreters, and as those who spoke the Hebrew language did not need it; but even from the Hebrew text they did not literally translate what they read; they did not care about the syllables and constituent parts of words when conveying the true meaning of thoughts. That this was so, we have spoken about this in many places, and this is especially confirmed by many evidence collected together in our book, which is entitled: De optimo genere interpretandi (On the best way [or kind] of interpretation). - So the words: Behold, I am sending My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me, were spoken from the person of Jesus Christ in the sense that He sent John in the Judean wilderness to preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And the further words: And then the Master, Whom you seek, and the Angel of the covenant, Whom you want, will come to His church, He pronounces about Himself, as if about someone else, according to the custom of the Scriptures. But no one doubts that this Master is the Savior, who is the Creator of all things and the Angel of the covenant and is called the Angel of the great council. But others think that the words: Behold, I am sending My messenger to prepare the way before Me were spoken on behalf of the Father; and then the following words: After this the Master, whom you seek, and the Angel of the covenant, whom you desire, will come to His church, these interpreters refer to the Lord the Savior, as spoken on behalf of God the Father. But John prepares the way, and he straightens the paths for our God precisely in the hearts of believers, in which before this God could not walk due to their corruption and unbelief. And by church we mean either the church, or each of the believers in the church. “Establish spiritual dwellings, a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Christ Jesus” (1 Peter 2:5). About those who believed, it is said: “Do you not know that you are the church of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16). The words: Behold, I am sending My messenger, the Jews consider to have been spoken regarding Elijah the prophet, and the following words: Then the Master whom you seek will come to His church, and the Angel of the covenant Whom you desire, they refer to the Anointed One (ἠ λειμμένον), i.e. to their Christ, Who, according to their assurance, must [or: has] come in the last time. But I wonder how the outcome of events does not inspire them with a knowledge of the truth. Indeed, the Lord [according to the word of the prophet] will find His church, which is [now] destroyed to the ground, or perhaps [they imagine] that before the coming of Christ it should be built again by another; but then what more will He do when everything is restored by others? Our Lord, explaining the place of the Gospel about Elijah in relation to John the Baptist, says: “If you want, he is Elijah, who is coming” (Matthew 11:14), about which here the same prophet whom we are explaining says: “Behold, I am sending you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes” (Mal.4:5). A. how John is Elijah, the way to understand this He gave us by saying that John will come in the spirit and power of Elijah. Mal.3:2-5: Behold He cometh, saith the Lord of hosts, and whosoever can think of the day of His coming, and whosoever standeth to behold Him. For He is like a fire that melts, and like the grass of clothiers. And He will sit down to melt and purify, as it were [Vulg. does not have: as if] silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and strain them as if it were gold and as if it were silver, and they will offer sacrifices to the Lord in righteousness. And the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in the days of the world, as in the years of old. And I will come to you in judgment, and I will be a swift witness [accuser] for the evildoers and the adulterers, and those who swear a false oath, and those who miscalculate the wages of mercenaries, and those who slander the widows and the orphans, and those who oppress the stranger and those who did not fear Me, says the Lord of hosts. LXX: “Behold, He will come [or: comes], says the Lord Almighty, and who will endure the day of His coming, or who will be able to look at Him? For He will appear as the fire of a furnace and as the grass of those who wash; He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver and gold, and He will purify the sons of Levi, and will pour them out as in gold and silver, and they will offer sacrifices to the Lord in righteousness, and the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in the days of old, as in the years of old. And I will come to you in judgment, and will be a swift accuser against the evildoers, and against the adulterers, and against those who swear falsely in My name, who deceive the hireling at the payment, and oppress widows by force, and drive away the orphans, and pervert judgment against the stranger, and do not fear Me, says the Lord Almighty; for I am the Lord your God, and I do not change.” Above we read the question addressed to the Lord by those who say: Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of God, and such are acceptable to him; or if they are not pleasing, then where is the God of justice [on them]? In other words: Where is the truth of judgment? To resolve this question, the word of the Lord gives the following answer: I will send My messenger, who will prepare My way, and the Master whom you seek will come to His church, Who is the judge of truth, as stated in the Psalm: “O God, give Your judgment to the king and Your righteousness to the king’s son” (Ps. 71:1), for: “The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son” ( John 5:22). And He is the Angel of the covenant, whom you seek, to whom evil is not pleasing, who in judgment does not look upon the face of men (Col. 3:25), who does not change either moved by mercy or prompted by severity, for “the cup in the hand of the Lord is filled with pure undissolved wine, and He has tilted from here to there” (Ps. 75:9), i.e. mercy moderates justice, and justice moderates mercy. So, He will then quickly come to His church, i.e. to the Church. And who can think about the day of His coming. If, due to the greatness of His power, there is no one, then who can endure Him? And who will stand in order to contemplate Him, i.e. who can, with his eyes sticking together, almost closed, contemplate the radiance of Him who is the Sun of righteousness, carrying salvation on His wings. He will come like a melting fire and like the grass that clothiers use for washing, for “fire will burn on His face and a strong storm will surround Him” (Ps. 49:3). Then He will call heaven above and earth to judge His people; then streams of fire, covering all sinners, will carry them away before Him. And the Lord is called fire and a consuming fire (Deut. 4:11-12), like, to put it in our language, hay and straw. But He is not only fire, but also the grass of clothiers, called in Hebrew borith (בורית), and among the Seventy it is translated πόαν [from πόα], i.e. clothiers' grass. He is a fire that melts and consumes those who have sinned grievously; and for those who have committed minor sins, He is the grass of clothiers in order to give them cleanliness to those who have been washed, according to what is written in Isaiah: “The Lord washed away the uncleanness of the sons and daughters of Zion and purified the blood from among them by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of fire” (Is. 4:4). Those who have uncleanness need the spirit of judgment to be washed; and those who are filled with blood need the spirit of fire, so that the blood with which they are covered on the outside can be destroyed. And He will sit as a refiner and purifier, as it were, of silver, so that, as the prophet Ezekiel says, what is in our gold and silver, i.e., will be burned in the furnace of the Lord. in mind and word, mixed with copper, tin, iron, lead, so that pure gold and silver remain. That is why the Lord says in the Gospel: “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and I want it to burn” (Luke 12:49). And He will purify the sons of Levi, for “the time has come for judgment to begin in the house of God” (1 Pet. 4:17); and in another place it is written: “Begin at My saints” (Ezek. 9:6). And by the sons of Levi you understand every priestly dignity. If the priests must be cleansed and washed so that pure gold and silver remain, what about the rest? When they are cleansed and washed, then they will offer righteous sacrifices to the Lord, and the sacred act of their sacrifice, which they will offer for Judah and Jerusalem, will be pleasing to God, i.e. for those who confess to the Lord and mentally contemplate His peace; like the days of the age, like the days of ancient times, [i.e.] just as initially they were pleasing to God, so after sin and repentance they will again be pleasing to Him, when they are cleansed from all sinful filth. And I will come, he says, to you in court and will be a swift accuser. What a terrible judgment when He himself will be both the accuser and the judge; an accuser for all evildoers and adulterers, for these crimes creep in secretly, and therefore now they are brought to light (in medio), so that they are no longer hidden. After evildoers are called adulterers, after adulterers are those who swear a false oath, after those who swear a false oath are those who falsely calculate the wages of a mercenary, not wanting to pay as much for the work performed. Widows and orphans (it is implied) are slandered, and the foreigner and foreigner are oppressed, that is, as it seems, the catechumen who has not yet become a citizen in the Kingdom of Christ; and even if they did not do all this, yet one crime is enough to punish them, namely, that they do not fear God. And so, we in no way consider as unimportant sins a false oath, underpayment of wages to a worker, abuse of orphans and widows, and oppression of a foreigner and a foreigner; for these sins are equated with evil deeds, poisoning and adultery. – We understand what we have said both in relation to actual past events and in a figurative sense in relation to the present time, so that what was addressed at one time to the leaders of the Jews now has force in relation to the rulers of the Church. And the following words: I am the Lord, and I do not change, are added by Him because above He said: He is like a melting fire and like the grass of clothiers, so that we do not think that He does not change the nature of the Divine, when He appears before us with the name of either an Angel, or fire, or borith [herba - grass]. Mal.3:6-7 [end of 6th and beginning of 7th]: But ye sons of Jacob are not destroyed. Indeed, since the days of your fathers you have departed from My laws and have not kept them. LXX: “But you, the sons of Jacob, did not turn away from the sins of your fathers, you turned away from My laws and did not keep them.” Above He said: I am a swift accuser of evildoers and adulterers, and those who swear a false oath, and those who withhold wages from a hireling, and those who mock widows and orphans, and those who oppress the stranger, and those who did not fear Me, thus says the Lord Almighty; and calling Himself a righteous Judge, Who in judgment does not look at face, He adds: I am the Lord and I do not change. The meaning [in the connection of speech] turns out to be this: You, through atrocities, adulteries, false oaths, slander and violence, constantly change (quotidie), but during the trial I do not change before any variety of persons. Sons of Jacob! Although I confess that I am a strict and righteous judge, yet you were not destroyed by various trials according to what the prophet Jeremiah writes: “Without cause [i.e. in vain] I struck your sons, but you did not accept the instruction” (Jer. 2:30). And you have not done this recently, nor just once, so that you cannot receive forgiveness for your sin; Your wickedness is hereditary, for you have departed from My laws since the time of your fathers and have not kept what I commanded. By the sons of Jacob - in a figurative sense, being the spreader of the clan and the thief of the birthright [from his brother], - by these sons who do not deviate from the sins of their fathers, we must understand those who, having been installed in the Church, do not deviate from vices and do not rightfully appropriate for themselves the name (falsutn sibi nomen assumant) of the Christian confession. Mal.3:7–12: Turn to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. And you said: What should we turn to? Does any man insult God as you insult Me, and you said: In what way have we insulted You? In tithes and firstfruits offerings. In [Vulg: And in] poverty you are cursed, and you - the whole people - have insulted Me. Bring every tithe into the barn, and then there will be food in My house, and in this test Me, says the Lord. May I not reveal to you the depths of heaven and pour out blessings upon you until there is abundance? For your sake I will rebuke the ravenous [insect], and it will not spoil the fruit of the land [or: vineyard] of your [it], and the grapes of [your] field will not be fruitless, says the Lord of hosts. And all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a desirable land, says the Lord of hosts. LXX: “Turn to Me. and I will turn to you, says the Lord Almighty. And you said: What should we turn to? Does [any] man deceive God as you deceive Me? And you said: In what ways do we deceive You? For you have tithes and firstfruits of offerings. And looking [at them] you think and deceive Me [or: deceived Me]. The year is completed and you have brought the fruits into the storehouses; and there will be plunder in your houses. So, in this, turn yourselves, says the Lord Almighty. Will I not reveal to you the depths of heaven and will I not pour out My blessing on you until it is enough, will I not divide the loaves for you; and shall I not cause your fruits to decay; and shall not your vineyard be strong in the field, says the Lord Almighty. And all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a desirable land, says the Lord Almighty.” We said at the beginning that by the prophet Malachi we must understand the priest Ezra, because everything that is written in the latter’s narrative is also contained in the scroll we are explaining [in the book of the prophet Malachi]; and now we say that during the time of him and Nehemiah, who apparently lived at the same time as him, there was a very great famine, and as a result of the famine, poor people, forced by necessity, sold their sons and daughters and absolutely all their property. Finally they say: “Our sons and our daughters are too numerous; We will receive their bread at their price and we will eat and live. There were also those who said: Let us also add to our fields, our vineyards and houses, and obtain food for ourselves during the famine. And I was angry,” says Ezra (Neh. 5:2–6). So, during the famine, when the cost of life was very high, so that some were forced to sell their children, both those who had little provisions, and those who had collected a lot of fruits in their granaries, either due to need or due to the high cost, did not want to pay tithes to the Levites, who did not have a land allotment in Judea, and whose allotment was tithes and firstfruits. And lest you think that this is our fabrication, let us bring Ezra as a witness: “And I learned,” he says, that parts of the Levites were not represented, and that each of the Levites fled to his own country, and from the singers, and from those who served [in the church]. And I brought a case against the rulers and said: Why did we leave the house of God? And I gathered them and forced them to remain at the place of their service. And all Judah brought tithes from grain bread, wine and oil in the storerooms, and we appointed Selemiah the priest and Zadok the scribe to oversee the storehouse” (Neh. 13:10-13). and now let us repeat the words of the prophet, paying more careful attention to whether they agree with his story and prophecy. When it is said: Turn to Me and I will turn to you, it is obvious that he convinces those who have departed from the Lord to return; and pay attention to the mercy of the Lord: He, for his part, promises to repay with the same as they did, so that it will be measured to them with the same measure with which they will be measured (Matthew 7:2). And just as it is written in the book of Leviticus: “If you come to Me depraved, then I will also walk against you in terrible wrath” (Lev. 26:27-28), and now He convinces the people to return, so that He too can return to them. And they, not realizing that they have departed from the Lord, shamelessly ask: What should we turn to? And they say: When we retreated, at what cost (merito) will we be forced to return? To this the Lord answers: Will a person offend God [or: offend] as you offend Me? The Hebrew word haiecba ( היקבע ), translated in the LXX deceives (supplantat - puts one's foot in) in Aquila, Symmachus and Theodotion is translated with the words: Does he deceive (si fraudat), so the meaning is: Will a man deceive God, as you deceived [or: deceive] Me and indeed, according to the meaning of past events, when the people did not want to give the firstfruits and tithes to the Levites, then, according to the word of the Lord, He Himself was deceived, since His servants, forced by hunger and disasters, left the church. If in the person of others the Lord Himself is visited and received in prison, just as a sick person in hunger and thirst is satisfied and refreshed with drink, then why not admit that in the person of His servants it is not He Himself who receives tithes; and if they do not come from the people to the storerooms, then is He not deprived of His part of the property? The above-mentioned word haiecba ( היקבע ) in the language of the Syrians and Chaldeans has the meaning: if he offends, [in the sense: beats, nails], therefore, many years ago we translated it in this very sense, relating what was written by the prophet more to the suffering of the Lord, when people nailed God to the cross, than to the tithes and firstfruits of the fruits with which the Lord is visited in prison, is treated as if he were sick. receives food and drink in times of hunger and thirst (Matthew 25:35–36). Let the prudent reader look for himself: how these words of our interpretation can be agreed with those that follow - with the words: In tithes and firstfruits, and let him see: could we say this [i.e. interpreted in the sense]: For you nail Me to the cross, for you lay criminal hands on your God; you did this without thinking about many things, secretly stealing tithes and firstfruits - I do not say: From My priests and Levites, but: From Me, who commanded them to be given through Moses (Ex. 23:14-20). - We said this about one word, leaving judgment to the free prudence of the reader. Let us now continue to follow the order of the prophetic word. Since you did not provide Me with tithes and firstfruits, and you deceive Me, as if you were undermining Me and robbing Me, then you, the whole people, will be cursed with hunger and poverty. Instead of the word people in Hebrew there is aggoi (הגוי), which means year, and Seventy is translated: ἔτος (not ἔθνος), i.e. summer. And this is the meaning of this place. Now a year has already passed, and you have brought nothing to My barns, and therefore for the tithes and the firstfruits, which were not great, if only you had given them to Me, you have lost all your wealth and the entire amount of your fruits. But so that you know that this happened as a result of My anger, because you deceived Me about My share of wealth, I warn and exhort you to collect tithes into granaries, i.e. into the treasuries of the church, and let the priests and Levites who serve Me have means of subsistence. And test Me, [then you will see] how I will pour out such rain that it will seem to you as if the depths of heaven had been opened. And I will pour out blessings on you even to the point of abundance. The word: abundance contains the concept of generosity. But it may happen that although, due to the abundant irrigation of the fields with rain, there will be a bountiful harvest, the locust, worm, caterpillar and other insects destructive to fruits will destroy them, and people’s labors will be wasted, therefore He adds the words: And for your sake I will rebuke the gluttonous, i.e. locusts and the rest of the insects we have named, and they will not destroy the fruits of your land. The winepresses will be filled with grapes, and all the surrounding peoples will be amazed at the fertility of your land, so that they will want to live in it, as an example of the abundance of everything for all the surrounding peoples. And what we said about tithes and firstfruits, which were once given by the people to the priests and Levites, understand also in relation to the members (in populis) of the Church, who are commanded not only to give tithes and firstfruits, but also to sell all their property, distribute it to the poor and follow the Lord Savior (Matthew 19:21 and Mark 10:21). If we do not want to do this, then we will at least imitate the initiatives of the Jews, giving at least a portion to the poor, and showing due respect to the priests and Levites. Therefore, the Apostle says: “Honor widows, who in truth are widows” (1 Tim. 5:3), and also that the elder should be honored with utmost respect, especially the one who labors in the word and teaching of God. If anyone does not do this, he is punished as one who insults the Lord by deceiving him and is condemned to poverty in everything, so that whoever sows in part will only reap in part, and whoever sows in blessing will also reap abundant fruit in blessing (2 Cor. 9:6). And if ever hunger, poverty or lack of everything oppress [or: oppress] the world, then we will know that this is a consequence of the wrath of God, for God says that in the person of the poor who do not receive alms, He is deceived and deprived of His part [or: His property]. We can still talk about tithes and firstfruits in this way. If someone, learned and instructed in the law of God, can instruct others, he should not attribute to his wisdom and natural gifts what he owns; but above all, he must thank God, Who generously gives everything; then he must thank the priests and teachers who taught him; for if he does not give thanks, but appropriates knowledge to himself, he will be doomed [or: condemned with a curse] to poverty. On the contrary (quod), if he, recognizing God as a generous giver and giving thanks to those with whom he has been instructed by God, humbles himself and brings bread into the Lord’s granary, i.e. will serve the table of the Holy Scriptures in the Church for her people, then immediately the abysses of the sky will open above him and spiritual rain will pour out, and the Lord will command his clouds so that they pour out abundant moisture on him, and so that he enjoys abundantly all the good things (omnium rerum); and the Lord will rebuke everyone who devours for his sake, namely: hostile forces, and his labor will bear fruit, and what is written will be fulfilled: “Blessed is he who preaches in the ears of those who hear” (Eccl. [Sir.25:12]). He will also lift up his eyes and see the countries, whitened so much that they are, as it were, ready for harvest (John 4:35) and will gather fruits to eternal life. And that Vine will not be barren in its field, which proclaims: “I am the vine” (John 15:1) and which says through the prophet: “I have planted you a fruitful vine, completely true” (Jer. 2:21). As a result of humility in the confession of faith and gratitude to God and the teachers of His Church, such a prosperous life will come that all nations will call him blessed and will wish to dwell on his land and abide in his teaching, hearing him teach in the Church. Mal.3:13-15: Your words are strong against me, says the Lord, and you said: What have we said against you? You said: He who serves the Lord is vanity, and what advantage is it that we kept His commandments, and that we walked sorrowful before the Lord of hosts? Therefore we now consider the proud to be happy; Of course, those who do injustice achieved prosperity, and they tempted God, but remained unharmed. LXX: “You have aggravated your words against Me, says the Lord, and you said: In what ways have we slandered You [or: spoken against You]; but you said: He who serves God is vanity, and in what respect is it better that we kept His commandments and walked with humble supplication before the face of the Almighty Lord? And now we consider strangers blessed, and all those who do injustice are prospered, and they resisted God, but remained whole.” Previously he said: You troubled the Lord with your speeches and asked: What did we trouble him with? In what they said: Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and such [seems] pleasing to Him, or this: Where is the God of justice? And now he repeats the same thing more fully, for it seemed that the people who returned from Babylon had the knowledge of God and kept the law, and offered sacrifices for sins, and gave tithes, and kept the Sabbath and other things that were prescribed by the law of God, but seeing that all the surrounding nations had abundance in everything, and he suffered hunger, poverty and all kinds of misfortunes, he was tempted every time and said: “What benefit does it bring me?” the fact that I honor the one true God, with contempt I reject idols as an abomination, and in sadness I approach God, vividly aware of my sins”; this place, as we said above, sets out the seventy-second psalm with greater detail and completeness. Therefore, the prophet, as a spiritual physician, has care for all wounds, and testifies to the removal (like a scab) of blasphemous words against the Creator and speaks on behalf of God: Your words have become stronger against Me, or: They have become aggravated, according to the fact, as the prophet Zechariah says (Zech. 5: 7-8), that untruth sits on the talent of lead and what is said against God is, as it were, pressed down a heavy mass of blasphemies. And they, not understanding the heavy and offensive words and their curses, ask: What did we say against You? The Lord answers them: You said: He who serves God is vanity, and what advantage is it that we have kept His commandments. They demand a reward in this life for their service to God, and therefore do not receive it. And [they said] that we appeared before the face of God with a sad look, according to what is written in the Psalms: “All the day I will walk in sorrow” (Ps. 37:7). Therefore, we consider the proud to be happy, and those who arrogantly rebel against God and boldly curse before Him with ungodly words; Moreover, they live comfortably and after crimes, and despite their curses, they enjoy all kinds of well-being. [Although] they tempted God or resisted Him, [however] they remained unharmed. [Thus, the Jews] consider peace in this present life to be happiness, and therefore fall into error. We can apply this to the heretics Marcion and Valentinus, and to others who do not recognize the Old Testament and speak against the Creator of the world, in the sense that these people succeed in their wickedness and have many accomplices in their crime. People who are seduced, who do not cease to abide in the Church, but do not know the actions of God’s judgment - these people attribute the words of the prophet [the above stated] to these heretics, [i.e. complaints on behalf of the people]. Mal.3:16 [beginning]: Then said those who fear God [Vulg.: Lord], every one to his neighbor. LXX: “Those who fear the Lord said this, every one to his neighbor.” According to the Hebrew text, this passage should be understood as follows: To those people who boldly slandered the judgment of God, people who fear God said in response that reward for deeds or good things or disasters does not occur in the present, short-term life, but in the future, eternal life, and that a person cannot comprehend the destinies of God, and also enter into disputes about the justice and justice of God, and other similar things that the righteous should say to the righteous. And [the prophet] did not say what exactly they said; but from what he suggests with the words: Then those who fear God said, each one to his neighbor, we must understand that those who fear God said what is preached in all Holy Scripture. And according to the text, LXX should read somewhat differently (ἐξαίρετον) and without connection, as we translated: Those who fear the Lord said this, every one to his neighbor, i.e. to those who make vain reproaches with their words: What profit is it that we have kept His commandments and walked with sorrowful countenance before the Lord? If they feared the Lord, they would not speak like that. Mal.3:16-18: And the Lord listened, and He heard, and a book was written as a memorial before Him to those who feared the Lord and thought on His name. And they will be an asset to Me, says the Lord of hosts, on the day that I am preparing, and I will spare them, as a man spares his son who serves him. And turn and see what a difference there is between the righteous and the wicked, and between those who serve God and those who do not serve Him. LXX: “And the Lord listened and heard, and wrote a book before His face to those who fear God, and who honor His name [or: fear the name] And they will be for Me, says the Lord Almighty, on the day that I am preparing, and I will choose [i.e. I will distinguish] them, as a man chooses his son who serves him, and turn and see what [difference] there is between the righteous and the unrighteous, and between those who serve God and those who do not serve Him.” The Lord listened to the righteous who said this, and to those who feared God, each one separately with his neighbor, who did not want to speak or listen to blasphemous curses, and He heard them; and the book was written before Him to those who feared and revere His name, so that when the day of judgment came, He would reward both those who cursed - punishment [according to deeds], and those who feared - reward. And the book that we read about in the book of the prophet Daniel was written: “Thrones were set up and books were opened” (Dan.7:9-10). And those who fear the Lord will be an asset to the Lord on the day of judgment. In place of the word: property in Hebrew is read sgolla (סגולה), translated by Aquila περιούσιον, and by the rest περιποίησιν, i.e. abundance and acquisition. So, those who fear the Lord, who each spoke to his neighbor and responded to blasphemous words, will be His property on the day of judgment, and He will spare them, for every person is under sin, or He will distinguish them, as a man usually distinguishes his son who serves him. A double movement of the soul operates in him: both a disposition of love for his son and gratitude for his service as a slave. And then you, who now blaspheme and say: What benefit is it that we kept the commandments and walked in sorrow before the Lord, you will recognize through their exaltation and well-being your wretched state and, turning to repentance, you will see what a difference there is between the righteous and the wicked, and those who serve the Lord and those who do not serve Him.