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I am, but God did not preserve my discernment for me, but He falsified my judgment, not judging my affairs according to worth, and as powerful rather than just, He violently brought the blow against one who had done no wrong. 290 So Elihu understood what was said in this way, but Job was saying this: God has postponed judging my affairs. For if He wished to hear me, being just He would have delivered me from my distresses. For this is what He removed my judgment means, and as for He falsified my judgment, as the holy one was fully convinced that God had borne witness to him, how, he says, after bearing witness to me, did He surround me with such torments? But Elihu misrepresents Job's words, being ignorant, as we have often said, of the sort of love from which he uttered his speeches. 34, 78 What man is like Job, who drinks up scorning like water, not having sinned nor been impious nor having at all associated with those who do lawless things, so as to walk with the impious? And so I, he says, know the virtue of Job, that he receives insults by choice just as those who drink water; and this is a sign of the greatest virtue, to bear insult without grief. And I also know that he neither sinned against men nor was impious towards God, nor did he ever welcome fellowship or company with the lawless or impious. 34, 9 For do not say that: there will be no visitation of a man; and there is a visitation for him from the Lord. Having said the things concerning Job to his friends, he turned his speech to him: For I blame you, he says, not as an unjust man, but as one who thinks our affairs are unvisited and unprovided for, as if God does not visit men with concern. 34, 1011 Therefore, you who are wise of heart, hear me: Far be it from me to act impiously before 291 the Lord and to disturb what is just before the Almighty, but He repays a man according to what each of them does, and in a man’s path He will find him. I ask you therefore: listen, as you are able to understand what is being said. For may it not be that I fall into impious words, nor, when speaking of God Almighty, utter anything contrary to what is just. For I know that God, assigning to each what is according to worth, in whatever way he walks, in that way He seizes him, that is: as He finds him walking, so He judges him. 34, 1213 Do you think that the Lord will do amiss? Or will the Almighty, who made the earth, disturb what is just? And who is it that makes the things under heaven and all that is in them? For the Lord is God and Almighty and creator of all things that are. Therefore, he says, the master would not do anything amiss concerning his subject, nor would He who has power over all work a confusion of what is just, nor would the maker of all things wrong His own creation. 34, 1415 For if He should wish to hold back and keep His spirit to Himself, all flesh will perish together; for every mortal will return to the earth, from which he was also formed. For if He only wills to hold back the breath which He graciously gave to living things, all things will be destroyed in utter ruin, and it is not possible for a man from the earth not to be resolved into the kindred element, the earth. These things 292 he says, at the same time both showing that the maker does not wrong his creations, and leading Job to fear as one who wished to litigate with God as an equal. 34, 16 But if he does not admonish, hear these things, give ear to the voice of his words. If these things do not persuade, at least listen also to some of the following words. 34, 17 Behold, you, him who hates lawless things and destroys the wicked, who is eternally just. Understand how God, being eternal and without beginning and just, hates lawless things and punishes the wicked. And he persuades Job with a syllogism: for if He Himself, being just, hates lawless things and punishes wickedness, He would not do anything contrary to what is just. 34, 18 Impious is he who says to a king: you transgress the law; most impious to the rulers. For if, according to human custom and legislation, the one who says to the king, ‘you transgress the law,’ is judged by the rulers as most impious, what would they suffer who dare to say to God, ‘you transgress the law’? And he said well, ‘to the rulers,’ for not in every case is he who says to the earthly king, ‘you transgress the law,’ also judged impious by God. 34, 19 who was not ashamed before the face of an honored man nor knows to set the honor of a man to be admired

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μέν εἰμι, ἀλλ' ὁ θεός μοι τὸ κριτικὸν οὐκ ἐφύλαξεν, ἀλλ' ἐψεύσατο τῷ κρίματί μου οὐ πρὸς ἀξίαν κρίνας τὰ κατ' ἐμέ, καὶ ὡς δυνατὸς μᾶλλον ἢ δίκαιος βίᾳ τὴν πληγὴν ἐπήγαγε κατὰ τοῦ μηδὲν ἀδικήσαντος. 290 ὁ μὲν οὖν Ἐλιοὺς οὕτως ἐνόησε τὰ εἰρημένα, ὁ δὲ Ἰὼβ τοῦτο ἔλεγεν ὅτι· ὑπερέθετο ὁ θεὸς κρῖναι τὰ κατ' ἐμέ. εἰ γὰρ ἐβούλετό με ἀκοῦσαι, δίκαιος ὢν ἐρρύετο ἄν με τῶν ἀναγκῶν. τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει τὸ ἀπήλλαξέ μου τὸ κρίμα, τὸ δὲ ἐψεύσατο δὲ τῷ κρίματί μου, ὡς ὁ ἅγιος πληροφορηθείς, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἐμαρτύρησεν αὐτῷ, πῶς, φησίν, μαρτυρήσας μοι τοιαύταις με βασάνοις περιέβαλεν; περιξέει δὲ ὁ Ἐλιοὺς τοῦ Ἰὼβ τὰ ῥήματα ἀγνοήσας, ὡς πολλάκις ἔφημεν, ἐξ οἵας ἀγάπης τοὺς λόγους προέφερεν. 34, 78 τίς ἀνὴρ ὥσπερ Ἰὼβ πίνων μυκτηρισμὸν ὥσπερ ὕδωρ, οὐχ ἁμαρτὼν οὐδὲ ἀσεβήσας οὐδὲ ὅλως κοινωνήσας μετὰ ποιούντων τὰ ἄνομα τοῦ πορευθῆναι μετὰ ἀσεβῶν; κἀγὼ μὲν οὖν, φησίν, ἐπίσταμαι τοῦ Ἰὼβ τὴν ἀρετήν, ὡς τὰς μὲν ὕβρεις ἐκ προαιρέσεως ὑποδέχεται ὥσπερ οἱ ὕδωρ ἐκπίνοντες· τοῦτο δὲ δεῖγμα μεγίστης ἀρετῆς, τὸ φέρειν ὕβριν ἀλύπως. οἶδα δὲ καί, ὅτι οὔτε πρὸς ἀνθρώπους ἥμαρτεν οὔτε πρὸς θεὸν ἠσέβησεν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τὴν μετὰ ἀνόμων ἢ ἀσεβῶν κοινωνίαν ποτὲ ἢ διατριβὴν κατησπάσατο. 34, 9 μὴ γὰρ εἴπῃς ὅτι· οὐκ ἔσται ἐπισκοπὴ ἀνδρός· καὶ ἐπισκοπὴ αὐτῷ παρὰ κυρίου. πρὸς τοὺς φίλους εἰρηκὼς τὰ περὶ τοῦ Ἰὼβ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔτρεψε τὸν λόγον· μέμφομαι γάρ σοι, φησίν, οὐχ ὡς ἀδίκῳ, ἀλλ' ὡς ἀνεπισκόπητα καὶ ἀπρονόητα νομίζοντι τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς ὡς τοῦ θεοῦ μὴ κηδεμονικῶς ἐπισκεπτομένου τοὺς ἀνθρώπους. 34, 1011 διό, συνετοὶ καρδίας, ἀκούσατέ μου· μή μοι εἴη ἐναντί 291 ον κυρίου ἀσεβῆσαι καὶ ἐναντίον παντοκράτορος ταράξαι τὸ δίκαιον, ἀλλὰ ἀποδιδοῖ ἀνθρώπῳ καθὰ ποιεῖ ἕκαστος αὐτῶν καὶ ἐν τρίβῳ ἀνδρὸς εὑρήσει αὐτόν. ἀξιῶ τοίνυν· ἀκούσατε ὡς συνιέναι δυνάμενοι τὰ λεγόμενα. μὴ γὰρ δὴ γένοιτό με εἰς ἀσεβεῖς ἐκπεσεῖν λόγους μηδὲ ἐπὶ παντοκράτορος θεοῦ λαλοῦντα φθέγξασθαί τι παρὰ τὸ δίκαιον. οἶδα γάρ, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἑκάστῳ τὰ κατ' ἀξίαν ἀπονέμων, ἐν ᾧ περιπατεῖ, ἐν τούτῳ δράσσεται αὐτοῦ, τουτέστιν· ὡς εὑρίσκει αὐτὸν πορευόμενον, οὕτως αὐτὸν κρίνει. 34, 1213 οἴει δὲ τὸν κύριον ἄτοπα ποιήσειν; ἢ ὁ παντοκράτωρ ταράξει τὸ δίκαιον, ὃς ἐποίησε τὴν γῆν; τίς δέ ἐστιν ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ὑπ' οὐρανὸν καὶ τὰ ἐνόντα πάντα; κύριος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ θεὸς καὶ παντοκράτωρ καὶ πάντων τῶν ὄντων δημιουργός. οὐκ ἂν οὖν, φησίν, ὁ δεσπότης ἄτοπόν τι πράξειε περὶ τὸ ὑπήκοον, οὐδὲ ὁ κατὰ πάντων τὸ κράτος ἔχων τοῦ δικαίου σύγχυσιν ἐργάσαιτο, οὐδὲ ὁ πάντων ποιητὴς τὸ οἰκεῖον ἀδικήσοι δημιούργημα. 34, 1415 εἰ γὰρ βούλοιτο συσχεῖν καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα κατασχεῖν παρ' αὐτῷ, τελευτήσει πᾶσα σὰρξ ὁμοθυμαδόν· πᾶς γὰρ βροτὸς εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσεται, ὅθεν καὶ ἐπλάσθη. εἰ γὰρ μόνον θελήσει ἀνασχεῖν τὴν πνοήν, ἣν τοῖς ζῴοις ἐχαρίσατο, πανωλεθρίᾳ πάντα διαφθαρήσεται, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἄνθρωπον τὸν ἀπὸ γῆς μὴ εἰς τὸ συγγενὲς ἀναλυθῆναι στοιχεῖον τὴν γῆν. ταῦτα 292 δέ φησιν ὁμοῦ καὶ δεικνύς, ὡς ὅτι ὁ ποιητὴς οὐκ ἀδικεῖ τὰ ποιήματα, καὶ τὸν Ἰὼβ εἰς φόβον ἐνάγων ὡς θελήσαντα πρὸς θεὸν ὁμοτίμως διαδικάσασθαι. 34, 16 εἰ δὲ μὴ νουθετεῖ, ἄκουε ταῦτα, ἐνωτίζου φωνὴν ῥημάτων. εἰ μὴ πείθει ταῦτα, ἐπί τί γε καὶ τῶν ἐφεξῆς ῥημάτων ἄκουσον. 34, 17 ἰδὲ σὺ τὸν μισοῦντα ἄνομα καὶ τὸν ὀλλύντα τοὺς πονηροὺς ὄντα αἰώνιον δίκαιον. κατανόησον, ὡς αἰώνιος καὶ ἄναρχος καὶ δίκαιος ὢν θεὸς μισεῖ μὲν τὰ ἄνομα, τιμωρεῖται δὲ τοὺς πονηρούς. συλλογισμῷ δὲ πείθει τὸν Ἰώβ· εἰ γὰρ αὐτὸς μισεῖ τὰ ἄνομα καὶ τιμωρεῖται τὴν πονηρίαν δίκαιος ὤν, οὐκ ἄν τι πράξοι παρὰ τὸ δίκαιον. 34, 18 ἀσεβὴς ὁ λέγων βασιλεῖ· παρανομεῖς, ἀσεβέστατος τοῖς ἄρχουσιν. εἰ γὰρ κατὰ ἀνθρωπίνην ἀκολουθίαν καὶ νομοθεσίαν ὁ λέγων τῷ βασιλεῖ· παρανομεῖς ὡς ἀσεβέστατος κρίνεται παρὰ τῶν ἀρχόντων, τί ἂν πάθοιεν οἱ πρὸς θεὸν τολμῶντες εἰπεῖν· παρανομεῖς; καλῶς δὲ εἶπεν· τοῖς ἄρχουσιν, οὐ γὰρ πάντως καὶ παρὰ θεῷ ἀσεβὴς κρίνεται ὁ τῷ ἐπιγείῳ βασιλεῖ λέγων· παρανομεῖς. 34, 19 ὃς οὐκ ἐπαισχυνθῇ πρόσωπον ἐντίμου οὐδὲ οἶδε τιμὴν θέσθαι ἀνδρὸς θαυμασθῆναι