Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.

Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.

Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.

But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

When they lifted up their eyes at a distance and did not recognize him, they raised their voices and wept. And each of them tore his robe and they threw dust over their heads toward the sky.

“Let the day perish on which I was to be born,
And the night which said, ‘A boy is conceived.’

“May that day be darkness;
Let not God above care for it,
Nor light shine on it.

“As for that night, let darkness seize it;
Let it not rejoice among the days of the year;
Let it not come into the number of the months.

“Behold, let that night be barren;
Let no joyful shout enter it.

“Let the stars of its twilight be darkened;
Let it wait for light but have none,
And let it not see the breaking dawn;

Because it did not shut the opening of my mother’s womb,
Or hide trouble from my eyes.

“Why did I not die at birth,
Come forth from the womb and expire?

“Or like a miscarriage which is discarded, I would not be,
As infants that never saw light.

“The prisoners are at ease together;
They do not hear the voice of the taskmaster.

“I am not at ease, nor am I quiet,
And I am not at rest, but turmoil comes.”

“Is not your fear of God your confidence,
And the integrity of your ways your hope?

“Amid disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night,
When deep sleep falls on men,

“It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance;
A form was before my eyes;
There was silence, then I heard a voice:

‘Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them?
They die, yet without wisdom.’

“For affliction does not come from the dust,
Nor does trouble sprout from the ground,

“By day they meet with darkness,
And grope at noon as in the night.

“Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves,
So do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.

“From six troubles He will deliver you,
Even in seven evil will not touch you.

“You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue,
And you will not be afraid of violence when it comes.

“You will laugh at violence and famine,
And you will not be afraid of wild beasts.

“But it is still my consolation,
And I rejoice in unsparing pain,
That I have not denied the words of the Holy One.

“Is it that my help is not within me,
And that deliverance is driven from me?

“For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend;
So that he does not forsake the fear of the Almighty.

“Is not man forced to labor on earth,
And are not his days like the days of a hired man?

“When I lie down I say,
‘When shall I arise?’
But the night continues,
And I am continually tossing until dawn.

“Remember that my life is but breath;
My eye will not again see good.

“The eye of him who sees me will behold me no longer;
Your eyes will be on me, but I will not be.

“When a cloud vanishes, it is gone,
So he who goes down to Sheol does not come up.

“He will not return again to his house,
Nor will his place know him anymore.

“Therefore I will not restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit,
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

“I waste away; I will not live forever.
Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath.

“Why then do You not pardon my transgression
And take away my iniquity?
For now I will lie down in the dust;
And You will seek me, but I will not be.”

“Will they not teach you and tell you,
And bring forth words from their minds?

“While it is still green and not cut down,
Yet it withers before any other plant.

“He trusts in his house, but it does not stand;
He holds fast to it, but it does not endure.

“Lo, God will not reject a man of integrity,
Nor will He support the evildoers.

“If one wished to dispute with Him,
He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.

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

Who commands the sun not to shine,
And sets a seal upon the stars;

“Were He to pass by me, I would not see Him;
Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him.

“God will not turn back His anger;
Beneath Him crouch the helpers of Rahab.

“For though I were right, I could not answer;
I would have to implore the mercy of my judge.

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

“He will not allow me to get my breath,
But saturates me with bitterness.

“I am guiltless;
I do not take notice of myself;
I despise my life.

“The earth is given into the hand of the wicked;
He covers the faces of its judges.
If it is not He, then who is it?

I am afraid of all my pains,
I know that You will not acquit me.

“For He is not a man as I am that I may answer Him,
That we may go to court together.

“Let Him remove His rod from me,
And let not dread of Him terrify me.

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

“I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me;
Let me know why You contend with me.

‘According to Your knowledge I am indeed not guilty,
Yet there is no deliverance from Your hand.

‘Did You not pour me out like milk
And curdle me like cheese;

Clothe me with skin and flesh,
And knit me together with bones and sinews?

If I sin, then You would take note of me,
And would not acquit me of my guilt.

‘If I am wicked, woe to me!
And if I am righteous, I dare not lift up my head.
I am sated with disgrace and conscious of my misery.

‘I should have been as though I had not been,
Carried from womb to tomb.’

“Would He not let my few days alone?
Withdraw from me that I may have a little cheer

Before I go—and I shall not return—
To the land of darkness and deep shadow,

If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away,
And do not let wickedness dwell in your tents;

“Then, indeed, you could lift up your face without moral defect,
And you would be steadfast and not fear.

“But I have intelligence as well as you;
I am not inferior to you.
And who does not know such things as these?

“Who among all these does not know
That the hand of the Lord has done this,

“Does not the ear test words,
As the palate tastes its food?

“What you know I also know;
I am not inferior to you.

“Will not His majesty terrify you,
And the dread of Him fall on you?

“This also will be my salvation,
For a godless man may not come before His presence.

“Only two things do not do to me,
Then I will not hide from Your face:

Remove Your hand from me,
And let not the dread of You terrify me.

“Like a flower he comes forth and withers.
He also flees like a shadow and does not remain.

“For there is hope for a tree,
When it is cut down, that it will sprout again,
And its shoots will not fail.

So man lies down and does not rise.
Until the heavens are no longer,
He will not awake nor be aroused out of his sleep.

“For now You number my steps,
You do not observe my sin.

“His sons achieve honor, but he does not know it;
Or they become insignificant, but he does not perceive it.

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

“Your own mouth condemns you, and not I;
And your own lips testify against you.

“What do you know that we do not know?
What do you understand that we do not?

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

What wise men have told,
And have not concealed from their fathers,

“He does not believe that he will return from darkness,
And he is destined for the sword.

“He will not become rich, nor will his wealth endure;
And his grain will not bend down to the ground.

“He will not escape from darkness;
The flame will wither his shoots,
And by the breath of His mouth he will go away.

“Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself;
For emptiness will be his reward.

“It will be accomplished before his time,
And his palm branch will not be green.

“If I speak, my pain is not lessened,
And if I hold back, what has left me?

“O earth, do not cover my blood,
And let there be no resting place for my cry.

“For You have kept their heart from understanding,
Therefore You will not exalt them.

“But come again all of you now,
For I do not find a wise man among you.

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

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

“Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked,
And this is the place of him who does not know God.”

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

Know then that God has wronged me
And has closed His net around me.

“I call to my servant, but he does not answer;
I have to implore him with my mouth.

“Why do you persecute me as God does,
And are not satisfied with my flesh?