Chapter 21
| Collection: | The Book of Job and 42 Paintings |
| Author: | Fr. Antonio Oteiza |
| Type: | Painting |
| Location: | Cataloguing Room |
| Characteristics: | Acrylic paint on cardboard |
| Artwork: |
Click to enlarge |
| Description: |
Job replied: “Listen carefully to my words; let this be the comfort you give me. Be patient while I speak, and when I have finished, you may mock me. Am I complaining about some man, or do I lose patience without reason? Look at me, and in sheer astonishment you will put your hand over your mouth. When I remember it, I am horrified, and terror seizes my flesh. Why do the wicked remain alive, growing richer as they grow old? Their offspring are secure in their company, and they watch their children grow. Their homes are peaceful and free from fear; the rod of God does not strike them. Their bull mates without fail, and their cow calves without miscarrying. They let their little ones run about like young goats and allow their children to leap and play. They sing to the sound of zithers and tambourines and rejoice at the music of the flute. Thus they spend their lives in contentment and descend peacefully to the grave. Yet they said to God: ‘Keep away from us! We have no interest in your ways. Who is the Almighty that we should serve him? What do we gain by praying to him?’ —Yet their happiness is not in their own hands. The plans of the wicked are far from God! How often is the lamp of the wicked extinguished, or disaster brought down upon them? How often does the anger of God allot them suffering, so that they become like straw driven by the wind, like chaff swept away by the whirlwind? —But God stores up the punishment for their children. Let him see his own ruin with his own eyes and drink the wrath of the Almighty! For what does he care about his household once he is dead and the number of his months has come to an end? —Can anyone teach God? One man reaches death without an ailment, completely tranquil and at peace, his body full of vigour and the marrow of his bones still rich; another dies filled with bitterness, never having enjoyed anything good. Yet both lie down together in the dust, covered with worms. I know your thoughts and the violent schemes you devise against me. I know that you say: ‘Where is the house of the mighty man? Where is the dwelling place of the wicked?’ Why do you not ask those who have travelled? Why do you not believe their remarkable accounts: that the wicked man escapes disaster and is absent on the day of calamity; that no one reproaches him for his conduct or repays him for what he deserves; that he is carried to the grave and a watch is kept beside his tomb, and the clods of the valley lie sweetly upon him? All mankind follows after him, just as countless people went before him. And you wish to comfort me with empty words? Your answers are nothing but deceit.” |
