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lest anyone be scandalized and perish. For the layman is concerned only for himself, but you for all, having a greater weight and bearing a heavier burden; for it is written: “And the Lord said to Moses: you and Aaron shall take upon yourselves the sins of the priesthood.” Therefore, as one who will give an account for many, take care for all, and preserve the healthy, but admonish those who have sinned, and making them firm with fasting, relieve them with remission, and receive the one who weeps, with the whole Church praying for him, and having laid hands on him, allow him thereafter to be in the flock; but those who are drowsy and feeble, restore, support, comfort, heal, knowing how great a reward you have for accomplishing these things, as well as the danger, if you neglect them. For Ezekiel says to the bishops who neglect the people: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! The shepherds do not feed the sheep, but themselves. You eat the milk and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the strong, you do not feed the sheep; the troubled you have not strengthened and the sick you have not healed and the broken you have not bound up, the cast out you have not brought back and the lost you have not sought, and with force you disciplined them with mockery; and they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the beasts of the field.” And again: “The shepherds did not seek my sheep, and the shepherds fed themselves, but they did not feed my sheep.” And a little after: “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep from their hand, and I will cause them to cease from feeding my sheep, and the shepherds shall no longer feed themselves, and I will deliver my sheep from their hand, and they shall not be food for them.” And he adds, also saying to the people: “Behold, I will judge between sheep and sheep, and ram against ram. Was it a small thing to you that you fed on the good pasture, and trampled the rest of the pasture with your feet, and the sheep ate what was trampled by your feet?” And he adds a little after: “And you shall know that I am the Lord and you are the sheep of my pasture; you are my people, and I am your God, says Adonai the Lord.” Hear, O bishops, and hear, O laity, as God says: “I will judge ram against ram and sheep against sheep,” and to the shepherds he says: You shall be judged

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τις σκανδαλισθεὶς ἀπόληται. Ὁ γὰρ λαϊκὸς περὶ ἑαυτοῦ μόνου μεριμνᾷ, σὺ δὲ περὶ πάντων, πλεῖον ἔχων βάρος καὶ μεῖζον βαστάζων φορτίον· γέγραπται γάρ· «Καὶ εἶπεν Κύριος πρὸς Μωϋσῆν· σὺ καὶ Ἀαρὼν λήψεσθε τὰς ἁμαρτίας τῆς ἱερατείας.» Ὡς περὶ πλειόνων οὖν ἀπολογούμενος περὶ πάντων φρόντιζε, καὶ τοὺς μὲν ὑγιεῖς συντήρει, τοὺς δὲ ἡμαρτηκότας νουθέτει, καὶ στιβῶν ἐν τῇ νηστείᾳ ἐν τῇ ἀφέσει ἐλάφρυνον, καὶ προσκλαύσαντα εἰσδέχου πάσης τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ δεομένης, καὶ χειροθετήσας αὐτὸν ἔα λοιπὸν εἶναι ἐν τῷ ποιμνίῳ· τοὺς δὲ ὑπνώδεις καὶ παρειμένους ἐπίστρεφε, ὑποστήριζε, παρακάλει, θεράπευε, ἐπιστάμενος, ἡλίκον μισθὸν ἔχεις ταῦτα ἐπιτελῶν, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ κίνδυνον, ἐὰν ἀμελῇς τούτων. Λέγει γὰρ πρὸς τοὺς ἀμελοῦντας τοῦ λαοῦ ἐπισκόπους Ἰεζεκιήλ· «Oὐαὶ τοῖς ποιμέσι τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ οἳ ἐποίμαινον ἑαυτούς· οὐ τὰ πρόβατα ποιμαίνουσιν οἱ ποιμένες, ἀλλ' ἑαυτούς. Τὸ γάλα κατεσθίετε καὶ τὰ ἔρια περιβάλλεσθε, τὸ ἰσχυρὸν σφάζετε, τὰ πρόβατα οὐ ποιμαίνετε· τὸ ἐνοχλού μενον οὐκ ἐνισχύσατε καὶ τὸ ἀρρωστοῦν οὐκ ἰάσασθε καὶ τὸ συντετριμμένον οὐ κατεδήσατε, τὸ ἐξωσμένον οὐκ ἐπιστρέ ψατε καὶ τὸ ἀπολωλὸς οὐκ ἐζητήσατε, καὶ ἐν κράτει ἐπαι δεύσατε αὐτὰ μετὰ ἐμπαιγμοῦ· καὶ διεσπάρησαν παρὰ τὸ μὴ εἶναι ποιμένα, καὶ ἐγένοντο εἰς κατάβρωμα πᾶσι τοῖς θηρίοις τοῦ ἀγροῦ.» Καὶ πάλιν· «Oὐκ ἐξεζήτησαν οἱ ποιμένες τὰ πρόβατά μου, καὶ ἐποίμαινον οἱ ποιμένες ἑαυτούς, τὰ δὲ πρόβατά μου οὐκ ἐποίμαινον.» Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγον· «Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ πρὸς τοὺς ποιμένας, καὶ ἐκζητήσω ἐγὼ τὰ πρόβατά μου ἐκ χειρὸς αὐτῶν, καὶ καταπαύσω αὐτοὺς τοῦ ποιμαίνειν τὰ πρόβατά μου, καὶ οὐ ποιμανοῦσιν ἔτι οἱ ποιμένες ἑαυτούς, καὶ ·ύσομαι τὰ πρόβατά μου ἐκ χειρὸς αὐτῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἔσονται αὐτοῖς εἰς κατάβρωμα.» Καὶ ἐπιφέρει καὶ πρὸς τὸν λαὸν λέγων· «Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ κρινῶ ἀνὰ μέσον προβάτου εἰς πρόβατον, καὶ κριὸν πρὸς κριόν, Μὴ μικρὸν ἦν ὑμῖν, ὅτι τὴν νομὴν τὴν καλὴν ἐνέμεσθε, καὶ τὰ κατάλοιπα τῆς νομῆς κατεπατεῖτε τοῖς ποσὶν ὑμῶν, καὶ τὰ πρόβατα τὰ πατήματα τῶν ποδῶν ὑμῶν ἤσθιον;» Καὶ ἐπιφέρει μετ' ὀλίγον· «Καὶ γνώσεσθε, ὅτι ἐγὼ Κύριος καὶ ὑμεῖς πρόβατα τῆς νομῆς μου· ἄνθρωποί μου ἐστέ, καὶ ἐγὼ Θεὸς ὑμῶν, λέγει Ἀδωνα Κύριος.» Ἀκούσατε, οἱ ἐπίσκοποι, καὶ ἀκούσατε, οἱ λαϊκοί, ὥς φησιν ὁ Θεός· «Κρινῶ κριὸν πρὸς κριὸν καὶ πρόβατον πρὸς πρόβατον», καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ποιμένας λέγει· Κριθήσεσθε