Job 9

Revised Geneva Translation

9 Then Job answered, and said,

² “I know truly that it is so. For how should man be justified with God?

³ “If he would dispute with Him, he could not answer Him one thing of a thousand.

⁴ “He is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has been fierce against him and has prospered?

⁵ “He removes the mountains and they do not feel when He overthrows them in His wrath.

⁶ “He shakes the Earth out of its place, so that its pillars tremble.

⁷ “He Commands the Sun, and it does not rise. He seals up the stars.

⁸ “He alone spreads out the heavens and walks upon the height of the sea.

⁹ “He makes Arcturus, Orion, Pleiades, and the chambers of the South.

¹⁰ “He does great things, and unsearchable, indeed, marvelous things, without number.

¹¹ “Lo, when He passes by me, I do not see Him. And when He passes by, I do not perceive Him.

¹² “Behold, when He takes away, who can make Him restore it? Who shall say to Him, ‘What are you doing?’

¹³ “God will not withdraw His anger. The helpers of the proud stoop under Him.

¹⁴ “How shall I answer Him? Or how should I find my words with Him?

¹⁵ “For though I were just, yet I could not answer, only make supplication to my Judge.

¹⁶ “If I cry and He answers me, I do not believe that He heard my voice.

¹⁷ “For He destroys me with a storm, and wounds me without cause.

¹⁸ “He will not allow me to take my breath but fills me with bitterness.

¹⁹ “If we speak of strength, behold, He is strong. If we speak of judgment, who shall bring me in to plead?

²⁰ “If I should justify myself, my own mouth shall condemn me. If I wish to be upright, He shall judge me wicked.

²¹ “I am upright, yet I do not know my soul. I reject life.

²² “These are the same thing. Therefore, I said, ‘He destroys the upright and the wicked.’

²³ “If the scourge should suddenly kill, God will mock the trial of the innocent.

²⁴ “The Earth is given into the hand of the wicked. He covers the faces of its judges. If not Him, then Who?

²⁵ “My days have been more swift than a runner. They have fled, and have seen no good thing.

²⁶ “They have passed as the swiftest ships, and as the eagle that flies to the prey.

²⁷ “If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint. I will cease looking sad and put on a smile,’

²⁸ “then I am afraid of my sorrows, knowing that You will not judge me innocent.

²⁹ “If I am wicked, why do I labor in vain?

³⁰ “If I wash myself with snow water, and purge my hands most clean,

³¹ “You shall still plunge me into the pit. And my own clothes shall make me filthy.

³² “For He is not a man, as I am, that I should answer Him if we met in court.

³³ “Nor is there any umpire that might lay his hand upon us both.

³⁴ “Let Him take His rod away from me. And do not let my fear of Him terrify me.

³⁵ “Then I would speak, and not fear Him. But it is not so with me.