Job 40:7–9

³Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.

⁴Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.

³Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat!

⁴I would order my cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments.

²²Then call thou, and I will answer: or let me speak, and answer thou me.

⁴God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

¹⁸¶ And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.

²Then 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.

²⁷For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?

³Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress, that thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wicked?

⁵For Job hath said, I am righteous: and God hath taken away my judgment.

⁶Should I lie against my right? my wound is incurable without transgression.

⁴Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

¹⁵Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.

¹⁷And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.

²As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul;

³All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;

⁴My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.

⁵God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.

⁶My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.

²Thinkest thou this to be right, that thou saidst, My righteousness is more than God’s?

³For thou saidst, What advantage will it be unto thee? and, What profit shall I have, if I be cleansed from my sin?

¹⁸For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.

⁴After it a voice roareth: he thundereth with the voice of his excellency; and he will not stay them when his voice is heard.

⁵God thundereth marvellously with his voice; great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend.

¹³Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.

²²Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?

⁶Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.

⁹Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?

⁶Will he plead against me with his great power? No; but he would put strength in me.

¹²Behold, in this thou art not just: I will answer thee, that God is greater than man.

¹³Why dost thou strive against him? for he giveth not account of any of his matters.

⁴He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?

³The voice of the Lord is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the Lord is upon many waters.

³My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue,

⁴Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.

⁵Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.

⁶Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.

⁷And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.

⁸Deliver me from all my transgressions: make me not the reproach of the foolish.

⁹I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it.

¹⁰Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm.