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the refutation of my mouth, but pay attention to the judgment of my lips. Understand, therefore, what I am about to say for your refutation, and consider if I speak with discernment. 13, 7 Is it not before the Lord that you speak, and before him do you utter deceit? Do you not understand that God hears your words? How then do you dare to speak falsely in his hearing? But observe also these words of the blameless and true one, how everywhere he blames falsehood, even if one seems to speak for God; wherefore he himself discusses all that he thinks with truth and boldness, for which also God accepts him, being himself the truth. For falsehood is from the evil one, as the Savior says. 13, 8 Or will you shrink back? You cannot be hidden from him in such words. 13, 8-10 But you yourselves become judges. It is good, if he should search you out. For if doing all things you are added to him, he will no less convict you. But you judge, if I do not speak the truth, that: if God should search out your affairs, even if you seem to speak for him ten thousand times, he will convict you as liars, holding nothing more honorable than the truth. 126 13, 10-12 But if you secretly show partiality, will not his terror overwhelm you? And a fear from him will fall upon you, and your pride will become like ashes, and your body clay. Instead of *But if you secretly show partiality* _n_o_t_ _s_e_c_r_e_t_l_y_ you will be ashamed of his presence, Symmachus has rendered. But the meaning is this: But if also, he says, you speak secretly to please the Lord and as if revering his person, having one thing in mind but speaking another, will not his whirlwind and his testing—for this is his terror—overturn you and frighten you and strike you with awe? And your boasting will be shown to be nothing other than ashes and that you happen to be nothing other than clay—instead of: you boast, being ashes and clay, and you speak with concealment as if pleasing God; for he will not endure your lies, but he will also frighten and overwhelm—that is, punish—you. 13, 13-14 Be silent, that I may speak and be relieved of my anger, taking my flesh in my teeth. Listen, therefore, in silence, that I may find relief by comforting my suffering through words. For this is what *taking my flesh in my teeth* signifies. 13, 14-15 And I will put my soul in my hand, if the potentate should master me, since he has also begun. And I place my soul as a pledge, being ready to endure the penalty for my words; and if God, who began to torment me, 127 wishes to destroy me, I am ready to suffer all things that seem good to him. And this is the meaning: if I do not speak the truth, I am ready to endure whatever seems good to God. 13, 15-16 Truly I will speak and argue before him, and this will result in my salvation; for deceit shall not come before him. Do you see how he trusts in the truth and in the just judgment of God? I know, he says, that to speak the truth before God and to convict you as liars will result in my salvation. 13, 17-18 Hear, hear my words; for I will proclaim them in your hearing. Behold, I am near my judgment; I know that I will be shown to be righteous. The Lord is near, it is said, to those who call upon him, instead of: God is favorable to them. Hear therefore, he says, what I am about to say; for I will have a favorable judgment before a just and true God, speaking with confidence in His truth, believing I will be shown to speak more righteously than you. Or also thus: I am near my judgment, instead of: I am ready to suffer whatever God may judge. Trusting in his truth, I hope to be seen as righteous. 13, 19 For who is he who will judge me, that I should now be silent and fail? For which of you, he says, shall I fear when I am judged, that I should be silent? And *fail* instead of: for by being silent I make myself liable to judgment and without defense, as if my justifications failed me. 128 13, 21 But I have need of two things; then I will not hide from your face: keep your hand from me, and let not your fear terrify me. For may it not be, he says, that I should depart from you—and he turned his speech to God—but I beseech

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ἔλεγχον στόματός μου, κρίσει δὲ χειλέων μου προσέχετε. κατανοήσατε τοιγαροῦν, ἃ μέλλω λέγειν εἰς ἔλεγχον ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐννοήσατε, εἰ κεκριμένως φθέγγομαι. 13, 7 πότερον οὐχὶ κατέναντι κυρίου λαλεῖτε, ἐναντίον δὲ αὐτοῦ φθέγγεσθε δόλον; οὐκ ἐννοεῖτε, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἐπακούει τῶν λόγων ὑμῶν; πῶς οὖν τολμᾶτε εἰς ὑπήκοον αὐτοῦ παρὰ τὸ ἀληθὲς φθέγγεσθαι; ἐπιτήρει δὲ καὶ ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ ἀμέμπτου καὶ ἀληθινοῦ, πῶς πανταχοῦ μέμφεται τὸ ψεῦδος, κἂν ὑπὲρ θεοῦ τις λέγειν δοκῇ· διόπερ αὐτὸς ἃ φρονεῖ σὺν ἀληθείᾳ καὶ μετὰ παρρησίας ἅπαντα διαλέγεται, ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ ὁ θεὸς αὐτὸν ἀποδέχεται αὐτὸς ὢν ἡ ἀλήθεια. τὸ γὰρ ψεῦδος ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἐστιν, ὥς φησιν ὁ σωτήρ. 13, 8 ἢ ὑποστελεῖσθε; οὐ δύνασθε κρυβῆναι ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις ῥήμασιν. 13, 810 ὑμεῖς δὲ αὐτοὶ κριταὶ γίνεσθε. καλόν, ἐὰν ἐξιχνιάσῃ ὑμᾶς. εἰ γὰρ τὰ πάντα ποιοῦντες προστεθήσεσθε αὐτῷ, οὐδέν τι ἧττον ἐλέγξει ὑμᾶς. ἀλλ' ὑμεῖς κρίνατε, εἰ μὴ ἀληθῆ λέγω ὅτι· ἐὰν τὰ καθ' ὑμᾶς ἀναζητήσῃ θεός, κἂν μυριάκις ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ λαλεῖν δοκῆτε, ἐλέγξει ψευδομένους οὐδὲν τῆς ἀληθείας ποιούμενος προτιμότερον. 126 13, 1012 εἰ δὲ καὶ κρυφῇ πρόσωπα θαυμάσετε, πότερον οὐχὶ ἡ δῖνα αὐτοῦ στροβήσει ὑμᾶς; φόβος δὲ παρ' αὐτοῦ ἐπιπεσεῖται ὑμῖν, ἀποβήσεται δὲ ὑμῖν τὸ γαυρίαμα ἴσα σποδῷ, τὸ δὲ σῶμα πήλινον. ἀντὶ τοῦ εἰ δὲ καὶ κρυφῇ πρόσωπα θαυμάσετε _μ_ὴ_ _κ_ρ_ύ_φα πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ δυσωπηθήσεσθε ὁ Σύμμαχος ἐκδέδωκεν. ὁ δὲ νοῦς τοιοῦτός ἐστιν· εἰ δὲ καὶ χαριζόμενοι, φησίν, τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ ὥσπερ αἰδούμενοι αὐτοῦ τὸ πρόσωπον κρυφαίως λαλεῖτε, ἄλλα μὲν ἔχοντες κατὰ διάνοιαν, ἕτερα δὲ φθεγγόμενοι, ἆρα οὐχ ἡ συστροφὴ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ ἔτασιςτοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν ἡ δῖνα αὐτοῦπεριτρέψει ὑμᾶς καὶ φοβήσει καὶ καταπλήξει; καὶ ἡ μεγαλαυχία ἡ ὑμετέρα ἀποδειχθήσεται οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ σποδὸς καὶ ὅτι οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ πηλὸς τυγχάνετεἀντὶ τοῦ· ἀλαζονεύεσθε σποδὸς ὄντες καὶ πηλός, καὶ μετ' ἐπικρύψεως λαλεῖτε ὡς θεῷ χαριζόμενοι· οὐ γὰρ ἀνέξεται ὑμῶν ψευδομένων, ἀλλὰ καὶ φοβήσει καὶ στροβήσειἀντὶ τοῦ· τιμωρήσειὑμᾶς. 13, 1314 κωφεύσατε, ἵνα λαλήσω καὶ ἀναπαύσωμαι θυμοῦ, ἀναλαβὼν τὰς σάρκας μου τοῖς ὀδοῦσιν. ἀκούσατε τοίνυν μεθ' ἡσυχίας, ἵνα ἀναπαύσωμαι παραμυθούμενος διὰ τῶν λόγων τὸ πάθος. τοῦτο γὰρ σημαίνει τὸ ἀναλαβὼν τὰς σάρκας μου τοῖς ὀδοῦσιν. 13, 1415 ψυχὴν δέ μου θήσω ἐν χειρί, ἐάν με χειρώσηται ὁ δυνάστης, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἦρκται. τίθημι δὲ τὴν ἐμὴν ψυχὴν εἰς ἐνέχυρον ἕτοιμος ὢν τὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν λόγων ὑπομένειν δίκην· κἂν ἀνελεῖν θέλῃ ὁ ἀρξάμενός με βασανίζειν 127 θεός, ἑτοίμως ἔχω πάντα πάσχειν τὰ αὐτῷ δοκοῦντα. ὁ δὲ νοῦς οὗτος· εἰ μὴ τἀληθῆ φθέγγομαι, ἕτοιμός εἰμι ὑπομένειν ὅτι ἂν τῷ θεῷ δοκῇ. 13, 1516 ἢ μὴν λαλήσω καὶ ἐλέγξω ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοῦτό μοι ἀποβήσεται εἰς σωτηρίαν· οὐ γὰρ ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ δόλος εἰσελεύσεται. ὁρᾷς, πῶς θαρρεῖ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ καὶ τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ δικαιοκρισίᾳ; οἶδα, φησίν, ὅτι εἰς σωτηρίαν μοι ἀποβήσεται τὸ ἐναντίον θεοῦ τἀληθῆ λέγειν καὶ διελέγχειν ὑμᾶς ψευδομένους. 13, 1718 ἀκούσατε, ἀκούσατε τὰ ῥήματά μου· ἀναγγελῶ γὰρ ὑμῶν ἀκουόντων. ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐγγύς εἰμι τοῦ κρίματός μου, οἶδα ἐγώ, ὅτι δίκαιος ἀναφανοῦμαι. ἐγγὺς κύριος, λέγεται, τοῖς ἐπικαλουμένοις αὐτόν, ἀντὶ τοῦ· εὐμενὴς αὐτοῖς ἐστιν ὁ θεός. ἀκούσατε οὖν, φησίν, ἃ μέλλω λέγειν· εὐμενὲς γὰρ ἕξω τὸ κριτήριον ἐπὶ θεοῦ δικαίου καὶ ἀληθοῦς φθεγγόμενος, οὗ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ θαρρῶν πιστεύω δικαιότερα λέγων ὑμῶν ἀναφανήσεσθαι. ἢ καὶ οὕτως· ἐγγύς εἰμι τοῦ κρίματός μου, ἀντὶ τοῦ· ἕτοιμός εἰμι πάσχειν ὅ τι ἂν κρίνῃ ὁ θεός. θαρρῶν τῇ αὐτοῦ ἀληθείᾳ ἐλπίζω δίκαιος ὀφθήσεσθαι. 13, 19 τίς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ κριθησόμενός μοι, ὅτι νῦν κωφεύσω καὶ ἐκλείψω; τίνα γάρ, φησίν, ὑμῶν κρινόμενος εὐλαβηθήσομαι, ἵνα σιωπήσω; τὸ δὲ ἐκλείψω ἀντὶ τοῦ· σιωπῶν γὰρ ὑπόδικον ἐμαυτὸν ποιῶ καὶ ἀναπολόγητον ὡς ἐκλειπουσῶν μοι τῶν δικαιολογιῶν. 128 13, 21 δυοῖν δέ μοι χρεία· τότε ἀπὸ προσώπου σου οὐ κρυβήσομαι, τὴν χεῖρά σου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ἀπόσχου, καὶ ὁ φόβος σου μή με καταπλησσέτω. μὴ γὰρ γένοιτο, φησίν, ἀποστῆναί μέ σουπρὸς δὲ τὸν θεὸν τὸν λόγον ἔτρεψεν, ἱκετεύω δὲ