² Hear my words, you wise men,
and listen to me, you knowledgeable ones.
³ Doesn’t the ear test words
as the palate tastes food?
⁴ Let us judge for ourselves what is right;
let us decide together what is good.
⁵ For Job has declared, “I am righteous,
yet God has deprived me of justice.^(A)
6 Would I lie about my case?^(B)
My wound^[b] is incurable,
though I am without transgression.”
⁷ What man is like Job?
He drinks derision^(C) like water.
⁸ He keeps company with evildoers
and walks with wicked men.
⁹ For he has said, “A man gains nothing
when he becomes God’s friend.”^(D)

¹⁰ Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding.
It is impossible for God to do wrong,
and for the Almighty to act unjustly.^(E)
11 For He repays^(F) a person according to his deeds,
and He brings his ways on him.
¹² Indeed, it is true that God does not act wickedly
and the Almighty does not pervert justice.^(G)
13 Who gave Him authority over the earth?
Who put Him in charge of the entire world?^(H)
14 If He put His mind to it
and withdrew the spirit^(I) and breath He gave,
¹⁵ every living thing would perish together
and mankind would return to the dust.^(J)

¹⁶ If you have understanding, hear this;
listen to what I have to say.
¹⁷ Could one who hates justice govern the world?
Will you condemn the mighty Righteous One,^(K)
18 who says to a king, “Worthless man!”
and to nobles, “Wicked men!”?^(L)
19 God is not partial^(M) to princes
and does not favor the rich over the poor,
for they are all the work of His hands.
²⁰ They die suddenly in the middle of the night;
people shudder, then pass away.
Even the mighty are removed without effort.

²¹ For His eyes watch over a man’s ways,
and He observes all his steps.^(N)
22 There is no darkness, no deep darkness,
where evildoers can hide themselves.^(O)
23 God does not need to examine a person further,
that one should^[c] approach Him in court.
²⁴ He shatters the mighty without an investigation
and sets others in their place.^(P)
25 Therefore, He recognizes their deeds^(Q)
and overthrows them by night, and they are crushed.
²⁶ In full view of the public,^[d]
He strikes them for their wickedness,
²⁷ because they turned aside from following Him
and did not understand any of His ways
²⁸ but caused the poor to cry out to Him,
and He heard the outcry of the afflicted.^(R)
29 But when God is silent, who can declare Him guilty?
When He hides His face, who can see Him?
Yet He watches over both individuals and nations,
³⁰ so that godless men should not rule
or ensnare the people.

³¹ Suppose someone says to God,
“I have endured my punishment;
I will no longer act wickedly.
³² Teach me what I cannot see;
if I have done wrong, I won’t do it again.”
³³ Should God repay you on your terms
when you have rejected His?
You must choose, not I!
So declare what you know.
³⁴ Reasonable men will say to me,
along with the wise men who hear me,
³⁵ “Job speaks without knowledge;^(S)
his words are without insight.”
³⁶ If only Job were tested to the limit,
because his answers are like those of wicked men.
³⁷ For he adds rebellion to his sin;
he scornfully claps^(T) in our presence,
while multiplying^(U) his words against God.