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If I have sinned, what have I done to You, O watcher of mankind? Why have You made me Your target, so that I am a burden to You?

If I have sinned, what have I done to You, O watcher of mankind? Why have You made me Your target, so that I am a burden to You?

Though I am blameless, I have no concern for myself; I despise my own life.

Do You have eyes of flesh? Do You see as man sees?

You have granted me life and loving devotion, and Your care has preserved my spirit.

Are my days not few? Withdraw from me, that I may have a little comfort,

You have said, ‘My doctrine is sound, and I am pure in Your sight.’

But I also have a mind; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know such things as these?

“Indeed, my eyes have seen all this; my ears have heard and understood.

“Indeed, my eyes have seen all this; my ears have heard and understood.

See now, I have prepared my case; I know that I will be vindicated.

Since his days are determined and the number of his months is with You, and since You have set limits that he cannot exceed,

Listen to me and I will inform you. I will describe what I have seen,

“I have heard many things like these; miserable comforters are you all.

Surely He has now exhausted me; You have devastated all my family.

You have bound me, and it has become a witness; my frailty rises up and testifies against me.

I have sewn sackcloth over my skin; I have buried my horn in the dust.

I have sewn sackcloth over my skin; I have buried my horn in the dust.

You have closed their minds to understanding; therefore You will not exalt them.

My eyes have grown dim with grief, and my whole body is but a shadow.

My days have passed; my plans are broken off—even the desires of my heart.

They have turned night into day, making light seem near in the face of darkness.

Ten times now you have reproached me; you shamelessly mistreat me.

Even if I have truly gone astray, my error concerns me alone.

He has removed my brothers from me; my acquaintances have abandoned me.

My kinsmen have failed me, and my friends have forgotten me.

My kinsmen have failed me, and my friends have forgotten me.

All my best friends despise me, and those I love have turned against me.

My skin and flesh cling to my bones; I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.

Have pity on me, my friends, have pity, for the hand of God has struck me.

Have pity on me, my friends, have pity, for the hand of God has struck me.

I have heard a rebuke that insults me, and my understanding prompts a reply.

Bear with me while I speak; then, after I have spoken, you may go on mocking.

Yet they say to God: ‘Leave us alone! For we have no desire to know Your ways.

Have you never asked those who travel the roads? Do you not accept their reports?

Will you stay on the ancient path that wicked men have trod?

Yet He knows the way I have taken; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

My feet have followed in His tracks; I have kept His way without turning aside.

My feet have followed in His tracks; I have kept His way without turning aside.

I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread.

I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread.

Without clothing, they spend the night naked; they have no covering against the cold.

As drought and heat consume the melting snow, so Sheol steals those who have sinned.

Yet by His power, God drags away the mighty; though rising up, they have no assurance of life.

“How you have helped the powerless and saved the arm that is feeble!

How you have counseled the unwise and provided fully sound insight!

To whom have you uttered these words? And whose spirit spoke through you?

Surely all of you have seen it for yourselves. Why then do you keep up this empty talk?

Though his sons are many, they are destined for the sword; and his offspring will never have enough food.

Proud beasts have never trodden it; no lion has ever prowled over it.

Abaddon and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor about it.’

“But now they mock me, men younger than I am, whose fathers I would have refused to put with my sheep dogs.

And now they mock me in song; I have become a byword among them.

Because God has unstrung my bow and afflicted me, they have cast off restraint in my presence.

He throws me into the mud, and I have become like dust and ashes.

You have ruthlessly turned on me; You oppose me with Your strong hand.

Have I not wept for those in trouble? Has my soul not grieved for the needy?

I have become a brother of jackals, a companion of ostriches.

“I have made a covenant with my eyes. How then could I gaze with desire at a virgin?

If I have walked in falsehood or my foot has rushed to deceit,

If my steps have turned from the path, if my heart has followed my eyes, or if impurity has stuck to my hands,

…then may another eat what I have sown, and may my crops be uprooted.

If my heart has been enticed by my neighbor’s wife, or I have lurked at his door,

If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or maidservant when they made a complaint against me,

If I have denied the desires of the poor or allowed the widow’s eyes to fail,

…if I have eaten my morsel alone, not sharing it with the fatherless—

…if I have seen one perish for lack of clothing, or a needy man without a cloak,

…if I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless because I saw that I had support in the gate,

If I have put my trust in gold or called pure gold my security,

…if I have rejoiced in my great wealth because my hand had gained so much,

…if I have beheld the sun in its radiance or the moon moving in splendor,

…this would also be an iniquity to be judged, for I would have denied God on high.

If I have rejoiced in my enemy’s ruin, or exulted when evil befell him—

I have not allowed my mouth to sin by asking for his life with a curse—

…if the men of my house have not said, ‘Who is there who has not had his fill?’—

…if I have covered my transgressions like Adam by hiding my guilt in my heart,

…if I have devoured its produce without payment or broken the spirit of its tenants,

So do not claim, ‘We have found wisdom; let God, not man, refute him.’

Job’s friends are dismayed, with no more to say; words have escaped them.

Surely you have spoken in my hearing, and I have heard these very words:

Surely you have spoken in my hearing, and I have heard these very words:

…to be gracious to him and say, ‘Spare him from going down to the Pit; I have found his ransom,’

Then he sings before men with these words: ‘I have sinned and perverted what was right; yet I did not get what I deserved.

But if you have something to say, answer me; speak up, for I would like to vindicate you.

If you have understanding, hear this; listen to my words.

For God need not examine a man further or have him approach for judgment.

Suppose someone says to God, ‘I have endured my punishment; I will offend no more.

Teach me what I cannot see; if I have done wrong, I will not do it again.’

Should God repay you on your own terms when you have disavowed Him? You must choose, not I; so tell me what you know.

…then He tells them their deeds and how arrogantly they have transgressed.

But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked; judgment and justice have seized you.

Be careful not to turn to iniquity, for this you have preferred to affliction.

Who has appointed His way for Him, or told Him, ‘You have done wrong’?

Remember to magnify His work, which men have praised in song.

Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.

In your days, have you commanded the morning or assigned the dawn its place,

Have you journeyed to the vents of the sea or walked in the trenches of the deep?

Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?

Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?

Have you surveyed the extent of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this.