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17 ‘Can mortals be righteous before[a] God?
    Can humans be pure before[b] their Maker?(A)
18 Even in his servants he puts no trust,
    and his angels he charges with error;(B)
19 how much more those who live in houses of clay,
    whose foundation is in the dust,
    who are crushed like a moth.(C)
20 Between morning and evening they are destroyed;
    they perish forever without any regarding it.(D)
21 Their tent cord is plucked up within them,
    and they die devoid of wisdom.’(E)

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Footnotes

  1. 4.17 Or more righteous than
  2. 4.17 Or more pure than

17 “Can a person be righteous before God?
Can a man be pure before his Maker?”[a]
18 If God does not trust his own servants,
if he charges his messengers with error,
19 how much more those who dwell in clay houses,
    whose foundations are in the dust,
    who are crushed more quickly than a moth!
20 From dawn to dusk they are smashed to pieces.
They perish forever, and no one even notices.
21 Won’t the ropes that hold up their tents be pulled up,[b]
so that they die without gaining wisdom?

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Footnotes

  1. Job 4:17 Or can a person be more righteous than God? Can a man be purer than his Maker?
  2. Job 4:21 Or won’t their remaining wealth be taken away