21:1  Then Job answered,

21:2  "Listen carefully to my speech, And let this be your {way of} consolation.

21:3  "Bear with me that I may speak; Then after I have spoken, you may mock.

21:4  "As for me, is my complaint to man? And why should I not be impatient?

21:5  "Look at me, and be astonished, And put {your} hand over {your} mouth.

21:6  "Even when I remember, I am disturbed, And horror takes hold of my flesh.

21:7  "Why do the wicked {still} live, Continue on, also become very powerful?

21:8  "Their descendants are established with them in their sight, And their offspring before their eyes,

21:9  Their houses are safe from fear, And the rod of God is not on them.

21:10  "His ox mates without fail; His cow calves and does not abort.

21:11  "They send forth their little ones like the flock, And their children skip about.

21:12  "They sing to the timbrel and harp And rejoice at the sound of the flute.

21:13  "They spend their days in prosperity, And suddenly they go down to Sheol.

21:14  "They say to God, `Depart from us! We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways.

21:15  `Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him, And what would we gain if we entreat Him?'

21:16  "Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand; The counsel of the wicked is far from me.

21:17  "How often is the lamp of the wicked put out, Or does their calamity fall on them? Does God apportion destruction in His anger?

21:18  "Are they as straw before the wind, And like chaff which the storm carries away?

21:19  "{You say,} `God stores away a man's iniquity for his sons.' Let God repay him so that he may know {it.}

21:20  "Let his own eyes see his decay, And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.

21:21  "For what does he care for his household after him, When the number of his months is cut off?

21:22  "Can anyone teach God knowledge, In that He judges those on high?

21:23  "One dies in his full strength, Being wholly at ease and satisfied;

21:24  His sides are filled out with fat, And the marrow of his bones is moist,

21:25  While another dies with a bitter soul, Never even tasting {anything} good.

21:26  "Together they lie down in the dust, And worms cover them.

21:27  "Behold, I know your thoughts, And the plans by which you would wrong me.

21:28  "For you say, `Where is the house of the nobleman, And where is the tent, the dwelling places of the wicked?'

21:29  "Have you not asked wayfaring men, And do you not recognize their witness?

21:30  "For the wicked is reserved for the day of calamity; They will be led forth at the day of fury.

21:31  "Who will confront him with his actions, And who will repay him for what he has done?

21:32  "While he is carried to the grave, {Men} will keep watch over {his} tomb.

21:33  "The clods of the valley will gently cover him; Moreover, all men will follow after him, While countless ones {go} before him.

21:34  "How then will you vainly comfort me, For your answers remain {full of} falsehood?"