Job Says There Is No Arbitrator between God and Man

1Then Job answered,

2“In truth I know that this is so;

But how can a man be in the right before God?

3If one wished to dispute with Him,

He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.

4Wise in heart and mighty in strength,

Who has defied Him without harm?

5It is God who removes the mountains, they know not how,

When He overturns them in His anger;

6Who shakes the earth out of its place,

And its pillars tremble;

7Who commands the sun not to shine,

And sets a seal upon the stars;

8Who alone stretches out the heavens

And tramples down the waves of the sea;

9Who makes the Bear, Orion and the Pleiades,

And the chambers of the south;

10Who does great things, unfathomable,

And wondrous works without number.

11Were He to pass by me, I would not see Him;

Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him.

12Were He to snatch away, who could restrain Him?

Who could say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’

13“God will not turn back His anger;

Beneath Him crouch the helpers of Rahab.

14How then can I answer Him,

And choose my words before Him?

15For though I were right, I could not answer;

I would have to implore the mercy of my judge.

16If I called and He answered me,

I could not believe that He was listening to my voice.

17For He bruises me with a tempest

And multiplies my wounds without cause.

18He will not allow me to get my breath,

But saturates me with bitterness.

19If it is a matter of power, behold, He is the strong one!

And if it is a matter of justice, who can summon Him?

20Though I am righteous, my mouth will condemn me;

Though I am guiltless, He will declare me guilty.

21I am guiltless;

I do not take notice of myself;

I despise my life.

22It is all one; therefore I say,

‘He destroys the guiltless and the wicked.’

23If the scourge kills suddenly,

He mocks the despair of the innocent.

24The earth is given into the hand of the wicked;

He covers the faces of its judges.

If it is not He, then who is it?

25“Now my days are swifter than a runner;

They flee away, they see no good.

26They slip by like reed boats,

Like an eagle that swoops on its prey.

27Though I say, ‘I will forget my complaint,

I will leave off my sad countenance and be cheerful,’

28I am afraid of all my pains,

I know that You will not acquit me.

29I am accounted wicked,

Why then should I toil in vain?

30If I should wash myself with snow

And cleanse my hands with lye,

31Yet You would plunge me into the pit,

And my own clothes would abhor me.

32For He is not a man as I am that I may answer Him,

That we may go to court together.

33There is no umpire between us,

Who may lay his hand upon us both.

34Let Him remove His rod from me,

And let not dread of Him terrify me.

35Then I would speak and not fear Him;

But I am not like that in myself.

Job Despairs of God’s Dealings

1“I loathe my own life;

I will give full vent to my complaint;

I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.

2I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me;

Let me know why You contend with me.

3Is it right for You indeed to oppress,

To reject the labor of Your hands,

And to look favorably on the schemes of the wicked?

4Have You eyes of flesh?

Or do You see as a man sees?

5Are Your days as the days of a mortal,

Or Your years as man’s years,

6That You should seek for my guilt

And search after my sin?

7According to Your knowledge I am indeed not guilty,

Yet there is no deliverance from Your hand.

8‘Your hands fashioned and made me altogether,

And would You destroy me?

9Remember now, that You have made me as clay;

And would You turn me into dust again?

10Did You not pour me out like milk

And curdle me like cheese;

11Clothe me with skin and flesh,

And knit me together with bones and sinews?

12You have granted me life and lovingkindness;

And Your care has preserved my spirit.

13Yet these things You have concealed in Your heart;

I know that this is within You:

14If I sin, then You would take note of me,

And would not acquit me of my guilt.

15If I am wicked, woe to me!

And if I am righteous, I dare not lift up my head.

I am sated with disgrace and conscious of my misery.

16Should my head be lifted up, You would hunt me like a lion;

And again You would show Your power against me.

17You renew Your witnesses against me

And increase Your anger toward me;

Hardship after hardship is with me.

18‘Why then have You brought me out of the womb?

Would that I had died and no eye had seen me!

19I should have been as though I had not been,

Carried from womb to tomb.’

20Would He not let my few days alone?

Withdraw from me that I may have a little cheer

21Before I go—and I shall not return—

To the land of darkness and deep shadow,

22The land of utter gloom as darkness itself,

Of deep shadow without order,

And which shines as the darkness.”

Zophar Rebukes Job

1Then Zophar the Naamathite answered,

2“Shall a multitude of words go unanswered,

And a talkative man be acquitted?

3Shall your boasts silence men?

And shall you scoff and none rebuke?

4For you have said, ‘My teaching is pure,

And I am innocent in your eyes.’

5But would that God might speak,

And open His lips against you,

6And show you the secrets of wisdom!

For sound wisdom has two sides.

Know then that God forgets a part of your iniquity.

7“Can you discover the depths of God?

Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?

8They are high as the heavens, what can you do?

Deeper than Sheol, what can you know?

9Its measure is longer than the earth

And broader than the sea.

10If He passes by or shuts up,

Or calls an assembly, who can restrain Him?

11For He knows false men,

And He sees iniquity without investigating.

12An idiot will become intelligent

When the foal of a wild donkey is born a man.

13“If you would direct your heart right

And spread out your hand to Him,

14If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away,

And do not let wickedness dwell in your tents;

15Then, indeed, you could lift up your face without moral defect,

And you would be steadfast and not fear.

16For you would forget your trouble,

As waters that have passed by, you would remember it.

17Your life would be brighter than noonday;

Darkness would be like the morning.

18Then you would trust, because there is hope;

And you would look around and rest securely.

19You would lie down and none would disturb you,

And many would entreat your favor.

20But the eyes of the wicked will fail,

And there will be no escape for them;

And their hope is to breathe their last.”