“If one ventures a word with you, will you become impatient?
But who can refrain from speaking?

‘Can mankind be just before God?
Can a man be pure before his Maker?

“Can something tasteless be eaten without salt,
Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

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

“Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh?
Can the rushes grow without water?

“In truth I know that this is so;
But how can a man be in the right before God?

“How then can I answer Him,
And choose my words before Him?

“If it is a matter of power, behold, He is the strong one!
And if it is a matter of justice, who can summon Him?

“Can you discover the depths of God?
Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?

“They are high as the heavens, what can you do?
Deeper than Sheol, what can you know?

“If He passes by or shuts up,
Or calls an assembly, who can restrain Him?

“Behold, He tears down, and it cannot be rebuilt;
He imprisons a man, and there can be no release.

“Who can make the clean out of the unclean?
No one!

“How long will you hunt for words?
Show understanding and then we can talk.

“He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone;
And He has uprooted my hope like a tree.

“If you say, ‘How shall we persecute him?’
And ‘What pretext for a case against him can we find?’

‘Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him,
And what would we gain if we entreat Him?’

“Can anyone teach God knowledge,
In that He judges those on high?

“Can a vigorous man be of use to God,
Or a wise man be useful to himself?

“You say, ‘What does God know?
Can He judge through the thick darkness?

“They said to God, ‘Depart from us!’
And ‘What can the Almighty do to them?’

“But He is unique and who can turn Him?
And what His soul desires, that He does.

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

“Now if it is not so, who can prove me a liar,
And make my speech worthless?”

“How then can a man be just with God?
Or how can he be clean who is born of woman?

“Behold, these are the fringes of His ways;
And how faint a word we hear of Him!
But His mighty thunder, who can understand?”

“The east wind carries him away, and he is gone,
For it whirls him away from his place.

“But where can wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?

“Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it,
Nor can silver be weighed as its price.

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

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

“Oh that I were as in months gone by,
As in the days when God watched over me;

“For calamity from God is a terror to me,
And because of His majesty I can do nothing.

“Have the men of my tent not said,
‘Who can find one who has not been satisfied with his meat’?

“Refute me if you can;
Array yourselves before me, take your stand.

When He keeps quiet, who then can condemn?
And when He hides His face, who then can behold Him,
That is, in regard to both nation and man?—

“Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds,
The thundering of His pavilion?

“Can you, with Him, spread out the skies,
Strong as a molten mirror?

“Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades,
Or loose the cords of Orion?

“Can you lead forth a constellation in its season,
And guide the Bear with her satellites?

“Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
So that an abundance of water will cover you?

“Can you send forth lightnings that they may go
And say to you, ‘Here we are’?

“Who can count the clouds by wisdom,
Or tip the water jars of the heavens,

“Can you hunt the prey for the lion,
Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,

“Can you count the months they fulfill,
Or do you know the time they give birth?

“Can you bind the wild ox in a furrow with ropes,
Or will he harrow the valleys after you?

“Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You?
I lay my hand on my mouth.

“Or do you have an arm like God,
And can you thunder with a voice like His?

“Then I will also confess to you,
That your own right hand can save you.

“Can anyone capture him when he is on watch,
With barbs can anyone pierce his nose?

“Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook?
Or press down his tongue with a cord?

“Can you put a rope in his nose
Or pierce his jaw with a hook?

“Can you fill his skin with harpoons,
Or his head with fishing spears?

“No one is so fierce that he dares to arouse him;
Who then is he that can stand before Me?

“Who can strip off his outer armor?
Who can come within his double mail?

“Who can open the doors of his face?
Around his teeth there is terror.

“One is so near to another
That no air can come between them.

“I know that You can do all things,
And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.