One day a goat was grazing among the bushes and suddenly met a huge wolf.
“What are you doing here,” the wolf asked her, “in this shady grove?”
The goat answered:
“My lord, I ran away from you for a long time and far; and now I myself am coming to meet you and asking for only one favor.
The wolf tells her:
“And I looked for you everywhere and now I found you in my own pastures; I am ready to show you any mercy, don’t just ask to save your life.
“I’m not asking for life,” says the goat, “but I’m just asking you not to kill me until I sing two prayers, one for myself, the other for you.”
“Okay,” says the wolf, “let it be as you ask.”
Then the goat says:
“Take me to an elevated place so that I can be closer to heaven and my prayers and chants can be heard more audibly.” Then all the goats, wild and domestic, as soon as they hear me, they themselves will piously begin to pray both for me and for you.
The wolf did as she asked; the goat stood on an elevated place, raised its eyes to the sky and began to scream in a loud voice; and the wolf stood nearby and thought that it was she who was singing a prayer. All the goats in the neighborhood heard her cry, and then dogs and men came running from all the yards, and attacked the wolf, and grabbed him, and beat him, and saved the goat from its teeth.
And so, when they were already dragging him into the village and beating him as hard as they could, the wolf turned to the goat and said:
- Eh, I'm unlucky! Apparently, you prayed for me somehow, and for yourself - sparing no effort.
The goat answered:
“It’s enough for me that of my prayers, only the prayer for me was heard.”
So many, promising to take care of other people's affairs, care only about their own and care about their own benefit.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru