The absorption of radiation in pure hydrogen (H₂) gas around the S(0) and S(1) rotational transitions is computed at 20 K and compared with laboratory data. All transitions involving free state are included in the calculations of the absolute absorption. These calculations are done with an isotropic approximation for the H₂–H₂ pair potential. Agreement with the experiment is observed around the S(0) transition, while the computational approach appears to be slightly worse around the S(1) transition. The positions for bound-to-bound transitions are computed including the full anisotropic pair potential. The anisotropy seems to be crucial to achieve agreement with the measured bound-to-bound transition frequencies. However, those transitions contribute little to the total absorption. The present computed absolute absorptions will provide improved input for radiative transfer models of planetary atmospheres.