§37agnoscimus itaque qui requieuerit sicut leo, < cum) confregerit bracchia potentium, quia a principio diuisiones temptantium uidit.
Therefore we recognize who it is that rested like a lion, <when> he broke the arms of the powerful, because from the beginning he saw the divisions of those who tempt.
ibi igitur hiatus est terrae, qui absorbeat calumniantes, ubi temptatio perfidorum est.
There, therefore, is a chasm of the earth to swallow up those who calumniate, where the temptation of the faithless is.
§38Aser, pinguis eius panis, et ipse dabit escam principibus. Aser interpretatione Latina significat diuitias.
"Asher, his bread is rich, and he shall give food to princes." Asher, in Latin translation, means "riches." Who then is rich except where the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God is?
quis igitur diues nisi ubi altitudo diuitiarum est sapientiae et scientiae dei? quis diues nisi dominus Iesus, qui abundat semper et numquam deficit? pauper uenit in hunc mundum et omnibus abundauit, repleuit uniuersos.
Who is rich except the Lord Jesus, who always abounds and never fails? He came poor into this world and abounded in all things, he filled all.
quantus est in diuitiis, qui paupertate sua omnes diuites fecit! sed pauper propter nos, diues cum patre.
How great is he in riches, who by his poverty made all rich! But poor for our sake, rich with the Father.
pauper ille, ut nos ab inopia uindicaret, sicut apostolus docet dicens: quia propter uos pauper factus est, cum diues esset, ut illius inopia inopia uos ditaremini. cuius inopia ditat, sanat fimbria, famis satiat, mors uiuificat, resuscitat sepultura.
He was poor that he might rescue us from want, as the apostle teaches, saying: "Because for your sake he became poor, though he was rich, so that by his poverty you might be enriched." Whose poverty enriches, whose hem heals, who satisfies hunger, whose death gives life, whose burial raises up.
hic ergo est diues thensaurus, cuius pinguis panis.
This therefore is the rich treasure, whose bread is rich.
et bene pinguis, quem qui manducauerit esurire non poterit.
And well rich, which he who eats shall not be able to hunger.
hunc panem dedit apostolis, ut diuiderent populo credentium, et hodieque dat nobis eum, quem ipse sacerdos cotidie consecrat suis uerbis.
This bread he gave to the apostles, that they might divide it to the people of believers, and today also he gives it to us, which the priest himself daily consecrates by his words.
§39hic ergo panis factus est esca sanctorum.
This bread therefore became the food of the saints.
possumus et ipsum dominum accipere, qui suam carnem nobis dedit, sicut ipse ait: ego sum panis uitae.
We can also receive the Lord himself, who gave us his flesh, as he himself says: "I am the bread of life.
patres uestri manducauerunt mannam in deserto et mortui sunt, hic est autem panis, qui de caelo descendit, ut, si quis ex ipso manducauerit, non moriatur. et ne quis putaret quia de hac morte dicit, quae per animae et corporis secessionem uenit, et iure dubitet, cum sciat sanctos apostolos hac morte esse defunctos, addidit: ego sum panis uiuus, qui de caelo descendi.
Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness and died; but this is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that if anyone eats of it, he may not die." And lest anyone should think that he speaks of this death, which comes through the separation of soul and body, and should rightly doubt, knowing that the holy apostles died by this death, he added: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven.
si quis manducauerit ex hoc, uiuet in aeternum, hoc est: non de temporali uita dixi supra nec de morte istius uitae, qua etiamsi quis mortuus fuerit, tamen si panem meum acceperit, uiuet in aeternum. ille enim accipit qui se ipsum probat; qui autem accipit non morietur peccatoris morte, quia panis hic remissio peccatorum est.
If anyone eats of this, he shall live forever," that is: "I did not speak above of temporal life, nor of the death of this life, by which even if someone has died, yet if he receives my bread, he shall live forever." For he receives who examines himself; but he who receives shall not die by the death of the sinner, because this bread is the remission of sins.
§40Moyses quoque pulcherrime prophetauit in benedictionibus suis dicens: benedictus a filiis Aser, et erit acceptus a fratribus suis et intinguet in oleo pedem suum.
Moses also prophesied most beautifully in his blessings, saying: "Blessed among the sons is Asher, and he shall be acceptable to his brothers, and shall dip his foot in oil.
ferrum et aeramentum erit calciamentum eius, et sicut dies tui sunt, sic erunt uirtutes tuae.
Iron and brass shall be his shoe, and as your days are, so shall your strength be.
non est quisquam sicut est deus tuus in caelo, adiutor tuus et magnus et decens firmamenti et protegens deus initii et per uires bracchiorum potentium.
There is none like the God of your heaven, your helper, both great and fitting for the firmament, and the protecting God of the beginning, and by the strength of the arms of the powerful.
et eiciet a facie tua inimicum dicens: pereat. et inhabitabit Istrahel fidens solus super terram Iacob in frumento et uino, et caelum tibi cum nebula roris erit. §41Nephthalim uitis remissa, porrigens in germine decorem. sarmentum uitis aliud amputatur, quod uidetur inutile, ne cassa uitis sarmentorum exultatione luxuriet, aliud paulisper reciditur ac remittitur, ut fructum adferat, cuius decus in generatione porrigitur, quia dum ad superna se subrigit, uitem amplectitur et ad uerticem ascendens iugi quaedam colla uitium pretiosi palmitis uestit monili.
And he shall cast out the enemy from before your face, saying: 'Let him perish.' And Israel shall dwell trusting alone upon the land of Jacob in corn and wine, and the heaven shall be to you with a mist of dew." "Naphtali is a let-loose vine, reaching out beauty in its bud." One branch of the vine is cut off, which seems useless, lest the empty vine run riot with the exultation of its branches; another is pruned for a little while and let loose, so that it may bear fruit, whose beauty is reached out in growth, because while it raises itself to the heights, it embraces the vine and, ascending to the summit, clothes certain necks of the vines with a necklace of precious shoots.
est et ille decus in generatione, quia plenis palmitibus multos fructus exundat.
It is also a beauty in growth, because with full shoots it overflows with much fruit.
§42decorum hoc, sed multo illud pulchrius, quod haerentem palmitem uiti significat spiritali, cuius nos sarmentum sumus et fructum adferre possumus, si maneamus in uite: sin autem, praecidimur.
This is beautiful, but that is much more beautiful, which signifies the shoot clinging to the spiritual vine, of which we are the branches and can bear fruit if we remain in the vine; but if not, we are cut off.