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Job 22-31
English Standard Version
Job 22-31
English Standard Version
Eliphaz Speaks: Job's Wickedness Is Great
22 Then (A)Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
2 (B)“Can a man be profitable to God?
Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.
3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are in the right,
or is it gain to him if you (C)make your ways blameless?
4 Is it for your fear of him that he reproves you
and (D)enters into judgment with you?
5 Is not your evil abundant?
There is no end to your iniquities.
6 For you have (E)exacted pledges of your brothers for nothing
(F)and stripped the naked of their clothing.
7 You have given no water to the weary to drink,
and you have (G)withheld bread from the hungry.
8 (H)The man with power possessed the land,
and (I)the favored man lived in it.
9 You have (J)sent widows away empty,
and (K)the arms of (L)the fatherless were crushed.
10 Therefore (M)snares are all around you,
and sudden terror overwhelms you,
11 or (N)darkness, so that you cannot see,
and a (O)flood of (P)water covers you.
12 “Is not God high in the heavens?
See (Q)the highest stars, how lofty they are!
13 But you say, (R)‘What does God know?
Can he judge through (S)the deep darkness?
14 (T)Thick clouds veil him, so that he does not see,
and he walks on the vault of heaven.’
15 Will you keep to the old way
that wicked men have trod?
16 They were snatched away (U)before their time;
their foundation was washed away.[a]
17 They said to God, (V)‘Depart from us,’
and (W)‘What can the Almighty do to us?’[b]
18 Yet he filled their houses with good things—
but (X)the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19 (Y)The righteous see it and are glad;
the innocent one (Z)mocks at them,
20 saying, ‘Surely our adversaries are cut off,
and what they left (AA)the fire has consumed.’
21 (AB)“Agree with God, and (AC)be at peace;
thereby good will come to you.
22 Receive instruction from (AD)his mouth,
and (AE)lay up his words in your heart.
23 If you (AF)return to the Almighty you will be (AG)built up;
if you (AH)remove injustice far from your tents,
24 if you lay gold in (AI)the dust,
and gold of (AJ)Ophir among the stones of the torrent-bed,
25 then the Almighty will be your gold
and your precious silver.
26 For then you (AK)will delight yourself in the Almighty
and (AL)lift up your face to God.
27 You will (AM)make your prayer to him, and he will hear you,
and you will (AN)pay your vows.
28 You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you,
and (AO)light will shine on your ways.
29 For when they are humbled you say, ‘It is because of pride’;[c]
but he saves (AP)the lowly.
30 He (AQ)delivers even the one who is not innocent,
who will be delivered through (AR)the cleanness of your hands.”
Job Replies: Where Is God?
23 Then Job answered and said:
2 “Today also my (AS)complaint is bitter;[d]
my (AT)hand is heavy on account of my groaning.
3 Oh, (AU)that I knew where I might find him,
that I might come even to his (AV)seat!
4 I would (AW)lay my case before him
and fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would know what he would answer me
and understand what he would say to me.
6 Would he (AX)contend with me in the greatness of his power?
No; he would pay attention to me.
7 There an upright man could argue with him,
and I would be acquitted forever by my judge.
8 “Behold, (AY)I go forward, but he is not there,
and backward, but I do not perceive him;
9 on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him;
he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him.
10 But he (AZ)knows (BA)the way that I (BB)take;
when he has (BC)tried me, I shall come out as gold.
11 My foot (BD)has held fast to his steps;
I have kept his way and have (BE)not turned aside.
12 I have not departed from the commandment of his lips;
I have (BF)treasured the words of his mouth more than my (BG)portion of food.
13 But he is unchangeable,[e] and (BH)who can turn him back?
What he (BI)desires, that he does.
14 For he will complete what he (BJ)appoints for me,
and many such things are (BK)in his mind.
15 Therefore I am terrified at his presence;
when I consider, I am in dread of him.
16 God has made my (BL)heart faint;
the Almighty has terrified me;
17 yet I am not silenced because of the darkness,
nor because thick darkness covers my face.
24 “Why are (BM)not times of judgment (BN)kept by the Almighty,
and why do those who know him never see his (BO)days?
2 Some move (BP)landmarks;
they seize flocks and pasture them.
3 They drive away the donkey of the fatherless;
they (BQ)take the widow's ox for a pledge.
4 They (BR)thrust the poor off the road;
the poor of the earth (BS)all hide themselves.
5 Behold, like wild donkeys in the desert
the poor[f] (BT)go out to their toil, (BU)seeking game;
the wasteland yields food for their children.
6 They gather their[g] fodder in the field,
and they glean the vineyard of the wicked man.
7 They (BV)lie all night naked, without clothing,
and have no covering in the cold.
8 They are wet with the rain of the mountains
and (BW)cling to the rock for lack of shelter.
9 (There are those who snatch the fatherless child from the breast,
and they take a pledge against the poor.)
10 They go about naked, without clothing;
hungry, they (BX)carry the sheaves;
11 among the olive rows of the wicked[h] they make oil;
they tread the winepresses, but suffer thirst.
12 From out of the city the dying[i] groan,
and the soul of (BY)the wounded cries for help;
yet God charges no one with (BZ)wrong.
13 “There are those who rebel (CA)against the light,
who are not acquainted with its ways,
and do not stay in its paths.
14 The murderer rises before it is light,
that he (CB)may kill the poor and needy,
and in the night he is like a thief.
15 The eye of the adulterer also waits for (CC)the twilight,
saying, ‘No (CD)eye will see me’;
and he veils his face.
16 In the dark they (CE)dig through houses;
by day they shut themselves up;
they do not know the light.
17 For (CF)deep darkness is morning to all of them;
for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness.
18 “You say, (CG)‘Swift are they on the face of the waters;
their portion is cursed in the land;
no treader turns toward their vineyards.
19 Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters;
so does (CH)Sheol those who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets them;
the worm finds them sweet;
they are (CI)no longer remembered,
so wickedness is broken like (CJ)a tree.’
21 “They wrong the barren, childless woman,
and do no good to the widow.
22 Yet God[j] prolongs the life of the mighty by his power;
they rise up when they despair of life.
23 He gives them security, and they are supported,
and his (CK)eyes are upon their ways.
24 They are exalted (CL)a little while, and then (CM)are gone;
they are brought low and gathered up like all others;
they are (CN)cut off like the heads of grain.
25 If it is (CO)not so, who will prove me a liar
and show that there is nothing in what I say?”
Bildad Speaks: Man Cannot Be Righteous
25 Then (CP)Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:
2 “Dominion and fear are with God;[k]
he makes peace in his high heaven.
3 Is there any number to his (CQ)armies?
Upon whom does his (CR)light not arise?
4 How then can man be (CS)in the right before God?
How can he who is (CT)born of woman be (CU)pure?
5 Behold, even the moon is not bright,
and the stars are not pure in his eyes;
6 (CV)how much less man, who is (CW)a maggot,
and (CX)the son of man, who is a worm!”
Job Replies: God's Majesty Is Unsearchable
26 Then Job answered and said:
2 “How you have (CY)helped him who has no power!
How you have saved (CZ)the arm that has no strength!
3 How you have (DA)counseled him who has no wisdom,
and plentifully declared sound knowledge!
4 With whose help have you uttered words,
and whose breath (DB)has come out from you?
5 The (DC)dead tremble
under the waters and their inhabitants.
6 Sheol is (DD)naked before God,[l]
and (DE)Abaddon has no covering.
7 He (DF)stretches out the north over (DG)the void
and hangs the earth on nothing.
8 He (DH)binds up the waters in his thick clouds,
and the cloud is not split open under them.
9 He covers the face of the full moon[m]
and (DI)spreads over it his cloud.
10 He has inscribed (DJ)a circle on the face of the waters
at the boundary between light and darkness.
11 (DK)The pillars of heaven tremble
and are astounded at his (DL)rebuke.
12 By his power he (DM)stilled the sea;
by his understanding he shattered (DN)Rahab.
13 (DO)By his wind the heavens were made fair;
his hand pierced (DP)the fleeing serpent.
14 Behold, these are but the outskirts of his (DQ)ways,
and how small (DR)a whisper do we hear of him!
But the thunder of his power who can understand?”
Job Continues: I Will Maintain My Integrity
27 And Job again (DS)took up his discourse, and said:
2 “As God lives, who has (DT)taken away my right,
and the Almighty, who has (DU)made my soul bitter,
3 as long as my breath is in me,
and (DV)the spirit of God is in my nostrils,
4 my lips will not speak (DW)falsehood,
and my tongue will not utter (DX)deceit.
5 Far be it from me to say that you are right;
till I die I will not put away my (DY)integrity from me.
6 I (DZ)hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go;
my heart does not (EA)reproach me for any of my days.
7 “Let my enemy be as the wicked,
and let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous.
8 (EB)For what is the hope of the godless (EC)when God cuts him off,
when God takes away his life?
9 (ED)Will God hear his cry
when distress comes upon him?
10 Will he (EE)take delight in the Almighty?
Will he call upon God at all times?
11 I will teach you concerning the hand of God;
(EF)what is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
12 Behold, all of you have seen it yourselves;
why then have you become altogether vain?
13 (EG)“This is the portion of a wicked man with God,
and the heritage that (EH)oppressors receive from the Almighty:
14 If his (EI)children are multiplied, it is for (EJ)the sword,
and his descendants have not enough bread.
15 Those who survive him the pestilence buries,
and his (EK)widows do not weep.
16 Though he (EL)heap up silver like dust,
and pile up clothing like clay,
17 he may pile it up, but the righteous will wear it,
and (EM)the innocent will divide the silver.
18 He builds his (EN)house like a moth's,
like (EO)a booth that (EP)a watchman makes.
19 He goes to bed rich, but will (EQ)do so no more;
he opens his eyes, and (ER)his wealth is gone.
20 (ES)Terrors overtake him like (ET)a flood;
in the night a whirlwind (EU)carries him off.
21 (EV)The east wind lifts him up and he is gone;
it (EW)sweeps him out of his place.
22 It[n] hurls at him (EX)without pity;
he flees from its[o] power in headlong flight.
23 It (EY)claps its hands at him
and (EZ)hisses at him from its place.
Job Continues: Where Is Wisdom?
28 “Surely there is a mine for silver,
and a place for gold that they (FA)refine.
2 Iron is taken out of the earth,
and copper is smelted from the ore.
3 Man puts an end to darkness
and searches out to the farthest limit
the ore in (FB)gloom and (FC)deep darkness.
4 He opens shafts in a valley away from where anyone lives;
they are forgotten by travelers;
they hang in the air, far away from mankind; they swing to and fro.
5 As for the earth, (FD)out of it comes bread,
but underneath it is turned up as by fire.
6 Its stones are the place of (FE)sapphires,[p]
and it has dust of gold.
7 “That path no bird of prey knows,
and the falcon's eye has not seen it.
8 (FF)The proud beasts have not trodden it;
(FG)the lion has not passed over it.
9 “Man puts his hand to (FH)the flinty rock
and overturns mountains by the roots.
10 He cuts out channels in the rocks,
and his eye sees every precious thing.
11 He dams up the streams so that they do not trickle,
and the thing that is hidden he brings out to light.
12 (FI)“But where shall wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
13 Man does not know its worth,
and it is not found in (FJ)the land of the living.
14 (FK)The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’
and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
15 It (FL)cannot be bought for gold,
and silver cannot be weighed as its price.
16 It cannot be valued in (FM)the gold of (FN)Ophir,
in precious (FO)onyx or (FP)sapphire.
17 Gold and glass cannot equal it,
nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
18 No mention shall be made of (FQ)coral or of crystal;
the price of wisdom is above (FR)(FS)pearls.
19 (FT)The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,
nor can it be valued in pure gold.
20 “From where, then, does wisdom come?
And where is the place of understanding?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of (FU)all living
and concealed from the birds of the air.
22 (FV)Abaddon and Death say,
‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’
23 (FW)“God understands the way to it,
and he knows its place.
24 For he (FX)looks to the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
25 When he (FY)gave to the wind its weight
and apportioned the waters by measure,
26 when he made a decree for the rain
and (FZ)a way for the lightning of the thunder,
27 then he saw it and declared it;
he established it, and searched it out.
28 And he said to man,
‘Behold, (GA)the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
and to (GB)turn away from evil is understanding.’”
Job's Summary Defense
29 And Job again (GC)took up his discourse, and said:
2 “Oh, that I were as in the months of old,
as in the days when God watched over me,
3 when his (GD)lamp shone upon my head,
and by his light I walked through darkness,
4 as I was in my prime,[q]
when the (GE)friendship of God was upon my tent,
5 when the Almighty was yet with me,
when my (GF)children were all around me,
6 when my steps were (GG)washed with (GH)butter,
and (GI)the rock poured out for me streams of (GJ)oil!
7 When I went out to (GK)the gate of the city,
when I prepared my seat in the square,
8 the young men saw me and withdrew,
and the aged rose and stood;
9 the princes refrained from talking
and (GL)laid their hand on their mouth;
10 the voice of the nobles was hushed,
and their (GM)tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.
11 When the ear heard, it called me blessed,
and when the eye saw, it approved,
12 because I (GN)delivered the poor who cried for help,
and the fatherless who had none to help him.
13 (GO)The blessing of him who was (GP)about to perish came upon me,
and I caused (GQ)the widow's heart to sing for joy.
14 I (GR)put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
my justice was like a robe and (GS)a turban.
15 I was (GT)eyes to the blind
and feet to the lame.
16 I was a father to the needy,
and I searched out (GU)the cause of him whom I did not know.
17 I (GV)broke (GW)the fangs of the unrighteous
and made him drop his prey from his teeth.
18 (GX)Then I thought, ‘I shall die in my (GY)nest,
and I shall multiply my days as (GZ)the sand,
19 my (HA)roots spread out to (HB)the waters,
with the dew all night on my (HC)branches,
20 my glory fresh with me,
and my (HD)bow ever (HE)new in my hand.’
21 “Men listened to me and waited
and kept silence for my counsel.
22 After I spoke they did not speak again,
and my word (HF)dropped upon them.
23 They waited for me as for the rain,
and they (HG)opened their mouths as for the (HH)spring rain.
24 I smiled on them when they had no confidence,
and (HI)the light of my (HJ)face they did not cast down.
25 I chose their way and sat as chief,
and I lived like (HK)a king among his troops,
like one who comforts mourners.
30 “But now they (HL)laugh at me,
men who are (HM)younger than I,
whose fathers I would have disdained
to set with the dogs of my flock.
2 What could I gain from the strength of their hands,
(HN)men whose (HO)vigor is gone?
3 Through want and hard hunger
they (HP)gnaw (HQ)the dry ground by night in (HR)waste and desolation;
4 they pick saltwort and the leaves of bushes,
and the roots of the broom tree for their food.[r]
5 (HS)They are driven out from human company;
they shout after them as after a thief.
6 In the gullies of the torrents they must dwell,
in holes of the earth and of (HT)the rocks.
7 Among the bushes they (HU)bray;
under (HV)the nettles they huddle together.
8 A senseless, a nameless brood,
they have been whipped out of the land.
9 “And now I have become their (HW)song;
I am (HX)a byword to them.
10 They (HY)abhor me; they keep aloof from me;
they do not hesitate to (HZ)spit at the sight of me.
11 Because God has loosed my cord and humbled me,
they have cast off restraint[s] in my presence.
12 On my (IA)right hand the rabble rise;
they push away my feet;
they (IB)cast up against me their ways of destruction.
13 They break up my path;
they promote my (IC)calamity;
they need no one to help them.
14 As through a wide (ID)breach they come;
amid the crash they roll on.
15 (IE)Terrors are turned upon me;
my honor is pursued as by the wind,
and my prosperity has passed away like (IF)a cloud.
16 “And now my soul is (IG)poured out within me;
days of affliction have taken hold of me.
17 (IH)The night (II)racks my bones,
and the pain that (IJ)gnaws me takes no rest.
18 With great force my garment is (IK)disfigured;
it binds me about like the collar of my tunic.
19 God[t] has cast me into the mire,
and I have become like (IL)dust and ashes.
20 I cry to you for help and you do not answer me;
I stand, and you only look at me.
21 You have (IM)turned cruel to me;
with the might of your hand you (IN)persecute me.
22 (IO)You lift me up on the wind; you make me ride on it,
and you toss me about in the roar of the storm.
23 (IP)For I know that you will bring me to death
and to the house appointed for (IQ)all living.
24 “Yet does not one in a (IR)heap of ruins stretch out his hand,
and in his disaster cry for help?[u]
25 Did not I (IS)weep for him whose day was hard?
Was not my soul grieved for the needy?
26 But (IT)when I hoped for good, evil came,
and when I waited for light, (IU)darkness came.
27 My inward parts are in turmoil and never still;
days of affliction (IV)come to meet me.
28 I (IW)go about darkened, but not by the sun;
I stand up in (IX)the assembly and cry for help.
29 I am a brother of (IY)jackals
and a companion of (IZ)ostriches.
30 My (JA)skin turns black and falls from me,
and my (JB)bones burn with heat.
31 My (JC)lyre is (JD)turned to mourning,
and my (JE)pipe to the voice of those who weep.
Job's Final Appeal
31 “I have made a covenant with my (JF)eyes;
how then could I gaze at a virgin?
2 What would be (JG)my portion from God above
and (JH)my heritage from the Almighty on high?
3 Is not calamity for the unrighteous,
and disaster for the workers of iniquity?
4 (JI)Does not he see my ways
and (JJ)number all my steps?
5 “If I have walked with falsehood
and my foot has hastened to deceit;
6 (Let me be (JK)weighed in a just balance,
and let God know my integrity!)
7 if my step has turned aside from the way
and (JL)my heart has gone after my eyes,
and if any (JM)spot has stuck to my hands,
8 then let me (JN)sow, and another eat,
and let what grows for me[v] be rooted out.
9 “If my heart has been enticed toward a woman,
and I have (JO)lain in wait at my neighbor's door,
10 then let my wife (JP)grind for another,
and let others (JQ)bow down on her.
11 For that would be a heinous crime;
that would be an iniquity (JR)to be punished by the judges;
12 for that would be a fire (JS)that consumes as far as Abaddon,
and it would burn to the root all my increase.
13 “If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or my maidservant,
when they brought a complaint against me,
14 what then shall I do when God rises up?
When he (JT)makes inquiry, what shall I answer him?
15 Did (JU)not he who made me in the womb make him?
And did not one fashion us in the womb?
16 “If I have (JV)withheld anything that the poor desired,
or have (JW)caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
17 or have eaten my morsel alone,
and the fatherless has not eaten of it
18 (for from my youth the fatherless[w] grew up with me as with a father,
and from my mother's womb I guided the widow[x]),
19 if I have seen anyone (JX)perish for (JY)lack of clothing,
or the needy without (JZ)covering,
20 if his body has not (KA)blessed me,[y]
and if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep,
21 if I have raised my hand against (KB)the fatherless,
because I saw my help in (KC)the gate,
22 then let my shoulder blade fall from my shoulder,
and let my arm be broken from its socket.
23 For I was (KD)in terror of calamity from God,
and I could not have faced his (KE)majesty.
24 (KF)“If I have made gold my (KG)trust
or called (KH)fine gold my confidence,
25 if I have (KI)rejoiced because my wealth was abundant
or because (KJ)my hand had found much,
26 (KK)if I have looked at the sun[z] when it shone,
or (KL)the moon moving in splendor,
27 and my heart has been secretly enticed,
and my mouth has kissed my hand,
28 this also would be (KM)an iniquity to be punished by the judges,
for I would have been false to God above.
29 “If I have (KN)rejoiced at the ruin of him who hated me,
or exulted when evil overtook him
30 ((KO)I have not let my mouth sin
by asking for his life with a curse),
31 if the men of my tent have not said,
‘Who is there that has not been filled with his (KP)meat?’
32 ((KQ)the sojourner has not lodged in the street;
I have opened my doors to the traveler),
33 if I (KR)have concealed my transgressions (KS)as others do[aa]
by hiding my iniquity in my heart,
34 because I stood in great fear of (KT)the multitude,
and the contempt of families terrified me,
so that I kept silence, and did not go out of doors—
35 Oh, that I had one to hear me!
(Here is my signature! Let the Almighty (KU)answer me!)
Oh, that I had (KV)the indictment written by my adversary!
36 Surely I would carry it on my (KW)shoulder;
I would (KX)bind it on me as (KY)a crown;
37 I would give him an account of all my steps;
like a prince I would approach him.
38 “If my land has cried out against me
and its furrows have wept together,
39 (KZ)if I have eaten its yield without payment
and made its owners (LA)breathe their last,
40 let (LB)thorns grow instead of wheat,
and foul weeds instead of barley.”
The words of Job are ended.
Footnotes
- Job 22:16 Or their foundation was poured out as a stream (or river)
- Job 22:17 Hebrew them
- Job 22:29 Or you say, ‘It is exaltation’
- Job 23:2 Or defiant
- Job 23:13 Or one
- Job 24:5 Hebrew they
- Job 24:6 Hebrew his
- Job 24:11 Hebrew their olive rows
- Job 24:12 Or the men
- Job 24:22 Hebrew he
- Job 25:2 Hebrew him
- Job 26:6 Hebrew him
- Job 26:9 Or his throne
- Job 27:22 Or He (that is, God); also verse 23
- Job 27:22 Or his; also verse 23
- Job 28:6 Or lapis lazuli; also verse 16
- Job 29:4 Hebrew my autumn days
- Job 30:4 Or warmth
- Job 30:11 Hebrew the bridle
- Job 30:19 Hebrew He
- Job 30:24 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
- Job 31:8 Or let my descendants
- Job 31:18 Hebrew he
- Job 31:18 Hebrew her
- Job 31:20 Hebrew if his loins have not blessed me
- Job 31:26 Hebrew the light
- Job 31:33 Or as Adam did
Job 22-31
New International Version
Job 22-31
New International Version
Eliphaz
22 Then Eliphaz the Temanite(A) replied:
2 “Can a man be of benefit to God?(B)
Can even a wise person benefit him?(C)
3 What pleasure(D) would it give the Almighty if you were righteous?(E)
What would he gain if your ways were blameless?(F)
4 “Is it for your piety that he rebukes you
and brings charges against you?(G)
5 Is not your wickedness great?
Are not your sins(H) endless?(I)
6 You demanded security(J) from your relatives for no reason;(K)
you stripped people of their clothing, leaving them naked.(L)
7 You gave no water(M) to the weary
and you withheld food from the hungry,(N)
8 though you were a powerful man, owning land(O)—
an honored man,(P) living on it.(Q)
9 And you sent widows(R) away empty-handed(S)
and broke the strength of the fatherless.(T)
10 That is why snares(U) are all around you,(V)
why sudden peril terrifies you,(W)
11 why it is so dark(X) you cannot see,
and why a flood of water covers you.(Y)
12 “Is not God in the heights of heaven?(Z)
And see how lofty are the highest stars!
13 Yet you say, ‘What does God know?(AA)
Does he judge through such darkness?(AB)
14 Thick clouds(AC) veil him, so he does not see us(AD)
as he goes about in the vaulted heavens.’(AE)
15 Will you keep to the old path
that the wicked(AF) have trod?(AG)
16 They were carried off before their time,(AH)
their foundations(AI) washed away by a flood.(AJ)
17 They said to God, ‘Leave us alone!
What can the Almighty do to us?’(AK)
18 Yet it was he who filled their houses with good things,(AL)
so I stand aloof from the plans of the wicked.(AM)
19 The righteous see their ruin and rejoice;(AN)
the innocent mock(AO) them, saying,
20 ‘Surely our foes are destroyed,(AP)
and fire(AQ) devours their wealth.’
21 “Submit to God and be at peace(AR) with him;(AS)
in this way prosperity will come to you.(AT)
22 Accept instruction from his mouth(AU)
and lay up his words(AV) in your heart.(AW)
23 If you return(AX) to the Almighty, you will be restored:(AY)
If you remove wickedness far from your tent(AZ)
24 and assign your nuggets(BA) to the dust,
your gold(BB) of Ophir(BC) to the rocks in the ravines,(BD)
25 then the Almighty will be your gold,(BE)
the choicest silver for you.(BF)
26 Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty(BG)
and will lift up your face(BH) to God.(BI)
27 You will pray to him,(BJ) and he will hear you,(BK)
and you will fulfill your vows.(BL)
28 What you decide on will be done,(BM)
and light(BN) will shine on your ways.(BO)
29 When people are brought low(BP) and you say, ‘Lift them up!’
then he will save the downcast.(BQ)
30 He will deliver even one who is not innocent,(BR)
who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”(BS)
Job
23 Then Job replied:
2 “Even today my complaint(BT) is bitter;(BU)
his hand[a] is heavy in spite of[b] my groaning.(BV)
3 If only I knew where to find him;
if only I could go to his dwelling!(BW)
4 I would state my case(BX) before him
and fill my mouth with arguments.(BY)
5 I would find out what he would answer me,(BZ)
and consider what he would say to me.
6 Would he vigorously oppose me?(CA)
No, he would not press charges against me.(CB)
7 There the upright(CC) can establish their innocence before him,(CD)
and there I would be delivered forever from my judge.(CE)
8 “But if I go to the east, he is not there;
if I go to the west, I do not find him.
9 When he is at work in the north, I do not see him;
when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.(CF)
10 But he knows the way that I take;(CG)
when he has tested me,(CH) I will come forth as gold.(CI)
11 My feet have closely followed his steps;(CJ)
I have kept to his way without turning aside.(CK)
12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips;(CL)
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.(CM)
13 “But he stands alone, and who can oppose him?(CN)
He does whatever he pleases.(CO)
14 He carries out his decree against me,
and many such plans he still has in store.(CP)
15 That is why I am terrified before him;(CQ)
when I think of all this, I fear him.(CR)
16 God has made my heart faint;(CS)
the Almighty(CT) has terrified me.(CU)
17 Yet I am not silenced by the darkness,(CV)
by the thick darkness that covers my face.
24 “Why does the Almighty not set times(CW) for judgment?(CX)
Why must those who know him look in vain for such days?(CY)
2 There are those who move boundary stones;(CZ)
they pasture flocks they have stolen.(DA)
3 They drive away the orphan’s donkey
and take the widow’s ox in pledge.(DB)
4 They thrust the needy(DC) from the path
and force all the poor(DD) of the land into hiding.(DE)
5 Like wild donkeys(DF) in the desert,
the poor go about their labor(DG) of foraging food;
the wasteland(DH) provides food for their children.
6 They gather fodder(DI) in the fields
and glean in the vineyards(DJ) of the wicked.(DK)
7 Lacking clothes, they spend the night naked;
they have nothing to cover themselves in the cold.(DL)
8 They are drenched(DM) by mountain rains
and hug(DN) the rocks for lack of shelter.(DO)
9 The fatherless(DP) child is snatched(DQ) from the breast;
the infant of the poor is seized(DR) for a debt.(DS)
10 Lacking clothes, they go about naked;(DT)
they carry the sheaves,(DU) but still go hungry.
11 They crush olives among the terraces[c];
they tread the winepresses,(DV) yet suffer thirst.(DW)
12 The groans of the dying rise from the city,
and the souls of the wounded cry out for help.(DX)
But God charges no one with wrongdoing.(DY)
13 “There are those who rebel against the light,(DZ)
who do not know its ways
or stay in its paths.(EA)
14 When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up,
kills(EB) the poor and needy,(EC)
and in the night steals forth like a thief.(ED)
15 The eye of the adulterer(EE) watches for dusk;(EF)
he thinks, ‘No eye will see me,’(EG)
and he keeps his face concealed.
16 In the dark, thieves break into houses,(EH)
but by day they shut themselves in;
they want nothing to do with the light.(EI)
17 For all of them, midnight is their morning;
they make friends with the terrors(EJ) of darkness.(EK)
18 “Yet they are foam(EL) on the surface of the water;(EM)
their portion of the land is cursed,(EN)
so that no one goes to the vineyards.(EO)
19 As heat and drought snatch away the melted snow,(EP)
so the grave(EQ) snatches away those who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets them,
the worm(ER) feasts on them;(ES)
the wicked are no longer remembered(ET)
but are broken like a tree.(EU)
21 They prey on the barren and childless woman,
and to the widow they show no kindness.(EV)
22 But God drags away the mighty by his power;(EW)
though they become established,(EX) they have no assurance of life.(EY)
23 He may let them rest in a feeling of security,(EZ)
but his eyes(FA) are on their ways.(FB)
24 For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone;(FC)
they are brought low and gathered up like all others;(FD)
they are cut off like heads of grain.(FE)
25 “If this is not so, who can prove me false
and reduce my words to nothing?”(FF)
Bildad
25 Then Bildad the Shuhite(FG) replied:
2 “Dominion and awe belong to God;(FH)
he establishes order in the heights of heaven.(FI)
3 Can his forces be numbered?
On whom does his light not rise?(FJ)
4 How then can a mortal be righteous before God?
How can one born of woman be pure?(FK)
5 If even the moon(FL) is not bright
and the stars are not pure in his eyes,(FM)
6 how much less a mortal, who is but a maggot—
a human being,(FN) who is only a worm!”(FO)
Job
26 Then Job replied:
2 “How you have helped the powerless!(FP)
How you have saved the arm that is feeble!(FQ)
3 What advice you have offered to one without wisdom!
And what great insight(FR) you have displayed!
4 Who has helped you utter these words?
And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?(FS)
5 “The dead are in deep anguish,(FT)
those beneath the waters and all that live in them.
6 The realm of the dead(FU) is naked before God;
Destruction[d](FV) lies uncovered.(FW)
7 He spreads out the northern skies(FX) over empty space;
he suspends the earth over nothing.(FY)
8 He wraps up the waters(FZ) in his clouds,(GA)
yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
9 He covers the face of the full moon,
spreading his clouds(GB) over it.
10 He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters(GC)
for a boundary between light and darkness.(GD)
11 The pillars of the heavens quake,(GE)
aghast at his rebuke.
12 By his power he churned up the sea;(GF)
by his wisdom(GG) he cut Rahab(GH) to pieces.
13 By his breath the skies(GI) became fair;
his hand pierced the gliding serpent.(GJ)
14 And these are but the outer fringe of his works;
how faint the whisper(GK) we hear of him!(GL)
Who then can understand the thunder of his power?”(GM)
Job’s Final Word to His Friends
27 And Job continued his discourse:(GN)
2 “As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,(GO)
the Almighty,(GP) who has made my life bitter,(GQ)
3 as long as I have life within me,
the breath of God(GR) in my nostrils,
4 my lips will not say anything wicked,
and my tongue will not utter lies.(GS)
5 I will never admit you are in the right;
till I die, I will not deny my integrity.(GT)
6 I will maintain my innocence(GU) and never let go of it;
my conscience(GV) will not reproach me as long as I live.(GW)
7 “May my enemy be like the wicked,(GX)
my adversary(GY) like the unjust!
8 For what hope have the godless(GZ) when they are cut off,
when God takes away their life?(HA)
9 Does God listen to their cry
when distress comes upon them?(HB)
10 Will they find delight in the Almighty?(HC)
Will they call on God at all times?
11 “I will teach you about the power of God;
the ways(HD) of the Almighty I will not conceal.(HE)
12 You have all seen this yourselves.
Why then this meaningless talk?
13 “Here is the fate God allots to the wicked,
the heritage a ruthless man receives from the Almighty:(HF)
14 However many his children,(HG) their fate is the sword;(HH)
his offspring will never have enough to eat.(HI)
15 The plague will bury those who survive him,
and their widows will not weep for them.(HJ)
16 Though he heaps up silver like dust(HK)
and clothes like piles of clay,(HL)
17 what he lays up(HM) the righteous will wear,(HN)
and the innocent will divide his silver.(HO)
18 The house(HP) he builds is like a moth’s cocoon,(HQ)
like a hut(HR) made by a watchman.
19 He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;(HS)
when he opens his eyes, all is gone.(HT)
20 Terrors(HU) overtake him like a flood;(HV)
a tempest snatches him away in the night.(HW)
21 The east wind(HX) carries him off, and he is gone;(HY)
it sweeps him out of his place.(HZ)
22 It hurls itself against him without mercy(IA)
as he flees headlong(IB) from its power.(IC)
23 It claps its hands(ID) in derision
and hisses him out of his place.”(IE)
Interlude: Where Wisdom Is Found
28 There is a mine for silver
and a place where gold is refined.(IF)
2 Iron is taken from the earth,
and copper is smelted from ore.(IG)
3 Mortals put an end to the darkness;(IH)
they search out the farthest recesses
for ore in the blackest darkness.(II)
4 Far from human dwellings they cut a shaft,(IJ)
in places untouched by human feet;
far from other people they dangle and sway.
5 The earth, from which food comes,(IK)
is transformed below as by fire;
6 lapis lazuli(IL) comes from its rocks,
and its dust contains nuggets of gold.(IM)
7 No bird of prey knows that hidden path,
no falcon’s eye has seen it.(IN)
8 Proud beasts(IO) do not set foot on it,
and no lion prowls there.(IP)
9 People assault the flinty rock(IQ) with their hands
and lay bare the roots of the mountains.(IR)
10 They tunnel through the rock;(IS)
their eyes see all its treasures.(IT)
11 They search[e] the sources of the rivers(IU)
and bring hidden things(IV) to light.
12 But where can wisdom be found?(IW)
Where does understanding dwell?(IX)
13 No mortal comprehends its worth;(IY)
it cannot be found in the land of the living.(IZ)
14 The deep(JA) says, “It is not in me”;
the sea(JB) says, “It is not with me.”
15 It cannot be bought with the finest gold,
nor can its price be weighed out in silver.(JC)
16 It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir,(JD)
with precious onyx or lapis lazuli.(JE)
17 Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it,(JF)
nor can it be had for jewels of gold.(JG)
18 Coral(JH) and jasper(JI) are not worthy of mention;
the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.(JJ)
19 The topaz(JK) of Cush(JL) cannot compare with it;
it cannot be bought with pure gold.(JM)
20 Where then does wisdom come from?
Where does understanding dwell?(JN)
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
concealed even from the birds in the sky.(JO)
22 Destruction[f](JP) and Death(JQ) say,
“Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.”
23 God understands the way to it
and he alone(JR) knows where it dwells,(JS)
24 for he views the ends of the earth(JT)
and sees everything under the heavens.(JU)
25 When he established the force of the wind
and measured out the waters,(JV)
26 when he made a decree for the rain(JW)
and a path for the thunderstorm,(JX)
27 then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;
he confirmed it and tested it.(JY)
28 And he said to the human race,
“The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
and to shun evil(JZ) is understanding.”(KA)
Job’s Final Defense
29 Job continued his discourse:(KB)
2 “How I long for the months gone by,(KC)
for the days when God watched over me,(KD)
3 when his lamp shone on my head
and by his light I walked through darkness!(KE)
4 Oh, for the days when I was in my prime,
when God’s intimate friendship(KF) blessed my house,(KG)
5 when the Almighty was still with me
and my children(KH) were around me,(KI)
6 when my path was drenched with cream(KJ)
and the rock(KK) poured out for me streams of olive oil.(KL)
7 “When I went to the gate(KM) of the city
and took my seat in the public square,
8 the young men saw me and stepped aside(KN)
and the old men rose to their feet;(KO)
9 the chief men refrained from speaking(KP)
and covered their mouths with their hands;(KQ)
10 the voices of the nobles were hushed,(KR)
and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.(KS)
11 Whoever heard me spoke well of me,
and those who saw me commended me,(KT)
12 because I rescued the poor(KU) who cried for help,
and the fatherless(KV) who had none to assist them.(KW)
13 The one who was dying blessed me;(KX)
I made the widow’s(KY) heart sing.
14 I put on righteousness(KZ) as my clothing;
justice was my robe and my turban.(LA)
15 I was eyes(LB) to the blind
and feet to the lame.(LC)
16 I was a father to the needy;(LD)
I took up the case(LE) of the stranger.(LF)
17 I broke the fangs of the wicked
and snatched the victims(LG) from their teeth.(LH)
18 “I thought, ‘I will die in my own house,
my days as numerous as the grains of sand.(LI)
19 My roots will reach to the water,(LJ)
and the dew will lie all night on my branches.(LK)
20 My glory will not fade;(LL)
the bow(LM) will be ever new in my hand.’(LN)
21 “People listened to me expectantly,
waiting in silence for my counsel.(LO)
22 After I had spoken, they spoke no more;(LP)
my words fell gently on their ears.(LQ)
23 They waited for me as for showers
and drank in my words as the spring rain.(LR)
24 When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it;
the light of my face(LS) was precious to them.[g](LT)
25 I chose the way for them and sat as their chief;(LU)
I dwelt as a king(LV) among his troops;
I was like one who comforts mourners.(LW)
30 “But now they mock me,(LX)
men younger than I,
whose fathers I would have disdained
to put with my sheep dogs.(LY)
2 Of what use was the strength of their hands to me,
since their vigor had gone from them?
3 Haggard from want and hunger,
they roamed[h] the parched land(LZ)
in desolate wastelands(MA) at night.(MB)
4 In the brush they gathered salt herbs,(MC)
and their food[i] was the root of the broom bush.(MD)
5 They were banished from human society,
shouted at as if they were thieves.
6 They were forced to live in the dry stream beds,
among the rocks and in holes in the ground.(ME)
7 They brayed(MF) among the bushes(MG)
and huddled in the undergrowth.
8 A base and nameless brood,(MH)
they were driven out of the land.(MI)
9 “And now those young men mock me(MJ) in song;(MK)
I have become a byword(ML) among them.
10 They detest me(MM) and keep their distance;
they do not hesitate to spit in my face.(MN)
11 Now that God has unstrung my bow(MO) and afflicted me,(MP)
they throw off restraint(MQ) in my presence.
12 On my right(MR) the tribe[j] attacks;
they lay snares(MS) for my feet,(MT)
they build their siege ramps against me.(MU)
13 They break up my road;(MV)
they succeed in destroying me.(MW)
‘No one can help him,’ they say.
14 They advance as through a gaping breach;(MX)
amid the ruins they come rolling in.
15 Terrors(MY) overwhelm me;(MZ)
my dignity is driven away as by the wind,
my safety vanishes like a cloud.(NA)
16 “And now my life ebbs away;(NB)
days of suffering grip me.(NC)
17 Night pierces my bones;
my gnawing pains never rest.(ND)
18 In his great power(NE) God becomes like clothing to me[k];
he binds me like the neck of my garment.
19 He throws me into the mud,(NF)
and I am reduced to dust and ashes.(NG)
20 “I cry out to you,(NH) God, but you do not answer;(NI)
I stand up, but you merely look at me.
21 You turn on me ruthlessly;(NJ)
with the might of your hand(NK) you attack me.(NL)
22 You snatch me up and drive me before the wind;(NM)
you toss me about in the storm.(NN)
23 I know you will bring me down to death,(NO)
to the place appointed for all the living.(NP)
24 “Surely no one lays a hand on a broken man(NQ)
when he cries for help in his distress.(NR)
25 Have I not wept for those in trouble?(NS)
Has not my soul grieved for the poor?(NT)
26 Yet when I hoped for good, evil came;
when I looked for light, then came darkness.(NU)
27 The churning inside me never stops;(NV)
days of suffering confront me.(NW)
28 I go about blackened,(NX) but not by the sun;
I stand up in the assembly and cry for help.(NY)
29 I have become a brother of jackals,(NZ)
a companion of owls.(OA)
30 My skin grows black(OB) and peels;(OC)
my body burns with fever.(OD)
31 My lyre is tuned to mourning,(OE)
and my pipe(OF) to the sound of wailing.
31 “I made a covenant with my eyes(OG)
not to look lustfully at a young woman.(OH)
2 For what is our lot(OI) from God above,
our heritage from the Almighty on high?(OJ)
3 Is it not ruin(OK) for the wicked,
disaster(OL) for those who do wrong?(OM)
4 Does he not see my ways(ON)
and count my every step?(OO)
5 “If I have walked with falsehood
or my foot has hurried after deceit(OP)—
6 let God weigh me(OQ) in honest scales(OR)
and he will know that I am blameless(OS)—
7 if my steps have turned from the path,(OT)
if my heart has been led by my eyes,
or if my hands(OU) have been defiled,(OV)
8 then may others eat what I have sown,(OW)
and may my crops be uprooted.(OX)
9 “If my heart has been enticed(OY) by a woman,(OZ)
or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,
10 then may my wife grind(PA) another man’s grain,
and may other men sleep with her.(PB)
11 For that would have been wicked,(PC)
a sin to be judged.(PD)
12 It is a fire(PE) that burns to Destruction[l];(PF)
it would have uprooted my harvest.(PG)
13 “If I have denied justice to any of my servants,(PH)
whether male or female,
when they had a grievance against me,(PI)
14 what will I do when God confronts me?(PJ)
What will I answer when called to account?(PK)
15 Did not he who made me in the womb make them?(PL)
Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?(PM)
16 “If I have denied the desires of the poor(PN)
or let the eyes of the widow(PO) grow weary,(PP)
17 if I have kept my bread to myself,
not sharing it with the fatherless(PQ)—
18 but from my youth I reared them as a father would,
and from my birth I guided the widow(PR)—
19 if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing,(PS)
or the needy(PT) without garments,
20 and their hearts did not bless me(PU)
for warming them with the fleece(PV) from my sheep,
21 if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,(PW)
knowing that I had influence in court,(PX)
22 then let my arm fall from the shoulder,
let it be broken off at the joint.(PY)
23 For I dreaded destruction from God,(PZ)
and for fear of his splendor(QA) I could not do such things.(QB)
24 “If I have put my trust in gold(QC)
or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’(QD)
25 if I have rejoiced over my great wealth,(QE)
the fortune my hands had gained,(QF)
26 if I have regarded the sun(QG) in its radiance
or the moon(QH) moving in splendor,
27 so that my heart was secretly enticed(QI)
and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,(QJ)
28 then these also would be sins to be judged,(QK)
for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.(QL)
29 “If I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune(QM)
or gloated over the trouble that came to him(QN)—
30 I have not allowed my mouth to sin
by invoking a curse against their life(QO)—
31 if those of my household have never said,
‘Who has not been filled with Job’s meat?’(QP)—
32 but no stranger had to spend the night in the street,
for my door was always open to the traveler(QQ)—
33 if I have concealed(QR) my sin as people do,[m]
by hiding(QS) my guilt in my heart
34 because I so feared the crowd(QT)
and so dreaded the contempt of the clans
that I kept silent(QU) and would not go outside—
35 (“Oh, that I had someone to hear me!(QV)
I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me;
let my accuser(QW) put his indictment in writing.
36 Surely I would wear it on my shoulder,(QX)
I would put it on like a crown.(QY)
37 I would give him an account of my every step;(QZ)
I would present it to him as to a ruler.(RA))—
38 “if my land cries out against me(RB)
and all its furrows are wet(RC) with tears,
39 if I have devoured its yield without payment(RD)
or broken the spirit of its tenants,(RE)
40 then let briers(RF) come up instead of wheat
and stinkweed(RG) instead of barley.”
The words of Job are ended.(RH)
Footnotes
- Job 23:2 Septuagint and Syriac; Hebrew / the hand on me
- Job 23:2 Or heavy on me in
- Job 24:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Job 26:6 Hebrew Abaddon
- Job 28:11 Septuagint, Aquila and Vulgate; Hebrew They dam up
- Job 28:22 Hebrew Abaddon
- Job 29:24 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
- Job 30:3 Or gnawed
- Job 30:4 Or fuel
- Job 30:12 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Job 30:18 Hebrew; Septuagint power he grasps my clothing
- Job 31:12 Hebrew Abaddon
- Job 31:33 Or as Adam did
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.