XXXI.
But let us revert to the matter in hand.
When men have received the seal, then, and find neither food nor water,
they
will
approach him with a voice of anguish, saying, Give us
to eat and drink, for we all faint with hunger and all manner of
straits;
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and bid the
heavens yield us water, and drive off from us the beasts that devour
men. Then will that crafty one make answer, mocking them with
absolute inhumanity, and saying, The heavens refuse to give rain, the
earth yields not again its fruits; whence then can I give you
food? Then, on hearing the words of this deceiver, these
miserable men will perceive that this is the wicked accuser, and will
mourn in anguish, and weep vehemently, and beat their face with their
hands, and tear their hair, and lacerate their cheeks with their nails,
while they say to each other: Woe for the calamity! woe for the
bitter contract! woe for the deceitful covenant! woe for the mighty
mischance! How have we been beguiled by the deceiver! how have we
been joined to him! how have we been caught in his toils! how have we
been taken in his abominable net! how have we heard the Scriptures, and
understood them not! For truly those who are engrossed with the
affairs of life, and with the lust of this world, will be easily
brought over to the accuser then, and sealed by him.
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B
reads
ὀδύνης
, pain.