The First Parable of the Two Cities

1 He said to me: “You know that you, who are the servants of God, are living in a foreign land; for your city is far from this city.⁠a If you know your city, where you are going to live, why do you acquire fields and costly furnishings and buildings and extra rooms here, which are unnecessary? 2 So whoever acquires these things in this city does not intend to return to their own city. 3 You foolish, double-minded, miserable person, do you not see that all these things are foreign, and are under the power of someone else? For the lord of this city will say, ‘I do not want you to live in my city; go away from this city, for you do not follow my laws.’ 4 So you who have fields and houses and many other possessions—when you are driven out by him, what will you do with your field and your house and all the other things you prepared for yourself? For the master of this place is right to say to you, ‘Either conform to my laws, or leave my land.’ 5 Then what will you do, you who are under law in your own city? For the sake of your fields and the rest of your possessions, will you altogether renounce your law and follow the law of this city? Watch out: renouncing your law may be disastrous; for if you want to return again to your city, you certainly will not be welcomed, because you rejected the law of your city, and you will be shut out from it. 6 So take care: as you live in a foreign land, prepare nothing for yourself except enough to get by, and be ready so that whenever the master of this city wants to drive you out for resisting his law, you may leave his city and go to your own city, and keep your own law joyfully, free from insults. 7 Pay attention, then, you who serve God and have Him in your heart: do the works of God, remembering His commandments and the promises He made, and trust Him to fulfill them if you keep His commandments. 8 So instead of fields, buy souls in distress, as each of you is able; and visit widows and orphans, and do not neglect them; and spend your riches and all your furnishings, which you received from God, on fields and houses of this kind. 9 For this is why the Master enriched you, so that you might fulfill these ministries for Him. It is far better to buy fields and possessions and houses of this sort, which you will find in your own city when you visit it. 10 This kind of generous spending is beautiful and brings joy, causing neither sorrow nor fear, but happiness. Do not practice the spending of the pagans, for it does not suit you, servants of God. 11 But practice your own good spending, in which you can rejoice. Do not ruin or even touch what belongs to someone else, nor desire it, for it is wicked to desire other people’s things. But do your own task, and you will be saved.”