seduction

²⁸But I say to you, that anyone who will have looked at a woman, so as to lust after her, has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

²⁵Let not your heart desire her beauty; do not be captivated by her winks.

¹⁸Flee from fornication. Every sin whatsoever that a man commits is outside of the body, but whoever fornicates, sins against his own body.

⁵So may she guard you from the woman who is an outsider, and from the stranger who sweetens her words.

¹⁷But I beg you, brothers, to take note of those who cause dissensions and offenses contrary to the doctrine that you have learned, and to turn away from them. ¹⁸For ones such as these do not serve Christ our Lord, but their inner selves, and, through pleasing words and skillful speaking, they seduce the hearts of the innocent. ¹⁹But your obedience has been made known in every place. And so, I rejoice in you. But I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple in what is evil.

¹However, the serpent was more crafty than any of the creatures of the earth that the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Why has God instructed you, that you should not eat from every tree of Paradise?” ²The woman responded to him: “From the fruit of the trees which are in Paradise, we eat. ³Yet truly, from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of Paradise, God has instructed us that we should not eat, and that we should not touch it, lest perhaps we may die.” ⁴Then the serpent said to the woman: “By no means will you die a death. ⁵For God knows that, on whatever day you will eat from it, your eyes will be opened; and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.” ⁶And so the woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and beautiful to the eyes, and delightful to consider. And she took from its fruit, and she ate. And she gave to her husband, who ate.

¹²And she, grasping the hem of his garment, said, “Sleep with me.” But he, leaving behind the cloak in her hand, fled and went outside.

⁷And so, after many days, his mistress cast her eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Sleep with me.” ⁸And without consenting at all to the wicked act, he said to her: “Behold, my lord has delivered all things to me, and he does not know what he has in his own house. ⁹Neither is there anything which is not in my power, or that he has not delivered to me, except you, for you are his wife. How then can I do this evil act and sin against my God?”

⁹By what does an adolescent correct his way? By keeping to your words. ¹⁰With my whole heart, I have sought you. Do not let me be driven away from your commandments. ¹¹I have hidden your eloquence in my heart, so that I may not sin against you.

²⁰“But,” he said “the things which go out from a man, these pollute a man. ²¹For from within, from the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, ²²thefts, avarice, wickedness, deceitfulness, homosexuality, an evil eye, blasphemy, self-exaltation, foolishness. ²³All these evils proceed from within and pollute a man.” ²⁴And rising up, he went from there to the area of Tyre and Sidon. And entering into a house, he intended no one to know about it, but he was not able to remain hidden. ²⁵For a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit, as soon as she heard about him, entered and fell prostrate at his feet.