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my spittle? That is: "until I am completely dried up and die while living." 7,20a If I have sinned, he says, what can I do to you? That is: "what must I do then? The sin has passed." See how he has disposed himself, that he who was testified by God to be righteous and blameless is also paying the penalty for sins. What is: what can I do to you? "What must I do now so that the sin is not a sin, so as to propitiate and reconcile?" 7,20b You who know the mind of men, why have you set me as a target for your attack? Not as if he himself were attacking, perish the thought, but as if the things happening to him were producing a great accusation against God. For this reason he says: You who know the mind of men. "Even if they do not speak, you know their secrets, that in their mind they ponder: 'This sort of man has suffered such things'." But these are not the words of one justifying himself; for he did not indeed say, "I am righteous," but that "they had a good opinion of me, and now I have attacked you through what I suffer." 7,20d And am I a burden to you? He means a weight of words and blasphemy. 7,21a And why have you not made a forgetting of my sin? Do you see how the righteous man says he has sinned? 7,21b and a cleansing of my iniquity? But now I will depart to the earth, 21c and rising early I am no more. 88 "And nature itself will recognize," he says, "its own end, and it is possible that tomorrow I will not exist." That is: "So quickly will I perish; why have you not forgotten a man so worthless?"

8,1 THEN BILDAD THE SHUHITE ANSWERED AND SAID: 8,2a how long will you speak

these things? 2,b a long-winded spirit of your mouth. 8,3a Will the Lord do wrong when he judges 3b or will he who made all things pervert justice? Did he say these things, that "I suffer unjustly"? Do you see how they nowhere aim at the righteous man's purpose? For nowhere did he say this, but he took refuge in the weakness of nature, saying: Am I a sea, or a dragon? Is my strength the strength of stones? For what is my life? For I will not live forever, that I should be patient. Moreover, he also confesses his sins: "Why," he says, "have you not made a forgetting of my iniquity, if not for my sake, then for your own? If I have sinned, what can I do to you?" Just as some poor man who has nothing, having consumed everything, might say to his creditor: "What can I do for you? For I am not able to pay back any more." Then he also condemns his babbling, not knowing that for those who are in extreme pain, speaking brings some comfort, just as he himself says: But I will speak in the distress of my spirit. † but nevertheless † "And these things," he says, "I spoke for this reason, because necessity demanded it, for this reason I sought death." But he who does not dare to ask even for this to come, unless necessity demanded, see how much reverence he shows, so that his speech is not off the mark. Will the Lord, he says, do wrong when he judges? And yet he did not testify to his own righteousness, but what? Why have you not forgotten my iniquity 89? And he says that the entire life of man is such a trial upon the earth. Will the Lord, he says, do wrong when he judges or will he who made all things pervert justice? See what he says: that justice follows the Creator. But nevertheless, even if what is said has nothing to do with Job, let us see what he says. "Do you not see," he says, "how much justice there is in creation, how much good order, how everything is lawful and ordered? Would he, then, who in all other things maintains justice and good order, have perverted it in your case? Furthermore, why did he make everything? Was it not for you, man? Then would he who made so many things for you not even have shared justice with you, he who made you out of love for mankind and so many things for your sake? If he made the world out of goodness, he also testifies to his own power. But we often pervert justice through weakness, but this one," he says, "made everything. Was one so wise, so powerful, going to be unjust?" 8,4a If your sons have sinned against him, 4b he has delivered them into the hands of their iniquity. "Why do you lament for the children?" he says. And yet he nowhere mentioned his children or his possessions. See here too

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τὸν πτύελόν μου; τουτέστιν· «ἕως ἂν ἀποξηρανθῶ εἰς τέλος καὶ ζῶν ἀποθάνω.» 7,20a εἰ ἐγὼ ἥμαρτον, φησίν, τί δύναμαί σοι πρᾶξαι; τουτέστιν· «τί ὀφείλω ποιῆσαι λοιπόν; παρῆλθεν ἡ ἁμαρτία.» ὅρα, πῶς ἑαυτὸν διέθηκεν, ὅτι καὶ ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτημάτων τίνει δίκας ὁ μαρτυρηθεὶς παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ δίκαιος, ἄμεμπτος. τί ἐστιν· τί δύναμαί σοι πρᾶξαι; «τί με δεῖ ποιῆσαι νῦν ὥστε μὴ εἶναι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἁμαρτίαν, ὥστε ἐξιλεώσασθαι καὶ καταλλάξαι;» 7,20b ὁ ἐπιστάμενος τὸν νοῦν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, διὰ τί ἔθου με κατεντευκτήν σου; οὐχ ὡς αὐτοῦ κατεντυγχάνοντος, ἄπαγε, ἀλλ' ὡς τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν συμβαινόντων πολλὴν τῷ θεῷ τικτόντων κατηγορίαν. διὰ τοῦτό φησιν· ὁ ἐπιστάμενος τὸν νοῦν τῶν ἀνθρώπων. «κἂν μὴ λέγωσιν, οἶδας αὐτῶν τὰ ἀπόρρητα, ὅτι κατὰ διάνοιαν ἐνθυμοῦνται· "οὗτος ὁ τοιοῦτος τοιαῦτα πέπονθεν".» ταῦτα δὲ οὐχὶ δικαιοῦντός ἐστιν ἑαυτόν· οὐ γὰρ δὴ εἶπεν, ὅτι «δίκαιός εἰμι», ἀλλ' ὅτι «δόξαν εἶχον περὶ ἐμοῦ χρηστήν, καὶ νῦν κατενέτυχόν σοι δι' ὧν πάσχω». 7,20d εἰμὶ δὲ ἐπὶ σοὶ φορτίον; βάρος ῥημάτων φησὶ καὶ βλασφημίας. 7,21a καὶ διὰ τί οὐ λήθην ἐποιήσω τῆς ἁμαρτίας μου; ὁρᾷς, πῶς ὁ δίκαιος λέγει ἡμαρτηκέναι; 7,21b καὶ καθαρισμὸν τῆς ἀνομίας μου; νυνὶ δὲ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσομαι, 21c ὀρθρίζων δὲ οὐκέτι εἰμί. 88 «καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ φύσις ἐπιγνώσεται», φησίν, «τὴν οἰκείαν τελευτήν, καὶ ἔνι, ὅτι αὔριον οὐκ ἔσομαι.» τουτέστιν· «οὕτω ταχέως ἀπολοῦμαι· διὰ τί οὐκ ἐπελάθου ἀνθρώπου οὕτως εὐτελοῦς;»

8,1 ΥΠΟΛΑΒΩΝ ∆Ε ΒΑΛ∆Α∆ Ο ΣΑΥΧΙΤΗΣ ΛΕΓΕΙ· 8,2a μέχρι τίνος λαλήσεις

ταῦτα; 2,b πνεῦμα πολυρῆμον τοῦ στόματός σου. 8,3a μὴ ὁ κύριος ἀδικήσει κρίνων 3b ἢ ὁ τὰ πάντα ποιήσας ταράξει τὸ δίκαιον; ἆρα ταῦτα εἶπεν, ὅτι «ἀδίκως πάσχω»; ὁρᾷς, πῶς οὐδαμοῦ τοῦ σκοποῦ καταστοχάζονται τοῦ δικαίου; οὐδαμοῦ γὰρ τοῦτο εἶπεν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῆς φύσεως κατέφυγε λέγων· μὴ θάλασσά εἰμι ἢ δράκων; μὴ ἰσχὺς λίθων ἡ ἰσχύς μου; τίς γάρ μού ἐστιν ὁ βίος; οὐ γὰρ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ζήσομαι, ἵνα μακροθυμήσω. ἔτι καὶ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα ὁμολογεῖ· «διὰ τί», φησίν, «οὐκ ἐποιήσω λήθην τῆς ἀνομίας μου, εἰ καὶ μὴ δι' ἐμέ, ἀλλὰ διὰ σαυτόν; εἰ ἐγὼ ἥμαρτον, τί δύναμαί σοι πρᾶξαι;» ὥσπερ ἄν τις πένης καὶ οὐδὲν ἔχων καταφαγὼν ἅπαντα λέγοι τῷ δεδανεικότι· «τί δύναμαί σοι ποιῆσαι; μὴ γὰρ ἐγὼ δύναμαι ἀποδοῦναι λοιπόν.» εἶτα καὶ φλυαρίαν αὐτοῦ καταγινώσκει οὐκ εἰδώς, ὅτι τοῖς ἐν περιωδυνίᾳ τυγχάνουσι φέρει τινὰ παραμυθίαν τὸ φθέγγεσθαι, ὡσπεροῦν καὶ αὐτός φησιν· λαλήσω δὲ ἐν ἀνάγκῃ ὢν τοῦ πνεύματός μου. † ἀλλ' ὅμως † «καὶ ταῦτα», φησίν, «διὰ τοῦτο ἐφθεγξάμην, ἐπειδὴ ἡ ἀνάγκη ἀπῄτει, διὰ τοῦτο θάνατον ἐζήτησα.» ὁ δὲ μηδὲ τοῦτον ἐλθεῖν τολμῶν αἰτεῖν, εἰ μὴ ἡ ἀνάγκη ἀπῄτει, ὅρα πόσην εὐλάβειαν ἐπιδείκνυται, ὥστε οὐκ ἀπὸ σκοποῦ ὁ λόγος. μὴ ὁ κύριος, φησίν, ἀδικήσει κρίνων; καὶ μὴν οὐ δικαιοσύνην ἑαυτῷ ἐμαρτύρησεν, ἀλλὰ τί; διὰ τί οὐκ ἐπελάθου τῆς ἀνομίας 89 μου; καὶ λέγει, ὅτι ὁ βίος τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τοιοῦτος ἅπας ἐστὶν πειρατήριον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. μὴ ὁ κύριος, φησίν, ἀδικήσει κρίνων ἢ ὁ τὰ πάντα ποιήσας ταράξει τὸ δίκαιον; ὅρα, τί φησιν· ὅτι ἕπεται τῷ δημιουργῷ τὸ δίκαιον. ἀλλ' ὅμως, εἰ καὶ μηδὲν πρὸς τὸν Ἰὼβ τὰ λεγόμενα, ἴδωμεν, τί φησιν. «οὐχ ὁρᾷς, πόση δικαιοσύνη», φησίν, «ἐν τῇ κτίσει, πόση εὐταξία, πῶς ἔννομα πάντα καὶ τεταγμένα; ὁ τοίνυν ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασι τὴν δικαιοσύνην, τὴν εὐταξίαν διατηρῶν ἐπὶ σοῦ διαταράξαι εἶχεν; ἄλλως δὲ διὰ τί πάντα ἐποίησεν; οὐχὶ διὰ σὲ τὸν ἄνθρωπον; εἶτα ὁ τοσαῦτα διὰ σὲ ποιήσας οὐδὲ τοῦ δικαίου σοι μετεδίδου, ὁ φιλανθρωπίᾳ σε ποιήσας καὶ τοσαῦτα διὰ σέ; εἰ ἀγαθότητι τὸν κόσμον ἐποίησεν, καὶ δύναμιν αὑτῷ μαρτυρεῖ. πολλάκις δὲ τὸ δίκαιον ταράττομεν δι' ἀδυναμίαν, ἀλλ' οὗτος», φησίν, «πάντα ἐποίησεν. ὁ οὕτω σοφός, οὕτω δυνατὸς ἄδικος ἔμελλεν ἔσεσθαι;» 8,4a εἰ οἱ υἱοί σου ἥμαρτον ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ, 4b ἀπέστειλεν ἐν χερσὶν αὐτῶν ἀνομίαν. «τί θρηνεῖς τὰ παιδία;» φησίν. καὶ μὴν οὐδαμοῦ τῶν παίδων ἐμνημόνευσεν οὐδὲ τῶν χρημάτων. ὅρα καὶ ἐνταῦθα