Who declares his way to his face…?: unfortunately Revised Standard Version is unclear here. In this line Job returns to his own comments. The question expects the reply “Nobody!” and so Good News Translation restructures the question as a negative statement: “There is no one to accuse a wicked man.” God spares the wicked and, for fear of consequences, “No one accuses the wicked.” Declares translates a word with the force of “denounce, expose,” and his way refers to “his conduct, behavior.” A better translation is “No one dares denounce the wicked man for the way he acts.”

And who requites him for what he has done?: requites translates the Hebrew for “pay back, get even,” and so Good News Translation “Pay him back for all he has done.” Verse 31 may also be rendered “No one dares denounce (accuse, condemn, expose, tell the truth about) the wicked person’s bad ways, and no one dares to give him what he deserves” or “… and no one dares to punish him for what he has done.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, Wiliam. A Handbook on Job. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .