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Another, In the net. He will stoop and fall when he lords it over the poor. Another, But the one who is crushed will be bent, when he with his strong ones falls upon the weak. Have you seen him become a beast? For the Prophet, describing him as a beast, thus speaks about him, exposing his deceits, his ambushes, his plots. What could be more miserable than this man, what poorer, when he needs the money of the poor man? Therefore this man, tell me, shall we call him rich? Then also the thief, and the housebreaker. Away with the thought, he says. For what if he does not break into law courts? what if he does not come by night, but with deceit extinguishes the light of the judge? For what if he does not come upon them while they are sleeping 55.138, but while all are awake? For this man is more audacious. Since even of robbers, the laws punish more those who steal by day. Have you seen poverty? Have you seen cruelty? Poverty, because he desires what belongs to the poor man; cruelty, because he is not moved by misfortune, but the poverty which he ought to pity and correct, this he crushes. But yet he does not do these things unpunished; but when he prevails, when he seems to have overcome, when he thinks he is invincible, then he will be destroyed; so that both the resourcefulness of God might appear, and the endurance of the poor, and this man's incorrigibility, and the forbearance of God's longsuffering. For this reason justice does not follow immediately, as God through His longsuffering calls him to repentance; but when he gains nothing from the longsuffering, then He admonishes him by punishment. For these men, having been wronged, were not harmed at all; but they even became better and more illustrious from the affliction; and God showed His own longsuffering, having endured and forborne, and with the longsuffering also His strength and resourcefulness; because when he is at his most powerful, then He overcomes him; but this man, remaining incorrigible, pays the final penalty. And this is no small lesson for those who are prosperous. 11. Therefore, when you prevail over your enemies, and everything is carried along for you by a fair wind, do not be confident living in wickedness, but then rather be afraid. For the things of wickedness increase, the things of your defense are taken away from you, the things of pardon are cut off from you, as you remain wicked. For he said in his heart: God has forgotten; He has turned away His face, so as not to see to the end. See to what a pit of destruction he descends, what doctrines he collects, which because of their shamelessness he does not dare to utter, but turns them over within himself, fighting against the truth, and obscuring things clearer than the sun because of the blindness of his own mind. Arise, O Lord my God, let Your hand be lifted up. Do not forget the poor. Another, Lift up Your hand. Why has the ungodly man provoked God? For he said in his heart: He will not require it. You see, for You consider trouble and anger, to deliver him into Your hands. Another, You have seen that You will look upon trouble and provocation, to give it into Your hand. Another, That they may be given into Your hands. The lawless man says these things, the plunderer, the covetous man, as one who will not pay a penalty; but the Prophet, refuting his doctrines, completes the discourse concerning longsuffering. For that man says: He has turned away His face, so as not to see to the end; but he says the opposite: You both see, and understand, and are longsuffering, until they fall into Your hands. What is, "Until they are given into Your hands?" He has spoken in a more human way; but what he says is this: You wait, you forbear, so that by the excess of their wickedness they may be delivered up. For You are able even from the beginning to take and subdue them; but the sea of Your forbearance is unspeakable, seeing, and not proceeding against them, but awaiting them for repentance. But if they are not willing, then you punish, when nothing from longsuffering

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Ἄλλος, Ἐν τῇ σαγήνῃ. Κύψει καὶ πεσεῖται ἐν τῷ αὐτὸν κατακυριεῦσαι τῶν πενήτων. Ἄλλος, Ὁ δὲ θλασθεὶς καμφθήσεται, ἐπιπεσόντος αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν ἰσχυρῶν αὐτοῦ τοῖς ἀσθενέσιν. Εἶδες καὶ θηρίον αὐτὸν γενόμενον; Καθάπερ γὰρ θηρίον ὑπογράφων ὁ Προφήτης, οὕτω περὶ αὐτοῦ διαλέγεται, τοὺς δόλους, τὰς ἐνέδρας, τὰς ἐπιβουλὰς ἐκπομπεύων. Τί τούτου γένοιτ' ἂν ἀθλιώτερον, τί δὲ πενέστερον, ὅταν τῶν τοῦ πένητος δέηται χρημάτων; Τοῦτον οὖν, εἰπέ μοι, πλούσιον φήσομεν; Οὐκοῦν καὶ τὸν κλέπτην, καὶ τὸν τοιχωρύχον. Ἄπαγε, φησί. Τί γὰρ εἰ καὶ μὴ διορύττει δικαστήρια; τί γὰρ εἰ καὶ μὴ νυκτὸς ἔπεισιν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ δόλου κατασβεννὺς τὸ φῶς τοῦ δικάζοντος; Τί γὰρ εἰ μὴ καθευδόντων 55.138 ἐπέρχεται, ἀλλ' ἐγρηγορότων ἁπάντων; Οὗτος γὰρ ἰταμώτερος. Ἐπεὶ καὶ τῶν λῃστῶν τοὺς μεθ' ἡμέραν κλέπτοντας μᾶλλον κολάζουσιν οἱ νόμοι. Εἶδες πενίαν; εἶδες ὠμότητα; Πενίαν, ὅτι τῶν τοῦ πένητος ἐπιθυμεῖ· ὠμότητα, ὅτι οὐδὲ τῇ συμφορᾷ ἐπικλᾶται, ἀλλ' ἢν ἐλεεῖν δεῖ καὶ διορθοῦσθαι πενίαν, ταύτην ἐπιτρίβει. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐκ ἀτιμώρητα ταῦτα ἐργάζεται· ἀλλ' ὅταν κρατήσῃ, ὅταν δόξῃ περιγενέσθαι, ὅταν ἀχείρωτος εἶναι νομίσῃ, τότε ἀπολεῖται· ἵνα καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ εὐμήχανον φαίνηται, καὶ τῶν πενήτων ἡ ὑπομονὴ, καὶ τούτου τὸ ἀδιόρθωτον, καὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ μακροθυμίας ἡ ἀνεξικακία. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐ παρὰ πόδας ἡ δίκη ἕπεται, τοῦ Θεοῦ διὰ τῆς μακροθυμίας καλοῦντος αὐτὸν εἰς μετάνοιαν· ἀλλ' ὅταν μηδὲν ἀπὸ τῆς μακροθυμίας κερδάνῃ, τότε αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς τιμωρίας νουθετεῖ. Οὗτοι μὲν γὰρ ἀδικηθέντες, οὐδὲν ἐβλάβησαν· ἀλλὰ καὶ βελτίους ἐγένοντο καὶ λαμπρότεροι ἀπὸ τῆς θλίψεως· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς τὴν μακροθυμίαν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἐπεδείξατο, ἀνασχόμενος καὶ ἀνεξικακήσας, μετὰ δὲ τῆς μακροθυμίας καὶ τὴν ἰσχὺν, καὶ τὸ εὔπορον· ὅτι ὅταν ἑαυτοῦ ᾖ δυνατώτερος, τότε αὐτοῦ περιγίνεται· οὗτος δὲ ἀδιόρθωτος μείνας, τὴν ἐσχάτην δίδωσι δίκην. Οὐ μικρὸς δὲ οὗτος σωφρονισμὸς τοῖς εὐημεροῦσι. ιαʹ. Μὴ τοίνυν, ὅταν κρατήσῃς τῶν ἐχθρῶν, καὶ πάντα σοι ἐξ οὐρίας φέρηται, θάῤῥει ζῶν ἐν πονηρίᾳ, ἀλλὰ τότε μᾶλλον δέδιθι. Καὶ γὰρ αὔξεται τὰ τῆς πονηρίας, ἀναιρεῖταί σοι τὰ τῆς ἀπολογίας, ἐκκόπτεταί σοι τὰ τῆς συγγνώμης μένοντι πονηρῷ. Εἶπε γὰρ ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ· Ἐπιλέλησται ὁ Θεός· ἀπέστρεψε τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ, τοῦ μὴ βλέπειν εἰς τέλος. Ἴδε πρὸς ὅσον βάραθρον ἀπωλείας κάτεισιν, οἷα δόγματα συνάγει, ἃ διὰ τὸ ἀναίσχυντον ἐξενεγκεῖν μὲν οὐ τολμᾷ, παρ' ἑαυτῷ δὲ στρέφει, πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν μαχόμενος, καὶ τὰ ἡλίου φανερώτερα συσκιάζων διὰ τὴν πήρωσιν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ διανοίας. Ἀνάστηθι, Κύριε ὁ Θεός μου, ὑψωθήτω ἡ χείρ σου. Μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ τῶν πενήτων. Ἄλλος, Ἔπαρον τὴν χεῖρά σου. Ἕνεκεν τίνος παρώργισεν ὁ ἀσεβὴς τὸν Θεόν; εἶπε γὰρ ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ· Οὐκ ἐκζητήσει. Βλέπεις, ὅτι σὺ πόνον καὶ θυμὸν κατανοεῖς, τοῦ παραδοῦναι αὐτὸν εἰς χεῖράς σου. Ἄλλος, Εἶδες ὅτι σὺ πόνον καὶ παροργισμὸν ἐπιβλέψεις, τοῦ δοῦναι ἐν χειρί σου. Ἄλλος, Ἵνα δοθῶσιν εἰς χεῖράς σου. Ὁ μὲν παράνομος ταῦτά φησιν, ὁ ἁρπάζων, ὁ πλεονεκτῶν, ὡς μὴ διδοὺς δίκην· ὁ δὲ Προφήτης ἀναιρῶν αὐτοῦ τὰ δόγματα, τὸν περὶ τῆς μακροθυμίας ἀναπληροῖ λόγον. Ἐκεῖνος μὲν γάρ φησιν· Ἀπέστρεψε τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ, τοῦ μὴ βλέπειν εἰς τέλος· αὐτὸς δὲ ἀπεναντίας· Καὶ βλέπεις, καὶ κατανοεῖς, καὶ μακροθυμεῖς, ἕως ἂν αὐτοὶ ἐμπέσωσιν εἰς χεῖράς σου. Τί ἐστιν, Ἕως ἂν αὐτοὶ δοθῶσιν εἰς χεῖράς σου; Ἀνθρωπινώτερον εἴρηκεν· ὃ δὲ λέγει τοῦτό ἐστιν· Ἀναμένεις, ἀνεξικακεῖς, ὥστε τῇ ὑπερβολῇ τῆς πονηρίας αὐτοὺς παραδοθῆναι. ∆υνατὸς μὲν γὰρ εἶ καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἑλεῖν, καὶ χειρώσασθαι· ἀλλ' ἄφατόν σου τῆς ἀνεξικακίας τὸ πέλαγος, ὁρῶντος, καὶ οὐκ ἐπεξιόντος, ἀλλ' ἀναμένοντος αὐτοὺς εἰς μετάνοιαν. Εἰ δὲ μὴ βούλονται, τότε κολάζεις, ὅταν μηδὲν ἐκ τῆς μακροθυμίας