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of them. "And yet not gathering in herds," he says, "nor grazing, but always seeking holes and lairs, they are not destroyed by famine." 38,40b And they sit, he says, lying in wait in the woods. 38,41a And who has prepared food for the raven? 41b and his young have cried out to the Lord 41c wandering, seeking their food. For it is said that they do not rear their offspring, but they themselves, reasonably being large, provide their own food, but who rears the offspring? Does not the Word of God? Just as the Gospel also says: the birds of the air do not sow nor do they reap, and your heavenly Father feeds them. See how the more useless of the irrational creatures and 192 the more unclean the Word pursues abundantly, wishing to show providence, since also in the Gospels this word is abundant: "Behold the birds of the air," he says. And again: "But if the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, God so clothes, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" It seems to me that Job has considered that matters are simply carried along and as it happens and that God has no great concern. For this reason, therefore, he made his argument, that he cares very much for the world and provides for it. For this reason he speaks both about created things and about clothing.

39,1b And have you observed, he says, the birth pangs of deer? He said well: have you observed? since

for the animal is always in flight and fear and agony, always leaping and jumping, "how," he says, "does it not miscarry, but the offspring comes forth full-term?" 39,2a And have you counted their months full for birth, 2b and have you loosed their birth pangs? 39,3a And have you raised their young without fear? For the animal is timid. How then are the young, although not having security from their feet, without fear? Who preserves them? Do you see that they are not betrayed by their nature? Neither does the lion prevail by its own strength, nor is the deer betrayed, even though the animal is timid. Then after this he says: 39,5a And who is it that sent the wild ass away free? "Who formed this?" he says, "Who established the laws of nature? For," he says, "the laws are perpetual and are not corrupted, the animal is strong and untamable. And if you should strive ten thousand times, you will not bring it under your hand. What God has willed, who will scat193 ter? Do you see that all things by providence and by his will yield and obey? And if it does not wish to obey us, even if we contrive ten thousand things, there is no benefit, there will be no advantage. What then? † therefore we neither wish nor attempt † so that, when you see the more tame animal, you may marvel at the one who made it docile. He has left many things outside our authority, so that from the things not subjected you may not marvel at your own wisdom nor reckon its obedience to be from your own skill. Then he moves the discussion to the most useful things, mentioning the tame horse, and he says many things about this animal, how proud, how spirited, how fit for war, how able to save a man. Do you see each one is proud, both the ass and this one, but the one is subject, and the other is not? Then also its good order: it hears the sound of trumpets and knows the signal for war: 39,25a And of the trumpet, he says, when it gives the signal, he will say: Aha! 25b from afar he smells war. Then about the hawk and the vulture and the eagle: 39,26a And by your knowledge, he says, does the hawk stand 26b having spread its wings, motionless, looking toward the south? 39,27a And at your command is the eagle lifted up, 27b and does the vulture, having settled on its nest, lodge 39,28 on a high and secret rock? 39,29a Being there it seeks its food, 29b and from afar its eyes spy194 it out, 39,30a and its young are dabbled in blood, 30b and wherever the slain are, there they are found at once. How did he set it, he says, suspended in the air? How did he give it its food? Do you see how many things he says from a few? And for what reason did he not mention the ox nor the sheep nor any of the other such animals, but rather the useless ones and those that seem to be at random? Showing that, if in those things there is such wisdom and providence in those that are of no

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αὐτῶν. «καίτοι μὴ συναγελαζόμενοι», φησίν, «μηδὲ νεμόμενοι, ἀλλὰ διὰ παντὸς χηραμοὺς καὶ καταδύσεις διώκοντες οὐ διαφθείρονται λιμῷ.» 38,40b κάθηνται δέ, φησίν, ἐν ὕλαις ἐνεδρεύοντες. 38,41a τίς δὲ ἡτοίμασε κόραξι βοράν; 41b νεοσσοὶ δὲ αὐτοῦ πρὸς κύριον κεκράγασι 41c πλανώμενοι τὰ σῖτα ζητοῦντες. λέγεται γὰρ μὴ ἐκτρέφειν τὰ ἔκγονα, ἀλλ' αὐτοὶ μὲν εἰκότως ἅτε μεγάλοι ὄντες πορίζουσι τροφήν, τὰ δὲ ἔκγονα τίς ἐκτρέφει; οὐχ ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος; καθὰ καὶ τὸ εὐαγγέλιόν φησιν· τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ οὐ σπείρουσιν οὐδὲ θερίζουσιν, καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος τρέφει αὐτά. ὅρα, πῶς τὰ ἀχρηστότερα τῶν ἀλόγων καὶ 192 ἀκαθαρτότερα ἔπεισιν ὁ λόγος ἐκ περιουσίας βουλόμενος δεῖξαι τὴν πρόνοιαν, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις οὗτος ἐκ περιουσίας ἐστὶν ὁ λόγος· ἴδετε τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, φησίν. καὶ πάλιν· εἰ δὲ τὸν χόρτον τοῦ ἀγροῦ σήμερον ὄντα καὶ αὔριον εἰς κλίβανον βαλλόμενον ὁ θεὸς οὕτως ἀμφιέννυσιν, οὐ πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὑμᾶς, ὀλιγόπιστοι; ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ τὸν Ἰὼβ βουλεύσασθαι, ὅτι ἁπλῶς τὰ πράγματα φέρεται καὶ ὡς ἔτυχε καὶ οὐ πολλὴ τῷ θεῷ φροντίς. πρὸς τοῦτο οὖν τὸν λόγον ἐποιήσατο, ὅτι πάνυ μέλει αὐτῷ τοῦ κόσμου καὶ προνοεῖ. διὰ τοῦτό φησι καὶ περὶ δημιουργημάτων καὶ περὶ τῶν ἐνδυμάτων.

39,1b ἐφύλαξας δέ, φησίν, ὠδῖνας ἐλάφων; καλῶς εἶπεν· ἐφύλαξας; ἐπειδὴ

γὰρ ἀεὶ ἐν φυγῇ καὶ φόβῳ καὶ ἀγωνίᾳ τὸ ζῷον, ἀεὶ πηδῶν καὶ ἐναλλόμενον, «πῶς», φησίν, «οὐκ ἀμβλώσκει, ἀλλὰ πλήρης ὁ τόκος ἐξέρχεται;» 39,2a ἠρίθμησας δὲ μῆνας αὐτῶν πλήρης τοκετοῦ, 2b ὠδῖνας δὲ αὐτῶν ἔλυσας; 39,3a ἐξέθρεψας δὲ αὐτῶν τὰ παιδία ἄνευ φόβου; δειλὸν γάρ ἐστι τὸ ζῷον. πῶς οὖν τὰ παιδία καίτοι οὐκ ἔχοντα τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ποδῶν ἀσφάλειαν ἄνευ φόβου ἐστίν; τίς αὐτὰ διατηρεῖ; ὁρᾷς, ὅτι ἀπὸ τῆς φύσεως οὐ προδίδονται; οὔτε ὁ λέων ἀπὸ τῆς ἰδίας ἰσχύος κρατεῖ οὔτε ἡ ἔλαφος προδέδοται, καίτοι δειλὸν τὸ ζῷόν ἐστιν. εἶτα μετὰ ταῦτά φησιν· 39,5a τίς δέ ἐστιν ὁ ἀφεὶς ὄνον ἄγριον ἐλεύθερον; «τίς τοῦτο διετύπωσεν;» φησίν, «τίς τοὺς τῆς φύσεως νόμους ἔθηκεν; ὅτι γάρ», φησίν, «νόμοι διηνεκεῖς εἰσι καὶ οὐ παραφθείρονται, ἰσχυρὸν τὸ ζῷον καὶ ἀδάμαστον. κἂν μυρία φιλονεικῇς, οὐκ ἄξεις ὑπὸ τὴν χεῖρα τὴν σήν. ἃ ὁ θεὸς βεβούλευται, τίς διασκεδά193 σει; ὁρᾷς, ὅτι πάντα προνοίᾳ καὶ αὐτοῦ βουλομένου εἴκει καὶ ὑπακούει; ἄν τε μὴ θελήσῃ ἡμῖν ὑπακοῦσαι, κἂν μυρία τεχνώμεθα, οὐδὲν ὄφελος, οὐδὲν πλέον ἔσται. τί οὖν; † τοίνυν οὐδὲ ἡμεῖς βουλόμεθα οὐδὲ ἐπιχειροῦμεν † ἵνα, ὅταν ἴδῃς τὸ ἡμερώτερον ζῷον, τὸν κατασκευάσαντα αὐτὸ χειρόηθες θαυμάσῃς. εἴασεν πολλὰ ἔξω τῆς ἡμετέρας ἐξουσίας, ἵνα ἀπὸ τῶν μὴ ὑποτεταγμένων μὴ τὴν σαυτοῦ σοφίαν θαυμάσῃς μηδὲ λογίσῃ τέχνῃ τῇ σῇ τὴν ὑπακοὴν ἐκείνου. εἶτα ἐπὶ τὰ χρησιμώτατα μετάγει τὸν λόγον ἵππου μνημονεύων τοῦ χειροήθους καὶ πολλὰ περὶ τοῦ ζῴου τούτου διαλέγεται, πῶς γαῦρον, πῶς ἀνεστηκός, πῶς πρὸς πόλεμον ἐπιτήδειον, πῶς ἱκανὸν ἄνθρωπον διασῶσαι. ὁρᾷς ἕκαστον γαῦρον, καὶ τὸν ὄνον καὶ τοῦτον, ἀλλὰ τὸν μὲν ὑποκείμενον, τὸν δὲ οὔ; εἶτα καὶ τὸ εὔτακτον· ἀκούει φωνὴν σαλπίγγων καὶ οἶδε τοῦ πολέμου τὸ σύνθημα· 39,25a σάλπιγγος δέ, φησίν, σημαινούσης ἐρεῖ· εὖγε. 25b πόρρωθεν ὀσφραίνεται πολέμου. εἶτα περὶ ἱέρακος καὶ γυπὸς καὶ ἀετοῦ· 39,26a ἐκ δὲ τῆς σῆς ἐπιστήμης, φησίν, ἕστηκεν ἱέραξ 26b ἀναπετάσας τὰς πτέρυγας ἀκίνητος καθορῶν τὰ πρὸς νότον; 39,27a ἐπὶ δὲ τῷ σῷ προστάγματι ὑψοῦται ἀετός, 27b γὺψ δὲ ἐπὶ νοσσιᾶς αὐτοῦ καθεσθεὶς αὐλίζεται 39,28 ἐπ' ἐξοχῇ πέτρας καὶ ἀποκρύφῳ; 39,29a ἐκεῖσε ὢν ζητεῖ τὰ σῖτα, 29b πόρρωθεν δὲ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ σκοπεύου194 σιν, 39,30a νεοσσοὶ δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐν αἵματι φύρονται, 30b οὗ δ' ἂν ὦσι τεθνεῶτες, παραχρῆμα εὑρίσκονται. πῶς ἔστησεν, φησίν, μετέωρον αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀέρος; πῶς αὐτῷ τὴν τροφὴν ἔδωκεν; ὁρᾷς, ἐξ ὀλίγων πόσα φησίν; τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν οὐκ ἐμνήσθη βοὸς οὐδὲ προβάτων οὐδὲ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν τοιούτων οὐδενός, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἀχρήστων καὶ εἰκῇ δοκούντων εἶναι; δεικνύς, ὅτι, εἰ ἐν ἐκείνοις σοφία τοσαύτη καὶ πρόνοια τοῖς οὐδὲν