of clouds, and I will be like the Most High? How is it that you do not overcome asses and camels, but you seek my hand for an alliance? But nevertheless I consent to your request, not yielding to you, but wishing to show my soldier to be more illustrious. For he who is well-pleasing in wealth is also proven in poverty. Wealth is more burdensome than poverty and more valuable for sin; for what grass is to fire, that is wealth to a foolish-minded person. But nevertheless, such a man as Job, as he flourished in wealth, will also be crowned in poverty; for necessity disciplines poverty, but intention crowns wealth. Devil, I already foretell to you that you will reap all of Job’s substance, but his manliness you shall not weaken. Behold, all that he has I give into your hand, but do not touch him, not because the athlete is weak, but because in response to your request I give this permission. You said that "He worships you on account of his wealth"; take authority over his wealth only, so that you may learn whether he is master of his wealth or his wealth overcomes him. Having received this authority, the devil went out rejoicing from the presence of the Lord, he who is always going forth from the presence of the Lord. And having gone out, he raised up for Job a tempest of countless waves, immediately destroying, burning, ruining, taking captive, thinking that with the abundance of the storm he could sink the body, the living vessel of Job, not realizing that he was moored within a harbor, secured on all sides by the anchor of faith. And that the devil raised various temptations and storms against Job, you have just now heard the writer saying: While this one was still speaking, another messenger came, saying to Job: The yokes of oxen were plowing and the she-asses were grazing beside them; and the raiders came and took them captive, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped and come to tell you. While this one was still speaking; he multiplies the messengers in succession, thinking to weaken the soldier. Do not think it is a messenger, but understand it is the devil himself; for the devil himself, as one cunning and wise in doing evil, transformed himself into the servants of Job, sometimes as a shepherd, sometimes as an oxherd, sometimes as the one tending the camels, thus frequently he himself, going by himself, brought to him the arrivals of the temptations. But while the devil was at these things, Job, like some rock holding up against the violent waves, stood calm and unshaken. Therefore Job nobly bore the loss of the oxen and all the rest of his substance. But he only heard the fourth messenger bringing the similarly-fashioned death of his children, immediately Job was bent a little, overcome by fatherly compassion, so that it might be known that he was a man. Therefore he only heard the fourth messenger saying to him: While your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking at the house of their brother, your eldest son, suddenly a great wind came from the desert and struck the four corners of the house, and the house fell upon your children and they are dead, hearing these things, Job immediately stopped and seized the messenger, he looked around at his features, so that he might recognize who the informant was and who had dared to bring such a message. But the devil, being seized, averted his gaze, he wanted to escape, he could not bear at all to be held by a righteous man. Therefore Job, when he saw him agitated and turning this way and that and not wanting to show his face, not yet knowing who he was, asked him harshly: Tell me, you addition to evils, a great wind came from the desert. Are you not the wind? Are you not the citizen of the desert? A great wind came from the desert, human in form and faceless in face. A great wind came from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. Tell me, were you inside the house or outside? If you were inside, how were you saved? If

νεφελῶν καὶ ὅμοιος ἔσομαι τοῦ ὑψίστου; Πῶς ὄνων καὶ καμήλων οὐ περιγίνῃ, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐμὴν χεῖρα εἰς συμμαχίαν ζητεῖς; Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐπινεύω τῇ αἰτήσει σου, οὐ σοὶ παραχωρῶν, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἐμὸν στρατιώτην φαιδρότερον ἀποδεῖξαι βουλόμενος. Ὁ γὰρ ἐν πλούτῳ εὐάρεστος, καὶ ἐν πενίᾳ δόκιμος. Πλοῦτος πενίας φορτικώτερον καὶ πρὸς ἁμαρτίαν τιμιώτερον· ὅπερ γάρ ἐστι χόρτος πυρί, τοῦτο πλοῦτος ματαιόφρονι. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ὁ Ἰὼβ ὁ τοιοῦτος, ὡς ἐν πλούτῳ ἤνθησε καὶ ἐν πενίᾳ στεφανωθήσεται· πενίαν γὰρ ἀνάγκη παιδεύει, πλοῦτον δὲ πρόθεσις στεφανοῖ. ∆ιάβολε, ἤδη προλέγω σοι, ὅτι πᾶσαν μὲν τὴν ὕπαρξιν τοῦ Ἰὼβ θερίσεις, τὴν δὲ ἀνδρείαν αὐτοῦ οὐ μὴ ἐκλύσῃς. Ἰδοὺ πάντα ὅσα ἔστιν αὐτῷ δίδωμι ἐν τῇ χειρί σου, ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ μὴ ἅψῃ, οὐχ ὅτι ἀσθενὴς ὁ ἀθλητής, ἀλλ' ὅτι πρὸς τὴν αἴτησίν σου δίδωμι καὶ τὴν συγχώρησιν. Εἶπες ὅτι "∆ιὰ χρημάτων σε σέβεται"· λάβε τῶν χρημάτων μόνον τὴν ἐξουσίαν, ὅπως μάθῃς πότερον τῶν χρημάτων δεσπόζει ἢ τὰ χρήματα αὐτοῦ περιγίνεται. Ταύτην τὴν ἐξουσίαν λαβὼν ὁ διάβολος ἐξῆλθε χαίρων ἀπὸ προσώπου κυρίου, ὁ ἀεὶ ἐκ προσώπου κυρίου ἐκπορευόμενος. Ἐξελθὼν δὲ μυριόσαλον κλύδωνα ἐξήγειρε τῷ Ἰώβ, εὐθέως καταστρέφων, ἐμπυρίζων, ἀπολλύων, αἰχμαλωτίζων, δοκῶν ὅτιπερ τῷ πλεονασμῷ τῆς ζάλης δύναται βυθίσαι τὸ σῶμα, τὸ ἔμψυχον τοῦ Ἰὼβ σκάφος, μὴ συνειδὼς ὅτι ἔσω λιμένος παρώρμισται τῇ τῆς πίστεως ἀγκύρᾳ πανταχόθεν ἠσφαλισμένος. Καὶ ὅτι ποικίλους πειρασμοὺς καὶ χειμῶνας ἐξήγειρεν ὁ διάβολος κατὰ τοῦ Ἰώβ, ἤκουες ἀρτίως τοῦ συγγραφέως λέγοντος· Ἔτι τούτου λαλοῦντος ἦλθεν ἕτερος ἄγγελος λέγων τῷ Ἰώβ· Τὰ ζεύγη τῶν βοῶν ἠροτρία καὶ αἱ θήλειαι ὄνοι ἐβόσκοντο ἐχόμεναι αὐτῶν· καὶ ἐλθόντες οἱ αἰχμαλωτεύοντες ᾐχμαλώτευσαν αὐτὰς καὶ τοὺς παῖδας ἀπέκτειναν ἐν στόματι μαχαίρας· καὶ ἐσώθην ἐγὼ μόνος καὶ ἦλθον τοῦ ἀπαγγεῖλαί σοι. Ἔτι τούτου λαλοῦντος· συνεχεῖς τοὺς ἀγγέλους πληθύνει δοκῶν τὸν στρατιώτην ἐκλύειν. Μὴ ἄγγελον νομίσῃς, ἀλλ' αὐτὸν τὸν διάβολον νόει· αὐτὸς γὰρ ὁ διάβολος, ὡς πανοῦργος καὶ σοφὸς εἰς τὸ κακοποιῆσαι, αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν μετασχηματίζων εἰς τοὺς οἰκέτας τοῦ Ἰώβ, ποτὲ μὲν ὡς ποιμένος, ποτὲ δὲ ὡς βουκόλου, ποτὲ δὲ ὡς τοῦ βόσκοντος τὰς καμήλους, οὕτω συχνῶς αὐτὸς δι' ἑαυτοῦ βαδίζων τὰς προσόδους αὐτῷ τῶν πειρασμῶν προσέφερεν. Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν διάβολος ἐν τούτοις, ὁ δὲ Ἰὼβ ὡς πέτρα τις τοῖς βιαίοις κύμασι προσανέχουσα ἀκύμαντος καὶ ἀσάλευτος ἔστη. ∆ιὸ τὴν μὲν τῶν βοῶν καὶ πάσης τῆς λοιπῆς ὑπάρξεως ἀπώλειαν γενναίως ὁ Ἰὼβ ἤνεγκεν. Μόνον δὲ ἤκουσε τοῦ τετάρτου ἀγγέλου τὸν ὁμοιόσχημον τῶν τέκνων θάνατον φέροντος, εὐθέως ὁ Ἰὼβ ἐκάμφθη μικρὸν πατρικοῖς σπλάγχνοις λυγισθείς, ἵνα γνωσθῇ ὅτι ἄνθρωπος ἦν. ∆ιὸ καὶ μόνον ἤκουσε τοῦ τετάρτου ἀγγέλου λέγοντος πρὸς αὐτόν· Τῶν υἱῶν σου καὶ τῶν θυγατέρων σου ἐσθιόντων καὶ πινόντων παρὰ τῷ υἱῷ σου τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτῶν τῷ πρεσβυτέρῳ ἐξαίφνης πνεῦμα μέγα ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ τῆς ἐρήμου καὶ ἥψατο τῶν τεσσάρων γωνιῶν τῆς οἰκίας καὶ ἔπεσεν ἡ οἰκία ἐπὶ τὰ παιδία σου καὶ ἐτελεύτησαν, ταῦτα ἀκούσας ὁ Ἰὼβ εὐθέως ἐπέσχε καὶ κατέσχε τὸν ἄγγελον, περιεβλέπετο τὰς ὄψεις, ἵνα γνωρίσῃ τίς ἐστιν ὁ μηνύων καὶ τίς ὁ τοιαύτην ἀγγελίαν προσενέγκαι τολμήσας. Ὁ δὲ διάβολος κατεχόμενος τὰς ὄψεις ἀπέστρεφεν, δραπετεύειν ἠβούλετο, ὑπὸ δικαίου κρατεῖσθαι τὸ σύνολον οὐκ ἠνείχετο. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Ἰώβ, ὡς εἶδεν αὐτὸν θορυβούμενον καὶ ὧδε κἀκεῖσε περιστρεφόμενον καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον δεῖξαι μὴ βουλόμενον, μὴ εἰδὼς ἔτι τίς ἐστιν, τραχυνόμενος ἐπηρώτα τοῦτον· Λέγε μοι σύ, ἡ τῶν κακῶν προσθήκη, πνεῦμα μέγα ἦλθεν ἐκ τῆς ἐρήμου. Μὴ σὺ εἶ τὸ πνεῦμα; Μὴ σὺ εἶ ὁ τῆς ἐρήμου πολίτης; Πνεῦμα μέγα ἦλθεν ἐκ τῆς ἐρήμου, ἀνθρώπινον τὸ σχῆμα καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον ἀπρόσωπον. Πνεῦμα μέγα ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ τῆς ἐρήμου καὶ ἥψατο τῶν τεσσάρων γωνιῶν τῆς οἰκίας. Λέγε μοι, ἔνδον ἦς τῆς οἰκίας ἢ ἔξω; Εἰ ἔνδον ἦς, πῶς διεσώθης; Εἰ