לָרִיב עִמּוֹ. לְהִתְוַכֵּחַ עִמּוֹ:

Job’s Reply to contend with Him To debate with Him.

He is wise in heart to contend.

and mighty in strength to requite.

who hardened his heart and went away whole? Pharaoh hardened [his heart] and was destroyed, and so it is with all who hardened [their hearts].

He Who moved mountains He moved them away when He overturned Sodom.

and they knew not until He turned them over.

He Who causes the earth to quake when He looks at it, and it trembles.

He Who spoke to the sun Heb. לחרס, to the sun, “Stand still.” and it kept the command of the King and did not shine.

and He settled up the stars He closed off the stars with a partition and they did not shine.

He Who clone stretched out the heavens and the angels were created on the second day, lest you say that Michael stretched it out in the north and Gabriel in the south.

on the high places of the sea On the heights of the sea. This was stated regarding the Creation, that the lower waters raised themselves up on high, and He trod them.

Orion, and the Pleiades they are constellations.

and the chambers of the south into which to bring the tempest, as he states (below 37:9): “From the chamber shall come the tempest.”

Behold, He goes by me I know that all He wishes, He does.

He goes by me Before me, but I do not see Him.

Behold, He strikes suddenly Heb. יחתף, He strikes suddenly, like (Prov. 23:28), “She, too, will suddenly (כחתף) lurk,” an expression of suddenness.

will not hold back His wrath because of fear (other editions: righteousness) of a man.

[all the helpers of Rahab] stoop under Him The celestial host that came to aid the Egyptians. Egypt is called Rahab, as it is said (Isa. 30:7): “Therefore, I called this, ‘They are haughty (רהב) idlers,’” by dint of their haughtiness, for they said, “Who is the Lord? etc.” (Exod. 5:2).

Surely Heb. אַף.

I will not reply I will fear to raise my voice before Him.

my Judge Heb. למשפטי, like לשופטי.

I will not believe I will be unable to believe out of my fear for Him, for how do I not see Him?

He Who would crush me with a tempest My form was changed (other editions: my status) before Him.

would crush me Heb. ישופני, would crush me. “I crushed it and ground it” (Deut. 9:21) is translated into Aramaic as: ושפית יתֵה.

my wounds Heb. פצעי, a wound that oozes blood and pus.

He Who would not let me He does not let me bring back my breath to myself.

If it is a trial of strength How can I contend with Him? If He comes with strength, behold He is mighty.

and if of judgment who will be able to summon me before Him and confirm my verdict? Is it not so that...

If I am innocent, my mouth will condemn me because my words will be silenced out of fear, and my mouth will make me crooked.

I am blameless I know of myself that I am blameless; nonetheless, I do not know my rest, how I will find rest.

It is all one in the world, concerning which I said that He destroys both the innocent and the wicked. Now, what is it?...

If the scourge of the Adversary’s tongue suddenly puts the righteous to death.

at the calamity of the innocent that he put to death he will mock.

into the hands of a wicked one Referring to the Adversary.

he covers the faces of its judges from discerning and comprehending the truth of the matter.

If not, then If this [interpretation] is not the truth of the matter, who is it that destroys the innocent?

My days with the destruction of the other innocent people are swifter than a runner.

Ebeh The name of a rushing river.

swoops Heb. יטוש, flies.

my speech The words of my pain.

my anger Heb. פני, lit. my face.

and [I will] restrain myself Heb. ואבליגה, I will strengthen myself, like (Amos 5:9), “Who strengthens (המבליג) the robbed upon the strong.”

I will gather in all my sadness that it not let me cry out.

I know that You will not declare me innocent of my iniquity, so as not to requite me.

why should I toil in vain to come to judgment?

with purity Heb. בבור, with cleanliness.

You will plunge me into the ditch to be sullied and contaminated; i.e., You will find great iniquity in me.

in debate Heb. במשפט, in words of debate. [The word] משפט is used in three expressions: 1) its beginning, viz. the clarification of the matters, 2) its middle, viz. the verdict, and 3) its end, viz. the meting out of the tortures and the collection of the debt. Sometimes Scripture writes it as referring to the beginning, sometimes to the middle, and sometimes to the end.

arbiter discerner in Old French. He shows each one his guilt and his innocence.

who will place his hand The ruling of his fear and his power.

on both of us so that the stronger does not overpower the weaker.

for I am not so with myself Because I fear [God], I am certain with myself that I will not be found guilty in the trial.