Midrash sobre Job 11:20

R. Jochanan said: "The Shechina was delayed six months in the deserts, for Israel's sake, that they might repent: but they did not. The Shechina then said: "Let despair come upon them, as it is said (Job 11, 20) But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and the means of escape will vanish from them, and their (sole) hope shall vanish out of their soul."

Chapter 2: Rabbi Yochanan opened: "But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall have no way to flee, and their hope shall be the drooping of the soul." (Job 11:20), a body that isn't destroyed and its soul leaves in a fire that doesn't extinguish, and about them the scripture says: "For their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched." (Isaiah 66:24). Said Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi: One time, I walked on the road and I found Elijah the Prophet, his memory for blessing. He said to me: Is it your desire that I place you at the gate of Gehinnom? I said to him: Yes. He showed me humans that were hanging by their noses and humans that were hanging by their hands and humans that were hanging by their tongues and humans that were hanging by their legs, and he showed me women that were hanging by their chests, and he showed me humans that were hanging by their eyes, and he showed me humans to whom they were feeding their flesh and humans to whom they were feeding hot coals of broom-wood and humans sitting alive and worms were eating them. He said to me: These are the ones that about them it is written "For their worm shall not die." (ibid.). And he showed me humans to whom they were feeding fine sand, and they were feeding them against their will and their teeth were breaking, and the Holy One Blessed Is He was saying to them: Evil ones, when you ate stolen [food], it was sweet in your mouths, and now there isn't within you the strength to eat, to fulfill that which is said: "You break the teeth of the wicked." (Psalms 3:8). And he showed me humans whom they were casting from the fire to the snow and from the snow to the fire like this shepherd who shepherds his sheep from mountain to mountain, and about them the scripture says: "Sheeplike they head for Sheol, with Death as their shepherd. The upright shall rule over them at daybreak, and their form shall waste away in Sheol till its nobility be gone." (ibid. 49:15). Said Rabbi Yochanan: Each individual angel is appointed to exact the punishment of one sin. This one comes and judges him and goes on his way, and so the second one and so the third one and so all of them until they recompense for all the sins that are in his hand. To what is the matter similar? To a debtor who had many creditors and they brought him before the king. Said to them the king: What should I do for you? Go and split it (his money) between yourselves. [So too] at that time, his soul is passed in Gehinnom to cruel angels and they split it between themselves.

“I have seen everything in the days of my vanity; there is a righteous person who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked person who endures in his wickedness” (Ecclesiastes 7:15).
“I have seen everything in the days of my vanity.” They asked Shmuel HaKatan, what is the meaning of what is written: “There is a righteous person who perishes in his righteousness”? He said to them: ‘It is revealed and known before the One Who spoke and the world came into being that this righteous person is destined to be corrupted. The Holy One blessed be He says: I will remove him [from the world] while he is still in his state of righteousness, as it is stated: “There is a righteous person who perishes in his righteousness.”’
“And there is a wicked person who endures in his wickedness.” As long as a person is alive, the Holy One blessed be He anticipates his repentance; once he dies the hope for his [repentance] is lost, as it is stated: “When a wicked person dies, hope is lost” (Proverbs 11:7). [This is analogous] to a group of robbers who were incarcerated in prison. One of them dug a tunnel and they all fled. One of them remained there and did not flee. When the jailer came, he began striking him with a stick. He said to him: ‘Luckless and unfortunate one, you had a tunnel before you and you did not flee?’ So too, in the future, the Holy One blessed be He will say to the wicked: ‘You had [the opportunity for] repentance before you, and you did not repent?’ Consequently, “the eyes of the wicked will fail” (Job 11:20).
Due to three matters, Rabbi Yoshiya said that the Holy One blessed be He is patient with the wicked in this world: Perhaps they will repent, or perform mitzvot for which the Holy One blessed be He will reward them in this world, or perhaps righteous children will emerge from them. We see that He was patient with Aḥaz, and Hezekiah emerged from him; with Amon, [and] Josiah emerged from him; [with] Shimi, [and] Mordekhai emerged from him.

(Gen. 22:1, cont.:) THAT GOD TESTED (rt.: NSH) ABRAHAM. This text is related (to Ps. 60:6 [4]): YOU HAVE GIVEN THOSE WHO FEAR YOU A TRIAL (NS) IN ORDER FOR THEM TO FLEE (rt.: NWS)¹⁴⁸A more traditional translation reads: YOU HAVE GIVEN THOSE WHO FEAR YOU A BANNER (NS) THAT IT MIGHT BE DISPLAYED. < ON ACCOUNT OF TRUTH. SELAH >.¹⁴⁹Gen. R. 55:1. < The passage refers to > a flight (rt.: NWS) through which Israel has been delivered from the judgment of Gehinnom. {Another interpretation: A TRIAL (NS) IN ORDER FOR THEM TO FLEE (rt.: NWS)} ON ACCOUNT OF TRUTH. SELAH. < The reason is > in order to grant < Israel > a reward in truth, as stated (in Is. 61:8): AND I WILL GIVE THEM THEIR RECOMPENSE IN TRUTH. The wicked, however, have no flight, as stated (in Job 11:20): BUT THE EYES OF THE WICKED FAIL; AND RETREAT IS CUT OFF FROM THEM. (Ps. 60:6 [4]:) YOU HAVE GIVEN THOSE WHO FEAR YOU A TRIAL (NS).¹⁵⁰Cf. Tanh., Gen. 4:21. Come and see the difference between the early < ancestors > and those who came later! The early ones were tested (rt.: NSH) at the hands of the Holy One, as stated (in Gen. 22:1): THAT GOD TESTED (NSH) ABRAHAM. So also with the people of the wilderness generation (according to Exod. 16:4): SO THAT I MAY TEST < THE PEOPLE > AS TO WHETHER THEY SHALL WALK IN MY TORAH OR NOT. It also says this (in Deut. 8:16): IN ORDER TO HUMBLE YOU [AND IN ORDER] TO TEST YOU…. Those who came later, however, were tested at the hands of the nations, as stated (in Jud. 3:1): NOW THESE ARE THE NATIONS WHICH THE LORD LEFT TO TEST ISRAEL. Ergo (in Ps. 60:6 [4]): YOU HAVE GIVEN THOSE WHO FEAR YOU A TRIAL (NS) IN ORDER FOR THEM TO FLEE (rt.: NWS) ON ACCOUNT OF TRUTH. SELAH. What is the meaning of ON ACCOUNT OF TRUTH. SELAH? < The words refer to > whoever has been tested (rt.: NSH) and withstood trials (rt.: NSH). And so you find in the case of Daniel and his companions, that when they went into exile, the Holy One decreed for them to eat unclean bread. It is so stated (in Ezek. 4:13): SO SHALL THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL EAT THEIR UNCLEAN BREAD AMONG THE GENTILES WHERE I SHALL BANISH THEM. Nebuchadnezzar arose and fulfilled the oracle. He began by saying: I decree that they eat of my food. Thus it is stated (in Dan. 1:5): AND THE KING APPOINTED FOR THEM < A DAILY PORTION OF THE KING'S FOOD >…. Daniel did not accept it. Instead he said: Although the Holy One has decreed for us to eat unclean bread, he wants to test us. We, however, will do our part; and the Holy One will do his. He began to say [to the captain of the guards (in Dan. 1:12f.): If you please], PRAY, TEST (NS) YOUR SERVANTS FOR TEN DAYS, [AND GIVE US SOME LEGUMES TO EAT AND WATER TO DRINK. THEN LET OUR APPEARANCE AND THE APPEARANCE OF THE CHILDREN WHO EAT THE KING'S FOOD BE LOOKED AT IN YOUR PRESENCE, AND DEAL WITH YOUR SERVANTS ACCORDING TO WHAT YOU SEE]. He said to them: But are you able to stand the test (rt.: NSH) for ten days without eating bread or drinking wine? They said to him: Yes, because we are of the children of that person who withstood the test of ten trials from God. His merit will stand by us. Thus it is stated (in Dan. 1:12): PRAY, TEST (NS) YOUR SERVANTS. Has not the king already found us ten times better than the magicians? By whose merit? By the merit of Abraham, who withstood the test of ten trials.¹⁵¹On Daniel and the merit of Abraham, see Ber. 7b. Concerning Abraham’s ten trials, opinions differ as to which events they included, but the tradition is old. See Jubilees 19:8; Avot 5:3. See also above, 3:4; below, section 46; M.Pss. 18:25. For listings, see ARN, A, 33; ARN, B, 36; PRE 26. Once they had withstood their trial (rt.: NSH), what is written (in Dan. 1:9, 14-15): THEN GOD GRANTED DANIEL [MERCY AND COMPASSION BEFORE THE CHIEF OF THE EUNUCHS…. SO HE HEEDED THEM IN THIS MATTER AND TESTED (rt.: NSH) THEM FOR TEN DAYS. THEN AT THE END OF TEN DAYS, THEIR APPEARANCE WAS SEEN TO BE BETTER AND THEIR FLESH FATTER THAN ALL THE CHILDREN WHO HAD EATEN THE KING'S FOOD]. Ergo (in Ps. 60:6 [4]): YOU HAVE GIVEN THOSE WHO FEAR YOU A TRIAL (NS) IN ORDER TO HAVE A MIRACLE OCCUR (rt.: NWS).¹⁵²This translation better fits the interpretation here than a more traditional rendering. In Ps. 60:6 [4] what is the meaning of (NS)? < That > you have made them great. It is just as it is stated (in Is. 30:17): AND LIKE A BANNER (NS)¹⁵³This is the usual interpretation of NS in the verse. Just as A Banner UPON A HILL implies greatness, so has the Holy One made Israel great. UPON A HILL. So why did the Holy One test (NSH) them? In order to make them great. In order not to give the nations of the world a pretext for saying: He has made them great, but he did not test them. So they endured their test. Therefore (in Gen. 22:1): NOW IT CAME TO PASS AFTER THESE THINGS, [THAT GOD TESTED ABRAHAM].