| | 1 | Then Job replied: | |
| | 2 | "Indeed, I know that this is true. But how can a mortal be righteous before God? | |
| | 3 | Though one wished to dispute with him, he could not answer him one time out of a thousand. | |
| | 4 | His wisdom is profound, his power is vast. Who has resisted him and come out unscathed? | |
| | 5 | He moves mountains without their knowing it and overturns them in his anger. | |
| | 6 | He shakes the earth from its place and makes its pillars tremble. | |
| | 7 | He speaks to the sun and it does not shine; he seals off the light of the stars. | |
| | 8 | He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea. | |
| | 9 | He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south. | |
| | 10 | He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. | |
| | 11 | When he passes me, I cannot see him; when he goes by, I cannot perceive him. | |
| | 12 | If he snatches away, who can stop him? Who can say to him, 'What are you doing?' | |
| | 13 | God does not restrain his anger; even the cohorts of Rahab cowered at his feet. | |
| | 14 | "How then can I dispute with him? How can I find words to argue with him? | |
| | 15 | Though I were innocent, I could not answer him; I could only plead with my Judge for mercy. | |
| | 16 | Even if I summoned him and he responded, I do not believe he would give me a hearing. | |
| | 17 | He would crush me with a storm and multiply my wounds for no reason. | |
| | 18 | He would not let me regain my breath but would overwhelm me with misery. | |
| | 19 | If it is a matter of strength, he is mighty! And if it is a matter of justice, who will summon him? | |
| | 20 | Even if I were innocent, my mouth would condemn me; if I were blameless, it would pronounce me guilty. | |
| | 21 | "Although I am blameless, I have no concern for myself; I despise my own life. | |
| | 22 | It is all the same; that is why I say, 'He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.' | |
| | 23 | When a scourge brings sudden death, he mocks the despair of the innocent. | |
| | 24 | When a land falls into the hands of the wicked, he blindfolds its judges. If it is not he, then who is it? | |
| | 25 | "My days are swifter than a runner; they fly away without a glimpse of joy. | |
| | 26 | They skim past like boats of papyrus, like eagles swooping down on their prey. | |
| | 27 | If I say, 'I will forget my complaint, I will change my expression, and smile,' | |
| | 28 | I still dread all my sufferings, for I know you will not hold me innocent. | |
| | 29 | Since I am already found guilty, why should I struggle in vain? | |
| | 30 | Even if I washed myself with soap and my hands with washing soda, | |
| | 31 | you would plunge me into a slime pit so that even my clothes would detest me. | |
| | 32 | "He is not a man like me that I might answer him, that we might confront each other in court. | |
| | 33 | If only there were someone to arbitrate between us, to lay his hand upon us both, | |
| | 34 | someone to remove God's rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more. | |
| | 35 | Then I would speak up without fear of him, but as it now stands with me, I cannot. | |
