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even if they partake of high and great gifts; (321) they have the poison engraved in their heart, which, seizing an opportunity, they vomit out all at once and do not shudder to kill their own benefactors mercilessly and pitilessly, O utter madness! These are imitators of Cain, these are worse than Lamech, these are of the same manner as Saul, imitators of the Hebrews and zealots of Judas, heirs of the noose. If you seek to lead these, see where you will end up. For they will not be turned to where you might wish, but they will compel you to walk in their own way and to fall into destruction first, before them, and to go down lower to the bottom of Hades, as you will certainly have them following you. But if you do not wish to be like them at all, and do not wish to be led astray by their counsels nor to share in their evil deeds, you will have strife, battle, and irreconcilable war. By them what will happen to you, what will befall you, and what will you gain? Listen, and I will tell you briefly: before all else, you will not be strong enough to be My servant at all, for I do not at all want My servant to fight. They will acquire an unbearable hatred for you and will rush to murder you openly and secretly, and you will give account for their judgment. For your death will not benefit the others at all, as My death was the life of the world, but you will become the cause of judgment for them and you yourself will depart from life without boldness. It is better, therefore, to be shepherded and not to shepherd such men at all, but rather to take care of one's own affairs and to pray for them and for all people (322) that all may turn and come to knowledge, and to teach and catechize those of them who are willing. But do not compel them to do what you teach, but speak My words and exhort them to keep them as providers of eternal life. But the words themselves will stand, when I come to judge, and they will judge each one of all these people according to his worth, and you will remain blameless, in every way uncondemned, because you did not hide the silver of My words, but as much as you yourself received, you have deposited for all.

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κἄν δωρεῶν μετάσχωσιν ὑψηλῶν καί μεγάλων˙ (321) ἐγκεκριμμένον ἔχουσι τόν ἰόν ἐν καρδίᾳ, ὅνπερ καιροῦ δραξάμενοι ἐξεμοῦσιν ἀθρόως καί εὐεργέτας τούς αὐτῶν ἀνηλεῶς, ἀπλάγχνως ἀποκτεῖναι οὐ φρίττουσιν, ὤ μανίας ἐσχάτης! Οὗτοι τοῦ Κάϊν μιμηταί, οὗτοι τοῦ Λάμεχ χείρους, οὗτοι Σαούλ, ὁμότροποι, μιμηταί τῶν Ἑβραίων καί τοῦ Ἰούδα ζηλωταί, ἀγχόνης κληρονόμοι. Τούτων ἡγεῖσθαι εἰ ζητεῖς, βλέπε ποῦ καταντήσεις. Οὐ γάρ ἐπιστραφήσονται, ἔνθα ἄν σύ θελήσῃς, ἀλλ᾿ ἐν ὁδῷ σε τῇ αὐτῶν ἀναγκάσουσι βαίνειν καί πρῶτον εἰς ἀπώλειαν ἐμπεσεῖν πρό ἐκείνων καί κατωτέρω κατελθεῖν εἰς πυθμένα τοῦ ᾅδου ὡς ἐπακολουθοῦντάς σοι ἔχων πάντως κἀκείνους. Εἰ δέ μή βουληθῇς αὐτοῖς ὅλως ὁμοιωθῆναι, συναπαχθῆναί τε αὐτῶν ταῖς βουλαῖς μή θελήσῃς μηδέ ταῖς πράξεσιν αὐτῶν ταῖς κακαῖς κοινωνῆσαι, στάσιν, μάχην καί πόλεμον ἀκατάλλακτον ἕξεις. Ὑφ᾿ ὧν τί σοι γενήσεται, τί δέ συμβήσεταί σοι, τί κερδανεῖς τε; Ἄκουσον, καί λέξω σοι συντόμως˙ πρό πάντων εἶναι δοῦλός μου ὅλως οὐκ ἐξισχύσεις, ἐμόν γάρ δοῦλον μάχεσθαι οὐ βούλομαι παράπαν. Μῖσός τε κτήσονται πρός σέ ἄσχετον καί πρός φόνον ὁρμήσουσι τόν κατά σοῦ φανερῶς καί λαθραίως, καί τοῦ ἐκείνων κρίματος σύ δώσεις τάς εὐθύνας. Οὐδέν γάρ ὁ σός θάνατος ὠφελήσει τούς ἄλλους, καθώς ὑπῆρξεν ὁ ἐμός θάνατος ζωή κόσμου, ἀλλά κἀκείνοις αἴτιος τοῦ κρίματος γενήσῃ καί σύ ἀπαρρησίασατος ἐξέλθεις ἐκ τοῦ βίου. Κρεῖσσον τοίνυν ποιμαίνεσθαι καί μή ποιμαίνειν ὅλως τοιούτους, ἀλλά μάλιστα τῶν ἰδίων φροντίζειν καί εὔχεσθαι ὑπέρ αὐτῶν καί ἁπάντων ἀνθρώπων (322) τοῦ ἐπιστρέψαι καί ἐλθεῖν εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν πάντας, διδάσκειν τε καί κατηχεῖν τούτων τούς βουλομένους. Μή ἀναγκάζῃς δέ αὐτούς ποιεῖν ἅπερ διδάσκεις, ἀλλά τούς λόγους τούς ἐμούς λέγε καί παρακάλει φυλαττειν τούτους ὡς ζωῆς αἰωνίου προξένους. Αὐτοί δ᾿ οἵ λόγοι στήσονται, ὅταν ἔλθω τοῦ κρῖναι, καί τούτων πάντων ἕκαστον κρινοῦσι κατ᾿ ἀξίαν, καί σύ μενεῖς ἀνεύθυνος, ἀκατάκριτος πάντῃ, ὅτι οὐκ ἔκρυψας ἐμῶν ἀργύριον λογίων, ἀλλ᾿ ὅσον εἴληφας αὐτός, κατεβάλου τοῖς πᾶσι.