Job 9-18
New American Standard Bible
Chapter 9
1Then Job responded,
2'In truth I know that this is so; But how can a person be in the right with God?
3If one wished to dispute with Him, He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.
4Wise in heart and mighty in strength, Who has defied Him without harm?
5 It is God who removes the mountains, and they do not know how, When He overturns them in His anger.
6 It is He who shakes the earth from its place, And its pillars tremble;
7Who commands the sun not to shine, And puts a seal on the stars;
8Who alone stretches out the heavens, And tramples down the waves of the sea;
9Who makes the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, And the constellations of the south.
10 It is He who does great things, the unfathomable, And wondrous works without number.
11If He were to pass by me, I would not see Him; Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him.
12If He were to snatch away, who could restrain Him? Who could say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’
13'God will not turn back His anger; Beneath Him the helpers of Rahab cower.
14How then can I answer Him, And choose my words before Him?
15For though I were right, I could not answer; I would have to implore the mercy of my Judge.
16If I called and He answered me, I could not believe that He was listening to my voice.
17For He bruises me with a storm And multiplies my wounds without cause.
18He will not allow me to get my breath, But He saturates me with bitterness.
19If it is a matter of power, behold, He is the strong one! And if it is a matter of justice, who can summon Him?
20Though I am righteous, my mouth will condemn me; Though I am guiltless, He will declare me guilty.
21I am guiltless; I do not take notice of myself; I reject my life.
22It is all one; therefore I say, ‘He destroys the guiltless and the wicked.’
23If the whip kills suddenly, He mocks the despair of the innocent.
24The earth is handed over to the wicked; He covers the faces of its judges. If it is not He, then who is it?
25'Now my days are swifter than a runner; They flee away, they see no good.
26They slip by like reed boats, Like an eagle that swoops on its prey.
27Though I say, ‘I will forget my complaint, I will put my face in order and be cheerful,’
28I am afraid of all my pains, I know that You will not acquit me.
29I am guilty, Why then should I struggle in vain?
30If I washed myself with snow, And cleansed my hands with lye,
31Then You would plunge me into the pit, And my own clothes would loathe me.
32For He is not a man, as I am, that I may answer Him— That we may go to court together!
33There is no arbitrator between us, Who can place his hand upon us both.
34Let Him remove His rod from me, And let not the dread of Him terrify me.
35 Then I would speak and not fear Him; But I am not like that in myself.
Chapter 10
1'I am disgusted with my own life; I will express my complaint freely; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. 2I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me; Let me know why You contend with me. 3Is it right for You indeed to oppress, To reject the work of Your hands, And to look favorably on the plan of the wicked? 4Do You have eyes of flesh? Or do You see as mankind sees? 5Are Your days like the days of a mortal, Or Your years like a man’s year, 6That You should search for my guilt And carefully seek my sin? 7According to Your knowledge I am indeed not guilty, Yet there is no one to save me from Your hand. 8‘Your hands fashioned and made me altogether, Yet would You destroy me? 9Remember that You have made me as clay; Yet would You turn me into dust again? 10Did You not pour me out like milk, And curdle me like cheese, 11Clothe me with skin and flesh, And intertwine me with bones and tendons? 12You have granted me life and goodness; And Your care has guarded my spirit. 13Yet You have concealed these things in Your heart; I know that this is within You: 14If I have sinned, You will take note of me, And will not acquit me of my guilt. 15If I am wicked, woe to me! But if I am righteous, I dare not lift up my head. I am full of shame, and conscious of my misery. 16And should my head be high, You would hunt me like a lion; And You would show Your power against me again. 17You renew Your witnesses against me And increase Your anger toward me; Hardship after hardship is with me. 18‘Why then did You bring me out of the womb? If only I had died and no eye had seen me! 19I should have been as though I had not been, Brought from womb to tomb.’ 20Would He not leave my few days alone? Withdraw from me so that I may have a little cheerfulness 21Before I go—and I shall not return— To the land of darkness and deep shadow, 22The land of utter gloom like darkness itself, Of deep shadow without order, And it shines like darkness.'Chapter 11
1Then Zophar the Naamathite responded,
2'Shall a multitude of words go unanswered, And a talkative man be acquitted?
3Shall your boasts silence people? And will you scoff, and no one rebuke?
4For you have said, ‘My teaching is pure, And I am innocent in your eyes.’
5But if only God would speak, And open His lips against you,
6And show you the secrets of wisdom! For sound wisdom has two sides. Know then that God forgets part of your guilt.
7'Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?
8 They are as high as the heavens; what can you do? Deeper than Sheol; what can you know?
9Its measurement is longer than the earth And broader than the sea.
10If He passes by or apprehends people, Or calls an assembly, who can restrain Him?
11For He knows false people, And He sees injustice without investigating.
12 An idiot will become intelligent When a wild donkey is born a human.
13'If you would direct your heart rightly And spread out your hands to Him,
14If wrongdoing is in your hand, put it far away, And do not let malice dwell in your tents;
15Then, indeed, you could lift up your face without moral blemish, And you would be firmly established and not fear.
16For you would forget your trouble; Like waters that have passed by, you would remember it.
17Your life would be brighter than noonday; Darkness would be like the morning.
18Then you would trust, because there is hope; And you would look around and rest securely.
19You would lie down and none would disturb you, And many would flatter you.
20But the eyes of the wicked will fail, And there will be no escape for them; And their hope is to breathe their last.'
Chapter 12
1Then Job responded,
2'Truly then you are the people, And with you wisdom will die!
3But I have intelligence as well as you; I am not inferior to you. And who does not know such things as these?
4I am a joke to my friends, The one who called on God and He answered him; The just and blameless man is a joke.
5 He who is at ease holds disaster in contempt, As prepared for those whose feet slip.
6The tents of the destroyers prosper, And those who provoke God are secure, Whom God brings into their power.
7'But just ask the animals, and have them teach you; And the birds of the sky, and have them tell you.
8Or speak to the earth, and have it teach you; And have the fish of the sea tell you.
9Who among all these does not know That the hand of the Lord has done this,
10In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind?
11Does the ear not put words to the test, As the palate tastes its food?
12Wisdom is with the aged, And with long life comes understanding.
13'Wisdom and might are with Him; Advice and understanding belong to Him.
14Behold, He tears down, and it cannot be rebuilt; He imprisons a person, and there is no release.
15Behold, He restrains the waters, and they dry up; And He sends them out, and they inundate the earth.
16Strength and sound wisdom are with Him. One who goes astray and one who leads astray belong to Him.
17He makes advisers walk barefoot And makes fools of judges.
18He undoes the binding of kings, And ties a loincloth around their waist.
19He makes priests walk barefoot, And overthrows the secure ones.
20He deprives the trusted ones of speech, And takes away the discernment of the elders.
21He pours contempt on nobles, And loosens the belt of the strong.
22He reveals mysteries from the darkness, And brings the deep darkness into light.
23He makes the nations great, then destroys them; He enlarges the nations, then leads them away.
24He deprives the leaders of the earth’s people of intelligence And makes them wander in a pathless wasteland.
25They grope in darkness with no light, And He makes them stagger like a drunken person.
Chapter 13
1'Behold, my eye has seen all this, My ear has heard and understood it. 2What you know I also know; I am not inferior to you. 3'But I would speak to the Almighty, And I desire to argue with God. 4But you smear me with lies; You are all worthless physicians. 5Oh that you would be completely silent, And that it would become your wisdom! 6Please hear my argument, And give your attention to the contentions of my lips. 7Will you speak what is unjust for God, And speak what is deceitful for Him? 8Will you show partiality for Him? Will you contend for God? 9 Will it go well when He examines you? Or will you deceive Him as one deceives a man? 10He will certainly punish you If you secretly show partiality. 11Will His majesty not terrify you, And the dread of Him fall upon you? 12Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes, Your defenses are defenses of clay. 13'Be silent before me so that I may speak; Then let come upon me what may. 14Why should I take my flesh in my teeth, And put my life in my hands? 15Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. Nevertheless I will argue my ways before Him. 16This also will be my salvation, For a godless person cannot come before His presence. 17Listen carefully to my speech, And let my declaration fill your ears. 18Behold now, I have prepared my case; I know that I will be vindicated. 19Who could contend with me? For then I would be silent and die. 20'Only two things I ask that You do not do to me, Then I will not hide from Your face: 21Remove Your hand from me, And may the dread of You not terrify me. 22Then call and I will answer; Or let me speak, then reply to me. 23How many are my guilty deeds and sins? Make known to me my wrongdoing and my sin. 24Why do You hide Your face And consider me Your enemy? 25Will You scare away a scattered leaf? Or will You pursue the dry chaff? 26For You write bitter things against me And make me inherit the guilty deeds of my youth. 27You put my feet in the stocks And watch all my paths; You set a limit for the soles of my feet, 28While I am decaying like a rotten thing, Like a garment that is moth-eaten.Chapter 14
1'Man, who is born of woman, Is short-lived and full of turmoil. 2Like a flower he comes out and withers. He also flees like a shadow and does not remain. 3You also open Your eyes on him And bring him into judgment with Yourself. 4Who can make the clean out of the unclean? No one! 5Since his days are determined, The number of his months is with You; And You have set his limits so that he cannot pass. 6Look away from him so that he may rest, Until he fulfills his day like a hired worker. 7'For there is hope for a tree, When it is cut down, that it will sprout again, And its shoots will not fail. 8Though its roots grow old in the ground, And its stump dies in the dry soil, 9At the scent of water it will flourish And produce sprigs like a plant. 10But a man dies and lies prostrate. A person passes away, and where is he? 11 As water evaporates from the sea, And a river becomes parched and dried up, 12So a man lies down and does not rise. Until the heavens no longer exist, He will not awake nor be woken from his sleep. 13'Oh that You would hide me in Sheol, That You would conceal me until Your wrath returns to You, That You would set a limit for me and remember me! 14If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my struggle I will wait Until my relief comes. 15You will call, and I will answer You; You will long for the work of Your hands. 16For now You number my steps, You do not observe my sin. 17My wrongdoing is sealed up in a bag, And You cover over my guilt. 18'But the falling mountain crumbles away, And the rock moves from its place; 19Water wears away stones, Its torrents wash away the dust of the earth; So You destroy a man’s hope. 20You forever overpower him and he departs; You change his appearance and send him away. 21His sons achieve honor, but he does not know it; Or they become insignificant, and he does not perceive it. 22However, his body pains him, And his soul mourns for himself.'Chapter 15
1Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded,
2'Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge, And fill himself with the east wind?
3Should he argue with useless talk, Or with words which do not benefit?
4Indeed, you do away with reverence, And hinder meditation before God.
5For your wrongdoing teaches your mouth, And you choose the language of the cunning.
6Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; And your own lips testify against you.
7'Were you the first person to be born, Or were you brought forth before the hills?
8Do you hear the secret discussion of God, And limit wisdom to yourself?
9What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that we do not?
10Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us, Older than your father.
11Are the consolations of God too little for you, Or the word spoken gently to you?
12Why does your heart take you away? And why do your eyes wink,
13That you can turn your spirit against God And produce such words from your mouth?
14What is man, that he would be pure, Or he who is born of a woman, that he would be righteous?
15Behold, He has no trust in His holy ones, And the heavens are not pure in His sight;
16How much less one who is detestable and corrupt: A person who drinks malice like water!
17'I will tell you, listen to me; And what I have seen I will also declare;
18What wise people have told, And have not concealed from their fathers,
19To whom alone the land was given, And no stranger passed among them.
20The wicked person writhes in pain all his days, And the years reserved for the ruthless are numbered.
21 Sounds of terror are in his ears; While he is at peace the destroyer comes upon him.
22He does not believe that he will return from darkness, And he is destined for the sword.
23He wanders about for food, saying, ‘Where is it?’ He knows that a day of darkness is at hand.
24Distress and anguish terrify him, They overpower him like a king ready for the attack,
25Because he has reached out with his hand against God, And is arrogant toward the Almighty.
26He rushes headlong at Him With his massive shield.
27For he has covered his face with his fat, And put fat on his waist.
28He has lived in desolate cities, In houses no one would inhabit, Which are destined to become ruins.
29He will not become rich, nor will his wealth endure; And his property will not stretch out on the earth.
30He will not escape from darkness; The flame will dry up his shoot, And he will go away by the breath of His mouth.
31Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself; For his reward will be emptiness.
32It will be accomplished before his time, And his palm branch will not be green.
33He will drop off his unripe grape like the vine, And will cast off his flower like the olive tree.
34For the company of the godless is barren, And fire consumes the tents of the corrupt.
35They conceive harm and give birth to wrongdoing, And their mind prepares deception.'
Chapter 16
1Then Job responded,
2'I have heard many things like these; Miserable comforters are you all!
3Is there no end to windy words? Or what provokes you that you answer?
4I too could speak like you, If only I were in your place. I could compose words against you And shake my head at you.
5 Or I could strengthen you with my mouth, And the condolence of my lips could lessen your pain.
6'If I speak, my pain is not lessened, And if I refrain, what pain leaves me?
7But now He has exhausted me; You have laid waste all my group of loved ones.
8And you have shriveled me up, It has become a witness; And my infirmity rises up against me, It testifies to my face.
9His anger has torn me and hunted me down, He has gnashed at me with His teeth; My enemy glares at me.
10They have gaped at me with their mouths, They have slapped me on the cheek with contempt; They have massed themselves against me.
11God hands me over to criminals, And tosses me into the hands of the wicked.
12I was at ease, but He shattered me, And He has grasped me by my neck and shaken me to pieces; He has also set me up as His target.
13His arrows surround me. He splits my kidneys open without mercy; He pours out my bile on the ground.
14He breaks through me with breach after breach; He runs at me like a warrior.
15I have sewed sackcloth over my skin, And thrust my horn in the dust.
16My face is flushed from weeping, And deep darkness is on my eyelids,
17Although there is no violence in my hands, And my prayer is pure.
18'Earth, do not cover my blood, And may there be no resting place for my cry.
19Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, And my advocate is on high.
20My friends are my scoffers; My eye weeps to God,
21That one might plead for a man with God As a son of man with his neighbor!
22For when a few years are past, I shall go the way of no return.
Chapter 17
1'My spirit is broken, my days are extinguished, The grave is ready for me. 2Mockers are certainly with me, And my eye gazes on their provocation. 3'Make a pledge for me with Yourself; Who is there that will be my guarantor? 4For You have kept their hearts away from understanding; Therefore You will not exalt them. 5He who informs against friends for a share of the spoils, The eyes of his children also will perish. 6'But He has made me a proverb among the people, And I am one at whom people spit. 7My eye has also become inexpressive because of grief, And all my body parts are like a shadow. 8The upright will be appalled at this, And the innocent will stir himself up against the godless. 9Nevertheless the righteous will hold to his way, And the one who has clean hands will grow stronger and stronger. 10But come again all of you now, For I do not find a wise man among you. 11My days are past, my plans are torn apart, The wishes of my heart. 12They make night into day, saying, ‘The light is near,’ in the presence of darkness. 13If I hope for Sheol as my home, I make my bed in the darkness; 14 If I call to the grave, ‘You are my father’; To the maggot, ‘my mother and my sister’; 15Where then is my hope? And who looks at my hope? 16 Will it go down with me to Sheol? Shall we together go down into the dust?'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.'
King James Version
Chapter 9
1Then Job answered and said, 2I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God?
13If God will not withdraw his anger, the proud helpers do stoop under him.
14How much less shall I answer him, and choose out my words to reason with him?
21Though I were perfect, yet would I not know my soul: I would despise my life.
22This is one thing, therefore I said it, He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.
24The earth is given into the hand of the wicked: he covereth the faces of the judges thereof; if not, where, and who is he?
25Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away, they see no good.
3Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress, that thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wicked?
4Hast thou eyes of flesh? or seest thou as man seeth?
7Thou knowest that I am not wicked; and there is none that can deliver out of thine hand.
8Thine hands have made me and fashioned me together round about; yet thou dost destroy me.
17Thou renewest thy witnesses against me, and increasest thine indignation upon me; changes and war are against me.
18Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb? Oh that I had given up the ghost, and no eye had seen me!
Chapter 11
1Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said, 2Should not the multitude of words be answered? and should a man full of talk be justified?Chapter 12
1And Job answered and said, 2No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you.
5He that is ready to slip with his feet is as a lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease.
6The tabernacles of robbers prosper, and they that provoke God are secure; into whose hand God bringeth abundantly.
7But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:
6Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an hireling, his day.
7For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.
12So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.
13O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!
15Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.
16For now thou numberest my steps: dost thou not watch over my sin?
Chapter 15
1Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said, 2Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind?Chapter 16
1Then Job answered and said, 2I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye all.
5But I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the moving of my lips should asswage your grief.
6Though I speak, my grief is not asswaged: and though I forbear, what am I eased?
17Not for any injustice in mine hands: also my prayer is pure.
18O earth, cover not thou my blood, and let my cry have no place.
22When a few years are come, then I shall go the way whence I shall not return.
Chapter 17
1My breath is corrupt, my days are extinct, the graves are ready for me.
9The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger.
10But as for you all, do ye return, and come now: for I cannot find one wise man among you.
Christian Standard Bible
Chapter 9
1Then Job answered:
2Yes, I know what you’ve said is true, but how can a person be justified before God?
3If one wanted to take him to court, he could not answer God once in a thousand times.
4God is wise and all-powerful. Who has opposed him and come out unharmed?
5He removes mountains without their knowledge, overturning them in his anger.
6He shakes the earth from its place so that its pillars tremble.
7He commands the sun not to shine and seals off the stars.
8He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.
9He makes the stars: the Bear, Orion, the Pleiades, and the constellations of the southern sky.
10He does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number.
11If he passed by me, I wouldn’t see him; if he went by, I wouldn’t recognize him.
12If he snatches something, who can stop him? Who can ask him, "What are you doing?"
13God does not hold back his anger; Rahab’s assistants cringe in fear beneath him!
14How then can I answer him or choose my arguments against him?
15Even if I were in the right, I could not answer. I could only beg my Judge for mercy.
16If I summoned him and he answered me, I do not believe he would pay attention to what I said.
17He batters me with a whirlwind and multiplies my wounds without cause.
18He doesn’t let me catch my breath but fills me with bitter experiences.
19If it is a matter of strength, look, he is the powerful one! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon him?
20Even if I were in the right, my own mouth would condemn me; if I were blameless, my mouth would declare me guilty.
21Though I am blameless, I no longer care about myself; I renounce my life.
22It is all the same. Therefore I say, "He destroys both the blameless and the wicked."
23When catastrophe brings sudden death, he mocks the despair of the innocent.
24The earth is handed over to the wicked; he blindfolds its judges. If it isn’t he, then who is it?
25My days fly by faster than a runner; they flee without seeing any good.
26They sweep by like boats made of papyrus, like an eagle swooping down on its prey.
27If I said, "I will forget my complaint, change my expression, and smile,"
28I would still live in terror of all my pains. I know you will not acquit me.
29Since I will be found guilty, why should I struggle in vain?
30If I wash myself with snow, and cleanse my hands with lye,
31then you dip me in a pit of mud, and my own clothes despise me!
32For he is not a man like me, that I can answer him, that we can take each other to court.
33There is no mediator between us, to lay his hand on both of us.
34Let him take his rod away from me so his terror will no longer frighten me.
35Then I would speak and not fear him. But that is not the case; I am on my own.
Chapter 10
1I am disgusted with my life. I will give vent to my complaint and speak in the bitterness of my soul. 2I will say to God, "Do not declare me guilty! Let me know why you prosecute me. 3Is it good for you to oppress, to reject the work of your hands, and favor the plans of the wicked? 4Do you have eyes of flesh, or do you see as a human sees? 5Are your days like those of a human, or your years like those of a man, 6that you look for my iniquity and search for my sin,
7even though you know that I am not wicked and that there is no one who can rescue from your power?
8"Your hands shaped me and formed me. Will you now turn and destroy me?
9Please remember that you formed me like clay. Will you now return me to dust?
10Did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese?
11You clothed me with skin and flesh, and wove me together with bones and tendons.
12You gave me life and faithful love, and your care has guarded my life.
13"Yet you concealed these thoughts in your heart; I know that this was your hidden plan:
14if I sin, you would notice, and would not acquit me of my iniquity.
15If I am wicked, woe to me! And even if I am righteous, I cannot lift up my head. I am filled with shame and have drunk deeply of my affliction.
16If I am proud, you hunt me like a lion and again display your miraculous power against me.
17You produce new witnesses against me and multiply your anger toward me. Hardships assault me, wave after wave.
18"Why did you bring me out of the womb? I should have died and never been seen.
19I wish I had never existed but had been carried from the womb to the grave.
20Are my days not few? Stop it! Leave me alone, so that I can smile a little
21before I go to a land of darkness and gloom, never to return.
22It is a land of blackness like the deepest darkness, gloomy and chaotic, where even the light is like the darkness."
Chapter 11
1Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:
2Should this abundance of words go unanswered and such a talker be acquitted?
3Should your babbling put others to silence, so that you can keep on ridiculing with no one to humiliate you?
4You have said, "My teaching is sound, and I am pure in your sight."
5But if only God would speak and open his lips against you!
6He would show you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides. Know then that God has chosen to overlook some of your iniquity.
7Can you fathom the depths of God or discover the limits of the Almighty?
8They are higher than the heavens—what can you do? They are deeper than Sheol—what can you know?
9Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea.
10If he passes by and throws someone in prison or convenes a court, who can stop him?
11Surely he knows which people are worthless. If he sees iniquity, will he not take note of it?
12But a stupid person will gain understanding as soon as a wild donkey is born a human!
13As for you, if you redirect your heart and spread out your hands to him in prayer—
14if there is iniquity in your hand, remove it, and don’t allow injustice to dwell in your tents—
15then you will hold your head high, free from fault. You will be firmly established and unafraid.
16For you will forget your suffering, recalling it only as water that has flowed by.
17Your life will be brighter than noonday; its darkness will be like the morning.
18You will be confident, because there is hope. You will look carefully about and lie down in safety.
19You will lie down with no one to frighten you, and many will seek your favor.
20But the sight of the wicked will fail. Their way of escape will be cut off, and their only hope is their last breath.
Chapter 12
1Then Job answered:
3But I also have a mind like you; I am not inferior to you. Who doesn’t know the things you are talking about?
4I am a laughingstock to my friends, by calling on God, who answers me. The righteous and upright man is a laughingstock.
5The one who is at ease holds calamity in contempt and thinks it is prepared for those whose feet are slipping.
6The tents of robbers are safe, and those who trouble God are secure; God holds them in his hands.
7But ask the animals, and they will instruct you; ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you.
8Or speak to the earth, and it will instruct you; let the fish of the sea inform you.
9Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?
10The life of every living thing is in his hand, as well as the breath of all mankind.
11Doesn’t the ear test words as the palate tastes food?
12Wisdom is found with the elderly, and understanding comes with long life.
13Wisdom and strength belong to God; counsel and understanding are his.
14Whatever he tears down cannot be rebuilt; whoever he imprisons cannot be released.
15When he withholds water, everything dries up, and when he releases it, it destroys the land.
16True wisdom and power belong to him. The deceived and the deceiver are his.
17He leads counselors away barefoot and makes judges go mad.
18He releases the bonds put on by kings and fastens a belt around their waists.
19He leads priests away barefoot and overthrows established leaders.
20He deprives trusted advisers of speech and takes away the elders’ good judgment.
21He pours out contempt on nobles and disarms the strong.
22He reveals mysteries from the darkness and brings the deepest darkness into the light.
23He makes nations great, then destroys them; he enlarges nations, then leads them away.
24He deprives the world’s leaders of reason, and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland.
25They grope around in darkness without light; he makes them stagger like a drunkard.
Chapter 13
1Look, my eyes have seen all this; my ears have heard and understood it. 2Everything you know, I also know; I am not inferior to you. 3Yet I prefer to speak to the Almighty and argue my case before God. 4You use lies like plaster; you are all worthless healers.
5If only you would shut up and let that be your wisdom!
6Hear now my argument, and listen to my defense.
7Would you testify unjustly on God’s behalf or speak deceitfully for him?
8Would you show partiality to him or argue the case in his defense?
9Would it go well if he examined you? Could you deceive him as you would deceive a man?
10Surely he would rebuke you if you secretly showed partiality.
11Would God’s majesty not terrify you? Would his dread not fall on you?
12Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ash; your defenses are made of clay.
13Be quiet, and I will speak. Let whatever comes happen to me.
14I will put myself at risk and take my life in my own hands.
15Even if he kills me, I will hope in him. I will still defend my ways before him.
16Yes, this will result in my deliverance, for no godless person can appear before him.
17Pay close attention to my words; let my declaration ring in your ears.
18Now then, I have prepared my case; I know that I am right.
19Can anyone indict me? If so, I will be silent and die.
20Only grant these two things to me, God, so that I will not have to hide from your presence:
21remove your hand from me, and do not let your terror frighten me.
22Then call, and I will answer, or I will speak, and you can respond to me.
23How many iniquities and sins have I committed? Reveal to me my transgression and sin.
24Why do you hide your face and consider me your enemy?
25Will you frighten a wind-driven leaf? Will you chase after dry straw?
26For you record bitter accusations against me and make me inherit the iniquities of my youth.
27You put my feet in the stocks and stand watch over all my paths, setting a limit for the soles of my feet.
28A person wears out like something rotten, like a moth-eaten garment.
Chapter 14
1Anyone born of woman is short of days and full of trouble. 2He blossoms like a flower, then withers; he flees like a shadow and does not last. 3Do you really take notice of one like this? Will you bring me into judgment against you? 4Who can produce something pure from what is impure? No one! 5Since a person’s days are determined and the number of his months depends on you, and since you have set limits he cannot pass,
6look away from him and let him rest so that he can enjoy his day like a hired worker.
7There is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its shoots will not die.
8If its roots grow old in the ground and its stump starts to die in the soil,
9the scent of water makes it thrive and produce twigs like a sapling.
10But a person dies and fades away; he breathes his last—where is he?
11As water disappears from a lake and a river becomes parched and dry,
12so people lie down never to rise again. They will not wake up until the heavens are no more; they will not stir from their sleep.
13If only you would hide me in Sheol and conceal me until your anger passes. If only you would appoint a time for me and then remember me.
14When a person dies, will he come back to life? If so, I would wait all the days of my struggle until my relief comes.
15You would call, and I would answer you. You would long for the work of your hands.
16For then you would count my steps but would not take note of my sin.
17My rebellion would be sealed up in a bag, and you would cover over my iniquity.
18But as a mountain collapses and crumbles and a rock is dislodged from its place,
19as water wears away stones and torrents wash away the soil from the land, so you destroy a man’s hope.
20You completely overpower him, and he passes on; you change his appearance and send him away.
21If his sons receive honor, he does not know it; if they become insignificant, he is unaware of it.
22He feels only the pain of his own body and mourns only for himself.
Chapter 15
1Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
2Does a wise man answer with empty counsel or fill himself with the hot east wind?
3Should he argue with useless talk or with words that serve no good purpose?
4But you even undermine the fear of God and hinder meditation before him.
5Your iniquity teaches you what to say, and you choose the language of the crafty.
6Your own mouth condemns you, not I; your own lips testify against you.
7Were you the first human ever born, or were you brought forth before the hills?
8Do you listen in on the council of God, or have a monopoly on wisdom?
9What do you know that we don’t? What do you understand that is not clear to us?
10Both the gray-haired and the elderly are with us— older than your father.
11Are God’s consolations not enough for you, even the words that deal gently with you?
12Why has your heart misled you, and why do your eyes flash
13as you turn your anger against God and allow such words to leave your mouth?
14What is a mere human, that he should be pure, or one born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
15If God puts no trust in his holy ones and the heavens are not pure in his sight,
16how much less one who is revolting and corrupt, who drinks injustice like water?
17Listen to me and I will inform you. I will describe what I have seen,
18what the wise have declared and not concealed, that came from their ancestors,
19to whom alone the land was given when no foreigner passed among them.
20A wicked person writhes in pain all his days, throughout the number of years reserved for the ruthless.
21Dreadful sounds fill his ears; when he is at peace, a robber attacks him.
22He doesn’t believe he will return from darkness; he is destined for the sword.
23He wanders about for food, asking, "Where is it?" He knows the day of darkness is at hand.
24Trouble and distress terrify him, overwhelming him like a king prepared for battle.
25For he has stretched out his hand against God and has arrogantly opposed the Almighty.
26He rushes headlong at him with his thick, studded shields.
27Though his face is covered with fat and his waistline bulges with it,
28he will dwell in ruined cities, in abandoned houses destined to become piles of rubble.
29He will no longer be rich; his wealth will not endure. His possessions will not increase in the land.
30He will not escape from the darkness; flames will wither his shoots, and by the breath of God’s mouth, he will depart.
31Let him not put trust in worthless things, being led astray, for what he gets in exchange will prove worthless.
32It will be accomplished before his time, and his branch will not flourish.
33He will be like a vine that drops its unripe grapes and like an olive tree that sheds its blossoms.
34For the company of the godless will have no children, and fire will consume the tents of those who offer bribes.
35They conceive trouble and give birth to evil; their womb prepares deception.
Chapter 16
1Then Job answered:
2I have heard many things like these. You are all miserable comforters.
3Is there no end to your empty words? What provokes you that you continue testifying?
4If you were in my place I could also talk like you. I could string words together against you and shake my head at you.
5Instead, I would encourage you with my mouth, and the consolation from my lips would bring relief.
6If I speak, my suffering is not relieved, and if I hold back, does any of it leave me?
7Surely he has now exhausted me. You have devastated my entire family.
8You have shriveled me up —it has become a witness; my frailty rises up against me and testifies to my face.
9His anger tears at me, and he harasses me. He gnashes his teeth at me. My enemy pierces me with his eyes.
10They open their mouths against me and strike my cheeks with contempt; they join themselves together against me.
11God hands me over to the unjust; he throws me to the wicked.
12I was at ease, but he shattered me; he seized me by the scruff of the neck and smashed me to pieces. He set me up as his target;
13his archers surround me. He pierces my kidneys without mercy and pours my bile on the ground.
14He breaks through my defenses again and again; he charges at me like a warrior.
15I have sewn sackcloth over my skin; I have buried my strength in the dust.
16My face has grown red with weeping, and darkness covers my eyes,
17although my hands are free from violence and my prayer is pure.
18Earth, do not cover my blood; may my cry for help find no resting place.
19Even now my witness is in heaven, and my advocate is in the heights!
20My friends scoff at me as I weep before God.
21I wish that someone might argue for a man with God just as anyone would for a friend.
22For only a few years will pass before I go the way of no return.
2Surely mockers surround me, and my eyes must gaze at their rebellion.
3Accept my pledge! Put up security for me. Who else will be my sponsor?
4You have closed their minds to understanding, therefore you will not honor them.
5If a man denounces his friends for a price, the eyes of his children will fail.
6He has made me an object of scorn to the people; I have become a man people spit at.
7My eyes have grown dim from grief, and my whole body has become but a shadow.
8The upright are appalled at this, and the innocent are roused against the godless.
9Yet the righteous person will hold to his way, and the one whose hands are clean will grow stronger.
10But come back and try again, all of you. I will not find a wise man among you.
11My days have slipped by; my plans have been ruined, even the things dear to my heart.
12They turned night into day and made light seem near in the face of darkness.
13If I await Sheol as my home, spread out my bed in darkness,
14and say to corruption, "You are my father," and to the maggot, "My mother" or "My sister,"
15where then is my hope? Who can see any hope for me?
16Will it go down to the gates of Sheol, or will we descend together to the dust?
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.
New Living Translation
Chapter 9
1Then Job spoke again:
2'Yes, I know all this is true in principle. But how can a person be declared innocent in God’s sight?
3If someone wanted to take God to court, would it be possible to answer him even once in a thousand times?
4For God is so wise and so mighty. Who has ever challenged him successfully?
5'Without warning, he moves the mountains, overturning them in his anger.
6He shakes the earth from its place, and its foundations tremble.
7If he commands it, the sun won’t rise and the stars won’t shine.
8He alone has spread out the heavens and marches on the waves of the sea.
9He made all the stars — the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the southern sky.
10He does great things too marvelous to understand. He performs countless miracles.
11'Yet when he comes near, I cannot see him. When he moves by, I do not see him go.
12If he snatches someone in death, who can stop him? Who dares to ask, ‘What are you doing?’
13And God does not restrain his anger. Even the monsters of the sea are crushed beneath his feet.
14'So who am I, that I should try to answer God or even reason with him?
15Even if I were right, I would have no defense. I could only plead for mercy.
16And even if I summoned him and he responded, I’m not sure he would listen to me.
17For he attacks me with a storm and repeatedly wounds me without cause.
18He will not let me catch my breath, but fills me instead with bitter sorrows.
19If it’s a question of strength, he’s the strong one. If it’s a matter of justice, who dares to summon him to court?
20Though I am innocent, my own mouth would pronounce me guilty. Though I am blameless, it would prove me wicked.
21'I am innocent, but it makes no difference to me — I despise my life.
22Innocent or wicked, it is all the same to God. That’s why I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’
23When a plague sweeps through, he laughs at the death of the innocent.
24The whole earth is in the hands of the wicked, and God blinds the eyes of the judges. If he’s not the one who does it, who is?
25'My life passes more swiftly than a runner. It flees away without a glimpse of happiness.
26It disappears like a swift papyrus boat, like an eagle swooping down on its prey.
27If I decided to forget my complaints, to put away my sad face and be cheerful,
28I would still dread all the pain, for I know you will not find me innocent, O God.
29Whatever happens, I will be found guilty. So what’s the use of trying?
30Even if I were to wash myself with soap and clean my hands with lye,
31you would plunge me into a muddy ditch, and my own filthy clothing would hate me.
32'God is not a mortal like me, so I cannot argue with him or take him to trial.
33If only there were a mediator between us, someone who could bring us together.
34The mediator could make God stop beating me, and I would no longer live in terror of his punishment.
35Then I could speak to him without fear, but I cannot do that in my own strength.
Chapter 10
1'I am disgusted with my life. Let me complain freely. My bitter soul must complain. 2I will say to God, ‘Don’t simply condemn me — tell me the charge you are bringing against me. 3What do you gain by oppressing me? Why do you reject me, the work of your own hands, while smiling on the schemes of the wicked? 4Are your eyes like those of a human? Do you see things only as people see them? 5Is your lifetime only as long as ours? Is your life so short 6that you must quickly probe for my guilt and search for my sin? 7Although you know I am not guilty, no one can rescue me from your hands.
8'‘You formed me with your hands; you made me, yet now you completely destroy me.
9Remember that you made me from dust — will you turn me back to dust so soon?
10You guided my conception and formed me in the womb.
11You clothed me with skin and flesh, and you knit my bones and sinews together.
12You gave me life and showed me your unfailing love. My life was preserved by your care.
13'‘Yet your real motive — your true intent —
14was to watch me, and if I sinned, you would not forgive my guilt.
15If I am guilty, too bad for me; and even if I’m innocent, I can’t hold my head high, because I am filled with shame and misery.
16And if I hold my head high, you hunt me like a lion and display your awesome power against me.
17Again and again you witness against me. You pour out your growing anger on me and bring fresh armies against me.
18'‘Why, then, did you deliver me from my mother’s womb? Why didn’t you let me die at birth?
19It would be as though I had never existed, going directly from the womb to the grave.
20I have only a few days left, so leave me alone, that I may have a moment of comfort
21before I leave — never to return — for the land of darkness and utter gloom.
22It is a land as dark as midnight, a land of gloom and confusion, where even the light is dark as midnight.’'
Chapter 11
1Then Zophar the Naamathite replied to Job:
2'Shouldn’t someone answer this torrent of words? Is a person proved innocent just by a lot of talking?
3Should I remain silent while you babble on? When you mock God, shouldn’t someone make you ashamed?
4You claim, ‘My beliefs are pure,’ and ‘I am clean in the sight of God.’
5If only God would speak; if only he would tell you what he thinks!
6If only he would tell you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom is not a simple matter. Listen! God is doubtless punishing you far less than you deserve!
7'Can you solve the mysteries of God? Can you discover everything about the Almighty?
8Such knowledge is higher than the heavens — and who are you? It is deeper than the underworld — what do you know?
9It is broader than the earth and wider than the sea.
10If God comes and puts a person in prison or calls the court to order, who can stop him?
11For he knows those who are false, and he takes note of all their sins.
12An empty-headed person won’t become wise any more than a wild donkey can bear a human child.
13'If only you would prepare your heart and lift up your hands to him in prayer!
14Get rid of your sins, and leave all iniquity behind you.
15Then your face will brighten with innocence. You will be strong and free of fear.
16You will forget your misery; it will be like water flowing away.
17Your life will be brighter than the noonday. Even darkness will be as bright as morning.
18Having hope will give you courage. You will be protected and will rest in safety.
19You will lie down unafraid, and many will look to you for help.
20But the wicked will be blinded. They will have no escape. Their only hope is death.'
Chapter 12
1Then Job spoke again:
2'You people really know everything, don’t you? And when you die, wisdom will die with you!
3Well, I know a few things myself — and you’re no better than I am. Who doesn’t know these things you’ve been saying?
4Yet my friends laugh at me, for I call on God and expect an answer. I am a just and blameless man, yet they laugh at me.
5People who are at ease mock those in trouble. They give a push to people who are stumbling.
6But robbers are left in peace, and those who provoke God live in safety — though God keeps them in his power.
7'Just ask the animals, and they will teach you. Ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you.
8Speak to the earth, and it will instruct you. Let the fish in the sea speak to you.
9For they all know that my disaster has come from the hand of the Lord.
10For the life of every living thing is in his hand, and the breath of every human being.
11The ear tests the words it hears just as the mouth distinguishes between foods.
12Wisdom belongs to the aged, and understanding to the old.
13'But true wisdom and power are found in God; counsel and understanding are his.
14What he destroys cannot be rebuilt. When he puts someone in prison, there is no escape.
15If he holds back the rain, the earth becomes a desert. If he releases the waters, they flood the earth.
16Yes, strength and wisdom are his; deceivers and deceived are both in his power.
17He leads counselors away, stripped of good judgment; wise judges become fools.
18He removes the royal robe of kings. They are led away with ropes around their waist.
19He leads priests away, stripped of status; he overthrows those with long years in power.
20He silences the trusted adviser and removes the insight of the elders.
21He pours disgrace upon princes and disarms the strong.
22'He uncovers mysteries hidden in darkness; he brings light to the deepest gloom.
23He builds up nations, and he destroys them. He expands nations, and he abandons them.
24He strips kings of understanding and leaves them wandering in a pathless wasteland.
25They grope in the darkness without a light. He makes them stagger like drunkards.
Chapter 13
1'Look, I have seen all this with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears, and now I understand. 2I know as much as you do. You are no better than I am. 3As for me, I would speak directly to the Almighty. I want to argue my case with God himself. 4As for you, you smear me with lies. As physicians, you are worthless quacks. 5If only you could be silent! That’s the wisest thing you could do. 6Listen to my charge; pay attention to my arguments.
7'Are you defending God with lies? Do you make your dishonest arguments for his sake?
8Will you slant your testimony in his favor? Will you argue God’s case for him?
9What will happen when he finds out what you are doing? Can you fool him as easily as you fool people?
10No, you will be in trouble with him if you secretly slant your testimony in his favor.
11Doesn’t his majesty terrify you? Doesn’t your fear of him overwhelm you?
12Your platitudes are as valuable as ashes. Your defense is as fragile as a clay pot.
13'Be silent now and leave me alone. Let me speak, and I will face the consequences.
14Why should I put myself in mortal danger and take my life in my own hands?
15God might kill me, but I have no other hope. I am going to argue my case with him.
16But this is what will save me — I am not godless. If I were, I could not stand before him.
17'Listen closely to what I am about to say. Hear me out.
18I have prepared my case; I will be proved innocent.
19Who can argue with me over this? And if you prove me wrong, I will remain silent and die.
20'O God, grant me these two things, and then I will be able to face you.
21Remove your heavy hand from me, and don’t terrify me with your awesome presence.
22Now summon me, and I will answer! Or let me speak to you, and you reply.
23Tell me, what have I done wrong? Show me my rebellion and my sin.
24Why do you turn away from me? Why do you treat me as your enemy?
25Would you terrify a leaf blown by the wind? Would you chase dry straw?
26'You write bitter accusations against me and bring up all the sins of my youth.
27You put my feet in stocks. You examine all my paths. You trace all my footprints.
28I waste away like rotting wood, like a moth-eaten coat.
Chapter 14
1'How frail is humanity! How short is life, how full of trouble! 2We blossom like a flower and then wither. Like a passing shadow, we quickly disappear. 3Must you keep an eye on such a frail creature and demand an accounting from me? 4Who can bring purity out of an impure person? No one! 5You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer. 6So leave us alone and let us rest! We are like hired hands, so let us finish our work in peace.
7'Even a tree has more hope! If it is cut down, it will sprout again and grow new branches.
8Though its roots have grown old in the earth and its stump decays,
9at the scent of water it will bud and sprout again like a new seedling.
10'But when people die, their strength is gone. They breathe their last, and then where are they?
11As water evaporates from a lake and a river disappears in drought,
12people are laid to rest and do not rise again. Until the heavens are no more, they will not wake up nor be roused from their sleep.
13'I wish you would hide me in the grave and forget me there until your anger has passed. But mark your calendar to think of me again!
14Can the dead live again? If so, this would give me hope through all my years of struggle, and I would eagerly await the release of death.
15You would call and I would answer, and you would yearn for me, your handiwork.
16For then you would guard my steps, instead of watching for my sins.
17My sins would be sealed in a pouch, and you would cover my guilt.
18'But instead, as mountains fall and crumble and as rocks fall from a cliff,
19as water wears away the stones and floods wash away the soil, so you destroy people’s hope.
20You always overpower them, and they pass from the scene. You disfigure them in death and send them away.
21They never know if their children grow up in honor or sink to insignificance.
22They suffer painfully; their life is full of trouble.'
Chapter 15
1Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
2'A wise man wouldn’t answer with such empty talk! You are nothing but a windbag.
3The wise don’t engage in empty chatter. What good are such words?
4Have you no fear of God, no reverence for him?
5Your sins are telling your mouth what to say. Your words are based on clever deception.
6Your own mouth condemns you, not I. Your own lips testify against you.
7'Were you the first person ever born? Were you born before the hills were made?
8Were you listening at God’s secret council? Do you have a monopoly on wisdom?
9What do you know that we don’t? What do you understand that we do not?
10On our side are aged, gray-haired men much older than your father!
11'Is God’s comfort too little for you? Is his gentle word not enough?
12What has taken away your reason? What has weakened your vision,
13that you turn against God and say all these evil things?
14Can any mortal be pure? Can anyone born of a woman be just?
15Look, God does not even trust the angels. Even the heavens are not absolutely pure in his sight.
16How much less pure is a corrupt and sinful person with a thirst for wickedness!
17'If you will listen, I will show you. I will answer you from my own experience.
18And it is confirmed by the reports of wise men who have heard the same thing from their fathers —
19from those to whom the land was given long before any foreigners arrived.
20'The wicked writhe in pain throughout their lives. Years of trouble are stored up for the ruthless.
21The sound of terror rings in their ears, and even on good days they fear the attack of the destroyer.
22They dare not go out into the darkness for fear they will be murdered.
23They wander around, saying, ‘Where can I find bread?’ They know their day of destruction is near.
24That dark day terrifies them. They live in distress and anguish, like a king preparing for battle.
25For they shake their fists at God, defying the Almighty.
26Holding their strong shields, they defiantly charge against him.
27'These wicked people are heavy and prosperous; their waists bulge with fat.
28But their cities will be ruined. They will live in abandoned houses that are ready to tumble down.
29Their riches will not last, and their wealth will not endure. Their possessions will no longer spread across the horizon.
30'They will not escape the darkness. The burning sun will wither their shoots, and the breath of God will destroy them.
31Let them no longer fool themselves by trusting in empty riches, for emptiness will be their only reward.
32They will be cut down in the prime of life; their branches will never again be green.
33They will be like a vine whose grapes are harvested too early, like an olive tree that loses its blossoms before the fruit can form.
34For the godless are barren. Their homes, enriched through bribery, will burn.
35They conceive trouble and give birth to evil. Their womb produces deceit.'
Chapter 16
1Then Job spoke again:
2'I have heard all this before. What miserable comforters you are!
3Won’t you ever stop blowing hot air? What makes you keep on talking?
4I could say the same things if you were in my place. I could spout off criticism and shake my head at you.
5But if it were me, I would encourage you. I would try to take away your grief.
6Instead, I suffer if I defend myself, and I suffer no less if I refuse to speak.
7'O God, you have ground me down and devastated my family.
8As if to prove I have sinned, you’ve reduced me to skin and bones. My gaunt flesh testifies against me.
9God hates me and angrily tears me apart. He snaps his teeth at me and pierces me with his eyes.
10People jeer and laugh at me. They slap my cheek in contempt. A mob gathers against me.
11God has handed me over to sinners. He has tossed me into the hands of the wicked.
12'I was living quietly until he shattered me. He took me by the neck and broke me in pieces. Then he set me up as his target,
13and now his archers surround me. His arrows pierce me without mercy. The ground is wet with my blood.
14Again and again he smashes against me, charging at me like a warrior.
15I wear burlap to show my grief. My pride lies in the dust.
16My eyes are red with weeping; dark shadows circle my eyes.
17Yet I have done no wrong, and my prayer is pure.
18'O earth, do not conceal my blood. Let it cry out on my behalf.
19Even now my witness is in heaven. My advocate is there on high.
20My friends scorn me, but I pour out my tears to God.
21I need someone to mediate between God and me, as a person mediates between friends.
22For soon I must go down that road from which I will never return.
Chapter 17
1'My spirit is crushed, and my life is nearly snuffed out. The grave is ready to receive me. 2I am surrounded by mockers. I watch how bitterly they taunt me.
3'You must defend my innocence, O God, since no one else will stand up for me.
4You have closed their minds to understanding, but do not let them triumph.
5They betray their friends for their own advantage, so let their children faint with hunger.
6'God has made a mockery of me among the people; they spit in my face.
7My eyes are swollen with weeping, and I am but a shadow of my former self.
8The virtuous are horrified when they see me. The innocent rise up against the ungodly.
9The righteous keep moving forward, and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.
10'As for all of you, come back with a better argument, though I still won’t find a wise man among you.
11My days are over. My hopes have disappeared. My heart’s desires are broken.
12These men say that night is day; they claim that the darkness is light.
13What if I go to the grave and make my bed in darkness?
14What if I call the grave my father, and the maggot my mother or my sister?
15Where then is my hope? Can anyone find it?
16No, my hope will go down with me to the grave. We will rest together in the dust!'
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.’'
English Standard Version
Chapter 9
1Then Job answered and said:
2"Truly I know that it is so: But how can a man be in the right before God?
3If one wished to contend with him, one could not answer him once in a thousand times.
4He is wise in heart and mighty in strength — who has hardened himself against him, and succeeded? —
5he who removes mountains, and they know it not, when he overturns them in his anger,
6who shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble;
7who commands the sun, and it does not rise; who seals up the stars;
8who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea;
9who made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the chambers of the south;
10who does great things beyond searching out, and marvelous things beyond number.
11Behold, he passes by me, and I see him not; he moves on, but I do not perceive him.
12Behold, he snatches away; who can turn him back? Who will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’
13"God will not turn back his anger; beneath him bowed the helpers of Rahab.
14 How then can I answer him, choosing my words with him?
15 Though I am in the right, I cannot answer him; I must appeal for mercy to my accuser.
16If I summoned him and he answered me, I would not believe that he was listening to my voice.
17For he crushes me with a tempest and multiplies my wounds without cause;
18he will not let me get my breath, but fills me with bitterness.
19If it is a contest of strength, behold, he is mighty! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon him?
20Though I am in the right, my own mouth would condemn me; though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse.
21I am blameless; I regard not myself; I loathe my life.
22It is all one; therefore I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’
23When disaster brings sudden death, he mocks at the calamity of the innocent.
24 The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; he covers the faces of its judges — if it is not he, who then is it?
25"My days are swifter than a runner; they flee away; they see no good.
26They go by like skiffs of reed, like an eagle swooping on the prey.
27If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint, I will put off my sad face, and be of good cheer,’
28I become afraid of all my suffering, for I know you will not hold me innocent.
29I shall be condemned; why then do I labor in vain?
30If I wash myself with snow and cleanse my hands with lye,
31yet you will plunge me into a pit, and my own clothes will abhor me.
32For he is not a man, as I am, that I might answer him, that we should come to trial together.
33 There is no arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both.
34 Let him take his rod away from me, and let not dread of him terrify me.
35Then I would speak without fear of him, for I am not so in myself.
Chapter 10
1"I loathe my life; I will give free utterance to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. 2I will say to God, Do not condemn me; let me know why you contend against me. 3 Does it seem good to you to oppress, to despise the work of your hands and favor the designs of the wicked? 4Have you eyes of flesh? Do you see as man sees? 5Are your days as the days of man, or your years as a man 's years, 6that you seek out my iniquity and search for my sin, 7although you know that I am not guilty, and there is none to deliver out of your hand? 8 Your hands fashioned and made me, and now you have destroyed me altogether. 9Remember that you have made me like clay; and will you return me to the dust? 10Did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese? 11You clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews. 12You have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care has preserved my spirit. 13Yet these things you hid in your heart; I know that this was your purpose. 14If I sin, you watch me and do not acquit me of my iniquity. 15 If I am guilty, woe to me! If I am in the right, I cannot lift up my head, for I am filled with disgrace and look on my affliction. 16And were my head lifted up, you would hunt me like a lion and again work wonders against me. 17You renew your witnesses against me and increase your vexation toward me; you bring fresh troops against me. 18 "Why did you bring me out from the womb? Would that I had died before any eye had seen me 19 and were as though I had not been, carried from the womb to the grave. 20 Are not my days few? Then cease, and leave me alone, that I may find a little cheer 21before I go — and I shall not return — to the land of darkness and deep shadow, 22the land of gloom like thick darkness, like deep shadow without any order, where light is as thick darkness."
2"Should a multitude of words go unanswered, and a man full of talk be judged right?
3Should your babble silence men, and when you mock, shall no one shame you?
4For you say, ‘My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in God 's eyes.’
5But oh, that God would speak and open his lips to you,
6and that he would tell you the secrets of wisdom! For he is manifold in understanding. Know then that God exacts of you less than your guilt deserves.
7 "Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?
8It is higher than heaven — what can you do? Deeper than Sheol — what can you know?
9Its measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea.
10If he passes through and imprisons and summons the court, who can turn him back?
11For he knows worthless men; when he sees iniquity, will he not consider it?
12But a stupid man will get understanding when a wild donkey 's colt is born a man!
13"If you prepare your heart, you will stretch out your hands toward him.
14If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and let not injustice dwell in your tents.
15Surely then you will lift up your face without blemish; you will be secure and will not fear.
16You will forget your misery; you will remember it as waters that have passed away.
17And your life will be brighter than the noonday; its darkness will be like the morning.
18And you will feel secure, because there is hope; you will look around and take your rest in security.
19You will lie down, and none will make you afraid; many will court your favor.
20But the eyes of the wicked will fail; all way of escape will be lost to them, and their hope is to breathe their last."
Chapter 12
1Then Job answered and said:
2"No doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you.
3But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know such things as these?
4I am a laughingstock to my friends; I, who called to God and he answered me, a just and blameless man, am a laughingstock.
5In the thought of one who is at ease there is contempt for misfortune; it is ready for those whose feet slip.
6 The tents of robbers are at peace, and those who provoke God are secure, who bring their god in their hand.
7"But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you;
8or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you.
9Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?
10In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.
11Does not the ear test words as the palate tastes food?
12Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days.
13 "With God are wisdom and might; he has counsel and understanding.
14If he tears down, none can rebuild; if he shuts a man in, none can open.
15If he withholds the waters, they dry up; if he sends them out, they overwhelm the land.
16With him are strength and sound wisdom; the deceived and the deceiver are his.
17He leads counselors away stripped, and judges he makes fools.
18He looses the bonds of kings and binds a waistcloth on their hips.
19He leads priests away stripped and overthrows the mighty.
20He deprives of speech those who are trusted and takes away the discernment of the elders.
21He pours contempt on princes and loosens the belt of the strong.
22He uncovers the deeps out of darkness and brings deep darkness to light.
23He makes nations great, and he destroys them; he enlarges nations, and leads them away.
24He takes away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth and makes them wander in a trackless waste.
25They grope in the dark without light, and he makes them stagger like a drunken man.
Chapter 13
1"Behold, my eye has seen all this, my ear has heard and understood it. 2 What you know, I also know; I am not inferior to you. 3 But I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to argue my case with God. 4As for you, you whitewash with lies; worthless physicians are you all. 5Oh that you would keep silent, and it would be your wisdom! 6Hear now my argument and listen to the pleadings of my lips. 7Will you speak falsely for God and speak deceitfully for him? 8Will you show partiality toward him? Will you plead the case for God? 9Will it be well with you when he searches you out? Or can you deceive him, as one deceives a man? 10He will surely rebuke you if in secret you show partiality. 11Will not his majesty terrify you, and the dread of him fall upon you? 12Your maxims are proverbs of ashes; your defenses are defenses of clay. 13"Let me have silence, and I will speak, and let come on me what may. 14Why should I take my flesh in my teeth and put my life in my hand? 15 Though he slay me, I will hope in him; yet I will argue my ways to his face. 16This will be my salvation, that the godless shall not come before him. 17 Keep listening to my words, and let my declaration be in your ears. 18Behold, I have prepared my case; I know that I shall be in the right. 19 Who is there who will contend with me? For then I would be silent and die. 20Only grant me two things, then I will not hide myself from your face: 21 withdraw your hand far from me, and let not dread of you terrify me. 22 Then call, and I will answer; or let me speak, and you reply to me. 23How many are my iniquities and my sins? Make me know my transgression and my sin. 24Why do you hide your face and count me as your enemy? 25Will you frighten a driven leaf and pursue dry chaff? 26For you write bitter things against me and make me inherit the iniquities of my youth. 27You put my feet in the stocks and watch all my paths; you set a limit for the soles of my feet. 28Man wastes away like a rotten thing, like a garment that is moth-eaten.Chapter 14
1"Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble. 2He comes out like a flower and withers; he flees like a shadow and continues not. 3And do you open your eyes on such a one and bring me into judgment with you? 4Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? There is not one. 5Since his days are determined, and the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass, 6 look away from him and leave him alone, that he may enjoy, like a hired hand, his day. 7"For there is hope for a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease. 8Though its root grow old in the earth, and its stump die in the soil, 9yet at the scent of water it will bud and put out branches like a young plant. 10But a man dies and is laid low; man breathes his last, and where is he? 11 As waters fail from a lake and a river wastes away and dries up, 12so a man lies down and rises not again; till the heavens are no more he will not awake or be roused out of his sleep. 13Oh that you would hide me in Sheol, that you would conceal me until your wrath be past, that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me! 14If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my service I would wait, till my renewal should come. 15You would call, and I would answer you; you would long for the work of your hands. 16For then you would number my steps; you would not keep watch over my sin; 17my transgression would be sealed up in a bag, and you would cover over my iniquity. 18"But the mountain falls and crumbles away, and the rock is removed from its place; 19the waters wear away the stones; the torrents wash away the soil of the earth; so you destroy the hope of man. 20You prevail forever against him, and he passes; you change his countenance, and send him away. 21His sons come to honor, and he does not know it; they are brought low, and he perceives it not. 22He feels only the pain of his own body, and he mourns only for himself."
2"Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind?
3Should he argue in unprofitable talk, or in words with which he can do no good?
4But you are doing away with the fear of God and hindering meditation before God.
5For your iniquity teaches your mouth, and you choose the tongue of the crafty.
6Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; your own lips testify against you.
7 "Are you the first man who was born? Or were you brought forth before the hills?
8Have you listened in the council of God? And do you limit wisdom to yourself?
9 What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that is not clear to us?
10 Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us, older than your father.
11Are the comforts of God too small for you, or the word that deals gently with you?
12Why does your heart carry you away, and why do your eyes flash,
13that you turn your spirit against God and bring such words out of your mouth?
14 What is man, that he can be pure? Or he who is born of a woman, that he can be righteous?
15Behold, God puts no trust in his holy ones, and the heavens are not pure in his sight;
16 how much less one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks injustice like water!
17"I will show you; hear me, and what I have seen I will declare
18(what wise men have told, without hiding it from their fathers,
19to whom alone the land was given, and no stranger passed among them).
20The wicked man writhes in pain all his days, through all the years that are laid up for the ruthless.
21 Dreadful sounds are in his ears; in prosperity the destroyer will come upon him.
22He does not believe that he will return out of darkness, and he is marked for the sword.
23He wanders abroad for bread, saying, ‘Where is it?’ He knows that a day of darkness is ready at his hand;
24distress and anguish terrify him; they prevail against him, like a king ready for battle.
25Because he has stretched out his hand against God and defies the Almighty,
26 running stubbornly against him with a thickly bossed shield;
27because he has covered his face with his fat and gathered fat upon his waist
28and has lived in desolate cities, in houses that none should inhabit, which were ready to become heaps of ruins;
29he will not be rich, and his wealth will not endure, nor will his possessions spread over the earth;
30he will not depart from darkness; the flame will dry up his shoots, and by the breath of his mouth he will depart.
31Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself, for emptiness will be his payment.
32It will be paid in full before his time, and his branch will not be green.
33He will shake off his unripe grape like the vine, and cast off his blossom like the olive tree.
34For the company of the godless is barren, and fire consumes the tents of bribery.
35They conceive trouble and give birth to evil, and their womb prepares deceit."
Chapter 16
1Then Job answered and said:
2"I have heard many such things; miserable comforters are you all.
3Shall windy words have an end? Or what provokes you that you answer?
4I also could speak as you do, if you were in my place; I could join words together against you and shake my head at you.
5I could strengthen you with my mouth, and the solace of my lips would assuage your pain.
6"If I speak, my pain is not assuaged, and if I forbear, how much of it leaves me?
7Surely now God has worn me out; he has made desolate all my company.
8And he has shriveled me up, which is a witness against me, and my leanness has risen up against me; it testifies to my face.
9He has torn me in his wrath and hated me; he has gnashed his teeth at me; my adversary sharpens his eyes against me.
10Men have gaped at me with their mouth; they have struck me insolently on the cheek; they mass themselves together against me.
11God gives me up to the ungodly and casts me into the hands of the wicked.
12I was at ease, and he broke me apart; he seized me by the neck and dashed me to pieces; he set me up as his target;
13his archers surround me. He slashes open my kidneys and does not spare; he pours out my gall on the ground.
14He breaks me with breach upon breach; he runs upon me like a warrior.
15I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin and have laid my strength in the dust.
16My face is red with weeping, and on my eyelids is deep darkness,
17although there is no violence in my hands, and my prayer is pure.
18"O earth, cover not my blood, and let my cry find no resting place.
19Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and he who testifies for me is on high.
20My friends scorn me; my eye pours out tears to God,
21that he would argue the case of a man with God, as a son of man does with his neighbor.
22For when a few years have come I shall go the way from which I shall not return.
Chapter 17
1"My spirit is broken; my days are extinct; the graveyard is ready for me. 2Surely there are mockers about me, and my eye dwells on their provocation. 3"Lay down a pledge for me with you; who is there who will put up security for me? 4Since you have closed their hearts to understanding, therefore you will not let them triumph. 5He who informs against his friends to get a share of their property — the eyes of his children will fail. 6"He has made me a byword of the peoples, and I am one before whom men spit. 7My eye has grown dim from vexation, and all my members are like a shadow. 8The upright are appalled at this, and the innocent stirs himself up against the godless. 9Yet the righteous holds to his way, and he who has clean hands grows stronger and stronger. 10But you, come on again, all of you, and I shall not find a wise man among you. 11My days are past; my plans are broken off, the desires of my heart. 12They make night into day: ‘The light,’ they say, ‘is near to the darkness.’ 13If I hope for Sheol as my house, if I make my bed in darkness, 14if I say to the pit, ‘You are my father,’ and to the worm, ‘My mother,’ or ‘My sister,’ 15where then is my hope? Who will see my hope? 16Will it go down to the bars of Sheol? Shall we descend together into the dust?"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."
New International Version
Chapter 9
1Then Job replied:
2"Indeed, I know that this is true. But how can mere mortals prove their innocence before God?
3Though they wished to dispute with him, they could not answer him one time out of a thousand.
4His wisdom is profound, his power is vast. Who has resisted him and come out unscathed?
5He moves mountains without their knowing it and overturns them in his anger.
6He shakes the earth from its place and makes its pillars tremble.
7He speaks to the sun and it does not shine; he seals off the light of the stars.
8He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.
9He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.
10He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.
11When he passes me, I cannot see him; when he goes by, I cannot perceive him.
12If he snatches away, who can stop him? Who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’
13God does not restrain his anger; even the cohorts of Rahab cowered at his feet.
14"How then can I dispute with him? How can I find words to argue with him?
15Though I were innocent, I could not answer him; I could only plead with my Judge for mercy.
16Even if I summoned him and he responded, I do not believe he would give me a hearing.
17He would crush me with a storm and multiply my wounds for no reason.
18He would not let me catch my breath but would overwhelm me with misery.
19If it is a matter of strength, he is mighty! And if it is a matter of justice, who can challenge him ?
20Even if I were innocent, my mouth would condemn me; if I were blameless, it would pronounce me guilty.
21"Although I am blameless, I have no concern for myself; I despise my own life.
22It is all the same; that is why I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’
23When a scourge brings sudden death, he mocks the despair of the innocent.
24When a land falls into the hands of the wicked, he blindfolds its judges. If it is not he, then who is it?
25"My days are swifter than a runner; they fly away without a glimpse of joy.
26They skim past like boats of papyrus, like eagles swooping down on their prey.
27If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint, I will change my expression, and smile,’
28I still dread all my sufferings, for I know you will not hold me innocent.
29Since I am already found guilty, why should I struggle in vain?
30Even if I washed myself with soap and my hands with cleansing powder,
31you would plunge me into a slime pit so that even my clothes would detest me.
32"He is not a mere mortal like me that I might answer him, that we might confront each other in court.
33If only there were someone to mediate between us, someone to bring us together,
34someone to remove God’s rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more.
35Then I would speak up without fear of him, but as it now stands with me, I cannot.
Chapter 10
1"I loathe my very life; therefore I will give free rein to my complaint and speak out in the bitterness of my soul. 2I say to God: Do not declare me guilty, but tell me what charges you have against me. 3Does it please you to oppress me, to spurn the work of your hands, while you smile on the plans of the wicked? 4Do you have eyes of flesh? Do you see as a mortal sees? 5Are your days like those of a mortal or your years like those of a strong man, 6that you must search out my faults and probe after my sin—
7though you know that I am not guilty and that no one can rescue me from your hand?
8"Your hands shaped me and made me. Will you now turn and destroy me?
9Remember that you molded me like clay. Will you now turn me to dust again?
10Did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese,
11clothe me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews?
12You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit.
13"But this is what you concealed in your heart, and I know that this was in your mind:
14If I sinned, you would be watching me and would not let my offense go unpunished.
15If I am guilty—woe to me! Even if I am innocent, I cannot lift my head, for I am full of shame and drowned in my affliction.
16If I hold my head high, you stalk me like a lion and again display your awesome power against me.
17You bring new witnesses against me and increase your anger toward me; your forces come against me wave upon wave.
18"Why then did you bring me out of the womb? I wish I had died before any eye saw me.
19If only I had never come into being, or had been carried straight from the womb to the grave!
20Are not my few days almost over? Turn away from me so I can have a moment’s joy
21before I go to the place of no return, to the land of gloom and utter darkness,
22to the land of deepest night, of utter darkness and disorder, where even the light is like darkness."
Chapter 11
1Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:
2"Are all these words to go unanswered? Is this talker to be vindicated?
3Will your idle talk reduce others to silence? Will no one rebuke you when you mock?
4You say to God, ‘My beliefs are flawless and I am pure in your sight.’
5Oh, how I wish that God would speak, that he would open his lips against you
6and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides. Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin.
7"Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
8They are higher than the heavens above—what can you do? They are deeper than the depths below—what can you know?
9Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea.
10"If he comes along and confines you in prison and convenes a court, who can oppose him?
11Surely he recognizes deceivers; and when he sees evil, does he not take note?
12But the witless can no more become wise than a wild donkey’s colt can be born human.
13"Yet if you devote your heart to him and stretch out your hands to him,
14if you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent,
15then, free of fault, you will lift up your face; you will stand firm and without fear.
16You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by.
17Life will be brighter than noonday, and darkness will become like morning.
18You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety.
19You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid, and many will court your favor.
20But the eyes of the wicked will fail, and escape will elude them; their hope will become a dying gasp."
Chapter 12
1Then Job replied:
3But I have a mind as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know all these things?
4"I have become a laughingstock to my friends, though I called on God and he answered— a mere laughingstock, though righteous and blameless!
5Those who are at ease have contempt for misfortune as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.
6The tents of marauders are undisturbed, and those who provoke God are secure— those God has in his hand.
7"But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;
8or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you.
9Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?
10In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.
11Does not the ear test words as the tongue tastes food?
12Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?
13"To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his.
14What he tears down cannot be rebuilt; those he imprisons cannot be released.
15If he holds back the waters, there is drought; if he lets them loose, they devastate the land.
16To him belong strength and insight; both deceived and deceiver are his.
17He leads rulers away stripped and makes fools of judges.
18He takes off the shackles put on by kings and ties a loincloth around their waist.
19He leads priests away stripped and overthrows officials long established.
20He silences the lips of trusted advisers and takes away the discernment of elders.
21He pours contempt on nobles and disarms the mighty.
22He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings utter darkness into the light.
23He makes nations great, and destroys them; he enlarges nations, and disperses them.
24He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason; he makes them wander in a trackless waste.
25They grope in darkness with no light; he makes them stagger like drunkards.
Chapter 13
1"My eyes have seen all this, my ears have heard and understood it. 2What you know, I also know; I am not inferior to you. 3But I desire to speak to the Almighty and to argue my case with God. 4You, however, smear me with lies; you are worthless physicians, all of you! 5If only you would be altogether silent! For you, that would be wisdom. 6Hear now my argument; listen to the pleas of my lips. 7Will you speak wickedly on God’s behalf? Will you speak deceitfully for him? 8Will you show him partiality? Will you argue the case for God? 9Would it turn out well if he examined you? Could you deceive him as you might deceive a mortal? 10He would surely call you to account if you secretly showed partiality. 11Would not his splendor terrify you? Would not the dread of him fall on you?
12Your maxims are proverbs of ashes; your defenses are defenses of clay.
13"Keep silent and let me speak; then let come to me what may.
14Why do I put myself in jeopardy and take my life in my hands?
15Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face.
16Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance, for no godless person would dare come before him!
17Listen carefully to what I say; let my words ring in your ears.
18Now that I have prepared my case, I know I will be vindicated.
19Can anyone bring charges against me? If so, I will be silent and die.
20"Only grant me these two things, God, and then I will not hide from you:
21Withdraw your hand far from me, and stop frightening me with your terrors.
22Then summon me and I will answer, or let me speak, and you reply to me.
23How many wrongs and sins have I committed? Show me my offense and my sin.
24Why do you hide your face and consider me your enemy?
25Will you torment a windblown leaf? Will you chase after dry chaff?
26For you write down bitter things against me and make me reap the sins of my youth.
27You fasten my feet in shackles; you keep close watch on all my paths by putting marks on the soles of my feet.
28"So man wastes away like something rotten, like a garment eaten by moths.
Chapter 14
1"Mortals, born of woman, are of few days and full of trouble. 2They spring up like flowers and wither away; like fleeting shadows, they do not endure. 3Do you fix your eye on them? Will you bring them before you for judgment? 4Who can bring what is pure from the impure? No one! 5A person’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.
6So look away from him and let him alone, till he has put in his time like a hired laborer.
7"At least there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail.
8Its roots may grow old in the ground and its stump die in the soil,
9yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth shoots like a plant.
10But a man dies and is laid low; he breathes his last and is no more.
11As the water of a lake dries up or a riverbed becomes parched and dry,
12so he lies down and does not rise; till the heavens are no more, people will not awake or be roused from their sleep.
13"If only you would hide me in the grave and conceal me till your anger has passed! If only you would set me a time and then remember me!
14If someone dies, will they live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come.
15You will call and I will answer you; you will long for the creature your hands have made.
16Surely then you will count my steps but not keep track of my sin.
17My offenses will be sealed up in a bag; you will cover over my sin.
18"But as a mountain erodes and crumbles and as a rock is moved from its place,
19as water wears away stones and torrents wash away the soil, so you destroy a person’s hope.
20You overpower them once for all, and they are gone; you change their countenance and send them away.
21If their children are honored, they do not know it; if their offspring are brought low, they do not see it.
22They feel but the pain of their own bodies and mourn only for themselves."
Chapter 15
1Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
2"Would a wise person answer with empty notions or fill their belly with the hot east wind?
3Would they argue with useless words, with speeches that have no value?
4But you even undermine piety and hinder devotion to God.
5Your sin prompts your mouth; you adopt the tongue of the crafty.
6Your own mouth condemns you, not mine; your own lips testify against you.
7"Are you the first man ever born? Were you brought forth before the hills?
8Do you listen in on God’s council? Do you have a monopoly on wisdom?
9What do you know that we do not know? What insights do you have that we do not have?
10The gray-haired and the aged are on our side, men even older than your father.
11Are God’s consolations not enough for you, words spoken gently to you?
12Why has your heart carried you away, and why do your eyes flash,
13so that you vent your rage against God and pour out such words from your mouth?
14"What are mortals, that they could be pure, or those born of woman, that they could be righteous?
15If God places no trust in his holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes,
16how much less mortals, who are vile and corrupt, who drink up evil like water!
17"Listen to me and I will explain to you; let me tell you what I have seen,
18what the wise have declared, hiding nothing received from their ancestors
19(to whom alone the land was given when no foreigners moved among them):
20All his days the wicked man suffers torment, the ruthless man through all the years stored up for him.
21Terrifying sounds fill his ears; when all seems well, marauders attack him.
22He despairs of escaping the realm of darkness; he is marked for the sword.
23He wanders about for food like a vulture; he knows the day of darkness is at hand.
24Distress and anguish fill him with terror; troubles overwhelm him, like a king poised to attack,
25because he shakes his fist at God and vaunts himself against the Almighty,
26defiantly charging against him with a thick, strong shield.
27"Though his face is covered with fat and his waist bulges with flesh,
28he will inhabit ruined towns and houses where no one lives, houses crumbling to rubble.
29He will no longer be rich and his wealth will not endure, nor will his possessions spread over the land.
30He will not escape the darkness; a flame will wither his shoots, and the breath of God’s mouth will carry him away.
31Let him not deceive himself by trusting what is worthless, for he will get nothing in return.
32Before his time he will wither, and his branches will not flourish.
33He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes, like an olive tree shedding its blossoms.
34For the company of the godless will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of those who love bribes.
35They conceive trouble and give birth to evil; their womb fashions deceit."
Chapter 16
1Then Job replied:
2"I have heard many things like these; you are miserable comforters, all of you!
3Will your long-winded speeches never end? What ails you that you keep on arguing?
4I also could speak like you, if you were in my place; I could make fine speeches against you and shake my head at you.
5But my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief.
6"Yet if I speak, my pain is not relieved; and if I refrain, it does not go away.
7Surely, God, you have worn me out; you have devastated my entire household.
8You have shriveled me up—and it has become a witness; my gauntness rises up and testifies against me.
9God assails me and tears me in his anger and gnashes his teeth at me; my opponent fastens on me his piercing eyes.
10People open their mouths to jeer at me; they strike my cheek in scorn and unite together against me.
11God has turned me over to the ungodly and thrown me into the clutches of the wicked.
12All was well with me, but he shattered me; he seized me by the neck and crushed me. He has made me his target;
13his archers surround me. Without pity, he pierces my kidneys and spills my gall on the ground.
14Again and again he bursts upon me; he rushes at me like a warrior.
15"I have sewed sackcloth over my skin and buried my brow in the dust.
16My face is red with weeping, dark shadows ring my eyes;
17yet my hands have been free of violence and my prayer is pure.
18"Earth, do not cover my blood; may my cry never be laid to rest!
19Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high.
20My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God;
21on behalf of a man he pleads with God as one pleads for a friend.
22"Only a few years will pass before I take the path of no return.
2Surely mockers surround me; my eyes must dwell on their hostility.
3"Give me, O God, the pledge you demand. Who else will put up security for me?
4You have closed their minds to understanding; therefore you will not let them triumph.
5If anyone denounces their friends for reward, the eyes of their children will fail.
6"God has made me a byword to everyone, a man in whose face people spit.
7My eyes have grown dim with grief; my whole frame is but a shadow.
8The upright are appalled at this; the innocent are aroused against the ungodly.
9Nevertheless, the righteous will hold to their ways, and those with clean hands will grow stronger.
10"But come on, all of you, try again! I will not find a wise man among you.
11My days have passed, my plans are shattered. Yet the desires of my heart
12turn night into day; in the face of the darkness light is near.
13If the only home I hope for is the grave, if I spread out my bed in the realm of darkness,
14if I say to corruption, ‘You are my father,’ and to the worm, ‘My mother’ or ‘My sister,’
15where then is my hope— who can see any hope for me?
16Will it go down to the gates of death? Will we descend together into the dust?"
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."
New King James Version
Chapter 9
1Then Job answered and said:
2“Truly I know it is so, But how can a man be righteous before God?
3If one wished to contend with Him, He could not answer Him one time out of a thousand.
4 God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered?
5He removes the mountains, and they do not know When He overturns them in His anger;
6He shakes the earth out of its place, And its pillars tremble;
7He commands the sun, and it does not rise; He seals off the stars;
8 He alone spreads out the heavens, And treads on the waves of the sea;
9 He made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, And the chambers of the south;
10 He does great things past finding out, Yes, wonders without number.
11 If He goes by me, I do not see Him; If He moves past, I do not perceive Him;
12 If He takes away, who can hinder Him? Who can say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’
13God will not withdraw His anger, The allies of the proud lie prostrate beneath Him.
14“How then can I answer Him, And choose my words to reason with Him?
15 For though I were righteous, I could not answer Him; I would beg mercy of my Judge.
16If I called and He answered me, I would not believe that He was listening to my voice.
17For He crushes me with a tempest, And multiplies my wounds without cause.
18He will not allow me to catch my breath, But fills me with bitterness.
19If it is a matter of strength, indeed He is strong; And if of justice, who will appoint my day in court?
20Though I were righteous, my own mouth would condemn me; Though I were blameless, it would prove me perverse.
21“I am blameless, yet I do not know myself; I despise my life.
22It is all one thing; Therefore I say, ‘He destroys the blameless and the wicked.’
23If the scourge slays suddenly, He laughs at the plight of the innocent.
24The earth is given into the hand of the wicked. He covers the faces of its judges. If it is not He, who else could it be?
25“Now my days are swifter than a runner; They flee away, they see no good.
26They pass by like swift ships, Like an eagle swooping on its prey.
27 If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint, I will put off my sad face and wear a smile,’
28 I am afraid of all my sufferings; I know that You will not hold me innocent.
29 If I am condemned, Why then do I labor in vain?
30 If I wash myself with snow water, And cleanse my hands with soap,
31Yet You will plunge me into the pit, And my own clothes will abhor me.
32“For He is not a man, as I am, That I may answer Him, And that we should go to court together.
33 Nor is there any mediator between us, Who may lay his hand on us both.
34 Let Him take His rod away from me, And do not let dread of Him terrify me.
35 Then I would speak and not fear Him, But it is not so with me.
Chapter 10
1“My soul loathes my life; I will give free course to my complaint, I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. 2I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me; Show me why You contend with me. 3 Does it seem good to You that You should oppress, That You should despise the work of Your hands, And smile on the counsel of the wicked? 4Do You have eyes of flesh? Or do You see as man sees? 5 Are Your days like the days of a mortal man? Are Your years like the days of a mighty man, 6That You should seek for my iniquity And search out my sin, 7Although You know that I am not wicked, And there is no one who can deliver from Your hand? 8‘Your hands have made me and fashioned me, An intricate unity; Yet You would destroy me. 9Remember, I pray, that You have made me like clay. And will You turn me into dust again? 10 Did You not pour me out like milk, And curdle me like cheese, 11Clothe me with skin and flesh, And knit me together with bones and sinews? 12You have granted me life and favor, And Your care has preserved my spirit. 13‘And these things You have hidden in Your heart; I know that this was with You: 14If I sin, then You mark me, And will not acquit me of my iniquity. 15If I am wicked, woe to me; Even if I am righteous, I cannot lift up my head. I am full of disgrace; See my misery! 16If my head is exalted, You hunt me like a fierce lion, And again You show Yourself awesome against me. 17You renew Your witnesses against me, And increase Your indignation toward me; Changes and war are ever with me. 18‘Why then have You brought me out of the womb? Oh, that I had perished and no eye had seen me! 19I would have been as though I had not been. I would have been carried from the womb to the grave. 20 Are not my days few? Cease! Leave me alone, that I may take a little comfort, 21Before I go to the place from which I shall not return, To the land of darkness and the shadow of death, 22A land as dark as darkness itself, As the shadow of death, without any order, Where even the light is like darkness.’ ”
2“Should not the multitude of words be answered? And should a man full of talk be vindicated?
3Should your empty talk make men hold their peace? And when you mock, should no one rebuke you?
4For you have said, ‘My doctrine is pure, And I am clean in your eyes.’
5But oh, that God would speak, And open His lips against you,
6That He would show you the secrets of wisdom! For they would double your prudence. Know therefore that God exacts from you Less than your iniquity deserves.
7“Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?
8 They are higher than heaven— what can you do? Deeper than Sheol— what can you know?
9Their measure is longer than the earth And broader than the sea.
10“If He passes by, imprisons, and gathers to judgment, Then who can hinder Him?
11For He knows deceitful men; He sees wickedness also. Will He not then consider it?
12For an empty-headed man will be wise, When a wild donkey’s colt is born a man.
13“If you would prepare your heart, And stretch out your hands toward Him;
14If iniquity were in your hand, and you put it far away, And would not let wickedness dwell in your tents;
15 Then surely you could lift up your face without spot; Yes, you could be steadfast, and not fear;
16Because you would forget your misery, And remember it as waters that have passed away,
17And your life would be brighter than noonday. Though you were dark, you would be like the morning.
18And you would be secure, because there is hope; Yes, you would dig around you, and take your rest in safety.
19You would also lie down, and no one would make you afraid; Yes, many would court your favor.
20But the eyes of the wicked will fail, And they shall not escape, And their hope—loss of life!”
Chapter 12
1Then Job answered and said:
2“No doubt you are the people, And wisdom will die with you!
3But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Indeed, who does not know such things as these?
4“I am one mocked by his friends, Who called on God, and He answered him, The just and blameless who is ridiculed.
5A lamp is despised in the thought of one who is at ease; It is made ready for those whose feet slip.
6 The tents of robbers prosper, And those who provoke God are secure— In what God provides by His hand.
7“But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; And the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
8Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; And the fish of the sea will explain to you.
9Who among all these does not know That the hand of the Lord has done this,
10 In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind?
11Does not the ear test words And the mouth taste its food?
12Wisdom is with aged men, And with length of days, understanding.
13“With Him are wisdom and strength, He has counsel and understanding.
14If He breaks a thing down, it cannot be rebuilt; If He imprisons a man, there can be no release.
15If He withholds the waters, they dry up; If He sends them out, they overwhelm the earth.
16With Him are strength and prudence. The deceived and the deceiver are His.
17He leads counselors away plundered, And makes fools of the judges.
18He loosens the bonds of kings, And binds their waist with a belt.
19He leads princes away plundered, And overthrows the mighty.
20 He deprives the trusted ones of speech, And takes away the discernment of the elders.
21 He pours contempt on princes, And disarms the mighty.
22He uncovers deep things out of darkness, And brings the shadow of death to light.
23 He makes nations great, and destroys them; He enlarges nations, and guides them.
24He takes away the understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth, And makes them wander in a pathless wilderness.
25 They grope in the dark without light, And He makes them stagger like a drunken man.
Chapter 13
1“Behold, my eye has seen all this, My ear has heard and understood it. 2 What you know, I also know; I am not inferior to you. 3 But I would speak to the Almighty, And I desire to reason with God. 4But you forgers of lies, You are all worthless physicians. 5Oh, that you would be silent, And it would be your wisdom! 6Now hear my reasoning, And heed the pleadings of my lips. 7 Will you speak wickedly for God, And talk deceitfully for Him? 8Will you show partiality for Him? Will you contend for God? 9Will it be well when He searches you out? Or can you mock Him as one mocks a man? 10He will surely rebuke you If you secretly show partiality. 11Will not His excellence make you afraid, And the dread of Him fall upon you? 12Your platitudes are proverbs of ashes, Your defenses are defenses of clay. 13“Hold your peace with me, and let me speak, Then let come on me what may! 14Why do I take my flesh in my teeth, And put my life in my hands? 15 Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him. 16He also shall be my salvation, For a hypocrite could not come before Him. 17Listen carefully to my speech, And to my declaration with your ears. 18See now, I have prepared my case, I know that I shall be vindicated. 19 Who is he who will contend with me? If now I hold my tongue, I perish. 20“Only two things do not do to me, Then I will not hide myself from You: 21 Withdraw Your hand far from me, And let not the dread of You make me afraid. 22Then call, and I will answer; Or let me speak, then You respond to me. 23How many are my iniquities and sins? Make me know my transgression and my sin. 24 Why do You hide Your face, And regard me as Your enemy? 25 Will You frighten a leaf driven to and fro? And will You pursue dry stubble? 26For You write bitter things against me, And make me inherit the iniquities of my youth. 27 You put my feet in the stocks, And watch closely all my paths. You set a limit for the soles of my feet. 28“ Man decays like a rotten thing, Like a garment that is moth-eaten.Chapter 14
1“Man who is born of woman Is of few days and full of trouble. 2 He comes forth like a flower and fades away; He flees like a shadow and does not continue. 3And do You open Your eyes on such a one, And bring me to judgment with Yourself? 4Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one! 5 Since his days are determined, The number of his months is with You; You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass. 6 Look away from him that he may rest, Till like a hired man he finishes his day. 7“For there is hope for a tree, If it is cut down, that it will sprout again, And that its tender shoots will not cease. 8Though its root may grow old in the earth, And its stump may die in the ground, 9 Yet at the scent of water it will bud And bring forth branches like a plant. 10But man dies and is laid away; Indeed he breathes his last And where is he? 11 As water disappears from the sea, And a river becomes parched and dries up, 12So man lies down and does not rise. Till the heavens are no more, They will not awake Nor be roused from their sleep. 13“Oh, that You would hide me in the grave, That You would conceal me until Your wrath is past, That You would appoint me a set time, and remember me! 14If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, Till my change comes. 15 You shall call, and I will answer You; You shall desire the work of Your hands. 16For now You number my steps, But do not watch over my sin. 17 My transgression is sealed up in a bag, And You cover my iniquity. 18“But as a mountain falls and crumbles away, And as a rock is moved from its place; 19 As water wears away stones, And as torrents wash away the soil of the earth; So You destroy the hope of man. 20You prevail forever against him, and he passes on; You change his countenance and send him away. 21His sons come to honor, and he does not know it; They are brought low, and he does not perceive it. 22But his flesh will be in pain over it, And his soul will mourn over it.”
2“Should a wise man answer with empty knowledge, And fill himself with the east wind?
3Should he reason with unprofitable talk, Or by speeches with which he can do no good?
4Yes, you cast off fear, And restrain prayer before God.
5For your iniquity teaches your mouth, And you choose the tongue of the crafty.
6 Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; Yes, your own lips testify against you.
7“ Are you the first man who was born? Or were you made before the hills?
8 Have you heard the counsel of God? Do you limit wisdom to yourself?
9 What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that is not in us?
10 Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us, Much older than your father.
11 Are the consolations of God too small for you, And the word spoken gently with you?
12Why does your heart carry you away, And what do your eyes wink at,
13That you turn your spirit against God, And let such words go out of your mouth?
14“What is man, that he could be pure? And he who is born of a woman, that he could be righteous?
15 If God puts no trust in His saints, And the heavens are not pure in His sight,
16 How much less man, who is abominable and filthy, Who drinks iniquity like water!
17“I will tell you, hear me; What I have seen I will declare,
18What wise men have told, Not hiding anything received from their fathers,
19To whom alone the land was given, And no alien passed among them:
20The wicked man writhes with pain all his days, And the number of years is hidden from the oppressor.
21Dreadful sounds are in his ears; In prosperity the destroyer comes upon him.
22He does not believe that he will return from darkness, For a sword is waiting for him.
23He wanders about for bread, saying, ‘Where is it?’ He knows that a day of darkness is ready at his hand.
24Trouble and anguish make him afraid; They overpower him, like a king ready for battle.
25For he stretches out his hand against God, And acts defiantly against the Almighty,
26Running stubbornly against Him With his strong, embossed shield.
27“Though he has covered his face with his fatness, And made his waist heavy with fat,
28He dwells in desolate cities, In houses which no one inhabits, Which are destined to become ruins.
29He will not be rich, Nor will his wealth continue, Nor will his possessions overspread the earth.
30He will not depart from darkness; The flame will dry out his branches, And by the breath of His mouth he will go away.
31Let him not trust in futile things, deceiving himself, For futility will be his reward.
32It will be accomplished before his time, And his branch will not be green.
33He will shake off his unripe grape like a vine, And cast off his blossom like an olive tree.
34For the company of hypocrites will be barren, And fire will consume the tents of bribery.
35 They conceive trouble and bring forth futility; Their womb prepares deceit.”
Chapter 16
1Then Job answered and said:
2“I have heard many such things; Miserable comforters are you all!
3Shall words of wind have an end? Or what provokes you that you answer?
4I also could speak as you do, If your soul were in my soul’s place. I could heap up words against you, And shake my head at you;
5 But I would strengthen you with my mouth, And the comfort of my lips would relieve your grief.
6“Though I speak, my grief is not relieved; And if I remain silent, how am I eased?
7But now He has worn me out; You have made desolate all my company.
8You have shriveled me up, And it is a witness against me; My leanness rises up against me And bears witness to my face.
9 He tears me in His wrath, and hates me; He gnashes at me with His teeth; My adversary sharpens His gaze on me.
10They gape at me with their mouth, They strike me reproachfully on the cheek, They gather together against me.
11God has delivered me to the ungodly, And turned me over to the hands of the wicked.
12I was at ease, but He has shattered me; He also has taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces; He has set me up for His target,
13His archers surround me. He pierces my heart and does not pity; He pours out my gall on the ground.
14He breaks me with wound upon wound; He runs at me like a warrior.
15“I have sewn sackcloth over my skin, And laid my head in the dust.
16My face is flushed from weeping, And on my eyelids is the shadow of death;
17Although no violence is in my hands, And my prayer is pure.
18“O earth, do not cover my blood, And let my cry have no resting place!
19Surely even now my witness is in heaven, And my evidence is on high.
20My friends scorn me; My eyes pour out tears to God.
21 Oh, that one might plead for a man with God, As a man pleads for his neighbor!
22For when a few years are finished, I shall go the way of no return.
Chapter 17
1“My spirit is broken, My days are extinguished, The grave is ready for me. 2 Are not mockers with me? And does not my eye dwell on their provocation? 3“Now put down a pledge for me with Yourself. Who is he who will shake hands with me? 4For You have hidden their heart from understanding; Therefore You will not exalt them. 5He who speaks flattery to his friends, Even the eyes of his children will fail. 6“But He has made me a byword of the people, And I have become one in whose face men spit. 7 My eye has also grown dim because of sorrow, And all my members are like shadows. 8Upright men are astonished at this, And the innocent stirs himself up against the hypocrite. 9Yet the righteous will hold to his way, And he who has clean hands will be stronger and stronger. 10“But please, come back again, all of you, For I shall not find one wise man among you. 11 My days are past, My purposes are broken off, Even the thoughts of my heart. 12They change the night into day; ‘The light is near,’ they say, in the face of darkness. 13If I wait for the grave as my house, If I make my bed in the darkness, 14If I say to corruption, ‘You are my father,’ And to the worm, ‘You are my mother and my sister,’ 15Where then is my hope? As for my hope, who can see it? 16 Will they go down to the gates of Sheol? Shall we have rest together in the dust?”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.”
