12. He also said: "No man hath greater love than this, that a man lay down his life for his neighbor" (John 15:13). For if a man hears an insulting speech, and having the opportunity to do so himself, strives to endure and say nothing, or if a man, being offended in deed, compulsions himself and does not repay the offender in kind, such a man lays down his life for his neighbor.

13. It happened once that Abba Pamba was walking with the brethren in the land of Egypt, and seeing some laymen sitting, he said to them, "Arise and greet the brethren, that you may receive a blessing, for they are constantly conversing with God, and their lips are holy."

14. It was said of Abba Paphnutius that he did not drink wine. Once, while making a journey, he found himself in front of a crowd of robbers and found them drinking. The leader of the robbers recognized him, who also knew that he did not drink wine. But seeing that he was tired from great labor, he filled the cup with wine and, holding the sword in his hand, said to the elder: "If you do not drink, I will kill you." The elder, realizing that he wanted to fulfill the will of God, and, wishing to acquire it, took it and drank it. And the chief of the robbers repented before him, saying, "Forgive me, Abba, that I have offended thee." And the elder said to him, "I believe my God, that for this cup He will show you mercy both in this world and in the world to come." The leader of the robbers said to him, "I believe God, that from now on I will do no harm to anyone." And he gained the whole assembly of robbers by giving up his will for God's sake.

15. Abba Iperechios said, "Absolve your neighbor from his sins as much as you have the strength, without reproach." For God does not cast away those who convert. But let not the word of malice and wickedness dwell in your heart against your neighbor, so that you may boldly say: "Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors" (Matt. 6:12).

16. The ascetic, seeing a certain demoniac who could not fast, being moved by love for God and seeking not his own, but his neighbor's benefit, prayed that a demon would pass into him, and he would be freed from him; and now God heard his prayer; instead, the ascetic was burdened with a demon; he continued the fast, practicing prayer and asceticism, and chiefly for his love, after a few days God expelled the demon from him.

17. Two brothers were in their cells; There was one elder and asked the youngest, saying, "Let us dwell together, brother." And he said to him, "I am a sinner, and I cannot abide with you, Abba." And he urged him, saying, "Truly we can." The elder was pure and did not want to hear that the monk had a prodigal thought. And his brother said to him, "Give me a week, and then we will talk." The elder came a week later. The young man, wishing to test him, said, "I have fallen into great temptation this week, Abba; Going out on duty to the village, I fell with a woman. And the elder said to him, "Is there repentance?" His brother said to him, "Yes." The elder said to him, "I will bear half of the sin with you." Then the brother said, "Indeed, we can dwell together." And they remained together until their death.

18. One of the Fathers said: "If someone asks you for a thing, and you force yourself to give it to him, try to make sure that your thoughts are well disposed to give it away, as it is written: "If anyone understands you in one field according to your strength, go with him two" (Matt. 5:41), that is, if anyone asks you for something, give it to him with all your heart.

19. It was said about a certain brother that when he had already made baskets and attached handles, he heard his neighbor, a monk, say, "What should I do, the trading day is coming soon, and I have no handles to attach to my baskets?" And when the brother went, he untied the handles from his baskets and took them to this brother to his neighbor, saying, "These are the extra ones I have, take them and attach them to your baskets." And he gave his brother the opportunity to finish his work, but left his own.

20. It was said about a certain elder in the Skete that he fell ill and wanted to eat some fresh bread. Hearing of this, one of the brethren of the ascetics took his mantle, put dry bread in it and went to Egypt and, exchanging them for fresh bread, brought it to the elder. When the brethren saw that they were still warm, they were amazed, but the elder did not want to eat, saying, "This is my brother's blood." And the elders exhorted, saying, "For God's sake, you will eat, so that your brother's sacrifice may not be in vain." And being supplied, he ate.

21. The brother asked the elder, saying, "There are two brothers, one is silent in his cell, continuing the fast until six days a week and imposing much labor on himself, while the other serves the sick. Whose work is more pleasing to God? The elder said to him: "At least the brother who keeps the fast for six days hangs himself by the nostrils, and then he cannot compare with the one who serves the sick."

22. A certain man asked the elder, saying, "How is it that some work in cities and do not receive grace like the ancients?" The elder said to him: "Then there was love, and each one carried away his neighbor's grief; but now, when love has grown cold, each one draws his neighbor to his lot, and therefore we do not receive grace.

23. Once upon a time, three brothers went out to harvest, and took sixty fields for themselves. One of them fell ill on the very first day and returned to his cell. And one of the two said to his comrade, "You see that our brother is sick and cannot work with us." Compel thy thought a little, and I will force mine a little, and let us believe God that for his prayers we will reap his place. And when the matter was finished, and they had received their wages, then they came and called the brother, saying, "Go, get your wages, brother." And he said, What shall I receive, when I have not reaped with you? And they said unto him, By thy prayers the harvest has come. He did not want to accept payment. When a great dispute arose between them, he said, "I will not take wages, because I have not worked; And these did not want to rest until he took it, and went to the elder who was close to them. The brother said to him, "Three of us went to reap the field for a fee." When they came to the place where it was necessary to reap, on the very first day I fell ill and returned to my cell, not having reaped with them even one day. And now they are forcing me, saying, 'Go, brother, get your wages, where you have not worked.' And these brethren also said, "True, we went to reap, and undertook to reap sixty fields, and if all three had done so, even with great difficulty, we could scarcely have done it; And through the prayers of this brother, the two of us, rather than the three, harvested the field, and said to him, "Go and receive your wages, but he will not." Hearing this, the elder was amazed and said to his brother: "Strike the beater, so that all the brethren may gather." When they came, he said to them, "Come, brethren, and hear righteous judgment this day." And the elder told them everything, and sentenced his brother to take his wages and make of it what he wanted. And the brother went away weeping and sorrowful.

24. The elder said, "Our fathers used to go to the cells of the novice brothers who wanted to live as hermits, and they visited them, so that one of them, tempted by demons, would not be damaged in mind. And if any of them were found injured, they brought him to the church, and a tub of water was brought, and there was a prayer for the sufferer, and the brethren washed, poured water on him, and immediately the brother was healed.

25. Two elders lived together and never had a quarrel between them. And one said to the other, Let us do it and we will quarrel like other men. Answering, he said to his brother, "I do not know what kind of strife there is." And he said to him, "Behold, I put a brick in the middle and say, 'It is mine,' and you say, 'No, it is mine.' This will be the beginning. And they did so. And one of them said, "This is mine." The other said, "No, this is mine." And the first said, "Yes, yes, it is yours, take it and go." And they dispersed, and could not enter into strife among themselves.