Job 9
1 Then Job answered and said,
And Job answered, and said:
2 I know of a truth that it is so: for how shall a mortal man be just before the Lord?
Indeed I know it is so, and that man cannot be justified compared with God.
3 For if he would enter into judgement with him, [God] would not listen to him, so that he should answer to one of his charges of a thousand.
If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one for a thousand.
4 For he is wise in mind, and mighty, and great: who has hardened himself against him and endured?
He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath resisted him, and hath had peace?
5 Who wears out the mountains, and [men] know it not: who overturns them in anger.
Who hath removed mountains, and they whom he overthrew in his wrath, knew it not.
6 Who shakes the [earth] under heaven from its foundations, and its pillars totter.
Who shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.
7 Who commands the sun, and it rises not; and he seals up the stars.
Who commandeth tile sun and it riseth not: and shutteth up the stars as it were under a seal:
8 Who alone has stretched out the heavens, and walks on the sea as on firm ground.
Who alone spreadeth out the heavens, and walketh upon the waves of the sea.
9 Who makes Pleias, and Hesperus, and Arcturus, and the chambers of the south.
Who maketh Arcturus, and Orion, and Hyades, and the inner parts of the south.
10 Who does great and unsearchable things; glorious also and excellent things, innumerable.
Who doth things great and incomprehensible, and wonderful, of which there is no number.
11 If ever he should go beyond me, I shall not see him: if he should pass by me, neither thus have I known [it].
If he come to me, I shall not see him: if he depart I shall not understand.
12 If he would take away, who shall turn him back? or who shall say to him, What have you done?
If he examine on a sudden, who shall answer him? or who can say: Why dost thou so?
13 For [if] he has turned away [his] anger, the whales under heaven have stooped under him.
God, whose wrath no mall can resist, and under whom they stoop that bear up the world.
14 Oh then that he would listen to me, or judge my cause.
What am I then, that I should answer him, and have words with him?
15 For though I be righteous, he will not listen to me: I will entreat his judgement.
I, who although I should have any just thing, would not answer, but would make supplication to my judge.
16 And if I should call and he should not listen, I can’t believe that he has listened to my voice.
And if he should hear me when I call, I should not believe that he had heard my voice.
17 Let him not crush me with a dark storm: but he has made by bruises many without cause.
For he shall crush me in a whirlwind, and multiply my wounds even without cause.
18 For he suffers me not to take breath, but he has filled me with bitterness.
He alloweth not my spirit to rest, and he filleth me with bitterness.
19 For indeed he is strong in power: who then shall resist his judgement?
If strength be demanded, he is most strong: if equity of judgment, no man dare bear witness for me.
20 For though I should seem righteous, my mouth will be profane: and though I should seem blameless, I shall be proved perverse.
If I would justify myself, my own mouth shall condemn me: if I would shew myself innocent, he shall prove me wicked.
21 For even if I have sinned, I know it not [in] my soul: but my life is taken away.
Although I should be simple, even this my soul shall be ignorant of, and I shall be weary of my life.
22 Therefore I said, Wrath slays the great and mighty man.
One thing there is that I have spoken, both the innocent and the wicked he consumeth.
23 For the worthless die, but the righteous are laughed to scorn.
If he scourge, let him kill at once, and not laugh at the pains of the innocent.
24 For they are delivered into the hands of the unrighteous [man]: he covers the faces of the judges [of the earth]: but if it be not he, 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 But my life is swifter than a post: [my days] have fled away, and they knew it not.
My days have been swifter than a post: they have fled away and have not seen good.
26 Or again, is there a trace of [their] path [left] by ships? or is there one of the flying eagle as it seeks [its] prey?
They have passed by as ships carrying fruits, as an eagle flying to the prey.
27 And if I should say, I will forget to speak, I will bow down my face and groan;
If I say: I will not speak so: I change my face, and am tormented with sorrow.
28 I quake in all my limbs, for I know that you will not leave me alone [as] innocent.
I feared all my works, knowing that thou didst not spare the offender.
29 But since I am ungodly, why have I not died?
But if so also I am wicked, why have I laboured in vain?
30 For if I should wash myself with snow, and purge myself with pure hands,
If I be washed as it were with snow waters, and my hands shall shine ever so clean:
31 you had thoroughly plunged me in filth, and my garment had abhorred me.
Yet thou shalt plunge me in filth, and my garments shall abhor me,
32 For you are not man like me, with whom I could contend, that we might come together to judgement.
For I shall not answer a man that is like myself: nor one that may be heard with me equally in judgment.
33 Would that [he] our mediator were [present], and a reprover, and one who should hear [the cause] between 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, and let not his fear terrify me:
Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his fear terrify me.
35 so shall I not be afraid, but I will speak: for I am not thus conscious [of guilt].
I will speak, and will not fear him: for I cannot answer while I am in fear.
