² “I’m sure that what you have said is true.
    But how can human beings prove to God they are not guilty?
³ They might wish to argue with him.
    But they couldn’t answer him
    even once in a thousand times.
⁴ His wisdom is deep. His power is great.
    No one opposes him and comes away unharmed.
⁵ He moves mountains, and they don’t even know it.
    When he is angry, he turns them upside down.
⁶ He shakes the earth loose from its place.
    He makes its pillars tremble.
⁷ When he tells the sun not to shine, it doesn’t.
    He turns off the light of the stars.
⁸ He’s the only one who can spread out the heavens.
    He alone can walk on the waves of the ocean.
⁹ He made the Big Dipper and Orion.
    He created the Pleiades and the southern stars.
¹⁰ He does wonderful things that can’t be understood.
    He does miracles that can’t even be counted.
¹¹ When he passes by me, I can’t see him.
    When he goes past me, I can’t recognize him.
¹² If he takes something, who can stop him?
    Who would dare to ask him, ‘What are you doing?’
¹³ God doesn’t hold back his anger.
    Even the helpers of the sea monster Rahab
    bowed in fear at his feet.

¹⁴ “So how can I disagree with God?
    How can I possibly argue with him?
¹⁵ Even if I hadn’t done anything wrong,
    I couldn’t answer him.
    I could only beg my Judge to have mercy on me.
¹⁶ Suppose I called out to him and he answered.
    I don’t believe he’d listen to me.
¹⁷ He would send a storm to crush me.
    He’d increase my wounds without any reason.
¹⁸ He wouldn’t let me catch my breath.
    He’d make my life very bitter.
¹⁹ If it’s a matter of strength, he is mighty!
    And if it’s a matter of being fair,
    who would dare to bring charges against him?
²⁰ Even if I hadn’t sinned, what I said would prove me guilty.
    Even if I were honest, my words would show that I’m wrong.

²¹ “Even though I’m honest,
    I’m not concerned about myself.
    I hate my own life.
²² It all amounts to the same thing. That’s why I say,
    ‘God destroys honest people and sinful people alike.’
²³ Suppose a plague brings sudden death.
    Then he laughs when those who haven’t sinned lose hope.
²⁴ Suppose a nation falls into the power of sinful people.
    Then God makes its judges blind to the truth.
    If he isn’t the one doing it, who is?

²⁵ “God, my days race by like a runner.
    They fly away without seeing any joy.
²⁶ They speed along like papyrus boats.
    They are like eagles swooping down on their food.
²⁷ Suppose I say, ‘I’ll forget about all my problems.
    I’ll change my frown into a smile.’
²⁸ Then I’d still be afraid I’d go on suffering.
    That’s because I know you would say
    I had done something wrong.
²⁹ In fact, you have already said I’m guilty.
    So why should I struggle without any reason?
³⁰ Suppose I clean myself with soap.
    Suppose I wash my hands with cleanser.
³¹ Even then you would throw me into a muddy pit.
    And even my clothes would hate me.

³² “God isn’t a mere human being like me. I can’t answer him.
    We can’t take each other to court.
³³ I wish someone would settle matters between us.
    I wish someone would bring us together.
³⁴ I wish someone would keep God from punishing me.
    Then his terror wouldn’t frighten me anymore.
³⁵ I would speak up without being afraid of him.
    But as things stand now, I can’t do that.