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“it is possible,” he says, “for God to answer you, that it is double what you deserve, then you would have known that you suffer justly.” The one part is in error, the other is rightly said. For to say that “if it were possible for God to answer you—for he is much better and wiser than you—he would have shown you that you suffer these things well,” is well said, but “and then you will know that what has befallen you from the Lord is worthy of what you have sinned,” is no longer well said. For since he said: Would that there were one to reprove and to judge between us both, he himself says the opposite, that “if there were, he would have shown.” But Job did not say this, that “I suffer unworthily,” but that “I despair for the future” and that “my nature is of no account” and that “I am the work of his hands.” But he speaks as if he had said, “I suffer unjustly”; but he did not speak thus, but that “I am afraid, lest I sin.” 104 Then he says: 11,7a Will you find the track of the Lord? 7b or have you reached the uttermost parts of what the Almighty has made? That is: “Are you not able to know his wisdom and his way?” And yet he himself anticipated and confessed these things, and said much about his power and wisdom and incomprehensibility and purity, so that these things are superfluous. 11,8a Heaven is high, and earth is deep, and what will you do? Or he says this: “What such thing can you do?” or that “just as you are lowly upon the earth, so God is high in heaven, and you can do nothing, but as far as heaven is from the earth, so far are you from God; for he knows all things.” 11,8b Or what do you know, he says, that is deeper than the things in Hades? 11,9a Or do you understand things longer than the measure of the earth, 9b or the breadth of the sea? 11,10a For if he should overturn all things or gather them together, 10b who will say to him: What have you done? 11,11a For he knows the works of the lawless, 11b and when he sees an evil thing he will not overlook it. 11,12a But a man, he says, swims otherwise in words, 12b but a mortal born of a woman is like a wild ass. And he spoke well: like a wild ass, that is constantly braying. “Our words,” he says, “differ in nothing from that meaningless voice that cries out at random and simply; we find fault in everything for all things, we accuse all things.” Again they advise him to take care of his life; and yet he says this is nothing. For on account of this he said: If I am righteous, I shall not lift my head. “What is the benefit?” he says; “behold, I am righteous, but before him I am unclean.” 11,13a For if you have made your heart pure, he says, 13b and you have stretched out your hands to him; 11,14a if there is lawlessness in your hands, 14b put it far from you, 14c and let not injustice dwell in your lodging. 105 11,15a For thus your face shall shine like pure water, 15b and you shall put off filth and shall not be afraid; 11,16a and you shall forget your troubles 16b like a wave that has passed, and you shall not be terrified. For since he said that “change is impossible; if I wash myself with snow, you have plunged me sufficiently in filth,” on account of this he says: Thus your face will shine like pure water. Therefore, the other things are well, but to say always that these things happened because of sins, this is wrong, and to advise him to turn to virtue—for he was not in wickedness—this was of ignorance and of those who knew nothing. 11,17a And your prayer, he says, will be like the morning star, 17b and life will arise for you from the noonday. 11,18a And you will be confident, because there will be hope for you, 18b and out of anxiety and care peace will appear to you. 11,19a For you will be at rest, and there will be no one to make war on you; 19b and many, changing their minds, will beseech you, 11,20a and salvation will fail them. 20b For their hope will perish. 20c But the eyes of the impious will waste away; for with him are wisdom and power.

12,1 AND JOB ANSWERING, he says, SAYS: 12,2a Are you the only men, 2b or will wisdom die with you? Since they say things that are manifest and clear, see how his opening words are more reasonable, but the end is not so. For this reason he says: When I begin to speak, they provoke me. “Are you to receive wisdom,” he says, “and depart?” Observe how everywhere at the beginning of his speeches, since he is about to utter harsh things after this, so that one may not condemn him, how everywhere he first pays homage to God and says that he is great and wonderful and does nothing unjustly. 106

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δυνατόν», φησίν, «τὸν θεὸν ἀποκρίνασθαί σοι, ὅτι διπλοῦς ἐστι τῷ κατὰ σέ, τότε ἂν ἔγνως, ὅτι δικαίως πάσχεις.» τὸ μὲν ἡμάρτηται, τὸ δὲ ὀρθῶς εἴρηται. τὸ μὲν γὰρ εἰπεῖν, ὅτι «εἰ ἦν δυνατὸν τὸν θεὸν ἀποκρίνασθαί σοι-καὶ γὰρ πολύ σου βελτίων ἐστι καὶ σοφός-, ἔδειξεν ἄν σοι, ὅτι καλῶς ταῦτα πάσχεις», καλῶς εἴρηται, τὸ δὲ καὶ τότε γνώσῃ, ὅτι ἄξιά σοι ἀπέβη παρὰ κυρίου ὧν ἥμαρτες, οὐκέτι καλῶς. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπεν· εἴθε ἦν ὁ διελέγχων καὶ ὁ διακρίνων ἀνὰ μέσον ἀμφοτέρων, αὐτὸς τὸ ἐναντίον φησίν, ὅτι «εἰ ἦν, ἔδειξεν ἄν». ἀλλ' ὁ Ἰὼβ οὐ τοῦτο εἶπεν, ὅτι «οὐκ ἀξίως πάσχω», ἀλλ' ὅτι «ἀποκακῶ τῷ μέλλοντι» καὶ ὅτι «εὐτελής μου ἡ φύσις» καὶ ὅτι «ἔργον εἰμὶ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ». αὐτὸς δὲ ὡς εἰρηκότος, ὅτι «ἀδίκως πάσχω», οὕτω φησίν· ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτως εἶπεν, ἀλλ' ὅτι «φοβοῦμαι, μὴ ἁμάρτω». 104 εἶτά φησιν· 11,7a μὴ ἴχνος κυρίου εὑρήσεις 7b ἢ εἰς τὰ ἔσχατα ἀφίκου ὧν ἐποίησεν ὁ παντοκράτωρ; τουτέστιν· «μὴ δύνασαι εἰδέναι αὐτοῦ τὴν σοφίαν καὶ τὴν ὁδόν;» καὶ μὴν καὶ αὐτὸς προλαβὼν ταῦτα ὡμολόγησε καὶ πολλὰ περὶ τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς σοφίας διελέχθη καὶ τοῦ ἀκαταλήπτου καὶ τοῦ καθαροῦ, ὥστε ταῦτα περιττά. 11,8a ὑψηλὸς ὁ οὐρανός, γῆ δὲ βαθεῖα, καὶ τί ποιήσεις; ἢ τοῦτο λέγει· «τί τοιοῦτον ποιῆσαι δύνασαι;» ἢ ὅτι «ὥσπερ ταπεινὸς εἶ σὺ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, οὕτως ὁ θεὸς ὑψηλὸς ἐν οὐρανῷ, καὶ οὐδὲν δύνασαι ἐργάσασθαι, ἀλλ' ὅσον ἀπέχει ὁ οὐρανὸς τῆς γῆς, τοσοῦτον καὶ σὺ τοῦ θεοῦ· αὐτὸς γὰρ οἶδε τὰ πάντα.» 11,8b ἢ βαθύτερα, φησίν, τῶν ἐν ᾅδου τί οἶδας; 11,9a ἢ μακρότερα μέτρων γῆς ἐπίστασαι 9b ἢ εὖρος θαλάσσης; 11,10a ἐὰν γὰρ καταστρέψῃ τὰ πάντα ἢ συναθροίσῃ, 10b τίς ἐρεῖ αὐτῷ· τί ἐποίησας; 11,11a αὐτὸς γὰρ οἶδεν ἔργα ἀνόμων, 11b ἰδὼν δὲ ἄτοπον οὐ παρόψεται. 11,12a ἄνθρωπος δέ, φησίν, ἄλλως νήχεται λόγοις, 12b βροτὸς δὲ γεννητὸς γυναικὸς ἴσα ὄνῳ ἐρημίτῃ. καὶ καλῶς εἶπεν· ἴσα ὄνῳ ἐρημίτῃ, τῷ συνεχῶς ὀγκουμένῳ. «οὐδὲν διαφέρει», φησίν, «τὰ ῥήματα ἡμῶν τῆς ἀσήμου φωνῆς ἐκείνης τῆς εἰκῇ καὶ ἁπλῶς βοώσης· ἐπὶ πᾶσι πάντα μεμφόμεθα, πάντα ἐγκαλοῦμεν.» πάλιν παραινοῦσιν αὐτῷ ὥστε ἐπιμεληθῆναι βίου· καὶ μὴν οὐδέν ἐστι τοῦτο φησί. διὰ γὰρ τοῦτο ἔλεγεν· ἐὰν ὦ δίκαιος, οὐ μὴ ἀνακύψω. «τί τὸ ὄφελος;» φησίν· «ἰδοὺ δίκαιός εἰμι, ἀλλὰ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀκάθαρτος.» 11,13a εἰ γὰρ σὺ καθαρὰν ἔθου τὴν καρδίαν σου, φησίν, 13b ὑπτίασας δὲ τὰς χεῖράς σου πρὸς αὐτόν· 11,14a εἰ ἔστιν ἀνομία ἐν χερσί σου, 14b πόρρω ποίησον αὐτὴν ἀπὸ σοῦ, 14c ἀδικία δὲ ἐν διαίτῃ σου μὴ αὐλισθήτω. 105 11,15a οὕτω γὰρ ἀναλάμψει τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ὥσπερ ὕδωρ καθαρόν, 15b ἐκδύσῃ δὲ ῥύπον καὶ οὐ μὴ φοβηθῇς· 11,16a καὶ τῶν κόπων σου ἐπιλήσῃ 16b ὥσπερ κῦμα παρελθὸν καὶ οὐ πτοηθήσῃ. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔλεγεν, ὅτι «ἀδύνατος ἡ μεταβολή· ἐὰν ἀποπλύνωμαι χιόνι, ἱκανῶς με ἐν ῥύπῳ ἔβαψας», διὰ τοῦτό φησιν· οὕτως ἀναλάμψει σου τὸ πρόσωπον ὥσπερ ὕδωρ καθαρόν. τὰ μὲν οὖν ἄλλα καλῶς, τὸ δὲ λέγειν ἀεί, ὅτι δι' ἁμαρτήματα ταῦτα γέγονεν, τοῦτο κακῶς, καὶ τὸ παραινεῖν μεταβάλλεσθαι πρὸς ἀρετήν-οὐ γὰρ ἦν ἐν κακίᾳ-, τοῦτο ἀγνοίας ἦν καὶ οὐκ εἰδότων οὐδέν. 11,17a ἡ δὲ εὐχή σου, φησίν, ὥσπερ ἑωσφόρος, 17b ἐκ δὲ μεσημβρίας ἀνατελεῖ σοι ζωή. 11,18a πεποιθώς τε ἔσῃ, ὅτι ἔσται σοι ἐλπίς, 18b ἐκ δὲ μερίμνης καὶ φροντίδος ἀναφανεῖταί σοι εἰρήνη. 11,19a ἡσυχάσεις γὰρ καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ πολεμῶν σε· 19b μεταβαλλόμενοι δὲ πολλοί σου δεηθήσονται, 11,20a καὶ σωτηρία αὐτοὺς ἀπολείψει. 20b ἡ γὰρ ἐλπὶς αὐτῶν ἀπολεῖται. 20c ὀφθαλμοὶ δὲ ἀσεβῶν τακήσονται· παρ' αὐτῷ γὰρ σοφία καὶ δύναμις.

12,1 ΥΠΟΛΑΒΩΝ ∆Ε, φησίν, ΙΩΒ ΛΕΓΕΙ· 12,2a μὴ ὑμεῖς ἐστε ἄνθρωποι μόνοι, 2b ἢ μεθ' ὑμῶν τελευτήσει σοφία; ἐπειδὴ τὰ φανερὰ καὶ δῆλα λέγουσιν, ὅρα, πῶς τὰ μὲν προοίμια αὐτοῦ ἐπιεικέστερα, τὰ δὲ τέλη οὐχ οὕτω. διὰ τοῦτο λέγει· ὅταν ἄρξωμαι λαλεῖν, κεντοῦσί με. «ὑμεῖς ἔχετε λαβεῖν τὴν σοφίαν», φησίν, «καὶ ἀπελθεῖν;» παρατήρει, πῶς πανταχοῦ ἐν ἀρχῇ τῶν λόγων, ἐπειδὴ μέλλει μετὰ ταῦτα φορτικὰ φθέγγεσθαι, ἵνα μὴ αὐτοῦ καταψηφίσῃ, πῶς πανταχοῦ πρῶτον ἀφοσιοῦται πρὸς τὸν θεὸν καὶ λέγει, ὅτι μέγας ἐστὶ καὶ θαυμαστὸς καὶ οὐδὲν ἀδίκως ποιεῖ. 106