2  “Hear my words, you wise men,

and give ear to me, you who know;

3  for ⁱthe ear tests words

as the palate tastes food.

4  Let us choose what is right;

let us know among ourselves what is good.

5  For Job has said, ‘I am in the ^jright,

and ^kGod has taken away my right;

6  in spite of my right I am counted a liar;

my wound is incurable, though ^lI am without transgression.’

7  What man is like Job,

who ^mdrinks up scoffing like water,

8  who travels in company with evildoers

and walks with wicked men?

9  For he has said, ⁿ‘It profits a man nothing

that he should take delight in God.’

10  “Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding:

^ofar be it from God that he should do wickedness,

and from the Almighty that he should do wrong.

11  For ^paccording to the work of a man he will repay him,

and according to his ways he will make it befall him.

12  Of a truth, ^qGod will not do wickedly,

and the Almighty will not ^rpervert justice.

13  ^sWho gave him charge over the earth,

and who laid on him¹ the whole world?

14  If he should set his heart to it

and ^tgather to himself ^uhis spirit and his breath,

15  all flesh would perish together,

and man would ^vreturn to dust.

16  “If you have understanding, hear this;

listen to what I say.

17  Shall one who hates justice govern?

^wWill you condemn him who is righteous and mighty,

18  who says to a king, ‘Worthless one,’

and to nobles, ‘Wicked man,’

19  who ^xshows no partiality to princes,

nor regards the rich more than the poor,

for ^ythey are all the work of his hands?

20  In a moment they die;

at midnight the people are shaken and pass away,

and the mighty are taken away by no human hand.

21  “For ^zhis eyes are on the ways of a man,

and he sees all his steps.

22  There is ^ano gloom or deep darkness

where evildoers may hide themselves.

23  For God² has no need to consider a man further,

that he should go before God in judgment.

24  He shatters the mighty without investigation

and ^bsets others in their place.

25  Thus, knowing their works,

he overturns them in the night, and they are crushed.

26  He strikes them for their wickedness

in a place for all to see,

27  because they turned aside from following him

and had no regard for any of his ways,

28  so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him,

and ^che heard the cry of the afflicted—

29  When he is quiet, who can condemn?

When he hides his face, who can behold him,

whether it be a nation or a man?—

30  that a godless man should not reign,

that he should not ensnare the people.

31  “For has anyone said to God,

‘I have borne punishment; I will not offend any more;

32  teach me what I do not see;

if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more’?

33  Will he then make repayment to suit you,

because you reject it?

For you must choose, and not I;

therefore declare what you know.³

34  Men of understanding will say to me,

and the wise man who hears me will say:

35  ‘Job speaks ^dwithout knowledge;

his words are without insight.’

36  Would that Job were tried to the end,

because he answers like wicked men.

37  For he adds rebellion to his sin;

he claps his hands among us

and ^emultiplies his words against God.”