2  “Hear my words, you wise men,

and give ear to me, you who know;

3  for ^gthe ear tests words

as the palate tastes food.

4  Let us choose ^hwhat is right;

let us know among ourselves what is good.

5  For Job has said, ‘I am ⁱin the right,

and ^jGod has taken away my right;

6  in spite of my right I am counted a liar;

my wound is incurable, though I am ^kwithout transgression.’

7  What man is like Job,

who ^ldrinks up scoffing like water,

8  who travels in company with evildoers

and walks ^mwith wicked men?

9  For ⁿhe has said, ‘It profits a man nothing

that he should take delight in God.’

10  “Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding:

far be it from God that he should ^odo wickedness,

and from the Almighty that he should do wrong.

11  For according to ^pthe work of a man he will repay him,

and ^qaccording to his ways he will make it befall him.

12  Of a truth, God will not do wickedly,

and ^rthe Almighty will not pervert justice.

13  Who gave him charge over the earth,

and who ^slaid on him¹ the whole world?

14  If he should ^tset his heart to it

and ^ugather to himself his ^vspirit and his breath,

15  all flesh would perish together,

and man would ^wreturn to dust.

16  “If you have understanding, hear this;

listen to what I say.

17  ^xShall one who hates justice govern?

Will you condemn him who is righteous and mighty,

18  who ^ysays to a king, ‘Worthless one,’

and to nobles, ‘Wicked man,’

19  who ^zshows no partiality to princes,

nor regards the rich ^amore than the poor,

for ^bthey are all the work of his hands?

20  In a moment ^cthey die;

at ^dmidnight the people are shaken and pass away,

and the mighty are taken away by ^eno human hand.

21  “For his eyes are on ^fthe ways of a man,

and he sees all his ^fsteps.

22  There is no ^ggloom or ^hdeep darkness

where evildoers may hide themselves.

23  For God² has no need to consider a man further,

that he should go before God in ⁱjudgment.

24  He ^jshatters the mighty without investigation

and sets ^lothers in their place.

25  Thus, knowing their works,

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

26  He strikes them for their wickedness

in a place for all to see,

27  because they turned aside from ⁿfollowing him

and had no regard for any of his ways,

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

and he ^pheard the cry of the afflicted—

29  When he is quiet, who can condemn?

When he hides his face, who can behold him,

whether it be a nation or a man?—

30  that a godless man should not reign,

that he should not ensnare the people.

31  “For has anyone said to God,

‘I have borne punishment; I will not offend any more;

32  ^rteach me what I do not see;

if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more’?

33  Will he then make repayment to suit you,

because you reject it?

For you must choose, and not I;

therefore ^sdeclare what you know.³

34  Men of understanding will say to me,

and the wise man who hears me will say:

35  ‘Job ^tspeaks without knowledge;

his words are without insight.’

36  Would that Job were tried to the end,

because he answers like wicked men.

37  For he adds rebellion to his sin;

he ^uclaps his hands among us

and multiplies his words against God.”

2  “Do you think this to be just?

Do you say, ^v‘It is my right before God,’

3  that you ask, ^w‘What advantage have I?

How am I better off than if I had sinned?’

4  I will answer you

and ^xyour friends with you.

5  ^yLook at the heavens, and see;

and behold the clouds, which are higher than you.

6  If you have sinned, ^zwhat do you accomplish against him?

And if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him?

7  ^aIf you are righteous, what do you give to him?

Or what does he receive from your hand?

8  Your wickedness concerns a man like yourself,

and your righteousness ^ba son of man.

9  “Because of the multitude of ^coppressions people ^dcry out;

they call for help because of the arm of ^ethe mighty.⁴

10  But none says, ‘Where is God my ^fMaker,

who gives ^gsongs in the night,

11  who teaches us ^hmore than the beasts of the earth

and makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?’

12  There they ⁱcry out, but he does not answer,

because of the pride of evil men.

13  Surely God does not hear an empty cry,

nor does the Almighty regard it.

14  How much less when you say that you ^jdo not see him,

that the case is before him, and you are ^kwaiting for him!

15  And now, because ^lhis anger does not punish,

and he does not take much note of transgression,⁵

16  Job opens his mouth in empty talk;

he ^mmultiplies words ⁿwithout knowledge.”