135

may say to one in need; «For whoever stops, he says, his ears so as not to hear the one in need, he himself also will call, and there will be no one to hear him.» You will share in all things with your brother and you will not say they are your own, for the sharing was prepared by God to be common to all men. You will not lift your hand from your son or from your daughter, but from their youth you will teach them the fear of God; «For discipline, he says, your son, for so he will be a source of good hope for you.» You will not command your male or female slave who trust in the same God in bitterness of soul, lest they ever groan against you and there be wrath for you from God. And you, slaves, be subject to your masters as to a type of God in reverence and fear, as to the Lord and not to men. You will hate all hypocrisy, and everything that is pleasing to the Lord, you will do. You shall not forsake the commandments of the Lord, but you will guard what you have received from him, neither adding to them nor taking away from them; «For you shall not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.» You will confess your sins to the Lord your God and you will no longer add to them, so that it may be well with you from the Lord your God, who does not wish the death of the sinner, but his repentance. You will honor your father and your mother as the causes of your birth, that you may live long upon the land which the Lord your God gives you. Do not overlook your brothers and your kinsmen; «For you will not overlook those of your own seed.» You will fear the king, knowing that his appointment is from the Lord; you will honor his rulers as ministers of God, for they are avengers of all injustice; to whom pay tax, tribute, and every contribution willingly. You will not come to your prayer on your day of wickedness, until you have resolved your bitterness. This is the way of life, within which may you be found through Jesus Christ our Lord. But the way of death is seen in evil deeds; for in it is ignorance of God and an introduction of many gods, through which are murders, adulteries, fornications, perjuries, unlawful desires, thefts, idolatries, magic, sorceries, robberies, false testimonies, hypocrisies, double-heartedness, deceit, arrogance, malice, self-will, greed, shameful speech, jealousy, insolence, haughtiness, boastfulness, fearlessness,

135

φήσῃ ἐνδεόμενον· «Ὃς φράσσει γάρ, φησί, τὰ ὦτα αὐτοῦ τοῦ μὴ εἰσακοῦσαι τοῦ δεομένου, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπικαλέσεται, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ εἰσακούων αὐτοῦ.» Κοινωνήσεις εἰς πάντα τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου καὶ οὐκ ἐρεῖς ἴδια εἶναι, κοινὴ γὰρ ἡ μετάληψις παρὰ Θεοῦ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις παρεσκευάσθη. Oὐκ ἀρεῖς τὴν χεῖρά σου ἀπὸ τοῦ υἱοῦ σου ἢ ἀπὸ τῆς θυγατρός σου, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ νεότητος αὐτῶν διδάξεις αὐτοὺς τὸν φόβον τοῦ Θεοῦ· «Παίδευε γάρ, φησί, τὸν υἱόν σου, οὕτως γὰρ ἔσται σοι εὔελπις.» Oὐκ ἐπιτάξεις δούλῳ σου ἢ παιδίσκῃ τοῖς ἐπὶ τὸν αὐτὸν Θεὸν πεποιθόσιν ἐν πικρίᾳ ψυχῆς, μή ποτε στενάξουσιν ἐπὶ σοὶ καὶ ἔσται σοι ὀργὴ παρὰ Θεοῦ. Καὶ ὑμεῖς, οἱ δοῦλοι, ὑποτάγητε τοῖς κυρίοις ὑμῶν ὡς τύπῳ Θεοῦ ἐν αἰσχύνῃ καὶ φόβῳ, ὡς τῷ Κυρίῳ καὶ οὐκ ἀνθρώποις. Μισήσεις πᾶσαν ὑπόκρισιν, καὶ πᾶν, ὃ ἐὰν ᾖ ἀρεστὸν Κυρίῳ, ποιήσεις. Oὐ μὴ ἐγκαταλίπῃς ἐντολὰς Κυρίου, φυλάξεις δὲ ἃ παρέλαβες παρ' αὐτοῦ, μήτε προ στιθεὶς ἐπ' αὐτοῖς μήτε ἀφαιρῶν ἀπ' αὐτῶν· «Oὐ προ σθήσεις γὰρ τοῖς λόγοις αὐτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ ἐλέγξῃ σε καὶ ψευδὴς γένῃ.» Ἐξομολογήσῃ Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ σου τὰ ἁμαρτήματά σου καὶ οὐκέτι προσθήσεις ἐπ' αὐτοῖς, ἵνα εὖ σοι γένηται παρὰ Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ σου, ὃς οὐ βούλεται τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ἀλλὰ τὴν μετάνοιαν. Τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴν μητέρα σου θεραπεύσεις ὡς αἰτίους σοι γενέσεως, ἵνα γένῃ μακροχρόνιος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἧς Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου δίδωσί σοι. Τοὺς ἀδελφούς σου καὶ τοὺς συγγενεῖς σου μὴ ὑπερίδῃς· «Τοὺς γὰρ οἰκείους τοῦ σπέρματός σου οὐχ ὑπερόψει.» Τὸν βασιλέα φοβηθήσῃ, εἰδώς, ὅτι τοῦ Κυρίου ἐστὶν ἡ χειροτονία· τοὺς ἄρχοντας αὐτοῦ τιμήσεις ὡς λειτουργοὺς Θεοῦ, ἔκδικοι γάρ εἰσιν πάσης ἀδικίας· οἷς ἀποτίσατε τέλος, φόρον καὶ πᾶσαν εἰσφορὰν εὐγνωμόνως. Oὐ προσελεύσῃ ἐπὶ προσευχήν σου ἐν ἡμέρᾳ πονη ρίας σου, πρὶν ἂν λύσῃς τὴν πικρίαν σου. Aὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ὁδὸς τῆς ζωῆς, ἧς γένοιτο ἐντὸς ὑμᾶς εὑρεθῆναι διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν. Ἡ δὲ ὁδὸς τοῦ θανάτου ἐστὶν ἐν πράξεσι πονηραῖς θεωρουμένη· ἐν αὐτῇ γὰρ ἄγνοια τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ πολλῶν θεῶν ἐπεισαγωγή, δι' ὧν φόνοι, μοιχεῖαι, πορνεῖαι, ἐπιορκίαι, ἐπιθυμίαι παράνομοι, κλοπαί, εἰδωλολατρεῖαι, μαγίαι, φαρ μακεῖαι, ἁρπαγαί, ψευδομαρτυρίαι, ὑποκρίσεις, διπλοκαρδίαι, δόλος, ὑπερηφανία, κακία, αὐθάδεια, πλεονεξία, αἰσχρολογία, ζηλοτυπία, θρασύτης, ὑψηλοφροσύνη, ἀλαζονεία, ἀφοβία,