and, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

Let them curse it that curse the day, Who are ready to rouse up leviathan.

There the wicked cease from troubling; And there the weary are at rest.

There the prisoners are at ease together; They hear not the voice of the taskmaster.

The small and the great are there: And the servant is free from his master.

Who rejoice exceedingly, And are glad, when they can find the grave?

For my sighing cometh before I eat, And my groanings are poured out like water.

By the breath of God they perish, And by the blast of his anger are they consumed.

The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, And the teeth of the young lions, are broken.

The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, And the whelps of the lioness are scattered abroad.

How much more them that dwell in houses of clay, Whose foundation is in the dust, Who are crushed before the moth!

Betwixt morning and evening they are destroyed: They perish for ever without any regarding it.

His children are far from safety, And they are crushed in the gate, Neither is there any to deliver them:

So that he setteth up on high those that are low, And those that mourn are exalted to safety.

For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, The poison whereof my spirit drinketh up: The terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.

My soul refuseth to touch them ; They are as loathsome food to me.

Which are black by reason of the ice, And wherein the snow hideth itself:

What time they wax warm, they vanish; When it is hot, they are consumed out of their place.

For now ye are nothing; Ye see a terror, and are afraid.

How forcible are words of uprightness! But your reproof, what doth it reprove?

Do ye think to reprove words, Seeing that the speeches of one that is desperate are as wind?

Is there not a warfare to man upon earth? And are not his days like the days of a hireling?

So am I made to possess months of misery, And wearisome nights are appointed to me.

My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, And are spent without hope.

I loathe my life ; I would not live alway: Let me alone; for my days are vanity.

(For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, Because our days upon earth are a shadow);

So are the paths of all that forget God; And the hope of the godless man shall perish:

His roots are wrapped about the'stone -heap, He beholdeth the place of stones.

Now my days are swifter than a post: They flee away, they see no good,

They are passed away as the swift ships; As the eagle that swoopeth on the prey.

Are thy days as the days of man, Or thy years as man's days,

Thou renewest thy witnesses against me, And increasest thine indignation upon me: Changes and warfare are with me.

Are not my days few? cease then, And let me alone, that I may take comfort a little,

For thou shalt forget thy misery; Thou shalt remember it as waters that are passed away,

No doubt but ye are the people, And wisdom shall die with you.

The tents of robbers prosper, And they that provoke God are secure; Into whose hand God bringeth abundantly .

With him is strength and wisdom; The deceived and the deceiver are his.

But ye are forgers of lies; Ye are all physicians of no value.

Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes, Your defences are defences of clay.

How many are mine iniquities and sins? Make me to know my transgression and my sin.

Seeing his days are determined, The number of his months is with thee, And thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;

His sons come to honor, and he knoweth it not; And they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.

With us are both the gray-headed and the very aged men, Much elder than thy father.

Are the consolations of God too small for thee, Even the word that is gentle toward thee?

Behold, he putteth no trust in his holy ones; Yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight:

The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, Even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor.

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

For when a few years are come, I shall go the way whence I shall not return.

My spirit is consumed, my days are extinct, The grave is ready for me.

Surely there are mockers with me, And mine eye dwelleth upon their provocation.

Mine eye also is dim by reason of sorrow, And all my members are as a shadow.

My days are past, my purposes are broken off, Even the thoughts of my heart.

Wherefore are we counted as beasts, And are become unclean in your sight?

Surely such are the dwellings of the unrighteous, And this is the place of him that knoweth not God.

These ten times have ye reproached me: Ye are not ashamed that ye deal hardly with me.

He hath put my brethren far from me, And mine acquaintance are wholly estranged from me.

All my familiar friends abhor me, And they whom I loved are turned against me.

Why do ye persecute me as God, And are not satisfied with my flesh?

His bones are full of his youth, But it shall lie down with him in the dust.

He draweth it forth, and it cometh out of his body; Yea, the glittering point cometh out of his gall: Terrors are upon him.

Their houses are safe from fear, Neither is the rod of God upon them.

That they are as stubble before the wind, And as chaff that the storm carrieth away?

Shall any teach God knowledge, Seeing he judgeth those that are high?

His pails are full of milk, And the marrow of his bones is moistened.

That the evil man is reserved to the day of calamity? That they are led forth to the day of wrath?

Therefore snares are round about thee, And sudden fear troubleth thee,

Is not God in the height of heaven? And behold the height of the stars, how high they are!

Thick clouds are a covering to him, so that he seeth not; And he walketh on the vault of heaven.

The righteous see it, and are glad; And the innocent laugh them to scorn,

Saying , Surely they that did rise up against us are cut off, And the remnant of them the fire hath consumed.

For he performeth that which is appointed for me: And many such things are with him.

Why are times not laid up by the Almighty? And why do not they that know him see his days?

There are that remove the landmarks; They violently take away flocks, and feed them.

They are wet with the showers of the mountains, And embrace the rock for want of a shelter.

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

These are of them that rebel against the light; They know not the ways thereof, Nor abide in the paths thereof.

God giveth them to be in security, and they rest thereon; And his eyes are upon their ways.

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

Dominion and fear are with him; He maketh peace in his high places.

Behold, even the moon hath no brightness, And the stars are not pure in his sight:

They that are deceased tremble Beneath the waters and the inhabitants thereof.

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

By his Spirit the heavens are garnished; His hand hath pierced the swift serpent.

Lo, these are but the outskirts of his ways: And how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?

Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it; Why then are ye become altogether vain?

He breaketh open a shaft away from where men sojourn; They are forgotten of the foot; They hang afar from men, they swing to and fro.

The stones thereof are the place of sapphires, And it hath dust of gold.

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

They are gaunt with want and famine; They gnaw the dry ground, in the gloom of wasteness and desolation.

They pluck salt-wort by the bushes; And the roots of the broom are their food.

They are driven forth from the midst of men ; They cry after them as after a thief;

Among the bushes they bray; Under the nettles they are gathered together.

They are children of fools, yea, children of base men; They were scourged out of the land.

Terrors are turned upon me; They chase mine honor as the wind; And my welfare is passed away as a cloud.

In the night season my bones are pierced in me, And the pains that gnaw me take no rest.

My heart is troubled, and resteth not; Days of affliction are come upon me.

My skin is black, and falleth from me, And my bones are burned with heat.

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

And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said, I am young, and ye are very old; Wherefore I held back, and durst not show you mine opinion.

It is not the great that are wise, Nor the aged that understand justice.