-
21:1 Then Job answered, 21:2 "Listen carefully to my speech, And let this be your way of consolation. 21:3 "Bear with me that I may speak; Then after I have spoken, you may mock. 21:4 "As for me, is my complaint to man? And why should I not be impatient? 21:5 "Look at me, and be astonished, And put your hand over your mouth. 21:6 "Even when I remember, I am disturbed, And horror takes hold of my flesh. 21:7 "Why do the wicked still live, Continue on, also become very powerful? 21:8 "Their descendants are established with them in their sight, And their offspring before their eyes, 21:9 Their houses are safe from fear, And the rod of God is not on them. 21:10 "His ox mates without fail; His cow calves and does not abort. 21:11 "They send forth their little ones like the flock, And their children skip about. 21:12 "They sing to the timbrel and harp And rejoice at the sound of the flute. 21:13 "They spend their days in prosperity, And suddenly they go down to Sheol. 21:14 "They say to God, 'Depart from us! We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways. 21:15 'Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him, And what would we gain if we entreat Him?' 21:16 "Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand; The counsel of the wicked is far from me. 21:17 "How often is the lamp of the wicked put out, Or does their calamity fall on them? Does God apportion destruction in His anger? 21:18 "Are they as straw before the wind, And like chaff which the storm carries away? 21:19 "You say, 'God stores away a man's iniquity for his sons.' Let God repay him so that he may know it. 21:20 "Let his own eyes see his decay, And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty. 21:21 "For what does he care for his household after him, When the number of his months is cut off? 21:22 "Can anyone teach God knowledge, In that He judges those on high? 21:23 "One dies in his full strength, Being wholly at ease and satisfied; 21:24 His sides are filled out with fat, And the marrow of his bones is moist, 21:25 While another dies with a bitter soul, Never even tasting anything good. 21:26 "Together they lie down in the dust, And worms cover them. 21:27 "Behold, I know your thoughts, And the plans by which you would wrong me. 21:28 "For you say, 'Where is the house of the nobleman, And where is the tent, the dwelling places of the wicked?' 21:29 "Have you not asked wayfaring men, And do you not recognize their witness? 21:30 "For the wicked is reserved for the day of calamity; They will be led forth at the day of fury. 21:31 "Who will confront him with his actions, And who will repay him for what he has done? 21:32 "While he is carried to the grave, Men will keep watch over his tomb. 21:33 "The clods of the valley will gently cover him; Moreover, all men will follow after him, While countless ones go before him. 21:34 "How then will you vainly comfort me, For your answers remain full of falsehood?"