Notwithstanding, Job I pray thee, hear my speech,{HR}And hearken to my every word.
Behold, I pray thee, I opened my mouth,{HR}My tongue speaketh in my palate.
My words [shall be] the uprightness of my heart,{HR}And my knowledge shall my lips utter purely.
The Spirit of God [El] hath made me,{HR}And the breath of Shaddai gave me life.
If thou canst, answer me;{HR}Draw up before me, take thy stand.
Lo! I am God’s, [El] as thou;{HR}Out of clay was I also formed.
Behold, my terror will not affright thee,{HR}And my hand shall not be heavy on thee.
Surely thou hast said in mine ears,{HR}And I heard the voice of the words:
I am pure, without transgression,{HR}I [am] clean, and have no iniquity:
Lo! He findeth hostilities against me,{HR}He counteth me as his enemy;
He putteth my feet into the stocks;{HR}He watcheth all my ways.
Behold, in this thou art not right, I answer thee;{HR}For God [Eloah] is greater than a mortal.
Why hast thou contended against him?{HR}For he answereth not of all his matters.
When God [El] speaketh once, and twice —{HR}[Man] regardeth it not —
In a dream, in a vision of the night,{HR}When deep sleep falleth on mortals,{HR}In slumberings on the bed;
Then he openeth the ear of mortals,{HR}And sealeth up their instruction,
To withdraw man [from] doing;{HR}And pride from man he concealeth.
He keepeth back his soul from corruption,{HR}And his life from passing away by the dart.
He is also chastised with pains on his bed,{HR}And the strife of his bones [is] lasting.
And his life loatheth bread,{HR}And his soul meat of desire.
His flesh wasteth out of sight,{HR}And his bones that were not seen stand out,
And his soul draweth near to corruption,{HR}And his life to the destroyers.
If there be by him a messenger,{HR}An interpreter, one of a thousand,{HR}To declare to man his uprightness;
And he is gracious to him, and saith,{HR}Deliver him from going down to corruption:{HR}I have found a ransom.
His flesh [is] fresher than childhood,{HR}He returneth to the days of his youth.
He supplicateth God [Eloah],{HR}And he accepteth him.{HR}And he shall see his face with rejoicing,{HR}And he requiteth to mortal man his righteousness.
He singeth before mortals, and saith,{HR}I sinned and perverted right, and it satisfied me not.
He ransomed my soul from passing to corruption,{HR}And my life looketh on the light.
Lo! all these worketh God [El] twice, thrice, with man,
To bring back his soul from corruption,{HR}That he may be enlightened with the light of life.
Attend, O Job, hearken to me;{HR}Be silent, and I shall speak.
If thou hast words, answer me —{HR}Speak, for I have a desire to justify thee.
If not, hearken thou unto me;{HR}Keep silence, and I will teach thee wisdom.