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they toiled in this world; they worked the things of the earth, therefore they also went to destruction. For they did not remember God while they were on the earth, nor did it concern them to remember the fear of God; therefore neither does he care about them. For God is just, and his judgment is just; for when he comes to judge the world, then he will render to each according to his works. Blessed is the heart that receives these things.

20 At midnight you will rise, and you will praise the Lord your God; for at that very hour our Lord rose from the dead and praised the Father; therefore at that very hour we were commanded to praise God. But when you rise, first say this verse: “At midnight I arose to give thanks to you for the judgments of your righteousness;” and pray, and begin to say the whole fiftieth psalm, until you finish, and let these things be appointed for you each day. And say as many psalms as you are able to say while standing; and after each psalm let a prayer and a genuflection be performed, confessing your sins to the Lord with tears and asking that they may be forgiven you. And after three psalms, say the Alleluia. And if there are virgins with you, let them also sing the psalms and perform the prayer one after another. And towards dawn say this psalm: “O God, my God, to you I rise early; my soul has thirsted for you;” and at daybreak: “Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, praise him; glory to God in the highest” and the rest.

21 But let us keep love, the greatest of all. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and your neighbor as yourself; on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets;” God is love and he first loved man, and gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity. If then our Lord himself died for us. we also ought to lay down our lives for one another. God is love, and he who has love has God. For he himself has said: By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another;” for however much a man may labor and not have love for his neighbor, he has labored in vain. And so you will show love for your neighbor, not in word only but also in deed. You will not hold malice against anyone in your heart; otherwise, your prayer does not ascend pure; “for the sun shall not set on your anger;” have gentleness, have patience, long-suffering, childlikeness. For the Lord says: “Unless you turn and become like children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

22 You shall not be grieved when something difficult happens to you, nor be grieved over loss, nor over insult; “for the grief of this world produces death.” You shall be grieved only for your sins, but you shall not be grieved over any other small matter. Do not raise your voice in anger against anyone; for a servant of the Lord must not quarrel. A curse shall not come out of your mouth, nor insult, nor slander. For your mouth is sanctified by the hymns and praises of God. It is not good for you to go forth without great necessity. Love quiet as much as you are able. Do not forget the servants of God, nor let them be blotted out from your heart. If a holy man comes to your house, receive him thus as the son of God; for our Lord Jesus Christ says: “He who receives you, receives me.” If a righteous man enters your house, you will meet him with fear and trembling, and you will bow down before his feet to the ground; for you will not be bowing down to him, but to God who sent him. And you will take water and wash his feet and with all reverence you will listen to his words. You shall not be confident in your chastity, lest you fall; but fear; for as long as you fear, you never fall. It is beneficial for the continent woman to eat her bread alone.

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ἐμόχθησαν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ· τὰ τῆς γῆς εἰργάσαντο, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ αὐτοὶ εἰς ἀπώλειαν ἐχώρησαν. οὐ γὰρ ἐμνήσθησαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὄντες, οὐδὲ ἐμέλησεν αὐτοὺς μνησθῆναι τοῦ φόβου τοῦ Θεοῦ· διὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ αὐτῷ μέλει περὶ αὐτῶν. δίκαιος γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ δικαία ἡ κρίσις αὐτοῦ· ὅταν γὰρ ἔλθῃ κρῖναι τὸν κόσ μον, τότε ἀποδώσει ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ. μακαρία ἡ καρδία ἡ δεχομένη ταῦτα.

20 Μεσονύκτιον ἐγερθήσῃ, καὶ ὑμνήσεις κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου· ἐν αὐτῇ γὰρ τῇ ὥρᾳ ἀνέστη ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν ἐκ νεκρῶν καὶ ὕμνησε τὸν πατέρα· διὰ τοῦτο ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ προσετάγη ἡμῖν ὑμνεῖν τὸν Θεόν. ἀνισταμένη δὲ πρῶτον τοῦτον τὸν στίχον εἶπον· «μεσονύκτιον ἐξεγειρόμην τοῦ ἐξομολογεῖσ θαί σοι ἐπὶ τὰ κρίματα τῆς δικαιοσύνης σου·» καὶ εὖξαι, καὶ ἄρξαι λέγειν τὸν πεντηκοστὸν ὅλον ψαλμὸν, ἕως ἂν τελέσῃς, καὶ ταῦτα ἔστωσάν σοι καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν τεταγμένα. τοσούτους δὲ ψαλμοὺς εἰπέ, ὅσους δύνῃ στήκουσα εἰπεῖν· καὶ κατὰ ψαλμὸν εὐχὴ καὶ γονυκλισία ἐπιτελείσθω, μετὰ δακρύων ἐξαγορεύουσα κυρίῳ τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου καὶ ἀξιοῦσα, ἵνα ἀφεθῶσί σοι. μετὰ δὲ τρεῖς ψαλμοὺς λέγε τὸ ἀλληλούϊα. ἐὰν δὲ καὶ παρθένοι εἰσὶ μετὰ σοῦ, καὶ αὗται ψαλλέτωσαν καὶ μία παρὰ μίαν τὴν εὐχὴν ἐπιτελεῖτε. πρὸς ὄρθρον δὲ τὸν ψαλμὸν τοῦτον λέγετε· «ὁ Θεὸς ὁ Θεός μου, πρὸς σὲ ὀρθρίζω· ἐδίψησέ σε ἡ ψυχή μου·» διάφαυμα δέ· «εὐλογεῖτε πάντα τὰ ἔργα κυρίου τὸν κύριον, ὑμνεῖτε· δόξα ἐν ὑψίστοις Θεῷ» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς.

21 Τὴν δὲ ἀγάπην φυλάξωμεν τὴν πάντων μείζονα. «ἀγαπήσεις κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας σου, καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς σου, καὶ τὸν πλησίον σου, ὡς ἑαυτόν· ἐν ταύταις ταῖς δυσὶν ἐντολαῖς ὅλος ὁ νόμος καὶ οἱ προφῆται κρέμανται·» ὁ Θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστὶ καὶ αὐτὸς πρῶτος ἠγάπησε τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ ἑαυτὸν παρέδωκεν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ἵνα ἡμᾶς λυτρώσηται ἀπὸ πάσης ἀνομίας. εἰ οὖν αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν ἀπέθανεν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. καὶ ἡμεῖς ὀφείλομεν ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων τὰς ψυχὰς ἡμῶν θεῖναι. ὁ Θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστὶ, καὶ ὁ ἔχων τὴν ἀγάπην τὸν Θεὸν ἔχει. αὐτὸς γὰρ εἴρηκεν· ἐν τούτῳ γνώσονται πάντες ὅτι ἐμοὶ μαθηταί ἐστε, ἐὰν ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους·» ὅσον γὰρ ἐὰν κοπιάσῃ ἄνθρωπος καὶ μὴ ἔχῃ τὴν ἀγάπην εἰς τὸν πλησίον, εἰς μάτην ἐκοπίασεν. οὕτως δὲ δείξεις τὴν ἀγάπην εἰς τὸν πλησίον, οὐ λόγῳ μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔργῳ. οὐ κρατήσεις κακίαν τινὸς εἰς τὴν καρδίαν σου· εἰ δὲ μή γε, οὐκ ἀνέρχεται ἡ εὐχή σου καθαρά· «οὐκ ἐπιδύσεται γὰρ ὁ ἥλιος ἐπὶ τῷ παροργισμῷ ὑμῶν·» πραότητα ἔχε, ὑπομονὴν ἔχε, μακροθυμίαν, νηπιότητα. λέγει γὰρ ὁ κύριος· «ἐὰν μὴ στραφῆτε, καὶ γένησθε ὡς τὰ παιδία, οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθητε εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν.»

22 Οὐ μὴ λυπηθήσῃ χαλεποῦ τινος συμβαίνοντός σοι, οὔτε ἐπὶ ζημίᾳ λυπηθήσῃ, οὔτε ἐπὶ ὕβρει· «ἡ λύπη γὰρ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου θάνατον κατεργάζεται.» ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν σου μόνον λυπηθήσῃ, ὑπὲρ ἄλλου δὲ πράγματος μικροῦ οὐ λυπηθήσῃ. μὴ ὑψώσῃς τὴν φωνήν σου ὀργιζομένη πρός τινα· δούλην γὰρ κυρίου οὐ δεῖ μάχεσθαι. οὐκ ἐξελεύσεται κατάρα ἐκ τοῦ στόματός σου, οὐχ ὕβρις, οὐ κακολογία. τὸ στόμα σου γὰρ ἡγιασμένον ἐστὶν ἐν τοῖς ὕμνοις καὶ δοξολογίαις τοῦ Θεοῦ. οὐκ ἔστι καλὸν τὸ προέρχεσθαί σε χωρὶς ἀνάγκης μεγάλης. τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἀγάπα ὅσον δύνασαι. τῶν δούλων τοῦ Θεοῦ μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ, μηδὲ ἀπαλειφθήτωσαν ἐκ τῆς καρδίας σου. ἐὰν ἅγιος ἔλθῃ εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν σου, οὕτως αὐτὸν πρόσδεξαι ὡς τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ· λέγει γὰρ ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς· «ὁ δεχόμενος ὑμᾶς, ἐμὲ δέχεται.» ἐὰν εἰσέλθῃ ἀνὴρ δίκαιος εἰς τὸν οἶκόν σου, μετὰ φόβου καὶ τρόμου ἀπαντήσεις αὐτῷ, καὶ προσκυνήσεις ἐνώπιον τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν· οὐ γὰρ αὐτὸν προσκυνήσεις, ἀλλὰ τὸν Θεὸν τὸν ἀποστείλαντα αὐτόν. λήψῃ δὲ ὕδωρ καὶ νίψεις τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ καὶ μετὰ πάσης εὐλαβείας ἀκούσεις τῶν λόγων αὐτοῦ. οὐ μὴ θαῤῥήσῃς ἐπὶ τῇ σωφροσύνῃ σου, ἵνα μὴ πέσῃς· ἀλλὰ φοβοῦ· ἐφ' ὅσον γὰρ φοβῇ, οὐδέποτε πίπτεις. συμφέρει τῇ ἐγκρατευομένῃ καταμόνας τὸν ἑαυτῆς ἄρτον ἐσθίειν.