“Can something tasteless be eaten without salt, Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?
“But it is still my consolation, And I rejoice in unsparing pain, That I have not denied the words of the Holy One.
“Is my strength the strength of stones, Or is my flesh bronze?
“For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend; So that he does not forsake the fear of the Almighty.
“My brothers have acted deceitfully like a wadi, Like the torrents of wadis which vanish,
Which are turbid because of ice And into which the snow melts.
“The paths of their course wind along, They go up into nothing and perish.
“The caravans of Tema looked, The travelers of Sheba hoped for them.
Or, ‘Deliver me from the hand of the adversary,’ Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of the tyrants’?
“Do you intend to reprove my words, When the words of one in despair belong to the wind?
“You would even cast lots for the orphans And barter over your friend.
“Is not man forced to labor on earth, And are not his days like the days of a hired man?
“As a slave who pants for the shade, And as a hired man who eagerly waits for his wages,
“When I lie down I say, ‘When shall I arise?’ But the night continues, And I am continually tossing until dawn.
“The eye of him who sees me will behold me no longer; Your eyes will be on me, but I will not be.
“Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
“Am I the sea, or the sea monster, That You set a guard over me?
“Why then do You not pardon my transgression And take away my iniquity? For now I will lie down in the dust; And You will seek me, but I will not be.”
Then Bildad the Shuhite answered,
“How long will you say these things, And the words of your mouth be a mighty wind?
“Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert what is right?
“If your sons sinned against Him, Then He delivered them into the power of their transgression.
“If you would seek God And implore the compassion of the Almighty,
“Please inquire of past generations, And consider the things searched out by their fathers.
“Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh? Can the rushes grow without water?
“So are the paths of all who forget God; And the hope of the godless will perish,
“He thrives before the sun, And his shoots spread out over his garden.
“Behold, this is the joy of His way; And out of the dust others will spring.
“Lo, God will not reject a man of integrity, Nor will He support the evildoers.
“Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, And the tent of the wicked will be no longer.”
“In truth I know that this is so; But how can a man be in the right before God?
“It is God who removes the mountains, they know not how, When He overturns them in His anger;
Who shakes the earth out of its place, And its pillars tremble;
Who commands the sun not to shine, And sets a seal upon the stars;
Who alone stretches out the heavens And tramples down the waves of the sea;
Who makes the Bear, Orion and the Pleiades, And the chambers of the south;
“God will not turn back His anger; Beneath Him crouch the helpers of Rahab.
“For though I were right, I could not answer; I would have to implore the mercy of my judge.
“If it is a matter of power, behold, He is the strong one! And if it is a matter of justice, who can summon Him?
“It is all one; therefore I say, ‘He destroys the guiltless and the wicked.’
“If the scourge kills suddenly, He mocks the despair of the innocent.
“The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; He covers the faces of its judges. If it is not He, then who is it?
Yet You would plunge me into the pit, And my own clothes would abhor me.
“I loathe my own life; I will give full vent to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
‘Is it right for You indeed to oppress, To reject the labor of Your hands, And to look favorably on the schemes of the wicked?
‘Are Your days as the days of a mortal, Or Your years as man’s years,
‘Why then have You brought me out of the womb? Would that I had died and no eye had seen me!
Before I go--and I shall not return-- To the land of darkness and deep shadow,
The land of utter gloom as darkness itself, Of deep shadow without order, And which shines as the darkness.”
Then Zophar the Naamathite answered,
New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995
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