Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak; And let come on me what will.

Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

For there is hope of a tree, If it be cut down, that it will sprout again, And that the tender branch thereof will not cease.

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

So man lieth down and riseth not: Till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, Nor be roused out of their sleep.

If a man die, shall he live again ? All the days of my warfare would I wait, Till my release should come.

But the mountain falling cometh to nought; And the rock is removed out of its place;

His sons come to honor, and he knoweth it not; And they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.

What knowest thou, that we know not? What understandest thou, which is not in us?

That against God thou turnest thy spirit, And lettest words go out of thy mouth?

What is man, that he should be clean? And he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

(Which wise men have told From their fathers, and have not hid it;

He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, And he is waited for of the sword.

He wandereth abroad for bread,'saying , Where is it? He knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.

Because he hath stretched out his hand against God, And behaveth himself proudly against the Almighty;

He shall not depart out of darkness; The flame shall dry up his branches, And by the breath of God's mouth shall he go away.

It shall be accomplished before his time, And his branch shall not be green.

Shall vain words have an end? Or what provoketh thee that thou answerest?

I also could speak as ye do; If your soul were in my soul's stead, I could join words together against you, And shake my head at you.

Though I speak, my grief is not assuaged; And though I forbear, what am I eased?

And thou hast laid fast hold on me, which is a witness against me : And my leanness riseth up against me, It testifieth to my face.

I was at ease, and he brake me asunder; Yea, he hath taken me by the neck, and dashed me to pieces: He hath also set me up for his mark.

His archers compass me round about; He cleaveth my reins asunder, and doth not spare; He poureth out my gall upon the ground.

My friends scoff at me: But mine eye poureth out tears unto God,

Upright men shall be astonished at this, And the innocent shall stir up himself against the godless.

Yet shall the righteous hold on his way, And he that hath clean hands shall wax stronger and stronger.

Where then is my hope? And as for my hope, who shall see it?

It shall go down to the bars of Sheol, When once there is rest in the dust.

Thou that tearest thyself in thine anger, Shall the earth be forsaken for thee? Or shall the rock be removed out of its place?

Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, And the spark of his fire shall not shine.

The light shall be dark in his tent, And his lamp above him shall be put out.

Terrors shall make him afraid on every side, And shall chase him at his heels.

His strength shall be hunger-bitten, And calamity shall be ready at his side.

He shall be rooted out of his tent where he trusteth; And he shall be brought to the king of terrors.

He shall be driven from light into darkness, And chased out of the world.

They that come after shall be astonished at his day, As they that went before were affrighted.

And be it indeed that I have erred, Mine error remaineth with myself.

Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard: I cry for help, but there is no justice.

But as for me I know that my Redeemer liveth, And at last he will stand up upon the earth:

Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: They that have seen him shall say, Where is he?

His bones are full of his youth, But it shall lie down with him in the dust.

Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, Though he hide it under his tongue,

Though he spare it, and will not let it go, But keep it still within his mouth;

Yet his food in his bowels is turned, It is the gall of asps within him.

He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again; God will cast them out of his belly.

That which he labored for shall he restore, and shall not swallow it down; According to the substance that he hath gotten, he shall not rejoice.

For he hath oppressed and forsaken the poor; He hath violently taken away a house, and he shall not build it up.

When he is about to fill his belly, God will cast the fierceness of his wrath upon him, And will rain it upon him while he is eating.

He draweth it forth, and it cometh out of his body; Yea, the glittering point cometh out of his gall: Terrors are upon him.

All darkness is laid up for his treasures: A fire not blown by man'shall devour him; It shall consume that which is left in his tent.

They sing to the timbrel and harp, And rejoice at the sound of the pipe.

What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?

How oft is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out? That their calamity cometh upon them? That God distributeth sorrows in his anger?

Ye say , God layeth up his iniquity for his children. Let him recompense it unto himself, that he may know it:

For what careth he for his house after him, When the number of his months is cut off?

One dieth in his full strength, Being wholly at ease and quiet:

Who shall declare his way to his face? And who shall repay him what he hath done?

Yet shall he be borne to the grave, And men shall keep watch over the tomb.

Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? Or is it gain to him , that thou makest thy ways perfect?

Is it for thy fear of him that he reproveth thee, That he entereth with thee into judgment?

But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; And the honorable man, he dwelt in it.

And thou sayest, What doth God know? Can he judge through the thick darkness?

Who were snatched away before their time, Whose foundation was poured out as a stream,

Who said unto God, Depart from us; And, What can the Almighty do for us?

Yet he filled their houses with good things: But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.

The righteous see it, and are glad; And the innocent laugh them to scorn,

Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: Thereby good shall come unto thee.

Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee; And light shall shine upon thy ways.

I would know the words which he would answer me, And understand what he would say unto me.

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

Therefore am I terrified at his presence; When I consider, I am afraid of him.

They drive away the ass of the fatherless; They take the widow's ox for a pledge.

They turn the needy out of the way: The poor of the earth all hide themselves.

They are wet with the showers of the mountains, And embrace the rock for want of a shelter.

From out of the populous city men groan, And the soul of the wounded crieth out: Yet God regardeth not the folly.

He devoureth the barren that beareth not, And doeth not good to the widow.

Yet God preserveth the mighty by his power: He riseth up that hath no assurance of life.

They are exalted; yet a little while, and they are gone; Yea, they are brought low, they are taken out of the way as all others, And are cut off as the tops of the ears of grain.

And if it be not so now, who will prove me a liar, And make my speech nothing worth?

He stretcheth out the north over empty space, And hangeth the earth upon nothing.

He incloseth the face of his throne, And spreadeth his cloud upon it.

The pillars of heaven tremble And are astonished at his rebuke.

(For my life is yet whole in me, And the spirit of God is in my nostrils);

Far be it from me that I should justify you: Till I die I will not put away mine integrity from me.

My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: My heart shall not reproach me'so long as I live.

For what is the hope of the godless, though he get him gain, When God taketh away his soul?

Will he delight himself in the Almighty, And call upon God at all times?

Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it; Why then are ye become altogether vain?

If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword; And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.

He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, And the innocent shall divide the silver.

The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth; And it sweepeth him out of his place.

For God'shall hurl at him, and not spare: He would fain flee out of his hand.

Men shall clap their hands at him, And shall hiss him out of his place.

Iron is taken out of the earth, And copper is molten out of the stone.

Man'setteth an end to darkness, And searcheth out, to the furthest bound, The stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.

As for the earth, out of it cometh bread; And underneath it is turned up as it were by fire.

The stones thereof are the place of sapphires, And it hath dust of gold.

That path no bird of prey knoweth, Neither hath the falcon's eye seen it:

The proud beasts have not trodden it, Nor hath the fierce lion passed thereby.

He cutteth out channels among the rocks; And his eye seeth every precious thing.