2“Hear my words, you wise men,

and give ear to me, you who know,

3for the ear tests words

as the palate tastes food.*

4Let us choose what is right;

let us determine among ourselves what is good.*

5For Job has said, ‘I am innocent,

and God has taken away my right;

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

my wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’*

7Who is there like Job,

who drinks up scoffing like water,*

8who goes in company with evildoers

and walks with the wicked?*

9For he has said, ‘It profits one nothing

to take delight in God.’*

10“Therefore, hear me, you who have sense;

far be it from God that he should do wickedness

and from the Almightyq that he should do wrong.*

11For according to their deeds he will repay them,

and according to their ways he will make it befall them.*

12Of a truth, God will not do wickedly,

and the Almightyr will not pervert justice.*

13Who gave him charge over the earth,

and who laid on hims the whole world?*

14If he should take back his spiritt to himself

and gather to himself his breath,*

15all flesh would perish together,

and all mortals return to dust.*

16“If you have understanding, hear this;

listen to what I say.

17Shall one who hates justice govern?

Will you condemn one who is righteous and mighty,*

18who says to a king, ‘You scoundrel!’

and to princes, ‘You wicked men!’;*

19who shows no partiality to nobles,

nor regards the rich more than the poor,

for they are all the work of his hands?*

20In 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 his eyes are upon the ways of mortals,

and he sees all their steps.*

22There is no gloom or deep darkness

where evildoers may hide themselves.*

23For he has not appointed a timeu for anyone

to go before God in judgment.

24He shatters the mighty without investigation

and sets others in their place.*

25Thus, knowing their works,

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

26He strikes them for their wickedness

while others look on,*

27because they turned aside from following him

and had no regard for any of his ways,*

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

and he heard the cry of the afflicted—*

29When he is quiet, who can condemn?

When he hides his face, who can behold him?

Whether nation or person, it is the same—*

30so that the godless should not reign

or those who ensnare the people.*

31“For has anyone said to God,

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

32teach me what I do not see;

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

33Will he then pay back to suit you

because you reject it?

For you must choose and not I;

therefore declare what you know.v

34Those who have sense will say to me,

and the wise who hear me will say,

35‘Job speaks without knowledge;

his words are without insight.’*

36Would that Job were tried to the limit,

because his answers are those of the wicked.*

37For he adds rebellion to his sin;

he claps his hands among us

and multiplies his words against God.”