<p class="poetry">If I summoned him, and he answered me,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">I would not believe<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">that he would be listening to my voice &#8211;p>

<p class="poetry">Although I am innocent,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">my mouth<n id="2" /> would condemn me;<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">although I am blameless,p> <p class="poetry">it would declare me perverse.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">If a scourge brings sudden death,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">he mocks<n id="2" /> at the despair<n id="3" /> of the innocent.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">If I say,<n id="1" /> &#8216;I will<n id="2" /> forget my complaint,p> <p class="poetry">I will change my expression<n id="3" /> and be cheerful,&#8217;<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">If I wash myself with snow water,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and make my hands clean with lye,<n id="2" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">&#8220;Do you have eyes of flesh,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">or do you see<n id="2" /> as a human being sees?<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">Are your days like the days of a mortal,p> <p class="poetry">or your years like the years<n id="1" /> of a mortal,p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;Should not this<n id="1" /> abundance of words be answered,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">or should this<n id="3" /> talkative man<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">be vindicated?<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;Can you discover<n id="1" /> the essence<n id="2" /> of God?p> <p class="poetry">Can you find out<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">the perfection of the Almighty?<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;As for you,<n id="1" /> if you prove faithful,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and if<n id="3" /> you stretch out your hands toward him,<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">if<n id="1" /> iniquity is in your hand &#8211; put it far away,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and do not let evil reside in your tents.p>

<p class="poetry">He would certainly rebuke<n id="1" /> youp> <p class="poetry">if you secretly<n id="2" /> showed partiality!p>

<p class="poetry">Although its roots may grow old<n id="1" /> in the groundp> <p class="poetry">and its stump begins to die<n id="2" /> in the soil,<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">Surely mockery<n id="1" /> is with me;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">my eyes must dwell on their hostility.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">If<n id="1" /> I hope for the grave to be my home,p> <p class="poetry">if I spread out my bed in darkness,p>

<p class="poetry">Will<n id="1" /> it<n id="2" /> go down to the barred gates<n id="3" /> of death?p> <p class="poetry">Will<n id="4" /> we descend<n id="5" /> together into the dust?&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">If indeed<n id="1" /> you would exalt yourselves<n id="2" /> above mep> <p class="poetry">and plead my disgrace against me,<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">Even though his stature<n id="1" /> reaches to the heavensp> <p class="poetry">and his head touches the clouds,p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;If<n id="1" /> evil is sweet in his mouthp> <p class="poetry">and he hides it under his tongue,<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Is my<n id="1" /> complaint against a man?<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">If so,<n id="3" /> why should I not be impatient?<n id="4" />p>