Job 8

1 Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,

2 How long wilt thou speak these things? And how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a mighty wind?

3 Doth God pervert justice? Or doth the Almighty pervert righteousness?

4 If thy children have sinned against him, And he hath delivered them into the hand of their transgression;

5 If thou wouldest seek diligently unto God, And make thy supplication to the Almighty;

6 If thou wert pure and upright: Surely now he would awake for thee, And make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.

7 And though thy beginning was small, Yet thy latter end would greatly increase.

8 For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age, And apply thyself to that which their fathers have searched out:

9 (For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, Because our days upon earth are a shadow);

10 Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, And utter words out of their heart?

11 Can the rush grow up without mire? Can the flag grow without water?

12 Whilst it is yet in its greenness, and not cut down, It withereth before any other herb.

13 So are the paths of all that forget God; And the hope of the godless man shall perish:

14 Whose confidence shall break in sunder, And whose trust is a spider’s web.

15 He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: He shall hold fast thereby, but it shall not endure.

16 He is green before the sun, And his shoots go forth over his garden.

17 His roots are wrapped about the stone -heap, He beholdeth the place of stones.

18 If he be destroyed from his place, Then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen thee.

19 Behold, this is the joy of his way; And out of the earth shall others spring.

20 Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, Neither will he uphold the evil-doers.

21 He will yet fill thy mouth with laughter, And thy lips with shouting.

22 They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; And the tent of the wicked shall be no more.

Job 9

1 Then Job answered and said,

2 Of a truth I know that it is so: But how can man be just with God?

3 If he be pleased to contend with him, He cannot answer him one of a thousand.

4  He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: Who hath hardened himself against him, and prospered?-

5  Him that removeth the mountains, and they know it not, When he overturneth them in his anger;

6 That shaketh the earth out of its place, And the pillars thereof tremble;

7 That commandeth the sun, and it riseth not, And sealeth up the stars;

8 That alone stretcheth out the heavens, And treadeth upon the waves of the sea;

9 That maketh the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, And the chambers of the south;

10 That doeth great things past finding out, Yea, marvellous things without number.

11 Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: He passeth on also, but I perceive him not.

12 Behold, he seizeth the prey, who can hinder him? Who will say unto him, What doest thou?

13 God will not withdraw his anger; The helpers of Rahab do stoop under him.

14 How much less shall I answer him, And choose out my words to reason with him?

15 Whom, though I were righteous, yet would I not answer; I would make supplication to my judge.

16 If I had called, and he had answered me, Yet would I not believe that he hearkened unto my voice.

17 For he breaketh me with a tempest, And multiplieth my wounds without cause.

18 He will not suffer me to take my breath, But filleth me with bitterness.

19 If we speak of strength, lo, he is mighty! And if of justice, Who, saith he, will summon me?

20 Though I be righteous, mine own mouth shall condemn me: Though I be perfect, it shall prove me perverse.

21 I am perfect; I regard not myself; I despise my life.

22 It is all one; therefore I say, He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.

23 If the scourge slay suddenly, He will mock at the trial of the innocent.

24 The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; He covereth the faces of the judges thereof: If it be not he, who then is it?

25 Now my days are swifter than a post: They flee away, they see no good,

26 They are passed away as the swift ships; As the eagle that swoopeth on the prey.

27 If I say, I will forget my complaint, I will put off my sad countenance, and be of good cheer;

28 I am afraid of all my sorrows, I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent.

29 I shall be condemned; Why then do I labor in vain?

30 If I wash myself with snow water, And make my hands never so clean;

31 Yet wilt thou plunge me in the ditch, And mine own clothes shall abhor me.

32 For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, That we should come together in judgment.

33 There is no umpire betwixt us, That might lay his hand upon us both.

34 Let him take his rod away from me, And let not his terror make me afraid:

35 Then would I speak, and not fear him; For I am not so in myself.

Job 10

1 My soul is weary of my life; I will give free course to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.

2 I will say unto God, Do not condemn me; Show me wherefore thou contendest with me.

3 Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress, That thou shouldest despise the work of thy hands, And shine upon the counsel of the wicked?

4 Hast thou eyes of flesh? Or seest thou as man seeth?

5 Are thy days as the days of man, Or thy years as man’s days,

6 That thou inquirest after mine iniquity, And searchest after my sin,

7 Although thou knowest that I am not wicked, And there is none that can deliver out of thy hand?

8 Thy hands have framed me and fashioned me Together round about; yet thou dost destroy me.

9 Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast fashioned me as clay; And wilt thou bring me into dust again?

10 Hast thou not poured me out as milk, And curdled me like cheese?

11 Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, And knit me together with bones and sinews.

12 Thou hast granted me life and lovingkindness; And thy visitation hath preserved my spirit.

13 Yet these things thou didst hide in thy heart; I know that this is with thee:

14 If I sin, then thou markest me, And thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity.

15 If I be wicked, woe unto me; And if I be righteous, yet shall I not lift up my head; Being filled with ignominy, And looking upon mine affliction.

16 And if my head exalt itself, thou huntest me as a lion; And again thou showest thyself marvellous upon me.

17 Thou renewest thy witnesses against me, And increasest thine indignation upon me: Changes and warfare are with me.

18 Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb? I had given up the ghost, and no eye had seen me.

19 I should have been as though I had not been; I should have been carried from the womb to the grave.

20 Are not my days few? cease then, And let me alone, that I may take comfort a little,

21 Before I go whence I shall not return, Even to the land of darkness and of the shadow of death;

22 The land dark as midnight, The land of the shadow of death, without any order, And where the light is as midnight.