meta: {"file": "/data/tomer/Sefaria-Export/txt/Tanakh/Writings/Job/English/The Rashi Ketuvim by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein.txt"}
text: Job
  איוב
  The Rashi Ketuvim by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein
  
  
  Job
  
  
  
  
  
  There was a man in the land of Utz [Aram (viz. Genesis 22:21)] by the name of Iyyov. And that man was pure and upright. And he feared G d and turned aside from evil.
  	And there were born to him seven sons and three daughters.
  	And his livestock consisted of: seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred pairs of cattle, five hundred she-asses, along with a very great amount of produce. And that man was greater than all the sons of the East [(the generation of the Tower of Bavel)].
  	And his sons would go and make a feast in the house of each on his set day, and they would send and call to their three sisters to eat and drink with them.
  	And when the [seven] days of feasting [of each son] had completed their circuit, then Iyyov would send and invite them [to his home] and he would rise early in the morning and sacrifice burnt-offerings according to the number of all of them; for Iyyov said: "Perchance my children sinned [(in overindulgence)] and 'blessed' [(euphemism for 'cursed')] G d in their hearts." Thus did Iyyov do all of his days.
  	And it was on that day [(Rosh Hashanah) when the circuit began again, in the house of the eldest son)], that the Sons of G d [(the Heavenly host)] came to stand around the L rd; and Satan came also, together with them.
  	And the L rd said to Satan: "Where are you coming from?" And Satan answered the L rd and said: "From wandering around the earth and walking within it" [(to discriminate between the good and the evil men)].
  	And the L rd said to Satan: "Have you set your heart against [(i.e., to incriminate)] My servant Iyyov, whose like is not found on the earth, a pure and upright man, who fears G d and turns aside from evil?"
  	And Satan answered the L rd and said: "Does Iyyov fear G d for nought?
  	Were You not a [protective] fence for him, and for his family, and for all that is his, on all sides? You have blessed his handiwork, and his livestock have flourished in the land.
  	But just send forth Your hand and strike aught that is his, and [see if] he does not 'bless' You to Your face."
  	And the L rd said to Satan: "All that is his is in your hands. Just do not set forth your hands against him." And Satan went forth from the presence of the L rd.
  	And it was on the day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their eldest brother
  	that a messenger came to Iyyov and said: "The cattle were plowing and the she-asses were grazing in their place
  	when [the people of] Sheva descended upon them and took them, and the youths [i.e., the herdsmen] they smote with the sword; and I alone escaped, to tell you."
  	While the first was yet speaking, a second came and said: "A fire of G d fell from heaven and swept through the sheep and the youths and consumed them; and I alone escaped, to tell you."
  	While the second was yet speaking, a third came and said: "Kasdim formed three bands and spread out against the camels and took them, and the youths they smote with the sword; and I alone escaped, to tell you."
  While the third was yet speaking, a fourth came and said: "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their eldest brother
  	when a great wind came from across the desert and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the youths and killed them; and I alone escaped, to tell you."
  	And Iyyov arose and tore his garment and tore his hair from his head and fell to the ground and prostrated himself.
  	And he said: "Just as I came naked from the womb of my mother [(the earth)], so I will return there naked. The L rd gives and the L rd takes. May the name of the L rd be blessed."
  	With all this, Iyyov did not sin and did not impute wrong to G d. 
  
  
  
  And it was on the day that the sons of G d came to stand before the L rd, that Satan came also with them to stand before the L rd.
  	And the L rd said to Satan: "Where are you coming from?" And Satan answered the L rd and said: "From wandering around the earth and walking within it."
  	And the L rd said to Satan: "Have you set your heart against My servant Iyyov, whose like is not found on the earth, a pure and upright man, who fears G d and turns aside from evil, who still persists in his purity, though you have incited Me against him to destroy him for nought?"
  	And Satan answered the L rd and said: "Skin for skin [i.e., a lesser limb for a greater], and all that a man possesses will he give for his life" [(and since Iyyov knows that he is liable for his life, he willingly makes the exchange.)]
  	But just stretch out Your hand and smite himself and his flesh, [and see] if he will not 'bless' You to Your face."
  	And the L rd said to Satan: "He is in your hands; just take care to heed his soul" [(that it not leave his body)].
  	And Satan went forth from the presence of the L rd, and he smote Iyyov with severe boils, from the soles of his feet to his crown.
  	And he took a shard to scratch himself with, and he sat among the ashes.
  	And his wife said to him: "Are you still persisting in your purity? 'Bless' G d and die."
  	And he said to her: "You speak as one of the lowly ones. [(Is it not enough that He created us, but)] shall we also receive good from G d and not receive bad?" With all this, Iyyov did not sin with his lips [(but he did sin in his heart)].
  And the three friends [i.e., lovers] of Iyyov heard of all this evil that had come upon him, and they came, each from his place: Elifaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuchite, and Tzofar the Na'amathite. And they gathered together to come to bemoan him and to console him.
  	And they lifted their eyes from afar and they did not recognize him [(his features having become transfigured by his afflictions)]. And they lifted their voices and cried. And each of them tore his garment. And they cast dust above their heads, heavenwards [(in mourning)].
  	And they sat with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that he was sorely grieved.
  
  
  
  After that Iyyov opened his mouth and cursed his day [(the day of his birth)].
  Iyyov raised his voice and said:
  	Would that [the] day were lost on which I was to be born, and the night [when it was] said: "A man [(my father)] has caused [(my mother)] to conceive."
  	Let that day [(every year)] be darkness. Let G d on high not be solicitous of it [(for good)], and let no light shine upon it.
  	Let it be sullied by darkness and the shadow of death; let it be shrouded in darkness; let the demons of day confound it.
  	Let that night be seized by thick darkness; let it not rejoice with the days of the year; let it not enter into the reckoning of months.
  	Let that night be unfrequented; let no rejoicing enter into it.
  	Let the cursers of [their] day curse it, those destined to be childless [in] their union.
  	Let the stars of its night be darkened; let it hope for light and not find it; and let it not see the first light of day.
  	For He did not close the walls of my stomach [i.e., the womb] and hide toil from my eyes.
  	Why did I not die when out of the womb? Why [did I] not perish when leaving the stomach?
  	Why did [my mother's] knees receive me, and why [her] breasts, that I should suck?
  	For now I could have been lying still [(in the grave)], sleeping and at rest.
  	With kings and counselors of the earth, who build up waste places for their names' sake.
  	Or with princes possessed of gold, who fill their houses with silver.
  	Or [why could I not have been] a huddled-up abortion, like fetuses who never saw the light?
  	There [(in the grave)] the wicked cease from wrath, and there the weary rest.
  	The prisoners there are all at peace; they do not hear the oppressor's voice.
  	[(True and enduring)] smallness or greatness are [recognized] there [(and not in this world)], and the slave is free of his master.
  	Why should light be given to the [sorrow-] burdened, and life to the bitter in soul,
  	who hope for death, but find it not, though they dig for it more than for treasure,
  	who [would] regale in joy, the joy of finding a grave
  	for the man [(i.e., himself)] whose way [(i.e., all the good that he has done)] is hidden [from Him] and who has been fenced off by G d?
  	For my groaning comes before my bread and my cries stream forth like water.
  	For what I feared [(for my children, viz. 1:5)] has come upon me; what I dreaded has befallen me.
  	I was never at peace; I was never still; I was never at rest — and the terror came!
  
  
  
  Then Elifaz the Temanite [(the son of Esav [who, being reared by Isaac, attained to the Holy Spirit])] raised his voice and said:
  	Do you tire with one trial? Who, then, can refrain from rebuttal?
  Did you not reprove many [who inveighed against the Almighty] and did you not strengthen the hands of those who were weak [in bearing up under the attribute of justice]?
  	Your words would raise the stumbling and you would strengthen the buckling knees.
  	And now that it [(affliction)] comes upon you, do you weary? It touches you and you are confounded?
  	Is it not [now evident that all] your fear [of the L rd] was folly, as was your hope [of good] and the uprightness of your ways?
  Remember now: Who is the clean man that has gone lost, and where are the righteous who have been cut off,
  	as I have seen the plowers of iniquity and the sowers of wrong reap it [(the fruits of their evil)]?
  By the breath [(the tempestuous wrath)] of G d they go lost; they are cut off by the wind of His nostril. [(The allusion is to the generation of the flood.)]
  	[Though theirs is] the roar of the [great] lion, and the voice of the lion, and the teeth of the young lions, they are confounded.
  	The lion goes lost, without his prey, and the lion's children are scattered [(over all the earth [an allusion to the generation of the Tower of Bavel])].
  	Now [(concerning you)] a thing [(a prophecy)] stole itself to me [(the Holy Spirit not coming openly to the gentile prophets)]; my ear caught a trace of it.
  	In the thoughts of the visions of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men.
  	Fear possessed me and trembling, and it affrighted the bulk of my bones.
  	And a spirit [(an angel)] passed before my face; it stood the hair of my flesh on end.
  	It stood, but I could not delineate its appearance, [though] its visage was before my eyes; a soft voice I heard;
  	"Will a mortal [presume to] be more righteous than G d? Will a man be purer than his Maker?
  	In His very servants [(Moses and Aaron)] He places no faith and to His angels [Moses and Aaron (viz. Numbers 20:16)] He ascribes wrong [viz. Ibid. 12].
  	How much more so [is He exalted above] the inhabitants of houses of clay [i.e., graves], whose origin is in the dust, who are crushed before the worms [(which devour them)]!
  	From morning to night [i.e., in one day] they are broken, without taking [it to heart to repent], and they go lost for all time.
  	Is their primacy [(their pride and their wisdom)] not swallowed up in them? They die — and not in wisdom."
  
  
  
  
  [(reversion to the reproof [after the prophecy])] Cry out now. Will anyone answer you? And to which of the holy ones [(who decreed this upon you)] will you turn [to war with]?
  	For anger kills a fool [(like you. [Had you kept quiet, the attribute of mercy might have "returned" to you.])], and wrath slays the simpleton.
  	[When] I saw the [wicked] fool take root, I cursed his abode at once:
  	"Let his children be far from help; let them be ground in the gate, with none to come to the rescue."
  	[When the wicked one dies,] the hungry one [(who was despoiled by him in his lifetime)] will eat his harvest, and he [(the judge)] will take it for [the survivors] of his weapons, and the thirsty [i.e., the despoiled] will recover their wealth.
  	For affliction does not spring from the dust [i.e., in vain] and distress does not sprout from the earth.
  	For man is born to [suffer] distress [for his sins], [unlike] the flaming ones [(the angels)], who fly on high [(above such things)].
  	But [(were I in your position)], I would beseech the L rd and I would place my words [of supplication] with G d,
  	who does great things which cannot be fathomed; wonders without end.
  	He bestows rain upon the earth [(Eretz Yisrael)] and sends water [(through an intermediary)] to the outlying regions,
  	to place the lowly on high [(against the intrigues of the price-gougers)]. And those [whose faces were] darkened [by hunger] have taken strength [in His] salvation.
  	He sets to nought the thoughts of the subtle ones, and their hands do not execute their counsels.
  	He ensnares the wise in their [own] subtleties, and the counsel of the perverse hastens [to their destruction].
  	In the light of day, they will encounter darkness [(the foiling of their plans)], and, as in the night, they will feel about in the afternoon.
  	And He will rescue [(their intended victims)] from the sword — from their mouths [(which sought to swallow them)] — and the lowly one from the hand of the strong.
  	And the poor one shall realize [his] hope, and wrongdoing shall close its mouth.
  	Happy is the man whom G d chastises [(and whom He thus heals), so] do not spurn the reproof of the Almighty.
  	For [wherewith] He wounds, He binds up, and with the hands He strikes with He heals.
  	From [(the following)] six woes He shall save you [(by the afflictions which you have suffered)], and in the seventh, evil shall not reach you.
  	In hunger he will redeem you from death, and in war, from the hands of the sword.
  	When the tongue [of slander] is unleashed, you will be hidden, and you will not fear destruction when it comes.
  	You will laugh at despoiling and hoarding, and you will not fear the "beasts of the earth" [(robbers)].
  	But with the avnei hasadeh [(a man-like creature)] will be your covenant, and the chayath hasadeh [(a kind of creature)] will be at peace with you.
  	And [(wherever you are)] you will know that there is peace in your tent, and you will survey your abode and find nothing lacking [(this being "the seventh" [verse 19])].
  	And you will know that your children will be many, and your offspring as the grass of the earth.
  	You will come to the grave in a ripe old age, as the harvest is taken up in its time.
  	We have proved this. It is true. Pay heed to it. And you, know what you have to do.
  
  
  
  
  Then Iyyov raised his voice and said [(in response to 5:2)]:
  	If my anger and my breaking were weighed, if they were placed together in the balance [scale],
  	it [(my breaking)] would outweigh [(my anger)] more than [would the weight of] the sand of the seas; therefore, I rant as I do.
  	For the arrows of the Almighty are lodged with me, whose venom my spirit drinks. The terrors of G d beleaguer me.
  	Does the wild ass bray [(in complaint)] over his grass? Does the ox low over his fodder?
  	Can one eat bland food [(your reproof)] unsalted? Is there any taste in the spittle [that comes from eating] strong food?
  What my soul recoiled at touching are [now] the spreads of my bread [i.e., my table].
  	Would that my request were granted, and that G d fulfilled my hope — 
  	that G d will and stamp me out, that He strengthen His hand [i.e., His blow] and have done with me!
  	And let my consolation further be — (and I shall shudderingly implore that He not pity [and cut me off])] — that I have not destroyed words of holiness [i.e., that I have fulfilled His mitzvoth and will find peace in the world to come].
  	What strength is [left] in me that I should wait [(for healing or for death)] and how [important] is my end that I should stretch out my will [against protestation]?
  	Is my strength the strength of stones? Is my flesh copper?
  	Is even my succor [(the consolation of my friends)] absent from me? Counsel is cast away from me [(for they have risen against me to vex me)].
  	[You have become] as one who withholds lovingkindness from his friend and abandons the fear of the Almighty.
  	My friends have betrayed me like a stream; like a water course they have passed on [(from friendship)].
  	[(the "betrayals" of a stream:)] [Its waters are] darkened with ice; and snow [(falling on the ice)] is hidden over them [(so that their prospective drinkers are "betrayed")].
  	When they are warmed [(by the sun)], they shrivel; in his heat, they leap from their place.
  	They cling to their wonted ways; they vanish into nothingness and are lost.
  	The caravans of Tema looked out [for them]; the travelers of Sheva made a line for them.
  	They who came trusting [to drink] were shamed. They came to it [(the stream)] and were shamed.
  	Now you [(my "friends")] have been like it. You saw [my] breaking and you were afraid [to speak the truth].
  	Did I say, "Give me something," and "Pay a bribe for me from your labors" [i.e., your money]?
  	and "Save me from the hand of the oppressors," and "Redeem me from the hand of tyrants"?
  	Teach me and I will keep still. Make me understand where I have gone astray.
  	How cogent are just words, but what does a reprover among you prove!
  	Would you think to elucidate things? [Your] futile words are like the wind!
  	[By your argumentation] you cast wrath upon an orphan [i.e., an unfortunate such as I], and you dig a pit against your friend.
  	And now, if you will, pay heed to me, and see if I lie to your faces.
  	Return now [(to search things out)] that there be no wrong, and return again [to probe the matter], and my righteousness [(will be found)] in it.
  	Is there wrong in my tongue? Does my palate not sense deception?
  
  
  
  
  Is there not a term for a mortal upon the earth? Are his days not those of a hired laborer?
  	As a servant who longs for the shadow [of night], and as a hired laborer, who looks forward to the wages of his labor,
  	so have I inherited months in vain [(having longed for repose, but not having found it)], and nights of toil have they appointed for me [(in Heaven)].
  	When I lie down, I say, "When will I rise and the night move on?" and I am sated with "movings" until dusk.
  	[For] my flesh has clothed itself in worms and encrustation; my skin has split and become putrescent.
  	My days [of good] are swifter than a weaver's shuttle and will end without hope.
  	Remember [G d] that my life is like the wind; my eyes will not return to see good [(a denial of the resurrection)].
  	The eye that sees me now will not see me again. If You [merely] set Your eyes upon me, I would no longer be here [(Why, then, do You torture me so?)]
  	Just as the cloud dissolves and is gone, so he who descends to the grave will not rise.
  	He will return no more to his home. [The people of] his place will recognize him no more.
  	Therefore, [(because You do not leave off tormenting me)], I, too, will not spare my mouth [(from contending with you)]. I will speak in the affliction of my spirit. I will make my plaint in the bitterness of my soul.
  	Am I the ocean or a sea-serpent that You have placed a guard [(Satan)] over me [that my soul not leave me? (viz. 2:6)]
  	If I said, "My bed will console me, my couch will bear my plaint" [i.e., it will relieve my afflictions and lessen my complaint],
  	then You broke me with dreams and terrified me with visions.
  	My soul chooses strangulation [above life]; death, above my bones.
  	I have sickened [of my life]! I will not live forever. Quit me [of suffering], for my days are vanity.
  	What is man that You should aggrandize him by giving heart to him?
  	That You should remember him each morning and examine him each moment?
  	How [long it is] that You do not quit me. You do not leave me long enough to swallow my spittle.
  	And if I sinned, what can I do to You? Creator of man, why did You make me, to offend You and to be a burden to You?
  	And why do You not forgive my offense and remove my transgression? For I will soon be in the earth, and You will look for me, and I will not be there.
  
  
  
  
  Then Bildad the Shuchite raised his voice and said:
  	How long will you speak thus? A great wind are the words of your mouth.
  	Will G d pervert judgment [(and not punish the wicked)]?
  	When your sons sinned against Him, He drove them [(from the world)] through their offense.
  If you seek out the L rd and make supplication of the Almighty,
  	If you are pure and upright, He will now awaken [your merit] for you and make complete the habitation of your righteousness.
  And your former [good] will be [accounted] small, for your latter [good] will be extremely great.
  	For inquire now about the past generation and ready yourself to [understand] the findings of their ancestors.
  	For it is [as if] we [were born] yesterday and knew nothing; for as a [passing] shadow are our days upon the earth.
  	Will they not teach you and tell you [what they have acquired] and bring forth [their own] words [of wisdom] from their hearts?
  	[(And this is what they will tell you:)] Will the rush grow without mire? Will the reed grass grow without water?
  	As long as it preserves its moistness it will not be cut off; but [without it] it will dry up before any other herb.
  	So is the way of all who forget the L rd [(to prosper so long as their measure is not yet full)], but [ultimately] the hope of the wicked one will go lost.
  	His confidence will be cut off; as [fragile] as the house [i.e., the web] of the spider will be his trust.
  	He will lean on his house, but it will not stand; he will grab on to it, but it will not hold.
  	He is moist before the [stroke of the] sun and over his garden his shoot emerges.
  	On a mound his roots entwine and he sees a house of stone [(a strong site, which he builds up as a stronghold)].
  	But when He swallows him from his place, it denies him, [saying, as it were:] "I never saw you."
  	This, then is the "joy" of his [(the wicked one's)] way. And from [men who until now were as lowly as] the earth, another will sprout [(to appropriate all of his greatness)].
  	For G d will not despise the innocent one, and He will not uphold evildoers [(your foes)].
  	Until [(He will again have mercy upon you)] and He will fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts [of joy].
  	Your foes will be clothed with shame and the tent of the wicked will be no more.
  
  
  
  
  Then Iyyov raised his voice and said:
  	Indeed, I, too, know that it is so. And how would a man be right with G d?
  	If He chooses to dispute with him, he could not give Him even one answer to a thousand questions.
  	[Who is] wise of heart [to dispute] and grand in strength [to exact punishment]? Who ever hardened [his heart] against Him and remained whole?
  	He moves mountains, but they [the people] do not know until He overturns them in His wrath.
  	He shakes the earth from its place [(by looking at it)] and its pillars quake.
  	He commands the sun and it does not shine, and He seals up [the light of] the stars.
  	He stretches out the heavens alone and treads down the breakers of the sea.
  	He makes the Bear, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chamber of the south wind.
  	He does great things, which cannot be fathomed, and wonders without end.
  	Were He to pass before me, I would not see Him. He would pass by and I would not perceive Him.
  	He [smites] suddenly. Who can turn Him back? Who can say to Him: "What are You doing?"
  	G d does not turn back His wrath [before any man]. Beneath Him are bowed down the [would-be] helpers of the proud [(Egypt)].
  	How much less, then, can one such as I remonstrate with Him! [How can] I choose [to place] my words before Him?
  	Even if I am right, I cannot remonstrate with Him. Can I appeal to Him who has passed judgment upon me?
  	Even if I call [Him] and He answer me, I cannot believe [(in my great fear of Him)] that He will hearken to my voice.
  	He crushes me in the tempest and multiplies my wounds without cause.
  	He does not allow me to restore my spirit, for He sates me with bitterness.
  	If [He comes against me] with strength, He is [all-] powerful, and if with judgment, who will represent me before Him?
  	[Even] if I am right, my mouth will incriminate me; I am innocent and my mouth will make me crooked.
  	I am innocent, but I do not know how to find rest. I despise my life.
  	There is [only] one [(thing in the world — the Satan's scourge)]; that is why I have said He destroys the innocent and the wicked alike.
  	If the scourge [(of Satan's tongue)] kills [the righteous one] suddenly, he [Satan] will mock the melting of the clean [(that he has slain)].
  	The earth has been given into the hands of the wicked one [(Satan)]. He covers the face of its judges [(from perceiving the truth)]. And if it is not [as I say], who is it [that destroys the innocent]?
  	And my days [(along with those of the other innocent ones)] have been quicker than the runner. They have fled. They have seen no good.
  	They have sped on with the boats of Eveh, as an eagle that swoops down upon its prey.
  	If I say: I will forget my plaint, I will abandon my anger, I will contain myself,
  	I will collect all of my grief [within myself and not cry out] — [even then] I know that You will not acquit me.
  	I would be incriminated. Why, then, should I toil in vain?
  	Though I washed in waters of snow and cleansed my palms in purity,
  	You would plunge me into the pit [of filth] (i.e., guilt)], and my [very] clothes would despise me.
  	For He is not a man as I am that I can answer Him: "Let us come together in disputation."
  	There is no arbiter between us to lay his hand [(i.e., to impose his decision)] upon us both in disputation.
  	If He removed His rod from me, and His terror would not confound me,
  	I would speak and not fear Him, for I am not so [(i.e., I am not guilty)] in my eyes.
  
  
  
  
  My soul wrangles against my life. I shall burden myself with my plaint. I shall speak in the bitterness of my soul.
  	I say to G d: Do not brand me as an evildoer. Tell me what You accuse me of.
  	Is it pleasing to You that You rob [(the righteous of their righteousness)], that You despise the labor of Your hands, and that You shine upon the counsel of the wicked?
  	Do You have eyes of flesh [(that You do not distinguish between the righteous and the wicked)] Do You see [only] as mortals do?
  	Are Your days the days of a mortal? Are Your years as the years of a man
  	that You seek out my transgression and search out my sin?
  	You know that I will not be incriminated — but there is no escape from Your hand.
  	Your hands moulded me and made me, and now [Your hosts (the worms)] come round [me] together and You would swallow me up.
  	Remember, now, that You fashioned me as clay, and would You [now] return me to the earth?
  	Did You not rarefy me as milk [(in the sperm)] and solidify me as cheese?
  	You clothed me in skin and flesh, and You covered me with bones and sinews.
  	Life, through lovingkindness, You bequeathed to me, and Your charge guarded my spirit.
  	And have You hidden [these things] in Your heart [(in order to destroy me)]? I know that this [(all that I have mentioned)] is with You [(and that You have not forgotten)].
  	If I have sinned, You have guarded me [and overlooked nothing], and You would not cleanse me of my transgression.
  	If I am wicked, woe unto me! And if I am righteous [(what good is it?)] I cannot hold up my head, sated with shame [as I am] and beholding my affliction.
  	[My offense] has grown so great [in Your eyes] that You hunt me as a lion. And You return [day after day], [ever more] exacting [with me].
  	You renew Your witnesses against me [(to bring fresh woes upon me)] and You increase Your anger against me. Changes [(of afflictions)] and set times [for each] are with me.
  	Why did You take me from the womb? Would that I had died and no eye had seen me!
  	Then it would have been as if I had not been. Would that I had been brought from the stomach to the grave!
  	Are my days not few? Desist! Betake Yourself and let me come to myself a little
  	before I go — not to return — to the land of darkness and the shadow of death.
  	A land of darkness — like pitch darkness. It is the shadow of death and there are no [diurnal] orders there; and even the light there is like pitch darkness.
  
  
  
  
  Then Tzofar the Na'amathite raised his voice and said:
  	Will the multiplier of words not be answered? Will the man of glib speech [(on that account)] be justified?
  Will your fabrications silence men, and will you mock [the L rd] because no one shames [you]?
  You said: "My ways are clean, and I was pure in Your eyes."
  	But would that G d spoke and opened His lips [to contend] with you.
  	And He would tell you the secrets of wisdom — that there is double to the Wisdom [(the Torah, which you have not fulfilled)]. And know that G d has lent you [but a part of the punishment due you] for your sins.
  	Would you find out the probings of G d [(that you feel you have fulfilled everything)]? Would you find out the far reaches of the Almighty?
  	[Something as high as] the heights of heaven — what would you do [with it]? [Something] deeper than the depths — what would you know of it?
  Longer than the earth is its measure and broader than the sea.
  	If He pass by and close [one up in afflictions], and he gather his entire retinue [to protest it], who can controvert Him?
  	For He knows men of falsehood, and He sees [their] iniquity [(though in His long-suffering, it may seem to them)] that He does not perceive [it].
  	And [even] the hollow [(wayward)] man can gain a heart [(to repent)], and [one who was ignorant like] a wild ass can [(teach himself to)] be born a man.
  	If you would prepare your heart [(after the afflictions)] and spread out your palms to Him —
  	If there is iniquity in your hand remove it far from you and let no wrong dwell in your tent —
  	Then you would lift your face without blemish [(for you would have removed all your blemishes)] and you would be steadfast and not fear.
  	For you will forget [your] trials and [remember of them only] as [much as one remembers of] passing waters.
  	And a time [of light] brighter than the afternoon will arise for you. [Your] darkness will turn into morning.
  	And rest secure, for there is hope; [as if] you had dug [a protective trench] rest secure.
  	And [when] you lie down, no one will affright [you]. And great ones will solicit your favor.
  	But the hope of the wicked [(your foes)] will be defeated. Refuge will be lost to them. And their hope [for you will be] dejection of spirit [for them].
  
  
  
  
  Then Iyyov raised his voice and said:
  	True, you are the people [and its princes] and wisdom will perish with you.
  	[But] I, too, have a heart as you do. I am not lesser than you; and who does not [know these things just] as these [i.e., just as you do]?
  	I am [one] who has become a laughingstock to his friend, and calls out to G d, who answers him [(that in return for this He will give him)] the true laughter of the righteous one.
  	[(And I also know, just as you, that)] the torch of [the] shame [of Gehinnom awaits] him who is at ease in [his] thoughts, [saying: "I shall be at peace," and that] he is prepared [to join the ranks of] "those whose foot slips."
  	[(And I also know, just as you, that for many days [until their ultimate destruction])] the tents of robbers are at peace, and those who anger G d dwell secure, [and that with all] that G d has brought [to the evildoer, the "hour" plays into] his hand.
  	Ask [even] the beasts and they will teach [these things to] you, and the birds of heaven will tell you.
  	Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; and the fish of the sea will tell you.
  	Who would not know by all these that the hand of the L rd has wrought this?
  	That in His hand is the spirit of all living things and the spirit of all mortal flesh?
  	Will not the ear [which hears what He has wrought] not discern [the implications of these] words just as the palate tastes food?
  	There is wisdom in the old and understanding in the long-lived
  	[to know that] with Him is wisdom and strength; with Him is counsel and understanding.
  	When He destroys, none can rebuild. When He imprisons a man, none can free him.
  	When He holds back the waters, the land is dry; when He sends them forth [(as He did in the generation of Enosh, when He flooded a third of the world)], they overturn the earth.
  	He is the source of strength and weakness. His is the strayer and the one who causes [men] to stray [i.e., the Satan].
  	He leads counselors into folly and makes judges foolish.
  	He unties the bonds of kings [e.g., Nevuchadnezzar] just as He buckles the belt on their thighs [(to "gird" them into kingship)].
  	He leads princes away with folly and twists the mighty.
  	He [sometimes] removes speech [even] from the faithful [(viz., e.g., Genesis 15:6, followed by 8] and takes the acumen of the elders.
  	He spills contempt upon the lordly and loosens the buckler of the mighty.
  	He reveals [to man] what is profounder than darkness and brings shadows to light.
  	He raises nations and destroys them [(through their pride)], spreads nations out [(over the earth)] and leads them [(into exile)].
  	He removes the wisdom of the leaders of the people, and they lead them into a void that is not a path.
  	They feel in the darkness and not in light and He leads them astray as drunkards.
  
  
  
  
  All of these things my eyes have seen and my ears have heard, and they have understood.
  	As well as you know, I know. I, too, am no less than you.
  	But I would speak with the Almighty and my desire is to dispute with the L rd.
  	But you are compounders of falsehood; you are all healers of vanity.
  	Would that you kept still so that you would be accounted wise!
  	Hear, now, my dispute, and give ear to the arguments of my lips.
  	Will you speak wrong on behalf of G d? Will you speak deceit on His behalf?
  	Will you be partial for Him? Will you argue [deceitfully] for G d?
  	Will it be good when He probes you [and find you liars]? Will you mock Him as one mocks a man [(saying: "For Your honor we have made ourselves liars"?)]
  	He will reprove you [(for your partiality)]. Will you be partial to Him in secret [i.e., when you stand before Him in judgment for your partiality]?
  	Will His majesty not confound you and His fright not fall upon you?
  	Your memories are like [the memory of] dust; your heights are like dust to Him.
  	Leave off speaking against me, and let me speak, and let there come upon me what may.
  	Why should I hold my flesh in my teeth [(to force myself to silence)] and place [i.e., offer up] my life in my palm?
  	Though He slay me, I will trust in Him, but I would argue my ways to His face [(to know whereof He accuses me)].
  	[(And as I am wholehearted with Him)], He, likewise, will be my salvation; for a flatterer [(such as you)] will not come before Him.
  	Hear, then, my words, and let my speech enter your ears.
  	I have prepared my defense; I know that I will be vindicated.
  	Who would dispute with me? If I kept quiet now, I would expire.
  	Just two things do not do to me, and then I will not hide from Your face:
  	Keep Your compulsion far from me, and let Your terror not confound me.
  	Then call and I will answer, or I shall speak and You answer me.
  	How many are my transgressions and my sins? Make known to me my offenses and my sins.
  	Why do You hide Your face [(from seeing My uprightness)] and reckon me Your foe?
  	Will You affright a shriveled leaf? Will You pursue dry stubble?
  	For You write down my contrariness against me [(and not the good that I have done)] and You make me inherit the sins of my youth.
  	And You put my feet in stocks and guard all my ways. You engrave my [very] footsteps for Yourself [("Here he stepped and thus he did.")]
  	But is it [(the body)] not like decaying rottenness, like a moth-eaten garment? [i.e., it is not to Your honor to pursue it so.] 
  
  
  
  [Is not] man born of woman, short of days and full of vexation?
  	As a blossom that blows and is cut off, fleeting as a shadow that does not stand.
  	On this, too, You have cast Your eye [in judgment], and [even] me You have brought into judgment with You [(for my sins)].
  	Can pure [(one wholly free of sin)] emerge from impure? — not one!
  	[(Is a man not simply requited for his sins)] if his days are circumscribed [(unto death)], if the number of his months is [fixed] with You? You have set his limit, which he cannot pass.
  	Leave off [afflicting] him, then, and let it [(his pain)] cease, until as a hired laborer [(who desires the end of his working day)], he desires his day [of death]. [(For there is more finality in his passing than in that of all other things:)]
  	For a tree has hope, though it is cut off. It will renew itself, and its young branches will not cease.
  	Though its root grow old in the earth and its stock die in the dust,
  	the [very] scent of water will cause it to bloom, and it will sprout branches like a sapling.
  	But when a man dies, he is sapped. When a man expires, where is he?
  	When the waters leave the sea, will the river [(which comes from the sea)] not be parched, and dry up?
  	So a man will lie down and not rise. Until the heavens are worn away, they [(men)] will not awaken and they will not rise up from their sleep.
  	Would that [(when You were angry with me)] You hid me in the grave, concealed me until Your wrath were turned, set me a time and remembered me.
  	When a man dies, will he live [again]? Then all the days of my time [on this earth] I would hope [to live] until [the time of] my passing came.
  	Call [me (to reprove me)] and I will answer You. Desire the work of Your hands.
  	But now You count [all of] my steps and You do not delay [(the payment)] for my sin.
  	My offense is tied in a knot [(that it not go lost)] and it is joined to my transgression.
  	[Even] a fallen mountain will [crumble and] produce vegetation, as will a rock dislodged from its place.
  	Stones worn down by water — its crumblings are flooded over [to become] dust of the earth [(from which vegetation later sprouts)]. But the hope of man is [completely] lost [with his death].
  	You overpower him for eternity and he passes on. You change his face and send him away.
  	If his sons are "weighted" [(with wealth)], he will not know it; if they are reduced, he will not perceive it.
  	Only the flesh upon him [(fed on by the maggots)] will [(smart in)] pain, and his soul will mourn over him.
  
  
  
  
  Then Elifaz the Temanite raised his voice and said:
  	Will the wise man answer vain thoughts and fill his stomach with the east wind?
  	To debate what is of no benefit and [to spout] words which are of no avail?
  	How much more so do you [(who are exceedingly wise)] abolish fear [of G d] and increase complaint before G d!
  	For your sin [i.e., your evil inclination] teaches your mouth [to speak in this manner]; you should have chosen the tongue of the subtle [in wisdom].
  	[Answer my question and] let your [own] mouth condemn you, and not I, and let your [own] lips testify against you:
  Were you born first, [before] Adam? Were you created before the hills?
  	Have you been privy to the secrets of G d and drawn down [all of] wisdom to yourself?
  	What do you know that we do not? What do you understand that is not with us?
  	There is also a grey one, also an elder, among us, of more [days] than your father.
  	Are the consolations of G d [i.e., your earlier good] too little for you, and His graciousness to you?
  	What does your heart teach you and what do your eyes insinuate
  	that you turn your spirit against the L rd and spout words [against Him]?
  	What is [(the power of)] man that he can be pure [(before the L rd)]? Can one born of woman be righteous?
  	In His angels He puts no permanence and the [hosts of] heaven are not pure in His eyes.
  	How much more so man, who is despised and abhorrent, who drinks wrong as he does water!
  	I will tell you something; listen to me. This is what I have seen, and I will tell it to you:
  	The wise tell [i.e., they confess their offenses] and do not conceal [their sins] from their fathers.
  	To them alone [(Judah and Reuven, by their respective confessions)] was the earth given and no stranger intruded among them.
  	[But] all the days of the wicked one [(who does not repent and confess)], he laments, [fearing] the number of years [of punishment] laid up for the tyrant.
  	The voice of fear is in his ears [(saying: "The time of my recompense has come")], and in the midst of peace robbers will come upon him.
  	[(In the abundance of his sins)] he will not believe [that] he can return from the darkness [of Gehinnom], and he is consigned to the sword
  	and to wander in search of bread. He knows [for a certainty] that the day of darkness is readied for him.
  	Woe and affliction will confound him. He will be overpowered by it like the king [(Sancherev)] consigned to the fire [of Gehinnom (viz. Isaiah 30:33)].
  	For he has stretched forth his hand against G d and strengthened himself against the Almighty.
  	He has run against Him [(to anger Him)] with outstretched neck, [trusting] in the thickness [and] the height of his shields [i.e., trusting in his strength].
  	For he has covered his face with his fat and has made "mouths" [i.e., folds of fat] upon his ribs.
  	And [in his pride] he has inhabited waste cities, houses unfit for habitation, which had been relegated to the rubbish heaps.
  	[But] he will not remain wealthy and his riches shall not endure, and their reversion will not turn [from heaven] to earth [i.e., their desires will not be gratified].
  	He will not be removed from darkness. The flame will dry up his young branch, and he will be removed [from the world] by the breath of His mouth.
  	Let him who has wandered in vanity not trust [to good], for vanity will be his exchange.
  	Before his time, it [(his "exchange")] will be full [i.e., it will have exhausted itself], and his dome [i.e., his branches] will not be green.
  	He will cast off his unripe grapes [i.e., his children] like the vine, and he will shed his bloom like the olive.
  	For the company of the flatterer will be solitary and the fire [(G d's wrath)] will consume the tents of graft.
  	They conceive wrong and beget vanity and their belly spawns deceit.
  
  
  
  
  Then Iyyov raised his voice and said:
  	I have heard such words many times. You are all counselors of deceit.
  	Is there an end to words of vanity? What [would] impel you to answer [cogently]?
  	I could also speak as you if you were [being afflicted] instead of me. I could [also] join you with words and nod my head [in lamentation] over you.
  	I could strengthen you with my mouth [(as you do to me)], and the plaint of my lips would cease.
  	[But now,] if I speak, my pain will not cease, and if I cease from speech, what [(of my pain)] would leave me?
  	But now, it has wearied me. You have stunned all of my household [(into silence)].
  	You have shriveled me up as testimony [to my sin]. My leanness has risen against me [(in testimony)]; it testifies in my face.
  	His wrath has torn me and He has hated me. He has gnashed His teeth against me and my oppressor [(Satan)] sharpens his eyes against me.
  	They have opened their mouths against me. They have smitten my cheeks with shame. They have gathered together against me.
  	G d has handed me over to a mocker, and by the hands of the wicked He "heals" me.
  	I was at peace and he [(the mocker)] crumbled me. He seized my neck and smashed me, and he set me up as a target for him.
  	His archers surrounded me. He splits my innards and he has no mercy. He spills my gall to the ground.
  	He multiplies wound upon wound. He runs upon me like a warrior.
  	I sewed sackcloth for my scab, and I sullied my [face's] radiance with ashes.
  	My face became creased from crying, and death-shadows descended on my lids.
  	[And all this befell me] for no violence in my palms; and my prayer was pure [(I did not curse my friend nor desire ill for him)].
  	Earth, cover my blood, and let there be no place [therein to silence] my outcries [(from ascending to heaven)].
  	Even now my Witness [(who knows my ways)] is in heaven and my testimony is in the heights.
  	[(You, who should have been)] my intercessors, my friends — my eyes stream to G d.
  	Would that [He granted me that] a man could dispute with G d as a man [disputes] with  his neighbor.
  	For the years numbered [for my life] are coming [to an end], when I will travel the road of no return.
  
  
  
  
  My spirit has been destroyed. My days have leapt away. Graves await me
  	even without mockers against me and my eyes constantly looking on at their taunting.
  	Give [heart] to me, I pray You. Give me surety [(by "handshake") to dispute] with You. [For] who is there [among them] to shake my hand [(in friendship)]?
  	For You have hid their hearts from wisdom, wherefore You will not be exalted [through them].
  	Friends will flatter each other and [(as a result)] the eyes of their sons will fail.
  	[(This would be my dispute with the L rd:)] He has set me up as a parable for the peoples. I am become a mockery to [their] faces.
  	My eye is dimmed with anger and all of my limbs are like shadows.
  	Let the upright be astounded over this, and let the clean one [(hearing of these mockeries)] be aroused against the flatterer.
  	And let the righteous one hold fast to his way [(to oppose the flatterers)] and [let] the pure of hand add courage.
  	But all of you [(my friends)] turn about and come now [(to learn the truth)]; but I find no wise one among you [(in your mocking of my plaint)].
  	My days [(of good)] have passed; my thoughts [(my expectations of continued good)] have been cut off, the bequests of my heart.
  	They [(their mockeries)] change day to night. The light [of the day seems] short [to me] because of the darkness [(of my afflictions)].
  	Since I hope for the pit as my home, I have spread my bed in darkness [i.e., the grave].
  	To the pit I have called: "You are my father"; "my mother" and "my sister" to the worms.
  	Where is [(the realization of)] my hope, and who will see my hope [(to hurry it to me)]?
  	Would that they [(my limbs)] which [are destined to] descend to the pit would [(soon)] lie on the dust [in death]!
  
  
  
  
  Then Bildad the Shuchite raised his voice and said:
  	How long will you [(the friends)] put an end to words? [i.e., How long will you interrupt the words of Iyyov?]
  	Why should we be looked upon as beasts? We are obtuse in your eyes.
  	[You Iyyov,] who tears his spirit in his anger, shall the [ordinance of the] earth be abandoned for your sake, and the Rock be removed from His place [i.e., from His ordinance]?
  	Verily, the light of the wicked will dart away, and the spark of his fire will not light.
  	The light of his tent will grow dark, and the light of his lamp will dart away.
  	The steps of his might will be constricted, and his counsel will cast him away.
  	For he will be sent into the net with his [own] feet, and he will walk upon the lattice-work [i.e., the net].
  	The trap will hold him by the heel, and thirst will grow upon him.
  	His rope [i.e., the rope which will snare him] is hidden in the ground; his trap lies upon the path.
  	Around him, demons affright him, and they beat him [down] to his feet.
  	His son will hunger and calamity awaits his wife.
  	He will consume the branches of his skin [(his other sons and daughters)]. The prince of death will consume his branches.
  	He will be cut off from his tent [i.e., his wife], who trusts to him, and she will dispatch him to the king of the demons.
  	She will live in his tent [(a widow)] without him, [and, in the end,] his habitation will be overspread with brimstone.
  	Beneath, his roots [i.e., what took root] will dry up, and above, his boughs will be cut away [(without his deriving any benefit from them)].
  	His remembrance will vanish from the land; he will have no name in the thoroughfares.
  	[(From heaven)] they will thrust him from light into darkness, and they will remove him from the world.
  	There will remain to him neither a son nor a grandson among his people, and no trace [of him will remain] in his dwelling places.
  	The later ones will be astounded at his day [(of destruction)], and the early ones [(who knew him previously)] will be seized [as with] a tempest.
  	This alone [is the lot of] the abodes of iniquity, and this [is the lot of] the place that G d did not know [i.e., that He rejected].
  
  
  
  
  Then Iyyov raised his voice and said:
  	How long will you grieve my soul and oppress me with words?
  	You have now shamed me ten times. You have not been ashamed to estrange yourselves from me.
  	And even if I did go astray, with me [alone] my erring rests [i.e., I alone am smitten for it].
  	If, indeed, [I erred], you [only] magnify [my transgression] and throw up my shame to my face.
  	Know, then, that G d has perverted [my verdict] and that He has cast His net around me.
  	I cry out against the injustice [done me], and I am not answered. I scream and there is no justice.
  	He has barred my way and I cannot cross, and He has placed darkness upon my paths.
  	He has stripped me of my honor [i.e., my clothing] and removed the crown of my head.
  	He has smashed me on all sides, and I have gone, and He has uprooted my hope as a tree.
  	And He has vented His wrath upon me, accounting me as [one of] His foes.
  	All of His troops [i.e., His afflictions] come together and pave their way against me, and they camp around my tent.
  	He has distanced my brothers from me, and those who knew me have become estranged from me.
  	My close ones are gone, and my familiars have forgotten me.
  	The dwellers in my household and my maidservants have considered me a stranger. I have become a foreigner in their eyes.
  	I call my servant and he does not answer, [though] I implore him with my mouth.
  	My spirit is strange to my wife, and I implore [(those I have reared in my house as if they were)] the sons of my body.
  	Even youths despise me. [Though] I rise [(to honor them)], they speak [contemptuously] of me.
  	All the men of my counsel have abominated me, and these [(the friends)] that I have loved have turned against me.
  	[(I have become so emaciated that)] my bones have stuck to my skin and to my flesh, and I have escaped [only] with the skin of my teeth [i.e., only my gums have escaped boils and worms].
  	Pity me, pity me, you, my friends, for the hand of G d has struck me.
  	Why do you pursue me as G d [does], and why are you not satisfied with [the afflictions of] my flesh?
  	Would that my words were written down! Would that they were inscribed in a book!
  	[Would that] with a pen of iron and with lead they were eternally etched in rock!
  	[(reversion to 22)] I know that my Redeemer lives [(and He will requite you for this)] and He will endure after all [men] upon the earth.
  	[(But they pay no heed to my Redeemer, but)] after [the afflictions of] my skin, they have thus tormented [me], and from my flesh I see Judgment.
  	What I am aware of within me, and [what] my eyes have seen and not [those of] a stranger is that my kidneys have become consumed in my innards.
  	Would it enter your minds to say, "Why should we pursue him?" and [to attempt to discover] the root of the matter [i.e., the cause of the suffering] that I am undergoing?
  	Fear you, then, the sword; for [unjustified] wrath is [among] the sins [punishable by] the sword; and you will know that there is judgment [in the world].
  
  
  
  
  Then Tzofar the Na'amathite raised his voice and said:
  	Therefore, my thoughts will make answer for me, for [I have placed] my silence within me.
  	I hear [from you] the afflictions of my shame [i.e., your shaming of me], and a spirit from my understanding will answer for me.
  	Don't you know this always to have been so, from the time man was put upon the earth —
  	that the rejoicing of the wicked is short-lived and the joy of the flatterer but momentary?
  	Though his height ascends to the heavens and his head reaches the clouds,
  	he will go lost eternally, like his dung. The beholders [(of his former success)] will say: "Where is he?"
  	As a dream he will vanish and they will not find him, and he will depart as a vision of the night.
  	The eye that has seen him will not continue [to do so], and [the people of] his place will see him no more.
  	His children will conciliate the poor [(whom he has despoiled)] or his [own] hands will return [the plunder of] his strength.
  	His bones are full of [the strength of] his youth, and with him on the dust will it lie [(in his death)].
  	[(This is the way of the wicked one:)] If evil [devising] is sweet in his mouth [(and he is prevented from executing it)], he hides it under his tongue.
  	He is solicitous of it and will not let it go, and he holds it back in his palate.
  	[(On the day of his downfall)] the food turns around in his stomach — the gall of serpents is within him!
  	[If] he had swallowed wealth, he will regurgitate it; G d will drive it from his stomach
  	as it he had sucked the head of serpents. The tongue of an adder will kill him.
  	He will not see the streams [of Gan Eden], the flowing rivers of honey and butter.
  	He will return the toil [of the poor, that he has stolen], and he will not retain it. When his booty reaches its height, [he will be undone and] he will not rejoice [in it].
  	After having broken the poor, he left [them] (and was "dispatched" from the world, and they come and claim their property)]. He stole a house, but he will not build [i.e., inhabit] it.
  	Because his stomach knew no peace, [(always desiring more theft to fill it)], therefore, he will not escape with his "embonpoint" [(but will wither away)].
  	He left nothing over from his meal [(for the poor)]; therefore, his good will not prosper.
  	When he attains to the fulfillment of his desire, he will be aggrieved. Every laboring hand [i.e., every poor man whom he robbed] will come against him.
  	[His wrath] will be [sufficient] to fill his stomach. He will vent the fury of His wrath upon him, and He will rain down [fire and brimstone] upon him in warring with him.
  	When he runs from iron weapons, a copper bow will pierce him through.
  	When [the sword] is drawn and it leaves its scabbard, its flash, in its awesomeness, will cast terrors upon him.
  	All [forms of] darkness are hidden for what lies in store for him. He will be consumed by an unfanned fire [(the fire of Gehinnom)]. Evil will befall what remains in his tent.
  	The heavens will reveal his transgression, and the earth will rise up against him.
  	The produce of his house will go lost. [His treasures will be] swept away on the day of His wrath.
  	This is the portion of the wicked man and the inheritance foretold for him by the Almighty.
  
  
  
  
  Then Iyyov raised his voice and said:
  	Hear, now, my words, and let this [(your listening)] be your consolation [to me].
  	Bear with me, and I will speak; and after I speak, you may mock.
  	Is it to a man [like myself] that I am speaking [(that he should hear my plaint)]? Why, then, should my spirit not be short [(from crying out in my affliction)]?
  	Turn to me [to hear] and be amazed, and put your hand upon your mouth [(for you will not be able to answer)].
  	Now that I remember [what] I wish to ask viz. verse 7)], I am confounded, and my flesh is seized with trembling.
  	Why should the wicked live, grow old, and increase their wealth?
  	Their children are well established before them, together with them, and their offspring before their eyes.
  	Their houses are at peace from fear and the rod of the L rd has not come against them.
  	His bull inseminates [the cow] and there is no rejection [(of the sperm without conception)]; his cow emits [the fetus] and does not miscarry.
  	They send their young ones forth like sheep, and their children dance about.
  	They sound the timbrel and the lyre and they rejoice to the sound of the pipe.
  	They spend their days in good, and [(when their day of death arrives)], in a moment they descend to the pit [(without afflictions)].
  	And they say to G d: "Get away from us; we do not want to know Your ways."
  	"What is the Almighty that we should serve Him, and what will it avail us if we pray to Him?" [i.e., we have no need of Him]
  	Is their good not in their hands? — But the counsel of the wicked is far from me [(and I will not emulate their ways!)]
  	[(reversion to verse 7)] How long [will this persist]? Let the lamp of the wicked be quenched and their doom come down upon them! Let Him give them [their] lot in His wrath!
  	Let them be as stubble in the wind and as chaff stolen by the tempest.
  	Should G d lay away [punishment for] his wickedness with his sons [(and he die in peace?)] Let it [(his punishment)] be paid to him [directly], and let [the world] know [that G d judges men].
  	Let his eyes see his [own] destruction, and let him [(himself)] drink of the fury of the Almighty!
  	For what care should he take of his household after him, seeing that the allotment of his months has been realized [i.e., seeing that he has lived his full life span]?
  	Should one [(i.e., should I)] teach G d knowledge [(to judge truly)]? — But He judges [in His] exaltedness [(and pays no heed to "mundane" considerations)].
  	This [wicked one] dies at the height of fulfillment, all calm and peaceful.
  	His receptacles are full of milk and the marrow of his bones [is fully] irrigated.
  	And this [righteous] one dies with a bitter spirit, never having tasted good.
  	They lie together in the ground, and the worm covers them up [(and none can tell the difference between them)].
  	Now I know your thoughts and your evil devisings against me.
  	For you would say: "Where is the house of the [(formerly)] lordly one, [i.e., Iyyov], and where is the tent-dwelling of the wicked?"
  	Have you not inquired of the passers-by, whose signs you do not deny?
  	[And have you not been told] that for the day of [his] destruction evil is withheld from the wicked one, for the day when wrath will be brought [down upon him]?
  	Who will [dare] tell [i.e., dispute] His way to His face? Once He has done, who shall requite Him,
  	when he [(the one who would do so)] will be brought to the grave and will be hastened to the mound?
  	The river clods will be sweet to him, and all men will trail after him [to death] as [all men] before Him, without number.
  	And why would you console me with vanity? And your answers remain deceit!
  
  
  
  
  Then Elifaz the Temanite raised his voice and said:
  	Does a man benefit G d when he teaches wisdom concerning them [(men)]?
  	Does the Almighty need your vindication [(in dispute with Him)]? Does He profit in the perfection of your ways?
  	Is it from fear of you that He should debate you, that He should enter into judgment with you?
  	Does He not [know that] your evil is great, that there is no end to your sins?
  	For you have demanded security of your brothers — for nought — and you have stripped the naked of their clothing [i.e., you have taken their only garment so that they are naked].
  	You did not give water to the weary, and you withheld bread from the hungry.
  	Should a [(once)] mighty man [(i.e., you)] inherit the earth? Should a [(former)] dignitary endure in it?
  	You drove out widows empty-handed and you [(thus)] crushed the arms of the orphans.
  	That is why there are traps around you and sudden fear confounds you.
  	Or [would you think that your deeds were done] in darkness [(and not observed by G d)]? Do not see [it so]! Or [would you think that] an abundance of water [(in the heavens)] conceals you?
  	[Would you say:] "Is not G d in the heights of the heavens, viewing the tops of the stars in their height?"
  	wherefore you say: "What can G d know [of what transpires below]?
  	"Do the clouds not hide things from Him and keep Him from seeing? Does He not walk upon the arc of the heavens?"
  	Do you remember the way of yore trodden by men of iniquity,
  	who were cut off [from the world] before their time, a flood [(that of Noach or the fire and brimstone of Sodom)] inundating their foundations,
  	who said of G d: "He has removed Himself from us," and [(who questioned)] what the Almighty could do to them?
  	— when He had filled their houses with good! — But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
  	Let the righteous see [the downfall of the wicked] and rejoice, and let the clean one mock them.
  	[(reversion to verse 15)] Was its [(that generation's)] height not cut off and their pride consumed in fire?
  	Learn, then, [to be wholehearted] with Him, and you will be at peace. Through them [(these things)] good will come to you.
  	Take, now, Torah from His mouth, and place His words in your heart.
  	When you return to the Almighty you will be rebuilt — but remove iniquity from your tents.
  	And you will store up [wealth] upon the earth, and in the valley-rock [the gold of] Ophir.
  	And your stored-up wealth will be great, and hoards of silver will be yours.
  	Then you will find pleasure in the Almighty and you will lift your face [(without shame) in supplication] to the L rd.
  	You will pray to Him and He will hear you, and you will pay your vows [(i.e., your offerings in fulfillment of your vows will be acceptable to Him.)]
  	And you will make a resolution and it will avail you, and on your ways light will shine.
  	If they [(the men of your generation)] are lowly, by your word [they will be] upraised, and one whose eyes are lowered [in suffering for his sin], He will save [by your intercession].
  	He will deliver him who is unclean, and he will be saved, through the cleanliness of your hands.
  
  
  
  
  Then Iyyov raised his voice and said:
  	Today, too, [(after all these consolations)], my plaint is bitter, [for] my wound is greater than my sigh.
  	Would that I knew where to find Him; I would come to His abode.
  	I would arrange my judgment [i.e., my plea] before Him, and I would fill my mouth with remonstrance.
  	[(And even if He would not allow me to speak, perhaps He would speak to me and)] I would know [with what] words He would answer me, and I would understand what He would tell me.
  	Would He contend with me with overpowering force? No, only [the "quarrel" of my sins (and not that of false libels)] would He wage with me.
  	There [(in the place of our quarrel)] my uprightness will be apparent before Him, and I will escape forever from My judge.
  	[(reversion to verse 3)] But if I go east, He is not there, and if west, I cannot apprehend Him.
  	When He made the north, I did not see [Him (i.e., He did not establish His abode there)]. He has concealed the south [from me] and I do not see [Him there].
  	For He knows the [uprightness of the] way I have trod; He has examined me, and I have come out as gold [(Therefore, He is "avoiding" me)].
  	My foot has held to His path; I have heeded His way and not strayed [from it].
  	[I have heeded] the commandment of His lips and I have not cast it aside. More than my daily bread have I treasured the words of His mouth.
  	But He is one [(in the world and knows the thoughts of all men)], so who can answer Him? [Therefore,] whatever He wills, He does.
  	[I know] that [He will not leave off until] He completes my "allotment" of afflictions], for many such things are with Him [i.e., for He has often wrought thus].
  	Therefore, [(because He does not recompense a man according to his ways)], I am confounded before Him. I reflect [upon His ways] and am affrighted of Him.
  	G d has caused my heart to quake. The Almighty has confounded me
  	in that I have not been cut off [(by death)] before the [(onset of the)] darkness, and [in that] the darkness was [not] concealed from me [before my death].
  
  
  
  
  Why are the times [i.e., the time of a man's death] not hidden from the Almighty [(so that he could die before punishment overtook him)]? And [why] do His knowers not see [i.e., not know] His ways [i.e., Why can they not account for His ways (as in the following:)]?
  	They [the evildoers] annex the boundaries [of their neighbors]. They steal the flock and graze it.
  	They lead away the ass of the orphans. They take the widow's ox as a pledge.
  	They repel the paupers from the road; the poor of the earth [(in fear of them)] hide together [from them].
  	They are [like the] wild asses of the desert. They go out on their foray; they stalk their prey. The wasteland is food for their youths [(who accompany them)].
  	They harvest [for themselves] the produce in the field [of another], and the(se) wicked (ones) crop [for themselves] the vineyard [of another].
  	They make [(their victims)] lie naked [at night], without clothing, and for want of cover embrace the rock.
  
  	They rob from the orphan's breast [i.e., from his source of sustenance] and take pledges from the poor.
  	They cause [him] to go naked, without a garment, and from the hungry they take the sheaves [of leket (viz. Leviticus 23:22)].
  	Between their rows [of olives] they [(the owners)] make oil; they tread the winepresses — yet they go thirsty [(for the wicked steal their oil and wine)].
  	The people [(whom they ravish)] scream from the city, and the slain cry out, and G d [(apparently)] does not deem it wrong [(for He does not punish the wicked)].
  	They [(these wicked ones)] are the rain-rebels [(the generation of the flood, who rebelled against G d, saying that they did not need Him even for rain [(which ascended from the ground [viz. Genesis 2:6])]. They did not know His ways and did not sit in His paths.
  	If the murderer wakes at daylight, he slays the poor and the needy, and [if] at night, he is like a thief [(breaking into houses)].
  	And the eye of the adulterer [among them] awaits the night, saying: "No eye will see me," and in the dark he sets his face [to transgress].
  	He [(the wicked one who is not bold enough to operate by day)] tunnels under houses in the darkness. They are sealed [in their houses] in the daytime; they do not know the light.
  	For night was one with [(i.e., the same as)] morning to them, for he [i.e., each one of them] recognized the terrors [i.e., the demons] of night [(and was not afraid of them)].
  	[(When Noah and Methuselah reproved them, warning them against the flood, they would say:)] "It is easy [to escape (by boat)] over the face of the waters. Let their portion [(that of the righteous)] in the land be cursed!" [And] he [(each one of the wicked)] would not turn [i.e., follow in] the way of the "vineyards" [(the righteous))].
  	Dryness and heat they steal [(Because of the wickedness of the generation of the flood, certain natural ordinances were suspended)], [and they steal even] snow-water [because] they have sinned [unto] Sheol.
  	[His] womb [i.e., his mother] will forget him. He is sweet to the worm. He will no longer be remembered, and [(the man of wrong)] is broken as [the breaking of] a stick.
  	[(He marries two wives: one, for children; the other, for lust-gratification, whom he gives a potion to drink so that she cannot conceive and retains her beauty)]. He pampers the barren one who cannot bear, and the "widow" he does not provide for.
  	And He pulls the tyrants with His strength [(from the grace period He granted them, to destruction.)] [One day (the day of the flood)] he rises, and does not [thereafter] believe in life!
  	He [(G d)] grants him security, and he relies [(on his wealth, until the day of his destruction)], and His eyes are [fixed] on their ways.
  	They are removed [from the world] in a moment and are no more [(without having suffered)], and they are snuffed out like all [things] that are whisked away [at harvest time], and like the head of a stalk they are cut off.
  	And if [it is] not [as I say], where is the man, and who is he, that would refute me and put to nought my words [(i.e., my questioning as to why He grants grace periods to the wicked, whereas His lovers, such as I, He does not do away with, but makes them linger on in suffering)]?
  
  
  
  
  Then Bildad the Shuchite raised his voice and said [(response to 23:4)]:
  	Governance and fear is with Him: He makes peace in His heights.
  	Is there any number to His angelic hosts, and on whom will His light not shine?
  	How, then, can a man be accounted righteous before G d? [(response to 23:10)] And how would one born of woman be accounted meritorious?
  	He removes [the light of] the moon and it does not shine, and the stars are not righteous in His eyes [(viz. Isaiah 24:23)].
  	How much more so a mortal, [who is destined for] the worm, and the son of man, [who is destined for] the maggot!
  
  
  
  
  Then Iyyov raised his voice and said:
  	How have you helped him who has no strength? [How have] you helped him who has no power [in his] arm?
  	What have you counseled without wisdom? Have you imparted an abundance of knowledge?
  	To whom have you told [these] things, and whose breath has issued forth from you? [i.e., Doesn't everybody know this?]
  	The shades [i.e., Gehinnom (with seven hollows)] which were hollowed out [in the depths], water beneath [them], and their dwellers
  	— Sheol is bared before Him, and there is no covering to hell.
  	He props the north on a void; He suspends the earth on nothingness.
  	He ties the waters in His thick clouds, and the clouds do not burst beneath them.
  	He closes in [(with partitions)] the face of His throne, and spreads His cloud upon it [viz. Ezekiel 1:22]
  	He has circumscribed a statute [(the sand)] around the face of the waters, [to endure] until the end of light and darkness.
  	The pillars of heaven trembled [(at the creation)], and they were stunned [still] by His shout.
  	In His strength He split the sea, and in His understanding He smote the [Egyptian] host.
  	He tented the heavens with His breath, and His hand formed the [sea-] spanning Leviathan [(Pharaoh)].
  	These are but a few of His deeds. And what vestige of a thing [can a man] understand of it? Who, then, will comprehend the thunder of His mighty [deeds]?
  
  
  
  
  Then Iyyov continued — raising his voice in parable — and he said:
  	[I swear] As G d lives, He has cast aside my judgment, and, [as] the Almighty [lives], He has embittered my spirit.
  	For as long as my spirit is in me and the breath of G d is in my nostrils,
  	[may this oath be upon me] if my lips speak wrongly or my tongue utters deceit.
  	[G d] forbid that I should justify you [(in your incrimination of me)]. Until I die, I shall not disavow my innocence.
  	I have persisted in my righteousness and not grown slack. My heart never reproached [me for my conduct] all of my days.
  	[Perforce,] it is my foe who is the evildoer, and he who rises against me, the wrongdoer.
  	For what is the hope of the flatterer who robs, when G d casts away his soul?
  	Will G d hear his outcry when trouble comes upon him?
  	Will he delight in the Almighty? Will he call upon G d at all times?
  	I will teach you what [(mode of conduct)] is in the hand of G d. I will not conceal what resides with the Almighty.
  	In truth, all of you have seen [viz. verse 13, etc.]. Why, then, do you pursue vanity [(being evildoers and flatterers)]?
  	This [(as you have seen)] is the portion of the wicked man, which is reposited with G d, and the inheritance that the tyrants will take from the Almighty.
  	Though his sons increase, they are for the sword, and his descendants will not be sated with bread.
  	Those that are left to him, in death [(after terrible afflictions)] will be buried, and his widows will not mourn them, [(seeing their death as a "reprieve")].
  	He may amass silver as dust and store up raiment as clay.
  	He may store it up, but the righteous one will wear it, and He will apportion the silver [to] the innocent one.
  	He has built his house [(to come down)] as that of a moth and as a booth made by a watcher.
  	He dies rich and [sometimes] he is not [even] gathered up [for burial]. He opens his eyes and he is gone.
  	Terrors seize him as a torrent. At night he is spirited away by a whirlwind.
  	The east wind lifts him up and he goes, and it sweeps him from his place.
  	[Men] heap [evil] upon him and have no mercy. [His former friends] flee from him.
  	Men smite their palms over him [(in dismay at his downfall)], and they whistle over him in his place.
  
  
  
  
  [reversion to 27:6 (… for why should I be wicked? Not for silver and gold)] for there is a source [(a beginning)] for silver and a place where gold is refined [and "finished,] but (verse 20): "Whence does wisdom come, etc."? (i.e., it has no beginning and no end, and it is to that that I have devoted my life)].
  	Iron is drawn from the earth and a stone gives forth copper. [(All things have a beginning and an end, for the world will end and all that is in it.)]
  	He has set an end for the [onset of] darkness [i.e., oblivion], and He searches out every end, the stone [i.e., the source] of blackness and the shadow of death.
  	A stream [(of fire and brimstone)] burst forth from its source [(upon Sodom and Gomorrah)], who [(i.e., the people of Sodom)] caused the [code of the] wayfarer to be forgotten.
  	A land from which bread had issued forth — its place was overturned, as if [consumed by] fire.
  	A place of sapphire were its stones, and dusts of gold were there.
  	[And now it is] a path unknown [i.e., unfrequented] by brigands and unseen by the falcon's eye [i.e., not scouted out by the spies],
  	untrodden by the haughty [beasts] and not crossed by the lion.
  	He sent His hand against the flint. He overturned mountains from their roots.
  	[(reversion to verse 1)] He cleft rocks [as the source of] rivers, and His eye [fore-] saw [the sources of] all precious [things for man].
  	From Bechi [(a source of a kind)] He girded rivers, and from Ta'alumah [(a window in heaven)] He brings forth light. [(In sum, all things have a source.)]
  	But whence is wisdom [i.e., Torah] brought forth? And where is the place of understanding?
  	Man does not know its worth, and it is not found in the land of the living [(but only among those who "mortify" themselves [by toil and hunger] for it)].
  	The depths [i.e., those who plumb the depths for gems] say: "It is not within me," and the sea [-merchant] says: "It is not with me."
  	Pure gold cannot be given for it, and silver cannot be weighed in exchange for it.
  	It cannot be valued by the jewels of Ophir, or the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
  	Gold and fine glass cannot be compared to it; [nor] can its exchange be made in vessels of gold.
  Coral and crystal will not be mentioned [next to it], and the extraction of wisdom [is more precious] than pearls.
  	The crysolithe of Kush cannot be compared to it. It cannot be valued by pure jewels.
  	Now whence is wisdom [(Torah)] derived, and where is the place of understanding?
  	It is hidden from the eyes of all living things and concealed from the winged things [(the angels)] of heaven.
  	Destruction and death [(i.e., those who mortify themselves over it (viz. 13)] have said: "With our ears we have heard its report [(i.e., that it remains only with those who toil over it)].
  	[Only] G d understands its way; [only] He knows its place.
  	For He looks [in it (Torah)] to [establish] the ends of the earth, and He sees in it [(the needs of all the creations)] under all of the heavens [(Torah being the blueprint of the universe)].
  	[He looks in it] to give the wind [its proper] weight [(relative to the land mass)] and [(likewise)] to prepare water by measure,
  	decreeing a statute for the rain [(relative to the land)] and [making] a path for cloud and thunder.
  	He saw [it (and made everything by its counsel)] and He counted [(its letters and made everything through their combinations)]. He prepared it [(for the creation)] and He also searched it out.
  	And He said to man: "The fear of the L rd — that is wisdom, and the turning away from evil is understanding."
  
  
  
  
  And Iyyov resumed — raising his voice in parable — and he said:
  	Would that I were as in the months of yore [(of my greatness)], as in the days when G d watched over me.
  	When His lamp shone above my head, when I went by His light in the darkness [(that afflicted mankind)].
  	As I was in my early days, when [the righteous men of the generation came] to my tent to take counsel in the words of G d [(and in the "fences" thereto required by the times)].
  	When the Almighty was still with me, and my young men [(my attendants)] all around me.
  	When my feet were washed in butter and a rock by my side streamed forth [(all manner of delights)] like rivulets of oil.
  	When I went out to the gate on the eminence [(where the elders of the city used to sit)]; when I prepared my seat in the thoroughfare,
  	the youths saw me and hid themselves, and the old men rose and remained standing [before me].
  	Princes stifled their speech [(waiting for me to begin)] and put a palm to their mouths.
  	The voice of dignitaries was hidden, and their tongue stuck to their palate.
  	For the ear that heard [my words] would commend me, and the eye that saw [everywhere my greatness and righteousness] would testify for me.
  	For I would deliver the pauper from [his] outcries and the orphan bereft of help.
  	The blessing of the lost one was bestowed upon me [(for I supported his wife and children)] and I brought joy to the widow's heart [(by allying myself with her)].
  	I clothed myself in righteousness [i.e., I pursued it], and it "clothed" me. My judgment was as ["comely" as] a cloak and a turban.
  	I was the eyes of the blind and the feet of the lame.
  	I was father to the poor, and I searched out the truth of a dispute [(the full facts of which)] I did not know.
  	I broke the teeth of the wicked one and cast the prey from his teeth.
  	And I said [(that because of my righteousness)] I would die along with my habitation and that I would increase days like the phoenix.
  	[I said that] my root would be open to the water [(and would not die)] and that dew would rest upon my shoots.
  	[I said that] my honor would be renewed for me; the strength of my hand [(for good)] I would [constantly] be reinvigorated.
  	[Men] paid heed to me and hoped [(for the realization of my words)] and they were silent [in acquiescence] at my counsel.
  After my word they did not repeat [(the seeking of counsel)] and my word would drip [(like prophecy)] upon them.
  	They waited upon my words as for rain and opened their mouths [(in prodigal speech) only] afterwards.
  	When I laughed with them they did not believe it [(because of their reverence for me)], and [(in awe of me)] they would not venture to approach the light of my countenance.
  	I would choose their ways [(for them at their solicitation)] and I would sit at their head and dwell among them as a king among his troops, [and I would be to them] as one [(the leader of the company)] who consoles the mourners.
  
  
  
  
  And now I am laughed at by those younger than I in days, whose fathers I would despise to place among the sheep dogs of my flock.
  	Of what avail to me, too, was the strength of their hands? [(They were wicked and everything they did miscarried.)] Old age was lost upon them.
  	In want and hunger they sat solitary. They were driven to the wasteland, [to] night, darkness, and desolation.
  	They picked salted grass. The leaves of trees and the root of the broom plant was their bread.
  	They were driven from the midst [of the city] — They were shouted at like thieves —
  	to dwell in the rifts of the valleys, in the clefts of the earth and the rocks.
  	They brayed among the trees; they gathered under the thorns.
  	The sons of the despised, the sons of the nameless, the broken from the earth [(whom I scorned)] —
  	And now I have become their song; I have become a byword to them.
  	They have despised me. They have removed themselves from me, and they have not spared spittle from my face.
  	They have undone my bow-string [i.e., my strength] and oppressed me. They have cast away the reins [(by which they were tethered)] from me.
  	The young rabble stand on my right hand. They shove my feet aside [(to make place for themselves)].
  	They have ravaged my path [(of good)]. To taunt me causelessly was their joy.
  	As through a wide breach they have come [(to shame me)]. Under [cover of] darkness they have emerged [against me].
  	Terrors [(demons)] have turned upon me. They pursue my repose like evil spirits and my salvation passes like a cloud.
  	And now [(in my affliction)] my soul spills out upon me. Days of affliction have gripped me.
  	At night my bones are picked off me and my veins have no rest.
  	In the intensity [of my illness] my "clothing" [i.e., my encrustation] renews itself. As my collar girds [my neck], so does it [my encrustation] gird me.
  	It [(my affliction)] has taught me to [take refuge in] the mud [viz. 2:8]. I have become like dust and ashes.
  	When I scream to You, You do not answer me. When I stand [in silence] You study me [(to renew my afflictions)].
  	You have turned cruel against me. With the might of Your hand You have brandished hatred against me.
  	You have born me aloft to the wind [i.e., to demons]. Weakness overwhelms me and melts me.
  	For I knew that You would return me unto death, [(to the grave)] the destined abode of all the living.
  	But not in destruction [(unrelieved by consolation)] would He [i.e., was it His wont] to send forth [His] hand. If He broke, He would [also] salve.
  	Did I not cry for him of the luckless day? Did my soul [not] despond over the poor
  	that I should hope for good and be met with evil? [that I should hope] for light and be met with darkness?
  	My innards boil and cannot be stilled. Days of affliction have accosted me.
  	I have gone about blackened, but not with the sun. I have risen in the crowd and screamed.
  	I have been a brother [(in wailing)] to jackals and a companion to ostriches.
  My skin has charred off me, and my bones are dried with parching.
  	My lyre is turned to lamentation and my pipe to the voice of mourners.
  
  
  
  
  I made a covenant with my eyes [(not to gaze at a married woman)] and a virgin [(when this might cause me to lust her after she is married)].
  	But what portion [i.e., what reward did I receive for this from] G d on high, and what inheritance from the Almighty in the heavens?
  	Is destruction not befitting the churl [(and not me)], and estrangement the workers of iniquity?
  	Does He not see my ways and count all my steps
  	[to know] whether I have walked with vain men or whether my feet have hastened to deceit?
  	Would that He weighed me in righteous scales, so that G d would know my innocence.
  	If my feet have strayed from the [proper] path, or if my heart went astray after my eyes, or if any blemish stuck to my palm,
  	then let me sow and another eat, and let my issue be uprooted.
  	If my heart was enticed by a woman and I lurked at my neighbor's door [(for his wife)],
  	then let my wife be "ground" by another and let others kneel over her.
  	For it [(such thought)] is lewdness and is a sin deserving punishment [(by affliction)].
  	For it is a fire that consumes everything, and it would uproot all of my produce [(wherefore I shunned it)].
  	Did I despise the complaint of my man-servant or maid-servant in their dispute with me?
  	[No, rather I said:] What will I do if G d rises up [against me]? And if He reckons [this sin against me], how will I answer Him?
  	Did He not make him in the womb [of his mother as] He made me [in the womb of mine]? And one [G d] framed both of us] in the womb.
  	Have I withheld the desire of the poor? Have I made the eyes of the widow go wanting?
  	Did I eat my loaf alone and have no orphan eat of it?
  	But from my youth it [(the trait of charitableness)] has raised me as a father, and from the womb of my mother I have pursued it.
  	If I saw a lost one without a garment, or a poor man with no covering,
  	did his descendants not bless me? Was he not warmed with the shearings of my sheep?
  	If I [ever] raised my hand against the orphan, seeing my defense [i.e., that I would be acquitted] in the gate [of justice],
  	then let my arm fall from my shoulder and my forearm be broken in its socket.
  	For I was in fear of G d's punishment, and I was restrained by His majesty.
  	Did I make gold my hope and regard pure gold as my defense [(in cowing the poor)]?
  	Did I rejoice in the abundance of my wealth or in the vast acquisitions of my hand [(causing the poor to envy me)]?
  	When I saw the sun in its strength and the moon waxing in brightness,
  	was my heart enticed in secret [(to regard them as deities)], and did I press my hand to my mouth [(to keep my heart from being "overheard")]?
  	That, too, would have been a sin deserving of punishment, for I would have been denying G d on high.
  	Did I rejoice in the downfall of my enemy and rise against him when he was beset with ill?
  	I did not [even] allow my palate to sin [against him] by demanding his soul through an oath.
  	Did the people of my tent [i.e., my servants] not say [(about me because of my "burdening" them with the duties of hospitality)]: "Would that we could eat of his flesh! We would not be sated"?
  	The stranger would never lie outside [my house]. My doors were open to the wayfarer.
  	Did I conceal my offenses as other men do, hiding my sins in secret places?
  	[(In the past)] I humbled a multitude [(of the wicked, but now)] the most despised of families frightens me, and I must be still and not leave my door.
  	Would that someone listened to me! Let me [i.e., a true account of me] be written down. May the Almighty grant me [this], and let my disputant [too] write [down his argument in] a book.
  	In truth, I would carry him [(the writer of my book)] on my shoulders. I would wear it [(my book)] as a crown.
  	I would tell him the number of my steps and draw him close, as a dignitary.
  	If my land cries out against me [(for not having tithed its produce)] and its furrows bewail themselves [(for having plowed with ox and ass)] together —
  	If I have consumed its strength without pay [(for its workers)] and have aggrieved the soul of its owner [(the tenant-farmer, who works it)] —
  	then in place of wheat let thistles grow, and in place of barley, cockles. The words of Iyyov are ended.
  
  
  
  
  Then the three men ceased answering Iyyov because he was righteous in his own eyes.
  	And Elihu, the son of Berachel the Buzite, from the family of Ram [(Abraham)], was angered at Iyyov. His wrath burned [against Iyyov] because he had made himself more righteous than G d.
  	And his wrath burned against his three friends because they had found no answer and had [thus] condemned "Iyyov" [(euphemism for "G d")].
  	And Elihu had held back his words against Iyyov, for they [(the three)] were older than he in days.
  	But when Elihu saw that the three men had no answer, he was angered.
  	And Elihu, the son of Berachel the Buzite, answered, saying: I am young in days, and you are old. That is why I was apprehensive and feared expressing my views together with yours.
  	I said [to myself]: ["Just as the passage of] days [teaches one to] speak, [so the passage of] many years [must] teach [one] wisdom."
  	But [I see now that] it is a spirit [(the spirit of G d)] in man [which teaches wisdom] and the soul [bequeathed them by] the Almighty [which makes] them understand.
  	[Therefore,] not many are wise, and the elderly [do not necessarily] understand judgment.
  	That is why I have said: "Listen to me; I, too, will speak my mind."
  	I have waited for your words. I have listened until [the end of] your presentations, until [the end of] your probings of words.
  	I have reflected upon your words, and, behold, there is no reprover of Iyyov. [None] among you answers his words.
  	Do not say: "We have found wisdom [in our silence, not to provoke him further]; let G d repel him, not man" [(for you thereby detract from G d's honor)].
  	Would that he had argued with me! I would not have answered him with your words.
  	They [(the friends)] were broken [by Iyyov's rejoinders]. They answered no more. Words departed from them.
  	And I waited until they would speak no more, until they were silent and answered no more.
  	[Now,] I, too, will speak my part. I, too, will express my view.
  	For I am full with words. The swelling of my stomach oppresses me.
  	My stomach is [swelling with rejoinders] like an unopened wine [skin], like skins of new [wine], ready to burst.
  	I will speak and I will be eased; I will open my lips and my answers will come forth.
  	I will not now court anyone's favor, and I will refer to no man obliquely [(but directly)].
  	For I do not know indirection. My Maker would almost remove me [(from the world for it)].
  
  
  
  
  But hear my words, Iyyov, and listen to all that I say.
  	I will now open my mouth, and my tongue will speak upon my palate.
  	My words are [from] the uprightness of my heart, and my lips will speak clear knowledge.
  	The will of G d made me [(and I am not stronger than you)], and the breath of the Almighty will sustain me.
  	If you can, answer me. Prepare your case and stand up against me.
  	Here am I, as you requested, to argue G d's case [(without your being confounded by Him [viz. 13:21])]. I, too, have been hewn from clay.
  	Fear of me will not confound you, and my compulsion will not bear down upon you.
  	But what you said came to my ears, and I heard [only] the sound [(not the senses)] of words:
  	"I am pure, without offense; I am clean, without transgression."
  	"He has found pretexts against me; He reckons me His foe."
  	"He has put my feet in stocks; He guards all my ways."
  	Only this shall I answer you: that G d is [far] more righteous than man [(and He is not overly severe with you)].
  	Why did you argue against Him that He does not answer for all of His ways?
  	For G d speaks in one way — and in a second, for him who does not see [the first].
  	In a dream, a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, or when they slumber upon their couch,
  	then He uncovers the ear of men [(as in the instance of Avimelech [viz. Genesis 20])], and in their afflictions He seals [them].
  	To remove a man from his [contemplated] deed and to conceal [i.e., to remove] haughtiness from a man [(and so spare him from death)].
  	He [thus] saves his soul from the pit, and his life from passing [under] the sword [(of the Angel of Death)].
  	He is chastised with pain upon his couch [when] most of his bones are [yet] strong.
  	Then his soul abhors bread, and his spirit, [all] savory food.
  	His flesh dwindles from sight, and his bones slip [(from their sockets) until] they are no [longer] visible.
  	And then his spirit draws near to the pit, and his soul [draws near] to the killers [(the messengers of the Angel of Death)].
  	If there be for him one defending angel among a thousand [accusers] to speak of a man's righteousness,
  	then He is gracious to him and says: "Redeem him from descending to the pit; I have found atonement."
  	His flesh will cease from its convulsions. He will return to the days of his youth.
  	And when he entreats G d and courts His favor and beholds His face with prayer, then He will return to [i.e., accord to] the man [reward for] his righteousness.
  	[(And when upon recovery from his illness)] he makes rows of men [(and passes through them)] saying: "I have sinned and have perverted what is just and have not profited by it,"
  	He will save his spirit from passing to the pit, and his soul will see the light.
  	All of this G d will do two or three times with a man.
  	To turn his soul from the pit to be illumined in the light of life.
  	Listen, Iyyov, hear me. Be still and I will speak.
  	If you have words, answer me; for I desire to vindicate you.
  	If not, then you listen to me. Be still, and I will teach you wisdom.
  
  
  
  Then Elihu raised his voice and said:
  	Listen, you wise ones, to my words; you knowing ones, give ear to me,
  	as the ear discriminates words, and as the palate tastes food.
  	Let us choose a criterion for ourselves. Let us know among ourselves what is good.
  	For Iyyov has said: "I am just, and G d has removed my plea.
  	As to my judgment, I must belie [my Judge (for He has not judged me truly)]. My wound is grievous, without offense."
  	Is there another man like Iyyov, who drinks mockery as [one would drink] water?
  	Who walks the path to join with workers of iniquity and to go with men of evil?
  	Who says it profits not a man to desire [to go] with G d?
  	Therefore, men of wisdom, listen to me. Far be it from G d to do evil, and for the Almighty to do wrong.
  	For [according to] a man's work He will pay him, and according to a man's way He will provide for him.
  	Much more so will G d do no evil and the Almighty not pervert judgment.
  	Who made Him his deputy over the earth [(and responsible to him for an accounting)]? Who [but He] made the entire world?
  	If He set His heart against him [(man) to destroy him], He could gather back his spirit and his soul [(just as He gave it to him)].
  	Then all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust.
  	Now, if [you wish], understand; hear this. Listen to the voice of my words.
  	Will He heal even the hater of [His] justice? [(And if you say that what He has done is not justice)], would you [thus] egregiously incriminate the Righteous One?
  	Would one call the king "worthless," or the nobles "wicked"?
  	[(Would you thus speak of the King of the world)] who does not favor the face of princes, and [before whom] the lord is not recognized above the pauper, all of them being His handiwork?
  	[If He so wishes,] in an instant they die, and at midnight a nation [Egypt] quakes and passes on, their strength departed, gone from [their] hand.
  	For His eyes are on the ways of man, and He sees all of his steps.
  	There is no darkness, no shadow of death, in which the workers of iniquity can be concealed.
  	For it is not for a man to constantly set [his heart] to contend with G d in judgment [(for it is not His way to dispute with His creations) but]
  	He breaks the mighty beyond a trace, and establishes others in their place.
  	For He knows their deeds [(and He requires no disputation)]. And He turns night [i.e., affliction (upon them)], and they are crushed.
  	In the place of the wicked He smites them [(the men of Sodom)], in a place of onlookers [i.e., in view of all].
  	Because they strayed from Him and did not know all [i.e., any one] of His ways.
  	[the men of Sodom, in their cruelty,] bringing before Him the outcry of the poor man and [causing Him] to hear the outcry of the afflicted ones.
  	And when He quiets [(i.e., relieves) the poor from those who oppress them)], who will wrong [them further]? And when He conceals [His face], who will see Him? [And this "quieting" and "concealing" holds for] nation and individual alike.
  	[And He quiets the poor] from [there further] ruling [over them] a flatterer, [(who had previously ruled over them)] because of the snares [i.e., the sins] of the people. [And you should not have aspersed such a G d.]
  	For to [such] a G d [it is fitting] to be said: "I have borne [and accept Your punishment and] I shall not do harm [to myself."]
  	[And it further befits him to say:] "Aside from what I see [and understand of Your ways], You teach me [and] if I have done wrong, I will do so no more."
  	[(Elihu speaking for G d:)] Should [I have consulted] with you as to the exaction of payment [for your sins] that you have despised [your life (viz. 7:16 and 6:9)]? Should you choose [your punishment] and not I? Speak what you know.
  	[Elihu continues:] Men of heart will say to me and the wise man will concur with me [that]
  	Iyyov does not speak with knowledge, and his words are not wise.
  	My Father, would that Iyyov were tried eternally, so that men of iniquity would repent!
  For he compounds his sin with offense. In our presence he rants and he multiplies his words against G d.
  
  
  
  
  Then Elihu raised his voice and said:
  	Do you really consider this valid — your saying: "I am more righteous than G d"?
  	your saying what good does it [(being upright)] do you, or: "How does [righteousness] avail me more than sinning?"
  	I will answer you, and your friends [(who were silent at your words)] along with you.
  	Look to the heavens and see, and look to the heights above you [(See how they dwarf you!)]
  	If you sin, what can you do to Him? And if your offenses be many, what do you do to Him?
  	If you are righteous, what do you give Him? Or what does He take from your hand?
  	Your evil injures [only] one such as you, and [only] the son of man is benefited by your righteousness.
  	[Witness the many wicked ones who] because of the abundance of the oppressed ones [(their victims)] cause [men] to cry out [before Him], to cry out because of the arm of the many [(who oppress them)].
  	And he [(the wicked one)] did not say [(to place the fear of the L rd before him)]: "Where is the G d that made me, who cuts off [the wicked] at night [e.g., Amrafel and his cohorts, Egypt, and Sancherev],
  	who taught us [i.e., who ennobled us] more than the beasts of the earth and made us wiser than the birds of heaven."
  	[And yet,] there they [(the afflicted ones)] cry out because of the pride of the wicked [(their oppressors)].
  	But it is in vain — G d will not hear [(immediately)]; the Almighty will not see [(immediately, but He withholds His wrath)].
  	How much more so [will He not hasten to answer you, who He himself afflicts, and who] says [i.e., who complains] that you do not see Him [(to debate with Him)]! [But], present your case before Him [(wherever He may be)] and hope to Him.
  	And now, [realize] that this visitation of His wrath [upon you] is nothing [compared to what you deserve], and that He [made Himself] "unknowing" of the great proliferation [of your sins].
  	And Iyyov has opened his mouth in vanity. Without knowledge has he multiplied words.
  
  
  
  
  Then Elihu continued and said:
  	Bear with me yet awhile and I will speak to you, for there are yet more words in G d's behalf.
  	I will lift my voice afar, and I will speak righteousness for my Maker.
  	For, in truth, my words are not false. [(I will now begin speaking with you)] you who think yourself whole in thought.
  	Behold, G d is great [in wisdom and in mercy], and He will not despise [the poor man]. He is great in strength of heart [(to take revenge) and]
  	He will not keep the wicked in life and will provide the fare of the poor.
  	He will not remove His eyes from the righteous one until [he is raised] with kings to the throne; and He enthrones them and exalts them for all eternity.
  	And if they are [sometimes] tied in chains or constricted in bonds of poverty,
  	He [thereby] tells them [of] their deeds [i.e., their sins] and of their offenses, which have intensified.
  	And He [thereby] opens their ear to chastisement and tells them to repent of wrongdoing.
  	If they listen and [resume] serving [G d], they will complete their days in goodness and their years in pleasantness.
  	And if they do not listen, they will pass [from the world] by the sword, and they will perish through their lack of understanding.
  	But those who pander to their desires will fume [(at their afflictions)] and will not cry out [to G d] when He afflicts them.
  	Their soul will die in their extremity and their spirit will expire with the fornicators.
  	He rescues the afflicted one [(from Gehinnom)] by His afflictions and opens their ear — [(saying: "Return to Me")] — by [His] pressure [upon them].
  	And He has moved you, too, away from the narrow mouth [of Gehinnom], [and] whose bottom is broad and not constricted [(so that its smoke collect in its midst)], and what will lie upon your table [(in the world to come)] will be full of "fatness."
  	And if you have been filled with the afflictions of the wicked, affliction and judgment [(i.e., those very afflictions)] will protect you [from Gehinnom (and should be accepted with love)].
  	For great wrath [will] befall you] if it [(your evil inclination)] entices you [to sin] through your railings [against G d].
  	Would you set up an outcry so that no afflictions [befall you] and [so that you undergo] no exertions? [How, then, will your "account" be rendered up?]
  	[And] do not aspire [to different afflictions,] to the night [which came to Amrafel, Egypt, and Sancherev, in which] nations were removed [from the world, while they remained] in their place [(for they thereby went lost in this world and in the world to come)].
  	Take heed, do not turn to poverty [(i.e., Do not contend that not these afflictions but those of poverty should have been brought upon you)], for these are preferable to [those of] poverty.
  	Behold, [because] G d is supreme in His might, who, as He does, teaches a sinner [(to repent, warning him beforehand of the afflictions he will suffer otherwise, knowing that they cannot be forestalled by man's power)]?
  	Who [ever] appointed His way for him, and who [ever] told Him: "You have done wrong"?
  	Remember [His ways] and you will praise His works, which men have seen.
  	All men have beheld it [(what He has wrought)]; man has seen it from afar [(from creation until now)].
  	G d is exalted and we cannot know [His greatness], and the number of His years [is unfathomable] and cannot be probed [(wherefore, man must gain his knowledge from those who came before him)].
  	When He increases [the number of] drops of water, they [(the firmaments)] pour rain into His cloud.
  	And sometimes the heights will drip; they will drip by virtue of a great man.
  	Or, will a man understand the spreading out of a cloud, the mist of His pavilion?
  	He spreads His rain upon it [(the cloud)] and covers up the roots of the sea [with it].
  	For with them [(the clouds)] He judges nations [(by withholding rain)] and [(by releasing rain)] provides food for one who abounds [(in children)].
  	On the clouds the rain is stopped, and He commands it [to fall] through the prayer [(of the great man of the generation)].
  	[Sometimes] its thunder presages it [(rain)], but the accession of anger [(of the L rd against the wicked)] surmounts it [(and it does not fall)].
  
  
  
  
  Even at this [(i.e., what follows)] my heart trembles and springs from its place:
  	Hearing the reverberation of His voice [(the thunder)], like the speech leaving His mouth.
  	Beneath all the heavens I have seen it [(the lightning)]; His light is on the ends of the earth.
  	After it [(the lightning)] its [(the thunder's)] voice roars forth. He thunders in the voice of His majesty. And He will not cut them off [(the thunder and lightning which bring the rain)] if he hears his [(the intercessor's)] voice [before Him (viz. 36:32)].
  	G d thunders with His voice wondrously. He does [even] greater things that we do not know of.
  	For [through these voices] He tells the snow[ to] be [upon] the earth, and rain showers, and rain showers of His strength [i.e., coming from four directions].
  	He causes the hand of every man [(on the day of his death)] to sign [a list of his transgressions] to apprise each man of his deed [(for which he is being judged)].
  	[(And G d has many messengers to exact His punishments:)] The beast comes into its ambush and lurks in its lair.
  	From inside [(the clouds)] the tempest comes, and from Mezarim [(a chamber)], the cold.
  	By the breath of G d He produces ice, and an expanse of waters [i.e., a flood], spilling [them] forth [for punishment].
  	Af-Beri [(an angel)] burdens the cloud [(with rain)] and he scatters His rain cloud.
  	And he turns around in circuits by His devices to [execute] their [the rains'] purpose [(for good or for ill)], [for] whatever [purpose] He commands them, on the face of the world, earthwards.
  	Whether for punishment [(in which instance he causes it to rain on mountains and hills, where nothing is sowed)], or for His land [(in which instance he causes it to rain "normally")], or for lovingkindness [(in which instance he causes it to rain in the optimum time and place)] — He provides it.
  	Hear this, Iyyov, stand and reflect upon the wonders of G d.
  	Do you know how G d places [the law of His covenant] upon them [(the clouds) — how they are suspended by His pronouncement], and the rain of His cloud appears?
  	Do you know the dimensions of a cloud? the wonders [inherent in it] of the Perfect in Knowledge?
  	[Do you know] that your garments are warm because of [His] "quieting" [i.e., warming] the earth [(by the warm east wind)] against the [cold] south [wind]?
  	Did you stretch out the heavens with Him, strong as a molten river?
  	Inform us what we can say to Him [in our quarrel with Him]; we cannot arrange [a case against Him] because [He is shrouded in] darkness.
  	Need He be told what I shall say? If one says [something], it is [already] revealed [to Him].
  	And now, [(your three friends who started answering you but were unable to complete what they had begun — they are like stillborn babes, who] did not see the light [of wisdom]. The bright [rain-bearing clouds] appear in the skies, and a wind passes and scatters them!
  	From the north [wind] comes the cold [i.e., the clearing of the day — without rain!] — and before G d is [the praise of men for] the awesome glory!
  	The Almighty — we have not found Him [to be] overbearing in power [(in judging His creations)]. And He does not afflict [them with unbearable afflictions], and [He does not demand] exceeding righteousness.
  	Therefore, men will fear [(debating with)] Him; He does not see all the wise of heart [i.e., their "wisdom" pales before Him].
  
  
  
  
  Then the L rd answered Iyyov from the tempest and said:
  	Who is it that darkens counsel with words void of knowledge?
  	Gird, now, your loins like a man. I shall question you, and you answer Me.
  	Where were you when I founded the earth? Answer, if you possess understanding.
  	Who established its measurements — if you know. Who stretched a plumb line over it?
  	On what were its foundations sunk? Who cast its cornerstone [(in the middle of the sea, whence the entire world was founded)]?
  	[Where were you] when the stars of morning sang together [(at the creation)] and all the men of G d [(the angels)] shouted?
  	And [who] barred the sea with doors [(the shore sands)] when it gushed forth to leave its womb?
  	[Where were you] when I made the cloud its [(the sea's)] garment and the mist its swaddling cloth?
  	I broke My statute upon it [i.e., I placed breakers around it to contain it] and made bar and doors [for it].
  	And I said: "Until here you may come, and no further; and here you may lift your waves in pride."
  	Did you ever command the sun? Do you know the [resting] place of [the herald of] the morning?
  	[Did you ever command one] to hold the ends of the earth [like a garment] and to shake the wicked out of it [(as I am destined to do)]?
  	[Do you command] that the seal [(a man's countenance)] be transformed [in the grave] like clay, and that they stand [fully] clothed [at the resurrection]?
  	[At that time] their light will be withheld from the wicked and the upraised arm will be broken.
  	Did you reach the enclosures of the sea, and did you go around probing the deep?
  	Were the gates of death [(Gehinnom)] revealed to you, and did you see the gates of the shadow of death?
  	Have you probed into the far reaches of the earth? Speak if you know it all.
  	Where is the road to the dwelling of light, and where is the place of darkness
  	that you could take it [(the light)] to its [(darkness's] boundary and that you could know the paths to its house [to bring light there]?
  	[(sarcastically: Surely,)] you know [all these things], for you were born then [(when I created them)] and the number of your days are many!
  	Did you come to the treasures of snow and did you see the treasures of hail,
  	which I saved for a time of trouble [(with the five kings of Giveon)], for a time of battle and war [(the war of Gog and Magog)].
  	What is the way that the light [of the sun] is parted, [the way that] the [sun of the] east spreads [itself] over the earth?
  	Who cut out a basin for the hair [(each hair having its own follicle)] and a path for the sounds [i.e., the thunder peals] of the rain clouds [(each peal having its own track)]
  	to bring rain upon a land where there is no man, upon a desert, where no man dwells,
  	to sate the darkness [i.e., the drought] and the waste and to cause the source of grass to sprout?
  	Does the rain have a father? And who begot the waves of dew?
  	From whose stomach did the ice come forth, and who gave birth to the heavenly frost?
  	Like a stone, the waters hide [beneath the ice] and the [waters on] the face of the deep cling together.
  	Would you tie the bonds of the Pleiades [(to keep the world from freezing)] or undo the cords of Orion [(to warm the Pleiades thereby)]?
  	Would you bring out the stars in their proper time and lead forth the Bear with its sons?
  	Do you know the statutes of the heavens [.e., the ordinance of the stars (in producing cold and heat, winter and summer)]? Can you establish its rule [i.e., the function of each star] upon the earth?
  	Would you raise your voice to the cloud and be covered by an outpouring of water?
  	Would you send out lightnings that they go forth [in the place where they have been sent to, without needing to return] to say to you: "Here we are" [i.e., we have done your bidding (the Shechinah being omnipresent)]?
  	Who places wisdom in the kidneys, or who deposits understanding in the heart?
  	Who charges the heights with wisdom, and who lays down the flagons of the sky [(the clouds)]
  	[(as I did at the creation)] when the dust was spilled out into a mold and the clods congealed [(for the creation of the world)]?
  	Would you hunt prey for the lion or sate the spirit of the young lion?
  	For they crouch in their lairs; they wait under cover for the ambush.
  	Who prepares his prey for the raven? For his young cry out to G d [(their father forsaking them)]. They stray, without food [(and G d Himself provides for them)].
  
  
  
  
  Do you know the time that the wild mountain goats give birth? Do you wait upon the birth pangs of the hinds?
  	Do you count when their months will be full? Do you know when they will give birth?
  	They crouch and "split out" their young [i.e., their womb splits and their young are ejected], and [at that moment] they "send forth" [i.e., they banish] their birth pangs.
  	Their children grow strong. They grow up in the wilderness. They leave [their parents] and do not return to them.
  	Who set the wild ass free [(resisting bridling)], and who undid the traces of the ass of the desert,
  	whose home I made the wilderness, and whose abode, the desert wastes?
  	He laughs at the roar of the city. He does not hear the shouts of the driver.
  	He spies out the mountains for his pasture land and inquires after all greenery.
  	Will the wild ox desire to serve you? Will he frequent your manger?
  	Will you tie the wild ox [by] his rope to the furrow [(of the plow)]? Will he till valleys after you?
  	Will you trust to him [to gather your grain] because his power is great and leave [(the fruit of)] your toil to him [(to be gathered to the house)]?
  	Will you trust him to return your seed and to gather in [the grain of] your threshing floor?
  	The joyous peacock, or the winged chasidah, or the notzah [— observe her ways]:
  	She leaves her eggs on the ground and [goes off] to warm herself on the earth,
  	forgetting that the foot [of the wayfarer] can squash them and the beast of the field crush them.
  	She spurns her children [as if] they were not hers, not fearing that she has labored in vain [(and will lose them)].
  	For G d has made her forget wisdom and has given her no share in understanding.
  	When she soars to the heights, she laughs at the horse and its rider [(not fearing that they will crush her eggs)].
  	Did you give courage to the horse? Did you clothe his neck with rumbling [(the "commotion" of his mane)]?
  	Did you [rouse him] like a locust din, the "glory" of his nostrils [inspiring] fright?
  	They [(his riders)] spy out the valley, and he revels in [his] strength and goes out against arms.
  	He laughs at fear and does not tremble, and he does not turn back from the sword.
  	The quiver [(full of rattling arrows)] "sings" upon him, the spear-blade, and the javelin.
  	With sound and fury he laps up the land and pays no heed to the shofar's blast.
  	In the midst of the shofar din he cries out [(exultingly)]: "Heach!" and he smells battle from afar — the roar of the warriors and the shofar blast.
  	Is it with your understanding that Netz [(a hawk-like angel)] sprouts wings against the south [wind (whose fury would otherwise destroy the world)]?
  	Is it at your word that the eagle soars aloft and that he lifts his nest [above all others]?
  	He dwells and abides on the rock, on the crags of rocks and towers.
  	From there he scouts out food, his eyes ranging far.
  	And his fledglings will gulp down blood; and where carcasses are, there he is.
  
  
  
  
  And the L rd answered Iyyov and said:
  	Would one aggrandize himself to argue with the Almighty? One who would debate with G d — let him answer.
  	And Iyyov answered the L rd and said:
  	I have recognized my lowliness and how can I answer You?
  	I have spoken one [thing, i.e., a little], and I shall not say [more], and [to] the two [that I have spoken (viz. 13:20)] I will not add.
  	And the L rd answered Iyyov from the tempest and said:
  	Gird, now, your loins like a man. I will ask you, and you answer Me.
  	Would you also repudiate My justice, condemn Me because of your [(assumed)] righteousness?
  	Do you have the arm [i.e., the power] of G d, and can you thunder in a voice like His?
  	Adorn yourself now, with pride and grandeur, and clothe yourself in majesty and glory.
  	Scatter wide the fury of your wrath, and see every proud one and lower him.
  	See every proud one and humble him, and crush the wicked in their place.
  	Bury them together in the dust; steep their faces in hiddenness.
  	And I, too, will acknowledge you, when your right hand is your salvation.
  	Here, now, is the behemoth [(prepared for the future)] that I made with you. He eats grass like the ox.
  	His power is in his loins [(i.e., his testicles are undescended)], and his strength is in the navel of his belly.
  	His tail is hard as a cedar; the sinews of his testicles are knit together.
  	His limbs are strong as copper; his bones are a load of iron.
  	He is the first of the ways of G d [(the first beast created)]. His Maker [Himself] will draw His sword [(to slaughter him)].
  	For the mountains bear food for him, and all the animals of the field disport themselves there [(where he feeds)].
  	Will he lie under the shade of trees? in the recess of reeds or fens?
  	Can the shade of trees cover him [as] his shade? Will the willows of the stream surround him?
  	He despoils the [(entire)] river [(the Euphrates) when he drinks it] and [his stomach] does not harden [(from bloating)]. He trusts the [whole] Jordan to flow into his mouth!
  	With his eyes [(i.e., in his awe of Him)] He will take him [and] He will pierce his snout with snares.
  	Would you draw forth Leviathan with a fishing rod? Would you pin down his tongue with a rope?
  	Would you put a hook in his snout? Would you pierce his cheek with a lance?
  	Will he plead profusely with you [(to be released)]? Will he speak softly to you? [— You could not even get near him!]
  	Will he enter into a covenant with you, that you take him as a slave forever?
  	Will you disport yourself with him as with a [little] bird and tie him to [the necks of] your young ones [for their amusement]?
  	Will the enchanters [by their charms] fish for him [in the sea] and portion him out among the merchants?
  	Will you sate (your lust) by making huts of its skin and a fish-booth of its head?
  	[Just try to] put your hands upon him and you will no longer recall your martial prowess.
  
  
  
  
  How much will one's hope [of victory] fail him if the (mere) sight of him unmans him!
  	No one would be so bold as to wake him. Who, then, would stand up against Me!
  	Who would approach Me [to serve Me and to heed My mitzvoth]? — I would [of a certainty] reward (him, for) everything under the heavens is Mine!
  	I will not be silent [in rewarding as well] his [the tzaddik's] sons [in their father's merit], and for [his] strength [in the performance of mitzoth] and for the fervor of his prayer.
  	Who would [dare approach him (the leviathan)] to reveal his outer garment [his scales]? Who would venture into the double-fold of his bit?
  	Who would open the doors of his face [(his lips)]? Around his teeth there is fear.
  	He exults in the strength of his scales, each sealed tightly [to its neighbor].
  	One touches the other. The wind does not enter between them.
  	One is attached to the other. They are fixed firmly together and do not come apart.
  	His sneezes flash light, and his eyes are like the first light of day.
  	From his mouth torches come forth. Sparks of fire escape from it.
  	From his nostrils smoke comes forth, as from a seething pot and an agmon [(a kind of pot)].
  	His breath glows as coals and a flame goes forth from his mouth.
  	Strength resides on his throat, and his chest makes sadness rejoice.
  	The folds of his flesh cling fast [as if] they were forged together, not to part.
  	His heart is forged together, as a stone, forged as the lower millstone.
  	Mighty ones tremble at his grandeur. The breakers break [before him].
  	The sword that confronts him will not prevail — the spear, the dart, or the javelin.
  	He accounts iron [weapons] as straw and copper as rotted wood.
  	The bowman will not drive him away. The stones of the sling turn into stubble against him.
  	Catapult [projectiles] are accounted as stubble and he laughs at the shouts of the spear [hurlers].
  	Beneath him are flashes of sun [glancing off his fins], his resting place on the sand [shining like] fine gold.
  	He boils the depths as a pot. He makes the sea like a spicery [when he moves].
  	Behind him his wake is alight. He renders the depths as [frail as] a grey-beard.
  	There is not his like upon the earth, constituted without fear.
  	All that is high he sees [as beneath him]. He is king over all the sons of pride. [(How, then, can you presume to contend with Me, who has wrought all of these awesome things?)]
  
  
  
  
  Then Iyyov answered G d and said:
  	I have [always] known that You are omnipotent, and that no thought is withheld from You.
  	Who would deny counsel [(and the working of wonders to the L rd)]? Therefore, I have related [(what was known to me)]. But I did not understand [certain things] which are removed from me, which I do not know.
  	Listen, now, and I will speak. I will ask You, and You will give me knowledge.
  	[Before,] I heard of You with my ears, but now my eyes have seen You [(i.e., the Shechinah)].
  	Therefore, I despise [my life]. And I would be consoled [if I could return] to dust and ashes.
  	And it was, after G d had spoken these words to Iyyov, that the L rd said to Elifaz the Temanite: I am angry with you and with your two friends [Bildad the Shuchite and Tzofar the Na'amathite], for you did not speak rightly to Me [(i.e., you did not present a cogent claim)] as (did) my servant Iyyov. [Iyyov did not speak offensively to Him, but only plaintively (viz. Chapter 9) and in the throes of affliction, but they offended in branding Iyyov as wicked and not consoling him (as Elihu did), and taunting him even beyond his suffering.]
  	And now, take for yourselves seven bullocks and seven rams and go to My servant Iyyov and bring up a burnt-offering for yourselves, and Iyyov My servant will pray for you; for I will show favor to him not to do anything vile to you. For you did not speak rightly to Me as (did) My servant Iyyov.
  	And Elifaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuchite and Tzofar the Na'amathite went, and did as the L rd had spoken to them, and the L rd showed favor to Iyyov [(and accepted his prayer for them)].
  	And the L rd returned what had been taken from Iyyov, because of his praying for his friend, and the L rd increased all that Iyyov owned to double [its former amount].
  	And there came to him all of his brothers and all of his sisters and all of his former acquaintances [(all who had been his good friends before the afflictions)], and they ate bread with him in his house, and they nodded to him [in sympathy] and consoled him for all of the suffering that the L rd had brought upon him, and each of them gave him one kesita [(a coin)], and each, a golden nose-ring.
  	And the L rd blessed Iyyov's latter days more than [He had blessed] his beginning. And he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand pairs of cattle, and a thousand she-asses.
  	And he had twice seven sons and three daughters.
  	He called the first Yemimah [(sun)]; the second, Ketziah [(spice)]; and the third, Keren Hapuch [("the puch [cosmetic] horn")].
  	And there were no women as beautiful as the daughters of Iyyov in the whole land, and their father [(because of their distinctiveness and beauty)] gave them an inheritance together with their brothers.
  	And Iyyov lived after this a hundred and forty years, and he saw four generations of his sons and grandsons.
  	And Iyyov died old and sated with days [of good].
  