< Job 9 >

1 Then Job answered:
And Job answers and says:
2 “Yes, I know that it is so, but how can a mortal be righteous before God?
“Truly I have known that [it is] so, But how is man righteous with God?
3 If one wished to contend with God, he could not answer Him one time out of a thousand.
If he delights to strive with Him—He does not answer him one of a thousand.
4 God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has resisted Him and prospered?
Wise in heart and strong in power—Who has hardened toward Him and is at peace?
5 He moves mountains without their knowledge and overturns them in His anger.
Who is removing mountains, And they have not known, Who has overturned them in His anger.
6 He shakes the earth from its place, so that its foundations tremble.
Who is shaking earth from its place, And its pillars move themselves.
7 He commands the sun not to shine; He seals off the stars.
Who is commanding to the sun, and it does not rise, And the stars He seals up.
8 He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.
Stretching out the heavens by Himself, And treading on the heights of the sea,
9 He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, of the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.
Making the Great Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, And the inner chambers of the south.
10 He does great things beyond searching out, and wonders without number.
Doing great things until there is no searching, And wonderful, until there is no numbering.
11 Were He to pass by me, I would not see Him; were He to move, I would not recognize Him.
Behold, He goes over by me, and I do not see, And He passes on, and I do not attend to it.
12 If He takes away, who can stop Him? Who dares to ask Him, ‘What are You doing?’
Behold, He snatches away, who brings it back? Who says to Him, What [are] You doing?
13 God does not restrain His anger; the helpers of Rahab cower beneath Him.
God does not turn back His anger, Proud helpers have bowed under Him.
14 How then can I answer Him or choose my arguments against Him?
How much less do I answer Him? Choose out my words with Him?
15 For even if I were right, I could not answer. I could only beg my Judge for mercy.
Whom, though I were righteous, I do not answer, For my judgment I make supplication.
16 If I summoned Him and He answered me, I do not believe He would listen to my voice.
Though I had called and He answers me, I do not believe that He gives ear [to] my voice.
17 For He would crush me with a tempest and multiply my wounds without cause.
Because He bruises me with a storm, And has multiplied my wounds for nothing.
18 He does not let me catch my breath, but overwhelms me with bitterness.
He does not permit me to refresh my spirit, But fills me with bitter things.
19 If it is a matter of strength, He is indeed mighty! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon Him?
If of power, behold, the Strong One; And if of judgment—who convenes me?
20 Even if I were righteous, my mouth would condemn me; if I were blameless, it would declare me guilty.
If I am righteous, my mouth declares me wicked; [If] I am perfect, it declares me perverse.
21 Though I am blameless, I have no concern for myself; I despise my own life.
I am perfect; I do not know my soul, I despise my life.
22 It is all the same, and so I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’
It is the same thing, therefore I said, He is consuming the perfect and the wicked.
23 When the scourge brings sudden death, He mocks the despair of the innocent.
If a scourge puts to death suddenly, He laughs at the trial 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?
Earth has been given Into the hand of the wicked. He covers the faces of her judges, If not—where, who [is] he?
25 My days are swifter than a runner; they flee without seeing good.
My days have been swifter than a runner, They have fled, they have not seen good,
26 They sweep by like boats of papyrus, like an eagle swooping down on its prey.
They have passed on with ships of reed, As an eagle darts on food.
27 If I were to say, ‘I will forget my complaint and change my expression and smile,’
Though I say, I forget my talking, I forsake my corner, and I brighten up!
28 I would still dread all my sufferings; I know that You will not acquit me.
I have been afraid of all my griefs, I have known that You do not acquit me.
29 Since I am already found guilty, why should I labor in vain?
I become wicked; why [is] this? I labor [in] vain.
30 If I should wash myself with snow and cleanse my hands with lye,
If I have washed myself with snow-water, And purified my hands with soap,
31 then You would plunge me into the pit, and even my own clothes would despise me.
Then You dip me in corruption, And my garments have detested me.
32 For He is not a man like me, that I can answer Him, that we can take each other to court.
But if a man like myself—I answer Him, We come together into judgment.
33 Nor is there a mediator between us, to lay his hand upon us both.
If there were a mediator between us, He places his hand on us both.
34 Let Him remove His rod from me, so that His terror will no longer frighten me.
He turns aside His rod from off me, And His terror does not make me afraid,
35 Then I would speak without fear of Him. But as it is, I am on my own.
I speak, and do not fear Him, but I am not right with myself.”

< Job 9 >