Read the Bible

² You men think you are wise,
    but just listen to me!
³ Think about my words,
    as you would taste food.
⁴ Then we can decide the case
    and give a just verdict.
⁵ Job claims he is innocent
and God is guilty
    of mistreating him.
⁶ Job also argues that God
    considers him a liar
and that he is suffering severely
    in spite of his innocence.
⁷ But to tell the truth,
    Job is shameless!
⁸ He spends his time with sinners,
⁹ because he has said,
    "It doesn't pay to please God."

¹⁰ If any of you are smart,
    you will listen and learn
that God All-Powerful
    does what is right.
¹¹ God always treats everyone
the way they deserve,
¹²     and he is never unfair.
¹³ From the very beginning,
God has been in control
    of all the world.

¹⁴ If God took back the breath
    that he breathed into us,
¹⁵ we humans would die
and return to the soil.
¹⁶     So be smart and listen!
¹⁷ The mighty God is the one
who brings about justice,
    and you are condemning him.
¹⁸ Indeed, God is the one
    who condemns unfair rulers.
¹⁹ And God created us all;
he has no favorites,
    whether rich or poor.
²⁰ Even powerful rulers die
    in the darkness of night
when they least expect it,
    just like the rest of us.

²¹ God watches everything we do.
²² No evil person can hide
    in the deepest darkness.
²³ And so, God doesn't need
    to set a time for judgment.
²⁴ Without asking for advice,
God removes mighty leaders
    and puts others in their place.
²⁵ He knows what they are like,
and he wipes them out
    in the middle of the night.
²⁶ And while others look on,
    he punishes them
because they were evil
²⁷     and refused to obey him.
²⁸ The persons they mistreated
    had prayed for help,
until God answered
    their prayers.
²⁹ When God does nothing,
can any person or nation
    find fault with him?
³⁰ But still, he punishes rulers
    who abuse their people.^[a]

³¹ Job, you should tell God
that you are guilty
    and promise to do better.
³² Then ask him to point out
what you did wrong,
    so you won't do it again.
³³ Do you make the rules,
    or does God?
You have to decide—
I can't do it for you;
    now make up your mind.
³⁴ Job, anyone with good sense
    can easily see
³⁵ that you are speaking nonsense
    and lack good judgment.
³⁶ So I pray for you to suffer
as much as possible
    for talking like a sinner.
³⁷ You have rebelled against God,
time after time,
    and have even insulted us.