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and dividing themselves for war, they also carried the rubble with shields. For since the city was without walls and laid bare, suspecting at every hour the sudden and unexpected attacks of the enemies, armed they wove the walls, and swords, and shields, and daggers lay beside them, and some scouts from afar announced their unseen attack, and sounded the trumpet, whenever they perceived them approaching from afar. But even if you do these things, he says, and eat the bread of 55.364 sorrow, all will be random and in vain, unless you draw down the alliance from above. But if they, in order to raise up a city and walls, needed so much of the alliance from above; how much more do we, who travel the road that leads to heaven. When he gives sleep to his beloved. Behold, the inheritance of the Lord, sons. What is this sequence? It is great and connected to what came before. For what he says is this: unless God provides what is from himself, all is in vain; but when he provides what is from himself, then sleep is sweet, then also there is rest, and a life free from dangers, and full of security. b. When therefore he gives them sleep, when he gives them rest, when he repels those who attack, not only will they then build the city, not only will they guard it, but they will also receive things much greater; for they will be fathers of many children, and he will grant them the blessing of many children. The reward of the fruit of the womb. Another, The fruit of the womb is a reward. What is this? They will receive, he says, the blessing of good children as a reward. For even if what happens is a work of nature; but when God provides what is from himself, it too will run on more abundantly. For this also needs the impulse from above, and Jerusalem will flourish in population. But their prosperity will not consist in these things alone, such as in the building, in the guarding, in the blessing of children; but other things will also be added to these. And showing what these things are, he adds, saying: As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are the sons of those who were shaken off. Another, Of those who were fettered. And what he says is this sort of thing: they will not be in the security of walls only, nor in a fortified city, nor in the abundance of children, but also fearsome to their enemies, and fearsome as arrows. Not simply, Arrows, but, In the hand of the mighty. For arrows are not fearsome in and of themselves, but when they are held by a mighty man, threatening death to those who attack. Thus therefore will these men be fearsome. These men, who? The sons of those who were shaken off. That is, of those who were once weak, of those who were fettered. For he constantly reminds them of their former misfortune in the time of their prosperity, in order that he might set their minds straight from every side, both from what they suffered, and from what they were delivered, and from what they will enjoy. Blessed is the man who shall fill his desire with them; they shall not be ashamed when they speak to their enemies in the gate. Another says: Blessed is he who shall fill his quiver with them. That is, that this also will be theirs, strength of body, unbearable fear, the blessing of children, security, beauty of the city, victory and trophies in wars. Wherefore he also calls blessed those who are about to enjoy this prosperity. For they will be, he says, fully armed. But I do not rest the blessing on these things, but on the fact that they will not be ashamed. For they will not be ashamed, he says, when they speak with their enemies in the gate. What does this mean? The greatest trophy, the greatest splendor, the brightness, the blessedness. For they are not going to be reproached as not having enjoyed the providence of God, or as having a weak God, or as having a mighty one, but having thwarted his providence through their own sins; but glorying in all things, through the city, through the walls, through the guard, through their 55.365 children, through their weapons, through their power, they will not be put to shame before their enemies

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καὶ πολεμεῖν ἑαυτοὺς διαιροῦντες, καὶ μετὰ ἀσπίδων τοὺς χάλικας συνεφόρουν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἄτειχος ἦν ἡ πόλις καὶ γεγυμνωμένη, τὰς ἀθρόους καὶ παρ' ἐλπίδα τῶν πολεμίων ἐφόδους καθ' ἑκάστην ὑποπτεύοντες ὥραν, ὡπλισμένοι τὰ τείχη ὕφαινον, καὶ ξίφη, καὶ ἀσπίδες, καὶ μάχαιραι παρέκειντο, καὶ πόῤῥωθεν σκοποί τινες τὴν ἄδηλον αὐτῶν ἀπαγγέλλοντες ἔφοδον, καὶ σαλπίζοντες, εἴποτε ᾔσθοντο αὐτοὺς πόῤῥωθεν ἐπιόντας. Ἀλλὰ κἂν ταῦτα ποιῆτε, φησὶ, καὶ ἄρτον ὀδύ 55.364 νης ἐσθίητε, πάντα εἰκῇ καὶ μάτην ἔσται, ἂν μὴ τὴν ἄνωθεν ἐπισπάσησθε συμμαχίαν. Εἰ δὲ ἐκεῖνοι, πόλιν ἵνα ἀναστήσωσι καὶ τείχη, τοσαύτης ἐδέοντο τῆς ἄνωθεν συμμαχίας· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμεῖς τὴν ἐπὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν φέρουσαν ὁδεύοντες ὁδόν. Ὅταν δῷ τοῖς ἀγαπητοῖς αὐτοῦ ὕπνον. Ἰδοὺ ἡ κληρονομία Κυρίου, υἱοί. Ποία αὕτη ἀκολουθία; Πολλὴ μὲν καὶ συνημμένη τοῖς προτέροις. Ὃ γὰρ λέγει, τοῦτό ἐστιν· ἐὰν μὴ τὰ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ ὁ Θεὸς παράσχῃ, πάντα εἰκῇ· ὅταν δὲ τὰ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ παράσχῃ, τότε καὶ ὕπνος ἡδὺς, τότε καὶ ἄνεσις, καὶ ζωὴ κινδύνων ἀπηλλαγμένη, καὶ ἀσφαλείας γέμουσα. βʹ. Ὅταν οὖν δῷ αὐτοῖς ὕπνον, ὅταν ἀναπαύσῃ αὐτοὺς, ὅταν ἀποκρούσηται τοὺς ἐπιόντας, οὐ μόνον οἰκοδομήσουσι τότε τὴν πόλιν, οὐ μόνον φυλάξουσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ πολλῷ μείζονα λήψονται· πατέρες γὰρ ἔσονται παίδων πολλῶν, καὶ τὰ τῆς εὐτεκνίας αὐτοῖς ἐπιδώσει. Ὁ μισθὸς τοῦ καρποῦ τῆς γαστρός. Ἕτερος, Μισθὸς ὁ καρπὸς τῆς γαστρός. Τί ἐστι τοῦτο; Μισθὸν, φησὶ, λήψονται τὴν εὐπαιδίαν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ τῆς φύσεως ἔργον τὸ γινόμενον· ἀλλ' ὅταν ὁ Θεὸς τὰ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ παράσχῃ, καὶ αὕτη πλέον δραμεῖται. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὕτη τῆς ἄνωθεν δεῖται ῥοπῆς, καὶ κομάσει τῷ πλήθει τὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα. Οὐκ ἐν τούτοις δὲ ἔσται τὰ τῆς εὐημερίας μόνον, οἷον ἐν τῇ οἰκοδομίᾳ, ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ, ἐν τῇ εὐτεκνίᾳ· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτερα τούτοις προσέσται. Καὶ δεικνὺς ποῖα ταῦτα, ἐπάγει λέγων· Ὡσεὶ βέλη ἐν χειρὶ δυνατοῦ, οὕτως υἱοὶ τῶν ἐκτετιναγμένων. Ἕτερος, Τῶν πεδητῶν. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· οὐκ ἔσονται ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ τειχῶν μόνον, οὐδὲ ἐν πόλει ὀχυρᾷ, οὐδὲ ἐν εὐθηνίᾳ τῶν παίδων, ἀλλὰ καὶ φοβεροὶ τοῖς πολεμίοις, καὶ οὕτω φοβεροὶ ὡς τὰ βέλη. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς δὲ, Βέλη, ἀλλ', Ἐν χειρὶ τῶν δυνατῶν. Αὐτὰ γὰρ καθ' ἑαυτὰ οὐ φοβερὰ τὰ βέλη, ἀλλ' ὅταν ὑπὸ δυνατοῦ κατέχηται, θάνατον ἀπειλοῦντα τοῖς ἐπιοῦσιν. Οὕτως οὖν ἔσονται φοβεροὶ οὗτοι. Οὗτοι, ποῖοι; Οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἐκτετιναγμένων. Τουτέστι, τῶν ποτε ἠσθενηκότων, τῶν πεπεδημένων. Ἀναμιμνήσκει γὰρ αὐτοὺς συνεχῶς καὶ τῆς προτέρας δυσημερίας ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς εὐημερίας, ἵνα πάντοθεν αὐτῶν ὀρθώσῃ τὴν διάνοιαν, καὶ ἐξ ὧν ἔπαθον, καὶ ἀφ' ὧν ἀπηλλάγησαν, καὶ ἐξ ὧν ἀπολαύσουσι. Μακάριος ἄνθρωπος, ὃς πληρώσει τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν αὐτοῦ ἐξ αὐτῶν· οὐ καταισχυνθήσονται, ὅταν λαλῶσι τοῖς ἐχθροῖς αὐτῶν ἐν πύλῃ. Ἕτερός φησι· Μακάριος, ὃς πληρώσει τὴν φαρέτραν αὐτοῦ ἐξ αὐτῶν. Τουτέστιν, ὅτι καὶ τοῦτο αὐτοῖς προσέσται, δύναμις σώματος, φόβος ἀνύποιστος, εὐπαιδία, ἀσφάλεια, πόλεως κάλλος, νίκη καὶ τρόπαια ἐν πολέμοις. ∆ιὸ καὶ μακαρίζει αὐτοὺς τοὺς μέλλοντας ἀπολαύειν ταύτης τῆς εὐημερίας. Ἔσονται γὰρ, φησὶ, καθωπλισμένοι. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν τούτοις ἱστῶ τὸν μακαρισμὸν, ἀλλὰ ὅτι οὐκ αἰσχυνθήσονται. Οὐ καταισχυνθήσονται γὰρ, φησὶν, ὅταν λαλῶσι τοῖς ἐχθροῖς αὐτῶν ἐν πύλῃ. Τί ποτε τοῦτό ἐστι; Τὸ μέγιστον τρόπαιον, ἡ μεγίστη λαμπρότης, ἡ φαιδρότης, ἡ μακαριότης. Οὐ μέλλουσι γὰρ ὀνειδίζεσθαι ὡς οὐκ ἀπολαύσαντες τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίας, ἢ ὡς ἀσθενῆ Θεὸν ἐσχηκότες, ἢ ὡς δυνατὸν μὲν, ἐκ δὲ τῶν οἰκείων ἁμαρτημάτων τὴν πρόνοιαν τὴν αὐτοῦ διακρουσάμενοι· ἀλλὰ διὰ πάντων κομῶντες, διὰ τῆς πόλεως, διὰ τῶν τειχῶν, διὰ τῆς φυλακῆς, διὰ τῶν 55.365 παίδων, διὰ τῶν ὅπλων, διὰ τῆς δυνάμεως, οὐκ ἐγκαλυφθήσονται τοὺς πολεμίους