2“Truly I know it is so,
But how can a man be righteous before God?
3If one wished to [a]contend with Him,
He could not answer Him one time out of a thousand.
4God is wise in heart and mighty in strength.
Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered?
5He removes the mountains, and they do not know
When He overturns them in His anger;
6He shakes the earth out of its place,
And its pillars tremble;
7He commands the sun, and it does not rise;
He seals off the stars;
8He alone spreads out the heavens,
And [b]treads on the [c]waves of the sea;
9He made [d]the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades,
And the chambers of the south;
10He does great things past finding out,
Yes, wonders without number.
11If He goes by me, I do not see Him;
If He moves past, I do not perceive Him;
12If He takes away, [e]who can hinder Him?
Who can say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’
13God will not withdraw His anger,
The allies of [f]the proud lie prostrate beneath Him.

14“How then can I answer Him,
And choose my words to reason with Him?
15For though I were righteous, I could not answer Him;
I would beg mercy of my Judge.
16If I called and He answered me,
I would not believe that He was listening to my voice.
17For He crushes me with a tempest,
And multiplies my wounds without cause.
18He will not allow me to catch my breath,
But fills me with bitterness.
19If it is a matter of strength, indeed He is strong;
And if of justice, who will appoint my day in court?
20Though I were righteous, my own mouth would condemn me;
Though I were blameless, it would prove me perverse.

21“I am blameless, yet I do not know myself;
I despise my life.
22It is all one thing;
Therefore I say, ‘He destroys the blameless and the wicked.’
23If the scourge slays suddenly,
He laughs at the plight of the innocent.
24The earth is given into the hand of the wicked.
He covers the faces of its judges.
If it is not He, who else could it be?

25“Now my days are swifter than a runner;
They flee away, they see no good.
26They pass by like [g]swift ships,
Like an eagle swooping on its prey.
27If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint,
I will put off my sad face and wear a smile,’
28I am afraid of all my sufferings;
I know that You will not hold me innocent.
29If I am condemned,
Why then do I labor in vain?
30If I wash myself with snow water,
And cleanse my hands with [h]soap,
31Yet You will plunge me into the pit,
And my own clothes will [i]abhor me.

32“For He is not a man, as I am,
That I may answer Him,
And that we should go to court together.
33Nor is there any mediator between us,
Who may lay his hand on us both.
34Let Him take His rod away from me,
And do not let dread of Him terrify me.
35Then I would speak and not fear Him,
But it is not so with me.