Job 21:1 - 23:17

Job 21:1-34 (NASB) 
¹ Then Job answered,
² "Listen carefully to my speech, And let this be your way of consolation.
³ "Bear with me that I may speak; Then after I have spoken, you may mock.
⁴ "As for me, is my complaint to man? And why should I not be impatient?
⁵ "Look at me, and be astonished, And put your hand over your mouth.
⁶ "Even when I remember, I am disturbed, And horror takes hold of my flesh.
⁷ "Why do the wicked still live, Continue on, also become very powerful?
⁸ "Their descendants are established with them in their sight, And their offspring before their eyes,
⁹ Their houses are safe from fear, And the rod of God is not on them.
¹⁰ "His ox mates without fail; His cow calves and does not abort.
¹¹ "They send forth their little ones like the flock, And their children skip about.
¹² "They sing to the timbrel and harp And rejoice at the sound of the flute.
¹³ "They spend their days in prosperity, And suddenly they go down to Sheol.
¹⁴ "They say to God, 'Depart from us! We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways.
¹⁵ 'Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him, And what would we gain if we entreat Him?'
¹⁶ "Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand; The counsel of the wicked is far from me.
¹⁷ "How often is the lamp of the wicked put out, Or does their calamity fall on them? Does God apportion destruction in His anger?
¹⁸ "Are they as straw before the wind, And like chaff which the storm carries away?
¹⁹ "You say, 'God stores away a man's iniquity for his sons.' Let God repay him so that he may know it.
²⁰ "Let his own eyes see his decay, And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
²¹ "For what does he care for his household after him, When the number of his months is cut off?
²² "Can anyone teach God knowledge, In that He judges those on high?
²³ "One dies in his full strength, Being wholly at ease and satisfied;
²⁴ His sides are filled out with fat, And the marrow of his bones is moist,
²⁵ While another dies with a bitter soul, Never even tasting anything good.
²⁶ "Together they lie down in the dust, And worms cover them.
²⁷ "Behold, I know your thoughts, And the plans by which you would wrong me.
²⁸ "For you say, 'Where is the house of the nobleman, And where is the tent, the dwelling places of the wicked?'
²⁹ "Have you not asked wayfaring men, And do you not recognize their witness?
³⁰ "For the wicked is reserved for the day of calamity; They will be led forth at the day of fury.
³¹ "Who will confront him with his actions, And who will repay him for what he has done?
³² "While he is carried to the grave, Men will keep watch over his tomb.
³³ "The clods of the valley will gently cover him; Moreover, all men will follow after him, While countless ones go before him.
³⁴ "How then will you vainly comfort me, For your answers remain full of falsehood?"

Job 22:1-30 (NASB) 
¹ Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded,
² "Can a vigorous man be of use to God, Or a wise man be useful to himself?
³ "Is there any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous, Or profit if you make your ways perfect?
⁴ "Is it because of your reverence that He reproves you, That He enters into judgment against you?
⁵ "Is not your wickedness great, And your iniquities without end?
⁶ "For you have taken pledges of your brothers without cause, And stripped men naked.
⁷ "To the weary you have given no water to drink, And from the hungry you have withheld bread.
⁸ "But the earth belongs to the mighty man, And the honorable man dwells in it.
⁹ "You have sent widows away empty, And the strength of the orphans has been crushed.
¹⁰ "Therefore snares surround you, And sudden dread terrifies you,
¹¹ Or darkness, so that you cannot see, And an abundance of water covers you.
¹² "Is not God in the height of heaven? Look also at the distant stars, how high they are!
¹³ "You say, 'What does God know? Can He judge through the thick darkness?
¹⁴ 'Clouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He cannot see; And He walks on the vault of heaven.'
¹⁵ "Will you keep to the ancient path Which wicked men have trod,
¹⁶ Who were snatched away before their time, Whose foundations were washed away by a river?
¹⁷ "They said to God, 'Depart from us!' And 'What can the Almighty do to them?'
¹⁸ "Yet He filled their houses with good things; But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
¹⁹ "The righteous see and are glad, And the innocent mock them,
²⁰ Saying, 'Truly our adversaries are cut off, And their abundance the fire has consumed.'
²¹ "Yield now and be at peace with Him; Thereby good will come to you.
²² "Please receive instruction from His mouth And establish His words in your heart.
²³ "If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored; If you remove unrighteousness far from your tent,
²⁴ And place your gold in the dust, And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks,
²⁵ Then the Almighty will be your gold And choice silver to you.
²⁶ "For then you will delight in the Almighty And lift up your face to God.
²⁷ "You will pray to Him, and He will hear you; And you will pay your vows.
²⁸ "You will also decree a thing, and it will be established for you; And light will shine on your ways.
²⁹ "When you are cast down, you will speak with confidence, And the humble person He will save.
³⁰ "He will deliver one who is not innocent, And he will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands."

Job 23:1-17 (NASB) 
¹ Then Job replied,
² "Even today my complaint is rebellion; His hand is heavy despite my groaning.
³ "Oh that I knew where I might find Him, That I might come to His seat!
⁴ "I would present my case before Him And fill my mouth with arguments.
⁵ "I would learn the words which He would answer, And perceive what He would say to me.
⁶ "Would He contend with me by the greatness of His power? No, surely He would pay attention to me.
⁷ "There the upright would reason with Him; And I would be delivered forever from my Judge.
⁸ "Behold, I go forward but He is not there, And backward, but I cannot perceive Him;
⁹ When He acts on the left, I cannot behold Him; He turns on the right, I cannot see Him.
¹⁰ "But He knows the way I take; When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
¹¹ "My foot has held fast to His path; I have kept His way and not turned aside.
¹² "I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.
¹³ "But He is unique and who can turn Him? And what His soul desires, that He does.
¹⁴ "For He performs what is appointed for me, And many such decrees are with Him.
¹⁵ "Therefore, I would be dismayed at His presence; When I consider, I am terrified of Him.
¹⁶ "It is God who has made my heart faint, And the Almighty who has dismayed me,
¹⁷ But I am not silenced by the darkness, Nor deep gloom which covers me.