But where can wisdom be found,
and where is understanding located?

No man can know its value,
since it cannot be found in the land of the living.

Job’s friends are dismayed and can no longer answer;
words have left them.

I must speak so that I can find relief;
I must open my lips and respond.

Refute me if you can.
Prepare your case against me; take your stand.

There is no darkness, no deep darkness,
where evildoers can hide themselves.

But when God is silent, who can declare Him guilty?
When He hides His face, who can see Him?
Yet He watches over both individuals and nations,

Can your wealth or all your physical exertion
keep you from distress?

Can anyone understand how the clouds spread out
or how the thunder roars from God’s pavilion?

can you help God spread out the skies
as hard as a cast metal mirror?

Should He be told that I want to speak?
Can a man speak when he is confused?

so you can lead it back to its border?
Are you familiar with the paths to its home?

Can you fasten the chains of the Pleiades
or loosen the belt of Orion?

Can you bring out the constellations in their season
and lead the Bear and her cubs?

Do you know the laws of heaven?
Can you impose its authority on earth?

Can you command the clouds
so that a flood of water covers you?

Can you send out lightning bolts, and they go?
Do they report to you: “Here we are”?

Who has the wisdom to number the clouds?
Or who can tilt the water jars of heaven

Can you hunt prey for a lioness
or satisfy the appetite of young lions

Can you count the months they are pregnant
so you can know the time they give birth?

Can you hold the wild ox to a furrow by its harness?
Will it plow the valleys behind you?

Can you depend on it because its strength is great?
Would you leave it to do your hard work?

Can you trust the wild ox to harvest your grain
and bring it to your threshing floor?

I am so insignificant. How can I answer You?
I place my hand over my mouth.

I have spoken once, and I will not reply;
twice, but now I can add nothing.

Do you have an arm like God’s?
Can you thunder with a voice like His?

Then I will confess to you
that your own right hand can deliver you.

He is the foremost of God’s works;
only his Maker can draw the sword against him.

Can anyone capture him while he looks on,
or pierce his nose with snares?

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Can you pull in Leviathan with a hook
or tie his tongue down with a rope?

Can you put a cord through his nose
or pierce his jaw with a hook?

Will he make a covenant with you
so that you can take him as a slave forever?

Can you play with him like a bird
or put him on a leash for your girls?

Can you fill his hide with harpoons
or his head with fishing spears?

No one is ferocious enough to rouse Leviathan;
who then can stand against Me?

Who can strip off his outer covering?
Who can penetrate his double layer of armor?

Who can open his jaws,
surrounded by those terrifying teeth?

One scale is so close to another
that no air can pass between them.

No arrow can make him flee;
slingstones become like stubble to him.

I know that You can do anything
and no plan of Yours can be thwarted.

Many are saying, “Who can show us anything good?”
Look on us with favor, Lord.

For there is no remembrance of You in death;
who can thank You in Sheol?

For the choir director. Davidic.I have taken refuge in the Lord.
How can you say to me,
“Escape to the mountain like a bird!

When the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous do?”

They say, “Through our tongues we have power;
our lips are our own—who can be our master?”

A Davidic psalm.Lord, who can dwell in Your tent?
Who can live on Your holy mountain?

With You I can attack a barrier,
and with my God I can leap over a wall.

He trains my hands for war;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

I can count all my bones;
people look and stare at me.

so that I can sing to You and not be silent.
Lord my God, I will praise You forever.

Refrain from anger and give up your rage;
do not be agitated—it can only bring harm.

Lord my God, You have done many things—
Your wonderful works and Your plans for us;
none can compare with You.
If I were to report and speak of them,
they are more than can be told.

I thirst for God, the living God.
When can I come and appear before God?

note its ramparts; tour its citadels
so that you can tell a future generation:

For one can see that wise men die;
foolish and stupid men also pass away.
Then they leave their wealth to others.

In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?

in God I trust; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?

Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns—
whether green or burning—
He will sweep them away.

You have given a signal flag to those who fear You,
so that they can flee before the archers.Selah

Iniquities overwhelm me;
only You can atone for our rebellions.

Be a rock of refuge for me,
where I can always go.
Give the command to save me,
for You are my rock and fortress.

The wicked say, “How can God know?
Does the Most High know everything?”

But as for me, God’s presence is my good.
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
so I can tell about all You do.

And You—You are to be feared.
When You are angry,
who can stand before You?

Look! He struck the rock and water gushed out;
torrents overflowed.
But can He also provide bread
or furnish meat for His people?”

For who in the skies can compare with the Lord?
Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord?

What man can live and never see death?
Who can save himself from the power of Sheol?Selah

Can the One who shaped the ear not hear,
the One who formed the eye not see?

Can a corrupt throne—
one that creates trouble by law—
become Your ally?

Who can declare the Lord’s mighty acts
or proclaim all the praise due Him?

He causes the hungry to settle there,
and they establish a city where they can live.

How can I repay the Lord
for all the good He has done for me?

The Lord is for me; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?

ב BetHow can a young man keep his way pure?
By keeping Your word.

Help me understand
the meaning of Your precepts
so that I can meditate on Your wonders.

Then I can answer the one who taunts me,
for I trust in Your word.

י YodYour hands made me and formed me;
give me understanding
so that I can learn Your commands.

Sustain me so that I can be safe
and always be concerned about Your statutes.

and can’t even fill the hands of the reaper
or the arms of the one who binds sheaves.

A Davidic song of ascents.How good and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in harmony!

How can we sing the Lord’s song
on foreign soil?

Where can I go to escape Your Spirit?
Where can I flee from Your presence?

Free me from prison
so that I can praise Your name.
The righteous will gather around me
because You deal generously with me.

He throws His hailstones like crumbs.
Who can withstand His cold?

It is foolish to spread a net
where any bird can see it,

For they can’t sleep
unless they have done what is evil;
they are robbed of sleep
unless they make someone stumble.

Can a man embrace fire
and his clothes not be burned?

Can a man walk on burning coals
without scorching his feet?

For wisdom is better than jewels,
and nothing desirable can compare with it.

A man’s spirit can endure sickness,
but who can survive a broken spirit?

It is honorable for a man to resolve a dispute,
but any fool can get himself into a quarrel.

Many a man proclaims his own loyalty,
but who can find a trustworthy man?

Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure;
I am cleansed from my sin”?

A man’s steps are determined by the Lord,
so how can anyone understand his own way?

for destruction from them will come suddenly;
who knows what distress these two can bring?

A ruler can be persuaded through patience,
and a gentle tongue can break a bone.

In his own eyes, a slacker is wiser
than seven men who can answer sensibly.

Fury is cruel, and anger a flood,
but who can withstand jealousy?

Be wise, my son, and bring my heart joy,
so that I can answer anyone who taunts me.

Three things are beyond me;
four I can’t understand: