Job 9:15-35

Even if I were right, I could not answer him; I could only beg God, my Judge, for mercy. If I called to him and he answered, I still don’t believe he would listen to me. He would crush me with a storm and multiply my wounds for no reason. He would not let me catch my breath but would overwhelm me with misery. When it comes to strength, God is stronger than I; when it comes to justice, no one can accuse him. Even if I were right, my own mouth would say I was wrong; if I were innocent, my mouth would say I was guilty. “I am innocent, but I don’t care about myself. I hate my own life. It is all the same. That is why I say, ‘God destroys both the innocent and the guilty.’ If the whip brings sudden death, God will laugh at the suffering of the innocent. When the land falls into the hands of evil people, he covers the judges’ faces so they can’t see it. If it is not God who does this, then who is it? “My days go by faster than a runner; they fly away without my seeing any joy. They glide past like paper boats. They attack like eagles swooping down to feed. Even though I say, ‘I will forget my complaint; I will change the look on my face and smile,’ I still dread all my suffering. I know you will hold me guilty. I have already been found guilty, so why should I struggle for no reason? I might wash myself with soap and scrub my hands with strong soap, but you would push me into a dirty pit, and even my clothes would hate me. “God is not human like me, so I cannot answer him. We cannot meet each other in court. I wish there were someone to make peace between us, someone to decide our case. Maybe he could remove God’s punishment so his terror would no longer frighten me. Then I could speak without being afraid, but I am not able to do that.