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God Does Not Punish the Wicked

¹ Then Job answered and said,

² "Listen carefully to my speech,
And let this be your way of consolation.

³ "Bear with me that I may speak;
Then after I have spoken, you may ^(C1)mock.

⁴ "As for me, is ^(C1)my musing ^(F1)to man?
And ^(C2)why should ^(F2)I not be impatient?

⁵ "Look at me, and be appalled,
And ^(C1)put your hand over your mouth.

⁶ "Even when I remember, I am dismayed,
And ^(C1)horror seizes my flesh.

⁷ "Why ^(C1)do the wicked still live,
Continue on, also become very ^(C2)powerful?

⁸ "Their ^(C1)seed is established with them in their presence,
And their offspring before their eyes,

⁹ Their houses ^(C1)are safe from dread,
And the rod of God is not on them.

¹⁰ "His ox mates and does not fail;
His cow calves and does not miscarry.

¹¹ "They send forth their little ones like the flock,
And their children skip about.

¹² "They lift up the tambourine and harp
And are glad at the sound of the pipe.

¹³ "They ^(C1)spend their days in prosperity,
And ^(F1)suddenly they go down to Sheol.

¹⁴ "They say to God, '^(C1)Depart from us!
We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways.

¹⁵ '^(F1)Who is ^(F2)the Almighty, that we should serve Him,
And ^(C1)what would we profit if we entreat Him?'

¹⁶ "Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand;
The ^(C1)counsel of the wicked is far from me.

¹⁷ "How often is ^(C1)the lamp of the wicked put out,
Or does their ^(C2)disaster fall on them?
Does ^(F1)God apportion destruction in His anger?

¹⁸ "Are they as ^(C1)straw before the wind,
And like ^(C2)chaff which the storm steals away?

¹⁹ "You say, '^(C1)God stores away ^(F1)a man's wickedness for his sons.'
Let ^(F2)God repay him so that he may know it.

²⁰ "Let his ^(C1)own eyes see his decay,
And let him ^(C2)drink of the wrath of ^(F1)the Almighty.

²¹ "For what desire does he have for his household ^(F1)after him,
When the number of his months is cut off?

²² "Can anyone ^(C1)teach God knowledge,
In that He ^(C2)judges those on high?

²³ "One ^(C1)dies in his full strength,
Being wholly carefree and at ease;

²⁴ His ^(F1)sides are filled out with fat,
And the ^(C1)marrow of his bones is moist,

²⁵ But another dies with a bitter soul,
Never even eats anything good.

²⁶ "Together they ^(C1)lie down in the dust,
And ^(C2)worms cover them.

²⁷ "Behold, I know your thoughts,
And the plans by which you do violence against me.

²⁸ "For you say, 'Where is the house of ^(C1)the nobleman,
And where is the ^(C2)tent, the dwelling places of the wicked?'

²⁹ "Have you not asked those who pass by along the way,
And do you not recognize their ^(F1)witness?

³⁰ "That the ^(C1)wicked is reserved for the day of disaster;
They will be led forth at ^(C2)the day of fury.

³¹ "Who will declare to his face about his actions,
And who will repay him for what he has done?

³² "While he is led forth to the grave,
Men will keep watch over his tomb.

³³ "The ^(C1)clods of the valley will ^(F1)gently cover him;
Moreover, ^(C2)all men will draw up after him,
While countless ones go before him.

³⁴ "How then will you vainly ^(C1)comfort me,
Indeed when your answers remain full of ^(F1)falsehood?"