I made a covenant with my eyes;
How then can I gaze upon a virgin?

What then is the portion from God above,
Or the inheritance of the Almighty on high?

Is it not calamity for the unjust
And misfortune for the workers of iniquity?

Does He not see my ways
And count all my steps?

If I have walked with falsehood,
And my foot has hastened after deceit —

Let Him weigh me in a righteous balance,
And let God know my integrity —

If my step has turned from the way,
And my heart has gone after my own eyes,
And if any spot has stuck to my hands;

May I sow and another eat;
Indeed may my produce be rooted up.

If my heart has been enticed into following after a woman,
Or I have lain in wait at my neighbor's door;

May my wife grind for another,
And may others kneel over her.

For that would have been a heinous act,
And it would be wickedness, to be punished by the judges.

For it is a fire that devours to  ¹Abaddon
And would root up all my increase.

If I have despised the cause of my servant or my maid
When they contended with me,

What then will I do when God rises up?
And when He visits me, what will I answer Him?

Did not He who made me in the womb make him?
And was it not One who fashioned us in the womb?

If I have withheld the poor from their desire,
Or have let the eyes of the widow fail,

Or have eaten my morsel alone
Without the orphan eating of it —

Rather, from my youth he grew up with me as with a father,
And from my mother's womb I guided  ¹the widow —

If I have seen someone perishing from lack of clothing
Or that the needy had no covering;

If his loins have not blessed me,
And he has not been made warm with the fleece of my sheep;

If I have raised my hand against the orphan
Because I saw that I had support among those in the gate;

May my shoulder blade fall from the shoulder,
And may my arm be broken at the elbow.

For calamity from God is dreadful to me,
And because of His majesty I can do nothing.

If I have made gold my hope,
And have called fine gold my confidence;

If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great
And because my hand had acquired much;

If I have looked at the sun when it shone
Or the moon going on in splendor,

And my heart has been secretly enticed,
And my mouth has kissed my hand;

It too would be wickedness, to be punished by the judges,
For I would have denied God above.

If I have rejoiced at the misfortune of him who hated me,
Or have exulted when evil found him —

Rather, I have not allowed my mouth to sin
By asking for his life with a curse —

If the men of my tent have not said,
Who can find one who has not been filled with  ¹our master's meat? —

The sojourner has not lodged in the street;
I have opened my doors to the highway —

If I have covered my transgressions  ¹as Adam did
By hiding my iniquity in my bosom,

Because I so dreaded the great multitude,
And the contempt of the families so frightened me,
That I was silent and did not go out my door —

Oh, that I had someone to hear me!
Here is my signature! Let the Almighty answer me.
And let my accuser write up the charge.

Surely I would carry  ¹it on my shoulder;
I would bind it onto me like a crown;

I would declare to Him the number of my steps;
Like a prince I would approach Him!

If my land cries out against me,
And its furrows weep together;

If I have eaten its strength without money,
And have caused its owners to lose their life;

May thorns come forth instead of wheat,
And pungent weeds instead of barley.
The words of Job are  ¹ended.

Then these three men ceased answering Job, for he was righteous in his own eyes.

And the  ¹anger of  ²Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was kindled. Against Job was his anger kindled because he justified himself rather than God;

And against his three friends was his anger kindled because they had found no answer but had condemned Job.

Now Elihu had waited to speak with Job, because they were older than he.

But when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men, his anger was kindled.

So Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said,
I am young,
And you are aged;
Therefore I shrank back and was afraid
To declare to you what I know.

I said, Let age speak,
And let the multitude of years make wisdom known.

But  ¹there is a  ²spirit in man,
And the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding.

It is not the great who are wise,
Nor the old who understand justice.

Therefore I say, Hear me;
I also will declare what I  ¹know.

Indeed, I have waited out your words;
I have given ear to your reasonings,
While you searched for what to say.

Indeed I gave you my full attention;
But no one here could refute Job;
None of you answered his words.

Do not say, We have found wisdom;
God will defeat him, not man.

But he did not arrange his words against me;
Neither will I respond to him with your speeches.

They are dismayed; they answer no more;
Words fail them.

Then should I wait? For they do not speak,
For they stand still; they answer no more.

I also will answer what has been apportioned to me;
I also will declare what I know.

For I am full of words;
The spirit in my inward parts constrains me.

Indeed, my inward parts are like wine that is not vented;
Like new wineskins, they are about to burst.

Let me speak, that there may be relief for me;
Let me open my lips and answer.

Let me not, I beg you, respect any man's person,
Nor flatter any man;

For I do not know how to flatter —
My Maker would soon bear me off.

But now, Job, hear my speaking,
And give ear to all my words.

Indeed now, I have opened my mouth;
My tongue has spoken in my mouth.

My words manifest the uprightness of my heart,
And what my lips know they speak sincerely.

The Spirit of God has made me,
And the breath of the Almighty has enlivened me.

If you can, respond to me;
Arrange your words before me; take your stand.

Indeed, I am before God as you are;
I too was cut out of clay.

So no fear of me can terrify you,
Nor can my pressure be heavy upon you.

You have surely spoken in my hearing,
And I have heard the voice of your words, saying,

I am clean and without transgression;
I am pure, and there is no iniquity in me.

See, He finds occasions for hostility against me;
He considers me as His enemy.

He puts my feet in stocks;
He watches all my paths.

However, in this you are not right, I will answer you,
For God is greater than man.

Why do you contend with Him,
Saying that He does not answer for any of His affairs?

For God speaks in one way,
Indeed in two ways, without any perceiving it —

In a dream, a night vision,
When deep sleep falls upon men
In the slumberings upon their beds —

Then He opens the ears of men
And seals up their instruction,

That He may turn man aside from his doing
And hide pride from man.

He keeps his soul from the pit,
And his life from perishing by the sword.

He is also chastened with pain upon his bed
And with continual strife in his bones,

So that his life abhors bread,
And his soul, fancy food.

His flesh is so consumed that it cannot be seen,
And his bones that had not been seen stick out.

And his soul draws near to the pit,
And his life, to the destroyers.

If there is with him an angel,
An interpreter, one of a thousand,
To declare to man what is right for him,

Then He will be gracious to him and will say,
Redeem him from going down into the pit;
I have found a ransom.

His flesh will be fresher than in childhood;
He will return to the days of his youth.

He will pray to God, and He will accept him,
So that he sees His face with joyous shouting;
And  ¹God restores to man his righteousness.

He will sing to men and say,
I sinned and perverted what was right,
But it was not paid back to me.

He has redeemed my soul from perishing in the pit,
And my life will see the light.

Indeed, all these things God accomplishes for a man,
Twice, even three times,

To bring his soul back from the pit,
To enlighten him with the light of the living.

Take heed, Job; hear me.
Be silent, and I will speak.

If you have anything to say, answer me;
Speak, for I desire to justify you.

If not, you listen to me;
Be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.