Job 34:16–30

¹⁶“If you have understanding, hear this;

listen to what I say.

¹⁷Shall one who hates justice govern?

Will you condemn one who is righteous and mighty,^*

¹⁸who says to a king, ‘You scoundrel!’

and to princes, ‘You wicked men!’;^*

¹⁹who shows no partiality to nobles,

nor regards the rich more than the poor,

for they are all the work of his hands?^*

²⁰In a moment they die;

at midnight the people are shaken and pass away,

and the mighty are taken away by no human hand.^*

²¹“For his eyes are upon the ways of mortals,

and he sees all their steps.^*

²²There is no gloom or deep darkness

where evildoers may hide themselves.^*

²³For he has not appointed a time^u for anyone

to go before God in judgment.

²⁴He shatters the mighty without investigation

and sets others in their place.^*

²⁵Thus, knowing their works,

he overturns them in the night, and they are crushed.^*

²⁶He strikes them for their wickedness

while others look on,^*

²⁷because they turned aside from following him

and had no regard for any of his ways,^*

²⁸so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him,

and he heard the cry of the afflicted—^*

²⁹When he is quiet, who can condemn?

When he hides his face, who can behold him?

Whether nation or person, it is the same—^*

³⁰so that the godless should not reign

or those who ensnare the people.^*