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9:1  Then Job replied to his friends,
9:2  “Yes, I know that this is true. But how can a mortal be declared righteous to El?
9:3  If he wished to debate with El, he wouldn’t be able to answer one question in a thousand.
9:4  “El is wise in heart and mighty in power. Who could oppose him and win?
9:5  He moves mountains without their knowing it, and he topples them in his anger.
9:6  He shakes the earth from its place, and its pillars tremble.
9:7  He commands the sun not to rise. He doesn’t let the stars come out.
9:8  He stretches out the heavens by himself and walks on the waves of the sea.
9:9  He made the constellations Ursa Major, Orion, and the Pleiades, and the clusters of stars in the south.
9:10  He does great things that are unsearchable and miracles that cannot be numbered.
9:11  He passes alongside of me, and I don’t even see him. He goes past me, and I don’t even notice him.
9:12  He takes something away, but who can stop him? Who is going to ask him, ‘What are you doing?’
9:13  Eloah does not hold back his anger. Even Rahab’s helpers bow humbly in front of him.
9:14  “How can I possibly answer Eloah? How can I find the right words to speak with him?
9:15  Even if I were right, I could not answer him. I would have to plead for mercy from my judge.
9:16  If I cried out and he answered me, I do not believe that he would listen to me.
9:17  He would knock me down with a storm and bruise me without a reason.
9:18  He would not let me catch my breath. He fills me with bitterness.
9:19  If it is a matter of strength, then he is the mighty one. If it is about justice, who will charge me with a crime?
9:20  If I am righteous, my own mouth would condemn me. It would declare that I am corrupt even if I am a man of integrity.
9:21  If I am a man of integrity, I have no way of knowing it. I hate my life!
9:22  It is all the same. That is why I say, ‘He destroys both the man of integrity and the wicked.’
9:23  When a sudden disaster brings death, he makes fun of the despair of innocent people.
9:24  The earth is handed over to the wicked. He covers the faces of its judges. If he isn’t the one doing this, who is?
9:25  “My days go by more quickly than a runner. They sprint away. They don’t see anything good.
9:26  They pass by quickly like boats made from reeds, like an eagle swooping down on its prey.
9:27  Even if I say, ‘I will forget my complaining; I will change my expression and smile,’
9:28  I still dread everything I must suffer. I know that you won’t declare me innocent.
9:29  I’ve already been found guilty. Why should I work so hard for nothing?
9:30  If I wash myself with lye soap and cleanse my hands with bleach,
9:31  then you would plunge me into a muddy pit, and my own clothes would find me disgusting.
9:32  A human like me cannot answer Eloah, ‘Let’s take our case to court.’
9:33  There is no mediator between us to put his hand on both of us.
9:34  Eloah should take his rod away from me, and he should not terrify me.
9:35  Then I would speak and not be afraid of him. But I know that I am not like that.