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"I know," he says, "that he will not leave me unpunished." Or he says this: "Even if I were released from the punishment, the punishment opened98 everyone's mouths against me," or that "he will not stop punishing me, but will still punish me." 9,29 "Since I am impious," he says, "why did I not die?" Do you see how he does not deny being a sinner? "Why did I not die?" he says; it is not of one accusing, but of one seeking. "I do not know the economy," he says. 9,30a For if I wash myself with snow 30b and cleanse myself with clean hands, 9,31a you have plunged me deep in filth, 31b and my own clothes have abhorred me. That is: "I am set as an example of impiety for all; for the wicked man should have been taken from the midst, so as not to be a teacher to others. If I become purer than the sun, I have a stain," he says, "and no ordinary one." And my own clothes have abhorred me. "What need is there to speak of men, when even my very garments hate me." What he says is something like this, that "even the one closest, he too hated me; he did not turn away because of the punishment, but as one accursed and defiled, as one unclean and the last of all, so they turned away from me. What is the gain from this to cast such a vote concerning me?" 9,32a For you are not a man like me, that I should answer you, he says. What he says is something like this: "If the one punishing were a man, the punishment would not in every case have condemned the one suffering evilly, but I would have been able to be judged before him and show him to be doing wrong. But since you are God, this is impossible, but it is enough to be punished and to receive the final verdict." 99 9,32b that we might come, he says, together to judgment. 9,33a Would that there were a mediator for us 33b and one to argue and to judge between us both. 33c But I have need of two things: 9,34a Let him take his rod away from me 34b and let not his fear terrify me. 9,35a and I will not be afraid of him, but I will speak. 35b For I am not conscious of any wrongdoing in myself.

10,1a But I am weary of my life, 1b groaning to myself I will give vent to my feeling

against myself, and my words 1c I will speak, being constrained in bitterness of soul. And yet he himself said above that he would not answer him for one of his thousand words. How then does he speak here? In bitterness of soul, he says, so that the words are not his, but of the bitterness, as much as can be said from reasoning. What does it mean, if there were a judge between us? not so that his life might be examined and it might be shown that he suffers unjustly—for he does not say this; for he has often said in the preceding passages that it is because of lawlessness—, but that "the continuing affliction overturns me," he says, just as when Isaiah says: you were angry and we went astray, or again when he says: Why have you made us wander from your way? "This I fear," he says, "that I might fall or be overturned. I was afraid, lest I be compelled to say something blasphemous or even to do away with myself." 10,2a And I will say, he says, to the Lord: Do not teach me to be impious, 2b and why have you judged me so? 10,3a Or is it good for you, if I should be impious, 3b that I should renounce the works of your hands? He did not say: "the just, the virtuous," but the works of your hands. 10,3c And have you had regard for the counsel of the ungodly? "For if it is on account of sins, how do you pay attention to them?" 10,4a Or do you see as a mortal sees, 4b or do you look as a man looks? 10,5a Or is your life that of a man 5b or are your years those of a man? 100 "How is it that you do not demand punishment for all sins?" This is to judge. 10,6a For you have searched, he says, for my lawlessness 6b and have tracked down my sins. Do you see that he does not want to be judged for this reason, as one who acts purely, but because "this affliction," he says, "benefits me in no way, but I fear it may harm me"? 10,6a For you have searched, he says, for my lawlessness 6b and have tracked down my sins. 10,7a For I know that I have not acted impiously; 7b but who is there to deliver out of your hands? "I," he says, "do not know, but it happens that I have been impious and am ignorant of it." but who is there to deliver out of your hands? That is: "when you punish, no one is able to be justified." For he ought not to say this. Then he says that "we are the works of your hands, even if we are sinners"; 10,8a Your hands, he says, have fashioned me and made me; 8b but after this, having changed

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οἶδα, φησίν, ὅτι οὐκ ἀθῷόν με ἐάσει. ἢ τοῦτό φησιν· «κἂν ἀπαλλαγῶ τῆς τιμωρίας, τὰ πάντων ἀνέῳ98 ξε κατ' ἐμοῦ στόματα ἡ τιμωρία», ἢ ὅτι «οὐ στήσεται κολάζων με, ἀλλ' ἔτι τιμωρήσεταί με.» 9,29 ἐπειδὴ δέ εἰμι ἀσεβής, φησίν, διὰ τί οὐκ ἀπέθανον; ὁρᾷς, πῶς οὐκ ἀρνεῖται τὸ εἶναι ἁμαρτωλός; διὰ τί οὐκ ἀπέθανον; φησίν· οὐχὶ ἐγκαλοῦντός ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ ζητοῦντος. «οὐκ οἶδα τὴν οἰκονομίαν», φησίν. 9,30a ἐὰν γὰρ ἀπολούσωμαι χιόνι 30b καὶ ἀποκαθάρωμαι χερσὶ καθαραῖς, 9,31a ἱκανῶς με ἐν ῥύπῳ ἔβαψας, 31b ἐβδελύξατο δέ με ἡ στολή μου. τουτέστιν· «ὑπόδειγμα κεῖμαι πᾶσιν ἀσεβείας· τὸν γὰρ πονηρὸν ἐκ τοῦ μέσου ληφθῆναι ἐχρῆν, ὥστε μὴ εἶναι τοῖς ἄλλοις διδάσκαλον. ἂν τοῦ ἡλίου καθαρώτερος γένωμαι, ἔχω κηλῖδα», φησίν, «οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν.» ἐβδελύξατο δέ με ἡ στολή μου. «τί δεῖ λέγειν περὶ ἀνθρώπων, ὅπου γε καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ ἱμάτια μισεῖ με.» ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν, ὅτι «καὶ ὁ ἐγγύτατος, καὶ οὗτος ἐμίσησέ με· οὐ διὰ τὴν τιμωρίαν ἀπεστράφη, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐναγῆ καὶ μιαρόν, ὡς ἀκάθαρτον καὶ πάντων ἔσχατον, οὕτως ἀπεστράφησάν με. τί ἀπὸ τούτου τὸ κέρδος τοιαύτην περὶ ἐμοῦ ψῆφον ἐνεγκεῖν;» 9,32a οὐ γὰρ εἶ ἄνθρωπος κατ' ἐμέ, ᾧ ἀντικρινοῦμαι, φησίν. ὃ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· «εἰ ἄνθρωπος ἦν ὁ κολάζων, οὐ πάντως ἡ τιμωρία κατεψηφίσατο τοῦ κακῶς πάσχοντος, ἀλλ' ἠδυνάμην κριθῆναι πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ δεῖξαι ἀδικοῦντα. ἐπειδὴ δὲ θεὸς εἶ, ἀδύνατον τοῦτο γενέσθαι, ἀλλ' ἀρκεῖ κολασθῆναι καὶ τὴν ἐσχάτην ψῆφον ἀπενεγκεῖν.» 99 9,32b ἵνα ἔλθωμεν, φησίν, ὁμοθυμαδὸν εἰς κρίσιν. 9,33a εἴθε ἦν ὁ μεσίτης ἡμῶν 33b καὶ ὁ διελέγχων καὶ διακρίνων ἀνὰ μέσον ἀμφοτέρων. 33c δυεῖν δέ μοι χρεία· 9,34a ἀπαλλαξάτω ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τὴν ῥάβδον αὐτοῦ 34b καὶ ὁ φόβος αὐτοῦ μή με στροβείτω. 9,35a καὶ οὐ μὴ φοβηθῶ αὐτόν, ἀλλὰ λαλήσω. 35b οὐ γὰρ συνεπίσταμαι ἐμαυτῷ ἄδικον.

10,1a κάμνω δὲ τῇ ψυχῇ μου, 1b στένων δὲ ἐπ' ἐμαυτὸν ἐπαφήσω τὸν θυμόν

μου, τὰ δὲ ῥήματά μου 1c λαλήσω ἐν πικρίᾳ ψυχῆς συνεχόμενος. καὶ μὴν αὐτὸς ἔλεγεν ἀνωτέρω, ὅτι οὐ μὴ ἀποκριθῇ αὐτῷ πρὸς ἕνα λόγον αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ χιλίων. πῶς οὖν ἐνταῦθα λέγει; ἐν πικρίᾳ ψυχῆς, φησίν, ὥστε οὐκ αὐτοῦ τὰ ῥήματα, ἀλλὰ τῆς πικρίας, ὅσον ἀπὸ λογισμῶν ἔστιν εἰπεῖν. τί ἐστιν εἰ ἦν ὁ κρίνων ἀνὰ μέσον ἡμῶν; οὐχ ὥστε αὐτοῦ τὸν βίον ἐξετασθῆναι καὶ ὅτι ἀδίκως πάσχει δειχθῆναι-τοῦτο γὰρ οὐ λέγει· διὰ γὰρ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν πολλάκις εἶπεν, ὅτι δι' ἀνομίας-, ἀλλ' ὅτι «ἐπιμένουσα ἡ θλῖψις περιτρέπει με», φησίν, ὥσπερ ὅταν λέγῃ ὁ Ἠσαΐας· σὺ ὠργίσθης καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐπλανήθημεν, ἢ πάλιν ὅταν λέγῃ· διὰ τί ἐπλάνησας ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ σου; «τοῦτο φοβοῦμαι», φησίν, «μὴ πέσω ἢ περιτραπῶ. ἐδεδίειν, μήποτε ἀναγκασθῶ βλάσφημόν τι εἰπεῖν ἢ καὶ ἑαυτὸν διαχρήσασθαι.» 10,2a καὶ ἐρῶ, φησίν, πρὸς κύριον· μή με ἀσεβεῖν δίδασκε, 2b καὶ διὰ τί με οὕτως ἔκρινας; 10,3a ἢ καλόν σοί ἐστιν, ἐὰν ἀσεβήσω, 3b ὅτι ἀπείπω ἔργα χειρῶν σου; οὐκ εἶπεν· «τὸν δίκαιον, τὸν ἐνάρετον», ἀλλ' ἔργα χειρῶν σου. 10,3c βουλῇ δὲ ἀσεβῶν προσέσχες; «εἰ γὰρ δι' ἁμαρτήματα, πῶς ἐκείνοις προσέχεις;» 10,4a ἢ ὥσπερ βροτὸς ὁρᾷ καθορᾷς, 4b ἢ καθὼς ὁρᾷ ἄνθρωπος βλέπεις; 10,5a ἢ ὁ βίος σου ἀνθρώπινος 5b ἢ τὰ ἔτη σου ἀνδρός; 100 «πῶς δὲ οὐ πάντων ἁμαρτημάτων ἀπαιτεῖς τιμωρίαν;» τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ δικάσαι. 10,6a ὅτι ἀνεζήτησας, φησίν, τὴν ἀνομίαν μου 6b καὶ τὰς ἁμαρτίας μου ἐξιχνίασας. ὁρᾷς, ὅτι οὐ διὰ τοῦτο βούλεται δικάσασθαι ὡς καθαρῶς πράττων, ἀλλ' ὅτι «οὐδὲν ὠφελεῖ με», φησίν, «αὕτη ἡ θλῖψις, ἀλλὰ δέδοικα, μὴ βλάψῃ»; 10,6a ὅτι ἀνεζήτησας, φησίν, τὴν ἀνομίαν μου 6b καὶ τὰς ἁμαρτίας μου ἐξιχνίασας. 10,7a οἶδα γάρ, ὅτι οὐκ ἠσέβησα· 7b ἀλλὰ τίς ἐστιν ὁ ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν σου ἐξαιρούμενος; «ἐγώ», φησίν, «οὐκ οἶδα, ἀλλὰ συμβαίνει ἠσεβηκέναι με καὶ ἀγνοεῖν.» ἀλλὰ τίς ἐστιν ὁ ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν σου ἐξαιρούμενος; τουτέστιν· «ὅταν σὺ κολάσῃς, οὐδεὶς δικαιωθῆναι δύναται.» μὴ γὰρ ὀφείλει τοῦτο εἰπεῖν. εἶτα λέγει, ὅτι «ἔργα χειρῶν σού ἐσμεν, εἰ καὶ ἁμαρτωλοί»· 10,8a αἱ χεῖρές σου, φησίν, ἔπλασάν με καὶ ἐποίησάν με· 8b μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα μεταβαλών