Online Bible

2 “How long will you say these things,And the ^awords of your mouth be a mighty wind?3 “Does ^aGod pervert justice?Or does ¹the Almighty pervert what is right?4 “^aIf your sons sinned against Him,Then He turned them over to the ¹power of their wrongdoing.5 “If you will ^asearch for GodAnd implore the compassion of ¹the Almighty,6 If you are pure and upright,Surely now ^aHe will stir Himself for youAnd restore your righteous ¹^bestate.7 “Though your beginning was insignificant,Yet your ^aend will increase greatly.

8 “Please ^ainquire of past generations,And consider the things searched out by their fathers.9 “For we are only of yesterday and know nothing,Because ^aour days on earth are as a shadow.10 “Will they not teach you and tell you,And bring forth words from their minds?

11 “Can papyrus grow tall without a marsh?Can the rushes grow without water?12 “While it is still green and not cut down,Yet it withers before any other ¹plant.13 “So are the paths of ^aall who forget God;And the ^bhope of the godless will perish,14 His confidence is fragile,And his trust is a ^aspider’s ¹web.15 “He depends on his ^ahouse, but it does not stand;He holds on to it, but it does not endure.16 “He ^aflourishes before the sun,And his ^bshoots spread out over his garden.17 “His roots wrap around a rock pile,He ¹grasps a house of stones.18 “If he is ¹removed from ^ahis place,Then it will deny him, saying, ‘^bI never saw you.’19 “Behold, ^athis is the joy of His way;And out of the dust others will spring.20 “Behold, ^aGod will not reject a person of integrity,Nor ^bwill He ¹help evildoers.21 “He will yet fill ^ayour mouth with laughter,And your lips with joyful shouting.22 “Those who hate you will be ^aclothed with shame,And the ^btent of the wicked will no longer exist.”