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to them and they died, 21b and because they had no wisdom they perished. For nothing is stronger than the wise man. This made them easy to handle even for God; Indeed, they are vulnerable both from nature itself, and then also from their wickedness and impiety.

5,1a But call, if anyone will answer you, 1b if you will see any of the holy angels.

And from this he shows his superiority. For since it was likely that Job would examine his own affairs from his own reasonings, see what he says: "Do not say this to me. God is great, he does many things which we do not know; our lowliness is great, we have been settled somewhere far away. And what can I say about him, when the same thing can be said even about his children? So that whatever he does, he does well." 5,2a For anger, he says, slays the foolish man, 2b and jealousy puts the erring one to death. But the wise man has considered all these things with exactness, while the foolish man regards none of them; or that God slays the 69 foolish man with anger, and the zeal of God puts the erring one to death. That is: anger slays foolish men; it seems to me he means sinners. Anger, he says, slays the foolish man, but by no means the prudent man; for there is no anger there. But anger also destroys prudent men, he says elsewhere; and when there is also foolishness, all the more. 5,3a I have seen the foolish taking root, 3b but their habitation was immediately consumed. And see how he corrects himself in advance: "Do not say this to me, that they often had children, but not continuously." For since it was likely for someone to say: "How then, if Job was a sinner, did he enjoy so many good things?", "Yes," he says, "I have seen the foolish taking root." Do you see that by the foolish man he means the sinner? And this is part of God's dispensation, not to slay sinners immediately, but to give them a period for repentance, so that what is good is not a matter of compulsion for men. 5,4a Far be their sons, he says, from salvation, 4b and may they be crushed in the gates of their inferiors. That is: they were scattered, they were cast out. 5,4b And there shall be no one to deliver them. 5,5a For what they have reaped, the just shall eat; 5b but they themselves shall not be delivered from evils, 5c and may their strength be siphoned away. That is: may their power be exhausted. At the same time, these are the words of one who is puffed up. 5,6a For trouble will not come forth from the earth, 6b nor will toil spring up from the mountains. "For this heavy-heartedness," he says, "is in men." See how he again strives to show that the things said are natural, so that no one may have a pretext against the argument. "For the nature of men is such," he says; 70 "for the earth nourishes nothing more wretched or miserable than man." That is: one must not wonder or be surprised. We were made for this, to suffer hardship and to be made to suffer hardship. This is what the prophet also says: and the greater part of them is toil and trouble, and again Jacob: few and evil are my days. 5,7a But man, he says, is born to trouble. "The matter is natural," he says, "it is impossible to escape adversity." For so that no one may say again that Job was righteous, "He is righteous," he says, "but human nature is such as to bear terrible things." See, he strongly affirms from nature that he is not without sin; but let be, he says, those who dwell in houses of clay, and again: For what? Shall a mortal be pure before the Lord? Again, that it is not possible to come forth without evils, man, he says, is born to trouble. For indeed, neither inanimate things nor irrational animals are going to perceive despondency, but this is found in men. Consider our common nature and you will see this to be so. 5,7b But the young of vultures, he says, fly high. That is: they are without care and anxiety. What then? Do they enjoy greater providence? By no means, since neither does the earth nor the mountains, because it partakes of insensibility. It seems to me that this animal is also insensible, being bloodthirsty and carnivorous. 5,8a But yet, I will make my petition to the Lord, 8b and I will call upon the Lord Almighty. "And since these things are so," he says,

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αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐτελεύτησαν, 21b καὶ παρὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν αὐτοὺς σοφίαν ἀπώλοντο. οὐδὲν γὰρ ἰσχυρότερον τοῦ σοφοῦ. τοῦτο αὐτοὺς εὐχειρώτους ἐποίησε καὶ τῷ θεῷ· μάλιστα μὲν οὖν καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς φύσεως αὐτῆς εἰσιν εὐάλωτοι, ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς κακίας καὶ τῆς ἀσεβείας.

5,1a ἐπικάλεσαι δέ, εἴ τίς σου ὑπακούσεται, 1b εἴ τινα ἁγίων ἀγγέλων ὄψει.

καὶ ἀπὸ τούτου τὴν ὑπεροχὴν δείκνυσιν. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἰκὸς ἦν ἀπὸ οἰκείων λογισμῶν ἐξετάζειν τὰ καθ' ἑαυτὸν τὸν Ἰώβ, ὅρα, τί φησιν· «μή μοι τοῦτο εἴπῃς. μέγας ἐστὶν ὁ θεός, πολλὰ ποιεῖ, ὧν οὐκ ἴσμεν· πολὺ τὸ ταπεινὸν τὸ ἡμέτερον, ἀπῳκίσμεθά που πόρρω. καὶ τί λέγω περὶ αὐτοῦ, ὅπου γε καὶ περὶ τῶν παίδων αὐτοῦ τὸ αὐτό ἐστιν εἰπεῖν; ὥστε, ὅπερ ἂν ποιήσῃ, καλῶς ποιεῖ.» 5,2a καὶ γὰρ ἄφρονα, φησίν, ἀναιρεῖ ὀργή, 2b πεπλανημένον δὲ θανατοῖ ζῆλος. ἀλλ' ὁ σοφὸς ταῦτα πάντα ἐπέσκεπται μετὰ ἀκριβείας, ὁ δὲ ἀνόητος πρὸς οὐδὲν τούτων ὁρᾷ· ἢ ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἀναιρεῖ τῇ ὀργῇ τὸν 69 ἄφρονα, πεπλανημένον δὲ θανατοῖ ζῆλος ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ. τουτέστιν· ἡ ὀργὴ τοὺς ἄφρονας ἀναιρεῖ· ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς λέγειν. τὸν ἄφρονα, φησίν, ὀργὴ ἀναιρεῖ, ὥστε τὸν φρόνιμον οὐδαμῶς· οὐδὲ γὰρ ὀργὴ ἔστιν ἐκεῖ. ὀργὴ δὲ ἀπόλλυσι καὶ φρονίμους, ἀλλαχοῦ φησιν· ὅταν δὲ καὶ ἀφροσύνη ᾖ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον. 5,3a ἐγὼ δὲ ἑώρακα ἄφρονας ῥίζας βαλόντας, 3b ἀλλ' εὐθὺς ἡ δίαιτα αὐτῶν ἐβρώθη. καὶ ὅρα, πῶς προδιορθοῦται· «μή μοι τοῦτο εἴπῃς, ὅτι πολλάκις καὶ παῖδας ἔσχον, ἀλλ' οὐ διηνεκῶς.» ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἰκὸς ἦν λέγειν τινά· «πῶς οὖν, εἰ ἁμαρτωλὸς ἦν ὁ Ἰώβ, τοσούτων ἀπήλαυσεν ἀγαθῶν;», «ναί», φησίν, «ἑώρακα ἄφρονας ῥίζας βαλόντας.» ὁρᾷς, ὅτι τὸν ἄφρονα τὸν ἁμαρτωλὸν λέγει; καὶ τοῦτο τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ οἰκονομίας, ὥστε μὴ εὐθέως τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς ἀναιρεῖν, ἀλλὰ διδόναι αὐτοῖς προθεσμίαν μετανοίας, ὥστε τοῖς ἀνθρώποις μὴ εἶναι ἀναγκαστὸν τὸ καλόν. 5,4a πόρρω γένοιντο, φησίν, οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτῶν ἀπὸ σωτηρίας, 4b κολαβρισθείησαν δὲ ἐπὶ θύραις ἡσσόνων. τουτέστιν· ἐσκορπίσθησαν, ἐξερρίφησαν. 5,4b καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ ἐξαιρούμενος. 5,5a ἃ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι ἐθέρισαν, δίκαιοι ἔδονται· 5b αὐτοὶ δὲ ἐκ κακῶν οὐκ ἐξαιρεθήσονται, 5c καὶ ἐκσιφωνισθείη αὐτῶν ἡ ἰσχύς. τουτέστιν· ἐξαντληθείη αὐτῶν ἡ δύναμις. ἅμα καὶ ἐπαιρομένου ἐστὶ ταῦτα. 5,6a οὐ γὰρ μὴ ἐξέλθῃ ἐκ τῆς γῆς κόπος, 6b οὐδὲ ἐξ ὀρέων ἀναβλαστήσει πόνος. «τὸ γὰρ βαρύθυμον τοῦτο», φησίν, «ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἐστίν.» ὅρα, πῶς πάλιν βιάζεται δεῖξαι φυσικὰ τὰ εἰρημένα, ἵνα μὴ ἔχῃ τις ἐπισκῆψαι τῷ λόγῳ. «ἡ γὰρ τῶν ἀνθρώπων φύσις τοιαύτη», φησίν· 70 «οὐδὲν γὰρ μοχθηρότερον ἢ ὀϊζυρότερον γαῖα τρέφει ἀνθρώπου.» τουτέστιν· οὐ δεῖ θαυμάζειν οὐδὲ ξενίζεσθαι. ἐπὶ τούτῳ γεγόναμεν ὥστε ταλαιπωρεῖν καὶ ταλαιπωρεῖσθαι. τοῦτο καὶ ὁ προφήτης φησίν· καὶ τὸ πλεῖον αὐτῶν κόπος καὶ πόνος, καὶ πάλιν ὁ Ἰακώβ· μικραὶ καὶ πόνηραι αἱ ἡμέραι μου. 5,7a ἀλλ' ἄνθρωπος, φησίν, ἐν κόπῳ γεννᾶται. «φυσικὸν τὸ πρᾶγμά ἐστιν», φησίν, «ἀδύνατόν ἐστι διαφυγεῖν δυσπραγίαν.» ἵνα γὰρ μὴ λέγῃ τις πάλιν, ὅτι δίκαιος ἦν ὁ Ἰώβ, «ἔστι δίκαιος» φησίν, «ἀλλ' ἡ φύσις ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη τοιαύτη τίς ἐστιν ὥστε φέρειν τὰ δεινά.» ὅρα, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἀναμάρτητος, ἀπὸ τῆς φύσεως διϊσχυρίζεται· ἔα δέ, φησίν, τοὺς κατοικοῦντας οἰκίας πηλίνας, καὶ πάλιν· τί γάρ; μὴ καθαρὸς ἔσται βροτὸς ἔναντι κυρίου; πάλιν, ὅτι οὐκ ἔνι χωρὶς τῶν κακῶν ἐξελθεῖν, ἄνθρωπος, φησίν, ἐν κόπῳ γεννᾶται. οὐ γὰρ δὴ τὰ ἀναίσθητα οὐδὲ τὰ ἄλογα ζῷα μέλλουσι τῆς ἀθυμίας αἰσθάνεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἐν ἀνθρώποις τοῦτ' ἔστιν. ἐπίσκεψαι τὴν κοινὴν φύσιν καὶ ὄψει τοῦτο οὕτως ἔχον. 5,7b νεοσσοὶ δέ, φησίν, γυπῶν τὰ ὑψηλὰ πέτονται. τουτέστιν· ἀφρόντιδές εἰσι καὶ ἀμέριμνοι. τί οὖν; πλείονος ἀπολαύουσι προνοίας; ἄπαγε, ἐπεὶ οὐδὲ ἡ γῆ οὐδὲ τὰ ὄρη, ἐπειδὴ ἀναισθησίας μετέχει. ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ καὶ τοῦτο ἀναίσθητον εἶναι τὸ ζῷον αἱμοβόρον καὶ σαρκοφάγον ὄν. 5,8a οὐ μὴν δέ, ἀλλ' ἐγὼ δεηθήσομαι κυρίου, 8b κύριον δὲ τὸν παντοκράτορα ἐπικαλέσομαι. «καὶ τούτων ὄντων οὕτως», φησίν,