Книга 16 [главы 22–23, глава 24, стихи 1–20]

In which, having briefly explained the twenty-second and twenty-third chapters of the book of Job, and also the twenty-fourth chapter to the twentieth verse, he concludes the third part. Those who, contrary to the words of the truth, commit bad deeds, often repeat even what is well known to everyone, so that, supported by their tongue, they do not seem defeated. Consequently, Eliphaz, under the pressure of the sayings of the blessed Job, utters things that everyone is aware of. He says: Verse 2. Can a man be equal to God, even though he has perfect knowledge? ( Job 22:2 ) 822 . 1. Compared to God, our knowledge is ignorance, for only our participation in Him, and not comparison with Him, gives us that we are imbued with wisdom. But why be surprised when something is said that is already known to everyone, even when it is not specifically studied? And even further he introduces the power of God, as if defending it. Verse 3. What benefit does the Most High have if you are righteous? or what will He receive if you keep your ways blameless? ( Job 22:3 ) 823 . 2. For whatever we do well, we do well for ourselves, and not for God. And, therefore, the psalmist said: my soul, you said to the Lord: You are my God, I see that You have no need of my blessings (Ps. 15:2) 824. He is truly “Lord” to us, and He is also “God”, Who does not need goods and gifts from us serving Him, but He bestows the good that He receives, so that the benefits that are offered to Him are not used by Him for Himself, but are first received by Him and then given back. For, although the Lord, when He comes to judgment, says: just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did it for Me; this He speaks with extraordinary mercy to His members. And He is Who He is, namely, our Head, that is, the One who helps His members with our good deeds. However, Eliphaz further adds something that every person is also familiar with, saying: Verse 4. Will he rebuke because he is afraid of you? Will He sue you? ( Job 22:4 ) 825 . 3. Who, even if he is out of his mind, can think that it is out of fear that the Lord is convicting us, and out of fear he is establishing His decision against us? But those who do not know how to moderate their words will undoubtedly slip into empty speech. And whoever never tries to do this, jumping forward with words without delay, undoubtedly utters words that are harmful and offensive. Consequently, Eliphaz, who had uttered idle words, immediately burst into insulting words, saying: Verse 5. Is not your wickedness great, and are not your iniquities endless? (Job 22:5) 826. 4. See how from a muffled heart he came to empty words, and from empty words he flared up in insults with the abomination of lies. For this is the fall of increasing sins, when the tongue, if it is not restrained where it should, falls also into lies, and always descends to even worse things; but these things that are included are very simple in historical understanding, therefore they should not be presented only in a direct interpretation. 5. But then we must say that the friends of blessed Job bear the likeness of heretics, and that he himself bears the likeness of the Holy Church, and let us at once point out how the words of Eliphaz show the falsity of the heretics. For what follows: Verse 6–8. It is true that you took pledges from your brothers for nothing and from their naked clothes. You did not give water to the weary, you denied bread to the hungry. In your strong hand you took the land for possession, and as the strongest you held it. ( Job 22:6–8 ) 827 . Allegorical interpretation 6. In the Holy Scriptures, the word “pledge” sometimes refers to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and sometimes to the confession of sin. Thus, the pledge is taken as the gift of the Holy Spirit, when Paul says: and he has given the pledge of the Spirit into our hearts (2 Cor. 1:22) 828. For we receive a pledge for what we might have had as a guarantee, as a promise of what is being done for us. And the gift of the Holy Spirit is called a pledge, because in our soul it seems to strengthen the confidence of inner hope. Again the word “pledge” is used as a confession of sin, as for example, it is written in the Law: If your brother owes you something, and you make an obligation from him, return the pledge before the sun goes down (Ex. 22:25–26) 829. For our brother becomes our debtor when anyone does any thing wrong against us. For we call sins “debts.” Therefore, it was said to the servant when he sinned: I have forgiven you all your debt (Matthew 18:32) 830, and in the Lord’s Prayer we pray daily: forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors (Matthew 6:12) 831. Now we take a pledge "from our debtor" when, from the mouth of one who has sinned against us, we have received a confession of his sin, whereby we plead for forgiveness of the sin that has been committed against us. For by confessing the sin he committed and asking for forgiveness, he has already, as it were, given a “pledge” for his debt, and this pledge we are commanded to “return before the sun goes down,” because in us, through the pain of the heart, the Sun of righteousness must be established, and we are obliged to return the confirmation of forgiveness of the one from whom we received the confession of the crime, so that the one who realized that he did something wrong towards us may also understand that what he did wrong was forgiven by us. And therefore about the Holy Church, when she receives back any of the heretics who have returned to the truth of the faith, and first persuades them that they must confess the sin of their error, Eliphaz said, as the likeness of the heretics: you took pledges from your brothers for nothing, i.e. “You demand from those who come to you from us, without reason, an admission of error.” But, as we said before, if we assume that the "pledge" is the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the heretics say that the Holy Church has "taken away the pledges from the brethren" because it seems to them that those who come to her are losing the gifts of the Spirit. Therefore it continues: and from the naked their clothes. 7. Heretics expect that those whom they attract with their perverted preaching will take the precepts of their teaching as a form of clothing. And the heretics consider them to be dressed for so long as what they themselves preached, they observe in them, and when any persons return to the Holy Church from them, they immediately decide that those who returned have lost the clothes of learning. But while those who are “naked” cannot be further undressed, we must ask why they are first called “naked” and then spoken of as those from whom “the clothes have been stripped,” i.e. undressed? Now one must know that everyone who has purity of mind, by the very fact that he does not wear the cloak of double behavior, is “naked.” And there are some of the heretics who have purity of heart, of course, but still accepted the perverted principles of their teaching. They are at the same time “naked”, because of their own purity, but also “clothed” in the preaching of teachers of lies. And while such easily return to the Holy Church because they are not accustomed to the wickedness of hypocrisy, heretics consider naked those whom they see stripped of the clothing of their doctrine, since they look upon all people who are simple in mind as stupid and boring when they see them having already lost their perverted principles. 8. It follows: You did not give water to the weary, you denied bread to the hungry. Heretics, the less they hold the solid substance of truth, the more they are busy appearing to reason, against the true faith they boast of knowledge of learning. They strive to attract everyone they see to themselves with bad reasoning; and because of the same actions by which they, along with others, drag themselves to destruction, they think that they are doing something conducive to life. We now call "tired" those who are worn out by the wear and tear of this world. And, therefore, the Truth Itself says: Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28) 832. So, while heretics never cease to preach their teachings, they mock the Holy Church as if for ignorance of it: You did not give water to the weary, you refused bread to the hungry. For they think of themselves that they “give water to the weary,” when they offer the cup of their own mistake to a person walking with his earthly burden. And they see it in such a way that they themselves do not “deny bread to the hungry,” because when asked even about secret, invisible and incomprehensible things, they answer with pride and courage; and then they will present themselves as more learned, as if superior to all other people, when they so pettyly allow themselves to talk about unknown things. But the Holy Church, when She sees someone who longs for something that will not be good for him if he receives it, then if these things are already known to Her, She does not yet reveal them to him, or if these things seem to be unknown for now, She admits it with humility; and therefore She, with a sense of humility, commands all her preachers: not to be wise above themselves, to think what they should, but to think modestly (Rom. 12:3) 833. And again: do not be proud, but be afraid (Rom. 11:20) 834. And again: do not look for things that are too deep for you; neither seek things that are beyond your strength (Sir.3:21) 835. And again: did you find honey? eat as much as is sufficient for you, so that you do not accidentally become full of it and vomit it (Prov. 25:16) 836. For “to find honey” means to taste the sweetness of holy knowledge. If there is enough and in moderation, then our perception becomes stronger as we learn, being under control. But “he was full of honey and vomited it,” the one who, in the desire to dive deeper than he has the potential, loses even the food he has already received due to excess. So, seeing that the Holy Church forbids weak minds to immerse themselves in deep truths, he said to blessed Job: you too denied bread to the hungry. 9 . And because the heretics are jealous of her greatness, the fact that she keeps many people in the true faith, and when they encounter a period of her earthly prosperity, they rebel against her with pride, and they scold her openly, as before they secretly envied her power. Therefore it follows: In your strong hand you took the land for possession, and as the strongest you held it. It was as if he had said in simple words: “When you took possession of the land where everyone is in your preaching, it was the power of might, not the wisdom of truth.” For while they see that Christian princes adhere to her preaching, they look upon all the people who come to her with princes, not as the result of righteousness, but as the result of the power of secular power. Verse 9. You left widows with nothing, and broke the hands of the orphans (Job 22:9) 837. 10. All those who are taken by the heretics by their preaching of carnal understanding, carry within themselves the corruptible seeds of their false teaching, and join them in their condemnation. But when the Holy Church receives into itself preachers of erroneous doctrine, either by subduing them with reason, or by binding them with the shackles of its discipline, the heretics, finding themselves as if in the desert and seeing that people are left without preachers, what else do they do if they do not complain that the Holy Church has left “widows with nothing”? And while the teachers of heretics are taken away, they imagine that the disciples are weakened in their practice, they complain that the Holy Church has broken the hands of the orphans. Or in another way, because when the Holy Church receives people who come to it from heretics, it is clear, without a doubt, that they are opposing their former mistake. But there are some among them who are so attached to the virginity of the flesh that they condemn marriage, and there are some who so extol abstinence that they abhor those who take the necessary nourishment. In relation to which Paul said: those who forbid marriage, and those who forbid eating what God has created, so that the faithful may receive with thanksgiving (1 Tim. 4:3) 838. These heretics then, seeing that she is returning them from carnal superstitions, when they see such returnees living differently than they taught them, they testify that in matters that they previously adhered to, their “hands are broken” by the Holy Church. And therefore, during this period, if any misfortune befalls Her by chance, they believe that it is retribution for Her sins. Next it is added: Verse 10. Therefore there are snares around you; and unexpected horror outraged you (Job 22:10) 839. 11. That man will be "outraged with sudden terror" who neglects to consider that he will meet with the severity of the Judge when He comes. Thus, while heretics look upon believing people as being brought down by the sins of error, they believe that there are “snares all around them.” And because they believe that believers do not know this about the future, they believe that they will be crushed by “unexpected horror,” and this person adds further, adding further insults: Verse 11. Did you think that you would not see the darkness, and that you would not be swept down by the overflowing waters? (Job 22:11) 840. It was as if he had said in simple words: “You promised yourself the safety of the world in hope, and therefore you were glad of your prosperity and light, and never thought that you yourself would be oppressed by sorrow. But, you see, while you were suffering in the troubles that came upon you, you turned out to be wrong, and behold, the darkness of trouble was upon you; Eliphaz compares these troubles to “overflowing waters,” because one follows another, just as during a storm wave follows wave. And then it continues: Verse 12–14. Have you remembered that God is in the height of the heavens, and high above the height of the stars? And you say, How does God know? He judges as if in the dark. The clouds have covered Him so that He does not see our deeds; He walks only in the circle of heaven (Job 22:12–14) 841. 12. There are very many people whose senses are so dulled that they cannot fear anything except what they see in bodily form. Therefore it happens that they do not fear God, because they cannot see Him. But heretics, because they think that they themselves are wise, utter words of insult to believers, and think that they do not fear Him because they are not able to see Him in bodily form. And they, as it is, from the deadness of perception think that their Creator, because He is above the heavens, and rises above the tops of the stars, is not able to see from a distance, and because between us and the sky there is air, He, “judges as in darkness” and “the clouds covered Him,” and is focused on the things above, and cares very little about the things below, and while He holds the boundaries of the sky, He pays no attention to what is below. But who, even out of their minds, would suspect such things about God? About Him Who, in fact, while He is always Almighty, is so concerned about everything that He is present in everyone individually, and is so present in everyone that His Presence is always enough for everyone together. For, although He leaves persons when they sin, He is still present to those very people in their punishment whom He sees desiring His help. He so surrounds that which is external that He fills that which is internal, and so fills the internal that He surrounds that which is external; so rules the heights above that it does not leave the depths below, and is so present in what is below that it does not leave what is above; He is so hidden in His mysteries that He is known in His works, and so known in His works, that yet it cannot be comprehended even by the man who knows Him; He is thus present, that He cannot be seen, and so is not seen, that His judgments themselves testify to His presence; He makes Himself so clear to us, that in the very ray of perception of Himself, He covers us with clouds, and again, so holds us in the darkness of ignorance, that, notwithstanding that He shines in our minds with the rays of His brightness, we are at once lifted with grace and shuddered with awe; and although it is impossible to see Him, He allows those who know Him to see some small part of Himself. But heretics consider all this unknown in the Holy Church because, out of their stupidity, they believe that only they are wise. And then he further adds: Poem. 15. Did you want to mark the old path that wicked people walked? (Job 22:15) 842. 13. Just as the “way” of our Redeemer is humility, so the way of this world is pride. So, evil people follow the worldly path because in the desires of this world they walk in self-exaltation. This is also additionally added about these same evil people: Verse 16. Which were taken away before their time, whose foundation was overflowing with the flood ( Job 22:16 ) 843 . 14. While the period of our lives is undoubtedly predestined for us in the foreknowledge of God, it is a very important question, on what principle does he now say that the wicked will be taken out of the present world "before the time"? For, Almighty God, although He often changes His judgment, His Council never does. And the time when every person is “taken away” from this life by Divine power, He foresaw in advance before all times. But it should be known that Almighty God, creating and taking us, according to our merits also assigns to each his limits: either a bad person should live a short time so that he does less harm to those who do right; or a good person should be longer in this life so that he can help others with good deeds; or again, the bad person must stay longer in this life in order to add even more of his iniquities that cleanse the good people, and so that the righteous can live their lives righteously; or the good man must be taken away more quickly, otherwise, if he lives here long, he will spoil his innocence with malice. However, it must be kept in mind that it is God's grace to allow sinners to come to repentance. But since they do not deign to turn to the fruits of repentance, but turn to the service of iniquity, then this mercy of God, which they may receive, they release from their hands. But God Almighty foresaw the time of every person in death, the time during which his life was brought to an end; and could not by anyone who had ever died at any time, change the actual time at which he died. For if fifteen years of life were added to Hezekiah, the time of his life was increased, as it were, only for him, since, in fact, he deserved to die later; but in God's providence He foresaw in His time precisely this point at which he would actually be taken out of his present life. But then, what does it mean when it is said that the wicked will be taken away before their time, if not that all of them who love the present life hope in themselves for longer periods of this life? But when death comes and takes them away from real life, the space of their life, which they used to imagine as if in imagination, which they pictured to themselves for a very long time, is, as it were, cut off. And what he rightly said: whose foundation was overflowing with a flood (Job.22:16) 844. 15. For the wicked, while they neglect in their hearts the transition to the things of eternity, and do not notice that all present things are fleeting, plunge their hearts into the love of present life, and do not build for themselves in it the foundation of eternal life, because they connect their desires with earthly things. Therefore, for example, Cain is described as the first who built a city on earth, who, thus, clearly turned out to be alien to the solidity of the eternal world because he chose a foundation on earth; and because he was a stranger to higher things, he placed his foundation in things below, that which placed the foundation of his heart in earthly joy. And therefore, in the offspring of this person, Enoch is born first, which means “initiated.” But among the descendants of the elect, Enoch is described as the seventh; this is because the sons of perdition, by building, have dedicated themselves to this life, which comes first, but the elect wait, and devote their inner building to the end of Time, which is indicated by the number seven. For the former rush quickly to find only a multitude of temporary things, seek honors, scour with open mouths in search of other people's good things, and see nothing after this life. What are they doing then if they are not “devoting themselves” in the first generation? And one can see how the elect do not seek anything in the present glory, joyfully accepting what is given, experiencing the troubles of this life, knowing that they can be crowned in the end. So, among the elect, Enoch is born in the seventh generation because they seek their joys in the glory of the final reward (Gen. 5:21–24) 845. And while in daily life the mortal state itself comes to an end and destroys the dedication of the children of perdition by removing those very children of perdition, he rightly said of the wicked: whose foundation was overflowing with the flood; those. the very path of change washes away their unholy foundation, and it follows: Verse 17. Which said to God: Depart from us (Job 22:17) 846. 16. This is what blessed Job said, and who can doubt it? And, so as not to tire the reader, we will refrain from repeating what we have already explained in connection with his words earlier (Job 21:14) 847. And then follows: And the Almighty will not do anything to them, to those who think so about Him (Job.22:17) 848. In this part, the words have been changed, but not the essence of the statement. For what was said by Job: Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? (Job.21:15) 849, Eliphaz expresses by saying: And the Almighty will do nothing to them, to those who think so about Him. And then it continues: Verse 18. Nevertheless, He filled their houses with goodness (Job 22:18) 850. 17. The Lord “fills the houses of the wicked with good” because, even to the ungrateful, He does not refuse His gifts, so that either they may repent, having experienced the loving kindness of their Creator and return to goodness, or, having completely despised the return to it, they may be the more punished there, the more here they responded with evil to the generous benefits of God, so that severe troubles of punishment await those whose iniquities here even gifts could not overcome. And then it continues: But let their judgment be far from me (Job 22:18) 851. This, too, was expressed by the blessed Job when he says: whose advice be far from me (Job.21:16) 852. But "judgment" can also be understood in one sense, and "advice" in a slightly different sense; for “judgment” comes from the mouth, but “advice” is created in the mind. So, while Eliphaz wished to be far from the “judgment” of the wicked, and the blessed Job from the “council,” it is clear without explanation that the first wished to be unlike the wicked in words, and the other even in the course of their thoughts. And then it continues: Verse 19. The righteous will see them and rejoice; and the innocent will laugh at them with disdain (Job.22:19) 853. 18. The righteous, when they see the unrighteous lost here, cannot be happy for the mistakes of people who destroy themselves. For if they rejoice in mistakes, they cease to be righteous. Again, if, in a sense of their own triumph, they are happy for themselves, for the fact that they, as they believe, are different from others, they are generally full of pride. Therefore, the Pharisee lost his justification when, in his joy that he was not like that, he placed himself above the merits of the tax collector, saying: I thank you that I am not like other people, robbers, offenders, adulterers, or like this tax collector (Luke 18:11) 854. Again, if we say that the righteous can rejoice in perfect joy at the death of the wicked, what nature must this joy be at the retribution of sinners in this world in which the life of the righteous is still uncertain? Let us then distinguish between times of fear and times of rejoicing. For the righteous, who now see the unrighteous, weep for their wickedness; and when they see those who have fallen, they look at their own lives with even greater scrutiny and distrust. When then can the righteous see the fall of the wicked and rejoice, if not when, under the strict Judge, they will now and forever receive perfect confidence in triumph, at the Last Judgment they will see the condemnation of the wicked, and will no longer fear for themselves? So now they see the children of destruction and groan, but then they will see them and laugh because in real triumph they will disdain those whom they now see doing evil without regret, and dying in wickedness without fear. And what is said below really shows that these things are spoken of their final condemnation. For their verdict is shown directly: Verse 20. Were not their buildings destroyed, and what was left behind them was consumed by fire? (Job 22:20) 855. 19. For here the structures of the wicked are that they increase in evil deeds. For they do evil at the same time, and their evil deeds are not defeated. They sin and prosper, they add to their sins, and multiply earthly blessings. But “their structures are destroyed” when they are taken from this life into destruction, or removed from the face of the Eternal Judge into the eternal fire of hell. Those people who, although they have abandoned their dead flesh, will receive the same in the resurrection, so that together with this flesh with which they sinned, they would burn. For since their sin was both in the mind and in the body, therefore the punishment must also be in the spirit and in the flesh. Thus, because even that which they leave here dead should not be free from torment, it is rightly said: and what was left after them was consumed by fire. And then it continues: Verse 21, 22. Be with Him and be at peace; this way you will get better results. Receive, I pray you, the law from His mouth, and put His words in your heart (Job 22:21–22) 856. 20. There is a sin of pride in teaching another something better than you yourself do not possess, and heretics often sin with this when they touch on things about which they have incorrect ideas, and at the same time, as if teaching true believers. For they think that they are "together with God" and this is a chance for them to justify their evil ways. And thus, for those who are “together” they promise peace in that heretics will henceforth stop arguing with those who finally agree with them. Now they promise “better fruits” to those who agree with them, because they believe that only those who do good deeds are those whom they themselves have triumphantly won over to their own principles; for these people it also suits what he adds further: Receive the law from His mouth; because what they think in their own heads seems to them to come from the mouth of God. And put His words in your heart, as if he were speaking in simple words, saying: “words that until now were only in your mouth, and not in your heart.” For, because he (the allegory of the Holy Church) rejected their corrupt principles, they argue against him (Her) that he carries the words of God not in the inner feelings, but only in outer manifestation. Therefore, as if under a certain manifestation of sweetness, they release the poison of poisoned persuasion, as if exhorting the Church to take the words of God into the heart. But if these people themselves had not moved away from Her heart, She would never have heard such things from them. And then follows: Verse 23. If you turn to the Almighty, you will be built again, but remove iniquity far from your tent (Job 22:23) 857. 21. Heretics believe that believers have left God because they see this difference in their preaching; and in the same way, when they see them suffering in calamities, they try, as if to instruct them to turn to the Grace of the Creator, saying: if you turn to the Almighty, you will be built again. It is as if they were saying in simple words: “By persisting in our doctrine, you have left the Lord, and you have crossed out all the creation of your righteousness.” Now by tent we sometimes mean the dwelling of the body, and sometimes the dwelling of the heart. For just as our soul lives in the body, so our thoughts live in the mind. Therefore, the “iniquity of the tent” of the mind is the evil that is in thought. But the “iniquity of the tent” of the body is the carnal performance of an evil work. Thus Eliphaz, because he was the friend of the blessed man, sees some things in the true light, and yet at those points in which he departs from the line of truth, holding the likeness of heretics, and not knowing that blessed Job was smitten as a result of his good qualities, it seemed to him that the blessed man had made a mistake, he whom he sees slain, and makes him a promise if he will return to Almighty God, saying: Take iniquity far from the tent yours. It’s as if he said in simple words: “those who return to God after lost roads are immediately purified both in thoughts and in deeds.” Verse 24. He must give flint for the earth, and for flint streams of gold ( Job 22:24 ) 858 22. What is signified by “earth” if not weakness in behavior, what by the hardness of flint if not strength, and what do we mean by “golden streams” if not inner brightness? Now to those who turn themselves to Him, Almighty God “gives flint for the earth,” because to those weak in behavior He gives the strength of right practice. He also gives “golden streams for flint” because He increases the power of correct practice (experience of spiritual life) by the teaching of a bright sermon: so that every transformed sinner can become strong from a weak person, and inwardly rise in strength even to the brightness of the words of a sermon. Thus, a person who fell to the ground in weakness of behavior, having received strength, can be firmly established in a righteous life, and while the formation of life has taken place, streams of gold can flow, for from the lips of those who live righteously, the brightness of the teaching can also flow. What follows: Verse 25. May the Almighty be against your enemies, and you will have heaps of silver (Job 22:25) 859. 23. What other enemies are we more susceptible to than the evil spirits that besiege us in our thoughts, that they can break through the fence of our minds and hold them, take them captive under the yoke of their dominion? Now the word “silver,” as the psalmist testifies, denotes sacred prophecies when he says: the words of the Lord are pure words, like silver mined in the furnace of the earth (Ps. 11:7) 860. And often, when we come to sacred revelations, we are even more cruelly attacked by the tricks of evil spirits because they sprinkle our vision with the dust of earthly thoughts so that for our vision they can darken the light of inner vision. This is also what the psalmist went through when he said: Depart from me, you evil ones, and I will seek the commandments of my God (Ps. 119:115) 861; those. clearly teaches us that he could not find the commandments of God when he suffered in the wiles of evil spirits. We also know these same things in Isaac's work, he represented them as the evil Philistines who filled the wells that Isaac dug with heaps of earth. For we ourselves dig these same wells when we penetrate into the depths of the hidden meanings of Holy Scripture. And these same wells, however, are secretly buried by the Philistines when, in our progress towards deep things, unclean spirits bring us earthly thoughts, and, as it were, take away the water of divine knowledge that has been discovered. But because no one can overcome these enemies with his own strength, Eliphaz said: Let the Almighty be against your enemies, and you will have a heap of silver. It was as if it were said in simple words: “While the Lord drives away evil spirits from you by His power, the radiant talent of divine revelation grows within.” And then it continues: Verse 26. Then you will have an abundance of delicacies from the Most High (Job 22:26) 862. 24. “Abound in the delicacies of the Most High” are those who, being in love for Him, are completely filled with the feast of the Holy Scriptures. In whose words we certainly find so many delicacies, and for our growth we receive manifold meanings, so that now straight history becomes our food, and veiled letters, morality and allegory renew our innermost soul, so that deeper things of contemplation hold us, and so that already in the darkness of this present life we ​​see a glimmer of the light of eternity. And it is necessary to know that anyone who is “abundant with delicacies” is aware in some way of losing himself, and, exhausting himself from devotion to work, as it was, gets tired, because the soul, when it began to receive inner delicacies in abundance, henceforth agrees never to give itself to earthly pursuits, but, being captivated by the love of the Creator, and captivating itself in it, it was freed, and, contemplating Him with bated breath, giving everything more, strengthens; and now she is no longer able to carry the dirty burden, she hurries to Him, to the One Whom she loves so much. Hence it is written in admiration: who is this that comes from the desert, abounding in delicacies? ( Song 8:5 ) 863 . For indeed, without the Holy Church, which “abounds in the delicacies” of the words of God, it could not rise from the desert of present life to the higher regions. Thus, she “abounds in delicacies” and rises because while she is nourished by mystical feelings, she rises higher in contemplation day by day. Therefore also the psalmist says: even at night there will be light around me in my delicacies (Ps. 139:11) 864. Because, while the soul is indeed nourished by mystical perception, the darkness of real life is illuminated in it by the radiance of day. So that even in the blindness of the present corruptible state, the power of the future light enters into her understanding, and she, nourished by the delicacies of words, can thus learn, anticipating the satisfaction of her hunger with the food of truth. And then it continues: And your face will be lifted up to God (Job.22:26) 865. 25. For “to raise one’s face to God” is to raise one’s heart to seek what is higher. For just as by the face of our body we are known and distinguished by men, so by our inwardness we are distinguished by God. But when we have fallen to the ground through sin, we are afraid to raise the face of our hearts to God; for if this is not nourished by any good deed, the mind is full of fear and is afraid to look at the highest things, because the conscience within itself accuses itself. But when with the tears of repentance the sin is now washed away, and the things done are mourned, great hope arises, and in anticipation of the joys of reward above, “the face of our heart rises.” Now, these things Eliphaz would have said correctly if he had been admonishing one who was weak. But when he looks at a righteous man who is in trouble, what is it if not that he is pouring out words of knowledge without knowing? And these same words, if we remember all the heretics, they say when they falsely attract us, promising to “raise our face to God.” It is as if they were saying to these faithful people: “As long as you do not follow our sermons, your heart has sunk into things below.” But while Eliphaz exhorts blessed Job to return to God, from whom, we note, the blessed man never departed, he also adds, as if promising: Verse 27. Pray to Him, and He will hear you (Job 22:27) 866. 26. For they offer up prayers to God, but are never heard, those who do not honor the commandments of the Lord when He commands them. Whence is it written that he who turns away his ear from hearing the law, his prayer is an abomination (Proverbs 28:9) 867. And because Eliphaz believed that blessed Job was not heard, he decided that this man had certainly done something unrighteous in his practice. And therefore he adds further: And fulfill your vows (Job.22:27) 868. Anyone who has made a vow, but is unable to fulfill it due to weakness, receives this as a punishment for sin: he has the desire to do well, but the power to do so is taken away from him. But when, in the sight of the inner Judge, the sin that hindered him is dealt with, it immediately happens that he is able to keep his vows. And then it continues: Verse 28. You set a thing in your mind, and it will be established for you (Job 22:28) 869. 27. It is the usual conclusion of those who stand weakly, that they consider a man righteous to the extent that they think he gets everything he wants. While in fact we know that earthly blessings are sometimes not given to the righteous, while they are bestowed with unprecedented bounty on the unjust; look, it’s also with sick people, when doctors see that a person is doomed, they allow him everything he wants; but to those whom they foresee can be cured and restored to health, they prohibit much of what the patients want. Now, if Eliphaz has made these statements about spiritual gifts, let it be known that "things are established" for a man when the virtue which he has longed for in desire, if God wills, is given to him to direct him to good. And therefore he further adds: And light will shine on your path (Job.22:28) 870. Direct and moral interpretation 28. The “light that illuminates the way” of the righteous are the works of virtue that shine with their brightness so much that where they walk in humility of mind, in the hearts of those who see them, they can dispel the night of sin, and by the example of their own experience pour into them the light of righteousness; but no matter how virtuous their deeds may be, if the pride of the heart exalts them, in the eyes of the inner Judge these deeds are worth nothing. Therefore it is added: Verse 29. For he who has been humbled will be in glory, and he who has cast down his eyes will also be saved (Job 22:29) 871. 29. This sentence does not diverge from what was said by the mouth of Truth, when He says: For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted (Luke 14:11) 872, and therefore Solomon also said: before a fall, the heart of a person is lifted up in arrogance, and humility precedes glory (Proverbs 18:13) 873, but he correctly said: and he who lowered eyes will also be saved; because, as has been discovered by many who serve, the first manifestation of pride is through the eyes. Therefore he wrote: and the look from above will be humiliated (Ps. 17:28) 874. Therefore it is said about the very head of those who behave with pride: he looked at everything that is high (Job.41:26) 875. Therefore it is written about those who apply themselves to it through unbelief: There is a generation, oh, how arrogant are its eyes! and their eyelids are lifted (Prov.30:13) 876. Thus, if someone “lowers his eyes,” then there will no longer be a single person around him whom he can look down on, but he himself will look lower than everyone else. Then he who “lowers his eyes” will be saved, because the one who leaves the false heights of pride receives the sublimity of truth. And then it continues: Verse 30. The innocent will be saved, but he will be saved by the purity of his hands (Job 22:30) 877. 30. This statement, which we see at the present moment, if it concerns reward in the Kingdom of Heaven, is also supported by the preacher of truth, for it is written by him about God: Who rewards every man according to his deeds (Rom. 2:6) 878 because man at the Last Judgment is saved by the justice of the Eternal Judge, the one whom His mercy here keeps free from unclean deeds. But if it is meant here that a man must keep his hands clean and remain innocent by his own efforts, this is undoubtedly a mistake; for unless Grace from above restrains him from committing a mistake, surely no one blameless without guilt will ever be found to receive a reward. Therefore it is said by the truth-telling voice of Moses: And no man in himself is innocent before You (Exodus 34:7) 879. Thus, by heavenly mercy, at first something happens in us, as if without help on our part, so that later, by our will, the good that we now desire, heavenly mercy could do with us; but the good that is bestowed by grace, again by mercy, at the Last Judgment, is rewarded in us as if it came only from ourselves. And about the fact that the grace of God gives us, and it is she who makes us innocent, Paul also says: but by the grace of God I am what I am (1 Cor. 15:10) 880. And about the fact that if our free will follows grace, he further adds: and His grace, which was given to me, was not in vain, but I worked more than all of them. And because he saw that there was nothing in himself, he says: not I, and also because he saw that everything in him was thanks to grace, but according to his desire, he added: but the grace of God, which is with me. For he would not have said: with me, if, along with receiving grace, he had no free will left after receiving it. Therefore, in order to show that he was nothing without grace, he says: not I, but so that he could show that, along with grace, he worked according to his free will, he added: however, the grace of God, which is with me. Thus the Innocent One will be saved, but he will be saved by the purity of his hands because he, who here receives the gift by which he can be innocent when he comes to the last day, is rewarded for his merits. As was said before, all the things said by Eliphaz, although formulated fairly, but to whom Eliphaz was addressing them, he did not understand; because it is not his business to teach someone who is better than himself, but his business would be to listen. All this behavior, however, coincides with the general pattern of behavior of heretics, who, when they find any of the believers suffering in this life, they consider them to have suffered for sins of error, and promise them, if they follow their teaching, the saving health of innocence in purification by good works. But the mind of believers, the deeper it looks at them, the more it sees them as not at all possessing the innocence that they promise. Therefore Solomon said well: in vain is a net laid for the eyes of the winged bird (Proverbs 1:17) 881. For, the “winged bird” is the spirits of good people who, in the hope of truth, soar to higher regions, and escape the snares of bad people established to deceive them. Verse 1, 2. Then Job answered and said: Now my groaning is bitter, and the hand of my blow is heavier than my groaning (Job.23:1-2) 882. 31. In his manner, blessed Job utters simple words, but he covers his statement with a deep veil of secret meaning. For, the hurt man's pain should have been healed by the consolation of his friends, but because their consoling speeches were flared with words of deception, the hurt man's pain only became stronger. For while Eliphaz was not afraid to promise him better things if he turned to God, by this, as if by some poisonous remedy, his wound was increased. Therefore he rightly said: now my groaning is bitter, and the hand of my blow is heavier than my groaning, in relation to the fact that the weight of disorderly and imaginary consolation has increased the variety of pain, which it should have reduced; and these same words are applicable to the image of the Holy Church, for in them the pain of believers is also set forth, those who groan the more the more they see the wicked, accustomed to flattery, those who, according to Paul’s statement, deceive the hearts of the simple with good words and beautiful speeches (Rom. 16:18) 883. 32. The same words can be justly applied if we look more closely at the mind of believers, which can never be without groaning, even though they seem to prosper in this world. For such a person, when adversity also befalls him, it doubles the pain that he already experiences. Therefore, he correctly said: now my groaning is bitter, and clearly showed that even in prosperity, the mind of the elect should not be without bitterness. And this is well said: and the hand of my blow is heavier than my groaning. For the “hand of the blow” is the force of striking. For the first blow that the chosen ones see is that they have parted with the contemplation of their Creator, that they have lost the brightness of inner illumination, and groan as if expelled from real life into darkness. Therefore, they always groan from the “hand of the blow,” but when, beyond this, adversity also befalls them in this life, “the hand of the blow is heavier than their groaning.” For they groaned from the blow, even if the hardships of real life were far away. But the bitterness of the first blow increases even further in adversity. Therefore he says: the hand of my blow is heavier than my groaning. Therefore, adversity does not befall a righteous person during the happy period of this life, but comes later, doubling the pain of the wound in him. Yet it is by the just administration of Almighty God that when in this life the spirit of the righteous suffers the greatest afflictions, it thirsts more ardently then to behold the face of its Creator. Therefore, it is rightly included here: Verse 8. Oh, that someone could grant me that I could know and find Him, and could come to His throne! ( Job 23:3 ) 884 . 33. The chosen man, if he does not know God, certainly cannot love Him. But it is one thing to “know” by faith, and another thing to “know” Him in His form; it is one thing to “find” Him by faith, and another to find Him by contemplation. As a result, it happens that the One whom they know by faith, all the elect also long to see in His Own form. And in His love they burn and glow, because they have already tasted the honey of His sweetness simply by the sincerity of their faith. These people are well illustrated by the example of a man in the country of the Gadarenes, who, cured of demons, wants to go with Jesus; but the Lord of his health said to him: Return to your house and tell what great things God has done with you (Luke 8:39) 885. For to the one who loves, despite the delayed reward of the meeting, and in whom the desire for love remains, the reward can be increased. So, for us, Almighty God is sweet in miracles, and yet in His Majesty remains hidden from our eyes, so that at the same time, both revealing something about Himself and keeping a secret, He may set us in the fire of love for Him, and yet, enveloping in mystery the Glory of His Majesty, may increase the strength of this love for Him with a still stronger desire. And if the holy man had not strived to see Him in all the fullness of His Majesty, of course, he would not have said in words: he could approach His throne. For what is the “Throne” of God, if not those unearthly Spirits which, as Scripture testifies, are called “Thrones”? And when he desires to “come to the Throne of God,” what else does he want, if not to be among the angelic spirits, so that no bad moments of temporary life will have to do with him, and so that he will rise to the glory of contemplating eternity. Direct and allegorical interpretation 34. These same words, however, also apply to the righteous who are still in this life. For when they see something happening that is contrary to their desires and aspirations, they resort to the secret judgment of God, for in it they can read that what outwardly seems to be happening wrong is in fact internally right. For when they see with the eyes of faith the Creator of all things, ruling over the angelic spirits, then they “come to the Throne.” For at that time they note that He who rules the Angels in excellent order cannot treat a person contrary to justice, and indeed, the reasons for what happens they can then see as just as what happens outwardly seems unjust. And while they do this with humility, they often consider themselves guilty of their own will, and their own desires they judge within, while they reflect, they see how much better exactly those things are that the Creator ordains. Therefore it is good to add in addition: Verse 4. I will lay my case before Him and fill my mouth with reproaches (Job.23:4) 886. 35. “To lay our case before God” is in the secret depths of our mind in the contemplation of faith, to open the eyes of our understanding to the strict appeal of His Majesty, and to understand what man as a sinner deserves, and to discover for ourselves the hitherto hidden and secret Judgment, to take into account how terribly He will be angry. As a result of this, the soul is filled with the most accurate knowledge about itself, and the more it sees its secret Judgment, the more it has something to be horrified for, the more terribly it shrinks from fears for its actions. And trembling in fear, she pursues her crimes with tears; in repentance she evaluates her habits, which she remembers about herself; therefore, immediately after it is said: I will lay my case before Him, this is rightly added: and I will fill my mouth with reproaches. For he who has “laid his case before God” immediately “fills his mouth with reproaches,” for while he sees himself accurately examined by the eyes of the terrible Judge, he turns against himself and persecutes himself with accusations, reproaches and bitter repentance. Now it often happens that while we neglect to consider our mistakes, the fact that the accusation of them may follow in court remains unknown to us: but while we pursue them, carrying out repentance, the Judge, in His examination of us, can tell us about them, and then we will know them. Therefore he also added: Verse 5. So that perhaps I might know the words with which He will answer me, and understand what He will say to me ( Job 23:5 ) 887 . 36. For we then begin to mourn our sins when we begin to weigh them; but we weigh them more accurately when more anxiously we mourn them, and rising more perfectly in our hearts through our tears, we learn better how the severity of God threatens those who commit sins, what conviction awaits the children of destruction, what horror, what disgust on the part of His Majesty. The Lord must then “tell” the lost such terrible things in anger, to the extent that He now allows them to pass by these things. And the righteous will be able to avoid these same words of His Majesty, because now they fear them with trepidation. But who, upon a true study of his work, can be recognized as righteous if God sifts through a person’s life in such a way as only the Majesty of His Power allows? Therefore he adds: Verse 6. I do not want Him to wrestle with me with great force, or to oppress me with the weight of His might ( Job 23:6 ) 888 . 37. For the soul of any righteous person, if it is judged with severity by Almighty God, will fall down under the weight of His power. In these same words it should also be understood that while a holy man sees the power of God, what else does he desire about Him if not His weakness? And this is written: The weakness of God is stronger than men (1 Cor. 1:25) 889. From where he also directly adds: Verse 7. May He bring justice against me, and my judgment will come to victory ( Job 23:7 ) 890 . For who else, if not the Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, is designated by the word “just”? Regarding Whom it is written: Who became wisdom and righteousness for us from God (1 Cor. 1:30) 891. And if this righteousness came into this world against the ways of sinners, we gain the best against our old enemy, to whom we were held captive. So let him say: I do not want Him to fight me with great strength, or oppress me with the weight of His power. May He bring justice against me, and my judgment will come to victory, i.e. “To reprove my path, let him send His incarnate Son, and then against the enemy’s conspiracy, by deciding that he will free me, I will turn into a winner. After all, if the Only Begotten Son of God remained invisible in the power of the Divine nature, and did not allow anything from our weakness, how could weak people ever find the way to Him? For the power of His greatness would rather oppress than help them; but the Mighty One above all things came weak among all things, and while He took our weakness, He was able to lift us up to His unfailing strength. For only in His Majesty of Divinity He would never have been perceived by us because we were too small, but He descended to humanity through human nature, and we, as it were, could only attach ourselves to Him when He lay down; and when He rose, we rose with Him. And further it is added directly about the Divine Nature that She is invisible and incomprehensible. And so he says further: Verse 8, 9. If I go to the East, He does not appear; if I go to the West, I will not understand Him; if I turn left, what should I do? I do not comprehend Him; if I turn to the right, I do not see Him (Job 23:8–9) 892. 38. For the Creator of all things is not in any one part, since He is everywhere. And yet, when He is everywhere, He is also in every part. For the Incomprehensible Spirit contains all things in Himself, which at the same time, and by filling it embraces, and by embracing it fills, and by supporting it elevates, and by elevating it supports; and it is good that after it has been said: If I go to the East, He does not appear; if I go to the West, I will not understand Him; if I turn left, what should I do? I do not comprehend Him; if I turn to the right, I don't see Him; he added: but He knows my way. It is as if he had said in simple words: “I cannot see Him who sees me, and Him who sees me in the smallest detail I cannot in any way behold,” so that he could show once again that he is the more carefully wary of Him, the less he discerns Him. For He Who contemplates so comprehensively cannot Himself be seen by us, and it is all the more necessary to fear Him to the extent that He is not visible. For when we believe that there is someone hidden in ambush to attack us, we fear him the more, the less we see him; and when we do not at all discover the ambush where he is, we perceive him, even where he is not. And our Creator, Who is everywhere where everyone is, and while He distinguishes all things, is Himself indistinguishable, He will be feared all the more to the extent that He, while continuing to remain invisible, can determine everything and always in relation to our actions. These words can also be understood in another sense. For we “go East” when we lift our minds in thoughts of His Majesty. But “He does not appear” because As He Is in His Nature, He cannot be seen by mortals. And further, if I go to the West, I will not understand Him; we "go West" when the eye of the heart, which rises upward to God, is forced to recoil because of the very immensity of the light, and we return within ourselves, and as we labor we learn that those things which we have so sought are found very high; and contemplating our mortal state, we find out that we are still beings unfit to have the strength to contemplate the One who is Immortal. And further: if I turn left, what should I do? I don't understand Him. “Turning to the left” means letting go of yourself in enjoying your sins. And it is certainly clear that they cannot “comprehend God,” those who still lie prostrate on the left side in the satisfaction of sin. And further: if I turn to the right, I don’t see Him. He is truly a “right-turner” who rises up from the earth by virtuous achievements. But he cannot see God, the one who rejoices with selfish joy for his good deeds, because in this person the tumor of pride presses on the eyes of the heart. Therefore it is well said in another place: you must not bend either to the right or to the left (Deut. 17:11) 893. In all these particulars, very often the soul seeks out itself, and yet is not able to fully comprehend itself. Therefore, he rightly added here: But He Himself knows my way (Job.23:10) 894. 39. It was as if he had said directly: “I, for my part, examine myself strictly, but at the same time I am not able to know myself thoroughly; He, Whom I do not have the power to see, sees in the smallest detail everything that I do.” And it continues: And He must try me, like gold that passes through fire (Job.23:10) 895. Gold in the kiln reveals the brightness of its nature while it loses its impurities. So, like gold that passes through fire, the souls of the righteous, who are tested by the fire of tribulation, simultaneously receive both the removal of their shortcomings and an increase in their merits. And there was no pride in the fact that a holy man compared himself in tribulation with gold, because the one who, by the voice of God, was recognized as righteous even before the tribulation, was not tested for the reason that bad qualities were removed, but only that virtues were increased; but gold is purified by fire, and therefore he thinks less of his personality than he deserves because, going through suffering, he believed that he should be purified, while he had nothing in himself that needed purification. 40. Now we need to know that although the mind of the righteous maintains a humble thought towards themselves, there are still some things that they do which they see to be right, although they do not insist on their righteousness. Therefore, he further adds: My foot holds on to His path; I kept His ways and did not turn aside (Job 23:11) 896. I did not depart from the commandment of His mouth, and I kept the words of His mouth in my bosom (Job 23:12) 897. But in the midst of all this, let's see if he considers himself anything? And then it follows: But only He Himself. By adding this statement, he shows that among all the good things he did, he considered himself to be nothing. But considering all these words from the beginning, let's work with them as best we can. Verse 11. My foot takes hold of His path (Job 23:11) 898. 41. For a kind of path of God is His actions, which we see, and also by human deeds, both good and bad, by which a person is guided, the righteous and the unrighteous are determined. And the former follow the Head day after day in order to improve, while the latter rebel against them and rush day after day to worse and worse. Concerning His paths also, the prophet said: We have seen Your ways, O God (Ps. 67:25) 899 and therefore we, when we see His long-suffering and mercy, and contemplating this, strive to imitate the same thing that else we do, if we do not keep our foot on “His paths,” in that we imitate some semblance of His works. Thus, the Truth instructed us to imitate the paths of His Father when He said: pray for those who use you and persecute you with false accusations; that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good (Matthew 5:44–45) 900. It may also be that blessed Job, who had already said in firm faith: I know that my Redeemer lives, and that I will rise at the last day on earth (Job 19:25) 901, saw the future works of Wisdom Incarnate just as we now see by faith the works of Wisdom that have already been accomplished, as far as the Mediator between God and man was kind to give, humble to bear, patient to give example. Whose life blessed Job, filled with the Spirit from above, saw with watchful attention, foreseeing the future humility of His merciful character, and he related the pattern of His life set before him with what he had done in his life. And therefore he could follow His footsteps, imitating Him in His earthly path, even when he could not see the lofty things of His secret dispensation. Peter said about these same “feet”: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, so that we would follow in the footsteps of His feet (1 Pet. 2:21) 902, in relation to which he further adds: Verse 11. His way I kept and did not turn aside (Job 23:11) 903. 42. For he “keeps the path and does not deviate” who practices the thing to which his mind is inclined. So “keeping” this is “not avoiding” in practice. This is both the desire and anxiety of the righteous: day after day they must test their actions for compliance with the path of truth, and make this their rule - not to deviate from the right path. Thus, every day they strive to rise above themselves of yesterday, and the more they rise to the pinnacle of virtue, the more vigilantly they judge themselves with censure, no matter what they have done. And they rush to urgently return if they find that they have stumbled somewhere even in the slightest bit. And then it continues: Verse 12. He did not depart from the commandment of His mouth (Job 23:12) 904. 43. Servants who serve well are extremely attentive even to the expression of their masters' faces, so that those things about which they may hear an order, they can understand easily and quickly, and immediately begin to carry them out to the best of their ability. So the minds of the righteous are attentive to Almighty God, and through His Scripture they direct their eyes, as it were, to His face, so that when God reveals to them all that He wills, the righteous may not conflict with His will, accessible to the extent that they know His will in Revelation. Therefore, it happens that His words do not pass particularly loudly through the ears, but, nevertheless, they record them in their hearts. Therefore it is added here: I kept the words of His mouth in my bosom ( Job 23:12 ) 905 . 44. For we “keep the words of His mouth in our hearts” when we not only hear His commandments, but put them into practice. Therefore, it is written about the Virgin Mother Herself: But Mary kept all these words, composing them in Her heart (Luke 2:19) 906. These words, even when they come out through external actions, still remain hidden in the recesses of the heart, because the mind of the doer is not exalted within because of what is done externally. For when the word that is intended is carried out in a feat that is aimed at human praise, in this case the word of God is really not “kept in the heart.” But I would like to know, O blessed man, when you examine yourself with such seriousness, why do you judge yourself with such care? And then it continues: Verse 13. But it is all only Himself, and no man can change His thoughts (Job.23:13) 907. 45. Don’t there exist angels and people, heaven and earth, air and ocean water, all winged and four-legged creatures, creeping things? Of course they exist, and it is written: whom God created that they should be (Gen. 2:3) 908. While there are so many things in the circle of nature, why is it now said in the voice of the blessed man: everything is only Himself? Because it is one thing to be, and another thing to BE initially, it is one thing to be subject to change, and another thing to BE independent of change. For all of them are in being, but they are not supported in it by themselves, and unless they are supported by a guiding hand, they can never be. For all things exist in Him by whom they were created, and nothing lives, moves, or passes away of its own accord. But He moves all things, He Who infuses life into some things, while He preserves some into which He does not infuse it, providing a wonderful way for a quiet and long existence. For all things were made from nothing, and their existence will again pass into nothingness, unless the Creator of all things guides them with His governing hand. For all things that have been created cannot of themselves exist or move, but they exist only insofar as they have received what they should be, and move insofar as they are under the influence of a secret influence. Behold, a sinner is punished by a disaster that came from another person, or the earth dried up in his domain, or the sea threw him into shipwreck, or his body burned in the fever of illness, or the heavens were darkened by a flood on his house, or his relatives burned with fire because of his oppression, or angelic powers were set in motion because of all his troubles. All these things that we have named, whether they are inanimate or endowed with life, rely in their actions on their own instincts, or on influences from God? Therefore, regardless of what the one acting against us is outwardly convicted of, any of these things should be considered from the point of view of the one who internally orders it to be exactly that way. And therefore, in any case, everything must be considered first of all as only He Himself, Who is the First Cause, Who also says to Moses: I AM THAT I AM, so say to the children of Israel, He who is has sent me among you (Ex. 3:14) 909. And so, when we are punished by the things that we see, we should fear with trembling the One whom we do not see. And so let a holy man look at everything that worries him outside, and the existence of which would not exist if it were not controlled by Him, and with the eyes of the mind, pushing everything else back, let him see only Him Himself, in comparison with Whose Existence our existence is nothing, and let him say: everything is only Himself. 46. ​​​Regarding Whose immutability he immediately adds rightly: and no man can change His thought, for He is immutable in Nature, and He is also immutable in Will. For no man can change His mind because no man has the power to resist His secret judgments. So, although there are people to whom it seems that they “changed His thought,” but in fact, this was His “inner thought” - what they had the power to beg from Him in their prayer, as if changing His sentence, which they received from Him, as if influencing Him. So let him say: and no man can change His thoughts, because His judgments can never be changed. Therefore it is written: He has given a statute that will not pass away (Ps. 149:6) 910. And again: Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away (Mark 13:31) 911. And again: My thoughts are not like your thoughts, neither are your ways like My ways (Is.55:8) 912. And therefore, when outwardly it seems that the verdict can be changed, the internal judgment does not actually change, because in relation to each specific thing that is created from the inside as it is, everything that is changeable happens externally does not matter. And then it continues: And whatever His soul desires, He does (Job 23:13) 913. 47. God is external to everything corporeal, and internal to everything spiritual, this determines His Power, therefore He penetrates into all things, and regulates all things, and this is called His “soul”. Even those things that seem to be done contrary to His Will cannot contradict His Will; see that even what seems to be done against His will, He endures to be done, so that through this thing, something else that He desires can be fulfilled. So the will of the Apostate Angel is bad, but according to the amazing dispensation and Will of God, these very tricks of his ultimately contribute to the well-being of the good ones, whom they purify in trials. So, “And whatever His soul desires, He does” because through the same source He fulfills His Will, which seemed to contradict His Will. Therefore let the holy man be filled with awe, and while contemplating the might of His Majesty, let him see himself as weak. 48. But it would be good to ask a question among these words and say: “Oh, blessed Job, why, in the midst of such disasters, are you afraid of even greater troubles?” You are already overwhelmed by such sorrows, and you are already suffering severely from innumerable disasters. What other misfortune do you foresee that has not yet come? You are inside of so much grief, what else can you be afraid of? But notice how the holy man, satisfying our question, immediately adds: Verse 14. For when He had accomplished His will in me, many other such things remained with Him ( Job 23:14 ) 914 . 49. It was as if he was saying in simple words: “Yes, I strongly feel that I am suffering, but I am still afraid of what I may still be exposed to.” For He does His Will in me, in that He struck me with many blows, but many other such things remained with Him because if He decided to strike, He sees even further where the blow can be added. From this we can understand how he feared Him before the disaster, one who, even after being so severely scourged, is still afraid that he may suffer further. For, contemplating the secret power, and power, and omniscience that abides in Him, the righteous, even after going through terrible troubles, does not feel safe. And therefore still fearing Him, he adds: Verse 15. Therefore I tremble before Him; when I meditate, I fear Him (Job 23:15) 915. 50. He rightly "trembles before the Lord," he who sets before his eyes the great Power of His Majesty, and trembles before His Righteousness, while he sees that he himself can never satisfy His estimation if He judges with severity. Now he correctly said: when I think, I fear Him because when a person thinks little, he fears little of the power of Divine punishment, and in this life, the more he spends in safety, the more alien he is usually to strict internal consideration. For the righteous, each time returning to the secret depths of the heart, contemplate the power of hidden severity, present themselves to the judgment of the inner Judge, and the more they desire to be safe on the last day, the more they do not seek safety here throughout their lives. And when the minds of evildoers refuse to consider what they should fear, sooner or later, rejoicing, they come to what they did not avoid through fear. But see that in the case of blessed Job we know that he made frequent sacrifices to God, that he was always hospitable, helped the needs of the poor, that he was humble both towards those who were dependent on him, and even towards those who were against him, and yet he received such countless calamities, and even after them he does not feel safe, he is still overwhelmed by fear, and still thinking about the power of the Divine he trembles all over severity. What should we, unfortunate creatures, say then? What will we sinners say if even he, who is so righteous, is so afraid? But let him make it known whether this great fear comes from himself. Verse 16. God has softened my heart, and the Almighty makes me afraid (Job 23:16) 916. 51. The divine gift, as it is said, softens the heart of the righteous, because it pierces him with the fear of judgment from Above. For that which is soft is capable of penetrating it, but that which is hard cannot be pierced. That is why Solomon said: Blessed is the man who is always afraid, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into trouble (Proverbs 28:14) 917, and therefore he attributes the merit of his fear not to himself, but to his Creator, when he says: God has softened my heart, and the Almighty makes me afraid. Therefore, the hearts of good people do not feel safe, but are alarmed, and while they think about the severity of future retribution, they do not strive to enjoy their rest here, and they interrupt calm, safe thoughts with inner heaviness. But these people, nevertheless, in the moments of the greatest height of fear, often remember the gifts that were promised to them, and thanks to this consolation, they are able to lift themselves up in the midst of what they fear, and a glance at the gifts that they have received serves as a hope that supports them, while fear oppresses them. Therefore it follows: Verse 17. Because I am not lost because of the darkness that is gathering; and darkness did not cover my face (Job 23:17) 918. 52. For he who, having fallen under calamities, loses the health of the body due to the "looming darkness", being punished for past sins, can thereby be protected from future punishments. For the disasters that befall good people either destroy the evil they have done or protect them from future sins they might commit. But blessed Job, knowing that, having fallen under the scourge, he was neither cleansed from previous sins, nor protected from those that might threaten him in the future, knowing that the scourge only increased his virtue, says with confidence: Because I am not lost because of the impending darkness; and the darkness did not cover my face. For he always had before his eyes the weight of the fear of the Lord, and the darkness of sin never covered his heart. And the one who did not suffer any punishment did not lose the health of his body due to the impending darkness. 53. And it should be noted that speaking about himself, about what happened to him before, he did not say “and the darkness did not touch my face,” but he said “the darkness did not cover my face,” for often even in the hearts of the righteous dirty thoughts still arise, and they try to incline them to the pleasures of earthly things, but while they are quickly removed by the hand of holy discretion, this darkness is quickly eliminated and does not cover the face of the heart, the darkness that has already touched it an appeal to illicit pleasures. For often, even in the most sacrificial prayer, certain urgent thoughts come to us, trying to gain strength in order to carry away or pollute what we sacrifice in ourselves to God with weeping eyes. Therefore, when Abraham offered a sacrifice at sunset, he was surrounded by birds that sat nearby, which he carefully drove away, so that they might not carry away the sacrifices that were offered. So let us, when we offer a burnt offering to God on the altar of our hearts, keep it from the unclean birds, so that evil spirits and bad thoughts cannot lay hold of what our minds hope it is rightly offering to God. And then it continues: Verse 1. The times are not hidden from the Almighty; they who know Him do not know His days (Job 24:1) 919. 54. What are called the “days” of God, if not His Eternity? Which is sometimes described as “one day,” as it is written: But one day in Thy courts is better than a thousand (Ps. 83:11) 920 but sometimes, because of its long infinity, it is represented by the expression of a number of days, of which it is written: Thy years are throughout all generations (Ps. 101:25) 921. We are wrapped in periods of time because we are created beings. But God, Who is the Creator of all things, in His Eternity embraces all our times. And therefore he says: The times are not hidden from the Almighty; they who know Him do not know His days, seeing that He really sees everything that is ours in His understanding, but everything that is His, we ourselves are in no way able to understand. But, while the nature of God is simple, it is very surprising why he said: they who know Him do not know His days. For it is not that He Himself is one thing, and His “days” another, since God is at the same time what He possesses. For He has eternity, but He Himself is Eternity. He has light, but He Himself is His Own Light. He has brightness, but at the same time He Himself is His Own Brightness. So, in Him and with Him, it is one and the same: to be and to have. What does it mean then when it is said: they who know Him do not know His days, except that even they who know Him do not actually know Him? For even those who already know Him by faith do not yet know Him by outward appearance. And while the One in Whom we really believe is Eternity in Himself, we do not know His eternity. For for the things which we hear of the power of the Divine nature, we sometimes use analogies to represent such things as we know by experience. Thus, for us, every thing that begins and ends is limited by a beginning and an end. And if it does not come to an end with any slight delay, it is called long; again, for a certain length a person can return the eyes of his mind to a memory, and stretch them forward for a period of time in the imagination. And when he hears about the Eternity of God, in human understanding, this is a conversation about some very long space of life, which, nevertheless, is divided into what has already passed into the past, as a thing that is stored only in memory, and what still remains, as a thing that is eagerly awaited in intention. 55. But while we have such thoughts when thinking about eternity, we do not know what eternity is. For this is something that was not started at the beginning, and is not completed at the end, and there is something that is not expected to come someday, and does not come because it disappears from sight, this is the only thing that eternally IS, eternal Being. This is something that, although both we and the Angels have begun to see, what we see is not the beginning, and it is always and without end, in such a way that the mind does not perceive things as following in a sequence, but perceives it in such a way that all the things that exist are, as it were, all the time and indefinitely. For, according to the Spirit of Prophecy it is said: The Lord will reign forever in the worlds and beyond (Exodus 15:18) 922; in the manner of Holy Scripture, the Spirit speaks to people in a human manner, for it speaks of the “further” where they are looking forward to what they cannot enter. But eternity has no “further”, one that is always there, and where no part of its length leaves so that another part can take its place, but as a whole there is a Being at once, where nothing desired is expected, and everything that the mind sees is immediately and simultaneously, not slowly and not for a long time. But when we say such things about the days of eternity, we are trying to see something greater than we can see. And let it therefore be rightly said: they who know Him do not know His days; because, although we already know God by faith, we do not see how His Eternity immediately IS without a past before all ages, and without a future after all times, for a long time without delay, forever, without looking forward, and without expectation. Thus, blessed Job, showing the image of the Holy Church (because he restrains himself by curbing knowledge, so as not to be wiser than he ought to be), and testifying that the days of God can never be understood, directly shows also the pride of heretics, who strive to appear deeply enlightened, and with what they are not able to perceive at all, they boast that they know perfectly. Thus, what follows: Verse 2. Others move the boundaries; they drive away the flocks and feed them (Job 24:2) 923. 56. Whom did he designate with the word “others”, if not heretics who are strangers in the bosom of the Holy Church? For they are those people who move the boundaries and landmarks laid by the Fathers, and with their steps step over them. Regarding these same boundaries it is written: Do not remove the ancient boundary that your fathers laid (Prov. 22:28) 924. And they drive away the herds and feed them, because they attract all the inexperienced to themselves with evil convictions, and with destructive teachings they feed them for slaughter. For the ignorant crowds are represented by the designation “herd,” which the words of the Bridegroom testify to, addressed to the bride: if you do not know this, O fair one among women, go back, and follow in the footsteps of the herds (Song. 1:7) 925, i.e. Avoid this in a righteous life, and knowing the glory of creating you in the likeness of God, do not depart from the form of contemplation of Me, and do not follow the path of the ignorant majority. And then it continues: Verse 3. They lead away the orphan's donkey, they take the widow's ox as a pledge (Job 24:3) 926. 57. Who then do we mean by orphans in this place, if not those chosen by God, who are established in sensitive minds and nourished by the grace of faith, but have not yet seen the face of their Father, who was killed? And there are very many in the Church who see some who are directed towards the things of heaven, despising all earthly things, and although they themselves labor with all their might in the labors of this world, they are drawn to those whom they see rejoicing after the things of heaven, and the things which they possess in this world bring help and support to them in this life. And although they cannot of themselves follow the spiritual life, yet for those who go forward to things higher, they gladly provide sustenance. For the donkey is used to carry loads. And such a person, as it were, is a donkey for the elect, who, walking the earthly path himself, carries luggage, helping the elect. And often, when heretics turn such a person away from the bosom of the Holy Church, they are, as it were, leading away an orphan donkey, because when they force him to accept his error, they are leading him away from serving the good. 58. But who should be understood by the “widow” if not the Holy Church, which is deprived of the sight of her murdered Spouse? Now the “bull” of this “widow” is every preacher. And there are often chances that heretics with their perverted principles seduce even those very people who happen to be preachers. And thus they “take the widow's bull” when they carry away even the man of preaching from the Holy Church. And this is rightly added: as a pledge. For when one thing is taken as collateral, it often happens that other things follow. And very often, for this reason, heretics try to take precisely those who preach, so that they also bring with them their followers. Thus, "the widow's bull is taken as a pledge" when the man who preaches is taken, and for this reason others may follow him. And because of this fall, it very often happens that those who were imbued with pious habits in it, and who seemed to be meek and humble, leave the breast of the Holy Church. Therefore it is added: Verse 4. They pushed the poor out of the way; and bring down the humble to the earth (Job 24:4) 927. 59. For the word “poor” very often signifies “humble,” and it very often happens that those who are meek and humble, if they have not yet learned to maintain freedom, fall after the example of other people. But there are some heretics who avoid mixing themselves with crowds, and seek respite from this life in solitude; and it very often happens that with the curse of their beliefs they poison those whom they meet, the more violently, the more in fact the lives of those they meet deserve respect. In regard to this he adds: Verse 5. Others, like wild donkeys in the desert, go forward to their work (Job 24:5) 928. 60. At this point, heretics are rightly compared to “wild asses,” for, lost in their pleasures, they become alien to the shackles of faith and reason. Hence it is written: The wild ass is accustomed to the wilderness, and breathes the wind of his love according to his pleasure (Jer. 2:24) 929. For he is like a wild ass accustomed to the desert, who, while he does not tend the soil of his heart with discipline, dwells where there is no fruit. And he “breathes the wind of his love according to his pleasure,” because the things that, from the desire for knowledge, he thinks in his mind, inflate him, and do not instruct him. Against whom did he say: knowledge puffs up, but love edifies (1 Cor. 8:1) 930. Consequently, the following words are appropriate: go forward to their business. For it is not God's business, but their own business, what they do, while they follow neither correct teaching, but their own desires. For it is written: He who walks in integrity has served me (Ps. 100:6) 931. Thus, the one who does not walk in integrity serves himself more than the Lord. And then it continues: By stalking prey, they provide bread for their children (Job 24:5) 932. 61. They are "stalkers" who are always trying to catch the words of the righteous according to their own perceptions, so that by this they can provide the bread of error for the children of the wicked in mind. Solomon said about this very bread, in the words of a woman who shows the image of heretical sinfulness: stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant (Prov. 9:17) 933. It continues: Verse 6. They reap the field that is not their own, and they gather the vineyard of the one whom they oppressed with violence (Job 24:6) 934. 62. By the name "field" the wide boundaries of Holy Scripture may be designated, and what the heretics "reap" is not their own because they take from it statements that are infinitely remote from their own ideas; which, moreover, is also described by the name “vineyard,” because it instructs in the grapes of virtues through true statements; and the owner of the vineyard, that is, the Creator of the Holy Scriptures, they seem to “oppress with violence,” because they are trying to forcibly turn over and remake the meanings of His words, the words of the Holy Scriptures; as He says: but you have troubled Me with your sins, you have burdened Me with your iniquities (Isa.43:24) 935. And they "gather grapes from the vineyard" because they take many statements there and twist them with their own interpretation. It may also be that in the name "field" or "vineyard" the Universal Church is represented, for heretical preachers "reap" and "oppress" Her members, and "gather grapes" because they lead some away from the grace of our Creator, taking away from Her people who seemed to be righteous. What else is added: Verse 7. They send people naked, taking their clothes from those who have nothing to cover themselves in the cold (Job 24:7) 936. 63. Just as clothes cover the body, so good deeds cover the soul. Therefore it is said: Blessed is he who watches and keeps his clothes, lest he walk naked and lest they see his shame (Rev. 16:15) 937. Thus the heretics, by redirecting the mind of any one, destroy his good works and clearly take away the covering of his garment; and this is well said: whoever does not have something to hide in the cold. For “covering” refers to righteousness, and “coldness” refers to sin. And there are some who commit sin in some situations, but do good deeds in other situations. What then should we call this person, who in one case commits a sin, and in another follows the truth, if not covered in the cold? For he is in the cold, and he is covered, because in one situation he did the work of the warmth of truth, and in the other he created the cold of sin. But whenever heretics take away good deeds from such people, they make it so that these people do not have anything to cover themselves in the cold. Therefore, he correctly said: They send people naked, taking their clothes from those who do not have anything to cover themselves in the cold; that is, the cold of sin can kill those who were previously covered to some extent by the warmth of good deeds. But it may be that the cold signifies an unrighteous desire, and the covering signifies good deeds. For there are many who are still troubled by unrighteous desires, but they fight with themselves in the spirit, they fight against themselves with good works, and good works cover what they perceive through temptations, helping to fight against wrong motives. And therefore, because they want evil, it is cold around them, but because they do what is good, they are clothed. But when heretics succeed in putting an end to their works of right faith by wrong instructions, what else do they do if they do not leave those who still feel the cold of carnal desires to die without the clothing of good works? Verse 8. They get wet under the mountain showers, and hug the stones for lack of clothing (Job.24:8) 938. 64. “Mountain showers” ​​are the words of the wise. The voice of the Holy Church speaks about these same “mountains”: I lifted my eyes to the mountains (Ps. 120:1) 939, and therefore these people “get wet under the mountain showers” ​​because the streams of the words of the holy fathers fill them to the fullest. But, as we said earlier, the “garment” is our good works that cover a person so that in the eyes of Almighty God the uncleanness of his depravity will be covered. Therefore it is written: Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, whose sins are covered (Ps. 31:1) 940. Who do we mean by the word “stones,” if not the mighty ones in the Holy Church, and by whom it was declared by the first shepherd: And you, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house (1 Pet. 2:5) 941. And therefore, those who, based on their own practice, do not have support, resort to the protection of the holy martyrs, fall to their holy relics with tears, and beg through their intercession to receive forgiveness. And what then do they do, because they do not have enough strength to do good deeds, if they do not “embrace stones”? And then it continues: Verse 9. They forcibly profit from orphans, and poison the whole common people of the poor (Job.24:9) 942. 65. When heretics do not prosper in this life, they address the weak with words of soft convictions about false things; but if fortune favors them at a given time, they do not even renounce violence to attract those they can. So the word “orphans” denotes those who are still weak in the bosom of the Holy Church, and whose life is preserved by the merciful Father, the life of those who have already arrived at the true goal with their minds, but are not yet strong enough to embody it in good deeds. Heretics forcibly profit from orphans, because they attack believers who are still weak with violence in words and deeds. But the “common people of the poor” are a multitude of ignorant people who, if they had the wealth of true knowledge, would never share the distorted faith. For, true teachers in the Holy Church, increasing knowledge in their hearts, bring true riches to them. But heretics poison the entire simple people of the poor, while they cannot influence those who know the truth, they are mistaken for the ignorant and strip them naked with the plague of preaching, removing the covering of the true faith. And then it continues: Verse 10. They took away the ears of grain from the naked and from those who walk naked and are hungry (Job 24:10) 943. 66. What he calls "naked" he repeats in the words "without clothes", but it is one thing to be naked and another thing to walk naked. Thus, every person who does neither what is good nor what is bad stands naked; but he, who does what is evil, “goes naked,” for, without the cover of good deeds, he moves along the road of wickedness. But there are some who, knowing how evil their wickedness is, hasten to eat the bread of righteousness, and to satisfy their hunger by receiving the sayings of the Holy Scriptures; and these people, every time their thoughts return to the words of their fathers, they take ears of grain. So, from the naked and from those who walk without clothes and are hungry, the heretics took the ears of corn because for those who stand still and never show themselves either bad or good, and for those who follow the path of shamelessness without the cover of good deeds, even if at any time now they want to return to repentance, and thirst for the food of the true word, from those who are thirsty, they take away the ears of grain, because in their minds they destroy the true the meaning of the fathers' statements. We will also justly say that the ears of corn signify the statements of the fathers, for they are often given to us in florid figurative form, and we remove the covering of the letter from their meaning, as the chaff from the grain, that we may perhaps feel the Spirit. And then it continues: Verse 11. They rest in the middle of the day among the heap of those who thirst and grind between winepresses ( Job 24:11 ) 944 . 67. All who persecute the Holy Church, what else are they doing if not grinding in “presses” with the permission of the Divine will, so that the clusters of souls can flow out, as into a vessel, as spiritual wine, being freed from corruptible flesh for the future in heaven. And while the unrighteous oppress the righteous, it is as if they are crushing grapes under their feet. And the grapes, being squeezed, flow out to the fullness of the heavenly holiday, those that previously seemed to hang freely in the air. Thus, David the prophet, about the scourges of the Holy Church, writes a psalm “about winepresses.” Now all who bear difficulties for the life of believers grind and thirst, for by doing things that are cruel they want even more savage; being blinded by the achievements of their wickedness, they go to do things that are all the more difficult, the more cruel things they have already done. But the heretics, when they do not themselves have the power of persecution, try to induce the people in this world who have the power, and incline their minds to carry out the persecution, and inflame them with the persuasion of which they are capable. And when they see these cruel measures of persecution against the lives of believers, they seem to rest in the midst of noon. Therefore, he said well here: They rest in the middle of the day among the heaps of those who thirst and grind between winepresses, because they add to themselves a multitude of those whom they see already cruelly oppressing others and still thirsting for greater persecution. And while the zeal of other people satisfies their own desires, they rest from these affairs, as in the middle of the day. And then follows: Verse 12. They made the people groan in the cities (Job 24:12) 945. 68. While the name of the city (civitates) comes from people living together (conviventes), it is quite fair to designate by the name "cities" the churches of the true faith, which, located in different parts of the world, constitute one Universal Church, in which all believers think rightly in relation to God and live together in harmony. It was this harmony of people living together that the Lord even outlined in the Gospel, when, with the intention of feeding people with five loaves, He commanded them to lie down fifty or a hundred in a row, so that a crowd of believers could receive their food, as if in separate places, but united by paths. For the rest of the jubilee is contained in the mystery of the number fifty (Lev. 25:10–13) 946, and fifty is repeated twice to bring the number to one hundred. Because the first anniversary is a rest from bad practice, and because the soul can subsequently rest in thoughts, some lie in rows of fifty, and some in a hundred, since there are some who are already resting from evil deeds, and there are some who are already resting in the soul from bad thoughts. Therefore, heretics often, attaching themselves to powerful villains in this world, oppress the good, united by living in harmony, and this is rightly said in this place: They made people groan in the cities. Whom does blessed Job rightly call “people,” if not those whom heretics seek to put an end to, who walk with perfect steps in the path of God, not effetely and weakly, but courageously; who, when they see the wound of error in the minds of weak believers, always return to them with weeping and groaning. And therefore he correctly said further: And the soul of the wounded cries, and God does not allow him to go unavenged (Job.24:12) 947. 69. For the souls of the righteous are “wounded” when the faith of the weak is not established, therefore it is rightly said that they “cry”, for they suffer because of the fall of others. But God does not allow him to go unavenged because, although by just purpose he suffers from the unjust thing that is about to happen, yet He does not allow that unjust thing to go away unavenged, which He justly permits to be done, for, at the same time, by the injustice of the sons of perdition, He strikes down the certain sins of the elect, which He sees in them, and yet, by Eternal Justice, does not neglect to strike down the injustice of the punishers. And then it continues: Verse 13. They rebelled against the light (Job.24:13) 948. 70. Very often evil people know the right things that they should follow, but still neglect to follow what they know, and therefore they are "rebels against the light," for, in their desires, they despise the good that they know. Then they, which they do wrong not out of ignorance, but out of pride, put up the shield of their exaltation against the arrows of truth so that they cannot be struck for their own good in the heart. It is because of this same pride that while they do not do what they know is good and what they ought to do, their own blindness completely excludes them from the light of truth. And therefore he adds justly: They do not know His ways and do not return to His ways (Job.24:13) 949. 71. Those who at first rebel, knowing the truth, are subsequently blinded so that they cease to know, as it is clearly said: when they, having known God, did not glorify Him as God, and did not give thanks (Rom. 1:21) 950, and about whom he adds a little further: then God gave them over to a depraved mind to do lewd things (Rom. 1:28) 951. For because they did not glorify Him whom they knew, being given over to evil feelings, such a fate befalls them that they should no longer know how to appreciate the evil that they have done. And it is well said: They do not know His ways and do not return to His ways. For the “paths” are much narrower than the “roads”. Now those who do not care to do good deeds do not achieve an understanding of subtler things. But Almighty God expected that they could still go “in His way.” And if they realized to “return” to them, then the path of life, which they cannot keep in innocence, they could at least keep in repentance. This shows how great and deep is the merciful bosom of God, that even from those whom He sees departing from Him, He waits so that they can return, even after sins. And those who do wrong, He calls to the Synagogue with the voice of prophecy, saying: Will you not cry to me: “My Father, You were the guide of my youth” (Jer. 3:4) 952. Verse 14. A murderer rises at dawn, kills the poor and needy, and becomes a thief at night (Job 24:14) 953. 72. While the murderers of their neighbors, as usual, come mainly in the silence of the night, why did he say in this place: rises at dawn in order to “kill the poor and needy,” while “at night” he is called a “thief”? Now, the more the letter of bare words alone does not agree within itself, the more we must call upon the hidden meanings of the Spirit for investigation. In Holy Scripture, “morning” is sometimes used to signify the coming of the Incarnate Lord, sometimes the coming of the terrible and all-seeing Judgment, sometimes the prosperity of the present life. Thus, the coming of the Incarnate Lord is called “morning” when the prophet says: the morning is approaching, but the night is still (Is. 21:12) 954 because at the same time the beginning of a new light shone in the appearance of our Redeemer, and yet the shades of their error were not purged from the hearts of the persecutors. Again, “in the morning” the coming of the Judge is signified when the psalmist said: early in the morning I will destroy all the wicked of the earth (Ps. 100:8) 955. And from the elect he says: In the morning I will stand in Your presence and wait (Ps. 5:4) 956. Again, under the word "morning" the prosperity of this life is represented, when Solomon said: Woe to you, O earth, when your king is a child, and when your princes eat in the morning (Eccl. 10:16) 957. For the morning is the first part of the day, and the evening is the last, and we should not put in first place the indulgence of the food of the prosperity of this life, but we should put those things that are at the end of the day, that is, those things that follow the end of this world. Thus, those “eat in the morning” who rise upward through success in this world, and while they passionately occupy themselves with present things, they do not pay any attention to future things. For whoever hates his brother is a murderer (1 John 3:15) 958. Thus, “the killer rises at dawn,” because every evil person is determined to the glory of the present life, and suppresses the lives of those who anxiously await the meal in the evening. For the bad man in this world, while he aims to seize the achievements of a passing power, spreads himself the more cruelly, taking into himself what is evil, the fewer there are people whom he loves in mercy. For as often as in the thoughts of his heart he goes mad against goodness, so often does he kill an innocent life. 73. And if God so decrees that he suddenly loses the glory of the power that he has received, he changes his place, but not his mood, since he directly falls into what he partakes of: and at night he becomes a thief. For in the night of his sorrow and emptiness, although he himself has no power to advance the hand of cruelty, nevertheless, to those whom he sees exposed to power, he gives advice of wickedness, and rushes here and there, and falls on any things with which he is able to strike the good. And he is rightly called a “thief”, because in all these very evil plans of his, he is afraid that he will not be caught outwardly. He is then, in relation to the poor and needy, a murderer in the morning, and at night, like a thief, hidden from view, because every bad person who, in the prosperity of this life, kills the lives of the humble, being in adversity and humiliation, from evil plans does evil in a hidden way, and what he is not able to accomplish himself, he embodies by joining with himself the powerful of this world. And then it continues: Verse 15. The eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight, saying, No eye will see me (Job 24:15) 959. 74. There is nothing in this statement that can prevent it from being understood, for he who desires to commit adultery seeks darkness. But while this sentence is spoken against heretics, it is a thing that must also be understood in a mystical sense. Thus, Paul says: For we do not counterfeit the words of God, as many do (2 Cor. 2:17) 960. For the adulterer does not strive for offspring, but for the pleasure of the act of carnal intercourse. And every bad person, a slave of vanity, is rightly called a “counterfeiter” of the word of God, because by the holy word of Revelation he desires not to beget children for God, but to demonstrate his knowledge. For he who burns in speech with the lust of glory directs his efforts to personal pleasure, and not to the conversion of children. And he rightly added: no one’s eye will see me, because adultery, which is committed secretly, is very difficult to really see with the human eye. For an evil soul commits deceit with the greater confidence, the more it is not afraid of being noticed by people before whom it may be ashamed. Moreover, it is known that he who commits adultery takes to himself unlawfully the flesh of another man's wife, so that all heretics, while they carry away a faithful soul in their own error, are, as it were, possessors of another man's wife; because a soul that is spiritually devoted to God and has joined Him, as if in some palace of marriage love, when by evil convictions it is led into false teaching, just as another man’s wife is defiled by adultery. And this is well added: And covers his face (Job.24:15) 961. 75. It is precisely because the adulterer “covers his face” that they cannot be known. Now every man who is bad in thought or deed “covers his face,” because either through false doctrine or bad deeds he is on his way to the point that he will not be recognized at the Judgment by Almighty God. Therefore He had to say to certain people: I never knew you; Depart from me, you workers of iniquity (Matthew 7:23) 962. And what is the “face” of the human heart if not the likeness of God? A bad person “hides” this same face so as not to be recognized when his life is disrupted either by bad deeds or by the fallacy of delusions. But each such person, until he sees that the righteous has been abandoned by luck in this world, will not dare to tell the righteous that something is wrong with him, but if a storm of adversity falls on the righteous, he will immediately burst out with words of poisonous conviction. And therefore it is added: Verse 16. In the dark they dig under the houses that they noticed for themselves during the day; they do not know the light ( Job 24:16 ) 963 . 76. For what is meant by the name “house” here, if not the conscience in which we live, and when we do something, we work in it? Therefore he said to one healed man: return to your house and tell what great things God has done to you (Luke 8:39) 964; those. henceforth, protect yourself from the evil habit of sin, and return to your conscience, and be vigilant, prompted by the voice of preaching. And therefore, when the righteous are prospering in the modern world, those people who are guided by false principles are afraid to say that the righteous are not living like that. And with their counsels, they wait for the humiliation of their prosperity, that in the darkness of adversity they may speak convincingly in the minds of those to whom, while they lived prosperously, they never dared to say wrong things. But as soon as they see them under the influence of adversity, they proclaim that these adversities are nothing but retribution for the sins of the sufferer. For, loving only the glory of this life, it is this that they take as the standard of condemnation. So they dig under houses in the dark because the minds of good people in fair misfortune can be exposed to their efforts. Now he well said that they noticed for themselves during the day, because when they saw that the righteous were under the light of prosperity, they could not act against them, they could only think out malevolent plans against them. But, whether heretics or any other bad people, they rejoice when they see the righteous under the weight of disasters, and while they see them rising to the height of ruling power, they are lost, they are filled with fears, they are in grief. And therefore it is added: Verse 17. If the morning comes suddenly, it is like the shadow of death to them (Job 24:17) 965. 77. For the wicked eye fixes on the righteous and waits to see them in trouble, and they “burrow under houses in the dark,” when they capture the heart of the innocent but weak in times of trouble, and direct it in the wrong direction. But it often happens that when they are already beginning to see benefit in the misfortunes of the righteous, suddenly, by the secret appointment of God, the righteous man, who seemed to have lost the prosperity of this world, is suddenly supported by someone in power in this world, and the prosperity of this life again smiles on him, whom the darkness of misfortune has previously touched. When the wicked see the prosperity of this man, as has already been said, they are afraid. For they return to their hearts, they bring back to the eyes of their minds the deeds that they remember of themselves, and they fear that every particular sinful habit in them will be avenged, and so, through the same situation in which the righteous receives power to shine, the bad man who fears to be corrected fades into sorrow. And so he said well: If the morning comes suddenly, it is for them like the shadow of death. For “morning” is the mind of the righteous, who has thrown away the darkness of sin, and now flares up into the light of eternity, as it is said about the Holy Church: Who is this that shines like the dawn? ( Song 6:10 ) 966 . Thus, in the same measure that every righteous man shines with the light of righteousness in this present life, and rises to heights, in the same measure the “darkness of death” comes upon the eyes of the wicked, for they who remember that they have done bad things are in fear that they may be corrected. For they desire always to have freedom in their iniquity, so as to live free from correction, and in sin, so as not to lose pleasure; and this fatal merriment is suitably described in the words immediately given below: And they walk as in darkness as in light (Job 24:17) 967. 78. In a lying mind they are delighted in the deeds of wickedness, through sin they come closer to punishment day by day, but are full of self-confidence. Hence Solomon said: And there are evil men who are as safe as if they had the works of the righteous (Eccl. 8:14) 968. Regarding which he also wrote: who rejoice in doing evil delight in the most evil deeds (Prov. 2:14) 969. Thus, “they walk as in darkness as in light,” because they rejoice so much in the night of sin, as if the light of righteousness were spreading around them. Or else, while darkness still rightly represents real life, in which the conscience of other people is not visible, and our light is the eternal earth, in which, when we look at faces, our hearts are also mutually visible; and because the wicked so love the present life, and accept these times of exile as if they already reigned in their native country, he rightly said: they walk as much in the darkness as in the light because they are so full of joy in the present state of blindness, as if they were already in the light of the eternal country. It continues: He is light above the surface of the water (Job.24:18) 970. 79. From the plural he returns to the singular, because most often one person begins something that is bad, and others imitate him after that, but, first of all, his sin, the one who led bad people to follow examples of lawlessness; and therefore the judgment often returns to the one who was the leader in sin. Now the surface of the water moves back and forth from the swaying of the air, and does not calm down completely, even if this movement stops in some place. And therefore the mind of the wicked is “lighter than the surface of water,” in that every breath of temptation that touches him attracts him without being slowed by resistance. For if we imagine the unstable heart of any bad man, what do we discover but the surface of water in the wind? For this man, now, now the breath of anger is leading him, now the breath of pride, and now the breath of lust, and now the breath of envy, and now the breath of lies is dragging him along. And therefore he is light above the surface of the water, which is carried by any wind of error when it comes to him. Therefore, it is also well said by the psalmist: My God, make them like tumbleweeds, like dust before the wind (Ps. 83:14) 971. For the wicked “become like tumbleweeds” because, when they set out on a journey, they neglect the things that are ahead, and follow those that should be left behind, their hind parts rising, and their front parts falling. And they are also justly compared to "dust in the face of the wind," because when the breath of temptation comes upon them without endurance, they often rise first to fall, and they often ascribe to themselves some merit in proportion as errors exalt them to the heights. May their portion be cursed on earth; and let him not walk in the way of the vineyards (Job 24:18) 972. 80. He who in this present life does what is right, but meets with misfortunes, is seen to actually go through painful labor in trouble, but by the benefit of eternal inheritance he ends this path without loss; but he who does what is bad, and also meets with good fortune, and even in the abundance of blessing is not restrained from evil deeds, is seen to really prosper, but is bound by the strict bonds of eternal damnation. Therefore it will now be rightly said: Let their part be cursed on earth, because, although he is blessed for a time, he is firmly held in damnation. Regarding which he also rightly added: and let him not walk in the way of the vineyards. For “the ways of the vineyard” is the rightness of the Church. And here nothing prevents us from understanding by him either heretics or any carnal person, because “the way of the vineyard,” that is, the rightness of the Church, is lost for them when either the right faith or the righteous life is abandoned. For those “walk in the way of the vineyard” who take the preachings of the Holy Church to heart and do not deviate either from the right line of faith or from good deeds. Thus, “walking the path of the vineyards” is when the words of the Fathers of the Holy Church, which hang like bunches of grapes, intoxicate with the love of Eternity, while the traveler listens to them in the snares of the path. And then it continues: Verse 19. Let him pass to the excessive heat from the snowy waters (Job 24:19) 973. 81. Lawlessness is likened to cold because the mind that sins is bound by it in insensibility. Therefore it is written: As the spring made her waters cold, so she made her malice cold (Jer.6:7) 974. And, on the contrary, love is “warmth”, because it warms the soul that it fills. It is written about this “warmth”: because iniquities abound, the love of many will grow cold (Matthew 24:12) 975. And there are those who, while they avoid cold or iniquity, come to true faith and even holiness, but because they assume in their powers of perception more than there should be, often in the faith that they receive, they try with their minds to snatch out with curiosity what they do not accept within, and thus want to come more quickly to God by arguments of reasons, and not by faith. But the human mind does not have the power to delve into the mysteries of God, and about everything that they cannot comprehend by reason, they also do not care to believe, and through excessive reasoning they fall into error. Thus, those who do not yet believe or are involved in the practice of evil have been "snow waters," but when, having abandoned the works of the flesh, in the faith to which they have been led, they aim to dive deeper than they are given the ability to do, they become hotter than they should be. And this prophecy is so touching in relation to the sentence of evil people, when he says the right thing, not wanting anyone to have it happen to him: Let him pass to the excessive heat from the snow waters. As if it were said in simple words: “he who is not restrained in humility under the chains of self-discipline, with his unbelief, or with the coldness of bad deeds, through immoderate wisdom falls into error.” Therefore, too, the great preacher, having gotten rid of this excess warmth of too refined wisdom, says to the hearts of his disciples: do not be wiser than you should be wise; but be wise in moderation (Rom. 12:3) 976. So that by chance excessive heat could not destroy those who came from the “snow water”, that is, non-believers, or those who commit evil deeds that lead to death. And because it is very difficult for him, who is wise in himself, to incline his mind to humility and believe that those who preach say the right things, and reject the opinion of his own wrong thinking, it is rightly said: Verse 19. And his sin will even lead to hell (Job 24:19) 977. 82. For that sin “even leads to hell”, which until the end of this life, according to punishment, was not corrected in repentance. John says about the same sin: there is a sin unto death, I do not say that he will pray for it (1 John 5:16) 978. For “sin unto death” is a sin that is not corrected here even until death, and pardon for it is sought in vain. Regarding this, it is added even further: Verse 20. Let mercy forget him (Job 24:20) 979. The mercy of Almighty God is said to “forget” the one who has forgotten the justice of Almighty God, who does not fear Him now as just, can never find Him merciful later. The same sentence is pronounced not only against the one who refuses to preach the true faith, but also against the one who, being in the true faith, lives a carnal life, for the punishment of eternal condemnation will not bypass them who lies in sin in faith or in practice. For, although the types of guilt are different, there is still no means of liberation from guilt that has not been purified by repentance. And then it continues: The worm is his sweetness (Job 24:20) 980. 83. For one who desires his path to be prosperous in this world, to surpass the rest of the world, to rise high in the abundance of things and honors, for this person, undoubtedly, worldly affairs are a sweet delicacy, and a support in his labors. For he becomes very tired when the affairs of the world are absent, which tire him. Now, because it is the nature of worms to be in motion continuously every moment, the restlessness of thoughts is rightly designated by the name "worms." So, “The worm is its sweetness” for the wicked soul in that it feeds for its satiation from the same source from which it is continually agitated in restlessness. It is also possible that the word "worm" may refer to flesh. Therefore he will say further: how much less is a person who is rotten? or the son of man, who is a worm? (Job 25:6) 981. So, how well is the blindness of everyone shown, who is full of lust and devoted to the pleasures of the flesh, when he said: The worm is his sweetness. For what else is our flesh if not “rot” and “worm”? And if someone breathes carnal desires, what else does he do if he does not love the “worm”? For what our flesh is, our graves testify. What parent, what true friend can bear the touch of flesh once loved, but nevertheless full of worms? And therefore, when flesh is desired, let everyone consider what this flesh is when it is lifeless, and understand what he loves. For nothing curbs the appetite of carnal desire so much as the consideration of what that which he loves alive will become when he dies. For when we consider the corruption of the flesh, we see instantly that when the flesh is desired, corruption is desired. Therefore, he said well about the consciousness of a lustful person: the worm is his sweetness, for he who burns in fire with the desire of carnal corruption desires the stench of decay. As I remember, all that I promised at the beginning of this third part I have briefly gone through in order that the things that follow in this work, since they are shrouded in greater mystery, might, with God's help, be more fully considered. Can a person benefit God? A reasonable person benefits himself. What pleasure is it to the Almighty that you are righteous? And will He benefit from your keeping your ways pure? I said to the Lord: You are my Lord; You don't need my blessings. Will He, fearing you, enter into competition with you, go to court with you? It is true that your wickedness is great, and your iniquities have no end. It is true that you took pledges from your brothers for nothing and took off the clothes of half-naked people. He did not give water to drink to the thirsty and refused bread to the hungry; but to a strong man you (gave) land, and the high-ranking one settled on it. Who sealed us and gave the pledge of the Spirit into our hearts. If you lend money to the poor of My people, do not oppress him or impose an increase on him. If you take your neighbor's clothing as collateral, return it before the sun goes down. Then his sovereign calls him and says: evil slave! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. By the grace given to me, I say to each of you: do not think (about) (yourself) more than you ought to think; but think modestly, according to the measure of faith that God has allocated to each. Fine. They were broken off through unbelief, but you hold on by faith: do not be proud, but be afraid. Do not seek what is too difficult for you, and do not try what is beyond your strength. You have found honey, eat as much as you need so as not to get fed up with it and vomit it. You sent away widows with nothing and left orphans empty-handed. prohibiting marriage (and) eating what God created to be eaten with thanksgiving by those who are faithful and know the truth. That's why there are loops around you, and unexpected horror outraged you or darkness in which you see nothing, and many waters cover you. Isn't God higher than heaven? look up at the stars, how high they are! And you say: what does God know? can He judge through darkness? The clouds are His curtain, so He does not see, but walks (only) around the heavenly circle. Do you really follow the path of the ancients, along which lawless people walked? which were destroyed prematurely when the waters poured out under their foundations? ... when did the water spill under their foundation? Enoch lived sixty-five years and begat Methuselah. And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years and begat sons and daughters. And all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was no more, because God took him. They told God: get away from us! and what will the Almighty do to them? And yet they say to God: get away from us, we do not want to know Your ways! ... and what will the Almighty do to them? What is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? and what is the use of resorting to Him? And He filled their houses with goodness. But the advice of the wicked be far from me! ... But the advice of the wicked be far from me! You see, their happiness is not in their own hands. - The advice of the wicked be far from me! The righteous saw it and rejoiced, and the blameless one laughed at them The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: God! I thank You that I am not like other people, robbers, offenders, adulterers, or like this publican our enemy was destroyed, and what was left behind them was consumed by fire. Get close to Him and you will be calm; through this good will come to you. Receive the law from His mouth and put His words in your heart. If you turn to the Almighty, you will be built again, you will remove iniquity from your tent and you will change the shining metal into dust, and the (gold) of Ophir into the stones of streams. And the Almighty will be your gold and your shining silver The words of the Lord are pure words, silver purified from the earth in a furnace, refined seven times. Depart from me, you wicked, and I will keep the commandments of my God. for then you will rejoice in the Almighty and lift up your face to God. Who is it that rises from the desert, leaning on its beloved? I woke you up under the apple tree: there your mother gave birth to you, there your mother gave birth to you. Shall I say: “Perhaps the darkness will hide me, and the light around me will become night.” ... and lift up your face to God. You will pray to Him, and He will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows. Whoever turns away his ear from hearing the law, his prayer is an abomination. ... and you will fulfill your vows. Set an intention, and it will come true for you, and light will shine over your paths. ... and light will shine on your ways. When someone is humiliated, you will say: exaltation! and He will save the one who has a downcast face. for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. The heart of man is lifted up before he falls, and humility comes before glory. for You save the oppressed people, but You bring down haughty eyes. looks at everything lofty with courage; he is the king over all the sons of pride. There is a race - oh, how arrogant are his eyes, and how raised are his eyelashes! You will also deliver the innocent, and he will be saved by the purity of your hands. Who will reward everyone according to his deeds. preserving (righteousness and showing) mercy for thousands of generations, forgiving guilt and crime and sin, but not leaving it unpunished, punishing the guilt of the fathers on the children and on the children's children to the third and fourth generation. But by the grace of God I am what I am; and His grace in me was not in vain, but I labored more than all of them: not I, however, but the grace of God that was with me. In the eyes of all the birds the net is laid in vain. And Job answered and said: Even now my speech is bitter: my sufferings are heavier than my groans. for such (people) serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and with flattery and eloquence they deceive the hearts of the simple-minded. Oh that I knew where to find Him, and could approach His throne! return to your house and tell what God has done for you. He went and preached throughout the whole city what Jesus had done for him. I would lay my case before Him and fill my mouth with excuses. I would know the words with which He would answer me, and I would understand what He would say to me. Would He really compete with me in full power? Oh no! Let Him just pay attention to me. because the foolish things of God are wiser than men, and the weak things of God are stronger than men. Then the righteous could compete with Him, and I would forever receive freedom from my Judge. From Him you also are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. But behold, I go forward - and He is not there, back - and I do not find Him; whether He does what on the left side, I do not see; I don’t see if it’s hidden on the right. act according to the law that they will teach you, and according to the decree that they will tell you, and do not deviate either to the right or to the left from what they tell you. But He knows my way; let him test me, I will come out like gold. ... let him test me - I will come out like gold. My foot holds fast to His path; I kept His path and did not turn aside. He did not depart from the commandment of His lips; I kept the verbs of His mouth more than my rules. We have seen Your procession, O God, the procession of my God, my King, in the holy place. But I say to you: love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who use you and persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven, for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. But I know that my Redeemer lives, and on the last day He will raise this decaying skin of mine from the dust. For you have been called to this, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, so that we would follow in His footsteps. ... I kept His ways and did not deviate. ... I kept the verbs of His mouth more than my rules. But Mary kept all these words, writing them in Her heart. But He is steadfast; and who will reject Him? He does what His soul wants. And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, for on it He rested from all His works, which God had created and created. God said to Moses: I am who I am. And he said, Thus shall you say to the children of Israel: Jehovah (Jehovah) has sent me to you. set them for ever and ever; gave a statute that will not pass away. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. ... He does what His soul wants. Thus, He will fulfill what is due to me, and He has many similar things to this. Therefore I tremble before His face; I ponder and fear Him. God relaxed my heart, and the Almighty made me afraid. Blessed is the man who is always in reverence; but whoever hardens his heart will fall into trouble. Why was I not destroyed before this darkness, and He did not hide the darkness from my face! Why are times not hidden from the Almighty, and those who know Him do not see His days? For one day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be at the threshold of the house of God than to live in the tents of wickedness. I said: My God! do not take me away in half my days. Your summers in childbirth. The Lord will reign forever and ever. They move boundaries, steal herds and graze (at home). Do not move the ancient boundaries that your fathers set. If you do not know this, most beautiful of women, then follow in the footsteps of the sheep and feed your kids near the shepherds’ tents. The orphans' donkey is taken away, and the widow's ox is taken as collateral. the poor are pushed off the road, all the humiliated lands are forced to hide. Here they are, (like) wild donkeys in the desert, going out to do their work, getting up early to hunt for prey; the steppe (gives) bread for them and for their children; A wild donkey accustomed to the desert, swallowing air in the passion of her soul, who can hold back? All who seek her will not grow weary: in her month they will find her. We know about foods sacrificed to idols because we all have knowledge; but knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. My eyes are on the faithful of the earth, so that they may remain with me; He who walks in the way of integrity will serve me. ... getting up early to hunt; the steppe (gives) bread for them and for their children. “Stolen waters are sweet, and hidden bread is pleasant.” They reap in a field that is not their own and gather grapes from the wicked. You did not buy Me a sweet-smelling reed for money, nor did you satisfy Me with the fat of your sacrifices; but you troubled Me with your sins, you burdened Me with your iniquities. naked spend the night without cover and without clothing in the cold. Behold, I come like a thief: blessed is he who watches and keeps his clothes, lest he walk naked, and lest they see his shame. They get wet from the mountain rains and, having no shelter, huddle against the rock. … I lift up my eyes to the mountains, from where my help will come. … Blessed is he whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered! and you yourselves, like living stones, are being built up into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. they tear away the orphan from their breasts and take a deposit from the beggar. they are forced to walk naked, without clothing, and the hungry are fed with ears of corn. They squeeze olive oil between the walls, trample it in grindstones and thirst. In the city people groan, and the soul of those being killed screams, and God does not forbid it. and sanctify the fiftieth year and proclaim freedom on earth to all its inhabitants: let this be your jubilee; and return every one to his possession, and every one return to his tribe. The fiftieth year shall be your jubilee: do not sow or reap what grows on the earth itself, and do not pick the berries from its unpruned vines, for this is a jubilee: let it be sacred to you; from the field you shall eat its produce. In the year of jubilee, return every one to his possession. ... and the soul of those who are being killed cries out, and God does not forbid it. Some of them are enemies of the light, they do not know its ways and do not walk in its paths. ... they do not know his ways and do not walk in his paths. But how, having come to know God, they did not glorify Him as God and did not give thanks, but became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. And even though they did not care to have God in their minds, God gave them over to a depraved mind - to do indecent things. Will you not cry to Me from now on: “My Father! You were the guide of my youth! At dawn a murderer rises, kills the poor and needy, and at night becomes a thief. The watchman answers: morning is approaching, but it is still night. If you are urgently asking, then contact us and come. From early morning I will destroy all the wicked of the earth, in order to uproot from the city of the Lord all the workers of iniquity. God! Hear my voice early, early I will appear before You and wait. Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, and when your princes eat early! Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. And the eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight, saying: No eye will see me, and covers his face. For we do not corrupt the word of God, as many do, but we preach sincerely, as from God, before God, in Christ. And then I will declare to them: I never knew you; Depart from me, you workers of iniquity. In the dark they dig under houses that they noticed during the day; they don't know the world. For for them the morning is the shadow of death, since they are familiar with the horrors of the shadow of death. Who is this, shining like the dawn, beautiful like the moon, bright like the sun, formidable like regiments with banners? ...for they are familiar with the horrors of the shadow of death. There is also such a vanity on earth: the righteous suffer what the deeds of the wicked would deserve, and the wicked suffer what the deeds of the righteous would deserve. And I said: and this is vanity! from those who rejoice in doing evil and admire evil depravity. He is light on the surface of the water, cursed is his part on the ground, and he does not look at the road of the vineyards. My God! Let them be like dust in a whirlwind, like straw before the wind. ... his part is cursed on the earth, and he does not look at the road of the vineyards. Drought and heat absorb snow water: so the underworld absorbs sinners. Just as a spring spews out water, so it spews out evil: violence and robbery are heard in it, and insults and wounds are always before My face. and, because iniquity increases, the love of many will grow cold. ...so the underworld is for sinners. If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin that does not lead to death, then let him pray, and (God) will give him life, (that is) the one sinning (a sin that does not lead to death). There is a sin leading to death: I’m not talking about praying. Let his (mother's) womb forget him; let the worm feast on it; let no memory of him remain; like a tree, let the wicked be broken, ... let the worm feast on it. Much less is man (who) is a worm, and the son of man (who) is a moth.