Pastor de Hermas 10

1“Que suportaram?” disse eu. “Escuta,” disse ela: “açoites, prisões, grandes tribulações, cruzes, feras, por causa do nome de Deus. Por isso lhes é atribuída a parte da santificação à direita, e a todo aquele que sofrer por causa do nome de Deus; aos demais é atribuída a parte da esquerda. Mas tanto para os que se sentam à direita como para os que se sentam à esquerda há os mesmos dons e promessas; somente que aqueles se sentam à direita e têm alguma glória.

1“What have they borne?” said I. “Listen,” said she: “scourges, prisons, great tribulations, crosses, wild beasts, for God’s name’s sake. On this account is assigned to them the division of sanctification on the right hand, and to every one who shall suffer for God’s name: to the rest is assigned the division on the left. But both for those who sit on the right, and those who sit on the left, there are the same gifts and promises; only those sit on the right, and have some glory.

2Tu, então, estás ansioso por sentar-te à direita com eles, mas as tuas falhas são muitas. Mas serás purificado das tuas falhas; e todos os que não se entregam a dúvidas serão purificados de todas as suas iniquidades até este dia.” Dizendo isto, ela quis retirar-se. Mas, caindo aos seus pés, roguei-lhe, pelo Senhor, que me mostrasse a visão que prometera mostrar-me.

2You then are eager to sit on the right with them, but your shortcomings are many. But you will be cleansed from your shortcomings; and all who are not given to doubts shall be cleansed from all their iniquities up till this day.” Saying this, she wished to go away. But falling down at her feet, I begged her by the Lord that she would show me the vision which she had promised to show me.

3E então ela de novo me tomou pela mão, me levantou e me fez sentar no assento da esquerda; e, erguendo uma vara esplêndida, disse-me: “Vês algo grande?” E digo: “Senhora, não vejo nada.” Ela me disse: “Eis que não vês diante de ti uma grande torre, edificada sobre as águas, de esplêndidas pedras quadradas?” Pois a torre era edificada em quadrado por aqueles seis jovens que tinham vindo com ela.

3And then she again took hold of me by the hand, and raised me, and made me sit on the seat to the left; and lifting up a splendid rod, she said to me, “Do you see something great?” And I say, “Lady, I see nothing.” She said to me, “Lo! do you not see opposite to you a great tower, built upon the waters, of splendid square stones?” For the tower was built square by those six young men who had come with her.

4Mas miríades de homens carregavam pedras para ela, uns arrastando-as das profundezas, outros retirando-as da terra, e as entregavam a esses seis jovens. Eles as tomavam e construíam; e as pedras que eram arrastadas das profundezas, colocavam-nas na construção tal como estavam: pois eram polidas e se ajustavam exatamente às outras pedras, e ficavam de tal modo unidas umas às outras que as linhas de junção não se podiam perceber.

4But myriads of men were carrying stones to it, some dragging them from the depths, others removing them from the land, and they handed them to these six young men. They were taking them and building; and those of the stones that were dragged out of the depths, they placed in the building just as they were: for they were polished and fitted exactly into the other stones, and became so united one with another that the lines of juncture could not be perceived.

5E assim a construção da torre parecia feita de uma só pedra. Aquelas pedras, porém, que eram tiradas da terra tinham sorte diferente; pois os jovens rejeitavam algumas delas, algumas ajustavam na construção, e algumas cortavam e lançavam para longe da torre.

5And in this way the building of the tower looked as if it were made out of one stone. Those stones, however, which were taken from the earth suffered a different fate; for the young men rejected some of them, some they fitted into the building, and some they cut down, and cast far away from the tower.

6Muitas outras pedras, porém, jaziam ao redor da torre, e os jovens não as usavam na construção; pois algumas delas eram ásperas, outras tinham rachaduras, outras tinham sido feitas curtas demais, e outras eram brancas e redondas, mas não se ajustavam à construção da torre. Além disso, vi outras pedras lançadas para longe da torre, caindo na estrada pública; contudo não permaneciam na estrada, mas rolavam para um lugar sem caminho.

6Many other stones, however, lay around the tower, and the young men did not use them in building; for some of them were rough, others had cracks in them, others had been made too short, and others were white and round, but did not fit into the building of the tower. Moreover, I saw other stones thrown far away from the tower, and falling into the public road; yet they did not remain on the road, but were rolled into a pathless place.

7E vi outras caindo no fogo e queimando, outras caindo perto da água e, contudo, incapazes de rolar para dentro da água, embora quisessem rolar e entrar na água.

7And I saw others falling into the fire and burning, others falling close to the water, and yet not capable of being rolled into the water, though they wished to be rolled down, and to enter the water.