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I know that there is no good in them, except for to be glad, and to do good in his life. My judgment will go forth as a flame, because I desire mercy, and not sacrifice. Break your bread for the hungry, and bring the poor and homeless into your house. If you see one naked, clothe him. If you give your bread to the hungry from your soul, and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your darkness will be as noonday, and God will be with you always. O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you; atone for your sins with alms, and your iniquities with mercy to the poor. Piety is more powerful than anything. Water will quench a flaming fire, and almsgiving atones for sins. Child, do not deprive the poor of his life, and do not put off eyes in need. Do not grieve a hungry soul, and do not delay a gift to one in need. Do not turn your face away from a 95.1460 poor man, and from one in need do not turn away your eye. Incline your ear to a poor man, and answer him peacefully in gentleness. Do not neglect to give alms. Extend your hand to the poor, that your blessing may be perfected. Do good to the godly, and you will find a reward, and if not from him, yet from the Most High. If you do good, know to whom you do it, and there will be grace for your good deeds. A man's almsgiving is as a signet with him. He who shows mercy lends to his neighbor; and he who strengthens with his hand, keeps the commandments. Be patient with the lowly, and do not delay in giving him alms. Shut up alms in your storehouses, and it will deliver you from all affliction; it will fight for you against the enemy. Almsgiving remains forever. Brothers and help are for a time of affliction; and almsgiving delivers beyond both. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Take heed not to do your alms before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Therefore, when you do alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be glorified by men. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you do alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will himself reward you openly. Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, and not sacrifice. Whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, amen I say to you, he shall not lose his reward. John answered and said to them: He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none, and he who has food, let him do likewise. The Lord said to them: Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the platter, but your inside is full of extortion and wickedness. Fools, did not He who made the outside also make the inside? But give what is within as alms, and behold, all things are clean for you. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make for yourselves purses that do not grow old, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches, nor moth destroys. Where 95.1461 for your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The Lord said to the one who had invited him: When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not call your friends, nor rich neighbors, nor your relatives, nor your brothers, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind; and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just. You yourselves know that these hands of mine have ministered to my needs, and to those who were with me. I have shown you all things, that by working in this way you must support the weak, and remember the words of the Lord, that he himself said: It is more blessed to give than to receive. He who gives, with simplicity;

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Ἔγνων ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἀγαθὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς, εἰ μὴ τοῦ εὐφρανθῆναι, καὶ τοῦ ποιῆσαι ἀγαθὸν ἐν ζωῇ αὐτοῦ. Τὸ κρῖμά μου ὡς φλὸξ ἐξελεύσεται, διότι ἔλεον θέλω, καὶ οὐ θυσίαν. ∆ιάθρυπτε πεινῶντι τὸν ἄρτον σου, καὶ πτωχοὺς ἀστέγους εἰσάγαγε εἰς τὸν οἶκόν σου. Ἐὰν ἴδῃς γυμνὸν, περίβαλε. Ἐὰν δῷς πεινῶντι τὸν ἄρτον σου ἐκ ψυχῆς, καὶ ψυχὴν τεταπεινωμένην ἐμπλήσῃς, τότε ἀνατελεῖ ἐν τῷ σκότει τὸ φῶς σου, καὶ τὸ σκότος σου ὡς μεσημβρία, καὶ ἔσται ὁ Θεὸς μετὰ σοῦ διὰ παντός. Βασιλεῦ, ἡ βουλή μου ἀρεσάτω σοι· τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου ἐν ἐλεημοσύναις λύτρωσαι, καὶ τὰς ἀνομίας σου, ἐν οἰκτιρμοῖς πενήτων. Παντὸς δυνατωτέρα ἐστὶν ἡ εὐσέβεια. Πῦρ φλογιζόμενον κατασβέσει ὕδωρ, καὶ ἐλεημοσύνη ἐξιλάσκει ἁμαρτίας. Τέκνον, τὴν ζωὴν τοῦ πτωχοῦ μὴ ἀποστερήσῃς, καὶ μὴ παρελκύσῃς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐπὶ ἐνδεεῖς. Ψυχὴν πεινῶσαν μὴ λυπήσῃς, καὶ μὴ παρελκύσῃς δόσιν ἐπιδεομένου. Μὴ ἀποστρέψῃς τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἀπὸ 95.1460 πτωχοῦ, καὶ ἀπὸ δεομένου μὴ ἀποστρέψῃς ὀφθαλμόν σου. Κλῖνον πτωχῷ τὸ οὖς σου, καὶ ἀποκρίθητι αὐτῷ εἰρηνικὰ ἐν πραότητι. Ἐλεημοσύνην ποιῆσαι μὴ παρίδῃς. Πτωχῷ ἔκτεινον τὴν χεῖρά σου, ἵνα τελειωθῇ ἡ εὐλογία σου. Εὖ ποίησον εὐσεβεῖ, καὶ εὑρήσεις ἀνταπόδομα, καὶ εἰ μὴ παρ' αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τοῦ Ὑψίστου. Ἐὰν εὖ ποιῇς, γνῶθι τίνι ποιεῖς, καὶ ἔσται χάρις τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς σου. Ἐλεημοσύνη ἀνδρὸς ὡς σφραγὶς μετ' αὐτοῦ. Ὁ ποιῶν ἔλεον δανιεῖ τῷ πλησίον· καὶ ὁ ἐπισχύων τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ, τηρήσει ἐντολάς. Ἐπὶ ταπεινῷ μακροθύμησον, καὶ ἐπὶ ἐλεημοσύνην μὴ παρελκύσῃς αὐτόν. Σύγκλεισον ἐλεημοσύνην ἐν τοῖς ταμείοις σου, καὶ αὕτη σε ἐξελεῖται ἐκ πάσης κακώσεως· κατέναντι ἐχθροῦ πολεμήσει ὑπὲρ σοῦ. Ἐλεημοσύνη εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα μένει. Ἀδελφοὶ καὶ βοήθεια ἐν καιρῷ θλίψεως· καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀμφότερα ἐλεημοσύνη ῥύεται. Μακάριοι οἱ ἐλεήμονες, ὅτι αὐτοὶ ἐλεηθήσονται. Προσέχετε τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην ὑμῶν μὴ ποιεῖν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων πρὸς τὸ θεαθῆναι αὐτοῖς. Εἰ δὲ μήγε, μισθὸν οὐκ ἔχετε παρὰ τῷ Πατρὶ ὑμῶν τῷ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Ὅταν οὖν ποιῇς ἐλεημοσύνην, μὴ σαλπίσῃς ἔμπροσθέν σου, ὥσπερ οἱ ὑποκριταὶ ποιοῦσιν ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς, καὶ ἐν ταῖς ῥύμαις, ὅπως δοξασθῶσιν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν· ἀπέχουσι τὸν μισθὸν αὐτῶν. Σοῦ δὲ ποιοῦντος ἐλεημοσύνην, μὴ γνώτω ἡ ἀριστερά σου, τί ποιεῖ ἡ δεξιά σου, ὅπως ᾖ σου ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ, καὶ ὁ Πατήρ σου ὁ βλέπων ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ, αὐτὸς ἀποδώσει σοι ἐν τῷ φανερῷ. Πορευθέντες μάθετε τί ἐστιν· Ἔλεον θέλω, καὶ οὐ θυσίαν. Ὃς ἐὰν ποτίσῃ ἕνα τῶν μικρῶν τούτων ποτήριον ψυχροῦ μόνον εἰς ὄνομα μαθητοῦ, ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσῃ τὸν μισθὸν αὐτοῦ. Ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰωάννης λέγει αὐτοῖς· Ὁ ἔχωνδύο χιτῶνας, μεταδότω τῷ μὴ ἔχοντι, καὶ ὁ ἔχων βρώματα, οὕτως ποιείτω. Εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Κύριος· Νῦν ὑμεῖς οἱ Φαρισαῖοι τὸ ἔξωθεν τοῦ ποτηρίου καὶ τοῦ πίνακος καθαρίζετε, τὸ δὲ ἔσωθεν ὑμῶν γέμει ἐξ ἁρπαγῆς καὶ πονηρίας. Ἄφρονες, οὐχ ὁ ποιήσας τὸ ἔξωθεν, καὶ τὸ ἔσωθεν αὐτὸς ἐποίησεν; πλὴν τὰ ἐνόντα δότε ἐλεημοσύνην, καὶ ἰδοὺ πάντα καθαρὰ ὑμῖν ἐστιν. Πωλήσατε τὰ ὑπάρχοντα ὑμῶν, καὶ δότε ἐλεημοσύνην. Ποιήσατε ἑαυτοῖς βαλάντια μὴ παλαιούμενα, θησαυρὸν ἀνέκλειπτον ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, ὅπου κλέπτης οὐκ ἐγγίζει, οὐδὲ σὴς διαφθείρει. Ὅπου 95.1461 γάρ ἐστιν ὁ θησαυρὸς ὑμῶν, ἐκεῖ καὶ ἡ καρδία ὑμῶν ἔσται. Ἔλεγεν ὁ Κύριος τῷ κεκληκότι αὐτόν· Ὅταν ποιῇς ἄριστον ἢ δεῖπνον, μὴ φώνει τοὺς φίλους σου, μηδὲ γείτονας πλουσίους, μηδὲ τοὺς συγγενεῖς σου, μηδὲ τοὺς ἀδελφούς σου, μήποτε καὶ αὐτοί σε ἀντικαλέσωσι, καὶ γενήσεταί σοι ἀνταπόδομα. Ἀλλ' ὅταν ποιῇς δοχὴν, κάλει πτωχοὺς, ἀναπήρους, χολοὺς, τυφλούς· καὶ μακάριος ἔσῃ, ὅτι οὐκ ἔχουσιν ἀνταποδοῦναί σοι. Ἀνταποδοθήσεται γάρ σοι ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει τῶν δικαίων. Αὐτοὶ γινώσκετε, ὅτι ταῖς χρείαις μου, καὶ τοῖς οὖσι μετ' ἐμοῦ ὑπηρέτησαν αἱ χεῖρές μου. Πάντα ὑπέδειξα ὑμῖν, ὅτι οὕτως κοπιῶντας δεῖ ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι τῶν ἀσθενούντων, μνημονεύειν δὲ τῶν λόγων τοῦ Κυρίου, ὅτι αὐτὸς εἶπε· Μακάριόν ἐστι μᾶλλον διδόναι, ἢ λαμβάνειν. Ὁ μεταδιδοὺς ἐν ἁπλότητι·