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to the good things; for "to make thick" means to overshadow with branches. Then, continuing with the metaphor, he again described untimely death through the unripe grape, and the loss of good things through the falling of the olive blossom. 15, 34 For the death of an ungodly man is a testimony. For their death, he says, is a sign of men's ungodliness, instead of: their shameful end will show what they are about. 15, 34 But fire will burn the houses of bribe-takers. By fire he means the divine wrath burning down with their entire households the insatiable and greedy and those who betray justice for gifts. 15, 35 And he will conceive pains in the womb, but it will turn out empty for him, and his belly will bear deceit. By pains he means those against others, so as to say that: the ungodly man, having deceit within himself, plots how he will pain others. For this reason his outcome and end will be empty and futile. Something similar to this is also said in the Psalms: Behold, he travailed with injustice, he conceived trouble and brought forth lawlessness. And "will bear deceit" because he receives evil things by choice. And by belly he means the entire inner space and the soul itself. 144 CHAPTER ELEVEN Job answered and said. The beginning of the saying: I have heard many such things, you are all miserable comforters. Introduction to the chapter {Eliphaz says} Since Eliphaz had said that punishments are inflicted on the ungodly, Job immediately responds to this and says: I have heard many such things. And he blames his friends for not knowing how to offer words of comfort, and he perceives that he has been handed over to the devil by God, but he does not know the reason. Then he also tells of the terrible things surrounding him, and asks that the things concerning him not be passed over in silence, and he makes God a witness of his own conscience, and he longs for death, and again he recounts his misfortunes, concluding his speech in lamentation. The words 16, 2 I have heard many such things, you are all miserable comforters. Such things, as you say, I have heard many times, that punishments await the ungodly; but you are bad comforters, aggravating my sufferings with your words. 16, 34 For what? Is there no order in words of wind, or what troubles you that you answer? I too will speak as you do. For tell me: what law is there to answer 145 everything that is said, or by what are you compelled to contradict everything from me? However, since you have decided so and he who wishes speaks as he wishes, I too will speak as you do. 16, 4 If your soul were in my soul's place, then I would leap upon you with words, and I would shake my head at you. If, he says, your soul were in my sufferings and I were leaping upon you and shaking my head at you as if gloating over your misfortunes, then I would have known your endurance, and then you would have learned not to philosophize in the midst of others' misfortunes. For these things must be supplied, being understood elliptically. Or even read it with character: if you were in my misfortunes, would I leap upon you with words, or shake my head at you? By no means, but I would have strengthened you with words of comfort. And another of the interpreters, agreeing with this thought, has rendered it thus: _If_ _you_ _were_ _subject_ _to_ _my_ _sufferings_,_ _I_ _would_ _have_ _approached_ _you_ _with_ _different_ _words_ _and_ _would_ _have_ _shaken_ _my_ _head_ _over_ _you_, _I_ _would_ _have_ _strengthened_ _you_ _with_ _my_ _mouth_. 16, 56 And may there be strength in my mouth, and I will not spare the movement of my lips. For if I speak, will I not feel pain from the wound? And if I am silent, how shall I be wounded less? And may it be, he says, that I use strong speech and an unveiled tongue toward you. Then read it as a question: For if I speak, will I not feel pain from the wound? instead of: I will feel pain. And if I 146 am silent, how shall I be wounded less? And what he says is this: if whether speaking or being silent I am bound to feel pain, it is better to speak, so that I may not seem by my silence to agree with your accusation. 16, 7 But now he has made me weary, a fool, rotten. I indeed, he says, pray to receive strength of words; but the punishment has torn me, and cut me to pieces, and made me rot so that it seems I have nearly lost my natural senses. 16, 8 And

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τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς· πυκάσαι γάρ ἐστι τὸ τοῖς κλάδοις συσκιάσαι. εἶτα ἐπιμείνας τῇ μεταφορᾷ πάλιν διὰ τοῦ ὄμφακος τὴν ἄωρον διέγραψε τελευτήν, τῶν δὲ ἀγαθῶν τὴν ἔκπτωσιν διὰ τῆς ἀπορροῆς τοῦ ἄνθους τῆς ἐλαίας. 15, 34 μαρτύριον γὰρ ἀσεβοῦς θάνατος. δεῖγμα γάρ, φησίν, τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀσεβείας ὁ αὐτῶν θάνατος, ἀντὶ τοῦ· τὸ αἰσχρὸν τέλος δείξει τὰ κατ' αὐτούς. 15, 34 πῦρ δὲ καύσει οἴκους δωροδεκτῶν. πῦρ φησι τὴν θείαν ὀργὴν καταφλέγουσαν πανεστίους τοὺς ἀπλήστους καὶ πλεονέκτας καὶ δώρων τὸ δίκαιον καταπροδιδόντας. 15, 35 ἐν γαστρὶ δὲ λήψεται ὀδύνας, ἀποβήσεται δὲ αὐτῷ κενά, ἡ δὲ κοιλία αὐτοῦ ὑποίσει δόλον. ὀδύνας φησὶ τὰς καθ' ἑτέρων, ἵνα εἴπῃ ὅτι· ὁ ἀσεβὴς τὸν δόλον ἔχων ἐν ἑαυτῷ βουλεύεται, πῶς ἑτέρους ὀδυνήσει. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡ ἔκβασις αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ τέλος κενὸν ἔσται καὶ μάταιον. τούτῳ δὲ ἐοικὸς καὶ ἐν Ψαλμοῖς εἴρηται· ἰδού, ὠδίνησεν ἀδικίαν, συνέλαβε πόνον καὶ ἔτεκεν ἀνομίαν. τὸ δὲ ὑποίσει δόλον διὰ τὸ ἐκ προαιρέσεως ὑποδέχεσθαι τὰ κακά. κοιλίαν δὲ ὅλον τὸ ἐντὸς χωρίον φησὶ καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν ψυχήν. 144 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΕΝ∆ΕΚΑΤΟΝ Ὑπολαβὼν Ἰὼβ λέγει. ἀρχὴ τοῦ ῥητοῦ· ἀκήκοα τοιαῦτα πολλά, παρακλήτορες κακῶν πάντες. Προθεωρία τοῦ κεφαλαίου {λέγει ὁ Ἐλιφάζ} τοῦ Ἐλιφὰζ εἰρηκότος τὰς κολάσεις τοῖς ἀσεβέσιν ἐπιφέρεσθαι πρὸς τοῦτο εὐθὺς ἀπαντᾷ Ἰὼβ καί φησιν· ἀκήκοα τοιαῦτα πολλά. μέμφεται δὲ τοῖς φίλοις ὡς οὐκ εἰδόσι παρακλητικοὺς προσαγαγεῖν λόγους, καὶ αἰσθάνεται μὲν διαβόλῳ παραδιδόμενος ὑπὸ θεοῦ, τὴν δὲ αἰτίαν ἀγνοεῖ. εἶτα καὶ λέγει τὰ περιέχοντα δεινά, καὶ αἰτεῖ μὴ παρασιωπηθῆναι τὰ κατ' αὐτόν, καὶ θεὸν ποιεῖται μάρτυρα τῆς ἑαυτοῦ συνειδήσεως, καὶ ποθεῖ τὸν θάνατον, καὶ πάλιν ἐκδιηγεῖται τὰς συμφορὰς εἰς ὀδυρμὸν κατακλείων τὸν λόγον. Αἱ λέξεισ 16, 2 ἀκήκοα τοιαῦτα πολλά, παρακλήτορες κακῶν πάντες. τοιαῦτα μέν, οἷα λέγετε, πολλὰ ἤκουσα, ὡς τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς αἱ κολάσεις ἐκδέχονται· ὑμεῖς δέ ἐστε κακοὶ παρακλήτορες διὰ τῶν λόγων ἐπιτρίβοντές μοι τὰ πάθη. 16, 34 τί γάρ; μὴ τάξις ἐστὶ ῥήμασι πνεύματος, ἢ τί παρενοχλήσει σοι ὅτι ἀποκρίνῃ; κἀγὼ καθ' ὑμᾶς λαλήσω. εἰπὲ γάρ· νόμος τίς ἐστι πρὸς πάντα τὰ λεγόμενα ἀνταποκρίνε 145 σθαι, ἢ ὑπὸ τίνος συνωθεῖσθε εἰς τὸ πάντως ἀντιλέγειν τοῖς παρ' ἐμοῦ; πλὴν ἐπειδὴ οὕτως ἐκρίνατε καὶ ὁ θέλων ὡς θέλει λαλεῖ, κἀγὼ καθ' ὑμᾶς λαλήσω. 16, 4 εἰ ὑπέκειτό γε ἡ ψυχὴ ὑμῶν ἀντὶ τῆς ἐμῆς, εἶτ' ἐναλοῦμαι ὑμῖν ῥήμασιν, κινήσω δὲ καθ' ὑμῶν κεφαλήν. εἰ ὑπέκειτο, φησίν, ἡ ψυχὴ ὑμῶν ἐν τοῖς ἐμοῖς πάθεσι καὶ ἐνηλλόμην ὑμῖν καὶ ἐκίνουν καθ' ὑμῶν τὴν κεφαλὴν ὥσπερ ἐφηδόμενος τοῖς ὑμετέροις κακοῖς, τότε ἂν ἔγνων ὑμῶν τὴν καρτερίαν, καὶ τότε ἂν ἐμανθάνετε μὴ ἐν ἀλλοτρίαις φιλοσοφεῖν συμφοραῖς. ταῦτα γὰρ κατ' ἔλλειψιν νοούμενα προσυπακουστέον. ἢ καὶ μετὰ ἤθους ἀνάγνωθι· εἰ ἦτε ἐν τοῖς ἐμοῖς κακοῖς, ἆρα ἐνηλλόμην καθ' ὑμῶν τοῖς ῥήμασιν, ἢ ἐκίνουν καθ' ὑμῶν τὴν κεφαλήν; οὐδαμῶς, ἀλλὰ λόγοις ἂν ὑμᾶς ἐπέρρωσα παρακλητικοῖς. ταύτῃ δὲ συντρέχων τῇ ἐννοίᾳ καὶ ἕτερος τῶν ἑρμηνευτῶν οὕτως ἐκδέδωκεν· _ε_ἰ_ _ὑ_μ_ε_ῖ_ς_ _τ_ο_ῖ_ς_ _ἐ_μ_ο_ῖ_ς_ _ὑ_π_έ_κ_ε_ι_σ_θ_ε_ _π_ά_θ_ε_σ_ι_ν_,_ _ἑ_τ_έ_ρ_ο_ι_ς_ _π_ρ_ο_σ_ε_γ_ε_νόμην ἂν ὑμῖν λόγοις καὶ ἐκίνησα ἂν ἐφ' ὑμῖν τὴν κεφαλήν, ἐπέρρωσα ἂν ὑμᾶς διὰ τοῦ στόματός μου. 16, 56 εἴη δὲ ἰσχὺς ἐν τῷ στόματί μου, κίνησιν δὲ χειλέων οὐ φείσομαι. ἐὰν γὰρ λαλήσω, οὐκ ἀλγήσω τὸ τραῦμα; ἐὰν δὲ καὶ σιωπήσω, τί ἔλαττον τρωθήσομαι; γένοιτο δέ με, φησίν, ἰσχυρῷ λόγῳ καὶ ἀνακεκαλυμμένῃ γλώττῃ κεχρῆσθαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς. εἶτα ἐρωτηματικῶς ἀνάγνωθι· ἐὰν γὰρ λαλήσω, οὐκ ἀλγήσω τὸ τραῦμα; ἀντὶ τοῦ· ἀλγήσω. ἐὰν δὲ 146 καὶ σιωπήσω, τί ἔλαττον τρωθήσομαι; ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· εἰ καὶ λαλῶν καὶ σιωπῶν πάντως ἀλγεῖν μέλλω, ἄμεινον τὸ λαλεῖν, ἵνα μὴ δόξω τῇ σιωπῇ συγκατατίθεσθαι τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ κατηγορίᾳ. 16, 7 νῦν δὲ κατάκοπόν με πεποίηκε, μωρόν, σεσηπότα. ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν, φησίν, εὔχομαι λόγων ἰσχὺν λαβεῖν· ἡ δὲ τιμωρία κατέσκυλέ με καὶ κατέκοψε καὶ κατέσηψεν ὡς μικροῦ δοκεῖν καὶ τῶν κατὰ φύσιν ἐκστῆναι φρενῶν. 16, 8 καὶ