Job 18-25
New American Standard Bible
Chapter 18
1Then Bildad the Shuhite responded,
2'How long will you hunt for words? Show understanding, and then we can talk.
3Why are we regarded as animals, As stupid in your eyes?
4 You who tear yourself in your anger— Should the earth be abandoned for your sake, Or the rock moved from its place?
5'Indeed, the light of the wicked goes out, And the spark from his fire does not shine.
6The light in his tent is darkened, And his lamp goes out above him.
7His vigorous stride is shortened, And his own plan brings him down.
8For he is thrown into the net by his own feet, And he steps on the webbing.
9A snare seizes him by the heel, And a trap snaps shut on him.
10A noose for him is hidden in the ground, And a trap for him on the pathway.
11All around sudden terrors frighten him, And harass him at every step.
12His strength is famished, And disaster is ready at his side.
13 It devours parts of his skin, The firstborn of death devours his limbs.
14He is torn from the security of his tent, And they march him before the king of terrors.
15 Nothing of his dwells in his tent; Brimstone is scattered on his home.
16His roots are dried below, And his branch withers above.
17The memory of him perishes from the earth, And he has no name abroad.
18 He is driven from light into darkness, And chased from the inhabited world.
19He has no offspring or descendants among his people, Nor any survivor where he resided.
20Those in the west are appalled at his fate, And those in the east are seized with horror.
21Certainly these are the dwellings of the wicked, And this is the place of him who does not know God.'
Chapter 19
1Then Job responded,
2'How long will you torment me And crush me with words?
3These ten times you have insulted me; You are not ashamed to wrong me.
4Even if I have truly done wrong, My error stays with me.
5If indeed you exalt yourselves against me And prove my disgrace to me,
6Know then that God has wronged me And has surrounded me with His net.
7'Behold, I cry, ‘Violence!’ but I get no answer; I shout for help, but there is no justice.
8He has blocked my way so that I cannot pass, And He has put darkness on my paths.
9He has stripped my honor from me And removed the crown from my head.
10He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone; And He has uprooted my hope like a tree.
11He has also kindled His anger against me And considered me as His enemy.
12His troops come together And build up their way against me And camp around my tent.
13'He has removed my brothers far from me, And my acquaintances have completely turned away from me.
14My relatives have failed, And my close friends have forgotten me.
15Those who live in my house and my servant women consider me a stranger. I am a foreigner in their sight.
16I call to my servant, but he does not answer; I have to implore his favor with my mouth.
17My breath is offensive to my wife, And I am loathsome to my own brothers.
18Even young children despise me; I stand up and they speak against me.
19All my associates loathe me, And those I love have turned against me.
20My bone clings to my skin and my flesh, And I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.
21Pity me, pity me, you friends of mine, For the hand of God has struck me.
22Why do you persecute me as God does, And are not satisfied with my flesh?
23'Oh that my words were written! Oh that they were recorded in a book!
24That with an iron stylus and lead They were engraved in the rock forever!
25Yet as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last, He will take His stand on the earth.
26Even after my skin is destroyed, Yet from my flesh I will see God,
27Whom I, on my part, shall behold for myself, And whom my eyes will see, and not another. My heart faints within me!
28If you say, ‘How shall we persecute him?’ And ‘ What pretext for a case against him can we find?’
29 Then be afraid of the sword for yourselves, For wrath brings the punishment of the sword, So that you may know there is judgment.'
Chapter 20
1Then Zophar the Naamathite responded,
2'Therefore my disquieting thoughts make me respond, Even because of my inward agitation.
3I listened to the reprimand which insults me, And the spirit of my understanding makes me answer.
4Do you know this from ancient times, From the establishment of mankind on earth,
5That the rejoicing of the wicked is short, And the joy of the godless momentary?
6Though his arrogance reaches the heavens, And his head touches the clouds,
7He perishes forever like his refuse; Those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’
8He flies away like a dream, and they cannot find him; Like a vision of the night he is chased away.
9The eye which saw him sees him no longer, And his place no longer beholds him.
10His sons favor the poor, And his hands give back his wealth.
11His bones are full of his youthful strength, But it lies down with him in the dust.
12'Though evil tastes sweet in his mouth And he hides it under his tongue,
13 Though he desires it and will not let it go, But holds it in his mouth,
14 Yet his food in his stomach is changed To the venom of cobras within him.
15He swallows riches, But will vomit them up; God will expel them from his belly.
16He sucks the poison of cobras; The viper’s tongue kills him.
17He does not look at the streams, The rivers flowing with honey and curds.
18He returns the product of his labor And cannot swallow it; As to the riches of his trading, He cannot even enjoy them.
19For he has oppressed and neglected the poor; He has seized a house which he has not built.
20'Because he knew no quiet within him, He does not retain anything he desires.
21Nothing remains for him to devour, Therefore his prosperity does not endure.
22In the fullness of his excess he will be cramped; The hand of everyone who suffers will come against him.
23When he fills his belly, God will send His fierce anger on him And rain it on him while he is eating.
24He may flee from the iron weapon, But the bronze bow will pierce him.
25It is drawn and comes out of his back, Even the flashing point from his gallbladder; Terrors come upon him,
26Complete darkness is held in reserve for his treasures, And unfanned fire will devour him; It will consume the survivor in his tent.
27The heavens will reveal his guilt, And the earth will rise up against him.
28The increase of his house will disappear; His possessions will flow away on the day of His anger.
29This is a wicked person’s portion from God, The inheritance decreed to him by God.'
Chapter 21
1Then Job responded,
2'Listen carefully to my speech, And let this be your way of consolation.
3Bear with me that I may speak; Then after I have spoken, you may mock me.
4As for me, is my complaint to a mortal? Or why should I not be impatient?
5Look at me, and be astonished, And put your hand over your mouth.
6Even when I remember, I am disturbed, And horror takes hold of my flesh.
7Why do the wicked still live, Grow old, and also become very powerful?
8Their descendants endure with them in their sight, And their offspring before their eyes,
9Their houses are safe from fear, And the rod of God is not on them.
10His ox mates without fail; His cow calves and does not miscarry.
11They send out their boys like the flock, And their children dance.
12They sing with the tambourine and harp, And rejoice at the sound of the flute.
13They spend their days in prosperity, And suddenly they go down to Sheol.
14Yet they say to God, ‘Go away from us! We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways.
15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him, And what would we gain if we plead with Him?’
16Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand; The advice of the wicked is far from me.
17'How often is the lamp of the wicked put out, Or does their disaster fall on them? Does God apportion destruction in His anger?
18Are they as straw before the wind, And like chaff which the storm carries away?
19 You say, ‘God saves up a person’s wrongdoing for his sons.’ Let God repay him so that he may know it.
20Let his own eyes see his destruction, And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
21For what does he care about his household after him, When the number of his months is at an end?
22Can anyone teach God knowledge, In that He judges those on high?
23One dies in his full strength, Being wholly undisturbed and at ease;
24His sides are filled with fat, And the marrow of his bones is wet,
25While another dies with a bitter soul, Never even tasting anything good.
26Together they lie down in the dust, And maggots cover them.
27'Behold, I know your thoughts, And the plots you devise against me.
28For you say, ‘Where is the house of the nobleman, And where is the tent, the dwelling places of the wicked?’
29Have you not asked travelers, And do you not examine their evidence?
30For the wicked person is spared a day of disaster; They are led away from a day of fury.
31Who confronts him with his actions, And who repays him for what he has done?
32When he is carried to the grave, People will keep watch over his tomb.
33The clods of the valley will gently cover him; Moreover, all mankind will follow after him, While countless others go before him.
34So how dare you give me empty comfort? For your answers remain nothing but falsehood!'
Chapter 22
1Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded,
2'Can a strong man be of use to God, Or a wise one be useful to himself?
3Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous, Or gain if you make your ways blameless?
4Is it because of your reverence that He punishes you, That He enters into judgment against you?
5Is your wickedness not abundant, And is there no end to your guilty deeds?
6For you have seized pledges from your brothers without cause, And stripped people naked.
7You have given the weary no water to drink, And you have withheld bread from the hungry.
8But the earth belongs to the powerful man, And the one who is honorable dwells on it.
9You have sent widows away empty, And the strength of orphans has been crushed.
10Therefore traps surround you, And sudden dread terrifies you,
11Or darkness, so that you cannot see, And a flood of water covers you.
12'Is God not in the height of heaven? Look also at the highest stars, how high they are!
13But you say, ‘What does God know? Can He judge through the thick darkness?
14Clouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He cannot see; And He walks on the vault of heaven.’
15Will you keep to the ancient path Which wicked people have walked,
16Who were snatched away before their time, Whose foundations were washed away by a river?
17They said to God, ‘Go away from us!’ And ‘What can the Almighty do to them?’
18Yet He filled their houses with good things; But the advice of the wicked is far from me.
19The righteous see and are glad, And the innocent mock them, saying,
20‘Truly our enemies are eliminated, And fire has consumed their abundance.’
21'Be reconciled with Him, and be at peace; Thereby good will come to you.
22Please receive instruction from His mouth, And put His words in your heart.
23If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored; If you remove injustice far from your tent,
24And put your gold in the dust, And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks,
25Then the Almighty will be your gold And abundant silver to you.
26For then you will take pleasure in the Almighty And lift up your face to God.
27You will pray to Him, and He will hear you; And you will pay your vows.
28You will also decide something, and it will be established for you; And light will shine on your ways.
29When they have brought you low, you will speak with confidence, And He will save the humble person.
30He will rescue one who is not innocent, And he will be rescued due to the cleanness of your hands.'
Chapter 23
1Then Job responded,
2'Even today my complaint is rebellion; His hand is heavy despite my groaning.
3Oh that I knew how to find Him, That I might come to His home!
4I would present my case before Him And fill my mouth with arguments.
5I would learn the words which He would answer, And perceive what He would tell me.
6Would He contend with me by the greatness of His power? No, surely He would pay attention to me.
7There the upright would argue with Him; And I would be free of my Judge forever.
8'Behold, I go forward but He is not there, And backward, but I cannot perceive Him;
9When He acts on the left, I cannot see Him; He turns to the right, but I cannot see Him.
10But He knows the way I take; When He has put me to the test, I will come out as gold.
11My foot has held on to His path; I have kept His way and not turned aside.
12I have not failed the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.
13But He is unique, and who can make Him turn? Whatever His soul desires, He does it.
14For He carries out what is destined for me, And many such destinies are with Him.
15Therefore, I would be terrified at His presence; When I consider this, I am frightened of Him.
16 It is God who has made my heart faint, And the Almighty who has terrified me,
17But I am not destroyed by darkness, Nor by deep gloom which covers me.
Chapter 24
1'Why are times not stored up by the Almighty, And why do those who know Him not see His days? 2 People remove landmarks; They seize and devour flocks. 3They drive away the donkeys of orphans; They seize the widow’s ox as a pledge. 4They push the needy aside from the road; The poor of the land have to hide themselves together. 5Behold, like wild donkeys in the wilderness They go out scavenging for food in their activity, As bread for their children in the desert. 6They harvest their feed in the field And glean the vineyard of the wicked. 7They spend the night naked, without clothing, And have no covering against the cold. 8They are wet from the mountain rains, And they hug the rock for lack of a shelter. 9 Others snatch an orphan from the breast, And they seize it as a pledge against the poor. 10 The poor move about naked without clothing, And they carry sheaves, while going hungry. 11Within the walls they produce oil; They tread wine presses but go thirsty. 12From the city people groan, And the souls of the wounded cry for help; Yet God does not pay attention to the offensiveness. 13'Others have been with those who rebel against the light; They do not want to know its ways Nor stay in its paths. 14The murderer arises at dawn; He kills the poor and the needy, And at night he is like a thief. 15The eye of the adulterer watches for twilight, Saying, ‘No eye will see me.’ And he disguises his face. 16In the darkness they dig into houses, They shut themselves up by day; They do not know the light. 17For the morning is the same to him as thick darkness, For he is familiar with the terrors of thick darkness. 18'They are insignificant on the surface of the water; Their plot of land on the earth is cursed. They do not turn toward the vineyards. 19Dryness and heat snatch away the snow waters, As Sheol snatches those who have sinned. 20A mother will forget him; The maggot feeds sweetly until he is no longer remembered. And injustice will be broken like a tree. 21He wrongs the infertile woman, And does no good for the widow. 22But He drags off the mighty by His power; He rises, but no one has assurance of life. 23He provides them with security, and they are supported; And His eyes are on their ways. 24They are exalted a little while, then they are gone; Moreover, they are brought low, and like everything they are gathered up; Like the heads of grain they wither. 25Now if it is not so, who can prove me a liar, And make my speech worthless?'Chapter 25
1Then Bildad the Shuhite responded,
2'Dominion and awe belong to Him Who makes peace in His heights.
3Is there any number to His troops? And upon whom does His light not rise?
4How then can mankind be righteous with God? Or how can anyone who is born of woman be pure?
5If even the moon has no brightness And the stars are not pure in His sight,
6How much less man, that maggot, And a son of man, that worm!'
King James Version
Chapter 18
1Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said, 2How long will it be ere ye make an end of words? mark, and afterwards we will speak.Chapter 19
1Then Job answered and said, 2How long will ye vex my soul, and break me in pieces with words?
6Know now that God hath overthrown me, and hath compassed me with his net.
7Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard: I cry aloud, but there is no judgment.
12His troops come together, and raise up their way against me, and encamp round about my tabernacle.
13He hath put my brethren far from me, and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me.
22Why do ye persecute me as God, and are not satisfied with my flesh?
23Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book!
Chapter 20
1Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said, 2Therefore do my thoughts cause me to answer, and for this I make haste.Chapter 21
1But Job answered and said, 2Hear diligently my speech, and let this be your consolations.
6Even when I remember I am afraid, and trembling taketh hold on my flesh.
7Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power?
16Lo, their good is not in their hand: the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
17How oft is the candle of the wicked put out! and how oft cometh their destruction upon them! God distributeth sorrows in his anger.
22Shall any teach God knowledge? seeing he judgeth those that are high.
23One dieth in his full strength, being wholly at ease and quiet.
26They shall lie down alike in the dust, and the worms shall cover them.
27Behold, I know your thoughts, and the devices which ye wrongfully imagine against me.
Chapter 22
1Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said, 2Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself?
6For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing.
Chapter 23
1Then Job answered and said, 2Even to day is my complaint bitter: my stroke is heavier than my groaning.
7There the righteous might dispute with him; so should I be delivered for ever from my judge.
8Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him:
Chapter 24
1Why, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, do they that know him not see his days?Christian Standard Bible
Chapter 18
1Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:
2How long until you stop talking? Show some sense, and then we can talk.
3Why are we regarded as cattle, as stupid in your sight?
4You who tear yourself in anger — should the earth be abandoned on your account, or a rock be removed from its place?
5Yes, the light of the wicked is extinguished; the flame of his fire does not glow.
6The light in his tent grows dark, and the lamp beside him is put out.
7His powerful stride is shortened, and his own schemes trip him up.
8For his own feet lead him into a net, and he strays into its mesh.
9A trap catches him by the heel; a noose seizes him.
10A rope lies hidden for him on the ground, and a snare waits for him along the path.
11Terrors frighten him on every side and harass him at every step.
12His strength is depleted; disaster lies ready for him to stumble.
13Parts of his skin are eaten away; death’s firstborn consumes his limbs.
14He is ripped from the security of his tent and marched away to the king of terrors.
15Nothing he owned remains in his tent. Burning sulfur is scattered over his home.
16His roots below dry up, and his branches above wither away.
17All memory of him perishes from the earth; he has no name anywhere.
18He is driven from light to darkness and chased from the inhabited world.
19He has no children or descendants among his people, no survivor where he used to live.
20Those in the west are appalled at his fate, while those in the east tremble in horror.
21Indeed, such is the dwelling of the unjust man, and this is the place of the one who does not know God.
Chapter 19
1Then Job answered:
2How long will you torment me and crush me with words?
3You have humiliated me ten times now, and you mistreat me without shame.
4Even if it is true that I have sinned, my mistake concerns only me.
5If you really want to appear superior to me and would use my disgrace as evidence against me,
6then understand that it is God who has wronged me and caught me in his net.
7I cry out: "Violence!" but get no response; I call for help, but there is no justice.
8He has blocked my way so that I cannot pass through; he has veiled my paths with darkness.
9He has stripped me of my honor and removed the crown from my head.
10He tears me down on every side so that I am ruined. He uproots my hope like a tree.
11His anger burns against me, and he regards me as one of his enemies.
12His troops advance together; they construct a ramp against me and camp around my tent.
13He has removed my brothers from me; my acquaintances have abandoned me.
14My relatives stop coming by, and my close friends have forgotten me.
15My house guests and female servants regard me as a stranger; I am a foreigner in their sight.
16I call for my servant, but he does not answer, even if I beg him with my own mouth.
17My breath is offensive to my wife, and my own family finds me repulsive.
18Even young boys scorn me. When I stand up, they mock me.
19All of my best friends despise me, and those I love have turned against me.
20My skin and my flesh cling to my bones; I have escaped with only the skin of my teeth.
21Have mercy on me, my friends, have mercy, for God’s hand has struck me.
22Why do you persecute me as God does? Will you never get enough of my flesh?
23I wish that my words were written down, that they were recorded on a scroll
24or were inscribed in stone forever by an iron stylus and lead!
25But I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the end he will stand on the dust.
26Even after my skin has been destroyed, yet I will see God in my flesh.
27I will see him myself; my eyes will look at him, and not as a stranger. My heart longs within me.
28If you say, "How will we pursue him, since the root of the problem lies with him?"
29then be afraid of the sword, because wrath brings punishment by the sword, so that you may know there is a judgment.
Chapter 20
1Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:
3I have heard a rebuke that insults me, and my understanding makes me reply.
4Don’t you know that ever since antiquity, from the time a human was placed on earth,
5the joy of the wicked has been brief and the happiness of the godless has lasted only a moment?
6Though his arrogance reaches heaven, and his head touches the clouds,
7he will vanish forever like his own dung. Those who know him will ask, "Where is he?"
8He will fly away like a dream and never be found; he will be chased away like a vision in the night.
9The eye that saw him will see him no more, and his household will no longer see him.
10His children will beg from the poor, for his own hands must give back his wealth.
11His frame may be full of youthful vigor, but it will lie down with him in dust.
12Though evil tastes sweet in his mouth and he conceals it under his tongue,
13though he cherishes it and will not let it go but keeps it in his mouth,
14yet the food in his stomach turns into cobras’ venom inside him.
15He swallows wealth but must vomit it up; God will force it from his stomach.
16He will suck the poison of cobras; a viper’s fangs will kill him.
17He will not enjoy the streams, the rivers flowing with honey and curds.
18He must return the fruit of his labor without consuming it; he doesn’t enjoy the profits from his trading.
19For he oppressed and abandoned the poor; he seized a house he did not build.
20Because his appetite is never satisfied, he does not let anything he desires escape.
21Nothing is left for him to consume; therefore, his prosperity will not last.
22At the height of his success distress will come to him; the full weight of misery will crush him.
23When he fills his stomach, God will send his burning anger against him, raining it down on him while he is eating.
24If he flees from an iron weapon, an arrow from a bronze bow will pierce him.
25He pulls it out of his back, the flashing tip out of his liver. Terrors come over him.
26Total darkness is reserved for his treasures. A fire unfanned by human hands will consume him; it will feed on what is left in his tent.
27The heavens will expose his iniquity, and the earth will rise up against him.
28The possessions in his house will be removed, flowing away on the day of God’s anger.
29This is the wicked person’s lot from God, the inheritance God ordained for him.
Chapter 21
1Then Job answered:
3Bear with me while I speak; then after I have spoken, you may continue mocking.
4As for me, is my complaint against a human being? Then why shouldn’t I be impatient?
5Look at me and shudder; put your hand over your mouth.
6When I think about it, I am terrified and my body trembles in horror.
7Why do the wicked continue to live, growing old and becoming powerful?
8Their children are established while they are still alive, and their descendants, before their eyes.
9Their homes are secure and free of fear; no rod from God strikes them.
10Their bulls breed without fail; their cows calve and do not miscarry.
11They let their little ones run around like lambs; their children skip about,
12singing to the tambourine and lyre and rejoicing at the sound of the flute.
13They spend their days in prosperity and go down to Sheol in peace.
14Yet they say to God, "Leave us alone! We don’t want to know your ways.
15Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him, and what will we gain by pleading with him?"
16But their prosperity is not of their own doing. The counsel of the wicked is far from me!
17How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? Does disaster come on them? Does he apportion destruction in his anger?
18Are they like straw before the wind, like chaff a storm sweeps away?
19God reserves a person’s punishment for his children. Let God repay the person himself, so that he may know it.
20Let his own eyes see his demise; let him drink from the Almighty’s wrath!
21For what does he care about his family once he is dead, when the number of his months has run out?
22Can anyone teach God knowledge, since he judges the exalted ones?
23One person dies in excellent health, completely secure and at ease.
24His body is well fed, and his bones are full of marrow.
25Yet another person dies with a bitter soul, having never tasted prosperity.
26But they both lie in the dust, and worms cover them.
27I know your thoughts very well, the schemes by which you would wrong me.
28For you say, "Where now is the nobleman’s house?" and "Where are the tents the wicked lived in?"
29Have you never consulted those who travel the roads? Don’t you accept their reports?
30Indeed, the evil person is spared from the day of disaster, rescued from the day of wrath.
31Who would denounce his behavior to his face? Who would repay him for what he has done?
32He is carried to the grave, and someone keeps watch over his tomb.
33The dirt on his grave is sweet to him. Everyone follows behind him, and those who go before him are without number.
34So how can you offer me such futile comfort? Your answers are deceptive.
Chapter 22
1Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
3Does it delight the Almighty if you are righteous? Does he profit if you perfect your behavior?
4Does he correct you and take you to court because of your piety?
5Isn’t your wickedness abundant and aren’t your iniquities endless?
6For you took collateral from your brothers without cause, stripping off their clothes and leaving them naked.
7You gave no water to the thirsty and withheld food from the famished,
8while the land belonged to a powerful man and an influential man lived on it.
9You sent widows away empty-handed, and the strength of the fatherless was crushed.
10Therefore snares surround you, and sudden dread terrifies you,
11or darkness, so you cannot see, and a flood of water covers you.
12Isn’t God as high as the heavens? And look at the highest stars—how lofty they are!
13Yet you say, "What does God know? Can he judge through total darkness?
14Clouds veil him so that he cannot see, as he walks on the circle of the sky."
15Will you continue on the ancient path that wicked men have walked?
16They were snatched away before their time, and their foundations were washed away by a river.
17They were the ones who said to God, "Leave us alone!" and "What can the Almighty do to us?"
18But it was he who filled their houses with good things. The counsel of the wicked is far from me!
19The righteous see this and rejoice; the innocent mock them, saying,
20"Surely our opponents are destroyed, and fire has consumed what they left behind."
21Come to terms with God and be at peace; in this way good will come to you.
22Receive instruction from his mouth, and place his sayings in your heart.
23If you return to the Almighty, you will be renewed. If you banish injustice from your tent
24and consign your gold to the dust, the gold of Ophir to the stones in the wadis,
25the Almighty will be your gold and your finest silver.
26Then you will delight in the Almighty and lift up your face to God.
27You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows.
28When you make a decision, it will be carried out, and light will shine on your ways.
29When others are humiliated and you say, "Lift them up," God will save the humble.
30He will even rescue the guilty one, who will be rescued by the purity of your hands.
Chapter 23
1Then Job answered:
2Today also my complaint is bitter. His hand is heavy despite my groaning.
3If only I knew how to find him, so that I could go to his throne.
4I would plead my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments.
5I would learn how he would answer me; and understand what he would say to me.
6Would he prosecute me forcefully? No, he would certainly pay attention to me.
7Then an upright man could reason with him, and I would escape from my Judge forever.
8If I go east, he is not there, and if I go west, I cannot perceive him.
9When he is at work to the north, I cannot see him; when he turns south, I cannot find him.
10Yet he knows the way I have taken; when he has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold.
11My feet have followed in his tracks; I have kept to his way and not turned aside.
12I have not departed from the commands from his lips; I have treasured the words from his mouth more than my daily food.
13But he is unchangeable; who can oppose him? He does what he desires.
14He will certainly accomplish what he has decreed for me, and he has many more things like these in mind.
15Therefore I am terrified in his presence; when I consider this, I am afraid of him.
16God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me.
17Yet I am not destroyed by the darkness, by the thick darkness that covers my face.
Chapter 24
1Why does the Almighty not reserve times for judgment? Why do those who know him never see his days? 2The wicked displace boundary markers. They steal a flock and provide pasture for it. 3They drive away the donkeys owned by the fatherless and take the widow’s ox as collateral. 4They push the needy off the road; the poor of the land are forced into hiding. 5Like wild donkeys in the wilderness, the poor go out to their task of foraging for food; the desert provides nourishment for their children. 6They gather their fodder in the field and glean the vineyards of the wicked. 7Without clothing, they spend the night naked, having no covering against the cold. 8Drenched by mountain rains, they huddle against the rocks, shelterless. 9The fatherless infant is snatched from the breast; the nursing child of the poor is seized as collateral. 10Without clothing, they wander about naked. They carry sheaves but go hungry. 11They crush olives in their presses; they tread the winepresses, but go thirsty.
12From the city, men groan; the mortally wounded cry for help, yet God pays no attention to this crime.
13The wicked are those who rebel against the light. They do not recognize its ways or stay on its paths.
14The murderer rises at dawn to kill the poor and needy, and by night he becomes a thief.
15The adulterer’s eye watches for twilight, thinking, "No eye will see me," and he covers his face.
16In the dark they break into houses; by day they lock themselves in, never experiencing the light.
17For the morning is like darkness to them. Surely they are familiar with the terrors of darkness!
18They float on the surface of the water. Their section of the land is cursed, so that they never go to their vineyards.
19As dry ground and heat snatch away the melted snow, so Sheol steals those who have sinned.
20The womb forgets them; worms feed on them; they are remembered no more. So injustice is broken like a tree.
21They prey on the childless woman who is unable to conceive, and do not deal kindly with the widow.
22Yet God drags away the mighty by his power; when he rises up, they have no assurance of life.
23He gives them a sense of security, so they can rely on it, but his eyes watch over their ways.
24They are exalted for a moment, then gone; they are brought low and shrivel up like everything else. They wither like heads of grain.
25If this is not true, then who can prove me a liar and show that my speech is worthless?
Chapter 25
1Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:
2Dominion and dread belong to him, the one who establishes harmony in his heights.
3Can his troops be numbered? Does his light not shine on everyone?
4How can a human be justified before God? How can one born of woman be pure?
5If even the moon does not shine and the stars are not pure in his sight,
6how much less a human, who is a maggot, a son of man, who is a worm!
New Living Translation
Chapter 18
1Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:
2'How long before you stop talking? Speak sense if you want us to answer!
3Do you think we are mere animals? Do you think we are stupid?
4You may tear out your hair in anger, but will that destroy the earth? Will it make the rocks tremble?
5'Surely the light of the wicked will be snuffed out. The sparks of their fire will not glow.
6The light in their tent will grow dark. The lamp hanging above them will be quenched.
7The confident stride of the wicked will be shortened. Their own schemes will be their downfall.
8The wicked walk into a net. They fall into a pit.
9A trap grabs them by the heel. A snare holds them tight.
10A noose lies hidden on the ground. A rope is stretched across their path.
11'Terrors surround the wicked and trouble them at every step.
12Hunger depletes their strength, and calamity waits for them to stumble.
13Disease eats their skin; death devours their limbs.
14They are torn from the security of their homes and are brought down to the king of terrors.
15The homes of the wicked will burn down; burning sulfur rains on their houses.
16Their roots will dry up, and their branches will wither.
17All memory of their existence will fade from the earth; no one will remember their names.
18They will be thrust from light into darkness, driven from the world.
19They will have neither children nor grandchildren, nor any survivor in the place where they lived.
20People in the west are appalled at their fate; people in the east are horrified.
21They will say, ‘This was the home of a wicked person, the place of one who rejected God.’'
Chapter 19
1Then Job spoke again:
2'How long will you torture me? How long will you try to crush me with your words?
3You have already insulted me ten times. You should be ashamed of treating me so badly.
4Even if I have sinned, that is my concern, not yours.
5You think you’re better than I am, using my humiliation as evidence of my sin.
6But it is God who has wronged me, capturing me in his net.
7'I cry out, ‘Help!’ but no one answers me. I protest, but there is no justice.
8God has blocked my way so I cannot move. He has plunged my path into darkness.
9He has stripped me of my honor and removed the crown from my head.
10He has demolished me on every side, and I am finished. He has uprooted my hope like a fallen tree.
11His fury burns against me; he counts me as an enemy.
12His troops advance. They build up roads to attack me. They camp all around my tent.
13'My relatives stay far away, and my friends have turned against me.
14My family is gone, and my close friends have forgotten me.
15My servants and maids consider me a stranger. I am like a foreigner to them.
16When I call my servant, he doesn’t come; I have to plead with him!
17My breath is repulsive to my wife. I am rejected by my own family.
18Even young children despise me. When I stand to speak, they turn their backs on me.
19My close friends detest me. Those I loved have turned against me.
20I have been reduced to skin and bones and have escaped death by the skin of my teeth.
21'Have mercy on me, my friends, have mercy, for the hand of God has struck me.
22Must you also persecute me, like God does? Haven’t you chewed me up enough?
23'Oh, that my words could be recorded. Oh, that they could be inscribed on a monument,
24carved with an iron chisel and filled with lead, engraved forever in the rock.
25'But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last.
26And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God!
27I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought!
28'How dare you go on persecuting me, saying, ‘It’s his own fault’?
29You should fear punishment yourselves, for your attitude deserves punishment. Then you will know that there is indeed a judgment.'
Chapter 20
1Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:
2'I must reply because I am greatly disturbed.
3I’ve had to endure your insults, but now my spirit prompts me to reply.
4'Don’t you realize that from the beginning of time, ever since people were first placed on the earth,
5the triumph of the wicked has been short lived and the joy of the godless has been only temporary?
6Though the pride of the godless reaches to the heavens and their heads touch the clouds,
7yet they will vanish forever, thrown away like their own dung. Those who knew them will ask, ‘Where are they?’
8They will fade like a dream and not be found. They will vanish like a vision in the night.
9Those who once saw them will see them no more. Their families will never see them again.
10Their children will beg from the poor, for they must give back their stolen riches.
11Though they are young, their bones will lie in the dust.
12'They enjoyed the sweet taste of wickedness, letting it melt under their tongue.
13They savored it, holding it long in their mouths.
14But suddenly the food in their bellies turns sour, a poisonous venom in their stomach.
15They will vomit the wealth they swallowed. God won’t let them keep it down.
16They will suck the poison of cobras. The viper will kill them.
17They will never again enjoy streams of olive oil or rivers of milk and honey.
18They will give back everything they worked for. Their wealth will bring them no joy.
19For they oppressed the poor and left them destitute. They foreclosed on their homes.
20They were always greedy and never satisfied. Nothing remains of all the things they dreamed about.
21Nothing is left after they finish gorging themselves. Therefore, their prosperity will not endure.
22'In the midst of plenty, they will run into trouble and be overcome by misery.
23May God give them a bellyful of trouble. May God rain down his anger upon them.
24When they try to escape an iron weapon, a bronze-tipped arrow will pierce them.
25The arrow is pulled from their back, and the arrowhead glistens with blood. The terrors of death are upon them.
26Their treasures will be thrown into deepest darkness. A wildfire will devour their goods, consuming all they have left.
27The heavens will reveal their guilt, and the earth will testify against them.
28A flood will sweep away their house. God’s anger will descend on them in torrents.
29This is the reward that God gives the wicked. It is the inheritance decreed by God.'
Chapter 21
1Then Job spoke again:
2'Listen closely to what I am saying. That’s one consolation you can give me.
3Bear with me, and let me speak. After I have spoken, you may resume mocking me.
4'My complaint is with God, not with people. I have good reason to be so impatient.
5Look at me and be stunned. Put your hand over your mouth in shock.
6When I think about what I am saying, I shudder. My body trembles.
7'Why do the wicked prosper, growing old and powerful?
8They live to see their children grow up and settle down, and they enjoy their grandchildren.
9Their homes are safe from every fear, and God does not punish them.
10Their bulls never fail to breed. Their cows bear calves and never miscarry.
11They let their children frisk about like lambs. Their little ones skip and dance.
12They sing with tambourine and harp. They celebrate to the sound of the flute.
13They spend their days in prosperity, then go down to the grave in peace.
14And yet they say to God, ‘Go away. We want no part of you and your ways.
15Who is the Almighty, and why should we obey him? What good will it do us to pray?’
16(They think their prosperity is of their own doing, but I will have nothing to do with that kind of thinking.)
17'Yet the light of the wicked never seems to be extinguished. Do they ever have trouble? Does God distribute sorrows to them in anger?
18Are they driven before the wind like straw? Are they carried away by the storm like chaff? Not at all!
19'‘Well,’ you say, ‘at least God will punish their children!’ But I say he should punish the ones who sin, so that they understand his judgment.
20Let them see their destruction with their own eyes. Let them drink deeply of the anger of the Almighty.
21For they will not care what happens to their family after they are dead.
22'But who can teach a lesson to God, since he judges even the most powerful?
23One person dies in prosperity, completely comfortable and secure,
24the picture of good health, vigorous and fit.
25Another person dies in bitter poverty, never having tasted the good life.
26But both are buried in the same dust, both eaten by the same maggots.
27'Look, I know what you’re thinking. I know the schemes you plot against me.
28You will tell me of rich and wicked people whose houses have vanished because of their sins.
29But ask those who have been around, and they will tell you the truth.
30Evil people are spared in times of calamity and are allowed to escape disaster.
31No one criticizes them openly or pays them back for what they have done.
32When they are carried to the grave, an honor guard keeps watch at their tomb.
33A great funeral procession goes to the cemetery. Many pay their respects as the body is laid to rest, and the earth gives sweet repose.
Chapter 22
1Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
2'Can a person do anything to help God? Can even a wise person be helpful to him?
3Is it any advantage to the Almighty if you are righteous? Would it be any gain to him if you were perfect?
4Is it because you’re so pious that he accuses you and brings judgment against you?
5No, it’s because of your wickedness! There’s no limit to your sins.
6'For example, you must have lent money to your friend and demanded clothing as security. Yes, you stripped him to the bone.
7You must have refused water for the thirsty and food for the hungry.
8You probably think the land belongs to the powerful and only the privileged have a right to it!
9You must have sent widows away empty-handed and crushed the hopes of orphans.
10That is why you are surrounded by traps and tremble from sudden fears.
11That is why you cannot see in the darkness, and waves of water cover you.
12'God is so great — higher than the heavens, higher than the farthest stars.
13But you reply, ‘That’s why God can’t see what I am doing! How can he judge through the thick darkness?
14For thick clouds swirl about him, and he cannot see us. He is way up there, walking on the vault of heaven.’
15'Will you continue on the old paths where evil people have walked?
16They were snatched away in the prime of life, the foundations of their lives washed away.
17For they said to God, ‘Leave us alone! What can the Almighty do to us?’
18Yet he was the one who filled their homes with good things, so I will have nothing to do with that kind of thinking.
19'The righteous will be happy to see the wicked destroyed, and the innocent will laugh in contempt.
20They will say, ‘See how our enemies have been destroyed. The last of them have been consumed in the fire.’
21'Submit to God, and you will have peace; then things will go well for you.
22Listen to his instructions, and store them in your heart.
23If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored — so clean up your life.
24If you give up your lust for money and throw your precious gold into the river,
25the Almighty himself will be your treasure. He will be your precious silver!
26'Then you will take delight in the Almighty and look up to God.
27You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows to him.
28You will succeed in whatever you choose to do, and light will shine on the road ahead of you.
29If people are in trouble and you say, ‘Help them,’ God will save them.
30Even sinners will be rescued; they will be rescued because your hands are pure.'
Chapter 23
1Then Job spoke again:
2'My complaint today is still a bitter one, and I try hard not to groan aloud.
3If only I knew where to find God, I would go to his court.
4I would lay out my case and present my arguments.
5Then I would listen to his reply and understand what he says to me.
6Would he use his great power to argue with me? No, he would give me a fair hearing.
7Honest people can reason with him, so I would be forever acquitted by my judge.
8I go east, but he is not there. I go west, but I cannot find him.
9I do not see him in the north, for he is hidden. I look to the south, but he is concealed.
10'But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.
11For I have stayed on God’s paths; I have followed his ways and not turned aside.
12I have not departed from his commands, but have treasured his words more than daily food.
13But once he has made his decision, who can change his mind? Whatever he wants to do, he does.
14So he will do to me whatever he has planned. He controls my destiny.
15No wonder I am so terrified in his presence. When I think of it, terror grips me.
16God has made me sick at heart; the Almighty has terrified me.
17Darkness is all around me; thick, impenetrable darkness is everywhere.
Chapter 24
1'Why doesn’t the Almighty bring the wicked to judgment? Why must the godly wait for him in vain? 2Evil people steal land by moving the boundary markers. They steal livestock and put them in their own pastures. 3They take the orphan’s donkey and demand the widow’s ox as security for a loan. 4The poor are pushed off the path; the needy must hide together for safety. 5Like wild donkeys in the wilderness, the poor must spend all their time looking for food, searching even in the desert for food for their children. 6They harvest a field they do not own, and they glean in the vineyards of the wicked. 7All night they lie naked in the cold, without clothing or covering. 8They are soaked by mountain showers, and they huddle against the rocks for want of a home.
9'The wicked snatch a widow’s child from her breast, taking the baby as security for a loan.
10The poor must go about naked, without any clothing. They harvest food for others while they themselves are starving.
11They press out olive oil without being allowed to taste it, and they tread in the winepress as they suffer from thirst.
12The groans of the dying rise from the city, and the wounded cry for help, yet God ignores their moaning.
13'Wicked people rebel against the light. They refuse to acknowledge its ways or stay in its paths.
14The murderer rises in the early dawn to kill the poor and needy; at night he is a thief.
15The adulterer waits for the twilight, saying, ‘No one will see me then.’ He hides his face so no one will know him.
16Thieves break into houses at night and sleep in the daytime. They are not acquainted with the light.
17The black night is their morning. They ally themselves with the terrors of the darkness.
18'But they disappear like foam down a river. Everything they own is cursed, and they are afraid to enter their own vineyards.
19The grave consumes sinners just as drought and heat consume snow.
20Their own mothers will forget them. Maggots will find them sweet to eat. No one will remember them. Wicked people are broken like a tree in the storm.
21They cheat the woman who has no son to help her. They refuse to help the needy widow.
22'God, in his power, drags away the rich. They may rise high, but they have no assurance of life.
23They may be allowed to live in security, but God is always watching them.
24And though they are great now, in a moment they will be gone like all others, cut off like heads of grain.
25Can anyone claim otherwise? Who can prove me wrong?'
Chapter 25
1Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:
2'God is powerful and dreadful. He enforces peace in the heavens.
3Who is able to count his heavenly army? Doesn’t his light shine on all the earth?
4How can a mortal be innocent before God? Can anyone born of a woman be pure?
5God is more glorious than the moon; he shines brighter than the stars.
6In comparison, people are maggots; we mortals are mere worms.'
English Standard Version
Chapter 18
1Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:
2"How long will you hunt for words? Consider, and then we will speak.
3Why are we counted as cattle? Why are we stupid in your sight?
4You who tear yourself in your anger, shall the earth be forsaken for you, or the rock be removed out of its place?
5"Indeed, the light of the wicked is put out, and the flame of his fire does not shine.
6The light is dark in his tent, and his lamp above him is put out.
7His strong steps are shortened, and his own schemes throw him down.
8For he is cast into a net by his own feet, and he walks on its mesh.
9 A trap seizes him by the heel; a snare lays hold of him.
10A rope is hidden for him in the ground, a trap for him in the path.
11 Terrors frighten him on every side, and chase him at his heels.
12His strength is famished, and calamity is ready for his stumbling.
13It consumes the parts of his skin; the firstborn of death consumes his limbs.
14He is torn from the tent in which he trusted and is brought to the king of terrors.
15In his tent dwells that which is none of his; sulfur is scattered over his habitation.
16His roots dry up beneath, and his branches wither above.
17His memory perishes from the earth, and he has no name in the street.
18 He is thrust from light into darkness, and driven out of the world.
19He has no posterity or progeny among his people, and no survivor where he used to live.
20They of the west are appalled at his day, and horror seizes them of the east.
21Surely such are the dwellings of the unrighteous, such is the place of him who knows not God."
Chapter 19
1Then Job answered and said:
2"How long will you torment me and break me in pieces with words?
3These ten times you have cast reproach upon me; are you not ashamed to wrong me?
4And even if it be true that I have erred, my error remains with myself.
5If indeed you magnify yourselves against me and make my disgrace an argument against me,
6know then that God has put me in the wrong and closed his net about me.
7Behold, I cry out, ‘Violence!’ but I am not answered; I call for help, but there is no justice.
8He has walled up my way, so that I cannot pass, and he has set darkness upon my paths.
9He has stripped from me my glory and taken the crown from my head.
10He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone, and my hope has he pulled up like a tree.
11He has kindled his wrath against me and counts me as his adversary.
12His troops come on together; they have cast up their siege ramp against me and encamp around my tent.
13"He has put my brothers far from me, and those who knew me are wholly estranged from me.
14My relatives have failed me, my close friends have forgotten me.
15The guests in my house and my maidservants count me as a stranger; I have become a foreigner in their eyes.
16I call to my servant, but he gives me no answer; I must plead with him with my mouth for mercy.
17My breath is strange to my wife, and I am a stench to the children of my own mother.
18Even young children despise me; when I rise they talk against me.
19All my intimate friends abhor me, and those whom I loved have turned against me.
20My bones stick to my skin and to my flesh, and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.
21Have mercy on me, have mercy on me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has touched me!
22Why do you, like God, pursue me? Why are you not satisfied with my flesh?
23"Oh that my words were written! Oh that they were inscribed in a book!
24Oh that with an iron pen and lead they were engraved in the rock forever!
25For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
26And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God,
27whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!
28If you say, ‘How we will pursue him!’ and, ‘The root of the matter is found in him,’
29be afraid of the sword, for wrath brings the punishment of the sword, that you may know there is a judgment."
2"Therefore my thoughts answer me, because of my haste within me.
3I hear censure that insults me, and out of my understanding a spirit answers me.
4Do you not know this from of old, since man was placed on earth,
5 that the exulting of the wicked is short, and the joy of the godless but for a moment?
6 Though his height mount up to the heavens, and his head reach to the clouds,
7he will perish forever like his own dung; those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’
8He will fly away like a dream and not be found; he will be chased away like a vision of the night.
9 The eye that saw him will see him no more, nor will his place any more behold him.
10His children will seek the favor of the poor, and his hands will give back his wealth.
11His bones are full of his youthful vigor, but it will lie down with him in the dust.
12"Though evil is sweet in his mouth, though he hides it under his tongue,
13though he is loath to let it go and holds it in his mouth,
14yet his food is turned in his stomach; it is the venom of cobras within him.
15He swallows down riches and vomits them up again; God casts them out of his belly.
16He will suck the poison of cobras; the tongue of a viper will kill him.
17He will not look upon the rivers, the streams flowing with honey and curds.
18He will give back the fruit of his toil and will not swallow it down; from the profit of his trading he will get no enjoyment.
19For he has crushed and abandoned the poor; he has seized a house that he did not build.
20"Because he knew no contentment in his belly, he will not let anything in which he delights escape him.
21There was nothing left after he had eaten; therefore his prosperity will not endure.
22In the fullness of his sufficiency he will be in distress; the hand of everyone in misery will come against him.
23To fill his belly to the full, God will send his burning anger against him and rain it upon him into his body.
24 He will flee from an iron weapon; a bronze arrow will strike him through.
25It is drawn forth and comes out of his body; the glittering point comes out of his gallbladder; terrors come upon him.
26Utter darkness is laid up for his treasures; a fire not fanned will devour him; what is left in his tent will be consumed.
27 The heavens will reveal his iniquity, and the earth will rise up against him.
28The possessions of his house will be carried away, dragged off in the day of God 's wrath.
29 This is the wicked man 's portion from God, the heritage decreed for him by God."
Chapter 21
1Then Job answered and said:
2 "Keep listening to my words, and let this be your comfort.
3Bear with me, and I will speak, and after I have spoken, mock on.
4As for me, is my complaint against man? Why should I not be impatient?
5Look at me and be appalled, and lay your hand over your mouth.
6When I remember, I am dismayed, and shuddering seizes my flesh.
7 Why do the wicked live, reach old age, and grow mighty in power?
8Their offspring are established in their presence, and their descendants before their eyes.
9Their houses are safe from fear, and no rod of God is upon them.
10Their bull breeds without fail; their cow calves and does not miscarry.
11They send out their little boys like a flock, and their children dance.
12They sing to the tambourine and the lyre and rejoice to the sound of the pipe.
13They spend their days in prosperity, and in peace they go down to Sheol.
14They say to God, ‘Depart from us! We do not desire the knowledge of your ways.
15 What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit do we get if we pray to him?’
16Behold, is not their prosperity in their hand? The counsel of the wicked is far from me.
17"How often is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out? That their calamity comes upon them? That God distributes pains in his anger?
18That they are like straw before the wind, and like chaff that the storm carries away?
19You say, ‘God stores up their iniquity for their children.’ Let him pay it out to them, that they may know it.
20Let their own eyes see their destruction, and let them drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
21For what do they care for their houses after them, when the number of their months is cut off?
22 Will any teach God knowledge, seeing that he judges those who are on high?
23One dies in his full vigor, being wholly at ease and secure,
24his pails full of milk and the marrow of his bones moist.
25Another dies in bitterness of soul, never having tasted of prosperity.
26They lie down alike in the dust, and the worms cover them.
27"Behold, I know your thoughts and your schemes to wrong me.
28For you say, ‘Where is the house of the prince? Where is the tent in which the wicked lived?’
29Have you not asked those who travel the roads, and do you not accept their testimony
30that the evil man is spared in the day of calamity, that he is rescued in the day of wrath?
31Who declares his way to his face, and who repays him for what he has done?
32When he is carried to the grave, watch is kept over his tomb.
33 The clods of the valley are sweet to him; all mankind follows after him, and those who go before him are innumerable.
34How then will you comfort me with empty nothings? There is nothing left of your answers but falsehood."
2 "Can a man be profitable to God? Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.
3Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are in the right, or is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless?
4Is it for your fear of him that he reproves you and enters into judgment with you?
5Is not your evil abundant? There is no end to your iniquities.
6For you have exacted pledges of your brothers for nothing and stripped the naked of their clothing.
7You have given no water to the weary to drink, and you have withheld bread from the hungry.
8 The man with power possessed the land, and the favored man lived in it.
9You have sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless were crushed.
10Therefore snares are all around you, and sudden terror overwhelms you,
11or darkness, so that you cannot see, and a flood of water covers you.
12"Is not God high in the heavens? See the highest stars, how lofty they are!
13But you say, ‘What does God know? Can he judge through the deep darkness?
14 Thick clouds veil him, so that he does not see, and he walks on the vault of heaven.’
15Will you keep to the old way that wicked men have trod?
16They were snatched away before their time; their foundation was washed away.
17They said to God, ‘Depart from us,’ and ‘What can the Almighty do to us?’
18Yet he filled their houses with good things — but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19 The righteous see it and are glad; the innocent one mocks at them,
20saying, ‘Surely our adversaries are cut off, and what they left the fire has consumed.’
21 "Agree with God, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you.
22Receive instruction from his mouth, and lay up his words in your heart.
23If you return to the Almighty you will be built up; if you remove injustice far from your tents,
24if you lay gold in the dust, and gold of Ophir among the stones of the torrent-bed,
25then the Almighty will be your gold and your precious silver.
26For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty and lift up your face to God.
27You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you, and you will pay your vows.
28You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you, and light will shine on your ways.
29For when they are humbled you say, ‘It is because of pride’; but he saves the lowly.
30He delivers even the one who is not innocent, who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands."
Chapter 23
1Then Job answered and said:
2"Today also my complaint is bitter; my hand is heavy on account of my groaning.
3Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his seat!
4I would lay my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments.
5I would know what he would answer me and understand what he would say to me.
6Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power? No; he would pay attention to me.
7There an upright man could argue with him, and I would be acquitted forever by my judge.
8"Behold, I go forward, but he is not there, and backward, but I do not perceive him;
9on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him; he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him.
10But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.
11My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and have not turned aside.
12I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.
13But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back? What he desires, that he does.
14For he will complete what he appoints for me, and many such things are in his mind.
15Therefore I am terrified at his presence; when I consider, I am in dread of him.
16God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me;
17yet I am not silenced because of the darkness, nor because thick darkness covers my face.
Chapter 24
1"Why are not times of judgment kept by the Almighty, and why do those who know him never see his days? 2Some move landmarks; they seize flocks and pasture them. 3They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; they take the widow 's ox for a pledge. 4They thrust the poor off the road; the poor of the earth all hide themselves. 5Behold, like wild donkeys in the desert the poor go out to their toil, seeking game; the wasteland yields food for their children. 6They gather their fodder in the field, and they glean the vineyard of the wicked man. 7They lie all night naked, without clothing, and have no covering in the cold. 8They are wet with the rain of the mountains and cling to the rock for lack of shelter. 9(There are those who snatch the fatherless child from the breast, and they take a pledge against the poor.) 10They go about naked, without clothing; hungry, they carry the sheaves; 11among the olive rows of the wicked they make oil; they tread the winepresses, but suffer thirst. 12From out of the city the dying groan, and the soul of the wounded cries for help; yet God charges no one with wrong. 13"There are those who rebel against the light, who are not acquainted with its ways, and do not stay in its paths. 14The murderer rises before it is light, that he may kill the poor and needy, and in the night he is like a thief. 15The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight, saying, ‘No eye will see me’; and he veils his face. 16In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves up; they do not know the light. 17For deep darkness is morning to all of them; for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness. 18"You say, ‘Swift are they on the face of the waters; their portion is cursed in the land; no treader turns toward their vineyards. 19Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters; so does Sheol those who have sinned. 20The womb forgets them; the worm finds them sweet; they are no longer remembered, so wickedness is broken like a tree.’ 21"They wrong the barren, childless woman, and do no good to the widow. 22Yet God prolongs the life of the mighty by his power; they rise up when they despair of life. 23He gives them security, and they are supported, and his eyes are upon their ways. 24They are exalted a little while, and then are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like the heads of grain. 25If it is not so, who will prove me a liar and show that there is nothing in what I say?"Chapter 25
1Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:
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 man be in the right before God? How can he who is born of woman be pure?
5Behold, even the moon is not bright, and the stars are not pure in his eyes;
6 how much less man, who is a maggot, and the son of man, who is a worm!"
New International Version
Chapter 18
1Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:
2"When will you end these speeches? Be sensible, and then we can talk.
3Why are we regarded as cattle and considered stupid in your sight?
4You who tear yourself to pieces in your anger, is the earth to be abandoned for your sake? Or must the rocks be moved from their place?
5"The lamp of a wicked man is snuffed out; the flame of his fire stops burning.
6The light in his tent becomes dark; the lamp beside him goes out.
7The vigor of his step is weakened; his own schemes throw him down.
8His feet thrust him into a net; he wanders into its mesh.
9A trap seizes him by the heel; a snare holds him fast.
10A noose is hidden for him on the ground; a trap lies in his path.
11Terrors startle him on every side and dog his every step.
12Calamity is hungry for him; disaster is ready for him when he falls.
13It eats away parts of his skin; death’s firstborn devours his limbs.
14He is torn from the security of his tent and marched off to the king of terrors.
15Fire resides in his tent; burning sulfur is scattered over his dwelling.
16His roots dry up below and his branches wither above.
17The memory of him perishes from the earth; he has no name in the land.
18He is driven from light into the realm of darkness and is banished from the world.
19He has no offspring or descendants among his people, no survivor where once he lived.
20People of the west are appalled at his fate; those of the east are seized with horror.
21Surely such is the dwelling of an evil man; such is the place of one who does not know God."
Chapter 19
1Then Job replied:
2"How long will you torment me and crush me with words?
3Ten times now you have reproached me; shamelessly you attack me.
4If it is true that I have gone astray, my error remains my concern alone.
5If indeed you would exalt yourselves above me and use my humiliation against me,
6then know that God has wronged me and drawn his net around me.
7"Though I cry, ‘Violence!’ I get no response; though I call for help, there is no justice.
8He has blocked my way so I cannot pass; he has shrouded my paths in darkness.
9He has stripped me of my honor and removed the crown from my head.
10He tears me down on every side till I am gone; he uproots my hope like a tree.
11His anger burns against me; he counts me among his enemies.
12His troops advance in force; they build a siege ramp against me and encamp around my tent.
13"He has alienated my family from me; my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.
14My relatives have gone away; my closest friends have forgotten me.
15My guests and my female servants count me a foreigner; they look on me as on a stranger.
16I summon my servant, but he does not answer, though I beg him with my own mouth.
17My breath is offensive to my wife; I am loathsome to my own family.
18Even the little boys scorn me; when I appear, they ridicule me.
19All my intimate friends detest me; those I love have turned against me.
20I am nothing but skin and bones; I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.
21"Have pity on me, my friends, have pity, for the hand of God has struck me.
22Why do you pursue me as God does? Will you never get enough of my flesh?
23"Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll,
24that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead, or engraved in rock forever!
25I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth.
26And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God;
27I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!
28"If you say, ‘How we will hound him, since the root of the trouble lies in him, ’
29you should fear the sword yourselves; for wrath will bring punishment by the sword, and then you will know that there is judgment. "
Chapter 20
1Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:
3I hear a rebuke that dishonors me, and my understanding inspires me to reply.
4"Surely you know how it has been from of old, ever since mankind was placed on the earth,
5that the mirth of the wicked is brief, the joy of the godless lasts but a moment.
6Though the pride of the godless person reaches to the heavens and his head touches the clouds,
7he will perish forever, like his own dung; those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’
8Like a dream he flies away, no more to be found, banished like a vision of the night.
9The eye that saw him will not see him again; his place will look on him no more.
10His children must make amends to the poor; his own hands must give back his wealth.
11The youthful vigor that fills his bones will lie with him in the dust.
12"Though evil is sweet in his mouth and he hides it under his tongue,
13though he cannot bear to let it go and lets it linger in his mouth,
14yet his food will turn sour in his stomach; it will become the venom of serpents within him.
15He will spit out the riches he swallowed; God will make his stomach vomit them up.
16He will suck the poison of serpents; the fangs of an adder will kill him.
17He will not enjoy the streams, the rivers flowing with honey and cream.
18What he toiled for he must give back uneaten; he will not enjoy the profit from his trading.
19For he has oppressed the poor and left them destitute; he has seized houses he did not build.
20"Surely he will have no respite from his craving; he cannot save himself by his treasure.
21Nothing is left for him to devour; his prosperity will not endure.
22In the midst of his plenty, distress will overtake him; the full force of misery will come upon him.
23When he has filled his belly, God will vent his burning anger against him and rain down his blows on him.
24Though he flees from an iron weapon, a bronze-tipped arrow pierces him.
25He pulls it out of his back, the gleaming point out of his liver. Terrors will come over him;
26total darkness lies in wait for his treasures. A fire unfanned will consume him and devour what is left in his tent.
27The heavens will expose his guilt; the earth will rise up against him.
28A flood will carry off his house, rushing waters on the day of God’s wrath.
29Such is the fate God allots the wicked, the heritage appointed for them by God."
Chapter 21
1Then Job replied:
3Bear with me while I speak, and after I have spoken, mock on.
4"Is my complaint directed to a human being? Why should I not be impatient?
5Look at me and be appalled; clap your hand over your mouth.
6When I think about this, I am terrified; trembling seizes my body.
7Why do the wicked live on, growing old and increasing in power?
8They see their children established around them, their offspring before their eyes.
9Their homes are safe and free from fear; the rod of God is not on them.
10Their bulls never fail to breed; their cows calve and do not miscarry.
11They send forth their children as a flock; their little ones dance about.
12They sing to the music of timbrel and lyre; they make merry to the sound of the pipe.
13They spend their years in prosperity and go down to the grave in peace.
14Yet they say to God, ‘Leave us alone! We have no desire to know your ways.
15Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him? What would we gain by praying to him?’
16But their prosperity is not in their own hands, so I stand aloof from the plans of the wicked.
17"Yet how often is the lamp of the wicked snuffed out? How often does calamity come upon them, the fate God allots in his anger?
18How often are they like straw before the wind, like chaff swept away by a gale?
19It is said, ‘God stores up the punishment of the wicked for their children.’ Let him repay the wicked, so that they themselves will experience it!
20Let their own eyes see their destruction; let them drink the cup of the wrath of the Almighty.
21For what do they care about the families they leave behind when their allotted months come to an end?
22"Can anyone teach knowledge to God, since he judges even the highest?
23One person dies in full vigor, completely secure and at ease,
24well nourished in body, bones rich with marrow.
25Another dies in bitterness of soul, never having enjoyed anything good.
26Side by side they lie in the dust, and worms cover them both.
27"I know full well what you are thinking, the schemes by which you would wrong me.
28You say, ‘Where now is the house of the great, the tents where the wicked lived?’
29Have you never questioned those who travel? Have you paid no regard to their accounts—
30that the wicked are spared from the day of calamity, that they are delivered from the day of wrath?
31Who denounces their conduct to their face? Who repays them for what they have done?
32They are carried to the grave, and watch is kept over their tombs.
33The soil in the valley is sweet to them; everyone follows after them, and a countless throng goes before them.
34"So how can you console me with your nonsense? Nothing is left of your answers but falsehood!"
Chapter 22
1Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
3What pleasure would it give the Almighty if you were righteous? What would he gain if your ways were blameless?
4"Is it for your piety that he rebukes you and brings charges against you?
5Is not your wickedness great? Are not your sins endless?
6You demanded security from your relatives for no reason; you stripped people of their clothing, leaving them naked.
7You gave no water to the weary and you withheld food from the hungry,
8though you were a powerful man, owning land— an honored man, living on it.
9And you sent widows away empty-handed and broke the strength of the fatherless.
10That is why snares are all around you, why sudden peril terrifies you,
11why it is so dark you cannot see, and why a flood of water covers you.
12"Is not God in the heights of heaven? And see how lofty are the highest stars!
13Yet you say, ‘What does God know? Does he judge through such darkness?
14Thick clouds veil him, so he does not see us as he goes about in the vaulted heavens.’
15Will you keep to the old path that the wicked have trod?
16They were carried off before their time, their foundations washed away by a flood.
17They said to God, ‘Leave us alone! What can the Almighty do to us?’
18Yet it was he who filled their houses with good things, so I stand aloof from the plans of the wicked.
19The righteous see their ruin and rejoice; the innocent mock them, saying,
20‘Surely our foes are destroyed, and fire devours their wealth.’
21"Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you.
22Accept instruction from his mouth and lay up his words in your heart.
23If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored: If you remove wickedness far from your tent
24and assign your nuggets to the dust, your gold of Ophir to the rocks in the ravines,
25then the Almighty will be your gold, the choicest silver for you.
26Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty and will lift up your face to God.
27You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows.
28What you decide on will be done, and light will shine on your ways.
29When people are brought low and you say, ‘Lift them up!’ then he will save the downcast.
30He will deliver even one who is not innocent, who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands."
Chapter 23
1Then Job replied:
2"Even today my complaint is bitter; his hand is heavy in spite of my groaning.
3If only I knew where to find him; if only I could go to his dwelling!
4I would state my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments.
5I would find out what he would answer me, and consider what he would say to me.
6Would he vigorously oppose me? No, he would not press charges against me.
7There the upright can establish their innocence before him, and there I would be delivered forever from my judge.
8"But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him.
9When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.
10But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
11My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside.
12I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.
13"But he stands alone, and who can oppose him? He does whatever he pleases.
14He carries out his decree against me, and many such plans he still has in store.
15That is why I am terrified before him; when I think of all this, I fear him.
16God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me.
17Yet I am not silenced by the darkness, by the thick darkness that covers my face.
Chapter 24
1"Why does the Almighty not set times for judgment? Why must those who know him look in vain for such days? 2There are those who move boundary stones; they pasture flocks they have stolen. 3They drive away the orphan’s donkey and take the widow’s ox in pledge. 4They thrust the needy from the path and force all the poor of the land into hiding. 5Like wild donkeys in the desert, the poor go about their labor of foraging food; the wasteland provides food for their children. 6They gather fodder in the fields and glean in the vineyards of the wicked. 7Lacking clothes, they spend the night naked; they have nothing to cover themselves in the cold. 8They are drenched by mountain rains and hug the rocks for lack of shelter. 9The fatherless child is snatched from the breast; the infant of the poor is seized for a debt. 10Lacking clothes, they go about naked; they carry the sheaves, but still go hungry. 11They crush olives among the terraces ; they tread the winepresses, yet suffer thirst.
12The groans of the dying rise from the city, and the souls of the wounded cry out for help. But God charges no one with wrongdoing.
13"There are those who rebel against the light, who do not know its ways or stay in its paths.
14When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up, kills the poor and needy, and in the night steals forth like a thief.
15The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk; he thinks, ‘No eye will see me,’ and he keeps his face concealed.
16In the dark, thieves break into houses, but by day they shut themselves in; they want nothing to do with the light.
17For all of them, midnight is their morning; they make friends with the terrors of darkness.
18"Yet they are foam on the surface of the water; their portion of the land is cursed, so that no one goes to the vineyards.
19As heat and drought snatch away the melted snow, so the grave snatches away those who have sinned.
20The womb forgets them, the worm feasts on them; the wicked are no longer remembered but are broken like a tree.
21They prey on the barren and childless woman, and to the widow they show no kindness.
22But God drags away the mighty by his power; though they become established, they have no assurance of life.
23He may let them rest in a feeling of security, but his eyes are on their ways.
24For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like heads of grain.
25"If this is not so, who can prove me false and reduce my words to nothing?"
Chapter 25
1Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:
2"Dominion and awe belong to God; he establishes order in the heights of heaven.
3Can his forces be numbered? On whom does his light not rise?
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 eyes,
6how much less a mortal, who is but a maggot— a human being, who is only a worm!"
New King James Version
Chapter 18
1Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:
2“How long till you put an end to words? Gain understanding, and afterward we will speak.
3Why are we counted as beasts, And regarded as stupid in your sight?
4 You who tear yourself in anger, Shall the earth be forsaken for you? Or shall the rock be removed from its place?
5“The light of the wicked indeed goes out, And the flame of his fire does not shine.
6The light is dark in his tent, And his lamp beside him is put out.
7The steps of his strength are shortened, And his own counsel casts him down.
8For he is cast into a net by his own feet, And he walks into a snare.
9The net takes him by the heel, And a snare lays hold of him.
10A noose is hidden for him on the ground, And a trap for him in the road.
11 Terrors frighten him on every side, And drive him to his feet.
12His strength is starved, And destruction is ready at his side.
13It devours patches of his skin; The firstborn of death devours his limbs.
14He is uprooted from the shelter of his tent, And they parade him before the king of terrors.
15They dwell in his tent who are none of his; Brimstone is scattered on his dwelling.
16 His roots are dried out below, And his branch withers above.
17 The memory of him perishes from the earth, And he has no name among the renowned.
18He is driven from light into darkness, And chased out of the world.
19 He has neither son nor posterity among his people, Nor any remaining in his dwellings.
20Those in the west are astonished at his day, As those in the east are frightened.
21Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, And this is the place of him who does not know God.”
Chapter 19
1Then Job answered and said:
2“How long will you torment my soul, And break me in pieces with words?
3These ten times you have reproached me; You are not ashamed that you have wronged me.
4And if indeed I have erred, My error remains with me.
5If indeed you exalt yourselves against me, And plead my disgrace against me,
6Know then that God has wronged me, And has surrounded me with His net.
7“If I cry out concerning wrong, I am not heard. If I cry aloud, there is no justice.
8 He has fenced up my way, so that I cannot pass; And He has set darkness in my paths.
9 He has stripped me of my glory, And taken the crown from my head.
10He breaks me down on every side, And I am gone; My hope He has uprooted like a tree.
11He has also kindled His wrath against me, And He counts me as one of His enemies.
12His troops come together And build up their road against me; They encamp all around my tent.
13“He has removed my brothers far from me, And my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.
14My relatives have failed, And my close friends have forgotten me.
15Those who dwell in my house, and my maidservants, Count me as a stranger; I am an alien in their sight.
16I call my servant, but he gives no answer; I beg him with my mouth.
17My breath is offensive to my wife, And I am repulsive to the children of my own body.
18Even young children despise me; I arise, and they speak against me.
19 All my close friends abhor me, And those whom I love have turned against me.
20 My bone clings to my skin and to my flesh, And I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.
21“Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends, For the hand of God has struck me!
22Why do you persecute me as God does, And are not satisfied with my flesh?
23“Oh, that my words were written! Oh, that they were inscribed in a book!
24That they were engraved on a rock With an iron pen and lead, forever!
25For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth;
26And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God,
27Whom I shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!
28If you should say, ‘How shall we persecute him?’— Since the root of the matter is found in me,
29Be afraid of the sword for yourselves; For wrath brings the punishment of the sword, That you may know there is a judgment.”
2“Therefore my anxious thoughts make me answer, Because of the turmoil within me.
3I have heard the rebuke that reproaches me, And the spirit of my understanding causes me to answer.
4“Do you not know this of old, Since man was placed on earth,
5 That the triumphing of the wicked is short, And the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment?
6 Though his haughtiness mounts up to the heavens, And his head reaches to the clouds,
7 Yet he will perish forever like his own refuse; Those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’
8He will fly away like a dream, and not be found; Yes, he will be chased away like a vision of the night.
9The eye that saw him will see him no more, Nor will his place behold him anymore.
10His children will seek the favor of the poor, And his hands will restore his wealth.
11His bones are full of his youthful vigor, But it will lie down with him in the dust.
12“Though evil is sweet in his mouth, And he hides it under his tongue,
13 Though he spares it and does not forsake it, But still keeps it in his mouth,
14 Yet his food in his stomach turns sour; It becomes cobra venom within him.
15He swallows down riches And vomits them up again; God casts them out of his belly.
16He will suck the poison of cobras; The viper’s tongue will slay him.
17He will not see the streams, The rivers flowing with honey and cream.
18He will restore that for which he labored, And will not swallow it down; From the proceeds of business He will get no enjoyment.
19For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor, He has violently seized a house which he did not build.
20“Because he knows no quietness in his heart, He will not save anything he desires.
21Nothing is left for him to eat; Therefore his well-being will not last.
22In his self-sufficiency he will be in distress; Every hand of misery will come against him.
23 When he is about to fill his stomach, God will cast on him the fury of His wrath, And will rain it on him while he is eating.
24 He will flee from the iron weapon; A bronze bow will pierce him through.
25It is drawn, and comes out of the body; Yes, the glittering point comes out of his gall. Terrors come upon him;
26Total darkness is reserved for his treasures. An unfanned fire will consume him; It shall go ill with him who is left in his tent.
27The heavens will reveal his iniquity, And the earth will rise up against him.
28The increase of his house will depart, And his goods will flow away in the day of His wrath.
29 This is the portion from God for a wicked man, The heritage appointed to him by God.”
Chapter 21
1Then Job answered and said:
2“Listen carefully to my speech, And let this be your consolation.
3Bear with me that I may speak, And after I have spoken, keep mocking.
4“As for me, is my complaint against man? And if it were, why should I not be impatient?
5Look at me and be astonished; Put your hand over your mouth.
6Even when I remember I am terrified, And trembling takes hold of my flesh.
7 Why do the wicked live and become old, Yes, become mighty in power?
8Their descendants are established with them in their sight, And their offspring before their eyes.
9Their houses are safe from fear, Neither is the rod of God upon them.
10Their bull breeds without failure; Their cow calves without miscarriage.
11They send forth their little ones like a flock, And their children dance.
12They sing to the tambourine and harp, And rejoice to the sound of the flute.
13They spend their days in wealth, And in a moment go down to the grave.
14 Yet they say to God, ‘Depart from us, For we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways.
15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? And what profit do we have if we pray to Him?’
16Indeed their prosperity is not in their hand; The counsel of the wicked is far from me.
17“How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? How often does their destruction come upon them, The sorrows God distributes in His anger?
18 They are like straw before the wind, And like chaff that a storm carries away.
19 They say, ‘God lays up one’s iniquity for his children’; Let Him recompense him, that he may know it.
20Let his eyes see his destruction, And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
21For what does he care about his household after him, When the number of his months is cut in half?
22“Can anyone teach God knowledge, Since He judges those on high?
23One dies in his full strength, Being wholly at ease and secure;
24His pails are full of milk, And the marrow of his bones is moist.
25Another man dies in the bitterness of his soul, Never having eaten with pleasure.
26They lie down alike in the dust, And worms cover them.
27“Look, I know your thoughts, And the schemes with which you would wrong me.
28For you say, ‘Where is the house of the prince? And where is the tent, The dwelling place of the wicked?’
29Have you not asked those who travel the road? And do you not know their signs?
30 For the wicked are reserved for the day of doom; They shall be brought out on the day of wrath.
31Who condemns his way to his face? And who repays him for what he has done?
32Yet he shall be brought to the grave, And a vigil kept over the tomb.
33The clods of the valley shall be sweet to him; Everyone shall follow him, As countless have gone before him.
34How then can you comfort me with empty words, Since falsehood remains in your answers?”
2“Can a man be profitable to God, Though he who is wise may be profitable to himself?
3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that you are righteous? Or is it gain to Him that you make your ways blameless?
4“Is it because of your fear of Him that He corrects you, And enters into judgment with you?
5 Is not your wickedness great, And your iniquity without end?
6For you have taken pledges from your brother for no reason, And stripped the naked of their clothing.
7You have not given the weary water to drink, And you have withheld bread from the hungry.
8But the mighty man possessed the land, And the honorable man dwelt in it.
9You have sent widows away empty, And the strength of the fatherless was crushed.
10Therefore snares are all around you, And sudden fear troubles you,
11Or darkness so that you cannot see; And an abundance of water covers you.
12“Is not God in the height of heaven? And see the highest stars, how lofty they are!
13And you say, ‘What does God know? Can He judge through the deep darkness?
14 Thick clouds cover Him, so that He cannot see, And He walks above the circle of heaven.’
15Will you keep to the old way Which wicked men have trod,
16Who were cut down before their time, Whose foundations were swept away by a flood?
17 They said to God, ‘Depart from us! What can the Almighty do to them?’
18Yet He filled their houses with good things; But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19“The righteous see it and are glad, And the innocent laugh at them:
20‘Surely our adversaries are cut down, And the fire consumes their remnant.’
21“Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace; Thereby good will come to you.
22Receive, please, instruction from His mouth, And lay up His words in your heart.
23If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up; You will remove iniquity far from your tents.
24Then you will lay your gold in the dust, And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks.
25Yes, the Almighty will be your gold And your precious silver;
26For then you will have your delight in the Almighty, And lift up your face to God.
27 You will make your prayer to Him, He will hear you, And you will pay your vows.
28You will also declare a thing, And it will be established for you; So light will shine on your ways.
29When they cast you down, and you say, ‘Exaltation will come!’ Then He will save the humble person.
30He will even deliver one who is not innocent; Yes, he will be delivered by the purity of your hands.”
Chapter 23
1Then Job answered and said:
2“Even today my complaint is bitter; My hand is listless because of my groaning.
3 Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, That I might come to His seat!
4I would present my case before Him, And fill my mouth with arguments.
5I would know the words which He would answer me, And understand what He would say to me.
6 Would He contend with me in His great power? No! But He would take note of me.
7There the upright could reason with Him, And I would be delivered forever from my Judge.
8“Look, I go forward, but He is not there, And backward, but I cannot perceive Him;
9When He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him; When He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him.
10But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.
11 My foot has held fast to His steps; I have kept His way and not turned aside.
12I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food.
13“But He is unique, and who can make Him change? And whatever His soul desires, that He does.
14For He performs what is appointed for me, And many such things are with Him.
15Therefore I am terrified at His presence; When I consider this, I am afraid of Him.
16For God made my heart weak, And the Almighty terrifies me;
17Because I was not cut off from the presence of darkness, And He did not hide deep darkness from my face.
Chapter 24
1“ Since times are not hidden from the Almighty, Why do those who know Him see not His days? 2“ Some remove landmarks; They seize flocks violently and feed on them; 3They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; They take the widow’s ox as a pledge. 4They push the needy off the road; All the poor of the land are forced to hide. 5Indeed, like wild donkeys in the desert, They go out to their work, searching for food. The wilderness yields food for them and for their children. 6They gather their fodder in the field And glean in the vineyard of the wicked. 7They spend the night naked, without clothing, And have no covering in the cold. 8They are wet with the showers of the mountains, And huddle around the rock for want of shelter. 9“ Some snatch the fatherless from the breast, And take a pledge from the poor. 10They cause the poor to go naked, without clothing; And they take away the sheaves from the hungry. 11They press out oil within their walls, And tread winepresses, yet suffer thirst. 12The dying groan in the city, And the souls of the wounded cry out; Yet God does not charge them with wrong. 13“There are those who rebel against the light; They do not know its ways Nor abide in its paths. 14 The murderer rises with the light; He kills the poor and needy; And in the night he is like a thief. 15 The eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight, Saying, ‘No eye will see me’; And he disguises his face. 16In the dark they break into houses Which they marked for themselves in the daytime; They do not know the light. 17For the morning is the same to them as the shadow of death; If someone recognizes them, They are in the terrors of the shadow of death. 18“They should be swift on the face of the waters, Their portion should be cursed in the earth, So that no one would turn into the way of their vineyards. 19As drought and heat consume the snow waters, So the grave consumes those who have sinned. 20The womb should forget him, The worm should feed sweetly on him; He should be remembered no more, And wickedness should be broken like a tree. 21For he preys on the barren who do not bear, And does no good for the widow. 22“But God draws the mighty away with His power; He rises up, but no man is sure of life. 23He gives them security, and they rely on it; Yet His eyes are on their ways. 24They are exalted for a little while, Then they are gone. They are brought low; They are taken out of the way like all others; They dry out like the heads of grain. 25“Now if it is not so, who will prove me a liar, And make my speech worth nothing?”Chapter 25
1Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:
2“Dominion and fear belong to Him; He makes peace in His high places.
3Is there any number to His armies? Upon whom does His light not rise?
4 How then can man be righteous before God? Or how can he be pure who is born of a woman?
5If even the moon does not shine, And the stars are not pure in His sight,
6How much less man, who is a maggot, And a son of man, who is a worm?”
