Job 13
1 Lo, mine eye hath seen all [this], mine ear hath heard and understood it.
“Behold, my eye has seen all, My ear has heard, and it attends to it.
2 What ye know, I know also: I am not inferior to you.
According to your knowledge I have known—also I. I am not more fallen than you.
3 But I will speak to the Almighty, and will find pleasure in reasoning with God;
Yet I speak for the Mighty One, And I delight to argue for God.
4 For ye indeed 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 Oh that ye would be altogether 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 defence, 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 for him speak deceit?
Do you speak perverseness for God? And do you speak deceit for Him?
8 Will ye accept his person? will ye contend for God?
Do you accept His face, if you strive for God?
9 Will it be well if he should search you out? or as one mocketh at a man, will ye mock at him?
Is [it] good that He searches you, If, as one mocks at a man, you mock at Him?
10 He will certainly reprove you, if ye do secretly accept persons.
He surely reproves you, if you accept faces in secret.
11 Shall not his excellency terrify you? 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 bulwarks are bulwarks of mire.
Your remembrances [are] allegories of ashes, For high places of clay [are] your heights.
13 Hold your peace from me, and I will speak, and let come on me what [will]!
Keep silent from me, and I speak, And pass over me what will.
14 Wherefore 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, if he slay me, yet would I trust in him; but I will defend mine own 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 his face.
Also—He [is] to me for salvation, For the profane do not come before Him.
17 Hear attentively my speech and my declaration with your ears.
Hear my word diligently, And my declaration with your ears.
18 Behold now, I have ordered the cause; I know that I shall be justified.
Now behold, I have set the cause in order, I have known that I am righteous.
19 Who is he that contendeth with me? For if I were silent now, I should expire.
Who [is] he that strives with me? For now I keep silent and gasp.
20 Only do not two things unto me; then will I not hide myself from thee.
Only two things, O God, do with me, Then I am not hidden from Your face:
21 Withdraw thy hand far from me; and let not thy terror make me afraid:
Put Your hand far off from me, And do not let Your terror terrify me.
22 Then call, and I will answer; or I will speak, and answer thou me.
And You call, and I answer, Or—I speak, and You answer me.
23 How many are mine 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 Wherefore dost thou hide thy face, and countest me for thine enemy?
Why do You hide Your face? And reckon me for an enemy to You?
25 Wilt thou terrify a driven leaf? and wilt thou pursue dry stubble?
Do You terrify a leaf driven away? And do You pursue the dry stubble?
26 For thou writest bitter things against me, and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth;
For You write bitter things against me, And cause me to possess iniquities of my youth,
27 And thou puttest my feet in the stocks, and markest all my paths; thou settest a bound about 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 One who, as a rotten thing consumeth, as a garment that the moth eateth.
And he, as a rotten thing, wears away, A moth has consumed him as a garment.”
