Or with rulers who had gold, and whose houses were full of silver;

Have you ever seen destruction come to an upright man? or when were the god-fearing ever cut off?

Fear came on me and shaking, and my bones were full of trouble;

The camel-trains of Tema were searching with care, the bands of Sheba were waiting for them:

They were put to shame because of their hope; they came and their hope was gone.

By whose hand the heavens were stretched out, and who is walking on the waves of the sea:

God's wrath may not be turned back; the helpers of Rahab were bent down under him.

Were you the first man to come into the world? or did you come into being before the hills?

Were you present at the secret meeting of God? and have you taken all wisdom for yourself?

For only to them was the land given, and no strange people were among them:)

It would not be hard for me to say such things if your souls were in my soul's place; joining words together against you, and shaking my head at you:

The earth of the valley covering his bones is sweet to him, and all men come after him, as there were unnumbered before him.

Who were violently taken away before their time, who were overcome by the rush of waters:

The upright saw it and were glad: and those who had done no wrong made sport of them,

While the Ruler of all was still with me, and my children were round me;

When my steps were washed with milk, and rivers of oil were flowing out of the rock for me.

The chiefs kept back their words, and their tongues were joined to the roofs of their mouths.

I put on righteousness as my clothing, and was full of it; right decisions were to me a robe and a head-dress.

By me the great teeth of the evil-doer were broken, and I made him give up what he had violently taken away.

After I had said what was in my mind, they were quiet and let my words go deep into their hearts;

They were waiting for me as for the rain, opening their mouths wide as for the spring rains.

The traveller did not take his night's rest in the street, and my doors were open to anyone on a journey;

Now Elihu had kept quiet while Job was talking, because they were older than he;

I was waiting for your words, I was giving ear to your wise sayings; while you were searching out what to say,

Where were you when I put the earth on its base? Say, if you have knowledge.

By whom were its measures fixed? Say, if you have wisdom; or by whom was the line stretched out over it?

On what were its pillars based, or who put down its angle-stone,

Or where were you when the sea came to birth, pushing out from its secret place;

She is cruel to her young ones, as if they were not hers; her work is to no purpose; she has no fear.

And there were no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job in all the earth: and their father gave them a heritage among their brothers.

For you gave approval to my right and my cause; you were seated in your high place judging in righteousness.

And those who have knowledge of your name will put their faith in you; because you, Lord, have ever given your help to those who were waiting for you.

The Lord was looking down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there were any who had wisdom, searching after God.

Then were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the upright.

The cords of death were round me, and the seas of evil put me in fear.

The cords of hell were round me: the nets of death came on me.

Then trouble and shock came on the earth; and the bases of the mountains were moved and shaking, because he was angry.

There went up a smoke from his nose, and a fire of destruction from his mouth: flames were lighted by it.

The heavens were bent, so that he might come down; and it was dark under his feet.

He sent out his arrows, driving them in all directions; by his flames of fire they were troubled.

Then the deep beds of the waters were seen, and the bases of the world were uncovered, because of your words of wrath, O Lord, because of the breath from your mouth.

He made me free from my strong hater, and from those who were against me, because they were stronger than I.

For all his decisions were before me, and I did not put away his laws from me.

They were crying out, but there was no one to come to their help: even to the Lord, but he gave them no answer.

Then they were crushed as small as dust before the wind; they were drained out like the waste of the streets.

For their thoughts were bitter against you: they had an evil design in their minds, which they were not able to put into effect.

Our fathers had faith in you: they had faith and you were their saviour.

They sent up their cry to you and were made free: they put their faith in you and were not put to shame.

When evil-doers, even my haters, came on me to put an end to me, they were broken and put to shame.

False statements against me have come to my ears; fear was on every side: they were talking together against me, designing to take away my life.

When I kept my mouth shut, my bones were wasted, because of my crying all through the day.

By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the army of heaven by the breath of his mouth.

But as for me, when they were ill I put on the clothing of sorrow: I went without food and was sad, and my prayer came back again to my heart.

Their mouths were open wide against me, and they said, Aha, aha, our eyes have seen it.

Let my soul be overflowing with grief when these things come back to my mind, how I went in company to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with the song of those who were keeping the feast.

But it is you who have been our saviour from those who were against us, and have put to shame those who had hate for us.

The nations were angry, the kingdoms were moved; at the sound of his voice the earth became like wax.

God was looking down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there were any who had wisdom, searching after God.

They were in great fear, where there was no cause for fear: for the bones of those who make war on you have been broken by God; you have put them to shame, because God has no desire for them.

He has taken my soul away from the attack which was made against me, and given it peace; for great numbers were against me.

He has put out his hand against those who were at peace with him; he has not kept his agreement.

The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, but they were sharp swords.

You let us be put in prison; chains were put on our legs.

The earth was shaking and the heavens were streaming, because God was present; even Sinai itself was moved before God, the God of Israel.

Those whose resting-place was there, even the poor, were comforted by your good things, O God.

My bitter weeping, and my going without food, were turned to my shame.

When my thoughts were turned to see the reason of this, it was a weariness in my eyes;

The sea was parted in two by your strength; the heads of the great sea-beasts were broken.

The heads of the great snake were crushed by you; you gave them as food to the fishes of the sea.

By you all the limits of the earth were fixed; you have made summer and winter.

There were the arrows of the bow broken, there he put an end to body-cover, sword, and fight. (Selah.)

The waters saw you, O God; the waters saw you, they were in fear: even the deep was troubled.

You were guiding your people like a flock, by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Which have come to our hearing and our knowledge, as they were given to us by our fathers.

The children of Ephraim, armed with bows, were turned back on the day of the fight.

They were not ruled by God's word, and they would not go in the way of his law;

The sea was cut in two so that they might go through; the waters were massed together on this side and on that.

The rocks of the waste land were broken by his power, and he gave them drink as out of the deep waters.

And he gave orders to the clouds on high, and the doors of heaven were open;

So they had food and were full; for he gave them their desire;

But they were not turned from their desires; and while the food was still in their mouths,

So their days were wasted like a breath, and their years in trouble.

But their lips were false to him, and their tongues were untrue to him;

And their hearts were not right with him, and they did not keep their agreement with him.

So he kept in mind that they were only flesh; a breath which is quickly gone, and will not come again.

So that their rivers were turned to blood, and they were not able to get drink from their streams.

He sent ice for the destruction of their vines; their trees were damaged by the bitter cold.

He took them on safely so that they had no fear; but their haters were covered by the sea.

But they were bitter against the Most High God, testing him, and not keeping his laws;

Their hearts were turned back and untrue like their fathers; they were turned to one side like a twisted bow.

Their young men were burned in the fire; and their virgins were not praised in the bride-song.

Their priests were put to death by the sword, and their widows made no weeping for them.

His haters were turned back by his blows and shamed for ever.

From looking after the sheep which were giving milk, he took him to give food to Jacob his people, and to Israel his heritage.

The mountains were covered with its shade, and the great trees with its branches.

He gave it to Joseph as a witness, when he went out over the land of Egypt; then the words of a strange tongue were sounding in my ears.

I took the weight from his back; his hands were made free from the baskets.

Lord, you were good to your land: changing the fate of Jacob.

You were no longer angry: you were turned from the heat of your wrath.

Has he by whom your ears were planted no hearing? or is he blind by whom your eyes were formed?