I took from the naked. Many such things happen among us, when we lend, when we go to debtors; often our debtor is exceedingly poor, unable to repay; and we, having closed up our bowels of compassion, become merciless and cruel, not seeing that he feeds a wife and children, and is barely fed 371 from the few obols he procures; we demand bitterly, sometimes even when we have more than enough for ourselves. Such things happen in bitter demands, sometimes someone has a single morsel of bread, and even if he does not have a whole loaf, we take it from him, saying: but you owe. Therefore, he says these things, accusing Job, that he took away the clothing of the naked. 7-9. Neither did you give water to the thirsty to drink, but you deprived the hungry of a morsel of bread; you showed favor to the face of some, and you settled those on the earth. And you sent widows away empty, and you mistreated orphans. Therefore, not only doing wrong, but also not doing good is liable to judgment; and it signifies that we ought to extend our beneficence to such a degree, since it is liable to judgment not to give drink to the thirsty. Just as, then, we receive a reward for a cup of cold water, so he condemns Job for great harshness, as not even providing water, the costless grace, and the greater evil, to the one who is thirsty. But you deprived the hungry of a morsel of bread. What do I say, he says, that you did not provide to the one in need? when you even took away the small comfort of the loaf from the hungry; for he says "morsel" for the piece of the loaf, just as it is also written in Ruth: Dip your morsel in the vinegar. But you showed favor to the face of some. That is, you made your judgments not justly, nor dispassionately, but as a man-pleaser, for you have become a respecter of persons; and judging, some you exalted, and others you humbled, oppressing the humble, but admiring and honoring those in power. And you settled those on the earth. But some of the copies have "you put to sleep" instead of "you settled"; so that he might say you even took away the very bedding of the poor, so that they were forced to sleep on the 372 ground, having nothing spread underneath them ... And you sent widows away. Either you stripped them of their possessions, or rather, when they came and asked for alms you gave nothing, but sent them away having received nothing from you ... And you mistreated orphans. But to mistreat the orphaned and helpless is a sign of extreme wickedness. For one must mistreat no one, but one must especially spare the orphans; for God has commanded to fight for helpless souls. More than other people, the poor, widows, and orphans need help. 18. But the counsel of the impious is far from him. The righteous, seeing, laughed. What the impious counsel is far from God. Seeing [the righteous] the counsel of the impious, they laughed at them. 22. Cast forth pleading from his mouth, and take up his words in your heart. I sought for myself what "pleading" means. And I found in another version, in Symmachus, instead of it, "confession." And in Aquila: "Law." Therefore according to the one he says: Confess concerning your sins; but be taught the manner of pleading by God. And according to the other: Receive the law from God, and make his words heartfelt. If you are just and worthy, be instructed by God, and receive divine words in your heart, as Jeremiah later heard: Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. Or he says "pleading" means "confession," urging the just man to repentance. Or he says this, that you should change your way, and take up the divine laws. 373 Or that you should confess your sins, and for the rest, keep the words of God. And I got the starting points of this double meaning from that source, "the pleading." 24. You shall place it on the dust in a rock, and as a rock of the torrent of Ophir. You will cast it to the earth, and as it were, you will mistreat it. Ch. 23, 2. And indeed I know that my refutation is from my hand, and his hand has become heavy upon my groaning. That is, I carry the accuser with me, the refutation, I have the proof of the evils from within. -I know, he says, that from the things at hand, that is from the blow, and

τοῦ γυμνοῦ ἀφειλόμην. Πολλὰ δὲ τοιαῦτα ἐν ἡμῖν γίνεται, ὅταν δανείζωμεν, ὅταν πρὸς ὀφειλέτας ἐρχώμεθα· πολλάκις ὀφειλέτης ἡμῶν εἰς ὑπερβολὴν πέ νεται, μὴ δυνάμενος ἀποδοῦναι· καὶ ἡμεῖς τὰ σπλάγχνα ἡμῶν ἀποκλείσαντες, ἀνελεεῖς καὶ ὠμοὶ γινόμεθα, μὴ βλέποντες ὅτι γυ ναῖκα τρέφει καὶ τέκνα, καὶ μόλις τρέφεται 371 ἀπὸ τῶν ποριζομένων αὐτῷ ὀλίγων ὀβολῶν· ἀπαιτοῦμεν πικρῶς, ἔσθ' ὅτε καὶ περισσὰ ἔχοντες παρ' ἑαυτοῖς. Τοιαῦτα γίνεται ἐν ταῖς πικραῖς ἀπαιτή σεσιν, ἐνίοτε αὐτὸν τὸν ψωμὸν ἔχει τις ἕνα, κἂν μὴ ἔχῃ ἄρτον ὁλόκληρον, ἀφαιροῦμεν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, λέγοντες· ἀλλ' ὀφείλεις. Ταῦτα οὖν λέγει, ἐγκαλῶν τῷ Ἰὼβ, ὅτι ἀμφίασιν γυμνῶν ἀφεῖλεν. ζʹ-θʹ. Οὐδὲ ὕδωρ διψῶντας ἐπότισας, ἀλλὰ πεινώντων ἐστέρησας ψωμόν· Ἐθαύμασας δέ τινων πρόσωπον, ᾤκισας δὲ τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Χήρας δὲ ἐξαπέστειλας κενὰς, ὀρφα νοὺς δὲ ἐκάκωσας. Οὐκοῦν οὐ μόνον τὸ ἀδικεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ μὴ εὐεργετεῖν ὑπεύθυνον· ἐπισημαίνει δὲ μέχρι τοσούτου εὐεργεσίας ἐκτείνειν ὀφεί λομεν, ὅποτε ὑπεύθυνον τὸ μὴ ποτίσαι δι ψῶντας. Ὥσπερ οὖν διὰ τὸ ποτήριον ψυχροῦ ὕδατος μισθὸν λαμβάνομεν, πολλὴν μέντοι ἀπηνίαν τοῦ Ἰὼβ καταψηφίζεται, ὡς μηδὲ ὕδωρ τὴν ἀδάπανον χάριν παρέχοντος, καὶ τὸ μεῖζον κακὸν, τῷ διψῶντι. Ἀλλὰ πεινώντων ἐστέρησας ψωμόν. Τί λέγω, φησὶν, ὅτι οὐ παρέσχες τῷ δεο μένῳ; ὅποτε καὶ τὴν μικρὰν παραμυθίαν τοῦ ἄρτου παρὰ τοῦ πεινῶντος ἀφείλου· ψωμὸν γὰρ λέγει τὸ τμῆμα τοῦ ἄρτου, ὥσπερ καὶ ἐν τῇ Ῥοὺθ κεῖται· Βάψαι τὸν ψωμόν σου ἐν τῷ ὄξει. Ἐθαύμασας δέ τινων πρόσωπον. Τουτέστι καὶ τὰς κρίσεις οὐ δικαίως, οὐδὲ ἀπαθῶς, ἀλλ' ἀνθρωποπαρέσκως ἐποίησας, προσωπολήπτης γὰρ γέγονας· καὶ δικάζων οὓς μὲν ἐξῇρες, οὓς δὲ ἐταπείνους, τοὺς μὲν ταπεινοὺς βιαζόμενος, τοὺς δὲ ἐν δυναστεί αις θαυμάζων καὶ τιμῶν. Ὤικισας δὲ τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Τινὰ δὲ τῶν ἀντιγράφων ἀντὶ τοῦ ᾤκισας ἐκοίμησας ἔχει· ἵνα εἴπῃ καὶ αὐτὴν τῶν πτωχῶν τὴν στρωμνὴν ἀφείλου, ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ 372 ἐδάφους αὐτοὺς ἐξ ἀνάγκης κοιμᾶσθαι, μη δὲν ἔχοντας ὑπεστορεσμένον ... Χήρας δὲ ἐξαπέστειλας. Ἢ τῶν προσόντων αὐτὰς ἐγύμνωσας, ἢ μᾶλλον προσελθούσαις καὶ ἐλεημοσύνην ζη τούσαις οὐδὲν δέδωκας, ἀλλ' ἀπεπέμψω μη δὲν λαβούσας ἀπὸ σοῦ ... Ὀρφανοὺς δὲ ἐκάκωσας. Τὸ δὲ τοὺς ὀρφανοὺς καὶ ἀβοηθήτους κα κοῦν, ἐσχάτης κακίας γνώρισμα. Οὐδένα μὲν γὰρ δεῖ κακοῦν, ἐξαιρέτως δὲ χρὴ φείδεσθαι τῶν ὀρφανῶν· περὶ γὰρ τῶν ἀβοηθήτων ψυ χῶν πολεμεῖν ὁ Θεὸς ἐνετείλατο. Πλέον δὲ παρὰ τοὺς ἄλλους ἀνθρώπους, πτωχοὶ, χῆ ραι, ὀρφανοὶ δέονται βοηθείας. ιηʹ. Βουλὴ δὲ ἀσεβῶν πόῤῥω ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. Ἰδόντες δίκαιοι ἐγέλασαν. Ἃ οἱ ἀσεβεῖς βουλεύονται, πόῤῥω ἐστὶν ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἰδόντες [δίκαιοι] τὴν βουλὴν τῶν ἀσεβῶν, κατεγέλασαν αὐτούς. κβʹ. Ἔκβαλε δὲ ἐκ στόματος αὐτοῦ ἐξη γορίαν, καὶ ἀνάλαβε τὰ ῥήματα αὐτοῦ ἐν καρδίᾳ σου. Τὴν ἐξηγορίαν ἐζήτουν κατ' ἐμαυτὸν, τί σημαίνει; Καὶ εὗρον ἐν ἄλλῃ ἐκδόσει, παρὰ τῷ Συμμάχῳ, ἀντ' αὐτῆς, τὴν ἐξομολόγη σιν. Παρὰ δὲ τῷ Ἀκύλᾳ· Νόμον. Φησὶν οὖν κατὰ μὲν τὸν ἕνα· Ἐξομολόγησαι περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων σου· τὸν δὲ τρόπον τῆς ἐξη γορίας παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ διδάχθητι. Κατὰ δὲ τὸν ἕτερον· ∆έξαι παρὰ Θεοῦ νόμον, καὶ τοὺς λόγους αὐτοῦ ἐγκαρδίους ποίησαι. Εἰ δίκαιος εἶ καὶ ἄξιος, ὑπαγορεύθητι παρὰ Θεοῦ, καὶ δέξαι θεῖα ῥήματα ἐξ σῇ καρδίᾳ, ὡς ὕστερον Ἱερεμίας ἤκουσεν· Ἰδοὺ δέδωκα τοὺς λόγους μου εἰς τὸ στόμα σου. Ἢ ἐξηγορίαν τὴν ἐξο μολόγησίν φησιν, προτρέπων εἰς μετάνοιαν τὸν δίκαιον. Ἢ τοῦτο λέγει, ὅτι μετάβαλε τὸν τρόπον, καὶ ἀνάλαβε τοὺς θείους νόμους. 373 Ἢ ὅτι ἐξαγόρευσον τὰ ἡμαρτημένα σοι, καὶ τοῦ λοιποῦ τοὺς λόγους τοῦ Θεοῦ φύλαττε. Τῆς διπλῆς δὲ ταύτης ἐννοίας ἐκεῖθεν ἔσχον τὰς ἀφορμὰς, τὴν ἐξηγορίαν. κδʹ. Θήσῃ ἐπὶ χώματι ἐν πέτρᾳ, καὶ ὡς πέτρα χειμάῤῥου Σωφείρ. Βαλεῖς εἰς γῆν, καὶ οἱονεὶ κακώσεις αὐτόν. Κεφ. ΚΓʹ, βʹ. Καὶ δὴ οἶδα ὅτι ἐκ χειρός μου ἡ ἔλεγξίς ἐστιν, καὶ ἡ χεὶρ αὐτοῦ βα ρεῖα γέγονεν ἐπ' ἐμῷ στεναγμῷ. Τουτέστι τὸν κατήγορον μετ' ἐμαυτοῦ περιφέρω, τὸν ἔλεγχον, τὴν ἀπόδειξιν τῶν κακῶν οἴκοθεν ἔχω. -Οἶδα, φησὶν, ὅτι ἐκ τῶν ἐν χερσὶ, τουτέστιν ἐκ τῆς πληγῆς, καὶ