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Vision 1 Chapter 1
1 Ὁ θρέψας με πέπρακέν με Ῥόδῃ τινὶ εἰς Ῥώμην. μετὰ πολλὰ ἔτη ταύτην ἀνεγνωρισάμην καὶ ἠρξάμην αὐτὴν ἀγαπᾶν ὡς ἀδελφήν. "The one who raised me sold me to a certain Rhoda in Rome. After many years I recognized her again and began to love her as a sister.
2 μετὰ χρόνον τινὰ λουομένην εἰς τὸν ποταμὸν τὸν Τίβεριν εἶδον καὶ ἐπέδωκα αὐτῇ τὴν χεῖρα καὶ ἐξήγαγον αὐτὴν ἐκ τοῦ ποταμοῦ.

ταύτης οὖν ἰδὼν τὸ κάλλος διελογιζόμην ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ μου λέγων· Μακάριος ἤμην, εἰ τοιαύτην γυναῖκα εἶχον καὶ τῷ κάλλει καὶ τῷ τρόπῳ.

μόνον τοῦτο ἐβουλευσάμην, ἕτερον δὲ οὐδὲ ἕν. 		After a certain time, I saw her bathing in the Tiber River, and I gave her my hand and brought her out of the river.
Therefore, seeing her beauty, I reasoned in my heart, saying: 'Blessed would I be if I had a wife such as her, both in beauty and in character.'
Only this did I deliberate, and not a single other thing.
I merely reflected on this and nothing more.
3 μετὰ χρόνον τινα πορευομένου μου εἰς Κώμας καὶ δοξάζοντος τὰς κτίσεις τοῦ θεοῦ, ὡς μεγάλαι καὶ ἐκπρεπεῖς καὶ δυναταί εἰσιν, περιπατῶν ἀφύπνωσα.

καὶ πνεῦμά με ἔλαβεν καὶ ἀπήνεγκέ με δι' ἀνοδίας τινός, δι' ἧς ἄνθρωπος οὐκ ἐδύνατο ὁδεῦσαι· ἦν δὲ ὁ τόπος κρημνώδης καὶ ἀπερρηγὼς ἀπὸ τῶν ὑδάτων.

διαβὰς οὖν τὸν ποταμὸν ἐκεῖνον ἦλθον εἰς τὰ ὁμαλὰ καὶ τιθῶ τὰ γόνατα καὶ ἠρξάμην προσεύχεσθαι τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ ἐξομολογεῖσθαί μου τὰς ἁμαρτίας. 		After a certain time, as I was traveling to Cumae and glorifying the creation of God—how great, excellent, and powerful they are—while walking, I fell asleep.
And a spirit took me and carried me away through a trackless region, through which a man could not travel; the place was precipitous and torn away by the waters.

Therefore, having crossed that river, I came to level ground, and I placed my knees on the ground and began to pray to the Lord and to confess my sins.
4 προσευχομένου δέ μου ἠνοίγη ὁ οὐρανός, καὶ βλέπω τὴν γυναῖκα ἐκείνην, ἣν ἐπεθύμησα, ἀσπαζομένην με ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, λέγουσαν· Ἑρμᾶ χαῖρε. And while I was praying, the heaven was opened, and I saw that woman whom I had desired, greeting me from heaven, saying: 'Hermas, rejoice.'
5 βλέψας δὲ εἰς αὐτὴν λέγω αὐτῇ· Κυρία, τί σὺ ὧδε ποιεῖς;

ἡ δὲ ἀπεκρίθη μοι· Ἀνελήμφθην, ἵνα σοῦ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἐλέγξω πρὸς τὸν κύριον. 		And looking at her, I said to her: 'Lady, what are you doing here?'

And she answered me: 'I was taken up in order that I might reprove your sins before the Lord.'
6 λέγω αὐτῇ· Νῦν σύ μου ἔλεγχος εἶ;



Οὔ, φησίν, ἀλλὰ ἄκουσον τὰ ῥήματα, ἅ σοί μέλλω λέγειν.

ὁ θεὸς ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς κατοικῶν καὶ κτίσας ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος τὰ ὄντα καὶ πληθύνας καὶ αὐξήσας ἕνεκεν τῆς ἁγίας ἐκκλησίας αὐτοῦ ὀργίζεταί σοι, ὅτι ἥμαρτες εἰς ἐμέ. 		I said to her: 'Now are you my accuser [or reprover]?'

'No,' she says, 'but hear the words that I am about to speak to you. God, who dwells in the heavens and created things that are out of what is not, and multiplied and increased them for the sake of His holy church, is angry with you, because you sinned against me.'
7 ἀποκριθεὶς αὐτῇ λέγω· Εἰς σὲ ἥμαρτον;

ποίῳ τόπῳ ἢ πότε σοί αἰσχρὸν ῥῆμα ἐλάλησα;

οὐ πάντοτέ σὲ ὡς θεὰν ἡγησάμην;

οὐ πάντοτέ σὲ ἐνετράπην ὡς ἀδελφήν;

τί μου καταψεύδῃ, ὦ γύναι, τὰ πονηρὰ ταῦτα καὶ ἀκάθαρτα; 		Answering her, I said: 'Did I sin against you? In what place or when did I speak an indecent word to you? Did I not always regard you as a goddess? Did I not always respect you as a sister? Why do you falsely accuse me, O woman, of these wicked and unclean things?'
8 γελάσασά μοι λέγει· Ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν σου ἀνέβη ἡ ἐπιθυμία τῆς πονηρίας.

ἢ οὐ δοκεῖ σοί ἀνδρὶ δικαίῳ πονηρὸν πρᾶγμα εἶναι, ἐὰν ἀναβῇ αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν ἡ πονηρὰ ἐπιθυμία;

ἁμαρτία γέ ἐστιν, καὶ μεγάλη, φησίν.

ὁ γὰρ δίκαιος ἀνὴρ δίκαια βουλεύεται.

ἐν τῷ οὖν δίκαια βουλεύεσθαι αὐτὸν κατορθοῦται ἡ δόξα αὐτοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ εὐκατάλλακτον ἔχει τὸν κύριον ἐν παντὶ πράγματι αὐτοῦ· οἱ δὲ πονηρὰ βουλευόμενοι ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν θάνατον καὶ αἰχμαλωτισμὸν ἑαυτοῖς ἐπισπῶνται, μάλιστα οἱ τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦτον περιποιούμενοι καὶ γαυριῶντες ἐν τῷ πλούτῳ αὐτῶν καὶ μὴ ἀντεχόμενοι τῶν ἀγαθῶν τῶν μελλόντων. 		Laughing, she says to me: 'The desire of wickedness ascended into your heart. Or does it not seem to you a wicked thing for a righteous man, if evil desire ascends into his heart? It is a sin, and a great one,' she says.

'For the righteous man devises righteous things. Therefore, by devising righteous things, his glory is established in the heavens, and he has the Lord easily reconciled in every action of his; but those who devise wicked things in their hearts bring upon themselves death and captivity, especially those who make much of this present age, and boast in their wealth, and do not cling to the good things that are to come.
9 μετανοήσουσιν αἱ ψυχαὶ αὐτῶν, οἵτινες οὐκ ἔχουσιν ἐλπίδα, ἀλλὰ ἑαυτοὺς ἀπεγνώκασιν καὶ τὴν ζωὴν αὐτῶν.

ἀλλὰ σὺ προσεύχου πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ ἰάσεται τὰ ἁμαρτήματά σου καὶ ὅλου τοῦ οἴκου σου καὶ πάντων τῶν ἁγίων. 		Their souls will repent, those who have no hope, but have despaired of themselves and their life. But pray to God, and He will heal your sins, and those of your whole house, and of all the saints.'"
Summary
This opening section of the Visio introduces Hermas through a visionary encounter that establishes a central moral and theological theme of the work: internal thoughts carry moral weight before God, even if they are never acted upon outwardly.

The Setup and Temptation: Hermas recounts seeing his former owner, Rhoda, bathing in the Tiber. Though he merely admired her beauty and wished for a wife like her—insisting he entertained no physical transgression (μόνον τοῦτο ἐβουλευσάμην, ἕτερον δὲ οὐδὲ ἕν—"only this did I deliberate, and not a single other thing")—his thought life is later judged as a serious fault.

The Vision and Reproof: While traveling and meditating on creation, Hermas is caught up by a spirit, crosses a treacherous landscape, and prays. Rhoda appears from an opened heaven to accuse him not of physical action, but of letting evil desire enter his heart (Ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν σου ἀνέβη ἡ ἐπιθυμία τῆς πονηρίας).
Significant Greek Expressions
 ἐπιθυμία τῆς πονηρίας / πονηρὰ ἐπιθυμία: "Evil desire." The core of Hermas's sin is psychological and volitional; evil thoughts entering the heart are treated as actual moral failures.

 ὁ γὰρ δίκαιος ἀνὴρ δίκαια βουλεύεται: "For the righteous man devises righteous things." This axiom anchors the text's ethics: a person's character is defined by the internal direction of their thoughts (βουλεύομαι), which directly impacts their standing (δόξα) in heaven.

 ὁ θεὸς ... κτίσας ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος τὰ ὄντα: "God... who created things that are out of what is not." A classic early Christian formulation of creatio ex nihilo (creation out of nothing), used here to underscore God's supreme sovereignty before the divine reproof is delivered.
Vision 1 Chapter 2
1 Μετὰ τὸ λαλῆσαι αὐτὴν τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα ἐκλείσθησαν οἱ οὐρανοί· κἀγὼ ὅλος ἤμην πεφρικὼς καὶ λυπούμενος.

ἔλεγον δὲ ἐν ἐμαυτῷ· Εἰ αὕτη μοι ἡ ἁμαρτία ἀναγράφεται, πῶς δυνήσομαι σωθῆναι;

ἢ πῶς ἐξιλάσομαι τὸν θεὸν περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν μου τῶν τελείων;

ἢ ποίοις ῥήμασιν ἐρωτήσω τὸν κύριον, ἵνα ἱλατεύσηταί μοι; 		"After she had spoken these words, the heavens were closed; and I was entirely terrified and filled with grief.

And I kept saying to myself: 'If even this sin is recorded against me, how will I be able to be saved? Or how shall I make atonement to God for my fully committed sins? Or with what words shall I entreat the Lord so that He may be merciful to me?'
2 ταῦτά μου συμβουλευομένου καὶ διακρίνοντος ἐν τῇ κάρδίᾳ μου, βλέπω κατέναντί μου καθέδραν λευκὴν ἐξ ἐρίων χιονίνων γεγονυῖαν μεγάλην· καὶ ἦλθεν γυνὴ πρεσβῦτις ἐν ἱματισμῷ λαμπροτάτῳ, ἔχουσα βιβλίον εἰς τὰς χεῖρας, καὶ ἐκάθισεν μόνη καὶ ἀσπάζεταί με· Ἑρμᾶ, χαῖρε,

κἀγὼ λυπούμενος καὶ κλαίων εἶπον· Κυρία, χαῖρε. 		While I was deliberating on these things and questioning in my heart, I saw opposite me a great white chair made of snow-white wool. And an elderly woman came in very bright clothing, holding a book in her hands, and she sat down alone and greeted me: 'Hermas, rejoice!'

And I, grieving and weeping, said: 'Lady, rejoice!'
3 καὶ εἶπέν μοι· Τί στυγνός, Ἑρμᾶ; ὁ μακρόθυμος καὶ ἀστομάχητος, ὁ πάντοτε γελῶν τί οὕτω κατηφὴς τῇ ἰδέᾳ καὶ οὐχ ἱλαρός;



κἀγὼ εἶπον αὐτῇ· Ὑπὸ γυναικὸς ἀγαθωτάτης λεγούσης, ὅτι ἥμαρτον εἰς αὐτήν. 		And she said to me: 'Why are you gloomy, Hermas? You who are patient and slow to anger, who are always laughing—why are you so downcast in appearance and not cheerful?'

And I said to her: '[I am downcast] because of an excellent woman who says that I sinned against her.'
4 ἡ δὲ ἔφη· Μηδαμῶς ἐπὶ τὸν δοῦλον τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ πρᾶγμα τοῦτο.

ἀλλὰ πάντως ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν σου ἀνέβη περὶ αὐτῆς.

ἔστιν μὲν τοῖς δούλοις τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ τοιαύτη βουλὴ ἁμαρτίαν ἐπιφέρουσα· πονηρὰ γὰρ βουλὴ καὶ ἔκπληκτος εἰς πάνσεμνον πνεῦμα καὶ ἤδη δεδοκιμασμένον, ἐὰν ἐπιθυμήσῃ πονηρὸν ἔργον, καὶ μάλιστα Ἑρμᾶς ὁ ἐγκρατής, ὁ ἀπεχόμενος πάσης ἐπιθυμίας πονηρᾶς καὶ πλήρης πάσης ἁπλότητος καὶ ἀκακίας μεγάλης. 		And she said: 'By no means let this thing be said of the servant of God! Nevertheless, a thought about her certainly ascended into your heart.

Such a intention brings sin upon the servants of God; for it is a evil and astonishing intention for a spirit so revered and already tested, if it should desire an evil work—especially Hermas the self-controlled, who abstains from every evil desire and is full of all simplicity and great innocence.'"
Summary
Following Rhoda’s rebuke, Hermas is left in deep distress and existential anxiety about his salvation. An elderly woman—who is later revealed to personify the Church—appears to him seated on a white chair, carrying a scroll. Seeing Hermas weeping, she acknowledges his naturally cheerful disposition, listens to his explanation, and clarifies the nature of his fault. While exonerating him of outward sexual wrongdoing, she reiterates that even an internal inclination or thought (βουλή) directed at another person constitutes a real breach of spiritual purity for a faithful servant of God.
Key Themes & Narrative Shift
 Transition of Figures: Rhoda vanishes as heaven closes, replaced by the elderly woman (γυνὴ πρεσβῦτις), who acts as Hermas's main visionary guide in the first part of the book.

 Hermas's Characterization: The passage offers a rare explicit description of Hermas’s natural demeanor—characterized as patient (μακρόθυμος), even-tempered (ἀστομάχητος), normally quick to laugh (πάντοτε γελῶν), and spiritually disciplined (ὁ ἐγκρατής).
Significant Greek Expressions
 πεφρικὼς καὶ λυπούμενος: "Terrified and filled with grief." Reflects the overwhelming psychological weight Hermas experiences upon learning that unexecuted interior thoughts are registered as sins by God.

 ἐξιλάσομαι / ἱλατεύσηται: Verbs of propitiation/atonement (ἐξιλάσκομαι, ἱλατεύομαι). Hermas despairs over how he can obtain divine mercy (ἱλατεύσηται) for his past and complete sins (τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν μου τῶν τελείων).

 πονηρὰ βουλὴ: "Evil intention/counsel." Here, βουλὴ shifts from general deliberation to an internal impulse or intent. The vision reinforces that even for someone "already tested" (δεδοκιμασμένον), entertaining an evil desire (ἐπιθυμήσῃ πονηρὸν ἔργον) damages spiritual integrity.

 ἁπλότητος καὶ ἀκακίας: "Simplicity and innocence." These two virtues (ἁπλότης—singleness of mind/sincerity; ἀκακία—guilelessness) are core themes throughout The Shepherd of Hermas, serving as the moral standard expected of all believers.
Vision 1 Chapter 3
1 Ἀλλ' οὐχ ἕνεκα τούτου ὀργίζεταί σοί ὁ θεός, ἀλλ' ἵνα τὸν οἶκόν σου τὸν ἀνομήσαντα εἰς τὸν κύριον καὶ εἰς ὑμᾶς τοὺς γονεῖς αὐτῶν ἐπιστρέψῃς.

ἀλλὰ φιλότεκνος ὢν οὐκ ἐνουθέτεις σου τὸν οἶκον, ἀλλὰ ἀφῆκες αὐτὸν καταφθαρῆναι, διὰ τοῦτό σοί ὀργίζεται ὁ κύριος· ἀλλὰ ἰάσεταί σου πάντα τὰ προγεγονότα πονηρὰ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ σου· διὰ γὰρ τὰς ἐκείνων ἁμαρτίας καὶ ἀνομήματα σὺ κατεφθάρης ἀπὸ τῶν βιωτικῶν πράξεων. 		"But God is not angry with you on account of this, but in order that you might convert your household, which has acted lawlessly against the Lord and against you, their parents.

However, because you love your children, you did not admonish your household, but allowed it to become corrupt; because of this the Lord is angry with you.

But He will heal all the evil things done previously in your household; for on account of their sins and lawless deeds, you have been ruined by worldly affairs.
2 ἀλλ' ἡ πολυσπλαγχνία τοῦ κυρίου ἠλέησέν σὲ καὶ τὸν οἶκόν σου καὶ ἰσχυροποιήσει σὲ καὶ θεμελιώσει σὲ ἐν τῇ δόξῃ αὐτοῦ.

σὺ μόνον μὴ ῥᾳθυμήσῃς, ἀλλὰ εὐψύχει καὶ ἰσχυροποίει σου τὸν οἶκον.

ὡς γὰρ ὁ χαλκεὺς σφυροκοπῶν τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ περιγίνεται τοῦ πράγματος οὗ θέλει, οὕτω καὶ ὁ λόγος ὁ καθημερινὸς ὁ δίκαιος περιγίνεται πάσης πονηρίας.

μὴ διαλίπῃς οὖν νουθετῶν σου τὰ τέκνα.

οἶδα γάρ, ὅτι, ἐὰν μετανοήσουσιν ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας αὐτῶν, ἐγγραφήσονται εἰς τὰς βίβλους τῆς ζωῆς μετὰ τῶν ἁγίων. 		Yet the great mercy of the Lord has had pity on you and your household, and He will strengthen you and establish you in His glory.

Only do not be slack, but take courage and strengthen your household. For just as the blacksmith, hammering his work, masterfully produces the object he desires, so also daily righteous speech overcomes all wickedness.

Therefore, do not cease admonishing your children. For I know that if they repent with their whole heart, they will be inscribed in the books of life together with the saints.
3 μετὰ τὸ παῆναι αὐτῆς τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα λέγει μοι· Θέλεις ἀκοῦσαί μου ἀναγινωσκούσης;

λέγω κἀγώ· Θέλω, κυρία.

λέγει μοι· Γενοῦ ἀκροατὴς καὶ ἄκουε τὰς δόξας τοῦ θεοῦ.

ἤκουσα μεγάλως καὶ θαυμαστῶς, ὃ οὐκ ἴσχυσα μνημονεῦσαι· πάντα γὰρ τὰ ῥήματα ἔκφρικτα, ἃ οὐ δύναται ἄνθρωπος βαστάσαι.

τὰ οὖν ἔσχατα ῥήματα ἐμνημόνευσα· ἦν γὰρ ἡμῖν σύμφορα καὶ ἥμερα· 		After she ceased these words, she says to me: 'Do you wish to hear me reading?'

And I say: 'I wish it, Lady.'

She says to me: 'Become a listener and hear the glorious things of God.'

I heard great and wonderful things that I lacked the strength to remember; for all the words were terrifying, such as a man cannot bear.

The last words, however, I did remember, for they were useful to us and gentle:
4 Ἰδού, ὁ θεὸς τῶν δυνάμεων, ὃν ἀγαπῶ, δυνάμει κραταιᾷ καὶ τῇ μεγάλῃ συνέσει αὐτοῦ κτίσας τὸν κόσμον καὶ τῇ ἐνδόξῳ βουλῇ περιθεὶς τὴν εὐπρέπειαν τῇ κτίσει αὐτοῦ καὶ τῷ ἰσχυρῷ ῥήματι πήξας τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ θεμελιώσας τὴν γῆν ἐπὶ ὑδάτων καὶ τῇ ἰδίᾳ σοφίᾳ καὶ προνοίᾳ κτίσας τὴν ἁγίαν ἐκκλησίαν αὐτοῦ, ἣν καὶ ηὐλόγησεν, ἰδού, μεθιστάνει τοὺς οὐρανούς, καὶ τὰ ὄρη καὶ τοὺς βουνοὺς καὶ τὰς θαλάσσας, καὶ πάντα ὁμαλὰ γίνεται τοῖς ἐκλεκτοῖς αὐτοῦ, ἵνα ἀποδῷ αὐτοῖς τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν, ἣν ἐπηγγείλατο μετὰ πολλῆς δόξης καὶ χαρᾶς, ἐὰν τηρήσωσιν τὰ νόμιμα τοῦ θεοῦ, ἃ παρέλαβον ἐν μεγάλῃ πίστει. 'Behold, the God of heavenly powers, whom I love, who by His mighty power and His great understanding created the world, and by His glorious counsel clothed His creation with beauty, and by His strong word fixed the heaven and founded the earth upon the waters, and by His own wisdom and foresight created His holy church, which He also blessed—behold, He removes the heavens, and the mountains, and the hills, and the seas, and all things become level for His elect, so that He may deliver to them the promise which He promised with much glory and joy, if they keep the commandments of God which they received with great faith.'"
Summary
In this scene, the elderly woman (the Church) reveals the real reason for divine displeasure against Hermas: it is not primarily his fleeting interior attraction to Rhoda, but his lack of parental discipline (οὐκ ἐνουθέτεις σου τὸν οἶκον). Hermas let his children fall into sinful ways through excessive leniency. Nevertheless, the Church offers hope—promising restoration through steady, daily moral guidance and repentance—and concludes by reading an exalted cosmic declaration of God's power as Creator and protector of His elect.
Key Themes
 Parental Responsibility & Household Governance: A major pastoral concern in early Christianity; soft-hearted passive parenting (φιλότεκνος ὢν) is identified as a fault that ruins the head of the house (σὺ κατεφθάρης).

 The Power of Daily Instruction: Hermas is urged to be persistent, like a blacksmith hammering metal, using regular righteous speech to shape his family's conduct.

 Cosmic Re-creation: God's creation of the world and the Church (κτίσας τὴν ἁγίαν ἐκκλησίαν) culminates in an apocalyptic reshaping of nature (flattening mountains and seas) to fulfill promises to the elect (τοῖς ἐκλεκτοῖς αὐτοῦ).
Significant Greek Expressions
 πολυσπλαγχνία: "Great mercy" or "abounding compassion" (literally, "many-boweled-ness"). A vivid early Christian compound noun highlighting God's deep-seated mercy.

 ὁ λόγος ὁ καθημερινὸς ὁ δίκαιος: "Daily righteous speech" (or "daily word"). Emphasizes that moral transformation inside a home happens through persistent, everyday habituation rather than a single grand gesture.

 βίβλους τῆς ζωῆς: "Books of life." A biblical trope (cf. Revelation) representing divine registration of the saved, available here to Hermas's family if they repent ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας ("from their whole heart").

 ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος / πήξας ... ἐπὶ ὑδάτων / ἁγίανἐκκλησίαν: The reading celebrates God's creative attributes—His σύνεσις (understanding), βουλή (counsel), ἰσχυρὸς λόγος (strong word), and πρόνοια (foresight)—placing the origin of the Holy Church directly within God's primordial design alongside the creation of the universe.
Vision 1 Chapter 4
1 Ὅτε οὖν ἐτέλεσεν ἀναγινώσκουσα καὶ ἠγέρθη ἀπὸ τῆς καθέδρας, ἦλθαν τέσσαρες νεανίαι καὶ ἦραν τὴν καθέδραν καὶ ἀπῆλθον πρὸς τὴν ἀνατολήν. "When she finished reading and stood up from the chair, four young men came and carried the chair away toward the east.
2 προσκαλεῖται δέ με καὶ ἥψατο τοῦ στήθους μου καὶ λέγει μοι· Ἤρεσέν σοί ἡ ἀνάγνωσίς μου;



καὶ λέγω αὐτῇ· Κυρία, ταῦτά μοι τὰ ἔσχατα ἀρέσκει, τὰ δὲ πρῶτα χαλεπὰ καὶ σκληρά.

ἡ δὲ ἔφη μοι λέγουσα· Ταῦτα τὰ ἔσχατα τοῖς δικαίοις, τὰ δὲ πρῶτα τοῖς ἔθνεσιν καὶ τοῖς ἀποστάταις. 		Then she called me to her, touched my chest, and said to me: 'Did my reading please you?'

And I say to her: 'Lady, these last things pleased me, but the first things were difficult and harsh.'

And she spoke to me, saying: 'These last things are for the righteous, but the first things are for the Gentiles and the apostates.'
3 λαλούσης αὐτῆς μετ' ἐμοῦ δύο τινὲς ἄνδρες ἐφάνησαν καὶ ἦραν αὐτὴν τῶν ἀγκώνων καὶ ἀπῆλθαν, ὅπου ἡ καθέδρα, πρὸς τὴν ἀνατολήν.

ἱλαρὰ δὲ ἀπῆλθεν καὶ ὑπάγουσα λέγει μοι· Ἀνδρίζου, Ἑρμᾶ. 		While she was speaking with me, two men appeared and took her by the arms, and they went away toward the east, where the chair had gone.

And she departed cheerfully, and as she was going away she said to me: 'Be courageous, Hermas!'"
Summary
This scene marks the solemn conclusion of the first Vision. After reading the scroll, the elderly woman (the Church) is attended by supernatural beings. Four young men carry off her chair toward the east—the direction associated with paradise, divine orientation, and resurrection in early Christian symbolism—followed by two men who escort the woman herself. Before leaving, she interacts personally with Hermas, distinguishing between the terrifying judgments meant for outsiders/unfaithful believers and the comforting promises reserved for the righteous, leaving him with an injunction to stand firm.
Key Themes & Symbolism
 Directional Movement (πρὸς τὴν ἀνατολήν): The movement toward the East reinforces the apocalyptic and heavenly origin of the vision and its revelations.

 Dual Message of Judgment and Comfort: The text establishes a thematic division: the hard words (χαλεπὰ καὶ σκληρά) target heathens (ἔθνεσιν) and backsliders (ἀποστάταις), whereas the final peaceful words belong strictly to the faithful (δικαίοις).

 Spiritual Encouragement: Despite the preceding terrifying rebukes, the Church leaves Hermas with joy (ἱλαρά) and a call to moral strength.
Significant Greek Expressions
 τέσσαρες νεανίαι / δύο τινὲς ἄνδρες: "Four young men... two men." Angels or divine attendants commonly appear as young men (νεανίαι) in Jewish and early Christian apocalyptic literature.

 τὰ ἔσχατα vs. τὰ πρῶτα: "The last things" vs. "the first things." Refers directly to the content of her reading—the first part containing terrifying warnings of judgment, and the latter part (ταῦτα τὰ ἔσχατα) containing gentle promises of restoration and inheritance.

 ἀποστάταις: "Apostates" or "rebellious ones." Refers to believers who have defected from the faith or living standards of the community, a major concern throughout The Shepherd.

 Ἀνδρίζου (from ἀνδρίζομαι): "Be courageous" or "act like a man." A classic Septuagintal and New Testament exhortation to spiritual fortitude (e.g., LXX Joshua 1:6, 1 Corinthians 16:13), offering Hermas a final word of strength to carry out his family's reformation.

Hermas: The Shepherd
Book One
Visions