JOB 4-23:11

« Job 3 | Job 4-23 | Job 24 »

Eliphaz: Innocent Do Not Suffer  4:1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered,

2 “If one ventures a word with you, will you become impatient?

But who can refrain from speaking?

3 “Behold you have admonished many,

And you have strengthened weak hands.

4 “Your words have helped the tottering to stand,

And you have strengthened feeble knees.

5 “But now it has come to you, and you are impatient;

It touches you, and you are dismayed.

6 “Is not your fear of God your confidence,

And the integrity of your ways your hope?

7 “Remember now, who ever perished being innocent?

Or where were the upright destroyed?

8 “According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity

And those who sow trouble harvest it.

9 “By the breath of God they perish,

And by the blast of His anger they come to an end.

10 “The roaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion,

And the teeth of the young lions are broken.

11 “The lion perishes for lack of prey,

And the whelps of the lioness are scattered.

12 “Now a word was brought to me stealthily,

And my ear received a whisper of it.

13 “Amid disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night,

When deep sleep falls on men,

14 Dread came upon me, and trembling,

And made all my bones shake.

15 “Then a spirit passed by my face;

The hair of my flesh bristled up.

16 “It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance;

A form was before my eyes;

There was silence, then I heard a voice:

17 ‘Can mankind be just before God?

Can a man be pure before his Maker?

18 ‘He puts no trust even in His servants;

And against His angels He charges error.

19 ‘How much more those who dwell in houses of clay,

Whose foundation is in the dust,

Who are crushed before the moth!

20 ‘Between morning and evening they are broken in pieces;

Unobserved, they perish forever.

21 ‘Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them?

They die, yet without wisdom.’

God Is Just5:1 “Call now, is there anyone who will answer you?

And to which of the holy ones will you turn?

2 “For anger slays the foolish man,

And jealousy kills the simple.

3 “I have seen the foolish taking root,

And I cursed his abode immediately.

4 “His sons are far from safety,

They are even oppressed in the gate,

And there is no deliverer.

5 “His harvest the hungry devour

And take it to a place of thorns,

And the schemer is eager for their wealth.

6 “For affliction does not come from the dust,

Nor does trouble sprout from the ground,

7 For man is born for trouble,

As sparks fly upward.

8 “But as for me, I would seek God,

And I would place my cause before God;

9 Who does great and unsearchable things,

Wonders without number.

10 “He gives rain on the earth

And sends water on the fields,

11 So that He sets on high those who are lowly,

And those who mourn are lifted to safety.

12 “He frustrates the plotting of the shrewd,

So that their hands cannot attain success.

13 “He captures the wise by their own shrewdness,

And the advice of the cunning is quickly thwarted.

14 “By day they meet with darkness,

And grope at noon as in the night.

15 “But He saves from the sword of their mouth,

And the poor from the hand of the mighty.

16 “So the helpless has hope,

And unrighteousness must shut its mouth.

17 “Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves,

So do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.

18 “For He inflicts pain, and gives relief;

He wounds, and His hands also heal.

19 “From six troubles He will deliver you,

Even in seven evil will not touch you.

20 “In famine He will redeem you from death,

And in war from the power of the sword.

21 “You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue,

And you will not be afraid of violence when it comes.

22 “You will laugh at violence and famine,

And you will not be afraid of wild beasts.

23 “For you will be in league with the stones of the field,

And the beasts of the field will be at peace with you.

24 “You will know that your tent is secure,

For you will visit your abode and fear no loss.

25 “You will know also that your descendants will be many,

And your offspring as the grass of the earth.

26 “You will come to the grave in full vigor,

Like the stacking of grain in its season.

27 “Behold this; we have investigated it, and so it is.

Hear it, and know for yourself.”

Job’s Friends Are No Help  6:1 Then Job answered,

2 “Oh that my grief were actually weighed

And laid in the balances together with my calamity!

3 “For then it would be heavier than the sand of the seas;

Therefore my words have been rash.

4 “For the arrows of the Almighty are within me,

Their poison my spirit drinks;

The terrors of God are arrayed against me.

5 “Does the wild donkey bray over his grass,

Or does the ox low over his fodder?

6 “Can something tasteless be eaten without salt,

Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

7 “My soul refuses to touch them;

They are like loathsome food to me.

8 “Oh that my request might come to pass,

And that God would grant my longing!

9 “Would that God were willing to crush me,

That He would loose His hand and cut me off!

10 “But it is still my consolation,

And I rejoice in unsparing pain,

That I have not denied the words of the Holy One.

11 “What is my strength, that I should wait?

And what is my end, that I should endure?

12 “Is my strength the strength of stones,

Or is my flesh bronze?

13 “Is it that my help is not within me,

And that deliverance is driven from me?

14 “For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend;

So that he does not forsake the fear of the Almighty.

15 “My brothers have acted deceitfully like a wadi,

Like the torrents of wadis which vanish,

16 Which are turbid because of ice

And into which the snow melts.

17 “When they become waterless, they are silent,

When it is hot, they vanish from their place.

18 “The paths of their course wind along,

They go up into nothing and perish.

19 “The caravans of Tema looked,

The travelers of Sheba hoped for them.

20 “They were disappointed for they had trusted,

They came there and were confounded.

21 “Indeed, you have now become such,

You see a terror and are afraid.

22 “Have I said, ‘Give me something,’

Or, ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth,’

23 Or, ‘Deliver me from the hand of the adversary,’

Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of the tyrants’?

24 “Teach me, and I will be silent;

And show me how I have erred.

25 “How painful are honest words!

But what does your argument prove?

26 “Do you intend to reprove my words,

When the words of one in despair belong to the wind?

27 “You would even cast lots for the orphans

And barter over your friend.

28 “Now please look at me,

And see if I lie to your face.

29 “Desist now, let there be no injustice;

Even desist, my righteousness is yet in it.

30 “Is there injustice on my tongue?

Cannot my palate discern calamities?

Job’s Life Seems Futile7:1 “Is not man forced to labor on earth,

And are not his days like the days of a hired man?

2 “As a slave who pants for the shade,

And as a hired man who eagerly waits for his wages,

3 So am I allotted months of vanity,

And nights of trouble are appointed me.

4 “When I lie down I say,

‘When shall I arise?’

But the night continues,

And I am continually tossing until dawn.

5 “My flesh is clothed with worms and a crust of dirt,

My skin hardens and runs.

6 “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,

And come to an end without hope.

7 “Remember that my life is but breath;

My eye will not again see good.

8 “The eye of him who sees me will behold me no longer;

Your eyes will be on me, but I will not be.

9 “When a cloud vanishes, it is gone,

So he who goes down to Sheol does not come up.

10 “He will not return again to his house,

Nor will his place know him anymore.

11 “Therefore I will not restrain my mouth;

I will speak in the anguish of my spirit,

I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

12 “Am I the sea, or the sea monster,

That You set a guard over me?

13 “If I say, ‘My bed will comfort me,

My couch will ease my complaint,’

14 Then You frighten me with dreams

And terrify me by visions;

15 So that my soul would choose suffocation,

Death rather than my pains.

16 “I waste away; I will not live forever.

Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath.

17 “What is man that You magnify him,

And that You are concerned about him,

18 That You examine him every morning

And try him every moment?

19 “Will You never turn Your gaze away from me,

Nor let me alone until I swallow my spittle?

20 “Have I sinned? What have I done to You,

O watcher of men?

Why have You set me as Your target,

So that I am a burden to myself?

21 “Why then do You not pardon my transgression

And take away my iniquity?

For now I will lie down in the dust;

And You will seek me, but I will not be.”

Bildad Says God Rewards the Good  8:1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered,

2 “How long will you say these things,

And the words of your mouth be a mighty wind?

3 “Does God pervert justice?

Or does the Almighty pervert what is right?

4 “If your sons sinned against Him,

Then He delivered them into the power of their transgression.

5 “If you would seek God

And implore the compassion of the Almighty,

6 If you are pure and upright,

Surely now He would rouse Himself for you

And restore your righteous estate.

7 “Though your beginning was insignificant,

Yet your end will increase greatly.

8 “Please inquire of past generations,

And consider the things searched out by their fathers.

9 “For we are only of yesterday and know nothing,

Because our days on earth are as a shadow.

10 “Will they not teach you and tell you,

And bring forth words from their minds?

11 “Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh?

Can the rushes grow without water?

12 “While it is still green and not cut down,

Yet it withers before any other plant.

13 “So are the paths of all who forget God;

And the hope of the godless will perish,

14 Whose confidence is fragile,

And whose trust a spider’s web.

15 “He trusts in his house, but it does not stand;

He holds fast to it, but it does not endure.

16 “He thrives before the sun,

And his shoots spread out over his garden.

17 “His roots wrap around a rock pile,

He grasps a house of stones.

18 “If he is removed from his place,

Then it will deny him, saying, ‘I never saw you.’

19 “Behold, this is the joy of His way;

And out of the dust others will spring.

20 “Lo, God will not reject a man of integrity,

Nor will He support the evildoers.

21 “He will yet fill your mouth with laughter

And your lips with shouting.

22 “Those who hate you will be clothed with shame,

And the tent of the wicked will be no longer.”

Job Says There Is No Arbitrator between God and Man  9:1 Then Job answered,

2 “In truth I know that this is so;

But how can a man be in the right before God?

3 “If one wished to dispute with Him,

He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.

4 “Wise in heart and mighty in strength,

Who has defied Him without harm?

5 “It is God who removes the mountains, they know not how,

When He overturns them in His anger;

6 Who shakes the earth out of its place,

And its pillars tremble;

7 Who commands the sun not to shine,

And sets a seal upon the stars;

8 Who alone stretches out the heavens

And tramples down the waves of the sea;

9 Who makes the Bear, Orion and the Pleiades,

And the chambers of the south;

10 Who does great things, unfathomable,

And wondrous works without number.

11 “Were He to pass by me, I would not see Him;

Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him.

12 “Were He 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 crouch the helpers of Rahab.

14 “How then can I answer Him,

And choose my words before Him?

15 “For though I were right, I could not answer;

I would have to implore the mercy of my judge.

16 “If I called and He answered me,

I could not believe that He was listening to my voice.

17 “For He bruises me with a tempest

And multiplies my wounds without cause.

18 “He will not allow me to get my breath,

But saturates me with bitterness.

19 “If it is a matter of power, behold, He is the strong one!

And if it is a matter of justice, who can summon Him?

20 “Though I am righteous, my mouth will condemn me;

Though I am guiltless, He will declare me guilty.

21 “I am guiltless;

I do not take notice of myself;

I despise my life.

22 “It is all one; therefore I say,

‘He destroys the guiltless and the wicked.’

23 “If the scourge kills suddenly,

He mocks the despair 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, then who is it?

25 “Now my days are swifter than a runner;

They flee away, they see no good.

26 “They slip by like reed boats,

Like an eagle that swoops on its prey.

27 “Though I say, ‘I will forget my complaint,

I will leave off my sad countenance and be cheerful,’

28 I am afraid of all my pains,

I know that You will not acquit me.

29 “I am accounted wicked,

Why then should I toil in vain?

30 “If I should wash myself with snow

And cleanse my hands with lye,

31 Yet You would plunge me into the pit,

And my own clothes would abhor me.

32 “For He is not a man as I am that I may answer Him,

That we may go to court together.

33 “There is no umpire between us,

Who may lay his hand upon us both.

34 “Let Him remove His rod from me,

And let not dread of Him terrify me.

35 “Then I would speak and not fear Him;

But I am not like that in myself.

Job Despairs of God’s Dealings10:1 “I loathe my own life;

I will give full vent to my complaint;

I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.

2 “I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me;

Let me know why You contend with me.

3 ‘Is it right for You indeed to oppress,

To reject the labor of Your hands,

And to look favorably on the schemes of the wicked?

4 ‘Have You eyes of flesh?

Or do You see as a man sees?

5 ‘Are Your days as the days of a mortal,

Or Your years as man’s years,

6 That You should seek for my guilt

And search after my sin?

7 ‘According to Your knowledge I am indeed not guilty,

Yet there is no deliverance from Your hand.

8 ‘Your hands fashioned and made me altogether,

And would You destroy me?

9 ‘Remember now, that You have made me as clay;

And would You turn me into dust again?

10 ‘Did You not pour me out like milk

And curdle me like cheese;

11 Clothe me with skin and flesh,

And knit me together with bones and sinews?

12 ‘You have granted me life and lovingkindness;

And Your care has preserved my spirit.

13 ‘Yet these things You have concealed in Your heart;

I know that this is within You:

14 If I sin, then You would take note of me,

And would not acquit me of my guilt.

15 ‘If I am wicked, woe to me!

And if I am righteous, I dare not lift up my head.

I am sated with disgrace and conscious of my misery.

16 ‘Should my head be lifted up, You would hunt me like a lion;

And again You would show Your power against me.

17 ‘You renew Your witnesses against me

And increase Your anger toward me;

Hardship after hardship is with me.

18 ‘Why then have You brought me out of the womb?

Would that I had died and no eye had seen me!

19 ‘I should have been as though I had not been,

Carried from womb to tomb.’

20 “Would He not let my few days alone?

Withdraw from me that I may have a little cheer

21 Before I go--and I shall not return--

To the land of darkness and deep shadow,

22 The land of utter gloom as darkness itself,

Of deep shadow without order,

And which shines as the darkness.”

Zophar Rebukes Job  11:1 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered,

2 “Shall a multitude of words go unanswered,

And a talkative man be acquitted?

3 “Shall your boasts silence men?

And shall you scoff and none rebuke?

4 “For you have said, ‘My teaching is pure,

And I am innocent in your eyes.’

5 “But would that God might speak,

And open His lips against you,

6 And show you the secrets of wisdom!

For sound wisdom has two sides.

Know then that God forgets a part of your iniquity.

7 “Can you discover the depths of God?

Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?

8 “They are high as the heavens, what can you do?

Deeper than Sheol, what can you know?

9 “Its measure is longer than the earth

And broader than the sea.

10 “If He passes by or shuts up,

Or calls an assembly, who can restrain Him?

11 “For He knows false men,

And He sees iniquity without investigating.

12 “An idiot will become intelligent

When the foal of a wild donkey is born a man.

13 “If you would direct your heart right

And spread out your hand to Him,

14 If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away,

And do not let wickedness dwell in your tents;

15 “Then, indeed, you could lift up your face without moral defect,

And you would be steadfast and not fear.

16 “For you would forget your trouble,

As waters that have passed by, you would remember it.

17 “Your life would be brighter than noonday;

Darkness would be like the morning.

18 “Then you would trust, because there is hope;

And you would look around and rest securely.

19 “You would lie down and none would disturb you,

And many would entreat your favor.

20 “But the eyes of the wicked will fail,

And there will be no escape for them;

And their hope is to breathe their last.”

Job Chides His Accusers  12:1 Then Job responded,

2 “Truly then you are the people,

And with you wisdom will die!

3 “But I have intelligence as well as you;

I am not inferior to you.

And who does not know such things as these?

4 “I 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 calamity in contempt,

As prepared for those whose feet slip.

6 “The tents of the destroyers prosper,

And those who provoke God are secure,

Whom God brings into their power.

7 “But now ask the beasts, and let them teach you;

And the birds of the heavens, and let them tell you.

8 “Or speak to the earth, and let it teach you;

And let the fish of the sea declare to you.

9 “Who 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?

11 “Does not the ear test words,

As the palate tastes its food?

12 “Wisdom is with aged men,

With long life is understanding.

Job Speaks of the Power of God13 “With Him are wisdom and might;

To Him belong counsel and understanding.

14 “Behold, He tears down, and it cannot be rebuilt;

He imprisons a man, and there can be no release.

15 “Behold, He restrains the waters, and they dry up;

And He sends them out, and they inundate the earth.

16 “With Him are strength and sound wisdom,

The misled and the misleader belong to Him.

17 “He makes counselors walk barefoot

And makes fools of judges.

18 “He loosens the bond of kings

And binds their loins with a girdle.

19 “He makes priests walk barefoot

And overthrows the secure ones.

20 “He deprives the trusted ones of speech

And takes away the discernment of the elders.

21 “He pours contempt on nobles

And loosens the belt of the strong.

22 “He reveals mysteries from the darkness

And brings the deep darkness into light.

23 “He makes the nations great, then destroys them;

He enlarges the nations, then leads them away.

24 “He deprives of intelligence the chiefs of the earth’s people

And makes them wander in a pathless waste.

25 “They grope in darkness with no light,

And He makes them stagger like a drunken man.

Job Says His Friends’ Proverbs Are Ashes13:1 “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 with God.

4 “But you smear with lies;

You are all worthless physicians.

5 “O that you would be completely silent,

And that it would become your wisdom!

6 “Please hear my argument

And listen to the contentions of my lips.

7 “Will you speak what is unjust for God,

And speak what is deceitful for Him?

8 “Will you show partiality for Him?

Will you contend for God?

9 “Will it be well when He examines you?

Or will you deceive Him as one deceives a man?

10 “He will surely reprove you

If you secretly show partiality.

11 “Will not His majesty terrify you,

And the dread of Him fall on you?

12 “Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes,

Your defenses are defenses of clay.

Job Is Sure He Will Be Vindicated13 “Be silent before me so that I may speak;

Then let come on me what may.

14 “Why should I take my flesh in my teeth

And put my life in my hands?

15 “Though He slay me,

I will hope in Him.

Nevertheless I will argue my ways before Him.

16 “This also will be my salvation,

For a godless man may not come before His presence.

17 “Listen carefully to my speech,

And let my declaration fill your ears.

18 “Behold now, I have prepared my case;

I know that I will be vindicated.

19 “Who will contend with me?

For then I would be silent and die.

20 “Only two things do not do to me,

Then I will not hide from Your face:

21 Remove Your hand from me,

And let not the dread of You terrify me.

22 “Then call, and I will answer;

Or let me speak, then reply to me.

23 “How many are my iniquities and sins?

Make known to me my rebellion and my sin.

24 “Why do You hide Your face

And consider me Your enemy?

25 “Will You cause a driven leaf to tremble?

Or will You pursue the dry chaff?

26 “For You write bitter things against me

And make me to inherit the iniquities of my youth.

27 “You put my feet in the stocks

And watch all my paths;

You set a limit for the soles of my feet,

28 While I am decaying like a rotten thing,

Like a garment that is moth-eaten.

Job Speaks of the Finality of Death14:1 “Man, who is born of woman,

Is short-lived and full of turmoil.

2 “Like a flower he comes forth and withers.

He also flees like a shadow and does not remain.

3 “You also open Your eyes on him

And bring him into judgment with Yourself.

4 “Who can make the clean out of the unclean?

No one!

5 “Since his days are determined,

The number of his months is with You;

And his limits You have set so that he cannot pass.

6 “Turn Your gaze from him that he may rest,

Until he fulfills his day like a hired man.

7 “For there is hope for a tree,

When it is cut down, that it will sprout again,

And its shoots will not fail.

8 “Though its roots grow old in the ground

And its stump dies in the dry soil,

9 At the scent of water it will flourish

And put forth sprigs like a plant.

10 “But man dies and lies prostrate.

Man expires, and where is he?

11 “As water evaporates from the sea,

And a river becomes parched and dried up,

12 So man lies down and does not rise.

Until the heavens are no longer,

He will not awake nor be aroused out of 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!

14 “If a man dies, will he live again?

All the days of my struggle I will wait

Until my change comes.

15 “You will call, and I will answer You;

You will long for the work of Your hands.

16 “For now You number my steps,

You do not observe my sin.

17 “My transgression is sealed up in a bag,

And You wrap up my iniquity.

18 “But the falling mountain crumbles away,

And the rock moves from its place;

19 Water wears away stones,

Its torrents wash away the dust of the earth;

So You destroy man’s hope.

20 “You forever overpower him and he departs;

You change his appearance and send him away.

21 “His sons achieve honor, but he does not know it;

Or they become insignificant, but he does not perceive it.

22 “But his body pains him,

And he mourns only for himself.”

Eliphaz Says Job Presumes Much  15:1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded,

2 “Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge

And fill himself with the east wind?

3 “Should he argue with useless talk,

Or with words which are not profitable?

4 “Indeed, you do away with reverence

And hinder meditation before God.

5 “For your guilt teaches your mouth,

And you choose the language of the crafty.

6 “Your own mouth condemns you, and not I;

And your own lips testify against you.

7 “Were you the first man to be born,

Or were you brought forth before the hills?

8 “Do you hear the secret counsel of God,

And limit wisdom to yourself?

9 “What do you know that we do not know?

What do you understand that we do not?

10 “Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us,

Older than your father.

11 “Are the consolations of God too small for you,

Even the word spoken gently with you?

12 “Why does your heart carry you away?

And why do your eyes flash,

13 That you should turn your spirit against God

And allow such words to go out of your mouth?

14 “What is man, that he should be pure,

Or he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

15 “Behold, He puts no trust in His holy ones,

And the heavens are not pure in His sight;

16 How much less one who is detestable and corrupt,

Man, who drinks iniquity like water!

What Eliphaz Has Seen of Life17 “I will tell you, listen to me;

And what I have seen I will also declare;

18 What wise men have told,

And have not concealed from their fathers,

19 To whom alone the land was given,

And no alien passed among them.

20 “The wicked man writhes in pain all his days,

And numbered are the years stored up for the ruthless.

21 “Sounds of terror are in his ears;

While at peace the destroyer comes upon him.

22 “He does not believe that he will return from darkness,

And he is destined for the sword.

23 “He wanders about for food, saying, ‘Where is it?’

He knows that a day of darkness is at hand.

24 “Distress and anguish terrify him,

They overpower him like a king ready for the attack,

25 Because he has stretched out his hand against God

And conducts himself arrogantly against the Almighty.

26 “He rushes headlong at Him

With his massive shield.

27 “For he has covered his face with his fat

And made his thighs heavy with flesh.

28 “He has lived in desolate cities,

In houses no one would inhabit,

Which are destined to become ruins.

29 “He will not become rich, nor will his wealth endure;

And his grain will not bend down to the ground.

30 “He will not escape from darkness;

The flame will wither his shoots,

And by the breath of His mouth he will go away.

31 “Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself;

For emptiness will be his reward.

32 “It will be accomplished before his time,

And his palm branch will not be green.

33 “He will drop off his unripe grape like the vine,

And will cast off his flower like the olive tree.

34 “For the company of the godless is barren,

And fire consumes the tents of the corrupt.

35 “They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity,

And their mind prepares deception.”

Job Says Friends Are Sorry Comforters  16:1 Then Job answered,

2 “I have heard many such things;

Sorry comforters are you all.

3 “Is there no limit to windy words?

Or what plagues you that you answer?

4 “I too could speak like you,

If I were in your place.

I could compose words against you

And shake my head at you.

5 “I could strengthen you with my mouth,

And the solace of my lips could lessen your pain.

Job Says God Shattered Him6 “If I speak, my pain is not lessened,

And if I hold back, what has left me?

7 “But now He has exhausted me;

You have laid waste all my company.

8 “You have shriveled me up,

It has become a witness;

And my leanness rises up against me,

It testifies to my face.

9 “His anger has torn me and hunted me down,

He has gnashed at me with His teeth;

My adversary glares at me.

10 “They have gaped at me with their mouth,

They have slapped me on the cheek with contempt;

They have massed themselves against me.

11 “God hands me over to ruffians

And tosses me into the hands of the wicked.

12 “I was at ease, but He shattered me,

And He has grasped me by the neck and shaken me to pieces;

He has also set me up as His target.

13 “His arrows surround me.

Without mercy He splits my kidneys open;

He pours out my gall on the ground.

14 “He breaks through me with breach after breach;

He runs at me like a warrior.

15 “I have sewed sackcloth over my skin

And thrust my horn in the dust.

16 “My face is flushed from weeping,

And deep darkness is on my eyelids,

17 Although there is no violence in my hands,

And my prayer is pure.

18 “O earth, do not cover my blood,

And let there be no resting place for my cry.

19 “Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven,

And my advocate is on high.

20 “My friends are my scoffers;

My eye weeps to God.

21 “O that a man might plead with God

As a man with his neighbor!

22 “For when a few years are past,

I shall go the way of no return.

Job Says He Has Become a Byword17:1 “My spirit is broken, my days are extinguished,

The grave is ready for me.

2 “Surely mockers are with me,

And my eye gazes on their provocation.

3 “Lay down, now, a pledge for me with Yourself;

Who is there that will be my guarantor?

4 “For You have kept their heart from understanding,

Therefore You will not exalt them.

5 “He who informs against friends for a share of the spoil,

The eyes of his children also will languish.

6 “But He has made me a byword of the people,

And I am one at whom men spit.

7 “My eye has also grown dim because of grief,

And all my members are as a shadow.

8 “The upright will be appalled at this,

And the innocent will stir up himself against the godless.

9 “Nevertheless the righteous will hold to his way,

And he who has clean hands will grow stronger and stronger.

10 “But come again all of you now,

For I do not find a wise man among you.

11 “My days are past, my plans are torn apart,

Even the wishes of my heart.

12 “They make night into day, saying,

‘The light is near,’ in the presence of darkness.

13 “If I look for Sheol as my home,

I make my bed in the darkness;

14 If I call to the pit, ‘You are my father’;

To the worm, ‘my mother and my sister’;

15 Where now is my hope?

And who regards my hope?

16 “Will it go down with me to Sheol?

Shall we together go down into the dust?”

Bildad Speaks of the Wicked  18:1 Then Bildad the Shuhite responded,

2 “How long will you hunt for words?

Show understanding and then we can talk.

3 “Why are we regarded as beasts,

As stupid in your eyes?

4 “O you who tear yourself in your anger--

For your sake is the earth to be abandoned,

Or the rock to be moved from its place?

5 “Indeed, the light of the wicked goes out,

And the flame of his fire gives no light.

6 “The light in his tent is darkened,

And his lamp goes out above him.

7 “His vigorous stride is shortened,

And his own scheme brings him down.

8 “For he is thrown into the net by his own feet,

And he steps on the webbing.

9 “A snare seizes him by the heel,

And a trap snaps shut on him.

10 “A noose for him is hidden in the ground,

And a trap for him on the path.

11 “All around terrors frighten him,

And harry him at every step.

12 “His strength is famished,

And calamity is ready at his side.

13 “His skin is devoured by disease,

The firstborn of death devours his limbs.

14 “He is torn from the security of his tent,

And they march him before the king of terrors.

15 “There dwells in his tent nothing of his;

Brimstone is scattered on his habitation.

16 “His roots are dried below,

And his branch is cut off above.

17 “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.

19 “He has no offspring or posterity among his people,

Nor any survivor where he sojourned.

20 “Those in the west are appalled at his fate,

And those in the east are seized with horror.

21 “Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked,

And this is the place of him who does not know God.”

Job Feels Insulted  19:1 Then Job responded,

2 “How long will you torment me

And crush me with words?

3 “These ten times you have insulted me;

You are not ashamed to wrong me.

4 “Even if I have truly erred,

My error lodges with me.

5 “If indeed you vaunt yourselves against me

And prove my disgrace to me,

6 Know then that God has wronged me

And has closed His net around me.

Everything Is against Him7 “Behold, I cry, ‘Violence!’ but I get no answer;

I shout for help, but there is no justice.

8 “He has walled up my way so that I cannot pass,

And He has put darkness on my paths.

9 “He has stripped my honor from me

And removed the crown from my head.

10 “He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone;

And He has uprooted my hope like a tree.

11 “He has also kindled His anger against me

And considered me as His enemy.

12 “His troops come together,

And build up their way against me

And camp around my tent.

13 “He has removed my brothers far from me,

And my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.

14 “My relatives have failed,

And my intimate friends have forgotten me.

15 “Those who live in my house and my maids consider me a stranger.

I am a foreigner in their sight.

16 “I call to my servant, but he does not answer;

I have to implore him with my mouth.

17 “My breath is offensive to my wife,

And I am loathsome to my own brothers.

18 “Even young children despise me;

I rise up and they speak against me.

19 “All my associates abhor me,

And those I love have turned against me.

20 “My bone clings to my skin and my flesh,

And I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.

21 “Pity me, pity me, O you my friends,

For the hand of God has struck me.

22 “Why do you persecute me as God does,

And are not satisfied with my flesh?

Job Says, “My Redeemer Lives”23 “Oh that my words were written!

Oh that they were inscribed in a book!

24 “That with an iron stylus and lead

They were engraved in the rock forever!

25 “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,

And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.

26 “Even after my skin is destroyed,

Yet from my flesh I shall see God;

27 Whom I myself shall behold,

And whom my eyes will see and not another.

My heart faints within me!

28 “If you say, ‘How shall we persecute him?’

And ‘What pretext for a case against him can we find?’

29 “Then be afraid of the sword for yourselves,

For wrath brings the punishment of the sword,

So that you may know there is judgment.”

Zophar Says, “The Triumph of the Wicked Is Short”  20:1 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered,

2 “Therefore my disquieting thoughts make me respond,

Even because of my inward agitation.

3 “I listened to the reproof which insults me,

And the spirit of my understanding makes me answer.

4 “Do you know this from of old,

From the establishment of man on earth,

5 That the triumphing of the wicked is short,

And the joy of the godless momentary?

6 “Though his loftiness reaches the heavens,

And his head touches the clouds,

7 He perishes forever like his refuse;

Those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’

8 “He flies away like a dream, and they cannot find him;

Even like a vision of the night he is chased away.

9 “The eye which saw him sees him no longer,

And his place no longer beholds him.

10 “His sons favor the poor,

And his hands give back his wealth.

11 “His bones are full of his youthful vigor,

But it lies down with him in the dust.

12 “Though evil is sweet in his mouth

And he hides it under his tongue,

13 Though he desires it and will not let it go,

But holds it in his mouth,

14 Yet his food in his stomach is changed

To the venom of cobras within him.

15 “He swallows riches,

But will vomit them up;

God will expel them from his belly.

16 “He sucks the poison of cobras;

The viper’s tongue slays him.

17 “He does not look at the streams,

The rivers flowing with honey and curds.

18 “He returns what he has attained

And cannot swallow it;

As to the riches of his trading,

He cannot even enjoy them.

19 “For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor;

He has seized a house which he has not built.

20 “Because he knew no quiet within him,

He does not retain anything he desires.

21 “Nothing remains for him to devour,

Therefore his prosperity does not endure.

22 “In the fullness of his plenty he will be cramped;

The hand of everyone who suffers will come against him.

23 “When he fills his belly,

God will send His fierce anger on him

And will rain it on him while he is eating.

24 “He may flee from the iron weapon,

But the bronze bow will pierce him.

25 “It is drawn forth and comes out of his back,

Even the glittering point from his gall.

Terrors come upon him,

26 Complete darkness is held in reserve for his treasures,

And unfanned fire will devour him;

It will consume the survivor in his tent.

27 “The heavens will reveal his iniquity,

And the earth will rise up against him.

28 “The increase of his house will depart;

His possessions will flow away in the day of His anger.

29 “This is the wicked man’s portion from God,

Even the heritage decreed to him by God.”

Job Says God Will Deal with the Wicked  21:1 Then Job answered,

2 “Listen carefully to my speech,

And let this be your way of consolation.

3 “Bear with me that I may speak;

Then after I have spoken, you may mock.

4 “As for me, is my complaint to man?

And why should I not be impatient?

5 “Look at me, and be astonished,

And put your hand over your mouth.

6 “Even when I remember, I am disturbed,

And horror takes hold of my flesh.

7 “Why do the wicked still live,

Continue on, also become very powerful?

8 “Their descendants are established with them in their sight,

And their offspring before their eyes,

9 Their houses are safe from fear,

And the rod of God is not on them.

10 “His ox mates without fail;

His cow calves and does not abort.

11 “They send forth their little ones like the flock,

And their children skip about.

12 “They sing to the timbrel and harp

And rejoice at the sound of the flute.

13 “They spend their days in prosperity,

And suddenly they go down to Sheol.

14 “They say to God, ‘Depart from us!

We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways.

15 ‘Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him,

And what would we gain if we entreat Him?’

16 “Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand;

The counsel of the wicked is far from me.

17 “How often is the lamp of the wicked put out,

Or does their calamity fall on them?

Does God apportion destruction in His anger?

18 “Are they as straw before the wind,

And like chaff which the storm carries away?

19 “You say, ‘God stores away a man’s iniquity for his sons.’

Let God repay him so that he may know it.

20 “Let his own eyes see his decay,

And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.

21 “For what does he care for his household after him,

When the number of his months is cut off?

22 “Can anyone teach God knowledge,

In that He judges those on high?

23 “One dies in his full strength,

Being wholly at ease and satisfied;

24 His sides are filled out with fat,

And the marrow of his bones is moist,

25 While another dies with a bitter soul,

Never even tasting anything good.

26 “Together they lie down in the dust,

And worms cover them.

27 “Behold, I know your thoughts,

And the plans by which you would wrong me.

28 “For you say, ‘Where is the house of the nobleman,

And where is the tent, the dwelling places of the wicked?’

29 “Have you not asked wayfaring men,

And do you not recognize their witness?

30 “For the wicked is reserved for the day of calamity;

They will be led forth at the day of fury.

31 “Who will confront him with his actions,

And who will repay him for what he has done?

32 “While he is carried to the grave,

Men will keep watch over his tomb.

33 “The clods of the valley will gently cover him;

Moreover, all men will follow after him,

While countless ones go before him.

34 “How then will you vainly comfort me,

For your answers remain full of falsehood?”

Eliphaz Accuses and Exhorts Job  22:1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded,

2 “Can a vigorous man be of use to God,

Or a wise man be useful to himself?

3 “Is there any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous,

Or profit if you make your ways perfect?

4 “Is it because of your reverence that He reproves you,

That He enters into judgment against you?

5 “Is not your wickedness great,

And your iniquities without end?

6 “For you have taken pledges of your brothers without cause,

And stripped men naked.

7 “To the weary you have given no water to drink,

And from the hungry you have withheld bread.

8 “But the earth belongs to the mighty man,

And the honorable man dwells in it.

9 “You have sent widows away empty,

And the strength of the orphans has been crushed.

10 “Therefore snares surround you,

And sudden dread terrifies you,

11 Or darkness, so that you cannot see,

And an abundance of water covers you.

12 “Is not God in the height of heaven?

Look also at the distant stars, how high they are!

13 “You say, ‘What does God know?

Can He judge through the thick darkness?

14 ‘Clouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He cannot see;

And He walks on the vault of heaven.’

15 “Will you keep to the ancient path

Which wicked men have trod,

16 Who were snatched away before their time,

Whose foundations were washed away by a river?

17 “They said to God, ‘Depart from us!’

And ‘What can the Almighty do to them?’

18 “Yet He filled their houses with good things;

But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.

19 “The righteous see and are glad,

And the innocent mock them,

20 Saying, ‘Truly our adversaries are cut off,

And their abundance the fire has consumed.’

21 “Yield now and be at peace with Him;

Thereby good will come to you.

22 “Please receive instruction from His mouth

And establish His words in your heart.

23 “If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored;

If you remove unrighteousness far from your tent,

24 And place your gold in the dust,

And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks,

25 Then the Almighty will be your gold

And choice silver to you.

26 “For then you will delight in the Almighty

And lift up your face to God.

27 “You will pray to Him, and He will hear you;

And you will pay your vows.

28 “You will also decree a thing, and it will be established for you;

And light will shine on your ways.

29 “When you are cast down, you will speak with confidence,

And the humble person He will save.

30 “He will deliver one who is not innocent,

And he will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”

Job Says He Longs for God  23:1 Then Job replied,

2 “Even today my complaint is rebellion;

His hand is heavy despite my groaning.

3 “Oh that I knew where I might find Him,

That I might come to His seat!

4 “I would present my case before Him

And fill my mouth with arguments.

5 “I would learn the words which He would answer,

And perceive what He would say to me.

6 “Would He contend with me by the greatness of His power?

No, surely He would pay attention to me.

7 “There the upright would reason with Him;

And I would be delivered forever from my Judge.

8 “Behold, I go forward but He is not there,

And backward, but I cannot perceive Him;

9 When He acts on the left, I cannot behold Him;

He turns on the right, I cannot see Him.

10 “But He knows the way I take;

When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

11 “My foot has held fast to His path;

I have kept His way and not turned aside.

« Job 3 | Job 4-23 | Job 24 »