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it was; but that it was not, these men conjectured from the punishments. 6,25a But as it seems, the words of a true man are worthless. "But it is not possible," he says, "for me to contend well when calamity speaks against me." Or that he who speaks right things and utters them with boldness is not bearable to his listeners; for all 82 despise the words of the just man. He said this also as a maxim, not only because of his calamity. 6,25b For not from you, he says, do I ask a word or strength, 6,26a nor will your refutation silence my words. Especially I will not refuse you when you are about to judge my affairs from the present circumstances, and much more so now. 6,25b For I do not ask strength from you, 6,26a nor will your refutation silence my words, 26b nor will I endure the utterance of your word, 6,27a except that you fall upon an orphan, 27b and you leap upon your friend. "Neither calamity nor friendship has bent you," he says. "But if you wish, let us take up the argument again. I do not refuse, even if you place yourselves in the opposite camp, and I will speak against you; for I am conscious of nothing in myself." 6,28 But now, he says, having looked into your face, I will not lie. 6,29a Sit down now, and let there be nothing unjust in judgment, 29b and again come together with the just one. 6,30a Now begin; for there is nothing unjust on my tongue. 30b And does not my throat meditate understanding? See the man everywhere concerned for his own reputation, lest he receive the reputation of being wicked and impious.

7,1a Is not the life of man a trial, he says, upon the

earth? This he also says himself: but man is born to trouble. What then is this to him? So it happens that one suffers these things not from injustice alone, but also from nature itself. Thus God ordained that human life be toilsome. But he added: upon the earth, no longer "in the heavens." 7,1b And his life is like that of a day-laborer. 83 The toilsome nature, he says; just as that one toils and labors through the whole day, so also is life short and toilsome and gathering nothing great; for just as that hired worker toils the entire time of the day, but gathers nothing great, so also is man. Is it then full of toils only, and not also of dangers? 7,2a Or like a servant fearing his own master and having obtained a shadow. "Even if I rest a little," he says, "just as a slave breathes a little not with permission nor with boldness, so many from every side are the attacks of tyranny." It seems to me he means a runaway slave; just as that one who fled his master is always in anguish. 7,2b Or like a hired worker awaiting his wage. He rests only at that time. 7,3a So I too have endured empty months. "With anguish, with hardship, with fear." But he says this not concerning all, but concerning himself. 7,3b And nights of pains are given to me. 7,4a If I go to sleep, I say again: When is it day? 4b And when I rise, I say again: When is it evening? 4c For I become full of pains from evening until morning. 7,5a And my body is covered in the filth of worms, 5b and I dissolve clods of earth by scraping them with ichor. "Because the life of man is a trial," he says, "upon the earth, so I too have awaited empty months." Empty for what reason? Because I have suffered hardship and received no wage, because I am in calamities and I have no good end, wrestling with so much inflammation and sweat. 84 Nights, he says, of pains are given to me. The greater part of this: everywhere he was hard to please. "Neither does the light of day comfort me, nor the rest of night. Each moment is burdensome to me, I seek only a release from the present things." Which is characteristic of those who are hard to please. Then he speaks of the calamity: and I dissolve clods of earth by scraping them with ichor. For no longer, as it seems to me, being distressed by a potsherd, but finally he was doing this with earth. 7,6a But my life is lighter than a runner's, 6b and has perished in empty hope. Since he says: "wait for the Lord and he himself will repay you," "nothing is left for me,"

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ἦν· ὅτι δὲ οὐκ ἦν, ἐστοχάζοντο οὗτοι ἀπὸ τῶν τιμωριῶν. 6,25a ἀλλ' ὡς ἔοικεν, φαῦλα ἀνδρὸς ἀληθινοῦ ῥήματα. «ἀλλ' οὐ δυνατόν», φησίν, «ἀγωνίσασθαι καλῶς μοι τῆς συμφορᾶς ἀντιφθεγγομένης.» ἢ ὅτι ὁ τὰ ὀρθὰ λαλῶν καὶ μετὰ παρρησίας φθεγγόμενος οὐκ ἔστι τοῖς ἀκούουσι φορητός· τὰ γὰρ τοῦ δικαίου ῥήματα πάντες 82 φαυλίζουσιν. τοῦτο καὶ γνωμικῶς εἶπεν, οὐχὶ διὰ τὴν συμφορὰν μόνον. 6,25b οὐ γὰρ παρ' ὑμῶν, φησίν, ῥῆμα οὐδὲ ἰσχὺν αἰτοῦμαι, 6,26a οὐδὲ ὁ ἔλεγχος ὑμῶν τὰ ῥήματά μου παύσει. μάλιστα μὲν οὐδὲ μέλλοντας ὑμᾶς ἀπὸ τῶν παρόντων τὰ κατ' ἐμὲ κρίνειν παραιτήσομαι, πολλῷ δὲ πλέον νῦν. 6,25b οὐ γὰρ παρ' ὑμῶν ἰσχὺν αἰτοῦμαι, 6,26a οὐδὲ ὁ ἔλεγχος ὑμῶν τὰ ῥήματά μου παύσει, 26b οὐδὲ φθέγμα ῥήματος ὑμῶν ἀνέξομαι, 6,27a πλὴν ὅτι ἐπ' ὀρφανῷ ἐπιπίπτετε, 27b ἐνάλλεσθε δὲ ἐπὶ φίλῳ ὑμῶν. «οὐχ ἡ συμφορά, οὐχ ἡ φιλία κατέκαμψεν ὑμᾶς», φησίν. «πλὴν ἀλλ' εἰ βούλεσθε, πάλιν ἀναλάβωμεν τὸν λόγον. οὐ παραιτοῦμαι, κἂν εἰς τὴν ἐναντίαν μοῖραν ἑαυτοὺς τάξητε, καὶ ἀντερῶ· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἐμαυτῷ σύνοιδα.» 6,28 νυνὶ δέ, φησίν, ἐμβλέψας εἰς πρόσωπον ὑμῶν οὐ ψεύσομαι. 6,29a καθίσατε δή, καὶ μὴ εἴη ἄδικον ἐν κρίσει, 29b καὶ πάλιν τῷ δικαίῳ συνέρχεσθε. 6,30a νῦν ἄρξασθε· οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἐν γλώσσῃ μου ἄδικον. 30b οὐχὶ δὲ καὶ ὁ λάρυγξ μου σύνεσιν μελετᾷ; ὅρα πανταχοῦ τῆς δόξης τῆς ἑαυτοῦ φροντίζοντα τὸν ἄνθρωπον, μὴ πονηροῦ τινος καὶ ἀσεβοῦς λάβῃ δόξαν.

7,1a πότερον οὐχὶ πειρατήριον, φησίν, ἐστὶν ὁ βίος τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐπὶ τῆς

γῆς; τοῦτο καὶ αὐτός φησιν· ἀλλ' ἄνθρωπος ἐν κόπῳ γεννᾶται. τί οὖν τοῦτο πρὸς αὐτόν; ὥστε συμβαίνει μὴ ἀπὸ ἀδικίας μόνης, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῆς φύσεως ταῦτα παθεῖν. οὕτως ὁ θεὸς ὥρισεν ἐπίπονον εἶναι τὸν ἀνθρώπινον βίον. ἀλλὰ προσέθηκεν· ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, οὐκέτι "ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς". 7,1b καὶ ὥσπερ μισθίου αὐθημερινοῦ ἡ ζωὴ αὐτοῦ. 83 τὸ ἐπίπονόν φησιν· καθάπερ ἐκεῖνος δι' ὅλης πονεῖται καὶ ταλαιπωρεῖ τῆς ἡμέρας, οὕτω καὶ βραχὺς καὶ ἐπίπονος ὁ βίος καὶ οὐδὲν μέγα συλλέγων· καθάπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ὁ μίσθιος πάντα μὲν τὸν χρόνον πονεῖται τῆς ἡμέρας, οὐδὲν δὲ μέγα συλλέγει, οὕτω καὶ ὁ ἅνθρωπος. ἆρ' οὖν πόνων γέμει μόνον, οὐχὶ δὲ καὶ κινδύνων; 7,2a ἢ ὥσπερ θεράπων δεδοικὼς τὸν κύριον ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τετευχὼς σκιᾶς. «κἂν ἀναπαύσωμαι μικρόν», φησίν, «καθάπερ οἰκέτης μικρὸν ἀναπνεῖ οὐ μετὰ ἀδείας οὐδὲ μετὰ παρρησίας, οὕτω πολλαὶ πολλαχόθεν αἱ τῆς τυραννίδος ἐπιθέσεις.» ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ τὸν δραπέτην λέγειν οἰκέτην· καθάπερ ἐκεῖνος ὁ φυγὼν τὸν δεσπότην ἐν ἀγωνίᾳ διὰ παντός ἐστιν. 7,2b ἢ ὥσπερ μίσθιος ἀναμένων τὸν μισθόν. ἐκεῖνον τὸν χρόνον ἀναπαύεται μόνον. 7,3a οὕτω κἀγὼ ὑπέμεινα μῆνας κενούς. «μετὰ ἀγωνίας, μετὰ ταλαιπωρίας, μετὰ φόβου.» τοῦτο δὲ οὐχὶ περὶ πάντων λέγει, ἀλλὰ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ. 7,3b νύκτες δὲ ὀδυνῶν δεδομέναι μοί εἰσιν. 7,4a ἐὰν κοιμηθῶ, λέγω πάλιν· πότε ἡμέρα; 4b ὡς δ' ἀναστῶ, λέγω πάλιν· πότε ἑσπέρα; 4c πλήρης γὰρ γίνομαι ὀδυνῶν ἀφ' ἑσπέρας ἕως πρωί. 7,5a φύρεται δέ μου τὸ σῶμα ἐν σαπρίᾳ σκωλήκων, 5b τήκω δὲ βώλακας γῆς ἀπὸ ἰχῶρος ξέων. «ὅτι πειρατήριόν ἐστιν», φησίν, «ὁ βίος τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, οὕτω κἀγὼ ἀνέμεινα μῆνας κενούς.» κενοὺς διὰ τί; ὅτι ἐταλαιπώρησα καὶ μισθὸν οὐκ ἔλαβον, ὅτι ἐν συμφοραῖς καὶ οὐδὲν ἔχω τέλος χρηστὸν φλογμῷ καὶ ἱδρῶτι παλαίων τοσούτῳ. 84 νύκτες, φησίν, ὀδυνῶν δεδομέναι μοί εἰσιν. τὸ μεῖζον τούτου· πανταχοῦ δυσάρεστος ἦν. «οὔτε τὸ φῶς με τῆς ἡμέρας παραμυθεῖται οὔτε τῆς νυκτὸς ἡ ἀνάπαυσις. ἕκαστος καιρὸς ἐμοὶ φορτικός, τῶν παρόντων ἀπαλλαγὴν μόνον ζητῶ.» ὅπερ τῶν δυσαρέστων ἐστίν. εἶτα τὴν συμφορὰν λέγει· τήκω δὲ βώλακας γῆς ἀπὸ ἰχῶρος ξέων. οὐκέτι γὰρ ὀστράκῳ, ὡς ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, ταλαιπωρηθείς, ἀλλὰ γῇ λοιπὸν τοῦτο ἐποίει. 7,6a ὁ δὲ βίος μου ἐλαφρότερος δρομέως, 6b ἀπόλωλε δὲ ἐν κενῇ ἐλπίδι. ἐπειδὴ λέγει· "ὑπόμεινον τὸν κύριον καὶ αὐτός σοι ἀποδώσει", «οὐδὲν ὑπολέλειπταί μοι»,