(1) No one can have charity except from the Lord. (2) No one can have charity from the Lord unless he shuns evils as sins. (3) A man ought to shun evils as sins, as from himself, while doing so nevertheless from the Lord. (4) In so far as anyone does not shun evils as sins, he remains in them. (5) In so far as anyone does not recognize and know what sins are, he sees no otherwise than that he is without sin. (6) In so far as anyone recognizes and knows what sins are, he can see them in himself, confess them before the Lord, and repent. (7) Good before repentance is not good, nor, before repentance, is charity charity. (8) Consequently, the "first" of charity is to look to the Lord and shun evils as sins, which is done by repentance.