The Book of Job
1
There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and turned away from evil. 2And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. 3His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the children of the east. 4And his sons went and held a feast in the house of each one upon his day; and they sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. 5And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt-offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and renounced God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. 6Now it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan also came among them. 7And Jehovah said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered Jehovah, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 8And Jehovah said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and turneth away from evil. 9Then Satan answered Jehovah, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 10Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath, on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. 11But put forth thy hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will renounce thee to thy face. 12And Jehovah said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thy hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah. 13And it fell on a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house, 14that there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them; 15and the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away: yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 16While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 17While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have taken them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 18While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house; 19and, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 20Then Job arose, and rent his robe, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped; 21and he said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: Jehovah gave, and Jehovah hath taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah. 22In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

2
Again it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan came also among them to present himself before Jehovah. 2And Jehovah said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered Jehovah, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 3And Jehovah said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and turneth away from evil: and he still holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. 4And Satan answered Jehovah, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. 5But put forth thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce thee to thy face. 6And Jehovah said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thy hand; only spare his life. 7So Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. 8And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself therewith; and he sat among the ashes. 9Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still hold fast thine integrity? renounce God, and die. 10But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips. 11Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, and they made an appointment together to come to bemoan him and to comfort him. 12And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his robe, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. 13So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.

3
After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day. 2And Job answered and said:
3Let the day perish wherein I was born,
And the night which said, There is a man-child conceived.
4Let that day be darkness;
Let not God from above seek for it,
Neither let the light shine upon it.
5Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it for their own;
Let a cloud dwell upon it;
Let all that maketh black the day terrify it.
6As for that night, let thick darkness seize upon it:
Let it not rejoice among the days of the year;
Let it not come into the number of the months.
7Lo, let that night be barren;
Let no joyful voice come therein.
8Let them curse it that curse the day,
Who are ready to rouse up leviathan.
9Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark:
Let it look for light, but have none;
Neither let it behold the eyelids of the morning:
10Because it shut not up the doors of my mother's womb,
Nor hid trouble from mine eyes.
11Why died I not from the womb?
Why did I not give up the ghost when my mother bare me?
12Why did the knees receive me?
Or why the breast, that I should suck?
13For now should I have lain down and been quiet;
I should have slept; then had I been at rest,
14With kings and counsellors of the earth,
Who built up waste places for themselves;
15Or with princes that had gold,
Who filled their houses with silver:
16Or as a hidden untimely birth I had not been,
As infants that never saw light.
17There the wicked cease from troubling;
And there the weary are at rest.
18There the prisoners are at ease together;
They hear not the voice of the taskmaster.
19The small and the great are there:
And the servant is free from his master.
20Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery,
And life unto the bitter in soul;
21Who long for death, but it cometh not,
And dig for it more than for hid treasures;
22Who rejoice exceedingly,
And are glad, when they can find the grave?
23Why is light given to a man whose way is hid,
And whom God hath hedged in?
24For my sighing cometh before I eat,
And my groanings are poured out like water.
25For the thing which I fear cometh upon me,
And that which I am afraid of cometh unto me.
26I am not at ease, neither am I quiet, neither have I rest;
But trouble cometh.

4
Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,
2If one assay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved?
But who can withhold himself from speaking?
3Behold, thou hast instructed many,
And thou hast strengthened the weak hands.
4Thy words have upholden him that was falling,
And thou hast made firm the feeble knees.
5But now it is come unto thee, and thou faintest;
It toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.
6Is not thy fear of God thy confidence,
And the integrity of thy ways thy hope?
7Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent?
Or where were the upright cut off?
8According as I have seen, they that plow iniquity,
And sow trouble, reap the same.
9By the breath of God they perish,
And by the blast of his anger are they consumed.
10The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion,
And the teeth of the young lions, are broken.
11The old lion perisheth for lack of prey,
And the whelps of the lioness are scattered abroad.

12Now a thing was secretly brought to me,
And mine ear received a whisper thereof.
13In thoughts from the visions of the night,
When deep sleep falleth on men,
14Fear came upon me, and trembling,
Which made all my bones to shake.
15Then a spirit passed before my face;
The hair of my flesh stood up.
16It stood still, but I could not discern the appearance thereof;
A form was before mine eyes:
There was silence, and I heard a voice, saying,
17Shall mortal man be more just than God?
Shall a man be more pure than 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 destroyed:
They perish for ever without any regarding it.
21Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them?
They die, and that without wisdom.

5
Call now; is there any that will answer thee?
And to which of the holy ones wilt thou turn?
2For vexation killeth the foolish man,
And jealousy slayeth the silly one.
3I have seen the foolish taking root:
But suddenly I cursed his habitation.
4His children are far from safety,
And they are crushed in the gate,
Neither is there any 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.

8But as for me, I would seek unto God,
And unto God would I commit my cause;
9Who doeth great things and unsearchable,
Marvellous things without number:
10Who giveth rain upon the earth,
And sendeth waters upon the fields;
11So that he setteth up on high those that are low,
And those that mourn are exalted to safety.
12He frustrateth the devices of the crafty,
So that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.
13He taketh the wise in their own craftiness;
And the counsel of the cunning is carried headlong.
14They meet with darkness in the day-time,
And grope at noonday as in the night.
15But he saveth from the sword of their mouth,
Even the needy from the hand of the mighty.
16So the poor hath hope,
And iniquity stoppeth her mouth.

17Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth:
Therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty.
18For he maketh sore, and bindeth up;
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 dearth 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;
And thou shalt visit thy fold, and shalt miss nothing.
25Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great,
And thine offspring as the grass of the earth.
26Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age,
Like as a shock of grain cometh in in its season.
27Lo this, we have searched it, so it is;
Hear it, and know thou it for thy good.

6
Then Job answered and said,
2Oh that my vexation were but weighed,
And all my calamity laid in the balances!
3For now it would be heavier than the sand of the seas:
Therefore have my words been rash.
4For the arrows of the Almighty are within me,
The poison whereof my spirit drinketh up:
The terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.
5Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass?
Or loweth the ox over his fodder?
6Can that which hath no savor be eaten without salt?
Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?
7My soul refuseth to touch them;
They are as loathsome food to me.

8Oh that I might have my request;
And that God would grant me the thing that I long for!
9Even that it would please God to crush me;
That he would let loose his hand, and cut me off!
10And be it still my consolation,
Yea, let me exult in pain that spareth not,
That I have not denied the words of the Holy One.
11What is my strength, that I should wait?
And what is mine end, that I should be patient?
12Is my strength the strength of stones?
Or is my flesh of brass?
13Is it not that I have no help in me,
And that wisdom is driven quite from me?
14To him that is ready to faint kindness should be showed from his friend;
Even to him that forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.
15My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook,
As the channel of brooks that pass away;
16Which are black by reason of the ice,
And wherein the snow hideth itself:
17What time they wax warm, they vanish;
When it is hot, they are consumed out of their place.
18The caravans that travel by the way of them turn aside;
They go up into the waste, and perish.
19The caravans of Tema looked,
The companies of Sheba waited for them.
20They were put to shame because they had hoped;
They came thither, and were confounded.
21For now ye are nothing;
Ye see a terror, and are afraid.
22Did I say, Give unto me?
Or, Offer a present for me of your substance?
23Or, Deliver me from the adversary's hand?
Or, Redeem me from the hand of the oppressors?
24Teach me, and I will hold my peace;
And cause me to understand wherein I have erred.
25How forcible are words of uprightness!
But your reproof, what doth it reprove?
26Do ye think to reprove words,
Seeing that the speeches of one that is desperate are as wind?
27Yea, ye would cast lots upon the fatherless,
And make merchandise of your friend.
28Now therefore be pleased to look upon me;
For surely I shall not lie to your face.
29Return, I pray you, let there be no injustice;
Yea, return again, my cause is righteous.
30Is there injustice on my tongue?
Cannot my taste discern mischievous things?

7
Is there not a warfare to man upon earth?
And are not his days like the days of a hireling?
2As a servant that earnestly desireth the shadow,
And as a hireling that looketh for his wages:
3So am I made to possess months of misery,
And wearisome nights are appointed to me.
4When I lie down, I say,
When shall I arise, and the night be gone?
And I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day.
5My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust;
My skin closeth up, and breaketh out afresh.
6My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle,
And are spent without hope.
7Oh remember that my life is a breath:
Mine eye shall no more see good.
8The eye of him that seeth me shall behold me no more;
Thine eyes shall be upon me, but I shall not be.
9As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away,
So he that goeth down to Sheol shall come up no more.
10He shall return no more to his house,
Neither shall his place know him any more.

11Therefore I will not refrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
12Am I a sea, or a sea-monster,
That thou settest a watch over me?
13When I say, My bed shall comfort me,
My couch shall ease my complaint;
14Then thou scarest me with dreams,
And terrifiest me through visions:
15So that my soul chooseth strangling,
And death rather than these my bones.
16I loathe my life; I would 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 mind upon him,
18And that thou shouldest visit 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?
Why hast thou set me as a mark for thee,
So that I am a burden to myself?
21And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity?
For now shall I lie down in the dust;
And thou wilt seek me diligently, but I shall not be.

8
Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,
2How long wilt thou speak these things?
And how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a mighty wind?
3Doth God pervert justice?
Or doth the Almighty pervert righteousness?
4If thy children have sinned against him,
And he hath delivered them into the hand of their transgression;
5If thou wouldest seek diligently unto God,
And make thy supplication to the Almighty;
6If thou wert pure and upright:
Surely now he would awake for thee,
And make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.
7And though thy beginning was small,
Yet thy latter end would greatly increase.
8For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age,
And apply thyself to that which their fathers have searched out:
9(For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing,
Because our days upon earth are a shadow);
10Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee,
And utter words out of their heart?

11Can the rush grow up without mire?
Can the flag grow without water?
12Whilst it is yet in its greenness, and not cut down,
It withereth before any other herb.
13So are the paths of all that forget God;
And the hope of the godless man shall perish:
14Whose confidence shall break in sunder,
And whose trust is a spider's web.
15He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand:
He shall hold fast thereby, but it shall not endure.
16He is green before the sun,
And his shoots go forth over his garden.
17His roots are wrapped about the stone -heap,
He beholdeth the place of stones.
18If he be destroyed from his place,
Then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen thee.
19Behold, this is the joy of his way;
And out of the earth shall others spring.
20Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man,
Neither will he uphold the evil-doers.
21He will yet fill thy mouth with laughter,
And thy lips with shouting.
22They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame;
And the tent of the wicked shall be no more.

9
Then Job answered and said,
2Of a truth I know that it is so:
But how can man be just with God?
3If he be pleased to contend with him,
He cannot answer him one of a thousand.
4He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength:
Who hath hardened himself against him, and prospered?-
5Him that removeth the mountains, and they know it not,
When he overturneth them in his anger;
6That shaketh the earth out of its place,
And the pillars thereof tremble;
7That commandeth the sun, and it riseth not,
And sealeth up the stars;
8That alone stretcheth out the heavens,
And treadeth upon the waves of the sea;
9That maketh the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades,
And the chambers of the south;
10That doeth great things past finding out,
Yea, marvellous things without number.
11Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not:
He passeth on also, but I perceive him not.
12Behold, he seizeth the prey, who can hinder him?
Who will say unto him, What doest thou?

13God will not withdraw his anger;
The helpers of Rahab do stoop under him.
14How much less shall I answer him,
And choose out my words to reason with him?
15Whom, though I were righteous, yet would I not answer;
I would make supplication to my judge.
16If I had called, and he had answered me,
Yet would I not believe that he hearkened unto my voice.
17For he breaketh me with a tempest,
And multiplieth my wounds without cause.
18He will not suffer me to take my breath,
But filleth me with bitterness.
19If we speak of strength, lo, he is mighty!
And if of justice, Who, saith he, will summon me?
20Though I be righteous, mine own mouth shall condemn me:
Though I be perfect, it shall prove me perverse.
21I am perfect; I regard not myself;
I despise my life.
22It is all one; therefore I say,
He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.
23If the scourge slay suddenly,
He will mock at the trial of the innocent.
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 post:
They flee away, they see no good,
26They are passed away as the swift ships;
As the eagle 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 sorrows,
I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent.
29I shall be condemned;
Why then do I labor in vain?
30If I wash myself with snow water,
And make my hands never so clean;
31Yet wilt thou plunge me in the ditch,
And mine own clothes shall abhor me.
32For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him,
That we should come together in judgment.
33There is no umpire betwixt us,
That might lay his hand upon us both.
34Let him take his rod away from me,
And let not his terror make me afraid:
35Then would I speak, and not fear him;
For I am not so in myself.

10
My soul is weary of my life;
I will give free course to my complaint;
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
2I will say unto God, Do not condemn me;
Show me 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 man's days,
6That thou inquirest after mine iniquity,
And searchest after my sin,
7Although thou knowest that I am not wicked,
And there is none that can deliver out of thy hand?

8Thy hands have framed me and fashioned me
Together round about; yet thou dost destroy me.
9Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast fashioned me as clay;
And wilt thou bring me into dust again?
10Hast thou not poured me out as milk,
And curdled me like cheese?
11Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh,
And knit me together with bones and sinews.
12Thou hast granted me life and lovingkindness;
And thy visitation hath preserved my spirit.
13Yet these things thou didst hide in thy heart;
I know that this is with thee:
14If I sin, then thou markest me,
And thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity.
15If I be wicked, woe unto me;
And if I be righteous, yet shall I not lift up my head;
Being filled with ignominy,
And looking upon mine affliction.
16And if my head exalt itself, thou huntest me as a lion;
And again thou showest thyself marvellous upon me.
17Thou renewest thy witnesses against me,
And increasest thine indignation upon me:
Changes and warfare are with me.

18Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb?
I had given up the ghost, and no eye had seen me.
19I should have been as though I had not been;
I should have been carried from the womb to the grave.
20Are not my days few? 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;
22The land dark as midnight,
The land of the shadow of death, without any order,
And where the light is as midnight.

11
Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,
2Should not the multitude of words be answered?
And should a man full of talk be justified?
3Should thy boastings make men hold their peace?
And when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed?
4For thou sayest, My doctrine is pure,
And I am clean in thine eyes.
5But oh that God would speak,
And open his lips against thee,
6And that he would show thee the secrets of wisdom!
For he is manifold in understanding.
Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.

7Canst thou by searching find out God?
Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?
8It is high as heaven; what canst thou do?
Deeper than Sheol; what canst thou know?
9The measure thereof is longer than the earth,
And broader than the sea.
10If he pass through, and shut up,
And all unto judgment, then who can hinder him?
11For he knoweth false men:
He seeth iniquity also, even though he consider it not.
12But vain man is void of understanding,
Yea, man is born as a wild ass's colt.

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; 
Though there be darkness, it shall be as the morning.
18And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope;
Yea, thou shalt search about thee, and shalt take thy rest in safety.
19Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid;
Yea, many shall make suit unto thee.
20But the eyes of the wicked shall fail,
And they shall have no way to flee;
And their hope shall be the giving up of the ghost.

12
Then Job answered and said,
2No doubt but ye are the people,
And wisdom shall die with you.
3But I have understanding as well as you;
I am not inferior to you:
Yea, who knoweth not such things as these?
4I am as one that is a laughing-stock to his neighbor,
I who called upon God, and he answered:
The just, the perfect man is a laughing-stock.
5In the thought of him that is at ease there is contempt for misfortune;
It is ready for them whose foot slippeth.
6The tents of robbers prosper,
And they that provoke God are secure;
Into whose hand God bringeth abundantly.

7But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee;
And the birds of the heavens, and they shall tell thee:
8Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee;
And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.
9Who knoweth not in all these,
That the hand of Jehovah hath wrought this,
10In whose hand is the soul of every living thing,
And the breath of all mankind?
11Doth not the ear try words,
Even as the palate tasteth its food?
12With aged men is wisdom,
And in length of days understanding.

13With God is wisdom and might;
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;
Again, he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.
16With him is strength and 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 he bindeth their loins with a girdle.
19He leadeth priests away stripped,
And overthroweth the mighty.
20He removeth the speech of the trusty,
And taketh away the understanding of the elders.
21He poureth contempt upon princes,
And looseth the belt of the strong. 
22He uncovereth deep things out of darkness, 
And bringeth out to light the shadow of death.
23He increaseth the nations, and he destroyeth them:
He enlargeth the nations, and he leadeth them captive.
24He taketh away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth,
And causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way.
25They grope in the dark without light;
And he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.

13
Lo, mine eye hath seen all this,
Mine ear hath heard and understood it.
2What ye know, the same do I know also:
I am not inferior unto you.

3Surely I would speak to the Almighty,
And I desire to reason with God.
4But ye are forgers of lies;
Ye are all physicians of no value.
5Oh that ye would altogether hold your peace!
And it would be your wisdom.
6Hear now my reasoning,
And hearken to the pleadings of my lips.
7Will ye speak unrighteously for God,
And talk deceitfully for him?
8Will ye show partiality to him?
Will ye contend for God?
9Is it good that he should search you out?
Or as one deceiveth a man, will ye deceive him?
10He will surely reprove you
If ye do secretly show partiality.
11Shall not his majesty make you afraid,
And his dread fall upon you?
12Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes,
Your defences are defences of clay.

13Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak;
And let come on me what will.
14Wherefore should I take my flesh in my teeth,
And put my life in my hand?
15Behold, he will slay me; I have no hope:
Nevertheless I will maintain my ways before him.
16This also shall be my salvation,
That a godless man shall not come before him.
17Hear diligently my speech,
And let my declaration be in your ears.
18Behold now, I have set my cause in order;
I know that I am righteous.
19Who is he that will contend with me?
For then would I hold my peace and give up the ghost.

20Only do not two things unto me;
Then will I not hide myself from thy face:
21Withdraw thy hand far from me;
And let not thy terror make me afraid.
22Then call thou, and I will answer;
Or let me speak, and answer thou me.
23How many are mine iniquities and sins?
Make me to know my transgression and my sin.
24Wherefore hidest thou thy face,
And holdest me for thine enemy?
25Wilt thou harass a driven leaf?
And wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?
26For thou writest bitter things against me,
And makest me to inherit the iniquities of my youth:
27Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks,
And markest all my paths;
Thou settest a bound to the soles of my feet:
28Though I am like a rotten thing that consumeth,
Like a garment that is moth-eaten.

14
Man, that is born of a woman,
Is of few days, and full of trouble.
2He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down:
He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.
3And dost thou open thine eyes upon such a one,
And bringest me into judgment with thee?
4Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.
5Seeing his days are determined,
The number of his months is with thee,
And thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;
6Look away from him, that he may rest,
Till he shall accomplish, as a hireling, his day.

7For there is hope of a tree,
If it be cut down, that it will sprout again,
And that the tender branch thereof will not cease.
8Though the root thereof wax old in the earth,
And the stock thereof die in the ground;
9Yet through the scent of water it will bud,
And put forth boughs like a plant.
10But man dieth, and is laid low:
Yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?
11As the waters fail from the sea,
And the river wasteth and drieth up;
12So man lieth down and riseth not:
Till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake,
Nor be roused out of their sleep.

13Oh that thou wouldest hide me in Sheol,
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, shall he live again?
All the days of my warfare would I wait,
Till my release should come.
15Thou wouldest call, and I would answer thee:
Thou wouldest have a desire to the work of thy hands.
16But now thou numberest my steps:
Dost thou not watch over my sin?
17My transgression is sealed up in a bag,
And thou fastenest up mine iniquity.

18But the mountain falling cometh to nought;
And the rock is removed out of its place;
19The waters wear the stones;
The overflowings thereof wash away the dust of the earth:
So thou destroyest the hope of man.
20Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth;
Thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away.
21His sons come to honor, and he knoweth it not;
And they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.
22But his flesh upon him hath pain,
And his soul within him mourneth.

15
Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,
2Should a wise man make answer with vain knowledge,
And fill himself with the east wind?
3Should he reason with unprofitable talk,
Or with speeches wherewith he can do no good?
4Yea, thou doest away with fear,
And hinderest devotion before God.
5For thine iniquity teacheth thy mouth,
And thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.
6Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I;
Yea, thine own lips testify against thee.

7Art thou the first man that was born?
Or wast thou brought forth before the hills?
8Hast thou heard the secret counsel of God?
And dost thou limit wisdom to thyself?
9What knowest thou, that we know not?
What understandest thou, which is not in us?
10With us are both the gray-headed and the very aged men,
Much elder than thy father.
11Are the consolations of God too small for thee,
Even the word that is gentle toward thee?
12Why doth thy heart carry thee away?
And why do thine eyes flash,
13That against God thou turnest thy spirit,
And lettest words go out of thy mouth?
14What is man, that he should be clean?
And he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
15Behold, he putteth no trust in his holy ones;
Yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight:
16How much less one that is abominable and corrupt,
A man that drinketh iniquity like water!

17I will show thee, hear thou me;
And that which I have seen I will declare:
18(Which wise men have told
From their fathers, and have not hid it;
19Unto whom alone the land was given,
And no stranger passed among them):
20The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days,
Even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor.
21A sound of terrors is in his ears;
In prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.
22He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness,
And he is waited for of the sword.
23He wandereth abroad for bread, saying, Where is it?
He knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.
24Distress and anguish make him afraid;
They prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.
25Because he hath stretched out his hand against God,
And behaveth himself proudly against the Almighty;
26He runneth upon him with a stiff neck,
With the thick bosses of his bucklers;
27Because he hath covered his face with his fatness,
And gathered fat upon his loins;
28And he hath dwelt in desolate cities,
In houses which no man inhabited,
Which were ready to become heaps;
29He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue,
Neither shall their possessions be extended on the earth.
30He shall not depart out of darkness;
The flame shall dry up his branches,
And by the breath of God's mouth shall he go away.
31Let him not trust in vanity, deceiving himself;
For vanity shall be his recompense.
32It shall be accomplished before his time,
And his branch shall not be green.
33He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine,
And shall cast off his flower as the olive-tree.
34For the company of the godless shall be barren,
And fire shall consume the tents of bribery.
35They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity,
And their heart prepareth deceit.

16
Then Job answered and said,
2I have heard many such things:
Miserable comforters are ye all.
3Shall vain words have an end?
Or what provoketh thee that thou answerest?
4I also could speak as ye do;
If your soul were in my soul's stead,
I could join words together against you,
And shake my head at you.
5But I would strengthen you with my mouth,
And the solace of my lips would assuage your grief.
6Though I speak, my grief is not assuaged;
And though I forbear, what am I eased?
7But now he hath made me weary:
Thou hast made desolate all my company.
8And thou hast laid fast hold on me, which is a witness against me:
And my leanness riseth up against me,
It testifieth to my face.
9He hath torn me in his wrath, and persecuted me;
He hath gnashed upon me with his teeth:
Mine adversary sharpeneth his eyes upon me.
10They have gaped upon me with their mouth;
They have smitten me upon the cheek reproachfully:
They gather themselves together against me.
11God delivereth me to the ungodly,
And casteth me into the hands of the wicked.
12I was at ease, and he brake me asunder;
Yea, he hath taken me by the neck, and dashed me to pieces:
He hath also set me up for his mark.
13His archers compass me round about;
He cleaveth my reins asunder, and doth not spare;
He poureth out my gall upon the ground.
14He breaketh me with breach upon breach;
He runneth upon me like a giant.
15I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin,
And have laid my horn in the dust.
16My face is red with weeping,
And on my eyelids is the shadow of death;
17Although there is no violence in my hands,
And my prayer is pure.

18O earth, cover not thou my blood,
And let my cry have no resting -place.
19Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven,
And he that voucheth for me is on high.
20My friends scoff at me:
But mine eye poureth out tears unto God,
21That he would maintain the right of a man with God,
And of a son of man with his neighbor!
22For when a few years are come,
I shall go the way whence I shall not return.

17
My spirit is consumed, my days are extinct,
The grave is ready for me.
2Surely there are mockers with me,
And mine eye dwelleth upon their provocation.

3Give now a pledge, be surety for me with thyself;
Who is there that will strike hands with me?
4For thou hast hid their heart from understanding:
Therefore shalt thou not exalt them.
5He that denounceth his friends for a prey,
Even the eyes of his children shall fail.

6But he hath made me a byword of the people;
And they spit in my face.
7Mine eye also is dim by reason of sorrow,
And all my members are as a shadow.
8Upright men shall be astonished at this,
And the innocent shall stir up himself against the godless.
9Yet shall the righteous hold on his way,
And he that hath clean hands shall wax stronger and stronger.
10But as for you all, come on now again;
And I shall not find a wise man among you.
11My days are past, my purposes are broken off,
Even the thoughts of my heart.
12They change the night into day:
The light, say they, is near unto the darkness.
13If I look for Sheol as my house;
If I have spread my couch in the darkness;
14If I have said to corruption, Thou art my father;
To the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister;
15Where then is my hope?
And as for my hope, who shall see it?
16It shall go down to the bars of Sheol,
When once there is rest in the dust.

18
Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,
2How long will ye hunt for words?
Consider, and afterwards we will speak.
3Wherefore are we counted as beasts,
And are become unclean in your sight?
4Thou that tearest thyself in thine anger,
Shall the earth be forsaken for thee?
Or shall the rock be removed out of its place?

5Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out,
And the spark of his fire shall not shine.
6The light shall be dark in his tent,
And his lamp above him shall be put out.
7The steps of his strength shall be straitened,
And his own counsel shall cast him down.
8For he is cast into a net by his own feet,
And he walketh upon the toils.
9A gin shall take him by the heel,
And a snare shall lay hold on him.
10A noose is hid for him in the ground,
And a trap for him in the way.
11Terrors shall make him afraid on every side,
And shall chase him at his heels.
12His strength shall be hunger-bitten,
And calamity shall be ready at his side.
13The members of his body shall be devoured,
Yea, the first-born of death shall devour his members.
14He shall be rooted out of his tent where he trusteth;
And he shall be brought to the king of terrors.
15There shall dwell in his tent that which is none of his:
Brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation.
16His roots shall be dried up beneath,
And above shall his branch be cut off.
17His remembrance shall perish from the earth,
And he shall have no name in the street.
18He shall be driven from light into darkness,
And chased out of the world.
19He shall have neither son nor son's son among his people,
Nor any remaining where he sojourned.
20They that come after shall be astonished at his day,
As they that went before were affrighted.
21Surely such are the dwellings of the unrighteous,
And this is the place of him that knoweth not God.

19
Then Job answered and said,
2How long will ye vex my soul,
And break me in pieces with words?
3These ten times have ye reproached me:
Ye are not ashamed that ye deal hardly with me.
4And be it indeed that I have erred,
Mine error remaineth with myself.
5If indeed ye will magnify yourselves against me,
And plead against me my reproach;
6Know now that God hath subverted me in my cause,
And hath compassed me with his net.

7Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard:
I cry for help, but there is no justice.
8He hath walled up my way that I cannot pass,
And hath set darkness in my paths.
9He hath stripped me of my glory,
And taken the crown from my head.
10He hath broken me down on every side, and I am gone;
And my hope hath he plucked up like a tree.
11He hath also kindled his wrath against me,
And he counteth me unto him as one of his adversaries.
12His troops come on together,
And cast up their way against me,
And encamp round about my tent.
13He hath put my brethren far from me,
And mine acquaintance are wholly estranged from me.
14My kinsfolk have failed,
And my familiar friends have forgotten me.
15They that dwell in my house, and my maids, count me for a stranger;
I am an alien in their sight.
16I call unto my servant, and he giveth me no answer,
Though I entreat him with my mouth.
17My breath is strange to my wife,
And my supplication to the children of mine own mother.
18Even young children despise me;
If I arise, they speak against me.
19All my familiar friends abhor me,
And they whom I loved are turned against me.
20My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh,
And I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.
21Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends;
For the hand of God hath touched me.
22Why do ye persecute me as God,
And are not satisfied with my flesh?

23Oh that my words were now written!
Oh that they were inscribed in a book!
24That with an iron pen and lead
They were graven in the rock for ever!
25But as for me I know that my Redeemer liveth,
And at last he will stand up upon the earth:
26And after my skin, even this body, is destroyed,
Then without my flesh shall I see God;
27Whom I, even I, shall see, on my side,
And mine eyes shall behold, and not as a stranger.
My heart is consumed within me.
28If ye say, How we will persecute him!
And that the root of the matter is found in me;
29Be ye afraid of the sword:
For wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword,
That ye may know there is a judgment.

20
Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,
2Therefore do my thoughts give answer to me,
Even by reason of my haste that is in me.
3I have heard the reproof which putteth me to shame;
And the spirit of my understanding answereth me.
4Knowest thou not this of old time,
Since man was placed upon earth,
5That the triumphing of the wicked is short,
And the joy of the godless but for a moment?
6Though his height mount up to the heavens,
And his head reach unto the clouds;
7Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung:
They that have seen him shall say, Where is he?
8He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found:
Yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night.
9The eye which saw him shall see him no more;
Neither shall his place any more behold him.
10His children shall seek the favor of the poor,
And his hands shall give back his wealth.
11His bones are full of his youth,
But it shall lie down with him in the dust.

12Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth,
Though he hide it under his tongue,
13Though he spare it, and will not let it go,
But keep it still within his mouth;
14Yet his food in his bowels is turned,
It is the gall of asps within him.
15He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again;
God will cast them out of his belly.
16He shall suck the poison of asps:
The viper's tongue shall slay him.
17He shall not look upon the rivers,
The flowing streams of honey and butter.
18That which he labored for shall he restore, and shall not swallow it down;
According to the substance that he hath gotten, he shall not rejoice.
19For he hath oppressed and forsaken the poor;
He hath violently taken away a house, and he shall not build it up.

20Because he knew no quietness within him,
He shall not save aught of that wherein he delighteth.
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.
23When he is about to fill his belly, God will cast the fierceness of his wrath upon him,
And will rain it upon him while he is eating.
24He shall flee from the iron weapon,
And the bow of brass shall strike him through.
25He draweth it forth, and it cometh out of his body;
Yea, the glittering point cometh out of his gall:
Terrors are upon him.
26All darkness is laid up for his treasures:
A fire not blown by man shall devour him;
It shall consume that which 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.
29This is the portion of a wicked man from God,
And the heritage appointed unto him by God.

21
Then Job answered and said,
2Hear diligently my speech;
And let this be your consolations.
3Suffer me, and I also will speak;
And after that I have spoken, mock on.
4As for me, is my complaint to man?
And why should I not be impatient?
5Mark me, and be astonished, 
And lay your hand upon your mouth.
6Even when I remember I am troubled,
And horror taketh hold on my flesh.
7Wherefore do the wicked live,
Become old, yea, wax mighty in power?
8Their seed is established with them in their sight,
And their offspring before their eyes.
9Their houses are safe from fear,
Neither is the rod of God upon them.
10Their bull gendereth, and faileth not;
Their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf.
11They send forth their little ones like a flock,
And their children dance.
12They sing to the timbrel and harp,
And rejoice at the sound of the pipe.
13They spend their days in prosperity,
And in a moment they go down to Sheol.
14And they say unto God, Depart from us;
For we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.
15What is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
And what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?
16Lo, their prosperity is not in their hand:
The counsel of the wicked is far from me.

17How oft is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out?
That their calamity cometh upon them?
That God distributeth sorrows in his anger?
18That they are as stubble before the wind,
And as chaff that the storm carrieth away?
19Ye say, 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 careth he for his house after him,
When the number of his months is cut off?
22Shall any teach God knowledge,
Seeing he judgeth those that are high?
23One dieth in his full strength,
Being wholly at ease and quiet:
24His pails are full of milk,
And the marrow of his bones is moistened.
25And another dieth in bitterness of soul,
And never tasteth of good.
26They lie down alike in the dust,
And the worm covereth them.

27Behold, I know your thoughts,
And the devices wherewith ye would wrong me.
28For ye say, Where is the house of the prince?
And where is the tent wherein the wicked dwelt?
29Have ye not asked wayfaring men?
And do ye not know their evidences,
30That the evil man is reserved to the day of calamity?
That they are led forth to the day of wrath?
31Who shall declare his way to his face?
And who shall repay him what he hath done?
32Yet shall he be borne to the grave,
And men shall keep watch over the tomb.
33The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him,
And all men shall draw after him,
As there were innumerable before him.
34How then comfort ye me in vain,
Seeing in your answers there remaineth only falsehood?

22
Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,
2Can a man be profitable unto God?
Surely he that is wise is profitable unto himself.
3Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous?
Or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?
4Is it for thy fear of him that he reproveth thee,
That he entereth with thee into judgment?
5Is not thy wickedness great?
Neither is there any end to thine iniquities.
6For thou hast taken pledges of thy brother for nought,
And stripped the naked of their clothing.
7Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink,
And thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.
8But as for the mighty man, he had the earth;
And the honorable man, he dwelt in it.
9Thou hast sent widows away empty,
And the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
10Therefore snares are round about thee,
And sudden fear troubleth thee,
11Or darkness, so that thou canst not see,
And abundance of waters cover thee.

12Is not God in the height of heaven?
And behold the height of the stars, how high they are!
13And thou sayest, What doth God know?
Can he judge through the thick darkness?
14Thick clouds are a covering to him, so that he seeth not;
And he walketh on the vault of heaven.
15Wilt thou keep the old way
Which wicked men have trodden?
16Who were snatched away before their time,
Whose foundation was poured out as a stream,
17Who said unto God, Depart from us;
And, What can the Almighty do for us?
18Yet he filled their houses with good things:
But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19The righteous see it, and are glad;
And the innocent laugh them to scorn,
20Saying, Surely they that did rise up against us are cut off,
And the remnant of them the fire hath consumed.

21Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace:
Thereby good shall come unto thee.
22Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth,
And lay up his words in thy heart.
23If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up,
If thou put away unrighteousness far from thy tents.
24And lay thou thy treasure in the dust,
And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks;
25And the Almighty will be thy treasure,
And precious silver unto thee.
26For then shalt thou delight thyself in the Almighty,
And shalt lift up thy face unto God.
27Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he will hear thee;
And thou shalt pay thy vows.
28Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee;
And light shall shine upon thy ways.
29When they cast thee down, thou shalt say, There is lifting up;
And the humble person he will save.
30He will deliver even him that is not innocent:
Yea, he shall be delivered through the cleanness of thy hands.

23
Then Job answered and said,
2Even to-day is my complaint rebellious:
My stroke is heavier than my groaning.
3Oh that I knew where I might find him!
That I might come even to his seat!
4I would set my cause in order before him,
And fill my mouth with arguments.
5I would know the words which he would answer me,
And understand what he would say unto me.
6Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power?
Nay; but he would give heed unto me.
7There the upright might reason with him;
So should I be delivered for ever from my judge.
8Behold, I go forward, but he is not there;
And backward, but I cannot perceive him;
9On the left hand, when he doth work, but I cannot behold him;
He hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him.

10But he knoweth the way that I take;
When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
11My foot hath held fast to his steps;
His way have I kept, and turned not aside.
12I have not gone back from the commandment of his lips;
I have treasured up the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.
13But he is in one mind, and who can turn him?
And what his soul desireth, even that he doeth.
14For he performeth that which is appointed for me:
And many such things are with him.
15Therefore am I terrified at his presence;
When I consider, I am afraid of him.
16For God hath made my heart faint,
And the Almighty hath terrified me;
17Because I was not cut off before the darkness,
Neither did he cover the thick darkness from my face.

24
Why are times not laid up by the Almighty?
And why do not they that know him see his days?
2There are that remove the landmarks;
They violently take away flocks, and feed them.
3They drive away the ass of the fatherless;
They take the widow's ox for a pledge.
4They turn the needy out of the way:
The poor of the earth all hide themselves.
5Behold, as wild asses in the desert
They go forth to their work, seeking diligently for food;
The wilderness yieldeth them bread for their children.
6They cut their provender in the field;
And they glean the vintage 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 walls 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: 
Yet God regardeth not the folly.

13These are of them that rebel against the light;
They know not the ways thereof,
Nor abide in the paths thereof.
14The murderer riseth with the light;
He killeth the poor and needy;
And in the night he is as a thief.
15The eye also of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight,
Saying, No eye shall see me:
And he disguiseth his face.
16In the dark they dig through houses:
They shut themselves up in the day-time;
They know not the light.
17For the morning is to all of them as thick darkness;
For they know the terrors of the thick darkness.

18Swiftly they pass away upon the face of the waters;
Their portion is cursed in the earth:
They turn not into the way of the vineyards.
19Drought and heat consume the snow waters:
So doth Sheol those that have sinned.
20The womb shall forget him;
The worm shall feed sweetly on him;
He shall be no more remembered;
And unrighteousness shall be broken as a tree.
21He devoureth the barren that beareth not,
And doeth not good to the widow.
22Yet God preserveth the mighty by his power:
He riseth up that hath no assurance of life.
23God giveth them to be in security, and they rest thereon;
And his eyes are upon their ways.
24They are exalted; yet a little while, and they are gone;
Yea, they are brought low, they are taken out of the way as all others,
And are cut off as the tops of the ears of grain.
25And if it be not so now, who will prove me a liar,
And make my speech nothing worth?

25
Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,
2Dominion and fear are with him;
He maketh peace in his high places.
3Is there any number of his armies?
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 worm!

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!
4To whom hast thou uttered words?
And whose spirit came forth from thee?

5They that are deceased tremble
Beneath the waters and the inhabitants thereof.
6Sheol is naked before God,
And Abaddon hath no covering.
7He stretcheth out the north over empty space,
And hangeth the earth upon nothing.
8He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds;
And the cloud is not rent under them.
9He incloseth the face of his throne,
And spreadeth his cloud upon it.
10He hath described a boundary upon the face of the waters,
Unto the confines of light and darkness.
11The pillars of heaven tremble
And are astonished at his rebuke.
12He stirreth up the sea with his power,
And by his understanding he smiteth through Rahab.
13By his Spirit the heavens are garnished;
His hand hath pierced the swift serpent.
14Lo, these are but the outskirts of his ways:
And how small a whisper do we hear of him!
But the thunder of his power who can understand?

27
And Job again took up his parable, and said,
2As God liveth, who hath taken away my right,
And the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul:
3(For my life is yet whole in me,
And the spirit of God is in my nostrils);
4Surely my lips shall not speak unrighteousness,
Neither shall my tongue utter deceit.
5Far be it from me that I should justify you:
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 delight himself in the Almighty,
And call upon God at all times?
11I will teach you concerning the hand of God;
That which is with the Almighty will I not conceal.
12Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it;
Why then are ye become altogether vain?

13This is the portion of a wicked man with God,
And the heritage of oppressors, which they receive from the Almighty:
14If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword;
And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.
15Those that remain of him shall be buried in death,
And his widows shall make no lamentation.
16Though he heap up silver as the dust,
And prepare raiment as the clay;
17He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on,
And the innocent shall divide the silver.
18He buildeth his house as the moth,
And as a booth which the keeper maketh.
19He lieth down rich, but he shall not be gathered to his fathers;
He openeth his eyes, and he is not.
20Terrors overtake him like waters;
A tempest stealeth him away in the night.
21The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth;
And it sweepeth him out of his place.
22For God shall hurl at him, and not spare:
He would fain flee out of his hand.
23Men shall clap their hands at him,
And shall hiss him out of his place.

28
Surely there is a mine for silver, 
And a place for gold which they refine.
2Iron is taken out of the earth,
And copper is molten out of the stone.
3Man setteth an end to darkness,
And searcheth out, to the furthest bound,
The stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.
4He breaketh open a shaft away from where men sojourn;
They are forgotten of the foot;
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 fierce 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;
And his eye seeth every precious thing.
11He bindeth the streams that they trickle not; 
And the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light.

12But where shall wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
13Man knoweth not the price thereof;
Neither is it found in the land of the living.
14The deep saith, It is not in me;
And the sea saith, It is not with me.
15It cannot be gotten for gold,
Neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.
16It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir,
With the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
17Gold and glass cannot equal it,
Neither shall it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
18No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal:
Yea, the price of wisdom is above rubies.
19The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it,
Neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
20Whence then cometh wisdom?
And where is the place of understanding?
21Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living,
And kept close from the birds of the heavens.
22Destruction and Death say,
We have heard a rumor thereof with our ears.

23God understandeth the way thereof,
And he knoweth the place thereof.
24For he looketh to the ends of the earth,
And seeth under the whole heaven;
25To make a weight for the wind:
Yea, he meteth out the waters by measure.
26When he made a decree for the rain,
And a way for the lightning of the thunder;
27Then did he see it, and declare it;
He established it, yea, and searched it out.
28And unto man he said,
Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;
And to depart from evil is understanding.

29
And Job again took up his parable, and said,
2Oh that I were as in the months of old,
As in the days when God watched over me;
3When his lamp shined upon my head,
And by his light I walked through darkness;
4As I was in the ripeness of my days,
When the friendship of God was upon my tent;
5When the Almighty was yet with me,
And my children were about me;
6When my steps were washed with butter,
And the rock poured me out streams of oil!
7When I went forth to the gate unto the city,
When I prepared my seat in the street,
8The young men saw me and hid themselves,
And the aged rose up and stood;
9The princes refrained from talking,
And laid their hand on their mouth;
10The voice of the nobles was hushed,
And their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.
11For when the ear heard me, then it blessed me;
And when the eye saw me, it gave witness unto me:
12Because I delivered the poor that cried,
The fatherless also, that had none to help him.
13The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me;
And I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.
14I put on righteousness, and it clothed me:
My justice was as a robe and a diadem.
15I was eyes to the blind,
And feet was I to the lame.
16I was a father to the needy:
And the cause of him that I knew not I searched out.
17And I brake the jaws of the unrighteous,
And plucked the prey out of his teeth.
18Then I said, I shall die in my nest,
And I shall multiply my days as the sand:
19My root is spread out to the waters,
And the dew lieth all night upon my branch;
20My glory is fresh in me,
And my bow is renewed in my hand.
21Unto me men gave ear, and waited,
And kept silence for my counsel.
22After my words they spake not again;
And my speech distilled upon them.
23And they waited for me as for the rain;
And they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.
24I smiled on them, when they had no confidence;
And the light of my countenance they cast not down.
25I chose out their way, and sat as chief,
And dwelt as a king in the army,
As one that comforteth the mourners.

30
But now they that are younger than I have me in derision,
Whose fathers I disdained to set with the dogs of my flock.
2Yea, the strength of their hands, whereto should it profit me?
Men in whom ripe age is perished.
3They are gaunt with want and famine;
They gnaw the dry ground, in the gloom of wasteness and desolation.
4They pluck salt-wort by the bushes; 
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;
6So that they dwell in frightful valleys,
In holes of the earth and of the rocks.
7Among the bushes they bray;
Under the nettles they are gathered together.
8They are children of fools, yea, children of base men;
They were scourged out of the land.
9And now I am become their song,
Yea, I am a byword unto them.
10They abhor me, they stand aloof from me,
And spare not to spit in my face.
11For he hath loosed his cord, and afflicted me;
And they have cast off the bridle before me.
12Upon my right hand rise the rabble;
They thrust aside my feet,
And they cast up against me their ways of destruction.
13They mar my path,
They set forward my calamity,
Even men that have no helper.
14As through a wide breach they come:
In the midst of the ruin they roll themselves upon me.
15Terrors are turned upon me;
They chase mine honor as the wind;
And my welfare is passed away as a cloud.

16And now my soul is poured out within me;
Days of affliction have taken hold upon me.
17In the night season my bones are pierced in me,
And the pains that gnaw me take no rest.
18By God's great force is my garment disfigured;
It bindeth me about as the collar of my coat.
19He hath cast me into the mire,
And I am become like dust and ashes.
20I cry unto thee, and thou dost not answer me:
I stand up, and thou gazest at me.
21Thou art turned to be cruel to me;
With the might of thy hand thou persecutest me.
22Thou liftest me up to the wind, thou causest me to ride upon it; 
And thou dissolvest me in the storm.
23For I know that thou wilt bring me to death,
And to the house appointed for all living.
24Howbeit doth not one stretch out the hand in his fall?
Or in his calamity therefore cry for help?
25Did not I weep for him that was in trouble?
Was not my soul grieved for the needy?
26When I looked for good, then evil came;
And when I waited for light, there came darkness.
27My heart is troubled, and resteth not; 
Days of affliction are come upon me.
28I go mourning without the sun:
I stand up in the assembly, and cry for help.
29I am a brother to jackals,
And a companion to ostriches.
30My skin is black, and falleth from me,
And my bones are burned with heat.
31Therefore is my harp turned to mourning,
And my pipe into the voice of them that weep.

31
I made a covenant with mine eyes;
How then should I look upon a virgin?
2For what is the portion from God above,
And the heritage from the Almighty on high?
3Is it not calamity to the unrighteous,
And disaster to the workers of iniquity?
4Doth not he see my ways,
And number all my steps?

5If I have walked with falsehood,
And my foot hath hasted to deceit
6(Let me be weighed in an even balance,
That God may know mine integrity);
7If my step hath turned out of the way,
And my heart walked after mine eyes,
And if any spot hath cleaved to my hands:
8Then let me sow, and let another eat;
Yea, let the produce of my field be rooted out.

9If my heart hath been enticed unto a woman,
And I have laid wait at my neighbor's door;
10Then let my wife grind unto another,
And let others bow down upon her.
11For that were a heinous crime;
Yea, it were an iniquity to be punished by the judges:
12For it is a fire that consumeth unto Destruction,
And would root out all mine increase.
13If I have despised the cause of my man-servant or of my maid-servant,
When they contended with me;
14What then shall I do when God riseth up?
And when he visiteth, what shall I answer him?
15Did not he that made me in the womb make him?
And did not one fashion us in the womb?
16If I have withheld the poor from their desire,
Or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
17Or have eaten my morsel alone,
And the fatherless hath not eaten thereof
18(Nay, from my youth he grew up with me as with a father, 
And her have I guided from my mother's womb);
19If I have seen any perish for want of clothing,
Or that the needy had no covering;
20If his loins have not blessed me,
And if he hath not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep;
21If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless,
Because I saw my help in the gate:
22Then let my shoulder fall from the shoulder-blade,
And mine arm be broken from the bone.
23For calamity from God is a terror to me,
And by reason of his majesty I can do nothing.

24If I have made gold my hope,
And have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence;
25If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great,
And because my hand had gotten much;
26If I have beheld the sun when it shined,
Or the moon walking in brightness,
27And my heart hath been secretly enticed,
And my mouth hath kissed my hand:
28This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judges;
For I should have denied the God that is above.
29If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me,
Or lifted up myself when evil found him;
30(Yea, I have not suffered by mouth to sin
By asking his life with a curse);
31If the men of my tent have not said,
Who can find one that hath not been filled with his meat?
32(The sojourner hath not lodged in the street;
But I have opened my doors to the traveller);
33If like Adam I have covered my transgressions,
By hiding mine iniquity in my bosom,
34Because I feared the great multitude,
And the contempt of families terrified me,
So that I kept silence, and went not out of the door-
35Oh that I had one to hear me!
(Lo, here is my signature, let the Almighty answer me);
And that I had the indictment which mine adversary hath written!
36Surely I would carry it upon my shoulder;
I would bind it unto me as a crown:
37I would declare unto him the number of my steps;
As a prince would I go near unto him.
38If my land crieth out against me,
And the furrows thereof weep together;
39If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money,
Or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life:
40Let thistles grow instead of wheat,
And cockle instead of barley.

The words of Job are ended.

32
So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram: against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God. 3Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job. 4Now Elihu had waited to speak unto Job, because they were elder than he. 5And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, his wrath was kindled.
6And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said,
I am young, and ye are very old;
Wherefore I held back, and durst not show you mine opinion.
7I said, Days should speak,
And multitude of years should teach wisdom.
8But there is a spirit in man,
And the breath of the Almighty giveth them understanding.
9It is not the great that are wise,
Nor the aged that understand justice.
10Therefore I said, Hearken to me;
I also will show mine opinion.

11Behold, I waited for your words,
I listened for your reasonings,
Whilst ye searched out what to say.
12Yea, I attended unto you,
And, behold, there was none that convinced Job,
Or that answered his words, among you.
13Beware lest ye say, We have found wisdom;
God may vanquish him, not man:
14For he hath not directed his words against me;
Neither will I answer him with your speeches.

15They are amazed, they answer no more:
They have not a word to say.
16And shall I wait, because they speak not,
Because they stand still, and answer no more?
17I also will answer my part,
I also will show mine opinion.
18For I am full of words;
The spirit within me constraineth me.
19Behold, my breast is as wine which hath no vent;
Like new wine-skins it is ready to burst.
20I will speak, that I may be refreshed;
I will open my lips and answer.
21Let me not, I pray you, respect any man's person;
Neither will I give flattering titles unto any man.
22For I know not to give flattering titles;
Else would my Maker soon take me away.

33
Howbeit, Job, I pray thee, hear my speech,
And hearken to all my words.
2Behold now, I have opened my mouth;
My tongue hath spoken in my mouth.
3My words shall utter the uprightness of my heart;
And that which my lips know they shall speak sincerely.
4The Spirit of God hath made me,
And the breath of the Almighty giveth 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, saying,
9I am clean, without transgression;
I am innocent, neither is there iniquity in me:
10Behold, he findeth occasions against me,
He counteth me for his enemy:
11He putteth my feet in the stocks,
He marketh all my paths.
12Behold, I will answer thee, in this thou art not just;
For God is greater than man.

13Why dost thou strive against him,
For that he giveth not account of any of his matters?
14For God speaketh once,
Yea twice, though man regardeth 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 sealeth their instruction,
17That he may withdraw man from his purpose,
And hide pride from man;
18He keepeth back his soul from the pit,
And his life from perishing by the sword.
19He is chastened also with pain upon his bed,
And with continual strife in his bones;
20So that his life abhorreth bread,
And his soul dainty food.
21His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen;
And his bones that were not seen stick out.
22Yea, his soul draweth near unto the pit,
And his life to the destroyers.

23If there be with him an angel,
An interpreter, one among a thousand,
To show unto man what is right for him;
24Then God is gracious unto him, and saith,
Deliver him from going down to the pit,
I have found a ransom.
25His flesh shall be fresher than a child's;
He returneth to the days of his youth.
26He prayeth unto God, and he is favorable unto him,
So that he seeth his face with joy:
And he restoreth unto man his righteousness.
27He singeth before men, and saith,
I have sinned, and perverted that which was right,
And it profited me not:
28He hath redeemed my soul from going into the pit,
And my life shall behold the light.

29Lo, all these things doth God work,
Twice, yea thrice, with a man,
30To bring back his soul from the pit,
That he may be enlightened with the light of the living.
31Mark well, O Job, hearken unto me:
Hold thy peace, and I will speak.
32If thou hast anything to say, answer me:
Speak, for I desire to justify thee.
33If not, hearken thou unto me:
Hold thy peace, and I will teach thee wisdom.

34
Moreover Elihu answered and said,
2Hear my words, ye wise men;
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 scoffing like water,
8Who goeth in company with the workers of iniquity,
And walketh with wicked men?
9For he hath said, It profiteth a man nothing
That he should delight himself with God.
10Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding:
Far be it from God, that he should do wickedness,
And from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.
11For the work of a man will he render unto him,
And cause every man to find according to his ways.
12Yea, of a surety, God will not do wickedly,
Neither will the Almighty pervert justice.
13Who gave him a charge over the earth?
Or who hath disposed the whole world?
14If he set his heart upon himself,
If he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath;
15All flesh shall perish together,
And man shall turn again unto dust.

16If now thou hast understanding, hear this:
Hearken to the voice of my words.
17Shall even one that hateth justice govern?
And wilt thou condemn him that is righteous and mighty?-
18Him that saith to a king, Thou art vile,
Or to nobles, Ye are wicked;
19That respecteth not the persons of princes,
Nor regardeth the rich more than the poor;
For they all are the work of his hands.
20In a moment they die, even at midnight;
The people are shaken and pass away,
And the mighty are taken away without hand.

21For his eyes are upon the ways of a man,
And he seeth all his goings.
22There is no darkness, nor thick gloom,
Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
23For he needeth not further to consider a man,
That he should go before God in judgment.
24He breaketh in pieces mighty men in ways past finding out,
And setteth others in their stead.
25Therefore he taketh knowledge of their works;
And he overturneth them in the night, so that they are destroyed.
26He striketh them as wicked men
In the open sight of others;
27Because they turned aside from following him,
And would not have regard in any of his ways:
28So that they caused the cry of the poor to come unto him,
And he heard the cry of the afflicted.
29When he giveth quietness, who then can condemn?
And when he hideth his face, who then can behold him?
Alike whether it be done unto a nation, or unto a man:
30That the godless man reign not,
That there be none to ensnare the people.

31For hath any said unto God,
I have borne chastisement, I will not offend any more:
32That which I see not teach thou me:
If I have done iniquity, I will do it no more?
33Shall his recompense be as thou wilt, that thou refusest it?
For thou must choose, and not I:
Therefore speak what thou knowest.
34Men of understanding will say unto me,
Yea, every wise man that heareth me:
35Job speaketh without knowledge,
And his words are without wisdom.
36Would that Job were tried unto the end,
Because of his answering like wicked men.
37For he addeth rebellion unto his sin;
He clappeth his hands among us,
And multiplieth his words against God.

35
Moreover Elihu answered and said,
2Thinkest thou this to be thy right,
Or sayest thou, My righteousness is more than God's,
3That thou sayest, What advantage will it be unto thee?
And, What profit shall I have, more than if I had sinned?
4I will answer thee,
And thy companions with thee.
5Look unto the heavens, and see;
And behold the skies, which are higher than thou.
6If thou hast sinned, what effectest thou against him?
And if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him?
7If thou be righteous, what givest thou him?
Or what receiveth he of thy hand?
8Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art;
And thy righteousness may profit a son of man.

9By reason of the multitude of oppressions they cry out;
They cry for help by reason of the arm of the mighty.
10But none saith, Where is God my Maker,
Who giveth songs in the night,
11Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth,
And maketh us wiser than the birds of the heavens?
12There they cry, but none giveth answer,
Because of the pride of evil men.
13Surely God will not hear an empty cry,
Neither will the Almighty regard it.
14How much less when thou sayest thou beholdest him not,
The cause is before him, and thou waitest for him!
15But now, because he hath not visited in his anger,
Neither doth he greatly regard arrogance;
16Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vanity;
He multiplieth words without knowledge.

36
Elihu also proceeded, and said,
2Suffer me a little, and I will show thee;
For I have yet somewhat to say 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 perfect in knowledge is with thee.
5Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any:
He is mighty in strength of understanding.
6He preserveth not the life of the wicked,
But giveth to the afflicted 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 taken in the cords of afflictions;
9Then he showeth them their work,
And their transgressions, that they have behaved themselves proudly.
10He openeth also their ear to instruction,
And commandeth that they return from iniquity.
11If they hearken and serve him,
They shall spend their days in prosperity,
And their years in pleasures.
12But if they hearken not, they shall perish by the sword,
And they shall die without knowledge.
13But they that are godless in heart lay up anger:
They cry not for help when he bindeth them.
14They die in youth,
And their life perisheth among the unclean.
15He delivereth the afflicted by their affliction,
And openeth their ear in oppression.
16Yea, he would have allured thee out of distress
Into a broad place, where there is no straitness;
And that which is set on thy table would be full of fatness.

17But thou art full of the judgment of the wicked:
Judgment and justice take hold on thee.
18For let not wrath stir thee up against chastisements;
Neither let the greatness of the ransom turn thee aside.
19Will thy cry avail, that thou be not in distress,
Or all the forces of thy strength?
20Desire not the night,
When peoples are cut off in their place.
21Take heed, regard not iniquity:
For this hast thou chosen rather than affliction.
22Behold, God doeth loftily in his power:
Who is a teacher like unto him?
23Who hath enjoined him his way?
Or who can say, Thou hast wrought unrighteousness?

24Remember that thou magnify his work,
Whereof men have sung.
25All men have looked thereon;
Man beholdeth it afar off.
26Behold, God is great, and we know him not;
The number of his years is unsearchable.
27For he draweth up the drops of water,
Which distil in rain from his vapor,
28Which the skies pour down
And drop upon man abundantly.
29Yea, can any understand the spreadings of the clouds,
The thunderings of his pavilion?
30Behold, he spreadeth his light around him;
And he covereth the bottom of the sea.
31For by these he judgeth the peoples;
He giveth food in abundance.
32He covereth his hands with the lightning,
And giveth it a charge that it strike the mark.
33The noise thereof telleth concerning him,
The cattle also concerning the storm that cometh up.

37
Yea, at this my heart trembleth,
And is moved out of its place.
2Hear, oh, hear the noise of his voice,
And the sound that goeth out of his mouth.
3He sendeth it forth under the whole heaven,
And his lightening unto the ends of the earth.
4After it a voice roareth;
He thundereth with the voice of his majesty;
And he restraineth not the lightnings when his voice is heard.
5God thundereth marvellously with his voice;
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.
8Then the beasts go into coverts,
And remain in their dens.
9Out of the chamber of the south cometh the storm,
And cold out of the north.
10By the breath of God ice is given;
And the breadth of the waters is straitened.
11Yea, he ladeth the thick cloud with moisture;
He spreadeth abroad the cloud of his lightning:
12And it is turned round about by his guidance,
That they may do whatsoever he commandeth them
Upon the face of the habitable world,
13Whether it be for correction, or for his land,
Or for lovingkindness, that he cause it to come.

14Hearken unto this, O Job:
Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.
15Dost thou know how God layeth his charge upon them,
And causeth the lightning of his cloud to shine?
16Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds,
The wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge?
17How thy garments are warm,
When the earth is still by reason of the south wind?
18Canst thou with him spread out the sky,
Which is strong as a molten mirror?
19Teach us what we shall say unto him;
For we cannot set our speech in order by reason of darkness.
20Shall it be told him that I would speak?
Or should a man wish that he were swallowed up?
21And now men see not the light which is bright in the skies;
But the wind passeth, and cleareth them.
22Out of the north cometh golden splendor:
God hath upon him terrible majesty.
23Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out
 He is excellent in power;
And in justice and plenteous righteousness he will not afflict.
24Men do therefore fear him:
He regardeth not any that are wise of heart.

38
Then Jehovah answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
2Who is this that darkeneth counsel
By words without knowledge?
3Gird up now thy loins like a man;
For I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
4Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Declare, if thou hast understanding.
5Who determined the measures thereof, if thou knowest?
Or who stretched the line upon it?
6Whereupon were the foundations thereof fastened?
Or who laid the corner-stone thereof,
7When the morning stars sang together,
And all the sons of God shouted for joy?

8Or who shut up the sea with doors,
When it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb;
9When I made clouds the garment thereof,
And thick darkness a swaddling-band for it,
10And marked out for it my bound,
And set bars and doors,
11And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further;
And here shall thy proud waves be stayed?

12Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days began,
And caused the dayspring to know its place;
13That it might take hold of the ends of the earth,
And the wicked be shaken out of it?
14It is changed as clay under the seal;
And all things stand forth as a garment:
15And from the wicked their light is withholden,
And the high arm is broken.

16Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea?
Or hast thou walked in the recesses of the deep?
17Have the gates of death been revealed unto thee?
Or hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death?
18Hast thou comprehended the earth in its breadth?
Declare, if thou knowest it all.

19Where is the way to the dwelling of light?
And as for darkness, where is the place thereof,
20That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof,
And that thou shouldest discern the paths to the house thereof?
21Doubtless, thou knowest, for thou wast then born,
And the number of thy days is great!
22Hast thou entered the treasuries of the snow,
Or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,
23Which I have reserved against the time of trouble,
Against the day of battle and war?
24By what way is the light parted,
Or the east wind scattered upon the earth?
25Who hath cleft a channel for the waterflood,
Or the way for the lightning of the thunder;
26To cause it to rain on a land where no man is;
On the wilderness, wherein there is no man;
27To satisfy the waste and desolate ground,
And to cause the tender grass to spring forth?
28Hath the rain a father?
Or who hath begotten the drops of dew?
29Out of whose womb came the ice?
And the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it?
30The waters hide themselves and become like stone,
And the face of the deep is frozen.

31Canst thou bind the cluster of the Pleiades,
Or loose the bands of Orion?
32Canst thou lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season?
Or canst thou guide the Bear with her train?
33Knowest thou the ordinances of the heavens?
Canst thou establish the dominion thereof in the earth?

34Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds,
That abundance of waters may cover thee?
35Canst thou send forth lightnings, that they may go,
And say unto thee, Here we are?
36Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts?
Or who hath given understanding to the mind?
37Who can number the clouds by wisdom?
Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,
38When the dust runneth into a mass,
And the clods cleave fast together?

39Canst thou hunt the prey for the lioness,
Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
40When they couch in their dens,
And abide in the covert to lie in wait?
41Who provideth for the raven his prey,
When his young ones cry unto God,
And wander for lack of food?

39
Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth?
Or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve?
2Canst thou number the months that they fulfil?
Or knowest thou the time when they bring forth?
3They bow themselves, they bring forth their young,
They cast out their pains.
4Their young ones become strong, they grow up in the open field;
They go forth, and return not again.

5Who hath sent out the wild ass free?
Or who hath loosed the bonds of the swift ass,
6Whose home I have made the wilderness,
And the salt land his dwelling-place?
7He scorneth the tumult of the city,
Neither heareth he the shoutings of the driver.
8The range of the mountains is his pasture,
And he searcheth after every green thing.
9Will the wild-ox be content to serve thee?
Or will he abide by thy crib?
10Canst thou bind the wild-ox with his band in the furrow?
Or will he harrow the valleys after thee?
11Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great?
Or wilt thou leave to him thy labor?
12Wilt thou confide in him, that he will bring home thy seed,
And gather the grain of thy threshing-floor?

13The wings of the ostrich wave proudly;
But are they the pinions and plumage of love?
14For she leaveth her eggs on the earth,
And warmeth them in the dust,
15And forgetteth that the foot may crush them,
Or that the wild beast may trample them.
16She dealeth hardly with her young ones, as if they were not hers:
Though her labor be in vain, she is without fear;
17Because God hath deprived her of wisdom,
Neither hath he imparted to her understanding.
18What time she lifteth up herself on high,
She scorneth the horse and his rider.

19Hast thou given the horse his might?
Hast thou clothed his neck with the quivering mane?
20Hast thou made him to leap as a locust?
The glory of his snorting is terrible.
21He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength:
He goeth out to meet the armed men.
22He mocketh at fear, and is not dismayed;
Neither turneth he back from the sword.
23The quiver rattleth against him,
The flashing spear and the javelin.
24He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage;
Neither believeth he that it is the voice of the trumpet.
25As oft as the trumpet soundeth he saith, Aha!
And he smelleth the battle afar off,
The thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

26Is it by thy wisdom that the hawk soareth,
(And) stretcheth her wings toward the south?
27Is it at thy command that the eagle mounteth up,
And maketh her nest on high?
28On the cliff she dwelleth, and maketh her home,
Upon the point of the cliff, and the stronghold.
29From thence she spieth out the prey;
Her eyes behold it afar off.
30Her young ones also suck up blood:
And where the slain are, there is she.

40
Moreover Jehovah answered Job, and said,
2Shall he that cavilleth contend with the Almighty?
He that argueth with God, let him answer it.

3Then Job answered Jehovah, and said,
4Behold, I am of small account; What shall I answer thee?
I lay my hand upon my mouth.
5Once have I spoken, and I will not answer;
Yea, twice, but I will proceed no further.

6Then Jehovah answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
7Gird up thy loins now like a man:
I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
8Wilt thou even annul my judgment?
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 excellency and dignity;
And array thyself with honor and majesty.
11Pour forth the overflowings of thine anger;
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 where they stand.
13Hide them in the dust together;
Bind their faces in the hidden place.
14Then will I also confess of thee
That thine own right hand can save thee.

15Behold now, behemoth, which I made as well as thee;
He eateth grass as an ox.
16Lo now, his strength is in his loins,
And his force is in the muscles of his belly.
17He moveth his tail like a cedar:
The sinews of his thighs are knit together.
18His bones are as tubes of brass;
His limbs are like bars of iron.
19He is the chief of the ways of God:
He only that made him giveth him his sword.
20Surely the mountains bring him forth food,
Where all the beasts of the field do play.
21He lieth under the lotus-trees,
In the covert of the reed, and the fen.
22The lotus-trees cover him with their shade;
The willows of the brook compass him about.
23Behold, if a river overflow, he trembleth not;
He is confident, though a Jordan swell even to his mouth.
24Shall any take him when he is on the watch,
Or pierce through his nose with a snare?

41
Canst thou draw out leviathan with a fishhook?
Or press down his tongue with a cord?
2Canst thou put a rope into his nose?
Or pierce his jaw through with a hook?
3Will he make many supplications unto thee?
Or will he speak soft words unto thee?
4Will he make a covenant with thee,
That thou shouldest take him for a servant for ever?
5Wilt thou play with him as with a bird?
Or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens?
6Will the bands of fishermen make traffic of him?
Will they part him among the merchants?
7Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons,
Or his head with fish-spears?
8Lay thy hand upon him;
Remember the battle, and do so no more.
9Behold, the hope of him is in vain:
Will not one be cast down even at the sight of him?
10None is so fierce that he dare stir him up;
Who then is he that can stand before me?
11Who hath first given unto me, that I should repay him?
Whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine.

12I will not keep silence concerning his limbs,
Nor his mighty strength, nor his goodly frame.
13Who can strip off his outer garment?
Who shall come within his jaws?
14Who can open the doors of his face?
Round about his teeth is terror.
15His strong scales are his pride,
Shut up together as with a close seal.
16One is so near to another,
That no air can come between them.
17They are joined one to another;
They stick together, so that they cannot be sundered.
18His sneezings flash forth light,
And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
19Out of his mouth go burning torches,
And sparks of fire leap forth.
20Out of his nostrils a smoke goeth,
As of a boiling pot and burning rushes.
21His breath kindleth coals,
And a flame goeth forth from his mouth.
22In his neck abideth strength,
And terror danceth before him.
23The flakes of his flesh are joined together:
They are firm upon him; they cannot be moved.
24His heart is as firm as a stone;
Yea, firm as the nether millstone.
25When he raiseth himself up, the mighty are afraid:
By reason of consternation they are beside themselves.
26If one lay at him with the sword, it cannot avail;
Nor the spear, the dart, nor the pointed shaft.
27He counteth iron as straw,
And brass as rotten wood.
28The arrow cannot make him flee:
Sling-stones are turned with him into stubble.
29Clubs are counted as stubble:
He laugheth at the rushing of the javelin.
30His underparts are like sharp potsherds:
He spreadeth as it were a threshing-wain upon the mire.
31He maketh the deep to boil like a pot:
He maketh the sea like a pot of ointment.
32He maketh a path to shine after him;
One would think the deep to be hoary.
33Upon earth there is not his like,
That is made without fear.
34He beholdeth everything that is high:
He is king over all the sons of pride.

42
Then Job answered Jehovah, and said,
2I know that thou canst do all things,
And that no purpose of thine can be restrained.
3Who is this that hideth counsel without knowledge?
Therefore have I uttered that which I understood not,
Things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.
4Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak;
I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
5I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear;
But now mine eye seeth thee:
6Wherefore I abhor myself,
And repent in dust and ashes.

7And it was so, that, after Jehovah had spoken these words unto Job, Jehovah said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends; for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath. 8Now therefore, take unto you seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt-offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you; for him will I accept, that I deal not with you after your folly; for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath. 9So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according as Jehovah commanded them: and Jehovah accepted Job.
10And Jehovah turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: and Jehovah gave Job twice as much as he had before. 11Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him concerning all the evil that Jehovah had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one a ring of gold. 12So Jehovah blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: And he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she-asses. 13He had also seven sons and three daughters. 14And he called the name of the first, Jemimah: and the name of the second, Keziah; and the name of the third, Keren-happuch. 15And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren. 16And after this Job lived a hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations. 17So Job died, being old and full of days.