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1 ὑπολαβὼν δὲ Ελιφας ὁ Θαιμανίτης λέγει 2 πότερον οὐχὶ ὁ κύριός ἐστιν ὁ διδάσκων σύνεσιν καὶ ἐπιστήμην 3 τί γὰρ μέλει τῷ κυρίῳ ἐὰν σὺ ἦσθα τοῖς ἔργοις ἄμεμπτος ἢ ὠφέλεια ὅτι ἁπλώσῃς τὴν ὁδόν σου 4 ἦ λόγον σου ποιούμενος ἐλέγξει σε καὶ συνεισελεύσεταί σοι εἰς κρίσιν 5 πότερον οὐχ ἡ κακία σού ἐστιν πολλή ἀναρίθμητοι δέ σού εἰσιν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι 6 ἠνεχύραζες δὲ τοὺς ἀδελφούς σου διὰ κενῆς ἀμφίασιν δὲ γυμνῶν ἀφείλου 7 οὐδὲ ὕδωρ διψῶντας ἐπότισας ἀλλὰ πεινώντων ἐστέρησας ψωμόν 8 ἐθαύμασας δέ τινων πρόσωπον ᾤκισας δὲ τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς 9 χήρας δὲ ἐξαπέστειλας κενάς ὀρφανοὺς δὲ ἐκάκωσας 10 τοιγαροῦν ἐκύκλωσάν σε παγίδες καὶ ἐσπούδασέν σε πόλεμος ἐξαίσιος 11 τὸ φῶς σοι σκότος ἀπέβη κοιμηθέντα δὲ ὕδωρ σε ἐκάλυψεν | 1 Then answered Eliphaz the Themanite: 2 A man cannot hope to implead God, even a man of perfect wisdom. 3 Just though thou be, how is God the better for knowing thou art just? Can stainless life of thine advantage him? 4 Or dost thou think that fear of thee will persuade him to appear in court, and prove thee in the wrong?[1] 5 Must he browbeat thee over a long record of guilt,[2] over many heinous deeds done; 6 remind thee of the usurer’s pledge needlessly taken, of thy brother left to go naked while thou hadst his garment by thee, 7 of water grudged to thirsty men, bread refused to the hungry? 8 Must he tell the story of a rich tyrant that had lands and held to them; 9 of widows sent away without redress, orphans left without support, through thy means? 10 Must he say, that is why thou art caught in the snare, dismayed by sudden peril, 11 left benighted when thou thoughtest to see day, overwhelmed by the unexpected flood? | 1 Respondens autem Eliphaz Themanites, dixit: 2 Numquid Deo potest comparari homo, etiam cum perfectæ fuerit scientiæ? Quid prodest Deo, si justus fueris? aut quid ei confers, si immaculata fuerit via tua? Numquid timens arguet te, et veniet tecum in judicium, et non propter malitiam tuam plurimam, et infinitas iniquitates tuas? Abstulisti enim pignus fratrum tuorum sine causa, et nudos spoliasti vestibus. Aquam lasso non dedisti, et esurienti subtraxisti panem. In fortitudine brachii tui possidebas terram, et potentissimus obtinebas eam. Viduas dimisisti vacuas, et lacertos pupillorum comminuisti. Propterea circumdatus es laqueis, et conturbat te formido subita. Et putabas te tenebras non visurum, et impetu aquarum inundantium non oppressum iri? |
12 μὴ οὐχὶ ὁ τὰ ὑψηλὰ ναίων ἐφορᾷ τοὺς δὲ ὕβρει φερομένους ἐταπείνωσεν 13 καὶ εἶπας τί ἔγνω ὁ ἰσχυρός ἦ κατὰ τοῦ γνόφου κρινεῖ 14 νέφη ἀποκρυφὴ αὐτοῦ καὶ οὐχ ὁραθήσεται καὶ γῦρον οὐρανοῦ διαπορεύσεται 15 μὴ τρίβον αἰώνιον φυλάξεις ἣν ἐπάτησαν ἄνδρες ἄδικοι 16 οἳ συνελήμφθησαν ἄωροι ποταμὸς ἐπιρρέων οἱ θεμέλιοι αὐτῶν 17 οἱ λέγοντες κύριος τί ποιήσει ἡμῖν ἢ τί ἐπάξεται ἡμῖν ὁ παντοκράτωρ 18 ὃς δὲ ἐνέπλησεν τοὺς οἴκους αὐτῶν ἀγαθῶν βουλὴ δὲ ἀσεβῶν πόρρω ἀ{P'} αὐτοῦ 19 ἰδόντες δίκαιοι ἐγέλασαν ἄμεμπτος δὲ ἐμυκτήρισεν 20 εἰ μὴ ἠφανίσθη ἡ ὑπόστασις αὐτῶν καὶ τὸ κατάλειμμα αὐτῶν καταφάγεται πῦρ | 12 Bethink thee, God is high as heaven itself, reaches beyond the uttermost star. 13 Wouldst thou tell us that he has no knowledge of what passes, that he issues his decree blindly, 14 gives no heed to our mortal doings, there where he walks above heaven’s vault, all wrapped in cloud? 15 That were to follow old paths of error, trodden long ago by impious feet. 16 Snatched away before their time were the men that reasoned so; a flood engulfed the solid ground beneath them. 17 These, beyond doubt, were men who bade God keep his distance from them, thought the Omnipotent could give them no aid, 18 when he had filled their abode with blessings! Not for nothing do I shun their counsels! 19 Here was a sight to make the just triumphant, make innocent folk laugh aloud in scorn, 20 to see how their proud hopes vanished, and all that was left of them perished in the flames.[3] | 12 an non cogitas quod Deus excelsior cælo sit, et super stellarum verticem sublimetur? Et dicis: Quid enim novit Deus? et quasi per caliginem judicat. Nubes latibulum ejus, nec nostra considerat, et circa cardines cæli perambulat. Numquid semitam sæculorum custodire cupis, quam calcaverunt viri iniqui, qui sublati sunt ante tempus suum, et fluvius subvertit fundamentum eorum? Qui dicebant Deo: Recede a nobis: et quasi nihil posset facere Omnipotens, æstimabant eum, cum ille implesset domos eorum bonis: quorum sententia procul sit a me. Videbunt justi, et lætabuntur, et innocens subsannabit eos: nonne succisa est erectio eorum? et reliquias eorum devoravit ignis? |
21 γενοῦ δὴ σκληρός ἐὰν ὑπομείνῃς εἶ{T'} ὁ καρπός σου ἔσται ἐν ἀγαθοῖς 22 ἔκλαβε δὲ ἐκ στόματος αὐτοῦ ἐξηγορίαν καὶ ἀνάλαβε τὰ ῥήματα αὐτοῦ ἐν καρδίᾳ σου 23 ἐὰν δὲ ἐπιστραφῇς καὶ ταπεινώσῃς σεαυτὸν ἔναντι κυρίου πόρρω ἐποίησας ἀπὸ διαίτης σου τὸ ἄδικον 24 θήσῃ ἐπὶ χώματι ἐν πέτρᾳ καὶ ὡς πέτρᾳ χειμάρρους Ωφιρ 25 ἔσται οὖν σου ὁ παντοκράτωρ βοηθὸς ἀπὸ ἐχθρῶν καθαρὸν δὲ ἀποδώσει σε ὥσπερ ἀργύριον πεπυρωμένον 26 εἶτα παρρησιασθήσῃ ἔναντι κυρίου ἀναβλέψας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἱλαρῶς 27 εὐξαμένου δέ σου πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰσακούσεταί σου δώσει δέ σοι ἀποδοῦναι τὰς εὐχάς 28 ἀποκαταστήσει δέ σοι δίαιταν δικαιοσύνης ἐπὶ δὲ ὁδοῖς σου ἔσται φέγγος 29 ὅτι ἐταπείνωσεν αὐτόν καὶ ἐρεῖς ὑπερηφανεύσατο καὶ κύφοντα ὀφθαλμοῖς σώσει | 21 Fall in with the Lord’s ways, and be his friend; thou shalt be well rewarded. 22 Let his lips be thy oracle, his words written on thy heart. 23 Turn back to the Almighty for thy healing, and rid thy dwelling-place of guilt. 24 Firm rock thou shalt have for shifting dust, and for firm rock streams of gold; 25 the Almighty himself will be thy shield, and silver thou shalt never lack.[4] 26 In those omnipotent arms thou shalt rest content, thy face upturned towards God himself, 27 thy prayer heard as soon as offered, thy vows paid as soon as due; 28 all thy desire thou shalt have, and all thy paths will be sunshine. 29 He that was once brought low shall be high in renown; the downcast eye shall win deliverance. | 21 Acquiesce igitur ei, et habeto pacem, et per hæc habebis fructus optimos. Suscipe ex ore illius legem, et pone sermones ejus in corde tuo. Si reversus fueris ad Omnipotentem, ædificaberis, et longe facies iniquitatem a tabernaculo tuo. Dabit pro terra silicem, et pro silice torrentes aureos. Eritque Omnipotens contra hostes tuos, et argentum coacervabitur tibi. Tunc super Omnipotentem deliciis afflues, et elevabis ad Deum faciem tuam. Rogabis eum, et exaudiet te, et vota tua reddes. Decernes rem, et veniet tibi, et in viis tuis splendebit lumen. Qui enim humiliatus fuerit, erit in gloria, et qui inclinaverit oculos, ipse salvabitur. |
30 ῥύσεται ἀθῷον καὶ διασώθητι ἐν καθαραῖς χερσίν σου | 30 But the innocent shall be kept safe; in a pair of clean hands there was safety ever.[5] | 30 Salvabitur innocens: salvabitur autem in munditia manuum suarum. |
[1] vv. 2-4. The Hebrew text is ordinarily understood as meaning: ‘Can a man render useful service (by living an innocent life) to God? Is a wise man of service only to him (or perhaps, to himself)? Can the Almighty take any pleasure in the fact that thou art upright, is it any gain to him if thou followest honest paths? Is it because of thy fear of him that he finds fault with thee, comes to court as thy adversary?’ But, although this apparently gives a satisfactory account of the various sentences, it leaves an unbridgeable gulf in logic between verse 3 and verse 4. The Latin version yields a greatly preferable sense: God cannot be expected to answer Job’s summons to trial, since he has no motive, whether of interest or of fear, for doing so.
[2] The Latin version begins the sentence with the words ‘Is it not rather because of …’. But this seems due to an erroneous apprehension of the Hebrew original. The Hebrew text reads simply, ‘Are not thy wickednesses many and thy faults endless?’ This is generally understood as a charge brought by Eliphaz against Job; but such a sudden attack on Job’s character would be out of keeping with the rest of the chapter, and indeed of the book. Verses 5-11 fall better into place if they are understood as an imaginary address by Almighty God to an imaginary sinner (cf. Ps. 49.16-21).
[3] vv. 15-20. Some definite historical situation seems to be envisaged, but it cannot be identified with certainty. The Deluge has been suggested in view of verse 16, the destruction of Sodom in view of verse 20; the death of Core and his companions (Num. 16) is also a possible solution.
[4] vv. 24, 25. The Hebrew text here is usually interpreted, ‘Put (thy) gold-ore upon the dust, and thy (gold of) Ophir upon the rocks of the valleys; then the Almighty will be thy gold-ore …’, &c. The Latin version has probably failed to recognize the word for gold-ore, rendering it in one verse ‘flint-stone’ and in the other ‘against thy enemy’. But it is doubtful whether our present Hebrew text is genuine; it is not easy to see why Eliphaz should encourage a man who has just lost all his possessions to throw away his gold.
[5] vv. 29, 30. The sense of the Hebrew text here is doubtful.
Knox Translation Copyright © 2013 Westminster Diocese
Nihil Obstat. Father Anton Cowan, Censor.
Imprimatur. +Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. 8th January 2012.
Re-typeset and published in 2012 by Baronius Press Ltd