² Thinkest thou this to be thy right,
Or sayest thou, My righteousness is more than God’s,
³ That thou sayest, What advantage will it be unto thee?
And, What profit shall I have, more than if I had sinned?
⁴ I will answer thee,
And thy companions with thee.
⁵ Look unto the heavens, and see;
And behold the skies, which are higher than thou.
⁶ If thou hast sinned, what effectest thou against him?
And if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him?
⁷ If thou be righteous, what givest thou him?
Or what receiveth he of thy hand?
⁸ Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art;
And thy righteousness may profit a son of man.

⁹ By reason of the multitude of oppressions they cry out;
They cry for help by reason of the arm of the mighty.
¹⁰ But none saith, Where is God my Maker,
Who giveth songs in the night,
¹¹ Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth,
And maketh us wiser than the birds of the heavens?
¹² There they cry, ^[a]but none giveth answer,
Because of the pride of evil men.
¹³ Surely God will not hear an empty cry,
Neither will the Almighty regard it.
¹⁴ How much less when thou sayest ^[b]thou beholdest him not,
The cause is before him, and thou waitest for him!
¹⁵ But now, because he hath not visited in his anger,
^[c]Neither doth he greatly regard arrogance;
¹⁶ Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vanity;
He multiplieth words without knowledge.