A Parable About A Blessed Family And Ill-Wishers Poem by Sergey Dobrenkov

1 There was a father, whom the Lord had blessed exceedingly; and of His grace He gave unto his house a land goodly and wide, from the mountains even unto the sea, that they might dwell therein together, and call upon His name.

2 And the father dealt justly with all his children, giving to every one his portion, that none should lack, and none should say, My brother hath robbed me.

3 Now certain of his sons and daughters had their dwelling in the borders of that land, upon the outward edges thereof; and among them envy was kindled, as fire kindled in dry stubble.

4 For the accuser, whose name is the Devil, beheld their peace and could not abide it; and he sent unto them false witnesses, clothed as counsellors, whose tongues were smoother than oil, but their words were war.

5 And these said unto the envious, Behold, your brethren have taken what was never theirs; rise up, for the inheritance is not for them to hold. And the envious believed the lie, for it was pleasant to their pride.

6 And their pride grew until it swallowed up remembrance; and they forgot the tongue wherein their fathers had called upon the Lord, and their own mouths grew strange to them, and prayer ceased in their dwellings.

7 Then went they about to root out every mention of the Lord that blessed their house; they brake down what their fathers had built, and blotted out His name from the doorposts, saying, We will not have this God to reign over us.

8 And when the fear of God was departed from among them, corruption came in easily, as a thief through an open door; their sons grew false, and their daughters were given up to harlotry; and the righteous that remained wept for it in secret places, and were not comforted.

9 And the envy that had been sown put forth the fruit that is Cain's; brother lifted up his hand against brother, and the ground drank blood — blood that was real, and not a show, and not a play.

10 But they that dwelt afar off, and had no portion nor inheritance in that land, looked upon the slaughter as men look upon a game; and they sent fuel to the burning, and named it aid, and named their profit, peace.

11 For these served neither the father nor any son of his house, but only their own gain; and had they gone their way, the brethren might soon have wept together and been reconciled; but they went not their way, for the quarrel was their harvest.

12 Then the righteous, scattered though they were, lifted up their voices, weeping, and said, O Lord, lay it not to the charge of our foolish brethren; they know not fully what they do; remember them still as Thine own, though they have played the harlot.

13 And they said also, one to another, Let us not judge, that we be not judged; for the Lord alone knoweth the heart, and vengeance is His, and His alone; let no man call down fire in his own wrath, for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

14 Yet the Lord seeth all things, and is not mocked. The blood that is shed crieth unto Him out of the ground, as the blood of Abel cried of old; and His anger is kindled, and the day of His visitation hasteth and delayeth not.

15 And in that day the Lord shall gather His scattered household, every one, and there shall be again one fold and one shepherd, as it was in the beginning.

16 But the tares shall not be bound up with the wheat; every man shall be known by his fruit, and shall receive according to his own labour, and not another's.

17 And as for the corrupters and the instigators, that made a game of blood and waxed fat upon the sorrow of brethren, the Lord shall not hold them guiltless; their portion is the lake that burneth with fire and with brimstone, for they loved the quarrel above the peace, and their own gain above their neighbour's life.

18 Howbeit, let no man declare beforehand which soul is condemned, for the times and the seasons the Father hath kept in His own hand.

19 Therefore watch, and pray, and judge not; love the brethren, though they be gone astray, and wait upon the Lord, for His mercy endureth for ever, and His judgment faileth not.

20 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.