Job 21
Job questions why the wicked often live long, prosperous lives, while the righteous suffer, and notes that the wicked seem to be able to live without fear of God's judgment. He argues that the wicked may die peacefully, while the righteous die in bitterness, and yet they will both end up in the same place, the grave. Job also criticizes his friends for their empty words of comfort and their mistaken assumption that the wicked are always punished in this life.
Then Job responded by sayingI beseech you to hear my words and to do penancePermit me, and I will speak, and afterwards, if you see fit, you can laugh at my wordsIs my dispute against man, so that I would have no reason to be discouragedListen to me and be astonished, and place a finger over your mouthAs for me, when I think it over, I am afraid, and trembling convulses my bodyWhy then do the impious live, having been lifted up and strengthened with richesThey see their offspring continue before them: a commotion of close relatives and of children’s children in their sightTheir houses have been secure and peaceable, and there is no staff of God over themTheir cattle have conceived and have not miscarried; their cow has given birth and is not deprived of her newbornTheir little ones go out like a flock, and their children jump around playfullyThey take up the timbrel and the lyre, and they rejoice at the sound of the organTheir days are prolonged in wealth, yet, in an instant, they descend into hellWho has said to God, "Depart from us, for we do not want the knowledge of your waysWho is the Almighty that we should serve him? And how is it helpful to us if we pray to him?It is true that their good things are not in their power. May the counsel of the impious be far from meHow often will the lamp of the wicked be extinguished, and a deluge overtake them, and how often will he distribute the afflictions of his wrathThey will be like chaff before the face of the wind, and like ashes that the whirlwind scattersGod will preserve the grief of the father for his sons, and, when he repays, then he will understandHis eyes will see his own destruction, and he will drink from the wrath of the AlmightyFor what does he care what happens to his house after him, or if the number of its months are reduced by halfCan anyone teach holy knowledge to God, who judges the exaltedThis one dies strong and healthy, rich and happyHis gut is full of fat and his bones are moistened with marrowIn truth, another dies in bitterness of soul, without any resourcesAnd yet they will sleep together in the dust, and worms will cover themSurely, I know your thoughts and your sinful judgments against meFor you say, "Where is the house of the ruler, and where are the tabernacles of the impious?Ask any passerby whom you wish, and you will realize that he understands these same thingsthat the evil-doer is reserved for the day of destruction, and he will be led to the day of wrathWho will reprove his way to his face, and who will repay him for what he has doneHe will be led to the tomb, and he will remain awake in the chaos of the deadHe has been found acceptable to the banks of the River of Lamentation, and he will draw any man towards him, and there are countless before himTherefore, how long will you console me in vain, when your answer is shown to be repugnant to truth
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