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

What wise men have [freely] told,
And have not hidden [anything passed on to them] from their fathers,

“Is there no end to [your futile] words of wind?
Or what plagues you [so much] that you [so boldly] answer [me like this]?

“If I speak [to you miserable comforters], my pain is not relieved;
And if I refrain [from speaking], what [pain or anguish] leaves me?

Complete darkness (misfortune) is held in reserve for his treasures.
An unfanned fire will devour him;
It will consume the survivor in his tent.

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

“For what pleasure does he have in his house and family after he is dead,
When the number of his months [of life] is cut off?

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

“You say, ‘What does God know [about me]?
Can He judge through the thick darkness?

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

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

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

“To whom have you uttered [these] words?
And whose spirit [inspired what] came forth from you?

“For what is the hope of the godless, even though he has gained [in this world],
When God takes his life?

“For what is the portion I would have from God above,
And what heritage from the Almighty on high?

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],

“You see, I waited for your words,
I listened to your [wise] reasons,
While you pondered and searched out what to say.

“I even paid close attention to [what] you [said],
Indeed, not one of you convinced Job [nor could you refute him],
Not one of you supplied [satisfactory] answers to his words.

“However, Job, please listen to my words,
And pay attention to everything I say.

“My words will express the uprightness of my heart,
And my lips will speak what they know with utter sincerity.

“If there is an angel as a mediator for him,
One out of a thousand,
To explain to a man what is right for him [that is, how to be in right standing with God],

“Let us choose for ourselves that which is right;
Let us know among ourselves what is good.

“What man is like Job,
Who drinks up derision like water,

Teach me what I do not see [in regard to how I have sinned];
If I have done wrong (injustice, unrighteousness),
I will not do it again’?

“Shall God’s retribution [for your sins] be on your terms, because you refuse to accept it?
For you must do the choosing, and not I;
Therefore say what you [truthfully] know.

“For you say, ‘What advantage have you [by living a righteous life]?
What profit will I have, more [by being righteous] than if I had sinned?’

“If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against Him?
And if your transgressions are multiplied, what have you done to Him?

“If you are righteous, what do you give God,
Or what does He receive from your hand?

“Tell us [Job] what words [of man] shall we say to such a Being;
We cannot state our case because of darkness [that is, our ignorance in the presence of the unsearchable God].

“On what were its foundations fastened?
Or who laid its cornerstone,

“Where is the way that the light is distributed,
Or the east wind scattered over the earth?

“Behold, I am of little importance and contemptible; what can I reply to You?
I lay my hand on my mouth.

“[You said to me] ‘Who is this that darkens and obscures counsel [by words] without knowledge?’
Therefore [I now see] I have [rashly] uttered that which I did not understand,
Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

‘Hear, please, and I will speak;
I will ask You, and You instruct [and answer] me.’

What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him?

“If the foundations [of a godly society] are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?”

From men with Your hand, O Lord,
From men of the world [these moths of the night] whose portion [of enjoyment] is in this life—idle and vain,
And whose belly You fill with Your treasure;
They are satisfied with children,
And they leave what they have left [of wealth] to their children.

He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to what is false,
Nor has sworn [oaths] deceitfully.

He leads the humble in justice,
And He teaches the humble His way.

I would have despaired had I not believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.

Repay them according to their work and according to the evil of their practices;
Repay them according to the deeds of their hands;
Repay them what they deserve.

“What profit is there in my blood (death), if I go down to the pit (grave)?
Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your faithfulness [to man]?

Who is the man who desires life
And loves many days, that he may see good?

Do not let them say in their heart, “Aha, that is what we wanted!”
Do not let them say, “We have swallowed him up and destroyed him.”

“Lord, let me know my [life’s] end
And [to appreciate] the extent of my days;
Let me know how frail I am [how transient is my stay here].

“And now, Lord, for what do I expectantly wait?
My hope [my confident expectation] is in You.

“With rebukes You discipline man for sin;
You consume like a moth what is precious to him;
Surely every man is a mere breath [a wisp of smoke, a vapor that vanishes]. Selah.

We have heard with our ears, O God,
Our fathers have told us
The work You did in their days,
In the days of old.

But to the wicked God says:
“What right have you to recite My statutes
Or to take My covenant on your lips?

When I am afraid,
I will put my trust and faith in You.

In God, whose word I praise;
In God I have put my trust;
I shall not fear.
What can mere man do to me?

In God have I put my trust and confident reliance; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?

Come and hear, all who fear God [and worship Him with awe-inspired reverence and obedience],
And I will tell what He has done for me.

Your God has commanded your strength [your power in His service and your resistance to temptation];
Show Yourself strong, O God, who acted on our behalf.

Those who hate me without cause are more than the hairs of my head;
Those who would destroy me are powerful, being my enemies wrongfully;
I am forced to restore what I did not steal.

So they ate and were well filled,
He gave them what they craved.

You have forgiven the wickedness of Your people;
You have covered all their sin. Selah.

I will hear [with expectant hope] what God the Lord will say,
For He will speak peace to His people, to His godly ones—
But let them not turn again to folly.

Indeed, the Lord will give what is good,
And our land will yield its produce.

Glorious things are spoken of you,
O city of God [Jerusalem]. Selah.

Remember how fleeting my lifetime is;
For what vanity, [for what emptiness, for what futility, for what wisp of smoke] You have created all the sons of men!

What man can live and not see death?
Can he rescue his soul from the [powerful] hand of Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead)? Selah.

What ails you, O sea, that you flee?
O Jordan, that you turn back?

What will I give to the Lord [in return]
For all His benefits toward me?
[How can I repay Him for His precious blessings?]

The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.
What can [mere] man do to me?

What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you,
You deceitful tongue?—

But there is forgiveness with You,
That You may be feared and worshiped [with submissive wonder].

Lord, what is man that You take notice of him?
Or the son of man that You think of him?

For I give you good doctrine;
Do not turn away from my instruction.

The way of the wicked is like [deep] darkness;
They do not know over what they stumble.

My son, be attentive to my wisdom [godly wisdom learned by costly experience],
Incline your ear to my understanding;

But when he is found, he must repay seven times [what he stole];
He must give all the property of his house [if necessary to meet his fine].

The lips of the righteous know (speak) what is acceptable,
But the mouth of the wicked knows (speaks) what is perverted (twisted).

There is the one who [generously] scatters [abroad], and yet increases all the more;
And there is the one who withholds what is justly due, but it results only in want and poverty.

If the righteous will be rewarded on the earth [with godly blessings],
How much more [will] the wicked and the sinner [be repaid with punishment]!

Righteous lips are the delight of kings,
And he who speaks right is loved.

Why is there money in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom,
When he has no common sense or even a heart for it?

Even a boy is known and distinguished by his acts,
Whether his conduct is pure and right.

When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
Consider carefully what is [set] before you;

Do not rush out to argue your case [before magistrates or judges];
Otherwise what will you do in the end [when your case is lost and]
When your neighbor (opponent) humiliates you?

Do not boast about tomorrow,
For you do not know what a day may bring.

The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold [to separate the impurities of the metal],
And each is tested by the praise given to him [and his response to it, whether humble or proud].

Who has ascended into heaven and descended?
Who has gathered the wind in His fists?
Who has bound the waters in His garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name, and what is His Son’s name?
Certainly you know!

What, O my son?
And what, O son of my womb?
And what [shall I advise you], O son of my vows?

Otherwise they drink and forget the law and its decrees,
And pervert the rights and justice of all the afflicted.

What advantage does man have from all his work
Which he does under the sun (while earthbound)?

That which has been is that which will be [again],
And that which has been done is that which will be done again.
So there is nothing new under the sun.

What is crooked cannot be straightened and what is defective and lacking cannot be counted.

I said of laughter, “It is madness,” and of pleasure, “What does it accomplish?”

I explored with my mind how to gratify myself with wine while [at the same time] having my mind remain steady and guide me wisely; and how to take control of foolishness, until I could see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives.

So I turned to consider [secular] wisdom, madness, and folly; for what will the man do who succeeds the king? Nothing except what has already been done.

Then I said to myself, “As it happens to the fool, so death will also happen to me. What use is it then for me to be extremely wise?” Then I said in my heart, “This too is vanity (meaningless).”

So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun caused me only great sorrow; because all is futility and chasing after the wind.

For what does a man get from all his labor and from the striving and sorrow of his heart with which he labors under the sun?

A time to be born and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.

What profit is there for the worker from that in which he labors?

He has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God]—yet man cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end.

So I have seen that there is nothing better than that a man should be happy in his own works and activities, for that is his portion (share). For who will bring him [back] to see what will happen after he is gone?

Guard your steps and focus on what you are doing as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the [careless or irreverent] sacrifice of fools; for they are too ignorant to know they are doing evil.