Job 1:1-40:5

New Living Translation

“I came naked from my mother’s womb,
    and I will be naked when I leave.
The Lord gave me what I had,
    and the Lord has taken it away.
Praise the name of the Lord!”

³ “Let the day of my birth be erased,
    and the night I was conceived.
⁴ Let that day be turned to darkness.
    Let it be lost even to God on high,
    and let no light shine on it.
⁵ Let the darkness and utter gloom claim that day for its own.
    Let a black cloud overshadow it,
    and let the darkness terrify it.
⁶ Let that night be blotted off the calendar,
    never again to be counted among the days of the year,
    never again to appear among the months.
⁷ Let that night be childless.
    Let it have no joy.
⁸ Let those who are experts at cursing—
    whose cursing could rouse Leviathan^[e]—
    curse that day.
⁹ Let its morning stars remain dark.
    Let it hope for light, but in vain;
    may it never see the morning light.
¹⁰ Curse that day for failing to shut my mother’s womb,
    for letting me be born to see all this trouble.

¹¹ “Why wasn’t I born dead?
    Why didn’t I die as I came from the womb?
¹² Why was I laid on my mother’s lap?
    Why did she nurse me at her breasts?
¹³ Had I died at birth, I would now be at peace.
    I would be asleep and at rest.
¹⁴ I would rest with the world’s kings and prime ministers,
    whose great buildings now lie in ruins.
¹⁵ I would rest with princes, rich in gold,
    whose palaces were filled with silver.
¹⁶ Why wasn’t I buried like a stillborn child,
    like a baby who never lives to see the light?
¹⁷ For in death the wicked cause no trouble,
    and the weary are at rest.
¹⁸ Even captives are at ease in death,
    with no guards to curse them.
¹⁹ Rich and poor are both there,
    and the slave is free from his master.

²⁰ “Oh, why give light to those in misery,
    and life to those who are bitter?
²¹ They long for death, and it won’t come.
    They search for death more eagerly than for hidden treasure.
²² They’re filled with joy when they finally die,
    and rejoice when they find the grave.
²³ Why is life given to those with no future,
    those God has surrounded with difficulties?
²⁴ I cannot eat for sighing;
    my groans pour out like water.
²⁵ What I always feared has happened to me.
    What I dreaded has come true.
²⁶ I have no peace, no quietness.
    I have no rest; only trouble comes.”

² “Will you be patient and let me say a word?
    For who could keep from speaking out?

³ “In the past you have encouraged many people;
    you have strengthened those who were weak.
⁴ Your words have supported those who were falling;
    you encouraged those with shaky knees.
⁵ But now when trouble strikes, you lose heart.
    You are terrified when it touches you.
⁶ Doesn’t your reverence for God give you confidence?
    Doesn’t your life of integrity give you hope?

⁷ “Stop and think! Do the innocent die?
    When have the upright been destroyed?
⁸ My experience shows that those who plant trouble
    and cultivate evil will harvest the same.
⁹ A breath from God destroys them.
    They vanish in a blast of his anger.
¹⁰ The lion roars and the wildcat snarls,
    but the teeth of strong lions will be broken.
¹¹ The fierce lion will starve for lack of prey,
    and the cubs of the lioness will be scattered.

¹² “This truth was given to me in secret,
    as though whispered in my ear.
¹³ It came to me in a disturbing vision at night,
    when people are in a deep sleep.
¹⁴ Fear gripped me,
    and my bones trembled.
¹⁵ A spirit^[f] swept past my face,
    and my hair stood on end.^[g]
16 The spirit stopped, but I couldn’t see its shape.
    There was a form before my eyes.
In the silence I heard a voice say,
¹⁷ ‘Can a mortal be innocent before God?
    Can anyone be pure before the Creator?’

¹⁸ “If God does not trust his own angels
    and has charged his messengers with foolishness,
¹⁹ how much less will he trust people made of clay!
    They are made of dust, crushed as easily as a moth.
²⁰ They are alive in the morning but dead by evening,
    gone forever without a trace.
²¹ Their tent-cords are pulled and the tent collapses,
    and they die in ignorance.

⁸ “If I were you, I would go to God
    and present my case to him.
⁹ He does great things too marvelous to understand.
    He performs countless miracles.
¹⁰ He gives rain for the earth
    and water for the fields.
¹¹ He gives prosperity to the poor
    and protects those who suffer.
¹² He frustrates the plans of schemers
    so the work of their hands will not succeed.
¹³ He traps the wise in their own cleverness
    so their cunning schemes are thwarted.
¹⁴ They find it is dark in the daytime,
    and they grope at noon as if it were night.
¹⁵ He rescues the poor from the cutting words of the strong,
    and rescues them from the clutches of the powerful.
¹⁶ And so at last the poor have hope,
    and the snapping jaws of the wicked are shut.

¹⁷ “But consider the joy of those corrected by God!
    Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you sin.
¹⁸ For though he wounds, he also bandages.
    He strikes, but his hands also heal.
¹⁹ From six disasters he will rescue you;
    even in the seventh, he will keep you from evil.
²⁰ He will save you from death in time of famine,
    from the power of the sword in time of war.
²¹ You will be safe from slander
    and have no fear when destruction comes.
²² You will laugh at destruction and famine;
    wild animals will not terrify you.
²³ You will be at peace with the stones of the field,
    and its wild animals will be at peace with you.
²⁴ You will know that your home is safe.
    When you survey your possessions, nothing will be missing.
²⁵ You will have many children;
    your descendants will be as plentiful as grass!
²⁶ You will go to the grave at a ripe old age,
    like a sheaf of grain harvested at the proper time!

²⁷ “We have studied life and found all this to be true.
    Listen to my counsel, and apply it to yourself.”

² “If my misery could be weighed
    and my troubles be put on the scales,
³ they would outweigh all the sands of the sea.
    That is why I spoke impulsively.
⁴ For the Almighty has struck me down with his arrows.
    Their poison infects my spirit.
    God’s terrors are lined up against me.
⁵ Don’t I have a right to complain?
    Don’t wild donkeys bray when they find no grass,
    and oxen bellow when they have no food?
⁶ Don’t people complain about unsalted food?
    Does anyone want the tasteless white of an egg?^[k]
7 My appetite disappears when I look at it;
    I gag at the thought of eating it!

⁸ “Oh, that I might have my request,
    that God would grant my desire.
⁹ I wish he would crush me.
    I wish he would reach out his hand and kill me.
¹⁰ At least I can take comfort in this:
    Despite the pain,
    I have not denied the words of the Holy One.
¹¹ But I don’t have the strength to endure.
    I have nothing to live for.
¹² Do I have the strength of a stone?
    Is my body made of bronze?
¹³ No, I am utterly helpless,
    without any chance of success.

¹⁴ “One should be kind to a fainting friend,
    but you accuse me without any fear of the Almighty.^[l]
15 My brothers, you have proved as unreliable as a seasonal brook
    that overflows its banks in the spring
¹⁶     when it is swollen with ice and melting snow.
¹⁷ But when the hot weather arrives, the water disappears.
    The brook vanishes in the heat.
¹⁸ The caravans turn aside to be refreshed,
    but there is nothing to drink, so they die.
¹⁹ The caravans from Tema search for this water;
    the travelers from Sheba hope to find it.
²⁰ They count on it but are disappointed.
    When they arrive, their hopes are dashed.
²¹ You, too, have given no help.
    You have seen my calamity, and you are afraid.
²² But why? Have I ever asked you for a gift?
    Have I begged for anything of yours for myself?
²³ Have I asked you to rescue me from my enemies,
    or to save me from ruthless people?
²⁴ Teach me, and I will keep quiet.
    Show me what I have done wrong.
²⁵ Honest words can be painful,
    but what do your criticisms amount to?
²⁶ Do you think your words are convincing
    when you disregard my cry of desperation?
²⁷ You would even send an orphan into slavery^[m]
    or sell a friend.
²⁸ Look at me!
    Would I lie to your face?
²⁹ Stop assuming my guilt,
    for I have done no wrong.
³⁰ Do you think I am lying?
    Don’t I know the difference between right and wrong?

7 “Is not all human life a struggle?
    Our lives are like that of a hired hand,
² like a worker who longs for the shade,
    like a servant waiting to be paid.
³ I, too, have been assigned months of futility,
    long and weary nights of misery.
⁴ Lying in bed, I think, ‘When will it be morning?’
    But the night drags on, and I toss till dawn.
⁵ My body is covered with maggots and scabs.
    My skin breaks open, oozing with pus.

¹¹ “I cannot keep from speaking.
    I must express my anguish.
    My bitter soul must complain.
¹² Am I a sea monster or a dragon
    that you must place me under guard?
¹³ I think, ‘My bed will comfort me,
    and sleep will ease my misery,’
¹⁴ but then you shatter me with dreams
    and terrify me with visions.
¹⁵ I would rather be strangled—
    rather die than suffer like this.
¹⁶ I hate my life and don’t want to go on living.
    Oh, leave me alone for my few remaining days.

¹⁷ “What are people, that you should make so much of us,
    that you should think of us so often?
¹⁸ For you examine us every morning
    and test us every moment.
¹⁹ Why won’t you leave me alone,
    at least long enough for me to swallow!
²⁰ If I have sinned, what have I done to you,
    O watcher of all humanity?
Why make me your target?
    Am I a burden to you?^[o]
21 Why not just forgive my sin
    and take away my guilt?
For soon I will lie down in the dust and die.
    When you look for me, I will be gone.”

² “How long will you go on like this?
    You sound like a blustering wind.
³ Does God twist justice?
    Does the Almighty twist what is right?
⁴ Your children must have sinned against him,
    so their punishment was well deserved.
⁵ But if you pray to God
    and seek the favor of the Almighty,
⁶ and if you are pure and live with integrity,
    he will surely rise up and restore your happy home.
⁷ And though you started with little,
    you will end with much.

⁸ “Just ask the previous generation.
    Pay attention to the experience of our ancestors.
⁹ For we were born but yesterday and know nothing.
    Our days on earth are as fleeting as a shadow.
¹⁰ But those who came before us will teach you.
    They will teach you the wisdom of old.

¹¹ “Can papyrus reeds grow tall without a marsh?
    Can marsh grass flourish without water?
¹² While they are still flowering, not ready to be cut,
    they begin to wither more quickly than grass.
¹³ The same happens to all who forget God.
    The hopes of the godless evaporate.
¹⁴ Their confidence hangs by a thread.
    They are leaning on a spider’s web.
¹⁵ They cling to their home for security, but it won’t last.
    They try to hold it tight, but it will not endure.
¹⁶ The godless seem like a lush plant growing in the sunshine,
    its branches spreading across the garden.
¹⁷ Its roots grow down through a pile of stones;
    it takes hold on a bed of rocks.
¹⁸ But when it is uprooted,
    it’s as though it never existed!
¹⁹ That’s the end of its life,
    and others spring up from the earth to replace it.

²⁰ “But look, God will not reject a person of integrity,
    nor will he lend a hand to the wicked.
²¹ He will once again fill your mouth with laughter
    and your lips with shouts of joy.
²² Those who hate you will be clothed with shame,
    and the home of the wicked will be destroyed.”

² “Yes, I know all this is true in principle.
    But how can a person be declared innocent in God’s sight?
³ If someone wanted to take God to court,^[p]
    would it be possible to answer him even once in a thousand times?
⁴ For God is so wise and so mighty.
    Who has ever challenged him successfully?

⁵ “Without warning, he moves the mountains,
    overturning them in his anger.
⁶ He shakes the earth from its place,
    and its foundations tremble.
⁷ If he commands it, the sun won’t rise
    and the stars won’t shine.
⁸ He alone has spread out the heavens
    and marches on the waves of the sea.
⁹ He made all the stars—the Bear and Orion,
    the Pleiades and the constellations of the southern sky.
¹⁰ He does great things too marvelous to understand.
    He performs countless miracles.

¹¹ “Yet when he comes near, I cannot see him.
    When he moves by, I do not see him go.
¹² If he snatches someone in death, who can stop him?
    Who dares to ask, ‘What are you doing?’
¹³ And God does not restrain his anger.
    Even the monsters of the sea^[q] are crushed beneath his feet.

¹⁴ “So who am I, that I should try to answer God
    or even reason with him?
¹⁵ Even if I were right, I would have no defense.
    I could only plead for mercy.
¹⁶ And even if I summoned him and he responded,
    I’m not sure he would listen to me.
¹⁷ For he attacks me with a storm
    and repeatedly wounds me without cause.
¹⁸ He will not let me catch my breath,
    but fills me instead with bitter sorrows.
¹⁹ If it’s a question of strength, he’s the strong one.
    If it’s a matter of justice, who dares to summon him^[r] to court?
²⁰ Though I am innocent, my own mouth would pronounce me guilty.
    Though I am blameless, it^[s] would prove me wicked.

²¹ “I am innocent,
    but it makes no difference to me—
    I despise my life.
²² Innocent or wicked, it is all the same to God.
    That’s why I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’
²³ When a plague^[t] sweeps through,
    he laughs at the death of the innocent.
²⁴ The whole earth is in the hands of the wicked,
    and God blinds the eyes of the judges.
    If he’s not the one who does it, who is?

²⁵ “My life passes more swiftly than a runner.
    It flees away without a glimpse of happiness.
²⁶ It disappears like a swift papyrus boat,
    like an eagle swooping down on its prey.
²⁷ If I decided to forget my complaints,
    to put away my sad face and be cheerful,
²⁸ I would still dread all the pain,
    for I know you will not find me innocent, O God.
²⁹ Whatever happens, I will be found guilty.
    So what’s the use of trying?
³⁰ Even if I were to wash myself with soap
    and clean my hands with lye,
³¹ you would plunge me into a muddy ditch,
    and my own filthy clothing would hate me.

³² “God is not a mortal like me,
    so I cannot argue with him or take him to trial.
³³ If only there were a mediator between us,
    someone who could bring us together.
³⁴ The mediator could make God stop beating me,
    and I would no longer live in terror of his punishment.
³⁵ Then I could speak to him without fear,
    but I cannot do that in my own strength.

⁸ “‘You formed me with your hands; you made me,
    yet now you completely destroy me.
⁹ Remember that you made me from dust—
    will you turn me back to dust so soon?
¹⁰ You guided my conception
    and formed me in the womb.^[u]
11 You clothed me with skin and flesh,
    and you knit my bones and sinews together.
¹² You gave me life and showed me your unfailing love.
    My life was preserved by your care.

¹³ “‘Yet your real motive—
    your true intent—
¹⁴ was to watch me, and if I sinned,
    you would not forgive my guilt.
¹⁵ If I am guilty, too bad for me;
    and even if I’m innocent, I can’t hold my head high,
    because I am filled with shame and misery.
¹⁶ And if I hold my head high, you hunt me like a lion
    and display your awesome power against me.
¹⁷ Again and again you witness against me.
    You pour out your growing anger on me
    and bring fresh armies against me.

¹⁸ “‘Why, then, did you deliver me from my mother’s womb?
    Why didn’t you let me die at birth?
¹⁹ It would be as though I had never existed,
    going directly from the womb to the grave.
²⁰ I have only a few days left, so leave me alone,
    that I may have a moment of comfort
²¹ before I leave—never to return—
    for the land of darkness and utter gloom.
²² It is a land as dark as midnight,
    a land of gloom and confusion,
    where even the light is dark as midnight.’”

² “Shouldn’t someone answer this torrent of words?
    Is a person proved innocent just by a lot of talking?
³ Should I remain silent while you babble on?
    When you mock God, shouldn’t someone make you ashamed?
⁴ You claim, ‘My beliefs are pure,’
    and ‘I am clean in the sight of God.’
⁵ If only God would speak;
    if only he would tell you what he thinks!
⁶ If only he would tell you the secrets of wisdom,
    for true wisdom is not a simple matter.
Listen! God is doubtless punishing you
    far less than you deserve!

⁷ “Can you solve the mysteries of God?
    Can you discover everything about the Almighty?
⁸ Such knowledge is higher than the heavens—
    and who are you?
It is deeper than the underworld^[v]—
    what do you know?
⁹ It is broader than the earth
    and wider than the sea.
¹⁰ If God comes and puts a person in prison
    or calls the court to order, who can stop him?
¹¹ For he knows those who are false,
    and he takes note of all their sins.
¹² An empty-headed person won’t become wise
    any more than a wild donkey can bear a human child.^[w]

¹³ “If only you would prepare your heart
    and lift up your hands to him in prayer!
¹⁴ Get rid of your sins,
    and leave all iniquity behind you.
¹⁵ Then your face will brighten with innocence.
    You will be strong and free of fear.
¹⁶ You will forget your misery;
    it will be like water flowing away.
¹⁷ Your life will be brighter than the noonday.
    Even darkness will be as bright as morning.
¹⁸ Having hope will give you courage.
    You will be protected and will rest in safety.
¹⁹ You will lie down unafraid,
    and many will look to you for help.
²⁰ But the wicked will be blinded.
    They will have no escape.
    Their only hope is death.”

² “You people really know everything, don’t you?
    And when you die, wisdom will die with you!
³ Well, I know a few things myself—
    and you’re no better than I am.
    Who doesn’t know these things you’ve been saying?
⁴ Yet my friends laugh at me,
    for I call on God and expect an answer.
I am a just and blameless man,
    yet they laugh at me.
⁵ People who are at ease mock those in trouble.
    They give a push to people who are stumbling.
⁶ But robbers are left in peace,
    and those who provoke God live in safety—
    though God keeps them in his power.^[x]

⁷ “Just ask the animals, and they will teach you.
    Ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you.
⁸ Speak to the earth, and it will instruct you.
    Let the fish in the sea speak to you.
⁹ For they all know
    that my disaster^[y] has come from the hand of the Lord.
¹⁰ For the life of every living thing is in his hand,
    and the breath of every human being.
¹¹ The ear tests the words it hears
    just as the mouth distinguishes between foods.
¹² Wisdom belongs to the aged,
    and understanding to the old.

¹³ “But true wisdom and power are found in God;
    counsel and understanding are his.
¹⁴ What he destroys cannot be rebuilt.
    When he puts someone in prison, there is no escape.
¹⁵ If he holds back the rain, the earth becomes a desert.
    If he releases the waters, they flood the earth.
¹⁶ Yes, strength and wisdom are his;
    deceivers and deceived are both in his power.
¹⁷ He leads counselors away, stripped of good judgment;
    wise judges become fools.
¹⁸ He removes the royal robe of kings.
    They are led away with ropes around their waist.
¹⁹ He leads priests away, stripped of status;
    he overthrows those with long years in power.
²⁰ He silences the trusted adviser
    and removes the insight of the elders.
²¹ He pours disgrace upon princes
    and disarms the strong.

²² “He uncovers mysteries hidden in darkness;
    he brings light to the deepest gloom.
²³ He builds up nations, and he destroys them.
    He expands nations, and he abandons them.
²⁴ He strips kings of understanding
    and leaves them wandering in a pathless wasteland.
²⁵ They grope in the darkness without a light.
    He makes them stagger like drunkards.

⁷ “Are you defending God with lies?
    Do you make your dishonest arguments for his sake?
⁸ Will you slant your testimony in his favor?
    Will you argue God’s case for him?
⁹ What will happen when he finds out what you are doing?
    Can you fool him as easily as you fool people?
¹⁰ No, you will be in trouble with him
    if you secretly slant your testimony in his favor.
¹¹ Doesn’t his majesty terrify you?
    Doesn’t your fear of him overwhelm you?
¹² Your platitudes are as valuable as ashes.
    Your defense is as fragile as a clay pot.

¹³ “Be silent now and leave me alone.
    Let me speak, and I will face the consequences.
¹⁴ Why should I put myself in mortal danger^[z]
    and take my life in my own hands?
¹⁵ God might kill me, but I have no other hope.^[aa]
    I am going to argue my case with him.
¹⁶ But this is what will save me—I am not godless.
    If I were, I could not stand before him.

¹⁷ “Listen closely to what I am about to say.
    Hear me out.
¹⁸ I have prepared my case;
    I will be proved innocent.
¹⁹ Who can argue with me over this?
    And if you prove me wrong, I will remain silent and die.

²⁶ “You write bitter accusations against me
    and bring up all the sins of my youth.
²⁷ You put my feet in stocks.
    You examine all my paths.
    You trace all my footprints.
²⁸ I waste away like rotting wood,
    like a moth-eaten coat.

14 “How frail is humanity!
    How short is life, how full of trouble!
² We blossom like a flower and then wither.
    Like a passing shadow, we quickly disappear.
³ Must you keep an eye on such a frail creature
    and demand an accounting from me?
⁴ Who can bring purity out of an impure person?
    No one!
⁵ You have decided the length of our lives.
    You know how many months we will live,
    and we are not given a minute longer.
⁶ So leave us alone and let us rest!
    We are like hired hands, so let us finish our work in peace.

⁷ “Even a tree has more hope!
    If it is cut down, it will sprout again
    and grow new branches.
⁸ Though its roots have grown old in the earth
    and its stump decays,
⁹ at the scent of water it will bud
    and sprout again like a new seedling.

¹⁰ “But when people die, their strength is gone.
    They breathe their last, and then where are they?
¹¹ As water evaporates from a lake
    and a river disappears in drought,
¹² people are laid to rest and do not rise again.
    Until the heavens are no more, they will not wake up
    nor be roused from their sleep.

¹³ “I wish you would hide me in the grave^[ab]
    and forget me there until your anger has passed.
    But mark your calendar to think of me again!
¹⁴ Can the dead live again?
    If so, this would give me hope through all my years of struggle,
    and I would eagerly await the release of death.
¹⁵ You would call and I would answer,
    and you would yearn for me, your handiwork.
¹⁶ For then you would guard my steps,
    instead of watching for my sins.
¹⁷ My sins would be sealed in a pouch,
    and you would cover my guilt.

¹⁸ “But instead, as mountains fall and crumble
    and as rocks fall from a cliff,
¹⁹ as water wears away the stones
    and floods wash away the soil,
    so you destroy people’s hope.
²⁰ You always overpower them, and they pass from the scene.
    You disfigure them in death and send them away.
²¹ They never know if their children grow up in honor
    or sink to insignificance.
²² They suffer painfully;
    their life is full of trouble.”

² “A wise man wouldn’t answer with such empty talk!
    You are nothing but a windbag.
³ The wise don’t engage in empty chatter.
    What good are such words?
⁴ Have you no fear of God,
    no reverence for him?
⁵ Your sins are telling your mouth what to say.
    Your words are based on clever deception.
⁶ Your own mouth condemns you, not I.
    Your own lips testify against you.

⁷ “Were you the first person ever born?
    Were you born before the hills were made?
⁸ Were you listening at God’s secret council?
    Do you have a monopoly on wisdom?
⁹ What do you know that we don’t?
    What do you understand that we do not?
¹⁰ On our side are aged, gray-haired men
    much older than your father!

¹¹ “Is God’s comfort too little for you?
    Is his gentle word not enough?
¹² What has taken away your reason?
    What has weakened your vision,^[ac]
13 that you turn against God
    and say all these evil things?
¹⁴ Can any mortal be pure?
    Can anyone born of a woman be just?
¹⁵ Look, God does not even trust the angels.^[ad]
    Even the heavens are not absolutely pure in his sight.
¹⁶ How much less pure is a corrupt and sinful person
    with a thirst for wickedness!

¹⁷ “If you will listen, I will show you.
    I will answer you from my own experience.
¹⁸ And it is confirmed by the reports of wise men
    who have heard the same thing from their fathers—
¹⁹ from those to whom the land was given
    long before any foreigners arrived.

²⁰ “The wicked writhe in pain throughout their lives.
    Years of trouble are stored up for the ruthless.
²¹ The sound of terror rings in their ears,
    and even on good days they fear the attack of the destroyer.
²² They dare not go out into the darkness
    for fear they will be murdered.
²³ They wander around, saying, ‘Where can I find bread?’^[ae]
    They know their day of destruction is near.
²⁴ That dark day terrifies them.
    They live in distress and anguish,
    like a king preparing for battle.
²⁵ For they shake their fists at God,
    defying the Almighty.
²⁶ Holding their strong shields,
    they defiantly charge against him.

²⁷ “These wicked people are heavy and prosperous;
    their waists bulge with fat.
²⁸ But their cities will be ruined.
    They will live in abandoned houses
    that are ready to tumble down.
²⁹ Their riches will not last,
    and their wealth will not endure.
    Their possessions will no longer spread across the horizon.

³⁰ “They will not escape the darkness.
    The burning sun will wither their shoots,
    and the breath of God will destroy them.
³¹ Let them no longer fool themselves by trusting in empty riches,
    for emptiness will be their only reward.
³² They will be cut down in the prime of life;
    their branches will never again be green.
³³ They will be like a vine whose grapes are harvested too early,
    like an olive tree that loses its blossoms before the fruit can form.
³⁴ For the godless are barren.
    Their homes, enriched through bribery, will burn.
³⁵ They conceive trouble and give birth to evil.
    Their womb produces deceit.”

² “I have heard all this before.
    What miserable comforters you are!
³ Won’t you ever stop blowing hot air?
    What makes you keep on talking?
⁴ I could say the same things if you were in my place.
    I could spout off criticism and shake my head at you.
⁵ But if it were me, I would encourage you.
    I would try to take away your grief.
⁶ Instead, I suffer if I defend myself,
    and I suffer no less if I refuse to speak.

⁷ “O God, you have ground me down
    and devastated my family.
⁸ As if to prove I have sinned, you’ve reduced me to skin and bones.
    My gaunt flesh testifies against me.
⁹ God hates me and angrily tears me apart.
    He snaps his teeth at me
    and pierces me with his eyes.
¹⁰ People jeer and laugh at me.
    They slap my cheek in contempt.
    A mob gathers against me.
¹¹ God has handed me over to sinners.
    He has tossed me into the hands of the wicked.

¹² “I was living quietly until he shattered me.
    He took me by the neck and broke me in pieces.
Then he set me up as his target,
¹³     and now his archers surround me.
His arrows pierce me without mercy.
    The ground is wet with my blood.^[af]
14 Again and again he smashes against me,
    charging at me like a warrior.
¹⁵ I wear burlap to show my grief.
    My pride lies in the dust.
¹⁶ My eyes are red with weeping;
    dark shadows circle my eyes.
¹⁷ Yet I have done no wrong,
    and my prayer is pure.

¹⁸ “O earth, do not conceal my blood.
    Let it cry out on my behalf.
¹⁹ Even now my witness is in heaven.
    My advocate is there on high.
²⁰ My friends scorn me,
    but I pour out my tears to God.
²¹ I need someone to mediate between God and me,
    as a person mediates between friends.
²² For soon I must go down that road
    from which I will never return.

³ “You must defend my innocence, O God,
    since no one else will stand up for me.
⁴ You have closed their minds to understanding,
    but do not let them triumph.
⁵ They betray their friends for their own advantage,
    so let their children faint with hunger.

⁶ “God has made a mockery of me among the people;
    they spit in my face.
⁷ My eyes are swollen with weeping,
    and I am but a shadow of my former self.
⁸ The virtuous are horrified when they see me.
    The innocent rise up against the ungodly.
⁹ The righteous keep moving forward,
    and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.

¹⁰ “As for all of you, come back with a better argument,
    though I still won’t find a wise man among you.
¹¹ My days are over.
    My hopes have disappeared.
    My heart’s desires are broken.
¹² These men say that night is day;
    they claim that the darkness is light.
¹³ What if I go to the grave^[ag]
    and make my bed in darkness?
¹⁴ What if I call the grave my father,
    and the maggot my mother or my sister?
¹⁵ Where then is my hope?
    Can anyone find it?
¹⁶ No, my hope will go down with me to the grave.
    We will rest together in the dust!”

² “How long before you stop talking?
    Speak sense if you want us to answer!
³ Do you think we are mere animals?
    Do you think we are stupid?
⁴ You may tear out your hair in anger,
    but will that destroy the earth?
    Will it make the rocks tremble?

⁵ “Surely the light of the wicked will be snuffed out.
    The sparks of their fire will not glow.
⁶ The light in their tent will grow dark.
    The lamp hanging above them will be quenched.
⁷ The confident stride of the wicked will be shortened.
    Their own schemes will be their downfall.
⁸ The wicked walk into a net.
    They fall into a pit.
⁹ A trap grabs them by the heel.
    A snare holds them tight.
¹⁰ A noose lies hidden on the ground.
    A rope is stretched across their path.

¹¹ “Terrors surround the wicked
    and trouble them at every step.
¹² Hunger depletes their strength,
    and calamity waits for them to stumble.
¹³ Disease eats their skin;
    death devours their limbs.
¹⁴ They are torn from the security of their homes
    and are brought down to the king of terrors.
¹⁵ The homes of the wicked will burn down;
    burning sulfur rains on their houses.
¹⁶ Their roots will dry up,
    and their branches will wither.
¹⁷ All memory of their existence will fade from the earth;
    no one will remember their names.
¹⁸ They will be thrust from light into darkness,
    driven from the world.
¹⁹ They will have neither children nor grandchildren,
    nor any survivor in the place where they lived.
²⁰ People in the west are appalled at their fate;
    people in the east are horrified.
²¹ They will say, ‘This was the home of a wicked person,
    the place of one who rejected God.’”

² “How long will you torture me?
    How long will you try to crush me with your words?
³ You have already insulted me ten times.
    You should be ashamed of treating me so badly.
⁴ Even if I have sinned,
    that is my concern, not yours.
⁵ You think you’re better than I am,
    using my humiliation as evidence of my sin.
⁶ But it is God who has wronged me,
    capturing me in his net.^[ah]

⁷ “I cry out, ‘Help!’ but no one answers me.
    I protest, but there is no justice.
⁸ God has blocked my way so I cannot move.
    He has plunged my path into darkness.
⁹ He has stripped me of my honor
    and removed the crown from my head.
¹⁰ He has demolished me on every side, and I am finished.
    He has uprooted my hope like a fallen tree.
¹¹ His fury burns against me;
    he counts me as an enemy.
¹² His troops advance.
    They build up roads to attack me.
    They camp all around my tent.

¹³ “My relatives stay far away,
    and my friends have turned against me.
¹⁴ My family is gone,
    and my close friends have forgotten me.
¹⁵ My servants and maids consider me a stranger.
    I am like a foreigner to them.
¹⁶ When I call my servant, he doesn’t come;
    I have to plead with him!
¹⁷ My breath is repulsive to my wife.
    I am rejected by my own family.
¹⁸ Even young children despise me.
    When I stand to speak, they turn their backs on me.
¹⁹ My close friends detest me.
    Those I loved have turned against me.
²⁰ I have been reduced to skin and bones
    and have escaped death by the skin of my teeth.

²¹ “Have mercy on me, my friends, have mercy,
    for the hand of God has struck me.
²² Must you also persecute me, like God does?
    Haven’t you chewed me up enough?

²³ “Oh, that my words could be recorded.
    Oh, that they could be inscribed on a monument,
²⁴ carved with an iron chisel and filled with lead,
    engraved forever in the rock.

²⁵ “But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
    and he will stand upon the earth at last.
²⁶ And after my body has decayed,
    yet in my body I will see God!^[ai]
27 I will see him for myself.
    Yes, I will see him with my own eyes.
    I am overwhelmed at the thought!

²⁸ “How dare you go on persecuting me,
    saying, ‘It’s his own fault’?
²⁹ You should fear punishment yourselves,
    for your attitude deserves punishment.
    Then you will know that there is indeed a judgment.”

² “I must reply
    because I am greatly disturbed.
³ I’ve had to endure your insults,
    but now my spirit prompts me to reply.

⁴ “Don’t you realize that from the beginning of time,
    ever since people were first placed on the earth,
⁵ the triumph of the wicked has been short lived
    and the joy of the godless has been only temporary?
⁶ Though the pride of the godless reaches to the heavens
    and their heads touch the clouds,
⁷ yet they will vanish forever,
    thrown away like their own dung.
Those who knew them will ask,
    ‘Where are they?’
⁸ They will fade like a dream and not be found.
    They will vanish like a vision in the night.
⁹ Those who once saw them will see them no more.
    Their families will never see them again.
¹⁰ Their children will beg from the poor,
    for they must give back their stolen riches.
¹¹ Though they are young,
    their bones will lie in the dust.

¹² “They enjoyed the sweet taste of wickedness,
    letting it melt under their tongue.
¹³ They savored it,
    holding it long in their mouths.
¹⁴ But suddenly the food in their bellies turns sour,
    a poisonous venom in their stomach.
¹⁵ They will vomit the wealth they swallowed.
    God won’t let them keep it down.
¹⁶ They will suck the poison of cobras.
    The viper will kill them.
¹⁷ They will never again enjoy streams of olive oil
    or rivers of milk and honey.
¹⁸ They will give back everything they worked for.
    Their wealth will bring them no joy.
¹⁹ For they oppressed the poor and left them destitute.
    They foreclosed on their homes.
²⁰ They were always greedy and never satisfied.
    Nothing remains of all the things they dreamed about.
²¹ Nothing is left after they finish gorging themselves.
    Therefore, their prosperity will not endure.

²² “In the midst of plenty, they will run into trouble
    and be overcome by misery.
²³ May God give them a bellyful of trouble.
    May God rain down his anger upon them.
²⁴ When they try to escape an iron weapon,
    a bronze-tipped arrow will pierce them.
²⁵ The arrow is pulled from their back,
    and the arrowhead glistens with blood.^[aj]
The terrors of death are upon them.
²⁶     Their treasures will be thrown into deepest darkness.
A wildfire will devour their goods,
    consuming all they have left.
²⁷ The heavens will reveal their guilt,
    and the earth will testify against them.
²⁸ A flood will sweep away their house.
    God’s anger will descend on them in torrents.
²⁹ This is the reward that God gives the wicked.
    It is the inheritance decreed by God.”

² “Listen closely to what I am saying.
    That’s one consolation you can give me.
³ Bear with me, and let me speak.
    After I have spoken, you may resume mocking me.

⁴ “My complaint is with God, not with people.
    I have good reason to be so impatient.
⁵ Look at me and be stunned.
    Put your hand over your mouth in shock.
⁶ When I think about what I am saying, I shudder.
    My body trembles.

⁷ “Why do the wicked prosper,
    growing old and powerful?
⁸ They live to see their children grow up and settle down,
    and they enjoy their grandchildren.
⁹ Their homes are safe from every fear,
    and God does not punish them.
¹⁰ Their bulls never fail to breed.
    Their cows bear calves and never miscarry.
¹¹ They let their children frisk about like lambs.
    Their little ones skip and dance.
¹² They sing with tambourine and harp.
    They celebrate to the sound of the flute.
¹³ They spend their days in prosperity,
    then go down to the grave^[ak] in peace.
¹⁴ And yet they say to God, ‘Go away.
    We want no part of you and your ways.
¹⁵ Who is the Almighty, and why should we obey him?
    What good will it do us to pray?’
¹⁶ (They think their prosperity is of their own doing,
    but I will have nothing to do with that kind of thinking.)

¹⁷ “Yet the light of the wicked never seems to be extinguished.
    Do they ever have trouble?
    Does God distribute sorrows to them in anger?
¹⁸ Are they driven before the wind like straw?
    Are they carried away by the storm like chaff?
    Not at all!

¹⁹ “‘Well,’ you say, ‘at least God will punish their children!’
    But I say he should punish the ones who sin,
    so that they understand his judgment.
²⁰ Let them see their destruction with their own eyes.
    Let them drink deeply of the anger of the Almighty.
²¹ For they will not care what happens to their family
    after they are dead.

²² “But who can teach a lesson to God,
    since he judges even the most powerful?
²³ One person dies in prosperity,
    completely comfortable and secure,
²⁴ the picture of good health,
    vigorous and fit.
²⁵ Another person dies in bitter poverty,
    never having tasted the good life.
²⁶ But both are buried in the same dust,
    both eaten by the same maggots.

²⁷ “Look, I know what you’re thinking.
    I know the schemes you plot against me.
²⁸ You will tell me of rich and wicked people
    whose houses have vanished because of their sins.
²⁹ But ask those who have been around,
    and they will tell you the truth.
³⁰ Evil people are spared in times of calamity
    and are allowed to escape disaster.
³¹ No one criticizes them openly
    or pays them back for what they have done.
³² When they are carried to the grave,
    an honor guard keeps watch at their tomb.
³³ A great funeral procession goes to the cemetery.
    Many pay their respects as the body is laid to rest,
    and the earth gives sweet repose.

³⁴ “How can your empty clichés comfort me?
    All your explanations are lies!”

² “Can a person do anything to help God?
    Can even a wise person be helpful to him?
³ Is it any advantage to the Almighty if you are righteous?
    Would it be any gain to him if you were perfect?
⁴ Is it because you’re so pious that he accuses you
    and brings judgment against you?
⁵ No, it’s because of your wickedness!
    There’s no limit to your sins.

⁶ “For example, you must have lent money to your friend
    and demanded clothing as security.
    Yes, you stripped him to the bone.
⁷ You must have refused water for the thirsty
    and food for the hungry.
⁸ You probably think the land belongs to the powerful
    and only the privileged have a right to it!
⁹ You must have sent widows away empty-handed
    and crushed the hopes of orphans.
¹⁰ That is why you are surrounded by traps
    and tremble from sudden fears.
¹¹ That is why you cannot see in the darkness,
    and waves of water cover you.

¹² “God is so great—higher than the heavens,
    higher than the farthest stars.
¹³ But you reply, ‘That’s why God can’t see what I am doing!
    How can he judge through the thick darkness?
¹⁴ For thick clouds swirl about him, and he cannot see us.
    He is way up there, walking on the vault of heaven.’

¹⁵ “Will you continue on the old paths
    where evil people have walked?
¹⁶ They were snatched away in the prime of life,
    the foundations of their lives washed away.
¹⁷ For they said to God, ‘Leave us alone!
    What can the Almighty do to us?’
¹⁸ Yet he was the one who filled their homes with good things,
    so I will have nothing to do with that kind of thinking.

¹⁹ “The righteous will be happy to see the wicked destroyed,
    and the innocent will laugh in contempt.
²⁰ They will say, ‘See how our enemies have been destroyed.
    The last of them have been consumed in the fire.’

²¹ “Submit to God, and you will have peace;
    then things will go well for you.
²² Listen to his instructions,
    and store them in your heart.
²³ If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored—
    so clean up your life.
²⁴ If you give up your lust for money
    and throw your precious gold into the river,
²⁵ the Almighty himself will be your treasure.
    He will be your precious silver!

²⁶ “Then you will take delight in the Almighty
    and look up to God.
²⁷ You will pray to him, and he will hear you,
    and you will fulfill your vows to him.
²⁸ You will succeed in whatever you choose to do,
    and light will shine on the road ahead of you.
²⁹ If people are in trouble and you say, ‘Help them,’
    God will save them.
³⁰ Even sinners will be rescued;
    they will be rescued because your hands are pure.”

² “My complaint today is still a bitter one,
    and I try hard not to groan aloud.
³ If only I knew where to find God,
    I would go to his court.
⁴ I would lay out my case
    and present my arguments.
⁵ Then I would listen to his reply
    and understand what he says to me.
⁶ Would he use his great power to argue with me?
    No, he would give me a fair hearing.
⁷ Honest people can reason with him,
    so I would be forever acquitted by my judge.
⁸ I go east, but he is not there.
    I go west, but I cannot find him.
⁹ I do not see him in the north, for he is hidden.
    I look to the south, but he is concealed.

¹⁰ “But he knows where I am going.
    And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.
¹¹ For I have stayed on God’s paths;
    I have followed his ways and not turned aside.
¹² I have not departed from his commands,
    but have treasured his words more than daily food.
¹³ But once he has made his decision, who can change his mind?
    Whatever he wants to do, he does.
¹⁴ So he will do to me whatever he has planned.
    He controls my destiny.
¹⁵ No wonder I am so terrified in his presence.
    When I think of it, terror grips me.
¹⁶ God has made me sick at heart;
    the Almighty has terrified me.
¹⁷ Darkness is all around me;
    thick, impenetrable darkness is everywhere.

⁹ “The wicked snatch a widow’s child from her breast,
    taking the baby as security for a loan.
¹⁰ The poor must go about naked, without any clothing.
    They harvest food for others while they themselves are starving.
¹¹ They press out olive oil without being allowed to taste it,
    and they tread in the winepress as they suffer from thirst.
¹² The groans of the dying rise from the city,
    and the wounded cry for help,
    yet God ignores their moaning.

¹³ “Wicked people rebel against the light.
    They refuse to acknowledge its ways
    or stay in its paths.
¹⁴ The murderer rises in the early dawn
    to kill the poor and needy;
    at night he is a thief.
¹⁵ The adulterer waits for the twilight,
    saying, ‘No one will see me then.’
    He hides his face so no one will know him.
¹⁶ Thieves break into houses at night
    and sleep in the daytime.
    They are not acquainted with the light.
¹⁷ The black night is their morning.
    They ally themselves with the terrors of the darkness.

¹⁸ “But they disappear like foam down a river.
    Everything they own is cursed,
    and they are afraid to enter their own vineyards.
¹⁹ The grave^[al] consumes sinners
    just as drought and heat consume snow.
²⁰ Their own mothers will forget them.
    Maggots will find them sweet to eat.
No one will remember them.
    Wicked people are broken like a tree in the storm.
²¹ They cheat the woman who has no son to help her.
    They refuse to help the needy widow.

²² “God, in his power, drags away the rich.
    They may rise high, but they have no assurance of life.
²³ They may be allowed to live in security,
    but God is always watching them.
²⁴ And though they are great now,
    in a moment they will be gone like all others,
    cut off like heads of grain.
²⁵ Can anyone claim otherwise?
    Who can prove me wrong?”

² “God is powerful and dreadful.
    He enforces peace in the heavens.
³ Who is able to count his heavenly army?
    Doesn’t his light shine on all the earth?
⁴ How can a mortal be innocent before God?
    Can anyone born of a woman be pure?
⁵ God is more glorious than the moon;
    he shines brighter than the stars.
⁶ In comparison, people are maggots;
    we mortals are mere worms.”

² “How you have helped the powerless!
    How you have saved the weak!
³ How you have enlightened my stupidity!
    What wise advice you have offered!
⁴ Where have you gotten all these wise sayings?
    Whose spirit speaks through you?

⁵ “The dead tremble—
    those who live beneath the waters.
⁶ The underworld^[am] is naked in God’s presence.
    The place of destruction^[an] is uncovered.
⁷ God stretches the northern sky over empty space
    and hangs the earth on nothing.
⁸ He wraps the rain in his thick clouds,
    and the clouds don’t burst with the weight.
⁹ He covers the face of the moon,^[ao]
    shrouding it with his clouds.
¹⁰ He created the horizon when he separated the waters;
    he set the boundary between day and night.
¹¹ The foundations of heaven tremble;
    they shudder at his rebuke.
¹² By his power the sea grew calm.
    By his skill he crushed the great sea monster.^[ap]
13 His Spirit made the heavens beautiful,
    and his power pierced the gliding serpent.
¹⁴ These are just the beginning of all that he does,
    merely a whisper of his power.
    Who, then, can comprehend the thunder of his power?”

² “I vow by the living God, who has taken away my rights,
    by the Almighty who has embittered my soul—
³ As long as I live,
    while I have breath from God,
⁴ my lips will speak no evil,
    and my tongue will speak no lies.
⁵ I will never concede that you are right;
    I will defend my integrity until I die.
⁶ I will maintain my innocence without wavering.
    My conscience is clear for as long as I live.

⁷ “May my enemy be punished like the wicked,
    my adversary like those who do evil.
⁸ For what hope do the godless have when God cuts them off
    and takes away their life?
⁹ Will God listen to their cry
    when trouble comes upon them?
¹⁰ Can they take delight in the Almighty?
    Can they call to God at any time?
¹¹ I will teach you about God’s power.
    I will not conceal anything concerning the Almighty.
¹² But you have seen all this,
    yet you say all these useless things to me.

¹³ “This is what the wicked will receive from God;
    this is their inheritance from the Almighty.
¹⁴ They may have many children,
    but the children will die in war or starve to death.
¹⁵ Those who survive will die of a plague,
    and not even their widows will mourn them.

¹⁶ “Evil people may have piles of money
    and may store away mounds of clothing.
¹⁷ But the righteous will wear that clothing,
    and the innocent will divide that money.
¹⁸ The wicked build houses as fragile as a spider’s web,^[aq]
    as flimsy as a shelter made of branches.
¹⁹ The wicked go to bed rich
    but wake to find that all their wealth is gone.
²⁰ Terror overwhelms them like a flood,
    and they are blown away in the storms of the night.
²¹ The east wind carries them away, and they are gone.
    It sweeps them away.
²² It whirls down on them without mercy.
    They struggle to flee from its power.
²³ But everyone jeers at them
    and mocks them.

¹² “But do people know where to find wisdom?
    Where can they find understanding?
¹³ No one knows where to find it,^[ar]
    for it is not found among the living.
¹⁴ ‘It is not here,’ says the ocean.
    ‘Nor is it here,’ says the sea.
¹⁵ It cannot be bought with gold.
    It cannot be purchased with silver.
¹⁶ It’s worth more than all the gold of Ophir,
    greater than precious onyx or lapis lazuli.
¹⁷ Wisdom is more valuable than gold and crystal.
    It cannot be purchased with jewels mounted in fine gold.
¹⁸ Coral and jasper are worthless in trying to get it.
    The price of wisdom is far above rubies.
¹⁹ Precious peridot from Ethiopia^[as] cannot be exchanged for it.
    It’s worth more than the purest gold.

²⁰ “But do people know where to find wisdom?
    Where can they find understanding?
²¹ It is hidden from the eyes of all humanity.
    Even the sharp-eyed birds in the sky cannot discover it.
²² Destruction^[at] and Death say,
    ‘We’ve heard only rumors of where wisdom can be found.’

²³ “God alone understands the way to wisdom;
    he knows where it can be found,
²⁴ for he looks throughout the whole earth
    and sees everything under the heavens.
²⁵ He decided how hard the winds should blow
    and how much rain should fall.
²⁶ He made the laws for the rain
    and laid out a path for the lightning.
²⁷ Then he saw wisdom and evaluated it.
    He set it in place and examined it thoroughly.
²⁸ And this is what he says to all humanity:
‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom;
    to forsake evil is real understanding.’”

² “I long for the years gone by
    when God took care of me,
³ when he lit up the way before me
    and I walked safely through the darkness.
⁴ When I was in my prime,
    God’s friendship was felt in my home.
⁵ The Almighty was still with me,
    and my children were around me.
⁶ My steps were awash in cream,
    and the rocks gushed olive oil for me.

⁷ “Those were the days when I went to the city gate
    and took my place among the honored leaders.
⁸ The young stepped aside when they saw me,
    and even the aged rose in respect at my coming.
⁹ The princes stood in silence
    and put their hands over their mouths.
¹⁰ The highest officials of the city stood quietly,
    holding their tongues in respect.

¹¹ “All who heard me praised me.
    All who saw me spoke well of me.
¹² For I assisted the poor in their need
    and the orphans who required help.
¹³ I helped those without hope, and they blessed me.
    And I caused the widows’ hearts to sing for joy.
¹⁴ Everything I did was honest.
    Righteousness covered me like a robe,
    and I wore justice like a turban.
¹⁵ I served as eyes for the blind
    and feet for the lame.
¹⁶ I was a father to the poor
    and assisted strangers who needed help.
¹⁷ I broke the jaws of godless oppressors
    and plucked their victims from their teeth.

¹⁸ “I thought, ‘Surely I will die surrounded by my family
    after a long, good life.^[au]
19 For I am like a tree whose roots reach the water,
    whose branches are refreshed with the dew.
²⁰ New honors are constantly bestowed on me,
    and my strength is continually renewed.’

²¹ “Everyone listened to my advice.
    They were silent as they waited for me to speak.
²² And after I spoke, they had nothing to add,
    for my counsel satisfied them.
²³ They longed for me to speak as people long for rain.
    They drank my words like a refreshing spring rain.
²⁴ When they were discouraged, I smiled at them.
    My look of approval was precious to them.
²⁵ Like a chief, I told them what to do.
    I lived like a king among his troops
    and comforted those who mourned.

⁹ “And now they mock me with vulgar songs!
    They taunt me!
¹⁰ They despise me and won’t come near me,
    except to spit in my face.
¹¹ For God has cut my bowstring.
    He has humbled me,
    so they have thrown off all restraint.
¹² These outcasts oppose me to my face.
    They send me sprawling
    and lay traps in my path.
¹³ They block my road
    and do everything they can to destroy me.
They know I have no one to help me.
¹⁴     They come at me from all directions.
They jump on me when I am down.
¹⁵     I live in terror now.
My honor has blown away in the wind,
    and my prosperity has vanished like a cloud.

¹⁶ “And now my life seeps away.
    Depression haunts my days.
¹⁷ At night my bones are filled with pain,
    which gnaws at me relentlessly.
¹⁸ With a strong hand, God grabs my shirt.^[av]
    He grips me by the collar of my coat.
¹⁹ He has thrown me into the mud.
    I’m nothing more than dust and ashes.

²⁰ “I cry to you, O God, but you don’t answer.
    I stand before you, but you don’t even look.
²¹ You have become cruel toward me.
    You use your power to persecute me.
²² You throw me into the whirlwind
    and destroy me in the storm.
²³ And I know you are sending me to my death—
    the destination of all who live.

²⁴ “Surely no one would turn against the needy
    when they cry for help in their trouble.
²⁵ Did I not weep for those in trouble?
    Was I not deeply grieved for the needy?
²⁶ So I looked for good, but evil came instead.
    I waited for the light, but darkness fell.
²⁷ My heart is troubled and restless.
    Days of suffering torment me.
²⁸ I walk in gloom, without sunlight.
    I stand in the public square and cry for help.
²⁹ Instead, I am considered a brother to jackals
    and a companion to owls.
³⁰ My skin has turned dark,
    and my bones burn with fever.
³¹ My harp plays sad music,
    and my flute accompanies those who weep.

⁵ “Have I lied to anyone
    or deceived anyone?
⁶ Let God weigh me on the scales of justice,
    for he knows my integrity.
⁷ If I have strayed from his pathway,
    or if my heart has lusted for what my eyes have seen,
    or if I am guilty of any other sin,
⁸ then let someone else eat the crops I have planted.
    Let all that I have planted be uprooted.

⁹ “If my heart has been seduced by a woman,
    or if I have lusted for my neighbor’s wife,
¹⁰ then let my wife serve^[aw] another man;
    let other men sleep with her.
¹¹ For lust is a shameful sin,
    a crime that should be punished.
¹² It is a fire that burns all the way to hell.^[ax]
    It would wipe out everything I own.

¹³ “If I have been unfair to my male or female servants
    when they brought their complaints to me,
¹⁴ how could I face God?
    What could I say when he questioned me?
¹⁵ For God created both me and my servants.
    He created us both in the womb.

¹⁶ “Have I refused to help the poor,
    or crushed the hopes of widows?
¹⁷ Have I been stingy with my food
    and refused to share it with orphans?
¹⁸ No, from childhood I have cared for orphans like a father,
    and all my life I have cared for widows.
¹⁹ Whenever I saw the homeless without clothes
    and the needy with nothing to wear,
²⁰ did they not praise me
    for providing wool clothing to keep them warm?

²¹ “If I raised my hand against an orphan,
    knowing the judges would take my side,
²² then let my shoulder be wrenched out of place!
    Let my arm be torn from its socket!
²³ That would be better than facing God’s judgment.
    For if the majesty of God opposes me, what hope is there?

²⁴ “Have I put my trust in money
    or felt secure because of my gold?
²⁵ Have I gloated about my wealth
    and all that I own?

²⁶ “Have I looked at the sun shining in the skies,
    or the moon walking down its silver pathway,
²⁷ and been secretly enticed in my heart
    to throw kisses at them in worship?
²⁸ If so, I should be punished by the judges,
    for it would mean I had denied the God of heaven.

²⁹ “Have I ever rejoiced when disaster struck my enemies,
    or become excited when harm came their way?
³⁰ No, I have never sinned by cursing anyone
    or by asking for revenge.

³¹ “My servants have never said,
    ‘He let others go hungry.’
³² I have never turned away a stranger
    but have opened my doors to everyone.

³³ “Have I tried to hide my sins like other people do,
    concealing my guilt in my heart?
³⁴ Have I feared the crowd
    or the contempt of the masses,
    so that I kept quiet and stayed indoors?

³⁵ “If only someone would listen to me!
    Look, I will sign my name to my defense.
Let the Almighty answer me.
    Let my accuser write out the charges against me.
³⁶ I would face the accusation proudly.
    I would wear it like a crown.
³⁷ For I would tell him exactly what I have done.
    I would come before him like a prince.

³⁸ “If my land accuses me
    and all its furrows cry out together,
³⁹ or if I have stolen its crops
    or murdered its owners,
⁴⁰ then let thistles grow on that land instead of wheat,
    and weeds instead of barley.”

“I am young and you are old,
    so I held back from telling you what I think.
⁷ I thought, ‘Those who are older should speak,
    for wisdom comes with age.’
⁸ But there is a spirit^[az] within people,
    the breath of the Almighty within them,
    that makes them intelligent.
⁹ Sometimes the elders are not wise.
    Sometimes the aged do not understand justice.
¹⁰ So listen to me,
    and let me tell you what I think.

¹¹ “I have waited all this time,
    listening very carefully to your arguments,
    listening to you grope for words.
¹² I have listened,
    but not one of you has refuted Job
    or answered his arguments.
¹³ And don’t tell me, ‘He is too wise for us.
    Only God can convince him.’
¹⁴ If Job had been arguing with me,
    I would not answer with your kind of logic!
¹⁵ You sit there baffled,
    with nothing more to say.
¹⁶ Should I continue to wait, now that you are silent?
    Must I also remain silent?
¹⁷ No, I will say my piece.
    I will speak my mind.
¹⁸ For I am full of pent-up words,
    and the spirit within me urges me on.
¹⁹ I am like a cask of wine without a vent,
    like a new wineskin ready to burst!
²⁰ I must speak to find relief,
    so let me give my answers.
²¹ I won’t play favorites
    or try to flatter anyone.
²² For if I tried flattery,
    my Creator would soon destroy me.

⁸ “You have spoken in my hearing,
    and I have heard your very words.
⁹ You said, ‘I am pure; I am without sin;
    I am innocent; I have no guilt.
¹⁰ God is picking a quarrel with me,
    and he considers me his enemy.
¹¹ He puts my feet in the stocks
    and watches my every move.’

¹² “But you are wrong, and I will show you why.
    For God is greater than any human being.
¹³ So why are you bringing a charge against him?
    Why say he does not respond to people’s complaints?
¹⁴ For God speaks again and again,
    though people do not recognize it.
¹⁵ He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night,
    when deep sleep falls on people
    as they lie in their beds.
¹⁶ He whispers in their ears
    and terrifies them with warnings.
¹⁷ He makes them turn from doing wrong;
    he keeps them from pride.
¹⁸ He protects them from the grave,
    from crossing over the river of death.

¹⁹ “Or God disciplines people with pain on their sickbeds,
    with ceaseless aching in their bones.
²⁰ They lose their appetite
    for even the most delicious food.
²¹ Their flesh wastes away,
    and their bones stick out.
²² They are at death’s door;
    the angels of death wait for them.

²³ “But if an angel from heaven appears—
    a special messenger to intercede for a person
    and declare that he is upright—
²⁴ he will be gracious and say,
‘Rescue him from the grave,
    for I have found a ransom for his life.’
²⁵ Then his body will become as healthy as a child’s,
    firm and youthful again.
²⁶ When he prays to God,
    he will be accepted.
And God will receive him with joy
    and restore him to good standing.
²⁷ He will declare to his friends,
‘I sinned and twisted the truth,
    but it was not worth it.^[ba]
28 God rescued me from the grave,
    and now my life is filled with light.’

²⁹ “Yes, God does these things
    again and again for people.
³⁰ He rescues them from the grave
    so they may enjoy the light of life.
³¹ Mark this well, Job. Listen to me,
    for I have more to say.
³² But if you have anything to say, go ahead.
    Speak, for I am anxious to see you justified.
³³ But if not, then listen to me.
    Keep silent and I will teach you wisdom!”

² “Listen to me, you wise men.
    Pay attention, you who have knowledge.
³ Job said, ‘The ear tests the words it hears
    just as the mouth distinguishes between foods.’
⁴ So let us discern for ourselves what is right;
    let us learn together what is good.
⁵ For Job also said, ‘I am innocent,
    but God has taken away my rights.
⁶ I am innocent, but they call me a liar.
    My suffering is incurable, though I have not sinned.’

⁷ “Tell me, has there ever been a man like Job,
    with his thirst for irreverent talk?
⁸ He chooses evil people as companions.
    He spends his time with wicked men.
⁹ He has even said, ‘Why waste time
    trying to please God?’

¹⁰ “Listen to me, you who have understanding.
    Everyone knows that God doesn’t sin!
    The Almighty can do no wrong.
¹¹ He repays people according to their deeds.
    He treats people as they deserve.
¹² Truly, God will not do wrong.
    The Almighty will not twist justice.
¹³ Did someone else put the world in his care?
    Who set the whole world in place?
¹⁴ If God were to take back his spirit
    and withdraw his breath,
¹⁵ all life would cease,
    and humanity would turn again to dust.

¹⁶ “Now listen to me if you are wise.
    Pay attention to what I say.
¹⁷ Could God govern if he hated justice?
    Are you going to condemn the almighty judge?
¹⁸ For he says to kings, ‘You are wicked,’
    and to nobles, ‘You are unjust.’
¹⁹ He doesn’t care how great a person may be,
    and he pays no more attention to the rich than to the poor.
    He made them all.
²⁰ In a moment they die.
    In the middle of the night they pass away;
    the mighty are removed without human hand.

²¹ “For God watches how people live;
    he sees everything they do.
²² No darkness is thick enough
    to hide the wicked from his eyes.
²³ We don’t set the time
    when we will come before God in judgment.
²⁴ He brings the mighty to ruin without asking anyone,
    and he sets up others in their place.
²⁵ He knows what they do,
    and in the night he overturns and destroys them.
²⁶ He strikes them down because they are wicked,
    doing it openly for all to see.
²⁷ For they turned away from following him.
    They have no respect for any of his ways.
²⁸ They cause the poor to cry out, catching God’s attention.
    He hears the cries of the needy.
²⁹ But if he chooses to remain quiet,
    who can criticize him?
When he hides his face, no one can find him,
    whether an individual or a nation.
³⁰ He prevents the godless from ruling
    so they cannot be a snare to the people.

³¹ “Why don’t people say to God, ‘I have sinned,
    but I will sin no more’?
³² Or ‘I don’t know what evil I have done—tell me.
    If I have done wrong, I will stop at once’?

³³ “Must God tailor his justice to your demands?
    But you have rejected him!
The choice is yours, not mine.
    Go ahead, share your wisdom with us.
³⁴ After all, bright people will tell me,
    and wise people will hear me say,
³⁵ ‘Job speaks out of ignorance;
    his words lack insight.’
³⁶ Job, you deserve the maximum penalty
    for the wicked way you have talked.
³⁷ For you have added rebellion to your sin;
    you show no respect,
    and you speak many angry words against God.”

² “Do you think it is right for you to claim,
    ‘I am righteous before God’?
³ For you also ask, ‘What’s in it for me?
    What’s the use of living a righteous life?’

⁴ “I will answer you
    and all your friends, too.
⁵ Look up into the sky,
    and see the clouds high above you.
⁶ If you sin, how does that affect God?
    Even if you sin again and again,
    what effect will it have on him?
⁷ If you are good, is this some great gift to him?
    What could you possibly give him?
⁸ No, your sins affect only people like yourself,
    and your good deeds also affect only humans.

⁹ “People cry out when they are oppressed.
    They groan beneath the power of the mighty.
¹⁰ Yet they don’t ask, ‘Where is God my Creator,
    the one who gives songs in the night?
¹¹ Where is the one who makes us smarter than the animals
    and wiser than the birds of the sky?’
¹² And when they cry out, God does not answer
    because of their pride.
¹³ But it is wrong to say God doesn’t listen,
    to say the Almighty isn’t concerned.
¹⁴ You say you can’t see him,
    but he will bring justice if you will only wait.^[bb]
15 You say he does not respond to sinners with anger
    and is not greatly concerned about wickedness.^[bc]
16 But you are talking nonsense, Job.
    You have spoken like a fool.”

² “Let me go on, and I will show you the truth.
    For I have not finished defending God!
³ I will present profound arguments
    for the righteousness of my Creator.
⁴ I am telling you nothing but the truth,
    for I am a man of great knowledge.

⁵ “God is mighty, but he does not despise anyone!
    He is mighty in both power and understanding.
⁶ He does not let the wicked live
    but gives justice to the afflicted.
⁷ He never takes his eyes off the innocent,
    but he sets them on thrones with kings
    and exalts them forever.
⁸ If they are bound in chains
    and caught up in a web of trouble,
⁹ he shows them the reason.
    He shows them their sins of pride.
¹⁰ He gets their attention
    and commands that they turn from evil.

¹¹ “If they listen and obey God,
    they will be blessed with prosperity throughout their lives.
    All their years will be pleasant.
¹² But if they refuse to listen to him,
    they will cross over the river of death,
    dying from lack of understanding.
¹³ For the godless are full of resentment.
    Even when he punishes them,
    they refuse to cry out to him for help.
¹⁴ They die when they are young,
    after wasting their lives in immoral living.
¹⁵ But by means of their suffering, he rescues those who suffer.
    For he gets their attention through adversity.

¹⁶ “God is leading you away from danger, Job,
    to a place free from distress.
    He is setting your table with the best food.
¹⁷ But you are obsessed with whether the godless will be judged.
    Don’t worry, judgment and justice will be upheld.
¹⁸ But watch out, or you may be seduced by wealth.^[bd]
    Don’t let yourself be bribed into sin.
¹⁹ Could all your wealth^[be]
    or all your mighty efforts
    keep you from distress?
²⁰ Do not long for the cover of night,
    for that is when people will be destroyed.^[bf]
21 Be on guard! Turn back from evil,
    for God sent this suffering
    to keep you from a life of evil.

²⁶ “Look, God is greater than we can understand.
    His years cannot be counted.
²⁷ He draws up the water vapor
    and then distills it into rain.
²⁸ The rain pours down from the clouds,
    and everyone benefits.
²⁹ Who can understand the spreading of the clouds
    and the thunder that rolls forth from heaven?
³⁰ See how he spreads the lightning around him
    and how it lights up the depths of the sea.
³¹ By these mighty acts he nourishes^[bg] the people,
    giving them food in abundance.
³² He fills his hands with lightning bolts
    and hurls each at its target.
³³ The thunder announces his presence;
    the storm announces his indignant anger.^[bh]

37 “My heart pounds as I think of this.
    It trembles within me.
² Listen carefully to the thunder of God’s voice
    as it rolls from his mouth.
³ It rolls across the heavens,
    and his lightning flashes in every direction.
⁴ Then comes the roaring of the thunder—
    the tremendous voice of his majesty.
    He does not restrain it when he speaks.
⁵ God’s voice is glorious in the thunder.
    We can’t even imagine the greatness of his power.

⁶ “He directs the snow to fall on the earth
    and tells the rain to pour down.
⁷ Then everyone stops working
    so they can watch his power.
⁸ The wild animals take cover
    and stay inside their dens.
⁹ The stormy wind comes from its chamber,
    and the driving winds bring the cold.
¹⁰ God’s breath sends the ice,
    freezing wide expanses of water.
¹¹ He loads the clouds with moisture,
    and they flash with his lightning.
¹² The clouds churn about at his direction.
    They do whatever he commands throughout the earth.
¹³ He makes these things happen either to punish people
    or to show his unfailing love.

¹⁴ “Pay attention to this, Job.
    Stop and consider the wonderful miracles of God!
¹⁵ Do you know how God controls the storm
    and causes the lightning to flash from his clouds?
¹⁶ Do you understand how he moves the clouds
    with wonderful perfection and skill?
¹⁷ When you are sweltering in your clothes
    and the south wind dies down and everything is still,
¹⁸ he makes the skies reflect the heat like a bronze mirror.
    Can you do that?

¹⁹ “So teach the rest of us what to say to God.
    We are too ignorant to make our own arguments.
²⁰ Should God be notified that I want to speak?
    Can people even speak when they are confused?^[bi]
21 We cannot look at the sun,
    for it shines brightly in the sky
    when the wind clears away the clouds.
²² So also, golden splendor comes from the mountain of God.^[bj]
    He is clothed in dazzling splendor.
²³ We cannot imagine the power of the Almighty;
    but even though he is just and righteous,
    he does not destroy us.
²⁴ No wonder people everywhere fear him.
    All who are wise show him reverence.^[bk]”

² “Who is this that questions my wisdom
    with such ignorant words?
³ Brace yourself like a man,
    because I have some questions for you,
    and you must answer them.

⁴ “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
    Tell me, if you know so much.
⁵ Who determined its dimensions
    and stretched out the surveying line?
⁶ What supports its foundations,
    and who laid its cornerstone
⁷ as the morning stars sang together
    and all the angels^[bl] shouted for joy?

⁸ “Who kept the sea inside its boundaries
    as it burst from the womb,
⁹ and as I clothed it with clouds
    and wrapped it in thick darkness?
¹⁰ For I locked it behind barred gates,
    limiting its shores.
¹¹ I said, ‘This far and no farther will you come.
    Here your proud waves must stop!’

¹² “Have you ever commanded the morning to appear
    and caused the dawn to rise in the east?
¹³ Have you made daylight spread to the ends of the earth,
    to bring an end to the night’s wickedness?
¹⁴ As the light approaches,
    the earth takes shape like clay pressed beneath a seal;
    it is robed in brilliant colors.^[bm]
15 The light disturbs the wicked
    and stops the arm that is raised in violence.

¹⁶ “Have you explored the springs from which the seas come?
    Have you explored their depths?
¹⁷ Do you know where the gates of death are located?
    Have you seen the gates of utter gloom?
¹⁸ Do you realize the extent of the earth?
    Tell me about it if you know!

¹⁹ “Where does light come from,
    and where does darkness go?
²⁰ Can you take each to its home?
    Do you know how to get there?
²¹ But of course you know all this!
For you were born before it was all created,
    and you are so very experienced!

²² “Have you visited the storehouses of the snow
    or seen the storehouses of hail?
²³ (I have reserved them as weapons for the time of trouble,
    for the day of battle and war.)
²⁴ Where is the path to the source of light?
    Where is the home of the east wind?