"Listen carefully to my speech,
And let this be your way of consolation.
"Bear with me that I may speak;
Then after I have spoken, you may mock.
"As for me, is my complaint to man?
And why should I not be impatient?
"Look at me, and be astonished,
And put your hand over your mouth.
"Even when I remember, I am disturbed,
And horror takes hold of my flesh.
"Why do the wicked still live,
Continue on, also become very powerful?
"Their descendants are established with them in their sight,
And their offspring before their eyes,
Their houses are safe from fear,
And the rod of God is not on them.
"His ox mates without fail;
His cow calves and does not abort.
"They send forth their little ones like the flock,
And their children skip about.
"They sing to the timbrel and harp
And rejoice at the sound of the flute.
"They spend their days in prosperity,
And suddenly they go down to Sheol.
"They say to God, ‘Depart from us!
We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways.
‘Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him,
And what would we gain if we entreat Him?’
"Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand;
The counsel of the wicked is far from me.

"How often is the lamp of the wicked put out,
Or does their calamity fall on them?
Does God apportion destruction in His anger?
"Are they as straw before the wind,
And like chaff which the storm carries away?
"You say, ‘God stores away a man’s iniquity for his sons.’
Let God repay him so that he may know it.
"Let his own eyes see his decay,
And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
"For what does he care for his household after him,
When the number of his months is cut off?
"Can anyone teach God knowledge,
In that He judges those on high?
"One dies in his full strength,
Being wholly at ease and satisfied;
His sides are filled out with fat,
And the marrow of his bones is moist,
While another dies with a bitter soul,
Never even tasting anything good.
"Together they lie down in the dust,
And worms cover them.

"Behold, I know your thoughts,
And the plans by which you would wrong me.
"For you say, ‘Where is the house of the nobleman,
And where is the tent, the dwelling places of the wicked?’
"Have you not asked wayfaring men,
And do you not recognize their witness?
"For the wicked is reserved for the day of calamity;
They will be led forth at the day of fury.
"Who will confront him with his actions,
And who will repay him for what he has done?
"While he is carried to the grave,
Men will keep watch over his tomb.
"The clods of the valley will gently cover him;
Moreover, all men will follow after him,
While countless ones go before him.
"How then will you vainly comfort me,
For your answers remain full of falsehood?"

"Can a vigorous man be of use to God,
Or a wise man be useful to himself?
"Is there any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous,
Or profit if you make your ways perfect?
"Is it because of your reverence that He reproves you,
That He enters into judgment against you?
"Is not your wickedness great,
And your iniquities without end?
"For you have taken pledges of your brothers without cause,
And stripped men naked.
"To the weary you have given no water to drink,
And from the hungry you have withheld bread.
"But the earth belongs to the mighty man,
And the honorable man dwells in it.
"You have sent widows away empty,
And the strength of the orphans has been crushed.
"Therefore snares surround you,
And sudden dread terrifies you,
Or darkness, so that you cannot see,
And an abundance of water covers you.

"Is not God in the height of heaven?
Look also at the distant stars, how high they are!
"You say, ‘What does God know?
Can He judge through the thick darkness?
‘Clouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He cannot see;
And He walks on the vault of heaven.’
"Will you keep to the ancient path
Which wicked men have trod,
Who were snatched away before their time,
Whose foundations were washed away by a river?
"They said to God, ‘Depart from us!’
And ‘What can the Almighty do to them?’
"Yet He filled their houses with good things;
But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
"The righteous see and are glad,
And the innocent mock them,
Saying, ‘Truly our adversaries are cut off,
And their abundance the fire has consumed.’

"Yield now and be at peace with Him;
Thereby good will come to you.
"Please receive instruction from His mouth
And establish His words in your heart.
"If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored;
If you remove unrighteousness far from your tent,
And place your gold in the dust,
And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks,
Then the Almighty will be your gold
And choice silver to you.
"For then you will delight in the Almighty
And lift up your face to God.
"You will pray to Him, and He will hear you;
And you will pay your vows.
"You will also decree a thing, and it will be established for you;
And light will shine on your ways.
"When you are cast down, you will speak with confidence,
And the humble person He will save.
"He will deliver one who is not innocent,
And he will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands."

"Even today my complaint is rebellion;
His hand is heavy despite my groaning.
"Oh that I knew where I might find Him,
That I might come to His seat!
"I would present my case before Him
And fill my mouth with arguments.
"I would learn the words which He would answer,
And perceive what He would say to me.
"Would He contend with me by the greatness of His power?
No, surely He would pay attention to me.
"There the upright would reason with Him;
And I would be delivered forever from my Judge.

"Behold, I go forward but He is not there,
And backward, but I cannot perceive Him;
When He acts on the left, I cannot behold Him;
He turns on the right, I cannot see Him.
"But He knows the way I take;
When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
"My foot has held fast to His path;
I have kept His way and not turned aside.
"I have not departed from the command of His lips;
I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.
"But He is unique and who can turn Him?
And what His soul desires, that He does.
"For He performs what is appointed for me,
And many such decrees are with Him.
"Therefore, I would be dismayed at His presence;
When I consider, I am terrified of Him.
"It is God who has made my heart faint,
And the Almighty who has dismayed me,
But I am not silenced by the darkness,
Nor deep gloom which covers me.

I will sing of lovingkindness and justice,
To You, O Lord, I will sing praises.
I will give heed to the blameless way.
When will You come to me?
I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart.
I will set no worthless thing before my eyes;
I hate the work of those who fall away;
It shall not fasten its grip on me.
A perverse heart shall depart from me;
I will know no evil.
Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy;
No one who has a haughty look and an arrogant heart will I endure.

My eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me;
He who walks in a blameless way is the one who will minister to me.
He who practices deceit shall not dwell within my house;
He who speaks falsehood shall not maintain his position before me.
Every morning I will destroy all the wicked of the land,
So as to cut off from the city of the Lord all those who do iniquity.