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and sister, corruption. For where is my hope anymore? or shall I see my good things? or will it go down with me to Hades? or shall we go down together to the dust? But what need is there, he says, to endure well, so that something more might be added? Is not dying common to all? Is not Hades a home for all? Do not all cease from their labors here, there? For this is what is meant by "my bed is in the darkness," in the lightless place is the rest from the labors here. Is it possible for someone to bring down with him to Hades his wealth 156 or his glory here? And "we shall go down to the dust" means: can I depart to the regions below with the good things of this life? With what hope, therefore, shall I endure, when it is certain that I am destined to die a little later, having left all things here behind? This being the case, I rightly long for death to come swiftly as a father, and the decay and dissolution of the body as a mother and a sister, and I embrace them with all the names of affection. Therefore, he also taught us not to cling to the good things in life; for none of them comes out of this life with us. And he is sufficiently defended for not longing for death in vain, being drenched with so many pains. 157 CHAPTER TWELVE Beginning of the text: Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said: How long will you not be silent? Hold back, so that we too may speak. Preface to the chapter Bildad is annoyed at Job's long-windedness; for it is not right, he says, to sit by in silence like irrational creatures. Then, as Job has often said that he longs to be released from the body, why, he says, do you put on airs and say many times: "I would gladly depart from the body," and you dignify your own affairs as if you were not one man, but the whole world. For if you die, does a universal end come about? Then, having said these things, he turns his argument to the things that will happen to the wicked, speaking as if in general terms, but mocking the righteous man for his impiety. The phrases 18, 23 How long will you not be silent? Hold back, so that we too may speak. Why have we been silent before you like four-footed beasts? Do not think, he says, that you are making your speeches to irrational creatures, nor speak so curtly, but rather give us also a chance to speak by shortening your own words. 158 18, 4 Wrath has used you. O you who are angry against yourself and your own soul, wrath has used you as an instrument. For your being angry against God is nothing other than venting your wrath against your own soul. 18, 4 For what? If you die, will the world under heaven be uninhabited, or will the mountains be overturned from their foundations? What do you think, that the world is held together by your own existence, and you magnify your own affairs, and thus pray for death as if you were inflicting a loss on the universe? 18, 5 And the light of the wicked shall be put out, and their flame shall not go forth. But know that even if the wicked shine brightly, even if they are raised to a height of glory—for this is what is alluded to by the flame—their affairs will in every way have the opposite change. 18, 6 His light shall be darkness in his dwelling, and the lamp over him shall be put out. And the light of the wicked, he says, shall be turned into darkness in all his conduct, that is: misfortune will possess all his affairs. And the lamp over him, that is, the prosperity that is upon him from above and illuminates all his affairs, will be extinguished. He used the word "light" figuratively, since those who walk in the light do not stumble. 18, 79 Let the least hunt his possessions, and let his counsel trip him up. And may his foot be cast into a snare, may it be entangled in a net; may snares come upon him. 159 He said these things from the metaphor of birds or animals being hunted. For just as they, he says, when they come under the snare or the nets, can no longer escape, so also the wicked have inescapable calamities that seize them. And what is indeed more grievous is that often they suffer the loss of their possessions not even by the powerful, but by the least of men, with all their counsel being turned to the contrary. 18, 9 He will make those who thirst prevail against him. But also, God will make those who desire to find something against him more powerful than he. 18, 10

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καὶ ἀδελφὴν σαπρίαν. ποῦ γάρ μου ἔτι ἐστὶν ἡ ἐλπίς; ἢ τὰ ἀγαθά μου ὄψομαι; ἢ μετ' ἐμοῦ εἰς ᾅδην καταβήσεται; ἢ ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἐπὶ χώματος καταβησόμεθα; ἀλλὰ τί δεῖ, φησίν, καρτερεῖν καλῶς, ἵνα τι πλέον προσγένηται; οὐ κοινὸν ἅπασι τὸ ἀποθανεῖν; οὐχ ᾅδης ἅπασιν οἶκος; οὐκ ἐκεῖ πάντες τῶν ἐνθάδε καταλήγουσι πόνων; τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει τὸ ἐν γνόφῳ ἡ στρωμνή, ἐν τῷ ἀφεγγεῖ χωρίῳ ἡ ἀνάπαυσις τῶν ἐνθάδε πόνων. μὴ ἐνδέχεταί τινα μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ καταγαγεῖν εἰς ᾅδου τὸν πλοῦ 156 τον ἢ τὴν ἐνθάδε δόξαν; τὸ δὲ ἐπὶ χώματος καταβησόμεθα ἀντὶ τοῦ· ἐν τοῖς καταχθονίοις μὴ μετὰ τῶν ἐνθάδε ἀγαθῶν δύναμαι ἀπελθεῖν; ποίᾳ τοιγαροῦν ἐλπίδι ὑπομείνω, ὅπουγε μικρὸν ὕστερον ἀποθανεῖν ἀπόκειται πάντως, πάντα τὰ ἐνθάδε καταλελοιπότα; τούτου δὲ ὧδε ἔχοντος δικαίως τὸν μὲν θάνατον συντόμως ἐπελθεῖν ὡς πατέρα ποθῶ, τὴν δὲ τοῦ σώματος σῆψιν καὶ ἀνάλυσιν ὡς μητέρα καὶ ἀδελφήν, καὶ πᾶσιν αὐτὰ τοῖς τὴς φιλίας ὀνόμασι κατασπάζομαι. ὁμοῦ τοιγαροῦν καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐδίδαξε μὴ περιέχεσθαι τῶν ἐν τῷ βίῳ καλῶν· οὐδὲν γὰρ αὐτῶν ἡμῖν συνεξέρχεται ἐκ τοῦδε τοῦ βίου. καὶ ἱκανῶς ἀπολελόγηται τοῦ μὴ μάτην ἐπιποθεῖν τὸν θάνατον τοσούτοις ἀλγεινοῖς περιαντλούμενος. 157 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ∆Ω∆ΕΚΑΤΟΝ Ἀρχὴ τοῦ ῥητοῦ· ὑπολαβὼν δὲ Βαλδὰδ ὁ Σαυχίτης λέγει· μέχρι τίνος οὐ παύσει; ἐπίσχες, ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ λαλήσωμεν. Προθεωρία τοῦ κεφαλαίου δυσχεραίνει ὁ Βαλδὰδ ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ Ἰὼβ μακρηγορίᾳ· οὐ γὰρ δεῖ, φησίν, ἀλόγων δίκην σιωπῶντας παρακαθῆσθαι. εἶτα, ὡς πολλάκις τοῦ Ἰὼβ εἰρηκότος ὡς ἐπιποθεῖ τοῦ σώματος ἀπαλλαγῆναι, τί, φησίν, σοβαρεύῃ καὶ πολλάκις λέγεις· ἡδέως ἔξειμι τοῦ σώματος, καὶ σεμνύνεις τὰ κατὰ σαυτὸν ὥσπερ οὐκ ὢν ἄνθρωπος εἷς, ἀλλὰ ὁ κόσμος ὅλος. μὴ γάρ, ἐὰν ἀποθάνῃς, γενικὴ γίνεται συντέλεια; εἶτα ταῦτα εἰρηκὼς στρέφει τὸν λόγον εἰς τὰ τοῖς ἀσεβέσι συμβησόμενα ὡς τὰ καθόλου μὲν λέγων, ἐπ' ἀσεβείᾳ δὲ σκώπτων τὸν δίκαιον. Αἱ λέξεισ 18, 23 μέχρι τίνος οὐ παύσει; ἐπίσχες, ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ λαλήσωμεν. διὰ τί δὲ ὥσπερ τετράποδα σεσιωπήκαμεν ἐναντίον σου; μὴ οἴου, φησίν, πρὸς τὰ ἄλογα τοὺς λόγους ποιεῖσθαι μηδὲ ἀποτάδην οὕτω διαλέγου, δίδου δὲ μᾶλλον καὶ ἡμῖν τοῦ λαλεῖν χώραν τοὺς σαυτοῦ συντέμνων λόγους. 158 18, 4 κέχρηταί σοι ὀργή. ὦ κατὰ σαυτοῦ καὶ τῆς σῆς ψυχῆς ὀργιζόμενε, ὀργάνῳ σοι κέχρηται ἡ ὀργή. τὸ γὰρ ὀργίζεσθαί σε κατὰ θεοῦ οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν ἢ κατὰ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ψυχῆς τὴν ὀργὴν ἐκφέρειν. 18, 4 τί γάρ; ἐὰν σὺ ἀποθάνῃς, ἀοίκητος ἡ ὑπ' οὐρανόν, ἢ καταστραφήσονται ὄρη ἐκ θεμελίων; τί νομίζεις, ὅτι τῇ σῇ συστάσει καὶ ὁ κόσμος συνίσταται, καὶ μεγαλύνεις τὰ κατὰ σαυτόν, καὶ ὡς τὸ πᾶν ζημίᾳ περιβαλὼν οὕτω τὸν θάνατον ἐπεύχῃ; 18, 5 καὶ φῶς ἀσεβῶν σβεσθήσεται καὶ οὐκ ἀποβήσεται αὐτῶν ἡ φλόξ. πλὴν ἴσθι, ὅτι κἂν διαλάμψωσιν οἱ ἀσεβεῖς, κἂν εἰς ὕψος δόξης ἀρθῶσιντοῦτο γὰρ αἰνίττεται διὰ τῆς φλογός, σχήσει τὰ κατ' αὐτοὺς τὴν ἐναντίαν πάντως μεταβολήν. 18, 6 τὸ φῶς αὐτοῦ σκότος ἐν διαίτῃ, ὁ δὲ λύχνος ἐπ' αὐτῷ σβεσθήσεται. καὶ στραφήσεται, φησίν, τὸ φῶς τοῦ ἀσεβοῦς εἰς σκότος ἐν πάσῃ αὐτοῦ τῇ διαγωγῇ, ἀντὶ τοῦ· πάντα τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν δυσπραγία καθέξει. ὁ δὲ λύχνος ὁ ἐπ' αὐτῷ, τουτέστιν ἡ ἄνωθεν ἐπικειμένη αὐτῷ εὐημερία καὶ πάντα τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν καταυγάζουσα, ἀποσβεσθήσεται. ὁμοιωματικῶς δὲ τῇ λέξει τοῦ φωτὸς ἐχρήσατο, ἐπειδήπερ οἱ ὑπὸ φωτὶ βαδίζοντες οὐ προσπταίουσιν. 18, 79 θηρεύσαισαν ἐλάχιστοι τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ, σφάλαι δὲ αὐτοῦ ἡ βουλή. ἐμβληθείη δὲ ὁ ποῦς αὐτοῦ ἐν παγίδι, ἐν δικτύῳ ἐλιχθείη· ἔλθοισαν ἐπ' αὐτὸν παγίδες. 159 ἐκ μεταφορᾶς τῶν θηρευομένων ὀρνέων ἢ ζῴων ταῦτα εἶπεν. ὥσπερ γάρ, φησίν, ἐκεῖνα ὑπὸ τὴν παγίδα ἢ τὰ δίκτυα γινόμενα διεκδῦναι λοιπὸν οὐ δύνανται, οὕτω καὶ οἱ ἀσεβεῖς ἀναποδράστους ἔχουσι τὰς καταλαμβανούσας αὐτοὺς συμφοράς. καὶ τὸ δὴ χαλεπώτερον, ὅτι πολλάκις οὐδὲ ὑπὸ δυνατῶν τινων, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ ἐλαχίστων τῶν ὑπαρχόντων τὴν στέρησιν ὑπομένουσι πάσης αὐτῶν τῆς βουλῆς εἰς τοὐναντίον περιτρεπομένης. 18, 9 κατισχύσει ἐπ' αὐτὸν διψῶντας. ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἐπιθυμοῦντας εὑρεῖν τι κατ' αὐτοῦ δυνατωτέρους αὐτοῦ ἀπεργάσεται θεός. 18, 10