Глава 13

Continuation of Job's response to Zophar's speech. 1–14. Job's desire to bring his case to the judgment of God and the motivation for this. 14–28. Job's confidence, under certain conditions, is justified. Job 13:1. Behold, my eye saw all this, my ear heard and noticed for myself. Job 13:2. As much as you know, I know too: I am no lower than you. Job 13:3. But I would like to speak to the Almighty and would like to compete with God. Job knows no less than his friends and yet is unable to understand the cause of his suffering; it is incomprehensible, therefore, it is also incomprehensible to them. Therefore, to resolve the question: why did God condemn him, he decides to turn to Him himself, as the only being who knows this. Job 13:4. And you are gossipers of lies; you are all useless doctors. Job 13:5. Oh, if only you would be silent! it would be counted to you as wisdom. When Job decides to take his case to God's court, his friends are left to remain silent. Their silence would be pleasant (“oh, if only”) for the sufferer, since with their lies, direct accusations of sins (Job 11.6) and assumption of them (Job 5.17), they cause him suffering (Job 19.2), and with reasoning about divine wisdom, advice to trust in her, they console him just as little (Job 16.2), as little does a doctor who does not understand the disease alleviate the patient. In addition, silence, as proof of the awareness of friends of their wrongness, would testify to their intelligence and wisdom (Proverbs 10.19, 17.28), which they boast so much about. Job 13:6. Listen to my reasoning and delve into the objection of my mouth. Job 13:7. Should you have spoken untruths for God's sake and told lies for Him? Job 13:8. Should you have been partial towards Him and contended so much for God? Job 13:9. Will it be good for Him to test you? Will you deceive Him as a person is deceived? Job 13:10. He will punish you severely, although you are secretly a hypocrite. Job 13:11. Does not His greatness frighten you, and does not His fear attack you? Job 13:12. Your reminders are like ashes; your strongholds are strongholds of clay. But since such incentives for silence could seem unconvincing to friends, Job points out something else - the fear of divine punishment (v. 11) for the desire to defend the justice of the Lord by unjustly accusing him, Job, of sins (vv. 7-8). God, great in justice, great to the point that he does not look at faces (Deut. 10.17), and considers lying lips an abomination (Proverbs 12.22), will not leave them unpunished for lying (v. 10; cf. Ps. 30.19, 51.5–7, 58.13). It is inevitable: God cannot be deceived (v. 9), even by hidden hypocrisy (Job 11.11); it is impossible to prove the correctness of your judgments, since they are weak, like fortresses made of clay (v. 12). Job. 13:13–19. Considerations supporting Job's determination to bring his case to the judgment of God (v. 3). Job 13:13. Be silent before me, and I will speak, no matter what befalls me. Job 13:14. Why should I tear my body with my teeth and put my soul in my hand? Job 13:15. Behold, He kills me, but I will hope; I would only like to defend my ways before Him! According to the Court. 12.3; 1 Samuel 19.5, 28.21; Ps 119.109, the expression: “to put my life in my hand” means: “to be exposed to the greatest dangers.” The same meaning, they think, is connected with the first half of the article, which is not found anywhere else in Scripture. 14: “to tear my body with my teeth.” In accordance with this, Art. 13–14. have such meaning. Job's intention to "compete with God" (v. 3) is weakened by the fear of being punished for speaking freely. But this feeling is eliminated in turn by the consideration that he will not experience greater disasters than now. Consequently, he has nothing to fear or be afraid of: “I will say, no matter what befalls me” (v. 13). Job fearlessly awaits death; she would be terrible for him if he had to die unjustified (v. 15 cf. Job 6.10). Job 13:16. And this is my justification, because a hypocrite will not go before Him! Job 13:17. Listen carefully to my word and my explanation with your ears. Job 13:18. So, I filed a lawsuit: I know that I will be right. Job 13:19. Who can challenge me? For I will soon fall silent and give up the ghost. Job’s determination to bring his case to God’s judgment testifies to his innocence: “a hypocrite will not go before Him” (cf. vv. 7–11). On the basis of this consciousness, confidence in justification arises (v. 18); the confidence is so strong that Job agrees to die if anyone proves to him his iniquity (v. 19). Job 13:20. Just don’t do two things to me, and then I will not hide from Your face: Job 13:21. Remove Thy hand from me, and let not Thy terror shake me. Job is confident in his innocence, and confident that he will be justified before God. An obstacle to this can only come from the Lord. If He “does not remove His hand from Job,” that is, does not weaken or completely stop suffering, then the latter will always be in a state of trembling, mental confusion (Job 9.28), paralyzing the clarity of thought and thereby preventing the clarification of innocence. Hence, “removing the hand of God,” the granting of peace, is the first condition, subject to which Job can prove that he is right. The second is to grant him the right to vote during the entire trial with God, which is why he asks that He not silence him with fear of His divine majesty (v. 21; cf. Job 9.34–35). Job 13:22. Then call, and I will answer, or I will speak, and You answer me. Under the condition that his request is fulfilled, Job is ready to act both in the role of the accused (“then call, and I will answer”) and in the role of the accuser (“or I will speak, and You answer me”). Job 13:23. How many vices and sins do I have? show me my iniquity and my sin. Job 14.13. Data on the basis of which Job calculates his justification. Job 13:24. Why do you hide Your face and consider me Your enemy? Not considering himself completely sinless (v. 26), Job, however, does not know such great sins that would cause God to be hostile towards him, such severe suffering. Job 13:25. Is it not the plucked leaf that You crush and the dry straw that You pursue? Job 13:26. For You write bitter things against me and impute to me the sins of my youth, Job 13:27. and you set my feet in a block and lie in wait for all my paths - you pursue in the tracks of my feet. Job 13:28. And he, like rot, disintegrates, like clothes eaten by moths. God deals with Job as a strict, merciless judge. Without declaring Job’s guilt, He directly pronounces a heavy judgment on him (“you write ... bitter things” cf. Job 10.1; Hos 8.12); who has not committed any significant offenses in recent years is charged with the sin of youth, i.e., frivolity (v. 26; cf. Ps. 24.7), does not allow him to move from his place without pain (“you put my feet in a block” - v. 27) to the one whose body is eaten away by disease, ready to disintegrate (v. 28). You might be interested in: