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therefore, being filled with calamities and diabolical energy, she suggests to the just man that this release from evils has been left for him: the departure from the body; and that it is possible for this to happen to him if he should provoke God through blasphemy and incite him to his own destruction. And she wickedly and unsympathetically introduces such counsel, constructing her argument from both her husband's and her own misfortunes. "I endured," she says, "the pains of childbirth, I toiled raising children, so that you might leave the children behind as your memorial after you." The hope for these things was cut off; all perished, males and females alike. "To whom shall I look henceforth? To you, their father, full of worms, poor, cast out? To me, the wretched one, the wanderer, the one who serves for hire after great prosperity, who is tried until evening in pains and toils? But if you will listen to me, speak some word to God, provoking him, that he might take you away; for this is the only release from evils left to you." 30 2, 10 But he looked at her and said: You have spoken like one of the foolish women. If we have received good things from the hand of the Lord, shall we not endure evil things? Do you see the mind and countenance of a teacher even in sufferings? For since he had been instructing his wife in the laws of piety, having heard the unexpected, he frightens her with a startling gaze. Then he also shames her with gentle words: "For these things," he says, "O woman, were for a foolish woman to say." For is it not folly to think that death follows immediately upon blasphemy, or to dare to utter any blasphemous word against God at all? And having instructed her with these things, both by word and by gaze, he admonishes her to bear the onset of difficulties with thanksgiving. "For many," he says, "have not even experienced any prosperity, but we, having enjoyed this from God, why do we complain at the opposite? Why do we not also receive these things with much thanksgiving as from a true master?" So then, having heard these things, she became quiet and accepted the admonition, saying nothing in reply; therefore I think that she also became a sharer with Job in the good things that came later. But the noble athlete gave a threefold blow to the devil, by not being bent himself, by correcting through admonition his wife who had been led astray by him, and by uttering words of thanksgiving that were worthy of all praise and of unforgotten memory. 2, 10 In all these things that happened to him, Job did not sin with his lips against God. 31 Scripture again secures us and bears further witness to the man's splendor and sinlessness and magnanimity in temptations, so that we may understand the man's words throughout the whole book in a manner worthy of such a soul. Therefore, since his great-mindedness has been shown from all sides and how he was victorious throughout all the contests, let us think nothing base about him in the utterance of the following words. 2, 11 And when his three friends heard of all the evils that had come upon him, they came to him, each from his own country. If anyone should say, "Why did the friends arrive after so much time?" let him consider first that they inhabited different lands and perhaps heard after a long time. And the unexpectedness of the misfortune seemed incredible, that Job should be sitting unassisted on a dunghill, and they waited to confirm the report through more sources or even to send someone and see if the things being said were true. So then, time was spent in these things; and in addition to these, when they knew the truth, being kings and about to travel abroad, they had the necessity first to arrange their subjects well, to set in order the affairs of their household, to appoint substitutes over their people. All these things occupied them and delayed them, and if they were not very loving and just men, they would not have left their own countries and kingdoms and come for the visit, but would have fulfilled the need through others. And it is possible to consider that the delay of their arrival was also a certain divine economy; for since, along with the discussion of the friends, the entire contest was also resolved when God delivered his oracle and restored the just man and

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τοίνυν πρὸς τὰς συμφορὰς καὶ διαβολικῆς ἐνεργείας πεπληρωμένη ὑποτίθεται τῷ δικαίῳ ταύτην αὐτῷ τῶν κακῶν λύσιν ὑπολελεῖφθαι τὴν τοῦ σώματος ἀπαλλαγήν· δυνατὸν δὲ ταύτην αὐτῷ προσγενέσθαι, εἰ παροργίσοι διὰ τῆς βλασφημίας τὸν θεὸν καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀναίρεσιν ὑπερεθίσοι τὴν καθ' ἑαυτοῦ. κακοτέχνως δὲ καὶ ἀσυμπαθῶς τὴν τοιαύτην εἰσηγεῖται βουλὴν ἔκ τε τῶν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς καὶ τῶν ἑαυτῆς συμφορῶν τὸν λόγον κατασκευάζουσα. τὰς τῶν ὠδίνων, φησίν, ἀλγηδόνας ὑπέμεινα, ἐμόχθησα παιδοτροφοῦσα, ἵνα μετὰ σὲ μνημόσυνόν σου τοὺς παῖδας καταλίπῃς. ἐξεκόπη τούτων ἡ ἐλπίς· πάντες ἀπώλοντο, ἄρρενες ὁμοῦ καὶ θήλειαι. εἰς τίνα λοιπὸν ἀποβλέψομαι, εἰς σὲ τὸν τούτων πατέρα, τὸν σκωλήκων πλήρη, τὸν πένητα, τὸν ἀπερριμμένον; εἰς ἐμὲ τὴν ἀθλίαν, τὴν πλανῆτιν, τὴν ἐκ τῆς πολλῆς εὐδαιμονίας ἐπὶ μισθῷ θητεύουσαν, τὴν μέχρις ἑσπέρας ἐν ὀδύναις καὶ μόχθοις ἐξεταζομένην; ἀλλ' εἴ τί μοι πείθῃ, φθέγξαι τι ῥῆμα πρὸς τὸν θεὸν παροργίζων αὐτόν, ἵνα σε ἀνέλῃ· αὕτη γάρ σοι μόνη τῶν κακῶν ὑπολέλειπται λύσις. 30 2, 10 ὁ δὲ ἐμβλέψας αὐτῇ εἶπεν· ὥσπερ μία τῶν ἀφρόνων γυναικῶν ἐλάλησας. εἰ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἐδεξάμεθα ἐκ χειρὸς κυρίου, τὰ κακὰ οὐχ ὑποίσομεν; ὁρᾷς διδασκάλου καὶ ἐν τοῖς πάθεσι γνώμην καὶ πρόσοψιν; ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὴν γυναῖκα τοῖς τῆς θεοσεβείας ἐπαίδευεν νόμοις, τὰ παρ' ἐλπίδα ἀκούσας καταπληκτικῷ φοβεῖ τῷ βλέμματι. εἶτα καὶ ἠπίοις ἐντρέπει λόγοις· ταῦτα, γάρ φησιν, ὦ αὕτη, ἄφρονος ἦν εἰπεῖν γυναικός. ἢ γὰρ οὐκ ἀφροσύνη τὸ νομίζειν ὁμοῦ τῇ βλασφημίᾳ καὶ τὴν τελευτὴν ἐπακολουθεῖν ἢ ὅλως τολμᾶν βλασφημόν τι ῥῆμα προφέρειν κατὰ θεοῦ; τούτοις δὲ παιδεύσας τῷ τε λόγῳ καὶ τῷ βλέμματι νουθετεῖ φέρειν εὐχαρίστως τῶν δυσχερῶν τὴν ἐπαγωγήν. πολλοὶ μὲν γάρ, φησίν, οὐδὲ εὐθηνίας τινὸς ἐπειράθησαν, ἡμεῖς δὲ ταύτης ἀπολελαυκότες ἐκ θεοῦ τί πρὸς τἀναντία δυσχεραίνομεν, τί δὲ μὴ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς εὐχαριστίας ὡς παρὰ γνησίου δεσπότου καὶ ταῦτα δεχόμεθα; ἡ μὲν οὖν ταῦτα ἀκούσασα ἐφησύχασε καὶ τὴν νουθεσίαν ἐδέξατο μηδὲν ἀντιφθεγξαμένη· διόπερ οἶμαι καὶ τῶν ὕστερον ἀγαθῶν κοινωνὸν αὐτὴν γεγενῆσθαι τῷ Ἰώβ. ὁ δὲ γενναῖος ἀγωνιστὴς τριπλᾶς τῷ διαβόλῳ δέδωκε τὰς πληγὰς αὐτός τε μὴ καμφθεὶς καὶ τὴν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ παρατραπεῖσαν γυναῖκα ἐπανορθώσας τῇ νουθεσίᾳ καὶ τὰς εὐχαρίστους καὶ παντὸς ἀξίας ἐπαίνου καὶ ἀλήστου μνήμης φωνὰς ἀναφθεγξάμενος. 2, 10 ἐν τούτοις πᾶσι τοῖς συμβεβηκόσιν αὐτῷ οὐδὲν ἥμαρτεν Ἰὼβ τοῖς χείλεσιν ἐναντίον τοῦ θεοῦ. 31 ἀσφαλίζεται πάλιν ἡμᾶς ἡ γραφὴ καὶ τῇ λαμπρότητι καὶ ἀναμαρτησίᾳ καὶ τῇ ἐν τοῖς πειρασμοῖς τοῦ ἀνδρὸς μεγαλοψυχίᾳ προσμαρτυρεῖ, ὡς ἂν ἐπαξίως τῆς τοιαύτης ψυχῆς καὶ τὰ ἐν παντὶ τῷ βιβλίῳ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς νοήσωμεν ῥήματα. δειχθείσης οὖν αὐτοῦ πανταχόθεν τῆς μεγαλονοίας καὶ ὡς παρ' ὅλους τοὺς ἀγῶνας ἐνίκησεν, μηδὲν ταπεινὸν ἐννοήσωμεν περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ τῶν ἐφεξῆς ῥημάτων προφορᾷ. 2, 11 ἀκούσαντες δὲ οἱ τρεῖς φίλοι αὐτοῦ τὰ κακὰ πάντα τὰ ἐπελθόντα αὐτῷ παρεγένοντο ἕκαστος ἐκ τῆς ἰδίας χώρας πρὸς αὐτόν. ἐάν τις λέγῃ· διὰ τί μετὰ τοσοῦτον χρόνον οἱ φίλοι παραγεγόνασιν, ἐννοείτω πρῶτον μέν, ὡς διαφόρους ᾤκουν χώρας καὶ μετὰ πολὺ μὲν ἴσως ἤκουσαν. τὸ δὲ παράδοξον τῆς συμφορᾶς καὶ ἄπιστον ἐδόκει, εἰ ἐπὶ κοπρίας ἀνεπικούρητος ὁ Ἰὼβ κάθηται, καὶ περιέμενον διὰ πλειόνων πιστώσασθαι τὴν ἀκοὴν ἢ καὶ ἐκπέμψαι καὶ ἰδεῖν, εἰ ἀληθῆ τὰ λεγόμενα. ἐν τούτοις μὲν οὖν ὁ χρόνος ἐτρίβετο· πρὸς δὲ δὴ τούτοις, ὅτε τὸ ἀληθὲς ἔγνωσαν, βασιλεῖς ὄντες καὶ ἐκδημεῖν μέλλοντες ἀνάγκην εἶχον πρότερον εὖ διατάξασθαι τὸ ὑπήκοον, διαθεῖναι τὰ κατὰ τὸν οἶκον, ἐπιστῆσαι τοῖς ἀρχομένοις τοὺς ἀνθ' ἑαυτῶν. ταῦτα πάντα αὐτοὺς ἀπησχόλει καὶ ἐνεβράδυνον, καὶ εἰ μὴ σφόδρα γε ἀγαπητικοί τινες ἦσαν καὶ δίκαιοι, οὐκ ἂν τὰς οἰκείας καταλιπόντες χώρας τε καὶ βασιλείας ἀφικνοῦντο πρὸς τὴν ἐπίσκεψιν, ἀλλὰ δι' ἑτέρων τὴν χρείαν ἐπλήρουν. ἔστι δὲ ἐννοεῖν, ὡς καὶ οἰκονομία τις ἦν θεία ἡ τῆς ἀφίξεως ἀναβολή· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁμοῦ τῇ τῶν φίλων διαλέξει καὶ τὸ πᾶν τοῦ ἀγῶνος ἐλύθη τοῦ θεοῦ χρηματίσαντος καὶ τὸν δίκαιον ἀνακτησαμένου καὶ