“Oh, that my grief could actually be weighed
And placed in the balances together with my tragedy [to see if my grief is the grief of a coward]!

“While it is still green (in flower) and not cut down,
Yet it withers before any other plant [when without water].

“If he is snatched from his place [in the garden],
Then his place will forget him, saying, ‘I have never seen you.’

“Behold, this is the joy of His way;
And from out of the dust others will spring up and grow [to take his place].

Or speak to the earth [with its many forms of life], and it will teach you;
And let the fish of the sea declare [this truth] to you.

“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.

Let my wife grind [meal, like a bond slave] for another [man],
And let others kneel down over her.

“Have I concealed my transgressions like Adam or like other men,
By hiding my wickedness in my bosom,

Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because the others were years older than he.

“He sings out to other men,
‘I have sinned and perverted that which was right,
And it was not proper for me!

“He breaks mighty men without inquiry,
And sets others in their place.