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and I should be cleansed with clean hands, you have sufficiently dipped me in filth. My robe has abhorred me. For you are not a man like me, whom I will answer, that we may come together to judgment. Would that there were a mediator for us, and a reprover, and one who would hear between us both. Why do the wicked live, and have grown old in wealth? Their seed is according to the desire of their soul, and their children are before their eyes. Their houses prosper, and fear is nowhere; and the scourge from the Lord is not upon them. They remain like eternal sheep, and their children play, taking up the psaltery and kithara. They have completed their life in good things. How many are my iniquities and my sins? Teach me. Why do you hide from me? How long, Lord, will I cry, and you will not hear? I will cry out to you being wronged, and you will not save? Why have you shown me toils to look upon? judgment has become against me, and the judge takes. Because of this the law is scattered, because the wicked man oppresses the just. For this reason judgment will come forth perverted. The angel of the Lord answered and said: Lord Almighty, how long will you not have mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, which you have overlooked? This is the seventieth year. You are just, O Lord, that I should plead with you; yet I will speak judgments with you: why does the way of the wicked prosper? and all who transgress prosper?

TITLE V. -Concerning those who serve God; and that it is necessary to honor them, and

to provide for their need. Saul said to his young man: What shall we bring to the man of God? For the

loaves are gone from our vessels. And the young man said: Behold, in my hand is a fourth of a shekel of silver, and you shall give it to the man of God. Jeroboam said to his wife: Arise, and take into your hand for the man of God loaves and cakes for his children, and grapes, and honey. Obadiah took a hundred prophets, and hid them by fifties in caves, and fed them. The woman said to her husband: Behold, a man of God is passing by us; let us make an upper room for him, and let us place there for him a bed, and a table, and a lampstand. He who helps a just man, this one will rise. As if one were to stop up a spring, and corrupt an outlet of water, so is it unseemly for a just man to have fallen before a wicked man. 95.1361 He who does not respect the persons of the just is not good. To punish a just man is not good, nor holy. Do good to a pious man, and you will find a recompense, and if not from him, then from the Most High. Those who praise the good are partakers of the crowns laid up for them. It is not a great thing to care for a just man. But he who is counted worthy to serve him receives grace.

TITLE VI. -Concerning the discernment of good and evil; and that from works, and

not from words, one must test each person. A man's attire, and the step of his foot, and the laughter of his teeth will announce things concerning

him. For from the fruit the tree is known. Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them. Each tree is known by its own fruit. Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits. It is possible, O child, to speak well but be wicked; but it is impossible to do well and be wicked.

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καὶ ἀποκαθάρωμαι χερσὶ καθαραῖς, ἱκανῶς με ἐν ῥύπῳ ἔβαψας. Ἐβδελύξατό με ἡ στολή μου. Οὐ γὰρ εἶ ἄνθρωπος κατ' ἐμὲ, ᾧ ἀνταποκρινοῦμαι, ἵνα ἔλθωμεν ὁμοθυμαδὸν εἰς κρίσιν. Εἴθε ἦν ὁ μεσίτης ἡμῶν, καὶ διελέγχων, καὶ διακούων ἀναμέσον ἀμφοτέρων. ∆ιὰ τί ἀσεβεῖς ζῶσι, πεπαλαίωνται δὲ καὶ ἐν πλούτῳ; Ὁ σπόρος αὐτῶν κατ' ἐπιθυμίαν ψυχῆς, τὰ δὲ τέκνα αὐτῶν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς. Οἱ οἶκοι αὐτῶν εὐθηνοῦσι, φόβος δὲ οὐδαμοῦ· μάστιξ δὲ παρὰ Κυρίου οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπ' αὐτοῖς. Μένουσι δὲ ὥσπερ πρόβατα αἰώνια, τὰ δὲ παιδία αὐτῶν προσπαίζουσιν, ἀναλαμβάνοντα ψαλτήριον καὶ κιθάραν. Συνετέλεσαν ἐν ἀγαθοῖς τὸν βίον αὐτῶν. Πόσαι εἰσὶν αἱ ἀνομίαι μου, καὶ αἱ ἁμαρτίαι μου, δίδαξόν με. ∆ιὰ τί ἀπ' ἐμοῦ κρύπτῃ; Ἕως τίνος, Κύριε, κεκράξομαι, καὶ οὐ μὴ εἰσακούσεις; βοήσομαι πρὸς σὲ ἀδικούμενος, καὶ οὐ σώσεις; Τί μοι ἔδειξας κόπους ἐπιβλέπειν; ἐξεναντίας μου γέγονε κρίσις, καὶ ὁ κριτὴς λαμβάνει. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο διεσκέδασται νόμος, ὅτι ἀσεβὴς καταδυναστεύει τὸν δίκαιον. Ἕνεκεν τούτου ἐξελεύσεται τὸ κρῖμα διεστραμμένον. Ἀπεκρίθη ἄγγελος Κυρίου, καὶ εἶπε· Κύριε παντοκράτωρ, ἕως τίνος οὐ μὴ ἐλεήσῃς τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ τὰς πόλεις Ἰούδα, ἃς ὑπερεῖδες; Τοῦτο ἑβδομηκοστὸν ἔτος. ∆ίκαιος εἶ, Κύριε, ὅτι ἀπολογήσομαι πρὸς σέ· πλὴν κρίματα λαλήσω πρὸς σέ· τί ὅτι ὁδὸς ἀσεβῶν εὐοδοῦται; εὐθήνησαν δὲ πάντες οἱ ἀθετοῦντες;

ΤΙΤΛ. Εʹ. -Περὶ τῶν δουλευόντων Θεῷ· καὶ ὅτι χρὴ τούτους τιμᾷν, καὶ τὰ

πρὸς τὴν χρείαν νέμειν. Εἶπεν ὁ Σαοὺλ τῷ παιδαρίῳ αὐτοῦ· Τί οἴσομεν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ; ὅτι οἱ

ἄρτοι ἐκλελοίπασιν ἐκ τῶν ἀγγείων ἡμῶν. Καὶ εἶπε τὸ παιδάριον· Ἰδοὺ ἐν τῇ χειρί μου τέταρτον σίκλου ἀργυρίου, καὶ δώσεις τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Εἶπεν Ἱεροβοὰμ πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ· Ἀνάστηθι, καὶ λάβε εἰς τὴν χεῖρά σου τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄρτους καὶ κολλυρίδας τοῖς τέκνοις αὐτοῦ, καὶ σταφυλὴν, καὶ μέλι. Ἔλαβεν Ἀβδιοὺ ἕκατον ἄνδρας προφήτας, καὶ ἔκρυψεν αὐτοὺς ἀνὰ πεντήκοντα ἐν σπηλαίοις, καὶ ἔτρεφεν αὐτούς. Εἶπεν ἡ γυνὴ πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα αὐτῆς· Ἰδοὺ διαπορεύεται ἐφ' ἡμᾶς ἄνθρωπος τοῦ Θεοῦ· ποιήσωμεν αὐτῷ ὑπερῷον, καὶ θῶμεν αὐτῷ ἐκεῖ κλίνην, καὶ τράπεζαν, καὶ λυχνίαν. Ἀντιλαμβανόμενος δικαίου, οὗτος ἀνατελεῖ. Ὡς εἴ τις πηγὴν φράσσοι, καὶ ὕδατος διέξοδον λυμαίνοιτο, οὕτως ἄκοσμον δίκαιον πεπτωκέναι ἐνώπιον ἀσεβοῦς. 95.1361 Ὃς οὐκ αἰσχύνεται πρόσωπα δικαίων, οὐκ ἀγαθός. Ζημιοῦν ἄνδρα δίκαιον, οὐ καλὸν, οὐδὲ ὅσιον. Εὐποίησον εὐσεβεῖ, καὶ εὑρήσεις ἀνταπόδωμα, καὶ εἰ μὴ παρ' αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τοῦ Ὑψίστου. Οἱ τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς ἐπαινοῦντες, μερισταὶ τῶν ἐκείνοις ἀποκειμένων στεφάνων εἰσίν. Οὐκ ἔστι μέγα τὸ φροντίζειν ἀνδρὸς δικαίου. Ἀλλὰ χάριν λαμβάνει ὁ καταξιούμενος διακονεῖν αὐτῷ.

ΤΙΤΛ. ϛʹ. -Περὶ διαγνώσεως καλοῦ καὶ πονηροῦ· καὶ ὅτι ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων, καὶ

μὴ ἀπὸ τῶν λόγων χρὴ δοκιμάζειν ἕκαστον. Στολισμὸς ἀνδρὸς, καὶ βῆμα ποδὸς, καὶ γέλως ὀδόντων ἀναγγελεῖ τὰ περὶ

αὐτοῦ. Ἐκ γὰρ τοῦ καρποῦ τὸ δένδρον γινώσκεται. Προσέχετε ἀπὸ τῶν ψευδοπροφητῶν, οἵ τινες ἔρχονται πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐν ἐνδύμασι προβάτων, ἔσωθεν δέ εἰσι λύκοι ἅρπαγες. Ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν αὐτῶν ἐπιγνώσεσθε αὐτούς. Ἕκαστον δένδρον ἐκ τοῦ ἰδίου καρποῦ γινώσκεται. Ἀγαπητοὶ, μὴ παντὶ πνεύματι πιστεύετε, ἀλλὰ δοκιμάζετε τὰ πνεύματα. Ἐνδέχεται μὲν, ὦ παιδίον, λέγειν μὲν εὖ, φαῦλον δὲ ὑπάρχειν, πράσσοντα δὲ εὖ, φαῦλον εἶναι ἀδύνατον.