``Behold, my eye has seen all this, My ear has heard and understood it.
``What you know I also know; I am not inferior to you.
``But I would speak to the Almighty, And I desire to argue with God.
``But you smear with lies; You are all worthless physicians.
``O that you would be completely silent, And that it would become your wisdom!
``Please hear my argument And listen to the contentions of my lips.
``Will you speak what is unjust for God, And speak what is deceitful for Him?
``Will you show partiality for Him? Will you contend for God?
``Will it be well when He examines you? Or will you deceive Him as one deceives a man?
``He will surely reprove you If you secretly show partiality.
``Will not His majesty terrify you, And the dread of Him fall on you?
``Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes, Your defenses are defenses of clay.
``Be silent before me so that I may speak; Then let come on me what may.
``Why should I take my flesh in my teeth And put my life in my hands?
``Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. Nevertheless I will argue my ways before Him.
``This also will be my salvation, For a godless man may not come before His presence.
``Listen carefully to my speech, And let my declaration fill your ears.
``Behold now, I have prepared my case; I know that I will be vindicated.
``Who will contend with me? For then I would be silent and die.
``Only two things do not do to me, Then I will not hide from Your face:
Remove Your hand from me, And let not the dread of You terrify me.
``Then call, and I will answer; Or let me speak, then reply to me.
``How many are my iniquities and sins? Make known to me my rebellion and my sin.
``Why do You hide Your face And consider me Your enemy?
``Will You cause a driven leaf to tremble? Or will You pursue the dry chaff?
``For You write bitter things against me And make me to inherit the iniquities of my youth.
``You put my feet in the stocks And watch all my paths; You set a limit for the soles of my feet,
While I am decaying like a rotten thing, Like a garment that is moth-eaten.
``Man, who is born of woman, Is short-lived and full of turmoil.
``Like a flower he comes forth and withers. He also flees like a shadow and does not remain.
``You also open Your eyes on him And bring him into judgment with Yourself.
``Who can make the clean out of the unclean? No one!
``Since his days are determined, The number of his months is with You; And his limits You have set so that he cannot pass.
``Turn Your gaze from him that he may rest, Until he fulfills his day like a hired man.
``For there is hope for a tree, When it is cut down, that it will sprout again, And its shoots will not fail.
``Though its roots grow old in the ground And its stump dies in the dry soil,
At the scent of water it will flourish And put forth sprigs like a plant.
``But man dies and lies prostrate. Man expires, and where is he?
`` As water evaporates from the sea, And a river becomes parched and dried up,
So man lies down and does not rise. Until the heavens are no longer, He will not awake nor be aroused out of his sleep.
``Oh that You would hide me in Sheol, That You would conceal me until Your wrath returns to You, That You would set a limit for me and remember me!
``If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my struggle I will wait Until my change comes.
``You will call, and I will answer You; You will long for the work of Your hands.
``For now You number my steps, You do not observe my sin.
``My transgression is sealed up in a bag, And You wrap up my iniquity.
``But the falling mountain crumbles away, And the rock moves from its place;
Water wears away stones, Its torrents wash away the dust of the earth; So You destroy man's hope.
``You forever overpower him and he departs; You change his appearance and send him away.
``His sons achieve honor, but he does not know it; Or they become insignificant, but he does not perceive it.
``But his body pains him, And he mourns only for himself."
Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded,
``Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge And fill himself with the east wind?
``Should he argue with useless talk, Or with words which are not profitable?
``Indeed, you do away with reverence And hinder meditation before God.
``For your guilt teaches your mouth, And you choose the language of the crafty.
``Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; And your own lips testify against you.
``Were you the first man to be born, Or were you brought forth before the hills?
``Do you hear the secret counsel of God, And limit wisdom to yourself?
``What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that we do not?
``Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us, Older than your father.
``Are the consolations of God too small for you, Even the word spoken gently with you?
``Why does your heart carry you away? And why do your eyes flash,
That you should turn your spirit against God And allow such words to go out of your mouth?
``What is man, that he should be pure, Or he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
``Behold, He puts no trust in His holy ones, And the heavens are not pure in His sight;
How much less one who is detestable and corrupt, Man, who drinks iniquity like water!
``I will tell you, listen to me; And what I have seen I will also declare;
What wise men have told, And have not concealed from their fathers,
To whom alone the land was given, And no alien passed among them.
``The wicked man writhes in pain all his days, And numbered are the years stored up for the ruthless.
``Sounds of terror are in his ears; While at peace the destroyer comes upon him.
``He does not believe that he will return from darkness, And he is destined for the sword.
``He wanders about for food, saying, `Where is it?' He knows that a day of darkness is at hand.
``Distress and anguish terrify him, They overpower him like a king ready for the attack,
Because he has stretched out his hand against God And conducts himself arrogantly against the Almighty.
``He rushes headlong at Him With his massive shield.
``For he has covered his face with his fat And made his thighs heavy with flesh.
``He has lived in desolate cities, In houses no one would inhabit, Which are destined to become ruins.
``He will not become rich, nor will his wealth endure; And his grain will not bend down to the ground.
``He will not escape from darkness; The flame will wither his shoots, And by the breath of His mouth he will go away.
``Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself; For emptiness will be his reward.
``It will be accomplished before his time, And his palm branch will not be green.
``He will drop off his unripe grape like the vine, And will cast off his flower like the olive tree.
``For the company of the godless is barren, And fire consumes the tents of the corrupt.
``They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity, And their mind prepares deception."
Then Job answered,
``I have heard many such things; Sorry comforters are you all.
``Is there no limit to windy words? Or what plagues you that you answer?
``I too could speak like you, If I were in your place. I could compose words against you And shake my head at you.
``I could strengthen you with my mouth, And the solace of my lips could lessen your pain.
``If I speak, my pain is not lessened, And if I hold back, what has left me?
``But now He has exhausted me; You have laid waste all my company.
``You have shriveled me up, It has become a witness; And my leanness rises up against me, It testifies to my face.
``His anger has torn me and hunted me down, He has gnashed at me with His teeth; My adversary glares at me.
``They have gaped at me with their mouth, They have slapped me on the cheek with contempt; They have massed themselves against me.
``God hands me over to ruffians And tosses me into the hands of the wicked.
``I was at ease, but He shattered me, And He has grasped me by the neck and shaken me to pieces; He has also set me up as His target.
``His arrows surround me. Without mercy He splits my kidneys open; He pours out my gall on the ground.
``He breaks through me with breach after breach; He runs at me like a warrior.
``I have sewed sackcloth over my skin And thrust my horn in the dust.
``My face is flushed from weeping, And deep darkness is on my eyelids,
Although there is no violence in my hands, And my prayer is pure.
``O earth, do not cover my blood, And let there be no resting place for my cry.
``Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, And my advocate is on high.
``My friends are my scoffers; My eye weeps to God.
``O that a man might plead with God As a man with his neighbor!
``For when a few years are past, I shall go the way of no return.
