Job

12 Then Job replied:

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

“I have become a laughingstock(C) to my friends,(D)
    though I called on God and he answered(E)
    a mere laughingstock, though righteous and blameless!(F)
Those who are at ease have contempt(G) for misfortune
    as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.(H)
The tents of marauders are undisturbed,(I)
    and those who provoke God are secure(J)
    those God has in his hand.[a]

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you,(K)
    or the birds in the sky,(L) and they will tell you;(M)
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(N)
    that the hand of the Lord has done this?(O)
10 In his hand is the life(P) of every creature
    and the breath of all mankind.(Q)
11 Does not the ear test words
    as the tongue tastes food?(R)
12 Is not wisdom found among the aged?(S)
    Does not long life bring understanding?(T)

13 “To God belong wisdom(U) and power;(V)
    counsel and understanding are his.(W)
14 What he tears down(X) cannot be rebuilt;(Y)
    those he imprisons cannot be released.(Z)
15 If he holds back the waters,(AA) there is drought;(AB)
    if he lets them loose, they devastate the land.(AC)
16 To him belong strength and insight;(AD)
    both deceived and deceiver are his.(AE)
17 He leads rulers away stripped(AF)
    and makes fools of judges.(AG)
18 He takes off the shackles(AH) put on by kings
    and ties a loincloth[b] around their waist.(AI)
19 He leads priests away stripped(AJ)
    and overthrows officials long established.(AK)
20 He silences the lips of trusted advisers
    and takes away the discernment of elders.(AL)
21 He pours contempt on nobles(AM)
    and disarms the mighty.(AN)
22 He reveals the deep things of darkness(AO)
    and brings utter darkness(AP) into the light.(AQ)
23 He makes nations great, and destroys them;(AR)
    he enlarges nations,(AS) and disperses them.(AT)
24 He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason;(AU)
    he makes them wander in a trackless waste.(AV)
25 They grope in darkness with no light;(AW)
    he makes them stagger like drunkards.(AX)

13 “My eyes have seen all this,(AY)
    my ears have heard and understood it.
What you know, I also know;
    I am not inferior to you.(AZ)
But I desire to speak to the Almighty(BA)
    and to argue my case with God.(BB)
You, however, smear me with lies;(BC)
    you are worthless physicians,(BD) all of you!(BE)
If only you would be altogether silent!(BF)
    For you, that would be wisdom.(BG)
Hear now my argument;
    listen to the pleas of my lips.(BH)
Will you speak wickedly on God’s behalf?
    Will you speak deceitfully for him?(BI)
Will you show him partiality?(BJ)
    Will you argue the case for God?
Would it turn out well if he examined you?(BK)
    Could you deceive him as you might deceive a mortal?(BL)
10 He would surely call you to account
    if you secretly showed partiality.(BM)
11 Would not his splendor(BN) terrify you?
    Would not the dread of him fall on you?(BO)
12 Your maxims are proverbs of ashes;
    your defenses are defenses of clay.(BP)

13 “Keep silent(BQ) and let me speak;(BR)
    then let come to me what may.(BS)
14 Why do I put myself in jeopardy
    and take my life in my hands?(BT)
15 Though he slay me, yet will I hope(BU) in him;(BV)
    I will surely[c] defend my ways to his face.(BW)
16 Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance,(BX)
    for no godless(BY) person would dare come before him!(BZ)
17 Listen carefully to what I say;(CA)
    let my words ring in your ears.
18 Now that I have prepared my case,(CB)
    I know I will be vindicated.(CC)
19 Can anyone bring charges against me?(CD)
    If so, I will be silent(CE) and die.(CF)

20 “Only grant me these two things, God,
    and then I will not hide from you:
21 Withdraw your hand(CG) far from me,
    and stop frightening me with your terrors.(CH)
22 Then summon me and I will answer,(CI)
    or let me speak, and you reply to me.(CJ)
23 How many wrongs and sins have I committed?(CK)
    Show me my offense and my sin.(CL)
24 Why do you hide your face(CM)
    and consider me your enemy?(CN)
25 Will you torment(CO) a windblown leaf?(CP)
    Will you chase(CQ) after dry chaff?(CR)
26 For you write down bitter things against me
    and make me reap the sins of my youth.(CS)
27 You fasten my feet in shackles;(CT)
    you keep close watch on all my paths(CU)
    by putting marks on the soles of my feet.

28 “So man wastes away like something rotten,
    like a garment(CV) eaten by moths.(CW)

14 “Mortals, born of woman,(CX)
    are of few days(CY) and full of trouble.(CZ)
They spring up like flowers(DA) and wither away;(DB)
    like fleeting shadows,(DC) they do not endure.(DD)
Do you fix your eye on them?(DE)
    Will you bring them[d] before you for judgment?(DF)
Who can bring what is pure(DG) from the impure?(DH)
    No one!(DI)
A person’s days are determined;(DJ)
    you have decreed the number of his months(DK)
    and have set limits he cannot exceed.(DL)
So look away from him and let him alone,(DM)
    till he has put in his time like a hired laborer.(DN)

“At least there is hope for a tree:(DO)
    If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
    and its new shoots(DP) will not fail.(DQ)
Its roots may grow old in the ground
    and its stump(DR) die in the soil,
yet at the scent of water(DS) it will bud
    and put forth shoots like a plant.(DT)
10 But a man dies and is laid low;(DU)
    he breathes his last and is no more.(DV)
11 As the water of a lake dries up
    or a riverbed becomes parched and dry,(DW)
12 so he lies down and does not rise;(DX)
    till the heavens are no more,(DY) people will not awake
    or be roused from their sleep.(DZ)

13 “If only you would hide me in the grave(EA)
    and conceal me till your anger has passed!(EB)
If only you would set me a time
    and then remember(EC) me!(ED)
14 If someone dies, will they live again?
    All the days of my hard service(EE)
    I will wait for my renewal[e](EF) to come.
15 You will call and I will answer you;(EG)
    you will long for the creature your hands have made.(EH)
16 Surely then you will count my steps(EI)
    but not keep track of my sin.(EJ)
17 My offenses will be sealed(EK) up in a bag;(EL)
    you will cover over my sin.(EM)

18 “But as a mountain erodes and crumbles(EN)
    and as a rock is moved from its place,(EO)
19 as water wears away stones
    and torrents(EP) wash away the soil,(EQ)
    so you destroy a person’s hope.(ER)
20 You overpower them once for all, and they are gone;(ES)
    you change their countenance and send them away.(ET)
21 If their children are honored, they do not know it;
    if their offspring are brought low, they do not see it.(EU)
22 They feel but the pain of their own bodies(EV)
    and mourn only for themselves.(EW)

Eliphaz

15 Then Eliphaz the Temanite(EX) replied:

“Would a wise person answer with empty notions
    or fill their belly with the hot east wind?(EY)
Would they argue with useless words,
    with speeches that have no value?(EZ)
But you even undermine piety
    and hinder devotion to God.(FA)
Your sin(FB) prompts your mouth;(FC)
    you adopt the tongue of the crafty.(FD)
Your own mouth condemns you, not mine;
    your own lips testify against you.(FE)

“Are you the first man ever born?(FF)
    Were you brought forth before the hills?(FG)
Do you listen in on God’s council?(FH)
    Do you have a monopoly on wisdom?(FI)
What do you know that we do not know?
    What insights do you have that we do not have?(FJ)
10 The gray-haired and the aged(FK) are on our side,
    men even older than your father.(FL)
11 Are God’s consolations(FM) not enough for you,
    words(FN) spoken gently to you?(FO)
12 Why has your heart(FP) carried you away,
    and why do your eyes flash,
13 so that you vent your rage(FQ) against God
    and pour out such words(FR) from your mouth?(FS)

14 “What are mortals, that they could be pure,
    or those born of woman,(FT) that they could be righteous?(FU)
15 If God places no trust in his holy ones,(FV)
    if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes,(FW)
16 how much less mortals, who are vile and corrupt,(FX)
    who drink up evil(FY) like water!(FZ)

17 “Listen to me and I will explain to you;
    let me tell you what I have seen,(GA)
18 what the wise have declared,
    hiding nothing received from their ancestors(GB)
19 (to whom alone the land(GC) was given
    when no foreigners moved among them):
20 All his days the wicked man suffers torment,(GD)
    the ruthless man through all the years stored up for him.(GE)
21 Terrifying sounds fill his ears;(GF)
    when all seems well, marauders attack him.(GG)
22 He despairs of escaping the realm of darkness;(GH)
    he is marked for the sword.(GI)
23 He wanders about(GJ) for food like a vulture;(GK)
    he knows the day of darkness(GL) is at hand.(GM)
24 Distress and anguish(GN) fill him with terror;(GO)
    troubles overwhelm him, like a king(GP) poised to attack,
25 because he shakes his fist(GQ) at God
    and vaunts himself against the Almighty,(GR)
26 defiantly charging against him
    with a thick, strong shield.(GS)

27 “Though his face is covered with fat
    and his waist bulges with flesh,(GT)
28 he will inhabit ruined towns
    and houses where no one lives,(GU)
    houses crumbling to rubble.(GV)
29 He will no longer be rich and his wealth will not endure,(GW)
    nor will his possessions spread over the land.(GX)
30 He will not escape the darkness;(GY)
    a flame(GZ) will wither his shoots,(HA)
    and the breath of God’s mouth(HB) will carry him away.(HC)
31 Let him not deceive(HD) himself by trusting what is worthless,(HE)
    for he will get nothing in return.(HF)
32 Before his time(HG) he will wither,(HH)
    and his branches will not flourish.(HI)
33 He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes,(HJ)
    like an olive tree shedding its blossoms.(HK)
34 For the company of the godless(HL) will be barren,
    and fire will consume(HM) the tents of those who love bribes.(HN)
35 They conceive trouble(HO) and give birth to evil;(HP)
    their womb fashions deceit.”

Job

16 Then Job replied:

“I have heard many things like these;
    you are miserable comforters,(HQ) all of you!(HR)
Will your long-winded speeches never end?(HS)
    What ails you that you keep on arguing?(HT)
I also could speak like you,
    if you were in my place;
I could make fine speeches against you
    and shake my head(HU) at you.
But my mouth would encourage you;
    comfort(HV) from my lips would bring you relief.(HW)

“Yet if I speak, my pain is not relieved;
    and if I refrain, it does not go away.(HX)
Surely, God, you have worn me out;(HY)
    you have devastated my entire household.(HZ)
You have shriveled me up—and it has become a witness;
    my gauntness(IA) rises up and testifies against me.(IB)
God assails me and tears(IC) me in his anger(ID)
    and gnashes his teeth at me;(IE)
    my opponent fastens on me his piercing eyes.(IF)
10 People open their mouths(IG) to jeer at me;(IH)
    they strike my cheek(II) in scorn
    and unite together against me.(IJ)
11 God has turned me over to the ungodly
    and thrown me into the clutches of the wicked.(IK)
12 All was well with me, but he shattered me;
    he seized me by the neck and crushed me.(IL)
He has made me his target;(IM)
13     his archers surround me.(IN)
Without pity, he pierces(IO) my kidneys
    and spills my gall on the ground.
14 Again and again(IP) he bursts upon me;
    he rushes at me like a warrior.(IQ)

15 “I have sewed sackcloth(IR) over my skin
    and buried my brow in the dust.(IS)
16 My face is red with weeping,(IT)
    dark shadows ring my eyes;(IU)
17 yet my hands have been free of violence(IV)
    and my prayer is pure.(IW)

18 “Earth, do not cover my blood;(IX)
    may my cry(IY) never be laid to rest!(IZ)
19 Even now my witness(JA) is in heaven;(JB)
    my advocate is on high.(JC)
20 My intercessor(JD) is my friend[f](JE)
    as my eyes pour out(JF) tears(JG) to God;
21 on behalf of a man he pleads(JH) with God
    as one pleads for a friend.

22 “Only a few years will pass
    before I take the path of no return.(JI)

17 My spirit(JJ) is broken,
    my days are cut short,(JK)
    the grave awaits me.(JL)
Surely mockers(JM) surround me;(JN)
    my eyes must dwell on their hostility.

“Give me, O God, the pledge you demand.(JO)
    Who else will put up security(JP) for me?(JQ)
You have closed their minds to understanding;(JR)
    therefore you will not let them triumph.
If anyone denounces their friends for reward,(JS)
    the eyes of their children will fail.(JT)

“God has made me a byword(JU) to everyone,(JV)
    a man in whose face people spit.(JW)
My eyes have grown dim with grief;(JX)
    my whole frame is but a shadow.(JY)
The upright are appalled at this;
    the innocent are aroused(JZ) against the ungodly.
Nevertheless, the righteous(KA) will hold to their ways,
    and those with clean hands(KB) will grow stronger.(KC)

10 “But come on, all of you, try again!
    I will not find a wise man among you.(KD)
11 My days have passed,(KE) my plans are shattered.
    Yet the desires of my heart(KF)
12 turn night into day;(KG)
    in the face of the darkness light is near.(KH)
13 If the only home I hope for is the grave,(KI)
    if I spread out my bed(KJ) in the realm of darkness,(KK)
14 if I say to corruption,(KL) ‘You are my father,’
    and to the worm,(KM) ‘My mother’ or ‘My sister,’
15 where then is my hope—(KN)
    who can see any hope for me?(KO)
16 Will it go down to the gates of death?(KP)
    Will we descend together into the dust?”(KQ)

Footnotes

  1. Job 12:6 Or those whose god is in their own hand
  2. Job 12:18 Or shackles of kings / and ties a belt
  3. Job 13:15 Or He will surely slay me; I have no hope — / yet I will
  4. Job 14:3 Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew me
  5. Job 14:14 Or release
  6. Job 16:20 Or My friends treat me with scorn

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