“Now a word was secretly brought to me,
And my ear received a whisper of it.

“He catches the [so-called] wise in their own shrewdness,
And the advice of the devious is quickly thwarted.

“Will they (the fathers) not teach you and tell you,
And utter words from their hearts [the deepest part of their nature]?

“God will not turn back His anger;
The [proud] helpers of Rahab [the arrogant monster of the sea] bow under Him.

“But a hollow (empty-headed) man will become intelligent and wise
[Only] when the colt of a wild donkey is born as a man.

“He pours contempt on princes and nobles
And loosens the belt of the strong [disabling them].

“His sons achieve honor, and he does not know it;
They become insignificant, and he is not aware of it.

“But He has made me a byword and mockery among the people,
And I have become one in whose face people spit.

“He is torn from his tent which he trusted [for safety],
And he is marched and brought to the king of terrors (death).

“Though his pride reaches the heavens
And his head touches the clouds,

“You have not given water to the weary to drink,
And you have withheld bread from the hungry.

“Behold, as wild donkeys in the desert,
The poor go to their work, diligently seeking food;
As bread for their children in the desert.

“They are exalted for a little while, and then they are gone;
Moreover, they are brought low and like everything [they are] gathered up and taken out of the way;
Even like the heads of grain they are cut off.

“He stirred up the sea by His power,
And by His understanding He smashed [proud] Rahab.

“Yet these are just the fringes of His ways [mere samples of His power],
The faintest whisper of His voice!
Who can contemplate the thunder of His [full] mighty power?”

“Though his children are many, they are destined for the sword;
And his descendants will not have sufficient bread.

“[As for] the earth, out of it comes food,
But underneath [its surface, down deep] it is turned over as fire.

“The path [deep within] no bird of prey knows,
And the falcon’s eye has not caught sight of it.

“The proud beasts [and their young] have not walked on it,
Nor has the fierce lion passed over it.

“When I went out to the gate of the city,
When I took my seat [as a city father] in the square,

“And now I have become [the subject of] their taunting;
Yes, I am a byword and a laughingstock to them.

“On my right the [rabble] brood rises;
They push my feet away, and they build up their ways of destruction against me [like an advancing army].

“If I have despised and rejected the claim of my male or female servants
When they filed a complaint against me,

“I too will give my share of answers;
I too will express my opinion and share my knowledge.

That He may turn man aside from his conduct,
And keep him from pride;

“The people cry out, but He does not answer
Because of the pride of evil men.

“Then indeed, He enticed you from the mouth of distress and confinement,
Into a broad place where there is no constraint or distress;
And that which was set on your table was full of fatness (rich food).

“Ice is made by the breath of God,
And the expanse of the waters is frozen.

“Now people cannot look at the light when it is bright in the skies [without being blinded],
When the wind has passed and cleared them.

And said, ‘This far you shall come, but no farther;
And here your proud waves shall stop’?

“Have you understood the expanse of the earth?
Tell Me, if you know all this.

“She treats her young cruelly, as if they were not hers;
Though her labor is in vain because she is unconcerned [for the safety of her brood],

“Pour out the overflowings of your wrath,
And look at everyone who is proud and make him low.

Look at everyone who is proud, and humble him,
And [if you are so able] tread down the wicked where they stand.

“Will you play with him as with a bird?
Or will you bind him [and put him on a leash] for your maidens?

“His strong scales are his pride,
Bound together as with a tight seal.

“He looks on everything that is high [without terror];
He is monarch over all the sons of pride. [And now, Job, who are you who does not dare to disturb the beast, yet who dares resist Me, the beast’s creator? Everything under the heavens is Mine; therefore, who can have a claim against God?]”

Then all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before came to him, and they ate bread with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him over all the [distressing] adversities that the Lord had brought on him. And each one gave him a piece of money, and each a ring of gold.