¹Why, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, do they that know him not see his days?

²Some remove the landmarks; they violently take away flocks, and feed thereof.

³They drive away the ass of the fatherless, they take the widow's ox for a pledge.

⁴They turn the needy out of the way: the poor of the earth hide themselves together.

⁵Behold, as wild asses in the desert, go they forth to their work; rising betimes for a prey: the wilderness yieldeth food for them and for their children.

⁶They reap every one his corn in the field: and they gather the vintage of the wicked.

⁷They cause the naked to lodge without clothing, that they have no covering in the cold.

⁸They are wet with the showers of the mountains, and embrace the rock for want of a shelter.

⁹They pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge of the poor.

¹⁰They cause him to go naked without clothing, and they take away the sheaf from the hungry;

¹¹Which make oil within their walls, and tread their winepresses, and suffer thirst.

¹²Men groan from out of the city, and the soul of the wounded crieth out: yet God layeth not folly to them.

¹³They are of those that rebel against the light; they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof.

¹⁴The murderer rising with the light killeth the poor and needy, and in the night is as a thief.

¹⁵The eye also of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight, saying, No eye shall see me: and disguiseth his face.

¹⁶In the dark they dig through houses, which they had marked for themselves in the daytime: they know not the light.

¹⁷For the morning is to them even as the shadow of death: if one know them, they are in the terrors of the shadow of death.

¹⁸He is swift as the waters; their portion is cursed in the earth: he beholdeth not the way of the vineyards.

¹⁹Drought and heat consume the snow waters: so doth the grave those which have sinned.

²⁰The womb shall forget him; the worm shall feed sweetly on him; he shall be no more remembered; and wickedness shall be broken as a tree.

²¹He evil entreateth the barren that beareth not: and doeth not good to the widow.

²²He draweth also the mighty with his power: he riseth up, and no man is sure of life.

²³Though it be given him to be in safety, whereon he resteth; yet his eyes are upon their ways.

²⁴They are exalted for a little while, but are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all other, and cut off as the tops of the ears of corn.

²⁵And if it be not so now, who will make me a liar, and make my speech nothing worth?

¹Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,

²Dominion and fear are with him, he maketh peace in his high places.

³Is there any number of his armies? and upon whom doth not his light arise?

⁴How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?

⁵Behold even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight.

⁶How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?

¹But Job answered and said,

²How hast thou helped him that is without power? how savest thou the arm that hath no strength?

³How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom? and how hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is?

⁴To whom hast thou uttered words? and whose spirit came from thee?

⁵Dead things are formed from under the waters, and the inhabitants thereof.

⁶Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering.

⁷He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.

⁸He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds; and the cloud is not rent under them.

⁹He holdeth back the face of his throne, and spreadeth his cloud upon it.

¹⁰He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end.

¹¹The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproof.

¹²He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud.

¹³By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.

¹⁴Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?

¹For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

²For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:

³If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.

⁴For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.

⁵Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.

⁶Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:

⁷(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

⁸We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

⁹Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.

¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

¹¹Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.

¹²For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart.

¹³For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.

¹⁴For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:

¹⁵And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

¹⁶Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.

¹⁷Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

¹⁸And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

¹⁹To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

²⁰Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

²¹For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.