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being somewhat light and fickle, but weighty and firm in character and unshakeably pursuing the good. 29, 45 when the Lord kept watch over my house, when I was very rich in substance, and my children were around me. When God deemed my affairs worthy of his own oversight, I had wealth and good children as material for virtue, raising my children according to the divine will, and sharing my wealth with the poor. 245 29, 6 when my paths flowed with butter, and my mountains flowed with milk. through these he indicates the multitude of cattle as grazing everywhere, both in the mountains and in the plains; for from butter and milk he revealed the multitude of both herdsmen and the herds of cattle. 29, 7 When I went out early in the morning through the city, and my seat was set in the streets. Like some ruler and teacher of virtue, he did not occupy himself with sleep and drunkenness, but sat in the streets in the morning, becoming a law and an example to those in the city. 29, 8 when the young men saw me, they hid themselves. Those who have a youthful character, revering the virtue of the great Job, hid themselves. 29, 8 and all the elders stood. According to the literal meaning, the young hid themselves, while the elders in age stood up, honoring him. But according to the deeper meaning, those having elderly wisdom stood to listen to his words. 29, 9 And the nobles stopped speaking, placing a finger on their mouth. According to the literal meaning, he calls the rich "nobles", revering him and being silent, and by placing the finger on the mouth signaling to one another and enjoining silence. But according to the deeper meaning, also those rich in speech and teaching yielded to the teaching of Job and took the place of disciples, listening in silence to the things being said. 246 29, 1011 and those who heard blessed me and their tongue cleaved to their throat, because the ear heard and blessed me. The phrase "and their tongue cleaved to their throat" is connected with "placing a finger on their mouth," so that it might say that: they remained speechless. And those blessed him who heard the things concerning him and those having an ear suitable for listening to wise words and enjoying his teaching. 29, 11 and the eye that saw me turned away. not being able to speak against him. 29, 12 For I delivered the poor from the hand of the powerful and I helped the orphan who had no helper. We have stated the reasons, for which the righteous make a list of their own achievements, in the preface. 29, 13 may the blessing of him who was perishing come upon me, and the mouth of the widow blessed me. The one who was about to perish and did not perish because he received his help, and the widow who was without a protector, having acquired him as a protector, they rightly blessed him. 29, 14 and I had put on righteousness, and I clothed myself with judgment like a double-cloak. by judgment he means just judgment, and these indeed are the wonderful garments of Job. But the opposite are those of the impious; for they clothe themselves with a curse as with a garment and they wrap around themselves as a double-cloak their shame 247, as the great writer taught, intoning the one hundred and eighth psalm. 29, 15 I was an eye to the blind, and a foot to the lame. I supplied in addition the missing members of the body to those in need by the provision of necessities. And he opened blind minds and strengthened the foundations of the feet of the soul, using instructive speech. 29, 16 I was a father to the powerless; and a cause, which I did not know, I investigated. listening discerningly to those in litigation, having heard nothing beforehand nor having learned anything beforehand from any of the parties nor having had my hearing corrupted beforehand, I investigated and having carefully sought, I apprehended what was just. 29, 17 and I broke the molars of the unjust, and from between their teeth I snatched the prey. When, he says, the unjust seemed to have in their secure possession the things they had taken, as if snatching from between the teeth of some wild beasts the things that were seized, I restored them to the wronged. 29, 18 And I said: My life will grow old. Doing these things, I hoped to have good things until the end. 29, 1819 like the trunk of a palm tree I shall live a long time. My root is opened to the water and the dew will lodge in

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κοῦφός τις ὢν καὶ εὐρίπιστος, ἀλλ' ἐμβριθὴς καὶ στερεὸς τὸ ἦθος καὶ ἀκλονήτως τὸ καλὸν μετερχόμενος. 29, 45 ὅτε ὁ κύριος ἐπισκοπὴν ἐποιεῖτο τοῦ οἴκου μου, ὅτε ἤμην ὑλώδης λίαν, κύκλῳ δέ μου οἱ παῖδες. ὅτε τοῦ θεοῦ τῆς οἰκείας ἐπισκοπῆς ἀξιοῦντος τὰ κατ' ἐμὲ ὕλην εἶχον ἀρετῆς τὸν πλοῦτον καὶ τὴν εὐπαιδίαν, τοὺς μὲν παῖδας κατὰ τὸ θεῖον ἐκτρέφων βούλημα, κοινωνῶν δὲ τοῦ πλούτου τοῖς πένησιν. 245 29, 6 ὅτε ἐχέοντό μου αἱ ὁδοὶ βουτύρῳ, τὰ δὲ ὄρη μου ἐχέοντο γάλακτι. διὰ τούτων τῶν βοσκημάτων σημαίνει τὸ πλῆθος ὡς πανταχοῦ νεμομένων ἔν τε ὄρεσι καὶ ἐν τοῖς πεδίοις· ἀπὸ γὰρ βουτύρου καὶ γάλακτος τῶν τε βουκολίων τὸ πλῆθος καὶ θρεμμάτων τὰς ἀγέλας ἐμήνυσεν. 29, 7 ὅτε ἐξεπορευόμην ὄρθριος ἐν πόλει, ἐν δὲ πλατείαις ἐτίθετό μου ὁ δίφρος. οἷά τις ἄρχων καὶ διδάσκαλος ἀρετῆς οὐχ ὕπνῳ καὶ μέθαις ἐσχόλαζεν, ἀλλ' ἑωθινὸς ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις καθῆστο νόμος καὶ τύπος τοῖς ἐν τῇ πόλει γινόμενος. 29, 8 ἰδόντες με νεανίσκοι ἐκρύβησαν. οἱ τὸ νεωτερικὸν ἦθος ἔχοντες αἰδούμενοι τοῦ μεγάλου Ἰὼβ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἀπεκρύπτοντο. 29, 8 πρεσβύτεροι δὲ πάντες ἔστησαν. πρὸς μὲν τὸ ῥητὸν οἱ μὲν νέοι ἀπεκρύπτοντο, οἱ δὲ καθ' ἡλικίαν πρεσβῦται ἵσταντο τιμῶντες. πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν πρεσβυτικὴν ἔχοντες φρόνησιν ἵσταντο τῶν αὐτοῦ λόγων ἐπακροώμενοι. 29, 9 ἁδροὶ δὲ ἐπαύσαντο λαλοῦντες δάκτυλον ἐπιθέντες ἐπὶ στόματι. πρὸς μὲν ῥητὸν ἁδροὺς τοὺς πλουσίους λέγει εὐλαβουμένους αὐτὸν καὶ σιωπῶντας καὶ διὰ τοῦ τὸν δάκτυλον ἐπιτιθέναι τῷ στόματι ἀλλήλοις διανεύοντας καὶ τὴν σιωπὴν ἐγκελευομένους. πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν καὶ οἱ τῷ λόγῳ καὶ τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ πλούσιοι παρεχώρουν τῇ τοῦ Ἰὼβ διδαχῇ καὶ εἰς μαθητῶν καθίσταντο χώραν σιωπῇ τῶν λεγομένων ἐπακροώμενοι. 246 29, 1011 οἱ δὲ ἀκούσαντες ἐμακάρισάν με καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα αὐτῶν τῷ λάρυγγι αὐτῶν ἐκολλήθη, ὅτι ὠτίον ἤκουσε καὶ ἐμακάρισέ με. τὸ καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα αὐτῶν τῷ λάρυγγι αὐτῶν ἐκολλήθη συνῆπται τῷ δάκτυλον ἐπιθέντες ἐπὶ στόματι, ἵνα εἴπῃ ὅτι· ἀχανεῖς ἔμενον. ἐμακάριζον δὲ αὐτὸν οἱ τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν ἀκούοντες καὶ οἱ ἔχοντες ὠτίον ἐπιτήδειον εἰς συνετῶν λόγων ἀκρόασιν καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ διδασκαλίας ἀπολαύοντες. 29, 11 ὀφθαλμὸν δὲ ἰδών με ἐξέκλινεν. οὐκ ἰσχύων ἀντειπεῖν. 29, 12 διέσωσα γὰρ πτωχὸν ἐκ χειρὸς δυνάστου καὶ ὀρφανῷ ᾧ οὐκ ἦν βοηθὸς ἐβοήθησα. τὰς αἰτίας εἴπαμεν, δι' ἃς τῶν οἰκείων κατορθωμάτων οἱ δίκαιοι ποιοῦνται τὸν κατάλογον, ἐν τῇ προθεωρίᾳ. 29, 13 εὐλογία ἀπολλυμένου ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἐπέλθοι, στόμα δὲ χήρας με εὐλόγησεν. ὁ μέλλων ἀπόλλυσθαι καὶ μὴ ἀπολόμενος διὰ τὸ τῆς αὐτοῦ τυχεῖν ἐπικουρίας καὶ ἡ χήρα δὲ ἡ ἀπροστάτητος προστάτην αὐτὸν κτησαμένη δικαίως αὐτὸν ηὐλόγουν. 29, 14 δικαιοσύνην δὲ ἐνδεδύκειν, ἠμφιασάμην δὲ κρίμα ἴσα διπλοίδι. κρίμα λέγει τὴν δικαιοκρισίαν, καὶ ταῦτα μὲν τὰ θαυμαστὰ τοῦ Ἰὼβ ἄμφια. ἐξ ἐναντίας δὲ τὰ τῶν ἀσεβῶν· ἐνδύονται γὰρ κατάραν ὡς ἱμάτιον καὶ περιβάλλονται ὡσεὶ διπλοίδα αἰ 247 σχύνην αὐτῶν, ὡς τὸν ἑκατοστὸν ὄγδοον ὕμνον ἀναβαλλόμενος ὁ μεγαλογράφος ἐδίδαξεν. 29, 15 ὀφθαλμὸς ἤμην τυφλῶν, ποὺς δὲ χωλῶν. τὰ λείποντα τοῦ σώματος μέλη προσανεπλήρου τοῖς δεομένοις τῇ τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἐπιχορηγίᾳ. καὶ τὰς τυφλὰς δὲ διανοίας διήνοιγε καὶ τῶν ποδῶν τῆς ψυχῆς ἰσχυροποίει τὰς βάσεις τῷ διδασκαλικῷ λόγῳ χρώμενος. 29, 16 ἐγὼ ἤμην πατὴρ ἀδυνάτων· δίκην δέ, ἣν οὐκ ᾔδειν, ἐξιχνίασα. διαγνωστικῶς τῶν δικαζομένων ἀκούων οὐδὲν προακηκοὼς οὐδὲ προμεμαθηκὼς ἔκ τινος τῶν μερῶν οὐδὲ προδιαφθαρεὶς τὴν ἀκοὴν ἐξιχνίασα καὶ ἐπιμελῶς ἀναζητήσας κατείληφα τὸ δίκαιον. 29, 17 συνέτριψα δὲ μύλας ἀδίκων, ἐκ δὲ μέσου τῶν ὀδόντων αὐτῶν ἅρπαγμα ἐξέσπασα. ὅτε, φησίν, οἱ ἀδικήσαντες ἔδοξαν ἐν βεβαίῳ ἔχειν τὰ ἀφαιρεθέντα, ὡσπερεί τινων θηρίων ἐκ μέσων τῶν ὀδόντων ἐκσπάσας τὰ ἁρπασθέντα τοῖς ἀδικηθεῖσιν ἀπεκατέστησα. 29, 18 εἶπα δέ· ἡ ἡλικία μου γηράσει. ταῦτα ποιῶν μέχρι τέλους ἔχειν ἤλπισα τὰ ἀγαθά. 29, 1819 ὥσπερ στέλεχος φοίνικος πολὺν χρόνον βιώσω. ἡ ῥίζα μου διήνοικται ἐπὶ ὕδατος καὶ δρόσος αὐλισθήσεται ἐν