Job: My Complaint Is Just

6 Then Job answered and said:

² “Oh, that my grief were fully weighed,And my calamity laid with it on the scales!³ For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea—Therefore my words have been rash.⁴ For the arrows of the Almighty are within me;My spirit drinks in their poison;The terrors of God are arrayed against me.⁵ Does the wild donkey bray when it has grass,Or does the ox low over its fodder?⁶ Can flavorless food be eaten without salt?Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?⁷ My soul refuses to touch them;They are as loathsome food to me.

⁸ “Oh, that I might have my request,That God would grant me the thing that I long for!⁹ That it would please God to crush me,That He would loose His hand and cut me off!¹⁰ Then I would still have comfort;Though in anguish I would exult,He will not spare;For I have not concealed the words of the Holy One.

¹¹ “What strength do I have, that I should hope?And what is my end, that I should prolong my life?¹² Is my strength the strength of stones?Or is my flesh bronze?¹³ Is my help not within me?And is success driven from me?

¹⁴ “To him who is afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend,Even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.¹⁵ My brothers have dealt deceitfully like a brook,Like the streams of the brooks that pass away,¹⁶ Which are dark because of the ice,And into which the snow vanishes.¹⁷ When it is warm, they cease to flow;When it is hot, they vanish from their place.¹⁸ The paths of their way turn aside,They go nowhere and perish.¹⁹ The caravans of Tema look,The travelers of Sheba hope for them.²⁰ They are disappointed because they were confident;They come there and are confused.²¹ For now you are nothing,You see terror and are afraid.²² Did I ever say, ‘Bring something to me’?Or, ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth’?²³ Or, ‘Deliver me from the enemy’s hand’?Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of oppressors’?

²⁴ “Teach me, and I will hold my tongue;Cause me to understand wherein I have erred.²⁵ How forceful are right words!But what does your arguing prove?²⁶ Do you intend to rebuke my words,And the speeches of a desperate one, which are as wind?²⁷ Yes, you overwhelm the fatherless,And you undermine your friend.²⁸ Now therefore, be pleased to look at me;For I would never lie to your face.²⁹ Yield now, let there be no injustice!Yes, concede, my righteousness still stands!³⁰ Is there injustice on my tongue?Cannot my taste discern the unsavory?