Job continued his reply

13 “Hey, I [SYN] have seen everything that you have seen,

and I have heard and understood all that you have said.

2 What you know, I also know;

I do ◄not know less than/know as much as► you.

3 But I would like to speak to Almighty God, not to you;

I would like to argue with him and prove that I ◄am innocent/have not done things that are wrong►.

4 As for you, you do not allow people to know the truth about me,

like someone covers up a bad surface of a wall with whitewash [MET].

You are all like doctors [MET] that give people useless medicines.

5 I wish/desire that you would be silent;

that would be the wisest thing that you could do.

6 Listen to what I will say to you now;

listen while I am saying what is true about myself.

7 Are you telling lies about me to prove God is just in causing me to suffer?

Are you saying what is deceitful in order to benefit him?

8 Are you trying to defend him?

Are you trying to prove as you would in a court that he is innocent?

9 If he looks closely, will he find that everything that you have done is good?

Or can you deceive him, like you deceive other people?

10 If you secretly say/do things to cause God to act favorably toward you,

he will surely rebuke you.

11 He will certainly [RHQ] cause you to be terrified by his power/greatness;

you will become extremely afraid.

12 The things that you say that you think are wise are as useless as [MET] as ashes;

what you say to defend your opinions is no better than [MET] clay that quickly crumbles.

13 “So, be quiet and allow me to speak,

and then it will not matter what happens to me.

14 I am ready to endure anything;

I am even willing to risk being executed [IDM, DOU] for what I will say.

15 If God kills me, then I will not have anyone else whom I can confidently expect to help me,

but I am going to defend my behavior in his presence anyway.

16 No wicked/godless person would dare to stand in the presence of God,

but because I say that I have not done things that are wrong,

perhaps, if I can prove that to God, he will save me.”