17 And I brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.
18 Then I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply mydays as the sand.
19 My root wasspread out by the waters, and the dew lay all night upon my branch.
20 My glory wasfresh in me, and my bow was renewed in my hand.
21 Unto me mengave ear, and waited, and kept silence at my counsel.
22 After my words they spake not again; and my speech dropped upon them.
23 And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide asfor the latter
rain.
24 IfI laughed on them, they believed itnot; and the light of my countenance they cast not
down.
25 I chose out their way, and sat chief, and dwelt as a king in the army, as one thatcomforteth
the mourners.
1 But now they that areyounger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have
disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock.
2 Yea, whereto mightthe strength of their hands profitme, in whom old age was perished?
3 For want and famine they weresolitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate
and waste.
4 Who cut up mallows by the bushes, and juniper roots fortheir meat.
5 They were driven forth from among men, (they cried after them as aftera thief;)
6 To dwell in the clifts of the valleys, incaves of the earth, and inthe rocks.
7 Among the bushes they brayed; under the nettles they were gathered together.
8 They werechildren of fools, yea, children of base men: they were viler than the earth.
9 And now am I their song, yea, I am their byword.
10 They abhor me, they flee far from me, and spare not to spit in my face.
11 Because he hath loosed my cord, and afflicted me, they have also let loose the bridle before
me.
12 Upon myright handrise the youth; they push away my feet, and they raise up against me the
ways of their destruction.
13 They mar my path, they set forward my calamity, they have no helper.
14 They came upon meas a wide breaking in of waters: in the desolation they rolled themselves
upon me.
15 Terrors are turned upon me: they pursue my soul as the wind: and my welfare passeth away
as a cloud.
16 And now my soul is poured out upon me; the days of affliction have taken hold upon me.
17 My bones are pierced in me in the night season: and my sinews take no rest.
18 By the great force of my diseaseis my garment changed: it bindeth me about as the collar of
my coat.
19 He hath cast me into the mire, and I am become like dust and ashes.
20 I cry unto thee, and thou dost not hear me: I stand up, and thou regardest me not.
21 Thou art become cruel to me: with thy strong hand thou opposest thyself against me.
22 Thou liftest me up to the wind; thou causest me to ride upon it, and dissolvest my
substance.
23 For I know thatthou wilt bring me todeath, and tothe house appointed for all living.
24 Howbeit he will not stretch out hishand to the grave, though they cry in his destruction.
25 Did not I weep for him that was in trouble? was notmy soul grieved for the poor?
26 When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came
darkness.
27 My bowels boiled, and rested not: the days of affliction prevented me.
28 I went mourning without the sun: I stood up, andI cried in the congregation.

29 I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls.
30 My skin is black upon me, and my bones are burned with heat.
31 My harp also is turnedto mourning, and my organ into the voice of them that weep.
1 I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?
2 For what portion of God is therefrom above? and whatinheritance of the Almighty from on
high?
3 Isnot destruction to the wicked? and a strange punishmentto the workers of iniquity?
4 Doth not he see my ways, and count all my steps?
5 If I have walked with vanity, or if my foot hath hasted to deceit;
6 Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity.
7 If my step hath turned out of the way, and mine heart walked after mine eyes, and if any blot
hath cleaved to mine hands;
8 Thenlet me sow, and let another eat; yea, let my offspring be rooted out.
9 If mine heart have been deceived by a woman, or ifI have laid wait at my neighbour's door;
10 Thenlet my wife grind unto another, and let others bow down upon her.
11 For this isan heinous crime; yea, it isan iniquity to be punished bythe judges.
12 For it isa fire thatconsumeth to destruction, and would root out all mine increase.
13 If I did despise the cause of my manservant or of my maidservant, when they contended with
me;
14 What then shall I do when God riseth up? and when he visiteth, what shall I answer him?
15 Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?
16 If I have withheld the poor from theirdesire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail;
17 Or have eaten my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten thereof;
18 (For from my youth he was brought up with me, as witha father, and I have guided her from
my mother's womb;)
19 If I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or any poor without covering;
20 If his loins have not blessed me, and ifhe were notwarmed with the fleece of my sheep;
21 If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, when I saw my help in the gate:
22 Thenlet mine arm fall from my shoulder blade, and mine arm be broken from the bone.
23 For destruction fromGod wasa terror to me, and by reason of his highness I could not
endure.
24 If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou artmy confidence;
25 If I rejoiced because my wealth wasgreat, and because mine hand had gotten much;
26 If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking inbrightness;
27 And my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand:
28 This also werean iniquity to be punished bythe judge: for I should have denied the God that
isabove.
29 If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found
him:
30 Neither have I suffered my mouth to sin by wishing a curse to his soul.
31 If the men of my tabernacle said not, Oh that we had of his flesh! we cannot be satisfied.
32 The stranger did not lodge in the street: butI opened my doors to the traveller.
33 If I covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom:
34 Did I fear a great multitude, or did the contempt of families terrify me, that I kept silence,
andwent not out of the door?
35 Oh that one would hear me! behold, my desire is, thatthe Almighty would answer me, and
thatmine adversary had written a book.
36 Surely I would take it upon my shoulder, andbind it asa crown to me.
37 I would declare unto him the number of my steps; as a prince would I go near unto him.

38 If my land cry against me, or that the furrows likewise thereof complain;
39 If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money, or have caused the owners thereof to lose
their life:
40 Let thistles grow instead of wheat, and cockle instead of barley. The words of Job are
ended.
1 So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he wasrighteous in his own eyes.
2 Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram:
against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God.
3 Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and
yethad condemned Job.
4 Now Elihu had waited till Job had spoken, because they wereelder than he.
5 When Elihu saw that there wasno answer in the mouth of thesethree men, then his wrath
was kindled.
6 And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said, I amyoung, and ye arevery old;
wherefore I was afraid, and durst not shew you mine opinion.
7 I said, Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom.
8 But there isa spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.
9 Great men are not alwayswise: neither do the aged understand judgment.
10 Therefore I said, Hearken to me; I also will shew mine opinion.
11 Behold, I waited for your words; I gave ear to your reasons, whilst ye searched out what to
say.
12 Yea, I attended unto you, and, behold, there wasnone of you that convinced Job, orthat
answered his words:
13 Lest ye should say, We have found out wisdom: God thrusteth him down, not man.
14 Now he hath not directed hiswords against me: neither will I answer him with your
speeches.
15 They were amazed, they answered no more: they left off speaking.
16 When I had waited, (for they spake not, but stood still, andanswered no more;)
17 I said, I will answer also my part, I also will shew mine opinion.
18 For I am full of matter, the spirit within me constraineth me.
19 Behold, my belly isas wine whichhath no vent; it is ready to burst like new bottles.
20 I will speak, that I may be refreshed: I will open my lips and answer.
21 Let me not, I pray you, accept any man's person, neither let me give flattering titles unto
man.
22 For I know not to give flattering titles; in so doingmy maker would soon take me away.
1 Wherefore, Job, I pray thee, hear my speeches, and hearken to all my words.
2 Behold, now I have opened my mouth, my tongue hath spoken in my mouth.
3 My words shall be ofthe uprightness of my heart: and my lips shall utter knowledge clearly.
4 The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.
5 If thou canst answer me, set thy wordsin order before me, stand up.
6 Behold, I amaccording to thy wish in God's stead: I also am formed out of the clay.
7 Behold, my terror shall not make thee afraid, neither shall my hand be heavy upon thee.
8 Surely thou hast spoken in mine hearing, and I have heard the voice of thywords, saying,
9 I am clean without transgression, I aminnocent; neither is thereiniquity in me.
10 Behold, he findeth occasions against me, he counteth me for his enemy,
11 He putteth my feet in the stocks, he marketh all my paths.
12 Behold, inthis thou art not just: I will answer thee, that God is greater than man.
13 Why dost thou strive against him? for he giveth not account of any of his matters.
14 For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet manperceiveth it not.