mine affliction: 16 For it increaseth: thou hunteft me as a fierce lion; and again thou fheweft thyfelf marvellous upon me. 17 Thou reneweft thy wit-when thou mockeft, fhall no neffes against me, and in-man make thee afhamed? creafeft thine indignation 4 For thou haft said, My upon me; changes and war doctrine is pure, and I am are against me. clean in thine eyes. 18 Wherefore then haft thou brought me forth out of the womb? O that I had given up the ghoft, and no eye had seen me! 19 I fhould have been as though I had not been, I fhould have been carried from the womb to the grave. 20 Are not my days few? cease then, and let me alone, that I may take comfort a little, 21 Before I go whence I fhall not return, even to the land of darknefs, and the fhadow of death; 22 A land of darkness as darknefs itself, and of the fhadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness. 5 But, O that God would fpeak, and open his lips against thee; 6 And that he would fhew thee the feecrets of wifdom, that they are double to that which is! know therefore that God exacteth of thee lefs than thine iniquity deServeth. 7 Canft thou by fearching find out God? canft thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? 8 It is as high as heaven; what can't thou do? deeper than hell; what canft thou know? 9 The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea. 10 If he cut off, and shut up, or gather together, then who can hinder him? II For he knoweth vain men: he feeth wickedness alfo; will he not then confider it? 12 For vain man would 2 Should not the multi-be wife, though man be born like a wild afs's colt. 13 ¶ If thou prepare thine heart, and ftretch out thine hands towards him; 14 If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickednefs dwell in thy tabernacles. 15 For then fhalt thou lift up thy face without fpot; yea, thou fhalt be ftedfast, and fhalt not fear: 16 Because thou shalt forget thy mifery, and remember it as waters that pafs away: the people, and wisdom fhall die with you. 3 But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: yea, who knoweth not such things as thefe? 4 I am as one mocked of his neighbour, who calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the juft upright man is laughed to scorn. 5 He that is ready to flip with his feet, is as a lamp defpifed in the thought of him that is at ease. 17 And thine age fhall 6 The tabernacles of robbe clearer than the noon-bers profper, and they that day: thou fhalt fhine forth, provoke God are fecure; inthou shalt be as the morn- to whofe hand God bringeth ing. abundantly. 18 And thou shalt be fecure, because there is hope; yea, thou fhalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy reft in fafety. 19 Alfo thou fhalt lie down, and none fhall make thee afraid; yea, many fhall make fuit unto thee. 20 But the eyes of the wicked fhall fail, and they fhall not efcape, and their hope fhall be as the givingup of the ghoft. 7 ¶ But ask now the beafts, and they fhall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they fhall tell thee: 8 Or fpeak to the earth, and it fhall teach thee; and the fifhes of the sea shall declare unto thee. 9 Who knoweth not in all thefe, that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? 10 In whofe hand is the foul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind. II Doth not the ear try words and the mouth tafte his meat? 1 12 With 12 With the ancient is wifdom; and in length of days, understanding. 13 With him is wisdom and ftrength, he hath counfel and understanding. 14 Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again; he shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening. tions, and destroyeth them: 24 He taketh away the 25 They grope in the dark without light, and he 15 Behold, he with-hold-maketh them to ftagger like eth the waters, and they dry a drunken man. up alfo he fendeth them out, and they overturn the earth. CHAP. XIII. 16. With him is ftrength, mine eye hath feen all this, mine ear hath and wisdom: the deceived heard and understood it. and the deceiver are his. 17 He leadeth counfellors away fpoiled, and maketh the judges fools. 18 He loofeth the bonds of kings, and girdeth their loins with a girdle. 19 He leadeth princes away fpoiled, and overthroweth the mighty. 20 He removeth away the fpeech of the trufty, and taketh away the understanding of the aged. 21 He poureth contempt upon princes, and weakeneth the ftrength of the mighty. 22 He difcovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death. 23 He increaseth the na 2 What ye know, the fame do I know alfo. I am not inferior unto you. 3 Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I defire to reason with God, 4 But ye are forgers of lyes, ye are all phyficians of no value. 5 O that ye would altogether hold your peace; and it fhall be your wifdom. 6 Hear now my reasoning, and hearken to the pleadings of my lips. 7 Will ye fpeak wickedly for God? and talk deceit fully for him? 8 Will ye accept his perfon? will ye contend for God? 9 Is it good that he fhould fearch 1 fearch you out? or as one | far from me: and let not man mocketh another, do ye fo mock him? To He will furely reprove you, if ye do fecretly accept perfons. II Shall not his excel lency make you afraid? and his dread fall upon you? 12 Your remembrances are like unto afhes, your bodies to bodies of clay. 13 Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what will. 14 ¶ Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in mine hand? 15 Though he flay me, vet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him. 16 He alfo fhall be my falvation for an hypocrite fhall not come before him. 17 Hear diligently my fpeech, and my declaration with your ears. 18 Behold now, I have ordered my caufe; I know that I fhall be juftified. 19 Who is he that will plead with me? for now, if I hold my tongue, I fhall give up the ghoit. 20 Only do not two things unto me: then will I not hide myfelf from thee. 21 Withdraw thine hand thy dread make me afraid. 22 Then call thou, and I will anfwer; or let me fpeak, and anfwer thou me. 23 How many are mine iniquitics and fins? make me to know my tranfgreffion my fin. and 24 Wherefore hideft thou thy face, and holdeft me for thine enemy? 25 Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro? and wilt thou purfue the dry stubble? 26. For thou writeft bitter things against me, and makest me to poffefs the iniquities of my youth. 27 Thou putteft my feet alfo in the ftocks, and lookeft narrowly unto all my paths; thou fetteft a print upon the heels of my feet. 28 And he, as a rotten thing, confumeth, as a garment that is moth-eaten. ment with thee? and bringeft me into judg-cret until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldeft appoint me a fet time, and remember me! 4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one. 5 Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou haft appointed his bounds. that he cannot pals: 14 If a man die, fhall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. 15 Thou fhalt call, and I' will answer thee: thou wilt 16 For now thou numbereft my fteps, doft thou not watch over my fin? 6 Turn from him that he have a defire to the work of may reft, till he fhall accom-thine hands. plifh, as an hireling, his day. 7 For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. 8 Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the ftock thereof die in the ground; 9 Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant. 17 My tranfgreffion is fealed up in a bag, and thou feweft up mine iniquity. 18 And furely the mountain falling cometh to nought, and the rock is removed out of his place: 19 The waters wear the ftones; thou washeft away the things which grow out of the duft of the earth: and thou 10 But man dieth and wafteth away: yea, man giv-deftroyeft the hope of man. eth up the ghoft, and where is he? 20 Thou prevaileft for ever against him, and he paffeth; thou changeft his II As the waters fail from the fea, and the flood decay-countenance, and fendeft eth and drieth up: him away. 12 So man lieth down, 21 His fons come to hoand rifeth not till the hea-nour, and he knoweth it not; vens be no more, they fhall and they are brought low, but not awake, nor be railed out he perceiveth it not of them. of their fleep. 13 O that thou wouldeft hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me fe 22 But his flefh upon him fhall have pain, and his foul within him thall mourn. |