‘Can [mortal] man be just before God or be more righteous than He?
Can a man be pure before his Maker or be more cleansed than He?

“If you would [diligently] seek God
And implore the compassion and favor of the Almighty,

Then, if you are pure and upright,
Surely now He will awaken for you
And restore your righteous place.

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

“I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me [and declare me guilty]!
Show me why You contend and argue and struggle with me.

“Should your boasts and babble silence men?
And shall you scoff and no one put you to shame?

“You would lie down with no one to frighten you,
And many would entreat and seek your favor.

“He makes [great and scheming] counselors walk barefoot
And makes fools of judges.

“He makes nations great, and He destroys them;
He enlarges nations, and leads them away [captive].

“They grope in darkness without light,
And He makes them stagger like a drunken man.”

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

“How many are my iniquities and sins [that so much sorrow should come to me]?
Make me recognize and understand my transgression and my sin.

“For You write bitter things against me [in Your indictment]
And make me inherit and suffer for the iniquities of my youth.

“Is there no end to [your futile] words of wind?
Or what plagues you [so much] that you [so boldly] answer [me like this]?

“He who denounces and informs against his friends for a share of the spoil,
The eyes of his children will also languish and fail.

“Terrors frighten him on every side
And chase at his heels.

“These ten times you have insulted me;
You are not ashamed to wrong me [and harden your hearts against me].

“Therefore my disquieting thoughts make me answer,
Because of the uneasiness that is within me.

“Is it any pleasure or joy to the Almighty that you are righteous?
Or is it of benefit to Him that you make your ways perfect?

And make the Almighty your gold
And your precious silver,

“You will pray to Him, and He will hear you,
And you will pay your vows.

“When you are cast down and humbled, you will speak with confidence,
And the humble person He will lift up and save.

“Others snatch the fatherless [infants] from the breast [to sell or make them slaves],
And against the poor they take a pledge [of clothing].

“Within the walls [of the wicked] the poor make [olive] oil;
They tread [the grapes in] the wine presses, but thirst.

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

“Dominion and awe belong to God;
He establishes peace and order in His high places.

“Those who survive him will be buried because of the plague,
And [their] widows will not be able to weep.

“He builds his house like a spider’s web,
Like a (temporary) hut which a watchman makes.

“Did not He who made me in the womb make my servant,
And did not the same One fashion us both in the womb?

“For I do not know how to flatter, [in an appropriate way, and I fear that],
My Maker would soon take me away.

“Behold, I will not make you afraid or terrified of me [for I am only mortal and not God],
Nor should any pressure from me weigh heavily upon you.

So that his life makes him loathe food,
And his soul [loathe] even his favorite dishes.

“When He keeps quiet, who then can condemn?
When He hides His face [withdrawing His favor and help], who then can behold Him [and make supplication to Him],
Whether it be a nation or a man by himself?—

“But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker,
Who gives songs [of rejoicing] in the night,

Who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth
And makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?’

“I will bring my knowledge from afar,
And will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.

“Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up
And makes his nest on high [in an inaccessible place]?

“Will he make many supplications to you [begging to be spared]?
Or will he speak soft words to you [to coax you to treat him kindly]?

“Will he make a covenant or an arrangement with you?
Will you take him for your servant forever?

“The arrow cannot make him flee;
Slingstones are treated as stubble by him.

“He makes the deep water boil like a pot;
He makes the sea like a [foaming] pot of ointment.

“Behind him he makes a shining wake;
One would think the deep to be gray-haired [with foam].