Job 9
1 et respondens Iob ait
Then Job answered:
2 vere scio quod ita sit et quod non iustificetur homo conpositus Deo
“Yes, I know that it is so, but how can a mortal be righteous before God?
3 si voluerit contendere cum eo non poterit ei respondere unum pro mille
If one wished to contend with God, he could not answer Him one time out of a thousand.
4 sapiens corde est et fortis robore quis restitit ei et pacem habuit
God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has resisted Him and prospered?
5 qui transtulit montes et nescierunt hii quos subvertit in furore suo
He moves mountains without their knowledge and overturns them in His anger.
6 qui commovet terram de loco suo et columnae eius concutiuntur
He shakes the earth from its place, so that its foundations tremble.
7 qui praecipit soli et non oritur et stellas claudit quasi sub signaculo
He commands the sun not to shine; He seals off the stars.
8 qui extendit caelos solus et graditur super fluctus maris
He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.
9 qui facit Arcturum et Oriona et Hyadas et interiora austri
He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, of the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.
10 qui facit magna et inconprehensibilia et mirabilia quorum non est numerus
He does great things beyond searching out, and wonders without number.
11 si venerit ad me non videbo si abierit non intellegam eum
Were He to pass by me, I would not see Him; were He to move, I would not recognize Him.
12 si repente interroget quis respondebit ei vel quis dicere potest cur facis
If He takes away, who can stop Him? Who dares to ask Him, ‘What are You doing?’
13 Deus cuius resistere irae nemo potest et sub quo curvantur qui portant orbem
God does not restrain His anger; the helpers of Rahab cower beneath Him.
14 quantus ergo sum ego qui respondeam ei et loquar verbis meis cum eo
How then can I answer Him or choose my arguments against Him?
15 qui etiam si habuero quippiam iustum non respondebo sed meum iudicem deprecabor
For even if I were right, I could not answer. I could only beg my Judge for mercy.
16 et cum invocantem exaudierit me non credo quod audierit vocem meam
If I summoned Him and He answered me, I do not believe He would listen to my voice.
17 in turbine enim conteret me et multiplicabit vulnera mea etiam sine causa
For He would crush me with a tempest and multiply my wounds without cause.
18 non concedit requiescere spiritum meum et implet me amaritudinibus
He does not let me catch my breath, but overwhelms me with bitterness.
19 si fortitudo quaeritur robustissimus est si aequitas iudicii nemo pro me audet testimonium dicere
If it is a matter of strength, He is indeed mighty! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon Him?
20 si iustificare me voluero os meum condemnabit me si innocentem ostendere pravum me conprobabit
Even if I were righteous, my mouth would condemn me; if I were blameless, it would declare me guilty.
21 etiam si simplex fuero hoc ipsum ignorabit anima mea et taedebit me vitae meae
Though I am blameless, I have no concern for myself; I despise my own life.
22 unum est quod locutus sum et innocentem et impium ipse consumit
It is all the same, and so I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’
23 si flagellat occidat semel et non de poenis innocentum rideat
When the scourge brings sudden death, He mocks the despair of the innocent.
24 terra data est in manu impii vultum iudicum eius operit quod si non ille est quis ergo est
The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; He blindfolds its judges. If it is not He, then who is it?
25 dies mei velociores fuerunt cursore fugerunt et non viderunt bonum
My days are swifter than a runner; they flee without seeing good.
26 pertransierunt quasi naves poma portantes sicut aquila volans ad escam
They sweep by like boats of papyrus, like an eagle swooping down on its prey.
27 cum dixero nequaquam ita loquar commuto faciem meam et dolore torqueor
If I were to say, ‘I will forget my complaint and change my expression and smile,’
28 verebar omnia opera mea sciens quod non parceres delinquenti
I would still dread all my sufferings; I know that You will not acquit me.
29 si autem et sic impius sum quare frustra laboravi
Since I am already found guilty, why should I labor in vain?
30 si lotus fuero quasi aquis nivis et fulserint velut mundissimae manus meae
If I should wash myself with snow and cleanse my hands with lye,
31 tamen sordibus intingues me et abominabuntur me vestimenta mea
then You would plunge me into the pit, and even my own clothes would despise me.
32 neque enim viro qui similis mei est respondebo nec qui mecum in iudicio ex aequo possit audiri
For He is not a man like me, that I can answer Him, that we can take each other to court.
33 non est qui utrumque valeat arguere et ponere manum suam in ambobus
Nor is there a mediator between us, to lay his hand upon us both.
34 auferat a me virgam suam et pavor eius non me terreat
Let Him remove His rod from me, so that His terror will no longer frighten me.
35 loquar et non timebo eum neque enim possum metuens respondere
Then I would speak without fear of Him. But as it is, I am on my own.
