Category: Job

Job’s Dialogue Regarding the Wicked

1 Then Job answered and said,

2 “Listen carefully to my speech,

And let this be the consolation.

3 Bear with me, and I also will speak;

And after I have spoken, you may [continue to] mock [me].

4 As for me, is my complaint to manorabout him?

And why should I not be impatientandmy spirit troubled?

5 Look at me and be astonishedandappalled;

And put your hand over your mouth.

6 Even when I remember, I am troubledandafraid;

Horrorandtrembling take hold of my flesh.

7 Why do the wickedstilllive,

Become old, and become mighty in power?

8 Their childrenanddescendants 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 bull breeds and does not fail;

His cow calves and does not miscarry.

11 They send forth their little ones like a flock,

And their children skip about.

12 They lift up their voicesandsing to the tambourine and the lyre

And rejoice to the sound of the flute.

13 They fully enjoy their days in prosperity,

And so go down to Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) in a [peaceful] moment.

14 Yet they say to God, ‘Depart from us,

For we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways.

15 Who [and what] isthe Almighty, that we should serve Him?

And what would we gain if we plead with Him?’

16 Butnotice, the prosperityof the wickedis not in their hand (in their power);

The counsel of the wicked [and the mystery of God’s dealings with the ungodly] is far from my comprehension.

17 “How often [then] is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out,

And that their disaster falls on them?

Does God distribute painanddestructionandsorrow [to them] in His anger?

18 Are they like straw before the wind,

And like chaff that the storm stealsandcarries away?

19 You say,‘God stores away [the punishment of] man’s wickedness for his children.’

Let God repay him so that he may knowandexperience it.

20 Let his own eyes see his destruction,

And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.

21 For what pleasure does he have in his houseandfamily after he is dead,

When the number of his months [of life] is cut off?

22 Can anyone teach God knowledge,

Seeing that He judges those on high?

23 One dies in his full strength,

Being wholly at ease and quietandsatisfied;

24 His pails are full of milk [his sides are filled out with fat],

And the marrow of his bones is moist,

25 Whereas another dies with a bitter soul,

Never even tasting pleasureorgood fortune.

26 Together they lie down in the dust,

And the worms cover them.

27 “Behold, I know your thoughts,

And the plots by which you would wrong me.

28 For you say, ‘Where is the house of the noble man?

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

29 Have you not asked those who travel this way,

And do you not recognize their witness?

30 That evil men are [now] reserved for the day of disasteranddestruction,

They will be led away on the day of [God’s] wrath?

31 Butwho will confront him with his actionsandrebuke him face to face,

And who will repay him for what he has done?

32 When he is carried to his grave,

A guardwill keep watch over his tomb.

33 The [dirt] clods of the valley are sweet to him [and gently cover him],

Moreover, all men will follow after him [to a grave],

While countless ones go before him.

34 How then can you vainly comfort me with empty words,

Since your answers remain untrue?”

Eliphaz Accuses and Exhorts Job

1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

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

Or a wise man be useful to himself?

3 Is it any pleasureorjoy tothe Almighty that you are righteous?

Or is it of benefit to Him that you make your ways perfect?

4 Is it because of your fear of Him that He corrects you,

That He enters into judgment against you?

5 Is not your wickedness great,

And your sins without end?

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

And stripped men naked.

7 You have not given water to the weary to drink,

And you have withheld bread from the hungry.

8 But the land is possessed by the man with power,

And the favoredandhonorable man dwells in it.

9 You have sent widows away empty-handed,

And the arms (strength) of the fatherless have been broken.

10 Therefore snares surround you,

And sudden dread terrifiesandoverwhelms you;

11 Or darkness, so that you cannot see,

And a flood of water covers you.

12 “Is not God in the height of heaven?

And behold the distant stars, how high they are!

13 You say, ‘What does God know [about me]?

Can He judge through the thick darkness?

14 Thick clouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He cannot see,

And He walks on the vault (circle) of the heavens.’

15 Will you keep to the ancient path

That wicked men walked [in the time of Noah],

16 Men who were snatched away before their time,

Whose foundations were poured out like a river?

17 They said to God, ‘Depart from us!

What can the Almighty do for usorto us?’

18 Yet He filled their houses with goodthings;

But the counsel of the wickedandungodly is far from me.

19 The righteous see it and are glad;

And the innocent mockandlaugh at them,saying,

20 ‘Surely our adversaries are cut offanddestroyed,

And fire has consumed their abundance.’

21 “Now yieldandsubmit yourself to Him [agree with God and be conformed to His will] and be at peace;

In this way [you will prosper and great] good will come to you.

22 Please receive the lawandinstruction from His mouth

And establish His words in your heartandkeep them.

23 If you return to the Almighty [and submit and humble yourself before Him], you will be built up [and restored];

Ifyou remove unrighteousness far from your tents,

24 And place your gold in the dust,

Andthe gold ofOphir among the stones of the brooks [considering it of little value],

25 And make the Almighty your gold

And your precious silver,

26 Then you will have delight in the Almighty,

And you will 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 decideanddecree a thing, and it will be established for you;

And the light [of God’s favor] will shine upon your ways.

29 When you are cast downandhumbled, you will speak with confidence,

And the humble person He will lift upandsave.

30 He will even rescue the one [for whom you intercede] who is not innocent;

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

Job Says He Longs for God

1 Then Job answered and said,

2 “Even today my complaint is contentious;

His hand is heavy despite my groaning.

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

That I might [even] come to His seat!

4 I would present my cause before Him

And fill my mouth with arguments.

5 I would learn the words which He would answer,

And understand what He would say to me.

6 Would He contend against me with His great power?

No, surely He would give attention to me.

7 There the righteous and upright could reason with Him;

So I would be acquitted forever by my Judge.

8 “Behold, I go forward (to the east), but He is not there;

I go backward (to the west), but I cannot perceive Him;

9 To the left (north) He turns, but I cannot behold Him;

He turns to the right hand (south), but I cannot see Him.

10 But He knows the way that I take [and He pays attention to it].

WhenHe has tried me, I will come forth as [refined] gold [pure and luminous].

11 My feet have carefully followed His steps;

I have kept His ways and not turned aside.

12 I have not departed from the commandment of His lips;

I have kept the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.

13 But He is uniqueandunchangeable, and who can turn Him?

AndwhatHis soul desires, that He does.

14 For He performs what is planned (appointed) for me,

And He is mindful of many such things.

15 Therefore I would be terrified at His presence;

WhenI consider [all of this], I tremble in dread of Him.

16 For God has made my heart faint,

And the Almighty has terrified me,

17 But I am not silenced by the darkness [of these woes that fell on me],

Nor by the thick darkness which covers my face.

Job Says God Seems to Ignore Wrongs

1 “Why does the Almighty not set seasons for judgment?

Why do those who know Him not see His days [for punishment of the wicked]?

2 Some remove the landmarks;

They [violently] seize and pasture flocks [appropriating land and flocks openly].

3 They drive away the donkeys of the orphans;

They take the widow’s ox for a pledge.

4 They crowd the needy off the road;

The poor of the land all hide themselves.

5 Behold, as wild donkeys in the desert,

The poor go to their work, diligently seeking food;

As bread for their children in the desert.

6 They harvest their fodder in a field [that is not their own],

And glean the vineyard of the wicked.

7 They spend the night naked, without clothing,

And have no covering against the cold.

8 They are wet from the rain of the mountains

And cling to the rock for lack of shelter.

9 Others snatch the fatherless [infants] from the breast [to sell or make them slaves],

And against the poor they take a pledge [of clothing].

10 They causethe poorto go about naked without clothing,

And they take away the sheaves [of grain] from the hungry.

11 Within the walls [of the wicked] the poor make [olive] oil;

They tread [the grapes in] the wine presses, but thirst.

12 From the [populous and crowded] city men groan,

And the souls of the wounded cry out for help;

Yet God [seemingly] does not pay attention to the wrong [done to them].

13 “Others have been with those who rebel against the light;

They do not want to know its ways

Nor stay in its paths.

14 The murderer rises at dawn;

He kills the poor and the needy,

And at night he becomes a thief.

15 The eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight,

Saying, ‘No eye will see me,’

And he covers his face.

16 In the dark they dig into [the penetrable walls of] houses;

They shut themselves up by day;

They do not know the light [of day].

17 For the morning is the same to him as the thick darkness [of midnight];

For he is familiar with the terrors of thick darkness.

18 “They are insignificant on the surface of the water;

Their portion is cursed on the earth;

They do not turn toward the vineyards.

19 Drought and heat consume the snow waters;

So doesSheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) [consume]those whohave sinned.

20 A mother will forget him;

The worm feeds on him until he is no longer remembered.

And wickedness will be broken like a tree [which cannot be restored].

21 He preys on the barren (childless) woman

And does no good for the widow.

22 Yet God draws away the mighty by His power;

He rises, but no one has assurance of life.

23 God gives them security, and they are supported;

And His eyes are on their ways.

24 They are exalted for a little while, and then they are gone;

Moreover, they are brought low and like everything [they are] gathered upandtaken out of the way;

Even like the heads of grain they are cut off.

25 And if this is not so, who can prove me a liar

And make my speech worthless?”

Bildad Says Man Is Inferior

1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said,

2 “Dominion and awe belong to God;

He establishes peaceandorder in His high places.

3 Is there any number to His [vast celestial] armies?

And upon whom does His light not rise?

4 How then can man be justifiedandrighteous with God?

Or how can he who is born of a woman be pureandclean?

5 Behold, even the moon has no brightness [compared to God’s majesty and glory]

And the stars are not pure in His sight,

6 How much less man,thatmaggot,

And the son of man,thatworm!”

Job Rebukes Bildad

1 But Job answered and said,

2 “What a help you are to the weak (powerless)!

How you have saved the arm that is without strength!

3 How you have counseled the one who has no wisdom!

And how abundantly you have provided sound wisdomandhelpful insight!

4 To whom have you uttered [these] words?

And whose spirit [inspired what] came forth from you?

The Greatness of God

5 “The spirits of the dead tremble

Underneath the waters and their inhabitants.

6 Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) is naked before God,

And Abaddon (the place of destruction) has no covering [from His eyes].

7 It isHewhospreads out the north over emptiness

Andhangs the earth on nothing.

8 He wraps the waters in His clouds [which otherwise would spill on earth all at once],

And the cloud does not burst under them.

9 He covers the face of thefull moon

And spreads His cloud over it.

10 He has inscribed a circular limit (the horizon) on the face of the waters

At the boundary between light and darkness.

11 The pillars of the heavens tremble

And are terrified at His rebuke.

12 He stirred up the sea by His power,

And by His understanding He smashed [proud]Rahab.

13 By His breath the heavens are cleared;

His hand has pierced the [swiftly] fleeing serpent.

14 Yet these are just the fringes of His ways [mere samples of His power],

The faintest whisper of His voice!

Who can contemplate the thunder of His [full] mighty power?”

Job Affirms His Righteousness

1 Job continued his discourse and said,

2 “As God lives, who has taken away my rightanddenied me justice,

And the Almighty, who has caused bitternessandgrief for my soul,

3 As long as my life is within me,

And the breath of God is [still] in my nostrils,

4 My lips will not speak unjustly,

Nor will my tongue utter deceit.

5 Far be it from me that I should admit you are right [in your accusations against me];

Until I die, I will not remove my integrity from me.

6 I hold fast my uprightnessandmy right standing with God and I will not let them go;

My heart does not reproach me for any of my days.

The State of the Godless

7 “May my enemy be as the wicked,

And he who rises up against me be as the unrighteous (unjust).

8 For what is the hope of the godless, even though he has gained [in this world],

When God takes his life?

9 Will God hear his cry

When troubleanddistress come upon him?

10 Will he take delight in the Almighty?

Will he call on God at all times?

11 I will teach you regarding the hand (power) of God;

I will not conceal what is with the Almighty [God’s actual treatment of the wicked].

12 Behold, all of you have seen it;

Why then do you act vainlyandfoolishly [cherishing worthless concepts]?

13 “This [which I am about to explain] is the portion of a wicked man from God,

And the inheritance which tyrantsandoppressors receive from the Almighty:

14 Though his children are many, they are destined for the sword;

And his descendants will not have sufficient bread.

15 Those who survive him will be buried because of the plague,

And [their] widows will not be able to weep.

16 Though he heaps up silver like dust

And piles up clothing like clay,

17 He may prepare it, but the just will wear it

And the innocent will divide the silver.

18 He builds his house like a spider’s web,

Like a (temporary) hut which a watchman makes.

19 He lies down rich, but never will again;

He opens his eyes, and it is gone.

20 Terrors overtake him like a [suddenly rising] flood;

A windstorm steals him away in the night.

21 The east wind lifts him up, and he is gone;

It sweeps him out of his place.

22 For it will hurl [thunderbolts of God’s wrath] at him unsparinglyandwithout compassion;

He flees in haste from its power.

23 People will clap their hands at him [to mock and ridicule him]

And hiss him out of his place.

Job Tells of Earth’s Treasures

1 “Surely there is a mine for silver,

And a place where they refine gold.

2 Iron is taken out of the earth,

And copper is smelted from the stone ore.

3 Manputs an end to darkness [by bringing in a light],

And to the farthest bounds he searches out

The rock buried in gloom and deep shadow.

4 He breaks open (mine) shafts far away from where people live,

[In places] forgotten by the [human] foot;

They dangle [in the mines] and hang away from men.

5 [As for] the earth, out of it comes food,

But underneath [its surface, down deep] it is turned over as fire.

6 Its stones are the bed of sapphires;

It holds dust of gold.

7 The path [deep within] no bird of prey knows,

And the falcon’s eye has not caught sight of it.

8 The proud beasts [and their young] have not walked on it,

Nor has thefiercelion passed over it.

9 Man puts his hand on [and tears apart] the flinty rock;

He overturns the mountains at the base [looking for treasure].

10 He cuts out channelsandpassages among the rocks;

And his eye sees every precious thing.

11 Man dams up the streams from flowing [so that they do not trickle into the mine],

And what is hidden he brings out to the light.

The Search for Wisdom Is Harder

12 “But where can wisdom be found?

And where is the place of understanding?

13 Man does not know the value of it;

Nor is it found in the land of the living.

14 The deep says, ‘It is not in me’;

And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’

15 It cannot be obtained for pure gold,

Nor can silver be weighed as its price.

16 It cannot be valued in [terms of] the gold of Ophir,

In the precious onyxorberyl, or the sapphire.

17 Gold and glass cannot equal wisdom,

Nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold.

18 No mention of coral and crystal can be made;

For the possession of wisdom is even above [that of] rubiesorpearls.

19 The topaz of Ethiopia cannot compare with it,

Nor can it be valued in pure gold.

20 From where then does wisdom come?

And where is the place of understanding?

21 It is hidden from the eyes of all the living

And concealed from the birds of the heavens.

22 Abaddon (the place of destruction) and Death say,

‘We have [only] heard a report of it with our ears.’

23 “God understands the way [to wisdom]

And He knows its place [for wisdom is with God alone].

24 For He looks to the ends of the earth

And sees everything under the heavens.

25 When He gave weightandpressure to the wind

And allotted the waters by measure,

26 When He made a limit for the rain

And a way for the thunderbolt,

27 Then He saw wisdom and declared it;

He established it and searched it out.

28 But to man He said, ‘Behold, the reverentialandworshipful fear of the Lord—that is wisdom;

And to depart from evil is understanding.’ ”

Job’s Past Was Glorious

1 And Job again took up his discussion and said,

2 “Oh, that I were as in the months of old,

As in the days when God watched over me,

3 When His lamp shone upon my head

Andby His light I walked through darkness;

4 As I was in the prime of my days,

When the friendshipandcounsel of God were over my tent,

5 Whenthe Almighty was still with me

And my boys were around me,

6 When my steps [through rich pastures] were washed with butterandcream [from my livestock],

And the rock poured out for me streams of oil [from my olive groves].

7 When I went out to the gate of the city,

When I took my seat [as a city father] in the square,

8 The young men saw me and hid themselves,

The aged aroseandstood [respectfully];

9 The princes stopped talking

And put their hands on their mouths;

10 The voices of the nobles were hushed,

And their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.

11 For when an ear heard [my name mentioned], it called me happyandfortunate;

And when an eye saw [me], it testified for me [approvingly],

12 Because I rescued the poor who cried for help,

And the orphan who had no helper.

13 The blessing of him who was about to perish came upon me,

And I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.

14 I put onrighteousness, and it clothed me;

My justice was like a robe and a turban!

15 I was eyes to the blind

And I was feet to the lame.

16 I was a father to the needy;

I investigated the case I did not know [and assured justice].

17 And I smashed the jaws of the wicked

And snatched the prey from his teeth.

18 Then I said, ‘I shall die in my nest,

And I shall multiply my days as the sand.

19 My root is spread outandopen to the waters,

And the dew lies all night upon my branch.

20 My gloryandhonor are fresh in me [being constantly renewed],

And my bow gains [ever] new strength in my hand.’

21 “They listened to me and waited

And kept silent for my counsel.

22 After I spoke, they did not speak again,

And my speech dropped upon them [like a refreshing shower].

23 They waited for me [and for my words] as for the rain,

And they opened their mouths as for the spring rain.

24 I smiled at them when they did not believe,

And they did not diminish the light of my face.

25 I chose a way for them and sat as chief,

And dwelt as a king among his soldiers,

As one who comforts mourners.

Job’s Present State Is Humiliating

1 “But now those younger than I mockandlaugh at me,

Whose fathers I refused to put with the sheepdogs of my flock.

2 Indeed, how could the strength of their hands profit me?

Vigor had perished from them.

3 They are gaunt with want and famine;

They gnaw the dryandbarren ground by night in [the gloom of] waste and desolation.

4 They pluck [and eat]saltwort (mallows) among the bushes,

And their food is the root of the broom shrub.

5 They are driven from the community;

They shout after them as after a thief.

6 They must dwell on the slopes ofwadis

And inholes in the ground and in rocks.

7 Among the bushes they cry out [like wild animals];

Beneath the prickly scrub they gatherandhuddle together.

8 They are thesons of [worthless and nameless] fools,

They have been driven out of the land.

9 “And now I have become [the subject of] their taunting;

Yes, I am abywordanda laughingstock to them.

10 They hate me, they stand aloof from me,

And do not refrain from spitting in my face.

11 For God has loosed His bowstring [attacking me] and [He has] afflictedandhumbled me;

They have cast off the bridle [of restraint] before me.

12 On my right the [rabble] brood rises;

They push my feet away, and they build up their ways of destruction against me [like an advancing army].

13 They break upandclutter my path [upsetting my plans],

They profit from my destruction;

No one restrains them.

14 Asthrougha wide breach they come,

Amid the crash [of falling walls] they roll on [over me].

15 Terrors are turned upon me;

They chase away my honorandreputation like the wind,

And my prosperity has passed away like a cloud.

16 “And now my soul is poured out within me;

The days of affliction have seized me.

17 My bones are pierced [with aching] in the night season,

Andthe painsthat gnaw me take no rest.

18 By the great force [of my disease] my garment (skin) is disfiguredandblemished;

It binds about me [choking me] like the collar of my coat.

19 God has cast me into the mire [a swampland of crisis],

And I have become [worthless] like dust and ashes.

20 I cry to You for help, [Lord,] but You do not answer me;

I stand up, but You [only] gaze [indifferently] at me.

21 You have become harshandcruel to me;

With the might of Your hand You [keep me alive only to] persecute me.

22 You lift me up on the wind and cause me to ride [upon it];

And You toss me about in the tempestanddissolve me in the storm.

23 For I know that You will bring me to death

And to the house of meeting [appointed] for all the living.

24 “However, does not one falling in a heap of ruins stretch out his hand?

Or in his disaster [will he not] therefore cry out for help?

25 Did I not weep for one whose life was hardandfilled with trouble?

Was not my heart grieved for the needy?

26 When I expected good, then came evil [to me];

And when I waited for light, then came darkness.

27 I am seething withinandmy heart is troubled and cannot rest;

Days of affliction come to meet me.

28 I go about mourning without comfort [my skin blackened by disease, not by the heat of the sun];

I stand up in the assemblyandcry out for help.

29 I am a brother to [howling] jackals,

And a companion to ostriches [which scream dismally].

30 My skin falls from me in blackened flakes,

And my bones are burned with fever.

31 Therefore my lyre (harp) isusedfor [the sound of] mourning,

And my flute for the [sound of the] voices of those who weep.