1“However, please hear my speech, Job,

And listen to all my words.

2“Behold now, I open my mouth,

My tongue in my [a]mouth speaks.

3“My words are from the integrity of my heart,

And my lips speak knowledge sincerely.

4“The Spirit of God has made me,

And the breath of [b]the Almighty gives me life.

5“Refute me if you can;

Line up against me, take your stand.

6“Behold, I belong to God, like you;

I too have been [c]formed out of the clay.

7“Behold, no fear of me should terrify you,

Nor should my pressure weigh heavily on you.

8“You have in fact spoken [d]while I listened,

And I heard the sound of your words:

9‘I am pure, without wrongdoing;

I am innocent and there is no guilt in me.

10‘Behold, He [e]invents [f]criticisms against me;

He counts me as His enemy.

11‘He puts my feet in the stocks;

He watches all my paths.’

12“Behold, let me respond to you, you are not right in this,

For God is greater than mankind.

13“Why do you complain to Him

That He does not give an account of all His doings?

14“Indeed God speaks once,

Or twice, yet no one notices it.

15“In a dream, a vision of the night,

When deep sleep falls on people,

While they slumber in their beds,

16Then He opens the ears of people,

And horrifies them with warnings,

17So that He may turn a person away from bad conduct,

And [g]keep a man from pride;

18He keeps his soul back from the pit,

And his life from perishing by the spear.

19“A person is also rebuked by pain in his bed,

And with constant complaint in his bones,

20So that his life loathes bread,

And his soul, food [h]that he should crave.

21“His flesh wastes away from sight,

And his bones, which were not seen, stick out.

22“Then his soul comes near to the pit,

And his life to those who bring death.

23“If there is an interceding angel for him,

One out of a thousand,

To remind a person of what is [i]right for him,

24And he is gracious to him, and says,

‘Free him from going down to the pit,

I have found a ransom’;

25Let his flesh become fresher than in youth,

Let him return to the days of his youthful vigor;

26Then he will pray to God, and He will accept him,

So that he may see His face with joy,

And He will restore His righteousness to that person.

27“He will sing to people and say,

‘I have sinned and perverted what is right,

And it is not proper for me.

28‘He has redeemed my soul from going to the pit,

And my life will see the light.’

29“Behold, God does all these things for a man two or three times,

30To bring back his soul from the pit,

So that he may be enlightened with the light of life.

31“Pay attention, Job, listen to me;

Keep silent, and let me speak.

32“Then if [j]you have anything to say, answer me;

Speak, for I would take pleasure in justifying you.

33“If not, listen to me;

Keep silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”