Job Speaks

After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.(A) He said:

“May the day of my birth perish,
    and the night that said, ‘A boy is conceived!’(B)
That day—may it turn to darkness;
    may God above not care about it;
    may no light shine on it.
May gloom and utter darkness(C) claim it once more;
    may a cloud settle over it;
    may blackness overwhelm it.
That night—may thick darkness(D) seize it;
    may it not be included among the days of the year
    nor be entered in any of the months.
May that night be barren;
    may no shout of joy(E) be heard in it.
May those who curse days[a] curse that day,(F)
    those who are ready to rouse Leviathan.(G)
May its morning stars become dark;
    may it wait for daylight in vain
    and not see the first rays of dawn,(H)
10 for it did not shut the doors of the womb on me
    to hide trouble from my eyes.

11 “Why did I not perish at birth,
    and die as I came from the womb?(I)
12 Why were there knees to receive me(J)
    and breasts that I might be nursed?
13 For now I would be lying down(K) in peace;
    I would be asleep and at rest(L)
14 with kings and rulers of the earth,(M)
    who built for themselves places now lying in ruins,(N)
15 with princes(O) who had gold,
    who filled their houses with silver.(P)
16 Or why was I not hidden away in the ground like a stillborn child,(Q)
    like an infant who never saw the light of day?(R)
17 There the wicked cease from turmoil,(S)
    and there the weary are at rest.(T)
18 Captives(U) also enjoy their ease;
    they no longer hear the slave driver’s(V) shout.(W)
19 The small and the great are there,(X)
    and the slaves are freed from their owners.

20 “Why is light given to those in misery,
    and life to the bitter of soul,(Y)
21 to those who long for death that does not come,(Z)
    who search for it more than for hidden treasure,(AA)
22 who are filled with gladness
    and rejoice when they reach the grave?(AB)
23 Why is life given to a man
    whose way is hidden,(AC)
    whom God has hedged in?(AD)
24 For sighing(AE) has become my daily food;(AF)
    my groans(AG) pour out like water.(AH)
25 What I feared has come upon me;
    what I dreaded(AI) has happened to me.(AJ)
26 I have no peace,(AK) no quietness;
    I have no rest,(AL) but only turmoil.”(AM)

Eliphaz

Then Eliphaz the Temanite(AN) replied:

“If someone ventures a word with you, will you be impatient?
    But who can keep from speaking?(AO)
Think how you have instructed many,(AP)
    how you have strengthened feeble hands.(AQ)
Your words have supported those who stumbled;(AR)
    you have strengthened faltering knees.(AS)
But now trouble comes to you, and you are discouraged;(AT)
    it strikes(AU) you, and you are dismayed.(AV)
Should not your piety be your confidence(AW)
    and your blameless(AX) ways your hope?

“Consider now: Who, being innocent, has ever perished?(AY)
    Where were the upright ever destroyed?(AZ)
As I have observed,(BA) those who plow evil(BB)
    and those who sow trouble reap it.(BC)
At the breath of God(BD) they perish;
    at the blast of his anger they are no more.(BE)
10 The lions may roar(BF) and growl,
    yet the teeth of the great lions(BG) are broken.(BH)
11 The lion perishes for lack of prey,(BI)
    and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.(BJ)

12 “A word(BK) was secretly brought to me,
    my ears caught a whisper(BL) of it.(BM)
13 Amid disquieting dreams in the night,
    when deep sleep falls on people,(BN)
14 fear and trembling(BO) seized me
    and made all my bones shake.(BP)
15 A spirit glided past my face,
    and the hair on my body stood on end.(BQ)
16 It stopped,
    but I could not tell what it was.
A form stood before my eyes,
    and I heard a hushed voice:(BR)
17 ‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God?(BS)
    Can even a strong man be more pure than his Maker?(BT)
18 If God places no trust in his servants,(BU)
    if he charges his angels with error,(BV)
19 how much more those who live in houses of clay,(BW)
    whose foundations(BX) are in the dust,(BY)
    who are crushed(BZ) more readily than a moth!(CA)
20 Between dawn and dusk they are broken to pieces;
    unnoticed, they perish forever.(CB)
21 Are not the cords of their tent pulled up,(CC)
    so that they die(CD) without wisdom?’(CE)

“Call if you will, but who will answer you?(CF)
    To which of the holy ones(CG) will you turn?
Resentment(CH) kills a fool,
    and envy slays the simple.(CI)
I myself have seen(CJ) a fool taking root,(CK)
    but suddenly(CL) his house was cursed.(CM)
His children(CN) are far from safety,(CO)
    crushed in court(CP) without a defender.(CQ)
The hungry consume his harvest,(CR)
    taking it even from among thorns,
    and the thirsty pant after his wealth.
For hardship does not spring from the soil,
    nor does trouble sprout from the ground.(CS)
Yet man is born to trouble(CT)
    as surely as sparks fly upward.

“But if I were you, I would appeal to God;
    I would lay my cause before him.(CU)
He performs wonders(CV) that cannot be fathomed,(CW)
    miracles that cannot be counted.(CX)
10 He provides rain for the earth;(CY)
    he sends water on the countryside.(CZ)
11 The lowly he sets on high,(DA)
    and those who mourn(DB) are lifted(DC) to safety.
12 He thwarts the plans(DD) of the crafty,
    so that their hands achieve no success.(DE)
13 He catches the wise(DF) in their craftiness,(DG)
    and the schemes of the wily are swept away.(DH)
14 Darkness(DI) comes upon them in the daytime;
    at noon they grope as in the night.(DJ)
15 He saves the needy(DK) from the sword in their mouth;
    he saves them from the clutches of the powerful.(DL)
16 So the poor(DM) have hope,
    and injustice shuts its mouth.(DN)

17 “Blessed is the one whom God corrects;(DO)
    so do not despise the discipline(DP) of the Almighty.[b](DQ)
18 For he wounds, but he also binds up;(DR)
    he injures, but his hands also heal.(DS)
19 From six calamities he will rescue(DT) you;
    in seven no harm will touch you.(DU)
20 In famine(DV) he will deliver you from death,
    and in battle from the stroke of the sword.(DW)
21 You will be protected from the lash of the tongue,(DX)
    and need not fear(DY) when destruction comes.(DZ)
22 You will laugh(EA) at destruction and famine,(EB)
    and need not fear the wild animals.(EC)
23 For you will have a covenant(ED) with the stones(EE) of the field,
    and the wild animals will be at peace with you.(EF)
24 You will know that your tent is secure;(EG)
    you will take stock of your property and find nothing missing.(EH)
25 You will know that your children will be many,(EI)
    and your descendants like the grass of the earth.(EJ)
26 You will come to the grave in full vigor,(EK)
    like sheaves gathered in season.(EL)

27 “We have examined this, and it is true.
    So hear it(EM) and apply it to yourself.”(EN)

Job

Then Job replied:

“If only my anguish could be weighed
    and all my misery be placed on the scales!(EO)
It would surely outweigh the sand(EP) of the seas—
    no wonder my words have been impetuous.(EQ)
The arrows(ER) of the Almighty(ES) are in me,(ET)
    my spirit drinks(EU) in their poison;(EV)
    God’s terrors(EW) are marshaled against me.(EX)
Does a wild donkey(EY) bray(EZ) when it has grass,
    or an ox bellow when it has fodder?(FA)
Is tasteless food eaten without salt,
    or is there flavor in the sap of the mallow[c]?(FB)
I refuse to touch it;
    such food makes me ill.(FC)

“Oh, that I might have my request,
    that God would grant what I hope for,(FD)
that God would be willing to crush(FE) me,
    to let loose his hand and cut off my life!(FF)
10 Then I would still have this consolation(FG)
    my joy in unrelenting pain(FH)
    that I had not denied the words(FI) of the Holy One.(FJ)

11 “What strength do I have, that I should still hope?
    What prospects, that I should be patient?(FK)
12 Do I have the strength of stone?
    Is my flesh bronze?(FL)
13 Do I have any power to help myself,(FM)
    now that success has been driven from me?

14 “Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend(FN)
    forsakes the fear of the Almighty.(FO)
15 But my brothers are as undependable as intermittent streams,(FP)
    as the streams that overflow
16 when darkened by thawing ice
    and swollen with melting snow,(FQ)
17 but that stop flowing in the dry season,
    and in the heat(FR) vanish from their channels.
18 Caravans turn aside from their routes;
    they go off into the wasteland and perish.
19 The caravans of Tema(FS) look for water,
    the traveling merchants of Sheba(FT) look in hope.
20 They are distressed, because they had been confident;
    they arrive there, only to be disappointed.(FU)
21 Now you too have proved to be of no help;
    you see something dreadful and are afraid.(FV)
22 Have I ever said, ‘Give something on my behalf,
    pay a ransom(FW) for me from your wealth,(FX)
23 deliver me from the hand of the enemy,
    rescue me from the clutches of the ruthless’?(FY)

24 “Teach me, and I will be quiet;(FZ)
    show me where I have been wrong.(GA)
25 How painful are honest words!(GB)
    But what do your arguments prove?
26 Do you mean to correct what I say,
    and treat my desperate words as wind?(GC)
27 You would even cast lots(GD) for the fatherless(GE)
    and barter away your friend.

28 “But now be so kind as to look at me.
    Would I lie to your face?(GF)
29 Relent, do not be unjust;(GG)
    reconsider, for my integrity(GH) is at stake.[d](GI)
30 Is there any wickedness on my lips?(GJ)
    Can my mouth not discern(GK) malice?

“Do not mortals have hard service(GL) on earth?(GM)
    Are not their days like those of hired laborers?(GN)
Like a slave longing for the evening shadows,(GO)
    or a hired laborer waiting to be paid,(GP)
so I have been allotted months of futility,
    and nights of misery have been assigned to me.(GQ)
When I lie down I think, ‘How long before I get up?’(GR)
    The night drags on, and I toss and turn until dawn.(GS)
My body is clothed with worms(GT) and scabs,
    my skin is broken and festering.(GU)

“My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,(GV)
    and they come to an end without hope.(GW)
Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath;(GX)
    my eyes will never see happiness again.(GY)
The eye that now sees me will see me no longer;
    you will look for me, but I will be no more.(GZ)
As a cloud vanishes(HA) and is gone,
    so one who goes down to the grave(HB) does not return.(HC)
10 He will never come to his house again;
    his place(HD) will know him no more.(HE)

11 “Therefore I will not keep silent;(HF)
    I will speak out in the anguish(HG) of my spirit,
    I will complain(HH) in the bitterness of my soul.(HI)
12 Am I the sea,(HJ) or the monster of the deep,(HK)
    that you put me under guard?(HL)
13 When I think my bed will comfort me
    and my couch will ease my complaint,(HM)
14 even then you frighten me with dreams
    and terrify(HN) me with visions,(HO)
15 so that I prefer strangling and death,(HP)
    rather than this body of mine.(HQ)
16 I despise my life;(HR) I would not live forever.(HS)
    Let me alone;(HT) my days have no meaning.(HU)

17 “What is mankind that you make so much of them,
    that you give them so much attention,(HV)
18 that you examine them every morning(HW)
    and test them(HX) every moment?(HY)
19 Will you never look away from me,(HZ)
    or let me alone even for an instant?(IA)
20 If I have sinned, what have I done to you,(IB)
    you who see everything we do?
Why have you made me your target?(IC)
    Have I become a burden to you?[e](ID)
21 Why do you not pardon my offenses
    and forgive my sins?(IE)
For I will soon lie down in the dust;(IF)
    you will search for me, but I will be no more.”(IG)

Bildad

Then Bildad the Shuhite(IH) replied:

“How long will you say such things?(II)
    Your words are a blustering wind.(IJ)
Does God pervert justice?(IK)
    Does the Almighty pervert what is right?(IL)
When your children sinned against him,
    he gave them over to the penalty of their sin.(IM)
But if you will seek God earnestly
    and plead(IN) with the Almighty,(IO)
if you are pure and upright,
    even now he will rouse himself on your behalf(IP)
    and restore you to your prosperous state.(IQ)
Your beginnings will seem humble,
    so prosperous(IR) will your future be.(IS)

“Ask the former generation(IT)
    and find out what their ancestors learned,
for we were born only yesterday and know nothing,(IU)
    and our days on earth are but a shadow.(IV)
10 Will they not instruct(IW) you and tell you?
    Will they not bring forth words from their understanding?(IX)
11 Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh?(IY)
    Can reeds(IZ) thrive without water?
12 While still growing and uncut,
    they wither more quickly than grass.(JA)
13 Such is the destiny(JB) of all who forget God;(JC)
    so perishes the hope of the godless.(JD)
14 What they trust in is fragile[f];
    what they rely on is a spider’s web.(JE)
15 They lean on the web,(JF) but it gives way;
    they cling to it, but it does not hold.(JG)
16 They are like a well-watered plant in the sunshine,
    spreading its shoots(JH) over the garden;(JI)
17 it entwines its roots around a pile of rocks
    and looks for a place among the stones.
18 But when it is torn from its spot,
    that place disowns(JJ) it and says, ‘I never saw you.’(JK)
19 Surely its life withers(JL) away,
    and[g] from the soil other plants grow.(JM)

20 “Surely God does not reject one who is blameless(JN)
    or strengthen the hands of evildoers.(JO)
21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter(JP)
    and your lips with shouts of joy.(JQ)
22 Your enemies will be clothed in shame,(JR)
    and the tents(JS) of the wicked will be no more.”(JT)

Job

Then Job replied:

“Indeed, I know that this is true.
    But how can mere mortals prove their innocence before God?(JU)
Though they wished to dispute with him,(JV)
    they could not answer him one time out of a thousand.(JW)
His wisdom(JX) is profound, his power is vast.(JY)
    Who has resisted(JZ) him and come out unscathed?(KA)
He moves mountains(KB) without their knowing it
    and overturns them in his anger.(KC)
He shakes the earth(KD) from its place
    and makes its pillars tremble.(KE)
He speaks to the sun and it does not shine;(KF)
    he seals off the light of the stars.(KG)
He alone stretches out the heavens(KH)
    and treads on the waves of the sea.(KI)
He is the Maker(KJ) of the Bear[h] and Orion,
    the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.(KK)
10 He performs wonders(KL) that cannot be fathomed,
    miracles that cannot be counted.(KM)
11 When he passes me, I cannot see him;
    when he goes by, I cannot perceive him.(KN)
12 If he snatches away, who can stop him?(KO)
    Who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’(KP)
13 God does not restrain his anger;(KQ)
    even the cohorts of Rahab(KR) cowered at his feet.

14 “How then can I dispute with him?
    How can I find words to argue with him?(KS)
15 Though I were innocent, I could not answer him;(KT)
    I could only plead(KU) with my Judge(KV) for mercy.(KW)
16 Even if I summoned him and he responded,
    I do not believe he would give me a hearing.(KX)
17 He would crush me(KY) with a storm(KZ)
    and multiply(LA) my wounds for no reason.(LB)
18 He would not let me catch my breath
    but would overwhelm me with misery.(LC)
19 If it is a matter of strength, he is mighty!(LD)
    And if it is a matter of justice, who can challenge him[i]?(LE)
20 Even if I were innocent, my mouth would condemn me;
    if I were blameless, it would pronounce me guilty.(LF)

21 “Although I am blameless,(LG)
    I have no concern for myself;(LH)
    I despise my own life.(LI)
22 It is all the same; that is why I say,
    ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’(LJ)
23 When a scourge(LK) brings sudden death,
    he mocks the despair of the innocent.(LL)
24 When a land falls into the hands of the wicked,(LM)
    he blindfolds its judges.(LN)
    If it is not he, then who is it?(LO)

25 “My days are swifter than a runner;(LP)
    they fly away without a glimpse of joy.(LQ)
26 They skim past(LR) like boats of papyrus,(LS)
    like eagles swooping down on their prey.(LT)
27 If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint,(LU)
    I will change my expression, and smile,’
28 I still dread(LV) all my sufferings,
    for I know you will not hold me innocent.(LW)
29 Since I am already found guilty,
    why should I struggle in vain?(LX)
30 Even if I washed myself with soap(LY)
    and my hands(LZ) with cleansing powder,(MA)
31 you would plunge me into a slime pit(MB)
    so that even my clothes would detest me.(MC)

32 “He is not a mere mortal(MD) like me that I might answer him,(ME)
    that we might confront each other in court.(MF)
33 If only there were someone to mediate between us,(MG)
    someone to bring us together,(MH)
34 someone to remove God’s rod from me,(MI)
    so that his terror would frighten me no more.(MJ)
35 Then I would speak up without fear of him,(MK)
    but as it now stands with me, I cannot.(ML)

10 “I loathe my very life;(MM)
    therefore I will give free rein to my complaint
    and speak out in the bitterness of my soul.(MN)
I say to God:(MO) Do not declare me guilty,
    but tell me what charges(MP) you have against me.(MQ)
Does it please you to oppress me,(MR)
    to spurn the work of your hands,(MS)
    while you smile on the plans of the wicked?(MT)
Do you have eyes of flesh?
    Do you see as a mortal sees?(MU)
Are your days like those of a mortal
    or your years like those of a strong man,(MV)
that you must search out my faults
    and probe after my sin(MW)
though you know that I am not guilty(MX)
    and that no one can rescue me from your hand?(MY)

“Your hands shaped(MZ) me and made me.
    Will you now turn and destroy me?(NA)
Remember that you molded me like clay.(NB)
    Will you now turn me to dust again?(NC)
10 Did you not pour me out like milk
    and curdle me like cheese,
11 clothe me with skin and flesh
    and knit me together(ND) with bones and sinews?
12 You gave me life(NE) and showed me kindness,(NF)
    and in your providence(NG) watched over(NH) my spirit.

13 “But this is what you concealed in your heart,
    and I know that this was in your mind:(NI)
14 If I sinned, you would be watching me(NJ)
    and would not let my offense go unpunished.(NK)
15 If I am guilty(NL)—woe to me!(NM)
    Even if I am innocent, I cannot lift my head,(NN)
for I am full of shame
    and drowned in[j] my affliction.(NO)
16 If I hold my head high, you stalk me like a lion(NP)
    and again display your awesome power against me.(NQ)
17 You bring new witnesses against me(NR)
    and increase your anger toward me;(NS)
    your forces come against me wave upon wave.(NT)

18 “Why then did you bring me out of the womb?(NU)
    I wish I had died before any eye saw me.(NV)
19 If only I had never come into being,
    or had been carried straight from the womb to the grave!(NW)
20 Are not my few days(NX) almost over?(NY)
    Turn away from me(NZ) so I can have a moment’s joy(OA)
21 before I go to the place of no return,(OB)
    to the land of gloom and utter darkness,(OC)
22 to the land of deepest night,
    of utter darkness(OD) and disorder,
    where even the light is like darkness.”(OE)

Zophar

11 Then Zophar the Naamathite(OF) replied:

“Are all these words to go unanswered?(OG)
    Is this talker to be vindicated?(OH)
Will your idle talk(OI) reduce others to silence?
    Will no one rebuke you when you mock?(OJ)
You say to God, ‘My beliefs are flawless(OK)
    and I am pure(OL) in your sight.’
Oh, how I wish that God would speak,(OM)
    that he would open his lips against you
and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom,(ON)
    for true wisdom has two sides.
    Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin.(OO)

“Can you fathom(OP) the mysteries of God?
    Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
They are higher(OQ) than the heavens(OR) above—what can you do?
    They are deeper than the depths below(OS)—what can you know?(OT)
Their measure(OU) is longer than the earth
    and wider than the sea.(OV)

10 “If he comes along and confines you in prison
    and convenes a court, who can oppose him?(OW)
11 Surely he recognizes deceivers;
    and when he sees evil, does he not take note?(OX)
12 But the witless can no more become wise
    than a wild donkey’s colt(OY) can be born human.[k](OZ)

13 “Yet if you devote your heart(PA) to him
    and stretch out your hands(PB) to him,(PC)
14 if you put away(PD) the sin that is in your hand
    and allow no evil(PE) to dwell in your tent,(PF)
15 then, free of fault, you will lift up your face;(PG)
    you will stand firm(PH) and without fear.(PI)
16 You will surely forget your trouble,(PJ)
    recalling it only as waters gone by.(PK)
17 Life will be brighter than noonday,(PL)
    and darkness will become like morning.(PM)
18 You will be secure, because there is hope;
    you will look about you and take your rest(PN) in safety.(PO)
19 You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid,(PP)
    and many will court your favor.(PQ)
20 But the eyes of the wicked will fail,(PR)
    and escape will elude them;(PS)
    their hope will become a dying gasp.”(PT)

Job

12 Then Job replied:

“Doubtless you are the only people who matter,
    and wisdom will die with you!(PU)
But I have a mind as well as you;
    I am not inferior to you.
    Who does not know all these things?(PV)

“I have become a laughingstock(PW) to my friends,(PX)
    though I called on God and he answered(PY)
    a mere laughingstock, though righteous and blameless!(PZ)
Those who are at ease have contempt(QA) for misfortune
    as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.(QB)
The tents of marauders are undisturbed,(QC)
    and those who provoke God are secure(QD)
    those God has in his hand.[l]

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you,(QE)
    or the birds in the sky,(QF) and they will tell you;(QG)
or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
    or let the fish in the sea inform you.
Which of all these does not know(QH)
    that the hand of the Lord has done this?(QI)
10 In his hand is the life(QJ) of every creature
    and the breath of all mankind.(QK)
11 Does not the ear test words
    as the tongue tastes food?(QL)
12 Is not wisdom found among the aged?(QM)
    Does not long life bring understanding?(QN)

13 “To God belong wisdom(QO) and power;(QP)
    counsel and understanding are his.(QQ)
14 What he tears down(QR) cannot be rebuilt;(QS)
    those he imprisons cannot be released.(QT)
15 If he holds back the waters,(QU) there is drought;(QV)
    if he lets them loose, they devastate the land.(QW)
16 To him belong strength and insight;(QX)
    both deceived and deceiver are his.(QY)
17 He leads rulers away stripped(QZ)
    and makes fools of judges.(RA)
18 He takes off the shackles(RB) put on by kings
    and ties a loincloth[m] around their waist.(RC)
19 He leads priests away stripped(RD)
    and overthrows officials long established.(RE)
20 He silences the lips of trusted advisers
    and takes away the discernment of elders.(RF)
21 He pours contempt on nobles(RG)
    and disarms the mighty.(RH)
22 He reveals the deep things of darkness(RI)
    and brings utter darkness(RJ) into the light.(RK)
23 He makes nations great, and destroys them;(RL)
    he enlarges nations,(RM) and disperses them.(RN)
24 He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason;(RO)
    he makes them wander in a trackless waste.(RP)
25 They grope in darkness with no light;(RQ)
    he makes them stagger like drunkards.(RR)

13 “My eyes have seen all this,(RS)
    my ears have heard and understood it.

Footnotes

  1. Job 3:8 Or curse the sea
  2. Job 5:17 Hebrew Shaddai; here and throughout Job
  3. Job 6:6 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  4. Job 6:29 Or my righteousness still stands
  5. Job 7:20 A few manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition and Septuagint; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text I have become a burden to myself.
  6. Job 8:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  7. Job 8:19 Or Surely all the joy it has / is that
  8. Job 9:9 Or of Leo
  9. Job 9:19 See Septuagint; Hebrew me.
  10. Job 10:15 Or and aware of
  11. Job 11:12 Or wild donkey can be born tame
  12. Job 12:6 Or those whose god is in their own hand
  13. Job 12:18 Or shackles of kings / and ties a belt

After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.

And Job spake, and said,

Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived.

Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.

Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it.

As for that night, let darkness seize upon it; let it not be joined unto the days of the year, let it not come into the number of the months.

Lo, let that night be solitary, let no joyful voice come therein.

Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to raise up their mourning.

Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark; let it look for light, but have none; neither let it see the dawning of the day:

10 Because it shut not up the doors of my mother's womb, nor hid sorrow from mine eyes.

11 Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?

12 Why did the knees prevent me? or why the breasts that I should suck?

13 For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest,

14 With kings and counsellors of the earth, which build desolate places for themselves;

15 Or with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver:

16 Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants which never saw light.

17 There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest.

18 There the prisoners rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor.

19 The small and great are there; and the servant is free from his master.

20 Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul;

21 Which long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures;

22 Which rejoice exceedingly, and are glad, when they can find the grave?

23 Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in?

24 For my sighing cometh before I eat, and my roarings are poured out like the waters.

25 For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.

26 I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.

Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

If we assay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved? but who can withhold himself from speaking?

Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands.

Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.

But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.

Is not this thy fear, thy confidence, thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways?

Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?

Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.

By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed.

10 The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken.

11 The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the stout lion's whelps are scattered abroad.

12 Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof.

13 In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men,

14 Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake.

15 Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up:

16 It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying,

17 Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?

18 Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly:

19 How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?

20 They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it.

21 Doth not their excellency which is in them go away? they die, even without wisdom.

Call now, if there be any that will answer thee; and to which of the saints wilt thou turn?

For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.

I have seen the foolish taking root: but suddenly I cursed his habitation.

His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliver them.

Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even out of the thorns, and the robber swalloweth up their substance.

Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;

Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.

I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause:

Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number:

10 Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields:

11 To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety.

12 He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.

13 He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong.

14 They meet with darkness in the day time, and grope in the noonday as in the night.

15 But he saveth the poor from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty.

16 So the poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth.

17 Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:

18 For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole.

19 He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.

20 In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword.

21 Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh.

22 At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.

23 For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.

24 And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle shall be in peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin.

25 Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great, and thine offspring as the grass of the earth.

26 Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season.

27 Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thy good.

But Job answered and said,

Oh that my grief were throughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together!

For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea: therefore my words are swallowed up.

For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.

Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass? or loweth the ox over his fodder?

Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

The things that my soul refused to touch are as my sorrowful meat.

Oh that I might have my request; and that God would grant me the thing that I long for!

Even that it would please God to destroy me; that he would let loose his hand, and cut me off!

10 Then should I yet have comfort; yea, I would harden myself in sorrow: let him not spare; for I have not concealed the words of the Holy One.

11 What is my strength, that I should hope? and what is mine end, that I should prolong my life?

12 Is my strength the strength of stones? or is my flesh of brass?

13 Is not my help in me? and is wisdom driven quite from me?

14 To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend; but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.

15 My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, and as the stream of brooks they pass away;

16 Which are blackish by reason of the ice, and wherein the snow is hid:

17 What time they wax warm, they vanish: when it is hot, they are consumed out of their place.

18 The paths of their way are turned aside; they go to nothing, and perish.

19 The troops of Tema looked, the companies of Sheba waited for them.

20 They were confounded because they had hoped; they came thither, and were ashamed.

21 For now ye are nothing; ye see my casting down, and are afraid.

22 Did I say, Bring unto me? or, Give a reward for me of your substance?

23 Or, Deliver me from the enemy's hand? or, Redeem me from the hand of the mighty?

24 Teach me, and I will hold my tongue: and cause me to understand wherein I have erred.

25 How forcible are right words! but what doth your arguing reprove?

26 Do ye imagine to reprove words, and the speeches of one that is desperate, which are as wind?

27 Yea, ye overwhelm the fatherless, and ye dig a pit for your friend.

28 Now therefore be content, look upon me; for it is evident unto you if I lie.

29 Return, I pray you, let it not be iniquity; yea, return again, my righteousness is in it.

30 Is there iniquity in my tongue? cannot my taste discern perverse things?

Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling?

As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow, and as an hireling looketh for the reward of his work:

So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me.

When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day.

My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken, and become loathsome.

My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope.

O remember that my life is wind: mine eye shall no more see good.

The eye of him that hath seen me shall see me no more: thine eyes are upon me, and I am not.

As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more.

10 He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more.

11 Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

12 Am I a sea, or a whale, that thou settest a watch over me?

13 When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaints;

14 Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions:

15 So that my soul chooseth strangling, and death rather than my life.

16 I loathe it; I would not live alway: let me alone; for my days are vanity.

17 What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?

18 And that thou shouldest visit him every morning, and try him every moment?

19 How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?

20 I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself?

21 And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away my iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.

Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,

How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?

Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice?

If thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away for their transgression;

If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty;

If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.

Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.

For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers:

(For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow:)

10 Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart?

11 Can the rush grow up without mire? can the flag grow without water?

12 Whilst it is yet in his greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb.

13 So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite's hope shall perish:

14 Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider's web.

15 He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure.

16 He is green before the sun, and his branch shooteth forth in his garden.

17 His roots are wrapped about the heap, and seeth the place of stones.

18 If he destroy him from his place, then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen thee.

19 Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth shall others grow.

20 Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers:

21 Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing.

22 They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought.

Then Job answered and said,

I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God?

If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand.

He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?

Which removeth the mountains, and they know not: which overturneth them in his anger.

Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.

Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars.

Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea.

Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south.

10 Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number.

11 Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: he passeth on also, but I perceive him not.

12 Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him? who will say unto him, What doest thou?

13 If God will not withdraw his anger, the proud helpers do stoop under him.

14 How much less shall I answer him, and choose out my words to reason with him?

15 Whom, though I were righteous, yet would I not answer, but I would make supplication to my judge.

16 If I had called, and he had answered me; yet would I not believe that he had hearkened unto my voice.

17 For he breaketh me with a tempest, and multiplieth my wounds without cause.

18 He will not suffer me to take my breath, but filleth me with bitterness.

19 If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong: and if of judgment, who shall set me a time to plead?

20 If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.

21 Though I were perfect, yet would I not know my soul: I would despise my life.

22 This is one thing, therefore I said it, He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.

23 If the scourge slay suddenly, he will laugh at the trial of the innocent.

24 The earth is given into the hand of the wicked: he covereth the faces of the judges thereof; if not, where, and who is he?

25 Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away, they see no good.

26 They are passed away as the swift ships: as the eagle that hasteth to the prey.

27 If I say, I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my heaviness, and comfort myself:

28 I am afraid of all my sorrows, I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent.

29 If I be wicked, why then labour I in vain?

30 If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean;

31 Yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me.

32 For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment.

33 Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both.

34 Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his fear terrify me:

35 Then would I speak, and not fear him; but it is not so with me.

10 My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.

I will say unto God, Do not condemn me; shew me wherefore thou contendest with me.

Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress, that thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wicked?

Hast thou eyes of flesh? or seest thou as man seeth?

Are thy days as the days of man? are thy years as man's days,

That thou enquirest after mine iniquity, and searchest after my sin?

Thou knowest that I am not wicked; and there is none that can deliver out of thine hand.

Thine hands have made me and fashioned me together round about; yet thou dost destroy me.

Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as the clay; and wilt thou bring me into dust again?

10 Hast thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese?

11 Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews.

12 Thou hast granted me life and favour, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit.

13 And these things hast thou hid in thine heart: I know that this is with thee.

14 If I sin, then thou markest me, and thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity.

15 If I be wicked, woe unto me; and if I be righteous, yet will I not lift up my head. I am full of confusion; therefore see thou mine affliction;

16 For it increaseth. Thou huntest me as a fierce lion: and again thou shewest thyself marvellous upon me.

17 Thou renewest thy witnesses against me, and increasest thine indignation upon me; changes and war are against me.

18 Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb? Oh that I had given up the ghost, and no eye had seen me!

19 I should have been as though I had not been; I should have been carried from the womb to the grave.

20 Are not my days few? cease then, and let me alone, that I may take comfort a little,

21 Before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death;

22 A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness.

11 Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,

Should not the multitude of words be answered? and should a man full of talk be justified?

Should thy lies make men hold their peace? and when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed?

For thou hast said, My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in thine eyes.

But oh that God would speak, and open his lips against thee;

And that he would shew thee the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which is! Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.

Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?

It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?

The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.

10 If he cut off, and shut up, or gather together, then who can hinder him?

11 For he knoweth vain men: he seeth wickedness also; will he not then consider it?

12 For vain men would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass's colt.

13 If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him;

14 If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles.

15 For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear:

16 Because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away:

17 And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday: thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning.

18 And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.

19 Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid; yea, many shall make suit unto thee.

20 But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost.

12 And Job answered and said,

No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you.

But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: yea, who knoweth not such things as these?

I am as one mocked of his neighbour, who calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the just upright man is laughed to scorn.

He that is ready to slip with his feet is as a lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease.

The tabernacles of robbers prosper, and they that provoke God are secure; into whose hand God bringeth abundantly.

But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:

Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.

Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this?

10 In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.

11 Doth not the ear try words? and the mouth taste his meat?

12 With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding.

13 With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.

14 Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again: he shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening.

15 Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up: also he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.

16 With him is strength and wisdom: the deceived and the deceiver are his.

17 He leadeth counsellors away spoiled, and maketh the judges fools.

18 He looseth the bond of kings, and girdeth their loins with a girdle.

19 He leadeth princes away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty.

20 He removeth away the speech of the trusty, and taketh away the understanding of the aged.

21 He poureth contempt upon princes, and weakeneth the strength of the mighty.

22 He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death.

23 He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: he enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again.

24 He taketh away the heart of the chief of the people of the earth, and causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way.

25 They grope in the dark without light, and he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.

13 Lo, mine eye hath seen all this, mine ear hath heard and understood it.

What ye know, the same do I know also: I am not inferior unto you.

Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God.

But ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value.

O that ye would altogether hold your peace! and it should be your wisdom.

Hear now my reasoning, and hearken to the pleadings of my lips.

Will ye speak wickedly for God? and talk deceitfully for him?

Will ye accept his person? will ye contend for God?

Is it good that he should search you out? or as one man mocketh another, do ye so mock him?

10 He will surely reprove you, if ye do secretly accept persons.

11 Shall not his excellency make you afraid? and his dread fall upon you?

12 Your remembrances are like unto ashes, your bodies to bodies of clay.

13 Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what will.

14 Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in mine hand?

15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.

16 He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him.

17 Hear diligently my speech, and my declaration with your ears.

18 Behold now, I have ordered my cause; I know that I shall be justified.

19 Who is he that will plead with me? for now, if I hold my tongue, I shall give up the ghost.

20 Only do not two things unto me: then will I not hide myself from thee.

21 Withdraw thine hand far from me: and let not thy dread make me afraid.

22 Then call thou, and I will answer: or let me speak, and answer thou me.

23 How many are mine iniquities and sins? make me to know my transgression and my sin.

24 Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and holdest me for thine enemy?

25 Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro? and wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?

26 For thou writest bitter things against me, and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth.

27 Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks, and lookest narrowly unto all my paths; thou settest a print upon the heels of my feet.

28 And he, as a rotten thing, consumeth, as a garment that is moth eaten.

14 Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble.

He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.

And doth thou open thine eyes upon such an one, and bringest me into judgment with thee?

Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;

Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an hireling, his day.

For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.

Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground;

Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.

10 But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?

11 As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up:

12 So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.

13 O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!

14 If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.

15 Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.

16 For now thou numberest my steps: dost thou not watch over my sin?

17 My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and thou sewest up mine iniquity.

18 And surely the mountains falling cometh to nought, and the rock is removed out of his place.

19 The waters wear the stones: thou washest away the things which grow out of the dust of the earth; and thou destroyest the hope of man.

20 Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth: thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away.

21 His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.

22 But his flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn.