Job 9
1 Job replied,
ὑπολαβὼν δὲ Ιωβ λέγει
2 “Yes, I know all that! But how can anyone be right before God?
ἐπ’ ἀληθείας οἶδα ὅτι οὕτως ἐστίν πῶς γὰρ ἔσται δίκαιος βροτὸς παρὰ κυρίῳ
3 If you wanted to argue with God, God could ask a thousand questions that no-one could answer.
ἐὰν γὰρ βούληται κριθῆναι αὐτῷ οὐ μὴ ὑπακούσῃ αὐτῷ ἵνα μὴ ἀντείπῃ πρὸς ἕνα λόγον αὐτοῦ ἐκ χιλίων
4 God is so wise and so powerful that no-one could challenge him and win.
σοφὸς γάρ ἐστιν διανοίᾳ κραταιός τε καὶ μέγας τίς σκληρὸς γενόμενος ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ ὑπέμεινεν
5 God moves the mountains suddenly; he overturns them in his anger.
ὁ παλαιῶν ὄρη καὶ οὐκ οἴδασιν ὁ καταστρέφων αὐτὰ ὀργῇ
6 He shakes the earth, making its foundations quake.
ὁ σείων τὴν ὑπ’ οὐρανὸν ἐκ θεμελίων οἱ δὲ στῦλοι αὐτῆς σαλεύονται
7 He is the one who can command the sun not to rise and the stars not to shine.
ὁ λέγων τῷ ἡλίῳ καὶ οὐκ ἀνατέλλει κατὰ δὲ ἄστρων κατασφραγίζει
8 He alone is the one who stretches out the heavens and walks on the waves of the sea.
ὁ τανύσας τὸν οὐρανὸν μόνος καὶ περιπατῶν ὡς ἐπ’ ἐδάφους ἐπὶ θαλάσσης
9 He made the constellations of the Bear, Orion, the Pleiades, and the stars of the southern sky.
ὁ ποιῶν Πλειάδα καὶ ἕσπερον καὶ ἀρκτοῦρον καὶ ταμίεια νότου
10 He is the one who does incredible things that are beyond our understanding, marvelous things that are uncountable.
ὁ ποιῶν μεγάλα καὶ ἀνεξιχνίαστα ἔνδοξά τε καὶ ἐξαίσια ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός
11 But when he passes by me, I don't see him; when he moves on, he is invisible to me.
ἐὰν ὑπερβῇ με οὐ μὴ ἴδω καὶ ἐὰν παρέλθῃ με οὐδ’ ὧς ἔγνων
12 If he takes away, who can prevent him? Who is going to ask him, ‘What are you doing?’
ἐὰν ἀπαλλάξῃ τίς ἀποστρέψει ἢ τίς ἐρεῖ αὐτῷ τί ἐποίησας
13 God does not restrain his anger; he crushes Rahab's helpers underfoot.
αὐτὸς γὰρ ἀπέστραπται ὀργήν ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ ἐκάμφθησαν κήτη τὰ ὑπ’ οὐρανόν
14 So how much less could I answer God, or choose my words to argue with him!
ἐὰν δέ μου ὑπακούσηται ἦ διακρινεῖ τὰ ῥήματά μου
15 Even though I'm right, I can't answer him. I must plead for mercy from my judge.
ἐάν τε γὰρ ὦ δίκαιος οὐκ εἰσακούσεταί μου τοῦ κρίματος αὐτοῦ δεηθήσομαι
16 Even if I called him to come and he responded, I don't believe he would listen to me.
ἐάν τε καλέσω καὶ ὑπακούσῃ οὐ πιστεύω ὅτι εἰσακήκοέν μου
17 He pounds me with the winds of a storm; he wounds me time and again, without giving a reason.
μὴ γνόφῳ με ἐκτρίψῃ πολλὰ δέ μου τὰ συντρίμματα πεποίηκεν διὰ κενῆς
18 He doesn't give me a chance even to catch my breath; instead he fills my life with bitter suffering.
οὐκ ἐᾷ γάρ με ἀναπνεῦσαι ἐνέπλησεν δέ με πικρίας
19 If it's a question of strength, then God is the strongest. If it's a question of justice, then who will set a time for my case?
ὅτι μὲν γὰρ ἰσχύι κρατεῖ τίς οὖν κρίματι αὐτοῦ ἀντιστήσεται
20 Even though I am right, my own mouth would condemn me; even though I am innocent, he would prove me wrong.
ἐὰν γὰρ ὦ δίκαιος τὸ στόμα μου ἀσεβήσει ἐάν τε ὦ ἄμεμπτος σκολιὸς ἀποβήσομαι
21 I am innocent! I don't care what happens to me. I hate my life!
εἴτε γὰρ ἠσέβησα οὐκ οἶδα τῇ ψυχῇ πλὴν ὅτι ἀφαιρεῖταί μου ἡ ζωή
22 That's why I say, ‘It makes no difference to God. He destroys both the innocent and the wicked.’
διὸ εἶπον μέγαν καὶ δυνάστην ἀπολλύει ὀργή
23 When disaster strikes suddenly he mocks the despair of the innocent.
ὅτι φαῦλοι ἐν θανάτῳ ἐξαισίῳ ἀλλὰ δίκαιοι καταγελῶνται
24 The earth has been handed over to the wicked; he blinds the eyes of the judges—if it's not him who does this, then who is it?
παραδέδονται γὰρ εἰς χεῖρας ἀσεβοῦς πρόσωπα κριτῶν αὐτῆς συγκαλύπτει εἰ δὲ μὴ αὐτός τίς ἐστιν
25 The days of my life race by like a runner, rushing past without me seeing any happiness.
ὁ δὲ βίος μού ἐστιν ἐλαφρότερος δρομέως ἀπέδρασαν καὶ οὐκ εἴδοσαν
26 They pass by like fast sailing ships, like an eagle swooping down on its prey.
ἦ καὶ ἔστιν ναυσὶν ἴχνος ὁδοῦ ἢ ἀετοῦ πετομένου ζητοῦντος βοράν
27 If I said to myself, ‘I will forget my complaints; I will stop crying and be happy,’
ἐάν τε γὰρ εἴπω ἐπιλήσομαι λαλῶν συγκύψας τῷ προσώπῳ στενάξω
28 I would still be terrified at all my suffering because you, God, will not say I'm innocent.
σείομαι πᾶσιν τοῖς μέλεσιν οἶδα γὰρ ὅτι οὐκ ἀθῷόν με ἐάσεις
29 Since I'm condemned, what's the point in arguing?
ἐπειδὴ δέ εἰμι ἀσεβής διὰ τί οὐκ ἀπέθανον
30 Even if I wash myself with pure mountain water and clean my hands with soap,
ἐὰν γὰρ ἀπολούσωμαι χιόνι καὶ ἀποκαθάρωμαι χερσὶν καθαραῖς
31 you would toss me into a slime pit so that even my own clothes would hate me!
ἱκανῶς ἐν ῥύπῳ με ἔβαψας ἐβδελύξατο δέ με ἡ στολή
32 For God is not a mortal being like me, I can't defend myself or take him to court.
οὐ γὰρ εἶ ἄνθρωπος κατ’ ἐμέ ᾧ ἀντικρινοῦμαι ἵνα ἔλθωμεν ὁμοθυμαδὸν εἰς κρίσιν
33 If only there was an arbitrator who could bring us both together!
εἴθε ἦν ὁ μεσίτης ἡμῶν καὶ ἐλέγχων καὶ διακούων ἀνὰ μέσον ἀμφοτέρων
34 I wish God would stop beating me with his rod and terrifying me!
ἀπαλλαξάτω ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ τὴν ῥάβδον ὁ δὲ φόβος αὐτοῦ μή με στροβείτω
35 Then I could speak up without being afraid—but since I am, I can't!”
καὶ οὐ μὴ φοβηθῶ ἀλλὰ λαλήσω οὐ γὰρ οὕτω συνεπίσταμαι
