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powerful and does all things with ease, whatever he wishes, and no one is able to overturn what seems good to him. 12, 17 leading away counselors captive, and he has driven mad the judges of the earth. 122 But also those who think great things in council he takes as spoil by his own wisdom, and those who seem to be discerning he easily removes from their own counsel, or even the rulers from their own seat, so that they may know that they are nothing. 12, 18 seating kings upon a throne and girding their loins with a belt. But this also is the authority of God, that no one reigns without him. 12, 19 sending away priests as captives. But if he should also wish, he says, to test even them who ought to be most pure, he will show them to be spoil in relation to his own exactness. 12, 19 And he has overthrown the mighty ones of the earth. And this is a sign of God's power. 12, changing the lips of the faithful. Theodotion has rendered it "making the lips of the unerring to run aside." But also of those who seem, he says, most unerring, he changes their counsels to the contrary. 12, And he knew the understanding of the elders. Symmachus has rendered it _and_ _taking_ _away_ _the_ _knowledge_ _of_ _the_ _aged_, and according to him he seems to say; also of those who from time have gained some seeming understanding, he easily overthrows it. But according to the Seventy, the phrase "he knew the understanding of the elders" 123 is instead of: nothing escapes his notice, and he is able, knowing from the beginning the movements of the intelligent, to overturn them so that they do not even come to fruition. 12, 21 pouring contempt upon princes, and he healed the humble. These things especially show God to be wonderful, which come upon men contrary to expectation. 12, 22 revealing deep things out of darkness, and he has brought out to light the shadow of death. As to the literal meaning, he who makes manifest, he says, even the things hidden to all, and saves those who are in dangers and near to death. And he calls danger the shadow of death, because just as the shadow runs before the body, being very near to it, so also is the danger of death near to it. But as to the thought, he seems to announce prophetically the coming of the Lord, who said to those in bonds, "Come out," and to those in darkness, "Be revealed," and he shone upon those sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death. 12, 23 making nations to wander and destroying them, casting down nations and guiding them. This he did to the Israelites, making to wander those who came out of Egypt and were disobedient, whose limbs fell in the wilderness, and guiding their sons into the land of promise. 12, 24-25 changing the hearts of the rulers of the earth, and he made them wander in a way which they knew not; they grope in darkness and not light, and they wander 124 like a drunken man. The "changing" is again instead of "making to run aside"; and as for "they grope" and "they wander," he does not speak in the optative, but states what happens. And something similar is said also in the Psalms: He frustrates the counsels of the peoples and frustrates the plans of rulers. 13, 1-2 Behold, my eye has seen these things, and my ear has heard, and I know as much as you also understand, and I am not less intelligent than you. These things, he says, I myself also have known by experience and I have heard others saying, and in these matters I am in no way less intelligent than you. 13, 3-4 But nevertheless I will speak to the Lord, and I will reason before him, if he wishes. But you are unjust physicians and all healers of evil things. Do you see how before the just judge and the physician of souls he wishes his affairs to be examined, trusting in the righteous judgment of God, since his friends are both erring and instead of healing medicines and words of comfort they are aggravating his wounds? And the phrase "I will reason before him, if he wishes" means if, he says, God should permit me, while he is judging, I will prove you to be liars. See the words of love and of confidence in God, that twofold he makes God both opponent and judge and witness of his own affairs, not pleading his case against him, but refuting his friends. 13, 5 May it be for you to be silent, and it will turn out to be wisdom for you. May it happen for you to come to such understanding as to be silent, and through silence you will be thought to be wise. 125 13, 6 hear

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δυνατὸς καὶ πάντα μετ' εὐκολίας ποιεῖ, ὅσα καὶ βούλεται, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἱκανὸς ἀνατρέψαι τὰ αὐτῷ δοκοῦντα. 12, 17 διάγων βουλευτὰς αἰχμαλώτους, κριτὰς δὲ γῆς ἐξέστησεν. 122 ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἐπὶ βουλῇ μέγα φρονοῦντας λάφυρον λαμβάνει τῇ ἑαυτοῦ σοφίᾳ, καὶ τοὺς δοκοῦντας εἶναι διακριτικοὺς ῥᾳδίως ἐξίστησι τῆς οἰκείας βουλῆς ἢ καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας τῆς ἑαυτῶν καθέδρας, ὥστε γνῶναι ὅτι οὐδέν εἰσιν. 12, 18 καθιζάνων βασιλεῖς ἐπὶ θρόνου καὶ περιζωννύων ζωνὴν ὀσφύας αὐτῶν. ἀλλὰ καὶ αὕτη τοῦ θεοῦ ἐξουσία τὸ μηδένα χωρὶς αὐτοῦ βασιλεύειν. 12, 19 ἐξαποστέλλων ἱερεῖς αἰχμαλώτους. εἰ δὲ καὶ θελήσει, φησίν, καὶ αὐτοὺς ἐτάσαι τοὺς ὀφείλοντας καθαρωτάτους εἶναι, λάφυρον αὐτοὺς ἀποδείξει πρὸς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀκρίβειαν. 12, 19 δυνάστας δὲ γῆς κατέστρεψεν. καὶ τοῦτο δεῖγμα τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ δυνάμεως. 12, διαλλάσσων χείλη πιστῶν. ὁ Θεοδοτίων παρατρέχων χείλη ἀπλανῶν ἐκδέδωκεν. ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν δοκούντων, φησίν, ἀπλανεστάτων τὰς βουλὰς εἰς τοὐναντίον μεθίστησιν. 12, σύνεσιν δὲ πρεσβυτέρων ἔγνω. ὁ Σύμμαχος _κ_α_ὶ_ _ἐ_π_ι_σ_τ_ή_μ_η_ν_ _γ_ε_ρ_ό_ν_τ_ω_ν_ _ἀ_φ_α_ι_ρ_ῶ_ν ἐκδέδωκεν, καὶ κατὰ μὲν τοῦτον δοκεῖ λέγειν· καὶ τῶν ἐκ τοῦ χρόνου τι προσλαβόντων τὴν δοκοῦσαν σύνεσιν ῥᾳδίως ἀνατρέπει. κατὰ δὲ τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα τὸ σύνεσιν πρεσβυτέρων ἔγνω 123 ἀντὶ τοῦ· οὐδὲν αὐτὸν διαλανθάνει, καὶ δύναται ἀπ' ἀρχῆς γνοὺς τῶν συνετῶν τὰς κινήσεις ταύτας ἀνατρέπειν ὡς μηδὲ εἰς ἔργον ἐκβαίνειν. 12, 21 ἐκχέων ἀτιμίαν ἐπ' ἄρχοντας, ταπεινοὺς δὲ ἰάσατο. ταῦτα μάλιστα τὸν θεὸν δείκνυσι θαυμαστὸν τὰ παρὰ προσδοκίαν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἀπαντῶντα. 12, 22 ἀνακαλύπτων βαθέα ἐκ σκότους, ἐξήγαγε δὲ εἰς φῶς σκιὰν θανάτου. πρὸς μὲν ῥητὸν ὁ καὶ τὰ πᾶσιν ἄδηλα, φησίν, φανεροποιῶν καὶ τοὺς ἐν κινδύνοις καὶ πλησίον ὄντας θανάτου διασῴζων. σκιὰν δὲ θανάτου τὸν κίνδυνόν φησιν, ὅτι ὥσπερ ἡ σκιὰ προτρέχει τοῦ σώματος ἐγγυτάτη αὐτῷ οὖσα, οὕτως καὶ ὁ κίνδυνος τοῦ θανάτου πλησίον αὐτοῦ τυγχάνων. πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν ἔοικε προφητικῶς τὴν τοῦ κυρίου παρουσίαν προκαταγγέλλειν, ὃς εἶπε τοῖς ἐν δεσμοῖς· ἐξέλθετε, καὶ τοῖς ἐν τῷ σκότει· ἀνακαλύφθητε, καὶ ἐπέφανε τοῖς ἐν σκότει καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου καθημένοις. 12, 23 πλανῶν ἔθνη καὶ ἀπολλύων αὐτά, καταστρωννύων ἔθνη καὶ καθοδηγῶν αὐτά. τοῦτο ἐποίησε τοῖς Ἰσραηλίταις τοὺς μὲν ἐξελθόντας ἐξ Αἰγύπτου καὶ ἀπειθήσαντας πλανήσας, ὧν τὰ κῶλα ἔπεσον ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, τοὺς δὲ τούτων υἱοὺς καθοδηγήσας ἐν τῇ γῇ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας. 12, 2425 διαλλάσσων καρδίας ἀρχόντων γῆς, ἐπλάνησε δὲ αὐτοὺς ὁδῷ, ᾗ οὐκ ᾔδεισαν· ψηλαφήσαισαν σκότος καὶ οὐ φῶς, πλανηθείησαν δὲ 124 ὥσπερ ὁ μεθύων. τὸ διαλλάσσων πάλιν ἀντὶ τοῦ παρατρέπων· τὸ δὲ ψηλαφήσαισαν καὶ πλανηθείησαν οὐκ εὐκτικῶς λέγει, ἀλλὰ τὸ συμβαῖνόν φησιν. ὅμοιον δὲ καὶ ἐν Ψαλμοῖς εἴρηται· ἀθετεῖ δὲ λογισμοὺς λαῶν καὶ ἀθετεῖ βουλὰς ἀρχόντων. 13, 12 ἰδοὺ ταῦτα τεθεώρηκέ μου ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς καὶ ἀκήκοέ μου τὸ οὖς, καὶ οἶδα ὅσα καὶ ὑμεῖς ἐπίστασθε, καὶ οὐκ ἀσυνετώτερός εἰμι ὑμῶν. ταῦτα, φησίν, καὶ αὐτὸς πείρᾳ ἔγνων καὶ λεγόντων ἑτέρων ἤκουσα, καὶ οὐδὲν ὑμῶν εἰμι περὶ ταῦτα ἀσυνετώτερος. 13, 34 οὐ μὴν δὲ ἀλλ' ἐγὼ πρὸς κύριον λαλήσω, ἐλέγξω δὲ ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ, ἐὰν βούληται. ὑμεῖς δέ ἐστε ἰατροὶ ἄδικοι καὶ ἰαταὶ κακῶν πάντες. ὁρᾷς, ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ δικαίου κριτοῦ καὶ τοῦ τῶν ψυχῶν ἰατροῦ βούλεται τὰ καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἐξετασθῆναι θαρρῶν τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ δικαιοκρισίᾳ, ὡς τῶν φίλων καὶ σφαλλομένων καὶ ἀντὶ θεραπείας φαρμάκων καὶ λόγων παρακλήσεως ἐπιτριβόντων αὐτῷ τὰ τραύματα; τὸ δὲ ἐλέγξω ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ, ἐὰν βούληται ἐάν, φησίν, ὁ θεὸς ἐπιτρέψῃ μοι, αὐτοῦ δικάζοντος ἐλέγξω ὑμᾶς ψευδομένους. βλέπε ἀγάπης ῥήματα καὶ πεποιθήσεως τῆς εἰς τὸν θεόν, ὅτι διττὰ καὶ ἀντίδικον καὶ δικαστὴν καὶ μάρτυρα τῶν καθ' ἑαυτὸν ποιεῖται τὸν θεόν, οὐ πρὸς αὐτὸν δικαιολογούμενος, ἀλλὰ τοὺς φίλους ἐλέγχων. 13, 5 εἴη δὲ ὑμῖν κωφεῦσαι καὶ ἀποβήσεται ὑμῖν εἰς σοφίαν. γένοιτο ὑμῖν ἐλθεῖν τοιαύτην σύνεσιν ὥστε σιωπῆσαι, καὶ διὰ τῆς σιωπῆς νομισθήσεσθε εἶναι σοφοί. 125 13, 6 ἀκούσατε