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TITLE 7. -Concerning the righteous, and of the prayer made by them; and that he guards

them from temptations. Abraham prayed to God, and he healed Abimelech, and his wife

and his maidservants, and they bore children. He will not take away his eyes from the righteous, and he will establish them unto victory, and they will be exalted. Behold, the eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear him, and so forth. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, and from all of them. -The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers. The Lord upholds the righteous. The Lord knows the, etc. The Lord keeps all their bones; not one of them shall be broken. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear him, and of their supplication. The prayer of the upright is acceptable to God. Through the help of the righteous much glory comes. The dwellings of the righteous are blessed. The blessing of the Lord is upon the head of the righteous. Light for the righteous forever. 95.1364 The house of the righteous is of great strength. The righteous will be in joy and in gladness. The righteous escapes from the trap; in his place the ungodly is delivered up. Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine. And if you pass through the water, I am with you, and the rivers will not overwhelm you; and if you walk through fire, you will not be burned. The effective prayer of a righteous person has great power. The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation. And many righteous fall into circumstances, but these are not scourges.

TITLE 8. -Concerning the righteous, that they are despised and slandered.

The righteous are laughed at. For they are delivered into the hands of the ungodly. A righteous and blameless man became a mockery. The holy man is unclean to evildoers. Men who partake in bloodshed hate the righteous. They will see the righteous one and despise him, but the Lord will laugh at them. And after this they shall be a dishonorable fall, and a reproach among the dead forever. The righteous one will stand with great boldness before the face of those who afflicted him, and of those who made light of his labors. When they see it, they will be troubled with terrible fear, and will be amazed at the strangeness of his salvation. For they, repenting among themselves, will say: This was he whom we had sometimes in derision, and as a proverb of reproach. We fools accounted his life madness, and his end to be without honor. How is he numbered among the sons of God, and his lot is among the saints? Therefore we have erred from the way of truth, and the light of righteousness did not shine for us. We were filled with the ways of lawlessness and destruction, and we have gone through impassable paths, but the way of the Lord we have not known. All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. And often the righteous are delivered into the hands of the ungodly; not that those might be honored, but that they themselves might be tested. It is not possible for those living in virtue to be well spoken of by all. It is not for the one who cares for virtue not to have many enemies.

TITLE 9. -Concerning lenders and borrowers.

If you lend money to your brother, you shall not be a harsh creditor to him; you shall not charge him interest. 95.1365 Your brother shall live with you. For you shall not give him your money at interest or for increase. You shall not give him your food at interest. You shall lend to your neighbor as much as he needs, and you shall not be grieved in your heart when you give to him; and the Lord will bless you. You shall not charge your brother interest on food, and interest on anything that you lend to your brother. If there is any debt with your neighbor, you shall not go into his house to take his pledge. You shall stand outside, and this man, whose is your loan

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ΤΙΤΛ. Ζʹ. -Περὶ δικαίων, καὶ εὐχῆς παρ' αὐτῶν γινομένης· καὶ ὅτι φυλάττει

αὐτοὺς ἐκ πειρασμῶν. Προσεύξατο Ἀβραὰμ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ ἰάσατο Ἀβιμέλεχ, καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα

αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰς παιδίσκας, καὶ ἔτικτον. Οὐκ ἀφελεῖ ἀπὸ δικαίου ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ, καὶ καθιεῖται αὐτοὺς εἰς νίκος, καὶ ὑψωθήσονται. Ἰδοὺ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ Κυρίου ἐπὶ τοὺς φοβουμένους αὐτὸν, καὶ τὰ λοιπά. Πολλαὶ αἱ θλίψεις τῶν δικαίων, καὶ ἐκ πασῶν αὐτῶν. -Ὀφθαλμοὶ Κυρίου ἐπὶ δικαίους, καὶ ὦτα αὐτοῦ εἰς δεήσεις αὐτῶν. Ὑποστηρίζει δὲ τοὺς δικαίους ὁ Κύριος. Γινώσκει Κύριος τὰς, κ. τ. ε. Φυλάσσει Κύριος πάντα τὰ ὀστᾶ αὐτῶν· ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐ συντριβήσεται. Συνθέλημα τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτὸν ποιήσει, καὶ τῆς δεήσεως. Εὐχὴ κατευθυνόντων δεκτὴ παρὰ Θεῷ. ∆ιὰ βοήθειαν δικαίων πολλὴ γίνεται δόξα. Ἐπαύλεις δικαίων εὐλογοῦνται. Εὐλογία Κυρίου ἐπὶ κεφαλὴν δικαίου. Φῶς δικαίοις διὰ παντός. 95.1364 Οἶκος δικαίων ἰσχὺς πολλή. ∆ίκαιος ἐν χαρᾷ καὶ ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ ἔσται. ∆ίκαιος ἐκ θήρας ἐκδύνει· ἀντ' αὐτοῦ παραδίδοται ἀσεβής. Μὴ φοβοῦ, ὅτι ἐλυτρωσάμην σε· ἐκάλεσά σε τὸ ὄνομά σου· ἐμὸς εἶ σύ. Καὶ ἐὰν διαβαίνῃς δι' ὕδατος, μετὰ σοῦ εἰμι, καὶ ποταμοὶ οὐ συγκλείσουσί σε· καὶ ἐὰν διέλθῃς διὰ πυρὸς, οὐ μὴ κατακαυθῇς. Πολὺ ἰσχύει δέησις δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη. Οἶδε Κύριος εὐσεβεῖς ἐκ πειρασμοῦ ῥύεσθαι. Καὶ δίκαιοι πολλοὶ περιστατικοῖς περιπίπτουσιν, ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μάστιγες οὐκ εἰσί.

ΤΙΤΛ. Ηʹ. -Περὶ δικαίων, ὅτι περιφρονοῦνται καὶ διασύρονται.

∆ίκαιοι καταγελῶνται. Παραδίδονται γὰρ εἰς χεῖρας ἀσεβῶν. ∆ίκαιος ἀνὴρ καὶ ἄμεμπτος ἐγεννήθη εἰς χλεύασμα. Ὅσιος ἀκάθαρτος παρὰ κακουργοῖς. Ἄνδρες αἱμάτων μέτοχοι μισοῦσι δίκαιον. Ὄψονται τὸν δίκαιον, καὶ ἐξουθενήσουσιν, αὐτοὺς δὲ ὁ Κύριος ἐκγελάσεται. Καὶ ἔσονται μετὰ τοῦτο εἰς πτῶμα ἄτιμον, καὶ εἰς ὕβριν ἐν νεκροῖς δι' αἰῶνος. Στήσεται ὁ δίκαιος ἐν παῤῥησίᾳ πολλῇ κατὰ πρόσωπον τῶν θλιψάντων αὐτὸν, καὶ τῶν ἀθετούντων τοὺς πόνους αὐτοῦ. Ἰδόντες δὲ ταραχθήσονται φόβῳ δεινῷ, καὶ ἐκστήσονται ἐπὶ τῷ παραδόξῳ τῆς σωτηρίας. Ἐροῦσι γὰρ ἐν αὐτοῖς μετανοοῦντες· Οὗτος ἦν ὃν ἔσχομέν ποτε εἰς γέλωτα, καὶ εἰς παραβολὴν ὀνειδισμοῦ. Οἱ ἄφρονες τὸν βίον αὐτοῦ ἐλογισάμεθα μανίαν, καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ τελευτὴν ἄτιμον. Πῶς κατελογίσθη ἐν υἱοῖς Θεοῦ, καὶ ἐν ἁγίοις ὁ κλῆρος αὐτοῦ; Ἄρα ἐπλανήθημεν ἀπὸ ὁδοῦ ἀληθείας, καὶ τὸ τῆς δικαιοσύνης φῶς οὐκ ἔλαμψεν ἡμῖν. Ἀνομίας ἐπλήσθημεν τρίβοις καὶ ἀπωλείας, καὶ ὡδεύσαμεν τρίβους ἀβάτους, τὴν δὲ ὁδὸν Κυρίου οὐκ ἔγνωμεν. Πάντες οἱ θέλοντες ζῇν εὐσεβῶς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, διωχθήσονται. Πονηροὶ δὲ ἄνθρωποι καὶ γόητες προκόψουσιν ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον, πλανῶντες καὶ πλανώμενοι. Παραδίδονται πολλάκις καὶ δίκαιοι εἰς χεῖρας ἀσεβῶν· οὐχ ἵνα ἐκεῖνοι τιμηθῶσιν, ἀλλ' ἵνα αὐτοὶ δοκιμασθῶσιν. Οὐ δυνατὸν τοὺς ἐν ἀρετῇ ζῶντας παρὰ πάντων ἀκούειν καλῶς Οὐκ ἔστι τὸν ἀρετῆς ἐπιμελούμενον μὴ πολλοὺς ἔχειν ἐχθρούς.

ΤΙΤΛ. Θʹ. -Περὶ δανειζόντων καὶ δανειζομένων.

Ἐὰν ἀργύριον ἐκδανείσῃς τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου, οὐκ ἔσῃ αὐτῷ κατεπείγων· οὐκ ἐπιθήσεις αὐτῷ τόκον. 95.1365 Ζήσεται ὁ ἀδελφός σου μετὰ σοῦ. Τὸ γὰρ ἀργύριόν σου οὐ δώσεις αὐτῷ ἐπὶ τόκῳ καὶ ἐπὶ πλεονασμῷ. Οὐ δώσεις αὐτῷ ἐπὶ τόκῳ τὰ βρώματά σου. ∆ανεῖον δανειεῖς τῷ πλησίον σου ὅσον ἐπιδέηται, καὶ οὐ λυπηθήσῃ τῇ καρδίᾳ σου, διδόντος σου αὐτῷ· καὶ εὐλογήσει σε Κύριος. Οὐκ ἐκτοκιεῖς τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου τόκον βρωμάτων, καὶ τόκον παντὸς πράγματος, οὗ ἐὰν ἐκδανείσῃς τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου. Ἐὰν ὀφείλημα ᾖ ἐν τῷ πλησίον σου ὁτιοῦν, οὐκ εἰσελεύσῃ εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ ἐνεχυράσαι τὸ ἐνέχυρον. Ἔξω στήσῃ, καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπος οὗτος, οὗ τὸ δανεῖόν σού