2

we ought, brothers, concerning our salvation, lest the evil one, having made an infiltration of error in us, should cast us out from our life.

3.1 Therefore he says again concerning these things to them: “Why do you fast for me, says the Lord, that your voice should be heard today in a cry? I have not chosen this fast, says the Lord, not a man humbling his soul. 3.2 Nor if you bend your neck like a ring and put on sackcloth and ashes, not even so will you call it an acceptable fast. ” 3.3 But to us he says: “Behold, this is the fast that I have chosen, says the Lord: Loose every bond of wickedness, undo the knots of forced contracts, send away the crushed in release, and tear up every unjust bond. Break your bread for the hungry, and if you see the naked, clothe him; bring the homeless into your house, and if you see the lowly, you shall not despise him, nor from the members of your own seed. 3.4 Then your light will break forth like the morning, and your healing will spring up quickly, and your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of God will encompass you. 3.5 Then you will cry, and God will hear you—while you are still speaking he will say:” Behold, I am here —“if you take away from yourself the bond and the pointing of the finger and the word of murmuring, and give your bread from your soul to the hungry, and have mercy on the humbled soul.” 3.6 For this, therefore, brothers, the long-suffering one, foreseeing that the people whom he prepared for his beloved would believe in simplicity, revealed to us beforehand concerning all things, that we should not be dashed as proselytes against their law.

4.1a Therefore we must, by investigating much concerning present things, seek out the things that are able to save us. Let us therefore flee completely from all the works of lawlessness, lest the works of lawlessness overtake us; and let us hate the error of the present time, that we may be loved in the future. 4.2 Let us not give rest to our own soul, so that it has the power to run with evil men and sinners, lest we become like them. 4.3a The final stumbling block has drawn near, concerning which it is written, as Enoch says. For to this end the Master has cut short the times and the days, that his beloved might hasten, and he will come to the inheritance. 4.4 And the prophet says thus: “Ten kingdoms shall reign upon the earth, and after them a little king shall rise up, who shall humble three of the kingdoms at once.” 4.5a Likewise Daniel says concerning the same thing: “And I saw the fourth beast, evil and strong and more terrible than all the beasts of the sea, and how ten horns sprang up from it, and from them a little offshoot horn, and how it humbled at once three of the great horns.” Therefore you ought to understand. 4.6 And further I ask this of you, as being one of you, and especially loving you all more than my own soul, to pay attention to yourselves and not to be like certain people heaping up your sins saying that their covenant remains ours. 4.7a Ours it is; but they lost it in this way completely when Moses had already received it. For the scripture says: “And Moses was on the mountain fasting forty days and forty nights and he received the covenant from the Lord, stone tablets written with the finger of the hand of the Lord.” But they turned to idols and lost it. 4.8a For thus says the Lord: “Moses, Moses, go down quickly, for your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, have transgressed.” And Moses understood and threw the two tablets from his hands, and their covenant was broken, that the covenant of the beloved Jesus might be sealed in our heart in the hope of his faith. 4.9a And wishing to write many things, not as a teacher but as is fitting for one who loves, from what we have not to be lacking, I have made haste to write—your humble servant. Therefore let us pay attention in the last days; for the whole time of our life and faith will profit us nothing, unless now in the

2

ὀφείλομεν, ἀδελφοί, περὶ τῆς σωτηρίας ἡμῶν, ἵνα μὴ ὁ πονηρὸς παρείσδυ σιν πλάνης ποιήσας ἐν ἡμῖν ἐκσφενδονήσῃ ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν.

3.1 Λέγει οὖν πάλιν περὶ τούτων πρὸς αὐτούς· «Ἱνατί μοι νηστεύετε, λέγει κύριος, ὡς σήμερον ἀκουσθῆναι ἐν κραυγῇ τὴν φωνὴν ὑμῶν; Οὐ ταύτην τὴν νηστείαν ἐξελεξάμην, λέγει κύριος, οὐκ ἄνθρωπον ταπεινοῦντα τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ. 3.2 Οὐδ' ἂν κάμψητε ὡς κρίκον τὸν τράχηλον ὑμῶν καὶ σάκκον καὶ σποδὸν ἐνδύσησθε, οὐδ' οὕτως καλέσετε νηστείαν δεκτήν. » 3.3 Πρὸς ἡμᾶς δὲ λέγει· «Ἰδοὺ αὕτη ἡ νηστεία ἣν ἐγὼ ἐξελεξάμην, λέγει κύριος· λύε πάντα σύνδεσμον ἀδικίας, διάλυε στραγγαλιὰς βιαίων συναλλαγμάτων, ἀπόστελλε τεθραυσ μένους ἐν ἀφέσει, καὶ πᾶσαν ἄδικον συγγραφὴν διάσπα. ∆ιάθρυπτε πεινῶσιν τὸν ἄρτον σου, καὶ γυμνὸν ἐὰν ἴδῃς περί βαλε· ἀστέγους εἴσαγε εἰς τὸν οἶκόν σου, καὶ ἐὰν ἴδῃς ταπεινόν, οὐχ ὑπερόψῃ αὐτόν, οὐδὲ ἀπὸ τῶν οἰκείων τοῦ σπέρματός σου. 3.4 Τότε ῥαγήσεται πρώϊμον τὸ φῶς σου, καὶ τὰ ἰάματά σου ταχέως ἀνατελεῖ, καὶ προπορεύσεται ἔμπρο σθέν σου ἡ δικαιοσύνη, καὶ ἡ δόξα τοῦ θεοῦ περιστελεῖ σε. 3.5 Τότε βοήσεις, καὶ ὁ θεὸς ἐπακούσεταί σου-ἔτι λαλοῦντός σου ἐρεῖ·» Ἰδοὺ πάρειμι -«ἐὰν ἀφέλῃς ἀπὸ σοῦ σύνδεσμον καὶ χειροτονίαν καὶ ῥῆμα γογγυσμοῦ, καὶ δῷς πεινῶντι τὸν ἄρτον σου ἐκ ψυχῆς σου, καὶ ψυχὴν τεταπεινωμένην ἐλεήσῃς.» 3.6 Εἰς τοῦτο οὖν, ἀδελφοί, ὁ μακρόθυμος προβλέψας, ὡς ἐν ἀκεραιοσύνῃ πιστεύσει ὁ λαὸς ὃν ἡτοίμασεν τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ αὐτοῦ, προεφανέρωσεν ἡμῖν περὶ πάντων, ἵνα μὴ προσρησσώ μεθα ὡς προσήλυτοι τῷ ἐκείνων νόμῳ.

4.1a ∆εῖ οὖν ἡμᾶς περὶ τῶν ἐνεστώτων ἐπιπολὺ ἐρευνῶν τας ἐκζητεῖν τὰ δυνάμενα ἡμᾶς σώζειν. Φύγωμεν οὖν τελείως ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἔργων τῆς ἀνομίας, μήποτε κατα λάβῃ ἡμᾶς τὰ ἔργα τῆς ἀνομίας· καὶ μισήσωμεν τὴν πλάνην τοῦ νῦν καιροῦ, ἵνα εἰς τὸν μέλλοντα ἀγαπηθῶμεν. 4.2 Μὴ δῶμεν τῇ ἑαυτῶν ψυχῇ ἄνεσιν, ὥστε ἔχειν αὐτὴν ἐξουσίαν μετὰ πονηρῶν καὶ ἁμαρτωλῶν συντρέχειν, μήποτε ὁμοιω θῶμεν αὐτοῖς. 4.3a Τὸ τέλειον σκάνδαλον ἤγγικεν, περὶ οὗ γέγραπται, ὡς Ἐνὼχ λέγει. Εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ ὁ δεσπότης συντέτμηκεν τοὺς καιροὺς καὶ τὰς ἡμέρας, ἵνα ταχύνῃ ὁ ἠγαπημένος αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν κληρονομίαν ἥξει. 4.4 Λέγει δὲ οὕτως ὁ προφή της· «Βασιλεῖαι δέκα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς βασιλεύσουσιν, καὶ ἐξαναστήσεται ὄπισθεν μικρὸς βασιλεύς, ὃς ταπεινώσει τρεῖς ὑφ' ἓν τῶν βασιλειῶν.» 4.5a Ὁμοίως περὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ λέγει ∆ανιήλ· «Καὶ εἶδον τὸ τέταρτον θηρίον τὸ πονηρὸν καὶ ἰσχυρὸν καὶ χαλεπώτερον παρὰ πάντα τὰ θηρία τῆς θαλάσσης, καὶ ὡς ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἀνέτειλεν δέκα κέρατα, καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν μικρὸν κέρας παραφυάδιον, καὶ ὡς ἐταπείνωσεν ὑφ' ἓν τρία τῶν μεγάλων κεράτων.» Συνιέναι οὖν ὀφείλετε. 4.6 Ἔτι δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ἐρωτῶ ὑμᾶς ὡς εἷς ἐξ ὑμῶν ὤν, ἰδίως δὲ καὶ πάντας ἀγαπῶν ὑπὲρ τὴν ψυχήν μου, προσέχειν ἑαυτοῖς καὶ μὴ ὁμοιοῦσθαί τισιν ἐπισωρεύοντας ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν λέγοντας ὅτι ἡ διαθήκη ἡμῶν ἡμῖν μένει. 4.7a Ἡμῶν μέν· ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι οὕτως εἰς τέλος ἀπώλεσαν αὐτὴν λαβόντος ἤδη τοῦ Μωϋσέως. Λέγει γὰρ ἡ γραφή· «Καὶ ἦν Μωϋσῆς ἐν τῷ ὄρει νηστεύων ἡμέρας τεσσαράκοντα καὶ νύκτας τεσσαράκοντα καὶ ἔλαβεν τὴν διαθήκην ἀπὸ τοῦ κυρίου, πλάκας λιθίνας γεγραμμένας τῷ δακτύλῳ τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ κυρίου.» Ἀλλὰ ἐπιστραφέντες ἐπὶ τὰ εἴδωλα ἀπώλεσαν αὐτήν. 4.8a Λέγει γὰρ οὕτως κύριος· «Μωϋσῆ Μωϋσῆ, κατάβηθι τὸ τάχος, ὅτι ἠνόμησεν ὁ λαός σου, οὓς ἐξήγαγες ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου.» Καὶ συνῆκεν Μωϋσῆς καὶ ἔριψεν τὰς δύο πλάκας ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ συνετρίβη αὐτῶν ἡ διαθήκη, ἵνα ἡ τοῦ ἠγαπημένου Ἰησοῦ ἐνκατασφραγισθῇ εἰς τὴν καρδίαν ἡμῶν ἐν ἐλπίδι τῆς πίστεως αὐτοῦ. 4.9a Πολλὰ δὲ θέλων γράφειν, οὐχ ὡς διδάσκαλος ἀλλ' ὡς πρέπει ἀγαπῶντι, ἀφ' ὧν ἔχομεν μὴ ἐλλείπειν, γράφειν ἐσπούδασα-περίψημα ὑμῶν. ∆ιὸ προσέχωμεν ἐν ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις· οὐδὲν γὰρ ὠφελήσει ἡμᾶς ὁ πᾶς χρόνος τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν καὶ τῆς πίστεως, ἐὰν μὴ νῦν ἐν τῷ