<p class="poetry">Would you indeed annul<n id="1" /> my justice?p> <p class="poetry">Would you declare me guilty so that you might be right?p>

<p class="poetry">Defend the cause of the poor and the fatherless!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Vindicate the oppressed and suffering!p>

<p class="poetry">All the descendants of Israel will be vindicated by the <sc>Lordsc>p> <p class="poetry">and will boast in him.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;Is<n id="1" /> a mortal man<n id="2" /> righteous<n id="3" /> before<n id="4" /> God?p> <p class="poetry">Or a man pure<n id="5" /> before his Creator?<n id="6" />p>

<p class="poetry">Although<n id="1" /> I am innocent,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">I could not answer him;<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">I could only plead<n id="4" /> with my judge<n id="5" /> for mercy.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">&#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">See now,<n id="1" /> I have prepared<n id="2" /> my<n id="3" /> case;<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">I know that I am right.<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">What is man that he should be pure,p> <p class="poetry">or one born of woman, that he should be righteous?p>

<p class="poetry">If you have any words,<n id="1" /> reply to me;p> <p class="poetry">speak, for I want to justify you.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">For Job says, &#8216;I am innocent,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">but God turns away my right.p>

<p class="poetry">The one who acquits the guilty and the one who condemns the innocent<n id="1" /> &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">both of them are an abomination to the <sc>Lordsc>.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">They pronounce the guilty innocent for a payoff,p> <p class="poetry">they ignore the just cause of the innocent.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">Remind me of what happened! Let&#8217;s debate!p> <p class="poetry">You, prove to me that you are right!<n id="1" />p>

Keep your distance<n id="1" /> from a false charge<n id="2" /> &#8211; do not kill the innocent and the righteous,<n id="3" /> for I will not justify the wicked.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;Truly,<n id="1" /> I know that this is so.p> <p class="poetry">But how<n id="2" /> can a human<n id="3" /> be just before<n id="4" /> God?<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">If I am guilty,<n id="1" /> woe<n id="2" /> to me,p> <p class="poetry">and if I am innocent, I cannot lift my head;<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">I am full of shame,<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">and satiated with my affliction.<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">Is it of any special benefit<n id="1" /> to the Almightyp> <p class="poetry">that you should be righteous,p> <p class="poetry">or is it any gain to himp> <p class="poetry">that you make your ways blameless?<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">How then can a human being be righteous before God?p> <p class="poetry">How can one born of a woman be pure?<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">I will never<n id="1" /> declare that you three<n id="2" /> are in the right;p> <p class="poetry">until I die, I will not set aside my integrity!p>