Job 21:1-34 NASB

[1] Then Job responded, [2] “Listen carefully to my speech, And let this be your way of consolation. [3] “Bear with me that I may speak; Then after I have spoken, you may mock me. [4] “As for me, is my complaint to a mortal? Or why should I not be impatient? [5] “Look at me, and be astonished, And put your hand over your mouth. [6] “Even when I remember, I am disturbed, And horror takes hold of my flesh. [7] “Why do the wicked still live, Grow old, and also become very powerful? [8] “Their descendants endure with them in their sight, And their offspring before their eyes, [9] Their houses are safe from fear, And the rod of God is not on them. [10] “His ox mates without fail; His cow calves and does not miscarry. [11] “They send out their boys like the flock, And their children dance. [12] “They sing with the tambourine and harp, And rejoice at the sound of the flute. [13] “They spend their days in prosperity, And suddenly they go down to Sheol. [14] “Yet they say to God, ‘Go away from us! We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways. [15] ‘Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him, And what would we gain if we plead with Him?’ [16] “Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand; The advice of the wicked is far from me. [17] “How often is the lamp of the wicked put out, Or does their disaster fall on them? Does God apportion destruction in His anger? [18] “Are they as straw before the wind, And like chaff which the storm carries away? [19] “You say, ‘God saves up a person’s wrongdoing for his sons.’ Let God repay him so that he may know it. [20] “Let his own eyes see his destruction, And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty. [21] “For what does he care about his household after him, When the number of his months is at an end? [22] “Can anyone teach God knowledge, In that He judges those on high? [23] “One dies in his full strength, Being wholly undisturbed and at ease; [24] His sides are filled with fat, And the marrow of his bones is wet, [25] While another dies with a bitter soul, Never even tasting anything good. [26] “Together they lie down in the dust, And maggots cover them. [27] “Behold, I know your thoughts, And the plots you devise against me. [28] “For you say, ‘Where is the house of the nobleman, And where is the tent, the dwelling places of the wicked?’ [29] “Have you not asked travelers, And do you not examine their evidence? [30] “For the wicked person is spared a day of disaster; They are led away from a day of fury. [31] “Who confronts him with his actions, And who repays him for what he has done? [32] “When he is carried to the grave, People will keep watch over his tomb. [33] “The clods of the valley will gently cover him; Moreover, all mankind will follow after him, While countless others go before him. [34] “So how dare you give me empty comfort? For your answers remain nothing but falsehood!”