he came into their midst, and the Lord said to the devil: From where have you come? And the devil to the Lord: From where have I come? Having gone about the earth and having walked through the world under heaven, I am here. And the Lord to the devil: Having gone about the earth and having walked through it, you have come? What are you saying, deceiver? You have travelled the earth? And what were you doing on the earth? What did I make you, a man or an angel? I have given the earth to men, heaven to the angels; to each order I have allotted its own place. How is it that you have left heaven and roam the earth? What is the profit, to worship God in heaven or to be a parasite to men on earth? Were you in need of anything, that you left the wealth above and steal below? What is better for you, to be glorified above as an angel or to be bound below with chains as a fugitive? You run about the earth, devil? You have loved earthly things, you shall be among the earthly. For I am raising man up to heaven; from where you were banished, there I will plant him. Nevertheless tell me, devil, having gone about the earth and having walked through the world under heaven, you have come? Why are you sullen, whom have you stumbled against, who grieves you? Do you know what has happened to you? He over whom you expected to reign, he himself is your master. But the devil, still raging as if he had not yet tasted defeat, to the Lord: Am I sullen, Master? Certainly not. I am master of all, I have overcome all, no man looks me in the eye. You, do not become man, and see how I am master of all. And the Lord to the devil: Do you think to hide from me, O devil? You fear no one? No one is your master? I will not bring up many, I will mention only one. Have you considered my servant Job, who is indeed your king, but my soldier, that there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless, just, true, God-fearing man, abstaining from every evil thing? If I am mistaken in my testimony, speak against it; if I do not speak truth, overturn it; but if I speak justly, how could you say: "No one is my master"? And the devil to the Lord: You bear witness to Job, Master? What holy thing has he done? What worthy deed has he pursued? Job is unworthy of praise. Because he is great he does not blaspheme you, because he is honored he does not plunder, because he provides for strangers he is wonderful? If, while digging and reaping and toiling he received a wage and provided for the poor, it would be reasonable for him to be called blessed; but if he gives to the poor out of his abundance, why is he called blessed? And why is he honored as not being greedy? Is Job lacking anything? Does he seek and not find? He offers you a small favor; receiving much, he offers little. Have you not put a hedge around his outside and his inside and his house and all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and have made his livestock numerous upon the earth. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and surely he will bless you to your face. Oh, the cunning of the devil. The shameless one calls blasphemy a blessing, the irreverent one speaks reverently. From that time and now until today some often call a curse a blessing, and wishing to curse someone with whom they are fighting, they answer him saying: Go away, man, God will bless you, that is, may you be cursed by God. What are you saying, man? You are using the devil's voice. The devil first broke forth with this voice, saying: But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and surely he will bless you to your face. What is 'stretch out your hand'? That is, hold back your providential power for a little while; do not stand before Job, but allow him to be grieved for a little while, to suffer loss; do not provide for him for a little while, and see how more shamelessly than all he blasphemes you. Stretch out your hand and touch all that he has. And the Lord to the devil: I will stretch out my hand and I will touch all that he has. Have you begun to confess your defeat, devil? Where is the arrogance of your rebellion? Are you not the one who says: I will set my throne upon the

ἦλθεν ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν, καὶ εἶπεν ὁ κύριος τῷ διαβόλῳ· Πόθεν παραγέγονας; Ὁ δὲ διάβολος πρὸς τὸν κύριον· Πόθεν παραγέγονα; Περιελθὼν τὴν γῆν καὶ ἐμπεριπατήσας τὴν ὑπ' οὐρανὸν πάρειμι. Ὁ δὲ κύριος πρὸς τὸν διάβολον· Περιελθὼν τὴν γῆν καὶ ἐμπεριπατήσας αὐτὴν ἦλθες; Τί λέγεις, ἀπατεών; Τὴν γῆν περιώδευσας; Καὶ τί ἐποίεις ἐν τῇ γῇ; Τίνα σε πεποίηκα, ἄνθρωπον ἢ ἄγγελον; Τὴν γῆν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις δέδωκα, τὸν οὐρανὸν τοῖς ἀγγέλοις· ἑνὶ ἑκάστῳ τάγματι ἴδιον χῶρον ἀπεκλήρωσα. Πῶς κατέλιπες τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν περινοστεῖς; Τί ὄφελος, ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ θεῷ σε λατρεύειν ἢ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἀνθρώποις παρασιτεύειν; Μὴ ἐδεήθης τινός, ὅτι κατέλιπες τὸν ἄνω πλοῦτον καὶ κάτω κλέπτεις; Τί σοι βέλτιον, ἄνω ὡς ἄγγελον δοξάζεσθαι ἢ κάτω ὡς δραπέτην ἁλύσεσι δεσμεῖσθαι; Τὴν γῆν περιτρέχεις, διάβολε; Τὰ γήϊνα ἠγάπησας, ἔσο ἐν τοῖς γηΐνοις. Τὸν γὰρ ἄνθρωπον εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνασφαιρίζω· ὅθεν σὺ ἐξωρίσθης ἐκεῖνον ἐκεῖ φυτεύσω. Ὅμως λέγε μοι, διάβολε, περιελθὼν τὴν γῆν καὶ ἐμπεριπατήσας τὴν ὑπ' οὐρανὸν ἦλθες; Τί στυγνάζεις, τίνι προσέκρουσας, τίς σε λυπεῖ; Οἶδας τί ἔπαθες; Οὗ προσεδόκησας βασιλεύειν, αὐτός σου δεσποτεύει. Ὁ δὲ διάβολος πρὸς τὸν κύριον ἔτι φρυαττόμενος ὡς μηδέπω τῆς ἥττης γευσάμενος· Στυγνάζω, δέσποτα; Οὐ μὴν οὐδαμῶς. Πάντων δεσποτεύω, πάντων περιγέγονα , οὐδεὶς ἀνθρώπων ἀντοφθαλμεῖ μοι. Σὺ μὴ ἐνανθρωπήσῃς καὶ βλέπε πῶς πάντων δεσποτεύω. Ὁ δὲ κύριος πρὸς τὸν διάβολον· Οἴει με κρύπτειν, ὦ διάβολε; Οὐδένα δέδοικας; Οὐδείς σου δεσπόζει; Οὐ παριστῶ πολλούς, ἑνὸς μόνου μνημονεύω. Προσέσχες τῷ θεράποντί μου Ἰώβ, τῷ σῷ μὲν βασιλεῖ, ἐμοῦ δὲ στρατιώτῃ, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτῷ ὅμοιος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἄνθρωπος ἄμεμπτος, δίκαιος, ἀληθινός, θεοσεβής, ἀπεχόμενος ἀπὸ παντὸς πονηροῦ πράγματος; Εἰ σφάλλομαι μαρτυρῶν, ἀντίλεγε· εἰ μὴ ἀληθεύω, ἀνάτρεπε· εἰ δὲ δίκαια λέγω, πῶς ἔφης· "Οὐδείς μου δεσπόζει"; Ὁ δὲ διάβολος πρὸς τὸν κύριον· Τῷ Ἰὼβ μαρτυρεῖς, δέσποτα; Τί ὅσιον διεπράξατο; Τί ἄξιον μετῆλθε πρᾶγμα; Ἐκτὸς μακαρισμῶν ὁ Ἰώβ. Ὅτι οὐ βλασφημεῖ σε μέγας,ὅτι οὐχ ἁρπάζει τίμιος, ὅτι ξενοτροφεῖ θαυμαστός; Εἰ μὲν σκάπτων καὶ θερίζων καὶ κοπιῶν μισθὸν λαμβάνων προΐστατο τῶν πτωχῶν, εἰκὸς αὐτὸν μακαρίζεσθαι· εἰ δὲ ἐκ περιουσίας δίδωσι τοῖς πένησιν, τί μακαρίζεται; Τί δὲ καὶ ὡς μὴ πλεονέκτης γεραίρεται; Λείπει τῷ Ἰώβ; Ζητεῖ καὶ οὐχ εὑρίσκει; Μικράν σοι προσφέρει χάριν· πολλὰ λαμβάνων ὀλίγα προσφέρει. Οὐ σὺ περιέφραξας αὐτοῦ τὰ ἔξω καὶ τὰ ἔσω τῆς οἰκίας αὐτοῦ καὶ πάντων τῶν ὄντων αὐτοῦ κύκλῳ; Τὰ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ εὐλόγησας καὶ τὰ κτήνη αὐτοῦ πολλὰ ἐποίησας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ ἀπόστειλον τὴν χεῖρά σου καὶ ἅψαι πάντων ὧν ἔχει, εἰ μὴν εἰς πρόσωπόν σε εὐλογήσει. Ὢ τῆς τοῦ διαβόλου πανουργίας. Τὴν βλασφημίαν εὐλογίαν προσαγορεύει ὁ ἀπρόσωπος, σεμνολογεῖ ὁ ἄσεμνος. Ἐξ ἐκείνου καὶ νῦν ἄχρι τῆς δεῦρό τινες πολλάκις τὴν κατάραν εὐλογίαν προσαγορεύουσι, καὶ βουλόμενοί τινα ἀράσασθαι πρὸς ὃν ἡ μάχη, ἀποκρίνονται πρὸς αὐτὸν λέγοντες· Ἄπιθι, ἄνθρωπε, ὁ θεὸς εὐλογήσει σε, τουτέστι θεόθεν καταραθείης. Τί λέγεις, ἄνθρωπε; Τὴν τοῦ διαβόλου μετέρχῃ φωνήν. Ταύτην πρώτην ὁ διάβολος ἔρρηξε φωνὴν λέγων· Οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ ἀπόστειλον τὴν χεῖρά σου καὶ ἅψαι πάντων ὧν ἔχει, εἰ μὴν εἰς πρόσωπόν σε εὐλογήσει. Τί ἐστιν ἀπόστειλον τὴν χεῖρά σου; Τουτέστι μικρὸν ἐπίσχες τὴν προνοητικήν σου δύναμιν· μὴ προστῇς τοῦ Ἰώβ, ἀλλ' ἄφες αὐτὸν μικρὸν λυπηθῆναι, ζημίαν ὑπομεῖναι· μὴ προνοήσῃς αὐτοῦ μικρόν, καὶ βλέπε πῶς ἀναισχυντότερον πάντων σε βλασφημεῖ. Ἐξαπόστειλον τὴν χεῖρά σου καὶ ἅψαι πάντων ὧν ἔχει. Ὁ δὲ κύριος πρὸς τὸν διάβολον· Ἐξαποστελῶ τὴν χεῖρά μου καὶ ἅψομαι πάντων ὧν ἔχει. Ἤρξω τὴν ἧτταν ὁμολογεῖν, διάβολε; Ποῦ σου τῆς ἀντάρσεως τὰ φρυάγματα; Οὐ σὺ εἶ ὁ λέγων· Θήσω τὸν θρόνον μου ἐπὶ τῶν