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166 he broke, and like a tree he cut off all my good hope. And just as some enemy using wrath, so he arranged my affairs. But he said "just as" well; for God does not punish with passion nor as an enemy. And he said these things persuading both his friends and himself, that the punishment exceeded the measure of human sins; for truly the righteous man suffered not on account of sins, but for the sake of training. 19, 12 His temptations came upon me with one accord, liers-in-wait have surrounded me in my paths. He said this from the metaphor of enemies, who, setting up ambushes and snares from all sides, all come at once, having cut off the one being ambushed in their midst, so that he might say: "Evils have surrounded me on every side." And the liers-in-wait are the deceitful demons who are intent on evil. For the righteous man is calmly aware of those who by God's permission invisibly bring pains upon him, even if he is ignorant of the reason for the permission. 19, 1315 My brothers have stood aloof from me, they have known strangers rather than me, and my friends have become merciless. My nearest of kin have not acknowledged me, and those who saw my name have forgotten me. The sojourners of my house, my men-servants and my maid-servants, I became a stranger before them. The great David also said such things, lamenting: I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind, I am become like a broken vessel. 167 And he calls "nearest of kin" those who are close in family. 19, 1618 I called my servants, and they did not obey me, and my mouth entreated. And I supplicated my wife, and I called, flattering, the sons of my concubines, but they rejected me forever. And this is one of the most painful things, for one lying in sickness to call one who ought to serve, and not be obeyed. Therefore we too, paying attention to the example of the great Job, should not be angry with our servants, whether it is a wife, or a servant, or a son who is disobedient. And there is nothing improper, if the righteous man had concubines. For his ancestors too, those around the great Abraham, had relations with concubines for the increase of their family. But observe, how the devil did not judge it a great pain to destroy those from the concubines, but those of the free woman; for he knows that nature itself is bound to prefer those of the free woman. And the "they rejected me forever" is instead of "completely," as if they were not even from me. 19, 18 When I stand up, they speak against me. Perhaps they too are saying: "The defiled one, the accursed one, the unclean one, the one thus punished because of a multitude of sins"; or if not this, then that which happens with many in long illnesses: "How long will he not die? Why does this heavy and useless burden lie on the earth?" And the "when I stand up" [means] when I am separated from them. Or he says this, that: 168 "When I rise after the night," they say to themselves: "Has he not yet died, is this Hades still alive?" 19, 19 And those who saw me abhorred me; and those whom I had loved, rose up against me. {against me} Similar to David: "They have rendered me evil for good, and hatred for my love." 19, in my skin my flesh has rotted, and my bones are held in my teeth. For while living, he says, my flesh rotted and my bones are eaten as if by the teeth of some wild beasts. 19, 21 Have mercy on me, have mercy on me, O friends, I beseech you; for the hand of the Lord has touched me. Even if you are not ashamed of one speaking righteous things, yet as lovers of mankind take pity on me and have compassion and fear, being cautious concerning the things that have happened to me from God, lest you be tried with similar things from God. 19, 22 Why do you persecute me even as the Lord does, and are not satisfied with my flesh? And why do you join in the attack with the divine wrath—not at all doing this according to the mind of God; for even if he himself punishes, yet he wishes us to be lovers of mankind—and insatiably use severity of words against me? For words of reproach are sufficient even to consume flesh. 169 Let us therefore also fear railings, knowing how we wound our brothers through them. 19, 2325 For who would grant that my words be written, and that they be placed in a book forever, to be engraved with an iron and leaden pen, or in the rocks? For I know that

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166 σπασε, καὶ ὡς δένδρον ἐξέκοψε πᾶσαν μου χρηστὴν ἐλπίδα. ὥσπερ δέ τις ἐχθρὸς ὀργῇ χρώμενος, οὕτω τὰ κατ' ἐμὲ διεσκεύασε. καλῶς δὲ εἶπε τὸ ὥσπερ· οὐ γὰρ ἐμπαθῶς οὐδὲ ὡς ἐχθρὸς ὁ θεὸς κολάζει. ταῦτα δὲ εἶπε καὶ τοὺς φίλους καὶ ἑαυτὸν πείθων, ὡς ὑπερέβαινε μέτρον ἀνθρωπίνων ἁμαρτημάτων ἡ τιμωρία· καὶ γὰρ ἀληθῶς οὐ δι' ἁμαρτίας, ἀλλὰ κατὰ γυμνασίαν ἔπασχεν ὁ δίκαιος. 19, 12 ὁμοθυμαδὸν δὲ αὐτοῦ ἦλθον τὰ πειρατήρια ἐπ' ἐμοί, ταῖς ὁδοῖς μου ἐκύκλωσάν με ἐγκάθετοι. ἐκ μεταφορᾶς τῶν πολεμίων τοῦτο εἶπεν, οἳ λόχους καὶ ἐνέδρας πανταχόθεν ἱστῶντες ἀθρόον πάντες ἐπέρχονται ἀπολαβόντες ἐν μέσῳ τὸν ἐνεδρευόμενον, ἵνα εἴπῃ ὅτι· πανταχόθεν με περιεστοίχισαν τὰ κακά. ἐγκάθετοι δέ εἰσιν οἱ δαίμονες οἱ δόλιοι καὶ ἐγκείμενοι τῷ κακῷ. ἠρέμα γὰρ καὶ συναισθάνεται ὁ δίκαιος τῶν κατὰ θεοῦ συγχώρησιν ἀοράτως αὐτῷ τὰς ἀλγηδόνας ἐπιφερόντων, εἰ καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς συγχωρήσεως ἀγνοεῖ. 19, 1315 ἀδελφοί μου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ἀπέστησαν, ἔγνωσαν ἀλλοτρίους ἢ ἐμέ, φίλοι δέ μου ἀνελεήμονες γεγόνασιν. οὐ προσεποιήσαντό με οἱ ἐγγύτατοί μου, καὶ οἱ ἰδόντες μου τὸ ὄνομα ἐπελάθοντό μου. γείτονες οἰκίας, θεράποντες θεράπαιναί τέ μου, ἀλλογενὴς ἐγενόμην ἐναντίον αὐτῶν. τοιαῦτα καὶ ὁ μέγας ∆αυὶδ ὀλοφυρόμενος ἔλεγεν· ἐπελῄσθην ὡσεὶ νεκρὸς ἀπὸ καρδίας, ἐγενήθην ὡσεὶ σκεῦος ἀπολωλός. 167 ἐγγυτάτους δὲ λέγει τοὺς γένει πλησιάζοντας. 19, 1618 θεράποντάς μου ἐκάλεσα καὶ οὐχ ὑπήκουσάν μου, στόμα δέ μου ἐδέετο. καὶ ἱκέτευον τὴν γυναῖκά μου, προσεκαλούμην δὲ κολακεύων υἱοὺς παλλακίδων μου, οἱ δὲ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνά με ἀπεποιήσαντο. καὶ τοῦτο τῶν σφόδρα ἀλγεινῶν τὸ ἐν νόσῳ κείμενον καλεῖν τὸν ὀφείλοντα ὑπηρετεῖσθαι καὶ μὴ ὑπακούεσθαι. δεῖ οὖν καὶ ἡμᾶς τῷ ὑποδείγματι τοῦ μεγάλου Ἰὼβ προσέχοντας μὴ ὀργίζεσθαι κατὰ τῶν ὑπηρετῶν, μήτ' ἂν γυνή, μήτ' ἂν οἰκέτης, μήτ' ἂν υἱὸς ᾖ ὁ παρακούων. οὐδὲν δὲ ἀπρεπές, εἰ παλλακίδας εἶχεν ὁ δίκαιος. καὶ γὰρ καὶ οἱ τούτου πρόγονοι, οἱ ἀμφὶ τὸν μέγαν Ἀβραάμ, παλλακίσιν ἐμίγνυντο διὰ τὴν τοῦ γένους αὔξησιν. ἐπιτήρησον δέ, ὡς οὐ μεγάλης ἀλγηδόνος ἔκρινεν ὁ διάβολος τὸ τοὺς ἐκ τῶν παλλακίδων ἀνελεῖν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς τῆς ἐλευθέρας· οἶδε γὰρ ὀφείλουσαν καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν φύσιν προτιμᾶν τοὺς τῆς ἐλευθέρας. τὸ δὲ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνά με ἀπεποιήσαντο ἀντὶ τοῦ παντελῶς, ὡς μηδὲ ὄντες ἐξ ἐμοῦ. 19, 18 ὅταν ἀναστῶ, καταλαλοῦσί μου. ἴσως καὶ αὐτοὶ λέγοντες· τὸν μιαρόν, τὸν ἐναγῆ, τὸν ἀκάθαρτον, τὸν διὰ πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν οὕτω τιμωρούμενον· ἢ καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μέν, τὸ δὲ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἐπὶ ταῖς μακραῖς νόσοις συμβαῖνον· μέχρι τίνος οὐ τελευτᾷ; τί βαρὺ φορτίον καὶ ἀχρεῖον κεῖται τῇ γῇ; τὸ δὲ ὅταν ἀναστῶ ὅταν αὐτῶν ἀποχωρισθῶ. ἢ καὶ τοῦτο λέ 168 γει ὅτι· ὅταν ἀναστῶ μετὰ τὴν νύκτα πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς λέγουσιν· οὔπω τέθνηκεν, ἔτι ζῇ ὁ ᾅδης οὗτος; 19, 19 ἐβδελύξαντο δέ με οἱ ἰδόντες με· οὓς δὲ ἠγαπήκειν, ἐπανέστησάν μοι. {κατ' ἐμοῦ} ὅμοιον ∆αυίδ· ἔθεντο κατ' ἐμοῦ κακὰ ἀντὶ ἀγαθῶν καὶ μῖσος ἀντὶ τῆς ἀγαπήσεώς μου. 19, ἐν δέρματί μου ἐσάπησαν αἱ σάρκες μου, τὰ δὲ ὀστᾶ μου ἐν ὀδοῦσιν ἔχεται. ζῶντος γάρ, φησίν, ἐσάπησαν αἱ σάρκες μου καὶ τὰ ὀστᾶ μου ὥσπερ ὑπὸ ὀδόντων θηρίων τινῶν κατεσθίεται. 19, 21 ἐλεήσατέ με, ἐλεήσατέ με, ὦ φίλοι, παρακαλῶ· χεὶρ γὰρ κυρίου ἡ ἁψαμένη μού ἐστιν. εἰ καὶ μὴ ὡς δίκαια λέγοντα ἐπαισχύνεσθε, ἀλλ' ὡς φιλάνθρωποι κατελεήσατέ με καὶ οἶκτον λάβετε καὶ δέος εἰς τὰ ὑπὸ θεοῦ μοι συμβεβηκότα διευλαβούμενοι, μὴ τῶν ὁμοίων πειραθῆτε παρὰ θεοῦ. 19, 22 διὰ τί δέ με διώκετε ὥσπερ καὶ ὁ κύριος, ἀπὸ δὲ σαρκός μου οὐκ ἐμπίπλασθε; διὰ τί δὲ τῇ θείᾳ ὀργῇ συνεπιτίθεσθεοὐ πάντως κατὰ γνώμην θεοῦ τοῦτο ποιοῦντες· εἰ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς τιμωρεῖται, ἀλλ' ἡμᾶς φιλανθρώπους εἶναι βούλεταικαὶ ἀκορέστως τῇ τῶν λόγων βαρύτητι κέχρησθε κατ' ἐμοῦ; ἱκανοὶ γάρ εἰσιν οἱ ὀνειδιστικοὶ λόγοι καὶ σάρκας δαπανᾶν. 169 δείσωμεν οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς τὰς λοιδορίας εἰδότες, ὅπως πλήττομεν δι' αὐτῶν τοὺς ἡμῶν ἀδελφούς. 19, 2325 τίς γὰρ ἂν δοίη γραφῆναι τὰ ῥήματά μου, τεθῆναι δὲ αὐτὰ ἐν βιβλίῳ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ἐν γραφείῳ σιδηρῷ καὶ μολίβδῳ ἢ ἐν πέτραις ἐγγλυφῆναι; οἶδα γάρ, ὅτι