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Let not your heart be led astray, do not be deceived by the satisfaction of the belly. They became great and grew rich; they grew fat, they became plump, and they transgressed my words for evil. This was the iniquity of Sodom, that in pride and fullness of bread, and in abundance of wine she and her daughters lived wastefully, and they did not help the hand of the poor and needy, and they committed iniquity before me. Take heed lest you be led astray, and be humbled in your gladness. The abundances of life become temptations for many. 95.1532 They love for sins to be born from a multitude of crowds, and from an abundance of necessities.

TITLE XIII. -Concerning plotting, and of those who plot against their neighbors. He dug a pit, and hollowed it out, and he will fall into the hole. In this trap

which they hid, their foot was caught. They dug a pit before my face, and fell into it. The sinners will fall into their own net. He who digs a pit for his neighbor will fall into it. But he who rolls a stone, will have it roll back on himself. He who prepares a net before the face of his friend, surrounds his own feet. He who digs a pit will fall into it, and a serpent will bite him who breaks down a hedge; he who removes stones will be hurt by them. He who digs a pit will fall into it, and he who sets a trap will be caught in it. He who does evil things will be rolled into them, and he will not know whence it comes. Why a disciple? Why also a plotter, plotting against his own teacher, and imitating that Judas, who became the betrayer of his own teacher?

TITLE XIV. -Concerning enemies and their fall; and that one must not rejoice at the misfortune of enemies.

If your enemy falls, do not rejoice over him, and do not be exalted at his stumbling. For the Lord will see it, and it will not please him, and he will turn away his anger from him. Do not rejoice over evildoers. If your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For by doing this, you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the Lord will reward you with good things. Do not rejoice over me, my enemy, because I have fallen; for I will rise again. Do not rejoice over the sons of Judah in the day of their destruction, and do not speak boastfully in the day of affliction. Thus says the Lord: Because you clapped your hand, and stamped your foot, and rejoiced from your soul over the land of Israel, therefore behold, I will stretch out my hand against you, and I will give you for plunder among the nations, and I will utterly destroy you from the peoples, and I will destroy you with destruction. Thus says the Lord: Because you rejoiced over my holy things, for they were profaned, and over the house of Judah for they went into captivity; therefore I give you to the sons of Kedem for an inheritance, and they will pitch their tents in you with their equipment, and they will set their tabernacles in you. They will eat your fruits, and they will drink your rich 95.1533 ness. And I will give the city of Ammon for the pastures of camels, and the sons of Ammon for the shepherds of sheep. One must be admonished by the plague of one's neighbors, and through the evils of others set one's own affairs in order. Guard yourself, and do not laugh at another's fall. Do not laugh at the fall of your neighbor. But walk securely, as much as you are able, but also give a hand to him who lies on the ground. It is necessary to be kind to those who have fallen before, and by mercy to obtain mercy. In the misfortunes of others, it is necessary to set one's own affairs in order, and to lend mercy to God for those in need of mercy, and not to despise men, being men ourselves. When you see an enemy fallen into your hands, do not consider it a time for punishment, but for salvation for him. For this reason, one must spare enemies most of all, when we become their masters. Many kings, having come to power, the former

153

μὴ πλανηθῇ ἡ καρδίᾳ σου, μὴ ἀπατηθῇς ἐν χορτασίᾳ κοιλίας. Ἐμεγαλύνθησαν καὶ ἐπλούτησαν· ἐλιπάνθησαν, ἐστεατώθησαν, καὶ παρέβησαν λόγους μου εἰς πονηρόν. Τοῦτο ἀνόμημα Σοδόμων, ὅτι ἐν ὑπερηφανίᾳ καὶ πλησμονῇ ἄρτων, καὶ ἐν εὐθηνίᾳ οἴνου ἐσπατάλων αὕτη καὶ αἱ θυγατέρες αὐτῆς, καὶ χειρὸς πτωχοῦ, καὶ πένητος οὐκ ἀντελαμβάνοντο, καὶ ἐποίησαν ἀνόμημα ἐνώπιόν μου. Πρόσεχε μὴ ἀποπλανηθῇς, καὶ ταπεινωθῇς ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ σου. Αἱ εὐθηνίαι τοῦ βίου ἀντὶ πειρατηρίων γίνονται τοῖς πολλοῖς. 95.1532 Φιλοῦσι τὰ ἁμαρτήματα ἐκ πλήθους ὄχλων, καὶ εὐθηνίας τῶν ἀναγκαίων τίκτεσθαι.

ΤΙΤΛ. ΙΓʹ. -Περὶ ἐπιβουλῆς, καὶ τῶν ἐπιβουλευόντων τοῖς πλησίον. Λάκκον ὤρυξεν, καὶ ἀνέσκαψεν αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐμπεσεῖται εἰς βόθρον. Ἐν παγίδι

ταύτῃ ᾖ ἔκρυψαν, συνελήφθη ὁ ποῦς αὐτῶν. Ὤρυξαν πρὸ προσώπου μου βόθρον, καὶ ἐνέπεσαν εἰς αὐτόν. Πεσοῦνται ἐν ἀμφιβλήστρῳ αὐτῶν οἱ ἁμαρτωλοί. Ὁ ὀρύσσων βόθρον τῷ πλησίῳ, ἐμπεσεῖται εἰς αὐτόν. Ὁ δὲ κυλίων λίθον, ἐφ' ἑαυτὸν κυλιεῖ. Ὃς παρασκευάζεται ἐπὶ πρόσωπον τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ φίλου δίκτυον, περιβάλλει τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ ποσίν. Ὁ ὀρύσσων βόθρον, εἰς αὐτὸν ἐμπεσεῖται, καὶ καθαιροῦντα φραγμὸν, δήξεται αὐτὸν ὄφις· ἐξαιρῶν λίθους διαπονηθήσεται ἐν αὐτοῖς. Ὁ ὀρύσσων βόθρον εἰς αὐτὸν ἐμπεσεῖται, καὶ ὁ ἱστῶν παγίδα, ἐν αὐτῇ ἁλώσεται. Ὁ ποιῶν πονηρὰ, εἰς αὐτὰ κυλισθήσεται, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐπιγνῷ πόθεν ἥκει. ∆ιὰ τί μαθητής; διὰ τί καὶ ἐπίβουλος, τῷ ἰδίῳ διδασκάλῳ ἐπιβουλεύων, καὶ τὸν Ἰούδαν ἐκεῖνον μιμούμενος, τοῦ ἰδίου διδασκάλου προδότην γενόμενον;

ΤΙΤΛ. Ι∆ʹ. -Περὶ ἐχθρῶν καὶ πτώσεως αὐτῶν· καὶ ὅτι οὐ δεῖ χαίρειν ἐπὶ τῇ κακοπραγίᾳ τῶν ἐχθρῶν.

Ἐὰν πέσῃ ὁ ἐχθρός σου, μὴ ἐπιχαρῇς αὐτῷ, ἐν δὲ τῷ ὑποσκελίσματι αὐτοῦ μὴ ἐπαίρου. Ὅτι ὄψεται Κύριος, καὶ οὐκ ἀρέσει αὐτῷ, καὶ ἀποστρέψει τὸν θυμὸν αὐτοῦ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. Μὴ ἐπίχαιρε ἐπὶ κακοποιοῖς. Ἐὰν πεινᾷ ὁ ἐχθρός σου, ψώμιζε αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐὰν διψᾷ, πότιζε αὐτόν. Τοῦτο γὰρ ποιῶν, ἄνθρακας πυρὸς σωρεύσεις ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ, καὶ Κύριος ἀνταποδώσει σοι ἀγαθά. Μὴ ἐπίχαιρέ μοι, ἡ ἐχθρά μου, ὅτι πέπτωκα· καὶ γὰρ ἀναστήσομαι. Μὴ ἐπίχαιρε ἐπὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰούδα ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἀπωλείας αὐτῶν, καὶ μὴ μεγαλοῤῥημονήσῃς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ θλίψεως. Τάδε λέγει Κύριος· Ἀνθ' ὧν ἐπεκρότησας τῇ χειρί σου, καὶ ἐπεψόφησας τῷ ποδί σου, καὶ ἐπέχαρας ἐκ ψυχῆς σου ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, διὰ τοῦτο ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐκτενῶ τὴν χεῖρά μου ἐπὶ σὲ, καὶ δώσω σε εἰς διαρπαγὴν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, καὶ ἐξολοθρεύσω σε ἐκ τῶν λαῶν, καὶ ἀπολέσω σε ἀπωλείᾳ. Τάδε λέγει Κύριος· Ἀνθ' ὧν ἐπεχάρητε ἐπὶ τὰ ἅγιά μου, ὅτι ἐβεβηλώθη, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον Ἰούδα ὅτι ἐπορεύθησαν ἐν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ· διὰ τοῦτο ἐγὼ δίδωμι ὑμᾶς τοῖς υἱοῖς Κέδεμ εἰς κληρονομίαν, καὶ κατασκηνώσουσιν ἐν σοὶ σὺν τῇ ἀπαρτίᾳ αὐτῶν, καὶ δώσουσιν ἐν σοὶ τὰ σκηνώματα αὐτῶν. Αὐτοὶ φάγονται τοὺς καρπούς σου, καὶ αὐτοὶ πίονται τὴν πιό 95.1533 τητά σου. Καὶ δώσω τὴν πόλιν τοῦ Ἀμὼν εἰς νομὰς καμήλων, καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἀμὼν εἰς νομέας προβάτων. Νουθετεῖσθαι δεῖ τῇ τῶν πλησίων πληγῇ, καὶ διὰ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων κακῶν τὰ οἰκεῖα εὖ τίθεσθαι. Φύλασσε σαυτὸν, πτῶμα δ' ἄλλου μὴ γέλα. Μὴ γελάσῃς πτῶμα τοῦ πέλας. ∆ιάβαινε δὲ ἀσφαλὴς, ὅση σοι δύναμις, ἀλλὰ καὶ δίδου χεῖρα χαμαὶ κειμένῳ. Χρηστοὺς εἶναι χρὴ τοῖς προεμπεσοῦσι, καὶ τῷ ἐλέῳ κτᾶσθαι τὸν ἔλεον. Ἐν ταῖς ἀλλοτρίαις συμφοραῖς τὰ οἰκεῖα εὖ τίθεσθαι χρὴ, καὶ δανείζειν Θεῷ τὸν ἔλεον ἐλέους χρῄζοντας, καὶ μὴ καταφρονεῖν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἀνθρώπους ὄντας. Ὅταν ἴδῃς τὸν ἐχθρὸν ἐμπεσόντα εἰς τὰς χεῖρας τὰς σὰς, μὴ νόμιζε τιμωρίας, ἀλλὰ σωτηρίας ἐκεῖνον εἶναι τὸν καιρόν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τότε μάλιστα φείδεσθαι δεῖ τῶν ἐχθρῶν, ὅταν αὐτῶν γενώμεθα κύριοι. Πολλοὶ βασιλεῖς ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐλθόντες, τοὺς πάλαι