7. Cum ergo perseverarent 7. When therefore they interrogantes eum, erexit se, continued asking him, he et dixit eis: Qui sine peccato lifted up himself and said to est vestrum, primus in illam them: He that is without sin lapidem mittat. among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 7. *Let him first cast a stone at her.* The deep wisdom of this answer gave them no ground for charging Him with opposition to any law, and at the same time referred them to their own guilty consciences. He does not say that sinners may not be punished by sinners, but implies that it was not seemly that they who were guilty of the same or greater sins should be the accusers of the poor wretch who stood before them. 8. Et iterum se inclinans, 8. And again stooping down, he scribebat in terra. wrote on the ground. 8. Having shamed them by this appeal to the tribunal of their conscience, He again stooped down to write, probably to afford them an opportunity to depart. 9. Audientes autem unus post 9. But they hearing _this_ unum exibant, incipientes a went out one by one, beginning senioribus: et remansit solus at the eldest. And Jesus alone Iesus, et mulier in medio remained, and the woman stans. standing in the midst. 10. Erigens autem se Iesus, 10. Then Jesus lifting up dixit ei: Mulier, ubi sunt qui himself, said to her: Woman, te accusabant? nemo te where are they that accused condemnavit? thee? Hath no man condemned thee? 11. Quae dixit: Nemo, Domine. 11. Who said: No man, Lord. Dixit autem Iesus: Nec ego te And Jesus said: Neither will I condemnabo: vade, et iam condemn thee. Go, and now sin amplius noli peccare. no more. 11. *Neither will I condemn thee. Go, and now sin no more.* Doubtless the treatment of her accusers by Christ, and abundant grace poured into her soul, had already moved the woman’s heart to repentance, and Christ, exercising His Divine power, absolved her from her sin. He did not condemn her, but, in telling her to sin no more, He showed that she had done what was wrong, and warned her as to the future. Thus the incident shows the boundless mercy of Christ for sinners, His hatred of sin, and, what St. John probably had chiefly before his mind in recording it, Christ’s Divine power to forgive sin. 12. Iterum ergo locutus est 12. Again therefore Jesus eis Iesus, dicens. Ego sum lux spoke to them, saying: I am mundi: qui sequitur me non the light of the world: he ambulat in tenebris, sed that followeth me, walketh not habebit lumen vitae. in darkness, but shall have the light of life.