16-20. “So, Job, use your head;this is all pretty obvious.Can someone who hates order, keep order?Do you dare condemn the righteous, mighty God?Doesn’t God always tell it like it is,exposing corrupt rulers as scoundrels and criminals?Does he play favorites with the rich and famous and slight the poor?Isn’t he equally responsible to everybody?Don’t people who deserve it die without notice?Don’t wicked rulers tumble to their doom?When the so-called great ones are wiped out,we know God is working behind the scenes.
21-28. “He has his eyes on every man and woman.He doesn’t miss a trick.There is no night dark enough, no shadow deep enough,to hide those who do evil.God doesn’t need to gather any more evidence;their sin is an open-and-shut case.He deposes the so-called high and mighty without asking questions,and replaces them at once with others.Nobody gets by with anything; overnight,judgment is signed, sealed, and delivered.He punishes the wicked for their wickednessout in the open where everyone can see it,Because they quit following him,no longer even thought about him or his ways.Their apostasy was announced by the cry of the poor;the cry of the afflicted got God’s attention.
29-30. “If God is silent, what’s that to you?If he turns his face away, what can you do about it?But whether silent or hidden, he’s there, ruling,so that those who hate God won’t take overand ruin people’s lives.
31-33. “So why don’t you simply confess to God?Say, ‘I sinned, but I’ll sin no more.Teach me to see what I still don’t see.Whatever evil I’ve done, I’ll do it no more.’Just because you refuse to live on God’s terms,do you think he should start living on yours?You choose. I can’t do it for you.Tell me what you decide.
34-37. “All right-thinking people say—and the wise who have listened to me concur—‘Job is an ignoramus.He talks utter nonsense.’Job, you need to be pushed to the wall and called to accountfor wickedly talking back to God the way you have.You’ve compounded your original sinby rebelling against God’s discipline,Defiantly shaking your fist at God,piling up indictments against the Almighty One.”