“They have gaped at me with their mouth,
They have slapped me on the cheek with contempt;
They have massed themselves against me.

“His arrows surround me.
Without mercy He splits my kidneys open;
He pours out my gall on the ground.

“I have sewed sackcloth over my skin
And thrust my horn in the dust.

“My face is flushed from weeping,
And deep darkness is on my eyelids,

Although there is no violence in my hands,
And my prayer is pure.

“Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven,
And my advocate is on high.

“For when a few years are past,
I shall go the way of no return.

“Surely mockers are with me,
And my eye gazes on their provocation.

“But He has made me a byword of the people,
And I am one at whom men spit.

“They make night into day, saying,
‘The light is near,’ in the presence of darkness.

“If I look for Sheol as my home,
I make my bed in the darkness;

“Why are we regarded as beasts,
As stupid in your eyes?

“O you who tear yourself in your anger—
For your sake is the earth to be abandoned,
Or the rock to be moved from its place?

“The light in his tent is darkened,
And his lamp goes out above him.

“His vigorous stride is shortened,
And his own scheme brings him down.

“For he is thrown into the net by his own feet,
And he steps on the webbing.

“A snare seizes him by the heel,
And a trap snaps shut on him.

“A noose for him is hidden in the ground,
And a trap for him on the path.

“There dwells in his tent nothing of his;
Brimstone is scattered on his habitation.

“Those in the west are appalled at his fate,
And those in the east are seized with horror.

“He has walled up my way so that I cannot pass,
And He has put darkness on my paths.

“He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone;
And He has uprooted my hope like a tree.

“Those who live in my house and my maids consider me a stranger.
I am a foreigner in their sight.

“My breath is offensive to my wife,
And I am loathsome to my own brothers.

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

“That with an iron stylus and lead
They were engraved in the rock forever!

“As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.

“Do you know this from of old,
From the establishment of man on earth,

“His bones are full of his youthful vigor,
But it lies down with him in the dust.

“Though evil is sweet in his mouth
And he hides it under his tongue,

Though he desires it and will not let it go,
But holds it in his mouth,

Yet his food in his stomach is changed
To the venom of cobras within him.

“In the fullness of his plenty he will be cramped;
The hand of everyone who suffers will come against him.

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

Complete darkness is held in reserve for his treasures,
And unfanned fire will devour him;
It will consume the survivor in his tent.

“The increase of his house will depart;
His possessions will flow away in the day of His anger.

“Even when I remember, I am disturbed,
And horror takes hold of my flesh.

“Why do the wicked still live,
Continue on, also become very powerful?

“Their descendants are established with them in their sight,
And their offspring before their eyes,

Their houses are safe from fear,
And the rod of God is not on them.

“They spend their days in prosperity,
And suddenly they go down to Sheol.

“Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand;
The counsel of the wicked is far from me.

“How often is the lamp of the wicked put out,
Or does their calamity fall on them?
Does God apportion destruction in His anger?

“Let his own eyes see his decay,
And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.

“For what does he care for his household after him,
When the number of his months is cut off?

“Can anyone teach God knowledge,
In that He judges those on high?

“One dies in his full strength,
Being wholly at ease and satisfied;

“Together they lie down in the dust,
And worms cover them.

“But the earth belongs to the mighty man,
And the honorable man dwells in it.

Or darkness, so that you cannot see,
And an abundance of water covers you.

“Is not God in the height of heaven?
Look also at the distant stars, how high they are!

‘Clouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He cannot see;
And He walks on the vault of heaven.’

“Please receive instruction from His mouth
And establish His words in your heart.

And place your gold in the dust,
And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks,

“For then you will delight in the Almighty
And lift up your face to God.

“You will also decree a thing, and it will be established for you;
And light will shine on your ways.

“When you are cast down, you will speak with confidence,
And the humble person He will save.

“He will deliver one who is not innocent,
And he will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”

When He acts on the left, I cannot behold Him;
He turns on the right, I cannot see Him.

“But He knows the way I take;
When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

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

“Behold, as wild donkeys in the wilderness
They go forth seeking food in their activity,
As bread for their children in the desert.

“They harvest their fodder in the field
And glean the vineyard of the wicked.

“Within the walls they produce oil;
They tread wine presses but thirst.

“Others have been with those who rebel against the light;
They do not want to know its ways
Nor abide in its paths.

“In the dark they dig into houses,
They shut themselves up by day;
They do not know the light.

“They are insignificant on the surface of the water;
Their portion is cursed on the earth.
They do not turn toward the vineyards.

“But He drags off the valiant by His power;
He rises, but no one has assurance of life.

“He provides them with security, and they are supported;
And His eyes are on their ways.

“Dominion and awe belong to Him
Who establishes peace in His heights.

“If even the moon has no brightness
And the stars are not pure in His sight,

“What counsel you have given to one without wisdom!
What helpful insight you have abundantly provided!

“He stretches out the north over empty space
And hangs the earth on nothing.

“He wraps up the waters in His clouds,
And the cloud does not burst under them.

“He has inscribed a circle on the surface of the waters
At the boundary of light and darkness.

For as long as life is in me,
And the breath of God is in my nostrils,

“For what is the hope of the godless when he is cut off,
When God requires his life?

“Will God hear his cry
When distress comes upon him?

“Will he take delight in the Almighty?
Will he call on God at all times?

“I will instruct you in the power of God;
What is with the Almighty I will not conceal.

“Terrors overtake him like a flood;
A tempest steals him away in the night.

“Man puts an end to darkness,
And to the farthest limit he searches out
The rock in gloom and deep shadow.

“He puts his hand on the flint;
He overturns the mountains at the base.

“Man does not know its value,
Nor is it found in the land of the living.

“The deep says, ‘It is not in me’;
And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’

“Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it,
Nor can silver be weighed as its price.

“It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
In precious onyx, or sapphire.

“The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,
Nor can it be valued in pure gold.

“When He imparted weight to the wind
And meted out the waters by measure,

When He set a limit for the rain
And a course for the thunderbolt,

“Oh that I were as in months gone by,
As in the days when God watched over me;

When His lamp shone over my head,
And by His light I walked through darkness;

As I was in the prime of my days,
When the friendship of God was over my tent;

When the Almighty was yet with me,
And my children were around me;

When my steps were bathed in butter,
And the rock poured out for me streams of oil!

“When I went out to the gate of the city,
When I took my seat in the square,

“The princes stopped talking
And put their hands on their mouths;

“For when the ear heard, it called me blessed,
And when the eye saw, it gave witness of me,

“The blessing of the one ready to perish came upon me,
And I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.

“I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
My justice was like a robe and a turban.