“ And upon whom doth not His light arise? 4How then can man be just with God? Or how can he be clean that is born of a woman? 5Behold, even the moon hath no brightness, And the stars are not pure in His sight; 6How much less man, that is a worm! And the son of man, that is a maggot!
26 Then Job answered and said:
2How hast thou helped him that is without power! How hast thou saved the arm that hath no strength! 3How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom, And plentifully declared sound knowledge! 4With whose help hast thou uttered words? ”

“ And his bones corrode to unsightliness. 22Yea, his soul draweth near unto the pit, And his life to the destroyers. 23If there be for him an angel, An intercessor, one among a thousand, To vouch for a man's uprightness; 24Then He is gracious unto him, and saith: 'Deliver him from going down to the pit, I have found a ransom.' 25His flesh is tenderer than a child's; He returneth to the days of his youth; 26He prayeth unto God, and He is favourable unto him; So that he seeth His face with joy; And He restoreth unto man his righteousness. ”

“ He destroyeth the innocent and the wicked. 23If the scourge slay suddenly, He will mock at the calamity of the guiltless. 24The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; He covereth the faces of the judges thereof; If it be not He, who then is it? 25Now my days are swifter than a runner; They flee away, they see no good. 26They are passed away as the swift ships; As the vulture that swoopeth on the prey. 27If I say: 'I will forget my complaint, I will put off my sad countenance, and be of good cheer', 28I am afraid of all my pains, I know that Thou wilt not hold me guiltless. ”

“ Wilt thou condemn Me, that thou mayest be justified? 9Or hast thou an arm like God? And canst thou thunder with a voice like Him? 10Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency, And array thyself with glory and beauty. 11Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath; And look upon every one that is proud, and abase him. 12Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low; And tread down the wicked in their place. 13Hide them in the dust together; Bind their faces in the hidden place. 14Then will I also confess unto thee That thine own right hand can save thee. ”

“ Will ye contend for God? 9Would it be good that He should search you out? Or as one mocketh a man, will ye mock Him? 10He will surely reprove you, If ye do secretly show favour. 11Shall not His majesty terrify you, And His dread fall upon you? 12Your memorials shall be like unto ashes, Your eminences to eminences of clay.
13Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, And let come on me what will. 14Wherefore? I will take my flesh in my teeth, And put my life in my hand. ”

“ And that which my lips know they shall speak sincerely. 4The spirit of God hath made me, And the breath of the Almighty given me life. 5If thou canst, answer thou me, Set thy words in order before me, stand forth. 6Behold, I am toward God even as thou art; I also am formed out of the clay. 7Behold, my terror shall not make thee afraid, Neither shall my pressure be heavy upon thee.
8Surely thou hast spoken in my hearing, And I have heard the voice of thy words; 9'I am clean, without transgression, I am innocent, neither is there iniquity in me ”

“ For there are yet words on God's behalf. 3I will fetch my knowledge from afar, And will ascribe righteousness to my Maker. 4For truly my words are not false; One that is upright in mind is with thee. 5Behold, God is mighty, yet He despiseth not any; He is mighty in strength of understanding. 6He preserveth not the life of the wicked; But giveth to the poor their right. 7He withdraweth not His eyes from the righteous; But with kings upon the throne He setteth them for ever, and they are exalted. 8And if they be bound in fetters, And be holden in cords of affliction ”

“ Cease then, And let me alone, that I may take comfort a little, 21Before I go whence I shall not return, Even to the land of darkness and of the shadow of death; 22A land of thick darkness, as darkness itself; A land of the shadow of death, without any order, And where the light is as darkness.
11 Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said:
2Should not the multitude of words be answered? And should a man full of talk be accounted right? 3Thy boastings have made men hold their peace, And thou hast mocked, with none to make thee ashamed ”

“ They are forgotten of the foot that passeth by; They hang afar from men, they swing to and fro. 5As for the earth, out of it cometh bread, And underneath it is turned up as it were by fire. 6The stones thereof are the place of sapphires, And it hath dust of gold. 7That path no bird of prey knoweth, Neither hath the falcon's eye seen it; 8The proud beasts have not trodden it, Nor hath the lion passed thereby. 9He putteth forth his hand upon the flinty rock; He overturneth the mountains by the roots. 10He cutteth out channels among the rocks ”

“ Terrors are upon him. 26All darkness is laid up for his treasures; A fire not blown by man shall consume him; It shall go ill with him that is left in his tent. 27The heavens shall reveal his iniquity, And the earth shall rise up against him. 28The increase of his house shall depart, His goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath. ”

“ And as for your answers, there remaineth only faithlessness?
22 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said:
2Can a man be profitable unto God? Or can he that is wise be profitable unto Him? 3Is it any advantage to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? Or is it gain to Him, that thou makest thy ways blameless? 4Is it for thy fear of Him that He reproveth thee, That He entereth with thee into judgment? 5Is not thy wickedness great? And are not thine iniquities without end? 6For thou hast taken pledges of thy brother for nought, And stripped the naked of their clothing. ”

“ Shall a man be pure before his Maker? 18Behold, He putteth no trust in His servants, And His angels He chargeth with folly; 19How much more them that dwell in houses of clay, Whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed before the moth! 20Betwixt morning and evening they are shattered; They perish for ever without any regarding it. 21Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them? ”

“ In this thou art not right, That God is too great for man; 13Why hast thou striven against Him? Seeing that He will not answer any of his words. 14For God speaketh in one way, Yea in two, though man perceiveth it not. 15In a dream, in a vision of the night, When deep sleep falleth upon men, In slumberings upon the bed; 16Then He openeth the ears of men, And by their chastisement sealeth the decree, 17That men may put away their purpose, And that He may hide pride from man; 18That He may keep back his soul from the pit, And his life from perishing by the sword. ”

“ That their calamity cometh upon them? That He distributeth pains in His anger? 18That they are as stubble before the wind, And as chaff that the storm stealeth away? 19'God layeth up his iniquity for his children! '— Let Him recompense it unto himself, that he may know it. 20Let his own eyes see his destruction, And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty. 21For what pleasure hath he in his house after him? Seeing the number of his months is determined.
22Shall any teach God knowledge? Seeing it is He that judgeth those that are high. ”

“ And give ear unto me, ye that have knowledge. 3For the ear trieth words, As the palate tasteth food. 4Let us choose for us that which is right; Let us know among ourselves what is good. 5For Job hath said: 'I am righteous, And God hath taken away my right; 6Notwithstanding my right I am accounted a liar; My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.' 7What man is like Job, Who drinketh up scorning like water? 8Who goeth in company with the workers of iniquity, And walketh with wicked men. ”

“ He woundeth, and His hands make whole. 19He will deliver thee in six troubles; Yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. 20In famine He will redeem thee from death; And in war from the power of the sword. 21Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue; Neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh. 22At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh; Neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth. 23For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field; And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee. 24And thou shalt know that thy tent is in peace ”

“ They cry not for help when He bindeth them. 14Their soul perisheth in youth, And their life as that of the depraved. 15He delivereth the afflicted by His affliction, And openeth their ear by tribulation. 16Yea, He hath allured thee out of distress Into a broad place, where there is no straitness; And that which is set on thy table is full of fatness; 17And thou art full of the judgment of the wicked ”

“ I shall not live alway; Let me alone; for my days are vanity. 17What is man, that Thou shouldest magnify him, And that Thou shouldest set Thy heart upon him, 18And that Thou shouldest remember him every morning, And try him every moment? 19How long wilt Thou not look away from me, Nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle? 20If I have sinned, what do I unto Thee, O Thou watcher of men? ”

“ Till I die I will not put away mine integrity from me. 6My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go; My heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.
7Let mine enemy be as the wicked, And let him that riseth up against me be as the unrighteous. 8For what is the hope of the godless, though he get him gain, When God taketh away his soul? 9Will God hear his cry, When trouble cometh upon him? 10Will he have his delight in the Almighty, And call upon God at all times? 11I will teach you concerning the hand of God ”

“ They are firm upon him; they cannot be moved. 16His heart is as firm as a stone; Yea, firm as the nether millstone. 17When he raiseth himself up, the mighty are afraid; By reason of despair they are beside themselves. 18If one lay at him with the sword, it will not hold; Nor the spear, the dart, nor the pointed shaft. 19He esteemeth iron as straw, And brass as rotten wood. ”

“ Make me know wherefore Thou contendest with me. 3Is it good unto Thee that Thou shouldest oppress, That Thou shouldest despise the work of Thy hands, And shine upon the counsel of the wicked? 4Hast Thou eyes of flesh? Or seest Thou as man seeth? 5Are Thy days as the days of man, Or Thy years as a man's days, 6That Thou inquirest after mine iniquity, And searchest after my sin, 7Although Thou knowest that I shall not be condemned; And there is none that can deliver out of Thy hand? ”

“ And to which of the holy ones wilt thou turn? 2For anger killeth the foolish man, And envy slayeth the silly one. 3I have seen the foolish taking root; But suddenly I beheld his habitation cursed. 4His children are far from safety, And are crushed in the gate, with none to deliver them. 5Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, And taketh it even out of the thorns, and the snare gapeth for their substance. 6For affliction cometh not forth from the dust, Neither doth trouble spring out of the ground; 7But man is born unto trouble, As the sparks fly upward. ”

“ He hath violently taken away a house, and he shall not build it up. 20Because he knew no quietness within him, In his greed he suffered nought to escape, 21There was nothing left that he devoured not— Therefore his prosperity shall not endure. 22In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits; The hand of every one that is in misery shall come upon him. 23It shall be for the filling of his belly; He shall cast the fierceness of His wrath upon him, And shall cause it to rain upon him into his flesh. ”

“ And they despoil the vineyard of the wicked. 7They lie all night naked without clothing, And have no covering in the cold. 8They are wet with the showers of the mountains, And embrace the rock for want of a shelter. 9There are that pluck the fatherless from the breast, And take a pledge of the poor; 10So that they go about naked without clothing, And being hungry they carry the sheaves; 11They make oil within the rows of these men; They tread their winepresses, and suffer thirst. 12From out of the populous city men groan, And the soul of the wounded crieth out ”

“ And the roots of the broom are their food. 5They are driven forth from the midst of men; They cry after them as after a thief. 6In the clefts of the valleys must they dwell, In holes of the earth and of the rocks. ”

“ And when He seeth iniquity, will He not then consider it? 12But an empty man will get understanding, When a wild ass's colt is born a man.
13If thou set thy heart aright, And stretch out thy hands toward Him— 14If iniquity be in thy hand, put it far away, And let not unrighteousness dwell in thy tents— 15Surely then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; Yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear; 16For thou shalt forget thy misery; Thou shalt remember it as waters that are passed away; 17And thy life shall be clearer than the noonday ”

“ Great things doeth He, which we cannot comprehend. 6For He saith to the snow: 'Fall thou on the earth'; Likewise to the shower of rain, and to the showers of His mighty rain. 7He sealeth up the hand of every man, That all men whom He hath made may know it. ”

“ He hath counsel and understanding. 14Behold, He breaketh down, and it cannot be built again; He shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening. 15Behold, He withholdeth the waters, and they dry up; Also He sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth. 16With Him is strength and sound wisdom; The deceived and the deceiver are His. 17He leadeth counsellors away stripped, And judges maketh He fools. 18He looseth the bond of kings, And bindeth their loins with a girdle. 19He leadeth priests away stripped, And overthroweth the mighty. ”

“ Till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, Nor be roused out of their sleep. 13Oh that Thou wouldest hide me in the nether-world, That Thou wouldest keep me secret, until Thy wrath be past, That Thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!— 14If a man die, may he live again? ”