Have You not put a hedge [of protection] around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands [and conferred prosperity and happiness upon him], and his possessions have increased in the land.

“For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend;
So that he does not abandon (turn away from) the fear of the Almighty.

“His [godless] roots are wrapped around a pile of rocks,
And he gazes at a house of stones.

“Then you would trust [with confidence], because there is hope;
You would look around you and rest securely.

“He loosens the bond of kings
And binds their loins with a loincloth.

“The vigorous stride will be shortened,
And his own counsel and the scheme [in which he trusted] will bring his downfall.

Know then that God has wronged me and overthrown me
And has closed His net around me.

“His troops come together
And build up their way and siege works against me
And camp around my tent.

“When he fills his belly,
God will send His fierce anger on him
And will rain it upon him while he is eating.

“They send forth their little ones like a flock,
And their children skip about.

“Therefore snares surround you,
And sudden dread terrifies and overwhelms you;

“You say, ‘What does God know [about me]?
Can He judge through the thick darkness?

“They cause the poor to go about naked without clothing,
And they take away the sheaves [of grain] from the hungry.

“This [which I am about to explain] is the portion of a wicked man from God,
And the inheritance which tyrants and oppressors receive from the Almighty:

When the Almighty was still with me
And my boys were around me,

“The blessing of him who was about to perish came upon me,
And I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.

“By the great force [of my disease] my garment (skin) is disfigured and blemished;
It binds about me [choking me] like the collar of my coat.

“You lift me up on the wind and cause me to ride [upon it];
And You toss me about in the tempest and dissolve me in the storm.

“I go about mourning without comfort [my skin blackened by disease, not by the heat of the sun];
I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help.

“Surely I would [proudly] bear it on my shoulder,
And bind the scroll around my head like a crown.

“Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me;
I also will give you my opinion [about Job’s situation] and tell you plainly what I think.’

“Its direction is turned around by His guidance,
That it may do whatever He commands it
On the face of the inhabited earth.

“Who provides prey for the raven
When its young cry to God
And wander about without food?

“The lotus plants cover him with their shade;
The willows of the brook surround him.

“Who can open the doors (jaws) of his face?
Around his [open jaws and] teeth there is terror.