Job 11

New American Standard Bible

Zophar Rebukes Job

11 Then Zophar the Naamathite responded,

²“Shall a multitude of words go unanswered,
And a ^(A)talkative man be acquitted?
³Shall your boasts silence people?
And will you ^(B)scoff, and no one rebuke?
⁴For ^(C)you have said, ‘My teaching is pure,
And ^(D)I am innocent in your eyes.’
⁵But if only God would speak,
And open His lips against you,
⁶And show you the secrets of wisdom!
For sound wisdom ^[a]^(E)has two sides.
Know then that God ^[b]forgets part of ^(F)your guilt.

⁷“^(G)Can you discover the depths of God?
Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?
⁸They are as ^(H)high as ^[c]the heavens; what can you do?
Deeper than ^[d]^(I)Sheol; what can you know?
⁹Its measurement is longer than the earth
And broader than the sea.
¹⁰If He passes by or apprehends people,
Or calls an assembly, ^(J)who can restrain Him?
¹¹For ^(K)He knows false people,
And He ^(L)sees injustice ^[e]without investigating.
¹²^[f]^(M)An idiot will become intelligent
When a ^(N)wild donkey is born a human.

¹³“^(O)If you would ^(P)direct your heart rightly
And ^(Q)spread out your hands to Him,
¹⁴If wrongdoing is in your hand, ^(R)put it far away,
And do not let malice dwell in your tents;
¹⁵Then, indeed, you could ^(S)lift up your face without moral blemish,
And you would be firmly established and ^(T)not fear.
¹⁶For you would ^(U)forget your trouble;
Like ^(V)waters that have passed by, you would remember it.
¹⁷Your ^[g]life would ^[h]be ^(W)brighter than noonday;
Darkness would be like the morning.
¹⁸Then you would trust, because there is hope;
And you would look around and rest securely.
¹⁹You would ^(X)lie down and none would disturb you,
And many would ^[i]^(Y)flatter you.
²⁰But the ^(Z)eyes of the wicked will fail,
And ^[j]there will ^(AA)be no escape for them;
And their ^(AB)hope is ^[k]^(AC)to breathe their last.”