Job 16
Legacy Standard Bible
Troublesome Comforters
16 Then Job answered and said,
2 “I have heard many such things;
[a](A)Troublesome comforters are you all.
3 Is there no end to (B)windy words?
Or what pains you that you answer?
4 I too could speak like you,
If your soul were in the place of my soul.
I could compose words against you
And (C)shake my head at you.
5 I could encourage you with my mouth,
And the solace of my lips could lessen your pain.
6 “If I speak, (D)my pain is not lessened,
And if I cease, what will go forth from me?
7 But now He has (E)exhausted me;
You have made (F)desolate all my company.
8 You have shriveled me up,
(G)It has become a witness;
And my (H)leanness rises up against me,
It answers to my face.
9 His anger has (I)torn me and [b]hunted me down;
He has (J)gnashed at me with His teeth;
My (K)adversary sharpens his eyes to look at me.
10 They have (L)opened their mouth wide at me;
They have (M)struck me on the cheek in reproach;
They have (N)massed themselves against me.
11 God hands me over to ruffians
And tosses me into the hands of the wicked.
12 I was at ease, but (O)He shattered me,
And He has grasped me by the neck and shaken me to pieces;
He has also set me up as His (P)target.
13 His (Q)arrows surround me.
Without mercy He splits my kidneys open;
He pours out (R)my gall on the ground.
14 He (S)breaks through me with breach after breach;
He (T)runs at me like a warrior.
15 I have sewed (U)sackcloth over my skin
And (V)thrust my horn in the dust.
16 My face is flushed from (W)weeping,
(X)And the shadow of death is on my eyelids,
17 Why?—because there is no (Y)violence in my hands,
And (Z)my prayer is pure.
18 “O earth, do not cover my blood,
And let there be no resting place for my cry.
19 Even now, behold, (AA)my witness is in heaven,
And my [c]advocate is (AB)on high.
20 My friends are my scoffers;
(AC)My eye [d]weeps to God.
21 O that a man might argue with God
As a man with his neighbor!
22 For when a few years are past,
I shall go the way (AD)of no return.
Job 16
Good News Translation
16 1-2 I have heard words like that before;
the comfort you give is only torment.
3 Are you going to keep on talking forever?
Do you always have to have the last word?
4 If you were in my place and I in yours,
I could say everything you are saying.
I could shake my head wisely
and drown you with a flood of words.
5 I could strengthen you with advice
and keep talking to comfort you.
6 But nothing I say helps,
and being silent does not calm my pain.
7 You have worn me out, God;
you have let my family be killed.
8 You have seized me; you are my enemy.
I am skin and bones,
and people take that as proof of my guilt.[a]
9 In anger God tears me limb from limb;
he glares at me with hate.
10 People sneer at me;
they crowd around me and slap my face.
11 God has handed me over to evil people.
12 I was living in peace,
but God took me by the throat
and battered me and crushed me.
God uses me for target practice
13 and shoots arrows at me from every side—
arrows that pierce and wound me;
and even then he shows no pity.
14 He wounds me again and again;
he attacks like a soldier gone mad with hate.
15 I mourn and wear clothes made of sackcloth,
and I sit here in the dust defeated.
16 I have cried until my face is red,
and my eyes are swollen and circled with shadows,
17 but I am not guilty of any violence,
and my prayer to God is sincere.
18 O Earth, don't hide the wrongs done to me!
Don't let my call for justice be silenced!
19 (A)There is someone in heaven
to stand up for me and take my side.
20 My friends scorn me;
my eyes pour out tears to God.
21 I want someone to plead with God for me,
as one pleads for a friend.
22 My years are passing now,
and I walk the road of no return.
Footnotes
- Job 16:8 Verses 7-8 in Hebrew are unclear.
Job 16
New King James Version
Job Reproaches His Pitiless Friends
16 Then Job answered and said:
2 “I have heard many such things;
(A)Miserable[a] comforters are you all!
3 Shall [b]words of wind have an end?
Or what provokes you that you answer?
4 I also could speak as you do,
If your soul were in my soul’s place.
I could heap up words against you,
And (B)shake my head at you;
5 But I would strengthen you with my mouth,
And the comfort of my lips would relieve your grief.
6 “Though I speak, my grief is not relieved;
And if I remain silent, how am I eased?
7 But now He has (C)worn me out;
You (D)have made desolate all my company.
8 You have shriveled me up,
And it is a (E)witness against me;
My leanness rises up against me
And bears witness to my face.
9 (F)He tears me in His wrath, and hates me;
He gnashes at me with His teeth;
(G)My adversary sharpens His gaze on me.
10 They (H)gape at me with their mouth,
They (I)strike me reproachfully on the cheek,
They gather together against me.
11 God (J)has delivered me to the ungodly,
And turned me over to the hands of the wicked.
12 I was at ease, but He has (K)shattered me;
He also has taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces;
He has (L)set me up for His target,
13 His archers surround me.
He pierces my [c]heart and does not pity;
He pours out my gall on the ground.
14 He breaks me with wound upon wound;
He runs at me like a [d]warrior.
15 “I have sewn sackcloth over my skin,
And (M)laid my [e]head in the dust.
16 My face is [f]flushed from weeping,
And on my eyelids is the shadow of death;
17 Although no violence is in my hands,
And my prayer is pure.
18 “O earth, do not cover my blood,
And (N)let my cry have no resting place!
19 Surely even now (O)my witness is in heaven,
And my evidence is on high.
20 My friends scorn me;
My eyes pour out tears to God.
21 (P)Oh, that one might plead for a man with God,
As a man pleads for his [g]neighbor!
22 For when a few years are finished,
I shall (Q)go the way of no return.
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Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
