"Will you reallyannulMy judgment?Will you condemnMe that you may be justified?
Is it rightfor You indeedto oppress,To rejectthe laborof Your hands,And to lookfavorablyon the schemesof the wicked?
Accordingto Your knowledgeI am indeednot guilty,Yet thereis nodeliverancefrom Your hand.
"Beholdnow,I have preparedmy case;I knowthat I will be vindicated.
"Godhandsme overto ruffiansAnd tossesme into the handsof the wicked.
Knowthenthat Godhas wrongedme And has closedHis netaroundme.
Then thesethreemenceasedansweringJob,becausehe was righteousin his own eyes.
But the angerof Elihuthe sonof Barachelthe Buzite,of the familyof Ramburned;against Jobhis angerburnedbecausehe justifiedhimselfbeforeGod.
"Shall one who hatesjusticerule?And will you condemnthe righteousmightyOne,
Against You, You only,I have sinnedAnd donewhatis evilin Your sight,Sothat You are justifiedwhen You speakAnd blamelesswhen You judge.
"For the LORDof hostshas planned,and whocan frustrate[it]? And as for His stretched-outhand,whocan turnit back?"
"Your covenantwith deathwill be canceled,And your pactwith Sheolwill not stand;Whenthe overwhelmingscourgepassesthrough,Then you becomeits trampling[place].
"PutMe in remembrance,let us argueour casetogether;Stateyour [cause], that you may be provedright.
"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'?
May it neverbe! Rather,let Godbe foundtrue,thougheveryman[be found] a liar,as it is written,"THAT YOU MAY BE JUSTIFIEDIN YOUR WORDS,AND PREVAILWHENYOU ARE JUDGED."
Brethren,I speakin termsof humanrelations:even thoughit is [only] a man'scovenant,yetwhen it has been ratified,no onesets it asideoradds conditionsto it.
What I am sayingis this:the Law,which camefour hundredand thirtyyearslater,does not invalidatea covenantpreviously ratifiedby God,soas to nullifythe promise.
For, on the one hand,there is a setting asideof a formercommandmentbecauseof its weaknessand uselessness
