"Wait for judgment to be done, do iniquity, and not righteousness, but outcry." Since, in the words of Solomon, "the thoughts of the righteous are judgmental" (Proverbs 12:5), it is required that we do everything with discernment and do nothing foolishly. For a foolish and thoughtless life is followed by iniquity. And whoever does not follow sound doctrine and does not judge according to the given rule of the law what should be done and what should not be done, he commits iniquity and is not a doer of righteousness, but the author of outcry, rebellion and confusion. Why do righteous judgments be followed by the silence of the defendants, who accept the rulings with firmness, and the unrighteous judgments are followed by the outcry and rebellious agitation of those who are indignant at unrighteousness? The Apostle also exhorts about this cry, saying: "Let every cry" and rebellion "be lifted up from you, with all malice" (cf. Eph. 4:31). But there is also a beautiful cry, such as the Lord cried out while standing in the temple (John 7:37), which David also used, saying: "With my voice I have cried unto the Lord" (Psalm 141:2). And it is not at all surprising that one name is associated with opposite things and signifies either a confused and agitated state, or the grandeur and loftiness of heavenly dogmas. But in the present utterance, the cry is akin to the cry that came from Sodom and Gomorrah (cf. Gen. 19:13).

(8) "Woe to those who copulate house to house, and village to village, that they may take away from their neighbor what food dwells alone on the earth." (9) "For this has been heard in the ears of the Lord of hosts: For if there be many houses of hosts, there shall be desolation of greatness and goodness, and there shall be none that dwell in them;" (10) "For when the ten oxen spouses cry, he will make one korchag, and if he sows six of them, he will make three measures."

Now those are called miserable who, desiring more, curtail the property of their neighbors, and in the fields are not satisfied with their possessions, and in their houses are not satisfied with their own, but in cultivating the land they go beyond the boundary, fence the houses of their neighbors to themselves, and, constrained by their own covetousness, do not want to remain within their own boundaries, and use for exorbitant avarice the plausible pretext that the estates of their neighbors are apparently adjacent and united with theirs. To them the word stretched out a strong rebuke, saying: "Eat alone on the earth." For if a neighbor who cultivates his plot of land should lose it, then it is obvious that, after the removal of this neighbor, another will appear to you again, and your covetous heart will inspire you with the idea of saying the same to him, presenting plausible reasons why the field of your neighbor should become yours. And when this one also departs from you, deprived of his property, and the field of the third neighbor becomes part of your possession, then again a new neighbor, new worries: how to drive him from the land he owns and turn the property of the fourth neighbor into your property. What will be the limit to the desire for more? For the covetous heart is likened to fire, which goes farther and farther through the combustible substance, and destroys one thing, and embraces another. As the lack of combustible matter extinguishes a fire, so the covetous heart and the insatiable eye stop only by having not a single neighbor on the border of their possessions. For this reason the prophetic word, healing the passion from afar, as if wishing to lull the greedy soul to sleep with its song, says this: "Eat alone on earth." If you have a desire for your neighbor's property, and you will never be without a neighbor, then it is obvious that you will have to extend to the extreme limits of the universe we inhabit.

If this is impossible, then at the first thought, man, stop your desire for evil, be content with what you have received, remain with what you have, knowing that even magnificent houses built unjustly remain without inhabitants, and many fields appropriated by covetousness have often proved to bear no fruit. For the punishment of God often precedes the future judgment, and turns unjustly acquired houses into useless things: after the crowded dwelling in them and the brilliant abundance, it makes them have no inhabitants. And indeed, we often learn that entire families have completely disappeared, and in the absence of successors, the majestic and proud buildings of dwellings have been razed to the ground. And all those who, by invading the borders of their neighbors, expanded the boundaries of their own possessions, turned out to be completely alien to God's blessing for the acquisition of property with the tears of the offended, so that where the "ten spouses of oxen" worked, there was barely acquired "one korchag", and where "six artavas" (the ancient Persian measure of loose bodies) were sown, barely three measures of fruit, that is, the smallest part of the seeds, were harvested.

Thus, the prophetic utterance, taken by itself, contains many useful things. But to the industrious, through the elevation of meaning to a higher understanding, it is possible to increase the usefulness of this prophecy. For by the house can be understood the teaching and deeds of each one, according to the close connection and unity of the construction of concepts in each teaching. Therefore, just as in a house the foundation holds a solid structure, so in the teachings there are certain assumptions and first principles, on which those who expound the teaching in strict sequence and connections with the first principles lead the further fabric. Therefore, if anyone combines the teaching of the faith, which has our Lord Jesus Christ as its foundation and beginning, with teachings that are alien and far from godliness, then the prophetic word mourns over every such person, because he does what he should not do, "joining house to house."

And that the teachings about godliness are called home, this is what the Saviour Himself teaches us in parables, saying: "Whosoever heareth these words of mine shall be likened unto a wise man, who hath built his tabernacle upon a stone" (cf. Matt. 7:24). But it seems that Paul in the First Epistle to the Corinthians teaches us that each of the believers in Christ builds himself a house. For he says: "No one can lay another foundation than that which is lying down, if there is Jesus Christ. Whosoever buildeth upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stone, wood, hay, or reeds" (1 Corinthians 3:11-12). Since, of those who build doctrines, some, philosophizing about what is worthy of laughter and ridicule, as it were, create laughter, and others, being wiser, build things worthy of attention, Micah, overthrowing the buildings worthy of ridicule, says: "Whoever is in Gath, do not be magnificent, and who is in Akarim" (Slavic: Jenakimites), "do not shut yourself out of your house to mock you." And again, rebuking the worthless teachers, he says: "Hear this, ye elders of the house of Jacob, who abhor judgment and corrupt all righteousness, building up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity!" (Micah 1:10; 3:9-10). For everyone who composes foreign doctrines builds Zion, that is, his guard, "with blood," and whoever makes up "the church of the wicked" (Psalm 25:5) builds "Jerusalem with iniquities."

If, therefore, there are two kinds of buildings, one good on the rock and on the foundation of Christ, the other unstable, which is both ridiculous and causes destruction, then the prophetic word justly calls miserable those who copulate a good house with a bad one, and as it were confuse the incompatible. But consider whether not every man, whatever he may teach about the truth according to the preoccupied sound and true concepts, in accordance with the general concepts which are instilled in us by the Creator Himself, has a good home; and when, deviating from the truth, he introduces something alien to God's teaching, borrowed from pagan error, then, as it were, he brings together a bad house to a beautiful house? And this is said at the word about the house.

Inasmuch as the saint is not only "God's building" but also "God's burden" (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:9), as Blessed Paul says, and the soul itself requires foundation, like a house, and rooting, like a plant (for it is said: "In love rooted and established" [Ephesians 3:17]), let us consider what it means to draw the approach of village to village, for which others, doing it badly and harmfully to themselves, are subject to the prescribed condemnation. Therefore let us examine what has been said about agriculture, because it is akin to the present subject. There is a beautiful plantation, of which Solomon speaks: "I have planted vineyards, and made me vineyards and gardens, and planted in them the wood of every fruit" (Ecclesiastes 2:4-5). But there is also such a "garden, which the Heavenly Father hath not planted" (cf. Matt. 15:13) and which is being eradicated by the threat of the Lord. This garden has in it grapes from the plant of Sodom and "a rod from Gomorrah", produces "a bunch of gall" and "a bunch of sorrow" brings to the owners; "The wrath of serpents is their wine, and the wrath of adders is incurable" (cf. Deut. 32:32-33). For this reason, whoever has planted the dominion of his soul with all kinds of spiritual fruit, and to that which has been rooted in him from birth by the Creator for the manifestation of the fruits of righteousness, he is called pitiful by the prophetic word for the forbidden approach of "village to village." For this reason he threatens him with barrenness, because he does not bring forth samples of fruit in accordance with the teaching taught to him. "For where ten oxen spouses cry, one will make a tavern." This saying expresses the local custom in Phoenicia to plough the vineyard with oxen; and at the same time the prophetic word points to those who hold to both sides, are attached to opposite doctrines, and bind them to one another. The souls of such people are barren.

(11) "Woe to those who rise up in the morning, and to those who persecute strong drink, who wait for the evening: for I will burn wine." (12) "For they drink wine with harps and singers, and tympanums and pipes, but they do not look at the works of the Lord, and do not think of His works."

This proposed part of the prophecy contains an explanation of the apostolic saying, for there it is said: "Drunkards shall not inherit the kingdom of God" (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:10), and here: "Woe to those who rise in the morning and persecute strong drink." It is the custom of the Jews to call any drink that can produce intoxication a strong drink. For this reason, the Prophet weeps for those who, immediately at the onset of day, according to the words of the parable, "give their eyes to the cups and glasses," "watching where the feasts are" (cf. Proverbs 23:31, 30), looking into the places of wine sales and taverns, receiving each other at parties and worries about such things, exhausting all spiritual care. They do not devote a little time to contemplation of the miracles of God, they do not allow their eyes leisure to gaze upon heaven and its beauties, in order to conclude from the adornment of all this about the "Creator" (cf. Wis. 13:5), but, decorating their party with speckled carpets and colored curtains, they show excessive diligence and thoroughness in the arrangement of vessels for drinking, inventing cooling vessels, horns, phials, ivy glasses, cups, and other similar in name and appearance devices for drunkenness, as if a variety of vessels could conceal satiety from them, and the exchange and transfer of cups would constitute sufficient delay in drinking. Then, when they begin to drink for one another, and enter into a contest, who will drink more, do they refrain from any excesses, to their shame? Both the vanquished and the victorious are all reveling. At the same time, there are some princes of parties, chief cupbearers and founders of the feast: in disorder you can see order, and in unseemly affairs – order! The rulers get drunk, the servants get drunk; everyone is full of laughing and drunk. A pitiful sight for the eyes of Christians! Then, just as the importance of armor-bearers gives power to worldly powers, so drunkenness, like a queen, surrounds him with servants, and with an excess of zeal covers his disgrace. In addition to this, wreaths and flowers scattered during parties, fragrant ointments and incense, and thousands of invented extraneous amusements give great entertainment to the perishing, preparing for them eternal punishment, equal to the real merriment.

For this reason it is said: "Woe to those who rise up in the morning and persecute strong drink, who wait for the evening" and spend whole days in it, so that they have no time at all "to behold the works of the Lord, and to meditate on the works of His hand." For when shall they learn about God? In the morning? But as soon as they get up from sleep, they "drive strong drink". In the middle of the day? But then their drunkenness increases and becomes more frequent. In the evening? But they still drink, and although the day has already passed with them, yet the drunkenness does not cease, on the contrary, they give themselves up to it to a greater extent at night, since the night is proper for them. Therefore, "woe to those who rise in the morning, and to those who persecute strong drink, who wait for the evening."

Then the Prophet shows the reason why they can indulge in drunkenness for a long time. "For I shall burn the wine." This is the reason why the desire to drink is insatiable in them. When, says the Prophet, a large quantity of whole wine is drunk, then, producing a strong heat in the body, it dries up the natural moisture in the drinker. And after this, as I think, the wine itself serves as an arson, and what is drunk in advance expands the place for the drunk again. And just as ravines, as long as water flows into them, seem full, and when the moisture drains, they remain dry, stony, and moist, so the bodies of drunkards, being enlarged by the immoderate use of wine, absorb natural moisture as well. "Waiting for the evening"; for this reason, says the Prophet, they await the evening. "For I shall burn the wine." The fire contained in wine, having passed into the body, becomes an inflammatory substance for the kindled arrows of the enemy, because wine drowns both the intellect and the mind, and ignites lusts and sensuality, as oil ignites fire. Why do we refer to the said "I will burn wine" not only to the desire to drink, but also to the inflammation produced in the body in general.

Then the prophetic word, revealing the indecency in an even greater form, continues: "For with the harp and the singers, and the tympanums and the pipes, they drink wine" — for the young harp, who meet the intoxicated eyes to misfortune, who play the pipes and singers, who sell their beauty, the faces of the singers and the harmonious singing of vicious people, plunging the bodies into bliss and upsetting the souls, by the general euphony stir up the intoxicated to every shameful and lawless amusement. And what comes out of this? That "they do not look at the works of the Lord, and do not think of the works of His hand." But "view" means the comprehension of objects seen with the help of the eyes, and "thinking" means the contemplation of the invisible with the mind. Thus, since "the invisible essence of God from the creation of the world is thought of by creatures" (cf. Rom. 1:20), he who does not look at works is not raised to intellectual understanding. Wherefore what is the meaning of what has been said? That drunkenness is the beginning of godlessness, as a darkening of the mind, by which God is usually most commonly known. "And the work of the hand" is the expected recompense, this fire and punishment in hell, the withered tongue, thirsting, for relief, even a small drop, the flame that surrounds everywhere from everywhere, not allowing even the breath of the wind to cool the inner heat; instead of those who play the pipes, lamentation; instead of immoderate drunkenness, there is a thirst for a drop, when the flesh of those who drink will be scorched in the furnace; instead of voluptuous spectacles, there is deep darkness; instead of vigilant lust, there is an unsleeping worm. Therefore those who have immersed their minds in drunkenness cannot think about these works of the hands. And since they do not look at what awaits them, the prophetic word justly weeps over them, as if they had already been truly overtaken by calamities.

Let those who in their homes guard the harp and lyre instead of the Gospel hear this! The prophet calls upon them as if they were already lost, weeping over their destruction out of compassion and love. "Woe," he says, "with harps, and pipes, and tympanums, and singers who drink wine." And you have a lyre speckled with gold and ivory lying on some lofty altar, like some statue and idol of demons. And the poor woman, instead of learning how to wield a spindle, because of the necessity of slavery, was taught by you to stretch out her hands to the lyre, for which purpose you perhaps paid money for it, and gave it to some other woman for instruction, who at first served every obscenity with her own body, and now became a teacher to young maidens in such matters. For her on the day of Judgment a great calamity will befall you, because you yourself are useless, and by evil instructions you have turned away a poor soul from God. Here she appears with a lyre, lays her fingers on it to extract sounds; her hands are bare, her face is shameless. The whole assembly of the feasters turns to her, the eyes of all rush to her, the ear catches the sounds with silence, the noise subsides, the laughter ceases, there is no obscene speech, with which they have hitherto tried to surpass each other, everyone in the house is silent, enchanted by the voluptuous play. But he who is silent there is not silent in the church of God, he who is catechumenized by the word of the Gospel does not fall silent. And no wonder! For the enemy, who prescribes silence there, here teaches to make noise. A pitiful sight to the eyes of the chaste — a woman not at a loom, but with a lyre in her hands, not known by her own husband, but seen by strangers, who has become common property, who sings not a psalm of confession, but adulterous songs, who does not pray to God, but hastens to hell, who does not strive for the church of God, but together with herself plucks others out of it! She hates the wave, she does not know how to sweep the base and turn it like a duck, and she does not want to. Spending time with drunkards, she indulges in the same activities as them. They truly weave a spider's web, as if on some base, laying their hands on the taut strings, and, often scurrying hither and thither with a rattle, as if with a weaving shuttle, do not allow even the end of this activity to be seen. For in the arts necessary for life, the end is before one's eyes, for example, in carpentry – a bench, in house-building – a house, in shipbuilding – a ship, in weaving – clothing, in blacksmithing – a sword. And in empty arts, such as the art of playing the harp or the flute, or dancing, the work itself disappears along with the end of the action. And truly, according to the words of the Apostle, "the end" is "destruction" (cf. Phil. 3:19). Of this I have enlarged of necessity, having in mind those who, through excessive devotion to amusements, either constantly, or during what they suppose to be merry, at marriages and feasts, use pipes, harps, and singers at suppers, so that you, having learned how the word of God condemns occupations of this kind, for fear of threatening calamities, at least afterwards, change the bad habit of your life for a better one.