teach us, having received the grace of teaching. Verse 4. And he will enter with you into judgment. God, holding an account of the one for whom he provides, convicts him. And he will enter with you into judgment. We have often said, whenever this doctrine 17.81 has appeared in other words, that God is so loving to mankind, that even when judging us kindly, he permits us to speak to him, as though he were being judged with us, concerning what we wish. I have therefore used the words from Isaiah: Come, and let us reason together, says the Lord. For, ‘let us reason together,’ means this: If you have anything to convict me of, and my providence, as having neglected you, as not having done what was fitting, speak; and I, whatever I have to say, will say it, I will persuade you, condemning you as one worthy to be condemned. Verse 5. Is not your wickedness great? Rightly I do not say simply that he has become unjust; since he suffers such things, that no one has fallen into such great ones as you have. It is likely that because of your innumerable stumblings, these things have come upon you. From the same. He did not first name sin, then wickedness; but seeing wickedness, the evil disposition, then after this the things sinned from the evil disposition, which he said were innumerable sins. Verse 5. And your sins are innumerable. Eliphaz supposes this about Job. He knew he was rich, and says: You were taking pledges from your brothers, as from those who owed when they did not owe. For, ‘You took pledges for no reason,’ means this. Verse 6. You took pledges from your brothers for no reason. From the same. And again he intensifies another of his sins. Is it ever possible to take garments? Not from a naked person, but to take from a rich person who has many garments stored away. Three ... indeed the one of many there took a garment; but of a naked man, but of a rich man. If, however, someone has one tunic, and I strip off this tunic, on the pretext of demanding what is mine, not pitying that naked person, I have taken away the garment of the naked. Many such things happen among us, whenever we lend, whenever we go to debtors. Often a debtor of ours is extremely poor, unable to repay; and we, having closed our bowels of compassion, become merciless and cruel, not seeing that he supports a wife and children, and is barely nourished from the few obols he acquires. We demand bitterly, at times even when we have abundance for ourselves. These things therefore he says, accusing Job, that he took away the clothing of the naked. Verse 7. Neither did you give water to the thirsty; but from the hungry you withheld bread. On the same. Therefore not only doing wrong, but also not doing good is culpable. All these are accusations, and truly reprehensible. But they were not true concerning Job, nor were they well spoken concerning him. From the same. Such things happen in bitter 17.84 demands. Sometimes someone has one piece of bread; and even if he does not have a whole loaf, we take it from him, saying: But you owe Verse 9. But you sent widows away empty. Let us take heed if a widow of ours enters the house, lest we ever send her away empty. According to his ability, let each one fill the lap of the widow with what he has. Verse 9. And you have mistreated orphans. From the same. Indeed, one must mistreat no one, but one must especially spare orphans. For God has commanded to fight for the helpless souls. Rather than other people, the poor, widows, and orphans are in need of help. Verse 10. Therefore snares have encircled you. He calls the things that have happened to him snares, into which he has fallen, in which also his soul is ensnared by the things that have happened to him. Verse 11. Your light has turned to darkness. You were in the light when your possessions were with you, when your children were around, when your body was healthy. But now you have, as it were, descended into darkness, into these circumstances. On the same. That is, in the wilderness, and in the open air, a wanderer, and a fugitive, and homeless. Verse 11. And water has covered you as you slept. The phrase, ‘water has covered you as you slept,’ means this: The opposing power has covered you. Since you were not awake, since you did not sleep. For Scripture knows of a certain sleep of sin. Therefore it has commanded us, saying: Give not sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids, that you may live

ἡμᾶς διδάσκουσι διδασκαλικὴν εἰληφότες χάριν. Στίχ. δʹ. Καὶ συνεισελεύσεταί σοι εἰς κρίσιν. Λόγον ποιούμενος ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ προνοουμένου ὑπ' αὐ τοῦ, ἐλέγχει αὐτόν. Καὶ συνεισελεύσεταί σοι εἰς κρίσιν. Πολλάκις εἴπομεν, εἴποτε ἐνέπεσε τὸ δόγμα 17.81 τοῦτο ἐν ἄλλαις λέξεσιν, ὅτι οὕτως ἐστὶν ὁ Θεὸς φιλ άνθρωπος, ὥστε, καὶ χρηστῶς κρίνων ἡμᾶς, ἐπι τρέπει λέγειν ἡμᾶς πρὸς αὐτὸν, ὡς κρινόμενον μεθ' ἡμῶν, περὶ ὧν βουλόμεθα. Ἐχρησάμην οὖν τοῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἡσαΐα· ∆εῦτε, καὶ διαλεχθῶμεν, λέγει Κύ ριος. Τὸ γὰρ, διαλεχθῶμεν, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Εἴ τί με ἔχεις ἐλέγξαι, καὶ τὴν πρόνοιάν μου, ὡς ἀμελή σαντός σου, ὡς μὴ τὰ δέοντα πεποιηκότος, λέγε· Κἀγὼ, ὅ τι ποτὲ ἔχω ἐρῶ, πείσω σε, καταδικάζων σε ἄξιον ὄντα τοῦ καταδικασθῆναι. Στίχ. εʹ. Πότερον οὐχ ἡ κακία σου ἐστὶ πολλή; Εἰκότως οὐχ ἁπλῶς φημι γεγονέναι ἄδικον· ἐπεὶ πάσχει τοιαῦτα, ὁποῖα οὐδεὶς αὐτῶν τηλικούτοις πέπτωκεν, οἵοις σύ. Εἰκὸς διὰ τὸ ἀναρίθμητόν σου τῶν πταισμάτων, ταῦτά σοι ἐληλυθέναι. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Οὐ πρότερον ὠνόμασεν ἁμαρτίαν, εἶτα τὴν κακίαν· ἀλλ' ὁρῶν τὴν κακίαν τὴν φαύλην ἕξιν, εἶτα μετὰ τοῦτο τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς φαύλης ἕξεως ἁμαρτανόμενα, ἅπερ εἶπεν ἀναριθμήτους εἶναι ἁμαρ τίας. Στίχ. εʹ. Ἀναρίθμητοι δέ σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι. Ὑπολαμβάνει τοῦτο ὁ Ἐλιφὰζ περὶ τοῦ Ἰώβ. Ἤδει αὐτὸν πλούσιον, καί φησιν· Ἐνέχυρα ἐλάμβανες ἀπὸ τῶν σῶν ἀδελφῶν, ὡς ὀφειλόντων μὴ ὀφειλόντων. Τὸ γὰρ, Ἠνεχύραζες διακενῆς, τοιοῦ τόν ἐστιν. Στίχ. ʹ. Ἠνεχύραζες τοὺς ἀδελφούς σου διακενῆς. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Προσεπιτείνει δὲ πάλιν ἄλλην αὐτοῦ ἁμαρτίαν. Ἔστι ποτὲ λαβεῖν ἀμφιάσματα; Οὐ γυμ νοῦ, ἀλλὰ πλουσίου ἔχοντος ἀποκείμενα ἐνδύματα πολλὰ λαβεῖν. Τρία ... δὴ ὁ τῶν πολλῶν ἐκεῖ ἔλα βον ἀμφίασιν· ἀλλὰ γυμνοῦ, ἀλλὰ πλουσίου. Ἐὰν μέντοι γε χιτῶνά τις ἔχῃ ἕνα, καὶ τοῦτον τὸν χιτῶνα, προφάσει τοῦ ἀπαιτεῖν τὸ ἐμὸν, ἐκδύσω, μὴ ἐλεήσας ἐκεῖνον τὸν γυμνὸν, ἀμφίασιν τοῦ γυμνοῦ ἀφειλόμην. Πολλὰ δὲ τοιαῦτα, ἐν ἡμῖν γίνεται, ὅτ' ἂν δανείζω μεν, ὅτ' ἂν πρὸς ὀφειλέτας ἐρχώμεθα. Πολλάκις ὀφει λέτης ἡμῶν εἰς ὑπερβολὴν πένεται, μὴ δυνάμενος ἀποδοῦναι· καὶ ἡμεῖς, τὰ σπλάγχνα ἡμῶν ἀποκλεί σαντες, ἀνηλεεῖς καὶ ὠμοὶ γινόμεθα, μὴ βλέποντες ὅτι γυναῖκα τρέφει καὶ τέκνα, καὶ μόλις τρέφεται ἀπὸ τῶν ποριζομένων αὐτῷ ὀλίγων ὀβολῶν. Ἀπαι τοῦμεν πικρῶς ἔσθ' ὅτε καὶ περισσὰ ἔχοντες παρ' ἑαυτοῖς. Ταῦτα οὖν λέγει ἐγκαλῶν τῷ Ἰὼβ, ὅτι ἀμ φίασιν γυμνῶν ἀφεῖλεν. Στίχ. ζʹ. Οὐδὲ ὕδωρ διψῶντας ἐπότισας· ἀλλὰ πεινώντων ἐστέρησας ψωμόν. Εἰς τὸ αὐτό. Οὐκοῦν οὐ μόνον τὸ ἀδικεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ μὴ εὐεργετεῖν ὑπεύθυνον. Ταῦτα πάντα κατηγορήματά εἰσι, καὶ ἀληθῶς ψεκτά. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀληθῆ περὶ τοῦ Ἰὼβ, οὐδὲ καλῶς ἐλέγετο περὶ αὐτοῦ. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Τοιαῦτα γίνεται ἐν ταῖς πικραῖς 17.84 ἀπαιτήσεσιν. Ἐνίοτε αὐτὸν τὸν ψωμὸν ἔχει τις ἕνα· κἂν μὴ ἔχῃ ἄρτον ὁλόκληρον, ἀφαιροῦμεν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ λέγοντες· Ἀλλ' ὀφείλεις Στίχ. θʹ. Χήρας δὲ ἐξαπέστειλας κενάς. Προσέχωμεν ἐὰν χήρα ἡμῶν εἰσέλθῃ εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν, μήποτε κενὴν αὐτὴν ἐξαποστείλωμεν. Κατὰ δύνα μιν ἕκαστος πρὸς ὃ ἔχει πληρωσάτω τὸν κόλπον τῆς χήρας. Στίχ. θʹ. Ὀρφανοὺς δὲ ἐκάκωσας. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Οὐδένα μὲν δεῖ κακοῦν, ἐξαιρέτως δὲ χρὴ φείδεσθαι τῶν ὀρφανῶν. Περὶ γὰρ τῶν ἀβοηθή των ψυχῶν πολεμεῖν ὁ Θεὸς ἐνετείλατο. Μᾶλλον δὲ παρὰ τοὺς ἄλλους ἀνθρώπους, πτωχοὶ, χῆραι, ὀρφα νοὶ δέονται βοηθείας. Στίχ. ιʹ. Τοιγαροῦν ἐκύκλωσάν σε παγίδες. Παγίδας λέγει τὰ συμβεβηκότα αὐτῷ, ἐν αἷς ἐμ πέπτωκεν, εἰς ἃς καὶ παγιδεύεται αὐτοῦ ἡ ψυχὴ ἀπὸ τῶν συμβεβηκότων αὐτῷ. Στίχ. ιαʹ. Τὸ φῶς σοι σκότος ἀπέβη. Ἐν φωτὶ ἦς, ὅτε τὰ ὑπάρχοντά σοι ἦν, ὅτε τὰ τέκνα σου περιῆν, ὅτε ὑγίαινέ σου τὸ σῶμα. Νῦν δὲ οἷον εἰς σκότος καταβέβηκας, εἰς τὰς περιστάσεις ταύτας. Εἰς τὸ αὐτό. Τουτέστιν ἐν ἐρημίᾳ, καὶ αἴ θριος, ἀλήτης, καὶ φυγὰς, καὶ ἀνέστιος. Στίχ. ιαʹ. Κοιμηθέντα δὲ ὕδωρ σε ἐκάλυψεν. Τὸ, κοιμηθέντα σε ὕδωρ ἐκάλυψεν, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Ἐκάλυψέ σε ἡ ἀντικειμένη ἐνέργεια. Ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἐγρηγόρεις, ἐπεὶ οὐχ ὕπνωσας. Οἶδε δὲ ἡ Γραφὴ ὕπνον τινὰ ἁμαρτίας. ∆ιὸ ἐντέταλται ἡμῖν λέγουσα· Μὴ δῷς ὕπνον σοῖς ὄμμασι, μηδὲ νυσταγμὸν τοῖς βλεφάροις, ἵνα ζήσῃ