Job 9

¹And Job answereth and saith:— ²Truly I have known that it is so, And what—is man righteous with God? ³If he delight to strive with Him—He doth not answer him one of a thousand. ⁴Wise in heart and strong in power—Who hath hardened toward Him and is at peace? ⁵Who is removing mountains, And they have not known, Who hath overturned them in His anger. ⁶Who is shaking earth from its place, And its pillars move themselves. ⁷Who is speaking to the sun, and it riseth not, And the stars He sealeth up. ⁸Stretching out the heavens by Himself, And treading on the heights of the sea, ⁹Making Osh, Kesil, and Kimah, And the inner chambers of the south. ¹⁰Doing great things till there is no searching, And wonderful, till there is no numbering. ¹¹Lo, He goeth over by me, and I see not, And He passeth on, and I attend not to it. ¹²Lo, He snatches away, who bringeth it back? Who saith unto Him, ‘What dost Thou?’ ¹³God doth not turn back His anger, Under Him bowed have proud helpers.

¹⁴How much less do I—I answer Him? Choose out my words with Him? ¹⁵Whom, though I were righteous, I answer not, For my judgment I make supplication. ¹⁶Though I had called and He answereth me, I do not believe that He giveth ear to my voice. ¹⁷Because with a tempest He bruiseth me, And hath multiplied my wounds for nought. ¹⁸He permitteth me not to refresh my spirit, But filleth me with bitter things. ¹⁹If of power, lo, the Strong One; And if of judgment—who doth convene me? ²⁰If I be righteous, Mine mouth doth declare me wicked, Perfect I am!—it declareth me perverse. ²¹Perfect I am!—I know not my soul, I despise my life.

²²It is the same thing, therefore I said, ‘The perfect and the wicked He is consuming.’ ²³If a scourge doth put to death suddenly, At the trial of the innocent He laugheth. ²⁴Earth hath been given Into the hand of the wicked one. The face of its judges he covereth, If not—where, who is he?

²⁵My days have been swifter than a runner, They have fled, they have not seen good, ²⁶They have passed on with ships of reed, As an eagle darteth on food. ²⁷Though I say, ‘I forget my talking, I forsake my corner, and I brighten up!’ ²⁸I have been afraid of all my griefs, I have known that Thou dost not acquit me. ²⁹I—I am become wicked; why is this? In vain I labour. ³⁰If I have washed myself with snow-water, And purified with soap my hands, ³¹Then in corruption Thou dost dip me, And my garments have abominated me. ³²But if a man like myself—I answer him, We come together into judgment. ³³If there were between us an umpire, He doth place his hand on us both. ³⁴He doth turn aside from off me his rod, And His terror doth not make me afraid, ³⁵I speak, and do not fear Him, But I am not right with myself.

Chapter 10