[1] Then Job answered: [2] "My complaint is still strong today. God's hand is heavy against me even though I am groaning. [3] I wish I knew where to find God. I wish I could go to where he lives. [4] I would present my case before him. I would fill my mouth with arguments. [5] I would know the words of his answer. And I would think about what he would say. [6] He would not come against me with great power. He would really listen to me. [7] Then an honest person could present his case to God. And I would be saved forever from my judge. [8] "If I go to the east, God is not there. And if I go to the west, I do not see him there. [9] When he is at work in the north, I catch no sight of him. And when he turns to the south, I cannot see him. [10] But God knows the way that I take. When he has tested me, I will come out pure as gold. [11] My feet have closely followed his steps. I have stayed in his way without turning aside. [12] I have never left the commands he has spoken. I have treasured his words more than my food. [13] "But he is the only God. No one can come against him. He does anything he wants. [14] He will do to me what he said he would do. And he has many plans like this. [15] That is why I am so afraid before him. When I think of all this, I am afraid of him. [16] God has made me afraid. God All-Powerful has made me terribly afraid. [17] But I am not cut off by the darkness, by the thick darkness that covers my face.
