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One might reasonably say, like sheepfolds pitched as tents throughout the inhabited world. Set yourselves in array against her for war; arise, and let us go up against her at noon. See how many things God devises to instill fear in them, seeing that He even invents words from the enemies as if they were present and exhorting one another. And yet war would not happen at noon, but this shows that they will attack not secretly, nor covertly, but with boldness, which is proof of their great confidence in themselves. Woe to us, for the day has declined. For to the besieged, every time is indeed fearful and suspicious, but much more so that of the night; for in the day there is time to stand, and to take counsel, and to go around, and to see what is happening; but when night comes, the war becomes twofold. They ought to say the opposite, Woe to us, for we have provoked God; they lament the time of punishment. Arise, and let us go up against her by night. Of Chrysostom, another of Olympiodorus. 64.821 By night and noon he means the time of the enemies' attack, making no difference. Arise and let us go up against her at noon. The voice of those who are confident. Woe to us, for the day is spent. For as being captured by the enemies throughout the whole day, and with night overtaking them, being no longer able to flee, they say these things. Arise, and let us go up by night, and let us destroy her foundations. So he says these things as being spoken by the enemies. Whence also the inhabitants have feared the coming of the night. Cut down her trees. As with some timber, make her desolate, he says; as with some forest, uproot her wood, the men being fruitless, and at the same time hard, and it shows the vehemence of the enemies. O deceitful city, all is oppression within her. And you see the cause, whence is she deceitful? Because there is oppression in her, and she is wholly deceitful. Not that part of her is sound, and part corrupt; she is wholly deceitful. If you wish to see her religion, instead of the true God they have substituted stone idols. If it were necessary to examine all things concerning her life, here too you will see much falsehood; and wickedness in their dealings with one another, in their dealings with the truth; it has corrupted perhaps it was corrupted, she is wholly deceitful. It is not possible to say that they rejected the master, but in their dealings with one another some were just and humane; but she is wholly deceitful. That is, Make a mound against her, and set the army around her. Impiety and misery shall be heard in her. He speaks of intense wickedness. With great exactness they held on to evil things, as if something good and great; thus they guarded it, as if fearing lest they should perish, if the form of wickedness should fail them. Before her face continually. See how he represents their shamelessness. Before my face, the boldness, the shamelessness, and that continually, no time, no season at all. See how he makes the accusation severe, all but making a defense for the punishment. Instead of, as the cistern holds water, so the city holds wickedness, and admits no change. With pain and scourge you shall be chastised. The wound is incurable, having no remedy, nor change, such as others. such as the sufferings of Sodom, such as the things concerning Gomorrah. So the punishment is not for past things, but for future things, and the punishment for past things seems, others, to punish. But it seems to be so that they may not persist in the same things. Glean, glean. Again he intensifies the punishment, again the fear. I do not spare even the remnants, he says; And yet he said above: Leave her supports others. under 64.824 supports. of Israel, for they are the Lord's. And again here: Glean, glean. He often speaks contradictorily, for her benefit, both stirring up their indolence, and cutting off their despair. Return like the grape-gatherer to his basket. That is, Lay aside the remnants at home. To whom shall I speak, and testify?

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εἰκότως ἄν τις εἴποι, καθάπερ σκηναὶ πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης εἰ πεπηγυῖαι μάνδραι προβάτων. Παρατάξασθε ἐπ' αὐτὴν εἰς πόλεμον· ἀνάστητε, καὶ ἀναβῶμεν ἐπ' αὐτὴν μεσημβρίας. Ὅρα πόσα ὁ Θεὸς κατασκευάζει, ὥστε αὐτοῖς ἐνθεῖναι τὸν φόβον, ὅπουγε καὶ ῥήματα ἀναπλάττει παρὰ τῶν πολεμίων ὥσπερ παρόντων, καὶ παρακελευομένων ἀλλήλοις. Καίτοιγε ἐν μεσημβρίᾳ οὐκ ἂν γένοιτο πόλεμος, ἀλλὰ τοῦτο δηλοῖ, ὅτι οὐ λάθρα, οὐδὲ λανθανόντως, ἀλλὰ μετὰ παῤῥησίας ἐπιθήσονται, ὃ τεκμήριον τοῦ σφόδρα θαῤῥεῖν ἐστιν ἑαυτοῖς. Οὐαὶ ἡμῖν, ὅτι κέκλικεν ἡ ἡμέρα. Τοῖς γὰρ πολιορκουμένοις μάλιστα μὲν πᾶς καιρὸς φοβερὸς καὶ ὑπόπτης, πολλῷ δὲ πλέον ὁ τῆς νυκτός· ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μὲν γὰρ καὶ στῆναι, καὶ βουλεύσασθαι, καὶ περιελθεῖν, καὶ ἰδεῖν τὰ γιγνόμενα· νυκτὸς δὲ ἐπελθούσης διπλοῦς ὁ πόλεμος γίγνεται. ∆έον τοὐναντίον λέγειν, Οὐαὶ ἡμῖν, ὅτι παρωξύναμεν τὸν Θεόν· τὸν καιρὸν τῆς τιμωρίας θρηνοῦσιν. Ἀνάστητε, καὶ ἀναβῶμεν ἐπ' αὐτὴν νυκτί. Τοῦ Χρυσοστόμου, ἄλλ. Ὀλυμπιοδώρου. 64.821 Νύκτα καὶ μεσημβρίαν φησὶ τὸν ἀδιάφορον τῆς ἐφόδου τῶν πολεμίων καιρόν. Ἀνάστητε καὶ ἀναβῶμεν ἐπ' αὐτὴν μεσημβρίας. Θαῤῥούντων ἡ φωνή. Οὐαὶ ἡμῖν, ὅτι βεβλημένη ἡμέρα. Ὡς γὰρ διὰ πάσης τῆς ἡμέρας αἱρούμενοι ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων, καὶ τῆς νυκτὸς καταλαβούσης οὐκέτι φεύγειν δυνάμενοι ταῦτά φασιν. Ἀνάστητε, καὶ ἀναβῶμεν ἐν νυκτὶ, καὶ διαφθείρωμεν τὰ θεμέλια αὐτῆς. Ὥστε τῶν πολεμίων λεγόντων ταῦτά φησιν. Ὅθεν καὶ οἱ ἐνοικοῦντες τὴν παρουσίαν τῆς νυκτὸς πεφόβηνται. Ἐκκόψατε τὰ ξύλα αὐτῆς. Καθάπερ ἐπὶ ὕλης τινὸς, ἔρημον αὐτὴν καταστήσατε, φησί· καθάπερ ἐπὶ δρυμοῦ τινος, πρόῤῥιζον αὐτὴν ἀνέλετε ξύλον, τοὺς ἄνδρας ἀκάρπους ὄντας, σκληροὺς ἅμα, καὶ τὸ σφοδρὸν τῶν πολεμίων δείκνυσιν. Ὢ πόλις ψευδὴς, ὅλη καταδυναστεία ἐν αὐτῇ. Τὸ δὲ αἴτιον ὁρᾷς, πόθεν ψευδής; ἐπειδὴ καταδυναστεία ἐν αὐτῇ, καὶ ὅλη ψευδής. Οὐ τὸ μὲν αὐτῆς ὑγιὲς, τὸ δὲ διεφθαρμένον, ὅλη ψευδής. Εἰ θρησκείαν βουληθῇς ἰδεῖν, ἀντὶ τοῦ ὄντως Θεοῦ λίθινα εἴδωλα ἀντικατέστησαν. Εἰ τὰ κατὰ βίον ἐξετάζεσθαι ἅπαντα δέον, καὶ ἐνταῦθα πολὺ τὸ ψεῦδος ὄψει· καὶ πονηρίαι ἐν τοῖς πρὸς ἀλλήλους, ἐν τοῖς πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν· διέφθειρεν ἴσ. διεφθάρη, ὅλη ψευδής. Οὐκ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν ὅτι τὸν μὲν δεσπότην ἠθέτησαν· ἐν δὲ τοῖς πρὸς ἀλλήλους δίκαιοί τινες ἦσαν, καὶ φιλάνθρωποι, ἀλλ' ὅλη ψευδής. Τουτέστι, Χῶμα κατ' αὐτῆς ποίησον, καὶ τὴν στρατιὰν περίστησον. Ἀσέβεια καὶ ταλαιπωρία ἀκουσθήσεται ἐν αὐτῇ. Ἐπιτεταμένην λέγει πονηρίαν. Μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἀκριβείας τὰ κακὰ κατεῖχον, ὥσπερ ἀγαθόν τι καὶ μέγα· οὕτως ἐφύλαττον, καθάπερ φοβούμενοι, μήποτε καὶ ἀπόλωνται, ἂν αὐτοὺς ἐπιλίπῃ τὸ τῆς κακίας εἶδος. Ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτῆς διὰ παντός. Ὅρα τὸ ἀναίσχυντον πῶς παρίστησιν. Ἐπὶ πρόσωπόν μου, τὴν παῤῥησίαν, τὴν ἀναίδειαν, καὶ τὸ διὰ παντὸς, οὐ χρόνος, οὐ καιρὸς οὐδείς. Ὅρα πῶς ποιεῖ χαλεπὴν τὴν κατηγορίαν, μόνον οὐκ ἀπολογούμενος ὑπὲρ τῆς τιμωρίας. Ἀντὶ τοῦ, ὡς ὁ λάκκος συνέχει τὸ ὕδωρ, οὕτως ἡ πόλις τὴν κακίαν, καὶ οὐδεμίαν δέχεται μεταβολήν. Πόνῳ καὶ μάστιγι παιδευθήσῃ. Ἀνίατον τὸ τραῦμα, λύσιν οὐκ ἔχον, οὐδὲ μεταβολὴν, οἵαν ἄλλ. οἷα τὰ πάθη τῶν Σοδόμων, οἵαν τὰ κατὰ Γομόῤῥων. Ἄρα οὐχ ὑπὲρ τῶν παρελθόντων, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τῶν μελλόντων ἡ κόλασις, καὶ δοκεῖ μὲν ὑπὲρ τῶν παρελθόντων ἡ κόλασις ἄλλ. κολάζειν. ∆οκεῖ δὲ ἵνα μὴ τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐπιμείνωσιν. Καλαμᾶσθε, καλαμᾶσθε. Πάλιν ἐπιτείνει τὴν τιμωρίαν, πάλιν τὸν φόβον. Οὐδὲ τῶν λειψάνων φείδομαι, φησί· Καὶ μὴν ἔλεγεν ἀνωτέρω· Ὑπολείπεσθε τὰ στηρίγματα ἄλλ. ὑπο 64.824 στηρίγματα. τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, ὅτι τοῦ Κυρίου εἰσί. Καὶ πάλιν ἐνταῦθα· Καλαμᾶσθε, καλαμᾶσθε. Ἐναντιολογεῖ πολλάκις, πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον ἐκείνης, τήν τε ῥᾳθυμίαν αὐτῶν διεγείρων, καὶ τὴν ἀπόγνωσιν ἐκκόπτων. Ἐπιστρέψατε ὡς ὁ τρυγὼν ἐπὶ τὸν κάρταλλον αὐτοῦ. Τουτέστιν, Ἀπόθεσθε οἴκοι τὰ λείψανα. Πρὸς τίνα λαλήσω, καὶ διαμαρτύρωμαι;