It is all one; therefore I said, he destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.

If I say, I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my sad countenance, and brighten up,

I am afraid of all my sorrows; I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent.

Then I will speak, and not fear him; but it is not so with me.

My soul is weary of my life: I will give free course to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.

I will say unto +God, Do not condemn me; shew me wherefore thou strivest with me.

If I were wicked, woe unto me! and righteous, I will not lift up my head, being so full of shame, and beholding mine affliction; --

Yet a senseless man will make bold, though man be born like the foal of a wild ass.

But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and all refuge shall vanish from them, and their hope shall be the breathing out of life.

I also have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you; and who knoweth not such things as these?

I am to be one that is a derision to his friend, I who call upon +God, and whom he will answer: a derision is the just upright man.

Who knoweth not in all these, that the hand of Jehovah hath wrought this?

In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the spirit of all flesh of man.

Lo, mine eye hath seen all this, mine ear hath heard and understood it.

But I will speak to the Almighty, and will find pleasure in reasoning with God;

For ye indeed are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value.

Will ye speak unrighteously for God? and for him speak deceit?

Will ye accept his person? will ye contend for God?

Will it be well if he should search you out? or as one mocketh at a man, will ye mock at him?

He will certainly reprove you, if ye do secretly accept persons.

Hold your peace from me, and I will speak, and let come on me what will!

Behold, if he slay me, yet would I trust in him; but I will defend mine own ways before him.

Only do not two things unto me; then will I not hide myself from thee.

Then call, and I will answer; or I will speak, and answer thou me.

And thou puttest my feet in the stocks, and markest all my paths; thou settest a bound about the soles of my feet; --

For there is hope for a tree: if it be cut down, it will sprout again, and its tender branch will not cease;

Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and put forth boughs like a young plant.

(If a man die, shall he live again?) all the days of my time of toil would I wait, till my change should come:

I will shew thee, listen to me; and what I have seen I will declare;

All his days the wicked man is tormented, and numbered years are allotted to the violent.

I have heard many such things: grievous comforters are ye all.

But now he hath made me weary; ... thou hast made desolate all my family;

And mine eye is dim by reason of grief, and all my members are as a shadow.

But as for you all, pray come on again; and I shall not find one wise man among you.

How long will ye hunt for words? Be intelligent, and then we will speak.

The firstborn of death devoureth the members of his body; it will devour his members.

How long will ye vex my soul, and crush me with words?

If indeed ye will magnify yourselves against me, and prove against me my reproach,

All my intimate friends abhor me, and they whom I loved are turned against me.

It shall be that, to fill his belly, he will cast his fierce anger upon him, and will rain it upon him into his flesh.

All darkness is laid up for his treasures: a fire not blown shall devour him; it shall feed upon what is left in his tent.

Suffer me and I will speak; and after I have spoken, mock on!

Will he reason with thee for fear of thee? Will he enter with thee into judgment?

And thou sayest, What doth God know? will he judge through the dark cloud?

Then the Almighty will be thy precious ore, and silver heaped up unto thee;

Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he will hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows;

But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? And what his soul desireth, that will he do.

For he will perform what is appointed for me; and many such things are with him.

They turn the needy out of the way: the afflicted of the land all hide themselves.

They press out oil within their walls, they tread their winepresses, and suffer thirst.

For the morning is to them all as the shadow of death; for they are familiar with the terrors of the shadow of death.

They are exalted for a little, and are no more; they are laid low; like all other are they gathered, and are cut off as the tops of the ears of corn.

If it be not so now, who will make me a liar, and make my speech nothing worth?

All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of +God is in my nostrils,

Be it far from me that I should justify you; till I die I will not remove my blamelessness from me.

My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart reproacheth me not one of my days.

Will God hear his cry when distress cometh upon him?

Doth he delight himself in the Almighty? will he at all times call upon +God?

I will teach you concerning the hand of God; what is with the Almighty will I not conceal.

Behold, ye yourselves have all seen it; and why are ye thus altogether vain?

He lieth down rich, but will do so no more; he openeth his eyes, and he is not.

For it is hidden from the eyes of all living, and concealed from the fowl of the heavens.

For he looketh to the ends of the earth, he seeth under the whole heaven.

When my steps were bathed in milk, and the rock poured out beside me rivers of oil! ...

My root shall be spread out to the waters, and the dew will lie all night on my branch;

For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and into the house of assemblage for all living.

My bowels well up, and rest not; days of affliction have confronted me.

Doth not he see my ways, and number all my steps?

(Let me be weighed in an even balance, and +God will take knowledge of my blamelessness;)

For it is a fire that consumeth to destruction, and would root out all mine increase.

Therefore I say, Hearken to me; I also will shew what I know.

That ye may not say, We have found out wisdom; God will make him yield, not man.

Now he hath not directed his words against me; and I will not answer him with your speeches. ...

I will answer, I also in my turn, I also will shew what I know:

I will speak, that I may find relief; I will open my lips and answer.

Let me not, I pray you, accept any man's person; neither will I give flattery to man.

Howbeit, Job, I pray thee, hear mine utterances, and hearken to all my words.

He putteth my feet in the stocks, he marketh all my paths.

Behold, I will answer thee in this, thou art not right; for +God is greater than man.

Then he will be gracious unto him, and say, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.

He shall pray unto +God, and he will receive him with favour; and he shall see his face with shoutings, and he will render unto man his righteousness.

He will sing before men, and say, I have sinned, and perverted what was right, and it hath not been requited to me;

Lo, all these things worketh God twice, thrice, with man,

Mark well, Job, hearken unto me; be silent, and I will speak.

If not, hearken thou unto me; be silent, and I will teach thee wisdom.

For a man's work will he render to him, and cause every one to find according to his way.

Who hath entrusted to him the earth? and who hath disposed the whole world?

All flesh would expire together, and man would return to the dust.

Should he that hateth right indeed govern? and wilt thou condemn the All-just?

How then to him that accepteth not the persons of princes, nor regardeth the rich man more than the poor? for they are all the work of his hands.

For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his steps.

When he giveth quietness, who then will disturb? and when he hideth his face, who shall behold him? and this towards a nation, or towards a man alike;

For hath he said unto God, I bear chastisement, I will not offend;

What I see not, teach thou me; if I have done wrong, I will do so no more?

Men of understanding will say to me, and a wise man who heareth me:

I will reply to thee in words, and to thy companions with thee.

Surely God will not hear vanity, neither will the Almighty regard it.

Suffer me a little, and I will shew thee that I have yet words for +God.

I will fetch my knowledge from afar, and will ascribe righteousness to my Creator.

Will he esteem thy riches? Not gold, nor all the resources of strength!