² “How long will you speak these things,
And the words of your mouth be like a strong wind?
^3 (A)Does God subvert judgment?
Or does the Almighty pervert justice?
⁴ If ^(B)your sons have sinned against Him,
He has cast them away ^[a]for their transgression.
^5 (C)If you would earnestly seek God
And make your supplication to the Almighty,
⁶ If you were pure and upright,
Surely now He would ^[b]awake for you,
And prosper your rightful dwelling place.
⁷ Though your beginning was small,
Yet your latter end would ^(D)increase abundantly.

⁸ “For^(E) inquire, please, of the former age,
And consider the things discovered by their fathers;
⁹ For ^(F)we were born yesterday, and know ^[c]nothing,
Because our days on earth are a shadow.
¹⁰ Will they not teach you and tell you,
And utter words from their heart?

¹¹ “Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh?
Can the reeds flourish without water?
^12 (G)While it is yet green and not cut down,
It withers before any other plant.
¹³ So are the paths of all who ^(H)forget God;
And the hope of the ^(I)hypocrite shall perish,
¹⁴ Whose confidence shall be cut off,
And whose trust is ^[d]a spider’s web.
^15 (J)He leans on his house, but it does not stand.
He holds it fast, but it does not endure.
¹⁶ He grows green in the sun,
And his branches spread out in his garden.
¹⁷ His roots wrap around the rock heap,
And look for a place in the stones.
^18 (K)If he is destroyed from his place,
Then it will deny him, saying, ‘I have not seen you.’

¹⁹ “Behold, this is the joy of His way,
And ^(L)out of the earth others will grow.
²⁰ Behold, ^(M)God will not ^[e]cast away the blameless,
Nor will He uphold the evildoers.
²¹ He will yet fill your mouth with laughing,
And your lips with ^[f]rejoicing.
²² Those who hate you will be ^(N)clothed with shame,
And the dwelling place of the wicked ^[g]will come to nothing.”

² “Truly I know it is so,
But how can a ^(O)man be ^(P)righteous before God?
³ If one wished to ^[h]contend with Him,
He could not answer Him one time out of a thousand.
^4 (Q)God is wise in heart and mighty in strength.
Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered?
⁵ He removes the mountains, and they do not know
When He overturns them in His anger;
⁶ He ^(R)shakes the earth out of its place,
And its ^(S)pillars tremble;
⁷ He commands the sun, and it does not rise;
He seals off the stars;
^8 (T)He alone spreads out the heavens,
And ^[i]treads on the ^[j]waves of the sea;
^9 (U)He made ^[k]the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades,
And the chambers of the south;
^10 (V)He does great things past finding out,
Yes, wonders without number.
^11 (W)If He goes by me, I do not see Him;
If He moves past, I do not perceive Him;
^12 (X)If He takes away, ^[l]who can hinder Him?
Who can say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’
¹³ God will not withdraw His anger,
^(Y)The allies of ^[m]the proud lie prostrate beneath Him.

¹⁴ “How then can I answer Him,
And choose my words to reason with Him?
^15 (Z)For though I were righteous, I could not answer Him;
I would beg mercy of my Judge.
¹⁶ If I called and He answered me,
I would not believe that He was listening to my voice.
¹⁷ For He crushes me with a tempest,
And multiplies my wounds ^(AA)without cause.
¹⁸ He will not allow me to catch my breath,
But fills me with bitterness.
¹⁹ If it is a matter of strength, indeed He is strong;
And if of justice, who will appoint my day in court?
²⁰ Though I were righteous, my own mouth would condemn me;
Though I were blameless, it would prove me perverse.

²¹ “I am blameless, yet I do not know myself;
I despise my life.
²² It is all one thing;
Therefore I say, ^(AB)‘He destroys the blameless and the wicked.’
²³ If the scourge slays suddenly,
He laughs at the plight of the innocent.
²⁴ The earth is given into the hand of the wicked.
He covers the faces of its judges.
If it is not He, who else could it be?

²⁵ “Now ^(AC)my days are swifter than a runner;
They flee away, they see no good.
²⁶ They pass by like ^[n]swift ships,
^(AD)Like an eagle swooping on its prey.
^27 (AE)If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint,
I will put off my sad face and wear a smile,’
^28 (AF)I am afraid of all my sufferings;
I know that You ^(AG)will not hold me innocent.
²⁹ If I am condemned,
Why then do I labor in vain?
^30 (AH)If I wash myself with snow water,
And cleanse my hands with ^[o]soap,
³¹ Yet You will plunge me into the pit,
And my own clothes will ^[p]abhor me.

³² “For ^(AI)He is not a man, as I am,
That I may answer Him,
And that we should go to court together.
^33 (AJ)Nor is there any mediator between us,
Who may lay his hand on us both.
^34 (AK)Let Him take His rod away from me,
And do not let dread of Him terrify me.
³⁵ Then I would speak and not fear Him,
But it is not so with me.

⁸ ‘Your^(AO) hands have made me and fashioned me,
An intricate unity;
Yet You would ^(AP)destroy me.
⁹ Remember, I pray, ^(AQ)that You have made me like clay.
And will You turn me into dust again?
^10 (AR)Did You not pour me out like milk,
And curdle me like cheese,
¹¹ Clothe me with skin and flesh,
And knit me together with bones and sinews?
¹² You have granted me life and favor,
And Your care has preserved my spirit.

¹³ ‘And these things You have hidden in Your heart;
I know that this was with You:
¹⁴ If I sin, then ^(AS)You mark me,
And will not acquit me of my iniquity.
¹⁵ If I am wicked, ^(AT)woe to me;
^(AU)Even if I am righteous, I ^[r]cannot lift up my head.
I am full of disgrace;
^(AV)See my misery!
¹⁶ If my head is exalted,
^(AW)You hunt me like a fierce lion,
And again You show Yourself awesome against me.
¹⁷ You renew Your witnesses against me,
And increase Your indignation toward me;
Changes and war are ever with me.

¹⁸ ‘Why^(AX) then have You brought me out of the womb?
Oh, that I had perished and no eye had seen me!
¹⁹ I would have been as though I had not been.
I would have been carried from the womb to the grave.
^20 (AY)Are not my days few?
Cease! ^(AZ)Leave me alone, that I may take a little comfort,
²¹ Before I go to the place from which I shall not return,
^(BA)To the land of darkness ^(BB)and the shadow of death,
²² A land as dark as darkness itself,
As the shadow of death, without any order,
Where even the light is like darkness.’ ”

² “Should not the multitude of words be answered?
And should ^[s]a man full of talk be vindicated?
³ Should your empty talk make men ^[t]hold their peace?
And when you mock, should no one rebuke you?
⁴ For you have said,
^(BC)‘My doctrine is pure,
And I am clean in your eyes.’
⁵ But oh, that God would speak,
And open His lips against you,
⁶ That He would show you the secrets of wisdom!
For they would double your prudence.
Know therefore that ^(BD)God ^[u]exacts from you
Less than your iniquity deserves.

⁷ “Can^(BE) you search out the deep things of God?
Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?
⁸ They are higher than heaven—what can you do?
Deeper than ^[v]Sheol—what can you know?
⁹ Their measure is longer than the earth
And broader than the sea.

¹⁰ “If^(BF) He passes by, imprisons, and gathers to judgment,
Then who can ^[w]hinder Him?
¹¹ For ^(BG)He knows deceitful men;
He sees wickedness also.
Will He not then consider it?
¹² For an ^(BH)empty-headed man will be wise,
When a wild donkey’s colt is born a man.

¹³ “If you would ^(BI)prepare your heart,
And ^(BJ)stretch out your hands toward Him;
¹⁴ If iniquity were in your hand, and you put it far away,
And ^(BK)would not let wickedness dwell in your tents;
^15 (BL)Then surely you could lift up your face without spot;
Yes, you could be steadfast, and not fear;
¹⁶ Because you would ^(BM)forget your misery,
And remember it as waters that have passed away,
¹⁷ And your life ^(BN)would be brighter than noonday.
Though you were dark, you would be like the morning.
¹⁸ And you would be secure, because there is hope;
Yes, you would dig around you, and ^(BO)take your rest in safety.
¹⁹ You would also lie down, and no one would make you afraid;
Yes, many would court your favor.
²⁰ But ^(BP)the eyes of the wicked will fail,
And they shall not escape,
And ^(BQ)their hope—^[x]loss of life!”