But stretch out Your hand and strike everything he owns, and he will surely curse You to Your face.”

saying:

Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will leave this life.
The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away.
Praise the name of Yahweh.

“Skin for skin!” Satan answered the Lord. “A man will give up everything he owns in exchange for his life.

But stretch out Your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse You to Your face.”

Call out if you please. Will anyone answer you?
Which of the holy ones will you turn to?

He will rescue you from six calamities;
no harm will touch you in seven.

In famine He will redeem you from death,
and in battle, from the power of the sword.

You will be safe from slander
and not fear destruction when it comes.

You will laugh at destruction and hunger
and not fear the animals of the earth.

For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field,
and the wild animals will be at peace with you.

You will know that your tent is secure,
and nothing will be missing when you inspect your home.

You will also know that your offspring will be many
and your descendants like the grass of the earth.

You will approach the grave in full vigor,
as a stack of sheaves is gathered in its season.

Does a wild donkey bray over fresh grass
or an ox low over its fodder?

Teach me, and I will be silent.
Help me understand what I did wrong.

When I lie down I think:
When will I get up?
But the evening drags on endlessly,
and I toss and turn until dawn.

Remember that my life is but a breath.
My eye will never again see anything good.

The eye of anyone who looks on me
will no longer see me.
Your eyes will look for me, but I will be gone.

As a cloud fades away and vanishes,
so the one who goes down to Sheol will never rise again.

He will never return to his house;
his hometown will no longer remember him.

Therefore I will not restrain my mouth.
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

When I say: My bed will comfort me,
and my couch will ease my complaint,

I give up! I will not live forever.
Leave me alone, for my days are a breath.

Will You ever look away from me,
or leave me alone long enough to swallow?

Why not forgive my sin
and pardon my transgression?
For soon I will lie down in the grave.
You will eagerly seek me, but I will be gone.

How long will you go on saying these things?
Your words are a blast of wind.

if you are pure and upright,
then He will move even now on your behalf
and restore the home where your righteousness dwells.

Then, even if your beginnings were modest,
your final days will be full of prosperity.

Will they not teach you and tell you
and speak from their understanding?

Such is the destiny of all who forget God;
the hope of the godless will perish.

If he is uprooted from his place,
it will deny knowing him, saying, “I never saw you.”

Surely this is the joy of his way of life;
yet others will sprout from the dust.

Look, God does not reject a person of integrity,
and He will not support evildoers.

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter
and your lips with a shout of joy.

Your enemies will be clothed with shame;
the tent of the wicked will exist no longer.

If I said, “I will forget my complaint,
change my expression, and smile,”

I would still live in terror of all my pains.
I know You will not acquit me.

Since I will be found guilty,
why should I labor in vain?

Let Him take His rod away from me
so His terror will no longer frighten me.

I am disgusted with my life.
I will express my complaint
and speak in the bitterness of my soul.

I will say to God:
“Do not declare me guilty!
Let me know why You prosecute me.

“Your hands shaped me and formed me.
Will You now turn and destroy me?

Please remember that You formed me like clay.
Will You now return me to dust?

Surely He knows which people are worthless.
If He sees iniquity, will He not take note of it?

But a stupid man will gain understanding
as soon as a wild donkey is born a man!

then you will hold your head high, free from fault.
You will be firmly established and unafraid.

For you will forget your suffering,
recalling it only as waters that have flowed by.

Your life will be brighter than noonday;
its darkness will be like the morning.

You will be confident, because there is hope.
You will look carefully about and lie down in safety.

You will lie down without fear,
and many will seek your favor.

But the sight of the wicked will fail.
Their way of escape will be cut off,
and their only hope is their last breath.

No doubt you are the people,
and wisdom will die with you!

But ask the animals, and they will instruct you;
ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you.

Or speak to the earth, and it will instruct you;
let the fish of the sea inform you.

Be quiet, and I will speak.
Let whatever comes happen to me.

Even if He kills me, I will hope in Him.
I will still defend my ways before Him.

Yes, this will result in my deliverance,
for no godless person can appear before Him.

Can anyone indict me?
If so, I will be silent and die.

Only grant these two things to me, God,
so that I will not have to hide from Your presence:

Then call, and I will answer,
or I will speak, and You can respond to me.

Will You frighten a wind-driven leaf?
Will You chase after dry straw?

Do You really take notice of one like this?
Will You bring me into judgment against You?

There is hope for a tree:
If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
and its shoots will not die.

so man lies down never to rise again.
They will not wake up until the heavens are no more;
they will not stir from their sleep.

When a man dies, will he come back to life?
If so, I would wait all the days of my struggle
until my relief comes.

Listen to me and I will inform you.
I will describe what I have seen,

He doesn’t believe he will return from darkness;
he is destined for the sword.

he will dwell in ruined cities,
in abandoned houses destined to become piles of rubble.

He will no longer be rich; his wealth will not endure.
His possessions will not increase in the land.

He will not escape from the darkness;
flames will wither his shoots,
and by the breath of God’s mouth, he will depart.

Let him not put trust in worthless things, being led astray,
for what he gets in exchange will prove worthless.

It will be accomplished before his time,
and his branch will not flourish.

He will be like a vine that drops its unripe grapes
and like an olive tree that sheds its blossoms.

For the company of the godless will have no children,
and fire will consume the tents of those who offer bribes.

For only a few years will pass
before I go the way of no return.

>

Make arrangements! Put up security for me.
Who else will be my sponsor?

You have closed their minds to understanding,
therefore You will not honor them.

If a man informs on his friends for a price,
the eyes of his children will fail.

Yet the righteous person will hold to his way,
and the one whose hands are clean will grow stronger.

But come back and try again, all of you.
I will not find a wise man among you.

Will it go down to the gates of Sheol,
or will we descend together to the dust?

How long will you torment me
and crush me with words?

Why do you persecute me as God does?
Will you never get enough of my flesh?

But I know my living Redeemer,
and He will stand on the dust at last.

Even after my skin has been destroyed,
yet I will see God in my flesh.

I will see Him myself;
my eyes will look at Him, and not as a stranger.
My heart longs within me.

If you say, “How will we pursue him,
since the root of the problem lies with him?”

he will vanish forever like his own dung.
Those who know him will ask, “Where is he?”

He will fly away like a dream and never be found;
he will be chased away like a vision in the night.

The eye that saw him will see him no more,
and his household will no longer see him.

His children will beg from the poor,
for his own hands must give back his wealth.

His bones may be full of youthful vigor,
but will lie down with him in the grave.

though he cherishes it and will not let it go
but keeps it in his mouth,

He swallows wealth but must vomit it up;
God will force it from his stomach.

He will suck the poison of cobras;
a viper’s fangs will kill him.

He will not enjoy the streams,
the rivers flowing with honey and cream.

Nothing is left for him to consume;
therefore, his prosperity will not last.

At the height of his success distress will come to him;
the full weight of misery will crush him.

When he fills his stomach,
God will send His burning anger against him,
raining it down on him while he is eating.

If he flees from an iron weapon,
an arrow from a bronze bow will pierce him.