Беседа XXXVIII

“But Sarai the wife of Abram did not give birth to him: but she had an Egyptian servant, whose name was Hagar” (Gen. 16:1). 1. Today's reading again calls us to a conversation about the same forefather (Abraham). Don’t be surprised if we, having told his story for so many days, even today cannot finish it. The great abundance of the virtues of the righteous man and the greatness of his perfections conquers every human tongue, because whom God himself has crowned and glorified from above, can any of the people worthily praise him? However, although our word remains far below his dignity, but, to the best of our ability, outlining the events of his life, we want to arouse in you jealousy to imitate his virtue. Truly, the wisdom of this man is too sufficient to instruct every person and attract to the path of virtue (all) who want to be attentive. Be, I ask you, attentive to our conversation, so that from this reading you can learn the wisdom of the righteous: from here (from this reading) both husbands and wives can learn how to live in perfect unanimity among themselves and preserve the inextricable union of marriage, so that neither the husband rebels against his wife, but shows her, as the weakest vessel, every condescension, nor the wife resists her husband, but both vied with each other in trying to bear each other’s burdens and household burdens. peace was preferred to everything. But in order for this teaching to be clearer to you, it is necessary to listen to the very words (of Scripture). “But Sarai,” it is said, “Abraml’s wife did not give birth to him: but she had an Egyptian servant, whose name was Hagar.” Accept here, beloved, the indescribable patience of God and the extraordinary faith and complacency of the righteous man, which he showed with the promises given to him. In fact, after God promised so many times to give his seed land and to multiply it so much that its number would be equal to many stars, Abraham, seeing that not a single promise was fulfilled, and that the promises still remained in mere words, was not confused in thought, did not waver in spirit, but remained steadfast, believing in the power of the Promiser. This very thing is now expressed by the Divine Scripture, saying: “Sarah, Abram’s wife, was not his wife,” and thus showing us that after everything that happened, after the covenant concluded with him, after the promise of the birth of countless numbers (descendants) from him, he was not saddened and did not doubt when he saw that not only nothing of what was said was being fulfilled, but everything was also turning out the opposite. That is why, after everything that was said before (about God’s promises to Abraham), the Scripture says: “But Sarah was not his wife,” so that you would know that after such great promises nothing special happened to him, and yet the barrenness of Sarah and the deadness of her womb were such that they could arouse great doubt in the righteous man. But the forefather no longer looked at the obstacles from nature and, knowing the wisdom of the Lord, Who, as the Creator of nature, can open paths even in impassable places, Abraham, as a noble householder, did not investigate how it would be, but left it to His unsearchable providence and believed His word. That is why it is said that “Sarah,” and after such promises, “had no desire for him: but she had an Egyptian servant, whose name was Hagar.” And here, not without reason, Divine Scripture mentions to us about the slave, but so that we know where she (was taken) from, adds: “Egyptian.” With this, Scripture returns us to the previous story and makes it clear that the slave girl was one of those whom Pharaoh gave to Sarah when he was subjected to vengeance for her from the God of all, and that Sarah took this slave woman with her when returning (to the land of Canaan). For this purpose, Divine Scripture made known to us both the name and family of her (the slave). Notice now Sarah’s reasonable mind, her extraordinary modesty, inexpressible meekness and obedience (to her forefather). “And Sarai spoke to Abram in the land of Canaan 325: Behold, the Lord shut me up so that I will not give birth: go down therefore to my handmaid, and make children 326 from her” (Gen. 16:2). Look at the kindness in this wife: she did not say anything similar to what Rachel later said to Jacob: “Give me children; otherwise, I will die” (Gen. 30:1). But what does (Sarah) say? “Behold, the Lord shut me up so that I will not give birth.” Since, he says, the Creator of nature made me barren and deprived me of the ability to give birth to children, so that you, having already reached a ripe old age, due to my barrenness, do not remain completely childless, “go to my servant and make children from her.” Great and extraordinary wisdom of the wife! What wife would ever dare to do this, or advise this to her husband, or give up her bed to a slave? 2. You see how far they were from any passion. They had only one goal: not to die childless. But even at the same time, they tried to console (each other) and maintain an inextricable union of peace. Think now about the great temperance and extraordinary meekness of the forefather. He did not hate his wife for her childlessness, as some foolish people do, and he did not diminish his love for her. You know how precisely this (i.e., childlessness) for very many people is the reason for their contempt for their wives and, on the contrary, having many children serves as an incentive for greater love. But very frivolously and recklessly people attribute to wives both childlessness and multiple children, not knowing that everything depends on the Creator of our nature, and that neither cohabitation in itself, nor anything else can lead to the birth of children, unless a higher hand assists and arouses the nature to birth. Knowing this well, the righteous Abraham did not blame his wife for childlessness, but always showed her due honor. That is why she, mutually respecting (her husband) and wanting to show how much love she had for him, did not think about herself, but thinking only about how to console him in his childlessness, with her own hands, so to speak, brings the Egyptian slave to her bed. But verbally showing the purpose for which she decided to do this, she says: I turned out to be useless and incapable of giving birth to children: “The Lord imprison me so that I will not give birth.” Notice the noble soul how she does not express any murmur and does not lament her barrenness, but only wants to show us (in her own words) that, attributing her barrenness to the Creator of nature and preferring what was pleasing to God over her own desire, she meekly and complacently endured (her childlessness) and cared only about how to console her husband. “Lord, imprison me,” she says, “so that I don’t give birth.” Just like the saying itself, it’s expressive! How (strongly) it expresses Divine providence and the ineffable power of God! It’s as if Sarah says this: just as we close and open the doors of a house, so the Lord acts in our nature by His command: He closes it, and again, when He pleases, opens it, and commands our nature to do its (work). So, he says, since “the Lord has shut me up so that I will not give birth, come in to my handmaid and make children from her.” I know that I am the cause of (your) childlessness; That’s why I don’t want to deprive you of the consolation (of having children). Or maybe Sarah suspected that not only she, but also her husband was the reason for the childlessness, why, wanting to actually make sure of this, and to find out whether she should attribute the childlessness to herself alone, she gives up her place to the slave and brings her to her bed. “And Abram listened,” it is said, “to the voice of Sarin.” Great is the wisdom of the righteous! As I said this before, so now I will say: he was not the first to want this, although he was already very old, but, having accepted advice from Sarah, he willingly listened to her, showing that he decided on this not just out of passion and not out of lust, but in order to leave offspring for himself. “And Sarah, Abram’s wife, took Hagar, her Egyptian servant, after she had lived with her husband Abram for ten years in the land of Canaan, 327 and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife” (Gen. 16:3). Notice the accuracy of Scripture. To show us that he did not immediately begin to carry out (her advice) after the words that Sarai told him, it says: “And Sarai the wife of Abraml took her Egyptian handmaid.” Scripture seems to show us that he decided on this matter only because he wanted to console his wife and follow her advice. And so that you clearly know the chastity and extreme abstinence of the forefather, says (Scripture): after she lived ten years with her husband Abraham in the land of Canaan. It was not without reason that Scripture designated the time, but so that we could see how many years the righteous man endured and complacently endured childlessness and, being above all passion, showed great chastity. Moreover, these words - “ten years of cohabitation with Abram her husband in the land of Canaan” - Scripture adds so that we learn something else from here. Not the entire time of their cohabitation (Scripture) now indicates to us, but only the time they spent in the land of Canaan. Why and for what? Since immediately after the coming of Abraham to the land of Canaan, the philanthropic Lord announced to him: “To your seed I will give this land,” and after that the Lord repeatedly repeated His promises to him, so that you would know, beloved, how many years the Lord delayed and did not fulfill anything promised, and the righteous did not waver in spirit, but revered the words of God above his own reasoning, then it is said: after they have been ten years lived together in the land of Canaan. Do you see the courage of the soul? Do you see the feat of wisdom? (Do you see) how the Lord, wanting to glorify him more and more, hesitates and postpones 328? So, when He cares about His servants, He not only wants to show them His benefits, but at the same time He wants to glorify them and make their faith obvious to everyone. If He, having promised to give his seed that land, had immediately opened the falsehood of Sarah and given him a generation of children, then He would not have shown such a great miracle, nor would He have made the faith of the righteous so obvious to everyone. The power of God, of course, would have been obvious even then: by His command He would have revived the powers of nature that had already become dead and had become completely incapable of childbirth; but then the forefather would not have received such a crown as now, when for so much time his virtue was tested and became more glorious every day. 3. And so that you know that God not only wants to do good and give His gifts, but also always wants to glorify those who receive these gifts, look how He did this with the Canaanite woman, as if hesitating and avoiding heeding her request, but this precisely in order to make her herself known throughout the entire universe. When she came, begging and saying: “Have mercy on me, Lord... for my daughter is angry with evil” (Matthew 15:22), then the kind-hearted and humane, and always anticipating our petitions (the Lord) does not even deign to give her an answer. And His disciples, not knowing what will happen and how the Lord himself cares for his wife, does not answer her only because he does not want to leave her dignity in the unknown, disciples, I say, as if having more compassion, “begging him close, saying: let her go, as she cries after us,” as if expressing that for them her annoyingness has already become unbearable. “Let her go,” they say, not because she is so unhappy or her petition is reasonable, but because “she is crying out after us.” What about the Lord? Wanting to gradually reveal her dignity and teach them how little they comprehend His love for mankind, he gives an answer that could have struck her heart if she had not had fortitude, fiery desire and strong jealousy, and stopped their (the disciples) intercession for her. “I was not sent,” He says, “only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). And indeed, after this the disciples stopped begging him for his wife; but she did not give in to despondency; on the contrary, she became even more diligent (to pray to Him). Such is the grieving soul that approaches with ardent zeal: it does not pay attention to what is said, but only thinks about one thing, how to achieve what it is trying to achieve. This is exactly what this wife did. Hearing those words (of the Savior), she, as Scripture says, bowed to Him again, saying: “Have mercy on me, Lord” (Matthew 15:25). She knew the goodness of the Lord, and that is why she used such persistence. Look again how wise the Lord is and how wonderfully He arranges the course of affairs: and now He does not bow down (to the wife’s prayer), but gives an answer even sharper and more severe. He knew the strength of his wife’s spirit and wanted her not to secretly receive a blessing, but so that the disciples from this event would learn the reason for His slowness, and all others would learn how great the power of persistent prayer is and how high the virtue of that wife. Therefore (the Savior) says: “It is not good for a child to take away the bread and damage it for a dog” (Matthew 15:26). Notice here the firmness of the wife’s spirit, how she, blazing with the fire of jealousy and animated by faith in God, tormented, so to speak, in her womb by the great sorrow for her daughter, does not turn away from the cruel word, but when she hears (the name of) the dog, she even bears it and recognizes herself as such, wanting to be saved from the senselessness of dogs and to be numbered among the ranks of the sons 329. So, listen to the words of the woman to find out what was the fruit of God’s delay in fulfilling her request. The cruelty of the words spoken to her not only did not alienate the wife (from the Savior), but aroused her to even greater jealousy. Hearing these words, she says: “By the Lord, for even the dogs eat of the grains that fall from the table of their masters” (Matthew 15:27). Do you see why the Lord delayed until now? So that from the words of the wife we ​​learn the full strength of her faith. Look, in fact, how the Lord immediately praised and crowned her, saying: “O woman, great is your faith” (Matthew 15:28). With surprise and praise, He released her, whom at first he did not deign to answer. “Velia,” he says, “is your faith.” Truly, “great faith” is to see how the Lord not once or twice, but repeatedly rejects the request, and not to become despondent, not to retreat, but to relentlessly call (the Lord) and bow Him to the fulfillment of the request. So, “wake you,” he says, “as you want.” Do you see how He, who previously did not deign to answer her, now gives her his gifts with praise? He not only heeded her request, but glorified and crowned her. With the word: “Oh, woman,” He showed how surprised he was at her faith, and with the words “great is your faith,” He revealed to us her (spiritual) wealth. Then he says: “Be it as you wish.” As much as you want, as much as you want, I give you as much; your persistent request shows that you are worthy of its fulfillment. Do you see your wife’s firmness now? Do you see the reason why the Lord delayed and why he delayed (the fulfillment of her request) - in order, that is, to make her even more glorious? But let us now return to the previous story to see that it was not for any other purpose that, for so many years, the Lord did not fulfill the promises given to the forefather (Abraham), but precisely in order to fulfill them later with greater glory, and to make the faith of the righteous evident to everyone. For this it is said: after ten years that they (Abraham and Sarah) spent together in the land of Canaan, so that you would know how much time has passed since he (Abraham) received the promises. Immediately upon his arrival in the land of Canaan, he heard: “To your seed will I give this land”; and so, for so many years, he himself remained childless, and Sarah’s barrenness increased. “And (Sarah) gave (Sarah),” it is said, “Hagar to wife Abram to her husband” (Gen. 16:3). 4. Look what kind of wisdom there was in ancient times, how the husbands were abstinent and had great concern for chastity, and the wives were far from jealousy. Scripture constantly says with intent: “And Sarai caught Hagar for her servant”; and again: “I will give you as a wife,” so that you can see how dispassionately this matter happened with them, and what wisdom they had. “And at the bottom,” it is said, “and Hagar was conceived” (Gen. 16:4). Look how Sarah learns that the reason for their childlessness was not in the righteous man (Abraham), but in her own barrenness: conception immediately followed cohabitation. But look now at the ignobility of the slave and at the weakness of the female sex, so that from here you can see the great meekness of the forefather. “And she saw,” it is said, “as if she were with child, and the lady 330 was cast down before her.” This is the custom of slaves: having received little happiness, they do not remain within their limits, but immediately forget about their rank and are carried away into recklessness; this is what happened with this slave. Noticing her pregnancy and not reflecting either on the wondrous wisdom of her mistress, or on her low condition, but becoming proud and dreaming a lot about herself, she began to despise the mistress, who showed her such protection that she even elevated her to the bed of her husband. What about Sarah? “And he said,” it is said, “to Abram: I have been offended by you: I have given my servant into your bosom: and when she saw that she was with child, she was reproached before her: God will judge between me and you” (Gen. 16:5). Notice here the indescribable patience of the righteous man and the sense of honor that he showed in relation to Sarah when he began to ask her forgiveness for such an unreasonable accusation. In fact, the one who handed over the slave to her husband with her own hands and said: “Come to my servant,” the one who voluntarily encouraged him to this life, now, having changed her thoughts, says: “I have been wronged by you.” But did he really want to connect with a slave? Was he himself driven by intemperance to this act? According to your conviction, wife, according to your suggestion, he did it. So, why are you offended by your husband? Behold, (she says), “I have given my servant into your bosom.” If you admit that you yourself offered it, and he did not take it of his own free will, why do you accuse him of injustice? So, he says; but although I suggested, you, seeing her insolence, had to curb her indomitable temper. “Having seen that she was with child, she was reproached before her: God judge between me and you.” These are truly women's words, characteristic of the weaker sex! As if she had said this to Abraham: wanting to console you in your childlessness, I showed such concern for you that I handed over my slave to you with my own hands and convinced you to unite with her; but you, seeing how she became impudent and arrogant from pregnancy, had to tame her and punish her for the insults caused to me; but you did not do this, but, as if forgetting everything that had happened before, you despised me, who had lived with you for so many years, and brought me to humiliation before the Egyptian woman, my slave. “God judge between me and you.” Words for a distressed soul! And if the forefather had not had so much wisdom, and he had not had great respect for Sarah, then he would have been indignant and offended by such cruel words. But this amazing husband forgave her everything, knowing the weakness of the sex. “God judge between me and you.” Think about, he says, what action I decided to take to console you, wanting you to call yourself father, even in old age; I elevated my servant to my dignity 331, and you, seeing her so ungrateful, did not punish her and did not reward me for the attention that I showed to you. “God judge between me and you.” He who knows the innermost thoughts of everyone, He will be the Judge between us (and will judge), just as I, being above all partiality, preferred your consolation to my own and elevated my slave to my bed; and you, without taking into account anything I have done, allow her to rebel against my meekness, do not tame the impudent one, do not admonish the unreasonable one. What about this adamant, this courageous ascetic of God, who in any case acquires crowns for himself? Showing his virtue in this case too, look at what he says to his wife: “Behold, your handmaid is in your hand: do to her as you please” (Gen. 16:6). Great is the wisdom of the righteous, great is the strength of his patience! Not only was he not indignant at Sarah’s words, but with great meekness he gives her his answer, saying: you suspect that I am to blame for the insults (inflicted on you), and you think that this act of a slave is pleasant to me, since she was once on my bed; but know that even before, if I had not just wanted to listen to you, I would not have decided to do this, and I would never have allowed myself to bring a slave to your bed; and now, to assure you of this in fact, here it is “in your hand”: do with it what you please. Has anyone reduced your power, or have you lost your rights over it? Although I accepted her into communication with me, you have your power over her; she is in your hands: rebuke, admonish, punish her; whatever you want and whatever pleases you, do with her; just don’t be upset and don’t attribute her reckless actions to me. Not prompted by my own passion, I decided to communicate with her, and not in such a way that later, carried away by passion, it would be unreasonable to give her preference (over you). I know the honor due to you; I also know the ingratitude of slaves. I don't think about her or care about her. My only concern is that you live without any sorrow, in peace, in all honor, away from all sorrows. 5. This is a truly marital union, this is a (true) husband who does not pay much attention to the words of his wife, but, showing condescension to the weaknesses of the sex, takes care of one thing in order to remove all grief and establish peace and harmony. Let men hear this and let them imitate the meekness of the righteous man, showing the same honor and respect to their wives, and sparing them as the weakest vessel, in order to thereby strengthen the union of like-mindedness. Truly, true wealth and the greatest happiness (lies) in the fact that a husband and wife do not disagree with each other, they are united with each other as one flesh, because “the two,” it is said, “will become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24). Such (spouses), even if they lived in poverty and were not noble, can be the happiest of all, because they enjoy true happiness and live in constant peace. And those, on the contrary, who do not enjoy such (agreement), but suffer from jealousy and lose the blessings of the world - those, even if they were surrounded by much wealth, even if they had a luxurious table, lived in glory, spend their lives most unhappily of all, inventing worries and worries for themselves every day, always suspecting each other, and cannot have any pleasures, because internal enmity (theirs) leads everything into disorder and causes them a lot of troubles. But here 332 there is nothing like that: the forefather, with his meekness, calmed the anger of the mistress (Sarah) and, giving her perfect power over the slave, established complete peace in his house. “And Sarai became embittered, and fled from her presence” (Gen. 16:6). As soon as Sarah punished the slave's insolence, the slave fled. This is the property of slaves: if they are not allowed to act in their own way, but their plans are stopped, they immediately overthrow the power of their masters and rush to flight. But look here too, what kind of providence from above the slave also enjoys, for the honor of the righteous. Since she carried within herself the seed of the righteous, she was even rewarded with a vision of an Angel. “You will find,” says the Scripture, “an angel of the Lord at a source of water in the desert, on the way of Shur” (Gen. 16:7). Notice the Lord’s love for mankind, how He does not despise anyone, but whether a slave or a slave, He shows His providence over everyone, looking not at the difference in titles, but at the disposition of the soul. However, here the Angel appears not on the merits of the slave, but for the honor of the righteous (Abraham). As I said, she was to be worthy of great care because she was worthy to receive into herself the seed of the righteous. “And an angel found her... and said to her: Hagar, Sarin’s servant, where are you coming from and where are you coming” (Gen. 16:7–8)? See how the very words of the Angel bring her own state to mind. To make her more attentive, from the very beginning he calls her by name and says: “Hagar,” since we are usually more attentive to someone who calls us by name. Then with the words: “servant Sarina,” the Angel reminds her of her mistress and thereby lets her know that, even though she has shared a bed with her master many times, she must still recognize Sarah as her mistress. But look how the Angel tests her to force her to answer. Where, he says, did you come to this desert and where are you heading? And for this reason, by the way, the Angel appears to her in the desert, so that she does not consider the questioner to be a simple, passing person. There was a desert there and she (Hagar) did not see anyone else (except for the one who appeared). So, so that she would know that the one talking to her was not just a person who happened there, this is why the Angel appears to her in the desert and questions her. “And she said: I will flee from the presence of Sarah my mistress” (Gen. 16:8). You see how she does not deny the power of her mistress (Sarah), but sincerely confesses everything. The person asking me, she thinks, is not a person, so I can’t deceive him. He called me by name before I told him my name, and mentioned my mistress; I also need to tell the truth. “From the face of Sarah my mistress I am running.” See how she remembers (her mistress) without any hatred. She didn’t say: she insulted me, made me angry, and I, not being able to bear her hatred, ran away from her. She did not express any reproach (about Sarah), but only accused herself of fleeing. Do you see her honesty? Look what the Angel said to her: “The Angel of the Lord said to her: Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand” (Gen. 16:9). To the words (of Hagar): “I am running from the face of my mistress,” (the Angel) replies: return, go back, do not be ungrateful to the one who has shown you so many benefits. And since she aroused the anger of her mistress with pride and arrogance, then (the Angel) says: “Submit under her hand,” submit to her: it will be useful to you. Remember (your) slavery, do not forget (Sarah’s) dominion; do not think highly and do not dream of yourself more appropriate: “submit yourself under her hand” and show her complete obedience. Such words from the Angel quite softened her heart, humbled her arrogance, tamed her anger and pacified her thoughts. 6. Further, so that she does not think that she was rewarded with such a providence simply and without reason, but learns what kind of care she uses for the sake of the seed of the righteous, see how the Angel comforts her, restores her spirit and gives her sufficient hope of joy with the words that he adds. “And the Angel of the Lord said to her: By multiplying I will multiply your seed, and it will not be numbered from the multitude” (Gen. 16:10). I also predict to you, he says, that your seed will be so great that it will be impossible to count it. So, do not grieve, do not weaken in spirit, do not be troubled in your thoughts, but show complete obedience. “Behold, you were with child and gave birth to a son, and you called his name Ishmael.” For this purpose, he says, I predict your birth and assign the very name to the son who will be born from you, so that you, having received greater confirmation (in my words), will return back and correct your misdeeds. “Because the Lord has heard,” he says, “your humility” (Gen. 16:11). Let us learn from this what fruit comes from sorrows and what benefit comes from misfortunes. So, when Hagar left (from Sarah), and her misfortune increased, when she was subjected to many sorrows, remaining alone, in the desert, in the most cramped circumstances, after such prosperity, after she was elevated to a dignity equal to the mistress herself, then for these very reasons she received such quick help. It will happen, (the Angel) tells her, what I promise you: you will give birth to a son, and your seed will be without number, “because the Lord has heard your humility.” Let us not be impatient when a combination of circumstances constrains us. Nothing is so beneficial for our nature as to humble ourselves, curb our arrogance and suppress the arrogance of the spirit. It is then that the Lord hears us most when we call upon him with a sorrowful soul and a contrite heart in diligent prayer: “Because the Lord has heard,” he says, “your humility.” Then (the Angel) predicts the lifestyle of the son (Hagar) who is about to be born. “This one,” he says, “will be a village man: his hand will be against everyone, and the hands of everyone will be against him, and he will dwell in the presence of all his brethren” (Gen. 16:12). He predicts to her that he will be a courageous, warlike man, and will work hard in cultivating the land. So, from all that happened to the slave, do you see the glory of the forefather (Abraham)? Such providence for a servant shows the Lord’s favor towards this righteous man. Having given instructions and communicated the good news to Hagar, the Angel left. But pay attention again to the slave’s prudence. “And she called 333,” it is said, “the name of the Lord, saying to her: You are the God who has looked upon me, as he said: for before me I saw him who appeared to me. For this reason, the storehouse was nicknamed: the storehouse, where I saw before me 334,... between Cadiz and between Barah" 335 (Gen. 16:13-14). Look how he wants to preserve the memory of it forever with the (new) name of the place. “The nickname,” says Scripture, “is the place: a treasure trove, where I saw before me.” You see how the slave, from the sorrow that befell her, becoming little by little more prudent, expresses her gratitude for the benefit shown to her and rewards as best she can for such great care for her. “And Hagar bore Abraham a son, and he called 336 his name, whose name Hagar bore him, Ishmael” (Gen. 16:15). 7. From here we will learn how great a blessing is meekness, and what benefit can be gained even from sorrows. The forefather (Abraham) showed meekness in that he tamed Sarah’s irritation, and, giving her power over the slave, through this he established peace in his house; and the benefit of sorrows can be seen from the circumstances of the servant (Hagar). When she, embittered by her mistress, fled from her and, having suffered many sorrows, with a contrite soul cried out to the Lord, she was immediately rewarded with a visit from above. And so that she knows that for her humility and suffering she has been awarded such care from above, the Angel says to her: “Imash was in your womb, and gave birth to a son, and you called his name Ishmael: for the Lord heard your humility.” So, beloved, knowing that sorrows bring us closest to the Lord, if only we are cheerful in spirit, and that then we can gain His mercy when we approach Him with a contrite soul and with hot tears - knowing this, let us not lose heart in misfortunes; but, reflecting on the benefits of sorrows, let us begin to complacently endure everything that happens to us; let us learn to be quiet and meek towards everyone in general, and especially towards our spouses; whether they will blame us fairly or unfairly, let us not pay too much attention to that, but be more concerned about one thing, to remove the causes of troubles and maintain deep peace in our home, so that “the wife also has her turn to her husband” and the husband from external worries and storms can resort to her as a pier and find all consolation in her. After all, the wife was given to the husband to help him, so that the husband, with her consolation, could endure everything that happens to him in life. And if the wife is meek and adorned with virtues, then not only with her company will she bring comfort to her husband, but will also provide him with great benefit in everything, making everything easier for him and helping him in everything, not leaving him in difficult trials, both external (outside the home) and those that happen daily in the house; but, like a skilled helmsman, with her prudence she will calm down every spiritual storm in him and with her cohabitation will give him consolation. For those living in such a union of marriage, nothing in real life can sadden them too much, nothing can disturb their peaceful happiness, because where unanimity, peace and the union of love reign between husband and wife, all good things flow there, and they (husband and wife) are safe from all evil slander, fenced, as it were, by a great and indestructible wall - unanimity in the Lord. This makes them harder than adamant, stronger than iron; this increases their wealth and all abundance; this elevates them to the highest degree of good fame; this also attracts great favor from God to them. Let us, I ask you, value unanimity above all else, and let us do everything in this way and strive to ensure that peace and quiet are constantly maintained in marriage. Then children will imitate the virtues of their parents, and slaves will follow them, and virtue will flourish throughout the house, and there will be prosperity in all matters. When we prefer pleasing God to everything, then everything good will flow to us, as if like a river, and we will not have any sorrowful feelings, because the goodness of God will send everything to us in abundance. So, so that we ourselves can lead our present life carelessly and receive more and more mercies from the Lord, let us preserve virtue and try to introduce unanimity and peace into our homes; Let us take care of the good upbringing of children, of the morality of slaves, so that, having received a generous reward for all this, we may be rewarded with the promised benefits, by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, be glory, power and honor, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. Zlat.: ἐν γῇ Χαναὰν according to sp. Cottonian., Koislian., Dorothea, etc.; in Lucian. sp., as in Hebrew. i.e., these words are not readable. τεκνοποιήσης according to sp. Alex., Koislian. etc.; in Lucian. τεκνοποιήσομαι, in sp. Dorothea - τεκνοποιήσω - “I will create children” (Slavic Bibl.), as in Hebrew. t. Zlat.: τοῦ συνοικῆσαι ῎Αβραμ τῶ ἀνδρὶ αὐτῆς ἐν γῇ Χαναναίᾳ according to sp. Koisl. (X in Holmes) and Dorotheus; in the latter, the only one known hitherto is read here Χαναναια instead of the usual Χαναάν; in Lucian. sp. instead, according to Heb. t., reads: τοῦ οἰκῆσαι ῎Αβραμ ἐν γῇ Χαναὰν - “the settlement of Abraml in the lands of Canaan.” i.e., fulfilling one's promises. The meaning is this: the Canaanite wife, realizing the senselessness of paganism to which she belonged, wanted to join the ranks of the followers of Christ. Αὐτῆς – “her” is not read in Zlat. agrees with most Greeks. sp., although in Heb. i.e. it is located. Turning to the story of Abraham. Name: “Hagar” by Zlata. not readable, according to Alex., Cottonian. and Lucian. Sp., as well as Heb. text. ᾿Ιδοὺ – “se”, usually read in Greek. sp., as in Hebrew. text, from Zlat. omitted. Zlat.: Βαρὰχ according to sp. No. 31 at Holmes; in sp. Dorotheus and Lucian. – Βαρὰκ, in Hebrew. t. "Bared". Zlat.: καὶ ἐκάλεσε τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ; in Lucian. sp.: καὶ ἐκάλεσε τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ – “and he called the name of his son,” as in Hebrew. i.e., with the addition of a subject - “Abram”. You might be interested in: