Job 23

EasyEnglish Bible

² ‘I continue to complain against God
    because I am still angry today.
God continues to punish me
    even when I cry in pain.
³ I would like to know where to find him.
    Then I could go to the place where he lives.
⁴ I would tell him why I am not guilty.
    I would say many things to explain this to him.
⁵ Then I would know how he would answer me.
    I would understand what he would say to me.
⁶ Would God use his great power to argue against me?
    No! He would listen carefully to me.
⁷ Honest people can explain things to him.
    So he would judge me in a fair way.
    He would let me go free.

⁸ I look for God in the east, but he is not there.
    I do not find him in the west either.
⁹ When he does his work in the north,
    I do not see him.
When he moves to the south,
    I still cannot find him anywhere.
¹⁰ But he knows the way that I live.
When he has finished testing me,
    he will see that I am pure.
    I will be as pure as gold.
¹¹ I have always lived in the way that God showed me.
    I have obeyed him faithfully.
    I have not turned away from his teaching.
¹² I have been careful to obey his commands.
    His words are more important to me than my food.
¹³ But he is always true to himself.
    Nobody can change him.
Whatever he wants to do, he does.
¹⁴ He will do to me everything that he has decided to do.
    He has plans to do many things like this.
¹⁵ Because of that,
    I am afraid of him.
When I think about all these things,
    I am very afraid.
¹⁶ God has made me become weak with fear.
    Almighty God has frightened me.
¹⁷ Because of all my troubles,
    I seem to be in a very dark place.
The darkness seems to cover me.
    But I will not be afraid to speak.