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and be relieved from the torments and speak without fear. 13, 22 Then you will call, and I will answer you; or you will speak, and I will give you a response. If, he says, I know that you are kindly disposed toward me, then when questioned I come to my defense. 13, 2324 How many are my sins and my iniquities? Teach me what they are. Why do you hide yourself from me, and consider me an adversary? I desire to learn, he says, the cause of the punishments, and for what transgressions I pay the penalty by enduring these things. Why, O Master, do you hide me? Why do you treat one weaker than a leaf as an enemy? For which reason he adds: 13, 2514, 3 Or will you be frightened of a leaf moved by the wind or will you oppose me as chaff carried by the wind, because you have written down evils against me, and have encompassed me with the sins of my youth, and you have put my foot in a hindrance, and you have watched all my works, and you have come to the roots of my feet, which grow old like a wineskin, or like a moth-eaten garment. For a mortal born of woman is short-lived and full of wrath, or like a flower that has bloomed, it has fallen away, and it has fled away like a shadow and does not stand. And did you not take account of this one, and made this one to enter before you into judgment? He puts forth the lowliness of nature as a supplication, likening 129 man to a leaf and to chaff carried here and there, and to a wineskin growing old, and to a garment consumed by moths, and to a flower quickly withering, and to a passing shadow. Such a one, therefore, he says, O Master, you bring into precise examinations and you minutely investigate the things concerning him. The phrase 'you have written down evils against me' means: you have marked everything, if I have sinned even from my youth. And the phrase 'you have put my foot in a hindrance,' is so that he might say that: you have guarded the things concerning me precisely, as those who bind the condemned in the stocks. For Aquila has rendered it thus: and you have placed my foot in the stocks. And the phrase 'you have come to the roots of my feet', that is: and you have watched the most minute details of my path. And the phrase 'full of wrath' Aquila has rendered 'full of agitation', so that he might say that man is both short-lived and his life is full of turmoil. And he said these things both asking for forgiveness, if he had sinned in any way, and seeking mercy for human lowliness. 14, 46 For who will be clean from filth? Nay, not one, even if his life be but one day upon the earth. But his months are numbered by him, you have set a time, and he shall not pass it. Stand away from him that he may be quiet, and may take pleasure in his life like a hireling. What need is there, he says, to speak at length about man, when even human birth itself is not without filth and sin? And 130 he says this as a prophet because of the transgression in Adam; for as the wise apostle said: through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners. And besides, he says, man is short-lived, having received a measure for his life from God, which it is altogether impossible for him to pass. Come, therefore, to pity, O Master, one who is so lowly, one who is a sinner from birth and short-lived; and remove your scrutiny from him, that he may catch his breath, like a hireling who finds a little rest after many labors. 14, 710 For there is hope for a tree. For if it is cut down, it will blossom again, and its shoot will not fail. For if its root grows old in the earth, and its stock dies in the rock, from the scent of water it will blossom, and will produce a crop as if newly planted. But a man who has died is gone, and a mortal, when he has fallen, is no more. But man, he says, is even lowlier than plants. For they, even after being cut, are able to blossom again and sprout forth branches when they receive watering, and to produce a crop, which means fruit. But a man, once dead, is not able to return to life. 14, 1112 For in time the sea becomes scarce, and a river, when laid waste, is dried up. But a man who has fallen asleep shall not rise, until the heaven be not stitched together, and they shall not be awakened out of their sleep. Instead of 'in time the sea becomes scarce', Symmachus has rendered it: 'as 131 waters flow out from the sea'. And the meaning is this: just as, he says, water flowing from the sea, such as is the current that comes down from the Pontus,

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καὶ κουφισθῆναι τῶν βασάνων καὶ ἀφόβως εἰπεῖν. 13, 22 εἶτα καλέσεις, ἐγὼ δέ σου ὑπακούσομαι. ἢ λαλήσεις, ἐγὼ δέ σοι δώσω ἀνταπόκρισιν. ἐάν, φησίν, γνῶ, ὅτι εὐμενῶς διάκεισαι πρός με, καὶ ἐρωτώμενος εἰς ἀπολογίαν ἔρχομαι. 13, 2324 πόσαι εἰσὶν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι μου καὶ αἱ ἀνομίαι μου; δίδαξόν με, τίνες εἰσίν. διὰ τὶ ἀπ' ἐμοῦ κρύπτῃ, ἥγησαι δέ με ὑπεναντίον; τὴν αἰτίαν ἐπιθυμῶ μαθεῖν, φησίν, τῶν κολάσεων καὶ ποίων πλημμελημάτων ἐκτίνων δίκας ταῦτα ὑπομένω. διὰ τί, δέσποτα, ἀποκρύπτεις με; διὰ τί ὡς ἐχθρῷ κέχρησαι τῷ φύλλων ἀδρανεστέρῳ; διὸ καὶ ἐπάγει· 13, 2514, 3 ἢ ὡς φύλλον κινούμενον ὑπὸ ἀνέμου εὐλαβηθήσῃ ἢ ὡς χόρτῳ φερομένῳ ὑπὸ πνεύματος ἀντίκεισαί μοι, ὅτι κατέγραψας κατ' ἐμοῦ κακά, περιέθηκας δέ μοι νεότητος ἁμαρτίας, ἔθου δέ μου τὸν πόδα ἐν κωλύματι, ἐφύλαξας δέ μου πάντα τὰ ἔργα, εἰς δὲ ῥίζας τῶν ποδῶν μου ἀφίκου, οἳ παλαιοῦνται ἴσα ἀσκῷ ἢ ὥσπερ ἱμάτιον σητόβρωτον. βροτὸς γὰρ γεννητὸς γυναικὸς ὀλιγόβιος καὶ πλήρης ὀργῆς, ἢ ὥσπερ ἄνθος ἀνθῆσαν ἐξέπεσεν, ἀπέδρα δὲ ὥσπερ σκιὰ καὶ οὐ μὴ στῇ. οὐχὶ καὶ τούτου λόγον ἐποιήσω καὶ τοῦτον ἐποίησας εἰσελθεῖν ἐνώπιόν σου ἐν κρίματι; τὸ τῆς φύσεως εὐτελὲς εἰς ἱκετηρίαν προβάλλεται φύλλῳ παρεικάζων 129 τὸν ἄνθρωπον καὶ χόρτῳ τῇδε κἀκεῖσε περιφερομένῳ καὶ ἀσκῷ παλαιουμένῳ καὶ ἱματίῳ ὑπὸ σητῶν δαπανωμένῳ καὶ ἄνθει ταχὺ μαραινομένῳ καὶ σκιᾷ παρατρεχούσῃ. τὸν τοιοῦτον, οὖν φησιν, δέσποτα, εἰς ἀκριβεῖς εἰσάγεις ἐλεγμοὺς καὶ λεπτῶς τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν ἐξετάζεις. τὸ δὲ κατέγραψας κατ' ἐμοῦ κακά ἀντὶ τοῦ· ἀπεσημήνω πᾶν, εἴ τι καὶ ἥμαρτον ἐκ νεότητος. τὸ δὲ ἔθου δέ μου τὸν πόδα ἐν κωλύματι, ἵνα εἴπῃ ὅτι· ἀκριβῶς ἐφύλαξας τὰ κατ' ἐμὲ ὡς οἱ ἐν τῇ ξυλοπέδῃ δεσμοῦντες τοὺς καταδίκους. ὁ γὰρ Ἀκύλας οὕτως ἐκδέδωκεν· _κ_α_ὶ_ _ἔ_θ_η_κ_α_ς_ ἐν ξυλοπέδῃ τὸν πόδα μου. τὸ δὲ εἰς ῥίζας τῶν ποδῶν μου ἀφίκου, τουτέστιν· καὶ τὰ λεπτότατα τῆς πορείας μου ἐφύλαξας. τὸ δὲ πλήρης ὀργῆς ὁ Ἀκύλας _π_λ_ή_ρ_η_ς_ _κ_λ_ο_ν_ή_σ_ε_ω_ς ἐκδέδωκεν, ἵνα εἴπῃ, ὅτι καὶ ὀλιγοχρόνιός ἐστιν ὁ ἄνθρωπος καὶ ὁ βίος αὐτοῦ μεστὸς ταραχῆς. ταῦτα δὲ εἶπε καὶ συγγνώμην αἰτῶν, εἴ τι καὶ ἥμαρτεν, καὶ ἔλεον ἐπιζητῶν ἐπὶ τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ ταπεινότητι. 14, 46 τίς γὰρ καθαρὸς ἔσται ἀπὸ ῥύπου; ἀλλ' οὐδείς, ἐὰν καὶ μίαν ἡμέραν ὁ βίος αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. ἀριθμητοὶ δὲ μῆνες αὐτῷ παρ' αὐτοῦ, εἰς χρόνον ἔθου, καὶ οὐ μὴ ὑπερβῇ. ἀπόστα ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἵνα ἡσυχάσῃ καὶ εὐδοκήσῃ τὸν βίον ὥσπερ ὁ μισθωτός. τί δεῖ, φησίν, περὶ ἀνθρώπου μακρὰ λέγειν, ὅπουγε καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη γέννησις οὐκ ἄνευ ῥύπου καὶ ἁμαρτίας τυγχάνει; τοῦτο δὲ 130 λέγει ὡς προφήτης διὰ τὴν ἐν Ἀδὰμ παράβασιν· ὡς γὰρ ὁ πολύνους ἀπόστολος ἔφη· διὰ τῆς παρακοῆς τοῦ ἑνὸς ἁμαρτωλοὶ κατέστησαν οἱ πολλοί. ἔστι δέ, φησίν, καὶ ἄλλως ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὀλιγοχρόνιος μέτρον εἰς ζωὴν παρὰ θεοῦ λαβών, ὅπερ ὑπερβῆναι παντελῶς ἀμηχάνως ἔχει. ἐλθὲ τοίνυν εἰς οἶκτον, δέσποτα, τοῦ οὕτως εὐτελοῦς, τοῦ ἐκ γεννητῆς ἁμαρτωλοῦ καὶ ὀλιγοβίου· καὶ ἀπόστησόν σου τὸ ἐταστικὸν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, ἵνα ἀναπνεύσῃ δίκην μισθωτοῦ μετὰ τοὺς πολλοὺς καμάτους ὀλίγην εὑρίσκων ἀνάπαυσιν. 14, 710 ἔστι γὰρ δένδρῳ ἐλπίς. ἐὰν γὰρ ἐκκοπῇ, ἔτι ἐπανθήσει, καὶ ὁ ῥάδαμνος αὐτοῦ οὐ μὴ ἐκλείπῃ. ἐὰν γὰρ γηράσῃ ἐν γῇ ἡ ῥίζα αὐτοῦ, ἐν δὲ πέτρᾳ τελευτήσῃ τὸ στέλεχος αὐτοῦ, ἀπὸ ὀσμῆς ὕδατος ἀνθήσει, ποιήσει δὲ θερισμὸν ὥσπερ νεόφυτον. ἀνὴρ δὲ τελευτήσας ᾤχετο, πεσὼν δὲ βροτὸς οὐκέτι ἐστίν. ἀλλὰ καὶ φυτῶν, φησίν, εὐτελέστερός ἐστιν ὁ ἄνθρωπος. ἐκεῖνα γὰρ καὶ μετὰ τὴν τομὴν δύναται ἐπανθῆσαι καὶ κλῶνας ἀναβλαστῆσαι ἀρδείας ὑδάτων τυχόντα καὶ ποιεῖν θερισμόν, ἀντὶ τοῦ· καρπόν. ἄνθρωπος δὲ ἅπαξ ἀποθανὼν παλινδρομῆσαι εἰς τὸν βίον οὐ δύναται. 14, 1112 χρόνῳ γὰρ σπανίζεται θάλασσα, ποταμὸς δὲ ἐρημωθεὶς ἐξηράνθη. ἄνθρωπος δὲ κοιμηθεὶς οὐ μὴ ἀναστῇ, ἕως ἂν ὁ οὐρανός, οὐ μὴ συρραφῇ καὶ οὐκ ἐξυπνισθήσονται ἐξ ὕπνου αὐτῶν. ἀντὶ τοῦ· χρόνῳ δὲ σπανίζεται θάλασσα, ὁ Σύμμαχος· _ὡ_ς_ _ _ 131 ἐκρεῖ ὕδατα ἀπὸ θαλάσσης ἐκδέδωκεν. ὁ δὲ νοῦς οὗτος· ὥσπερ, φησίν, ὕδωρ ἀπὸ θαλάσσης ἐκρέον, οἷόν ἐστι τὸ ἐκ τοῦ Πόντου κατιὸν ῥεῦμα,