וַיַּעַן אִיּוֹב וַיֹּאמַר׃

Job answered and said:

שִׁמְעוּ שָׁמוֹעַ מִלָּתִי וּתְהִי־זֹאת תַּנְחוּמֹתֵיכֶם

Hear my word and may this be your consolation. You will comfort me by listening to me.

שָׂאוּנִי וְאָנֹכִי אֲדַבֵּר וְאַחַר דַּבְּרִי תַלְעִיג

Bear with me, be patient, and I will speak, and after my speaking, Tzofar, you may mock what you have heard.

האָנֹכִי לְאָדָם שִׂיחִי וְאִם מַדּוּעַ לֹא־תִקְצַר רוּחִי

Do I converse with a man? If so, why should I not be losing patience? Since my grievance is directed to God, why shouldn’t I be impatient at His silence? I cannot hold back my complaints.

פְּנוּ־אֵלַי וְהָשַׁמּוּ וְשִׂימוּ יָד עַל־פֶּה

Turn to me and be astonished, and place your hand over your mouth. Be silent.

ואִם זָכַרְתִּי וְנִבְהָלְתִּי וְאָחַז בְּשָׂרִי פַּלָּצוּת

You will not be the only ones who are shocked by my speech. When I myself remember my claims, I am startled, and shuddering seizes my flesh.

מַדּוּעַ רְשָׁעִים יִחְיוּ עָתְקוּ גַם־גָּבְרוּ חָיִל

Why do the wicked live, and furthermore, they grow old, and even become powerful, growing ever stronger?

זַרְעָם נָכוֹן לִפְנֵיהֶם עִמָּם וְצֶאֱצָאֵיהֶם לְעֵינֵיהֶם

Their offspring are well placed and successful before them, with them, and their descendants are before their eyes. They see their descendants flourish.

בָתֵּיהֶם שָׁלוֹם מפָּחַד וְלֹא שֵׁבֶט אֱלוֹהַּ עֲלֵיהֶם

Their houses are peaceful without fear, and the rod of God is not upon them. They feel no threat of divine punishment.

שׁוֹרוֹ עִבַּר וְלֹא יַגְעִל תְּפַלֵּט פָּרָתוֹ וְלֹא תְשַׁכֵּל

His bull breeds with their cow and does not fail, as its seed is not expelled from the womb; his cow calves and does not miscarry.

יְשַׁלְּחוּ כַצֹּאן עֲוִילֵיהֶם וְיַלְדֵיהֶם יְרַקֵּדוּן

They, the wicked, send out their youngsters freely, without fear, like a flock, and their children prance like young goats and lambs.

יִשְׂאוּ כְּתֹף וְכִנּוֹר וְיִשְׂמְחוּ לְקוֹל עוּגָב

They sing with gladness to the music of the drum and harp and rejoice at the sound of the pipe.

יְכַלּוּ בַטּוֹב יְמֵיהֶם ובְרֶגַע שְׁאוֹל יֵחַתּוּ

They spend their days in prosperity, and even when it is time for them to die, they descend to the grave in a moment, quickly and painlessly, without suffering or experiencing severe illnesses.

וַיֹּאמְרוּ לָאֵל סוּר מִמֶּנּוּ וְדַעַת דְּרָכֶיךָ לֹא חָפָצְנוּ

They say to God: Turn away from us; we are not interested in You, and we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways.

מַה־שַּׁדַּי כִּי־נַעַבְדֶנּוּ וּמַה־נּוֹעִיל כִּי נִפְגַּע־בּוֹ

What is the Almighty that we should serve Him? What good will it do if we encounter Him, pray to Him?

הֵן לֹא בְיָדָם טוּבָם עֲצַת רְשָׁעִים רָחֲקָה מֶּנִּי

Behold, in actual fact, their prosperity is not in their hand, as it is God who has granted them their good life, and therefore, the fate of the wicked is obscure to me. I cannot fathom it.

כַּמָּה נֵר־רְשָׁעִים יִדְעָךְ וְיָבֹא עָלֵימוֹ אֵידָם חֲבָלִים יְחַלֵּק בְּאַפּוֹ

How often is the lamp of the wicked extinguished, does their calamity come upon them, does He deal out their portion in His wrath? It is a rare occurrence that the wicked receive their due punishment.

יִהְיוּ כְּתֶבֶן לִפְנֵי־רוּחַ וּכְמֹץ גְּנָבַתּוּ סוּפָה

How often are they like straw blown before the wind, and like chaff the storm carried off?

אֱלוֹהַּ יִצְפֹּן־לְבָנָיו אוֹנוֹ יְשַׁלֵּם אֵלָיו וְיֵדָע

If you claim that God reserves for his children his wickedness, as He will punish the children of the wicked for their father’s evil deeds, in that case God’s judgment is hidden from the wicked and his associates who are aware of his sins. Rather, let Him pay it to him, the evildoer himself, and he will know. It would be preferable for God to punish the wicked one himself.

יִרְאוּ עֵינָו כִּידוֹ וּמֵחֲמַת שַׁדַּי יִשְׁתֶּה

Let his own eyes see his destruction, and let him drink from the fury of the Almighty. It would be better for the wicked one himself to experience God’s wrath.

כִּי מַה־חֶפְצוֹ בְּבֵיתוֹ אַחֲרָיו ומִסְפַּר חֳדָשָׁיו חֻצָּצוּ

For what does he care for his household after him? He does not know what will happen to his descendants after his death. If the punishment is meted out to his children after he is gone, he himself will have been untouched by retribution and will not have learned anything from it, as the number of his months, his life span, is defined, determined in advance, and he has not been harmed.

הַלְאֵל יְלַמֶּד־דָּעַת והוּא רָמִים יִשְׁפּוֹט

Job offers another argument: Will anyone teach knowledge to God? It is He who judges from the heights. Alternatively, can anyone teach the knowledge of God’s ways, seeing that He judges in accordance with principles beyond understanding? How can you assume to explain God’s lofty ways?

זֶה יָמוּת בְּעֶצֶם תֻּמּוֹ כֻּלּוֹ שַׁלְאֲנַן וְשָׁלֵיו

This one, one person, dies in his full vigor, without his body having been smitten, tranquil and serene,

עֲטִינָיו מָלְאוּ חָלָב וּמֹחַ עַצְמוֹתָיו יְשֻׁקֶּה

his udders filled with milk, and the marrow of his bones moistened. Blessings rest both upon what emerges from his body and his insides.

וְזֶה יָמוּת בְּנֶפֶשׁ מָרָה וְלֹא־אָכַל בַּטּוֹבָה

And that one, another individual, dies with an embittered soul and has never tasted goodness. One might conclude that the first person was righteous, while the second was wicked.

יַחַד עַל־עָפָר יִשְׁכָּבוּ וְרִמָּה תְּכַסֶּה עֲלֵיהֶם

However, there is no difference between their ultimate fates, as together they lie in the dust, and maggots cover them. They are both buried in the ground, and their flesh is consumed by worms.

הֵן יָדַעְתִּי מַחְשְׁבוֹתֵיכֶם ומְזִמּוֹת עָלַי תַּחְמֹסוּ

Behold, I know your thoughts, and I am aware of the schemes that you devise against me,

כִּי תֹאמְרוּ אַיֵּה בֵית־נָדִיב ואַיֵּה אֹהֶל מִשְׁכְּנוֹת רְשָׁעִים

when you say: Where is the house of the wealthy? And where is the tent of the dwelling of the wicked? You wonder how the beautiful house of the wealthy Job, whom you consider wicked, has become a ruin.

הֲלֹא שְׁאֶלְתֶּם עוֹבְרֵי דָרֶךְ וְאֹתֹתָם לֹא תְנַכֵּרוּ

Haven’t you asked these questions of the passersby? You do not recognize their signs. You do not understand the signs they give in response. You ignore the answers of those who understand events in the world at large.

כִּי לְיוֹם אֵיד יֵחָשֶׂךְ רָע לְיוֹם עֲבָרוֹת יוּבָלוּ

For evil is reserved for the day of calamity; they will be brought on for the day of ire. His punishments accumulate and will be administered on the day of his calamity; his recompense will be brought forth on the day of wrath.

מִי־יַגִּיד עַל־פָּנָיו דַּרְכּוֹ וְהוּא־עָשָׂה מִי יְשַׁלֶּם־לוֹ

But who will tell his way to his face; when he acts, who will repay him? Who is able to rebuke the wicked for his misdeeds and administer his punishment to him?

וְהוּא לִקְבָרוֹת יוּבָל וְעַל גָּדִישׁ יִשְׁקוֹד

Even in his death, he, the wicked, will be brought to burial and he will be hastened to a mound [gadish]. He is buried quickly and ceremoniously in his dignified burial plot, which is raised high like a pile of grain [gadish].

מָתְקוּ־לוֹ רִגְבֵי נָחַל וְאַחֲרָיו כָּל־אָדָם יִמְשׁוֹךְ וּלְפָנָיו אֵין מִסְפָּר

The streamside earth, where he is buried, is sweet to him; following him to death are all men, and likewise before him, innumerable men passed away.

וְאֵיךְ תְּנַחֲמוּנִי הָבֶל וּתְשׁוּבֹתֵיכֶם נִשְׁאַר־מָעַל

Since there is no evident causal relationship between a person’s conduct and his fate, how do you comfort me with futility? Of your answers, treachery remains.