Job 34:16-29

English Standard Version

¹⁶ “If you have understanding, hear this;
    listen to what I say.
^17 (A)Shall one who hates justice govern?
    Will you condemn him who is righteous and mighty,
¹⁸ who ^(B)says to a king, ‘Worthless one,’
    and to nobles, ‘Wicked man,’
¹⁹ who ^(C)shows no partiality to princes,
    nor regards the rich ^(D)more than the poor,
    for ^(E)they are all the work of his hands?
²⁰ In a moment ^(F)they die;
    at ^(G)midnight the people are shaken and pass away,
    and the mighty are taken away by ^(H)no human hand.

²¹ “For his eyes are on ^(I)the ways of a man,
    and he sees all his ^(J)steps.
²² There is no ^(K)gloom or ^(L)deep darkness
    where evildoers may hide themselves.
²³ For God^[a] has no need to consider a man further,
    that he should go before God in ^(M)judgment.
²⁴ He ^(N)shatters the mighty without investigation
    and sets ^(O)others in their place.
²⁵ Thus, knowing their works,
    he ^(P)overturns them in the night, and they are crushed.
²⁶ He strikes them for their wickedness
    in a place for all to see,
²⁷ because they turned aside from ^(Q)following him
    and had no regard for any of his ways,
²⁸ so that they ^(R)caused the cry of the poor to come to him,
    and he ^(S)heard the cry of the afflicted—
²⁹ When he is quiet, who can condemn?
    When he hides his face, who can behold him,
    whether it be a nation or a man?—