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Therefore he says: "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; take away the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do good, seek (14__428> judgment, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan and plead for the widow. And come, let us reason together, says the Lord: and though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them white as snow; and though they be as crimson, I will make them white as wool." And, "If you are willing and obey me, you shall eat the good of the land. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things." And again through Joel: "Return to me with all your heart; [and] with fasting and with weeping and [with] mourning; rend your hearts, and not your garments. For the Lord is merciful and compassionate, and repenting of evil." But to Ezekiel: "Son of man, say to the house of Israel: 'Thus you have spoken, saying, "Our transgressions, and our iniquities are upon us; and in them we are wasting away; and how shall we live?"' Say to them, 'As I live, says the Lord, I do not desire the death of the ungodly, so that he might turn from his way and live; turn, turn from your way; and why do you die, O house of Israel?'"

But the third book of Kings, revealing the abundance of God's goodness, says thus. When Ahab, being in the vineyard of Naboth, which he inherited by killing him through Jezebel, heard the words of Elijah saying: 'Thus says the Lord, "You have murdered and taken possession; and in the place where the dogs licked the blood of Naboth, there the dogs will lick your blood; and the dogs will devour Jezebel in the rampart of Israel."' And when Ahab heard these words, he tore his (14__430> clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and slept in the sackcloth. And the word of the Lord came to Elijah, saying: 'See that Ahab has been humbled before my face. I will not bring evil in his days.'

But David says: "I acknowledged my iniquity, and my sin I did not cover. I said, 'I will confess against myself my iniquity to the Lord,' and you forgave the ungodliness of my heart. For this, every holy one will pray to you in a favorable time; and in a flood of many waters they will not come near him."

And in the Gospel the Lord says, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." And when Peter asked, "how many times a day, if my brother sins against me, shall I forgive him; up to seven times?" "the one who is good by nature" and incomparable in goodness answers him: "I do not say to you [up to] seven times but up to seventy times seven." What is equal to this goodness? What is a match for this philanthropy?

41 (μα'). Knowing, therefore, the fear of the Lord, and his goodness and philanthropy from both the Old and New Testaments, let us return with all our heart; and why are we perishing, brothers? Let us cleanse our hands, we sinners; let us purify our hearts, we double-minded; let us be wretched (14__432> and mourn, and weep for our sins. Let us cease from our wickednesses; let us believe in the mercies of the Lord; let us fear his threats, let us keep his commandments; let us love one another with all our heart. Let us say "our brothers" even to those who hate and detest us, that the name of the Lord may be glorified and be seen in his joy. Let us give forgiveness to one another, being tempted through one another, as we are all warred against by a common enemy. Let us resist our thoughts, calling upon God for alliance; and let us drive away from us the wicked and unclean spirits. Let us subject the flesh to the spirit, disciplining and enslaving it through all hardship: "Let us cleanse ourselves

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∆ιὸ λέγει· "Λούσασθε, καθαροὶ γίνεσθε· ἀφέλετε τὰς πονηρίας ἀπὸ τῶν ψυχῶν ὑμῶν ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μοῦ· παύσασθε τῶν πονηριῶν ὑμῶν· μάθητε καλὸν ποιεῖν, ἐκζητήσατε (14__428> κρίσιν, ῥύσασθε ἀδικούμενον, κρίνατε ὀρφανῷ καὶ δικαιώσατε χήραν. καὶ δεῦτε, καὶ διελεγχθῶμεν, λέγει Κύριος· καὶ ἐὰν ὦσιν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ὑμῶν ὡς φοινικοῦν, ὡς χιόνα λευκανῶ· ἐὰν δὲ ὦσιν ὡς κόκκινον, ὡσεὶ ἔριον λευκανῶ». Καί, "Ἐὰν θέλητε καὶ εἰσακούσητέ μου, τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῆς γῆς φάγεσθε. Τὸ γὰρ στόμα Κυρίου ἐλάλησε ταῦτα». Καὶ πάλιν διὰ Ἰωήλ· "Ἐπιστράφετε πρός με ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας ὑμῶν· [καὶ] ἐν νηστείᾳ καὶ ἐν κλαυθμῷ καὶ [ἐν] κοπετῷ· διαρρήξατε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν, καὶ οὐ τὰ ἱμάτια ὑμῶν. Ἐλεήμων γὰρ καὶ οἰκτίρμων ἐστὶ Κύριος, καὶ μετανοῶν ἐπὶ ταῖς κακίαις». Πρὸς Ἰεζεκιὴλ δέ· "Υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, εἰπὸν τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰσραήλ· "Οὕτως ἐλαλήσατε λέγοντες "Αἱ πλάναι ἡμῶν, καὶ αἱ ἀνομίαι ἡμῶν ἐφ᾽ ἡμῖν εἰσι· καὶ ἐν αὐταῖς τηκόμεθα· καὶ πῶς ζησόμεθα;" Εἰπὸν αὐτοῖς "Ζῶ ἐγώ, λέγει Κύριος, οὐ βούλομαι τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἀσεβοῦς, ὥστε ἐπιστρέψαι αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ζῇν αὐτόν· ἀποστροφῇ ἀποστρέψατε ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ ὑμῶν· καὶ ἵνα τί ἀποθνήσκετε, οἶκος Ἰσραήλ;"

Ἡ δὲ τρίτη τῶν Βασιλειῶν, τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ χρηστότητα φανεροῦσα, οὕτω λέγει. Ἐν τῷ ἀκοῦσαι Ἀχαὰβ ὄντα αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ ἀμπελῶνι τοῦ Ναβουθαί, ὃν ἐκληρονόμησεν ἐν τῷ ἀποκτεῖναι αὐτὸν διὰ τῆς Ἰεζάβελ, τοὺς λόγους Ἠλιοῦ λέγοντος· "Τάδε λέγει Κύριος "ἐφόνευσας καὶ ἐκληρονόμησας· καὶ ἐν τῷ τόπῳ, ἐν ᾧ ἔλειξαν οἱ κύνες τὸ αἷμα Ναβουθαί, ἐκεῖ λείξουσιν οἱ κύνες τὸ αἷμά σου· καὶ τὴν Ἰεζάβελ κύνες καταφάγονται ἐν τῷ προτειχίσματι τοῦ Ἰσραήλ». Καὶ ἐν τῷ ἀκοῦσαι Ἀχαὰβ τοὺς λόγους τούτους, διέρρηξε τὰ (14__430> ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔθετο σάκκον ἐπὶ τὴν σάρκα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐνήστευσε, καὶ ἐκοιμήθη ἐν τῷ σάκκῳ. Καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος Κυρίου πρὸς Ἠλιοῦ, λέγων· "Ἰδὲ ὅτι ἐνετράπη Ἀχαὰβ ἀπὸ προσώπου μου. Οὐκ ἐπάξω κακίαν ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτοῦ».

Ὁ δὲ ∆αβίδ φησι· "Τὴν ἀνομίαν μου ἐγνώρισα, καὶ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν μου οὐκ ἐκάλυψα. Εἶπα "ἐξαγορεύσω κατ᾽ ἐμοῦ τὴν ἀνομίαν μου τῷ Κυρίῳ, καὶ σὺ ἀφῆκας τὴν ἀσέβειαν τῆς καρδίας μου. Ὑπὲρ ταύτης προσεύξεται πρὸς σὲ πᾶς ὅσιος ἐν καιρῷ εὐθέτῳ· καὶ ἐν κατακλυσμῷ ὑδάτων πολλῶν πρὸς αὐτὸν οὐκ ἐγγιοῦσιν».

Ἐν δὲ τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ ὁ Κύριος "Μετανοεῖτε», φησίν, "ἤγγισε γὰρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν». Τοῦ δὲ Πέτρου πυθομένου "ποσάκις τῆς ἡμέρας, ἐὰν ἁμάρτῃ εἰς ἐμὲ ὁ ἀδελφός μου, ἀφήσω αὐτῷ· ἕως ἑπτάκις;" ἀποκρίνεται αὐτῷ "ὁ φύσει ἀγαθὸς" καὶ ἀνείκαστος ἐν χρηστότητι· "οὐ λέγω σοι [ἕως] ἑπτάκις ἀλλ᾽ ἕως ἑβδομηκοντάκις ἑπτά». Τί ταύτης τῆς ἀγαθότητος ἰσόρροπον; Τί ταύτης τῆς φιλανθρωπίας ἐφάμιλλον;

41 (μα'). Ἐγνωκότες οὖν τὸν τοῦ Κυρίου φόβον, τήν τε χρηστότητα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν ἔκ τε τῆς Παλαιᾶς καὶ Καινῆς ∆ιαθήκης, ἐπιστρέψωμεν ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας ἡμῶν· καὶ ἵνα τί ἀπολλύμεθα, ἀδελφοί; Καθαρίσωμεν χεῖρας, οἱ ἁμαρτωλοί· ἁγνίσωμεν τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν, οἱ δίψυχοι· ταλαιπωρήσωμεν (14__432> καὶ πενθήσωμεν, καὶ κλαύσωμεν διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν. Παυσώμεθα τῶν πονηριῶν ἡμῶν· πιστεύσωμεν ταῖς εὐσπλαγχνίαις τοῦ Κυρίου· φοβηθῶμεν τὰς ἀπειλὰς αὐτοῦ, φυλάξωμεν τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ· ἀγαπήσω μεν ἀλλήλους ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας. Εἴπωμεν "ἀδελφοὶ ἡμῶν" καὶ τοῖς μισοῦσιν ἡμᾶς καὶ βδελυσσομένοις, ἵνα τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου δοξασθῇ καὶ ὀφθῇ ἐν τῇ εὐφροσύνῃ αὐτοῦ. ∆ῶμεν συγγνώμην ἀλλήλοις, δι᾽ ἀλλήλων πειραζόμενοι, ὡς πάντες ὑπὸ κοινοῦ ἐχθροῦ πολεμούμενοι. Ἀντιστῶμεν τοῖς λογισμοῖς ἡμῶν, τὸν Θεὸν εἰς συμμαχίαν ἐπικαλούμενοι· καὶ φυγαδεύωμεν ἐξ ἡμῶν τὰ πονηρὰ καὶ ἀκάθαρτα πνεύματα. Ὑποτάξωμεν τὴν σάρκα τῷ πνεύματι, ὑπωπιάζοντες καὶ δουλαγωγοῦντες δι᾽ ἁπάσης κακοπαθείας· "Καθαρίσωμεν ἑαυτοὺς