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to those who have become poor or are impoverished for the sake of virtue or godliness; otherwise to those who are destitute from illnesses or misfortunes, as opposed to those who have become poor from evil-doing or profligacy. A stranger and a poor man are God's eye-salve. The one who receives them will quickly regain his sight. -A smooth road is made by almsgiving. The Master of all knows how to be fed through the sharing with those who are being shown kindness. -Whatever good deed of almsgiving you do to all who are in need, Christ claims as His own. For I was hungry, He says, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink. The beauty of wealth is not in purses, but in helping those who are in need. 95.1476 TITLE IX. -Concerning those who do not give alms, but are covetous, and concerning the stingy who love wealth and are lovers of money. The mouth of the unjust has been shut. What they have reaped, the just will eat; but they themselves will not be delivered from evils. The impious have crossed the boundary, having seized the flock with the shepherd they went away, they led away the donkey of the orphans, they took the widow's ox as a pledge. And they turned the weak aside from the just way, and with one accord they surrounded the meek of the earth. Those who sow wicked things will reap pains for themselves, by the command of the Lord they will perish, and by the spirit of His wrath they will be destroyed. He knows the works of the lawless; and having seen wicked things He will not overlook them. There is no place for those who do lawless things to hide. For empty and vain things he has toiled for wealth, from which he will not taste. For he has crushed the houses of many weak people. And he has seized the sustenance of orphans, and has not established it. There is no salvation for his possessions; in his desire he will not be saved. His good things will not flourish. When he seems to be already full, he will be extinguished, and every necessity will come upon him. -Guard yourself from doing unjust things. You took your brothers' pledges for nothing, and you took away the clothing of the naked. Neither did you give water to the thirsty, but you deprived the hungry of a morsel of bread. And you sent widows away empty, and you mistreated orphans. Therefore snares have encircled you, and a dreadful war has hurried you on. They snatched the orphan from the breast, and they humbled the fallen, and they cast out the naked unjustly, and they took away the morsel of bread from the hungry. They have not walked the way of righteousness, nor have they traveled its paths. And knowing their works, He delivered them into darkness. Woe and destruction to the unjust. Let every unjust person be shattered like incurable wood. Wealth unjustly gathered will be vomited up. If he gathers silver like earth, and prepares gold like clay, all these things will be acquired by others, and the truthful will possess his money. And his house has become like moths, and his wealth like a spider's web, The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to destroy them and the rest. Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich, or when he will be multiplied. Evils will hunt an unjust man to destruction. Elisha said to Gehazi: 'From where, Gehazi?' And Gehazi said: 'Your servant has not gone anywhere.' And Elisha said to him: 'Did not my heart go with you, when the man turned back from his chariot 95.1477 to meet you?' And now you have received the silver and the garments, and now you will get for yourself gardens, and olive groves, and vineyards, and sheep, and male servants, and female servants. And the leprosy of Naaman will cling to you, and to your seed forever. He who is stingy with gifts, stirs up strong anger. -Wealth adds many friends. -The rich will rule over the poor. -A rich man is wise in his own eyes. -Substance hastily gotten with lawlessness, becomes less. -Treasures will not profit the lawless. -He who turns his face away from a poor man, will be in great want. -The merciless man destroys his own body. -The bowels of the wicked are merciless. He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver. All things will obey silver. -There is an evil which I have seen under the sun: a man to whom God gives wealth, and possessions, and glory, and his soul lacks nothing of all that he desires; and that a strange man will eat it. Canaan, in his hands is the balance of injustice; he loved to oppress. Woe to him who multiplies for himself what is not his

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εἰς τοὺς δι' ἀρετὴν ἢ θεοσέβειαν πτωχεύσαντας ἢ πενομένους· ἄλλως εἰς τοὺς ἐκ νόσων ἢ συμπτωμάτων ἀποροῦντας, παρὰ τοὺς ἐκ κακοπραγίας ἢ ἀσωτίας πτωχεύσαντας. Ξένος καὶ πένης Θεοῦ κωλλύριον. Ὁ δεξάμενος αὐτοὺς, ταχέως ἀναβλέψει. -Λεία ὁδὸς ὑπὸ ἐλεημοσύνης γίνεται. Οἶδε τρέφεσθαι ὁ ∆εσπότης τῶν ὅλων διὰ μεταδόσεως τῆς πρὸς τοὺς εὐποιουμένους. -Ἥνπερ ποιεῖς εὐεργεσίαν ἐλεημοσύνης εἰς πάντας τοὺς δεομένους, ὁ Χριστὸς σφετερίζεται. Πεπείνακα γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ δεδώκατέ μοι φαγεῖν· ἐδίψησα, καὶ πεποτίκατέ με. Πλούτου τὸ κάλλος οὐκ ἐν βαλαντίοις, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ τῶν χρῃζόντων ἐπικουρίᾳ. 95.1476 ΤΙΤΛ. Θʹ. -Περὶ τῶν ἐλεημοσύνην μὴ ποιούντων, ἀλλὰ πλεονεκτούντων, καὶ περὶ φειδώλων φιλοπλουτούντων καὶ φιλαργύρων. Ἀδίκου στόμα ἐφράχθη. Ἃ ἐκεῖνοι ἐθέρισαν, δίκαιοι ἔδονται· αὐτοὶ δὲ ἐκ κακῶν οὐκ ἐξαιρεθήσονται. Ἀσεβεῖς ὅριον ὑπερέβησαν, ποίμνιον σὺν ποιμένι ἁρπάσαντες ἀπῆλθον, ὑποζύγιον ὀρφανῶν ἀπήγαγον, βοῦν χήρας ἐνεχυρίασαν. Ἐξέκλιναν δὲ ἀδυνάτους ἐξ ὁδοῦ δικαίας, ὁμοθυμαδὸν δὲ ἐκύκλωσαν πραεῖς γῆς. Οἱ σπείροντες τὰ ἄτοπα, ὀδύνας θεριοῦσιν ἑαυτοῖς, ἀπὸ προστάγματος Κυρίου ἀπολοῦνται, ἀπὸ δὲ πνεύματος ὀργῆς αὐτοῦ ἀφανισθήσονται. Αὐτὸς οἶδεν ἔργα ἀνόμων· ἰδὼν δὲ ἄτοπα οὐ παρόψεται. Οὐκ ἔστι τόπος τοῦ κρυβῆναι τοὺς ποιοῦντας τὰ ἄνομα. Εἰς κενὰ καὶ μάταια ἐκοπίασε πλοῦτον, ἐξ οὗ οὐ γεύσεται. Πολλῶν γὰρ ἀδυνάτων οἴκους ἔθλασε. ∆ίαιταν δὲ ὀρφανῶν ἥρπασε, καὶ οὐκ ἔστησεν. Οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῦ σωτηρία τοῖς ὑπάρχουσιν· ἐν ἐπιθυμίᾳ αὐτοῦ οὐ σωθήσεται. Οὐκ ἀνθήσει αὐτοῦ τὰ ἀγαθά. Ὅταν δοκῇ ἤδη πεπληρῶσθαι, σβεσθήσεται, πᾶσα δὲ ἀνάγκη ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἐπελεύσεται. -Φυλάττου μὴ πρᾶξαι ἄδικα. Ἐνεχυρίαζες τοὺς ἀδελφούς σου διακενῆς, ἀμφίασιν δὲ γυμνῶν ἀφέλου. Οὐδὲ ὕδωρ διψῶντας ἐπότισας, ἀλλὰ πεινώντων ἐστέρησας ψωμόν. Χήρας δὲ ἐξαπέστειλας κενὰς, ὀρφανοὺς δὲ ἐκάκωσας. Τοιγαροῦν ἐκύκλωσάν σε παγίδες, καὶ ἐσπούδασέ σε πόλεμος ἐξαίσιος. Ἥρπασαν ὀρφανὸν ἀπὸ μαστοῦ, πεπτωκότα δὲ ἐταπείνωσαν, καὶ γυμνοὺς ἐξέβαλον ἀδίκως, πεινώντων δὲ τὸν ψωμὸν ἀφείλαντο. Ὁδὸν δικαιοσύνης οὐχ ὥδευσαν, οὐδὲ ἀτραποὺς αὐτῆς ἐπορεύθησαν. Γνοὺς δὲ αὐτῶν τὰ ἔργα, παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς εἰς σκότος. Οὐαὶ καὶ ἀπώλεια τῷ ἀδίκῳ. Συντριβείη πᾶς ἄδικος ἴσα ξύλῳ ἀνιάτῳ. Πλοῦτος ἀδίκως συναγόμενος ἐξεμεθήσεται. Ἐὰν συναγάγῃ ὥσπερ γῆν ἀργύριον, ἴσα δὲ πηλῷ χρυσίον ἑτοιμάσῃ, ταῦτα πάντα περιποιηθήσονται, τὰ δὲ χρήματα αὐτοῦ ἀληθινοὶ καθέξουσιν. Ἀπέβη δὲ ὁ οἶκος αὐτοῦ ὥσπερ σῆτες, καὶ ὡς ἀράχνη ὁ πλοῦτος αὐτοῦ, Πρόσωπον Κυρίου ἐπὶ ποιοῦντας κακὰ, τοῦ ἐξολοθρεῦσαι καὶ τὰ λοιπά. Μὴ φοβοῦ ὅταν πλουτήσῃ ἄνθρωπος, ἢ ὅταν πληθυνθήσεται. Ἄνδρα ἄδικον κακὰ θηρεύσει εἰς διαφθοράν. Εἶπεν Ἑλισσαιὲ πρὸς Γιεζέ· Πόθεν Γιεζέ; Καὶ εἶπεν Γιεζέ· Οὐ πεπόρευται ὁ δοῦλός σου. Καὶ εἶπεν Ἑλισσαιὲ πρὸς αὐτόν· Οὐχ ἡ καρδία μου μετὰ σοῦ ἐπορεύθη, ὅτε ἐπέστρεψεν ὁ ἀνὴρ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἅρματος 95.1477 εἰς συνάντησίν σου; Καὶ νῦν ἔλαβες τὸ ἀργύριον καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια, καὶ νῦν λήψῃ ἑαυτῷ κήπους, καὶ ἐλαιῶνας, καὶ ἀμπελῶνας, καὶ πρόβατα, καὶ παῖδας, καὶ παιδίσκας. Καὶ ἡ λέπρα Νεεμὰν κολληθήσεταί σοι, καὶ τῷ σπέρματί σου εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. ∆ώρων ὁ φειδόμενος, θυμὸν ἐγείρει ἰσχυρόν. - Πλοῦτος προστίθησι φίλους πολλούς. - Πλούσιοι πτωχῶν ἄρξουσι. -Σοφὸς παρ' ἑαυτῷ πλούσιος. -Ὕπαρξις ἐπισπουδαζομένη μετὰ ἀνομίας, ἐλάσσων γίνεται. -Οὐκ ὠφελήσουσι θησαυροὶ ἀνόμους. -Ὃς ἀποστρέψει τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ πτωχοῦ, ἐν πολλῇ ἀπορίᾳ ἔσται. - Ἐξολλύει τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σῶμα ὁ ἀνελεήμων. -Τὰ σπλάγχνα τῶν ἀσεβῶν ἀνελεήμονα. Ὁ ἀγαπῶν ἀργύριον, οὐ πλησθήσεται ἀργυρίου. Τοῦ ἀργυρίου ὑπακούσεται τὰ σύμπαντα. - Ἔστι πονηρία ἣν εἶδον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον· ἀνὴρ ᾧ δώσει αὐτῷ ὁ Θεὸς πλοῦτον, καὶ ὑπάρχοντα, καὶ δόξαν, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὑστερῶν τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ πάντων ὧν ἐπιθυμεῖ· καὶ ὅτι ἀνὴρ ξένος φάγεται αὐτόν. Χαναὰν, ἐν χερσὶν αὐτοῦ ζυγὸς ἀδικίας· καταδυναστεύειν ἠγάπησεν. Οὐαὶ ὁ πληθύνων ἑαυτῷ τὰ οὐκ ὄντα