Job 23

Job Proclaims God’s Righteous Judgments¹Then Job answered and said: ²“Even today my complaint is bitter; My hand is listless because of my groaning. ³Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, That I might come to His seat! ⁴I would present my case before Him, And fill my mouth with arguments. ⁵I would know the words which He would answer me, And understand what He would say to me. ⁶Would He contend with me in His great power? No! But He would take note of me. ⁷There the upright could reason with Him, And I would be delivered forever from my Judge. ⁸“Look, I go forward, but He is not there, And backward, but I cannot perceive Him; ⁹When He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him; When He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him. ¹⁰But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. ¹¹My foot has held fast to His steps; I have kept His way and not turned aside. ¹²I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food. ¹³“But He is unique, and who can make Him change? And whatever His soul desires, that He does. ¹⁴For He performs what is appointed for me, And many such things are with Him. ¹⁵Therefore I am terrified at His presence; When I consider this, I am afraid of Him. ¹⁶For God made my heart weak, And the Almighty terrifies me; ¹⁷Because I was not cut off from the presence of darkness, And He did not hide deep darkness from my face.