“Your life would be brighter than noonday;
Darkness would be like the morning.

“You would lie down and none would disturb you,
And many would entreat your favor.

“Truly then you are the people,
And with you wisdom will die!

“The tents of the destroyers prosper,
And those who provoke God are secure,
Whom God brings into their power.

“Or speak to the earth, and let it teach you;
And let the fish of the sea declare to you.

“Does not the ear test words,
As the palate tastes its food?

“With Him are wisdom and might;
To Him belong counsel and understanding.

“With Him are strength and sound wisdom,
The misled and the misleader belong to Him.

“Behold, my eye has seen all this,
My ear has heard and understood it.

“But you smear with lies;
You are all worthless physicians.

“O that you would be completely silent,
And that it would become your wisdom!

“Will it be well when He examines you?
Or will you deceive Him as one deceives a man?

“Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes,
Your defenses are defenses of clay.

“Listen carefully to my speech,
And let my declaration fill your ears.

“Only two things do not do to me,
Then I will not hide from Your face:

Remove Your hand from me,
And let not the dread of You terrify me.

“Then call, and I will answer;
Or let me speak, then reply to me.

“How many are my iniquities and sins?
Make known to me my rebellion and my sin.

“Why do You hide Your face
And consider me Your enemy?

“Will You cause a driven leaf to tremble?
Or will You pursue the dry chaff?

“You also open Your eyes on him
And bring him into judgment with Yourself.

“Since his days are determined,
The number of his months is with You;
And his limits You have set so that he cannot pass.

“Turn Your gaze from him that he may rest,
Until he fulfills his day like a hired man.

“But man dies and lies prostrate.
Man expires, and where is he?

So man lies down and does not rise.
Until the heavens are no longer,
He will not awake nor be aroused out of his sleep.

“Oh that You would hide me in Sheol,
That You would conceal me until Your wrath returns to You,
That You would set a limit for me and remember me!

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

“His sons achieve honor, but he does not know it;
Or they become insignificant, but he does not perceive it.

“Should he argue with useless talk,
Or with words which are not profitable?

“For your guilt teaches your mouth,
And you choose the language of the crafty.

“Your own mouth condemns you, and not I;
And your own lips testify against you.

“Were you the first man to be born,
Or were you brought forth before the hills?

“Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us,
Older than your father.

“Are the consolations of God too small for you,
Even the word spoken gently with you?

“Why does your heart carry you away?
And why do your eyes flash,

That you should turn your spirit against God
And allow such words to go out of your mouth?

“What is man, that he should be pure,
Or he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

“Behold, He puts no trust in His holy ones,
And the heavens are not pure in His sight;

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

“Sounds of terror are in his ears;
While at peace the destroyer comes upon him.

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

“He has lived in desolate cities,
In houses no one would inhabit,
Which are destined to become ruins.

“I have heard many such things;
Sorry comforters are you all.

“Is there no limit to windy words?
Or what plagues you that you answer?

“I too could speak like you,
If I were in your place.
I could compose words against you
And shake my head at you.

“I could strengthen you with my mouth,
And the solace of my lips could lessen your pain.

“My friends are my scoffers;
My eye weeps to God.

“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.

“Surely mockers are with me,
And my eye gazes on their provocation.

“My eye has also grown dim because of grief,
And all my members are as a shadow.

“My days are past, my plans are torn apart,
Even the wishes of my heart.

If I call to the pit, ‘You are my father’;
To the worm, ‘my mother and my sister’;

Where now is my hope?
And who regards my hope?

“Why are we regarded as beasts,
As stupid in your eyes?

“O you who tear yourself in your anger—
For your sake is the earth to be abandoned,
Or the rock to be moved from its place?

“His roots are dried below,
And his branch is cut off above.

“He has no offspring or posterity among his people,
Nor any survivor where he sojourned.

“Those in the west are appalled at his fate,
And those in the east are seized with horror.

“Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked,
And this is the place of him who does not know God.”

“These ten times you have insulted me;
You are not ashamed to wrong me.

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

“Why do you persecute me as God does,
And are not satisfied with my flesh?

“Oh that my words were written!
Oh that they were inscribed in a book!

“That with an iron stylus and lead
They were engraved in the rock forever!

He perishes forever like his refuse;
Those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’

“His bones are full of his youthful vigor,
But it lies down with him in the dust.

“Listen carefully to my speech,
And let this be your way of consolation.

“Look at me, and be astonished,
And put your hand over your mouth.

“Their descendants are established with them in their sight,
And their offspring before their eyes,

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

“They say to God, ‘Depart from us!
We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways.

“How often is the lamp of the wicked put out,
Or does their calamity fall on them?
Does God apportion destruction in His anger?

“Are they as straw before the wind,
And like chaff which the storm carries away?

His sides are filled out with fat,
And the marrow of his bones is moist,

“Behold, I know your thoughts,
And the plans by which you would wrong me.

“For you say, ‘Where is the house of the nobleman,
And where is the tent, the dwelling places of the wicked?’

“How then will you vainly comfort me,
For your answers remain full of falsehood?”

“Can a vigorous man be of use to God,
Or a wise man be useful to himself?

“Is there any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous,
Or profit if you make your ways perfect?

“Is it because of your reverence that He reproves you,
That He enters into judgment against you?

“Is not your wickedness great,
And your iniquities without end?

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

Or darkness, so that you cannot see,
And an abundance of water covers you.

“Is not God in the height of heaven?
Look also at the distant stars, how high they are!

‘Clouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He cannot see;
And He walks on the vault of heaven.’

Who were snatched away before their time,
Whose foundations were washed away by a river?

“The righteous see and are glad,
And the innocent mock them,

Saying, ‘Truly our adversaries are cut off,
And their abundance the fire has consumed.’

“Please receive instruction from His mouth
And establish His words in your heart.

“If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored;
If you remove unrighteousness far from your tent,

And place your gold in the dust,
And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks,

Then the Almighty will be your gold
And choice silver to you.

“For then you will delight in the Almighty
And lift up your face to God.

“You will pray to Him, and He will hear you;
And you will pay your vows.

“You will also decree a thing, and it will be established for you;
And light will shine on your ways.

“When you are cast down, you will speak with confidence,
And the humble person He will save.

“He will deliver one who is not innocent,
And he will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”

“Oh that I knew where I might find Him,
That I might come to His seat!

“For He performs what is appointed for me,
And many such decrees are with Him.