Hermas, Shepherd, Parable 10

After I finished writing this book, the messenger who had handed me over to the shepherd arrived at the house where I was staying. He sat down on the couch and took his place at the shepherd’s right hand. Then he called me over and said: “I have entrusted you and your household to this shepherd so that he may protect you.” “Very well, Lord,” I replied. “If you want to be shielded from every affliction and every cruelty,” he continued, “and to succeed in every good work and word and to possess all the virtue of righteousness, then follow the commands I gave you. You will then be able to master all wickedness. For if you keep his commands, every desire and pleasure of this world will become subject to you, and success in every good endeavor will follow you. Take his maturity and modesty into yourself. Tell everyone that he holds great honor and dignity with the Lord, that he is a mighty and powerful guardian in his office. To him alone throughout the whole world has the authority of repentance been given. Does he not seem powerful to you? Yet you despise the maturity and modesty he shows toward you.”

I said to the messenger, “Ask him, Lord, since he has been in my house, whether I have done anything out of order or have offended him in any way.” The messenger answered, “I know that you have done nothing out of order, nor will you do so. That is why I am speaking with you now—so that you may persevere. He holds a good opinion of you before me. Now, you must tell these words to the others, so that those who have repented or will repent may share your conviction, and so that he may speak well of them before me and I before the Lord.”

I said, “Lord, I will proclaim the Lord’s mighty deeds to everyone. I hope that all who have sinned before, upon hearing this, will gladly repent and recover life.” The messenger replied, “Remain in this ministry and fulfill it. Whoever carries out these commands will have life and great honor with the Lord. Whoever fails to keep them flees from life itself and sets himself against the shepherd; they do not follow his commands but hand themselves over to death, and each becomes guilty of his own blood. But I tell you this so that you may serve these commands and find a remedy for your sins.”

He went on: “I have sent you these virgins to live with you, because I saw they are well-disposed toward you. They are your helpers, enabling you to keep these commands more fully; these commands cannot be kept without them. I see they are glad to be with you, but I will command them never to leave your house. You must simply keep your house pure, for they gladly dwell in a clean house—they are pure, chaste, diligent, and possess all grace with the Lord. If your house remains pure, they will stay with you. But if even a small defilement occurs, they will leave immediately, for these virgins do not tolerate any defilement at all.”

I said to the messenger, “Lord, I hope to please them so that they will gladly live in my house forever. Just as the shepherd to whom you entrusted me does not blame me, so these virgins will not blame me either.” The messenger said to the shepherd, “I know that the servant of God wants to live and will keep these commands and will establish the virgins in purity.” After saying this, he handed me back to the shepherd and called the virgins. He told them, “I see that you gladly live in this man’s house. I commend him and his house to you, so that you never depart from it.” The virgins received these words gladly.

Then the messenger said to me: “Conduct yourself courageously in this ministry. Proclaim the Lord’s mighty deeds to everyone, and you will find grace in this ministry. Whoever walks in these commands will live and be happy; whoever neglects them will not live and will be miserable. Tell everyone not to stop—whoever can do what is right should do it, for practicing good works benefits them. I also say that every person must be rescued from trouble. The one who is in need and suffers daily hardship endures great torment and necessity. Whoever rescues such a soul from necessity gains great joy. The one afflicted by such trouble suffers torment equal to a prisoner in chains. Many, unable to bear such calamities, bring death upon themselves. Therefore, whoever knows of such a person’s calamity and does not rescue him commits a great sin and becomes guilty of his blood. So do good works, all of you who have received them from the Lord, lest the tower’s structure be consumed while you delay. The building work has been halted because of you. Unless you hurry to do what is right, the tower will be consumed and you will be excluded.”

After he had spoken with me, he rose from the couch, took the shepherd and the virgins, and departed, telling me that he would send the shepherd and the virgins back to my house.