Job 13
1 Lo, my eye has seen all this. My ear has heard and understood it.
“Behold, my eye has seen all, My ear has heard, and it attends to it.
2 What ye know, I also know; I am not inferior to you.
According to your knowledge I have known—also I. I am not more fallen than you.
3 Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God.
Yet I speak for the Mighty One, And I delight to argue for God.
4 But ye are forgers of lies. Ye are all physicians of no value.
And yet, you [are] forgers of falsehood, Physicians of nothing—all of you,
5 O that ye would altogether be silent! And it would be your wisdom.
O that you would keep perfectly silent, And it would be to you for wisdom.
6 Hear now my reasoning, and hearken to the pleadings of my lips.
Please hear my argument, And attend to the pleadings of my lips,
7 Will ye speak unrighteously for God, and talk deceitfully for him?
Do you speak perverseness for God? And do you speak deceit for Him?
8 Will ye show partiality to him? Will ye contend for God?
Do you accept His face, if you strive for God?
9 Is it good that he should search you out? Or as deceiving a man, will ye deceive him?
Is [it] good that He searches you, If, as one mocks at a man, you mock at Him?
10 He will surely reprove you if ye secretly show partiality.
He surely reproves you, if you accept faces in secret.
11 Shall not his majesty make you afraid, and his dread fall upon you?
Does His excellence not terrify you? And His dread fall on you?
12 Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes. Your defenses are defenses of clay.
Your remembrances [are] allegories of ashes, For high places of clay [are] your heights.
13 Be quiet. Let me alone that I may speak, and let come on me what will.
Keep silent from me, and I speak, And pass over me what will.
14 Why should I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in my hand?
Why do I take my flesh in my teeth? And my soul put in my hand?
15 Behold, he will kill me; I have no hope. Nevertheless I will maintain my ways before him.
Behold, He slays me—I do not wait! Only, I argue my ways to His face.
16 This also shall be my salvation, that a profane man shall not come before him.
Also—He [is] to me for salvation, For the profane do not come before Him.
17 Hear diligently my speech, and let my declaration be in your ears.
Hear my word diligently, And my declaration with your ears.
18 Behold now, I have set my case in order. I know that I am righteous.
Now behold, I have set the cause in order, I have known that I am righteous.
19 Who is he who will contend with me? For then I would keep silent and give up the spirit.
Who [is] he that strives with me? For now I keep silent and gasp.
20 Only do not do two things to me, then I will not hide myself from thy face:
Only two things, O God, do with me, Then I am not hidden from Your face:
21 Withdraw thy hand far from me, and do not let thy dread make me afraid.
Put Your hand far off from me, And do not let Your terror terrify me.
22 Then call thou, and I will answer, or let me speak, and answer thou me.
And You call, and I answer, Or—I speak, and You answer me.
23 How many are my iniquities and sins? Make me to know my transgression and my sin.
How many iniquities and sins do I have? Let me know my transgression and my sin.
24 Why do thou hide thy face, and reckon me for thine enemy?
Why do You hide Your face? And reckon me for an enemy to You?
25 Will thou harass a driven leaf? And will thou pursue the dry stubble?
Do You terrify a leaf driven away? And do You pursue the dry stubble?
26 For thou write bitter things against me, and make me to inherit the iniquities of my youth.
For You write bitter things against me, And cause me to possess iniquities of my youth,
27 Thou also put my feet in the stocks, and mark all my paths. Thou set a bound to the soles of my feet.
And you put my feet in the stocks, And observe all my paths—You set a print on the roots of my feet,
28 Though I am like a rotten thing that decays, like a garment that is moth-eaten.
And he, as a rotten thing, wears away, A moth has consumed him as a garment.”
