The Church of God which sojourns in Rome to the
Church of God which sojourns in Corinth, to those who are called and sanctified
by the will of God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Grace and peace from God
Almighty be multiplied to you through Jesus Christ.
1 Owing to the
sudden and repeated misfortunes and calamities which have befallen us, we
consider that our attention has been somewhat delayed in turning to the
questions disputed among you, beloved, and especially the abominable and unholy
sedition, alien and foreign to the elect of God, which a few rash and self-willed
persons have made blaze up to such a frenzy that your name, venerable and
famous, and worthy as it is of all men’s love, has been much slandered. 2For who has stayed with you without making proof of
the virtue and steadfastness of your faith? Who has not admired the sobriety
and Christian gentleness of your piety? Who has not reported your character so
magnificent in its hospitality? And who has not blessed your perfect arid
secure knowledge? 3For you did all things
without respect of persons, and walked in the laws of God, obedient to your
rulers, and paying all fitting honour to the older among you. On the young,
too, you enjoined temperate and seemly thoughts, and to the women you gave
instruction that they should do all things with a blameless and seemly and pure
conscience, yielding a dutiful affection to their husbands. And you taught them
to remain in the rule of obedience and to manage their households with
seemliness, in all circumspection.
2 And you were
all humble-minded and in no wise arrogant, yielding subjection rather than
demanding it, “giving more gladly than receiving,” satisfied with the provision
of Christ, and paying attention to his words you stored them up carefully in
your hearts, and kept his sufferings before your eyes. 2Thus a profound and
rich peace was given to all, you had an insatiable desire to do good, and the
Holy Spirit was poured out in abundance on you all. 3You
were full of holy plans, and with pious confidence you stretched out your hands
to Almighty God in a passion of goodness, beseeching him to be merciful towards
any unwilling sin. 4Day and night you strove on
behalf of the whole brotherhood that the number of his elect should be saved
with mercy and compassion. 5You were sincere and innocent, and bore no malice to
one another. 6All sedition and all schism was
abominable to you. You mourned over the transgressions of your neighbours; you
judged their shortcomings as your own. 7You were
without regret in every act of kindness, “ready unto every good work.” 8You were
adorned by your virtuous and honourable citizenship and did all things in the
fear of God. The commandments and
ordinances of the Lord were “written on the tables of your heart.”
3 All glory and
enlargement was given to you, and that which was written was fulfilled, “My
Beloved ate and drank, and he was enlarged and waxed fat and kicked.” 2From this arose jealousy and envy, strife and
sedition, persecution and disorder, war and captivity. 3Thus
“the worthless” rose up “against those who were in honour,” those of no
reputation against the renowned, the foolish against the prudent, the “young
against the old.” 4For this cause righteousness
and peace are far removed, while each deserts the fear of God and the eye of
faith in him has grown dim, and men walk neither in the ordinances of his
commandments nor use their citizenship worthily of Christ, but each goes
according to the lusts of his wicked heart, and has revived the unrighteousness
and impious envy, by which also “death came into the world.”
4 For it is
written thus: “And it came to pass after certain days that Cain offered to God
a sacrifice of the fruits of the earth, and Abel himself also offered of the
first-born of the sheep and of their fat. 2And
God looked on Abel and his gifts, but he had no respect to Cain and his
sacrifices. 3And Cain was greatly grieved and
his countenance fell. 4And God said to Cain, Why
art thou grieved, and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou offeredst rightly,
but didst not divide rightly, didst thou not sin? 5Be still: he shall turn to
thee, and thou shalt rule over him. 6And Cain
said to Abel his brother, Let us go unto the plain. And it came to pass that,
while they were in the plain, Cain rose up against Abel his brother and slew
him.” 7You see, brethren, jealousy and envy
wrought fratricide. 8Through jealousy our father
Jacob ran from the face of Esau his brother. 9Jealousy
made Joseph to be persecuted to the death, and come into slavery. 10Jealousy forced Moses to fly from the face of
Pharaoh, King of Egypt, when his fellow countryman said to him, “Who made thee
a judge or a ruler over us? Wouldest thou slay me as thou didst slay the
Egyptian yesterday?” 11Through jealousy Aaron
and Miriam were lodged outside the camp. 12Jealousy
brought down Dathan and Abiram alive into Hades, because they rebelled against
Moses the servant of God. 13Through jealousy
David incurred envy not only from strangers, but suffered persecution even from
Saul, King of Israel.
5 But, to cease
from the examples of old time, let us come to those who contended in the days
nearest to us; let us take the noble examples of our own generation. 2Through jealousy and envy the greatest and most
righteous pillars of the Church were persecuted and contended unto death. 3Let us set before our eyes the good apostles: 4Peter, who because of unrighteous jealousy suffered
not one or two but many trials, and having thus given his testimony went to the
glorious place which was his due. 5Through
jealousy and strife Paul showed the way to the prize of endurance; 6seven times he was in bonds, he was exiled, he was
stoned, he was a herald both in the East and in the West, he gained the noble
fame of his faith, 7he taught righteousness to
all the world, and when he had reached the limits of the West he gave his
testimony before the rulers, and thus passed from the world and was taken up
into the Holy Place, the greatest example of endurance.
6 To these men
with their holy lives was gathered a great multitude of the chosen, who were
the victims of jealousy and offered among us the fairest example in their
endurance under many indignities and tortures. 2Through
jealousy women were persecuted as Danaids and Dircae, suffering terrible and unholy indignities; they stedfastly
finished the course of faith, and received a noble reward, weak in the body
though they were. 3Jealousy has estranged wives
from husbands, and made of no effect the saying of our father Adam, “This is
now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh.” 4Jealousy
and strife have overthrown great cities, and rooted up mighty nations.
7 We are not only
writing these things to you, beloved, for your admonition, but also to remind
ourselves; for we are in the same arena, and the same struggle is before us. 2Wherefore let us put aside empty and vain cares, and
let us come to the glorious and venerable rule of our tradition, 3and let us see what is good and pleasing and
acceptable in the sight of our Maker. 4Let us
fix our gaze on the Blood of Christ, and let us know that it is precious to his
Father, because it was poured out
for our salvation, and brought the grace of repentance to all the world. 5Let us review all the generations, and let us learn
that in generation after generation the Master has given a place of repentance
to those who will turn to him. 6Noah preached
repentance and those who obeyed were saved. 7Jonah
foretold destruction to the men of Nineveh, but when they repented they
received forgiveness of their sins from God in answer to their prayer, and gained
salvation, though they were aliens to God.
8 The ministers
of the grace of God spoke through the Holy Spirit concerning repentance, 2and even the Master of the universe himself spoke
with an oath concerning repentance; “For as I live, said the Lord, I do not
desire the death of the sinner so much as his repentance,” and he added a
gracious declaration, 3“Repent, O house of
Israel, from your iniquity. Say to the sons of my people, If your sins reach
from the earth to Heaven, and if they be redder than scarlet, and blacker than
sack cloth, and ye turn to me with all your hearts and say Father, I will
listen to you as a holy people.” 4And in another place he speaks thus, “Wash you, and
make you clean, put away your wickedness from your souls before my eyes, cease
from your wickedness, learn to do good, seek out judgment, rescue the wronged,
give judgment for the orphan, do justice to the widow, and come and let us
reason together, saith the Lord; and if your sins be as crimson, I will make
them white as snow, and if they be as scarlet, I will make them white as wool,
and if ye be willing and hearken to me, ye shall eat the good things of the
land, but if ye be not willing, and hearken not to me, a sword shall devour
you, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things.” 5Thus desiring to give to all his beloved a share in
repentance, he established it by his Almighty will.
9 Wherefore let
us obey his excellent and glorious will; let us fall before him as suppliants
of his mercy and goodness; let us turn to his pity, and abandon the vain toil
and strife and jealousy which leads to death. 2Let
us fix our gaze on those who have rendered perfect service to his excellent
glory. 3Let us take Enoch, who was found
righteous in obedience, and was translated, and death did not befall him. 4Noah was found faithful in his service, in
foretelling a new beginning to the world, and through him the Master saved the
living creatures which entered in concord into the Ark.
10 Abraham, who
was called “the Friend,” was found faithful in his obedience to the words of
God. 2He in obedience went forth from his
country and from his kindred and from his father’s house, that by leaving
behind a little country and a feeble kindred and a small house he might inherit
the promises of God. For God says to him, 3“Depart
from thy land and from thy kindred and from thy father’s house to the land
which I shall show thee, and I will make thee a great nation, and I will bless
thee, and I will magnify thy name, and thou shalt be blessed; and I will bless
those that bless thee, and I will curse those that curse thee, and all the
tribes of the earth shall be blessed in thee.” 4And
again, when he was separated from Lot, God said to him, “Lift up thine eyes and
look from the place where thou art now, to the North and to the South and to
the East and to the West; for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I
give it and to thy seed for ever. 5And I will
make thy seed as the dust of the earth. If a man can number the dust of the
earth thy seed shall also be numbered.” 6And
again he says, “God led forth Abraham, and said to him, ‘Look up to the Heaven
and number the stars, if thou canst number them; so shall thy seed be.’ And
Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” 7Because of his faith and hospitality a son was given
him in his old age, and in his obedience he offered him as a sacrifice to God
on the mountain which he showed
him.
11 For his
hospitality and piety Lot was saved out of Sodom when the whole countryside was
judged by fire and brimstone, and the Master made clear that he does not
forsake those who hope in him, but delivers to punishment and torture those who
turn aside to others. 2For of this a sign was
given when his wife went with him, but changed her mind and did not remain in
agreement with him, so that she became a pillar of salt unto this day, to make
known to all, that those who are double-minded, and have doubts concerning the
power of God, incur judgment and become a warning to all generations.
12 For her faith
and hospitality Rahab the harlot
was saved. 2For when the spies were sent to
Jericho by Joshua the son of Nun, the King of the land knew that they had come
to spy out his country, and sent men to take them, that they might be captured
and put to death. 3So the hospitable Rahab took
them in, and hid them in the upper room under the stalks of flax. 4And when the king’s men came and said, “The spies of
our land came in to thee, bring them out, for the king orders thus,” she
answered “The men whom ye seek did indeed come to me, but they went away
forthwith, and are proceeding on their journey,” and pointed in the wrong
direction. 5And she said to the men, “I know
assuredly that the Lord God is delivering to you this land; for the fear and
dread of you has fallen on those who dwell in it. When therefore it shall come
to pass, that ye take it, save me and my father’s house.” 6And they said to her, “It shall be as thou hast
spoken to us; when therefore thou knowest that we are at hand, thou shalt gather
all thy folk under thy roof, and they shall be safe; for as many as shall be
found outside the house shall perish.” 7And they
proceeded to give her a sign, that she should hang out a scarlet thread from
her house, foreshowing that all who believe and hope on God shall have
redemption through the blood of the Lord. 8You
see, beloved, that the woman is an instance not only of faith but also of
prophecy.
13 Let us, therefore, be humble-minded, brethren,
putting aside all arrogance and conceit and foolishness and wrath, and let us
do that which is written (for the Holy Spirit says, “Let not the wise man boast
himself in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the rich man in
his riches, but he that boasteth let him boast in the Lord, to seek him out and
to do judgment and righteousness”), especially remembering the words of the
Lord Jesus which he spoke when he was teaching gentleness and longsuffering. 2For he spoke thus: “Be merciful, that ye may obtain
mercy. Forgive, that ye may be forgiven. As ye do, so shall it be done unto
you. As ye give, so shall it be given unto you. As ye judge, so shall ye be
judged. As ye are kind, so shall kindness be shewn you. With what measure ye
mete, it shall be measured to you.” 3With this
commandment and with these injunctions let us strengthen ourselves to walk in
obedience to his hallowed words and let us be humble-minded, for the holy word
says, 4“On whom shall I look, but on the meek
and gentle and him who trembles at my oracles.”
14 Therefore it is
right and holy, my brethren, for us to obey God rather than to follow those who
in pride and unruliness are the instigators of an abominable jealousy. 2For we shall incur no common harm, but great danger,
if we rashly yield ourselves to the purposes of men who rush into strife and
sedition, to estrange us from what is right. 3Let
us be kind to one another, according to the compassion and sweetness of our
Maker. 4For it is written, “The kind shall
inhabit the land, and the guiltless shall be left on it, but they who
transgress shall be destroyed from off it.” 5And
again he says: “I saw the ungodly lifted high, and exalted as the cedars of
Lebanon. And I went by, and behold he was not; and I sought his place, and I
found it not. Keep innocence, and look on uprightness; for there is a remnant
for a peaceable man.”
15 Moreover let us
cleave to those whose peacefulness is based on piety and not to those whose
wish for peace is hypocrisy. 2For it says in one
place: “This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from
me.” 3And again, “They blessed with their mouth,
but cursed in their hearts.” 4And again it says
“they loved him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongue, and
their heart was not right with him, nor were they faithful in his covenant.” 5Therefore “let the deceitful lips be dumb which speak
iniquity against the righteous.” And again, “May the Lord destroy all the
deceitful lips, a tongue that speaketh great things, those who say, Let us
magnify our tongue, our lips are our own, who is lord over us? 6For the misery of the poor and groaning of the needy,
now will I arise, saith the Lord, I will place him in safety, 7I will deal boldly with him.”
16 For Christ is
of those who are humble-minded, not of those who exalt themselves over His
flock. 2The sceptre of the greatness of God, the
Lord Jesus Christ, came not with the pomp of pride or of arrogance, for all his
power, but was humble-minded, as the Holy Spirit spake concerning him. For it
says, 3“Lord, who has believed our report, and
to whom was the arm of the Lord revealed? We declared him before the Lord as a
child, as a root in thirsty ground; there is no form in him, nor glory, and we
saw him, and he had neither form nor beauty, but his form was without honour,
less than the form of man, a man living among stripes and toil, and acquainted
with the endurance of weakness; for his face was turned away, he was
dishonoured, and not esteemed. 4He it is who
beareth our sins, and is pained for us, and we regarded him as subject to pain,
and stripes and affliction, 5but he was wounded
for our sins and he has suffered for our iniquities. The chastisement of our
peace was upon him; with his bruises were we healed. 6All
we like sheep went astray, each man went astray in his path; 7and the Lord delivered him up for our sins, and he
openeth not his mouth because of his affliction. As a sheep he was brought to
the slaughter, and as a lamb dumb before its shearer, so he openeth not his
mouth. In humiliation his judgment was taken away. 8Who
shall declare his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth. 9For the iniquities of my people is he come to death. 10And I will give the wicked for his burial, and the
rich for his death; for he wrought no iniquity, nor was guile found in his
mouth. And the Lord’s will is to purify him from stripes. 11If ye make an offering for sin, your soul shall see
a long-lived seed. 12And the Lord’s will is to
take of the toil of his soul, to show him light and to form him with
understanding, to justify a righteous man who serveth many well. And he himself
shall bear their sins. 13For this reason shall
he inherit many, and he shall share the spoils of the strong; because his soul
was delivered to death, and he was reckoned among the transgressors. 14And he bore the sins of many, and for their sins was
he delivered up.” 15And again he says himself,
“But I am a worm and no man, a reproach of men, and despised of the people. 16All they who saw me mocked me, they spoke with their
lips, they shook their heads; He hoped on the Lord, let him deliver him, let
him save him, for he hath pleasure in him.” 17You
see, Beloved, what is the example which is given to us; for if the Lord was
thus humble-minded, what shall we do, who through him have come under the yoke
of his grace?
17 Let us also be
imitators of those who went about “in the skins of goats and sheep,” heralding
the coming of Christ; we mean Elijah and Elisha, and moreover Ezekiel, the
prophets, and in addition to them the famous men of old. 2Great fame was given to Abraham, and he was called
the Friend of God, and he, fixing his gaze in humility on the Glory of God,
says “But I am dust and ashes.” 3Moreover it is also
written thus concerning Job: “Now Job was righteous and blameless, true, a
worshipper of God, and kept himself from all evil.” 4But
he accuses himself, saying, “No man is clean from defilement, not even if his
life be but for a single day.” 5Moses was called
“Faithful with all his house,” and through his ministry God judged Egypt with
their scourges and torments; but he, though he was given great glory, did not
use great words, but, when an oracle was given to him from the bush, said: “Who
am I that thou sendest me? Nay, I am a man of feeble speech, and a slow
tongue.” 6And again he says, “But I am as smoke
from a pot.”
18 But what shall
we say of the famous David? Of him said God, “I have found a man after my own
heart, David the son of Jesse, I have anointed him with eternal mercy;” 2but he too says to God “Have mercy upon me, O God,
according to thy great mercy, and according to the multitude of thy
compassions, blot out my transgression. 3Wash me
yet more from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin; for I know my
iniquity, and my sin is ever before me. 4Against
thee only did I sin, and did evil before thee, that thou mightest be justified
in thy words, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. 5For, lo, I was conceived in iniquity, and in sin did
my mother bear me. 6For, behold, thou hast loved
truth, thou didst make plain to me the secret and hidden things of thy wisdom. 7Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be
cleansed; thou shalt wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8Thou shalt make me hear joy and gladness; the bones
which have been humbled shall rejoice. 9Turn thy
face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. 10Create
a clean heart in me, O God, and renew a right spirit in my inmost parts. 11Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy
Holy Spirit from me. 12Give me back the gladness
of thy salvation, strengthen me with thy governing spirit. 13I will teach the wicked thy ways, and the ungodly
shall be converted unto thee. 14Deliver me from
blood-guiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation. 15My
tongue shall rejoice in thy righteousness. O Lord, thou shalt open my mouth,
and my lips shall tell of thy praise. 16For if
thou hadst desired sacrifice, I would have given it; in whole burnt offerings
thou wilt not delight. 17The sacrifice unto God
is a broken spirit, a broken and a humbled heart God shall not despise.”
19 The humility
and obedient submission of so many men of such great fame, have rendered better
not only us, but also the generations before us, who received his oracles in
fear and truth. 2Seeing then that we have
received a share in many great and glorious deeds, let us hasten on to the goal
of peace, which was given us from the beginning, and let us fix our gaze on the
Father and Creator of the whole world and cleave to his splendid and excellent
gifts of peace, and to his good deeds to us. 3Let
us contemplate him with our mind, let us gaze with the eyes of our soul on his
long-suffering purpose, let us consider how free from wrath he is towards all
his creatures.
20 The heavens
moving at his appointment are subject to him in peace; 2day
and night follow the course allotted by him without hindering each other. 3Sun and moon and the companies of the stars roll on,
according to his direction, in harmony, in their appointed courses, and swerve
not from them at all. 4The earth teems according
to his will at its proper seasons, and puts forth food in full abundance for
men and beasts and all the living things that are on it, with no dissension,
and changing none of his decrees. 5The
unsearchable places of the abysses and the unfathomable realms of the lower
world are controlled by the same ordinances. 6The
hollow of the boundless sea is gathered by his working into its allotted
places, and does not pass the barriers placed around it, but does even as he
enjoined on it; 7for he said “Thus far shalt
thou come, and thy waves shall be broken within thee.” 8The
ocean, which men cannot pass, and the worlds beyond it, are ruled by the same
injunctions of the Master. 9The seasons of
spring, summer, autumn, and winter give place to one another in peace. 10The stations of the winds fulfil their service
without hindrance at the proper time. The everlasting springs, created for
enjoyment and health, supply sustenance for the life of man without fail; and
the smallest of animals meet together in concord and peace. 11All these things did the great Creator and Master of
the universe ordain to be in peace and concord, and to all things does he do
good, and more especially to us who have fled for refuge to his mercies through
our Lord Jesus Christ, 12to whom be the glory and the majesty for
ever and ever, Amen.
21
Take heed, beloved, lest his many good works towards us become a judgment on
us, if we do not good and virtuous deeds before him in concord, and be citizens
worthy of him. 2For he says in one place: “The
Spirit of the Lord is a lamp searching the inward parts.” 3Let us observe how near he is, and that nothing
escapes him of our thoughts or of the devices which we make. 4It is right, therefore, that we should not be
deserters from his will. 5Let us offend foolish
and thoughtless men, who are exalted and boast in the pride of their words,
rather than God. 6Let us reverence the Lord
Jesus Christ, whose blood was given for us, let us respect those who rule us,
let us honour the aged, let us
instruct the young in the fear of God, let us lead our wives to that which is
good. 7Let them exhibit the lovely habit of
purity, let them show forth the innocent will of meekness, let them make the
gentleness of their tongue manifest by their silence, let them not give their
affection by factious preference, but in holiness to all equally who fear God. 8Let our children share in the instruction which is in
Christ, let them learn the strength of humility before God, the power of pure
love before God, how beautiful and great is his fear and how it gives salvation
to all who live holily in it with a pure mind. 9For
he is a searcher of thoughts and desires; his breath is in us, and when he will
he shall take it away.
22 Now the faith
which is in Christ confirms all these things, for he himself through his Holy
Spirit calls us thus: “Come, Children, hearken to me, I will teach you the fear
of the Lord. 2Who is the man that desireth life,
that loveth to see good days? 3Make thy tongue
cease from evil, and thy lips that they speak no guile. 4Depart from evil, and do good. 5Seek
peace, and pursue it. 6The eyes of the Lord are
upon the righteous, and his ears are open to their petition; but the face of
the Lord is against those that do evil, to destroy the memory of them from off
the earth. 7The righteous cried, and the Lord
heard him, and delivered him out of all his afflictions. 8Many are the scourges of the
sinner, but mercy shall encompass those that hope on the Lord.”
23 The
all-merciful and beneficent Father has compassion on those that fear him, and
kindly and lovingly bestows his favours on those that draw near to him with a
simple mind. 2Wherefore let us not be
double-minded, nor let our soul be fanciful concerning his excellent and
glorious gifts. 3Let this Scripture be far from
us in which he says “Wretched are the double-minded, who doubt in their soul
and say We have heard these things even in the days of our fathers, and behold
we have grown old, and none of these things has happened to us. 4Oh, foolish men, compare yourself to a tree: take a
vine, first it sheds its leaves, then there comes a bud, then a leaf, then a
flower, and after this the unripe grape, then the full bunch.” See how in a little time the fruit
of the tree comes to ripeness. 5Truly his will
shall be quickly and suddenly accomplished, as the Scripture also bears witness
that “he shall come quickly and shall not tarry; and the Lord shall suddenly
come to his temple, and the Holy One for whom ye look.”
24 Let us
consider, beloved, how the Master continually proves to us that there will be a
future resurrection, of which he has made the first-fruits, by raising the Lord
Jesus Christ from the dead. 2Let us look,
beloved, at the resurrection which is taking place at its proper season. 3Day and night show us a resurrection. The night
sleeps, the day arises: the day departs, night comes on. 4Let us take the crops: how and in what way does the
sowing take place? 5“The sower went forth” and
cast each of the seeds into the ground, and they fall on to the ground, parched
and bare, and suffer decay; then from their decay the greatness of the
providence of the Master raises them up, and from one grain more grow and bring
forth fruit.
25 Let us
consider the strange sign which takes place in the East, that is in the
districts near Arabia. 2There is a bird which is
called the Phoenix, This is the only one of its kind, and lives 500 years; and
when the time of its dissolution in death is at hand, it makes itself a
sepulchre of frankincense and myrrh and other spices, and when the time is
fulfilled it enters into it and dies. 3Now, from
the corruption of its flesh there springs a worm, which is nourished by the
juices of the dead bird, and puts forth wings. Then, when it has become strong,
it takes up that sepulchre, in which are the bones of its predecessor, and
carries them from the country of Arabia as far as Egypt until it reaches the
city called Heliopolis, 4and in the daylight in
the sight of all it flies to the altar of the Sun, places them there, and then
starts back to its former home. 5Then the
priests inspect the registers of dates, and they find that it has come at the
fulfilment of the 500th year.
26 Do we then
consider it a great and wonderful thing that the creator of the universe will
bring about the resurrection of those who served him in holiness, in the
confidence of a good faith, when he shows us the greatness of his promise even
through a bird? 2For he says in one place “And
thou shalt raise me up, and I will praise thee,” and “I laid me down and slept,
I rose up, for thou art with me.” 3And again Job
says “And thou shalt raise up this my flesh which has endured all these
things.”
27 In this hope
then let our souls be bound to him who is faithful in his promises and
righteous in his judgments. 2He who has
commanded not to lie shall much more not be a liar himself; for nothing is
impossible with God save to lie. 3Let therefore
faith in him be kindled again in us, and let us consider that all things are
near him. 4By the word of his majesty did he
establish all things, and by his word can he destroy them. 5“Who shall say to him what hast thou done, or who
shall resist the might of his strength?” When he will, and as he will, he will
do all things, and none of his decrees shall pass away. 6All is in his sight and nothing has escaped from his counsel, 7since “The heavens declare the glory of God and the
firmament telleth his handiwork, day uttereth speech unto day, and night
telleth knowledge to night. And there are neither words nor speeches, and their
voices are not heard.”
28 Since then all
things are seen and heard by him, let us fear him, and leave oft from foul
desires of evil deeds, that we may be sheltered by his mercy from the judgments
to come. 2For whither can any of us fly from his
mighty hand? And what world shall receive those who seek to desert from him? 3For the Writing
says in one place: “Where shall I go and where shall I hide from thy presence?
If I ascend into heaven thou art there, if I depart to the ends of the earth
there is thy right hand; If I make my bed in the abyss there is thy spirit.” 4Whither then shall a man depart or where shall he
escape from him who embraces all things?
29 Let us then
approach him in holiness of soul, raising pure and undefiled hands to him,
loving our gracious and merciful Father, who has made us the portion of his
choice for himself. 2For thus it is written:
“When the most high divided the nations, when he scattered the sons of Adam,
lie established the bounds of the nations according to the number of the angels
of God. His people Jacob became the portion of the Lord, Israel was the lot of
his inheritance.” 3And in another place he says
“Behold the Lord taketh to himself a nation from the midst of nations, as a man
taketh the first-fruit of his threshing-floor, and the Holy of Holies shall
come forth from that nation.”
30 Seeing then
that we are the portion of one who is holy, let us do all the deeds of
sanctification, fleeing from evil speaking, and abominable and impure embraces,
drunkenness and youthful lusts, and abominable passion, detestable adultery,
and abominable pride. 2“For God,” he says,
“resisteth the proud but giveth grace to the humble.” 3Let
us then join ourselves to those to whom is given grace from God; let us put on
concord in meekness of spirit and continence, keeping ourselves far from all
gossip and evil speaking, and be justified by deeds, not by words. 4For he says “He that speaketh much shall also hear
much; or doth he that is a good speaker think that he is righteous? 5Blessed is he that is born of woman and hath a short
life. Be not profuse in speech.”
6Let our praise be with God, and not from
ourselves, for God hates those who praise themselves. 7Let
testimony to our good deeds be given by others, as it was given to our fathers,
the righteous. 8Frowardness and arrogance and
boldness belong to those that are accursed by God, gentleness and humility and
meekness are with those who are blessed by God.
31 Let us cleave,
then, to his blessing and let us consider what are the paths of blessing. Let
us unfold the deeds of old. 2Why was our father
Abraham blessed? Was it not because he wrought righteousness and truth through
faith? 3Isaac in confident knowledge of the
future was gladly led as a sacrifice. 4Jacob
departed from his country in meekness because of his brother, and went to Laban
and served him, and to him was given the sceptre of the twelve tribes of
Israel.
32 And if anyone
will candidly consider this in detail, he will recognize the greatness of the
gifts given by him. 2For from him come the priests and all the
Levites, who serve the altar of God, from him comes the Lord Jesus according to
the flesh, from him come the kings and rulers and governors in the succession
of Judah, and the other sceptres of his tribes are in no small renown seeing
that God promised that “thy seed shall be as the stars of heaven.” 3All of them therefore were all renowned and magnified,
not through themselves or their own works or the righteous actions which they
had wrought, but through his will; 4and
therefore we who by his will have been called in Christ Jesus, are not made
righteous by ourselves, or by our wisdom or understanding or piety or the deeds
which we have wrought in holiness of heart, but through faith, by which
Almighty God has justified all men from the beginning of the world: to him be
glory for ever and ever. Amen.
