Bildad Speaks: How Can a Mortal Be Righteous Before God?

25Then Bildad the Shuhite answered:
²‘Dominion and fear are with God;^*
   he makes peace in his high heaven.
³Is there any number to his armies?
   Upon whom does his light not arise?
⁴How then can a mortal be righteous before God?
   How can one born of woman be pure?
⁵If even the moon is not bright
   and the stars are not pure in his sight,
⁶how much less a mortal, who is a maggot,
   and a human being, who is a worm!’

Job Maintains His Integrity

27Job again took up his discourse and said:
²‘As God lives, who has taken away my right,
   and the Almighty,^* who has made my soul bitter,
³as long as my breath is in me
   and the spirit of God is in my nostrils,
⁴my lips will not speak falsehood,
   and my tongue will not utter deceit.
⁵Far be it from me to say that you are right;
   until I die I will not put away my integrity from me.
⁶I hold fast my righteousness, and will not let it go;
   my heart does not reproach me for any of my days.