² “Hear my words, you wise men;
Give ear to me, you who have knowledge.
^3 (A)For the ear tests words
As the palate tastes food.
⁴ Let us choose justice for ourselves;
Let us know among ourselves what is good.

⁵ “For Job has said, ^(B)‘I am righteous,
But ^(C)God has taken away my justice;
^6 (D)Should I lie concerning my right?
My ^[a]wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’
⁷ What man is like Job,
^(E)Who drinks ^[b]scorn like water,
⁸ Who goes in company with the workers of iniquity,
And walks with wicked men?
⁹ For ^(F)he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing
That he should delight in God.’

¹⁰ “Therefore listen to me, you ^[c]men of understanding:
^(G)Far be it from God to do wickedness,
And from the Almighty to commit iniquity.
^11 (H)For He repays man according to his work,
And makes man to find a reward according to his way.
¹² Surely God will never do wickedly,
Nor will the Almighty ^(I)pervert justice.
¹³ Who gave Him charge over the earth?
Or who appointed Him over the whole world?
¹⁴ If He should set His heart on it,
If He should ^(J)gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath,
^15 (K)All flesh would perish together,
And man would return to dust.

¹⁶ “If you have understanding, hear this;
Listen to the sound of my words:
^17 (L)Should one who hates justice govern?
Will you ^(M)condemn Him who is most just?
^18 (N)Is it fitting to say to a king, ‘You are worthless,’
And to nobles, ‘You are wicked’?
¹⁹ Yet He ^(O)is not partial to princes,
Nor does He regard the rich more than the poor;
For ^(P)they are all the work of His hands.
²⁰ In a moment they die, ^(Q)in the middle of the night;
The people are shaken and pass away;
The mighty are taken away without a hand.

²¹ “For^(R) His eyes are on the ways of man,
And He sees all his steps.
^22 (S)There is no darkness nor shadow of death
Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
²³ For He need not further consider a man,
That he should go before God in judgment.
^24 (T)He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry,
And sets others in their place.
²⁵ Therefore He knows their works;
He overthrows them in the night,
And they are crushed.
²⁶ He strikes them as wicked men
In the open sight of others,
²⁷ Because they ^(U)turned back from Him,
And ^(V)would not consider any of His ways,
²⁸ So that they ^(W)caused the cry of the poor to come to Him;
For He ^(X)hears the cry of the afflicted.
²⁹ When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble?
And when He hides His face, who then can see Him,
Whether it is against a nation or a man alone?—
³⁰ That the hypocrite should not reign,
Lest the people be ensnared.

³¹ “For has anyone said to God,
‘I have borne chastening;
I will offend no more;
³² Teach me what I do not see;
If I have done iniquity, I will do no more’?
³³ Should He repay it according to your terms,
Just because you disavow it?
You must choose, and not I;
Therefore speak what you know.

³⁴ “Men of understanding say to me,
Wise men who listen to me:
³⁵ ‘Job^(Y) speaks without knowledge,
His words are without wisdom.’
³⁶ Oh, that Job were tried to the utmost,
Because his answers are like those of wicked men!
³⁷ For he adds ^(Z)rebellion to his sin;
He claps his hands among us,
And multiplies his words against God.”