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you left no part uncared for; he rejoices at home, he thrives in the fields, he abounds in cattle; you have left nothing that does not cause him to be cheerful from every side. 1, 11 But send forth your hand and touch all that he has, and surely he will bless you to your face. Do you see the diabolical cruelty; he is not content to destroy a part of his substance or some of his children, but wants to render him bereft of everything all at once. And the phrase *send forth your hand* means: seize him with a blow. And from this it is shown that the devil has no power over us, unless it is permitted by God according to his ineffable dispensations concerning us. 19 And the phrase *surely he will bless you to your face* means: truly then he will openly blaspheme you. For scripture euphemistically uses "he will bless" instead of "he will blaspheme," just as it is said in Kings concerning Naboth: he blessed God and the king. But see how craftily and with hypocrisy he does not say: permit me, but: you do it. For he is conscious of his own weakness and yet he rages and boasts, which is a mark of the utmost folly. 1, 12 Then the Lord said to the devil: Behold, all that he has I give into your hand, but do not touch him. Although the evil one had not said, "Permit me," the great judge of the contest, knowing the courage of his own athlete, gives him over to the adversary to use as he wishes. But knowing the insatiable wrath of the hater of mankind, he limits with a measure the boundlessness of his desire. For "use his possessions as you wish," he says, "but do not touch him." But see the wisdom of the judge of the contest and man-loving God; first he allows the athlete to be trained in external and less dangerous things, then having shown him to be victorious, he then adds also the contest concerning the flesh. 1, 12 And the devil went out from the presence of the Lord. And yet there is no place outside the dominion of God, but this is to show that having received permission, he then set about his work, and that within the good nothing evil can either be or be done; for evil things are outside the good. 1, 13 And it was as this day. Meaning: a certain day came, on which the contest was joined. And see how in one day the devil brought all the terrible things upon the righteous man, wishing to move him to astonishment or indignation and blasphemy. For this indeed he had happened to promise, saying: surely he will bless you to your face. 1, 13 Job’s sons and his daughters were drinking wine in the house of their eldest brother. Whence also the devil was able to bring about their sudden destruction, having found them all together. 1, 14 and behold, a messenger came to Job and said to him: The devil, having received power from God, was able both to stir up the souls of enemies and to bring down fire from heaven and to save only the messengers of the disasters and to move the wind for the collapse of the house, using the angelic power which he received from the creator from the beginning. But he was able, as I said, being permitted by God. And he is able both to take shape and to disguise his own attendant demons to appear as enemies and as men reporting disasters, and to create the impression of fire coming down from heaven and of a blast of a violent wind borne against the house, seeing that he is even transformed into an angel of light, having received from the creator a certain such power of nature. Whether therefore he contended in this way or in that, except that he used his stratagems bitterly and artfully and maliciously. 21 1, 14-15 The yoke of oxen were ploughing, and the female donkeys were grazing beside them; and the raiders came and took them captive and killed the servants with swords. And I alone escaped to report to you. Do you see the diabolical message, proceeding maliciously and with increase, in order to shake the unshaken soul of the righteous man? He did not say simply "the yoke of oxen," but "were ploughing," meaning: they were producing a revenue from the yields of the earth; nor did he simply say "the donkeys," but "the female ones," from which come offspring and increase. Then having spoken of the removal of the irrational animals

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ἀπρονόητον εἴασας μέρος· ἥδεται κατ' οἶκον, εὐθηνεῖται κατ' ἀγρούς, πλήθει τοῖς κτήνεσιν· οὐδὲν ἀφῆκας, ὃ μὴ πανταχόθεν αὐτὸν εὐθυμεῖν παρασκευάζει. 1, 11 ἀλλὰ ἀπόστειλον τὴν χεῖρά σου καὶ ἅψῃ πάντων ὧν ἔχει, ἦ μὴν εἰς πρόσωπόν σε εὐλογήσει. ὁρᾷς ὠμότητα διαβολικήν· οὐκ ἀρκεῖται μέρος αὐτοῦ τῆς οὐσίας ἀπολέσαι ἤ τινας τῶν παίδων, ἀλλ' ἀθρόον αὐτὸν πάντων ἔρημον καταστῆσαι βούλεται. τὸ δὲ ἀπόστειλον τὴν χεῖρά σου ἀντὶ τοῦ· πληκτικῶς αὐτοῦ περίδραξαι. δείκνυται δὲ κἀντεῦθεν, ὡς οὐδεμίαν ἔχει καθ' ἡμῶν ἐξουσίαν ὁ διάβολος, εἰ μὴ ὑπὸ θεοῦ συγχωρηθῇ κατὰ τὰς αὐτοῦ περὶ ἡμᾶς ἀρρήτους οἰκονομίας. 19 τὸ δὲ ἦ μὴν εἰς πρόσωπόν σε εὐλογήσει ἀντὶ τοῦ· ὄντως τότε σε φανερῶς βλασφημήσει. εὐφήμως γὰρ ἡ γραφὴ τῷ εὐλογήσει ἀντὶ τοῦ βλασφημήσει χρᾶται, ὥσπερ καὶ ἐν ταῖς Βασιλείαις εἴρηται περὶ τοῦ Ναβουθέ· εὐλόγησε θεὸν καὶ βασιλέα. ὅρα δέ, πῶς πανούργως καὶ μεθ' ὑποκρίσεως οὐ λέγει ὅτι· ἐπίτρεψόν μοι, ἀλλά· σὺ ποίησον. σύνοιδε γὰρ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀσθένειαν καὶ ὅμως μέμηνε καὶ ἀλαζονεύεται, ὅπερ τῆς ἐσχάτης ἀνοίας ἐστίν. 1, 12 τότε εἶπεν ὁ κύριος τῷ διαβόλῳ· ἰδοὺ πάντα ὅσα ἔστιν αὐτῷ δίδωμι ἐν τῇ χειρί σου, ἀλλὰ αὐτοῦ μὴ ἅψῃ. τοῦ πονηροῦ μὴ εἰρηκότος· ἐπίτρεψόν μοι, ὁ μέγας ἀγωνοθέτης τὴν ἀνδρείαν ἐπιστάμενος τοῦ οἰκείου ἀθλητοῦ αὐτῷ τῷ ἀντιπάλῳ δίδωσιν αὐτὸν ἔκδοτον χρῆσθαι ὡς βούλεται. εἰδὼς δὲ τοῦ μισανθρώπου τὸν ἀκόρεστον θυμὸν μέτρῳ περιορίζει τὸ ἀόριστον αὐτοῦ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας. τοῖς μὲν γὰρ αὐτοῦ, φησίν, ὡς βούλει κέχρησο, αὐτοῦ δὲ μὴ ἅψῃ. ὅρα δὲ σοφίαν ἀγωνοθέτου καὶ φιλανθρώπου θεοῦ· πρῶτον ἐᾷ τὸν ἀθλητὴν ἐν τοῖς ἔξωθεν καὶ ἀκινδυνοτέροις διαγυμνασθῆναι, εἶτα νικηφόρον ἀναδείξας τότε προστίθησι καὶ τὸν περὶ τὰς σάρκας ἀγῶνα. 1, 12 καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ διάβολος παρὰ τοῦ κυρίου. καίτοιγε οὐκ ἔστι τόπος ἔξω τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ δεσποτείας, ἀλλ' ἵνα δείξῃ, ὅτι τὴν ἐπιτροπὴν λαβὼν εἴχετο λοιπὸν τοῦ ἔργου, καὶ ὅτι ἐντὸς τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ φαῦλον οὐδὲν οὔτε εἶναι οὔτε πράττεσθαι δύναται· ἔξω γάρ εἰσι τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ τὰ φαῦλα. 1, 13 καὶ ἦν ὡς ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη. ἀντὶ τοῦ· ἧκέ τις ἡμέρα, καθ' ἣν ὁ ἀγὼν συνεκροτήθη. καὶ ὅρα, ὡς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ ἅπαντα ἐπήγαγεν ὁ διάβολος τὰ δεινὰ τῷ δικαίῳ εἰς ἔκπληξιν αὐτὸν ἢ ἀγανάκτησιν καὶ βλασφημίαν κινῆσαι βουλόμενος. τοῦτο γὰρ δὴ καὶ ὑποσχόμενος ἐτύγχανεν φήσας· ἦ μὴν εἰς πρόσωπόν σε εὐλογήσει. 1, 13 οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰὼβ καὶ αἱ θυγατέρες αὐτοῦ ἔπινον οἶνον ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτῶν τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου. ὅθεν καὶ ηὐπόρησεν τῆς ἀθρόας κατ' αὐτῶν ἀπωλείας ὁ διάβολος ἅμα πάντας εὑρών. 1, 14 καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄγγελος ἦλθεν πρὸς Ἰὼβ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· ἠδύνατο μὲν ὁ διάβολος ἐξουσίαν παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ λαβὼν καὶ πολεμίων διερεθίσαι ψυχὰς καὶ πῦρ αἰθέριον κατάγειν καὶ μόνους ἀγγέλους σῴζειν τῶν συμφορῶν καὶ πνεῦμα συγκινεῖν εἰς τὴν τῆς οἰκίας κατάπτωσιν τῇ ἀγγελικῇ δυνάμει χρώμενος ᾗ ἐξ ἀρχῆς εἴληφεν παρὰ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ. ἠδύνατο δέ, ὡς ἔφην, ὑπὸ θεοῦ συγχωρούμενος. δύναται δὲ καὶ σχηματίζεσθαι καὶ τοὺς οἰκείους δορυφόρους δαίμονας διασκευάζειν ὡς πολεμίους φαίνεσθαι καὶ ὡς ἀνθρώπους ἀπαγγέλλοντας συμφοράς, καὶ πυρὸς ὑπόληψιν ποιεῖν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ κατερχομένου καὶ πνοῆς ἀνέμου βιαίας φερομένης κατὰ τῆς οἰκίας, ὅπουγε καὶ εἰς ἄγγελον φωτὸς μετασχηματίζεται τοιαύτην τινὰ φύσεως ἐξουσίαν παρὰ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ λαβών. εἴτε οὖν οὕτως εἴτε ἐκείνως ἠγωνίσατο, πλὴν ὅτι πικρῶς καὶ ἐντέχνως καὶ κακοήθως ἐχρήσατο τοῖς παλαίσμασιν. 21 1, 1415 τὰ ζεύγη τῶν βοῶν ἠροτρία, καὶ αἱ θήλειαι ὄνοι ἐβόσκοντο ἐχόμεναι αὐτῶν· καὶ ἐλθόντες οἱ αἰχμαλωτεύοντες ἠχμαλώτευσαν αὐτὰς καὶ τοὺς παῖδας ἀπέκτειναν ἐν μαχαίραις. σωθεὶς δὲ ἐγὼ μόνος ἦλθον τοῦ ἀπαγγεῖλαί σοι. ὁρᾷς ἀγγελίαν διαβολικὴν κακοτέχνως καὶ κατὰ αὔξησιν προερχομένην, ἐφ' ᾧ τὴν ἄσειστον τοῦ δικαίου κατασεῖσαι ψυχήν; οὐκ εἶπεν ἁπλῶς τὰ ζεύγη τῶν βοῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἠροτρία, ἀντὶ τοῦ· πόρον ἐκ τῶν τῆς γῆς προσόδων εἰργάζοντο· οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς εἶπεν· αἱ ὄνοι, ἀλλὰ αἱ θήλειαι, ἐξ ὧν ἡ ἐπιγονὴ καὶ ἡ αὔξησις. εἶτα εἰρηκὼς τῶν ἀλόγων τὴν ἀφαίρεσιν