Month: August 2023

31 “I made a covenant with my eyes^(A)
not to look lustfully at a young woman.^(B)
2 For what is our lot^(C) from God above,
our heritage from the Almighty on high?^(D)
3 Is it not ruin^(E) for the wicked,
disaster^(F) for those who do wrong?^(G)
4 Does he not see my ways^(H)
and count my every step?^(I)

⁵ “If I have walked with falsehood
or my foot has hurried after deceit^(J)—
⁶ let God weigh me^(K) in honest scales^(L)
and he will know that I am blameless^(M)—
⁷ if my steps have turned from the path,^(N)
if my heart has been led by my eyes,
or if my hands^(O) have been defiled,^(P)
8 then may others eat what I have sown,^(Q)
and may my crops be uprooted.^(R)

⁹ “If my heart has been enticed^(S) by a woman,^(T)
or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,
¹⁰ then may my wife grind^(U) another man’s grain,
and may other men sleep with her.^(V)
11 For that would have been wicked,^(W)
a sin to be judged.^(X)
12 It is a fire^(Y) that burns to Destruction^[a];^(Z)
it would have uprooted my harvest.^(AA)

¹³ “If I have denied justice to any of my servants,^(AB)
whether male or female,
when they had a grievance against me,^(AC)
14 what will I do when God confronts me?^(AD)
What will I answer when called to account?^(AE)
15 Did not he who made me in the womb make them?^(AF)
Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?^(AG)

¹⁶ “If I have denied the desires of the poor^(AH)
or let the eyes of the widow^(AI) grow weary,^(AJ)
17 if I have kept my bread to myself,
not sharing it with the fatherless^(AK)—
¹⁸ but from my youth I reared them as a father would,
and from my birth I guided the widow^(AL)—
¹⁹ if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing,^(AM)
or the needy^(AN) without garments,
²⁰ and their hearts did not bless me^(AO)
for warming them with the fleece^(AP) from my sheep,
²¹ if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,^(AQ)
knowing that I had influence in court,^(AR)
22 then let my arm fall from the shoulder,
let it be broken off at the joint.^(AS)
23 For I dreaded destruction from God,^(AT)
and for fear of his splendor^(AU) I could not do such things.^(AV)

²⁴ “If I have put my trust in gold^(AW)
or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’^(AX)
25 if I have rejoiced over my great wealth,^(AY)
the fortune my hands had gained,^(AZ)
26 if I have regarded the sun^(BA) in its radiance
or the moon^(BB) moving in splendor,
²⁷ so that my heart was secretly enticed^(BC)
and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,^(BD)
28 then these also would be sins to be judged,^(BE)
for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.^(BF)

²⁹ “If I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune^(BG)
or gloated over the trouble that came to him^(BH)—
³⁰ I have not allowed my mouth to sin
by invoking a curse against their life^(BI)—
³¹ if those of my household have never said,
‘Who has not been filled with Job’s meat?’^(BJ)—
³² but no stranger had to spend the night in the street,
for my door was always open to the traveler^(BK)—
³³ if I have concealed^(BL) my sin as people do,^[b]
by hiding^(BM) my guilt in my heart
³⁴ because I so feared the crowd^(BN)
and so dreaded the contempt of the clans
that I kept silent^(BO) and would not go outside—

³⁵ (“Oh, that I had someone to hear me!^(BP)
I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me;
let my accuser^(BQ) put his indictment in writing.
³⁶ Surely I would wear it on my shoulder,^(BR)
I would put it on like a crown.^(BS)
37 I would give him an account of my every step;^(BT)
I would present it to him as to a ruler.^(BU))—

³⁸ “if my land cries out against me^(BV)
and all its furrows are wet^(BW) with tears,
³⁹ if I have devoured its yield without payment^(BX)
or broken the spirit of its tenants,^(BY)
40 then let briers^(BZ) come up instead of wheat
and stinkweed^(CA) instead of barley.”

“I am young in years,
and you are old;^(CL)
that is why I was fearful,
not daring to tell you what I know.
⁷ I thought, ‘Age should speak;
advanced years should teach wisdom.’^(CM)
8 But it is the spirit^[d](CN) in a person,
the breath of the Almighty,^(CO) that gives them understanding.^(CP)
9 It is not only the old^[e] who are wise,^(CQ)
not only the aged^(CR) who understand what is right.^(CS)

¹⁰ “Therefore I say: Listen to me;^(CT)
I too will tell you what I know.^(CU)
11 I waited while you spoke,
I listened to your reasoning;
while you were searching for words,
¹² I gave you my full attention.
But not one of you has proved Job wrong;
none of you has answered his arguments.^(CV)
13 Do not say, ‘We have found wisdom;^(CW)
let God, not a man, refute^(CX) him.’
¹⁴ But Job has not marshaled his words against me,^(CY)
and I will not answer him with your arguments.

¹⁵ “They are dismayed and have no more to say;
words have failed them.^(CZ)
16 Must I wait, now that they are silent,
now that they stand there with no reply?
¹⁷ I too will have my say;
I too will tell what I know.^(DA)
18 For I am full of words,
and the spirit^(DB) within me compels me;^(DC)
19 inside I am like bottled-up wine,
like new wineskins ready to burst.^(DD)
20 I must speak and find relief;
I must open my lips and reply.^(DE)
21 I will show no partiality,^(DF)
nor will I flatter anyone;^(DG)
22 for if I were skilled in flattery,
my Maker^(DH) would soon take me away.^(DI)

33 “But now, Job, listen^(DJ) to my words;
pay attention to everything I say.^(DK)
2 I am about to open my mouth;
my words are on the tip of my tongue.
³ My words come from an upright heart;^(DL)
my lips sincerely speak what I know.^(DM)
4 The Spirit^(DN) of God has made me;^(DO)
the breath of the Almighty^(DP) gives me life.^(DQ)
5 Answer me^(DR) then, if you can;
stand up^(DS) and argue your case before me.^(DT)
6 I am the same as you in God’s sight;^(DU)
I too am a piece of clay.^(DV)
7 No fear of me should alarm you,
nor should my hand be heavy on you.^(DW)

⁸ “But you have said in my hearing—
I heard the very words—
⁹ ‘I am pure,^(DX) I have done no wrong;^(DY)
I am clean and free from sin.^(DZ)
10 Yet God has found fault with me;
he considers me his enemy.^(EA)
11 He fastens my feet in shackles;^(EB)
he keeps close watch on all my paths.’^(EC)

¹² “But I tell you, in this you are not right,
for God is greater than any mortal.^(ED)
13 Why do you complain to him^(EE)
that he responds to no one’s words^[f]?^(EF)
14 For God does speak^(EG)—now one way, now another^(EH)—
though no one perceives it.^(EI)
15 In a dream,^(EJ) in a vision^(EK) of the night,^(EL)
when deep sleep^(EM) falls on people
as they slumber in their beds,
¹⁶ he may speak^(EN) in their ears
and terrify them^(EO) with warnings,^(EP)
17 to turn them from wrongdoing
and keep them from pride,^(EQ)
18 to preserve them from the pit,^(ER)
their lives from perishing by the sword.^[g](ES)

¹⁹ “Or someone may be chastened^(ET) on a bed of pain^(EU)
with constant distress in their bones,^(EV)
20 so that their body finds food^(EW) repulsive
and their soul loathes the choicest meal.^(EX)
21 Their flesh wastes away to nothing,
and their bones,^(EY) once hidden, now stick out.^(EZ)
22 They draw near to the pit,^(FA)
and their life to the messengers of death.^[h](FB)
23 Yet if there is an angel at their side,
a messenger,^(FC) one out of a thousand,
sent to tell them how to be upright,^(FD)
24 and he is gracious to that person and says to God,
‘Spare them from going down to the pit;^(FE)
I have found a ransom for them^(FF)—
²⁵ let their flesh be renewed^(FG) like a child’s;
let them be restored as in the days of their youth’^(FH)—
²⁶ then that person can pray to God and find favor with him,^(FI)
they will see God’s face and shout for joy;^(FJ)
he will restore them to full well-being.^(FK)
27 And they will go to others and say,
‘I have sinned,^(FL) I have perverted what is right,^(FM)
but I did not get what I deserved.^(FN)
28 God has delivered^(FO) me from going down to the pit,^(FP)
and I shall live to enjoy the light of life.’^(FQ)

²⁹ “God does all these things to a person^(FR)—
twice, even three times^(FS)—
³⁰ to turn them back^(FT) from the pit,^(FU)
that the light of life^(FV) may shine on them.^(FW)

³¹ “Pay attention, Job, and listen^(FX) to me;^(FY)
be silent,^(FZ) and I will speak.
³² If you have anything to say, answer me;^(GA)
speak up, for I want to vindicate you.^(GB)
33 But if not, then listen to me;^(GC)
be silent,^(GD) and I will teach you wisdom.^(GE)”

⁵ Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.^(Q)

⁸ Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity,^(A)
and the rod they wield in fury will be broken.^(B)

⁹ The generous will themselves be blessed,^(C)
for they share their food with the poor.^(D)

¹² “But do people know where to find wisdom?
Where can they find understanding?
¹³ No one knows where to find it,^[a]
for it is not found among the living.
¹⁴ ‘It is not here,’ says the ocean.
‘Nor is it here,’ says the sea.
¹⁵ It cannot be bought with gold.
It cannot be purchased with silver.
¹⁶ It’s worth more than all the gold of Ophir,
greater than precious onyx or lapis lazuli.
¹⁷ Wisdom is more valuable than gold and crystal.
It cannot be purchased with jewels mounted in fine gold.
¹⁸ Coral and jasper are worthless in trying to get it.
The price of wisdom is far above rubies.
¹⁹ Precious peridot from Ethiopia^[b] cannot be exchanged for it.
It’s worth more than the purest gold.

²⁰ “But do people know where to find wisdom?
Where can they find understanding?
²¹ It is hidden from the eyes of all humanity.
Even the sharp-eyed birds in the sky cannot discover it.
²² Destruction^[c] and Death say,
‘We’ve heard only rumors of where wisdom can be found.’

²³ “God alone understands the way to wisdom;
he knows where it can be found,
²⁴ for he looks throughout the whole earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
²⁵ He decided how hard the winds should blow
and how much rain should fall.
²⁶ He made the laws for the rain
and laid out a path for the lightning.
²⁷ Then he saw wisdom and evaluated it.
He set it in place and examined it thoroughly.
²⁸ And this is what he says to all humanity:
‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom;
to forsake evil is real understanding.’”

² “I long for the years gone by
when God took care of me,
³ when he lit up the way before me
and I walked safely through the darkness.
⁴ When I was in my prime,
God’s friendship was felt in my home.
⁵ The Almighty was still with me,
and my children were around me.
⁶ My steps were awash in cream,
and the rocks gushed olive oil for me.

⁷ “Those were the days when I went to the city gate
and took my place among the honored leaders.
⁸ The young stepped aside when they saw me,
and even the aged rose in respect at my coming.
⁹ The princes stood in silence
and put their hands over their mouths.
¹⁰ The highest officials of the city stood quietly,
holding their tongues in respect.

¹¹ “All who heard me praised me.
All who saw me spoke well of me.
¹² For I assisted the poor in their need
and the orphans who required help.
¹³ I helped those without hope, and they blessed me.
And I caused the widows’ hearts to sing for joy.
¹⁴ Everything I did was honest.
Righteousness covered me like a robe,
and I wore justice like a turban.
¹⁵ I served as eyes for the blind
and feet for the lame.
¹⁶ I was a father to the poor
and assisted strangers who needed help.
¹⁷ I broke the jaws of godless oppressors
and plucked their victims from their teeth.

¹⁸ “I thought, ‘Surely I will die surrounded by my family
after a long, good life.^[d]
19 For I am like a tree whose roots reach the water,
whose branches are refreshed with the dew.
²⁰ New honors are constantly bestowed on me,
and my strength is continually renewed.’

²¹ “Everyone listened to my advice.
They were silent as they waited for me to speak.
²² And after I spoke, they had nothing to add,
for my counsel satisfied them.
²³ They longed for me to speak as people long for rain.
They drank my words like a refreshing spring rain.
²⁴ When they were discouraged, I smiled at them.
My look of approval was precious to them.
²⁵ Like a chief, I told them what to do.
I lived like a king among his troops
and comforted those who mourned.

⁹ “And now they mock me with vulgar songs!
They taunt me!
¹⁰ They despise me and won’t come near me,
except to spit in my face.
¹¹ For God has cut my bowstring.
He has humbled me,
so they have thrown off all restraint.
¹² These outcasts oppose me to my face.
They send me sprawling
and lay traps in my path.
¹³ They block my road
and do everything they can to destroy me.
They know I have no one to help me.
¹⁴ They come at me from all directions.
They jump on me when I am down.
¹⁵ I live in terror now.
My honor has blown away in the wind,
and my prosperity has vanished like a cloud.

¹⁶ “And now my life seeps away.
Depression haunts my days.
¹⁷ At night my bones are filled with pain,
which gnaws at me relentlessly.
¹⁸ With a strong hand, God grabs my shirt.^[e]
He grips me by the collar of my coat.
¹⁹ He has thrown me into the mud.
I’m nothing more than dust and ashes.

²⁰ “I cry to you, O God, but you don’t answer.
I stand before you, but you don’t even look.
²¹ You have become cruel toward me.
You use your power to persecute me.
²² You throw me into the whirlwind
and destroy me in the storm.
²³ And I know you are sending me to my death—
the destination of all who live.

²⁴ “Surely no one would turn against the needy
when they cry for help in their trouble.
²⁵ Did I not weep for those in trouble?
Was I not deeply grieved for the needy?
²⁶ So I looked for good, but evil came instead.
I waited for the light, but darkness fell.
²⁷ My heart is troubled and restless.
Days of suffering torment me.
²⁸ I walk in gloom, without sunlight.
I stand in the public square and cry for help.
²⁹ Instead, I am considered a brother to jackals
and a companion to owls.
³⁰ My skin has turned dark,
and my bones burn with fever.
³¹ My harp plays sad music,
and my flute accompanies those who weep.

¹ As the deer longs for streams of water,
so I long for you, O God.
² I thirst for God, the living God.
When can I go and stand before him?
³ Day and night I have only tears for food,
while my enemies continually taunt me, saying,
“Where is this God of yours?”

⁴ My heart is breaking
as I remember how it used to be:
I walked among the crowds of worshipers,
leading a great procession to the house of God,
singing for joy and giving thanks
amid the sound of a great celebration!

⁵ Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again—
my Savior and ⁶ my God!

Now I am deeply discouraged,
but I will remember you—
even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan,
from the land of Mount Mizar.
⁷ I hear the tumult of the raging seas
as your waves and surging tides sweep over me.
⁸ But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me,
and through each night I sing his songs,
praying to God who gives me life.

⁹ “O God my rock,” I cry,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I wander around in grief,
oppressed by my enemies?”
¹⁰ Their taunts break my bones.
They scoff, “Where is this God of yours?”

¹¹ Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again—
my Savior and my God!

⁷ Just as the rich rule the poor,
so the borrower is servant to the lender.

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.