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is slapped. Hearing these things, do you not shudder, do you not tremble, do you not stop beating your fellow servants? Hearing these things, has your hand not grown numb? I, even just speaking, am trembling; but you who do these things, what sort of beast's mind do you possess, that you remain shameless? Therefore, with the measure you use, will it not be measured back to you? Therefore, cease even for a little while from vanity, so that you do not store up for yourself wrath on the day of wrath and revelation and the righteous judgment of God, who will repay each one according to his works. But again, taking up the matter for a little, I will remind each one in summary of what is necessary. You harsh rich, who rejoice daily, remember that unmerciful rich man, whom his lack of compassion does not allow to cross over and see that chasm, which his lack of compassion dug for him, and shudder; you who boast in virginity alone and are filled with harshness, do not forget the foolish virgins; you who close your hearts to those in need, always think of those standing on the left, and with much shame bowing their heads down, and hearing that painful voice, "Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire," and shudder; you who seize what belongs to others, hear him who speaks through the mouth of the saints, "He who lays hands on hands unjustly will not be unpunished"; and again, "I the Lord hate robbery from injustice"; and elsewhere, "Do not desire plunder." You who oppress orphans and widows, remember who is their protector and avenger; "For God," said David, "is the father of orphans and the judge of widows." you virgins who look down upon the married, remember Christ who said through the mouth of Paul, "Marriage is honorable, and the marriage bed undefiled." But you who destroy the temple of God with fornication, hear the same one saying again: "Fornicators and adulterers 60.692 God will judge." You who love with deceit, hear and do not forget the deceitful kiss of Judas who betrayed Jesus; you thieves, hear what the Lord spoke about you to the prophet Zechariah; so he says: "What do you see, Zechariah?" And I said: "A flying sickle; its length is twenty cubits, and its width is ten cubits." And the Lord said: "This is the curse that goes out over the face of the earth; because every thief from this will be avenged unto death; and it will enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of the one who swears by the name of God falsely, and it will destroy in the midst of his house, and it will consume it, and its timbers, and its stones."

Are these things sufficient, O thieves, to cease from the difficult course? Or should I bring forward also other divine sayings that turn you away and condemn you and frighten you toward repentance? Therefore, hear also the Apostle saying: "Let the one who steals steal no longer, but let him labor, working what is good with his own hands, so that he may have something to share also with the one who has need"; and again, that "Thieves will not inherit the kingdom of God." And what has been said about thieves is therefore sufficient, if they are willing. You who hold grudges, hear the apostle Peter crying out: "Do not repay evil for evil, or reviling for reviling; but putting away all malice, and all slander, live as newborn babes." If ever, being overcome and weakened, you hate a person, do not dare to say, "I love God"; for your burden is sufficient, and the condemnation of hating your brother, the heaviest of all burdens; and do not bring a lie upon yourself; "For he who hates his brother, and says, 'I love God,' is a liar," as it is written. You lovers of money, consider what you love, with the Apostle crying out; and if you do not understand this, come and listen, and I will explain to you what sort of evil you love: "The love of money is a root of all evils." Are you ignorant of the beast desired by you, that soul-destroying thing? No lover of gold has ever been a lover of humanity, and he who is not a lover of humanity is not a lover of Christ.

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ῥαπίζεται. Ἆρα ταῦτα ἀκούων οὐ φρίττεις, οὐ τρέμεις, οὐ παύῃ τύπτειν τοὺς συνδούλους; ἆρα ταῦτα ἀκούων, οὐκ ἐνάρκησέ σου ἡ χείρ; Ἐγὼ καὶ μόνον λαλῶν ἔντρομός εἰμι· σὺ δὲ ὁ ποιῶν ταῦτα, ἆρα ποίου θηρίου γνώμην κέκτησαι, ὅτι ἀδυσώπητος ἔμεινας; ἆρα οὖν ἐν ᾧ μετρεῖς, οὐκ ἀντιμετρηθήσεταί σοι; Λοιπὸν κἂν μικρὸν παῦσαι ἀπὸ τῆς ματαιότητος, ἵνα μὴ Θησαυρίσῃς ἑαυτῷ ὀργὴν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆς καὶ ἀποκαλύψεως καὶ δικαιοκρισίας Θεοῦ· ὃς ἀποδώσει ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ. Ἀλλὰ πάλιν μικρὸν ἀναλαβὼν ὑπομνήσω ἕκαστον ὡς ἐν κεφαλαίῳ τὰ δέοντα. Οἱ ἀπηνεῖς πλούσιοι οἱ εὐφραινόμενοι καθ' ἡμέραν, μνήσθητε τοῦ ἀνελεήμονος ἐκείνου πλουσίου, ὃν οὐκ ἀφίησιν ἡ ἀσπλαγχνία διαβῆναι καὶ ἰδεῖν ἐκεῖνο τὸ χάσμα, ὅπερ ὤρυξεν αὐτῷ ἡ ἀσπλαγχνία, καὶ φρίξατε· οἱ ἐπὶ μόνῃ παρθενίᾳ ἐγκαυχώμενοι καὶ τῇ ἀπηνείᾳ πεπληρωμένοι, μὴ ἐπιλάθεσθε τῶν μωρῶν παρθένων· οἱ τὰ σπλάγχνα κλείοντες ἀπὸ τῶν χρῃζόντων, ἀεὶ ἐννοεῖτε τῶν παρισταμένων ἐξ εὐωνύμων, καὶ μετ' αἰσχύνης πολλῆς κάτω νευόντων, καὶ ἀκουόντων τῆς ὀδυνηρᾶς ἐκείνης φωνῆς, τὸ, Πορεύεσθε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, οἱ κατηραμένοι, εἰς τὸ πῦρ τὸ αἰώνιον, καὶ φρίξατε· οἱ ἁρπάζοντες τὰ ἀλλότρια, ἀκούετε τοῦ λαλοῦντος διὰ στόματος τῶν ἁγίων, Χειρὶ χεῖρας ἐμβαλὼν ἀδίκως, οὐκ ἀτιμώρητος ἔσται· καὶ πάλιν, Ἐγὼ Κύριος μισῶν ἅρπαγμα ἐξ ἀδικίας· καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ, Ἐπὶ ἅρπαγμα μὴ ἐπιποθεῖτε. Οἱ ὀρφανοὺς καὶ χήρας θλίβοντες, ἐνθυμήθητε τίς ὁ τούτων προστάτης καὶ ἔκδικος· Θεὸς γὰρ, εἶπεν ὁ ∆αυῒδ, ὁ πατὴρ τῶν ὀρφανῶν καὶ κριτὴς τῶν χηρῶν οἱ κατεπαιρόμενοι παρθένοι τῶν μιγάδων, μνήσθητε τοῦ εἰπόντος Χριστοῦ διὰ στόματος Παύλου, Τίμιος ὁ γάμος, καὶ ἡ κοίτη ἀμίαντος. Οἱ δὲ τὸν ναὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν πορνείᾳ φθείροντες, ἀκούσατε τοῦ αὐτοῦ πάλιν λέγοντος· Πόρνους καὶ μοιχοὺς 60.692 κρινεῖ ὁ Θεός. Οἱ ἐν δόλῳ φιλοῦντες, ἀκούσατε καὶ μὴ ἐπιλάθεσθε τοῦ δολίου φιλήματος τοῦ παραδώσαντος Ἰούδα τὸν Ἰησοῦν· οἱ κλέπται, ἀκούσατε τί περὶ ὑμῶν ὁ Κύριος πρὸς τὸν προφήτην Ζαχαρίαν ἐλάλησεν· λέγει οὖν Τί σὺ ὁρᾷς, Ζαχαρία; Καὶ εἶπον· ∆ρέπανον πετόμενον· μῆκος αὐτῷ πήχεων εἴκοσι, καὶ πλάτος αὐτῷ πήχεων δέκα. Καὶ εἶπεν Κύριος· Αὕτη ἡ ἀρὰ ἡ ἐκπορευομένη ἐπὶ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς· διότι πᾶς κλέπτης ἐκ τούτου ἐκδικηθήσεται ἕως θανάτου· καὶ εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ κλέπτου, καὶ εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ ὀμνύοντος τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν ψεύδει, καὶ καταλύσει ἐν τῷ μέσῳ τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ, καὶ συντελέσει αὐτὸν, καὶ τὰ ξύλα αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοὺς λίθους αὐτοῦ.

Ἆρα ἀρκεῖ ταῦτα, ὦ κλέπται, τοῦ παύσασθαι τοῦ χαλεποῦ δρόμου; ἢ προσενέγκω καὶ ἕτερα θεῖα ῥήματα ἀποτρέποντα καὶ κατακρίνοντα ὑμᾶς καὶ ἐκφοβοῦντα πρὸς ἐπιστροφήν; Ἀκούσατε οὖν καὶ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου λέγοντος· Ὁ κλέπτης μηκέτι κλεπτέτω, ἀλλὰ κοπιάτω ἐργαζόμενος τὸ ἀγαθὸν ταῖς ἰδίαις χερσὶν, ἵνα ἔχῃ μεταδιδόναι καὶ τῷ χρείαν ἔχοντι· καὶ πάλιν, ὅτι Κλέπται βασιλείαν Θεοῦ οὐ κληρονομήσουσιν. Καὶ ἀρκεῖ λοιπὸν τὰ εἰρημένα περὶ τῶν κλεπτῶν, εἰ βούλοιντο. Οἱ μνησίκακοι, ἀκούσατε τοῦ ἀποστόλου Πέτρου κράζοντος· Μὴ ἀποδιδόντες κακὸν ἀντὶ κακοῦ, ἢ λοιδορίαν ἀντὶ λοιδορίας· ἀλλ' ἀποθέμενοι πᾶσαν κακίαν, καὶ πᾶσαν καταλαλιὰν, ὡς ἀρτιγέννητα βρέφη βιώσατε. Εἰ ποτὲ νικηθεὶς καὶ χαυνωθεὶς μισήσῃς ἄνθρωπον, μὴ τολμήσῃς εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Ἀγαπῶ τὸν Θεόν· ἀρκετὸν γάρ σου τὸ βάρος, καὶ τὸ κατάκριμα τῆς μισαδελφίας, ἡ βαρυτέρα ἁπασῶν τῶν βαρημάτων· καὶ μὴ ἐπάγῃς ἑαυτῷ ψεῦδος· Ὁ γὰρ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ μισῶν, καὶ λέγων, ὅτι Ἀγαπῶ τὸν Θεὸν, ψεύστης ἐστὶν, καθὼς γέγραπται. Οἱ φιλάργυροι, ἐννοήσατε τί φιλεῖτε, τοῦ Ἀποστόλου βοῶντος· εἰ δὲ καὶ τοῦτο οὐ κατέχετε, δεῦτε ἀκούσατε, καὶ διηγήσομαι ὑμῖν, ὁποῖον κακὸν φιλεῖτε· Ῥίζα πάντων τῶν κακῶν ἡ φιλαργυρία. Ἀγνοεῖτε τὸ ποθούμενον παρ' ὑμῶν θηρίον καὶ ψυχοφθόρον; Οὐδεὶς φιλόχρυσος γέγονέ ποτε φιλάνθρωπος, ὁ δὲ μὴ φιλάνθρωπος οὐδὲ φιλόχριστος.