² “God is the ruler.
    He makes people fear and respect him.
    He keeps peace in his kingdom above.
³ No one can count his stars.^[a]
    His sun rises on all people.
⁴ How can anyone claim to be right before God?
    No human being^[b] can really be pure.
⁵ In God’s eyes even the moon is not pure and bright;
    even the stars are not pure.
⁶ People are much less pure.
    They are like maggots, as worthless as worms!”

² “Bildad, what a great help you are to this tired, weary man!
    You have really supported me!
³ You have given such wonderful advice to this foolish man!
    You have provided so much useful information!^[c]
4 Who helped you say these things?
    Whose spirit inspired you to speak?

⁵ “The ghosts and their neighbors
    in the underworld^[d] shake with fear.
⁶ But God can see clearly into that place of death.
    Death^[e] is not hidden from God.
⁷ God stretched the northern sky over empty space.
    He hung the earth on nothing.
⁸ He fills the thick clouds with water.
    But he does not let its heavy weight break the clouds open.
⁹ He covers the face of the full moon.
    He spreads his clouds over it and hides it.
¹⁰ He drew the horizon on the ocean,
    like a circle where light and darkness meet.
¹¹ The foundations that hold up the sky
    shake with fear when God threatens them.
¹² With his own power God calmed the sea.
    With his wisdom he destroyed Rahab.
¹³ His breath made the skies clear.
    His hand destroyed the snake that tried to get away.^[f]
14 These are only a few of the amazing things God has done.
    We hear only a small whisper of God’s thundering power.”

² “God All-Powerful has been unfair to me;
    he has made my life bitter.
But I swear by his life,
³     as long as I have life in me,
    as long as breath from God is in my nostrils,
⁴ I will not be a hypocrite.
    I will not lie.
⁵ You will never hear me say you men are right!
    Until the day I die I will not be untrue to myself.
⁶ I will hold on to my innocence and never let go!
    My conscience will always be clear!
⁷ May my enemies be punished like those who are evil.
    May those who stood against me end up like all who have done wrong.
⁸ What hope do people without God have when it is time to die,
    when God takes their life away?
⁹ When they have troubles and cry out for help,
    God will not listen to them!
¹⁰ It will be too late for them to enjoy talking with God All-Powerful.
    They should have prayed to God all the time.

¹¹ “I will teach you about God’s power.
    I will not hide anything about God All-Powerful.
¹² But you have seen it all with your own eyes.
    So why do you say such useless things?

^13 [g] “Here is what God has planned for those who are evil.
    This is what cruel people will get from God All-Powerful.
¹⁴ They may have many children, but all of them will be killed in war.
    Or their children will not have enough to eat.
¹⁵ All those who are left will die,
    and the widows will not even cry for them.
¹⁶ Evil people collect silver as easily as dirt.
    They may have so many clothes that they are piled up like clay.
¹⁷ But their piles of clothes will be worn by those who have lived right.
    All that silver will be given to those who have done no wrong.
¹⁸ Evil people might build houses, but they will not last long.
    They will be like a spider’s web or a guard’s tent.
¹⁹ They might be rich when they go to bed,
    but when they open their eyes, all their riches will be gone.
²⁰ Terrible fears will come over them like a flood,
    like a storm in the night that blows everything away.
²¹ The east wind will carry them away, and they will be gone.
    The storm will sweep them out of their homes.
²² They may try to run away from the power of the storm,
    but it will come down on them without mercy.
²³ It will make a sound like clapping hands as they run away.
    It will whistle at them as they run from their homes.”