1There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil. 2Seven sons and three daughters were born to him. 3His possessions also were 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and very many servants; and that man was the greatest of all the men of the east. 4His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5When the days of feasting had completed their cycle, Job would send and consecrate them, rising up early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, "Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." Thus Job did continually. 6Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. 7The LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?" Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it." 8The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil." 9Then Satan answered the LORD, "Does Job fear God for nothing? 10"Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11"But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face." 12Then the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him." So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD.
13Now on the day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, 14a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, 15and the Sabeans attacked and took them. They also slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you." 16While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "The fire of God fell from Heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you." 17While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three bands and made a raid on the camels and took them and slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you." 18While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, 19and behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you." 20Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped.
21He
said,
"Naked
I came from my mother's womb,
And naked I shall return there
The LORD
gave and the LORD has taken away.
Blessed be the name of the LORD."
22Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.
1Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD. 2The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it." 3The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause." 4Satan answered the LORD and said, "Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. 5"However, put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face." 6So the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life." 7Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 8And he took a potsherd to scrape himself while he was sitting among the ashes. 9Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!" 10But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips. 11Now when Job's three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, they came each one from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and comfort him. 12When they lifted up their eyes at a distance and did not recognize him, they raised their voices and wept. And each of them tore his robe and they threw dust over their heads toward the sky. 13Then they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights with no one speaking a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.
1Afterward Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.
2And
Job said,
3"Let
the day perish on which I was to be born,
And the night which said, 'A boy is conceived.'
4"May that day be darkness;
Let not God above care for it,
Nor light shine on it.
5"Let
darkness
and black gloom claim it;
Let a cloud settle on it;
Let the blackness of the day terrify it.
6"As for that night, let
darkness seize it;
Let it not rejoice among the days of the year;
Let it not come into the number of the months.
7"Behold, let that night be
barren;
Let no joyful shout enter it.
8"Let those curse it who curse
the day,
Who are prepared to
rouse
Leviathan.
9"Let the stars of its twilight
be darkened;
Let it wait for light but have none,
And let it not see the breaking dawn;
10Because it did not shut the
opening of my mother's womb,
Or hide trouble from my eyes.
11"Why
did I not die at birth,
Come forth from the womb and expire?
12"Why did the knees receive me,
And why the breasts, that I should suck?
13"For now I
would
have lain down and been quiet;
I would have slept then, I would have been at rest,
14With
kings
and with counselors
of the earth,
Who rebuilt ruins
for themselves;
15Or with
princes who
had gold,
Who were filling their houses with silver.
16"Or like a miscarriage which
is discarded, I would not be,
As infants that never saw light.
17"There the wicked cease from
raging,
And there the weary are at
rest.
18"The prisoners are at ease
together;
They do not hear the voice of the taskmaster.
19"The small and the great are
there,
And the slave is free from his master.
20"Why is
light
given to him who suffers,
And life to the bitter of soul,
21Who
long
for death, but there is none,
And dig for it more than for
hidden
treasures,
22Who rejoice greatly,
And exult when they find the grave?
23"Why is light given to a man
whose
way is hidden,
And whom God
has hedged in?
24"For
my
groaning comes at the sight of my food,
And my
cries pour out like water.
25"For
what
I fear comes upon me,
And what I dread befalls me.
26"I
am
not at ease, nor am I quiet,
And I am not at rest, but turmoil comes."
1Then
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,
14Dread 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.'
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,
7For
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;
9Who
does
great and unsearchable things,
Wonders without number.
10"He
gives
rain on the earth
And sends water on the fields,
11So 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."
1Then
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,
16Which 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,'
23Or, '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?
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,
3So 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,'
14Then You frighten me with
dreams
And terrify me by visions;
15So 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,
18That
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."
1Then
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,
6If 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,
14Whose 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."
1Then
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;
6Who
shakes
the earth out of its place,
And its pillars
tremble;
7Who commands the
sun
not to shine,
And sets a seal upon 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 chambers
of the south;
10Who
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,'
28I 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,
31Yet 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.
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,
6That
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;
11Clothe 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:
14If 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
21Before I go--and
I shall not return--
To
the land of darkness and deep
shadow,
22The land of utter gloom as
darkness itself,
Of deep shadow without order,
And which shines as the darkness."
1Then
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,
6And 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,
14If 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 Chapter 12
1Then
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,
10In
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.
13"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.
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.
13"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:
21Remove
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,
28While I am decaying like a
rotten
thing,
Like a garment that is moth-eaten.
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,
9At 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,
12So
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;
19Water 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."
1Then
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,
13That 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;
16How much less one who is
detestable
and corrupt,
Man, who drinks
iniquity like water!
17"I
will tell you, listen to me;
And what I have seen I will also declare;
18What wise men have told,
And have not concealed from
their
fathers,
19To 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,
25Because 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."
1Then
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.
6"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,
17Although 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.
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;
14If I call to the
pit,
'You are my father';
To the worm,
'my mother and my sister';
15Where 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?"
1Then
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 harass
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."
1Then
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,
6Know then that
God
has wronged me
And has closed His
net around me.
7"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?
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;
27Whom 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."
1Then
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,
5That 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,
7He
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,
13Though he desires it and will
not let it go,
But holds it in
his mouth,
14Yet 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,
26Complete
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."
1Then
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,
9Their 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;
24His sides are filled out with
fat,
And the marrow
of his bones is moist,
25While 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?"
1Then
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,
11Or
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,
16Who 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,
20Saying, '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,
24And
place
your gold in the dust,
And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks,
25Then 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."
1Then
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;
9When 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.
12"I have not departed from the
command of His lips;
I have treasured the
words
of His mouth more than my necessary food.
13"But He is unique and who can
turn Him?
And what His soul desires, that He does.
14"For He performs what is
appointed for me,
And many such decrees are with Him.
15"Therefore, I would be
dismayed at His presence;
When I consider, I am terrified of Him.
16"It is God who has made my
heart
faint,
And the Almighty who has dismayed me,
17But I
am
not silenced by the darkness,
Nor deep
gloom which covers me.
1"Why
are times not stored up by the Almighty,
And why do those who know Him not see
His
days?
2"Some
remove
the landmarks;
They seize and devour flocks.
3"They drive away the donkeys of
the orphans;
They take the widow's
ox for a pledge.
4"They push
the
needy aside from the road;
The poor
of the land are made to hide themselves altogether.
5"Behold, as
wild
donkeys in the wilderness
They go
forth seeking food in their activity,
As bread for their children in the desert.
6"They harvest their fodder in
the field
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 with the mountain
rains
And hug the rock for want of a shelter.
9"Others snatch the
orphan
from the breast,
And against the poor they take a pledge.
10"They cause the poor to go
about naked without clothing,
And they take away the sheaves from the hungry.
11"Within the walls they produce
oil;
They tread wine presses but thirst.
12"From the city men groan,
And the souls of the wounded cry out;
Yet God does
not pay attention to folly.
13"Others have been with those
who rebel against the light;
They do not want to know its ways
Nor abide in its paths.
14"The murderer
arises
at dawn;
He kills
the poor and the needy,
And at night he is as a thief.
15"The eye of the
adulterer
waits for the twilight,
Saying, 'No eye will see me.'
And he disguises his face.
16"In the dark they
dig
into houses,
They shut
themselves up by day;
They do not know the light.
17"For the morning is the same
to him as thick darkness,
For he is familiar with the
terrors
of thick darkness.
18"They are
insignificant
on the surface of the water;
Their portion is
cursed
on the earth
They do not turn toward the
vineyards.
19"Drought and heat
consume
the snow waters,
So does Sheol
those who have sinned.
20"A
mother
will forget him;
The worm
feeds sweetly till he is no
longer remembered
And wickedness will be broken
like
a tree.
21"He wrongs the barren woman
And does no good for
the
widow.
22"But He drags off the valiant
by His
power;
He rises, but no
one has assurance of life.
23"He provides them
with
security, and they are supported;
And His eyes
are on their ways.
24"They are exalted a
little
while, then they are gone;
Moreover, they are
brought
low and like everything gathered up;
Even like the heads of grain they are cut off.
25"Now if it is not so,
who
can prove me a liar,
And make my speech worthless?"
1Then
Bildad the Shuhite answered,
2"Dominion
and awe belong to Him
Who establishes peace in
His
heights.
3"Is there any number to
His
troops?
And upon whom does His light not rise?
4"How then can a man be
just
with God?
Or how can he be
clean
who is born of woman?
5"If even
the
moon has no brightness
And the stars
are not pure in His sight,
6How much less
man,
that maggot,
And the son of man, that worm!"
1Then
Job responded,
2"What a help you are to
the
weak!
How you have saved the arm
without
strength!
3"What counsel you have given to
one without wisdom!
What helpful insight you have abundantly provided!
4"To whom have you uttered
words?
And whose spirit was expressed through you?
5"The
departed
spirits tremble
Under the waters and their inhabitants.
6"Naked is
Sheol
before Him,
And Abaddon
has no covering.
7"He
stretches
out the north over empty space
And hangs the earth on nothing.
8"He
wraps
up the waters in His clouds,
And the cloud does not burst under them.
9"He
obscures
the face of the full moon
And spreads His cloud over it.
10"He has inscribed a
circle
on the surface of the waters
At the boundary
of light and darkness.
11"The pillars of Heaven tremble
And are amazed at His rebuke.
12"He
quieted
the sea with His power,
And by His understanding
He shattered Rahab.
13"By His breath the
Heavens
are cleared;
His hand has pierced
the
fleeing serpent.
14"Behold, these are the fringes
of His ways;
And how faint a
word we hear of Him!
But His mighty thunder,
who can understand?"
1Then
Job continued his discourse
and said,
2"As God lives,
who
has taken away my right,
And the Almighty,
who
has embittered my soul,
3For as long as life is in me,
And the breath
of God is in my nostrils,
4My lips certainly will not
speak unjustly,
Nor will my
tongue mutter deceit.
5"Far be it from me that I
should declare you right;
Till I die I
will not put away my integrity from me.
6"I
hold
fast my righteousness and will not let it go.
My heart does not reproach any of my days.
7"May
my enemy be as the wicked
And my opponent as the unjust.
8"For what is
the
hope of the godless when he is cut off,
When God requires
his
life?
9"Will God
hear
his cry
When distress
comes upon him?
10"Will he take
delight
in the Almighty?
Will he call on God at all times?
11"I will instruct you in the
power of God;
What is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
12"Behold, all of you have seen
it;
Why then do you act foolishly?
13"This is
the
portion of a wicked man from God,
And the inheritance which
tyrants
receive from the Almighty.
14"Though his sons are many,
they are destined for
the sword;
And his descendants
will not be satisfied with bread.
15"His survivors will be buried
because of the plague,
And their widows
will not be able to weep.
16"Though he piles up silver
like dust
And prepares garments as plentiful as the clay,
17He may prepare it,
but
the just will wear it
And the innocent will divide the silver.
18"He has built his
house
like the spider's web,
Or as a hut which the watchman has made.
19"He lies down rich, but never
again;
He opens his eyes, and
it
is no longer.
20"Terrors
overtake him like a flood;
A tempest steals him away
in
the night.
21"The east
wind
carries him away, and he is gone,
For it whirls him
away
from his place.
22"For it will hurl at him
without
sparing;
He will surely try to
flee
from its power.
23"Men will clap their hands at
him
And will hiss
him from his place.
1"Surely
there is a mine
for silver
And a place where they refine gold.
2"Iron is taken from the dust,
And copper is smelted from rock.
3"Man puts an end to darkness,
And to
the farthest limit he searches out
The rock in gloom and deep shadow.
4"He sinks a shaft far from
habitation,
Forgotten by the foot;
They hang and swing to and fro far from men.
5"The earth, from it comes food,
And underneath it is turned up as fire.
6"Its rocks are the source of
sapphires,
And its dust contains gold.
7"The path no bird of prey
knows,
Nor has the falcon's eye caught sight of it.
8"The proud beasts have not
trodden it,
Nor has the fierce lion passed over it.
9"He puts his hand on the flint;
He overturns the mountains at the base.
10"He hews out channels through
the rocks,
And his eye sees anything precious.
11"He dams up the streams from
flowing,
And what is hidden he brings out to the light.
12"But
where
can wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
13"Man
does not know its value,
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"Pure
gold cannot be given in exchange for it,
Nor can silver be weighed as its price.
16"It cannot be valued in the
gold of Ophir,
In precious onyx, or sapphire.
17"Gold
or glass cannot equal it,
Nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold.
18"Coral and crystal are not to
be mentioned;
And the acquisition of
wisdom
is above that of pearls.
19"The topaz of Ethiopia cannot
equal it,
Nor can it be valued in
pure
gold.
20"Where
then does wisdom come from?
And where is the place of understanding?
21"Thus it is hidden from the
eyes of all living
And concealed from the birds of the sky.
22"Abaddon
and Death say,
'With our ears we have heard a report of it.'
23"God
understands its way,
And He knows its place.
24"For He
looks
to the ends of the earth
And sees everything under the Heavens.
25"When He imparted
weight
to the wind
And meted
out the waters by measure,
26When He set a
limit
for the rain
And a course for the
thunderbolt,
27Then He saw it and declared
it;
He established it and also searched it out.
28"And to man He said, 'Behold,
the fear
of the Lord, that is wisdom;
And to depart from evil is understanding.'"
1And
Job again took up his discourse
and said,
2"Oh that I were as in months
gone by,
As in the days when God
watched
over me;
3When
His
lamp shone over my head,
And by
His light I walked through darkness;
4As I was in
the
prime of my days,
When the friendship
of God was over my tent;
5When the Almighty was yet with
me,
And my children were around me;
6When my steps were bathed in
butter,
And the rock
poured out for me streams of oil!
7"When I went out to
the
gate of the city,
When I took my seat in the square,
8The young men saw me and hid
themselves,
And the old men arose and stood.
9"The princes
stopped
talking
And put
their hands on their mouths;
10The voice of the nobles was
hushed,
And their tongue
stuck to their palate.
11"For when
the
ear heard, it called me blessed,
And when the eye saw, it gave witness of me,
12Because I delivered
the
poor who cried for help,
And the orphan
who had no helper.
13"The blessing of the one
ready to
perish came upon me,
And I made the widow's
heart sing for joy.
14"I
put
on righteousness, and it clothed me;
My justice was like a robe and a turban.
15"I was
eyes
to the blind
And feet to the lame.
16"I was a father to
the
needy,
And I investigated the case which I did not know.
17"I
broke
the jaws of the wicked
And snatched the prey from his teeth.
18"Then I thought, 'I shall die
in my nest,
And I shall multiply my days as the sand.
19'My
root
is spread out to the waters,
And dew
lies all night on my branch.
20'My glory is ever new with me,
And my bow
is renewed in my hand.'
21"To me
they
listened and waited,
And kept silent for my counsel.
22"After my words they did not
speak
again,
And my
speech dropped on them.
23"They waited for me as for the
rain,
And opened their mouth as for the spring rain.
24"I smiled on them when they
did not believe,
And the light of my face they did not cast down.
25"I chose a way for them and
sat as chief,
And dwelt as a king among the troops,
As one who comforted
the mourners.
1"But
now those younger than I mock
me,
Whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock.
2"Indeed, what good was the
strength of their hands to me?
Vigor had perished from them.
3"From want and famine they are
gaunt
Who gnaw the dry ground by night in waste and desolation,
4Who pluck
mallow
by the bushes,
And whose food is the root of the broom shrub.
5"They are driven from the
community;
They shout against them as against a thief,
6So that they dwell in dreadful
valleys,
In holes of the earth and of the rocks.
7"Among the bushes they cry out;
Under the nettles they are gathered together.
8"Fools, even those without a
name,
They were scourged from the land.
9"And now I have become their
taunt,
I have even become a
byword
to them.
10"They abhor me and stand aloof
from me,
And they do not refrain from
spitting
at my face.
11"Because He has loosed His
bowstring and afflicted
me,
They have cast off
the
bridle before me.
12"On the right hand their brood
arises;
They thrust
aside my feet and
build up against me their ways of destruction.
13"They
break
up my path,
They profit from my destruction;
No one restrains them.
14"As through a wide breach they
come,
Amid the tempest they roll on.
15"Terrors
are turned against me;
They pursue my honor as the wind,
And my prosperity has passed away
like
a cloud.
16"And now
my
soul is poured out within me;
Days of affliction have seized me.
17"At night it pierces
my
bones within me,
And my gnawing pains take no rest.
18"By a great force my garment
is distorted;
It binds me about as the collar of my coat.
19"He has cast me into the
mire,
And I have become like dust and ashes.
20"I
cry
out to You for help, but You do not answer me;
I stand up, and You turn Your attention against me.
21"You have become cruel to me;
With the might of Your hand You
persecute
me.
22"You
lift
me up to the wind and cause me to ride;
And You dissolve me in a storm.
23"For I know that You
will
bring me to death
And to the house
of meeting for all living.
24"Yet does not one in a heap of
ruins stretch out his hand,
Or in his disaster therefore
cry
out for help?
25"Have I not
wept
for the one whose life is hard?
Was not my soul grieved for
the
needy?
26"When I
expected
good, then evil came;
When I waited for light,
then
darkness came.
27"I am seething
within
and cannot relax;
Days of affliction confront me.
28"I go about
mourning
without comfort;
I stand up in the assembly and
cry
out for help.
29"I have become a brother to
jackals
And a companion of ostriches.
30"My
skin
turns black on me,
And my bones
burn with fever.
31"Therefore my
harp
is turned to mourning,
And my flute to the sound of those who weep.
1"I
have made a covenant with my eyes;
How then could I gaze at a virgin?
2"And what is
the
portion of God from above
Or the heritage of the Almighty from on high?
3"Is it not
calamity
to the unjust
And disaster to those
who work iniquity?
4"Does He not
see
my ways
And number
all my steps?
5"If I have
walked
with falsehood,
And my foot has hastened after deceit,
6Let Him
weigh
me with accurate scales,
And let God know
my
integrity.
7"If my step has
turned
from the way,
Or my heart followed my eyes,
Or if any spot
has stuck to my hands,
8Let me
sow
and another eat,
And let my crops
be uprooted.
9"If my heart has been
enticed
by a woman,
Or I have lurked at my neighbor's doorway,
10May my wife
grind
for another,
And let others
kneel down over her.
11"For that would be a
lustful
crime;
Moreover, it would be
an
iniquity punishable by judges.
12"For it would be
fire
that consumes to Abaddon,
And would uproot
all my increase.
13"If I have
despised
the claim of my male or female slaves
When they filed a complaint against me,
14What then could I do when God
arises?
And when He calls me to account, what will I answer Him?
15"Did not
He
who made me in the womb make him,
And the same one fashion us in the womb?
16"If I have kept
the
poor from their desire,
Or have caused the eyes of
the
widow to fail,
17Or have
eaten
my morsel alone,
And the
orphan has not shared it
18(But from my youth he grew up
with me as with a father,
And from infancy I guided her),
19If I have seen anyone perish
for
lack of clothing,
Or that the
needy had no covering,
20If his loins have not thanked
me,
And if he has not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep,
21If I have lifted up my hand
against the
orphan,
Because I saw I had support
in
the gate,
22Let my shoulder fall from the
socket,
And my arm
be broken off at the elbow.
23"For
calamity
from God is a terror to me,
And because of His
majesty I can do nothing.
24"If I have put my confidence
in gold,
And called fine gold my trust,
25If I have
gloated
because my wealth was great,
And because my hand had secured so much;
26If I have
looked
at the sun when it shone
Or the moon going in splendor,
27And my heart became secretly
enticed,
And my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,
28That too would have been
an
iniquity calling for judgment,
For I would have
denied
God above.
29"Have I
rejoiced
at the extinction of my enemy,
Or exulted when evil befell him?
30"No,
I
have not allowed my mouth to sin
By asking for his life in
a
curse.
31"Have the men of my tent not
said,
'Who can find one who has not been
satisfied
with his meat'?
32"The alien has not lodged
outside,
For I have opened my doors to the traveler.
33"Have I
covered
my transgressions like Adam,
By hiding my iniquity in my bosom,
34Because I
feared
the great multitude,
And the contempt of families terrified me,
And kept silent and did not go out of doors?
35"Oh that I had one to hear me!
Behold, here is my signature;
Let
the Almighty answer me!
And the indictment which my
adversary
has written,
36Surely I would carry it on my
shoulder,
I would bind it to myself like a crown.
37"I would declare to Him
the
number of my steps;
Like a
prince I would approach Him.
38"If my
land
cries out against me,
And its furrows weep together;
39If I have
eaten
its fruit without money,
Or have caused
its owners to lose their lives,
40Let briars
grow instead of wheat,
And stinkweed instead of barley."
The words of Job are ended.
1Then these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2But the anger of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram burned; against Job his anger burned because he justified himself before God. 3And his anger burned against his three friends because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job. 4Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were years older than he. 5And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men his anger burned.
6So
Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite spoke out and said,
"I am young in years and you are
old;
Therefore I was shy and afraid to tell you what I think.
7"I thought
age
should speak,
And increased years should teach wisdom.
8"But it is a spirit in man,
And the breath
of the Almighty gives them understanding.
9"The abundant in years may not
be wise,
Nor may elders
understand justice.
10"So I say, 'Listen to me,
I too will tell what I think.'
11"Behold, I waited for your
words,
I listened to your
reasoning's,
While you pondered what to say.
12"I even paid close attention
to you;
Indeed, there was no one who refuted Job,
Not one of you who answered his words.
13"Do not say,
'We
have found wisdom;
God will rout him, not man.'
14"For he has not arranged his
words against me,
Nor will I reply to him with your arguments.
15"They are dismayed, they no
longer answer;
Words have failed them.
16"Shall I wait, because they do
not speak,
Because they stop and no longer answer?
17"I too will answer my share,
I also will tell my opinion.
18"For I am full of words;
The spirit within me constrains me.
19"Behold, my belly is like
unvented wine,
Like new wineskins it is about to burst.
20"Let me speak that I may get
relief;
Let me open my lips and answer.
21"Let me now
be
partial to no one,
Nor flatter any man.
22"For I do not know how to
flatter,
Else my Maker would soon take me away.
1"However
now, Job, please hear
my speech,
And listen to all my words.
2"Behold now, I open my mouth,
My tongue in my mouth speaks.
3"My words are from the
uprightness of my heart,
And my lips speak
knowledge
sincerely.
4"The
Spirit
of God has made me,
And the breath
of the Almighty gives me life.
5"Refute
me if you can;
Array yourselves before me, take your stand.
6"Behold, I belong to God like
you;
I too have been formed out of the
clay.
7"Behold,
no
fear of me should terrify you,
Nor should my pressure weigh heavily on you.
8"Surely you have spoken in my
hearing,
And I have heard the sound of your words:
9'I am
pure, without
transgression;
I am innocent and there
is
no guilt in me.
10'Behold, He invents pretexts
against me;
He counts
me as His enemy.
11'He
puts
my feet in the stocks;
He watches all my paths.'
12"Behold, let me tell you,
you are
not right in this,
For God is greater than man.
13"Why do you
complain
against Him
That He does not give an account of all His doings?
14"Indeed
God
speaks once,
Or twice, yet no one notices it.
15"In a
dream,
a vision of the night,
When sound sleep falls on men,
While they slumber in their beds,
16Then
He
opens the ears of men,
And seals their instruction,
17That He may turn man aside
from his conduct,
And keep man from pride;
18He
keeps
back his soul from the pit,
And his life from passing over
into
Sheol.
19"Man is also chastened with
pain
on his bed,
And with unceasing complaint in his bones;
20So that his life
loathes
bread,
And his soul favorite food.
21"His
flesh
wastes away from sight,
And his bones
which were not seen stick out.
22"Then
his
soul draws near to the pit,
And his life to those who bring death.
23"If there is an angel as
mediator
for him,
One out of a thousand,
To remind a man what is right for him,
24Then let him be gracious to
him, and say,
'Deliver him from
going
down to the pit,
I have found a ransom';
25Let his flesh become fresher
than in youth,
Let him return to the days of his youthful vigor;
26Then he will
pray
to God, and He will accept him,
That he
may see His face with joy,
And He may restore His righteousness to man.
27"He will sing to men and say,
'I have
sinned and perverted what is right,
And it is not proper
for me.
28'He has redeemed my soul from
going to the pit,
And my life shall
see
the light.'
29"Behold, God does
all
these oftentimes with men,
30To
bring
back his soul from the pit,
That he may be enlightened with the light of life.
31"Pay attention, O Job, listen
to me;
Keep silent, and let me speak.
32"Then if you have anything to
say, answer me;
Speak, for I desire to justify you.
33"If not,
listen
to me;
Keep silent, and I will teach you wisdom."
1Then
Elihu continued and said,
2"Hear my words, you wise men,
And listen to me, you who know.
3"For
the
ear tests words
As the palate tastes food.
4"Let us choose for ourselves
what is right;
Let us know among ourselves what is good.
5"For Job has said,
'I
am righteous,
But God
has taken away my right;
6Should I lie concerning my
right?
My wound
is incurable, though I am without transgression.'
7"What man is like Job,
Who drinks
up derision like water,
8Who goes
in
company with the workers of iniquity,
And walks with wicked men?
9"For he has said,
'It
profits a man nothing
When he is pleased with God.'
10"Therefore, listen to me, you
men of understanding.
Far be it from God to
do
wickedness,
And from the Almighty to do wrong.
11"For He pays a man according
to his
work,
And makes him find it according to his way.
12"Surely,
God
will not act wickedly,
And the Almighty will not pervert justice.
13"Who
gave
Him authority over the earth?
And who has
laid on Him the whole world?
14"If He should determine to do
so,
If He should gather
to Himself His spirit and His breath,
15All
flesh
would perish together,
And man would return
to dust.
16"But if you have
understanding, hear this;
Listen to the sound of my words.
17"Shall
one
who hates justice rule?
And will
you condemn the righteous mighty One,
18Who says to a king, 'Worthless
one,'
To nobles, 'Wicked ones';
19Who shows no
partiality
to princes
Nor regards the rich above the poor,
For they all are the
work
of His hands?
20"In a moment they die, and
at
midnight
People are shaken and pass away,
And the
mighty are taken away without a hand.
21"For
His
eyes are upon the ways of a man,
And He sees all his steps.
22"There is
no
darkness or deep shadow
Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
23"For He does not
need
to consider a man further,
That he should go before God in judgment.
24"He breaks in pieces
mighty
men without inquiry,
And sets others in their place.
25"Therefore He
knows
their works,
And He
overthrows them in the night,
And they are crushed.
26"He
strikes
them like the wicked
In a public place,
27Because they
turned
aside from following Him,
And had
no regard for any of His ways;
28So that they caused
the
cry of the poor to come to Him,
And that He might
hear
the cry of the afflicted--
29When He keeps quiet, who then
can condemn?
And when He hides His face, who then can behold Him,
That is, in regard to both nation and man?--
30So that
godless
men would not rule
Nor be snares of the people.
31"For has anyone said to God,
'I have borne chastisement;
I will not offend anymore;
32Teach me what I do not see;
If I have done
iniquity,
I will not do it again'?
33"Shall He
recompense
on your terms, because you have rejected it?
For you must choose, and not I;
Therefore declare what you know.
34"Men of understanding will say
to me,
And a wise man who hears me,
35'Job
speaks
without knowledge,
And his words are without wisdom.
36'Job ought to be tried to the
limit,
Because he answers
like
wicked men.
37'For he adds
rebellion
to his sin;
He claps
his hands among us,
And multiplies his words against God.'"
1Then
Elihu continued and said,
2"Do you think this is according
to justice?
Do you say, 'My righteousness is more than God's'?
3"For you say,
'What
advantage will it be to You?
What
profit will I have, more than if I had sinned?'
4"I will answer you,
And your friends with you.
5"Look
at the Heavens and see;
And behold the
clouds--they are higher than you.
6"If you have sinned,
what
do you accomplish against Him?
And if your transgressions are many, what do you do to Him?
7"If you are righteous,
what
do you give to Him,
Or what does He receive from your hand?
8"Your wickedness is for a man
like yourself,
And your righteousness is for a son of man.
9"Because of the
multitude
of oppressions they cry out;
They cry for help because of the arm
of
the mighty.
10"But
no
one says, 'Where is God my Maker,
Who gives
songs in the night,
11Who
teaches
us more than the beasts of the earth
And makes us wiser than the birds of the Heavens?'
12"There
they
cry out, but He does not answer
Because of the pride of evil men.
13"Surely
God
will not listen to an empty cry,
Nor will the Almighty regard it.
14"How much less when
you
say you do not behold Him,
The case
is before Him, and you must wait for Him!
15"And now, because He has not
visited in His anger,
Nor has He acknowledged transgression well,
16So Job opens his mouth
emptily;
He multiplies words
without
knowledge."
1Then
Elihu continued and said,
2"Wait for me a little, and I
will show you
That there is yet more to be said in God's behalf.
3"I will fetch my knowledge from
afar,
And I will ascribe
righteousness
to my Maker.
4"For truly
my
words are not false;
One who is perfect
in knowledge is with you.
5"Behold, God is mighty but does
not despise
any;
He is mighty
in strength of understanding.
6"He does not
keep
the wicked alive,
But gives justice to
the
afflicted.
7"He does not
withdraw
His eyes from the righteous;
But with
kings on the throne
He has seated them forever, and they are exalted.
8"And if they are bound in
fetters,
And are caught in the cords of
affliction,
9Then He declares to them their
work
And their transgressions, that they have
magnified
themselves.
10"He
opens their ear to instruction,
And commands
that they return from evil.
11"If they hear and serve Him,
They will end
their days in prosperity
And their years in
pleasures.
12"But if they do not hear, they
shall perish by
the sword
And they will die
without knowledge.
13"But the godless in heart lay
up anger;
They do not cry for help when He binds them.
14"They die in youth,
And their life perishes among the
cult
prostitutes.
15"He delivers the afflicted in
their affliction,
And opens
their ear in time of oppression.
16"Then indeed, He
enticed
you from the mouth of distress,
Instead of it, a broad place with no constraint;
And that which was set on your table was full of fatness.
17"But you were full of
judgment
on the wicked;
Judgment and justice take hold of you.
18"Beware that
wrath
does not entice you to scoffing;
And do not let the greatness of the
ransom
turn you aside.
19"Will your riches keep you
from distress,
Or all the forces of your strength?
20"Do not long for
the
night,
When people vanish in their place.
21"Be careful, do
not
turn to evil,
For you have preferred this to
affliction.
22"Behold, God is exalted in His
power;
Who is a teacher
like Him?
23"Who has appointed Him His
way,
And who has said, 'You
have done wrong'?
24"Remember that you should
exalt
His work,
Of which men have
sung.
25"All men have seen it;
Man beholds from afar.
26"Behold, God is
exalted,
and we
do not know Him;
The number
of His years is unsearchable.
27"For
He
draws up the drops of water,
They distill rain from the mist,
28Which the clouds pour down,
They drip upon man abundantly.
29"Can anyone understand the
spreading
of the clouds,
The thundering
of His pavilion?
30"Behold, He spreads His
lightning about Him,
And He covers the depths of the sea.
31"For by these He
judges
peoples;
He gives
food in abundance.
32"He covers His hands with the
lightning,
And commands
it to strike the mark.
33"Its
noise
declares His presence;
The cattle also, concerning what is coming up.
1"At
this also my heart trembles,
And leaps from its place.
2"Listen closely to the
thunder
of His voice,
And the rumbling that goes out from His mouth.
3"Under the whole Heaven He lets
it loose,
And His lightning to the
ends
of the earth.
4"After it, a voice roars;
He thunders with His majestic voice,
And He does not restrain the lightnings when His voice is heard.
5"God
thunders
with His voice wondrously,
Doing great
things which we cannot comprehend.
6"For to
the
snow He says, 'Fall on the earth,'
And to the downpour
and the rain, 'Be strong.'
7"He
seals
the hand of every man,
That all
men may know His work.
8"Then the beast goes into its
lair
And remains in its den.
9"Out of the
south
comes the storm,
And out of the north the cold.
10"From the breath of God
ice
is made,
And the expanse of the waters is frozen.
11"Also with moisture He
loads
the thick cloud;
He disperses
the
cloud of His lightning.
12"It changes direction, turning
around by His guidance,
That it may do whatever He
commands
it
On the face
of the inhabited earth.
13"Whether for
correction,
or for His
world,
Or for loving kindness,
He causes it to happen.
14"Listen to this, O Job,
Stand and consider the wonders of God.
15"Do you know how God
establishes them,
And makes the lightning of His cloud to shine?
16"Do you know about the layers
of the thick clouds,
The wonders
of one perfect
in knowledge,
17You whose garments are hot,
When the land is still because of the south wind?
18"Can you, with Him,
spread
out the skies,
Strong as a molten mirror?
19"Teach us what we shall say to
Him;
We cannot
arrange our case because of darkness.
20"Shall it be told Him that I
would speak?
Or should a man say that he would be swallowed up?
21"Now men do not see the light
which is bright in the skies;
But the wind has passed and cleared them.
22"Out of the north comes golden
splendor;
Around God is awesome majesty.
23"The Almighty--we
cannot find Him;
He is exalted
in power
And He
will not do violence to
justice and abundant righteousness.
24"Therefore men
fear
Him;
He does not regard
any who are wise of heart."
1Then
the LORD answered
Job out of the whirlwind and said,
2"Who is this that
darkens
counsel
By words without knowledge?
3"Now
gird
up your loins like a man,
And I
will ask you, and you instruct Me!
4"Where were you
when
I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding,
5Who set its
measurements?
Since you know.
Or who stretched the line on it?
6"On what
were
its bases sunk?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
7When the morning stars sang
together
And all the sons
of God shouted for joy?
8"Or who
enclosed
the sea with doors
When, bursting forth, it went out from the womb;
9When I made a cloud its garment
And thick darkness its swaddling band,
10And I
placed
boundaries on it
And set a bolt and doors,
11And I said, 'Thus far you
shall come, but no farther;
And here shall your proud waves stop'?
12"Have
you ever in your life commanded the morning,
And caused the dawn to know its place,
13That it might take hold of
the
ends of the earth,
And the
wicked be shaken out of it?
14"It is changed like clay under
the seal;
And they stand forth like a garment.
15"From
the wicked their light is withheld,
And the uplifted
arm is broken.
16"Have you entered into
the
springs of the sea
Or walked in the recesses of the deep?
17"Have the gates of death been
revealed to you,
Or have you seen the gates of
deep
darkness?
18"Have you understood the
expanse of the
earth?
Tell Me, if you know all this.
19"Where is the way to the
dwelling of light?
And darkness, where is its place,
20That you may take it to
its
territory
And that you may discern the paths to its home?
21"You know, for
you
were born then,
And the number of your days is great!
22"Have you entered the
storehouses of
the snow,
Or have you seen the storehouses of the
hail,
23Which I have reserved for the
time of distress,
For the day of war and battle?
24"Where is the way that
the
light is divided,
Or the east wind scattered on the earth?
25"Who has cleft a channel for
the flood,
Or a way for the thunderbolt,
26To bring
rain
on a land without people,
On a desert without a man in it,
27To
satisfy
the waste and desolate land
And to make the seeds of grass to sprout?
28"Has
the
rain a father?
Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
29"From whose womb has come the
ice?
And the frost of Heaven, who has given it birth?
30"Water becomes hard like
stone,
And the surface of the deep is imprisoned.
31"Can you bind the chains of
the Pleiades,
Or loose the cords of Orion?
32"Can you lead forth a
constellation in its season,
And guide the Bear with her satellites?
33"Do you know the
ordinances
of the Heavens,
Or fix their rule over the earth?
34"Can you lift up your voice to
the clouds,
So that an abundance
of water will cover you?
35"Can you
send
forth lightnings that they may go
And say to you, 'Here we are'?
36"Who has
put
wisdom in the innermost being
Or given understanding
to the mind?
37"Who can count the clouds by
wisdom,
Or tip
the water jars of the Heavens,
38When the dust hardens into a
mass
And the clods stick together?
39"Can you hunt the
prey
for the lion,
Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
40When they
crouch
in their dens
And lie in wait in their lair?
41"Who prepares for
the
raven its nourishment
When its young cry to God
And wander about without food?
1"Do
you know the time the mountain
goats give birth?
Do you observe the calving of the
deer?
2"Can you count the months they
fulfill,
Or do you know the time they give birth?
3"They kneel down, they bring
forth their young,
They get rid of their labor pains.
4"Their offspring become strong,
they grow up in the open field;
They leave and do not return to them.
5"Who sent out the
wild
donkey free?
And who loosed the bonds of the swift donkey,
6To whom I gave
the
wilderness for a home
And the salt land for his dwelling place?
7"He scorns the tumult of the
city,
The shoutings of the driver he does not hear.
8"He explores the mountains for
his pasture
And searches after every green thing.
9"Will the
wild
ox consent to serve you,
Or will he spend the night at your manger?
10"Can you bind the wild ox in a
furrow with ropes,
Or will he harrow the valleys after you?
11"Will you trust him because
his strength is great
And leave your labor to him?
12"Will you have faith in him
that he will return your grain
And gather it from your threshing floor?
13"The ostriches' wings flap
joyously
With the pinion and plumage of
love,
14For she abandons her eggs to
the earth
And warms them in the dust,
15And she forgets that a foot
may crush them,
Or that a wild beast may trample them.
16"She treats her young
cruelly,
as if they were not hers;
Though her labor be in vain, she is unconcerned;
17Because God has made her
forget wisdom,
And has not given her a share of understanding.
18"When she lifts herself on
high,
She laughs at the horse and his rider.
19"Do you give the horse his
might?
Do you clothe his neck with a mane?
20"Do you make him
leap
like the locust?
His majestic snorting
is terrible.
21"He paws in the valley, and
rejoices in his strength;
He goes
out to meet the weapons.
22"He laughs at fear and is not
dismayed;
And he does not turn back from the sword.
23"The quiver rattles against
him,
The flashing spear and javelin.
24"With shaking and rage he
races over the ground,
And he does not stand still at the voice of the trumpet.
25"As often as the trumpet
sounds he says, 'Aha!'
And he scents the battle from afar,
And the thunder of the captains and the war cry.
26"Is it by your understanding
that the hawk soars,
Stretching his wings toward the south?
27"Is it at your command that
the eagle mounts up
And makes his
nest on high?
28"On the cliff he dwells and
lodges,
Upon the rocky crag, an inaccessible place.
29"From there he
spies
out food;
His eyes see it from afar.
30"His young ones also suck up
blood;
And where
the slain are, there is he."
1Then
the LORD said to Job,
2"Will the faultfinder
contend
with the Almighty?
Let him who reproves
God answer it."
3Then
Job answered the LORD and said,
4"Behold, I am insignificant;
what can I reply to You?
I lay
my hand on my mouth.
5"Once I have spoken, and
I
will not answer;
Even twice, and I will add nothing more."
6Then
the LORD
answered Job out of the storm and said,
7"Now
gird
up your loins like a man;
I will ask
you, and you instruct Me.
8"Will you really
annul
My judgment?
Will you condemn
Me that
you may be justified?
9"Or do you have an arm like
God,
And can you thunder
with a voice like His?
10"Adorn
yourself with eminence and dignity,
And clothe yourself with honor and majesty.
11"Pour out
the
overflowings of your anger,
And look on everyone who is
proud,
and make him low.
12"Look on everyone who is
proud, and humble
him,
And tread
down the wicked where they stand.
13"Hide
them in the dust together;
Bind them in the hidden place.
14"Then I will also confess to
you,
That your own right hand can save you.
15"Behold
now, the Behemoth,
which I
made as well as you;
He eats grass like an ox.
16"Behold now, his strength in
his loins
And his power in the muscles of his belly.
17"His tail like a
great cedar;
The sinews of his thighs are knit together.
18"His bones are tubes of
bronze;
His limbs are like bars of iron.
19"He is
one of the
first
of God's creations;
Let his maker
bring near his sword.
20"Surely the mountains
bring
him food,
And all the beasts of the field
play
there.
21"Under the lotus plants he
lies down,
In the covert of the reeds and the marsh.
22"The lotus plants cover him
with shade;
The willows of the brook surround him.
23"If a river rages, he is not
alarmed;
He is confident, though the
Jordan
rushes to his mouth.
24"Can anyone capture him when
he is on watch,
With barbs can anyone pierce his nose?
1"Can
you draw out Leviathan
with a fishhook?
Or press down his tongue with a cord?
2"Can you
put
a rope in his nose
Or pierce his jaw with a hook?
3"Will he make many
supplications to you,
Or will he speak to you soft words?
4"Will he make a covenant with
you?
Will you take him for a servant forever?
5"Will you play with him as with
a bird,
Or will you bind him for your maidens?
6"Will the traders bargain over
him?
Will they divide him among the merchants?
7"Can you fill his skin with
harpoons,
Or his head with fishing spears?
8"Lay your hand on him;
Remember the battle; you will not do it again!
9"Behold, your expectation is
false;
Will you be laid low even at the sight of him?
10"No one is so fierce that he
dares to arouse
him;
Who then is he that can stand before Me?
11"Who has
given
to Me that I should repay him?
Whatever is under
the whole Heaven is Mine.
12"I will not keep silence
concerning his limbs,
Or his mighty strength, or his orderly frame.
13"Who can strip off his outer
armor?
Who can come within his double mail?
14"Who can open the doors of his
face?
Around his teeth there is terror.
15"His strong scales are his
pride,
Shut up as with a tight seal.
16"One is so near to another
That no air can come between them.
17"They are joined one to
another;
They clasp each other and cannot be separated.
18"His sneezes flash forth
light,
And his eyes are like the
eyelids
of the morning.
19"Out of his mouth go burning
torches;
Sparks of fire leap forth.
20"Out of his nostrils smoke
goes forth
As from a boiling pot and burning rushes.
21"His breath kindles coals,
And a flame goes forth from his mouth.
22"In his neck lodges strength,
And dismay leaps before him.
23"The folds of his flesh are
joined together,
Firm on him and immovable.
24"His heart is as hard as a
stone,
Even as hard as a lower millstone.
25"When he raises himself up,
the mighty fear;
Because of the crashing they are bewildered.
26"The sword that reaches him
cannot avail,
Nor the spear, the dart or the javelin.
27"He regards iron as straw,
Bronze as rotten wood.
28"The arrow cannot make him
flee;
Slingstones are turned into stubble for him.
29"Clubs are regarded as
stubble;
He laughs at the rattling of the javelin.
30"His underparts are like sharp
potsherds;
He spreads out like a threshing sledge on the mire.
31"He makes the depths boil like
a pot;
He makes the sea like a jar of ointment.
32"Behind him he makes a wake to
shine;
One would think the deep to be gray-haired.
33"Nothing
on earth is like him,
One made without fear.
34"He looks on everything that
is high;
He is king over all the
sons
of pride."
1Then
Job answered the LORD and said,
2"I know that
You
can do all things,
And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.
3'Who is this that
hides
counsel without knowledge?'
"Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand,
Things too
wonderful for me, which I did not know."
4'Hear, now, and I will speak;
I will ask
You, and You instruct me.'
5"I have
heard
of You by the hearing of the ear;
But now my eye
sees You;
6Therefore I retract,
And I repent in dust and ashes."
7It came about after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is right as My servant Job has. 8"Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves, and My servant Job will pray for you For I will accept him so that I may not do with you according to your folly, because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has." 9So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the LORD told them; and the LORD accepted Job.
10The LORD restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the LORD increased all that Job had twofold. 11Then all his brothers and all his sisters and all who had known him before came to him, and they ate bread with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversities that the LORD had brought on him. And each one gave him one piece of money, and each a ring of gold. 12The LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; and he had 14,000 sheep and 6,000 camels and 1,000 yoke of oxen and 1,000 female donkeys. 13He had seven sons and three daughters. 14He named the first Jemimah, and the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. 15In all the land no women were found so fair as Job's daughters; and their father gave them inheritance among their brothers. 16After this, Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons and his grandsons, four generations. 17And Job died, an old man and full of days.