Chapter 9

¹And Job answered, and said: ²Indeed I know it is so, and that man cannot be justified compared with ³If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one for a thousand. ⁴He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath resisted him, and hath had peace ? ⁵Who hath removed mountains, and they whom he overthrew in his wrath, knew it not. ⁶Who shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble. ⁷Who commandeth tile sun and it riseth not: and shutteth up the stars as it were under a seal: ⁸Who alone spreadeth out the heavens, and walketh upon the waves of the sea. ⁹Who maketh Arcturus, and Orion, and Hyades, and the inner parts of the south. ¹⁰Who doth things great and incomprehensible, and wonderful, of which there is no number. ¹¹If he come to me, I shall not see him: if he depart I shall not understand. ¹²If he examine on a sudden, who shall answer him? or who can say: Why dost thou so? ¹³God, whose wrath no mall can resist, and under whom they stoop that bear up the world. ¹⁴What am I then, that I should answer him, and have words with him? ¹⁵I, who although I should have any just thing, would not answer, but would make supplication to my judge. ¹⁶And if he should hear me when I call, I should not believe that he had heard my voice. ¹⁷For he shall crush me in a whirlwind, and multiply my wounds even without cause. ¹⁸He alloweth not my spirit to rest, and he filleth me with bitterness. ¹⁹If strength be demanded, he is most strong: if equity of judgment, no man dare bear witness for me. ²⁰If I would justify myself, my own mouth shall condemn me: if I would shew myself innocent, he shall prove me wicked. ²¹Although I should be simple, even this my soul shall be ignorant of, and I shall be weary of my life. ²²One thing there is that I have spoken, both the innocent and the wicked he consumeth. ²³If he scourge, let him kill at once, and not laugh at the pains of the innocent. ²⁴The earth is given into the hand of the wicked, he covereth the face of the judges thereof: and if it be not he, who is it then? ²⁵My days have been swifter than a post: they have fled away and have not seen good. ²⁶They have passed by as ships carrying fruits, as an eagle flying to the prey. ²⁷If I say: I will not speak so: I change my face, and am tormented with sorrow. ²⁸I feared all my works, knowing that thou didst not spare the offender. ²⁹But if so also I am wicked, why have I laboured in vain? ³⁰If I be washed as it were with snow waters, and my hands shall shine ever so clean : ³¹Yet thou shalt plunge me in filth, and my garments shall abhor me, ³²For I shall not answer a man that is like myself: nor one that may be heard with me equally in judgment. ³³There is none that may be able to reprove both, and to put his hand between both. ³⁴Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his fear terrify me. ³⁵I will speak, and will not fear him: for I cannot answer while I am in fear.