Job 9
1 Then Job answered:
And Job answered, and said:
2 “Yes, I know that it is so, but how can a mortal be righteous before God?
Indeed I know it is so, and that man cannot be justified compared with God.
3 If one wished to contend with God, he could not answer Him one time out of a thousand.
If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one for a thousand.
4 God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has resisted Him and prospered?
He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath resisted him, and hath had peace?
5 He moves mountains without their knowledge and overturns them in His anger.
Who hath removed mountains, and they whom he overthrew in his wrath, knew it not.
6 He shakes the earth from its place, so that its foundations tremble.
Who shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.
7 He commands the sun not to shine; He seals off the stars.
Who commandeth tile sun and it riseth not: and shutteth up the stars as it were under a seal:
8 He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.
Who alone spreadeth out the heavens, and walketh upon the waves of the sea.
9 He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, of the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.
Who maketh Arcturus, and Orion, and Hyades, and the inner parts of the south.
10 He does great things beyond searching out, and wonders without number.
Who doth things great and incomprehensible, and wonderful, of which there is no number.
11 Were He to pass by me, I would not see Him; were He to move, I would not recognize Him.
If he come to me, I shall not see him: if he depart I shall not understand.
12 If He takes away, who can stop Him? Who dares to ask Him, ‘What are You doing?’
If he examine on a sudden, who shall answer him? or who can say: Why dost thou so?
13 God does not restrain His anger; the helpers of Rahab cower beneath Him.
God, whose wrath no mall can resist, and under whom they stoop that bear up the world.
14 How then can I answer Him or choose my arguments against Him?
What am I then, that I should answer him, and have words with him?
15 For even if I were right, I could not answer. I could only beg my Judge for mercy.
I, who although I should have any just thing, would not answer, but would make supplication to my judge.
16 If I summoned Him and He answered me, I do not believe He would listen to my voice.
And if he should hear me when I call, I should not believe that he had heard my voice.
17 For He would crush me with a tempest and multiply my wounds without cause.
For he shall crush me in a whirlwind, and multiply my wounds even without cause.
18 He does not let me catch my breath, but overwhelms me with bitterness.
He alloweth not my spirit to rest, and he filleth me with bitterness.
19 If it is a matter of strength, He is indeed mighty! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon Him?
If strength be demanded, he is most strong: if equity of judgment, no man dare bear witness for me.
20 Even if I were righteous, my mouth would condemn me; if I were blameless, it would declare me guilty.
If I would justify myself, my own mouth shall condemn me: if I would shew myself innocent, he shall prove me wicked.
21 Though I am blameless, I have no concern for myself; I despise my own life.
Although I should be simple, even this my soul shall be ignorant of, and I shall be weary of my life.
22 It is all the same, and so I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’
One thing there is that I have spoken, both the innocent and the wicked he consumeth.
23 When the scourge brings sudden death, He mocks the despair of the innocent.
If he scourge, let him kill at once, and not laugh at the pains of the innocent.
24 The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; He blindfolds its judges. If it is not He, then who is it?
The earth is given into the hand of the wicked, he covereth the face of the judges thereof: and if it be not he, who is it then?
25 My days are swifter than a runner; they flee without seeing good.
My days have been swifter than a post: they have fled away and have not seen good.
26 They sweep by like boats of papyrus, like an eagle swooping down on its prey.
They have passed by as ships carrying fruits, as an eagle flying to the prey.
27 If I were to say, ‘I will forget my complaint and change my expression and smile,’
If I say: I will not speak so: I change my face, and am tormented with sorrow.
28 I would still dread all my sufferings; I know that You will not acquit me.
I feared all my works, knowing that thou didst not spare the offender.
29 Since I am already found guilty, why should I labor in vain?
But if so also I am wicked, why have I laboured in vain?
30 If I should wash myself with snow and cleanse my hands with lye,
If I be washed as it were with snow waters, and my hands shall shine ever so clean:
31 then You would plunge me into the pit, and even my own clothes would despise me.
Yet thou shalt plunge me in filth, and my garments shall abhor me,
32 For He is not a man like me, that I can answer Him, that we can take each other to court.
For I shall not answer a man that is like myself: nor one that may be heard with me equally in judgment.
33 Nor is there a mediator between us, to lay his hand upon us both.
There is none that may be able to reprove both, and to put his hand between both.
34 Let Him remove His rod from me, so that His terror will no longer frighten me.
Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his fear terrify me.
35 Then I would speak without fear of Him. But as it is, I am on my own.
I will speak, and will not fear him: for I cannot answer while I am in fear.
