2“Hear my words, you wise men,
and give ear to me, you who know;
3for the ear tests words
as the palate tastes food.
4Let us choose what is right;
let us know among ourselves what is good.
5For Job has said, ‘I am in the right,
and God has taken away my right;
6in spite of my right I am counted a liar;
my wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’
7What man is like Job,
who drinks up scoffing like water,
8who travels in company with evildoers
and walks with wicked men?
9For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing
that he should take delight in God.’

10“Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding:
far be it from God that he should do wickedness,
and from the Almighty that he should do wrong.
11For according to the work of a man he will repay him,
and according to his ways he will make it befall him.
12Of a truth, God will not do wickedly,
and the Almighty will not pervert justice.
13Who gave him charge over the earth,
and who laid on him^a the whole world?
14If he should set his heart to it
and gather to himself his spirit and his breath,
15all flesh would perish together,
and man would return to dust.

16“If you have understanding, hear this;
listen to what I say.
17Shall one who hates justice govern?
Will you condemn him who is righteous and mighty,
18who says to a king, ‘Worthless one,’
and to nobles, ‘Wicked man,’
19who shows no partiality to princes,
nor regards the rich more than the poor,
for they are all the work of his hands?
20In a moment they die;
at midnight the people are shaken and pass away,
and the mighty are taken away by no human hand.

21“For his eyes are on the ways of a man,
and he sees all his steps.
22There is no gloom or deep darkness
where evildoers may hide themselves.
23For God^b has no need to consider a man further,
that he should go before God in judgment.
24He shatters the mighty without investigation
and sets others in their place.
25Thus, knowing their works,
he overturns them in the night, and they are crushed.
26He strikes them for their wickedness
in a place for all to see,
27because they turned aside from following him
and had no regard for any of his ways,
28so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him,
and he heard the cry of the afflicted—
29When he is quiet, who can condemn?
When he hides his face, who can behold him,
whether it be a nation or a man?—
30that a godless man should not reign,
that he should not ensnare the people.

31“For has anyone said to God,
‘I have borne punishment; I will not offend any more;
32teach me what I do not see;
if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more’?
33Will he then make repayment to suit you,
because you reject it?
For you must choose, and not I;
therefore declare what you know.^c
34Men of understanding will say to me,
and the wise man who hears me will say:
35‘Job speaks without knowledge;
his words are without insight.’
36Would that Job were tried to the end,
because he answers like wicked men.
37For he adds rebellion to his sin;
he claps his hands among us
and multiplies his words against God.”