Job 9:1–22

Job Replies: There Is No Arbiter

9 Then Job answered and said:

2  “Truly I know that it is so:

But how can a man be zin the right before God?

3  If one wished to acontend with him,

one could not answer him once in a thousand times.

4  He is bwise in heart and mighty in strength—

who has chardened himself against him, and succeeded?—

5  he who removes mountains, and they know it not,

when he overturns them in his anger,

6  who dshakes the earth out of its place,

and eits pillars tremble;

7  who commands the sun, and it does not rise;

who seals up the stars;

8  who alone fstretched out the heavens

and trampled the waves of the sea;

9  who gmade hthe Bear and iOrion,

the Pleiades jand the chambers of the south;

10  who does kgreat things beyond searching out,

and marvelous things beyond number.

11  Behold, he passes by me, and I lsee him not;

he moves on, but I do not perceive him.

12  Behold, he snatches away; mwho can turn him back?

nWho will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’

13  “God will not turn back his anger;

beneath him bowed the helpers of oRahab.

14  pHow then can I qanswer him,

choosing my words with him?

15  rThough I am in the right, I cannot answer him;

I must sappeal for mercy to my accuser.1

16  If I summoned him and he answered me,

I would not believe that he was listening to my voice.

17  For he crushes me with a tempest

and multiplies my wounds twithout cause;

18  he will not let me get my breath,

but fills me with bitterness.

19  If it is a contest of ustrength, behold, he is mighty!

If it is a matter of justice, who can vsummon him?2

20  Though I am in the right, wmy own mouth would condemn me;

though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse.

21  I am xblameless; I regard not myself;

I yloathe my life.

22  It is all one; therefore I say,

‘He zdestroys both the blameless and the wicked.’