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True wisdom and power belong to Him. The deceived and the deceiver are His.

What you know, I also know; I am not inferior to you.

Yet I desire to speak to the Almighty and argue my case before God.

Yet I desire to speak to the Almighty and argue my case before God.

Hear now my argument, and listen to the plea of my lips.

Be silent, and I will speak. Then let come to me what may.

Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. I will still defend my ways to His face.

Listen carefully to my words; let my declaration ring in your ears.

Only grant these two things to me, so that I need not hide from You:

How many are my iniquities and sins? Reveal to me my transgression and sin.

For You record bitter accusations against me and bequeath to me the iniquities of my youth.

Do You open Your eyes to one like this? Will You bring him into judgment before You?

Do you listen in on the council of God or limit wisdom to yourself?

What do you know that we do not? What do you understand that is not clear to us?

Are the consolations of God not enough for you, even words spoken gently to you?

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

…to whom alone the land was given when no foreigner passed among them.

Distress and anguish terrify him, overwhelming him like a king poised to attack.

…he will dwell in ruined cities, in abandoned houses destined to become rubble.

They conceive trouble and give birth to evil; their womb is pregnant with deceit.”

Is there no end to your long-winded speeches? What provokes you to continue testifying?

Is there no end to your long-winded speeches? What provokes you to continue testifying?

God has delivered me to unjust men; He has thrown me to the clutches of the wicked.

God has delivered me to unjust men; He has thrown me to the clutches of the wicked.

O earth, do not cover my blood; may my cry for help never be laid to rest.

My friends are my scoffers as my eyes pour out tears to God.

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

Yet a righteous one holds to his way, and the one with clean hands grows stronger.

…and say to corruption, ‘You are my father,’ and to the worm, ‘My mother,’ or ‘My sister,’

…and say to corruption, ‘You are my father,’ and to the worm, ‘My mother,’ or ‘My sister,’

Will it go down to the gates of Sheol? Will we go down together into the dust?”

He is torn from the shelter of his tent and is marched off to the king of terrors.

My breath is repulsive to my wife, and I am loathsome to my own family.

My breath is repulsive to my wife, and I am loathsome to my own family.

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

“So my anxious thoughts compel me to answer, because of the turmoil within me.

He will fly away like a dream, never to be found; he will be chased away like a vision in the night.

…though he cannot bear to let it go and keeps it in his mouth,

Nothing is left for him to consume; thus his prosperity will not endure.

“Listen carefully to my words; let this be your consolation to me.

“Listen carefully to my words; let this be your consolation to me.

…singing to the tambourine and lyre and making merry at the sound of the flute.

They spend their days in prosperity and go down to Sheol in peace.

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

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

Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him, and what would we gain if we pray to Him?’

Can anyone teach knowledge to God, since He judges those on high?

Who denounces his behavior to his face? Who repays him for what he has done?

He is carried to the grave, and watch is kept over his tomb.

The clods of the valley are sweet to him; everyone follows behind him, and those before him are without number.

“Can a man be of use to God? Can even a wise man benefit Him?

You gave no water to the weary and withheld food from the famished,

…while the land belonged to a mighty man, and a man of honor lived on it.

They said to God, ‘Depart from us. What can the Almighty do to us?’

They said to God, ‘Depart from us. What can the Almighty do to us?’

Reconcile now and be at peace with Him; thereby good will come to you.

If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored. If you remove injustice from your tents

…and consign your gold to the dust and the gold of Ophir to the stones of the ravines,

…and consign your gold to the dust and the gold of Ophir to the stones of the ravines,

Surely then you will delight in the Almighty and lift up your face to God.

You will pray to Him, and He will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows.

If only I knew where to find Him, so that I could go to His seat.

If only I knew where to find Him, so that I could go to His seat.

When He is at work in the north, I cannot behold Him; when He turns to the south, I cannot see Him.

Indeed, like wild donkeys in the desert, the poor go to work foraging for food; the wasteland is food for their children.

When daylight is gone, the murderer rises to kill the poor and needy; in the night he is like a thief.

In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves in, never to experience the light.

For to them, deep darkness is their morning; surely they are friends with the terrors of darkness!

They prey on the barren and childless, and show no kindness to the widow.

If this is not so, then who can prove me a liar and reduce my words to nothing?”

“Dominion and awe belong to God; He establishes harmony in the heights of heaven.

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

I will cling to my righteousness and never let go. As long as I live, my conscience will not accuse me.

Man puts an end to the darkness; he probes the farthest recesses for ore in deepest darkness.

He stops up the sources of the streams to bring what is hidden to light.

He stops up the sources of the streams to bring what is hidden to light.

Neither gold nor crystal can compare to it, nor jewels of fine gold be exchanged for it.

Topaz from Cush cannot compare to it, nor can it be valued in pure gold.

For He looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.

And He said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

And He said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

When I went out to the city gate and took my seat in the public square,

…the young men saw me and withdrew, and the old men rose to their feet.

The voices of the nobles were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roofs of their mouths.

I served as eyes to the blind and as feet to the lame.

I served as eyes to the blind and as feet to the lame.

I was a father to the needy, and I took up the case of the stranger.

My roots will spread out to the waters, and the dew will rest nightly on my branches.

Men listened to me with expectation, waiting silently for my counsel.

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

What use to me was the strength of their hands, since their vigor had left them?

They abhor me and keep far from me; they do not hesitate to spit in my face.

They tear up my path; they profit from my destruction, with no one to restrain them.

I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer; when I stand up, You merely look at me.

Yes, I know that You will bring me down to death, to the place appointed for all the living.

Yes, I know that You will bring me down to death, to the place appointed for all the living.

My harp is tuned to mourning and my flute to the sound of weeping.

My harp is tuned to mourning and my flute to the sound of weeping.

Does not disaster come to the unjust and calamity to the workers of iniquity?

Does not disaster come to the unjust and calamity to the workers of iniquity?