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but it was also shown towards the servants; for from this comes all reasonableness, when one is humane toward the one subordinate, and not violent; Therefore the servants said: Who will give us to be filled with his flesh? Here he relates the frenzied love of the servants, which they had for him, having become his ardent lovers, from what he himself showed to them. For so, he says, they hung upon me, so they clung, so they were devoted, so loving, as to desire to be filled even with his flesh [to devour and eat up], because they loved exceedingly and were inflamed; so very kind and sweet was I to the maidservants, that if it were possible even to be sated with my flesh, they would have gladly done this. "And a stranger did not lodge outside, but my door was opened to everyone who came." This is the mark of hospitality and of Abrahamic nobility. My house, he says, I held in common, my table in common, not considering my things my own, but the Lord's. The Lord gave, therefore let the measure of grain be distributed to the fellow servants. You have seen the humility, you have seen the humanity, you have seen the kindness, you have seen the lavishness, that he was a common good, extending his right hand to all, and opening his house. For he did not do this, which many do, being curious and meddlesome about those who receive; but, My door, he says, was open to everyone, and no one lodged outside. "If I also have sinned unintentionally and have hidden my sin; for I was not abashed at the great multitude, so as not to confess before them." Say you your sins first, that you may be justified. Of my good deeds, therefore, he says, I made no one a witness, but of my failings I wished all to be aware; wherefore I was not abashed by a multitude of the city to confess my own failing concerning them. "And if I also allowed a helpless person to go out my door with an empty bosom; who would grant someone to hear me?" What he says is this: If I overlooked one in need, may no one listen to me. But see, he did not say, I gave to him who came, but, I did not even permit him who was unwilling. He used force on those who willingly wished to pass him by; for he knew the matter, that it is a resource. Therefore, as much effort as the poor made in troubling those who were able to extend a hand, so much did he put into troubling those who ought to receive well, and he did not allow them to depart with an empty bosom; for not only did he care for them by receiving them, but in addition to feeding them, he also provided provisions for the 64.641 poverty after this richly and cheerfully.

CH. 32

"Then Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said: I am indeed younger in years, but you are elders; therefore I kept silent, afraid to declare my own knowledge to you." Therefore we conjecture his understanding from both sides, from his silence and from his speech. For lest someone should say: And for what reason did you not fight with us on behalf of God from the beginning? he took refuge in his age, and says that, expecting something noble and wonderful to be said by you, I kept silent. See how unambitious he was, how he yielded the first place to them. "And behold, there was no one refuting Job, answering his words from among you." He therefore either says this, that not even then when you were refuting him, did you refute him as you should have, or that you were later silent. By all means, he says, you would not say that we did this wise thing, that we were added to God's portion, and undertook the words on his behalf; for you have sinned no less, both because you were unable to refute Job, and because you endured him speaking such things, so that this of yours is also unwise; and you cannot say that you have found grace and wisdom from God, since

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ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς οἰκέτας ἐδείκνυτο· ἐντεῦθεν γὰρ ἐπιείκεια ἅπασα, ὅταν πρὸς τὸν ὑποτεταγμένον φιλάνθρωπός τις ᾖ, καὶ μὴ βίαιος· ἔλεγον οὖν οἱ θεράποντες· Τίς ἂν δῴη ἡμῖν τῶν σαρκῶν αὐτοῦ ἐμπλησθῆναι; Ἐνταῦθα τὸν ἔρωτα διηγεῖται τῶν οἰκετῶν τὸν μανικὸν, ὃν περὶ αὐτὸν εἶχον, διακαεῖς αὐτοῦ καταστάντες ἐρασταὶ, ἀφ' ὧν αὐτὸς εἰς αὐτοὺς ἐπεδείκνυτο. Οὕτω γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐξεκρέμαντό μου, οὕτως ἀντείχοντο, οὕτως ἦσαν προσηλωμένοι, οὕτως ἐρῶντες, ὡς ἐπιθυμεῖν καὶ αὐτῶν ἐμπλησθῆναι τῶν σαρκῶν [καταπιεῖν καὶ καταφαγεῖν], διὰ τὸ σφόδρα φιλεῖν καὶ ἐκκαίεσθαι· οὕτω λίαν ἤμην ταῖς θεραπαίναις χρηστὸς καὶ γλυκὺς, ὡς εἰ οἷόν τε ἦν καὶ αὐτῶν μου τῶν σαρκῶν ἐμφορηθῆναι, ἡδέως ἂν τοῦτο ἐποίουν. «Ἔξω δὲ οὐκ ηὐλίζετο ξένος, ἡ δὲ θύρα μου παντὶ ἐλθόντι ἠνέῳκτο.» Τοῦτο τῆς φιλοξενίας, καὶ Ἀβραμιαίας εὐγενίας τὸ ἐπίσημον. Κοινὴν, φησὶν, ἐκεκτήμην τὴν οἰκίαν, κοινὴν τὴν τράπεζαν, οὐκ ἐμὰ τὰ ἐμὰ ἡγούμενος, ἀλλὰ ∆εσποτικά. Ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκεν, οὐκοῦν διανεμέσθω τοῖς συνδούλοις τὸ σιτομέτριον. Εἶδες τὸ ταπεινὸν, εἶδες τὸ φιλάνθρωπον, εἶδες τὸ χρηστὸν, εἶδες τὸ δαψιλὲς, ὅτι κοινὸν ἦν ἀγαθὸν, πᾶσι τὴν δεξιὰν ἁπλώσας, καὶ τὴν οἰκίαν ἀνοίξας. Οὐ γὰρ, ὃ πάσχουσιν οἱ πολλοὶ περιεργαζόμενοι καὶ πολυπραγμονοῦντες τοὺς λαμβάνοντας, ἐποίει τοῦτο· ἀλλ', Ἡ θύρα μου, φησὶ, παντὶ ἠνέῳκτο, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἔξω ηὐλίζετο. «Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἁμαρτὼν ἀκουσίως ἔκρυψα τὴν ἁμαρτίαν μου· οὐ γὰρ διετράπην πολυοχλίαν πλήθους, τοῦ μὴ ἐξαγορεῦσαι ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν.» Λέγε σὺ πρῶτον τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου, ἵνα δικαιωθῇς. Τῶν μὲν οὖν κατορθωμάτων, φησὶν, οὐδένα μάρτυρα ἐποιούμην, τῶν δὲ πταισμάτων πάντας ἐβουλόμην εἶναι τοὺς συνειδότας· διὸ οὐ διετράπην πολυοχλίαν πόλεως ἐπ' αὐτῶν ἐξαγορεῦσαι τὸ ἴδιον πταῖσμα. «Εἰ δὲ καὶ εἴασα ἀδύνατον ἐξελθεῖν θύραν μου κόλπῳ κενῷ· τίς δῴη ἀκούοντά μου;» Ὃ λέγει τοῦτό ἐστιν· Εἰ παρεβλεψάμην τὸν δεόμενον, μηδὲ ἐμοῦ τις ἀκουσάτω. Ὅρα δὲ, οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι Ἐλθόντι ἔδωκα, ἀλλ', Οὐδὲ μὴ βουλομένῳ συνεχώρησα. Βίαν ἐπῆγε τοῖς καὶ ἑκουσίως βουλομένοις αὐτὸν παρατρέχειν· ᾔδει γὰρ τὸ πρᾶγμα, ὅτι εὐπορία ἐστίν. Ὅσην τοίνυν οἱ πένητες σπουδὴν ἐποίουν διενοχλοῦντες τοὺς δυναμένους χεῖρα ὀρέξαι, τοσαύτην ἐκεῖνος ἐτίθετο διενοχλῶν τοὺς εὖ παθεῖν ὀφείλοντας, καὶ οὐκ εἴα ἐξελθεῖν κόλπῳ κενῷ· οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἐθεράπευεν αὐτοὺς ὑποδεχόμενος, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τῷ τρέφειν, καὶ ἐφόδια τῆς 64.641 μετὰ ταῦτα πενίας παρεῖχε πλουσίως καὶ ἱλαρῶς.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΛΒʹ

«Ὑπολαβὼν δὲ Ἐλιοὺς ὁ τοῦ Βαραχιὴλ, ὁ Βουζίτης, εἶπε· Νεώτερος μέν εἰμι τῷ

χρόνῳ, ὑμεῖς δέ ἐστε πρεσβύτεροι· διὸ ἡσύχασα, φοβηθεὶς τοῦ ὑμῖν ἀναγγεῖλαι τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ ἐπιστήμην.» Ἑκατέρωθεν οὖν αὐτοῦ τὴν σύνεσιν στοχαζόμεθα, ἀπό τε τῆς σιγῆς, ἀπό τε τῆς διαλέξεως. Ἵνα γὰρ μή τις εἴπῃ· Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν μὴ παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν μεθ' ἡμῶν ἐμαχήσω ὑπὲρ τοῦ Θεοῦ; ἐπὶ τὴν ἡλικίαν κατέφυγε, καί φησιν, ὅτι Προσδοκῶν γενναῖόν τι καὶ θαυμαστὸν παρ' ὑμῶν λέγεσθαι, ἡσύχαζον. Ὅρα πῶς ἀφιλότιμος ἦν, πῶς παρεχώρει τῶν πρωτείων ἐκείνοις. «Καὶ ἰδοὺ οὐκ ἦν τῷ Ἰὼβ ἐλέγχων, ἀνταποκρινόμενος ῥήματα αὐτοῦ ἐξ ὑμῶν.» Ἢ οὖν τοῦτό φησιν, ὅτι Οὐδὲ τότε ὅτε ἠλέγχετε, ὡς ἔδει ἠλέγξατε, ἢ ὅτι ὕστερον ἐσιωπήσατε. Πάντως δὲ, φησὶν, οὐκ ἂν εἴποιτε, ὅτι Αὐτὸ τοῦτο σοφὸν ἐποιήσαμεν, ὅτι τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ μερίδι προσετέθημεν, καὶ τοὺς ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ λόγους ἀνεδεξάμεθα· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἧττον ἡμάρτετε, ὅτι τε τὸν Ἰὼβ ἐλέγξαι οὐκ ἠδυνήθητε, καὶ ὅτι ἠνέσχεσθε αὐτοῦ τοιαῦτα λαλοῦντος, ὥστε ἄσοφον ὑμῶν καὶ τοῦτο· καὶ οὐ δύνασθε εἰπεῖν, ὅτι παρὰ Θεοῦ χάριν καὶ σοφίαν εὕρατε, ἅτε