“I am young in years,
    and you are old;^(A)
that is why I was fearful,
    not daring to tell you what I know.
⁷ I thought, ‘Age should speak;
    advanced years should teach wisdom.’^(B)
8 But it is the spirit^[a](C) in a person,
    the breath of the Almighty,^(D) that gives them understanding.^(E)
9 It is not only the old^[b] who are wise,^(F)
    not only the aged^(G) who understand what is right.^(H)

¹⁰ “Therefore I say: Listen to me;^(I)
    I too will tell you what I know.^(J)
11 I waited while you spoke,
    I listened to your reasoning;
while you were searching for words,
¹²     I gave you my full attention.
But not one of you has proved Job wrong;
    none of you has answered his arguments.^(K)
13 Do not say, ‘We have found wisdom;^(L)
    let God, not a man, refute^(M) him.’
¹⁴ But Job has not marshaled his words against me,^(N)
    and I will not answer him with your arguments.

¹⁵ “They are dismayed and have no more to say;
    words have failed them.^(O)
16 Must I wait, now that they are silent,
    now that they stand there with no reply?
¹⁷ I too will have my say;
    I too will tell what I know.^(P)
18 For I am full of words,
    and the spirit^(Q) within me compels me;^(R)
19 inside I am like bottled-up wine,
    like new wineskins ready to burst.^(S)
20 I must speak and find relief;
    I must open my lips and reply.^(T)
21 I will show no partiality,^(U)
    nor will I flatter anyone;^(V)
22 for if I were skilled in flattery,
    my Maker^(W) would soon take me away.^(X)

33 “But now, Job, listen^(Y) to my words;
    pay attention to everything I say.^(Z)
2 I am about to open my mouth;
    my words are on the tip of my tongue.
³ My words come from an upright heart;^(AA)
    my lips sincerely speak what I know.^(AB)
4 The Spirit^(AC) of God has made me;^(AD)
    the breath of the Almighty^(AE) gives me life.^(AF)
5 Answer me^(AG) then, if you can;
    stand up^(AH) and argue your case before me.^(AI)
6 I am the same as you in God’s sight;^(AJ)
    I too am a piece of clay.^(AK)
7 No fear of me should alarm you,
    nor should my hand be heavy on you.^(AL)

⁸ “But you have said in my hearing—
    I heard the very words—
⁹ ‘I am pure,^(AM) I have done no wrong;^(AN)
    I am clean and free from sin.^(AO)
10 Yet God has found fault with me;
    he considers me his enemy.^(AP)
11 He fastens my feet in shackles;^(AQ)
    he keeps close watch on all my paths.’^(AR)

¹² “But I tell you, in this you are not right,
    for God is greater than any mortal.^(AS)
13 Why do you complain to him^(AT)
    that he responds to no one’s words^[c]?^(AU)
14 For God does speak^(AV)—now one way, now another^(AW)—
    though no one perceives it.^(AX)
15 In a dream,^(AY) in a vision^(AZ) of the night,^(BA)
    when deep sleep^(BB) falls on people
    as they slumber in their beds,
¹⁶ he may speak^(BC) in their ears
    and terrify them^(BD) with warnings,^(BE)
17 to turn them from wrongdoing
    and keep them from pride,^(BF)
18 to preserve them from the pit,^(BG)
    their lives from perishing by the sword.^[d](BH)

¹⁹ “Or someone may be chastened^(BI) on a bed of pain^(BJ)
    with constant distress in their bones,^(BK)
20 so that their body finds food^(BL) repulsive
    and their soul loathes the choicest meal.^(BM)
21 Their flesh wastes away to nothing,
    and their bones,^(BN) once hidden, now stick out.^(BO)
22 They draw near to the pit,^(BP)
    and their life to the messengers of death.^[e](BQ)
23 Yet if there is an angel at their side,
    a messenger,^(BR) one out of a thousand,
    sent to tell them how to be upright,^(BS)
24 and he is gracious to that person and says to God,
    ‘Spare them from going down to the pit;^(BT)
    I have found a ransom for them^(BU)—
²⁵ let their flesh be renewed^(BV) like a child’s;
    let them be restored as in the days of their youth’^(BW)—
²⁶ then that person can pray to God and find favor with him,^(BX)
    they will see God’s face and shout for joy;^(BY)
    he will restore them to full well-being.^(BZ)
27 And they will go to others and say,
    ‘I have sinned,^(CA) I have perverted what is right,^(CB)
    but I did not get what I deserved.^(CC)
28 God has delivered^(CD) me from going down to the pit,^(CE)
    and I shall live to enjoy the light of life.’^(CF)

²⁹ “God does all these things to a person^(CG)—
    twice, even three times^(CH)—
³⁰ to turn them back^(CI) from the pit,^(CJ)
    that the light of life^(CK) may shine on them.^(CL)

³¹ “Pay attention, Job, and listen^(CM) to me;^(CN)
    be silent,^(CO) and I will speak.
³² If you have anything to say, answer me;^(CP)
    speak up, for I want to vindicate you.^(CQ)
33 But if not, then listen to me;^(CR)
    be silent,^(CS) and I will teach you wisdom.^(CT)”