Job 9:22-35 ▼

22 “It is all one; therefore I say, ‘He destroys [both] the blameless and the wicked.’

23 “When [His] scourge kills suddenly, He mocks at the despair of the innocent.

24 “The earth is given into the hands of the wicked; He covers the faces of its judges [so that they are blind to justice]. If it is not He, then who is it [that is responsible for all this injustice]?

25 “Now my days are swifter than a runner; They vanish, they see no good.

26 “They pass by like the [swift] boats made of reeds, Like an eagle that swoops down on its prey.

27 “If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my sad appearance, and be cheerful and brighten up,’

28 I am afraid of all my pains and worries [yet to come]; I know that You will not acquit me and leave me unpunished.

29 “I am accounted wicked and held guilty; Why then should I labor in vain [to appear innocent]?

30 “If I were to wash myself with snow And cleanse my hands with lye,

31 You would still plunge me into the pit, And my own clothes would hate me [and refuse to cover my foul body].

32 “For God is not a [mere] man, as I am, that I may answer Him, That we may go to court and judgment together.

33 “There is no arbitrator between us, Who could lay his hand upon us both [would that there were].

34 “Let Him take His rod away from me, And let not the dread and fear of Him terrify me.

35 “Then I would speak [my defense] and not fear Him; But I am not like that in myself.