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And after I rose from prayer, I see before me the old woman whom I had also seen last year, walking and reading a little book. And she says to me: Can you report these things to the elect of God? I say to her: Lady, I cannot remember so many things; but give me the little book so that I may copy it. Take it, she says, and you will give it back to me. I took it, and having withdrawn to a certain place in the country, I copied everything letter for letter; for I could not make out the syllables. So when I had finished the letters of the little book, suddenly the little book was snatched from my hand; but by whom, I did not see. And after fifteen days, when I had fasted and asked the Lord many things, the knowledge of the writing was revealed to me. And these things were written: Your seed, Hermas, has dealt falsely with God and has blasphemed against the Lord and they betrayed their own parents in great wickedness, and were called betrayers of parents, and by their betrayal they gained nothing, but they added to their sins licentiousness and confused wickedness, and so their iniquities were filled up. But make these words known to all your children and to your wife who is to be your sister. For she also does not refrain her tongue, with which she acts wickedly; but when she hears these words she will refrain, and will find mercy. After you make known to them these words which the Master commanded me to reveal to you, then all their former sins are forgiven them, and to all the saints who have sinned up to this day, if they repent with their whole heart and remove double-mindedness from their heart. For the Master has sworn by his own glory concerning his elect: if after this appointed day sin should still be committed, they shall have no salvation; for repentance for the righteous has an end; the days of repentance are fulfilled for all the saints; but for the Gentiles there is repentance until the last day. You will say, therefore, to the leaders of the church, that they should direct their ways in righteousness, so that they may receive in full the promises with much glory. Persist, therefore, you who work righteousness, and do not be double-minded, so that your passage may be with the holy angels. Blessed are you who endure the great tribulation that is coming, and all who will not deny their life. For the Lord has sworn by his Son, that those who have denied their Lord are rejected from their life, those who are now about to deny him in the coming days; but to those who denied him before, through his great compassion he has been merciful. But you, Hermas, no longer bear a grudge against your children, nor neglect your sister, so that they may be cleansed from their former sins. For they will be disciplined with a just discipline, if you do not bear a grudge against them. Bearing a grudge works death. But you, Hermas, have had great private tribulations because of the transgressions of your household, because you did not care for them. But you neglected them and became mixed up with your wicked business affairs. But what saves you is that you did not depart from the living God, and your simplicity and your great self-control. These have saved you, if you persist, and they save all who do such things and walk in innocence and simplicity. These will prevail over all wickedness and will remain unto eternal life. Blessed are all who work righteousness. will not be corrupted

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μετὰ δὲ τὸ ἐγερθῆναί με ἀπὸ τῆς προσευχῆς βλέπω ἀπέναντί μου τὴν πρεσ βυτέραν ἣν καὶ πέρυσιν ἑωράκειν, περιπατοῦσαν καὶ ἀναγινώκουσαν βιβλα ρίδιον. καὶ λέγει μοι· ∆ύνῃ ταῦτα τοῖς ἐκλεκτοῖς τοῦ θεοῦ ἀναγγεῖλαι; λέγω αὐτῇ· Κυρία, τοσαῦτα μνημονεῦσαι οὐ δύναμαι· δὸς δέ μοι τὸ βι βλίδιον ἵνα μεταγράψωμαι αὐτό. Λάβε, φησίν, καὶ ἀποδώσεις μοι. ἔλα βον ἐγώ, καὶ εἴς τινα τόπον τοῦ ἀγροῦ ἀναχωρήσας μετεγραψάμην πάντα πρὸς γράμμα· οὐχ ηὕρισκον γὰρ τὰς συλλαβάς. τελέσαντος οὖν τὰ γράμ ματα τοῦ βιβλιδίου ἐξαίφνης ἡρπάγη μου ἐκ τῆς χειρὸς τὸ βιβλίδιον· ὑπὸ τίνος δὲ οὐκ εἶδον. Μετὰ δὲ δέκα καὶ πέντε ἡμέρας νηστεύσαντός μου καὶ πολλὰ ἐρωτήσαν τος τὸν κύριον ἀπεκαλύφθη μοι ἡ γνῶσις τῆς γραφῆς. ἦν δὲ γεγραμμένα ταῦτα· Τὸ σπέρμα σου, Ἑρμᾶ, ἠθέτησαν εἰς τὸν θεὸν καὶ ἐβλασφή μησαν εἰς τὸν κύριον καὶ προέδωκαν τοὺς γονεῖς αὐτῶν ἐν πονηρίᾳ μεγάλῃ καὶ ἤκουσαν προδόται γονέων καὶ προδόντες οὐκ ὠφελήθησαν, ἀλλὰ ἔτι προσέθηκαν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις αὐτῶν τὰς ἀσελγείας καὶ συμφυρμοὺς πονη ρίας, καὶ οὕτως ἐπλήσθησαν αἱ ἀνομίαι αὐτῶν. ἀλλὰ γνώρισον ταῦτα τὰ ·»ματα τοῖς τέκνοις σου πᾶσιν καὶ τῇ συμβίῳ σου τῇ μελλούσῃ σου ἀδελφῇ· καὶ γὰρ αὕτη οὐκ ἀπέχεται τῆς γλώσσης, ἐν ᾗ πονηρεύεται· ἀλλὰ ἀκούσασα τὰ ·»ματα ταῦτα ἀφέξεται καὶ ἕξει ἔλεος. μετὰ τὸ γνωρίσαι σε ταῦτα τὰ ·»ματα αὐτοῖς ἃ ἐνετείλατό μοι ὁ δεσπότης ἵνα σοι ἀποκα λυφθῇ, τότε ἀφίενται αὐτοῖς αἱ ἁμαρτίαι πᾶσαι ἃς πρότερον ἥμαρτον, καὶ πᾶσιν τοῖς ἁγίοις τοῖς ἁμαρτήσασι μέχρι ταύτης τῆς ἡμέρας, ἐὰν ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας μετανοήσουσιν καὶ ἄρωσιν ἀπὸ τῆς καρδίας αὐτῶν τὰς διψυχίας. ὤμοσεν γὰρ ὁ δεσπότης κατὰ τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐκλεκ τοὺς αὐτοῦ· ἐὰν ὡρισμένης τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης ἔτι ἁμάρτησις γένηται, μὴ ἔχειν αὐτοὺς σωτηρίαν· ἡ γὰρ μετάνοια τοῖς δικαίοις ἔχει τέλος· πε πλήρωνται αἱ ἡμέραι μετανοίας πᾶσιν τοῖς ἁγίοις· καὶ τοῖς δὲ ἔθνεσιν με τάνοιά ἐστιν ἕως ἐσχάτης ἡμέρας. ἐρεῖς οὖν τοῖς προηγουμένοις τῆς ἐκ κλησίας ἵνα κατορθώσωνται τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτῶν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, ἵνα ἀπολάβωσιν ἐκ πλήρους τὰς ἐπαγγελίας μετὰ πολλῆς δόξης. ἐμμείνατε οὖν οἱ ἐργα ζόμενοι τὴν δικαιοσύνην καὶ μὴ διψυχήσητε, ἵνα γένηται ὑμῶν ἡ πάροδος μετὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων τῶν ἁγίων. μακάριοι ὑμεῖς ὅσοι ὑπομένετε τὴν θλῖψιν τὴν ἐρχομένην τὴν μεγάλην καὶ ὅσοι οὐκ ἀρνήσονται τὴν ζωὴν αὐτῶν. ὤμοσεν γὰρ κύριος κατὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ, τοὺς ἀρνησαμένους τὸν κύριον αὐτῶν ἀπεγνωρίσθαι ἀπὸ τῆς ζωῆς αὐτῶν, τοὺς νῦν μέλλοντας ἀρνεῖσθαι ταῖς ἐρχομέναις ἡμέραις· τοῖς δὲ πρότερον ἀρνησαμένοις, διὰ τὴν πολυ σπλαγχνίαν ἵλεως ἐγένετο αὐτοῖς. Σὺ δέ, Ἑρμᾶ, μηκέτι μνησικακήσῃς τοῖς τέκνοις σου, μηδὲ τὴν ἀδελφήν σου ἐάσῃς, ἵνα καθαρισθῶσιν ἀπὸ τῶν προτέρων ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτῶν. παι δευθήσονται γὰρ παιδείᾳ δικαίᾳ, ἐὰν σὺ μὴ μνησικακήσῃς αὐτοῖς. μνησι κακία θάνατον κατεργάζεται. σὺ δέ, Ἑρμᾶ, μεγάλας θλίψεις ἔσχες ἰδιωτι κὰς διὰ τὰς παραβάσεις τοῦ οἴκου σου, ὅτι οὐκ ἐμέλησέν σοι περὶ αὐτῶν. ἀλλὰ παρενεθυμήθης καὶ ταῖς πραγματείαις σου συνανεφύρης ταῖς πονηραῖς· ἀλλὰ σώζει σε τὸ μὴ ἀποστῆναί σε ἀπὸ θεοῦ ζῶντος, καὶ ἡ ἁπλότης σου καὶ ἡ πολλὴ ἐγκράτεια· ταῦτα σέσωκέν σε, ἐὰν ἐμμείνῃς, καὶ πάντας σώζει τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐργαζομένους καὶ πορευομένους ἐν ἀκακίᾳ καὶ ἁπλότητι. οὗτοι κατισχύσουσιν πάσης πονηρίας καὶ παραμενοῦσιν εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον. μακάριοι πάντες οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι τὴν δικαιοσύνην. οὐ διαφθαρή