² Hear my words, ye wise men;
And give ear unto me, ye that have knowledge.
³ For the ear trieth words,
As the palate tasteth food.
⁴ Let us choose for us that which is right:
Let us know among ourselves what is good.
⁵ For Job hath said, I am righteous,
And God hath taken away my right:
^6 [a]Notwithstanding my right I am accounted a liar;
^[b]My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.
⁷ What man is like Job,
Who drinketh up scoffing like water,
⁸ Who goeth in company with the workers of iniquity,
And walketh with wicked men?
⁹ For he hath said, It profiteth a man nothing
That he should ^[c]delight himself with God.

¹⁰ Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding:
Far be it from God, that he should do wickedness,
And from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.
¹¹ For the work of a man will he render unto him,
And cause every man to find according to his ways.
¹² Yea, of a surety, God will not do wickedly,
Neither will the Almighty pervert justice.
¹³ Who gave him a charge over the earth?
Or who hath ^[d]disposed the whole world?
^14 [e]If he set his heart upon ^[f]himself,
If he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath;
¹⁵ All flesh shall perish together,
And man shall turn again unto dust.

^16 [g]If now thou hast understanding, hear this:
Hearken to the voice of my words.
¹⁷ Shall even one that hateth justice govern?
And wilt thou condemn him that is righteous and mighty?—
^18 [h]Him that saith to a king, Thou art vile,
Or to nobles, Ye are wicked;
¹⁹ That respecteth not the persons of princes,
Nor regardeth the rich more than the poor;
For they all are the work of his hands.
²⁰ In a moment they die, ^[i]even at midnight;
The people are shaken and pass away,
And the mighty are taken away without hand.

²¹ For his eyes are upon the ways of a man,
And he seeth all his goings.

²² There is no darkness, nor thick gloom,
Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
²³ For he needeth not further to consider a man,
That he should go before God in judgment.
²⁴ He breaketh in pieces mighty men ^[j]in ways past finding out,
And setteth others in their stead.
²⁵ Therefore he taketh knowledge of their works;
And he overturneth them in the night, so that they are ^[k]destroyed.
²⁶ He striketh them as wicked men
^[l]In the open sight of others;
²⁷ Because they turned aside from following him,
And would not have regard in any of his ways:
^28 [m]So that they caused the cry of the poor to come unto him,
And he heard the cry of the afflicted.
²⁹ When he giveth quietness, who then can condemn?
And when he hideth his face, who then can behold him?
Alike whether it be done unto a nation, or unto a man:
³⁰ That the godless man reign not,
That there be none to ensnare the people.

³¹ For hath any said unto God,
I have borne chastisement, ^[n]I will not offend any more:
³² That which I see not teach thou me:
If I have done iniquity, I will do it no more?
³³ Shall his recompense be as thou wilt, that thou refusest it?
For thou must choose, and not I:
Therefore speak what thou knowest.
³⁴ Men of understanding will say unto me,
Yea, every wise man that heareth me:
³⁵ Job speaketh without knowledge,
And his words are without wisdom.
³⁶ Would that Job were tried unto the end,
Because of his answering like wicked men.
³⁷ For he addeth rebellion unto his sin;
He clappeth his hands among us,
And multiplieth his words against God.