sorority

²⁸There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither servant nor free; there is neither male nor female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.

¹¹And so, have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead, refute them.

¹⁶For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that all who believe in him may not perish, but may have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world, in order to judge the world, but in order that the world may be saved through him.

⁴The soul who swears and offers from his own lips that he would do either evil or good, and who will have bound the same with an oath and with his own words, and, having forgotten it, afterwards understands his transgression,

¹The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him, in order to make known to his servants the things that must soon occur, and which he signified by sending his Angel to his servant John;

¹The Praise of a Canticle, of David. Whoever dwells with the assistance of the Most High will abide in the protection of the God of heaven. ²He will say to the Lord, “You are my supporter and my refuge.” My God, I will hope in him. ³For he has freed me from the snare of those who go hunting, and from the harsh word. ⁴He will overshadow you with his shoulders, and you will hope under his wings. ⁵His truth will surround you with a shield. You will not be afraid: before the terror of the night, ⁶before the arrow flying in the day, before the troubles that wander in the darkness, nor of invasion and the midday demon.

⁸And finally, may you all be of one mind: compassionate, loving brotherhood, merciful, meek, humble,

¹⁷O shepherd and idol, abandoning the flock, with a sword upon his arm and over his right eye: his arm will be withered by drought, and his right eye will be obscured by darkness.

¹“Pay attention, lest you perform your justice before men, in order to be seen by them; otherwise you shall not have a reward with your Father, who is in heaven. ²Therefore, when you give alms, do not choose to sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the towns, so that they may be honored by men. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. ³But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴so that your almsgiving may be in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will repay you. ⁵And when you pray, you should not be like the hypocrites, who love standing in the synagogues and at the corners of the streets to pray, so that they may be seen by men. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. ⁶But you, when you pray, enter into your room, and having shut the door, pray to your Father in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will repay you.

¹May fraternal charity remain in you.

³³Do not be led astray. Evil communication corrupts good morals.

¹The wisdom of a man shines in his countenance, and even the expression of a most powerful man will change. ²I heed the mouth of the king, and the commandment of an oath to God. ³You should not hastily withdraw from his presence, nor should you remain in an evil work. For all that pleases him, he will do. ⁴And his word is filled with authority. Neither is anyone able to say to him: “Why are you acting this way?” ⁵Whoever keeps the commandment will not experience evil. The heart of a wise man understands the time to respond. ⁶For every matter, there is a time and an opportunity, as well as many difficulties, for man.

⁷and in piety, love of brotherhood; and in love of brotherhood, charity.

¹⁹Now the works of the flesh are manifest; they are: fornication, lust, homosexuality, self-indulgence,

²²So chastise your souls with the obedience of charity, in fraternal love, and love one another from a simple heart, attentively.

¹And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ²“Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them: A man or a woman, when they have made a vow so that they may be sanctified, and when they are willing to consecrate themselves to the Lord, ³shall abstain from wine and from anything which is able to inebriate. They shall not drink vinegar made from wine or from any other drink, nor anything pressed from the grape. They shall not eat grapes, neither fresh nor dried. ⁴During all the days that they are consecrated to the Lord by vow, they shall not eat whatever may be from the vineyard, from raisins, even to grape seeds. ⁵During all the time of his separation, no razor shall pass over his head, even until the completion of the day when he is consecrated to the Lord. He shall be holy, letting the hair of his head grow long. ⁶During all the time of his consecration, he shall not enter because of a death,

¹⁷Whoever possesses the goods of this world, and sees his brother to be in need, and yet closes his heart to him: in what way does the love of God abide in him?

⁴⁶And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord. ⁴⁷And my spirit leaps for joy in God my Savior.

³³Again, you have heard that it was said to the ancients: ‘You shall not swear falsely. For you shall repay your oaths to the Lord.’ ³⁴But I say to you, do not swear an oath at all, neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God, ³⁵nor by earth, for it is his footstool, nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king. ³⁶Neither shall you swear an oath by your own head, because you are not able to cause one hair to become white or black. ³⁷But let your word ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ For anything beyond that is of evil.

¹⁵But do not be willing to consider him as an enemy; instead, correct him as a brother.

⁹Whoever declares himself to be in the light, and yet hates his brother, is in the darkness even now. ¹⁰Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause of offense in him. ¹¹But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness, and in darkness he walks, and he does not know where he is going. For the darkness has blinded his eyes.

¹⁷Honor everyone. Love brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

¹²But before all things, my brothers, do not choose to swear, neither by heaven, nor by the earth, nor in any other oath. But let your word ‘Yes’ be yes, and your word ‘No’ be no, so that you may not fall under judgment.

¹⁶Six things there are that the Lord hates, and the seventh, his soul detests: ¹⁷haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, ¹⁸a heart that devises the most wicked thoughts, feet running swiftly unto evil, ¹⁹a deceitful witness bringing forth lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.

¹³But since we have the same recompense, (I am speaking as if to my own sons), you, too, should be enlarged. ¹⁴Do not choose to bear the yoke with unbelievers. For how can justice be a participant with iniquity? Or how can the fellowship of light be a participant with darkness? ¹⁵And how can Christ join together with Belial? Or what part do the faithful have with the unfaithful? ¹⁶And what consensus does the temple of God have with idols? For you are the temple of the living God, just as God says: “I will dwell with them, and I will walk among them. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ¹⁷Because of this, you must depart from their midst and be separate, says the Lord. And do not touch what is unclean. ¹⁸Then I will accept you. And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

¹²For just as the body is one, and yet has many parts, so all the parts of the body, though they are many, are only one body. So also is Christ. ¹³And indeed, in one Spirit, we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Gentiles, whether servant or free. And we all drank in the one Spirit.

¹³I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”