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9:1  Then Job answered:
9:2  “Of course, I know that this is true. But how can a human being win an argument with God?
9:3  Anyone who chose to argue with him could not answer one question in a thousand!
9:4  God is so wise and powerful that no one could oppose him and survive.
9:5  When God is angry, he moves mountains before they know what happened.
9:6  He can shake the earth, and it will tremble down to its foundations.
9:7  With one command he can stop the sun from rising. He can lock up the stars and keep them from shining.
9:8  He alone made the skies, and he walks on the ocean waves.
9:9  “God made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades. He made the planets that cross the southern sky.
9:10  He does things too marvelous for people to understand. He does too many miracles to count!
9:11  When he passes by, I cannot see him. He goes right past me, and I don’t notice.
9:12  If he takes something away, no one can stop him. No one can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’
9:13  God will not hold back his anger. Even Rahab’s helpers are afraid of him.
9:14  So I cannot argue with God. I would not know what to say to him.
9:15  I am innocent, but I cannot give him an answer. All I can do is beg my Judge for mercy.
9:16  Even if I called and he answered, I cannot believe he would listen to me.
9:17  He would just send storms to crush me. He would give me more wounds for no reason.
9:18  He would not let me catch my breath again. He would just give me more trouble.
9:19  I cannot defeat God. He is too powerful! I cannot take him to court for justice. Who could force him to come?
9:20  I am innocent, but anything I say makes me seem guilty. I am innocent, but if I speak, my mouth proves me wrong.
9:21  I am innocent, but I don’t know what to think. I hate my own life.
9:22  So I say, ‘Does it make any difference? God destroys the innocent as well as the guilty.’
9:23  Is it God who laughs when a disaster kills innocent people?
9:24  Is it God who keeps the leaders from seeing when an evil person takes control? If it is not God, then who is it?
9:25  “My days are passing faster than a runner. They are flying by without any joy.
9:26  They go by as quickly as papyrus boats, as fast as an eagle swooping down on its prey.
9:27  “I could say, ‘I will not complain. I will forget my pain and put a smile on my face.’
9:28  But the suffering still frightens me. I know that God will not see me as innocent.
9:29  I will be found guilty, so why should I even think about it?
9:30  Even if I scrubbed my hands with soap and washed myself whiter than snow,
9:31  God would still push me into the slime pit, and even my clothes would hate to touch me.
9:32  God is not a human like me, so I cannot argue with him. I cannot take him to court.
9:33  I wish there were someone who could listen to both sides, someone to judge both of us in a fair way.
9:34  I wish someone could take away the threat of God’s punishment. Then he would not frighten me anymore.
9:35  Then I could say what I want without being afraid of him. But I cannot do that now.