From the town come sounds of pain from those who are near death, and the soul of the wounded is crying out for help; but God does not take note of their prayer.

They are of those that rebel against the light; they know not its ways, nor abide in its paths.

In the dark he makes holes in the walls of houses: in the daytime they are shutting themselves up, they have no knowledge of the light.

For the morning is to them even as the shadow of death: if one recognizes them, they are in the terrors of the shadow of death.

They are swift as the waters; their portion is cursed in the earth: no one turns into the way of the vineyards.

The womb forgets them;
worms feed on them;
they are remembered no more.
So injustice is broken like a tree.

They pluck down the mighty with their power, and when they themselves are gotten up, they are never without fear, as long as they live.

Though it be given him to be in safety, he rests; yet his eyes are upon their ways.

They are exalted for a little while, but are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all others, and cut off as the tops of the ears of grain.

Is it not so? Who will then reprove me as a liar, and say that my words are nothing worth?"

Dominion and fear are with him, he makes peace in his high places.

whose men of war are innumerable, and whose light ariseth over all.

Behold even to the moon, and it shines not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight.

How much less is man, who is only a maggot, or a man's children, who are only worms!"

“What a help you are to the weak!
How you have saved the arm without strength!

Dead things are formed from under the waters, and the inhabitants thereof.

yea, and all they which dwell beneath in the hell are not hid from him, and the very destruction itself cannot be kept out of his sight.

By him the waters are shut up in his thick clouds, and the cloud does not give way under them.

The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his rebuke.

By his Spirit the heavens are adorned; his hand hath formed the fleeing serpent.

Lo, these are only parts of his ways: and how little a whisper is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?

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.

Behold, all you yourselves have seen it; why then are you thus altogether vain?

If his sons multiply -- for them is a sword. And his offspring are not satisfied with bread.

His remnant in death are buried, And his widows do not weep.

There are places were silver is molten, and where gold is tried;

He breaks open a shaft away from the inhabitants; even in places forgotten of the foot: they are gone away from men, they swing to and fro.

A place of the sapphire are its stones, And it hath dust of gold.

Gold and glass are not equal to it in price, and it may not be exchanged for jewels of the best gold.

Corals and pearl are not remembered, The acquisition of wisdom is above rubies.

If only I might again be as I was in the months which are past, in the days when God was watching over me!

"I used to say: "I will die in my home. I'm going to live as many days as there are grains of sand on the shore.

‘My glory and honor are fresh in me [being constantly renewed],
And my bow gains [ever] new strength in my hand.’

To me they have hearkened, Yea, they wait, and are silent for my counsel.

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

From want and famine they are gaunt; fleeing of late into the wilderness, desolate and waste.

They are picking salt herbs, the leaves of bushes, and [the] roots of broom trees to warm themselves.

From the midst they are cast out, (They shout against them as a thief),

They are living on the slopes of the wadis,
among the rocks and in holes in the ground.

Among shrubs they do groan, Under nettles they are gathered together.

Sons of fools, and sons of nameless sires, they are driven out of the land.

“They break up and clutter my path [upsetting my plans],
They profit from my destruction;
No one restrains them.

Terrors are turned upon me: they pursue my honor as the wind: and my welfare passes away as a cloud.

My bones are pierced in me in the night season: and my sinews take no rest.

My clothes are disheveled by his forceful treatment of me; he restricts my movement like the collar of my cloak.

You changed toward me, and now you're cruel to me; with your mighty hand you are persecuting me;

I know that you are bringing me to death, to the meeting place for all the living.

Now use not men to do violence unto them, that are destroyed already; but where hurt is done, there use they to help.

My bowels are in turmoil, and they are not still; days of misery come to confront me.

My skin is black upon me, and my bones are burned with heat.

But my harp is in mourning; my flute plays only songs for those who are weeping."

Does he not see my ways, and are not my steps all numbered?

If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, You are my confidence;

If not -- say ye, O men of my tent, 'O that we had of his flesh, we are not satisfied.'

I would make clear the number of my steps, I would put it before him like a prince! The words of Job are ended.

Instead of wheat let a thorn go forth, And instead of barley a useless weed! The words of Job are finished.

And Elihu hath waited earnestly beside Job with words, for they are older than he in days.

And Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite answereth and saith: -- Young I am in days, and ye are age Therefore I have feared, And am afraid of shewing you my opinion.

I said to myself, It is right for the old to say what is in their minds, and for those who are far on in years to give out wisdom.

The multitude are not wise, Nor do the aged understand judgment.

"They are dismayed; they no longer answer; {they have nothing to say}.

Should I continue to wait now that they are silent,
now that they stand there and no longer answer?

"Look, my internal organs [are] like unopened wine, like new wineskins it is [ready] to burst open.

Of the uprightness of my heart are my sayings, And knowledge have my lips clearly spoken.

"If you are able, answer me. Present [your argument] {before me}; take your stand.

Behold, I am toward God even as you are. I am also formed out of the clay.

Behold, in this you are not just: I will answer you, for God is greater than man.

Why are you arguing with him? He doesn't have to give explanations for what he does to you!

Then he makes his secrets clear to men, so that they are full of fear at what they see;

“Man is also disciplined with pain on his bed,
And with unceasing complaint in his bones,

His flesh is consumed from being seen, And high are his bones, they were not seen!

If now there may be an angel sent to him, one of the thousands which there are to be between him and God, and to make clear to man what is right for him;

If there are words -- answer me, Speak, for I have a desire to justify thee.

If there are not -- hearken thou to me, Keep silent, and I teach thee wisdom.

For words are tested by the ear, as food is tasted by the mouth.

If you are wise, take note of this; give ear to the voice of my words.

Is it fit to say to a king, You are wicked? and to princes, You are ungodly?

That hath not accepted the person of princes, Nor hath known the rich before the poor, For a work of His hands are all of them.

[In] a moment they die, and [in] the middle of [the] night [the] people are shaken, and they pass away, and they take away [the] mighty {effortlessly}.

For His eyes are on the ways of each, And all his steps He doth see.

Therefore He knoweth their works, And He hath overturned by night, And they are bruised.

He strikes them {where the wicked stood}, {where there are onlookers},

Insomuch that they have caused the voice of the poor to come unto him, and now he heareth the complaint of such as are in necessity.

"Men of understanding, speak to me! Are any of you men wise? Then listen to me!

Job -- not with knowledge doth he speak, And his words are not with wisdom.

Would that Job were tested up to [the] end because [his] answers [are] like [those from] men of mischief,

What [is] this thou think in judgment? Who are thou that thou said, I am righteousness before LORD?

"Look at [the] heavens, and see; and observe [the] clouds [that] are higher than you.

If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against him? And [if] your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him?

If you are righteous, what do you give to him, or what does he receive from your hand?

Your wickedness may hurt a man as you are; and your righteousness may profit the son of man.

"There is a great cry and complaint made by them that are oppressed with violence; yea, every man complaineth upon the cruel arm of tyrants.

There they are crying out because of the pride of the evil-doers, but he gives them no answer.

{How much less} [when] you say [that] you do not see him, that [the] case [is] {before him}, and you are waiting for him!

Honour me a little, and I shew thee, That yet for God are words.

For, truly, my words are not false, The perfect in knowledge is with thee.

His eyes are ever on the upright, and he gives to the crushed their right;

He withdraweth not from the righteous His eyes, And from kings on the throne, And causeth them to sit for ever, and they are high,

And if prisoners in fetters They are captured with cords of affliction,

then he declares their work to them, and their transgressions, that they are behaving arrogantly.