God

He shuts off the view of his throne by spreading his cloud across it.

The pillars of heaven tremble, aghast at his rebuke.

He stirs up the sea with his power, and by his skill he strikes down Rahav.

With his Spirit he spreads the heavens; his hand pierces the fleeing serpent.

And these are but the fringes of his ways; how faint the echo we hear of him! But who is able to grasp the meaning of his thundering power?"

"I swear by the living God, who is denying me justice, and by Shaddai, who deals with me so bitterly,

that as long my life remains in me and God's breath is in my nostrils,

Far be it from me to say you are right; I will keep my integrity till the day I die.

For what hope does the godless have from his gain when God takes away his life?

Will God hear his cry when trouble comes upon him?

Will he take delight in Shaddai and always call on God?

"I am teaching you how God uses his power, not hiding what Shaddai is doing.

"This is God's reward for the wicked man, the heritage oppressors receive from Shaddai:

Yes, it hurls itself at him, sparing nothing; he does all he can to flee from its power.

"[The miner] attacks the flint, overturns mountains at their roots,

and cuts out galleries in the rock, all the while watching for something of value.

He dams up streams to keep them from flooding, and brings what was hidden out into the light.

"God understands its way, and he knows its place.

For he can see to the ends of the earth and view everything under heaven.

When he determined the force of the wind and parceled out water by measure,

when he made a law for the rain and cleared a path for the thunderbolts;

then he saw [wisdom] and declared it, yes, he set it up and searched it out.

And to human beings he said, 'Look, fear of Adonai is wisdom! Shunning evil is understanding!'"

"I wish I were as in the old days, back in the times when God watched over me;

when his lamp shone over my head, and I walked through the dark by its light;