Beginning

5 “Call out now, if any will answer you. And to which of the saints will you turn?

² “Doubtless, anger kills the foolish and envy slays the idiot.

³ “I have seen the foolish well-rooted. And suddenly I cursed his habitation.

⁴ “His children shall be far from salvation. And they shall be destroyed in the gate. And no one shall deliver them.

⁵ “The hungry shall eat up his harvest. Indeed, they shall take it from among the thorns. And the thirsty shall drink up their wealth.

⁶ “For misery does not come forth from the dust. Nor does affliction spring out of the earth.

⁷ “But man is born to toil, as the sparks fly upward.

⁸ “But I would inquire of God, and turn my talk to God,

⁹ “Who does great things, and unsearchable, marvelous things without number.

¹⁰ “He gives rain upon the earth, and pours water upon the streets,

¹¹ “and sets those who are low up on high, so that the sorrowful may be exalted to salvation.

¹² “He scatters the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot accomplish that which they undertake.

¹³ “He takes the wise in their craftiness. And the counsel of the wicked is made foolish.

¹⁴ “They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope at noon as in the night.

¹⁵ “But He saves the poor from the sword, from their mouth and from the hand of the violent man,

¹⁶ “so that the poor has hope. But iniquity shall shut her mouth.

¹⁷ “Behold, blessed is the man whom God corrects. Therefore, do not refuse the discipline of the Almighty.

¹⁸ “For He makes the wound and binds it up. He strikes, and His Hands make whole.

¹⁹ “He shall deliver you in six troubles. And in the seventh, misery shall not touch you.

²⁰ “In famine He shall deliver you from death, and in battle from the power of the sword.

²¹ “You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue. And you shall not be afraid of destruction when it comes.

²² “You shall laugh at destruction and dearth, and shalt not be afraid of the beast of the Earth.

²³ “For the stones of the field shall be in league with you. And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.

²⁴ “And you shall know that peace is in your tent. And you shall visit your habitation, and shall not sin.

²⁵ “You shall also perceive that your seed shall be great, and your posterity as the grass of the earth.

²⁶ “You shall go to your grave at a full age, as a stack of grain comes in due season.

²⁷ “Lo, thus have we examined it. And so it is. Hear this and know it for yourself.”

6 But Job answered and said,

² “Oh that my grief was well-weighed, and that my miseries were laid with it on the scale!

³ “For it would now be heavier than the sand of the sea. Therefore, my words have been rash.

⁴ “For the arrows of the Almighty are in me. My spirit drinks up their poison. The terrors of God fight against me.

⁵ “Does the wild donkey bray when he has grass? Or does the ox bellow when he has fodder?

⁶ “That which is unsavory, shall it be eaten without salt? Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

⁷ “Such things my soul refused to touch, like food that made me ill.

⁸ “Oh that I might have my desire, and that God would grant me the thing that I long for:

⁹ “that is, that God would destroy me, that He would let His Hand go and cut me off.

¹⁰ “Then I would still have comfort (though I burn with sorrow, Him not sparing) because I have not denied the Words of the Holy One.

¹¹ “What strength do I have, that I should hope? Or what is my end if I should prolong my life?

¹² “Is my strength the strength of stones? Is my flesh of bronze?

¹³ “Is it not so, that there is no help in me, and that strength is taken from me?

¹⁴ “He who is in misery ought to be comforted by his neighbor. But men have forsaken the fear of the Almighty.

¹⁵ “My brothers have deceived me as a brook. As the rising of the rivers, they pass away,

¹⁶ “which are black with ice and wherein the snow is hidden.

¹⁷ “But in time they are dried up with heat and are consumed. And when it is hot, they vanish from their places.

¹⁸ “They depart from their way and course. They vanish and perish.

¹⁹ “Those who went to Tema, considered them. Those who went to Sheba, waited for them.

²⁰ “They were confounded. When they were confident, they came there and were embarrassed.

²¹ “Surely, now, you are like that. You have seen my fearful plague and are afraid.

²² “Did I say, ‘Bring to me,’ or ‘Give a reward to me from your substance,’

²³ “or ‘Deliver me from the enemy’s hand,’ or ‘Ransom me out of the hand of tyrants?’

²⁴ “Teach me, and I will hold my tongue. And cause me to understand wherein I have erred.

²⁵ “How steadfast are the words of righteousness! And what can any of you justly prove?

²⁶ “Do you plan to reprove words, so that the talk of the afflicted should be as the wind?

²⁷ “You make your wrath fall upon the fatherless, and dig a pit for your friend.

²⁸ “Now, therefore, be content to look at me. For I will not lie to your face.

²⁹ “Relent, please. Let there be no iniquity. Relent, I say, and you shall still see my righteousness. Is there iniquity on my tongue? Does not my mouth discern desire?”

7 “Is there not an appointed time for man upon Earth? And are not his days as the days of a hired servant?

² “As a servant longs for the shade, and as a hireling looks for the end of his work,

³ “so I have inherited months of emptiness. And painful nights have been appointed to me.

⁴ “If I lie down, I say, ‘When shall I arise, and the night be over?’ For I’ve had enough of tossing to and fro until dawn.

⁵ “My flesh is clothed with worms and filthiness of the dust. My skin is broken and has become loathsome.

⁶ “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle. And they are spent without hope.

⁷ “Remember that my life is but a breath. My eye shall not return to see pleasure.

⁸ “The eye that has seen me, shall see me no more. Your eyes are upon me, and I shall be no longer.

⁹ “As the cloud vanishes and goes away, so he who goes down to the grave shall come up no more.

¹⁰ “He shall return no more to his house. Nor shall his place know him anymore.

¹¹ “Therefore, I will not restrain my mouth, but will speak in the trouble of my spirit, and muse in the bitterness of my mind.

¹² “Am I a sea or a dragon, that You keep me under guard?

¹³ “When I say, ‘My couch shall relieve me. My bed shall bring comfort in my meditation,’

¹⁴ “then You scare me with dreams, and astonish me with visions.

¹⁵ “Therefore, my soul chooses to be strangled and to die, rather than to be in my bones.

¹⁶ “I abhor it. I would not live forever. Spare me, then. For my days are without meaning.

¹⁷ “What is man, that You magnify him, and that You set Your Heart upon him,

¹⁸ “and visit him every morning, and test him every moment?

¹⁹ “How long will it be before You depart from me? You will not leave me alone while I can swallow my spittle.

²⁰ “I have sinned. What did I do to You, O You, Preserver of men? Why have You set me against Yourself, so that I am a burden to myself?

²¹ “And why do You not pardon my trespass, and take away my iniquity? For now, I shall sleep in the dust. And if You seek me in the morning, I shall no longer be.”