אֱלֹהַּ

But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked—becoming fat, bloated, and gorged. He abandoned the God who made him and scorned the Rock of his salvation.

They sacrificed to demons, not to God, to gods they had not known, to newly arrived gods, which your fathers did not fear.

…the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech the gods of Sepharvaim.

So now, do not let Hezekiah deceive you, and do not let him mislead you like this. Do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you from my hand!”

They refused to listen and failed to remember the wonders You performed among them. They stiffened their necks and appointed a leader to return them to their bondage in Egypt. But You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in loving devotion, and You did not forsake them.

If only that day had turned to darkness! May God above disregard it; may no light shine upon it.

Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?

By the breath of God they perish, and by the blast of His anger they are consumed.

‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God, or a man more pure than his Maker?

Blessed indeed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.

For the arrows of the Almighty have pierced me; my spirit drinks in their poison; the terrors of God are arrayed against me.

If only my request were granted and God would fulfill my hope:

…that God would be willing to crush me, to unleash His hand and cut me off!

God does not restrain His anger; the helpers of Rahab cower beneath Him.

I will say to God: Do not condemn me! Let me know why You prosecute me.

But if only God would speak and open His lips against you,

…and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides. Know then that God exacts from you less than your iniquity deserves.

Can you fathom the deep things of God or discover the limits of the Almighty?

I am a laughingstock to my friends, though I called on God, and He answered. The righteous and upright man is a laughingstock.

The tents of robbers are safe, and those who provoke God are secure—those who carry their god in their hands.

Do you listen in on the council of God or limit wisdom to yourself?

My friends are my scoffers as my eyes pour out tears to God.

Oh, that a man might plead with God as he pleads with his neighbor!

…then understand that it is God who has wronged me and drawn His net around me.

Have pity on me, my friends, have pity, for the hand of God has struck me.

Even after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God.

Their homes are safe from fear; no rod of punishment from God is upon them.

It is said that God lays up one’s punishment for his children. Let God repay the man himself, so he will know it.

Is not God as high as the heavens? Look at the highest stars, how lofty they are!

Surely then you will delight in the Almighty and lift up your face to God.

From the city, men groan, and the souls of the wounded cry out, yet God charges no one with wrongdoing.

…as long as my breath is still within me and the breath of God remains in my nostrils,

For what is the hope of the godless when he is cut off, when God takes away his life?

Will he delight in the Almighty? Will he call upon God at all times?

“How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me,

…when I was in my prime, when the friendship of God rested on my tent,

For what is the allotment of God from above, or the heritage from the Almighty on high?

…let God weigh me with honest scales, that He may know my integrity.

Behold, you are not right in this matter. I will answer you, for God is greater than man.

He prays to God and finds favor; he sees God’s face and shouts for joy, and God restores His righteousness to that man.

But no one asks, ‘Where is God my Maker, who gives us songs in the night,

“Bear with me a little longer, and I will show you that there is more to be said on God’s behalf.

Do you know how God dispatches the clouds or makes the lightning flash?

Out of the north He comes in golden splendor; awesome majesty surrounds Him.

For God has deprived her of wisdom; He has not endowed her with understanding.

“Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who argues with God give an answer.”

For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?

Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you:

Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob,

O God, that You would slay the wicked—away from me, you bloodthirsty men—