| English Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1Then Job answered and said: | 1Then Job answered: |
| 2“Truly I know that it is so: But how can a man be in the right before God? | 2"Truly, I know that this is so. But how can a human be just before God? |
| 3If one wished to contend with him, one could not answer him once in a thousand times. | 3If someone wishes to contend with him, he cannot answer him one time in a thousand. |
| 4He is wise in heart and mighty in strength—who has hardened himself against him, and succeeded?— | 4He is wise in heart and mighty in strength--who has resisted him and remained safe? |
| 5he who removes mountains, and they know it not, when he overturns them in his anger, | 5He who removes mountains suddenly, who overturns them in his anger; |
| 6who shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble; | 6he who shakes the earth out of its place so that its pillars tremble; |
| 7who commands the sun, and it does not rise; who seals up the stars; | 7he who commands the sun and it does not shine and seals up the stars; |
| 8who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea; | 8he alone spreads out the heavens, and treads on the waves of the sea; |
| 9who made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the chambers of the south; | 9he makes the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, and the constellations of the southern sky; |
| 10who does great things beyond searching out, and marvelous things beyond number. | 10he does great and unsearchable things, and wonderful things without number. |
| 11Behold, he passes by me, and I see him not; he moves on, but I do not perceive him. | 11If he passes by me, I cannot see him, if he goes by, I cannot perceive him. |
| 12Behold, he snatches away; who can turn him back? Who will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’ | 12If he snatches away, who can turn him back? Who dares to say to him, 'What are you doing?' |
| 13“God will not turn back his anger; beneath him bowed the helpers of Rahab. | 13God does not restrain his anger; under him the helpers of Rahab lie crushed. |
| 14How then can I answer him, choosing my words with him? | 14"How much less, then, can I answer him and choose my words to argue with him! |
| 15Though I am in the right, I cannot answer him; I must appeal for mercy to my accuser. | 15Although I am innocent, I could not answer him; I could only plead with my judge for mercy. |
| 16If I summoned him and he answered me, I would not believe that he was listening to my voice. | 16If I summoned him, and he answered me, I would not believe that he would be listening to my voice-- |
| 17For he crushes me with a tempest and multiplies my wounds without cause; | 17he who crushes me with a tempest, and multiplies my wounds for no reason. |
| 18he will not let me get my breath, but fills me with bitterness. | 18He does not allow me to recover my breath, for he fills me with bitterness. |
| 19If it is a contest of strength, behold, he is mighty! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon him? | 19If it is a matter of strength, most certainly he is the strong one! And if it is a matter of justice, he will say, 'Who will summon me?' |
| 20Though I am in the right, my own mouth would condemn me; though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse. | 20Although I am innocent, my mouth would condemn me; although I am blameless, it would declare me perverse. |
| 21I am blameless; I regard not myself; I loathe my life. | 21I am blameless. I do not know myself. I despise my life. |
| 22It is all one; therefore I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’ | 22"It is all one! That is why I say, 'He destroys the blameless and the guilty.' |
| 23When disaster brings sudden death, he mocks at the calamity of the innocent. | 23If a scourge brings sudden death, he mocks at the despair 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 then is it? | 24If a land has been given into the hand of a wicked man, he covers the faces of its judges; if it is not he, then who is it? |
| 25“My days are swifter than a runner; they flee away; they see no good. | 25"My days are swifter than a runner, they speed by without seeing happiness. |
| 26They go by like skiffs of reed, like an eagle swooping on the prey. | 26They glide by like reed boats, like an eagle that swoops down on its prey. |
| 27If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint, I will put off my sad face, and be of good cheer,’ | 27If I say, 'I will forget my complaint, I will change my expression and be cheerful,' |
| 28I become afraid of all my suffering, for I know you will not hold me innocent. | 28I dread all my sufferings, for I know that you do not hold me blameless. |
| 29I shall be condemned; why then do I labor in vain? | 29If I am guilty, why then weary myself in vain? |
| 30If I wash myself with snow and cleanse my hands with lye, | 30If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands clean with lye, |
| 31yet you will plunge me into a pit, and my own clothes will abhor me. | 31then you plunge me into a slimy pit and my own clothes abhor me. |
| 32For he is not a man, as I am, that I might answer him, that we should come to trial together. | 32For he is not a human being like I am, that I might answer him, that we might come together in judgment. |
| 33There is no arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both. | 33Nor is there an arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both, |
| 34Let him take his rod away from me, and let not dread of him terrify me. | 34who would take his rod away from me so that his terror would not make me afraid. |
| 35Then I would speak without fear of him, for I am not so in myself. | 35Then would I speak and not fear him, but it is not so with me. |
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