1“Now listen to me, Job. Pay attention to everything I have to say.

2Look, I'm about to speak; my mouth is ready to talk.

3My words come from my upright heart; my lips speak sincerely of what I know.

4The spirit of God made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

5Answer me, if you can. Stand in front of me and prepare to defend yourself.

6Look, before God we are both the same. I was also made from a piece of clay.

7See here, you don't need to be frightened of me. I won't be too hard on you. ²¹⁷

8You spoke in my hearing and I have listened to everything you had to say.

9You say, ‘I'm clean, I've done nothing wrong; I'm pure, I have not sinned.

10See how God finds fault with me and treats me as his enemy.

11He puts my feet in the stocks and watches everything I do.’

12But look, you are wrong—let me explain. God is greater than any human being.

13Why are you fighting against him, complaining that God isn't answering your questions?

14God speaks over and over again, ²¹⁸but people don't notice.

15Through dreams and visions in the night, when people fall into deep sleep, resting on their beds,

16God speaks to them with solemn warnings ²¹⁹

17to turn them away from doing wrong and to stop them from becoming proud.

18He saves them from the grave and spares them from violent death.

19People are also disciplined on a bed of pain with constant aching in their bones.

20They have no desire to eat; they do not even want their favorite dishes.

21Their flesh wastes away to nothing; all that's left is skin and bones.

22They are close to death; ²²⁰their lives approaching the executioner. ²²¹

23But if an angel appears, a mediator, one of God's thousands of angels, to tell someone the right way for them,

24he will be gracious to them. He will say, ‘Save them from going down into the grave, for I have found a way to free them.’ ²²²

25Then their bodies will be renewed as if they were young again; they will be as strong as when they were in their prime.

26They will pray to God, and he will accept them; they come into God's presence with joy, and he will set things right for them.

27They sing, and tell others, ‘I sinned, I distorted what is right, but it did not do me any good. ²²³

28He saved me from going down into the grave and I will live in the light.’

29Look, God does this time and again ²²⁴for people;

30he saves them from the grave so they might see the light of life.

31Pay attention Job, and listen to me! Be quiet—let me speak!

32But if you have anything to say, then speak up.

33If not, listen to me. Keep quiet and I will teach you wisdom.”