Job 13

¹³“Look, my eye has seen all this;

my ear has heard and understood it.

²What you know, I also know;

I am not inferior to you.

³But I would speak to the Almighty,^k

and I desire to argue my case with God.^*

⁴As for you, you whitewash with lies;

all of you are worthless physicians.^*

⁵If you would only keep silent,

that would be your wisdom!^*

⁶Hear now my reasoning,

and listen to the pleadings of my lips.

⁷Will you speak falsely for God

and speak deceitfully for him?

⁸Will you show partiality toward him;

will you plead the case for God?

⁹Will it be well with you when he searches you out?

Or can you deceive him as one person deceives another?^*

¹⁰He will surely rebuke you

if in secret you show partiality.

¹¹Will not his majesty terrify you

and the dread of him fall upon you?

¹²Your maxims are proverbs of ashes;

your defenses are defenses of clay.^*

¹³“Let me have silence, and I will speak,

and let come on me what may.

¹⁴I will take my flesh in my teeth

and put my life in my hand.^l*

¹⁵See, he will kill me; I have no hope;^m

but I will defend my ways to his face.^*

¹⁶This will be my salvation,

that the godless shall not come before him.^*

¹⁷Listen carefully to my words,

and let my declaration be in your ears.^*

¹⁸I have indeed prepared my case;

I know that I shall be vindicated.

¹⁹Who is there who will contend with me?

For then I would be silent and die.^*

Job’s Despondent Prayer

²⁰“Only grant two things to me;

then I will not hide myself from your face:

²¹withdraw your hand far from me,

and do not let dread of you terrify me.^*

²²Then call, and I will answer;

or let me speak, and you reply to me.^*

²³How many are my iniquities and my sins?

Make me know my transgression and my sin.^*

²⁴Why do you hide your face

and count me as your enemy?^*

²⁵Will you frighten a windblown leaf

and pursue dry chaff?^*

²⁶For you write bitter things against me

and make me reapⁿ the iniquities of my youth.^*

²⁷You put my feet in the stocks

and watch all my paths;

you set a bound to the soles of my feet.

²⁸One wastes away like a rotten thing,

like a garment that is moth-eaten.^*