But God gives him boldness to speak. And after other things; So great is the goodness of God, that He takes upon Himself the person not of one judging, but of one being judged with man. And many Scriptures have taught this. Come, and let us reason together, says the Lord. And, My people, or rather God will reason with His people, My people, what have I done to you, or how have I troubled you? Answer me, and what follows. Verse 3. Do not reject my judgment. Do not reject this my judgment. Let us remember this saying as useful. But whenever God judges that we should suffer something, to lose a child, to lose a ruler, to be sick in the body, whatever of these things we endure; it is not possible for us to suffer any of these things, unless God judges it. For not even a sparrow falls into a snare without the will of the Father, who is in heaven. Since, therefore, none of these things happens without the judgment of God, it is said to the one who suffers; 17.100 Do not reject my judgment, do not deny that I have judged concerning you. Verse 3. Do you think that I have dealt with you otherwise, than that you might be shown to be righteous? I make my defense to you. You were righteous, but you were not manifest. You had endurance; it was necessary for me to provide an occasion for your endurance to shine. You had courage; but it was hidden in you; the pains that befell you have shown your courage. And after a little; Let us remember these things in times of trial, and let us seem to hear God present, and saying to us; Do you think that I have dealt with you otherwise, than that you might be shown to be righteous? Let us not appear unjust, nor impious. Verse 5. Take up, then, height and power. Be crowned, put on glory, put on honor. Verse 6. Send forth angels in wrath; and humble every insolent man. Verse 7. But quench the proud. The insolent one has waged war against you. The insolent one once said to me, Stretch forth your hand; he said to me, Touch all that he has; he said to me concerning you, that you will surely bless me to my face. But you have indeed conquered. Therefore I say to you: Take courage; and humble every insolent man, and humble his angels. He has become proud against you; but you, quench the proud. He is impious against you; but you, strike down the impious immediately. Verse 8. And fill their faces with dishonor. Rebuke sinners, showing them to be sinners. Fill their faces with dishonor through the rebuke that is in you. Verse 10. But behold now the beasts with you; he eats grass like oxen. The beasts are the opposing powers, concerning which the Prophet prayed, saying: Do not deliver to the beasts the soul that confesses you. The beasts are the opposing powers, over which you have received, O man, the authority. If you serve God, you will tread upon the asp and the basilisk. Verse 10. But behold now the beasts with you. Of the same. With you, Job, with every one who is mindful, with every one who has conquered. Verse 10. He eats grass like oxen. He speaks of the worms, those from him that were eating him. For completion, he says, is my hand from you; and behold, it eats like grass. Verse 11. And his power is in the navel of his belly. This is the first power against man. From here it begins to make one a fornicator. Of the same. In order to signify the female, in order to show that it wages war not only against those who have seed. And he has very fittingly named the loin for the male, and the navel of the belly for the female; Behold, his strength is in his loins; and his power is in the navel of his belly. 17.101 Verse 25. And the nations of the Phoenicians divide him. Since the Canaanites, who are also Phoenicians, are slandered for great wickedness, for this reason he says: The nations of the Phoenicians will divide him. Each one takes some part from the dragon, if he is of the Canaanite and Phoenician race. Verse 20. And every ship coming together will not be able to carry one hide of his tail. The last and final parts of the dragon all the ships together cannot slay. Men, using their bodies as ships, are not able to carry one hide of his tail. They by themselves are not able; but with divine power overseeing, we are able to carry not only one hide of his tail, but also the whole of him, and the whole of him

Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς δί δωσιν αὐτῷ παῤῥησίαν τοῦ λαλεῖν. Καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα· Τοσαύτη ἐστὶν ἡ χρηστότης τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὥστε ἀναλα βεῖν αὐτὸν πρόσωπον οὐ κρίνοντος, ἀλλὰ κρινομένου μετὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου. Καὶ πολλαὶ τοῦτο ἐδίδαξαν Γρα φαί. ∆εῦτε, καὶ διαλεχθῶμεν, λέγει Κύριος. Καὶ, Λαός μου, μᾶλλον δὲ ὁ Θεὸς μετὰ τοῦ λαοῦ διαλεχθή σεται, λαός μου, τί ἐποίησά σοι, ἢ τί παρηνόχλησά σοι; ἀποκρίθητί μοι, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Στίχ. γʹ. Μὴ ἀποποιοῦ μου τὸ κρῖμα. Μὴ ἀποποιοῦ μου τοῦτο τὸ κρῖμα. Τούτου τοῦ ῥητοῦ ὡς χρησίμου μνημονεύσωμεν. Ἀλλ' ὅτ' ἂν κρίνῃ ὁ Θεὸς παθεῖν τι ἡμᾶς, τέκνον ἀποβαλεῖν, ἄρ χοντα ἀπολέσαι, νοσῆσαι κατὰ τὸ σῶμα, ὅ τι δήποτε τούτων ὑπομεῖναι· οὐδὲν τούτων οἷόν τέ ἐστιν ἡμᾶς παθεῖν, μὴ κρίνοντος τοῦ Θεοῦ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ στρουθίον πίπτει εἰς παγίδα ἄνευ βουλήματος τοῦ Πατρὸς, τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Ἐπεὶ οὖν οὐδὲν τούτων γίνεται χω ρὶς κρίματος τοῦ Θεοῦ, λέγεται πρὸς τὸν παθόντα· 17.100 Μὴ ἀποποιοῦ μου τὸ κρῖμα, μὴ ἀπαρνῇ, ὅτι ἔκρινα περὶ σοῦ. Στίχ. γʹ. Οἴει δέ με ἄλλως σοι κεχρηματικέναι, ἢ ἵνα ἀναφανῇς δίκαιος; Ἀπολογοῦμαί σοι. ∆ίκαιος ἦς, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἦς φανε ρός. Ὑπομονὴν εἶχες· ἔδει με ἀφορμὴν παρασχεῖν τοῦ λάμψαι σου τὴν ὑπομονήν. Εἶχες ἀνδρείαν· ἀλλ' ἐκέκρυπτο ἐν σοί· οἱ συμβεβηκότες πόνοι ἔδειξάν σου τὴν ἀνδρείαν. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· Μνημονεύωμεν τού των ἐν τοῖς περιστάσεων καιροῖς, καὶ δόξωμεν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀκούειν παρόντος, καὶ λέγοντος ἡμῖν· Οἴει δέ με ἄλλως σοι κεχρηματικέναι, ἢ ἵνα ἀναφανῇς δίκαιος; Μὴ ἀναφανῶμεν ἄδικοι, μηδὲ ἀσεβεῖς. Στίχ. εʹ. Ἀνάλαβε δὴ ὕψος καὶ δύναμιν. Στεφάνωσαι, ἔνδυσαι δόξαν, ἔνδυσαι τιμήν. Στίχ. ʹ. Ἀπόστειλον δὲ ἀγγέλους ὀργῇ· πάντα δὲ ὑβριστὴν ταπείνωσον. Στίχ. ζʹ. Ὑπερήφανον δὲ σβέσον. Ὁ ὑβριστὴς ἐστρατεύσατο κατὰ σοῦ. Εἶπέ μοί πο τε ὁ ὑβριστὴς, Ἀπόστειλον τὴν χεῖρά σου· εἶπέ μοι, Ἅψαι πάντων ὧν ἔχει· εἶπέ μοι περὶ σοῦ, ὡς ἄρα εἰς πρόσωπόν με εὐλογήσεις. Ἀλλ' οὖν γε νε νίκηκας. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό σοι λέγω· Θάῤῥει· πᾶν δὲ ὑβρι στὴν ταπείνωσον, καὶ τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ ταπείνω σον. Ὑπερήφανος ἐκεῖνος γεγένηται κατὰ σοῦ· ἀλλὰ σὺ ὑπερήφανον σβέσον. Ἀσεβὴς ἐκεῖνος κατὰ σοῦ· ἀλλὰ σὺ σκῆψον ἀσεβεῖς παραχρῆμα. Στίχ. ηʹ. Τὰ δὲ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν ἀτιμίας πλήρωσον. Ἔλεγξον ἁμαρτωλοὺς, δεικνὺς αὐτοὺς ἁμαρτωλούς. Πλήρωσον τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν ἀτιμίας διὰ τοῦ ἐλέγ χου τοῦ ἐν σοί. Στίχ. ιʹ. Ἀλλὰ δὴ ἰδοὺ θηρία παρὰ σοί· χόρτον ἶσα βουσὶν ἐσθίει. Θηρία αἱ ἀντικείμεναι δυνάμεις εἰσὶ, περὶ ὧν ηὔ ξατο ὁ Προφήτης λέγων· Μὴ παραδῷς τοῖς θηρίοις τὴν ψυχὴν ἐξομολογουμένην σοι. Θηρία εἰσὶν αἱ ἀντικείμεναι δυνάμεις, ὧν εἴληφας, ὦ ἄνθρωπε, τὴν ἐξουσίαν. Ἐὰν Θεῷ δουλεύσῃς, ἐπ' ἀσπίδα καὶ βα σιλίσκον ἐπιβήσῃ. Στίχ. ιʹ. Ἀλλὰ δὴ ἰδοὺ θηρία παρὰ σοί. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Παρὰ σοὶ τῷ Ἰὼβ, παρὰ παντὶ ὑπο μνηστικῷ, παρὰ παντὶ τῷ νενικηκότι. Στίχ. ιʹ. Χόρτον ἶσα βουσὶν ἐσθίει. Τοὺς σκώληκας λέγει, τοὺς ἐξ αὐτοῦ αὐτὸν κατε σθίοντας. Συντέλεια γὰρ, φησὶ, τὴν χεῖρά μου ὑπὸ σοῦ· καὶ ἰδοὺ ὡς χόρτος κατεσθίει. Στίχ. ιαʹ. Ἡ δὲ δύναμις αὐτοῦ ἐπ' ὀμφαλοῦ γαστρός. Αὕτη πρώτη δύναμις κατὰ τοῦ ἀνδρός. Πόρ νον ποιεῖν ἐντεῦθεν ἄρχεται. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Ἵνα τὸ θῆλυ σημάνῃ, ἵνα δείξῃ, ὅτι στρατεύεται οὐ μόνον κατὰ τῶν ἐχόντων τὰ σπέρμα τα. Πάνυ δὲ εὐπρεπέστατα ὠνόμασεν ὀσφὺν ἐπὶ ἄῤῥε νος, καὶ ὀμφαλὸν γαστρὸς ἐπὶ γυναικός· Ἰδοὺ δὲ ἡ ἰσχὺς ὀσφὺς αὐτοῦ ἐν ἰσχύϊ· ἡ δὲ δύναμις αὐ τοῦ ἐπ' ὀμφαλοῦ γαστρός. 17.101 Στίχ. κεʹ. Μεριτεύονται δὲ αὐτὸ Φοινίκων ἔθνη. Ἐπεὶ πονηρίᾳ μεγάλῃ διαβάλλονται οἱ Χανα ναῖοι, οἱ καὶ Φοίνικες· διὰ τοῦτό φησι· Μεριοῦνται δὲ αὐτὸν Φοινίκων ἔθνη. Ἕκαστος μέρος τι λαμβάνει ἀπὸ τοῦ δράκοντος, ἐὰν ᾖ τὸ γένος Χαναναῖος καὶ Φοῖνιξ. Στίχ. κʹ. Πᾶν δὲ πλωτὸν συνελθὸν οὐ μὴ ἐνέγ κωσι βύρσαν μίαν οὐρᾶς αὐτοῦ. Τὰ τελευταῖα τοῦ δράκοντος καὶ τὰ ἔσχατα οὐ δύνανται νεκρῶσαι πάντα ἅμα πλωτά. Οἱ ἄνθρωποι, πλοίοις χρώμενοι τοῖς σώμασιν, οὐ δύνανται ἐνεγκεῖν βύρσαν μίαν οὐρᾶς αὐτοῦ. Αὐτοὶ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς οὐ δύ νανται· θείας δὲ δυνάμεως ἐπισκοπούσης, δυνάμεθα οὐ μόνον βύρσαν μίαν οὐρᾶς αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅλον αὐτὸν κομίσαι, καὶ ὅλον αὐτὸν