If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.

And though thy beginning was small, Yet thy latter end would greatly increase.

While still uncut shoots,
they would dry up quicker than any other plant.

Whilst he would fill thy mouth with laughing and thy lips with shouting,

If a man was desiring to go to law with him, he would not be able to give him an answer to one out of a thousand questions.

"{If} he passes by me, {I would not see him}; and [if] he should move on, {I would not recognize him}.

{If} he would snatch away, who could turn him? Who could say to him, 'What are you doing?'

Whom, though I were righteous, yet would I not answer, but I would make supplication to my judge.

If I had called, and he had answered me; yet would I not believe that he had hearkened unto my voice.

For I would be crushed by his storm, my wounds would be increased without cause.

He would not let me take my breath, but I would be full of bitter grief.

If I justified myself, mine own mouth would condemn me; were I perfect, he would prove me perverse.

Though I were perfect, yet would I not know my soul: I would despise my life.

I would still live in terror of all my pains.
I know You will not acquit me.

Then wouldest thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes would abhor me.

“There is no arbitrator between us,
Who could lay his hand upon us both [would that there were].

who would take his rod away from me so that his terror would not make me afraid.

Then would I speak, and not fear him; but it is not so with me.

Though it is, within thine own knowledge, that I would not be lawless, and, none, out of thy hand, can deliver?

‘Your hands have formed and made me altogether.
Would You [turn around and] destroy me?

‘Remember now, that You have made me as clay;
And would You turn me into dust again?

If I had sinned, then you would be watching me, and you would not acquit me of my guilt.

That, if I was an evil-doer, the curse would come on me; and if I was upright, my head would not be lifted up, being full of shame and overcome with trouble.

And [if my head] grows bold, you would hunt me as the lion in its prime; {and you repeat your exploits against me}.

That you would send new witnesses against me, increasing your wrath against me, and letting loose new armies on me.

‘Why then did You bring me out of the womb?
Would that I had perished and no eye had seen me!

I would have been as though I had not been; I would have been carried from the womb to the grave.

“Would He not let my few days alone?
Withdraw from me that I may have a little cheer

But oh that God would speak, and open his lips against thee;

And that he would shew thee the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which is! Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.

For vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass's colt.

“If you would direct your heart right
And spread out your hand to Him,

“Then, indeed, you could lift up your face without moral defect,
And you would be steadfast and not fear.

“For you would forget your trouble,
As waters that have passed by, you would remember it.

“Your life would be brighter than noonday;
Darkness would be like the morning.

“Then you would trust, because there is hope;
And you would look around and rest securely.

“You would lie down and none would disturb you,
And many would entreat your favor.

Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God.

O that ye would altogether hold your peace! and it should be your wisdom.

Would you testify unjustly on God’s behalf
or speak deceitfully for Him?

Would you show partiality to Him
or argue the case in His defense?

“Will it be well for you when He investigates you [and your tactics against me]?
Or will you deceive Him as one deceives a man?

Surely He would rebuke you
if you secretly showed partiality.

Would God’s majesty not terrify you?
Would His dread not fall on you?

Behold, if he slay me, yet would I trust in him; but I will defend mine own ways before him.

Moreover, this [is] salvation to me, that [the] godless would not come {before him}.

Who is he that will contend with me? For then would I hold my peace and give up the ghost.

Are you a god who would make a leaf tremble or who would prosecute a dry straw?

“Oh, that You would hide me in Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead),
That You would conceal me until Your wrath is past,
That You would set a definite time and then remember me [and in Your lovingkindness imprint me on your heart]!

If a man die, shall he live again ? All the days of my warfare would I wait, Till my release should come.

Thou wouldest call, and I would answer thee: Thou wouldest have a desire to the work of thy hands.

For then you would count my steps, [but] you would not keep watch over my sin.

My transgression would be sealed in a bag, and you would cover over my guilt.

For thine own mouth would teach thine iniquity, and thou wouldst choose the tongue of the crafty.

And had inhabited demolished cities, houses, wherein men would not dwell, that were destined to become heaps.

If you were in my place I could also talk like you.
I could string words together against you
and shake my head at you.

But I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the moving of my lips should asswage your grief.

That he would maintain the right of a man with God, And of a son of man with his neighbor!

Where then would be my hope? And, as for my blessedness, who should see it!

With me to hades, would they go down, If, wholly - into the dust, is the descent!

“And if it were true that I have erred,
My error would remain with me [and I would be conscious of it].

If you really want to appear superior to me
and would use my disgrace as evidence against me,

To mine own servant, I called, and he would not answer, With mine own mouth, I kept entreating him;

Oh would that my words were written! oh that they were inscribed in a book!

would God they were graven with an iron pen in lead or in stone.

But ye would say, Why persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter is found in me?

That he favoured, that would he not forsake; but kept it close in his throat.

Who [is] Shaddai that we should serve him, or what would we benefit when we plead with him?'

Behold, I know your thoughts, And the devices wherewith ye would wrong me.

Who would denounce his behavior to his face?
Who would repay him for what he has done?

Oh that I knew where I might find him! I would come even unto his dwelling-place;

I would order my cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments.

I would know the words which he would answer me, and understand what he would say unto me.

Will he plead against me with his great power? No; but he would put strength in me.

There would an upright man reason with him; and I should be delivered for ever from my judge.

But he knows the pathway that I take; if he tested me, I would come forth like gold.

The command of his lips, and would not go back, and, in my bosom, have I treasured the words of his lips.

“Therefore, I would be dismayed at His presence;
When I consider, I am terrified of Him.

“He wraps the waters in His clouds [which otherwise would spill on earth all at once],
And the cloud does not burst under them.

Far be it from me that {I would say that you are right}; until I pass away, I will not put away from me my blamelessness.

I would teach you, by the hand of GOD, That which is with the Almighty, will I not conceal.

For God shall cast upon him, and not spare: he would fain flee out of his hand.

I would be as I was in the days of my youth
when God’s friendship rested on my tent,

The young men would see me and withdraw, and the aged would rise and stand.

Nobles would refrain from speaking, covering their mouths with their hands.

The voices of the commanders-in-chief were hushed, and their tongues would cling to the roofs of their mouths."

If I had spoken, they would have it none other ways, my words were so well taken among them.

I set an example of the way to live, as a leader would; I lived like a king among his army; like one who comforts mourners."

But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock.

gaunt with want and hunger, they would gnaw the parched land, in former time desolate and waste.

"They would pluck off herbs from salt marshes to eat; and roots of the broom shrub for food.

They were banished from the community -- people shouted at them like they would shout at thieves --

Yet no one would stretch out his hand
against a ruined man
when he cries out to him for help
because of his distress.

I made a covenant with mine eyes, that I would not look upon a damsel.

For what would have been my portion of +God from above, and what the heritage of the Almighty from on high?

Would, he, not see my ways? and of all my steps, take account?

For that would be a disgrace;
it would be a crime deserving punishment.

For it is a fire that consumeth to destruction, and would root out all mine increase.

If I have lifted my hand against the orphan,
Because I saw [that the judges would be] my help at the [council] gate,

This also would be an iniquity for the judge, for I should have denied the God who is above.