1 Then Job answered and said:

2 “Listen carefully to my speech,
And let this be your¹ consolation. ‡

3 Bear with me that I may speak,
And after I have spoken, keep ^amocking. ‡

4 “As for me, is my complaint against man?
And if it were, why should I not be impatient?

5 Look at me and be astonished;
^aPut your hand over your mouth. ‡

6 Even when I remember I am terrified,
And trembling takes hold of my flesh.

7 ^aWhy do the wicked live and become old,
Yes, become mighty in power? ‡

8 Their descendants are established with them in their sight,
And their offspring before their eyes.

9 Their houses are safe from fear,
^aNeither is¹ the rod of God upon them. ‡

10 Their bull breeds without failure;
Their cow calves ^awithout miscarriage. ‡

11 They send forth their little ones like a flock,
And their children dance.

12 They sing to the tambourine and harp,
And rejoice to the sound of the flute.

13 They ^aspend their days in wealth,
And¹ in a moment go down to the grave. ‡

14 ^aYet they say to God, ‘Depart from us,
For we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways. ‡

15 ^aWho is the Almighty, that we should serve Him?
And ^bwhat profit do we have if we pray to Him?’ ‡

16 Indeed¹ their prosperity is not in their hand;
^aThe counsel of the wicked is far from me. ‡

17 “How often is the lamp of the wicked put out?
How often does their destruction come upon them,
The sorrows God ^adistributes in His anger? ‡

18 ^aThey are like straw before the wind,
And like chaff that a storm¹ carries away. ‡

19 They say, ‘God¹ lays up one’s iniquity ^afor his children’;
Let Him recompense him, that he may know it. ‡

20 Let his eyes see his destruction,
And ^alet him drink of the wrath of the Almighty. ‡

21 For what does he care about his household after him,
When the number of his months is cut in half?

22 “Can^a anyone teach God knowledge,
Since He judges those on high? ‡

23 One dies in his full strength,
Being wholly at ease and secure;

24 His¹ pails are full of milk,
And the marrow of his bones is moist. ‡

25 Another man dies in the bitterness of his soul,
Never having eaten with pleasure.

26 They ^alie down alike in the dust,
And worms cover them. ‡

27 “Look, I know your thoughts,
And the schemes with which you would wrong me.

28 For you say,
‘Where is the house of the prince?
And where is¹ the tent,
The dwelling place of the wicked?’ ‡

29 Have you not asked those who travel the road?
And do you not know their signs?

30 ^aFor the wicked are reserved for the day of doom;
They shall be brought out on the day of wrath. ‡

31 Who condemns his way to his face?
And who repays him for what he has done?

32 Yet he shall be brought to the grave,
And a vigil kept over the tomb.

33 The clods of the valley shall be sweet to him;
^aEveryone shall follow him,
As countless have gone before him. ‡

34 How then can you comfort me with empty words,
Since¹ falsehood remains in your answers?” ‡