Job 13
1 Lo, all — hath mine eye seen, Heard hath mine ear, and it attendeth to it.
See, my eye has seen all this; my ear has heard and understood it.
2 According to your knowledge I have known — also I. I am not fallen more than you.
What you know, the same I also know; I am not inferior to you.
3 Yet I for the Mighty One do speak, And to argue for God I delight.
However, I would rather speak with the Almighty; I wish to reason with God.
4 And yet, ye [are] forgers of falsehood, Physicians of nought — all of you,
But you whitewash the truth with lies; you are all physicians of no value.
5 O that ye would keep perfectly silent, And it would be to you for wisdom.
Oh, that you would altogether hold your peace! That would be your wisdom.
6 Hear, I pray you, my argument, And to the pleadings of my lips attend,
Hear now my own reasoning; listen to the pleading of my own lips.
7 For God do ye speak perverseness? And for Him do ye speak deceit?
Will you speak unrighteously for God, and will you talk deceitfully for him?
8 His face do ye accept, if for God ye strive?
Will you show him partiality? Will you argue the case for God?
9 Is [it] good that He doth search you, If, as one mocketh at a man, ye mock at Him?
Will it be good for you when he searches you out? Could you deceive him as you might deceive men?
10 He doth surely reprove you, if in secret ye accept faces.
He would surely reprove you if in secret you showed partiality.
11 Doth not His excellency terrify you? And His dread fall upon you?
Will not his majesty terrify you, and the dread of him fall upon you?
12 Your remembrances [are] similes of ashes, For high places of clay your heights.
Your memorable sayings are proverbs made of ashes; your defenses are defenses made of clay.
13 Keep silent from me, and I speak, And pass over me doth what?
Hold your peace, let me alone, so that I may speak, let come what may on me.
14 Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth? And my soul put in my hand?
I will take my own flesh in my teeth; I will take my life in my hands.
15 Lo, He doth slay me — I wait not! Only, my ways unto His face I argue.
See, if he kills me, I will have no hope left; nevertheless, I will defend my ways before him.
16 Also — He [is] to me for salvation, For the profane cometh not before Him.
This will be the reason for my deliverance, for no godless person would come before him.
17 Hear ye diligently my word, And my declaration with your ears.
God, listen carefully to my speech; let my declaration come to your ears.
18 Lo, I pray you, I have set in order the cause, I have known that I am righteous.
See now, I have set my defense in order; I know that I am innocent.
19 Who [is] he that doth strive with me? For now I keep silent and gasp.
Who is the one who would argue against me in court? If you came to do so, and if I were proved wrong, then I would be silent and give up my life.
20 Only two things, O God, do with me: Then from Thy face I am not hidden.
God, do only two things for me, and then I will not hide myself from your face:
21 Thy hand put far off from me, And Thy terror let not terrify me.
withdraw your oppressive hand from me, and do not let your terrors make me afraid.
22 And call Thou, and I — I answer, Or — I speak, and answer Thou me.
Then call me, and I will answer; or let me speak to you, and you answer me.
23 How many iniquities and sins have I? My transgression and my sin let me know.
How many are my iniquities and sins? Let me know my transgression and my sin.
24 Why dost Thou hide Thy face? And reckonest me for an enemy to Thee?
Why do you hide your face from me and treat me like your enemy?
25 A leaf driven away dost Thou terrify? And the dry stubble dost Thou pursue?
Will you persecute a driven leaf? Will you pursue dry stubble?
26 For Thou writest against me bitter things, And causest me to possess iniquities of my youth:
For you write down bitter things against me; you make me inherit the iniquities of my youth.
27 And puttest in the stocks my feet, And observest all my paths, On the roots of my feet Thou settest a print,
You also put my feet in the stocks; you closely watch all my paths; you examine the ground where the soles of my feet have walked
28 And he, as a rotten thing, weareth away, As a garment hath a moth consumed him.
although I am like a rotten thing that wastes away, like a garment that moths have eaten.
