37

it seemed good, and so it came to pass; may the name of the Lord be blessed from now and forever; and also this, Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there; and from this, then, we learn how great is the benefit of patience; for both here and there they will receive their reward like Job. Furthermore, God is also shown to be untempted by evil, and he tempts no one; but when God permits, temptations come upon men from demons, for the testing and perfecting of each one. They say that Solomon also composed this book, unless perhaps it is a writing of Moses. The scope of the book is of this manner. And the summary is in these things. In the introductions, how Job was dwelling in the land of Ausitis; then the testimony of Scripture concerning his good conduct; and that he had 7 sons, and 2 daughters; and concerning the number of his cattle. And that his sons, going to one another, held a feast each day with their three sisters. And Job would send and sanctify his sons, offering a sacrifice for them to the Lord. The first testimony of the Lord concerning Job to the devil, the first envious speech of the devil concerning Job to the Lord. The Lord gave 56.363 authority to the devil, over all that Job had, except for him alone. First the devil announces to Job concerning the captivity of the horses and the donkeys, and the striking of the servants. Concerning the second messenger, who said to Job: Your sheep have been burned up, and those who shepherd them. Concerning the third messenger, who spoke to Job about the captivity of the camels and the striking of the servants. A fourth messenger comes to him, that the house collapsed, and all your sons were killed. In all these things that happened to him, Job did not sin before the Lord. And a second testimony of the Lord to the devil, praising Job, and a second envious speech of the devil concerning Job to the Lord. And how the Lord handed over Job, his life being preserved. And the devil, going out, struck Job from feet to head. And Job, sitting on the dunghill, scraped the discharge. His wife commands Job to speak against the Lord, and die; and he rebukes her. The three friends of Job heard all the things that had come upon him: Eliphaz the king of the Temanites, Bildad the tyrant of the Shuhites, Zophar the king of the Minaites. And they came to him, each from his own country, to visit him, and recognizing him, each tore his robe at the suffering. And after the affliction, Job first opened his mouth, and cursed the day and the night in which he was born. Concerning this, Just as a servant fearing the lord, so is light given to those in bitterness, who long for death, and do not obtain it. For death is a rest for a man. Eliphaz the Temanite, taking up first, says to Job: Remember, who being pure has perished, or when have the truly upright been utterly destroyed? Because the boasting of dragons has been extinguished; and the ant-lion perished for lack of food; the lions' cubs have left one another. That no mortal is pure before the Lord, nor a man blameless for his works. The foolish, he says, even if they put down roots, their dwelling will be devoured immediately, because what they gathered, the just will eat. Man, he says, is born to trouble, and the young of vultures fly high. But the Lord catches the wise in their craftiness, and frustrates the counsels of the cunning. The Lord will deliver the innocent from necessities, and in the seventh, evil shall not touch him. But you, know yourself, if you have done anything. Job's first reply to Eliphaz; concerning this, For if one weighing were to set my anger, and lift my pains in a balance together, indeed they would be heavier than the sand of the sea. Concerning this, For will a wild donkey bray for no reason, unless seeking its food? And will an ox utter a sound at the manger having its fodder? Is my strength the strength of stones? Is my flesh of bronze? That, The life of man on the

37

ἔδοξεν, οὕτω καὶ ἐγένετο· εἴη τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου εὐλογημένον ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν καὶ ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος· ἔτι καὶ τὸ, Γυμνὸς ἐξῆλθον ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου, γυμνὸς καὶ ἀπελεύσομαι ἐκεῖ· καὶ ἐντεῦθεν λοιπὸν μανθάνειν πόση τῆς ὑπομονῆς ἡ ὠφέλεια· καὶ γὰρ ἐντεῦθεν κἀκεῖ τὴν μισθαποδοσίαν λήψονται ὡς Ἰώβ. Ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἀναδείξῃ ὁ Θεὸς ἀπείραστος κακῶν, πειράζει δὲ οὐδένα· παραχωροῦντος δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ πειρασμοὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὑπὸ δαιμόνων ἐπέρχονται, διὰ τὴν ἑκάστου δοκιμὴν καὶ τελείωσιν. Φασὶ δὲ Σολομῶντα συντεταχέναι καὶ τοῦτο τὸ βιβλίον, εἰ μὴ ἄρα Μωϋσέως ἐστὶ σύγγραμμα. Ἡ μὲν περιοχὴ τοῦ βιβλίου τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον. Ἡ δὲ ἀνακεφαλαίωσίς ἐστιν ἐν τούτοις. Ἐν προοιμίοις μὲν, ὡς ἦν Ἰὼβ οἰκῶν ἐν χώρᾳ τῇ Αὐσίτιδι· εἶτα μαρτυρία τῆς Γραφῆς περὶ τῆς ἀγαθῆς αὐτοῦ πολιτείας· καὶ ὅτι ἦσαν οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτῷ ζʹ, καὶ θυγατέρες ʹ· καὶ περὶ ἀριθμοῦ τῶν κτηνῶν αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ὅτι πορευόμενοι οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ πρὸς ἀλλήλους, ἐποίουν πότον καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν σὺν ταῖς τρισὶν ἀδελφαῖς αὐτῶν. Καὶ ἐπέστελλε Ἰὼβ καὶ ἐκαθάριζε τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ, προσφέρων περὶ αὐτῶν θυσίαν τῷ Κυρίῳ. Πρώτη μαρτυρία τοῦ Κυρίου περὶ τοῦ Ἰὼβ πρὸς τὸν διάβολον, πρώτη φθονολογία τοῦ διαβόλου περὶ Ἰὼβ πρὸς τὸν Κύριον. Ἔδωκεν ἐξου 56.363 σίαν ὁ Κύριος τῷ διαβόλῳ, πάντα ὅσα ἦν τῷ Ἰὼβ, ἐκτὸς αὐτοῦ μόνου. Πρῶτον εὐαγγελίζεται ὁ διάβολος τῷ Ἰὼβ περὶ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τῶν ἵππων καὶ τῶν ὄνων, καὶ τοῦ παταγμοῦ τῶν παίδων. Περὶ τοῦ δευτέρου ἀγγέλου, ὃς εἶπε πρὸς Ἰώβ· Ἐμπεπύρισταί σου τὰ πρόβατα, καὶ οἱ ποιμαίνοντες αὐτά. Περὶ τοῦ τρίτου ἀγγέλου, ὃς εἶπε πρὸς Ἰὼβ περὶ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τῶν καμήλων καὶ τοῦ παταγμοῦ τῶν παίδων. Τέταρτος ἄγγελος ἔρχεται πρὸς αὐτὸν, ὅτι Συνεπτώθη ἡ οἰκία, καὶ ἐθανατώθησαν πάντες οἱ υἱοί σου. Ἐν πᾶσι τούτοις τοῖς συμβεβηκόσιν αὐτῷ, οὐδὲ ἥμαρτε Ἰὼβ ἐναντίον Κυρίου. Καὶ δευτέρα μαρτυρία τοῦ Κυρίου πρὸς τὸν διάβολον, ἐγκωμιάζουσα τὸν Ἰὼβ, καὶ δευτέρα φθονολογία τοῦ διαβόλου περὶ Ἰὼβ πρὸς τὸν Κύριον. Καὶ ὡς ἀπέδοτο Κύριος τὸν Ἰὼβ, φυλαττομένης τῆς ψυχῆς. Ἐξελθὼν δὲ ὁ διάβολος ἔπαισε τὸν Ἰὼβ ἀπὸ ποδῶν ἕως κεφαλῆς. Καὶ καθίσας Ἰὼβ ἐπὶ τῆς κοπρίας ἔξεε τὸν ἰχῶρα. Ἐντέλλεται τῷ Ἰὼβ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ εἰπεῖν εἰς Κύριον, καὶ τελευτῆσαι· καὶ ἐπιτιμᾷ αὐτῇ. Ἤκουσαν οἱ τρεῖς φίλοι τοῦ Ἰὼβ, Ἐλιφὰζ ὁ Θαιμανιτῶν βασιλεὺς, Βαλδὰδ ὁ Σαυχέων τύραννος, Σωφὰρ ὁ Μηναίων βασιλεὺς πάντα τὰ ἐπελθόντα αὐτῷ. Καὶ παρεγένοντο πρὸς αὐτὸν ἕκαστος ἐκ τῆς ἰδίας χώρας, τοῦ ἐπισκέψασθαι αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐπιγνόντες αὐτὸν, διέῤῥηξεν ἕκαστος τὴν στολὴν αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῷ πάθει. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν πληγὴν πρῶτον ἤνοιξεν Ἰὼβ τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ, καὶ κατηράσατο τὴν ἡμέραν καὶ τὴν νύκτα ἐν ᾗ ἐγεννήθη. Περὶ τοῦ, Ὥσπερ θεράπων δεδοικὼς τὸν κύριον, οὕτω δέδοται τοῖς ἐν πικρίᾳ φῶς, οἳ ἱμείρονται τοῦ θανάτου, καὶ οὐ τυγχάνουσι. Θάνατος γὰρ ἀνδρὶ ἀνάπαυσις. Ὑπολαβὼν πρῶτος Ἐλιφὰζ ὁ Θαιμανίτης λέγει πρὸς Ἰώβ· Μνήσθητι τίς καθαρὸς ὢν ἀπώλετο, ἢ πότε ἀληθινοὶ ὁλόῤῥιζοι ἀπώλοντο. Ὅτι γαυρίαμα δρακόντων ἐσβέσθη· μυρμηκολέων δὲ ὤλετο παρὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν βοράν· σκύμνοι λεόντων ἔλιπον ἀλλήλους. Ὡς οὐκ ἔστι βροτὸς καθαρὸς ἐναντίον Κυρίου, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ ἄμεμπτος ἀνήρ. Οἱ ἄφρονες, φησὶ, κἂν ῥίζας βάλωσιν, εὐθέως βρωθήσεται ἡ δίαιτα αὐτῶν, διότι ἃ ἐκεῖνοι συνήγαγον, δίκαιοι ἔδονται. Ἄνθρωπος, φησὶ, γεννᾶται κόπῳ, καὶ νεοσσοὶ γυπῶν ὑψηλὰ πέτονται. Καταλαμβάνει δὲ Κύριος τοὺς σοφοὺς ἐν φρονήσει αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰς βουλὰς τῶν πολυπλόκων ἐξιστᾷ. Τὸν ἀθῷον ἐξ ἀναγκῶν ἐξελεῖται Κύριος, καὶ ἐν τῷ ἑβδόμῳ οὐ μὴ ἅψεται αὐτοῦ κακόν. Σὺ δὲ γνῶθι σεαυτὸν, εἴ τι ἔπραξας. Πρώτη πρὸς Ἐλιφὰζ τοῦ Ἰὼβ ἀντίλεξις· περὶ τοῦ, Εἰ γάρ τις ἱστῶν στήσαι μου τὴν ὀργὴν, τὰς δὲ ὀδύνας μου ἄραι ἐν ζυγῷ ὁμοθυμαδὸν, καὶ δὴ ἄμμου παραλίας βαρύτερα ἔσται. Περὶ τοῦ, Μὴ γὰρ διακενῆς κεκράξεται ὄνος ἄγριος, ἀλλ' ἢ τὰ σιτία ζητῶν; Εἰ δὲ καὶ ῥήξει φωνὴν (βοῦς) ἐπὶ φάτνης ἔχων τὰ βρώματα; Μὴ ἰσχὺς λίθων καὶ ἰσχύς μου; αἱ σάρκες μού εἰσι χάλκεαι; Ὅτι, Ὥσπερ πειρατήριόν ἐστιν ὁ βίος ἀνθρώπου ἐπὶ τῆς