וַיַּעַן אִיּוֹב וַיֹּאמַר׃

Job answered and said:

אָמְנָם יָדַעְתִּי כִי־כֵן וּמַה־יִּצְדַּק אֱנוֹשׁ עִם־אֵל

Indeed, I know that it is so. As you say, God is great, and one cannot challenge Him. Therefore, how can man justify himself with God? I know that one who seeks to contend with Him will not emerge victorious.

אִם־יַחְפֹּץ לָרִיב עִמּוֹ לֹא־יַעֲנֶנּוּ אַחַת מִנִּי־אָלֶף

If he desires to contend with Him, He would not answer him concerning even one claim out of a thousand.

חֲכַם לֵבָב וְאַמִּיץ כֹּחַ מִי־הִקְשָׁה אֵלָיו וַיִּשְׁלָם

As He, God, is wise of heart and mighty of power, who has castigated Him with his speech and prospered [vayishlam], or emerged whole [shalem] from this confrontation?

הַמַּעְתִּיק הָרִים וְלֹא יָדָעוּ אֲשֶׁר הֲפָכָם בְּאַפּוֹ

It is He who moves mountains and they do not know, who overturns them in His wrath;

הַמַּרְגִּיז אֶרֶץ מִמְּקוֹמָהּ וְעַמּוּדֶיהָ יִתְפַּלָּצוּן

who shakes the earth from its place, its pillars swaying;

הָאֹמֵר לַחֶרֶס וְלֹא יִזְרָח וּבְעַד כּוֹכָבִים יַחְתֹּם

who says to the sun to halt, and it obeys and does not shine, and seals, or conceals, the stars;

נֹטֶה שָׁמַיִם לְבַדּוֹ וְדוֹרֵךְ עַל־בָּמֳתֵי יָם

who spreads the heavens alone and treads on the high crests of the sea;

עֹשֶׂה־עָשׁ כְּסִיל וְכִימָה וְחַדְרֵי תֵמָן

who made the constellations Ursa Major, Orion, and the Pleiades, and the chambers of the south, perhaps a reference to a specific southern constellation;

עֹשֶׂה גְדֹלוֹת עַד־אֵין חֵקֶר וְנִפְלָאוֹת עַד־אֵין מִסְפָּר

who performs great things beyond scrutiny that cannot be analyzed and wonders beyond number.

הֵן יַעֲבֹר עָלַי וְלֹא אֶרְאֶה וְיַחֲלֹף וְלֹא־אָבִין לוֹ

Behold, though He may pass by me, He could pass right in front of me, so to speak, and yet I would not see Him; He may go by, and I would not perceive Him. I am unable to understand His ways.

הֵן יַחְתֹּף מִי יְשִׁיבֶנּוּ מִי־יֹאמַר אֵלָיו מַה־תַּעֲשֶׂה

Behold, He may grab something away; who will cause Him to give back the item He holds in His hand? Who will say to Him: What are You doing? Why do You do this?

אֱלוֹהַּ לֹא־יָשִׁיב אַפּוֹ תַּחְתָּו שָׁחֲחוּ עֹזְרֵי רָהַב

God will not restrain His wrath; beneath Him the helpers of Rahav, a creature or force that rises up against God’s rule in the world, are bowed and submit to Him.

אַף כִּי־אָנֹכִי אֶעֱנֶנּוּ אֶבְחֲרָה דְבָרַי עִמּוֹ

Since that is so, how then can I, a mere mortal, answer Him and choose my words with Him? I am certainly unable to contend with God.

אֲשֶׁר אִם־צָדַקְתִּי לֹא אֶעֱנֶה לִמְשֹׁפְטִי אֶתְחַנָּן

Even though I am justified, I could not answer. I could not press claims against Him. Instead, I would plead to my Judge, to God.

אִם־קָרָאתִי וַיַּעֲנֵנִי לֹא־אַאֲמִין כִּי־יַאֲזִין קוֹלִי

However, I am not optimistic about that strategy either, as even if I called, and even if He answered me, I would not believe that He would listen to my voice and heed my supplication.

אֲשֶׁר־בִּשְׂעָרָה יְשׁוּפֵנִי וְהִרְבָּה פְצָעַי חִנָּם

It is He who crushes me with a storm and increases my wounds without cause.

לֹא־יִתְּנֵנִי הָשֵׁב רוּחִי כִּי יַשְׂבִּעַנִי מַמְּרֹרִים

He does not allow me to catch my breath, to allow my spirit to calm, for He sates me with more and more bitterness.

אִם־לְכֹחַ אַמִּיץ הִנֵּה וְאִם לְמִשְׁפָּט מִי יוֹעִידֵנִי

I am helpless when pitted against God. If it is a matter, a contest, of strength, the Mighty One is here, and if it is a matter for judgment that I must seek, who will set an appointment for me for a judgment against God?

אִם־אֶצְדָּק פִּי יַרְשִׁיעֵנִי תָּם־אָנִי וַיַּעְקְשֵׁנִי

Even if I am righteous, my own mouth will condemn me out of fear of denouncing God; I am blameless, but He will distort matters against me and I will ultimately carry the blame.

תָּם־אָנִי לֹא־אֵדַע נַפְשִׁי אֶמְאַס חַיָּי

Although I cannot prove it in a trial, nevertheless I know that I am blameless. Do I not know myself? I despise my life.

אַחַת הִיא עַל־כֵּן אָמַרְתִּי תָּם וְרָשָׁע הוּא מְכַלֶּה

I have a definitive conclusion from all of this: One thing, therefore, I say: The blameless and the wicked He destroys. I fail to perceive justice in the world, as the fate of the innocent is identical to that of the sinner.

אִם־שׁוֹט יָמִית פִּתְאֹם לְמַסַּת נְקִיִּם יִלְעָג

If a lash strikes and causes death suddenly, if retribution descends to the earth, He mocks at the undoing of the innocent.

אֶרֶץ נִתְּנָה בְיַד־רָשָׁע פְּנֵי־שֹׁפְטֶיהָ יְכַסֶּה אִם־לֹא אֵפוֹא מִי־הוּא

The earth is given over by God into the hand, the control, of the wicked one; he covers the faces of its, the earth’s, judges to prevent them from seeing the truth. In such a corrupt situation, I must ask: If not, then who is it? If my statement that the fates of both the righteous and the wicked are placed into the hands of the wicked is not correct, then who is responsible for the corruption and evil we experience?

וְיָמַי קַלּוּ מִנִּי־רָץ בָּרְחוּ לֹא־רָאוּ טוֹבָה

My good days are dissipating swifter than a runner, a speedy messenger; they flee, as though not seeing good.

חָלְפוּ עִם־אֳנִיּוֹת אֵבֶה כְּנֶשֶׁר יָטוּשׂ עֲלֵי־אֹכֶל

They go by with the speed of reed boats.Boats fashioned from reeds sail in the river quickly, like the eagle that swoops over prey. An eagle can reach very high speeds when swooping over its prey. Hence, the sailing of the reed ship and the swooping of the eagle are two metaphors describing how swiftly all of Job’s good times faded away and were forgotten.

אִם־אָמְרִי אֶשְׁכְּחָה שִׂיחִי אֶעֶזְבָה פָנַי וְאַבְלִיגָה

If I say: I will forget my pain, I will abandon my claims, or rage, and be restrained,

יָגֹרְתִּי כָל־עַצְּבֹתָי יָדַעְתִּי כִּי לֹא תְנַקֵּנִי

fearing all my suffering and wishing to push it away, I know that You will not acquit me, but will continue to harm me.

אָנֹכִי אֶרְשָׁע לָמָּה־זֶּה הֶבֶל אִיגָע

Therefore, since I will be condemned, why should I toil in futility?

אִם־הִתְרָחַצְתִּי בְמֵי־שָׁלֶג והֲזִכּוֹתִי בְּבֹר כַּפָּי

Even if I bathed in snow water, and even if I washed and purified my hands with soap,

אָז בַּשַּׁחַת תִּטְבְּלֵנִי וְתִעֲבוּנִי שַׂלְמוֹתָי

then You would remove me from the cleansing water and instead immerse me in the pit, the grave, and even my own garments would abhor me and be revolted by my body. I will never be able to purify myself in Your eyes.

כִּי לֹא־אִישׁ כָּמוֹנִי אֶעֱנֶנּוּ נָבוֹא יַחְדָּו בַּמִּשְׁפָּט

For He is not a man like me that I could dare to answer Him or to come together in judgment, in a trial between us.

לֹא יֵשׁ־בֵּינֵינוּ מוֹכִיחַ יָשֵׁת יָדוֹ עַל־שְׁנֵינוּ

There is no arbiter between us. In a judgment between us, there can be no one who could prove the justness of one side. There is no one to place his hand upon the two of us, to whose authority we would both submit.

יָסֵר מֵעָלַי שִׁבְטוֹ וְאֵמָתוֹ אַל תְּבַעֲתַנִּי

However, let Him remove His scepter, His rule, from me, and let His dread not terrify me.

אֲדַבְּרָה וְלֹא אִירָאֶנּוּ כִּי לֹא־כֵן אָנֹכִי עִמָּדִי

I would speak, and I would not fear Him; but it is not so, I am with myself. In practice, no one can help me; I remain alone.