1 Then Job answered and said:
2 “Truly I know that it is so:
But how can a man bezch. 4:17 in the right before God?
3 If one wished toa[ch. 10:2; Ps. 143:2; Rom. 3:20] contend with him,
one could not answer him once in a thousand times.
4 He isb[ch. 12:13; 36:5] wise in heart and mighty in strength
—who hasc[Ex. 7:13; 32:9] hardened himself against him, and succeeded?—
5 he who removes mountains, and they know it not,
when he overturns them in his anger,
6 whodIsa. 2:19, 21; 13:13; Hag. 2:6, 21; Heb. 12:26 shakes the earth out of its place,
andech. 26:11; Ps. 75:3 its pillars tremble;
7 who commands the sun, and it does not rise;
who seals up the stars;
8 who alonefch. 26:7; Ps. 104:2; Jer. 10:12; 51:15; Zech. 12:1 stretched out the heavens
and trampled the waves of the sea;
9 whogGen. 1:16 madehch. 38:32 the Bear andich. 38:31; Amos 5:8 Orion,
the Pleiadesjch. 37:9 and the chambers of the south;
10 who doeskSee ch. 5:9 great things beyond searching out,
and marvelous things beyond number.
11 Behold, he passes by me, and Ilch. 23:8, 9 see him not;
he moves on, but I do not perceive him.
12 Behold, he snatches away;mch. 11:10; 23:13 who can turn him back?
nIsa. 45:9; [Jer. 18:6; Rom. 9:20] Who will say to him, ‘What are you doing? ’
13 God will not turn back his anger;
beneath him bowed the helpers ofoch. 26:12; Ps. 40:4; 82:4; 89:10; Isa. 30:7; 51:9 Rahab.
14 pch. 15:16 How then can Iqver. 3 answer him,
choosing my words with him?
15 rch. 10:15 Though I am in the right, I cannot answer him;
I mustsch. 8:5 appeal for mercy to my accuser.1Or to my judge
16 If I summoned him 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 woundstch. 2:3; [ch. 34:6] without cause;
18 he will not let me get my breath,
but fills me with bitterness.
19 If it is a contest ofu[ver. 4] strength, behold, he is mighty!
If it is a matter of justice, who canvJer. 49:19; 50:44 summon him?
20 Though I am in the right,wch. 15:6 my own mouth would condemn me;
though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse.
21 I amxch. 1:1 blameless; I regard not myself;
Iych. 7:16 (Heb.); [ch. 10:1] loathe my life.
22 It is all one; therefore I say,
HezEccles. 9:2, 3; Ezek. 21:3 destroys both the blameless and the wicked.
23 WhenaIsa. 10:26 disaster brings sudden death,
he mocks at the calamity of the innocent.
24 b[ch. 10:3] The earth is given into the hand of the wicked;
hecSee ch. 12:17 covers the faces of its judges—
d[ch. 24:25] if it is not he, who then is it?
25 Myech. 7:6 days are swifter thanf[2 Chr. 30:6; Jer. 51:31] a runner;
they flee away; they see no good.
26 They go by likeg[Isa. 18:2] skiffs of reed,
likehHab. 1:8 an eagle swooping on the prey.
27 If I say,i[ch. 7:13] ‘I will forget my complaint,
I will put off my sad face, andjPs. 39:13 be of good cheer, ’
28 I becomek[Ps. 119:120] afraid of all my suffering,
for I know you will notlch. 10:14 hold me innocent.
29 I shall bem[ch. 10:2] condemned;
why then do I labor in vain?
30 If I wash myself with snow
andnIsa. 1:25; Jer. 2:22; See ch. 22:30 cleanse my hands with lye,
31 yet you will plunge me into a pit,
and my own clothes willoch. 19:19; 30:10 abhor me.
32 For he is not a man, as I am, that I might answer him,
that we shouldpEccles. 6:10; Rom. 9:20 come to trial together.
33 qver. 19; 1 Sam. 2:25; [ch. 16:21] There is no1Or Would that there were an arbiter between us,
who might lay his hand on us both.
34 r[Ps. 39:10] Let him take hissch. 21:9; Ps. 89:32; Isa. 10:24 rod away from me,
and lett[ch. 13:21; 33:7] not dread of him terrify me.
35 Then I would speak without fear of him,
for I am not so in myself.