Job, 21

¹ And Job proceeded to answer and say:

² “Listen, YOU men, attentively to my word, And let this become YOUR consolation.

³ Put up with me, and I myself shall speak; And after my speaking you may [each] deride.

⁴ As for me, is my concern [expressed] to man? Or why is it that my spirit does not get impatient?

⁵ Turn YOUR faces to me and stare in amazement, And put [YOUR] hand upon [YOUR] mouth.

⁶ And if I have remembered, I have also become disturbed, And shuddering has taken hold of my flesh.

⁷ Why is it that the wicked themselves keep living, Have grown old, also have become superior in wealth?

⁸ Their offspring are firmly established with them in their sight, And their descendants before their eyes.

⁹ Their houses are peace itself, free from dread, And the rod of God^*1 is not upon them.

¹⁰ His own bull actually impregnates, and it does not waste semen; His cow brings forth and suffers no abortion.

¹¹ They keep sending out their young boys just like a flock, And their own male children go skipping about.

¹² They continue raising [their voice] with the tambourine and harp, And keep rejoicing at the sound of the pipe.

¹³ They spend their days in good times, And in a moment down to Sheʹol they descend.

¹⁴ And they say to the [true] God, ‘Turn away from us! And in the knowledge of your ways we have found no delight.

¹⁵ What does the Almighty amount to, that we should serve him,^*1 And how do we benefit ourselves in that we have come in touch with him?’

¹⁶ Look! Their well-being is not in their own power.^*1 The very counsel of wicked ones has kept far from me.

¹⁷ How many times is the lamp of the wicked ones extinguished, And [how many times] does their disaster come upon them? [How many times] in his anger does he apportion destruction?

¹⁸ Do they become like straw before a wind,^*1 And like chaff that a storm wind has stolen away?

¹⁹ God^*1 himself will store up one’s hurtfulness for one’s own sons; He will reward him that he may know [it].

²⁰ His eyes will see his decay, And from the rage of the Almighty he will drink.

²¹ For what will his delight be in his house after him, When the number of his months will really be cut in two?

²² Will he teach knowledge even to God,^*1 When that One himself judges high ones?

²³ This very one will die during his full self-sufficiency, When he is altogether carefree and at ease;

²⁴ [When] his own thighs have become full of fat And the very marrow of his bones is being kept moist.

²⁵ And this other one will die with a bitter soul When he has not eaten of good things.

²⁶ Together in the dust they will lie down And maggots themselves will form a cover over them.

²⁷ Look! I well know the thoughts of YOU men And the schemes with which YOU would act violently against me.

²⁸ For YOU say, ‘Where is the house of the noble one, And where is the tent, the tabernacles of wicked ones?’

²⁹ Have YOU not asked those traveling over the roads? And do YOU not carefully inspect their very signs,

³⁰ That at the day of disaster an evil one is spared, At the day of fury he is delivered?^*1

³¹ Who will tell him of his way to his very face? And for what he himself has done who will reward him?

³² As for him, to the graveyard he will be brought, And over a tomb^*1 a vigil will be kept.

³³ To him the clods of earth of a torrent valley will certainly become sweet, And after him he will drag all mankind,^*1 And those before him were without number.

³⁴ So how vainly YOU men try to comfort me, And YOUR very replies do remain as unfaithfulness!”