^31:24 If I have considered gold my strength, and if I have said to fine gold: My confidence.
^31:25 If I have rejoiced over my many riches, and because my hand found very many things.
^31:26 If I have seen the sun when it shone and the moon advancing brightly,
^31:27 and my heart rejoiced in secret and I kissed my hand with my mouth:
^31:28 which is the greatest iniquity and a denial against God Most High.
^31:29 If I have rejoiced at the ruin of one who hated me, and if I exulted that evil had found him:
^31:30 for I did not give my throat over to sin, so that by cursing I would await his soul.
^31:31 If the men of my tent did not say: Who would give us some of his flesh, that we might be satisfied?
^31:32 The stranger did not remain outside; my door was open to the traveler.
^31:33 If, like a man, I have hidden my sin and concealed my iniquity in my bosom.
^31:34 If I feared an exceedingly great multitude and the contempt of relatives terrified me, and did not rather keep silence nor go out the door.
^31:35 Who will grant me a helper, that the Almighty may hear my desire and that he who judges may himself write a book?
^31:36 I would carry it on my shoulder and bind it around me like a crown.
^31:37 Through each of my steps I will pronounce it and offer it as to a prince.
^31:38 If my land cries out against me and its furrows weep with it,
^31:39 if I have eaten its fruits without money and afflicted the soul of its farmers,
^31:40 let the thistle spring up for me instead of wheat, and the thorn instead of barley. The words of Job are finished.

418. If I have considered gold my strength, etc. After Job excused himself of injustice and of being without mercy, here he consequently excuses himself of inordinate affection for riches, which indeed happens in two ways:

in one way, through the fact that a man trusts too much in riches, and he excludes this, saying: If I have considered gold my strength, so that I would regard my virtue as principally in riches, and if to fine gold, that is, to the purest gold, I said: My confidence, namely, you are, contrary to what the Apostle says in 1 Timothy at the end: Command the rich of this world not to hope in the uncertainty of riches;

second, man’s affection is disordered concerning riches through the fact that he rejoices too much in riches, and therefore, with respect to riches already possessed, he adds: If I have rejoiced, namely, inordinately, over my many riches, which I possessed as my own; but with respect to the acquisition of riches he says: and because my hand found very many things: for men are accustomed to rejoice more over those things that they newly acquire.

419. Then he excuses himself from the sin of superstition, which is against God. Now idolaters in ancient times worshiped the stars of heaven, and especially the luminaries because of their very great brightness, and he excludes this from himself, saying: If I have seen the sun when it shone and the moon advancing brightly, namely, on account of which they are worshiped by idolaters, and my heart rejoiced in secret, as though inwardly devoted to them in worship; and with respect to outward worship he adds: and I kissed my hand with my mouth, as though in reverence for them. And why he avoided this he shows, adding: which is the greatest iniquity: for if it is unjust that what is owed to one man be shown to another, it seems especially unjust that the worship due to God be shown to a creature; and because it is impossible for man to show latria to God and to a creature at the same time, he therefore adds: and a denial against God Most High. For although the name of God may be attributed to certain creatures by participation, nevertheless the worship of latria is owed only to God Most High, who is denied to be Most High if such worship is shown also to others.

420. Therefore, once these matters that pertain to common justice have been set forth, he adds certain things that pertain to the perfection of virtue. Among these, first he excludes hatred of enemies, which is especially manifested when someone rejoices either over the total ruin of his enemy, and this he excludes, saying: If I have rejoiced at the ruin of one who hated me, or over some evil coming upon him, which he excludes, adding: and if I exulted that evil had found him, that is, had come upon him unexpectedly. And why he avoided this he shows, adding: for I did not give my throat over to sin, so that by cursing I would await his soul: for man naturally desires the things in which he rejoices, and he unfolds his interior desire in words; therefore it follows that if someone rejoices over another’s evils, he desires them and consequently, by cursing him, prays evil upon him.

421. Then he shows the perfection of his virtue with respect to the superabundance of good things that he showed to others,

and first indeed with respect to his household, he says: If the men of my tent did not say: Who would give us some of his flesh, that we might be satisfied? For when some animal is delightful for the use of eating, men desire to be satisfied with its flesh; therefore by this he gives it to be understood that his company was so pleasing to his household that they longed to be satisfied by his bodily presence.

But with respect to strangers he adds: The stranger did not remain outside, namely, without being received into my house; my door was open to the traveler, so that entry would not be difficult for him.

422. Further, he proceeds to show the perfection of his virtue with respect to the exclusion of undue fear. Now men, because of fear of shame, are sometimes accustomed to hide their fault against justice, either by denying it, which he excludes from himself, saying: If, like a man, I have hidden my sin, that is, as men are accustomed to do, namely, by denying it unduly; or by excusing it, or even by concealing it with certain cunning devices, whence he adds: and concealed in my bosom, that is, by some hidden pretense, my iniquity, when, namely, I was bound to confess it. Consequently, he excludes from himself inordinate fear of bodily dangers, which indeed is especially accustomed to proceed from a multitude rising up against a man, according to Sirach 26:5: At three things my heart has been afraid: the slander of a city and the gathering together of the people, etc.; whence he says: If I feared an exceedingly great multitude. But to this fear is added if a man is despised by relatives by whom he ought to have been helped, whence he adds: and the contempt of relatives terrified me. Now men who are unafraid are accustomed to proceed into the contrary by presumption, and sometimes indeed at least with words they speak against those stronger than themselves, and he excludes this from himself, saying: and did I not rather keep silence; but sometimes they proceed further so as presumptuously to attack a multitude of adversaries, and he excludes this, saying: nor go out the door.

423. And because he had said many and great things about himself, he invokes divine testimony concerning these things, whence he adds: Who will grant me a helper, namely, one who will intercede with me before God? And for what he wishes to be helped he shows, adding: that the Almighty may hear my desire; and what his desire is he explains, adding: and that he may write a book, namely, of my accusation or commendation concerning the aforesaid matters, he who judges, namely, all human acts, both interior and exterior. And if, indeed, by the testimony of this book, that is, by the certain manifestation of the truth, I should appear culpable, I am willing to bear the punishment, whence he adds: I would carry it on my shoulder; but if, when the truth has been made manifest, I should appear commendable, from this I shall receive the crown of reward, whence he adds: and bind it around me like a crown, by which he gives it to be understood that his desire is that he who was being unjustly condemned by his friends be reserved for the just judgment of God. But he promises that he will not contradict the aforesaid book of divine testimony, whence he adds: Through each of my steps, that is, the progress of my works, I will pronounce it, that is, I will confess the truth of the divine testimony; nor will I refuse to undergo sentence according to divine testimony, whence he adds: and offer it as to a prince, namely, gladly bearing that it be done with him according to the divine testimony.

424. Then he excludes from himself the vice of excessive covetousness even in acquiring things from his own possessions, which indeed is manifested in two ways: in one way, through the fact that a man strives, by excessive cultivation, to draw superabundant fruits from his possessions, and to exclude this he adds metaphorically: If my land cries out against me, as though I did not permit it to rest but cultivated it too much, whence he adds: and its furrows weep with it, and he speaks by the likeness of a man who is excessively pressed into forced labor. In another way, excessive covetousness is manifested through the fact that a man denies to workers the price of their labor, whence he adds: if I have eaten its fruits without money, namely, money paid to the workers, and afflicted the soul of its farmers, namely, either by compelling them to labor too much or by withholding their wages. Now it is owed that one who desires excessive and unaccustomed things should also lose due and customary things, whence he adds: instead of wheat, which, namely, is sown for the nourishment of men, let the thistle spring up for me, which, namely, is not only useless but prickly, and instead of barley, which, namely, is sown as food for beasts of burden, the thorn, which, namely, also harms beasts of burden by pricking them. Once these things have been set forth, an epilogue is added when it is said: The words of Job are finished, because, namely, after this he proposed nothing for the assertion of his opinion.