012-barnabas.en.txt

1.1 Greetings, sons and daughters, in the name of the Lord who loved us. Peace be with you.
1.2 God's great and rich gifts for you make me extremely happy because of your blessed and glorious spirits. You have received the grace of the spiritual gift deeply within you.
1.3 Therefore, I rejoice even more, hoping to be saved, because I truly see the rich Spirit of the Lord poured out on you. Your sight, so dear to me, amazes me.
1.4 Convinced and knowing this within myself, I can see that speaking to you teaches me much because the Lord has guided me on the path of righteousness. Therefore, I am compelled to love you more than my own life, because great faith and love dwell in you, with the hope of His life.
1.5 Realizing this, I thought that if I share with you some of what I have received, it would be a reward for serving such spirits. I eagerly sent you this, so that with your faith, you may have complete knowledge.
1.6 So there are three teachings of the Lord: hope of life, the beginning and end of our faith; righteousness, the beginning and end of judgment; and love, which is joy and the proof of righteous deeds.
1.7 For the Lord has shown us through the prophets the past and the present, and by giving us a taste of the future. Seeing each thing come to pass as He said, we must approach Him with greater and higher reverence.
1.8 I am not speaking as a teacher, but as one of you. I will point out a few things that will bring you joy in the present.
2.1 Since the days are evil and the one working has power, we must pay attention to ourselves and seek the Lord’s commandments.
2.2 So, the helpers of our faith are fear and patience, and our allies are endurance and self-control.
2.3 If these remain purely for the Lord, then wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and learning will join them in rejoicing.
2.4 For through all the prophets He has shown us that He needs neither sacrifices nor burnt offerings nor offerings, saying at one time:
2.5 “What use to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?” says the Lord. “I am full of burnt offerings, and I do not desire the fat of lambs or the blood of bulls and goats. When you come to appear before Me, who asked this from your hand? Do not trample My courts. If you bring fine flour, it is in vain; incense is an abomination to Me. I cannot endure your new moons and Sabbaths.”
2.6 Therefore, He abolished these things so that the new law of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is free from the yoke of necessity, might have an offering not made by human hands.
2.7 He says to them again: “Did I command your ancestors when they came out of the land of Egypt to bring Me burnt offerings and sacrifices?”
2.8 But this is what I commanded them: Let each of you not hold a grudge in your heart against your neighbor, and do not love false oaths.
2.9 Therefore, we should understand, not being foolish, the intention of the goodness of our Father, when He says to us, wanting us not to be misled like them, to seek how we may approach Him.
2.10 So He says to us: The sacrifice to the Lord is a broken heart, the pleasing aroma to the Lord is a heart that glorifies its creator. Therefore, we must be careful, brothers, about our salvation, so that the evil one does not sneak in and mislead us, driving us away from our life.
3.1 So He says again about these things to them: Why do you fast for me, says the Lord, so that your voice may be heard in a loud cry today? This is not the fast I have chosen, says the Lord, not a person humbling their own soul.
3.2 Nor by bowing your neck like a ring and wearing sackcloth and scattering ashes. You won't call this an acceptable fast either.
3.3 But to us He says: Behold, this is the fast I have chosen, says the Lord: Loose every bond of injustice, untie the ropes of unfair deals, send away the oppressed in freedom, and break every unjust contract. Share your bread with the hungry, and when you see someone naked, clothe them. Bring the homeless into your house, and when you see the humble, do not ignore them, nor turn away from your own kin.
3.4 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear. Your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of God will surround you.
3.5 Then you will call, and God will answer; while you are still speaking, He will say, "Here I am." If you remove the chains of oppression, the pointing finger, and malicious talk, and if you offer your food to the hungry from your heart and show compassion to the troubled soul.
3.6 Therefore, brothers, having foreseen with patience, the people will believe with sincerity, whom He prepared in His beloved one. He revealed everything to us so that we would not falter like strangers to their law.
4.1 Therefore, we must carefully examine the present and seek what can save us. Let us completely avoid all works of lawlessness, so that lawless deeds do not take hold of us. Let us hate the deception of the current time, so that we may be loved in the future.
4.2 Let us not give our soul rest, allowing it to join with sinners and evil people, so that we do not become like them.
4.3 The great stumbling block is near, as it is written, as Enoch says. For this reason, the Lord has shortened the times and days, so that His beloved may come quickly and inherit.
4.4 And the prophet also says this: Ten kingdoms will rule on the earth, and a small king will rise up afterward, who will humble three of the kings.
4.5 Likewise, Daniel says about the same thing: And I saw the fourth beast, evil and strong and more terrifying than all the beasts of the sea, and from it arose ten horns, and from them a small additional horn, and it humbled three of the large horns.
4.6 So, you ought to understand. I also ask you this, as one of you, especially since I love you all more than my own life: Pay attention now to yourselves and do not be like those who add to their sins by saying that the covenant applies to them and to us.
4.7 The covenant is with us; but they lost it forever after Moses had already received it. For the scripture says: Moses was on the mountain fasting for forty days and forty nights, and he received the covenant from the Lord, stone tablets written by the finger of the hand of the Lord.
4.8 But they turned back to idols and lost it. For the Lord says this: "Moses, Moses, go down quickly, for your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, have sinned." And Moses understood and threw the two tablets from his hands, and their covenant was broken, so that the covenant of the beloved Jesus could be sealed in our hearts with the hope of his faith.
4.9 Wanting to write many things, not as a teacher but as one who loves you, I made every effort to write what is fitting so that we stay on the right path. Therefore, let's be careful in these last days, for all the time we spent in faith won't help us unless we now resist the lawless times and the coming troubles like children of God, so that the evil one doesn't take hold of us.
4.10 Let's flee from all vanity and completely hate the works of the evil way. Do not isolate yourselves thinking you are already righteous, but gather together and discuss what is beneficial for everyone.
4.11 For the scripture says, "Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight." Let us become spiritual and a perfect temple for God. As much as it is up to us, let's practice the fear of God and strive to keep His commandments, so we can rejoice in His righteous acts.
4.12 The Lord will judge the world without favoritism. Each person will receive according to what they have done. If they are good, their righteousness will go before them. If they are evil, the reward for their wickedness will be in front of them.
4.13 So that we do not become complacent, thinking we are chosen and fall asleep in our sins, allowing the evil ruler to take control over us and drive us away from the kingdom of the Lord.
4.14 And another thing, my brothers, understand this: when you see such great signs and wonders happening in Israel, and yet they are left behind, let us be careful so that, as it is written, "Many are called, but few are chosen," we do not find ourselves among the unchosen.
5.1 The Lord endured giving up His body to destruction for this reason: so that through the forgiveness of sins we might be purified, which is in His sprinkled blood.
5.2 It is written about Him, some things for Israel and some things for us. It says this: "He was wounded for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities; by His wounds we are healed. He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearers."
5.3 Therefore, we ought to give great thanks to the Lord because He made known to us the past, teaches us in the present, and makes us wise about the future.
5.4 The scripture says: "A net is not spread for birds without reason." This means that a person who knows the way of righteousness but turns to the path of darkness will justly be destroyed.
5.5 And furthermore, my brothers, if the Lord, who is the master of the whole world, endured suffering for our sake, and to whom God said from the foundation of the world, "Let us make man in our image and likeness," then how did He endure suffering at the hands of men?
5.6 Learn this: The prophets, having grace from Him, prophesied about Him. And He, to abolish death and show the resurrection from the dead, because it was necessary for Him to be revealed in the flesh, endured suffering.
5.7 So that He might fulfill the promise to the fathers and to show, while He was on the earth, that He was preparing a new people for Himself, and that He, having made the resurrection, will judge.
5.8 Ending, He taught Israel and performed such great wonders and signs, and He loved them greatly.
5.9 When He chose His own apostles who were to preach His gospel, being more sinful than all others, to show that He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, then He revealed Himself to be the Son of God.
5.10 For if He had not come in the flesh, people could not have been saved by seeing Him. Just as they cannot look directly at the sun, which will not always be, although it is the work of His hands.
5.11 So the Son of God came in the flesh to thoroughly deal with the sins of those who killed His prophets.
5.12 So He endured for this reason. For God says of the wound to His flesh that it is caused by them: "When they strike their own shepherd, the sheep of the flock will be scattered."
5.13 He chose to suffer like this because it was necessary for Him to suffer on the cross. For the prophet says of Him, "Spare my soul from the sword," and, "Pierce my flesh, for the gatherings of the wicked have risen against me."
5.14 And again He says, "Look, I have given my back to whips and my cheeks to slaps. I made my face like a hard rock."
6.1 So when He carried out the command, what does He say? "Who will challenge me? Let them stand against me. Or who will defend themselves before me? Let them come near the servant of the Lord."
6.2 Woe to you, for you all will become like old clothes, and moths will eat you up. And again the prophet says, "Because He was placed as a strong stone to be broken, behold, I will lay in Zion a precious stone, chosen and honored, as a cornerstone."
6.3 Then what does it say? "Whoever hopes in Him will live forever." Is our hope, then, in a stone? Absolutely not; but because the Lord has made His body strong. For it says, "And He has made me like a firm rock."
6.4 The prophet also says again, "The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone." And again he says, "This is the great and wonderful day which the Lord has made."
6.5 I wrote it simply for you, so you would understand. I am the scrapings of your love.
6.6 What does the prophet say again? "A group of evildoers surrounded me; they circled around me like bees," and, "They cast lots for my clothing."
6.7 So, as his suffering in the flesh was to be revealed, his suffering was foretold. For the prophet says about Israel, "Woe to their souls, for they have planned an evil scheme against themselves, saying, 'Let us bind the righteous one, for he is troublesome to us.'"
6.8 What does the other prophet Moses say to them? "Behold, thus says the Lord God: Enter the good land, which the Lord swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and take possession of it, a land flowing with milk and honey."
6.9 And what does knowledge say? Learn this. "Hope," it says, "in Jesus, who is to be revealed to you in the flesh. For man is suffering earth; for the form of Adam was made from the face of the earth."
6.10 What then does it mean: “Into the good land, a land flowing with milk and honey”? Blessed is the Lord our God, brothers, who has placed wisdom and understanding in us about His secrets. For the prophet speaks a parable of the Lord: Who will understand it, except the wise and knowledgeable, and those who love the Lord?
6.11 Since he renewed us by forgiving our sins, he made us into a new form, so that we have a soul like that of children, as if he is reshaping us.
6.12 For the Scripture says about us, as it says to the Son: "Let us make man in our image and likeness, and let them rule over the beasts of the earth, the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea." And the Lord said, seeing our good creation, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth." These words were spoken to the Son.
6.13 Again, I will show you how it speaks to us. He made a second creation in the last days. And the Lord says, "Behold, I make the last things like the first." Therefore, the prophet declared, "Enter into a land flowing with milk and honey and take possession of it."
6.14 See, then, we have been remade, just as it says again in another prophet: "Behold," says the Lord, "I will remove these things," meaning the stone hearts, "and give them hearts of flesh." Because he was going to appear in the flesh and dwell among us.
6.15 For the temple of our hearts is a holy dwelling place for the Lord, my brothers.
6.16 The Lord says again: "And where will I appear to the Lord my God and be glorified?" He says, "I will praise you in the assembly of my brothers, and sing to you among the congregation of saints." Therefore, we are the ones he brought into the good land.
6.17 What then is the meaning of the milk and honey? It's that a child is first nourished with honey and then with milk. In the same way, we will live, being given life by the faith of the promise and the word, and we will rule over the land.
6.18 We said before: "Let them grow and multiply and rule over the fish." Who then can now rule over beasts, or fish, or birds of the sky? We must understand that ruling is about having authority, so one can command and govern.
6.19 So, if this isn't happening now, he has told us when it will: when we ourselves are made perfect to become heirs of the Lord's covenant.
7.1 Therefore, understand, children of joy, that the good Lord has revealed everything to us, so that we know, and we owe Him thanks in everything and must praise Him.
7.2 So if the Son of God, who is Lord and will judge the living and the dead, suffered so that His wound could give us life, let's believe that the Son of God could not have suffered unless it was for us.
7.3 But even when He was crucified, He was given vinegar and gall to drink. Listen to what the priests of the temple have revealed about this. A command was written: "Whoever does not fast the fast shall be exterminated by death," the Lord commanded, because He Himself was about to offer the vessel of the spirit as a sacrifice for our sins, so that the pattern that happened with Isaac, who was offered on the altar, might be fulfilled.
7.4 So what does it say in the prophet? "Let them eat from the goat that is offered during the fast for all sins." Pay close attention: "And let the priests alone eat all the entrails, unwashed, with vinegar."
7.5 Why? Because since I am about to offer my flesh for the sins of my new people, and you are about to give me gall mixed with vinegar to drink, you alone shall eat while the people fast and mourn in sackcloth and ashes. This is to show that he must suffer for their sake.
7.6 Pay attention to what He commanded: "Take two good and similar goats and offer them, and let the priest take one as a burnt offering for sins."
7.7 What should they do with the other one? He says, "The one will be cursed." Pay attention to how this is a sign of Jesus.
7.8 Spit on it, pierce it, and put red wool around its head, then cast it out into the desert. When this happens, the one carrying the goat will lead it into the desert, remove the wool, and place it on a thorny shrub called "Rachel," whose shoots we are used to eating in our country when we find them. Only the fruits of the Rachel shrub are sweet.
7.9 So, what does this mean? Pay attention: One goat is for the altar, and the other is cursed and crowned. When they see him on that day, dressed in a red robe, they will say, "Isn't this the one we once crucified, despised, pierced, and spat on? Truly, this was the one who said he was the Son of God."
7.10 How is he like that? The goats are made similar, good, and equal, so that when they see him coming, they will be amazed at the similarity to the goat. Therefore, see the symbol of Jesus who is going to suffer.
7.11 Why do they place the wool among the thorns? It is a symbol of Jesus in the church, because whoever wants to take the red wool must suffer a lot because the thorn is dangerous, and only after being pressed can they possess it. In the same way, he says, those who want to see me and touch my kingdom must suffer and endure to receive me.
8.1 What do you think is the meaning when Israel is commanded to offer a young cow, and the men with complete sins must slaughter and burn it, then the children gather the ashes and put them in a jar, wrapping red wool around a piece of wood (notice again the symbol of the cross and the red wool) and the hyssop, and then the children sprinkle the people one by one, so they are purified from their sins?
8.2 Do you understand how simply it speaks to you? The calf is Jesus, and the men offering it are the sinners who brought him to be slaughtered. Then it is no longer the glory of men, no longer the glory of sinners.
8.3 The children who sprinkle are those who preached to us about the forgiveness of sins and the purification of the heart. They were given the authority of the gospel (being twelve as a testimony to the tribes, since there are twelve tribes of Israel), to proclaim it.
8.4 Why are there three children who sprinkle? As a testimony to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for they are great before God.
8.5 Why the wool on the wood? Because the kingdom of Jesus is on the wood, and those who hope in Him will live forever.
8.6 Why both the wool and the hyssop? Because in His kingdom there will be evil and unclean days, in which we will be saved; for even the one who suffers in the flesh is healed by the cleansing of hyssop.
8.7 And for this reason, these things are clear to us, but dark to them, because they did not listen to the voice of the Lord.
9.1 For He speaks again about the ears, how He has circumcised our hearts. The Lord says in the prophet: "They listened to me with the hearing of an ear." And again He says: "Those far away will hear, they will know what I have done." And: "Circumcise your hearts," says the Lord.
9.2 And again He says: "Listen, Israel, for thus says the Lord your God." And again the Spirit of the Lord prophesies: "Who is it that wants to live forever? Let him listen to the voice of my servant."
9.3 And again He says: "Listen, heavens, and hear, earth, for the Lord has spoken these things as a witness." And again He says: "Hear the word of the Lord, rulers of this people." And again He says: "Listen, children, to the voice of one crying in the wilderness." So, He has circumcised our ears so that, hearing the word, we might believe.
9.4 But even the circumcision in which they trusted has been abolished. For He said that circumcision should not be of the flesh. But they transgressed, because an evil angel deceived them.
9.5 He says to them: "Thus says the Lord your God (here I find a commandment): Do not sow among thorns, be circumcised to the Lord your God." And what does He say? "Circumcise your hard hearts, and do not harden your necks." Again, He says: "Behold, says the Lord, all the nations are uncircumcised, but this people are uncircumcised in heart."
9.6 But you will say: "But the people have been circumcised as a seal." Yet every Syrian and Arab and all the priests of idols are also circumcised. So then, are they also part of the covenant? Even the Egyptians are circumcised.
9.7 So, learn well, dear children, that Abraham, who was first to give circumcision, foresaw Jesus in spirit and circumcised, receiving the doctrine of three letters.
9.8 For it says: "And Abraham circumcised eighteen and three hundred men from his household." So what was the knowledge given to him? Learn this: the first eighteen, and then making a space, says three hundred. The eighteen is I (ten) and H (eight); you have Jesus. And because the cross was to have its grace in the T, it also says the three hundred. So it shows Jesus in the two letters and the cross in the one.
9.9 He who placed the innate gift of his teaching within us knows. No one has learned the word more genuinely from me; but I know that you are worthy.
10.1 When Moses said, "You shall not eat a pig, or an eagle, or a hawk, or a raven, or any fish that does not have scales," he took three principles in understanding.
10.2 At the end, he tells them in Deuteronomy, "And I will establish my laws with these people." So, it is not a command of God not to eat; Moses spoke in the spirit.
10.3 So, when he said "pig," he meant this: "You shall not associate with people who are like pigs." That means, when they are rich, they forget the Lord, but when they are poor, they know the Lord. Just like the pig, when it eats, it does not know the Lord, but when it is hungry, it cries out, and when it gets food, it is silent again.
10.4 You shall not eat the eagle, the hawk, the kite, or the raven. This means, he said, you shall not associate with or become like people who do not know how to work hard to provide for themselves. Instead, they take what belongs to others in their lawlessness. They watch and act like they are walking honestly but are really waiting to rob someone out of greed. Just like these birds do not get their food themselves but sit lazily, looking for how they can snatch another creature's flesh, being harmful with their wickedness.
10.5 And you shall not eat the eel, the octopus, or the cuttlefish. This means, he said, you shall not become like people who are totally wicked and already condemned to death. Just like these sea creatures, which are cursed and swim at the bottom of the sea, not swimming like the others, but dwelling on the ground below the seabed.
10.6 But you shall not eat the hare, either. Why? It means, he said, you shall not become a corrupter of children or be like such people, because the hare increases its feces each year. For as many years as it lives, it has that many holes.
10.7 But you shall not eat the hyena either. Why? It means, he said, you shall not become an adulterer or someone who spoils others, nor should you be like such people. Because this animal changes its nature every year, sometimes becoming male, and other times becoming female.
10.8 But he also rightly hated the weasel. It means, he said, you shall not become like those who commit lawlessness with their mouths through impurity. Nor should you be attached to the impure ones who do lawlessness with their mouths. Because this animal conceives through its mouth.
10.9 Regarding food, Moses received three teachings and spoke thus in spirit. But those who desired flesh received it as if it were about eating.
10.10 David also understands these same three teachings and says: "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked," like fish who swim in darkness in the depths; "and does not stand in the way of sinners," like those who seem to fear the Lord but sin like the pig; "and does not sit in the seat of pestilence," like birds sitting to be snatched. You also have a full understanding about food.
10.11 Moses also says: "You may eat any animal that has a split hoof and chews the cud." What does he mean? That those who receive food know the one who provides for them and rest in him, feeling joyful. He spoke well, seeing the commandment. What then does he say? "Stay with those who fear the Lord," with those who ponder what they have received in their hearts, with those who speak the Lord's judgments and keep them, with those who know that studying is a joyful task, and with those who meditate on the word of the Lord. And what about the split hoof? It means that the righteous walk in this world and await the holy age to come. See how well Moses established the law.
10.12 But how could those people understand this or comprehend it? Yet we, understanding the commandments correctly, speak as the Lord wanted. That is why he opened our ears and hearts, so we could understand these things.
11.1 Let's ask if it was important to the Lord to reveal anything about water and the cross. About water, it is written regarding Israel: how will they not accept baptism that brings forgiveness of sins, but instead build their own ideas?
11.2 For the prophet says: "Be amazed, O heavens, and let the earth tremble greatly at this, for this people have done two evil things: they have abandoned me, the fountain of life, and dug for themselves a pit of death."
11.3 Isn't my holy mountain Sinai like a deserted rock? You will be like birds, flying away after their nest is taken.
11.4 And again the prophet says: "I will go before you and level the mountains, break down bronze gates and shatter iron bars. I will give you hidden treasures, secret and unseen, so that you may know that I am the Lord your God."
11.5 And: "You will live in a high cave of a strong rock. And: its water will be trustworthy. You will see the king in his glory, and your soul will contemplate the fear of the Lord."
11.6 And again, in another prophet it says: "The one who does these things will be like a tree planted by streams of water, which gives its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. Whatever he does will prosper."
11.7 Not so the wicked, not so; they are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore, the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
11.8 Understand how he has linked water and the cross together. For he says: Blessed are those who, having hoped in the cross, have gone down into the water, for he says their reward will come in due time. Then, he says, I will give it. Now, when he says: Their leaves will not wither, he means that every word that comes from your mouth in faith and love will bring hope and return to many.
11.9 And again, another prophet says: The land of Jacob was praised above all the land. This means that the vessel of his spirit brings glory.
11.10 Then what does it say? There was a river flowing on the right, and beautiful trees grew from it. Whoever eats from them will live forever.
11.11 This means that we go down into the water full of sins and dirt, and we come up bearing in our hearts the fear and hope in Jesus with the spirit. And whoever eats from these will live forever. This means whoever, he says, listens to these words and believes will live forever.
12.1 Similarly, about the cross, it is defined in another prophet saying: And when will these things be fulfilled? The Lord says: When a tree falls and rises, and when blood drips from the tree. Again, you have a reference to the cross and the one to be crucified.
12.2 He says again to Moses, while Israel was at war with the foreigners, to remind them that because of their sins they were given over to death. The spirit speaks to the heart of Moses to make a symbol of the cross and of the one who would suffer because if, he says, they do not hope in him, they will be at war forever. So, Moses places one weapon over another in the middle of the battle, and standing higher than all, he stretched out his hands, and thus Israel prevailed again. But whenever he lowered them, they were killed.
12.3 Why? So that they may understand that they cannot be saved unless they hope in him.
12.4 And again, in another prophet, he says: "All day long I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people who oppose my righteous way."
12.5 Again, Moses creates a symbol of Jesus, showing that he must suffer, and he will give life to those who think he is lost. When Israel was falling, (for the Lord made every serpent bite them, causing them to die because the sin through the serpent in Eve happened), he did this to show them that because of their transgression, they would be handed over to the troubles of death.
12.6 To sum it up, Moses himself commanded: "You shall not make for yourselves a graven or molten image to be your god." He did this to show a symbol of Jesus. So, Moses made a bronze serpent and set it up high, and with a proclamation, he called the people.
12.7 So they came together and asked Moses to pray for their healing. Moses said to them, "Whenever any of you is bitten, come to the serpent set on the pole and believe that even though it is dead, it can give life, and immediately you will be saved." And they did as he instructed. Again, you see in this the glory of Jesus, that everything is in him and through him.
12.8 What does Moses say again to Joshua, son of Nun, giving him this name as a prophet, so that all the people would listen? That the Father reveals everything about his son Jesus.
12.9 Moses said to Joshua, son of Nun, giving him this name when he sent him to spy out the land: "Take a book in your hands and write what the Lord says, that the Son of God will completely cut off the house of Amalek in the last days."
12.10 Look again at Jesus, not as the son of a man, but as the Son of God, revealed in the flesh as a symbol. When they say that Christ is the son of David, David himself prophesies, fearing and understanding the deception of sinners: "The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."
12.11 And Isaiah says again: "The Lord said to my Lord Christ, whose right hand I have held, to listen to nations before Him, and I will break the power of kings." See, how David calls Him Lord, and does not call Him son.
13.1 Let us see if this people inherits or the first, and if the covenant is for us or for them.
13.2 So listen to what the scripture says about the people: Isaac prayed for Rebekah, his wife, because she was barren; and she conceived. Then Rebekah went to ask the Lord, and the Lord said to her: "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples will be separated from your body, and one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger."
13.3 You should understand who Isaac and Rebekah are, and to whom it was shown that this people is greater than the other.
13.4 And in another prophecy, Jacob speaks more clearly to his son Joseph, saying: "Look, the Lord has not deprived me of seeing your face; bring your sons to me, so that I may bless them."
13.5 And he brought Ephraim and Manasseh, wanting Manasseh to be blessed, because he was the older one. For Joseph guided him to Jacob's right hand. But Jacob, seeing a sign by the spirit of the people between them, what does he do? Jacob crossed his hands and placed his right hand on the head of Ephraim, the younger one, and blessed him. And Joseph said to Jacob, "Move your right hand to Manasseh's head, for he is my firstborn son." And Jacob said to Joseph, "I know, my child, I know; but the older will serve the younger, and this one too will be blessed."
13.6 See, on whom he has placed his hands, that this people would be first and the heir of the covenant.
13.7 So if it was also through Abraham that he remembered, we are still far from perfect understanding. What does he say to Abraham when he alone believed and was made righteous? "Look, I have made you, Abraham, the father of nations who believe, even without circumcision, in God."
14.1 Yes. But let us see if the covenant, which he swore to give to the fathers for the people, has been given. It was given, but they themselves were not worthy to receive it because of their sins.
14.2 For the prophet says: “And Moses was fasting on Mount Sinai for forty days and forty nights to receive the covenant of the Lord for the people. And Moses received from the Lord the two tablets written by the finger of the Lord’s hand in spirit; and after receiving them, Moses brought them down to give to the people.”
14.3 And the Lord said to Moses, "Moses, Moses, go down quickly, for your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, have sinned." And Moses understood that they had made for themselves a molten idol, and he threw the tablets from his hands, and the tablets of the Lord’s covenant were broken.
14.4 Moses received it, but they were not worthy. Learn how we received it: Moses, being a servant, received it, but the Lord Himself gave it to us as an inheritance for the people, enduring for us.
14.5 It was revealed so that they might be completed in their sins, and we might receive the covenant of the Lord through Jesus, who was prepared for this purpose. By appearing, He redeems our hearts, already wasted by death and handed over to the lawlessness of deceit, from darkness and establishes a covenant with us through His word.
14.6 For it is written that the Father commanded Him to prepare for Himself a holy people by redeeming us from the darkness.
14.7 The prophet says, "I am the Lord, your God. I called you in righteousness, I will hold your hand and strengthen you. I have made you a covenant for the people and a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out the prisoners from their chains, and to free those who sit in darkness." So, we know from where we have been redeemed.
14.8 The prophet says again, "Look, I have made you a light for the nations, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth," thus says the Lord, your redeeming God.
14.9 And again the prophet says, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to announce the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance, to comfort all who mourn."
15.1 Furthermore, it is written about the Sabbath in the Ten Commandments, which He spoke to Moses face to face on Mount Sinai: "And keep the Lord's Sabbath holy with clean hands and a pure heart."
15.2 And in another place it says: "If my children keep the Sabbath, then I will show mercy to them."
15.3 The Sabbath is mentioned at the beginning of creation: "And God made all the works of His hands in six days, and He finished on the seventh day and rested on it and made it holy."
15.4 Pay attention, children, to what it means that He finished in six days. It means that in six thousand years the Lord will complete everything; for one day with Him means a thousand years. And He bears witness to me, saying: "Behold, the day of the Lord will be like a thousand years." So, children, in six days, in six thousand years, everything will be completed.
15.5 And He rested on the seventh day. This means that when His Son comes, He will end the time of the lawless, judge the wicked, and change the sun, moon, and stars. Then, He will truly rest on the seventh day.
15.6 Moreover, it says: "You shall sanctify it with clean hands and a pure heart." So, if anyone can now sanctify the day that God made holy by being pure in heart, then we are all mistaken in everything.
15.7 See, then, we will truly rest and sanctify it when we are justified and receive the promise, and lawlessness no longer exists, with everything made new by the Lord. Then we will be able to sanctify it, having first been sanctified ourselves.
15.8 Moreover, it says to them: "I cannot tolerate your new moons and Sabbaths." See how it says? The current Sabbaths are not acceptable to me, but the one I have made, where, resting from everything, I will make a beginning of the eighth day, which is the beginning of another world.
15.9 This is why we celebrate the eighth day with joy, on which Jesus rose from the dead and, having appeared, ascended into heaven.
16.1 I will also tell you about the temple, how the poor misguided ones put their hope in its building and not in their God who made them, as if it were the house of God.
16.2 For they sacrificed it to the temple almost like the pagans. But learn how the Lord, abolishing it, says: "Who has measured the heavens with a span or the earth with a hand? Is it not I, says the Lord? Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What house will you build for me, or where is the place of my rest? You see that their hope is in vain."
16.3 Furthermore, it says again: "Behold, those who tore down this temple will rebuild it themselves."
16.4 Indeed. For because they were making war, it was destroyed by their enemies. Now the very servants of those enemies will rebuild it.
16.5 Again, just as the city, the temple, and the people of Israel were about to be delivered, it was made clear. For the Scripture says: "In the last days, the Lord will give over the sheep of the pasture, the pen, and their tower to destruction." And it happened just as the Lord spoke.
16.6 Let us ask if there is a temple of God. Yes, where He says He will make and establish it. For it is written: "And in the end of the week, the temple of God will be built gloriously in the name of the Lord."
16.7 So, I find that there is a temple. Now learn how it will be built in the name of the Lord. Before we believed in God, our hearts were a corrupt and weak dwelling, like a temple made by hand, because it was full of idolatry and was a house of demons due to doing things against God.
16.8 It will be built in the name of the Lord. Be careful that the temple of the Lord is built gloriously. Learn how: by receiving the forgiveness of sins and hoping in His name, we became new, being created again from the beginning. Therefore, in our dwelling, God truly lives in us.
16.9 How? By His word of faith, His call of promise, the wisdom of His laws, and the commandments of His teaching. He prophesies in us, He lives in us, He opens the door of the temple, which is our mouth, to those enslaved by death, giving us repentance and leading us into the incorruptible temple.
16.10 For the one who desires to be saved does not look to the person, but to the One dwelling and speaking within them, being amazed because they have never heard such words from anyone's mouth nor ever desired to hear them. This is a spiritual temple being built for the Lord.
17.1 As much as I was able, I have tried to explain to you simply. I hope with all my heart that I have not left out anything necessary for salvation.
17.2 If I write to you about present or future things, you might not understand because they are written in parables. That's just how it is.
18.1 Let's move on to another understanding and teaching. There are two ways: one of light and one of darkness. The difference between the two ways is great. On the way of light are God's angels, and on the way of darkness are Satan's angels.
18.2 One is the Lord from forever and ever, and the other is the ruler of this time of lawlessness.
19.1 So, the way of light is this: If someone wants to reach the determined place, they should be eager in their actions. Therefore, the knowledge given to us about walking in it is this.
19.2 Love the one who made you, fear the one who formed you, and honor the one who saved you from death. Be simple in heart and rich in spirit. Do not join those who walk on the path of death. Hate everything that displeases God, and hate all hypocrisy. Do not abandon the commandments of the Lord.
19.3 Do not exalt yourself, but be humble in every way. Do not seek glory for yourself. Do not make evil plans against your neighbor, and do not fill your soul with arrogance.
19.4 Do not be immoral, do not commit adultery, and do not harm children. Do not let the word of God be spoken with any impurity. Do not show favoritism when correcting someone for a mistake. Be gentle, be quiet, and tremble at the words you have heard. Do not hold a grudge against your brother.
19.5 Do not be uncertain or indecisive about whether something will happen or not. Do not take the name of the Lord in vain. Love your neighbor more than yourself. Do not murder a child through abortion, nor kill a newborn child. Do not withhold discipline from your son or daughter, but from their youth teach them to fear God.
19.6 Do not desire what belongs to your neighbor, and do not be greedy. Do not associate yourself with arrogant people, but instead be with the humble and just. Accept what happens to you as good, knowing that nothing happens without God.
19.7 Do not be double-minded or talk too much. Obey your masters with humility and fear, as if they were God's representatives. Do not command your servant or maid harshly, especially those who trust in the same God, so they might not stop fearing Him. For God did not call based on appearance, but on those whom His Spirit has prepared.
19.8 Share everything with your neighbor and do not say that anything is just yours. If you share in the eternal things, how much more should you share in the temporary ones? Do not speak hastily, for the mouth can be a trap of death. As much as you can, keep yourself pure for the sake of your soul.
19.9 Do not be quick to reach out your hands to take, but slow to give. Love everyone who speaks the word of the Lord to you as if they were the apple of your eye.
19.10 Remember the day of judgment both night and day, and seek out the company of the holy people every day. Do this either by working hard and going to encourage them and studying to save your soul through the word, or by using your hands to work for the forgiveness of your sins.
19.11 Do not hesitate to give and do not complain when you give. You will know who is the good rewarder. Keep what you have received, not adding or taking away from it. Utterly hate what is evil. Judge fairly.
19.12 Do not cause division, but instead make peace between those who are fighting. Confess your sins. Do not come to prayer with an evil conscience. This is the way of light.
20.1 But the path of darkness is crooked and full of curses. It is the way of eternal death with punishment, where there are things that destroy their soul: idolatry, audacity, pride of power, hypocrisy, double-heartedness, adultery, murder, robbery, arrogance, disobedience, deceit, wickedness, stubbornness, witchcraft, magic, greed, and lack of fear of God.
20.2 They persecute the good, hate the truth, love lies, do not know the reward of justice, do not cling to good, do not judge fairly, do not care for the widow and orphan, stay awake not to fear God, but to do evil. Kindness and patience are far from them; they love worthless things, seek repayment, do not show mercy to the poor, do not care for the oppressed, are quick to slander, do not know their Creator, murder children, destroy God's creation, turn away from the needy, oppress the afflicted, side with the rich, are unjust judges of the poor, and are full of every sin.
21.1 So it is good to learn the commandments of the Lord as they are written and to follow them. Whoever does these things will be honored in the kingdom of God, but whoever chooses otherwise will perish along with their deeds. Therefore, there is resurrection and reward.
21.2 I ask those who are in authority, if you consider any of my advice good, please follow it. Have among yourselves those with whom you can do good work. Do not fail.
21.3 The day is near when everything wicked will be destroyed. The Lord is near, and so is His reward.
21.4 Once again, I ask you: Be good lawmakers for yourselves, remain faithful advisors to yourselves, and remove all hypocrisy from among you.
21.5 May God, who rules the whole world, give you wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and patience to follow His laws.
21.6 Become taught by God, seeking what the Lord wants from you, and do it so that you may be found worthy on the day of judgment.
21.7 And if there is any mention of goodness, remember me by thinking of these things, so that both desire and vigilance may lead to something good. I ask you, seeking a favor.
21.8 As long as the good vessel is still with you, do not neglect yourselves in any way, but always seek these things and fulfill every commandment, for they are worthwhile.
21.9 Therefore, I was eager to write what I could, to bring you joy. Be safe, children of love and peace. May the Lord of glory and all grace be with your spirit.
SB.1 The Letter of Barnabas.