This is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the heritage appointed to him by God.

As for me, is my complaint to man? And why should I not be impatient?

Why do the wicked live, become old, yea, grow mighty in power?

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

They spend their days in prosperity, and in a moment they go down to Sheol.

And they say to God, Depart from us, for we do not desire the knowledge of thy ways.

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

[Ye say], God lays up his iniquity for his sons. Let him recompense it to himself that he may know it.

Have ye not asked wayfaring men? And do ye not know their evidences,

that the evil man is reserved to the day of calamity? That they are led forth to the day of wrath?

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

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

The clods of the valley shall be sweet to him. And all men shall draw after him, as there were innumerable before him.

Can a man be profitable to God? Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.

Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that thou are righteous? Or is it gain [to him] that thou make thy ways perfect?

Is not thy wickedness great? Neither is there any end to thine iniquities.

Thou have not given water to the weary to drink, and thou have withheld bread from the hungry.

Thick clouds are a covering to him, so that he does not see, and he walks on the vault of heaven.

who said to God, Depart from us, and, What can the Almighty do for us?

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

Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace. By this good shall come to thee.

If thou return to the Almighty, thou shall be built up, thou put away unrighteousness far from thy tents.

Yea, the Almighty will be thy treasure, and precious silver to thee.

For then shall thou delight thyself in the Almighty, and shall lift up thy face to God.

Thou shall make thy prayer to him, and he will hear thee, and thou shall pay thy vows.

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

O that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his seat!

I would know the words which he would answer me, and understand what he would say to me.

Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power? No, but he would give heed to me.

My foot has held fast to his steps. I have kept his way, and not turned aside.

Why are times not laid up by the Almighty? And why do those who know him not see his days?

Behold, as wild donkeys in the desert, they go forth to their work, seeking diligently for food. The wilderness [yields] them bread for their sons.

These are of those who rebel against the light. They do not know the ways of it, nor abide in the paths of it.

In the dark they dig through houses. They shut themselves up in the daytime. They do not know the light.

For the morning is to all of them as thick darkness. For they know the terrors of the thick darkness.

Swiftly they [pass away] upon the face of the waters. Their portion is cursed in the earth. They do not turn into the way of the vineyards.

He devours the barren who do not bear, and does no good to the widow.

[God] gives them to be in security, and they rest in it. And his eyes are upon their ways.

To whom have thou uttered words? And whose spirit came forth from thee?

He has described a boundary upon the face of the waters, to the confines of light and darkness.

Lo, these are but the periphery of his ways. And how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?

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

He lays down rich, but he shall not be gathered [to his fathers]. He opens his eyes, and he is not.

[Man] sets an end to darkness, and searches out to the furthest bound the stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.

He breaks open a shaft away from where men sojourn, [paths] forgotten by the foot. They hang afar from men; they swing to and fro.

He binds the streams that they not trickle. And the thing that is hid he brings forth to light.

For he looks to the ends of the earth, and sees under the whole heaven,

to make a weight for the wind. Yea, he distributes the waters by measure.

And to man he said, Behold, the fear of LORD, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.

when my steps were washed with butter, and the rock poured out streams of oil to me,

when I went forth to the gate to the city, when I prepared my seat in the street.

The voice of the ranking men was hushed, and their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.

For when the ear heard [me], then it blessed me, and when the eye saw [me], it gave witness to me.

Because I delivered the poor who cried, also the fatherless who had none to help him.

The blessing of him who was ready to perish came upon me, and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.

I was eyes to the blind, and I was feet to the lame.

I was a father to the needy, and I searched out the case of him whom I did not know.

Then I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand.

My root is spread out to the waters, and the dew lays all night upon my branch.

To me men gave ear, and waited, and kept silence for my counsel.

But now those who are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I disdained to set with the dogs of my flock.

Yea, the strength of their hands, to what should it profit me? Men in whom ripe age is perished.

And now I have become their song, Yea, I am a byword to them.

They abhor me. They stand aloof from me, and do not spare to spit in my face.

I cry to thee, and thou do not answer me. I stand up, and thou gaze at me.

Thou have turned to be cruel to me. With the might of thy hand thou persecute me.

Thou lift me up to the wind. Thou cause me to ride [upon it], and thou disintegrate me in the storm.

For I know that thou will bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living.

I am a brother to jackals, and a companion to ostriches.

Therefore my harp has [turned] to mourning, and my pipe into the voice of those who weep.

Is it not calamity to the unrighteous, and disaster to the workers of iniquity?

If I have walked with falsehood, and my foot has hastened to deceit

if my step has turned out of the way, and my heart walked after my eyes, and if any spot has clung to my hands,

If my heart has been enticed to a woman, and I have laid wait at my neighbor's door,

then let my wife grind to another, and let others bow down upon her.

For that is a heinous crime, yea, it is an iniquity to be punished by the judges.

For it is a fire that consumes to destruction, and would root out all my increase.

what then shall I do when God rises up? And when he visits, what shall I answer him?

If I have withheld the poor from [their] desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,

For calamity from God is a terror to me, and I can do nothing because of his majesty.

If I have made gold my hope, and have said to the fine gold, [Thou are] my confidence;

(this also is an iniquity to be punished by the judges, for I would have denied the God that is above);

(yea, I have not allowed my mouth to sin by asking his life with a curse);

(the sojourner has not lodged in the street, but I have opened my doors to the traveler);

O that I had someone to hear me (Lo, here is my signature, let the Almighty answer me), and [that I had] the indictment which my adversary has written!

Surely I would carry it upon my shoulder. I would bind it to me as a crown.

I would declare to him the number of my steps. I would go near to him as a prince.

if I have eaten the fruits of it without money, or have caused the owners of it to lose their lives,

So these three men ceased to answer Job because he was righteous in his own eyes.

Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job, because they were older than he.

Therefore I said, Hearken to me, I also will show my opinion.

Behold, I waited for your words, I listened for your reasonings, while ye searched out what to say.

Yea, I attended to you. And, behold, there was none who convinced Job, or who answered his words among you.

They are amazed, they answer no more. They have not a word to say.

And shall I wait because they do not speak, because they stand still, and answer no more?

Behold, my breast is as wine which has no vent. Like new wine-skins it is ready to burst.

Let me not, I pray you, respect any man's person. Neither will I give flattering titles to any man.

For I know not to give flattering titles, [else] my maker would soon take me away.

However, Job, I pray thee, hear my speech, and hearken to all my words.

Why do thou strive against him because he does not give of any of his matters?