² “Would a wise man respond with empty arguments
    and make himself a windbag?^[c]
3 Would he fill his defense with pointless talk
    and speeches that serve no purpose?
⁴ “You in fact discredit religion
    and do away with devotion to God,
⁵ because your iniquity dictates what you say
    and you choose to exhibit a deceitful tongue.
⁶ Your own mouth condemns you, not I;
    your own lips testify against you.

⁷ “Are you the firstborn of the human race?
    Did you come into existence before the hills?
⁸ Are you a member of God’s inner council?
    Do you have a monopoly on wisdom?
⁹ What do you know that we do not know?
    What insight do you have that we do not share?
¹⁰ We ourselves have age and gray hair on our side,
    people who far surpass your father in years.
¹¹ “Are the consolations that God offers insufficient for you,
    words whispered gently in your ear?
¹² Why do you allow your passions to erode your judgment,
    and why do your eyes flash with anger
¹³ so that you vent your rage against God
    and permit such words to escape your mouth?
¹⁴ “What is man, that he should be without fault,
    or one born of woman, that he should be righteous?
¹⁵ If God places no trust in his holy ones^[e]
    and the heavens are not pure in his sight,
¹⁶ how much less is man, who is vile and corrupt
    and drinks up iniquity like water?

¹⁷ “I will tell you; listen to me.
    I will recount what I have seen,
¹⁸ what has been related by wise men
    who have faithfully transmitted the teachings of their ancestors,
¹⁹ to whom alone the land was given,
    and no foreigner passed among them.
²⁰ “The wicked man suffers torment all his days,
    and limited are the years allotted to the tyrant.
²¹ Terrifying sounds echo in his ears,
    and even when times are peaceful, marauders swoop down on him.
²² He despairs of escaping the darkness
    and realizes that he is destined for the sword.
²³ “In his wandering, he serves as food for vultures
    and knows the day of darkness is at hand.
²⁴ Distress and anguish overwhelm him;
    they overpower him like a king prepared to attack.
²⁵ “Because he has lifted his hands against God
    and acted in brazen defiance of the Almighty,
²⁶ rushing stubbornly against him
    with his massive embossed shield,^[g]
27 with his jowls heavy and gross
    and his waist bulging with fat,
²⁸ he will dwell in cities that lie in ruins,
    in houses that have been abandoned
    and are crumbling into a heap of rubble.
²⁹ “He will no longer be wealthy and his riches will not endure;
    no longer will his power prevail.
³⁰ He will not escape the darkness;
    intense heat will shrivel his roots,
    and the wind will cause his blossoms to disappear.
³¹ Let him not deceive himself by trusting in what is worthless,
    for he will be left bereft.
³² “His palm trees will wither before their time,
    and his branches will never again be green.
³³ He will be like a vine that sheds unripe grapes,
    like an olive tree casting off its blossoms.
³⁴ For the company of the godless will be completely barren,
    and fire will consume the tents of those who are venal.
³⁵ They conceive malice and breed evil,
    and they give birth to deceit.”