Job 11-13
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?
3 Shall your boasts silence people?
And will you (B)scoff, and no one rebuke?
4 For (C)you have said, ‘My teaching is pure,
And (D)I am innocent in your eyes.’
5 But if only God would speak,
And open His lips against you,
6 And 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?
8 They are as (H)high as [c]the heavens; what can you do?
Deeper than [d](I)Sheol; what can you know?
9 Its measurement is longer than the earth
And broader than the sea.
10 If He passes by or apprehends people,
Or calls an assembly, (J)who can restrain Him?
11 For (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,
14 If wrongdoing is in your hand, (R)put it far away,
And do not let malice dwell in your tents;
15 Then, indeed, you could (S)lift up your face without moral blemish,
And you would be firmly established and (T)not fear.
16 For you would (U)forget your trouble;
Like (V)waters that have passed by, you would remember it.
17 Your [g]life would [h]be (W)brighter than noonday;
Darkness would be like the morning.
18 Then you would trust, because there is hope;
And you would look around and rest securely.
19 You would (X)lie down and none would disturb you,
And many would [i](Y)flatter you.
20 But 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.”
Job Chides His Accusers
12 Then Job responded,
2 “Truly then (AD)you are the people,
And with you wisdom will die!
3 But (AE)I have intelligence as well as you;
I am not inferior to you.
And [l]who does not know such things as these?
4 I am a (AF)joke to [m]my friends,
The one who called on God and He answered him;
The just and (AG)blameless man is a joke.
5 [n]He who is at ease holds disaster in contempt,
As prepared for those whose feet slip.
6 The (AH)tents of the destroyers prosper,
And those who provoke God (AI)are secure,
[o]Whom God brings (AJ)into their power.
7 “But just ask the animals, and have them teach you;
And the birds of the sky, and have them tell you.
8 Or speak to the earth, and have it teach you;
And have the fish of the sea tell you.
9 Who among all these does not know
That (AK)the hand of the Lord has done this,
10 (AL)In whose hand is the life of every living thing,
And (AM)the breath of all mankind?
11 Does (AN)the ear not put words to the test,
As the palate [p]tastes its food?
12 Wisdom is with the (AO)aged,
And with [q]long life comes understanding.
Job Speaks of the Power of God
13 “(AP)Wisdom and (AQ)might are with Him;
Advice and (AR)understanding belong to Him.
14 Behold, He (AS)tears down, and it cannot be rebuilt;
He [r](AT)imprisons a person, and [s]there is no release.
15 Behold, He (AU)restrains the waters, and they dry up;
And He (AV)sends them out, and they [t]inundate the earth.
16 Strength and sound wisdom are with Him.
One who (AW)goes astray and one who leads astray belong to Him.
17 He makes (AX)advisers walk [u]barefoot
And makes fools of (AY)judges.
18 He (AZ)undoes the binding of kings,
And ties a loincloth around their waist.
19 He makes priests walk [v]barefoot,
And overthrows (BA)the secure ones.
20 He deprives the trusted ones of speech,
And (BB)takes away the discernment of the elders.
21 He (BC)pours contempt on nobles,
And (BD)loosens the belt of the strong.
22 He (BE)reveals mysteries from the darkness,
And brings the deep darkness into light.
23 He (BF)makes the nations great, then destroys them;
He [w]enlarges the nations, then leads them away.
24 He (BG)deprives the leaders of the earth’s people of [x]intelligence
And makes them wander in a pathless wasteland.
25 They (BH)grope in darkness with no light,
And He makes them (BI)stagger like a drunken person.
Job Says His Friends’ Proverbs Are Ashes
13 “(BJ)Behold, my eye has seen all this,
My ear has heard and understood it.
2 (BK)What you know I also know;
I am not inferior to you.
3 “But (BL)I would speak to [y]the Almighty,
And I desire to (BM)argue with God.
4 But you (BN)smear me with lies;
You are all (BO)worthless physicians.
5 Oh that you would (BP)be completely silent,
And that it would become your wisdom!
6 Please hear my argument,
And give your attention to the contentions of my lips.
7 Will you (BQ)speak what is unjust for God,
And speak what is deceitful for Him?
8 Will you (BR)show partiality for Him?
Will you contend for God?
9 Will it go well when He examines you?
Or (BS)will you deceive Him as one deceives a man?
10 He will certainly punish you
If you secretly (BT)show partiality.
11 Will (BU)His [z]majesty not terrify you,
And the dread of Him fall upon you?
12 Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes,
Your defenses are defenses of clay.
Job Is Sure He Will Be Vindicated
13 “(BV)Be silent before me so that I may speak;
Then let come upon me what may.
14 Why should I take my flesh in my teeth,
And (BW)put my life in my [aa]hands?
15 (BX)Though He slay me,
I will [ab]hope in Him.
Nevertheless I (BY)will argue my ways [ac]before Him.
16 This also will be my (BZ)salvation,
For (CA)a godless person cannot come before His presence.
17 Listen carefully to my speech,
And let my declaration fill your ears.
18 Behold now, I have (CB)prepared my case;
I know that (CC)I will be vindicated.
19 (CD)Who could contend with me?
For then I would be silent and (CE)die.
20 “Only two things I ask that You do not do to me,
Then I will not hide from Your face:
21 (CF)Remove Your [ad]hand from me,
And may the dread of You not terrify me.
22 Then call and (CG)I will answer;
Or let me speak, then reply to me.
23 (CH)How many are my guilty deeds and sins?
Make known to me my wrongdoing and my sin.
24 Why do You (CI)hide Your face
And consider me (CJ)Your enemy?
25 Will You scare away a (CK)scattered leaf?
Or will You pursue the dry (CL)chaff?
26 For You write (CM)bitter things against me
And (CN)make me inherit the guilty deeds of my youth.
27 You (CO)put my feet in the stocks
And watch all my paths;
You [ae]set a limit for the soles of my feet,
28 While [af]I am decaying like a (CP)rotten thing,
Like a garment that is moth-eaten.
Footnotes
- Job 11:6 Lit is double
- Job 11:6 Lit causes to be forgotten for you
- Job 11:8 Lit the heights of heaven
- Job 11:8 I.e., the netherworld
- Job 11:11 Or and does not investigate
- Job 11:12 Lit A hollow man
- Job 11:17 Lit lifespan
- Job 11:17 Lit rise above noonday
- Job 11:19 Lit soften your face
- Job 11:20 Lit escape has perished from them
- Job 11:20 Lit the expiring of the soul
- Job 12:3 Lit with whom is there not like these?
- Job 12:4 Lit his
- Job 12:5 Lit Contempt for calamity is the thought of him who is at ease
- Job 12:6 Or He who brings God into his hand.
- Job 12:11 Lit tastes food for itself
- Job 12:12 Lit length of days
- Job 12:14 Lit shuts against
- Job 12:14 Lit it is not opened
- Job 12:15 Lit overturn
- Job 12:17 Or stripped
- Job 12:19 Or stripped
- Job 12:23 Or spreads out
- Job 12:24 Lit heart
- Job 13:3 Heb Shaddai
- Job 13:11 Lit exaltation
- Job 13:14 Lit palm
- Job 13:15 Lit wait for
- Job 13:15 Lit to His face
- Job 13:21 Lit palm
- Job 13:27 Lit carve for
- Job 13:28 Lit he is
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Bible Gateway Recommends
