Job, 11

¹ And Zoʹphar the Naʹa·ma·thite proceeded to answer and say:

² “Will a multitude of words go unanswered, Or will a mere boaster^*1 be in the right?

³ Will your empty talk itself put men^*1 to silence, And will you keep deriding without having anyone rebuke [you]?

⁴ Also, you say, ‘My instruction is pure, And I have proved really clean in your eyes.’

⁵ Yet O if only God himself would speak And open his lips with you!

⁶ Then he would tell you the secrets of wisdom, For the things of practical wisdom are manifold.^*1 Also, you would know^*2 that God allows some of your error to be forgotten for you.

⁷ Can you find out the deep things of God, Or can you find out to the very limit of the Almighty?

⁸ It is higher than heaven. What can you accomplish? It is deeper than Sheʹol. What can you know?

⁹ It is longer than the earth in measure, And broader than the sea.

¹⁰ If he moves on and hands [someone] over And calls a court, then who can resist him?

¹¹ For he himself well knows men^*1 who are untrue. When he sees what is hurtful, will he not also show himself attentive?

¹² Even a hollow-minded man^*1 himself will get good motive As soon as an asinine zebra be born a man.^*2

¹³ If you yourself will really prepare your heart And actually spread out your palms to him,

¹⁴ If what is hurtful is in your hand, put it far away, And let no unrighteousness dwell in your tents.

¹⁵ For then you will raise your face without defect And you will certainly become established, and you will not fear.

¹⁶ For you—you will forget trouble itself; As waters that have passed along you will remember [it].

¹⁷ And brighter than midday will [your] life’s duration arise; Darkness will become like the morning itself.

¹⁸ And you will be bound to trust because there exists hope; And you will certainly look carefully around—in security you will lie down.

¹⁹ And you will indeed stretch yourself out, with no one to make [you] tremble. And many people will certainly put you in a gentle mood;^*1

²⁰ And the very eyes of the wicked will fail; And a place for flight will certainly perish from them, And their hope will be an expiring of the soul.”