Read the Bible

Job Says There Is No Arbitrator between God and Mankind

¹ Then Job responded,

² "In truth I know that this is so;
But how can a ^(C1)person be in the right with God?

³ "If one wished to ^(C1)dispute with Him,
He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.

⁴ "^(C1)Wise in heart and ^(C2)mighty in strength,
Who has ^(F1)(C3)defied Him ^(F2)without harm?

⁵ "^(C1)It is God who removes the mountains, and they do not know how,
When He overturns them in His anger.

⁶ "It is He who ^(C1)shakes the earth from its place,
And its ^(C2)pillars tremble;

⁷ Who commands the ^(C1)sun ^(F1)not to shine,
And puts a seal on the stars;

⁸ Who alone ^(C1)stretches out the heavens,
And ^(F1)(C2)tramples down the waves of the sea;

⁹ Who makes the ^(C1)Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades,
And the ^(F1)(C2)constellations of the south.

¹⁰ "It is He who ^(C1)does great things, ^(F1)the unfathomable,
And wondrous works without number.

¹¹ "If He were to pass by me, ^(C1)I would not see Him;
Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him.

¹² "If He were to snatch away, who could ^(C1)restrain Him?
Who could say to Him, '^(C2)What are You doing?'

¹³ "God will not turn back His anger;
Beneath Him the helpers of ^(F1)(C1)Rahab cower.

¹⁴ "How then can ^(C1)I ^(F1)answer Him,
And choose my words ^(F2)before Him?

¹⁵ "For ^(C1)though I were right, I could not ^(F1)answer;
I would have to ^(C2)implore the mercy of my Judge.

¹⁶ "If I called and He answered me,
I could not believe that He was listening to my voice.

¹⁷ "For He ^(C1)bruises me with a storm
And multiplies my wounds without cause.

¹⁸ "He will ^(C1)not allow me to get my breath,
But He saturates me with ^(C2)bitterness.

¹⁹ "If it is a matter of power, ^(C1)behold, He is the strong one!
And if it is a matter of justice, who can summon ^(F1)Him?

²⁰ "^(C1)Though I am righteous, my mouth will ^(C2)condemn me;
Though I am guiltless, He will declare me guilty.

²¹ "I am ^(C1)guiltless;
I do not take notice of myself;
I ^(C2)reject my life.

²² "It is all one; therefore I say,
'He ^(C1)destroys the guiltless and the wicked.'

²³ "If the whip kills suddenly,
He ^(C1)mocks the despair of the innocent.

²⁴ "The earth ^(C1)is handed over to the wicked;
He ^(C2)covers the faces of its judges.
If it is not He, then who is it?

²⁵ "Now ^(C1)my days are swifter than a runner;
They flee away, ^(C2)they see no good.

²⁶ "They slip by like ^(C1)reed boats,
Like an ^(C2)eagle that swoops on ^(F1)its prey.

²⁷ "Though I say, 'I will forget ^(C1)my complaint,
I will ^(F1)put my face in order and be cheerful,'

²⁸ I am ^(C1)afraid of all my pains,
I know that ^(C2)You will not acquit me.

²⁹ "I am ^(C1)guilty,
Why then should I struggle in vain?

³⁰ "If I ^(C1)washed myself with snow,
And cleansed ^(C2)my hands with lye,

³¹ Then You would plunge me into the pit,
And my own clothes would loathe me.

³² "For ^(C1)He is not a man, as I am, that ^(C2)I may answer Him—
That we may go to ^(F1)court together!

³³ "There is no ^(C1)arbitrator between us,
Who can place his hand upon us both.

³⁴ "Let Him ^(C1)remove His rod from me,
And let not the dread of Him terrify me.

³⁵ "Then I ^(C1)would speak and not fear Him;
But I am not like that in myself.