Is it on such a one as this that your eyes are fixed, with the purpose of judging him?

If determined are his days, The number of his months are with Thee, His limit Thou hast made, And he passeth not over;

The floods when they be dried up, and the rivers when they be empty, are filled again through the flowing waters of the sea:

And man hath lain down, and riseth not, Till the wearing out of the heavens they awake not, Nor are roused from their sleep.

For now my steps are numbered by you, and my sin is not overlooked.

"Mountains fall and crumble; rocks are dislodged from their places.

The stones are crushed small by the force of the waters; the dust of the earth is washed away by their overflowing: and so you put an end to the hope of man.

Honoured are his sons, and he knoweth not; And they are little, and he attendeth not to them.

“Should he argue with useless talk,
Or with words which are not profitable?

“Indeed, you are doing away with fear,
And you are diminishing meditation before God.

It is by your mouth, even yours, that you are judged to be in the wrong, and not by me; and your lips give witness against you.

“Were you the first man to be born [the original wise man],
Or were you created before the hills?

Both the gray-headed And the very aged are among us -- Greater than thy father in days.

Too few for thee are the comforts of God? And a gentle word is with thee,

What -- doth thine heart take thee away? And what -- are thine eyes high?

So that you are turning your spirit against God, and letting such words go out of your mouth?

“Behold, He puts no trust in His holy ones,
And the heavens are not pure in His sight;

“The wicked man writhes in pain all his days,
And numbered are the years stored up for the ruthless.

“Sounds of terror are in his ears;
While at peace the destroyer comes upon him.

“He has lived in desolate cities,
In houses no one would inhabit,
Which are destined to become ruins.

He does not get wealth for himself, and is unable to keep what he has got; the heads of his grain are not bent down to the earth.

He does not come out of the dark; his branches are burned by the flame, and the wind takes away his bud.

For the band of the evil-doers gives no fruit, and the tents of those who give wrong decisions for reward are burned with fire.

I have heard many such things, Miserable comforters are ye all.

May words which are like the wind be stopped? or what is troubling you to make answer to them?

“You have taken a firm hold on me and have shriveled me up,
It has become a witness [against me];
And my leanness [and infirmity] rises up [as evidence] against me,
It testifies to my face [about my guilt].

I am broken by his wrath, and his hate has gone after me; he has made his teeth sharp against me: my haters are looking on me with cruel eyes;

Their mouths are open wide against me; the blows of his bitter words are falling on my face; all of them come together in a mass against me.

My face is red with weeping, and my eyes are becoming dark;

although my hands are free from violence
and my prayer is pure.

“My friends are my scoffers;
My eye weeps to God.

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

My spirit hath been destroyed, My days extinguished -- graves are for me.

If not -- mockeries are with me. And in their provocations mine eye lodgeth.

For a portion he sheweth friendship, And the eyes of his sons are consumed.

“My eye has also grown dim because of grief,
And all my members are as a shadow.

Astonished are the upright at this, And the innocent against the profane Stirreth himself up.

And the righteous layeth hold on his way, And the clean of hands addeth strength, And -- dumb are they all.

“My days are past, my plans are torn apart,
Even the wishes of my heart.

They are changing night into day; they say, The light is near the dark.

If I call to the pit, ‘You are my father’;
To the worm, ‘my mother and my sister’;

"When are you going to stop your word hunt? Think first, and then we can talk.

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

But come back, now, come: you who are wounding yourself in your passion, will the earth be given up because of you, or a rock be moved out of its place?

Straitened are the steps of his strength, And cast him down doth his own counsel.

Parts of his skin are eaten away;
death’s firstborn consumes his limbs.

They who are none of his shall dwell in his tent; brimstone shall be showered upon his habitation:

From beneath his roots are dried up, And from above cut off is his crop.

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

Only these are tabernacles of the perverse, And this the place God hath not known.

“These ten times you have insulted me;
You are not ashamed to wrong me.

“He has removed my brothers far from me,
And my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.

Even young children have no respect for me; when I get up their backs are turned on me.

All my intimate friends abhor me, and they whom I loved are turned against me.

My bones are joined to my skin, and I have got away with my flesh in my teeth.

Why do you pursue me as God? And with my flesh are not satisfied?

Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another: my reins are consumed within me.

Be ye afraid because of the sword, For furious are the punishments of the sword, That ye may know that there is a judgment.

For this cause my thoughts are troubling me and driving me on.

I have to give ear to arguments which put me to shame, and your answers to me are wind without wisdom.

His children are hoping that the poor will be kind to them, and his hands give back his wealth.

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

He will not look on the streams, the rivers, which are the torrents of honey and butter.

One hath drawn, And it cometh out from the body, And a glittering weapon from his gall proceedeth. On him are terrors.

Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power?

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

Their houses are peace without fear, Nor is a rod of God upon them.

They make songs to the instruments of music, and are glad at the sound of the pipe.

What is the Almighty that we should serve him? and what are we profited if we pray unto him?

Look, their prosperity [is] not in their hands; the schemes of [the] wicked are repugnant to me.

They are as straw before wind, And as chaff a hurricane hath stolen away,

Can any teach God knowledge? And he it is that judgeth those that are high.

His sides are filled out with fat,
And the marrow of his bones is moist,

Together they go down to the dust, and are covered by the worm.

"Yes, I know what you are thinking, the schemes by which you would wrong me.

For you say, 'Where now is the nobleman's house, and where are the tents in which the wicked lived?'

That to a day of calamity is the wicked spared. To a day of wrath they are brought.

when he is carried away to the cemetery and guardians are placed to watch his tomb?

The clods of the valley are sweet unto him; and every man followeth suit after him, as there were innumerable before him.

So how can you offer me such futile comfort?
Your answers are deceptive.

“Is there any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous,
Or profit if you make your ways perfect?

Is not, thy wickedness, great? and, without end, are not thine iniquities?

Widows thou hast sent away empty, And the arms of the fatherless are bruised.

Therefore round about thee are snares, And trouble thee doth fear suddenly.

Your light is made dark so that you are unable to see, and you are covered by a mass of waters.

Is not God high in heaven? And see the summit of the stars, That they are high.

Thick clouds are a secret place to Him, And He doth not see;' And the circle of the heavens He walketh habitually,

Yet he himself filled up their houses [with] good [things], but [the] schemes of [the] wicked are repugnant to me.

“The righteous see and are glad,
And the innocent mock them,

Saying, ‘Truly our adversaries are cut off,
And their abundance the fire has consumed.’

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

He makes safe the man who is free from sin, and if your hands are clean, salvation will be yours.

For He doth complete my portion, And many such things are with Him.

“Why are times not stored up by the Almighty,
And why do those who know Him not see His days?

The landmarks are changed by evil men, they violently take away flocks, together with their keepers.

“They push the needy aside from the road;
The poor of the land are made to hide themselves altogether.

Ill-clad, they are left to lodge without clothing, and have no covering in the cold;

From the inundation of hills they are wet, And without a refuge -- have embraced a rock.

There are that pluck the fatherless from the breast, And take a pledge of the poor;

Between their walls, are they exposed to the sun, Wine-presses, they tread, and yet are thirsty;