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Sententiae ad virginem

Exhortation to a virgin.

1 Love the Lord and he will love you, and serve him and he will enlighten your heart.

2 Honor your mother as the mother of Christ, and do not provoke the gray hair of her who bore you.

3 Love your sisters as the daughters of your mother, and do not abandon the way of peace.

4 Let the rising sun see the book in your hands, and after the second hour, your work.

5 Pray without ceasing, and remember Christ who begot you. 6 Avoid meetings with men, so that idols may not form in your soul and become a stumbling block for you in the time of prayer. 7 You have Christ as your beloved; cast off all men from yourself and you will not live a life of reproach.

8 Put anger and wrath far from you, and let not malice dwell in you.

9 Do not say: "Today I will eat and tomorrow I will not eat," because you do not do this with prudence. For there will be harm to your body and pain in your stomach.

10 Eating meat is not good and drinking wine is not good, but one must offer these things to the sick.

11 A brazen virgin will not be saved, and one who lives wantonly will not see her bridegroom.

12 Do not say, "The maidservant has grieved me and I will punish her," because there is no slavery among the daughters of God.

13 Do not give your ear to vain words, and flee the tales of old women who go about.

14 Do not look upon the feasts of drunkards, and do not enter into the weddings of others. For every virgin who does these things is unclean before the Lord.

15 Open your mouth with the word of God, and restrain your tongue from much speaking.

16 Humble yourself before the Lord, and his right hand will exalt you. 17 Do not turn away a poor person in a time of affliction, and oil will not be lacking in your

lamp. 18 Do all things for the Lord, and do not seek glory from men, for the glory

of men is as the flower of the grass, but the glory of the Lord remains forever. 19 The Lord loves a gentle virgin, but an angry virgin will be hated. 20 An obedient virgin will receive mercy, but she who contradicts strongly is foolish. 21 The Lord will destroy a murmuring virgin, but the thankful one he will deliver from death. 22 Laughter is shameful and shamelessness is a reproach, and every foolish woman in such

things is entangled. 23 She who adorns her garments will be outside of modesty. 24 Do not associate with worldly women, so that they may not corrupt your heart and void

make righteous counsels. 25 With tears at night, entreat the Lord, and let no one be aware

of you praying and you will find grace.

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Sententiae ad virginem

Παραίνεσις πρὸς παρθένον.

1 Ἀγάπα τὸν κύριον καὶ ἀγαπήσει σε, καὶ δούλευε αὐτῷ καὶ φωτιεῖ τὴν καρδίαν σου.

2 Τίμα τὴν μητέρα σου ὡς μητέρα Χριστοῦ, καὶ μὴ παροξύνῃς πολιὰν τεκούσης σε.

3 Ἀγάπα τὰς ἀδελφάς σου ὡς θυγατέρας μητρός σου, καὶ μὴ ἐγκαταλίπῃς ὁδὸν εἰρήνης.

4 Ἀνατέλλων ὁ ἥλιος βλεπέτω τὸ βιβλίον ἐν ταῖς χερσί σου, καὶ μετὰ δευτέραν ὥραν τὸ ἔργον σου.

5 Προσεύχου ἀδιαλείπτως, καὶ μέμνησο Χριστοῦ τοῦ γεννήσαντός σε. 6 Συντυχίας ἀνδρῶν παραιτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ γένηται εἴδωλα ἐν σῇ ψυχῇ καὶ ἔσται σοι πρόσκομμα ἐν καιρῷ προσευχῆς. 7 Χριστὸν ἔχεις ἀγαπητόν· ἀπόρριψον ἀπό σου ἄνδρας ἅπαντας καὶ οὐ μὴ βιώσῃς ἐπονείδιστον βίον.

8 Θυμὸν καὶ ὀργὴν μακρὰν ποίησον ἀπό σου, καὶ μνησικακία μὴ αὐλιζέσθω ἔν σοι.

9 Μὴ εἴπῃς· σήμερον βρώσομαι καὶ αὔριον οὐ βρώσομαι, ὅτι οὐκ ἐν φρονήσει ποιεῖς τοῦτο. ἔσται γὰρ βλάβη τῷ σώματί σου καὶ ὀδύνη τῷ στομάχῳ σου.

10 Ἐσθίειν κρέα οὐ καλὸν καὶ πίνειν οἶνον οὐκ ἀγαθόν, προσφέρειν δὲ χρὴ ταῦτα ταῖς ἀσθενούσαις.

11 Παρθένος θρασεῖα οὐ σωθήσεται καὶ σπαταλῶσα οὐκ ὄψεται τὸν νυμφίον αὐτῆς.

12 Μὴ εἴπῃς, ὅτι λελύπηκέ με ἡ θεραπαινὶς καὶ τίσομαι αὐτήν, διότι οὐκ ἔστιν δουλεία ἐν θυγατράσι θεοῦ.

13 Μὴ δῷς ἀκοήν σου λόγοις ματαίοις, καὶ διηγήματα γραῶν φεῦγε κυκλευουσῶν.

14 Ἑορτὰς μεθύσων μὴ ἴδῃς, καὶ εἰς γάμους ἀλλοτρίων μὴ εἰσέλθῃς. ἀκάθαρτος γὰρ παρὰ κυρίῳ πᾶσα παρθένος ποιοῦσα ταῦτα.

15 Ἄνοιγε σὸν στόμα λόγῳ θεοῦ, καὶ κώλυε ἀπὸ πολυλογίας τὴν γλῶσσαν σου.

16 Ἔναντι κυρίου ταπείνου σεαυτήν, καὶ ὑψώσει σε ἡ δεξιὰ αὐτοῦ. 17 Μὴ ἀποστρέφου πένητα ἐν καιρῷ θλίψεως, καὶ οὐ λείψει ἔλαιον ἐν τῇ

λαμπάδι σου. 18 Πάντα ποίει διὰ τὸν κύριον, καὶ μὴ ζήτει παρὰ ἀνθρώπων δόξαν, ὅτι δόξα

ἀνθρώπων ὡς ἄνθος χόρτου, δόξα δὲ κυρίου μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. 19 Παρθένον πραεῖαν ἀγαπᾷ ὁ κύριος, παρθένος δὲ ὀργίλος μισηθήσεται. 20 Ὑπακούουσα παρθένος ἐλεηθήσεται, ἡ δὲ ἀντιλέγουσα ἰσχυρῶς ἄφρων. 21 Γόγγυσον παρθένον ἀπολεῖ κύριος, τὴν δὲ εὐχάριστον ῥύσεται ἐκ θανάτου. 22 Αἰσχρὸν γέλως καὶ ἐπονείδιστον ἀναισχυντία, πᾶσα δὲ ἄφρων τοῖς

τοιούτοις συμπλέκεται. 23 Ἡ καλλωπίζουσα ἱμάτια αὐτῆς καὶ σωφροσύνης ἐκτὸς ἔσται. 24 Μὴ συναυλίζου κοσμικαῖς, ἵνα μὴ διαστρέψωσι σὴν καρδίαν καὶ ἀκύρους

ποιήσωσι βουλὰς δικαίας. 25 ∆άκρυσιν ἐν νυκτὶ παρακάλει τὸν κύριον, καὶ μηδεὶς αἴσθηται

προσευχομένης σου καὶ εὑρήσεις χάριν.