^2 (C)Let Israel now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
³ Let the house of Aaron now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
⁴ Let those who fear the Lord now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”

^5 (D)I called on the Lord in distress;
The Lord answered me and ^(E)set me in a broad place.
^6 (F)The Lord is on my side;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
^7 (G)The Lord is for me among those who help me;
Therefore ^(H)I shall see my desire on those who hate me.
^8 (I)It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in man.
^9 (J)It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in princes.

¹⁰ All nations surrounded me,
But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
¹¹ They ^(K)surrounded me,
Yes, they surrounded me;
But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
¹² They surrounded me ^(L)like bees;
They were quenched ^(M)like a fire of thorns;
For in the name of the Lord I will ^[a]destroy them.
¹³ You pushed me violently, that I might fall,
But the Lord helped me.
^14 (N)The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.

¹⁵ The voice of rejoicing and salvation
Is in the tents of the righteous;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
^16 (O)The right hand of the Lord is exalted;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
^17 (P)I shall not die, but live,
And ^(Q)declare the works of the Lord.
¹⁸ The Lord has ^(R)chastened^[b] me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.

^19 (S)Open to me the gates of righteousness;
I will go through them,
And I will praise the Lord.
^20 (T)This is the gate of the Lord,
^(U)Through which the righteous shall enter.

²¹ I will praise You,
For You have ^(V)answered me,
And have become my salvation.

^22 (W)The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
^23 [c]This was the Lord’s doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
²⁴ This is the day the Lord has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.

²⁵ Save now, I pray, O Lord;
O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity.
^26 (X)Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.
²⁷ God is the Lord,
And He has given us ^(Y)light;
Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
²⁸ You are my God, and I will praise You;
^(Z)You are my God, I will exalt You.

²⁹ Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.

⁸ “Surely you have spoken ^[b]in my hearing,
And I have heard the sound of your words, saying,
⁹ ‘I^(D) am pure, without transgression;
I am innocent, and there is no iniquity in me.
¹⁰ Yet He finds occasions against me,
^(E)He counts me as His enemy;
^11 (F)He puts my feet in the stocks,
He watches all my paths.’

¹² “Look, in this you are not righteous.
I will answer you,
For God is greater than man.
¹³ Why do you ^(G)contend with Him?
For He does not give an accounting of any of His words.
^14 (H)For God may speak in one way, or in another,
Yet man does not perceive it.
^15 (I)In a dream, in a vision of the night,
When deep sleep falls upon men,
While slumbering on their beds,
^16 (J)Then He opens the ears of men,
And seals their instruction.
¹⁷ In order to turn man from his deed,
And conceal pride from man,
¹⁸ He keeps back his soul from the Pit,
And his life from ^[c]perishing by the sword.

¹⁹ “Man is also chastened with pain on his ^(K)bed,
And with strong pain in many of his bones,
^20 (L)So that his life abhors ^(M)bread,
And his soul ^[d]succulent food.
²¹ His flesh wastes away from sight,
And his bones stick out which once were not seen.
²² Yes, his soul draws near the Pit,
And his life to the executioners.

²³ “If there is a messenger for him,
A mediator, one among a thousand,
To show man His uprightness,
²⁴ Then He is gracious to him, and says,
‘Deliver him from going down to the Pit;
I have found ^[e]a ransom’;
²⁵ His flesh shall be young like a child’s,
He shall return to the days of his youth.
²⁶ He shall pray to God, and He will delight in him,
He shall see His face with joy,
For He restores to man His righteousness.
²⁷ Then he looks at men and ^(N)says,
‘I have sinned, and perverted what was right,
And it ^(O)did not profit me.’
²⁸ He will ^(P)redeem ^[f]his soul from going down to the Pit,
And his life shall see the light.

²⁹ “Behold, God works all these things,
Twice, in fact, three times with a man,
^30 (Q)To bring back his soul from the Pit,
That he may be enlightened with the light of life.

³¹ “Give ear, Job, listen to me;
Hold your peace, and I will speak.
³² If you have anything to say, answer me;
Speak, for I desire to justify you.
³³ If not, ^(R)listen to me;
^[g]Hold your peace, and I will teach you wisdom.”

² “Hear my words, you wise men;
Give ear to me, you who have knowledge.
^3 (S)For the ear tests words
As the palate tastes food.
⁴ Let us choose justice for ourselves;
Let us know among ourselves what is good.

⁵ “For Job has said, ^(T)‘I am righteous,
But ^(U)God has taken away my justice;
^6 (V)Should I lie concerning my right?
My ^[h]wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’
⁷ What man is like Job,
^(W)Who drinks ^[i]scorn like water,
⁸ Who goes in company with the workers of iniquity,
And walks with wicked men?
⁹ For ^(X)he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing
That he should delight in God.’

¹⁰ “Therefore listen to me, you ^[j]men of understanding:
^(Y)Far be it from God to do wickedness,
And from the Almighty to commit iniquity.
^11 (Z)For He repays man according to his work,
And makes man to find a reward according to his way.
¹² Surely God will never do wickedly,
Nor will the Almighty ^(AA)pervert justice.
¹³ Who gave Him charge over the earth?
Or who appointed Him over the whole world?
¹⁴ If He should set His heart on it,
If He should ^(AB)gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath,
^15 (AC)All flesh would perish together,
And man would return to dust.

¹⁶ “If you have understanding, hear this;
Listen to the sound of my words:
^17 (AD)Should one who hates justice govern?
Will you ^(AE)condemn Him who is most just?
^18 (AF)Is it fitting to say to a king, ‘You are worthless,’
And to nobles, ‘You are wicked’?
¹⁹ Yet He ^(AG)is not partial to princes,
Nor does He regard the rich more than the poor;
For ^(AH)they are all the work of His hands.
²⁰ In a moment they die, ^(AI)in the middle of the night;
The people are shaken and pass away;
The mighty are taken away without a hand.

²¹ “For^(AJ) His eyes are on the ways of man,
And He sees all his steps.
^22 (AK)There is no darkness nor shadow of death
Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
²³ For He need not further consider a man,
That he should go before God in judgment.
^24 (AL)He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry,
And sets others in their place.
²⁵ Therefore He knows their works;
He overthrows them in the night,
And they are crushed.
²⁶ He strikes them as wicked men
In the open sight of others,
²⁷ Because they ^(AM)turned back from Him,
And ^(AN)would not consider any of His ways,
²⁸ So that they ^(AO)caused the cry of the poor to come to Him;
For He ^(AP)hears the cry of the afflicted.
²⁹ When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble?
And when He hides His face, who then can see Him,
Whether it is against a nation or a man alone?—
³⁰ That the hypocrite should not reign,
Lest the people be ensnared.

³¹ “For has anyone said to God,
‘I have borne chastening;
I will offend no more;
³² Teach me what I do not see;
If I have done iniquity, I will do no more’?
³³ Should He repay it according to your terms,
Just because you disavow it?
You must choose, and not I;
Therefore speak what you know.

³⁴ “Men of understanding say to me,
Wise men who listen to me:
³⁵ ‘Job^(AQ) speaks without knowledge,
His words are without wisdom.’
³⁶ Oh, that Job were tried to the utmost,
Because his answers are like those of wicked men!
³⁷ For he adds ^(AR)rebellion to his sin;
He claps his hands among us,
And multiplies his words against God.”

² “Do you think this is right?
Do you say,
‘My righteousness is more than God’s’?
³ For ^(AS)you say,
‘What advantage will it be to You?
What profit shall I have, more than if I had sinned?’

⁴ “I will answer you,
And ^(AT)your companions with you.
^5 (AU)Look to the heavens and see;
And behold the clouds—
They are higher than you.
⁶ If you sin, what do you accomplish ^(AV)against Him?
Or, if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to Him?
^7 (AW)If you are righteous, what do you give Him?
Or what does He receive from your hand?
⁸ Your wickedness affects a man such as you,
And your righteousness a son of man.

⁹ “Because^(AX) of the multitude of oppressions they cry out;
They cry out for help because of the arm of the mighty.
¹⁰ But no one says, ^(AY)‘Where is God my Maker,
^(AZ)Who gives songs in the night,
¹¹ Who ^(BA)teaches us more than the beasts of the earth,
And makes us wiser than the birds of heaven?’
^12 (BB)There they cry out, but He does not answer,
Because of the pride of evil men.
^13 (BC)Surely God will not listen to empty talk,
Nor will the Almighty regard it.
^14 (BD)Although you say you do not see Him,
Yet justice is before Him, and ^(BE)you must wait for Him.
¹⁵ And now, because He has not ^(BF)punished in His anger,
Nor taken much notice of folly,
^16 (BG)Therefore Job opens his mouth in vain;
He multiplies words without knowledge.”

² “Bear with me a little, and I will show you
That there are yet words to speak on God’s behalf.
³ I will fetch my knowledge from afar;
I will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
⁴ For truly my words are not false;
One who is perfect in knowledge is with you.

⁵ “Behold, God is mighty, but despises no one;
^(BH)He is mighty in strength ^[k]of understanding.
⁶ He does not preserve the life of the wicked,
But gives justice to the ^(BI)oppressed.
^7 (BJ)He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous;
But ^(BK)they are on the throne with kings,
For He has seated them forever,
And they are exalted.
⁸ And ^(BL)if they are bound in ^[l]fetters,
Held in the cords of affliction,
⁹ Then He tells them their work and their transgressions—
That they have acted ^[m]defiantly.
^10 (BM)He also opens their ear to ^[n]instruction,
And commands that they turn from iniquity.
¹¹ If they obey and serve Him,
They shall ^(BN)spend their days in prosperity,
And their years in pleasures.
¹² But if they do not obey,
They shall perish by the sword,
And they shall die ^[o]without ^(BO)knowledge.

¹³ “But the hypocrites in heart ^(BP)store up wrath;
They do not cry for help when He binds them.
^14 (BQ)They^[p] die in youth,
And their life ends among the ^[q]perverted persons.
¹⁵ He delivers the poor in their affliction,
And opens their ears in oppression.

¹⁶ “Indeed He would have brought you out of dire distress,
^(BR)Into a broad place where there is no restraint;
And ^(BS)what is set on your table would be full of ^(BT)richness.
¹⁷ But you are filled with the judgment due the ^(BU)wicked;
Judgment and justice take hold of you.
¹⁸ Because there is wrath, beware lest He take you away with one blow;
For ^(BV)a large ransom would not help you avoid it.
^19 (BW)Will your riches,
Or all the mighty forces,
Keep you from distress?
²⁰ Do not desire the night,
When people are cut off in their place.
²¹ Take heed, ^(BX)do not turn to iniquity,
For ^(BY)you have chosen this rather than affliction.

²² “Behold, God is exalted by His power;
Who teaches like Him?
^23 (BZ)Who has assigned Him His way,
Or who has said, ‘You have done ^(CA)wrong’?

²⁶ “Behold, God is great, and we ^(CC)do not know Him;
^(CD)Nor can the number of His years be discovered.
²⁷ For He ^(CE)draws up drops of water,
Which distill as rain from the mist,
^28 (CF)Which the clouds drop down
And pour abundantly on man.
²⁹ Indeed, can anyone understand the spreading of clouds,
The thunder from His canopy?
³⁰ Look, He ^(CG)scatters His light upon it,
And covers the depths of the sea.
³¹ For ^(CH)by these He judges the peoples;
He ^(CI)gives food in abundance.
^32 (CJ)He covers His hands with lightning,
And commands it to ^[r]strike.
^33 (CK)His thunder declares it,
The cattle also, concerning ^[s]the rising storm.