“I am young in years,
    and you are old;^(J)
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.’^(K)
8 But it is the spirit^[b](L) in a person,
    the breath of the Almighty,^(M) that gives them understanding.^(N)
9 It is not only the old^[c] who are wise,^(O)
    not only the aged^(P) who understand what is right.^(Q)

¹⁰ “Therefore I say: Listen to me;^(R)
    I too will tell you what I know.^(S)
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.^(T)
13 Do not say, ‘We have found wisdom;^(U)
    let God, not a man, refute^(V) him.’
¹⁴ But Job has not marshaled his words against me,^(W)
    and I will not answer him with your arguments.

¹⁵ “They are dismayed and have no more to say;
    words have failed them.^(X)
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.^(Y)
18 For I am full of words,
    and the spirit^(Z) within me compels me;^(AA)
19 inside I am like bottled-up wine,
    like new wineskins ready to burst.^(AB)
20 I must speak and find relief;
    I must open my lips and reply.^(AC)
21 I will show no partiality,^(AD)
    nor will I flatter anyone;^(AE)
22 for if I were skilled in flattery,
    my Maker^(AF) would soon take me away.^(AG)

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;^(C)
    his love endures forever.^(D)

² Who can proclaim the mighty acts^(E) of the Lord
    or fully declare his praise?
³ Blessed are those who act justly,^(F)
    who always do what is right.^(G)

⁴ Remember me,^(H) Lord, when you show favor^(I) to your people,
    come to my aid^(J) when you save them,
⁵ that I may enjoy the prosperity^(K) of your chosen ones,^(L)
    that I may share in the joy^(M) of your nation
    and join your inheritance^(N) in giving praise.

⁶ We have sinned,^(O) even as our ancestors^(P) did;
    we have done wrong and acted wickedly.^(Q)
7 When our ancestors were in Egypt,
    they gave no thought^(R) to your miracles;
they did not remember^(S) your many kindnesses,
    and they rebelled by the sea,^(T) the Red Sea.^[b]
8 Yet he saved them^(U) for his name’s sake,^(V)
    to make his mighty power^(W) known.
⁹ He rebuked^(X) the Red Sea, and it dried up;^(Y)
    he led them through^(Z) the depths as through a desert.
¹⁰ He saved them^(AA) from the hand of the foe;^(AB)
    from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them.^(AC)
11 The waters covered^(AD) their adversaries;
    not one of them survived.
¹² Then they believed his promises
    and sang his praise.^(AE)

¹³ But they soon forgot^(AF) what he had done
    and did not wait for his plan to unfold.^(AG)
14 In the desert^(AH) they gave in to their craving;
    in the wilderness^(AI) they put God to the test.^(AJ)
15 So he gave them^(AK) what they asked for,
    but sent a wasting disease^(AL) among them.

¹⁶ In the camp they grew envious^(AM) of Moses
    and of Aaron, who was consecrated to the Lord.
¹⁷ The earth opened^(AN) up and swallowed Dathan;^(AO)
    it buried the company of Abiram.^(AP)
18 Fire blazed^(AQ) among their followers;
    a flame consumed the wicked.
¹⁹ At Horeb they made a calf^(AR)
    and worshiped an idol cast from metal.
²⁰ They exchanged their glorious God^(AS)
    for an image of a bull, which eats grass.
²¹ They forgot the God^(AT) who saved them,
    who had done great things^(AU) in Egypt,
²² miracles in the land of Ham^(AV)
    and awesome deeds^(AW) by the Red Sea.
²³ So he said he would destroy^(AX) them—
    had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach^(AY) before him
    to keep his wrath from destroying them.

²⁴ Then they despised^(AZ) the pleasant land;^(BA)
    they did not believe^(BB) his promise.
²⁵ They grumbled^(BC) in their tents
    and did not obey the Lord.
²⁶ So he swore^(BD) to them with uplifted hand
    that he would make them fall in the wilderness,^(BE)
27 make their descendants fall among the nations
    and scatter^(BF) them throughout the lands.

²⁸ They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor^(BG)
    and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods;
²⁹ they aroused the Lord’s anger^(BH) by their wicked deeds,^(BI)
    and a plague^(BJ) broke out among them.
³⁰ But Phinehas^(BK) stood up and intervened,
    and the plague was checked.^(BL)
31 This was credited to him^(BM) as righteousness
    for endless generations^(BN) to come.
³² By the waters of Meribah^(BO) they angered the Lord,
    and trouble came to Moses because of them;
³³ for they rebelled^(BP) against the Spirit^(BQ) of God,
    and rash words came from Moses’ lips.^[c](BR)

³⁴ They did not destroy^(BS) the peoples
    as the Lord had commanded^(BT) them,
³⁵ but they mingled^(BU) with the nations
    and adopted their customs.
³⁶ They worshiped their idols,^(BV)
    which became a snare^(BW) to them.
³⁷ They sacrificed their sons^(BX)
    and their daughters to false gods.^(BY)
38 They shed innocent blood,
    the blood of their sons^(BZ) and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
    and the land was desecrated by their blood.
³⁹ They defiled themselves^(CA) by what they did;
    by their deeds they prostituted^(CB) themselves.

⁴⁰ Therefore the Lord was angry^(CC) with his people
    and abhorred his inheritance.^(CD)
41 He gave them into the hands^(CE) of the nations,
    and their foes ruled over them.
⁴² Their enemies oppressed^(CF) them
    and subjected them to their power.
⁴³ Many times he delivered them,^(CG)
    but they were bent on rebellion^(CH)
    and they wasted away in their sin.
⁴⁴ Yet he took note of their distress
    when he heard their cry;^(CI)
45 for their sake he remembered his covenant^(CJ)
    and out of his great love^(CK) he relented.^(CL)
46 He caused all who held them captive
    to show them mercy.^(CM)

⁴⁷ Save us,^(CN) Lord our God,
    and gather us^(CO) from the nations,
that we may give thanks^(CP) to your holy name^(CQ)
    and glory in your praise.

⁴⁸ Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting.

Let all the people say, “Amen!”^(CR)

Praise the Lord.