Though he desires it and will not let it go
But holds it in his mouth,

Yet his food turns [to poison] in his stomach;
It is the venom of vipers within him.

“He does not look at the rivers,
The flowing streams of honey and butter [to enjoy his wealth].

“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.

“When he fills his belly,
God will send His fierce anger on him
And will rain it upon him while he is eating.

“The produce and increase of his house will depart [with the victors];
His possessions will be dragged away in the day of God’s wrath.

“This is the wicked man’s portion from God,
And the heritage decreed and appointed to him by God.”

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

“Why do the wicked still live,
Become old, and become mighty in power?

“His bull breeds and does not fail;
His cow calves and does not miscarry.

“They lift up their voices and sing to the tambourine and the lyre
And rejoice to the sound of the flute.

“They fully enjoy their days in prosperity,
And so go down to Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) in a [peaceful] moment.

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

‘Who [and what] is the Almighty, that we should serve Him?
And what would we gain if we plead with Him?’

“How often [then] is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out,
And that their disaster falls on them?
Does God distribute pain and destruction and sorrow [to them] in His anger?

“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.

“Have you not asked those who travel this way,
And do you not recognize their witness?

“That evil men are [now] reserved for the day of disaster and destruction,
They will be led away on the day of [God’s] wrath?

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

“When he is carried to his grave,
A guard will keep watch over his tomb.

“The [dirt] clods of the valley are sweet to him [and gently cover him],
Moreover, all men will follow after him [to a grave],
While countless ones go before him.

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

“Is it any pleasure or joy to the Almighty that you are righteous?
Or is it of benefit to Him that you make your ways perfect?

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

“You have not given water to the weary to drink,
And you have withheld bread from the hungry.

‘Thick clouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He cannot see,
And He walks on the vault (circle) of the heavens.’

“Will you keep to the ancient path
That wicked men walked [in the time of Noah],

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

“The righteous see it and are glad;
And the innocent mock and laugh at them, saying,

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

“Now yield and submit yourself to Him [agree with God and be conformed to His will] and be at peace;
In this way [you will prosper and great] good will come to you.

“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,

Then you will have delight in the Almighty,
And you will lift up your face to God.

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

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

“I would learn the words which He would answer,
And understand what He would say to me.

“Would He contend against me with His great power?
No, surely He would give attention to me.

“Behold, I go forward (to the east), but He is not there;
I go backward (to the west), but I cannot perceive Him;

To the left (north) He turns, but I cannot behold Him;
He turns to the right hand (south), but I cannot see Him.

“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].

“My feet have carefully followed His steps;
I have kept His ways and not turned aside.

“But He is unique and unchangeable, and who can turn Him?
And what His soul desires, that He does.

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

“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].

“In the dark they dig into [the penetrable walls of] houses;
They shut themselves up by day;
They do not know the light [of day].

“For the morning is the same to him as the thick darkness [of midnight];
For he is familiar with the terrors of thick darkness.

“He preys on the barren (childless) woman
And does no good for the widow.

“Is there any number to His [vast celestial] armies?
And upon whom does His light not rise?

“Behold, even the moon has no brightness [compared to God’s majesty and glory]
And the stars are not pure in His sight,

“How you have counseled the one who has no wisdom!
And how abundantly you have provided sound wisdom and helpful insight!

“Far be it from me that I should admit you are right [in your accusations against me];
Until I die, I will not remove my integrity from me.

“This [which I am about to explain] is the portion of a wicked man from God,
And the inheritance which tyrants and oppressors receive from the Almighty:

“He builds his house like a spider’s web,
Like a (temporary) hut which a watchman makes.

“People will clap their hands at him [to mock and ridicule him]
And hiss him out of his place.

“Man puts an end to darkness [by bringing in a light],
And to the farthest bounds he searches out
The rock buried in gloom and deep shadow.

“He breaks open (mine) shafts far away from where people live,
[In places] forgotten by the [human] foot;
They dangle [in the mines] and hang away from men.

“Man dams up the streams from flowing [so that they do not trickle into the mine],
And what is hidden he brings out to the light.

“God understands the way [to wisdom]
And He knows its place [for wisdom is with God alone].

“For He looks to the ends of the earth
And sees everything under the heavens.

“When He gave weight and pressure to the wind
And allotted the waters by measure,

“But to man He said, ‘Behold, the reverential and worshipful fear of the Lord—that is wisdom;
And to depart from evil is understanding.’”

“When I went out to the gate of the city,
When I took my seat [as a city father] in the square,

The voices of the nobles were hushed,
And their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.

Because I rescued the poor who cried for help,
And the orphan who had no helper.

“The blessing of him who was about to perish came upon me,
And I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.

“I was eyes to the blind
And I was feet to the lame.

“I was a father to the needy;
I investigated the case I did not know [and assured justice].

“Then I said, ‘I shall die in my nest,
And I shall multiply my days as the sand.

‘My root is spread out and open to the waters,
And the dew lies all night upon my branch.

“They listened to me and waited
And kept silent for my counsel.

“But now those younger than I mock and laugh at me,
Whose fathers I refused to put with the sheepdogs of my flock.

“They pluck [and eat] saltwort (mallows) among the bushes,
And their food is the root of the broom shrub.

“And now I have become [the subject of] their taunting;
Yes, I am a byword and a laughingstock to them.

“They hate me, they stand aloof from me,
And do not refrain from spitting in my face.

“I cry to You for help, [Lord,] but You do not answer me;
I stand up, but You [only] gaze [indifferently] at me.

“You have become harsh and cruel to me;
With the might of Your hand You [keep me alive only to] persecute me.

“You lift me up on the wind and cause me to ride [upon it];
And You toss me about in the tempest and dissolve me in the storm.

“For I know that You will bring me to death
And to the house of meeting [appointed] for all the living.

“When I expected good, then came evil [to me];
And when I waited for light, then came darkness.

“I am seething within and my heart is troubled and cannot rest;
Days of affliction come to meet me.

“I am a brother to [howling] jackals,
And a companion to ostriches [which scream dismally].

“Therefore my lyre (harp) is used for [the sound of] mourning,
And my flute for the [sound of the] voices of those who weep.

“I have made a covenant (agreement) with my eyes;
How then could I gaze [lustfully] at a virgin?

“If I have walked with falsehood,
Or if my foot has chased after deceit,

“For adultery is a heinous and lustful crime;
Moreover, it would be a sin punishable by the judges.

“For it is a fire which consumes to Abaddon (destruction, ruin, final torment);
And [illicit passion] would burn and rage and uproot all my [life’s] increase [destroying everything].

What then could I do when God arises [to judge me]?
When He calls me to account, what will I answer Him?

“If I have withheld from the poor what they desired,
Or have caused the eyes of the widow to look in vain [for relief],

“For tragedy from God is a terror to me,
And because of His majesty and exaltation I can do nothing [nor endure facing Him].

“If I have put my trust and confidence in gold,
Or have declared fine gold my hope and assurance,

And my heart became secretly enticed [by them],
And my hand threw a kiss from my mouth [in respect to them],

This also would have been [a heinous] sin calling for judgment,
For I would have denied God above.

“No, I have not allowed my mouth to sin
By cursing my enemy and asking for his life.

“The stranger has not lodged in the street,
Because I have opened my door to the traveler.

“I would count out to Him the number of my steps [with every detail of my life],
Approaching His presence as if I were a prince.

“For if my land has cried out against me,
And its furrows weep together;

If I have eaten its fruits without paying for them,
Or have caused its [rightful] owners to lose their lives,

So these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes [and could not be persuaded otherwise by them].