Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame of it with our ears.

God understandeth the way of it, and he knoweth its place.

To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.

Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out.

When the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were about me;

When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil;

When I went out to the gate through the city, when I prepared my seat in the street!

When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me:

The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.

I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.

I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out.

And I broke the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.

My root was spread out by the waters, and the dew lay all night upon my branch.

To me men gave ear, and waited, and kept silence at my counsel.

And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.

If I laughed on them, they believed it not; and the light of my countenance they cast not down.

I chose out their way, and sat chief, and dwelt as a king in the army, as one that comforteth the mourners.

Yes, to what might the strength of their hands profit me, in whom old age had perished?

They came upon me as a wide breaking in of waters: in the desolation they rolled themselves upon me.

And now my soul is poured out upon me; the days of affliction have taken hold upon me.

By the great force of my disease is my garment changed: it bindeth me about as the collar of my coat.

Thou liftest me up to the wind; thou causest me to ride upon it, and dissolvest my substance.

Yet he will not stretch out his hand to the grave, though they cry in his destruction.

For what portion of God is there from above? and what inheritance of the Almighty from on high?

If my step hath turned out of the way, and my heart walked after my eyes, and if any blot hath cleaved to my hands;

Then let me sow, and let another eat; yes, let my offspring be rooted out.

If my heart hath been deceived by a woman, or if I have laid wait at my neighbor's door;

For this is a hainous crime; yea, it is an iniquity to be punished by the judges.

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

What then shall I do when God riseth up? and when he visiteth, what shall I answer him?

If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail;

Or have eaten my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten of it;

If I have beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness;

If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, or have lifted up myself when evil found him:

Did I fear a great multitude, or did the contempt of families terrify me, that I kept silence, and went not out of the door?

Surely I would take it upon my shoulder, and bind it as a crown to me.

If I have eaten the fruits of it without money, or have caused its owners to lose their life:

Let thistles grow instead of wheat, and cockle instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.

Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.

Behold, I waited for your words; I gave ear to your reasons, whilst ye searched out what to say.

Lest ye should say, We have found out wisdom: God thrusteth him down, not man.

Behold, my belly is as wine which hath no vent; it is ready to burst like new bottles.

Behold, I am according to thy wish in God's stead: I also am formed out of the clay.

For God speaketh once, yes twice, yet man perceiveth it not.

His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen; and his bones that were not seen stick out.

He looketh upon men, and if any shall say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not;

Let us choose to us judgment: let us know among ourselves what is good.

What man is like Job, who drinketh up scorning like water?

For he hath said, It profiteth a man nothing that he should delight himself with God.

Therefore hearken to me, ye men of understanding: far be it from God, that he should do wickedness; and from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.

Is it fit to say to a king, Thou art wicked? and to princes, Ye are ungodly?

In a moment they shall die, and the people shall be troubled at midnight, and pass away: and the mighty shall be taken away without hand.

When he giveth quietness, who then can make trouble? and when he hideth his face, who then can behold him? whether it be done against a nation, or against a man only:

Surely it is meet to be said to God, I have borne chastisement, I will not offend any more:

Should it be according to thy mind? he will recompense it, whether thou shalt refuse, or whether thou shalt choose; and not I: therefore speak what thou knowest.

For thou saidst, What advantage will it be to thee? and, What profit shall I have, if I be cleansed from my sin?

If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? or if thy transgressions are multiplied, what doest thou to him?

If thou art righteous, what givest thou to him? or what receiveth he from thy hand?

By reason of the multitude of oppressions they make the oppressed to cry: they cry out by reason of the arm of the mighty.

Surely God will not hear vanity, neither will the Almighty regard it.

Although thou sayest thou shalt not see him, yet judgment is before him; therefore trust thou in him.

But now, because it is not so, he hath visited in his anger; yet he knoweth it not in great extremity:

Suffer me a little, and I will show thee that I have yet to speak on God's behalf.

Even so would he have removed thee out of the strait into a broad place, where there is no straitness; and that which should be set on thy table would be full of fatness.

Every man may see it; man may behold it afar off.

Behold, God is great, and we know him not, neither can the number of his years be searched out.

For he maketh small the drops of water: they pour down rain according to the vapor of it.

Behold, he spreadeth his light upon it, and covereth the bottom of the sea.

With clouds he covereth the light; and commandeth it not to shine by the intervening cloud.

The noise of it showeth concerning it, the cattle also concerning the vapor.

At this also my heart trembleth, and is moved out of its place.

Hear attentively the noise of his voice, and the sound that goeth out of his mouth.

He directeth it under the whole heaven, and his lightning to the ends of the earth.

After it a voice roareth: he thundereth with the voice of his excellence; and he will not stay them when his voice is heard.

And it is turned around by his counsels: that they may do whatever he commandeth them upon the face of the world on the earth.

He causeth it to come, whether for correction, or for his land, or for mercy.

Hast thou with him spread out the sky which is strong, and as a molten looking-glass?

Teach us what we shall say to him; for we cannot order our speech by reason of darkness.

Shall it be told him that I speak? If a man shall speak, surely he will be swallowed up.

Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in abundance of justice: he will not afflict.

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

Who hath laid the measures of it, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?

Upon what are the foundations of it fastened? or who laid its corner stone;

Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it broke forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?

When I made a cloud its garment, and thick darkness a swaddling band for it,

And broke up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors,

That it might take hold of the ends of earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it?

It is turned as clay to the seal; and they stand as a garment.

Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth? declare if thou knowest it all.

That thou shouldest take it to its bound, and that thou shouldest know the paths to its house?

Knowest thou it, because thou wast then born? or because the number of thy days is great?

By what way is the light parted, which scattereth the east wind upon the earth?

To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness in which there is no man;

Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it?

When they couch in their dens, and abide in the covert to lie in wait?

They bow themselves, they bring forth their young ones, they cast out their sorrows.

Who hath sent out the wild ass free? or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass?

Wilt thou believe him, that he will bring home thy seed, and gather it into thy barn?

He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted; neither turneth he back from the sword.

He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage: neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet.