Lake Apostolic Fathers 2 - Bible Translation

THE SHEPHERD, sim. vi. iv. 2-v. 3
such luxury and forget God, ought to be punished
sevenfold." 3. He said to me " : You are foolish, and
do not understand the power of punishment." '' No,"
said I, " Sir, for if I had understood it, I should not
have asked you to tell me." " Listen," said he, " to the
power of both. 4. The time of luxury and deceit
is one hour, but the hour of punishment has the
power of thirty days. If, therefore, any man live in
luxury and deceit for one day, and be punished one
day, the day of punishment has the power of a whole
year, for a man is punished as many years as he has
lived days in luxury. You see, therefore," said he,
" that the time of luxury and deceit is very short, but
the time of punishment is long."
1. "Sir," said I, " I still do not at all understand
about the time of deceit and luxury and torture
explain it to me more clearly." 2. He answered
and said to me : " Your foolishness is lasting, and
you do not wish to purify your heart and to serve
God. See to it," said he, " lest the time be fulfilled,
and you be found still foolish. Listen, then," said
he, " that you may understand it as you wish. 3. He
who lives in luxury and deceit for a single day, and
does what he likes, is clothed with great foolishness,
and does not understand the deed which he is doing.
For he forgets to-morrow what he did yesterday.
For luxury and deceit have no memory, because of
the foolishness which they have put on. But when
punishment and torture cleave to a man for a single
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