“My words will express the uprightness of my heart, And my lips will speak what they know with utter sincerity.

“He sings out to other men, ‘I have sinned and perverted that which was right, And it was not proper for me!

Teach me what I do not see [in regard to how I have sinned]; If I have done wrong (injustice, unrighteousness), I will not do it again’?

“Shall God’s retribution [for your sins] be on your terms, because you refuse to accept it? For you must do the choosing, and not I; Therefore say what you [truthfully] know.

‘For he adds rebellion [in his unsubmissive, defiant attitude toward God] to his [unacknowledged] sin; He claps his hands among us [in open mockery and contempt of God], And he multiplies his words [of accusation] against God.’”

“For you say, ‘What advantage have you [by living a righteous life]? What profit will I have, more [by being righteous] than if I had sinned?’

“If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against Him? And if your transgressions are multiplied, what have you done to Him?

God’s Mighty Power

“Since your days began, have you ever commanded the morning, And caused the dawn to know its place,

“You [must] know, since you were born then, And because you are so extremely old!

“Adorn yourself with eminence and dignity [since you question the Almighty], And array yourself with honor and majesty.

“See now, his strength is in his loins And his power is in the muscles and sinews of his belly.