Open English Translation JOB Chapter 9

9 Then Iyyov answered saying:

2 Yes, I certainly know that.[ref]

But how can a person be declared innocent before God?

3 If someone wanted to argue with him,

he wouldn’t answer them once out of a thousand times.

4 He’s wise in his thinking and very powerful.

Who has ever challenged him and succeeded?

5 He takes down mountains and they don’t even know who is overturning them with his anger.

6 The one who shakes the earth from its place

≈and makes its pillars shudder.

7 The one who can tell the sun not to shine,

and seals off the stars.

8 The one who stretches out space all by himself,

and treads on the tops of the waves in the sea.

9 The one who made the Bear, Orion, Pleiades,

as well as the southern constellations.

10 The one who does more incredible things than we can find,

and does more marvellous things than we can count.

11 It he went past me, I couldn’t see him,

and if he moved off, I wouldn’t be able to perceive it.

12 When he takes things away, who can stop him,

and who will ask him what he’s doing?

13 God won’t suppress his anger.

Those who help Rahab lie beneath him.

14 I will certainly answer him.

I will choose my words against him.

15 If I was innocent, I wouldn’t answer.

I would ask my judge for mercy.

16 If I called and he answered me,

I wouldn’t believe that he’d listened to my voice.

17 He crushes me with storms,

and wounds me over and over without cause.

18 He doesn’t let me catch my breath.

He fills me with bitterness.

19 Concerning strength, he’s powerful.

Concerning justice, he’ll ask, ‘Who will summon me?’

20 If I was innocent, my mouth would condemn me.

If I was blameless, it would declare me guilty.

21 I’m innocent—I don’t know myself.

I despise my life.

22 It’s the same thing, therefore I said,

‘He’s bringing both the blameless and the wicked to their end.’

23 When a disaster brings sudden death, he mocks the despair of innocent people.

24 The world has been given over to someone wicked.

He covers the judges eyes—so who did it?

25 My days go by faster than a sprinter.

≈They’ve fled by without seeing any good.

26 They pass like boats made with reeds—

≈like an eagle swooping down on its food.

27 If I said that I would forget my complaint,

and soften my expression and smile,

28 I’d be afraid of all my sufferings.

I know that you wouldn’t consider me innocent.

29 I’d be guilty,

so why would I work hard for such vanity?

30 If I washed myself from a clear mountain stream

and cleaned my hands with strong soap,

31 then you’d plunge me into a pit

and my own clothes would abhor me.

32 He’s not a human like me,

so we wouldn’t be going into court together.

33 There’s no mediator between us,

who would have authority over both of us.

34 Let him remove his rod from me,

so his terror won’t frighten me.

35 I would speak and not fear him,

but it’s not like that with me.