Job 9

1. ¹And Job answered and said,
2. ²Of a truth I know it is so; but how can man be just with God?
3. ³If he shall choose to strive with him, he cannot answer him one thing of a thousand.
4. ⁴He is wise in heart and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and had peace?
5. ⁵Who removeth mountains, and they know it not, when he overturneth them in his anger;
6. ⁶Who shaketh the earth out of its place, and the pillars thereof tremble;
7. ⁷Who commandeth the sun, and it riseth not, and he sealeth up the stars;
8. ⁸Who alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the high waves of the sea;
9. ⁹Who maketh the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, and the chambers of the south;
10. ¹⁰Who doeth great things past finding out, and wonders without number.
11. ¹¹Lo, he goeth by me, and I see [supplied: him] not; and he passeth along, and I perceive him not.
12. ¹²Behold, he taketh away: who will hinder him? Who will say unto him, What doest thou?
13. ¹³+God withdraweth not his anger; the proud helpers stoop under him:
14. ¹⁴How much less shall I answer him, choose out my words [supplied: to strive] with him?
15. ¹⁵Whom, though I were righteous, [supplied: yet] would I not answer; I would make supplication to my judge.
16. ¹⁶If I had called, and he had answered me, I would not believe that he hearkened to my voice, --
17. ¹⁷He, who crusheth me with a tempest, and multiplieth my wounds without cause.
18. ¹⁸He suffereth me not to take my breath, for he filleth me with bitternesses.
19. ¹⁹Be it a question of strength, lo, [supplied: he is] strong; and be it of judgment, who will set me a time?
20. ²⁰If I justified myself, mine own mouth would condemn me; were I perfect, he would prove me perverse.
21. ²¹Were I perfect, [supplied: yet] would I not know my soul: I would despise my life.
22. ²²It is all one; therefore I said, he destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.
23. ²³If the scourge kill suddenly, he mocketh at the trial of the innocent.
24. ²⁴The earth is given over into the hand of the wicked [supplied: man]; he covereth the faces of its judges. If not, who then is it?
25. ²⁵And my days are swifter than a runner: they flee away, they see no good.
26. ²⁶They pass by like skiffs of reed; as an eagle that swoops upon the prey.
27. ²⁷If I say, I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my [supplied: sad] countenance, and brighten up,
28. ²⁸I am afraid of all my sorrows; I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent.
29. ²⁹Be it that I am wicked, why then do I labour in vain?
30. ³⁰If I washed myself with snow-water, and cleansed my hands in purity,
31. ³¹Then wouldest thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes would abhor me.
32. ³²For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him; that we should come together in judgment.
33. ³³There is not an umpire between us, who should lay his hand upon us both.
34. ³⁴Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his terror make me afraid,
35. ³⁵[supplied: Then] I will speak, and not fear him; but it is not so with me.

Words in italics were supplied by the translators.

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