1 But now, Job, pay attention to my speech, and listen to all my words.
2 I am going to open my mouth; my tongue will form words on my palate.
3 My words come from my upright heart, and my lips speak with sincerity what they know.
4 The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the •Almighty gives me life.
5 Refute me if you can. Prepare your case against me; take your stand.
6 I am just like you before God; I was also pinched off from a piece of clay.
7 Fear of me should not terrify you; the pressure I exert against you will be light .
8 Surely you have spoken in my hearing, and I have heard these very words:
9 “I am pure, without transgression; I am •clean and have no •guilt.
10 But He finds reasons to oppose me; He regards me as His enemy.
11 He puts my feet in the stocks;He stands watch over all my paths.”
12 But I tell you that you are wrong in this matter, since God is greater than man.
13 Why do you take Him to court for not answering anything a person asks?
14 For God speaks time and again , but a person may not notice it.
15 In a dream, a vision in the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber on their beds,
16 He uncovers their ears at that time and terrifies them with warnings,
17 in order to turn a person from his actions and suppress his pride.
18 God spares his soul from the •Pit, his life from crossing the river of death.
19 A person may be disciplined on his bed with pain and constant distress in his bones,
20 so that he detests bread, and his soul despises his favorite food.
21 His flesh wastes away to nothing , and his unseen bones stick out.
