Who does great things, [beyond understanding,] unfathomable,
Yes, marvelous and wondrous things without number.

“Behold, He passes by me, and I do not see Him;
He moves past me, but I do not perceive Him.

“Behold, He snatches away; who can restrain or turn Him back?
Who will say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’

For though I were righteous, I could not answer.
I must appeal for mercy to my Opponent and Judge.

“God will not turn back His anger;
The [proud] helpers of Rahab [the arrogant monster of the sea] bow under Him.

“For He bruises me with a tempest
And multiplies my wounds without cause.

“Though I am innocent and in the right, my own mouth would pronounce me guilty;
Though I am blameless, He would denounce me as guilty.

“If I called and He answered me,
I could not believe that He was listening to my voice.

“How can I answer Him [and plead my case],
Choosing my words [to reason] with Him?

“If it is a matter of strength and power, behold, He is mighty!
And if of justice, who can summon and challenge Him?

“[Though] I am blameless,
I do not care about myself;
I despise my life.

“Now my days are swifter than a runner;
They vanish, they see no good.

“He will not allow me to catch my breath,
But fills and saturates me with bitterness.

“Yes, I know it is true.
But how can a mortal man be right before God?

Then Job answered and said,

Who shakes the earth out of its place,
And its pillars tremble;

“The earth is given into the hands of the wicked;
He covers the faces of its judges [so that they are blind to justice].
If it is not He, then who is it [that is responsible for all this injustice]?

Who commands the sun, and it does not shine;
Who seals up the stars [from view];

“God is wise in heart and mighty in strength;
Who has [ever] defied or challenged Him and remained unharmed?

“It is God who removes the mountains, and they do not know it,
When He overturns them in His anger;

“It is all one; therefore I say,
‘He destroys [both] the blameless and the wicked.’

“When [His] scourge kills suddenly,
He mocks at the despair of the innocent.

“They pass by like the [swift] boats made of reeds,
Like an eagle that swoops down on its prey.

“If one should want to contend or dispute with Him,
He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.

“If I were to wash myself with snow
And cleanse my hands with lye,

I am afraid of all my pains and worries [yet to come];
I know that You will not acquit me and leave me unpunished.

“I am accounted wicked and held guilty;
Why then should I labor in vain [to appear innocent]?

“If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint,
I will leave off my sad appearance, and be cheerful and brighten up,’

Who alone stretches out the heavens
And tramples down the waves of the sea;

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

Who made [the constellations] the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades,
And the [vast starry] spaces of the south;

“For God is not a [mere] man, as I am, that I may answer Him,
That we may go to court and judgment together.

“Let Him take His rod away from me,
And let not the dread and fear of Him terrify me.

You would still plunge me into the pit,
And my own clothes would hate me [and refuse to cover my foul body].

“Then I would speak [my defense] and not fear Him;
But I am not like that in myself.