THE EPISTLE OF SAINT VELIUS TO THE KINGDOM OF LESALIA: CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 2

¹O King, incline thine ear to the words of warning, and let thy heart be soft to the rod of instruction, for the days are evil and the path narrow.
²For the commandments of the Lord are seven, even as the lamps before the throne are seven, and they burn ever with holy flame.
³Forget not the ordinances which were delivered unto thee by the mouth of Saint Ajora, nor let slip the traditions which He established, though the generations be many and the hearts of men wax cold.
⁴For the soul that turneth aside from the path of righteousness shall be as one that wandereth in darkness, stumbling upon the stones of his own making.
⁵Behold, there is prepared a place for the rebellious, a pit deep and terrible, where no warmth shall comfort, and no voice shall bring solace.
⁶It is called the Second Death, and they who enter it shall not find the gate again.
⁷There, in the caverns of ice and beneath the weight of silence, reigneth he who is called Amphisbaena, the twin-serpent, begotten of pride and hatred.
⁸His breath is frost, and his tongue is deceit. With the one head he flattereth, and with the other he devoureth.
⁹The damned behold him, and their hearts are as wax before the fire, yet their limbs move not, for the cold bindeth them as chains.
¹⁰They cry out, but their voices are swallowed up by the wind, and their tears freeze upon their cheeks.
¹¹These are they who knew the commandments and cast them behind their backs; who took the name of Ajora into their lips, yet their hearts were far from Him.
¹²They loved the praise of men more than the blessing of the Lord, and set snares for the feet of the just.
¹³Their wealth was their god, and their tongues wrought mischief. They gave counsel to the wicked and turned aside judgment for reward.
¹⁴Therefore is their place appointed in the lowest deeps, beneath the frozen rivers that flow not, where time is a burden and hope a memory.
¹⁵O King, tremble and sin not. Let thy thoughts be upon thy bed, and commune with thy heart in the night.
¹⁶For the Lord is not mocked, neither doth He forget the works of men. With scales He shall measure, and with fire shall He try.
¹⁷Keep thy hands from blood and thy lips from guile. Let not the cry of the poor go up against thee.
¹⁸The false prophet shall have his portion with liars, and he who despiseth correction shall perish without remedy.
¹⁹But he who heareth reproof and turneth from iniquity shall be as a tree planted by the waters, whose leaf withereth not.
²⁰Let not thy judges be as blind watchmen, nor thy priests as dumb dogs; let them cry aloud and spare not.
²¹For when the shepherd sleepeth, the wolf entereth the fold, and when the gate is broken, the thief cometh in the night.
²²Strengthen, therefore, the walls of thy city with righteousness, and bind its gates with truth.
²³Be not as the kings of old who did evil in the sight of the Lord and made leagues with the sons of Bezaliel.
²⁴But walk as a son of light, and teach thy people the fear of the Lord, that the land be not defiled.
²⁵For thou art set as an ensample before all nations, and thine actions are a trumpet in the ears of Ivalice.
²⁶Woe unto the kingdom whose prince setteth stumbling-blocks before the just, and calleth evil good, and good evil.
²⁷The Lord shall send against them a wind from the wilderness, and their glory shall be turned to smoke.
²⁸Their palaces shall become dens of serpents, and their vineyards a habitation for owls.
²⁹But unto him that is faithful shall be given a crown incorruptible, and his name shall be written upon the pillar of the temple.
³⁰Therefore remember the end of all flesh, and number thy days with wisdom, that thy heart be guided aright.
³¹Meditate upon the fire that consumeth not, and the worm that dieth not, and let these be a bridle to thy soul.
³²Turn not aside to vanity, neither set thy heart upon the fleeting shadow of power.
³³For the eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
³⁴He seeth the secret counsels of princes and the imaginations of kings.
³⁵And He shall render to every man according to his works, whether they be done in light or in darkness.
³⁶Let thy house be built upon the Rock, which is Saint Ajora; let thy laws be a mirror of His word.
³⁷Rebuke the proud, and lift up the humble. Break the arm of the oppressor, and defend the cause of the fatherless.
³⁸Then shall thy kingdom flourish as the lily, and thy renown as the cedar of Avar.
³⁹Thy throne shall be established in peace, and thy name shall endure as long as the sun.
⁴⁰The nations shall seek thee for counsel, and thy children shall be princes in all Ivalice.
⁴¹The Lord shall hedge thee round with favor, and the angel of His presence shall go before thee.
⁴²Thy cities shall be full of gladness, and the voice of weeping shall no more be heard in thy borders.
⁴³Blessed is the king who feareth the Lord, and setteth His commandments above gold.
⁴⁴He shall not be moved in the day of trouble, and his enemies shall flee before him.
⁴⁵Therefore, O King, be vigilant, and let not thy lamp be found without oil when the Bridegroom cometh.
⁴⁶For the hour is at hand, and the cry goeth forth: “Prepare thy house, for He cometh quickly.”
⁴⁷Be strong, and let thy heart take courage, all ye that hope in the Lord.
⁴⁸And now, my son in the Spirit, let these words be as frontlets between thine eyes, and write them upon the tables of thy heart.
⁴⁹Grace be with thee, and peace from Him who sitteth upon the white throne, and from His Son, Saint Ajora, who loved us and washed us in His blood. Amen.

▷THE SEVEN SCRIPTURES OF THE CHURCH OF GLABADOS
    ▷THE EPISTLES OF SAINT VELIUS TO THE NEW KINGDOMS
        ▷THE EPISTLE OF SAINT VELIUS TO THE KINGDOM OF LESALIA
            ▶1—2—3—4

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