20 He is able, said he, to fulfil
all these commands, who has the
Lord in his heart; but they who
have the Lord only in their mouths,
their hearts are hardened, and
they are far from the Lord: to
such persons these commands are
hard and difficult.
21 Therefore, ye that are empty
and light in the faith, put the
Lord your God in your hearts;
and ye shall perceive how that
nothing is more easy than these
commands, nor more pleasant, nor
more gentle and holy.
22 And turn yourselves to the
Lord your God, and forsake the
devil and his pleasures, because
they are evil, and bitter, and
impure. And fear not the devil,
because he has no power over you.
23 For I am with you, the
messenger of repentance, who have
the dominion over him. The devil
doth indeed affright men but his
terror is vain. Wherefore fear
him not, and he will flee from you.
24 And I said unto him; Sir,
hear me speak a few words unto
you. He answered, Say on: A
man indeed desires to keep the
commandments of God, and there
is no one but what prays unto God,
that he may be able to keep his
commandments;
25 But the devil is hard, and
by his power rules over the servants
of God. And he said; He cannot
rule over the servants of God,
who trust in him with all their
hearts.
26 The devil may strive, but he
cannot overcome them.
27 For if ye resist him, he will
flee away with confusion from you.
But they that are not full in the
faith, fear the devil, as if he had
some great power. For the devil
tries the servants of God and if he
finds them empty, he destroys
them.
28 For as man, when he fills up
vessels with good wine, and among
them puts a few vessels half full,
and comes to try and taste of the
vessels, doth not try those that are
full, because he knows that they
are good, but tastes those that are
half full, lest they should grow
sour; (for vessels half full soon
grow sour, and lose the taste of
wine:) so the devil comes to the
servants of God to try them.
29 They that are full of faith
resist him stoutly, and he departs
from them, because he finds no
place where to enter into them
then he goes to those that are not
full of faith, and because he has a
place of entrance he goes into
them, and does what he will with
them, and they become his servants.