As I was in my flowering years, when my tent was covered by the hand of God;

When I went out of my door to go up to the town, and took my seat in the public place,

The young men saw me, and went away, and the old men got up from their seats;

For when it came to their ears, men said that I was truly happy; and when their eyes saw, they gave witness to me;

For I was a saviour to the poor when he was crying for help, to the child with no father, and to him who had no supporter.

The blessing of him who was near to destruction came on me, and I put a song of joy into the widow's heart.

I put on righteousness as my clothing, and was full of it; right decisions were to me a robe and a head-dress.

I was eyes to the blind, and feet to him who had no power of walking.

I was a father to the poor, searching out the cause of him who was strange to me.

By me the great teeth of the evil-doer were broken, and I made him give up what he had violently taken away.

Then I said, I will come to my end with my children round me, my days will be as the sand in number;

After I had said what was in my mind, they were quiet and let my words go deep into their hearts;

I was laughing at them when they had no hope, and the light of my face was never clouded by their fear.

I took my place as a chief, guiding them on their way, and I was as a king among his army. ...

But now those who are younger than I make sport of me; those whose fathers I would not have put with the dogs of my flocks.

They are pulling off the salt leaves from the brushwood, and making a meal of roots.

They have to get a resting-place in the hollows of the valleys, in holes of the earth and rocks.

They are sons of shame, and of men without a name, who have been forced out of the land.

And now I have become their song, and I am a word of shame to them.

I am disgusting to them; they keep away from me, and put marks of shame on me.

They have made waste my roads, with a view to my destruction; his bowmen come round about me;

As through a wide broken place in the wall they come on, I am overturned by the shock of their attack.

Fears have come on me; my hope is gone like the wind, and my well-being like a cloud.

With great force he takes a grip of my clothing, pulling me by the neck of my coat.

Truly God has made me low, even to the earth, and I have become like dust.

You give no answer to my cry, and take no note of my prayer.

You have become cruel to me; the strength of your hand is hard on me.

Lifting me up, you make me go on the wings of the wind; I am broken up by the storm.

For I am certain that you will send me back to death, and to the meeting-place ordered for all living.

Has not my hand been stretched out in help to the poor? have I not been a saviour to him in his trouble?

Have I not been weeping for the crushed? and was not my soul sad for him who was in need?

For I was looking for good, and evil came; I was waiting for light, and it became dark.

I go about in dark clothing, uncomforted; I get up in the public place, crying out for help.

I have become a brother to the jackals, and go about in the company of ostriches.

I made an agreement with my eyes; how then might my eyes be looking on a virgin?

If I have gone in false ways, or my foot has been quick in working deceit;

If my steps have been turned out of the way, or if my heart went after my eyes, or if the property of another is in my hands;

If my heart went after another man's wife, or if I was waiting secretly at my neighbour's door;

For that would be a crime; it would be an act for which punishment would be measured out by the judges:

It would be a fire burning even to destruction, and taking away all my produce.

If I did wrong in the cause of my man-servant, or my woman-servant, when they went to law with me;

What then will I do when God comes as my judge? and what answer may I give to his questions?

If I kept back the desire of the poor; if the widow's eye was looking for help to no purpose;

If I kept my food for myself, and did not give some of it to the child with no father;

(For I was cared for by God as by a father from my earliest days; he was my guide from the body of my mother;)

If I saw one near to death for need of clothing, and that the poor had nothing covering him;

If his back did not give me a blessing, and the wool of my sheep did not make him warm;

If my hand had been lifted up against him who had done no wrong, when I saw that I was supported by the judges;

For the fear of God kept me back, and because of his power I might not do such things.

If I made gold my hope, or if I ever said to the best gold, I have put my faith in you;

If I was glad because my wealth was great, and because my hand had got together a great store;

If, when I saw the sun shining, and the moon moving on its bright way,

A secret feeling of worship came into my heart, and my hand gave kisses from my mouth;

That would have been another sin to be rewarded with punishment by the judges; for I would have been false to God on high.

If I was glad at the trouble of my hater, and gave cries of joy when evil overtook him;

(For I did not let my mouth give way to sin, in putting a curse on his life;)

If the men of my tent did not say, Who has not had full measure of his meat?

The traveller did not take his night's rest in the street, and my doors were open to anyone on a journey;

If I kept my evil doings covered, and my sin in the secret of my breast,

For fear of the great body of people, or for fear that families might make sport of me, so that I kept quiet, and did not go out of my door;

Truly I would take up the book in my hands; it would be to me as a crown;

I would make clear the number of my steps, I would put it before him like a prince! The words of Job are ended.

If I have taken its produce without payment, causing the death of its owners;

And Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, made answer and said, I am young, and you are very old, so I was in fear, and kept myself from putting my knowledge before you.

I said to myself, It is right for the old to say what is in their minds, and for those who are far on in years to give out wisdom.

It is not the old who are wise, and those who are full of years have not the knowledge of what is right.

So I say, Give ear to me, and I will put forward my knowledge.

I was waiting for your words, I was giving ear to your wise sayings; while you were searching out what to say,

I was taking note; and truly not one of you was able to make clear Job's error, or to give an answer to his words.

Take care that you do not say, Wisdom is here; God may overcome him, but not man.

I will not put forward words like these, or make use of your sayings in answer to him.

And am I to go on waiting while they have nothing to say? while they keep quiet and give no more answers?

I will give my answer; I will put forward my knowledge:

For I am full of words, I am unable to keep in my breath any longer:

Let me say what is in my mind, so that I may get comfort; let me give answer with open mouth.

For I am not able to give names of honour to any man; and if I did, my Maker would quickly take me away.

And now, O Job, give ear to my words, and take note of all I say.

If you are able, give me an answer; put your cause in order, and come forward.

See, I am the same as you are in the eyes of God; I was cut off from the same bit of wet earth.

Fear of me will not overcome you, and my hand will not be hard on you.

But you said in my hearing, and your voice came to my ears:

I am clean, without sin; I am washed, and there is no evil in me:

See, he is looking for something against me; in his eyes I am as one of his haters;

Truly, in saying this you are wrong; for God is greater than man.

Why do you put forward your cause against him, saying, He gives no answer to any of my words?

For God gives his word in one way, even in two, and man is not conscious of it:

In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep comes on men, while they take their rest on their beds;

In order that man may be turned from his evil works, and that pride may be taken away from him;

Pain is sent on him as a punishment, while he is on his bed; there is no end to the trouble in his bones;

He has no desire for food, and his soul is turned away from delicate meat;

His flesh is so wasted away, that it may not be seen, and his bones. ...

And if he has mercy on him, and says, Let him not go down to the underworld, I have given the price for his life:

He makes a song, saying, I did wrong, turning from the straight way, but he did not give me the reward of my sin.

Take note O Job, give ear to me; keep quiet, while I say what is in my mind.

If you have anything to say, give me an answer; for it is my desire that you may be judged free from sin.

If not, give attention to me, and keep quiet, and I will give you wisdom.

Give ear, you wise, to my words; and you who have knowledge, give attention to me;

For Job has said, I am upright, and it is God who has taken away my right;

Though I am right, still I am in pain; my wound may not be made well, though I have done no wrong.

What man is like Job, a man who freely makes sport of God,