¹Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said,

²“Shall a profusion of words not be answered?

And is a loquacious man necessarily right?

³Will your lies silence men?

Or will you mock,

With no-one putting you to shame?

⁴For you have said,

‘My doctrine is pure’,

And, ‘I have been clean in your eyes.’

⁵But if only God would speak

And open his lips with you

⁶And tell you the secrets of wisdom,

For they double the value of insight.

And know that God exacts retribution for your iniquity.

⁷Can you find God with an investigation?

Or can you find the Almighty with complete knowledge?

⁸What can you undertake concerning the heights of heaven?

What can you know about what is deeper than the underworld?

⁹Its dimensions are longer than the earth

And wider than the sea.

¹⁰If he passes by,

And confines and gathers people up,

Who can make him withdraw it?

¹¹For he knows who the vain men are,

And he sees their wickedness

Although he does not appear attentive.

¹²But a witless man can become wise,

For a man is born like a wild ass.

¹³If you prepare your heart,

Then you can stretch out your hands to him.

¹⁴If there is vanity in your hands,

Remove it,

And do not let iniquity dwell in your tents.

¹⁵For then you will be able to hold your head high spotlessly,

And you will be steadfast,

And you will not need to fear.

¹⁶For then you will forget your sorrow

And remember it as you do water that passes by.

¹⁷A time will come brighter than noon.

You will soar;

You will be like the morning.

¹⁸You will trust,

For you will have hope,

And you will search matters out

And rest with confidence.

¹⁹And you will lie down

With nothing to cause alarm,

And many will seek your favour.

²⁰But the eyes of the wicked will fail,

And flight will not be available to them,

And their hope will be as a puff of breath.”