Job 26

New American Standard Bible

Job Rebukes Bildad

26 Then Job responded,

²“What a help you are to ^[a]^(A)the weak!
You have saved the arm ^(B)without strength!
³What advice you have given to one without wisdom!
What helpful insight you have abundantly ^[b]provided!
⁴To whom have you uttered words?
And whose ^[c]spirit was expressed through you?

The Greatness of God

⁵“The ^[d]^(C)departed spirits are made to tremble
Under the waters and their inhabitants.
⁶^[e]^(D)Sheol is naked before Him,
And ^[f]^(E)Abaddon has no covering.
⁷He ^(F)stretches out the north over empty space
And hangs the earth on nothing.
⁸He ^(G)wraps up the waters in His clouds,
And the cloud does not burst under them.
⁹He ^[g]^(H)obscures the face of the ^[h]full moon
And spreads His cloud over it.
¹⁰He has inscribed a ^(I)circle on the surface of the waters
At the ^(J)boundary of light and darkness.
¹¹The pillars of heaven tremble
And are amazed at His rebuke.
¹²With His power He ^(K)quieted the sea,
And by His ^(L)understanding He shattered ^[i]^(M)Rahab.
¹³By His breath the ^(N)heavens are ^[j]cleared;
His hand has pierced ^(O)the fleeing serpent.
¹⁴Behold, these are the fringes of His ways;
And how faint ^(P)a word we hear of Him!
But His mighty ^(Q)thunder, who can understand?”

Footnotes

Job 26:2 Lit no strength
Job 26:3 Lit made known
Job 26:4 Lit breath has gone forth
Job 26:5 Or shades; Heb Rephaim
Job 26:6 I.e., the netherworld
Job 26:6 I.e., the place of destruction
Job 26:9 Lit covers
Job 26:9 Or throne
Job 26:12 I.e., a sea monster, not to be confused with Rahab in Joshua 2
Job 26:13 Lit beauty

Job 27

New American Standard Bible

Job Affirms His Righteousness

27 Job again took up his ^(A)discourse and said,

²“As God lives, ^(B)who has taken away my right,
And the Almighty, ^(C)who has embittered my soul,
³For as long as ^[a]life is in me,
And the ^[b]^(D)breath of God is in my nostrils,
⁴My lips certainly will not speak unjustly,
Nor will ^(E)my tongue mutter deceit.
⁵Far be it from me that I should declare you right;
Until I die, ^(F)I will not ^[c]give up my integrity.
⁶I have ^(G)kept hold of my righteousness and will not let it go.
My heart does not rebuke any of my days.

The State of the Godless

⁷“May my enemy be as the wicked,
And ^[d]my opponent as the criminal.
⁸For what is ^(H)the hope of the godless when he makes an end of life,
When God requires ^(I)his ^[e]life?
⁹Will God ^(J)hear his cry
When ^(K)distress comes upon him?
¹⁰Or will he take ^(L)pleasure in the Almighty?
Will he call on God at all times?
¹¹I will instruct you in the ^[f]power of God;
What is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
¹²Behold, all of you have seen it;
Why then do you talk of nothing?

¹³“This is ^(M)the portion of a wicked person from God,
And the inheritance which ^(N)tyrants receive from the Almighty:
¹⁴Though his sons are many, ^[g]they are destined ^(O)for the sword;
And his ^(P)descendants will not be satisfied with bread.
¹⁵His survivors will be buried because of the plague,
And ^[h]their ^(Q)widows will not be able to weep.
¹⁶Though he piles up silver like dust,
And prepares garments as plentiful as the clay,
¹⁷He may prepare it, ^(R)but the righteous will wear it
And the innocent will divide the silver.
¹⁸He has built his ^(S)house like the ^[i]spider’s web,
Or a hut which the watchman has made.
¹⁹He lies down rich, but never ^[j]again;
He opens his eyes, and ^(T)it no longer exists.
²⁰^(U)Terrors overtake him like a flood;
A storm steals him away ^(V)in the night.
²¹The east ^(W)wind carries him away, and he is gone;
For it sweeps him ^(X)away from his place.
²²For it will hurl at him ^(Y)without mercy;
He will certainly try to ^(Z)flee from its ^[k]power.
²³People will ^[l]clap their hands at him,
And will ^(AA)whistle at him from their places.