“Inquire, please, of past generations,
And consider and apply yourself to the things searched out by their fathers.

“For we are only of yesterday and know nothing,
Because our days on earth are [like] a shadow [just a breath or a vapor].

For his confidence is fragile and breaks,
And his trust is [like] a spider’s web.

For though I were righteous, I could not answer.
I must appeal for mercy to my Opponent and Judge.

“For He bruises me with a tempest
And multiplies my wounds without cause.

“The earth is given into the hands of the wicked;
He covers the faces of its judges [so that they are blind to justice].
If it is not He, then who is it [that is responsible for all this injustice]?

I am afraid of all my pains and worries [yet to come];
I know that You will not acquit me and leave me unpunished.

“For God is not a [mere] man, as I am, that I may answer Him,
That we may go to court and judgment together.

“Let Him take His rod away from me,
And let not the dread and fear of Him terrify me.

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

“I am disgusted with my life and loathe it!
I will give free expression to my complaint;
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.

That You seek my guilt
And search for my sin?

‘Yet these [present evils] You have hidden in Your heart [since my creation]:
I know that this was within You [in Your purpose and thought].

‘If I am wicked, woe to me [for judgment comes]!
And if I am righteous, I dare not lift up my head.
For I am sated and filled with disgrace and the sight of my misery.

“Shall a multitude of words not be answered?
And should a talkative man [making such a long-winded defense] be acquitted?

“For you have said, ‘My teaching (doctrine) [that God knowingly afflicts the righteous] is pure,
And I am innocent in your eyes.’

And [that He would] show you the secrets of wisdom!
For sound wisdom has two sides.
Know therefore that God forgets a part of your wickedness and guilt.

“If God passes by or arrests,
Or calls an assembly [of judgment], who can restrain Him?
[If He is against a man, who can call Him to account for it?]

“For He recognizes and knows false and worthless men,
And He sees wickedness, will He not consider it?

“But a hollow (empty-headed) man will become intelligent and wise
[Only] when the colt of a wild donkey is born as a man.

If sin is in your hand, put it far away [from you],
And do not let wrongdoing dwell in your tents;

Then, indeed, you could lift up your face [to Him] without moral defect,
And you would be firmly established and secure and not fear.

“For you would forget your trouble;
You would remember it as waters that have passed by.

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

“But the eyes of the wicked will fail,
And they will not escape [the justice of God];
And their hope is to breathe their last [and die].”

“He who is at ease has contempt for misfortune,
But misfortune is ready [and anxiously waiting] for those whose feet slip.

“Now ask the animals, and let them teach you [that God does not deal with His creatures according to their character];
And ask the birds of the air, and let them tell you;

“Oh, that you would be completely silent,
And that silence would be your wisdom!

“Will you speak what is unjust for God,
And speak what is deceitful for Him?

“Will you show partiality for Him [and be unjust to me so that you may gain favor with Him]?
Will you contend and plead for God?

“Will it be well for you when He investigates you [and your tactics against me]?
Or will you deceive Him as one deceives a man?

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

“Even though He kills me;
I will hope in Him.
Nevertheless, I will argue my ways to His face.

“Who will argue and contend with me?
For then I would be silent and die.

Withdraw Your hand from me and remove this bodily suffering,
And let not the dread of You terrify me.

“Will You cause a windblown leaf to tremble?
Will You pursue the chaff of the dry stubble?

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

“[O God] turn your gaze from him so that he may rest,
Until he fulfills his day [on earth] like a hired man.

“For there is hope for a tree,
If it is cut down, that it will sprout again,
And that the shoots of it will not cease nor fail, [but there is no such hope for man].

“[Then] You will call, and I will answer You;
You will long for [me] the work of Your hands.

“My transgression is sealed up in a bag,
And You cover my wickedness [from Your view].

“Indeed, you are doing away with fear,
And you are diminishing meditation before God.

“For your guilt teaches your mouth,
And you choose [to speak] the language of the crafty and cunning.

“Among us are both the gray-haired and the aged,
Older than your father.

“Are the consolations of God [as we have interpreted them to you] too trivial for you,
[Or] were we too gentle toward you [in our first speech] to be effective?

“The wicked man writhes with pain all his days,
And numbered are the years stored up for him, the ruthless one.

“He does not believe that he will return out of the darkness [for fear of being murdered],
And he is destined for the sword [of God’s vengeance].

“He wanders about for food, saying, ‘Where is it?’
He knows that the day of darkness and destruction is already at hand.

“Distress and anxiety terrify him,
They overpower him like a king ready for battle.

“Let him not trust in vanity (emptiness, futility) and be led astray;
For emptiness will be his reward [for such living].

“For the company of the godless is barren,
And fire consumes the tents of bribery (wrong and injustice).

“I was [living] at ease, but He crushed me and broke me apart,
And He has seized me by the neck and has shaken me to pieces;
He has also set me up as His target.

“Even now, behold, my Witness is in heaven,
And my Advocate [who vouches and testifies for me] is on high.

“Oh, that a man would mediate and plead with God [for me]
Just as a man [mediates and pleads] with his neighbor and friend.

“For when a few years are past,
I shall go the way of no return.

“My spirit is broken, my days are extinguished,
The grave is ready for me.

“Give me a pledge (guarantee, promise) with Yourself [acknowledge my innocence before my death];
Who is there that will be my guarantor and give security for me?

“But as for all of you, come back again,
Even though I do not find a wise man among you.

“How long will you hunt for words and continue these speeches?
Do some clear thinking and show understanding and then we can talk.

“You who tear yourself apart in anger,
Is the earth to be abandoned for your sake,
Or the rock to be moved out of its place?

“Indeed, the light of the wicked will be put out,
And the flame of his fire will not shine.

“For the wicked is thrown into a net by his own feet (wickedness),
And he steps on the webbing [of the lattice-covered pit].

“A noose is hidden for him on the ground,
And a trap for him on the path.

“Behold, I cry out, ‘Violence!’ but I am not heard;
I shout for help, but there is no justice.

“He has put my brothers far from me,
And my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.

“Have pity on me! Have pity on me, O you my friends,
For the hand of God has touched me.

“For I know that my Redeemer and Vindicator lives,
And at the last He will take His stand upon the earth.

Whom I, even I, will see for myself,
And my eyes will see Him and not another!
My heart faints within me.

“Then beware and be afraid of the sword [of divine vengeance] for yourselves,
For wrathful are the punishments of that sword,
So that you may know there is judgment.”

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

That the triumphing of the wicked is short,
And the joy of the godless is only for a moment?

“He gives back what he has labored for and attained
And cannot swallow it [down to enjoy it];
As to the riches of his labor,
He cannot even enjoy them.

“For he has oppressed and neglected the poor;
He has violently taken away houses which he did not build.

Complete darkness (misfortune) is held in reserve for his treasures.
An unfanned fire will devour him;
It will consume the survivor in his tent.

“As for me, is my complaint to man or about him?
And why should I not be impatient and my spirit troubled?

“Their houses are safe from fear;
And the rod of God is not on them.

“Yet they say to God, ‘Depart from us,
For we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways.

“But notice, the prosperity of the wicked is not in their hand (in their power);
The counsel of the wicked [and the mystery of God’s dealings with the ungodly] is far from my comprehension.

“You say, ‘God stores away [the punishment of] man’s wickedness for his children.’
Let God repay him so that he may know and experience it.

“For what pleasure does he have in his house and family after he is dead,
When the number of his months [of life] is cut off?

“For you say, ‘Where is the house of the noble man?
And where is the tent, the dwelling place of the wicked?’

“But who will confront him with his actions and rebuke him face to face,
And who will repay him for what he has done?

“Is it because of your fear of Him that He corrects you,
That He enters into judgment against you?

“For you have taken pledges of your brothers without cause,
And stripped men naked.

“Therefore snares surround you,
And sudden dread terrifies and overwhelms you;

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

“Yet He filled their houses with good things;
But the counsel of the wicked and ungodly is far from me.

‘Surely our adversaries are cut off and destroyed,
And fire has consumed their abundance.’

“If you return to the Almighty [and submit and humble yourself before Him], you will be built up [and restored];
If you remove unrighteousness far from your tents,

“You will also decide and decree a thing, and it will be established for you;
And the light [of God’s favor] will shine upon your ways.

“He will even rescue the one [for whom you intercede] who is not innocent;
And he will be rescued through the cleanness of your hands.”

“But He knows the way that I take [and He pays attention to it].
When He has tried me, I will come forth as [refined] gold [pure and luminous].

“For He performs what is planned (appointed) for me,
And He is mindful of many such things.

“For God has made my heart faint,
And the Almighty has terrified me,

“Why does the Almighty not set seasons for judgment?
Why do those who know Him not see His days [for punishment of the wicked]?

“They drive away the donkeys of the orphans;
They take the widow’s ox for a pledge.

“Behold, as wild donkeys in the desert,
The poor go to their work, diligently seeking food;
As bread for their children in the desert.

“They are wet from the rain of the mountains
And cling to the rock for lack of shelter.

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

“They cause the poor to go about naked without clothing,
And they take away the sheaves [of grain] from the hungry.