"Shall He recompenseon your terms,becauseyou have rejected[it]? For you must choose,and not I; Therefore declarewhatyou know.
"Let him not trustin emptiness,deceivinghimself; For emptinesswill be his reward.
"O you who tearyourselfin your anger--For your sakeis the earthto be abandoned,Or the rockto be movedfrom its place?
"[Then] ifyou haveanythingto say,answerme; Speak,for I desireto justifyyou.
"Refuteme ifyou can;Arrayyourselves beforeme, takeyour stand.
"For He paysa manaccording to his work,And makes him findit according to his way.
"Menof understandingwill sayto me, And a wisemanwho hearsme,
"Whohas givento Me that I should repay[him]? [Whatever] is underthe wholeheavenis Mine.
"Were He to snatchaway,whocould restrainHim? Whocould sayto Him, 'Whatare You doing?'
Whateverthe LORDpleases,He does,In heavenand in earth,in the seasand in alldeeps.
"Thesethingsyou have doneand I keptsilence;You thoughtthat I was just likeyou; I will reproveyou and state[the case] in orderbefore your eyes.
Ifthe righteouswill be rewardedin the earth,Howmuchmorethe wickedand the sinner!
"Woeto [the one] who quarrelswith his Maker--An earthenwarevesselamongthe vesselsof earth!Will the claysayto the potter,'Whatare you doing?'Or the thingyou are making[say], 'He hasnohands'?
"And it will be, ifthey refuseto takethe cupfrom your handto drink,then you will sayto them, 'Thussaysthe LORDof hosts:"You shall surelydrink!
OrWHOHAS FIRST GIVENTO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACKTO HIM AGAIN?
On the contrary,whoare you, Oman,who answers backto God?The thing moldedwill not sayto the molder,"Whydid you makeme like this,"will it?
consideringthe reproachof Christgreaterrichesthan the treasuresof Egypt;for he was lookingto the reward.
For ifthe wordspokenthroughangelsprovedunalterable,and everytransgressionand disobediencereceiveda justpenalty,
