“Let darkness and gloom claim it for their own;
Let a cloud settle upon it;
Let all that blackens the day terrify it (the day that I was born).

Or with princes who had gold,
Who filled their houses with silver.

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

“As a cloud vanishes and is gone,
So he who goes down to Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) does not come up.

For though I were righteous, I could not answer.
I must appeal for mercy to my Opponent and Judge.

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

“Shall a multitude of words not be answered?
And should a talkative man [making such a long-winded defense] be acquitted?

And [that He would] show you the secrets of wisdom!
For sound wisdom has two sides.
Know therefore that God forgets a part of your wickedness and guilt.

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

“What is man, that he should be pure and clean,
Or he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous and just?

“He does not believe that he will return out of the darkness [for fear of being murdered],
And he is destined for the sword [of God’s vengeance].

“I also could speak like you,
If you were in my place;
I could compose and join words together against you
And shake my head at you.

Although there is no violence or wrongdoing in my hands,
And my prayer is pure.

“The righteous see it and are glad;
And the innocent mock and laugh at them, saying,

And place your gold in the dust,
And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks [considering it of little value],

And make the Almighty your gold
And your precious silver,

“There the righteous and upright could reason with Him;
So I would be acquitted forever by my Judge.

“But He knows the way that I take [and He pays attention to it].
When He has tried me, I will come forth as [refined] gold [pure and luminous].

“They spend the night naked, without clothing,
And have no covering against the cold.

“He wraps the waters in His clouds [which otherwise would spill on earth all at once],
And the cloud does not burst under them.

“He covers the face of the full moon
And spreads His cloud over it.

“Surely there is a mine for silver,
And a place where they refine gold.

“Its stones are the bed of sapphires;
It holds dust of gold.

“It cannot be obtained for pure gold,
Nor can silver be weighed as its price.

“It cannot be valued in [terms of] the gold of Ophir,
In the precious onyx or beryl, or the sapphire.

“Gold and glass cannot equal wisdom,
Nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold.

“The topaz of Ethiopia cannot compare with it,
Nor can it be valued in pure gold.

“Indeed, how could the strength of their hands profit me?
Vigor had perished from them.

“Terrors are turned upon me;
They chase away my honor and reputation like the wind,
And my prosperity has passed away like a cloud.

“I have made a covenant (agreement) with my eyes;
How then could I gaze [lustfully] at a virgin?

“If my step has turned away from the way [of God],
Or if my heart has [covetously] followed my eyes,
Or if any spot [of guilt] has stained my hands,

“For tragedy from God is a terror to me,
And because of His majesty and exaltation I can do nothing [nor endure facing Him].

“If I have put my trust and confidence in gold,
Or have declared fine gold my hope and assurance,

“I even paid close attention to [what] you [said],
Indeed, not one of you convinced Job [nor could you refute him],
Not one of you supplied [satisfactory] answers to his words.

“Out of its chamber comes the storm,
And cold from the north wind.

“He loads the thick cloud with moisture;
He disperses the cloud of His lightning.

“Do you know how God establishes and commands them,
And makes the lightning of His [storm] cloud shine?

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.