4 aThe Spirit of God has made me,
And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
5 If you can answer me,
Set
your words in order before me;
Take your stand.
6 aTruly I
am1 as your spokesman before God;
I also have been formed out of clay.
7 aSurely no fear of me will terrify you,
Nor will my hand be heavy on you.
8 “Surely you have spoken
1 in my hearing,
And I have heard the sound of
your words,
saying,
9 ‘I
a am pure, without transgression;
I
am innocent, and
there is no iniquity in me.
10 Yet He finds occasions against me,
aHe counts me as His enemy;
11 aHe puts my feet in the stocks,
He watches all my paths.’
12 “Look,
in this you are not righteous.
I will answer you,
For God is greater than man.
13 Why do you
acontend with Him?
For He does not give an accounting of any of His words.
14 aFor God may speak in one way, or in another,
Yet man does not perceive it.
15 aIn a dream, in a vision of the night,
When deep sleep falls upon men,
While slumbering on their beds,
16 aThen He opens the ears of men,
And seals their instruction.
17 In order to turn man
from his deed,
And conceal pride from man,
18 He keeps back his soul from the Pit,
And his life from
1 perishing by the sword.
19 “
Man is also chastened with pain on his
abed,
And with strong
pain in many of his bones,
20 aSo that his life abhors
bbread,
And his soul
1 succulent food.
New King James Version®, Copyright© 1982, Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
