Chapter IV.—Various Precepts

Chapter IV.[2409]—Various Precepts.

1 My child, him that speaketh to thee the word of God remember night and day; and thou shalt honour him as the Lord;²⁴¹⁰Comp. Heb. xiii. 7. In Apostolic Constitutions there is a transposition of words. for in the place whence lordly rule is uttered,²⁴¹¹Schaff: “The Lordship is spoken of.” Apostolic Constitutions, “where the doctrine concerning God is,” etc. there is the Lord. 2. And thou shalt seek out day by day the faces of the saints, in order that thou mayest rest upon²⁴¹²Or, “acquiesce in” (Apostolic Constitutions). their words. 3. Thou shalt not long for²⁴¹³Some read ποιήσεις, “make,” as in Apostolic Constitutions and Barnabas, instead of ποθήσεις, Codex. division, but shalt bring those who contend to peace. Thou shalt judge righteously, thou shalt not respect persons in reproving for transgressions. 4. Thou shalt not be undecided whether it shall be or no.²⁴¹⁴Comp. Ecclus. i. 28. The verse occurs in Barnabas; and in Apostolic Constitutions “in thy prayer” is inserted, which is probably the sense here. 5. Be not a stretcher forth of the hands to receive and a drawer of them back to give.²⁴¹⁵Ecclus. iv. 31. The Greek word συσπῶν occurs here and in Barnabas, but not in Apostolic Constitutions. 6. If thou hast aught, through thy hands thou shalt give ransom for thy sins.²⁴¹⁶Apostolic Constitutions adds, in explanation, Prov. xvi. 6. 7. Thou shalt not hesitate to give, nor murmur when thou givest; for thou shalt know who is the good repayer of the hire. 8. Thou shalt not turn away from him that is in want, but thou shalt share all things with thy brother, and shalt not say that they are thine own; for if ye are partakers in that which is immortal, how much more in things which are mortal?²⁴¹⁷Comp. Acts iv. 32; Rom. xv. 27. The latter half of the verse is in Barnabas (not in Apostolic Constitutions), but with the substitution of “incorruptible” and “corruptible.” 9. Thou shalt not remove thy hand from thy son or from thy daughter, but from their youth shalt teach them the fear of God.²⁴¹⁸Comp. Eph. vi. 4. 10. Thou shalt not enjoin aught in thy bitterness upon thy bondman or maidservant, who hope in the same God, lest ever they shall fear not God who is over both;²⁴¹⁹Comp. Eph. vi. 9; Col. iv. 1. for he cometh not to call according to the outward appearance, but unto them whom the Spirit hath prepared. 11. And ye bondmen shall be subject to your²⁴²⁰Codex reads “our;” editors correct to “your. ” masters as to a type of God, in modesty and fear.²⁴²¹Comp. Eph. vi. 5; Col. iii. 22. 12. Thou shalt hate all hypocrisy and everything which is not pleasing to the Lord. 13. Do thou in no wise forsake the commandments of the Lord; but thou shalt keep what thou hast received, neither adding thereto nor taking away therefrom.²⁴²²Deut. xii. 32. 14. In the church²⁴²³“In the congregation;” i.e., assembly of believers. This phrase is omitted in both Barnabas and Apostolic Constitutions. Comp. Jas. v. 16. thou shalt acknowledge thy transgressions, and thou shalt not come near for thy prayer²⁴²⁴Or, “to thy place of prayer” (Schaff). with an evil conscience.²⁴²⁵So Barnabas; but Apostolic Constitutions, “in the day of thy bitterness.” This is the way of life.²⁴²⁶So Apostolic Constitutions; but Barnabas, “the way of light.” See note on chap. i. 1.