26 Then Iyyov responded to Bildad:

2 How have you helped those without power?

≈How have you saved those who are weak?

3 How well you have advised those without wisdom,

≈and displayed many good things.

4 Who did you tell all that to,

and whose spirit spoke through you?

5 The dead will be made to tremble

from beneath the water and their inhabitants. ???

6 The grave is wide open before him,

≈and ABADDON has no covering.

7 He stretches out the north over empty space.

≈He hangs the earth upon nothing at all.

8 He attaches the water into his clouds,

but the cloud isn’t torn apart by it.

9 He covers the surface of the THRONE/MOON.

He spreads his cloud above it.

10 He’s drawn a circle to mark the limit of the waters,

and to mark the boundary between light and darkness.

11 The pillars of heaven shake,

and they’re astounded when he scolds them.

12 He stirs up the sea with his power,

and using his know-how he smashed RAHAB.

13 By his breath he makes the skies clear.

His hand pierced the fleeing snake.

14 Listen, those are the ends of his ways,

and how we hear just a whisper of a word.

And who can interpret the thunder of his power?

27 Then Iyyov continued speaking:

2 Although God lives, who’s taken justice away from me,

≈and the provider who’s made my soul bitter,

3 I still have my breath in me,

≈and God’s breath remains in my nostrils.

4 If my lips speak wickedness,

≈if my tongue speaks deceitfully,

5 I’ll never say that you all are correct—

I won’t set aside my integrity before I die.

6 I’m holding tight to my innocence and won’t let it go.

≈There hasn’t been a single day when my conscience has reproached me.

7 May my enemies get the same reward as wicked people,

≈and may my opponents receive the same as unjust people.

8 What hope do godless people have

when he cuts them off,

≈when God takes away their lives?

9 Will God hear their cries

when troubles hit them?

10 If they delight themselves in the provider,

will they call on God at all times?

11 I’ll teach you all about God’s power.

≈I won’t hide anything about the provider.

12 Yes, all of you have seen this for yourselves,

so why do you vainly speak such nonsense?

13 This is the wicked people’s portion from God,

≈and the inheritance that ruthless people will receive from the provider:

14 If they have many children, they’ll die in battle,

≈and their offspring won’t have enough food to eat.

15 Those who remain will be buried by the plague,

and their widows won’t be there to weep for them.

16 If they heap up silver like the dust,

≈and pile up clothes like clay mounds,

17 although the wicked piled it up, the godly people will wear them,

≈and innocent people will divide up the silver.

18 The wicked build easily-broken houses like the moths do,

and like temporary shelters that a guard quickly makes.

19 They’re wealthy when they lie down, but that’s that—

when they open their eyes, it’s gone.

20 Terrors overtake them like a flood.

≈A gale carries them away in the night.

21 The east wind carries them away then they’re gone,

≈and it sweeps them out from their places.

22 It hurls itself against themwithout mercy.

They hurriedly flee from its power.

23 That wind claps its hands at them,

≈and hisses at them from its place.