Chapter 9

Job Says There Is No Arbitrator between God and Man

1 Then Job 1answered,

2 “In truth I know that this is so;

But how can a aman be in the right 1before God?

3 “If one wished to adispute with Him,

He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.

4 “aWise in heart and bmighty in strength,

Who has 1cdefied Him 2without harm?

5 “aIt is God who removes the mountains, they know not how,

When He overturns them in His anger;

6 Who ashakes the earth out of its place,

And its bpillars tremble;

7 Who commands the asun 1not to shine,

And sets a seal upon the stars;

8 Who alone astretches out the heavens

And 1btramples down the waves of the sea;

9 Who makes the aBear, Orion and the Pleiades,

And the bchambers of the south;

10 Who adoes great things, 1unfathomable,

And wondrous works without number.

11 “Were He to pass by me, aI would not see Him;

Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him.

12 “Were He to snatch away, who could arestrain Him?

Who could say to Him, ‘bWhat are You doing?’

13 “God will not turn back His anger;

Beneath Him crouch the helpers of aRahab.

14 “How then can aI 1answer Him,

And choose my words 2before Him?

15 “For athough I were right, I could not 1answer;

I would have to bimplore the mercy of my judge.

16 “If I called and He answered me,

I could not believe that He was listening to my voice.

17 “For He abruises me with a tempest

And multiplies my wounds without cause.

18 “He will anot allow me to get my breath,

But saturates me with bbitterness.

19 “If it is a matter of power, abehold, He is the strong one!

And if it is a matter of justice, who can summon 1Him?

20 “aThough I am righteous, my mouth will bcondemn me;

Though I am guiltless, He will declare me guilty.

21 “I am aguiltless;

I do not take notice of myself;

I bdespise my life.

22 “It is all one; therefore I say,

‘He adestroys the guiltless and the wicked.’

23 “If the scourge kills suddenly,

He amocks the despair of the innocent.

24 “The earth ais given into the hand of the wicked;

He bcovers the faces of its judges.

If it is not He, then who is it?

25 “Now amy days are swifter than a runner;

They flee away, bthey see no good.

26 “They slip by like areed boats,

Like an beagle that swoops on 1its prey.

27 “Though I say, ‘I will forget amy complaint,

I will leave off my sad countenance and be cheerful,’

28 I am aafraid of all my pains,

I know that bYou will not acquit me.

29 “I am accounted awicked,

Why then should I toil in vain?

30 “If I should awash myself with snow

And cleanse bmy hands with lye,

31 Yet You would plunge me into the pit,

And my own clothes would abhor me.

32 “For aHe is not a man as I am that bI may answer Him,

That we may go to 1court together.

33 “There is no aumpire between us,

Who may lay his hand upon us both.

34 “Let Him aremove His rod from me,

And let not dread of Him terrify me.

35 “Then I awould speak and not fear Him;

But I am not like that in myself.