If you say, How cruel we will be to him! because the root of sin is clearly in him:

Be in fear of the sword, for the sword is the punishment for such things, so that you may be certain that there is a judge.

I have to give ear to arguments which put me to shame, and your answers to me are wind without wisdom.

Have you knowledge of this from early times, when man was placed on the earth,

That the pride of the sinner is short, and the joy of the evil-doer but for a minute?

Like the waste from his body he comes to an end for ever: those who have seen him say, Where is he?

He is gone like a dream, and is not seen again; he goes in flight like a vision of the night.

The eye which saw him sees him no longer; and his place has no more knowledge of him.

Because he has been cruel to the poor, turning away from them in their trouble; because he has taken a house by force which he did not put up;

Even when his wealth is great, he is full of care, for the hand of everyone who is in trouble is turned against him.

All his wealth is stored up for the dark: a fire not made by man sends destruction on him, and on everything in his tent.

The produce of his house is taken away into another country, like things given into the hands of others in the day of wrath.

They send out their young ones like a flock, and their children have pleasure in the dance,

Though they said to God, Go away from us, for we have no desire for the knowledge of your ways.

What is the Ruler of all, that we may give him worship? and what profit is it to us to make prayer to him?

How frequently are they as dry stems before the wind, or as grass taken away by the storm-wind?

You say, God keeps punishment stored up for his children. Let him send it on the man himself, so that he may have the punishment of it!

Is anyone able to give teaching to God? for he is the judge of those who are on high.

And another comes to his end with a bitter soul, without ever tasting good.

See, I am conscious of your thoughts, and of your violent purposes against me;

For you say, Where is the house of the ruler, and where is the tent of the evil-doer?

Have you not put the question to the travellers, and do you not take note of their experience?

Who will make his way clear to his face? and if he has done a thing, who gives him punishment for it?

Why then do you give me comfort with words in which there is no profit, when you see that there is nothing in your answers but deceit?

Is it possible for a man to be of profit to God? No, for a man's wisdom is only of profit to himself.

Is it of any interest to the Ruler of all that you are upright? or is it of use to him that your ways are without sin?

Is it because you give him honour that he is sending punishment on you and is judging you?

For you have taken your brother's goods when he was not in your debt, and have taken away the clothing of those who have need of it.

You do not give water to the tired traveller, and from him who has no food you keep back bread.

For it was the man with power who had the land, and the man with an honoured name who was living in it.

You have sent widows away without hearing their cause, and you have taken away the support of the child who has no father.

For this cause nets are round your feet, and you are overcome with sudden fear.

Your light is made dark so that you are unable to see, and you are covered by a mass of waters.

And you say, What knowledge has God? is he able to give decisions through the deep dark?

Will you keep the old way by which evil men went?

Who were violently taken away before their time, who were overcome by the rush of waters:

Who said to God, Go away from us; and, What is the Ruler of all able to do to us?

The upright saw it and were glad: and those who had done no wrong made sport of them,

Put yourself now in a right relation with him and be at peace: so will you do well in your undertakings.

If you come back to the Ruler of all, making yourself low before him; if you put evil far away from your tents;

For then you will have delight in the Ruler of all, and your face will be lifted up to God.

You will make your prayer to him, and be answered; and you will give effect to your oaths.

For God makes low those whose hearts are lifted up, but he is a saviour to the poor in spirit.

He makes safe the man who is free from sin, and if your hands are clean, salvation will be yours.

If only I had knowledge of where he might be seen, so that I might come even to his seat!

I would put my cause in order before him, and my mouth would be full of arguments

I would see what his answers would be, and have knowledge of what he would say to me.

There an upright man might put his cause before him; and I would be free for ever from my judge.

See, I go forward, but he is not there; and back, but I do not see him;

I am looking for him on the left hand, but there is no sign of him; and turning to the right, I am not able to see him.

For he has knowledge of the way I take; after I have been tested I will come out like gold.

My feet have gone in his steps; I have kept in his way, without turning to one side or to the other.

I have never gone against the orders of his lips; the words of his mouth have been stored up in my heart.

For this cause I am in fear before him, my thoughts of him overcome me.

For I am overcome by the dark, and by the black night which is covering my face.

Why are times not stored up by the Ruler of all, and why do those who have knowledge of him not see his days?

The landmarks are changed by evil men, they violently take away flocks, together with their keepers.

They send away the ass of him who has no father, they take the widow's ox for debt.

The crushed are turned out of the way; all the poor of the earth go into a secret place together.

They get mixed grain from the field, and they take away the late fruit from the vines of those who have wealth.

The child without a father is forced from its mother's breast, and they take the young children of the poor for debt.

From the town come sounds of pain from those who are near death, and the soul of the wounded is crying out for help; but God does not take note of their prayer.

Then there are those who are haters of the light, who have no knowledge of its ways, and do not go in them.

He who is purposing death gets up before day, so that he may put to death the poor and those in need.

And the man whose desire is for the wife of another is waiting for the evening, saying, No eye will see me; and he puts a cover on his face. And in the night the thief goes about;

The public place of his town has no more knowledge of him, and his name has gone from the memory of men: he is rooted up like a dead tree.

He takes away his fear of danger and gives him support; and his eyes are on his ways.

For a short time they are lifted up; then they are gone; they are made low, they are pulled off like fruit, and like the heads of grain they are cut off.

And if it is not so, now, who will make it clear that my words are false, and that what I say is of no value?

How then is it possible for man to be upright before God? or how may he be clean who is a son of woman?

How much less man who is an insect, and the son of man who is a worm!

How have you given help to him who has no power! how have you been the salvation of the arm which has no strength!

How have you given teaching to him who has no wisdom, and fully made clear true knowledge!

To whom have your words been said? and whose spirit came out from you?

By him the waters are shut up in his thick clouds, and the cloud does not give way under them.

By him a circle is marked out on the face of the waters, to the limits of the light and the dark.

By the life of God, who has taken away my right; and of the Ruler of all, who has made my soul bitter;

Let it be far from me! I will certainly not say that you are right! I will come to death before I give up my righteousness.

I will keep it safe, and will not let it go: my heart has nothing to say against any part of my life.

Let my hater be like the evil man, and let him who comes against me be as the sinner.

I will give you teaching about the hand of God; I will not keep secret from you what is in the mind of the Ruler of all.

Truly, you have all seen it yourselves; why then have you become completely foolish?

When those of his house who are still living come to their end by disease, they are not put into the earth, and their widows are not weeping for them.

He may get them ready, but the upright will put them on, and he who is free from sin will take the silver for a heritage.

His house has no more strength than a spider's thread, or a watchman's tent.

Fears overtake him like rushing waters; in the night the storm-wind takes him away.

Truly there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is washed out.

He makes a deep mine far away from those living in the light of day; when they go about on the earth, they have no knowledge of those who are under them, who are hanging far from men, twisting from side to side on a cord.

No bird has knowledge of it, and the hawk's eye has never seen it.

The great beasts have not gone over it, and the cruel lion has not taken that way.

He makes deep ways, cut through the rock, and his eye sees everything of value.

Man has not seen the way to it, and it is not in the land of the living.

Gold may not be given for it, or a weight of silver in payment for it.

Destruction and Death say, We have only had word of it with our ears.

God has knowledge of the way to it, and of its resting-place;

When he made a weight for the wind, measuring out the waters;

When he made a law for the rain, and a way for the thunder-flames;

And he said to man, Truly the fear of the Lord is wisdom, and to keep from evil is the way to knowledge.

If only I might again be as I was in the months which are past, in the days when God was watching over me!

When his light was shining over my head, and when I went through the dark by his light.