Job 9

¹And Job, responding, said

²Truly, I know that it is so, and that man cannot be justified compared with God

³If he chooses to contend with him, he is not able to respond to him once out of a thousand times

⁴He is understanding in heart and mighty in strength; who has resisted him and yet had peace

⁵He has moved mountains, and those whom he overthrew in his fury did not know it

⁶He shakes the earth out of its place and its pillars tremble

⁷He commands the sun and it does not rise, and he closes the stars as if under a seal

⁸He alone extends the heavens, and he walks upon the waves of the sea

⁹He fashions Arcturus, and Orion, and Hyades, and the interior of the south

¹⁰He accomplishes great and incomprehensible and miraculous things, which cannot be numbered

¹¹If he approaches me, I will not see him; if he departs, I will not understand

¹²If he suddenly should question, who will answer him? Or who can say, “Why did you do so?

¹³God, whose wrath no one is able to resist, and under whom they bend who carry the world

¹⁴what am I then, that I should answer him and exchange words with him

¹⁵And if I now have any justice, I will not respond, but will beseech my judge

¹⁶And if he should listen to me when I call, I would not believe that he had heard my voice

¹⁷For he will crush me in a whirlwind and multiply my wounds, even without cause

¹⁸He does not permit my spirit to rest, and he fills me with bitterness

¹⁹If strength is sought, he is most strong; if equity in judgment, no one would dare to give testimony for me

²⁰If I wanted to justify myself, my own mouth will condemn me; if I would reveal my innocence, he would prove me depraved

²¹And if I now became simple, my soul would be ignorant even of this, and my life would weary me

²²There is one thing that I have said: both the innocent and the impious he consumes

²³If he scourges, let him kill all at once, and not laugh at the punishment of the innocent

²⁴Since the earth has been given into the hand of the impious, he covers the face of its judges; for if it is not him, then who is it

²⁵My days have been swifter than a messenger; they have fled and have not seen goodness

²⁶They have passed by like ships carrying fruits, just like an eagle flying to food

²⁷If I say: “By no means will I speak this way.” I change my face and I am tortured with sorrow

²⁸I have dreaded all my works, knowing that you did not spare the offender

²⁹Yet, if I am also just as impious, why have I labored in vain

³⁰If I had been washed with snow-like waters, and my hands were shining like the cleanest thing

³¹yet you would plunge me in filth, and my own garments would abhor me

³²For even I would not answer a man who were like myself, nor one who could be heard with me equally in judgment

³³There is no one who could both prevail in argument and in placing his hand between the two

³⁴Let him take his staff away from me, and let not the fear of him terrify me

³⁵I will speak and I will not fear him, for in fearfulness I am not able to respond