Job took a shard of broken pottery to scrape<n id="1" /> himself<n id="2" /> with while he was sitting<n id="3" /> among the ashes.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">That day<n id="1" /> &#8211; let it be darkness;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">let not God on high regard<n id="3" /> it,p> <p class="poetry">nor let light shine<n id="4" /> on it!p>

<p class="poetry">That night &#8211; let darkness seize<n id="1" /> it;p> <p class="poetry">let it not be included<n id="2" /> among the days of the year;p> <p class="poetry">let it not enter among the number of the months!<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">Indeed,<n id="1" /> let that night be barren;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">let no shout of joy<n id="3" /> penetrate<n id="4" /> it!p>

<p class="poetry">Call to mind now:<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Who,<n id="2" /> being innocent, ever perished?<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">And where were upright people<n id="4" /> ever destroyed?<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">Look, we have investigated this, so it is true.p> <p class="poetry">Hear it,<n id="1" /> and apply it for your own<n id="2" /> good.&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">If a land<n id="1" /> has been givenp> <p class="poetry">into the hand of a wicked man,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">he covers<n id="3" /> the faces of its judges;<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">if it is not he, then who is it?<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">For he<n id="1" /> knows deceitful<n id="2" /> men;p> <p class="poetry">when he sees evil, will he not<n id="3" /> consider it?<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">Moreover, this will become my deliverance,p> <p class="poetry">for no godless person would come before him.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">All his days<n id="1" /> the wicked man suffers torment,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">throughout the number of the yearsp> <p class="poetry">that<n id="3" /> are stored up for the tyrant.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">He does not expect<n id="1" /> to escape from darkness;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">he is marked for the sword;<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">he wanders about &#8211; food for vultures;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">he knows that the day of darkness is at hand.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">No one denounces his conduct to his face;p> <p class="poetry">no one repays him for what<n id="1" /> he has done.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Would he contend<n id="1" /> with me with great power?p> <p class="poetry">No, he would only pay attention to me.<n id="2" />p>

<n id="1" /><p class="poetry">&#8220;You say,<n id="2" /> &#8216;He is foam<n id="3" /> on the face of the waters;<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">their portion of the land is cursedp> <p class="poetry">so that no one goes to their vineyard.<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">Man puts an end to the darkness;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">he searches the farthest recessesp> <p class="poetry">for the ore in the deepest darkness.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">The deep<n id="1" /> says, &#8216;It is not with<n id="2" /> me.&#8217;p> <p class="poetry">And the sea says, &#8216;It is not with me.&#8217;p>

<p class="poetry">For he looks to the ends of the earthp> <p class="poetry">and observes everything under the heavens.p>

<p class="poetry">And he said to mankind,p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;The fear of the <sc>Lordsc><n id="1" /> &#8211; that is wisdom,p> <p class="poetry">and to turn away from evil is understanding.&#8217;&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">For it is a fire that devours even to Destruction,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and it would uproot<n id="2" /> all my harvest.p>