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For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field, and the wild animals will be at peace with you.
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Is tasteless food eaten without salt, or is there flavor in the sap of the mallow?
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“Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
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when darkened by thawing ice and swollen with melting snow,
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My body is clothed with worms and scabs, my skin is broken and festering.
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“My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and they come to an end without hope.
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even then you frighten me with dreams and terrify me with visions,
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But if you will seek God earnestly and plead with the Almighty,
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Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh? Can reeds thrive without water?
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While still growing and uncut, they wither more quickly than grass.
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Surely its life withers away, and from the soil other plants grow.
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He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.
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Though they wished to dispute with him, they could not answer him one time out of a thousand.
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He moves mountains without their knowing it and overturns them in his anger.
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“How then can I dispute with him? How can I find words to argue with him?
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Though I were innocent, I could not answer him; I could only plead with my Judge for mercy.
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He would crush me with a storm and multiply my wounds for no reason.
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He would not let me catch my breath but would overwhelm me with misery.
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“My days are swifter than a runner; they fly away without a glimpse of joy.
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Even if I washed myself with soap and my hands with cleansing powder,
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Then I would speak up without fear of him, but as it now stands with me, I cannot.
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clothe me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews?
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then, free of fault, you will lift up your face; you will stand firm and without fear.
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You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid, and many will court your favor.
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“Doubtless you are the only people who matter, and wisdom will die with you!
