Night watches; meditate; stay awake for the Lord
The night is attentive, the soul being gathered together in it in the quiet of the senses. Then he commands to meditate in the commandments of God and to say with David: “by night I was meditating with my heart, and my spirit was searching.” And the night being divided into four watches, say with David: “my eyes anticipated the watches,” and with Habakkuk: “upon my watch I will stand, and I will look out what the Lord God will speak in me.” For then you will say: “for he will speak peace upon his people.” Meditate, then, in the night of the present age; for “the wrestling is not for you toward blood and flesh, but toward the rulers, toward the authorities”; for “you do not know when the lord of the house comes, late or at midnight or at cock-crow or early; lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.” And again: “for if you had known in what watch the thief comes, you would have stayed awake and would not have let your house be dug through.”
Greek
Klagel. Jerem. 2, 19.
Προσεκτικὸν ἡ νύξ, συστρεφομένης ἐν αὐτῇ τῆς ψυχῆς ἐν τῇ τῶν αἰσθήσεων ἠρεμίᾳ. τότε κελεύει μελετᾶν ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ λέγειν μετὰ τοῦ Δαβίδ· «νυκτὸς μετὰ τῆς καρδίας μου ἠδολέσχουν, καὶ ἔσκαλλε τὸ πνεῦμά μου. τῆς δὲ νυκτὸς εἰς τέσσαρας φυλακὰς διῃρημένης, λέγε μετὰ τοῦ Δαβίδ· «προκατελάβοντο φυλακὰς οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου«, καὶ μετὰ τοῦ Ἀμβακούμ· «ἐπὶ τῆς φυλακῆς μου στήσομαι, καὶ ἀποσκοπεύσω, τί λαλήσει ἐν ἐμοὶ κύριος ὁ θεός‘. τότε γὰρ ἐρεῖς· «ὅτι λαλήσει εἰρήνην ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ. ἀδολέσχησον οὖν ἐν νυκτὶ τοῦ παρόντος αἰῶνος· οὐ γάρ ἐστί σοι «ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἶμα καὶ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς ἀρχάς, πρὸς τὰς ἐξουσίας«· «οὐκ οἶδας γάρ, πότε ὁ κύριος τῆς οἰκίας ἔρχεται, ὀψὲ ἢ μεσονυκτίου ἢ ἀλεκτοροφωνίας ἢ πρωί· μὴ ἐλθὼν ἐξαίφνης εὑρήσει ὑμᾶς καθεύδοντας. καὶ πάλιν· «εἰ γὰρ ᾔδεις ποίᾳ φυλακῇ ὁ κλέπτης ἔρχεται, ἐγρηγόρησας ἄν καὶ οὐκ ἂν εἴαασας διορυγὴναι τὴν οἰκίαν σου.
About this text
Origen, Fragments on Lamentations. Original English Translation from the Greek (Klostermann).
English is newly prepared for study from the stated edition. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.