Category: DAB Readings

⁷ “That path no bird of prey knows,
and the falcon's eye has not seen it.
^8 (F)The proud beasts have not trodden it;
^(G)the lion has not passed over it.

⁹ “Man puts his hand to ^(H)the flinty rock
and overturns mountains by the roots.
¹⁰ He cuts out channels in the rocks,
and his eye sees every precious thing.
¹¹ He dams up the streams so that they do not trickle,
and the thing that is hidden he brings out to light.

^12 (I)“But where shall wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
¹³ Man does not know its worth,
and it is not found in ^(J)the land of the living.
^14 (K)The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’
and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
¹⁵ It ^(L)cannot be bought for gold,
and silver cannot be weighed as its price.
¹⁶ It cannot be valued in ^(M)the gold of ^(N)Ophir,
in precious ^(O)onyx or ^(P)sapphire.
¹⁷ Gold and glass cannot equal it,
nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
¹⁸ No mention shall be made of ^(Q)coral or of crystal;
the price of wisdom is above ^(R)(S)pearls.
^19 (T)The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,
nor can it be valued in pure gold.

²⁰ “From where, then, does wisdom come?
And where is the place of understanding?
²¹ It is hidden from the eyes of ^(U)all living
and concealed from the birds of the air.
^22 (V)Abaddon and Death say,
‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’

^23 (W)“God understands the way to it,
and he knows its place.
²⁴ For he ^(X)looks to the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
²⁵ When he ^(Y)gave to the wind its weight
and apportioned the waters by measure,
²⁶ when he made a decree for the rain
and ^(Z)a way for the lightning of the thunder,
²⁷ then he saw it and declared it;
he established it, and searched it out.
²⁸ And he said to man,
‘Behold, ^(AA)the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
and to ^(AB)turn away from evil is understanding.’”

² “Oh, that I were as in the months of old,
as in the days when God watched over me,
³ when his ^(AD)lamp shone upon my head,
and by his light I walked through darkness,
⁴ as I was in my prime,^[b]
when the ^(AE)friendship of God was upon my tent,
⁵ when the Almighty was yet with me,
when my ^(AF)children were all around me,
⁶ when my steps were ^(AG)washed with ^(AH)butter,
and ^(AI)the rock poured out for me streams of ^(AJ)oil!
⁷ When I went out to ^(AK)the gate of the city,
when I prepared my seat in the square,
⁸ the young men saw me and withdrew,
and the aged rose and stood;
⁹ the princes refrained from talking
and ^(AL)laid their hand on their mouth;
¹⁰ the voice of the nobles was hushed,
and their ^(AM)tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.
¹¹ When the ear heard, it called me blessed,
and when the eye saw, it approved,
¹² because I ^(AN)delivered the poor who cried for help,
and the fatherless who had none to help him.
^13 (AO)The blessing of him who was ^(AP)about to perish came upon me,
and I caused ^(AQ)the widow's heart to sing for joy.
¹⁴ I ^(AR)put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
my justice was like a robe and ^(AS)a turban.
¹⁵ I was ^(AT)eyes to the blind
and feet to the lame.
¹⁶ I was a father to the needy,
and I searched out ^(AU)the cause of him whom I did not know.
¹⁷ I ^(AV)broke ^(AW)the fangs of the unrighteous
and made him drop his prey from his teeth.
^18 (AX)Then I thought, ‘I shall die in my ^(AY)nest,
and I shall multiply my days as ^(AZ)the sand,
¹⁹ my ^(BA)roots spread out to ^(BB)the waters,
with the dew all night on my ^(BC)branches,
²⁰ my glory fresh with me,
and my ^(BD)bow ever ^(BE)new in my hand.’

²¹ “Men listened to me and waited
and kept silence for my counsel.
²² After I spoke they did not speak again,
and my word ^(BF)dropped upon them.
²³ They waited for me as for the rain,
and they ^(BG)opened their mouths as for the ^(BH)spring rain.
²⁴ I smiled on them when they had no confidence,
and ^(BI)the light of my ^(BJ)face they did not cast down.
²⁵ I chose their way and sat as chief,
and I lived like ^(BK)a king among his troops,
like one who comforts mourners.

30 “But now they ^(BL)laugh at me,
men who are ^(BM)younger than I,
whose fathers I would have disdained
to set with the dogs of my flock.
² What could I gain from the strength of their hands,
^(BN)men whose ^(BO)vigor is gone?
³ Through want and hard hunger
they ^(BP)gnaw ^(BQ)the dry ground by night in ^(BR)waste and desolation;
⁴ they pick saltwort and the leaves of bushes,
and the roots of the broom tree for their food.^[c]
5 (BS)They are driven out from human company;
they shout after them as after a thief.
⁶ In the gullies of the torrents they must dwell,
in holes of the earth and of ^(BT)the rocks.
⁷ Among the bushes they ^(BU)bray;
under ^(BV)the nettles they huddle together.
⁸ A senseless, a nameless brood,
they have been whipped out of the land.

⁹ “And now I have become their ^(BW)song;
I am ^(BX)a byword to them.
¹⁰ They ^(BY)abhor me; they keep aloof from me;
they do not hesitate to ^(BZ)spit at the sight of me.
¹¹ Because God has loosed my cord and humbled me,
they have cast off restraint^[d] in my presence.
¹² On my ^(CA)right hand the rabble rise;
they push away my feet;
they ^(CB)cast up against me their ways of destruction.
¹³ They break up my path;
they promote my ^(CC)calamity;
they need no one to help them.
¹⁴ As through a wide ^(CD)breach they come;
amid the crash they roll on.
^15 (CE)Terrors are turned upon me;
my honor is pursued as by the wind,
and my prosperity has passed away like ^(CF)a cloud.

¹⁶ “And now my soul is ^(CG)poured out within me;
days of affliction have taken hold of me.
^17 (CH)The night ^(CI)racks my bones,
and the pain that ^(CJ)gnaws me takes no rest.
¹⁸ With great force my garment is ^(CK)disfigured;
it binds me about like the collar of my tunic.
¹⁹ God^[e] has cast me into the mire,
and I have become like ^(CL)dust and ashes.
²⁰ I cry to you for help and you do not answer me;
I stand, and you only look at me.
²¹ You have ^(CM)turned cruel to me;
with the might of your hand you ^(CN)persecute me.
^22 (CO)You lift me up on the wind; you make me ride on it,
and you toss me about in the roar of the storm.
^23 (CP)For I know that you will bring me to death
and to the house appointed for ^(CQ)all living.

²⁴ “Yet does not one in a ^(CR)heap of ruins stretch out his hand,
and in his disaster cry for help?^[f]
25 Did not I ^(CS)weep for him whose day was hard?
Was not my soul grieved for the needy?
²⁶ But ^(CT)when I hoped for good, evil came,
and when I waited for light, ^(CU)darkness came.
²⁷ My inward parts are in turmoil and never still;
days of affliction ^(CV)come to meet me.
²⁸ I ^(CW)go about darkened, but not by the sun;
I stand up in ^(CX)the assembly and cry for help.
²⁹ I am a brother of ^(CY)jackals
and a companion of ^(CZ)ostriches.
³⁰ My ^(DA)skin turns black and falls from me,
and my ^(DB)bones burn with heat.
³¹ My ^(DC)lyre is ^(DD)turned to mourning,
and my ^(DE)pipe to the voice of those who weep.

^5 (L)Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you ^(M)in turmoil within me?
^(N)Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation^{[c] 6} and my God.

My soul is cast down within me;
therefore I ^(O)remember you
^(P)from the land of Jordan and of ^(Q)Hermon,
from Mount Mizar.
⁷ Deep calls to deep
at the roar of your waterfalls;
^(R)all your breakers and your ^(S)waves
have gone over me.
⁸ By day the Lord ^(T)commands his steadfast love,
and at ^(U)night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
⁹ I say to God, ^(V)my rock:
“Why have you forgotten me?
^(W)Why do I go mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?”
¹⁰ As with a deadly wound in my bones,
my adversaries taunt me,
^(X)while they say to me all the day long,
“Where is your God?”

^11 (Y)Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.

² “My complaint today is still a bitter one,
and I try hard not to groan aloud.
³ If only I knew where to find God,
I would go to his court.
⁴ I would lay out my case
and present my arguments.
⁵ Then I would listen to his reply
and understand what he says to me.
⁶ Would he use his great power to argue with me?
No, he would give me a fair hearing.
⁷ Honest people can reason with him,
so I would be forever acquitted by my judge.
⁸ I go east, but he is not there.
I go west, but I cannot find him.
⁹ I do not see him in the north, for he is hidden.
I look to the south, but he is concealed.

¹⁰ “But he knows where I am going.
And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.
¹¹ For I have stayed on God’s paths;
I have followed his ways and not turned aside.
¹² I have not departed from his commands,
but have treasured his words more than daily food.
¹³ But once he has made his decision, who can change his mind?
Whatever he wants to do, he does.
¹⁴ So he will do to me whatever he has planned.
He controls my destiny.
¹⁵ No wonder I am so terrified in his presence.
When I think of it, terror grips me.
¹⁶ God has made me sick at heart;
the Almighty has terrified me.
¹⁷ Darkness is all around me;
thick, impenetrable darkness is everywhere.

⁹ “The wicked snatch a widow’s child from her breast,
taking the baby as security for a loan.
¹⁰ The poor must go about naked, without any clothing.
They harvest food for others while they themselves are starving.
¹¹ They press out olive oil without being allowed to taste it,
and they tread in the winepress as they suffer from thirst.
¹² The groans of the dying rise from the city,
and the wounded cry for help,
yet God ignores their moaning.

¹³ “Wicked people rebel against the light.
They refuse to acknowledge its ways
or stay in its paths.
¹⁴ The murderer rises in the early dawn
to kill the poor and needy;
at night he is a thief.
¹⁵ The adulterer waits for the twilight,
saying, ‘No one will see me then.’
He hides his face so no one will know him.
¹⁶ Thieves break into houses at night
and sleep in the daytime.
They are not acquainted with the light.
¹⁷ The black night is their morning.
They ally themselves with the terrors of the darkness.

¹⁸ “But they disappear like foam down a river.
Everything they own is cursed,
and they are afraid to enter their own vineyards.
¹⁹ The grave^[a] consumes sinners
just as drought and heat consume snow.
²⁰ Their own mothers will forget them.
Maggots will find them sweet to eat.
No one will remember them.
Wicked people are broken like a tree in the storm.
²¹ They cheat the woman who has no son to help her.
They refuse to help the needy widow.

²² “God, in his power, drags away the rich.
They may rise high, but they have no assurance of life.
²³ They may be allowed to live in security,
but God is always watching them.
²⁴ And though they are great now,
in a moment they will be gone like all others,
cut off like heads of grain.
²⁵ Can anyone claim otherwise?
Who can prove me wrong?”

² “God is powerful and dreadful.
He enforces peace in the heavens.
³ Who is able to count his heavenly army?
Doesn’t his light shine on all the earth?
⁴ How can a mortal be innocent before God?
Can anyone born of a woman be pure?
⁵ God is more glorious than the moon;
he shines brighter than the stars.
⁶ In comparison, people are maggots;
we mortals are mere worms.”

² “How you have helped the powerless!
How you have saved the weak!
³ How you have enlightened my stupidity!
What wise advice you have offered!
⁴ Where have you gotten all these wise sayings?
Whose spirit speaks through you?

⁵ “The dead tremble—
those who live beneath the waters.
⁶ The underworld^[b] is naked in God’s presence.
The place of destruction^[c] is uncovered.
⁷ God stretches the northern sky over empty space
and hangs the earth on nothing.
⁸ He wraps the rain in his thick clouds,
and the clouds don’t burst with the weight.
⁹ He covers the face of the moon,^[d]
shrouding it with his clouds.
¹⁰ He created the horizon when he separated the waters;
he set the boundary between day and night.
¹¹ The foundations of heaven tremble;
they shudder at his rebuke.
¹² By his power the sea grew calm.
By his skill he crushed the great sea monster.^[e]
13 His Spirit made the heavens beautiful,
and his power pierced the gliding serpent.
¹⁴ These are just the beginning of all that he does,
merely a whisper of his power.
Who, then, can comprehend the thunder of his power?”

² “I vow by the living God, who has taken away my rights,
by the Almighty who has embittered my soul—
³ As long as I live,
while I have breath from God,
⁴ my lips will speak no evil,
and my tongue will speak no lies.
⁵ I will never concede that you are right;
I will defend my integrity until I die.
⁶ I will maintain my innocence without wavering.
My conscience is clear for as long as I live.

⁷ “May my enemy be punished like the wicked,
my adversary like those who do evil.
⁸ For what hope do the godless have when God cuts them off
and takes away their life?
⁹ Will God listen to their cry
when trouble comes upon them?
¹⁰ Can they take delight in the Almighty?
Can they call to God at any time?
¹¹ I will teach you about God’s power.
I will not conceal anything concerning the Almighty.
¹² But you have seen all this,
yet you say all these useless things to me.

¹³ “This is what the wicked will receive from God;
this is their inheritance from the Almighty.
¹⁴ They may have many children,
but the children will die in war or starve to death.
¹⁵ Those who survive will die of a plague,
and not even their widows will mourn them.

¹⁶ “Evil people may have piles of money
and may store away mounds of clothing.
¹⁷ But the righteous will wear that clothing,
and the innocent will divide that money.
¹⁸ The wicked build houses as fragile as a spider’s web,^[f]
as flimsy as a shelter made of branches.
¹⁹ The wicked go to bed rich
but wake to find that all their wealth is gone.
²⁰ Terror overwhelms them like a flood,
and they are blown away in the storms of the night.
²¹ The east wind carries them away, and they are gone.
It sweeps them away.
²² It whirls down on them without mercy.
They struggle to flee from its power.
²³ But everyone jeers at them
and mocks them.

¹ Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor!
The Lord rescues them when they are in trouble.
² The Lord protects them
and keeps them alive.
He gives them prosperity in the land
and rescues them from their enemies.
³ The Lord nurses them when they are sick
and restores them to health.

⁴ “O Lord,” I prayed, “have mercy on me.
Heal me, for I have sinned against you.”
⁵ But my enemies say nothing but evil about me.
“How soon will he die and be forgotten?” they ask.
⁶ They visit me as if they were my friends,
but all the while they gather gossip,
and when they leave, they spread it everywhere.
⁷ All who hate me whisper about me,
imagining the worst.
⁸ “He has some fatal disease,” they say.
“He will never get out of that bed!”
⁹ Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely,
the one who shared my food, has turned against me.

¹⁰ Lord, have mercy on me.
Make me well again, so I can pay them back!
¹¹ I know you are pleased with me,
for you have not let my enemies triumph over me.
¹² You have preserved my life because I am innocent;
you have brought me into your presence forever.

¹³ Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
who lives from everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and amen!

⁵ Corrupt people walk a thorny, treacherous road;
whoever values life will avoid it.

⁶ Direct your children onto the right path,
and when they are older, they will not leave it.

² “I must reply
because I am greatly disturbed.
³ I’ve had to endure your insults,
but now my spirit prompts me to reply.

⁴ “Don’t you realize that from the beginning of time,
ever since people were first placed on the earth,
⁵ the triumph of the wicked has been short lived
and the joy of the godless has been only temporary?
⁶ Though the pride of the godless reaches to the heavens
and their heads touch the clouds,
⁷ yet they will vanish forever,
thrown away like their own dung.
Those who knew them will ask,
‘Where are they?’
⁸ They will fade like a dream and not be found.
They will vanish like a vision in the night.
⁹ Those who once saw them will see them no more.
Their families will never see them again.
¹⁰ Their children will beg from the poor,
for they must give back their stolen riches.
¹¹ Though they are young,
their bones will lie in the dust.

¹² “They enjoyed the sweet taste of wickedness,
letting it melt under their tongue.
¹³ They savored it,
holding it long in their mouths.
¹⁴ But suddenly the food in their bellies turns sour,
a poisonous venom in their stomach.
¹⁵ They will vomit the wealth they swallowed.
God won’t let them keep it down.
¹⁶ They will suck the poison of cobras.
The viper will kill them.
¹⁷ They will never again enjoy streams of olive oil
or rivers of milk and honey.
¹⁸ They will give back everything they worked for.
Their wealth will bring them no joy.
¹⁹ For they oppressed the poor and left them destitute.
They foreclosed on their homes.
²⁰ They were always greedy and never satisfied.
Nothing remains of all the things they dreamed about.
²¹ Nothing is left after they finish gorging themselves.
Therefore, their prosperity will not endure.

²² “In the midst of plenty, they will run into trouble
and be overcome by misery.
²³ May God give them a bellyful of trouble.
May God rain down his anger upon them.
²⁴ When they try to escape an iron weapon,
a bronze-tipped arrow will pierce them.
²⁵ The arrow is pulled from their back,
and the arrowhead glistens with blood.^[a]
The terrors of death are upon them.
²⁶ Their treasures will be thrown into deepest darkness.
A wildfire will devour their goods,
consuming all they have left.
²⁷ The heavens will reveal their guilt,
and the earth will testify against them.
²⁸ A flood will sweep away their house.
God’s anger will descend on them in torrents.
²⁹ This is the reward that God gives the wicked.
It is the inheritance decreed by God.”

² “Listen closely to what I am saying.
That’s one consolation you can give me.
³ Bear with me, and let me speak.
After I have spoken, you may resume mocking me.

⁴ “My complaint is with God, not with people.
I have good reason to be so impatient.
⁵ Look at me and be stunned.
Put your hand over your mouth in shock.
⁶ When I think about what I am saying, I shudder.
My body trembles.

⁷ “Why do the wicked prosper,
growing old and powerful?
⁸ They live to see their children grow up and settle down,
and they enjoy their grandchildren.
⁹ Their homes are safe from every fear,
and God does not punish them.
¹⁰ Their bulls never fail to breed.
Their cows bear calves and never miscarry.
¹¹ They let their children frisk about like lambs.
Their little ones skip and dance.
¹² They sing with tambourine and harp.
They celebrate to the sound of the flute.
¹³ They spend their days in prosperity,
then go down to the grave^[b] in peace.
¹⁴ And yet they say to God, ‘Go away.
We want no part of you and your ways.
¹⁵ Who is the Almighty, and why should we obey him?
What good will it do us to pray?’
¹⁶ (They think their prosperity is of their own doing,
but I will have nothing to do with that kind of thinking.)

¹⁷ “Yet the light of the wicked never seems to be extinguished.
Do they ever have trouble?
Does God distribute sorrows to them in anger?
¹⁸ Are they driven before the wind like straw?
Are they carried away by the storm like chaff?
Not at all!

¹⁹ “‘Well,’ you say, ‘at least God will punish their children!’
But I say he should punish the ones who sin,
so that they understand his judgment.
²⁰ Let them see their destruction with their own eyes.
Let them drink deeply of the anger of the Almighty.
²¹ For they will not care what happens to their family
after they are dead.

²² “But who can teach a lesson to God,
since he judges even the most powerful?
²³ One person dies in prosperity,
completely comfortable and secure,
²⁴ the picture of good health,
vigorous and fit.
²⁵ Another person dies in bitter poverty,
never having tasted the good life.
²⁶ But both are buried in the same dust,
both eaten by the same maggots.

²⁷ “Look, I know what you’re thinking.
I know the schemes you plot against me.
²⁸ You will tell me of rich and wicked people
whose houses have vanished because of their sins.
²⁹ But ask those who have been around,
and they will tell you the truth.
³⁰ Evil people are spared in times of calamity
and are allowed to escape disaster.
³¹ No one criticizes them openly
or pays them back for what they have done.
³² When they are carried to the grave,
an honor guard keeps watch at their tomb.
³³ A great funeral procession goes to the cemetery.
Many pay their respects as the body is laid to rest,
and the earth gives sweet repose.

³⁴ “How can your empty clichés comfort me?
All your explanations are lies!”

² “Can a person do anything to help God?
Can even a wise person be helpful to him?
³ Is it any advantage to the Almighty if you are righteous?
Would it be any gain to him if you were perfect?
⁴ Is it because you’re so pious that he accuses you
and brings judgment against you?
⁵ No, it’s because of your wickedness!
There’s no limit to your sins.

⁶ “For example, you must have lent money to your friend
and demanded clothing as security.
Yes, you stripped him to the bone.
⁷ You must have refused water for the thirsty
and food for the hungry.
⁸ You probably think the land belongs to the powerful
and only the privileged have a right to it!
⁹ You must have sent widows away empty-handed
and crushed the hopes of orphans.
¹⁰ That is why you are surrounded by traps
and tremble from sudden fears.
¹¹ That is why you cannot see in the darkness,
and waves of water cover you.

¹² “God is so great—higher than the heavens,
higher than the farthest stars.
¹³ But you reply, ‘That’s why God can’t see what I am doing!
How can he judge through the thick darkness?
¹⁴ For thick clouds swirl about him, and he cannot see us.
He is way up there, walking on the vault of heaven.’

¹⁵ “Will you continue on the old paths
where evil people have walked?
¹⁶ They were snatched away in the prime of life,
the foundations of their lives washed away.
¹⁷ For they said to God, ‘Leave us alone!
What can the Almighty do to us?’
¹⁸ Yet he was the one who filled their homes with good things,
so I will have nothing to do with that kind of thinking.

¹⁹ “The righteous will be happy to see the wicked destroyed,
and the innocent will laugh in contempt.
²⁰ They will say, ‘See how our enemies have been destroyed.
The last of them have been consumed in the fire.’

²¹ “Submit to God, and you will have peace;
then things will go well for you.
²² Listen to his instructions,
and store them in your heart.
²³ If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored—
so clean up your life.
²⁴ If you give up your lust for money
and throw your precious gold into the river,
²⁵ the Almighty himself will be your treasure.
He will be your precious silver!

²⁶ “Then you will take delight in the Almighty
and look up to God.
²⁷ You will pray to him, and he will hear you,
and you will fulfill your vows to him.
²⁸ You will succeed in whatever you choose to do,
and light will shine on the road ahead of you.
²⁹ If people are in trouble and you say, ‘Help them,’
God will save them.
³⁰ Even sinners will be rescued;
they will be rescued because your hands are pure.”

¹¹ Lord, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me.
Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me.
¹² For troubles surround me—
too many to count!
My sins pile up so high
I can’t see my way out.
They outnumber the hairs on my head.
I have lost all courage.

¹³ Please, Lord, rescue me!
Come quickly, Lord, and help me.
¹⁴ May those who try to destroy me
be humiliated and put to shame.
May those who take delight in my trouble
be turned back in disgrace.
¹⁵ Let them be horrified by their shame,
for they said, “Aha! We’ve got him now!”

¹⁶ But may all who search for you
be filled with joy and gladness in you.
May those who love your salvation
repeatedly shout, “The Lord is great!”
¹⁷ As for me, since I am poor and needy,
let the Lord keep me in his thoughts.
You are my helper and my savior.
O my God, do not delay.

² The rich and poor have this in common:
The Lord made them both.

³ A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions.
The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.

⁴ True humility and fear of the Lord
lead to riches, honor, and long life.

² “I have heard all this before.
What miserable comforters you are!
³ Won’t you ever stop blowing hot air?
What makes you keep on talking?
⁴ I could say the same things if you were in my place.
I could spout off criticism and shake my head at you.
⁵ But if it were me, I would encourage you.
I would try to take away your grief.
⁶ Instead, I suffer if I defend myself,
and I suffer no less if I refuse to speak.

⁷ “O God, you have ground me down
and devastated my family.
⁸ As if to prove I have sinned, you’ve reduced me to skin and bones.
My gaunt flesh testifies against me.
⁹ God hates me and angrily tears me apart.
He snaps his teeth at me
and pierces me with his eyes.
¹⁰ People jeer and laugh at me.
They slap my cheek in contempt.
A mob gathers against me.
¹¹ God has handed me over to sinners.
He has tossed me into the hands of the wicked.

¹² “I was living quietly until he shattered me.
He took me by the neck and broke me in pieces.
Then he set me up as his target,
¹³ and now his archers surround me.
His arrows pierce me without mercy.
The ground is wet with my blood.^[a]
14 Again and again he smashes against me,
charging at me like a warrior.
¹⁵ I wear burlap to show my grief.
My pride lies in the dust.
¹⁶ My eyes are red with weeping;
dark shadows circle my eyes.
¹⁷ Yet I have done no wrong,
and my prayer is pure.

¹⁸ “O earth, do not conceal my blood.
Let it cry out on my behalf.
¹⁹ Even now my witness is in heaven.
My advocate is there on high.
²⁰ My friends scorn me,
but I pour out my tears to God.
²¹ I need someone to mediate between God and me,
as a person mediates between friends.
²² For soon I must go down that road
from which I will never return.

³ “You must defend my innocence, O God,
since no one else will stand up for me.
⁴ You have closed their minds to understanding,
but do not let them triumph.
⁵ They betray their friends for their own advantage,
so let their children faint with hunger.

⁶ “God has made a mockery of me among the people;
they spit in my face.
⁷ My eyes are swollen with weeping,
and I am but a shadow of my former self.
⁸ The virtuous are horrified when they see me.
The innocent rise up against the ungodly.
⁹ The righteous keep moving forward,
and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.

¹⁰ “As for all of you, come back with a better argument,
though I still won’t find a wise man among you.
¹¹ My days are over.
My hopes have disappeared.
My heart’s desires are broken.
¹² These men say that night is day;
they claim that the darkness is light.
¹³ What if I go to the grave^[b]
and make my bed in darkness?
¹⁴ What if I call the grave my father,
and the maggot my mother or my sister?
¹⁵ Where then is my hope?
Can anyone find it?
¹⁶ No, my hope will go down with me to the grave.
We will rest together in the dust!”

² “How long before you stop talking?
Speak sense if you want us to answer!
³ Do you think we are mere animals?
Do you think we are stupid?
⁴ You may tear out your hair in anger,
but will that destroy the earth?
Will it make the rocks tremble?

⁵ “Surely the light of the wicked will be snuffed out.
The sparks of their fire will not glow.
⁶ The light in their tent will grow dark.
The lamp hanging above them will be quenched.
⁷ The confident stride of the wicked will be shortened.
Their own schemes will be their downfall.
⁸ The wicked walk into a net.
They fall into a pit.
⁹ A trap grabs them by the heel.
A snare holds them tight.
¹⁰ A noose lies hidden on the ground.
A rope is stretched across their path.

¹¹ “Terrors surround the wicked
and trouble them at every step.
¹² Hunger depletes their strength,
and calamity waits for them to stumble.
¹³ Disease eats their skin;
death devours their limbs.
¹⁴ They are torn from the security of their homes
and are brought down to the king of terrors.
¹⁵ The homes of the wicked will burn down;
burning sulfur rains on their houses.
¹⁶ Their roots will dry up,
and their branches will wither.
¹⁷ All memory of their existence will fade from the earth;
no one will remember their names.
¹⁸ They will be thrust from light into darkness,
driven from the world.
¹⁹ They will have neither children nor grandchildren,
nor any survivor in the place where they lived.
²⁰ People in the west are appalled at their fate;
people in the east are horrified.
²¹ They will say, ‘This was the home of a wicked person,
the place of one who rejected God.’”

² “How long will you torture me?
How long will you try to crush me with your words?
³ You have already insulted me ten times.
You should be ashamed of treating me so badly.
⁴ Even if I have sinned,
that is my concern, not yours.
⁵ You think you’re better than I am,
using my humiliation as evidence of my sin.
⁶ But it is God who has wronged me,
capturing me in his net.^[c]

⁷ “I cry out, ‘Help!’ but no one answers me.
I protest, but there is no justice.
⁸ God has blocked my way so I cannot move.
He has plunged my path into darkness.
⁹ He has stripped me of my honor
and removed the crown from my head.
¹⁰ He has demolished me on every side, and I am finished.
He has uprooted my hope like a fallen tree.
¹¹ His fury burns against me;
he counts me as an enemy.
¹² His troops advance.
They build up roads to attack me.
They camp all around my tent.

¹³ “My relatives stay far away,
and my friends have turned against me.
¹⁴ My family is gone,
and my close friends have forgotten me.
¹⁵ My servants and maids consider me a stranger.
I am like a foreigner to them.
¹⁶ When I call my servant, he doesn’t come;
I have to plead with him!
¹⁷ My breath is repulsive to my wife.
I am rejected by my own family.
¹⁸ Even young children despise me.
When I stand to speak, they turn their backs on me.
¹⁹ My close friends detest me.
Those I loved have turned against me.
²⁰ I have been reduced to skin and bones
and have escaped death by the skin of my teeth.

²¹ “Have mercy on me, my friends, have mercy,
for the hand of God has struck me.
²² Must you also persecute me, like God does?
Haven’t you chewed me up enough?

²³ “Oh, that my words could be recorded.
Oh, that they could be inscribed on a monument,
²⁴ carved with an iron chisel and filled with lead,
engraved forever in the rock.

²⁵ “But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
and he will stand upon the earth at last.
²⁶ And after my body has decayed,
yet in my body I will see God!^[d]
27 I will see him for myself.
Yes, I will see him with my own eyes.
I am overwhelmed at the thought!

²⁸ “How dare you go on persecuting me,
saying, ‘It’s his own fault’?
²⁹ You should fear punishment yourselves,
for your attitude deserves punishment.
Then you will know that there is indeed a judgment.”

¹ I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
and he turned to me and heard my cry.
² He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
and steadied me as I walked along.
³ He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the Lord.

⁴ Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord,
who have no confidence in the proud
or in those who worship idols.
⁵ O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us.
Your plans for us are too numerous to list.
You have no equal.
If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds,
I would never come to the end of them.

⁶ You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings.
Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand^[a]—
you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings.
⁷ Then I said, “Look, I have come.
As is written about me in the Scriptures:
⁸ I take joy in doing your will, my God,
for your instructions are written on my heart.”

⁹ I have told all your people about your justice.
I have not been afraid to speak out,
as you, O Lord, well know.
¹⁰ I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart;
I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power.
I have told everyone in the great assembly
of your unfailing love and faithfulness.

22 Choose a good reputation over great riches;
being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold.

² “You people really know everything, don’t you?
And when you die, wisdom will die with you!
³ Well, I know a few things myself—
and you’re no better than I am.
Who doesn’t know these things you’ve been saying?
⁴ Yet my friends laugh at me,
for I call on God and expect an answer.
I am a just and blameless man,
yet they laugh at me.
⁵ People who are at ease mock those in trouble.
They give a push to people who are stumbling.
⁶ But robbers are left in peace,
and those who provoke God live in safety—
though God keeps them in his power.^[a]

⁷ “Just ask the animals, and they will teach you.
Ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you.
⁸ Speak to the earth, and it will instruct you.
Let the fish in the sea speak to you.
⁹ For they all know
that my disaster^[b] has come from the hand of the Lord.
¹⁰ For the life of every living thing is in his hand,
and the breath of every human being.
¹¹ The ear tests the words it hears
just as the mouth distinguishes between foods.
¹² Wisdom belongs to the aged,
and understanding to the old.

¹³ “But true wisdom and power are found in God;
counsel and understanding are his.
¹⁴ What he destroys cannot be rebuilt.
When he puts someone in prison, there is no escape.
¹⁵ If he holds back the rain, the earth becomes a desert.
If he releases the waters, they flood the earth.
¹⁶ Yes, strength and wisdom are his;
deceivers and deceived are both in his power.
¹⁷ He leads counselors away, stripped of good judgment;
wise judges become fools.
¹⁸ He removes the royal robe of kings.
They are led away with ropes around their waist.
¹⁹ He leads priests away, stripped of status;
he overthrows those with long years in power.
²⁰ He silences the trusted adviser
and removes the insight of the elders.
²¹ He pours disgrace upon princes
and disarms the strong.

²² “He uncovers mysteries hidden in darkness;
he brings light to the deepest gloom.
²³ He builds up nations, and he destroys them.
He expands nations, and he abandons them.
²⁴ He strips kings of understanding
and leaves them wandering in a pathless wasteland.
²⁵ They grope in the darkness without a light.
He makes them stagger like drunkards.

⁷ “Are you defending God with lies?
Do you make your dishonest arguments for his sake?
⁸ Will you slant your testimony in his favor?
Will you argue God’s case for him?
⁹ What will happen when he finds out what you are doing?
Can you fool him as easily as you fool people?
¹⁰ No, you will be in trouble with him
if you secretly slant your testimony in his favor.
¹¹ Doesn’t his majesty terrify you?
Doesn’t your fear of him overwhelm you?
¹² Your platitudes are as valuable as ashes.
Your defense is as fragile as a clay pot.

¹³ “Be silent now and leave me alone.
Let me speak, and I will face the consequences.
¹⁴ Why should I put myself in mortal danger^[c]
and take my life in my own hands?
¹⁵ God might kill me, but I have no other hope.^[d]
I am going to argue my case with him.
¹⁶ But this is what will save me—I am not godless.
If I were, I could not stand before him.

¹⁷ “Listen closely to what I am about to say.
Hear me out.
¹⁸ I have prepared my case;
I will be proved innocent.
¹⁹ Who can argue with me over this?
And if you prove me wrong, I will remain silent and die.

²⁶ “You write bitter accusations against me
and bring up all the sins of my youth.
²⁷ You put my feet in stocks.
You examine all my paths.
You trace all my footprints.
²⁸ I waste away like rotting wood,
like a moth-eaten coat.

14 “How frail is humanity!
How short is life, how full of trouble!
² We blossom like a flower and then wither.
Like a passing shadow, we quickly disappear.
³ Must you keep an eye on such a frail creature
and demand an accounting from me?
⁴ Who can bring purity out of an impure person?
No one!
⁵ You have decided the length of our lives.
You know how many months we will live,
and we are not given a minute longer.
⁶ So leave us alone and let us rest!
We are like hired hands, so let us finish our work in peace.

⁷ “Even a tree has more hope!
If it is cut down, it will sprout again
and grow new branches.
⁸ Though its roots have grown old in the earth
and its stump decays,
⁹ at the scent of water it will bud
and sprout again like a new seedling.

¹⁰ “But when people die, their strength is gone.
They breathe their last, and then where are they?
¹¹ As water evaporates from a lake
and a river disappears in drought,
¹² people are laid to rest and do not rise again.
Until the heavens are no more, they will not wake up
nor be roused from their sleep.

¹³ “I wish you would hide me in the grave^[e]
and forget me there until your anger has passed.
But mark your calendar to think of me again!
¹⁴ Can the dead live again?
If so, this would give me hope through all my years of struggle,
and I would eagerly await the release of death.
¹⁵ You would call and I would answer,
and you would yearn for me, your handiwork.
¹⁶ For then you would guard my steps,
instead of watching for my sins.
¹⁷ My sins would be sealed in a pouch,
and you would cover my guilt.

¹⁸ “But instead, as mountains fall and crumble
and as rocks fall from a cliff,
¹⁹ as water wears away the stones
and floods wash away the soil,
so you destroy people’s hope.
²⁰ You always overpower them, and they pass from the scene.
You disfigure them in death and send them away.
²¹ They never know if their children grow up in honor
or sink to insignificance.
²² They suffer painfully;
their life is full of trouble.”

² “A wise man wouldn’t answer with such empty talk!
You are nothing but a windbag.
³ The wise don’t engage in empty chatter.
What good are such words?
⁴ Have you no fear of God,
no reverence for him?
⁵ Your sins are telling your mouth what to say.
Your words are based on clever deception.
⁶ Your own mouth condemns you, not I.
Your own lips testify against you.

⁷ “Were you the first person ever born?
Were you born before the hills were made?
⁸ Were you listening at God’s secret council?
Do you have a monopoly on wisdom?
⁹ What do you know that we don’t?
What do you understand that we do not?
¹⁰ On our side are aged, gray-haired men
much older than your father!

¹¹ “Is God’s comfort too little for you?
Is his gentle word not enough?
¹² What has taken away your reason?
What has weakened your vision,^[f]
13 that you turn against God
and say all these evil things?
¹⁴ Can any mortal be pure?
Can anyone born of a woman be just?
¹⁵ Look, God does not even trust the angels.^[g]
Even the heavens are not absolutely pure in his sight.
¹⁶ How much less pure is a corrupt and sinful person
with a thirst for wickedness!

¹⁷ “If you will listen, I will show you.
I will answer you from my own experience.
¹⁸ And it is confirmed by the reports of wise men
who have heard the same thing from their fathers—
¹⁹ from those to whom the land was given
long before any foreigners arrived.

²⁰ “The wicked writhe in pain throughout their lives.
Years of trouble are stored up for the ruthless.
²¹ The sound of terror rings in their ears,
and even on good days they fear the attack of the destroyer.
²² They dare not go out into the darkness
for fear they will be murdered.
²³ They wander around, saying, ‘Where can I find bread?’^[h]
They know their day of destruction is near.
²⁴ That dark day terrifies them.
They live in distress and anguish,
like a king preparing for battle.
²⁵ For they shake their fists at God,
defying the Almighty.
²⁶ Holding their strong shields,
they defiantly charge against him.

²⁷ “These wicked people are heavy and prosperous;
their waists bulge with fat.
²⁸ But their cities will be ruined.
They will live in abandoned houses
that are ready to tumble down.
²⁹ Their riches will not last,
and their wealth will not endure.
Their possessions will no longer spread across the horizon.

³⁰ “They will not escape the darkness.
The burning sun will wither their shoots,
and the breath of God will destroy them.
³¹ Let them no longer fool themselves by trusting in empty riches,
for emptiness will be their only reward.
³² They will be cut down in the prime of life;
their branches will never again be green.
³³ They will be like a vine whose grapes are harvested too early,
like an olive tree that loses its blossoms before the fruit can form.
³⁴ For the godless are barren.
Their homes, enriched through bribery, will burn.
³⁵ They conceive trouble and give birth to evil.
Their womb produces deceit.”

“Death is swallowed up in victory.^[f]
55 O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?^[g]”

¹ I said to myself, “I will watch what I do
and not sin in what I say.
I will hold my tongue
when the ungodly are around me.”
² But as I stood there in silence—
not even speaking of good things—
the turmoil within me grew worse.
³ The more I thought about it,
the hotter I got,
igniting a fire of words:
⁴ “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
Remind me that my days are numbered—
how fleeting my life is.
⁵ You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
at best, each of us is but a breath.” Interlude

⁶ We are merely moving shadows,
and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
We heap up wealth,
not knowing who will spend it.
⁷ And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?
My only hope is in you.
⁸ Rescue me from my rebellion.
Do not let fools mock me.
⁹ I am silent before you; I won’t say a word,
for my punishment is from you.
¹⁰ But please stop striking me!
I am exhausted by the blows from your hand.
¹¹ When you discipline us for our sins,
you consume like a moth what is precious to us.
Each of us is but a breath. Interlude

¹² Hear my prayer, O Lord!
Listen to my cries for help!
Don’t ignore my tears.
For I am your guest—
a traveler passing through,
as my ancestors were before me.
¹³ Leave me alone so I can smile again
before I am gone and exist no more.

³⁰ No human wisdom or understanding or plan
can stand against the Lord.

³¹ The horse is prepared for the day of battle,
but the victory belongs to the Lord.

² “How long will you go on like this?
You sound like a blustering wind.
³ Does God twist justice?
Does the Almighty twist what is right?
⁴ Your children must have sinned against him,
so their punishment was well deserved.
⁵ But if you pray to God
and seek the favor of the Almighty,
⁶ and if you are pure and live with integrity,
he will surely rise up and restore your happy home.
⁷ And though you started with little,
you will end with much.

⁸ “Just ask the previous generation.
Pay attention to the experience of our ancestors.
⁹ For we were born but yesterday and know nothing.
Our days on earth are as fleeting as a shadow.
¹⁰ But those who came before us will teach you.
They will teach you the wisdom of old.

¹¹ “Can papyrus reeds grow tall without a marsh?
Can marsh grass flourish without water?
¹² While they are still flowering, not ready to be cut,
they begin to wither more quickly than grass.
¹³ The same happens to all who forget God.
The hopes of the godless evaporate.
¹⁴ Their confidence hangs by a thread.
They are leaning on a spider’s web.
¹⁵ They cling to their home for security, but it won’t last.
They try to hold it tight, but it will not endure.
¹⁶ The godless seem like a lush plant growing in the sunshine,
its branches spreading across the garden.
¹⁷ Its roots grow down through a pile of stones;
it takes hold on a bed of rocks.
¹⁸ But when it is uprooted,
it’s as though it never existed!
¹⁹ That’s the end of its life,
and others spring up from the earth to replace it.

²⁰ “But look, God will not reject a person of integrity,
nor will he lend a hand to the wicked.
²¹ He will once again fill your mouth with laughter
and your lips with shouts of joy.
²² Those who hate you will be clothed with shame,
and the home of the wicked will be destroyed.”

² “Yes, I know all this is true in principle.
But how can a person be declared innocent in God’s sight?
³ If someone wanted to take God to court,^[a]
would it be possible to answer him even once in a thousand times?
⁴ For God is so wise and so mighty.
Who has ever challenged him successfully?

⁵ “Without warning, he moves the mountains,
overturning them in his anger.
⁶ He shakes the earth from its place,
and its foundations tremble.
⁷ If he commands it, the sun won’t rise
and the stars won’t shine.
⁸ He alone has spread out the heavens
and marches on the waves of the sea.
⁹ He made all the stars—the Bear and Orion,
the Pleiades and the constellations of the southern sky.
¹⁰ He does great things too marvelous to understand.
He performs countless miracles.

¹¹ “Yet when he comes near, I cannot see him.
When he moves by, I do not see him go.
¹² If he snatches someone in death, who can stop him?
Who dares to ask, ‘What are you doing?’
¹³ And God does not restrain his anger.
Even the monsters of the sea^[b] are crushed beneath his feet.

¹⁴ “So who am I, that I should try to answer God
or even reason with him?
¹⁵ Even if I were right, I would have no defense.
I could only plead for mercy.
¹⁶ And even if I summoned him and he responded,
I’m not sure he would listen to me.
¹⁷ For he attacks me with a storm
and repeatedly wounds me without cause.
¹⁸ He will not let me catch my breath,
but fills me instead with bitter sorrows.
¹⁹ If it’s a question of strength, he’s the strong one.
If it’s a matter of justice, who dares to summon him^[c] to court?
²⁰ Though I am innocent, my own mouth would pronounce me guilty.
Though I am blameless, it^[d] would prove me wicked.

²¹ “I am innocent,
but it makes no difference to me—
I despise my life.
²² Innocent or wicked, it is all the same to God.
That’s why I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’
²³ When a plague^[e] sweeps through,
he laughs at the death of the innocent.
²⁴ The whole earth is in the hands of the wicked,
and God blinds the eyes of the judges.
If he’s not the one who does it, who is?

²⁵ “My life passes more swiftly than a runner.
It flees away without a glimpse of happiness.
²⁶ It disappears like a swift papyrus boat,
like an eagle swooping down on its prey.
²⁷ If I decided to forget my complaints,
to put away my sad face and be cheerful,
²⁸ I would still dread all the pain,
for I know you will not find me innocent, O God.
²⁹ Whatever happens, I will be found guilty.
So what’s the use of trying?
³⁰ Even if I were to wash myself with soap
and clean my hands with lye,
³¹ you would plunge me into a muddy ditch,
and my own filthy clothing would hate me.

³² “God is not a mortal like me,
so I cannot argue with him or take him to trial.
³³ If only there were a mediator between us,
someone who could bring us together.
³⁴ The mediator could make God stop beating me,
and I would no longer live in terror of his punishment.
³⁵ Then I could speak to him without fear,
but I cannot do that in my own strength.

⁸ “‘You formed me with your hands; you made me,
yet now you completely destroy me.
⁹ Remember that you made me from dust—
will you turn me back to dust so soon?
¹⁰ You guided my conception
and formed me in the womb.^[f]
11 You clothed me with skin and flesh,
and you knit my bones and sinews together.
¹² You gave me life and showed me your unfailing love.
My life was preserved by your care.

¹³ “‘Yet your real motive—
your true intent—
¹⁴ was to watch me, and if I sinned,
you would not forgive my guilt.
¹⁵ If I am guilty, too bad for me;
and even if I’m innocent, I can’t hold my head high,
because I am filled with shame and misery.
¹⁶ And if I hold my head high, you hunt me like a lion
and display your awesome power against me.
¹⁷ Again and again you witness against me.
You pour out your growing anger on me
and bring fresh armies against me.

¹⁸ “‘Why, then, did you deliver me from my mother’s womb?
Why didn’t you let me die at birth?
¹⁹ It would be as though I had never existed,
going directly from the womb to the grave.
²⁰ I have only a few days left, so leave me alone,
that I may have a moment of comfort
²¹ before I leave—never to return—
for the land of darkness and utter gloom.
²² It is a land as dark as midnight,
a land of gloom and confusion,
where even the light is dark as midnight.’”

² “Shouldn’t someone answer this torrent of words?
Is a person proved innocent just by a lot of talking?
³ Should I remain silent while you babble on?
When you mock God, shouldn’t someone make you ashamed?
⁴ You claim, ‘My beliefs are pure,’
and ‘I am clean in the sight of God.’
⁵ If only God would speak;
if only he would tell you what he thinks!
⁶ If only he would tell you the secrets of wisdom,
for true wisdom is not a simple matter.
Listen! God is doubtless punishing you
far less than you deserve!

⁷ “Can you solve the mysteries of God?
Can you discover everything about the Almighty?
⁸ Such knowledge is higher than the heavens—
and who are you?
It is deeper than the underworld^[g]—
what do you know?
⁹ It is broader than the earth
and wider than the sea.
¹⁰ If God comes and puts a person in prison
or calls the court to order, who can stop him?
¹¹ For he knows those who are false,
and he takes note of all their sins.
¹² An empty-headed person won’t become wise
any more than a wild donkey can bear a human child.^[h]

¹³ “If only you would prepare your heart
and lift up your hands to him in prayer!
¹⁴ Get rid of your sins,
and leave all iniquity behind you.
¹⁵ Then your face will brighten with innocence.
You will be strong and free of fear.
¹⁶ You will forget your misery;
it will be like water flowing away.
¹⁷ Your life will be brighter than the noonday.
Even darkness will be as bright as morning.
¹⁸ Having hope will give you courage.
You will be protected and will rest in safety.
¹⁹ You will lie down unafraid,
and many will look to you for help.
²⁰ But the wicked will be blinded.
They will have no escape.
Their only hope is death.”

¹ O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your rage!
² Your arrows have struck deep,
and your blows are crushing me.
³ Because of your anger, my whole body is sick;
my health is broken because of my sins.
⁴ My guilt overwhelms me—
it is a burden too heavy to bear.
⁵ My wounds fester and stink
because of my foolish sins.
⁶ I am bent over and racked with pain.
All day long I walk around filled with grief.
⁷ A raging fever burns within me,
and my health is broken.
⁸ I am exhausted and completely crushed.
My groans come from an anguished heart.

⁹ You know what I long for, Lord;
you hear my every sigh.
¹⁰ My heart beats wildly, my strength fails,
and I am going blind.
¹¹ My loved ones and friends stay away, fearing my disease.
Even my own family stands at a distance.
¹² Meanwhile, my enemies lay traps to kill me.
Those who wish me harm make plans to ruin me.
All day long they plan their treachery.

¹³ But I am deaf to all their threats.
I am silent before them as one who cannot speak.
¹⁴ I choose to hear nothing,
and I make no reply.
¹⁵ For I am waiting for you, O Lord.
You must answer for me, O Lord my God.
¹⁶ I prayed, “Don’t let my enemies gloat over me
or rejoice at my downfall.”

¹⁷ I am on the verge of collapse,
facing constant pain.
¹⁸ But I confess my sins;
I am deeply sorry for what I have done.
¹⁹ I have many aggressive enemies;
they hate me without reason.
²⁰ They repay me evil for good
and oppose me for pursuing good.
²¹ Do not abandon me, O Lord.
Do not stand at a distance, my God.
²² Come quickly to help me,
O Lord my savior.

²⁸ A false witness will be cut off,
but a credible witness will be allowed to speak.

²⁹ The wicked bluff their way through,
but the virtuous think before they act.

² “Will you be patient and let me say a word?
For who could keep from speaking out?

³ “In the past you have encouraged many people;
you have strengthened those who were weak.
⁴ Your words have supported those who were falling;
you encouraged those with shaky knees.
⁵ But now when trouble strikes, you lose heart.
You are terrified when it touches you.
⁶ Doesn’t your reverence for God give you confidence?
Doesn’t your life of integrity give you hope?

⁷ “Stop and think! Do the innocent die?
When have the upright been destroyed?
⁸ My experience shows that those who plant trouble
and cultivate evil will harvest the same.
⁹ A breath from God destroys them.
They vanish in a blast of his anger.
¹⁰ The lion roars and the wildcat snarls,
but the teeth of strong lions will be broken.
¹¹ The fierce lion will starve for lack of prey,
and the cubs of the lioness will be scattered.

¹² “This truth was given to me in secret,
as though whispered in my ear.
¹³ It came to me in a disturbing vision at night,
when people are in a deep sleep.
¹⁴ Fear gripped me,
and my bones trembled.
¹⁵ A spirit^[a] swept past my face,
and my hair stood on end.^[b]
16 The spirit stopped, but I couldn’t see its shape.
There was a form before my eyes.
In the silence I heard a voice say,
¹⁷ ‘Can a mortal be innocent before God?
Can anyone be pure before the Creator?’

¹⁸ “If God does not trust his own angels
and has charged his messengers with foolishness,
¹⁹ how much less will he trust people made of clay!
They are made of dust, crushed as easily as a moth.
²⁰ They are alive in the morning but dead by evening,
gone forever without a trace.
²¹ Their tent-cords are pulled and the tent collapses,
and they die in ignorance.

⁸ “If I were you, I would go to God
and present my case to him.
⁹ He does great things too marvelous to understand.
He performs countless miracles.
¹⁰ He gives rain for the earth
and water for the fields.
¹¹ He gives prosperity to the poor
and protects those who suffer.
¹² He frustrates the plans of schemers
so the work of their hands will not succeed.
¹³ He traps the wise in their own cleverness
so their cunning schemes are thwarted.
¹⁴ They find it is dark in the daytime,
and they grope at noon as if it were night.
¹⁵ He rescues the poor from the cutting words of the strong,
and rescues them from the clutches of the powerful.
¹⁶ And so at last the poor have hope,
and the snapping jaws of the wicked are shut.

¹⁷ “But consider the joy of those corrected by God!
Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you sin.
¹⁸ For though he wounds, he also bandages.
He strikes, but his hands also heal.
¹⁹ From six disasters he will rescue you;
even in the seventh, he will keep you from evil.
²⁰ He will save you from death in time of famine,
from the power of the sword in time of war.
²¹ You will be safe from slander
and have no fear when destruction comes.
²² You will laugh at destruction and famine;
wild animals will not terrify you.
²³ You will be at peace with the stones of the field,
and its wild animals will be at peace with you.
²⁴ You will know that your home is safe.
When you survey your possessions, nothing will be missing.
²⁵ You will have many children;
your descendants will be as plentiful as grass!
²⁶ You will go to the grave at a ripe old age,
like a sheaf of grain harvested at the proper time!

²⁷ “We have studied life and found all this to be true.
Listen to my counsel, and apply it to yourself.”

² “If my misery could be weighed
and my troubles be put on the scales,
³ they would outweigh all the sands of the sea.
That is why I spoke impulsively.
⁴ For the Almighty has struck me down with his arrows.
Their poison infects my spirit.
God’s terrors are lined up against me.
⁵ Don’t I have a right to complain?
Don’t wild donkeys bray when they find no grass,
and oxen bellow when they have no food?
⁶ Don’t people complain about unsalted food?
Does anyone want the tasteless white of an egg?^[f]
7 My appetite disappears when I look at it;
I gag at the thought of eating it!

⁸ “Oh, that I might have my request,
that God would grant my desire.
⁹ I wish he would crush me.
I wish he would reach out his hand and kill me.
¹⁰ At least I can take comfort in this:
Despite the pain,
I have not denied the words of the Holy One.
¹¹ But I don’t have the strength to endure.
I have nothing to live for.
¹² Do I have the strength of a stone?
Is my body made of bronze?
¹³ No, I am utterly helpless,
without any chance of success.

¹⁴ “One should be kind to a fainting friend,
but you accuse me without any fear of the Almighty.^[g]
15 My brothers, you have proved as unreliable as a seasonal brook
that overflows its banks in the spring
¹⁶ when it is swollen with ice and melting snow.
¹⁷ But when the hot weather arrives, the water disappears.
The brook vanishes in the heat.
¹⁸ The caravans turn aside to be refreshed,
but there is nothing to drink, so they die.
¹⁹ The caravans from Tema search for this water;
the travelers from Sheba hope to find it.
²⁰ They count on it but are disappointed.
When they arrive, their hopes are dashed.
²¹ You, too, have given no help.
You have seen my calamity, and you are afraid.
²² But why? Have I ever asked you for a gift?
Have I begged for anything of yours for myself?
²³ Have I asked you to rescue me from my enemies,
or to save me from ruthless people?
²⁴ Teach me, and I will keep quiet.
Show me what I have done wrong.
²⁵ Honest words can be painful,
but what do your criticisms amount to?
²⁶ Do you think your words are convincing
when you disregard my cry of desperation?
²⁷ You would even send an orphan into slavery^[h]
or sell a friend.
²⁸ Look at me!
Would I lie to your face?
²⁹ Stop assuming my guilt,
for I have done no wrong.
³⁰ Do you think I am lying?
Don’t I know the difference between right and wrong?

7 “Is not all human life a struggle?
Our lives are like that of a hired hand,
² like a worker who longs for the shade,
like a servant waiting to be paid.
³ I, too, have been assigned months of futility,
long and weary nights of misery.
⁴ Lying in bed, I think, ‘When will it be morning?’
But the night drags on, and I toss till dawn.
⁵ My body is covered with maggots and scabs.
My skin breaks open, oozing with pus.

¹¹ “I cannot keep from speaking.
I must express my anguish.
My bitter soul must complain.
¹² Am I a sea monster or a dragon
that you must place me under guard?
¹³ I think, ‘My bed will comfort me,
and sleep will ease my misery,’
¹⁴ but then you shatter me with dreams
and terrify me with visions.
¹⁵ I would rather be strangled—
rather die than suffer like this.
¹⁶ I hate my life and don’t want to go on living.
Oh, leave me alone for my few remaining days.

¹⁷ “What are people, that you should make so much of us,
that you should think of us so often?
¹⁸ For you examine us every morning
and test us every moment.
¹⁹ Why won’t you leave me alone,
at least long enough for me to swallow!
²⁰ If I have sinned, what have I done to you,
O watcher of all humanity?
Why make me your target?
Am I a burden to you?^[j]
21 Why not just forgive my sin
and take away my guilt?
For soon I will lie down in the dust and die.
When you look for me, I will be gone.”

“I will speak to my own people
through strange languages
and through the lips of foreigners.
But even then, they will not listen to me,”^[b]
says the Lord.

³⁰ The godly offer good counsel;
they teach right from wrong.
³¹ They have made God’s law their own,
so they will never slip from his path.