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Job Says He Longs for God

¹ Then Job responded,

² "Even today my ^(C1)complaint is rebellion;
^(F1)His hand is ^(C2)heavy despite my groaning.

³ "Oh that I knew how to find Him,
That I might come to His home!

⁴ "I would ^(C1)present my case before Him
And fill my mouth with arguments.

⁵ "I would learn the words which He would ^(F1)answer,
And perceive what He would tell me.

⁶ "Would He contend with me by ^(C1)the greatness of His power?
No, surely He would pay attention to me.

⁷ "There the upright would ^(C1)argue with Him;
And I ^(F1)would be ^(C2)free of my Judge forever.

⁸ "Behold, I go forward but He is not there,
And backward, but I ^(C1)cannot perceive Him;

⁹ When He acts on the left, I cannot see Him;
He turns to the right, but I cannot see Him.

¹⁰ "But He knows the ^(F1)way I take;
When He has ^(C1)put me to the test, I will come out as gold.

¹¹ "My foot has ^(C1)held on to His path;
I have kept His way and not turned aside.

¹² "I have not ^(F1)failed the command of His lips;
I have treasured the ^(C1)words of His mouth ^(F2)more than my ^(F3)necessary food.

¹³ "But He is unique, and who can ^(F1)make Him turn?
Whatever His soul desires, He does it.

¹⁴ "For He carries out what is destined for me,
And many such destinies are with Him.

¹⁵ "Therefore, I would be terrified at His presence;
When I consider this, I am frightened of Him.

¹⁶ "It is God who has made my ^(C1)heart faint,
And the Almighty who has terrified me,

¹⁷ But I ^(C1)am not destroyed by darkness,
Nor by ^(C2)deep gloom which covers me.