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but giving all things into the hands of the poor. For they securely possess what has been given, from the moment they have given it into the hands of the Master; but all the others, those who have wealth laid up, are as beggars and worse than all beggars; for naked like corpses they are thrown into their tombs, both wretched in the present and strangers to what is to come. What good thing, then, my soul, do you see in them that gives you pleasure? Which of these things do you judge worthy to be desired? Surely you have nothing to say, surely you do not answer. Woe to those who have wealth stored up, woe to those who wish to receive glory from men, woe to those who attach themselves to the rich (350) and do not desire only the glory of God and His wealth and to be with Him, for the world is vain, and all things in the world will be vanities, all is vanity. Therefore they will pass away, but God alone will be eternal and incorruptible, abiding forever, and with Him will be those who now seek Him, those who have loved only Him instead of all things. Woe then to those who now love the world, for they will be condemned in it for ages. Woe, O soul, to those who desire the glory of men, for they are deprived of the glory of God. Woe, O soul, to those who have gathered wealth, for there they will desire to receive a drop of water. Woe, O soul, to those who have hope in man, for he will die and with him his hopes, and then they will be found having no hope. Woe, O soul, to those who have rest here, for from there they will have eternal affliction. Tell me, my soul, why are you sad, what do you seek of the things in life, tell me, and I will teach you the need of each one, and learn and be taught the good in each. Do you wish, tell me, to be glorified, and do you wish to be praised? Hear then, what is honor, and what is dishonor: honor is to honor all, but God before all, and to acquire His commandments as wealth, and to be insulted for their sake, for their sake to be reviled, and for their sake to endure all kinds of reproaches. For whenever in some matter, O soul, you undertake to honor God, to glorify Him (351) and for this you are insulted and scorned, then you have attained honor and enduring glory, for the glory of God will surely come upon you. Then all the angels will also praise you, for you honored God, whom they hymn. Do you wish, my soul, to acquire clothing and wealth?

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ἀλλά τά πάντα ἐν χερσί τῶν πενήτων διδόντας. Ἐκεῖνοι γάρ καί ἔχουσιν ἀσφαλῶς τά δοθέντα, ἀφ᾿ οὗπερ καί δεδωκάσιν εἰς χεῖρας τοῦ ∆εσπότου˙ οἱ δ᾿ ἄλλοι πάντες ὡς πτωχοί καί πτωχῶν πάντων χείρους ὑπάρχουσιν, οἱ ἔχοντες ἀποκείμενον πλοῦτον˙ γυμνοί γάρ ὥσπερ πτώματα ῥίπτονται ἐν τοῖς τάφοις καί τῶν παρόντων ἄθλιοι καί τῶν μελλόντων ξένοι. Τί οὖν, ψυχή μου, ἐν αὐτοῖς καλόν ὁρῶσα τέρπῃ; Ποῖον δέ τούτων ἄξιον κρίνεις ἐπιθυμεῖσθαι; Πάντως οὐκ ἔχεις τί εἰπεῖν, πάντως οὐκ ἀποκρίνῃ. Οὐαί τοῖς πλοῦτον ἔχουσιν ἐκτεθησαυρισμένον, οὐαί τοῖς δόξαν θέλουσι λαμβάνειν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων, οὐαί τοῖς παρενείρουσιν ἑαυτούς τοῖς πλουσίοις (350) καί μή τήν δόξαν τοῦ Θεοῦ καί τόν ἐκείνου πλοῦτον καί τό συνεῖναι μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ μόνον ἐπιθυμοῦσιν, ὅτι ὁ κόσμος μάταιος, τά δ᾿ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ πάντα ματαιοτήτων ἔσονται, τά πάντα ματαιότης. ∆ιό καί παρελεύσονται, Θεός δέ ἔσται μόνος αἰώνιος καί ἄφθαρτος εἰς ἀεί διαμένων, καί σύν αὐτῷ δέ ἔσονται οἱ νῦν αὐτόν ζητοῦντες, οἱ μόνον ἀγαπήσαντες ἐκεῖνον ἀντί πάντων. Οὐαί δέ τότε τοῖς νυνί τόν κόσμον ἀγαπῶσιν, ὅτι κατακριθήσονται ἐν αὐτῷ εἰς αἰῶνας. Οὐαί, ψυχή, τοῖς θέλουσι τήν δόξαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅτι τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀποστεροῦνται. Οὐαί, ψυχή, τοῖς ἔχουσι τόν πλοῦτον συνηγμένον, ὅτι ἐπιθυμήσουσιν ἐκεῖ τυχεῖν ῥανίδος. Οὐαί, ψυχή, τοῖς ἔχουσιν ἐπ᾿ ἄνθρωπον ἐλπίδα, ὅτι αὐτός τεθνήξεται καί σύν αὐτῷ ἐλπίδες, καί τότε εὑρεθήσονται μή ἔχοντες ἐλπίδα. Οὐαί, ψυχή, τοῖς ἔχουσιν ἀνάπαυσιν ἐνταῦθα, ὅτι ἐκεῖθεν ἕξουσιν αἰώνιον τήν θλῖψιν. Εἰπέ, ψυχή μου, τί λυπῇ, τί ζητεῖς τῶν ἐν βίῳ, εἰπέ μοι, καί διδάξω σε ἑνός ἑκάστου χρείαν καί μάθε καί διδάχθητι τό καλόν ἐν ἑκάστῳ. Θέλεις, εἰπέ, δοξάζεσθαι, θέλεις καί ἐπαινεῖσθαι; Ἄκουσον τοίνυν, τί τιμή, τί δέ καί ἀτιμία˙ τιμή τό πάντας μέν τιμᾶν, τόν Θεόν δέ πρό πάντων καί τάς ἐκείνου ἐντολάς ἐπικτᾶσθαι ὡς πλοῦτον, ὑβρίζεσθαί τε δι᾿ αὐτάς, δι᾿ αὐτάς λοιδορεῖσθαι καί δι᾿ αὐτάς ὀνειδισμούς ὑποφέρειν παντοίους. Ὅταν γάρ πράγματί τινι, ψυχή, ἐπιχειρήσῃς, ἵνα τιμήσῃς τόν Θεόν, ἵνα αὐτόν δοξάσῃς (351) καί διά τοῦτο ὑβρισθῇς καί ἐξουδενωθήσῃ, τότε τιμῆς ἐπέτυχε καί δόξης τῆς ἑστώσης, ὅτι ἡ δόξα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπί σε πάντως ἥξει. Τότε σε καί οἱ ἄγγελοι ἐπαινέσουσι πάντες, ὅτι ἐτίμησας Θεόν, ὅν ὑμνοῦσιν ἐκεῖνοι. Θέλεις, ψυχή μου, κτήσασθαι ἱματισμόν καί πλοῦτον;