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But 'I was an eye; they saw through me, they did not experience their own misfortune through me, they did not seek those who lead by the hand, those who guide, everywhere I made the darkness light for them.' Just as many who have eyes see darkness, so also this one made the blind to see. See the apostolic signs; he did not restore eyes—for this grace was not yet—but while they remained maimed, he provided light; but those now make even the seeing blind. He did not say, 'I did it through my servants,' but 'I myself corrected the defects of nature, not only those from men, but also those from nature itself.' I was a father of the helpless. See, after how long a time he says these things, not boasting nor being arrogant, but being compelled to speak of God's providence and in what things he enjoyed it and in what things he is now. A case which I did not know, I searched out. Do you see his patronage? 'Not just with money nor with food and clothing, but I even stood up for the dangers of another's battle. With the matter being of no concern to me, I sought it out like some excellent hunter. 'I did not just escort acquaintances'—like those now—'nor did I push away those who were present, but, even if there was no one, as if having this as my work and like some excellent hunter, I went about continuously looking around, lest someone be wronged, lest someone be oppressed.' I searched out, he says. And see: 'those things that were completely hidden,' he says, 154 'and concealed and which had difficulty both in being found and in being resolved.' And I broke the molars of the unrighteous. That apostolic saying: he who leads, with diligence. And from the midst of their teeth I snatched the prey. See the difficulty of the matter: 'I righted the matter that was already swallowed and seized beforehand'. Not like us: 'It cannot be done,' one says, 'it is impossible.' I broke the molars of the unrighteous. See how in each virtue he holds the first place, both where it was necessary to punish and where to help. And for what reason? 'I broke,' he says, 'the molars of the unrighteous, helping those very ones and making them useless henceforth for another such act of greed. And the wondrous thing: 'I had no enmity in return for these things, but they received me,' he says, 'when I spoke.' Then he says: 29,19a My root is opened to the water, 19b and the dew will lodge upon my harvest. 29,20a My glory is new with me, 20b and my bow goes forth in his hand. 29,21a When the elders heard me, they paid attention, 21b and they were silent for my counsel, 29,22a and to my word they added nothing, 22b and they became overjoyed whenever I spoke to them. 29,23a As a thirsty land awaits rain, 23b so they awaited my speech. 29,24a If I laughed at them, they did not believe. See what he says: not wealth made him enviable, not defending the wronged, nor anything else of that sort. 29,24b and the light, he says, of my face did not fall. 29,25a I chose their way and sat as a ruler 25b and dwelt as a king among his troops, 25c 155 in the way a comforter consoles.

30,1a But now the least 1b have laughed at me. What then are the present things in contrast to

these? They have laughed at me, he says, the least of men. 30,1b Now they admonish me in turn, 1c whose fathers I despised, 1d whom I did not consider worthy to be with the dogs of my flocks. Not being disdainful nor arrogant so as to compare men with dogs, but he alludes to the wicked and defiled. For he considered such men as nothing. For it is for this reason he says: 30,2a And indeed, the strength of their hands, of what use is it to me? 2b Upon them, completion has perished. 30,3a in want and in barren famine, 3b who fled into the waterless land yesterday, 3c in affliction and misery, 30,4a who gather salt-wort by the sound, 4b whose food was salt-wort, 4c both dishonored and debased, lacking every good thing, 4d who even chewed the roots of trees because of great famine. 30,5 Thieves have risen up against me, 30,6 whose houses were caves in the rocks. 30,7a Among the sweet-sounding they will cry out 7b or

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ἀλλ' «ὀφθαλμὸς ἤμην· ἔβλεπον δι' ἐμοῦ, οὐκ ἐλάμβανον πεῖραν τῆς οἰκείας συμφορᾶς δι' ἐμέ, οὐκ ἐπεζήτουν τοὺς χειραγωγοῦντας, τοὺς ὁδηγοῦντας, πανταχοῦ τὸ σκότος αὐτοῖς 153 ἐποίουν φῶς.» καθάπερ καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχοντες πολλοὶ σκότος ὁρῶσιν, οὕτω καὶ οὗτος τυφλοὺς ἐποίει βλέπειν. ὅρα σημεῖα ἀποστολικά· οὐκ ὀφθαλμοὺς ἀπεδίδου-οὔπω γὰρ αὕτη ἡ χάρις-, ἀλλὰ μενόντων πεπηρωμένων φῶς παρεῖχεν· οἱ δὲ νῦν καὶ τοὺς βλέποντας τυφλοὺς ποιοῦσιν. οὐκ εἶπεν· «διὰ τῶν οἰκετῶν ἐποίουν», ἀλλ' «ἐγὼ αὐτὸς τῆς φύσεως τὰ ἁμαρτήματα διώρθουν, οὐ τὰ παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ παρ' αὐτῆς τῆς φύσεως.» ἐγὼ ἤμην πατὴρ ἀδυνάτων. ὅρα, μετὰ πόσον χρόνον ταῦτα λέγει, οὐχὶ καυχώμενος οὐδὲ μεγαλοφρονῶν, ἀλλ' ἀναγκαζόμενος εἰπεῖν τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν πρόνοιαν καὶ ἐπὶ τίσιν ἀπήλαυεν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν τίσιν ἐστὶ νῦν. δίκην, ἣν οὐκ ᾔδειν, ἐξιχνίασα. ὁρᾷς τὴν προστασίαν; «οὐ μέχρι χρημάτων οὐδὲ μέχρι τροφῆς καὶ ἐνδυμάτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ μέχρι κινδύνων ἀλλοτρίας προϊστάμην μάχης. οὐδέν μοι διαφέροντος πράγματος ἐζήτουν καθάπερ τις ἄριστος θηρατής. οὐ γνωρίμους μόνον οὐ παρεπεμπόμην»-καθάπερ οἱ νῦν-»οὐδὲ τοὺς ὄντας διωθούμην, ἀλλ', εἰ καὶ μηδεὶς ἦν, καθάπερ ἔργον τοῦτο ἔχων καὶ καθάπερ τις θηρατὴς ἄριστος περιῄειν συνεχῶς περισκοπούμενος, μή πού τις ἀδικεῖται, μή πού τις καταδυναστεύεται.» ἐξιχνίασα, φησίν. καὶ ὅρα· «τὰς πάνυ λανθανούσας», φησίν, 154 «καὶ κεκρυμμένας καὶ δυσκολίαν ἐχούσας καὶ πρὸς τὸ εὑρεθῆναι καὶ πρὸς τὸ διαλυθῆναι.» καὶ συνέτριψα μύλας ἀδίκων. τὸ ἀποστολικὸν ἐκεῖνο· ὁ προϊστάμενος ἐν σπουδῇ. ἐκ μέσου δὲ ὀδόντων αὐτῶν ἅρπαγμα ἐξήρπασα. ὅρα τὴν δυσκολίαν τοῦ πράγματος· «καταποθὲν ἤδη καὶ προληφθὲν τὸ πρᾶγμα ἀνώρθωσα». οὐ καθάπερ ἡμεῖς· «οὐ δύναται», φησίν, «ἀνήνυτόν ἐστιν.» συνέτριψα μύλας ἀδίκων. ὅρα ἐν ἑκατέρᾳ τῇ ἀρετῇ τὰ πρῶτα ἔχοντα, καὶ ἔνθα κολάζειν καὶ ἔνθα βοηθεῖν ἐχρῆν. τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν; «συνέτριψα», φησίν, «τὰς μύλας τῶν ἀδίκων αὐτοῖς ἐκείνοις βοηθῶν καὶ ποιῶν ἀχρήστους λοιπὸν πρὸς ἑτέραν τοιαύτην πλεονεξίαν. καὶ τὸ δὴ θαυμαστόν· οὐδεμίαν ἀντὶ τούτων εἶχον ἀπέχθειαν, ἀλλὰ προσεδέχοντο», φησίν, «λαλοῦντός μου.» εἶτα λέγει· 29,19a ἡ ῥίζα μου διήνοικται ἐπὶ ὕδατος, 19b καὶ δρόσος αὐλισθήσεται ἐπὶ τῷ θερισμῷ μου. 29,20a ἡ δόξα μου καινὴ μετ' ἐμοῦ, 20b καὶ τὸ τόξον μου ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ πορεύεται. 29,21a πρεσβύτεροι ἀκούσαντές μου προσεῖχον, 21b ἐσιώπησαν δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ ἐμῇ βουλῇ, 29,22a ἐπὶ δὲ τῷ ἐμῷ ῥήματι οὐ προσέθεντο, 22b καὶ περιχαρεῖς ἐγίνοντο, ὁπότε αὐτοῖς ἐλάλουν. 29,23a ὥσπερ γῆ διψῶσα προσδεχομένη ὑετὸν 23b οὕτως οὗτοι τὴν ἐμὴν λαλιὰν προσεδέχοντο. 29,24a εἰ ἐγέλων πρὸς αὐτούς, οὐκ ἐπίστευον. ὅρα, τί φησιν· οὐχ ὁ πλοῦτος αὐτὸν ἐπίφθονον ἐποίει, οὐ τὸ τῶν ἀδικουμένων προΐστασθαι, οὐκ ἄλλο τι τοιοῦτον οὐδέν. 29,24b καὶ φῶς, φησίν, τοῦ προσώπου μου οὐ κατέπιπτεν. 29,25a ἐξελεξάμην ὁδὸν αὐτῶν καὶ ἐκάθισα ἄρχων 25b καὶ κατεσκήνουν ὡσεὶ βασιλεὺς ἐν μονοζώνοις, 25c 155 ὃν τρόπον συμπαθὴς παρακαλῶν.

30,1a νυνὶ δὲ κατεγέλασάν μου 1b ἐλάχιστοι. τίνα οὖν ἐστι τὰ παρόντα ἔναντι

τούτων; κατεγέλασάν μου, φησίν, ἐλάχιστοι. 30,1b νῦν νουθετοῦσί με ἐν μέρει, 1c ὧν ἐξουθένουν τοὺς πατέρας αὐτῶν, 1d οὓς οὐχ ἡγησάμην ἀξίους εἶναι κυνῶν τῶν ἐμῶν νομάδων. οὐχ ὑπερόπτης ὢν οὐδὲ ἀλαζὼν ὥστε ἀνθρώπους κυσὶ παραβάλλειν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς πονηροὺς καὶ μιαροὺς αἰνίττεται. τοὺς γὰρ τοιούτους οὐδὲν ἡγεῖτο. ὅτι γάρ διὰ τοῦτό φησιν· 30,2a καί γε ἰσχὺς χειρῶν αὐτῶν ἵνα τί μοι; 2b ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἀπώλετο συντέλεια 30,3a ἐν ἐνδείᾳ καὶ ἐν λιμῷ ἀγῶνος, 3b οἱ φεύγοντες ἄνυδρον ἐχθές, 3c συνοχὴν καὶ ταλαιπωρίαν, 30,4a οἱ περικυκλοῦντες ἅλιμα ἐπὶ ἠχοῦντι, 4b ὧν ἅλιμα ἦν τὰ σιτία, 4c ἄτιμοί τε καὶ πεφαυλισμένοι, ἐνδεεῖς παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ, 4d οἳ καὶ ῥίζας ξύλων ἐμασῶντο ὑπὸ λιμοῦ μεγάλου. 30,5 ἐπανέστησάν μοι κλέπται, 30,6 ὧν οἱ οἶκοι αὐτῶν ἦσαν τρῶγλαι πετρῶν. 30,7a ἀνὰ μέσον εὐήχων βοήσονται 7b ἢ