Job 34

English Standard Version

² “Hear my words, you wise men,
    and give ear to me, you who know;
³ for ^(A)the ear tests words
    as the palate tastes food.
⁴ Let us choose ^(B)what is right;
    let us know among ourselves what is good.
⁵ For Job has said, ‘I am ^(C)in the right,
    and ^(D)God has taken away my right;
⁶ in spite of my right I am counted a liar;
    my wound is incurable, though I am ^(E)without transgression.’
⁷ What man is like Job,
    who ^(F)drinks up scoffing like water,
⁸ who travels in company with evildoers
    and walks ^(G)with wicked men?
⁹ For ^(H)he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing
    that he should take delight in God.’

¹⁰ “Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding:
    far be it from God that he should ^(I)do wickedness,
    and from the Almighty that he should do wrong.
¹¹ For according to ^(J)the work of a man he will repay him,
    and ^(K)according to his ways he will make it befall him.
¹² Of a truth, God will not do wickedly,
    and ^(L)the Almighty will not pervert justice.
¹³ Who gave him charge over the earth,
    and who ^(M)laid on him^[a] the whole world?
¹⁴ If he should ^(N)set his heart to it
    and ^(O)gather to himself his ^(P)spirit and his breath,
¹⁵ all flesh would perish together,
    and man would ^(Q)return to dust.

¹⁶ “If you have understanding, hear this;
    listen to what I say.
^17 (R)Shall one who hates justice govern?
    Will you condemn him who is righteous and mighty,
¹⁸ who ^(S)says to a king, ‘Worthless one,’
    and to nobles, ‘Wicked man,’
¹⁹ who ^(T)shows no partiality to princes,
    nor regards the rich ^(U)more than the poor,
    for ^(V)they are all the work of his hands?
²⁰ In a moment ^(W)they die;
    at ^(X)midnight the people are shaken and pass away,
    and the mighty are taken away by ^(Y)no human hand.

²¹ “For his eyes are on ^(Z)the ways of a man,
    and he sees all his ^(AA)steps.
²² There is no ^(AB)gloom or ^(AC)deep darkness
    where evildoers may hide themselves.
²³ For God^[b] has no need to consider a man further,
    that he should go before God in ^(AD)judgment.
²⁴ He ^(AE)shatters the mighty without investigation
    and sets ^(AF)others in their place.
²⁵ Thus, knowing their works,
    he ^(AG)overturns them in the night, and they are crushed.
²⁶ He strikes them for their wickedness
    in a place for all to see,
²⁷ because they turned aside from ^(AH)following him
    and had no regard for any of his ways,
²⁸ so that they ^(AI)caused the cry of the poor to come to him,
    and he ^(AJ)heard the cry of the afflicted—
²⁹ When he is quiet, who can condemn?
    When he hides his face, who can behold him,
    whether it be a nation or a man?—
³⁰ that a godless man should not reign,
    that he should not ensnare the people.

³¹ “For has anyone said to God,
    ‘I have borne punishment; I will not offend any more;
^32 (AK)teach me what I do not see;
    if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more’?
³³ Will he then make repayment to suit you,
    because you reject it?
For you must choose, and not I;
    therefore ^(AL)declare what you know.^[c]
34 Men of understanding will say to me,
    and the wise man who hears me will say:
³⁵ ‘Job ^(AM)speaks without knowledge;
    his words are without insight.’
³⁶ Would that Job were tried to the end,
    because he answers like wicked men.
³⁷ For he adds rebellion to his sin;
    he ^(AN)claps his hands among us
    and multiplies his words against God.”