Job 9:18-34
New American Standard Bible
Chapter 9
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.King James Version
Chapter 9
18He will not suffer me to take my breath, but filleth me with bitterness. 19If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong: and if of judgment, who shall set me a time to plead? 20If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse. 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.
23If the scourge slay suddenly, he will laugh at the trial of the innocent.
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.
26They are passed away as the swift ships: as the eagle that hasteth to the prey.
27If I say, I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my heaviness, and comfort myself:
28I am afraid of all my sorrows, I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent.
29If I be wicked, why then labour I in vain?
30If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean;
31Yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me.
32For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment.
33Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both.
34Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his fear terrify me:
Christian Standard Bible
Chapter 9
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.
New Living Translation
Chapter 9
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.
English Standard Version
Chapter 9
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. 24The 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. 33There is no arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both. 34Let him take his rod away from me, and let not dread of him terrify me.New International Version
Chapter 9
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.
21Although 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?
25My 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.
32He 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.
New King James Version
