Job 4-14

New King James Version

² “If one attempts a word with you, will you become weary?
But who can withhold himself from speaking?
³ Surely you have instructed many,
And you ^(A)have strengthened weak hands.
⁴ Your words have upheld him who was stumbling,
And you ^(B)have strengthened the ^[a]feeble knees;
⁵ But now it comes upon you, and you are weary;
It touches you, and you are troubled.
⁶ Is not ^(C)your reverence ^(D)your confidence?
And the integrity of your ways your hope?

⁷ “Remember now, ^(E)who ever perished being innocent?
Or where were the upright ever cut off?
⁸ Even as I have seen,
^(F)Those who plow iniquity
And sow trouble reap the same.
⁹ By the blast of God they perish,
And by the breath of His anger they are consumed.
¹⁰ The roaring of the lion,
The voice of the fierce lion,
And ^(G)the teeth of the young lions are broken.
^11 (H)The old lion perishes for lack of prey,
And the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

¹² “Now a word was secretly brought to me,
And my ear received a whisper of it.
^13 (I)In disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night,
When deep sleep falls on men,
¹⁴ Fear came upon me, and ^(J)trembling,
Which made all my bones shake.
¹⁵ Then a spirit passed before my face;
The hair on my body stood up.
¹⁶ It stood still,
But I could not discern its appearance.
A form was before my eyes;
There was silence;
Then I heard a voice saying:
¹⁷ ‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God?
Can a man be more pure than his Maker?
¹⁸ If He ^(K)puts no trust in His servants,
If He charges His angels with error,
¹⁹ How much more those who dwell in houses of clay,
Whose foundation is in the dust,
Who are crushed before a moth?
^20 (L)They are broken in pieces from morning till evening;
They perish forever, with no one regarding.
²¹ Does not their own excellence go away?
They die, even without wisdom.’

⁸ “But as for me, I would seek God,
And to God I would commit my cause—
⁹ Who does great things, and unsearchable,
Marvelous things without number.
^10 (Q)He gives rain on the earth,
And sends waters on the fields.
^11 (R)He sets on high those who are lowly,
And those who mourn are lifted to safety.
^12 (S)He frustrates the devices of the crafty,
So that their hands cannot carry out their plans.
¹³ He catches the ^(T)wise in their own craftiness,
And the counsel of the cunning comes quickly upon them.
¹⁴ They meet with darkness in the daytime,
And grope at noontime as in the night.
¹⁵ But ^(U)He saves the needy from the sword,
From the mouth of the mighty,
And from their hand.
^16 (V)So the poor have hope,
And injustice shuts her mouth.

¹⁷ “Behold,^(W) happy is the man whom God corrects;
Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.
^18 (X)For He bruises, but He binds up;
He wounds, but His hands make whole.
^19 (Y)He shall deliver you in six troubles,
Yes, in seven ^(Z)no evil shall touch you.
^20 (AA)In famine He shall redeem you from death,
And in war from the ^[f]power of the sword.
^21 (AB)You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue,
And you shall not be afraid of destruction when it comes.
²² You shall laugh at destruction and famine,
And ^(AC)you shall not be afraid of the ^(AD)beasts of the earth.
^23 (AE)For you shall have a covenant with the stones of the field,
And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.
²⁴ You shall know that your tent is in peace;
You shall visit your dwelling and find nothing amiss.
²⁵ You shall also know that ^(AF)your descendants shall be many,
And your offspring ^(AG)like the grass of the earth.
^26 (AH)You shall come to the grave at a full age,
As a sheaf of grain ripens in its season.
²⁷ Behold, this we have ^(AI)searched out;
It is true.
Hear it, and know for yourself.”

² “Oh, that my grief were fully weighed,
And my calamity laid with it on the scales!
³ For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea—
Therefore my words have been rash.
^4 (AJ)For the arrows of the Almighty are within me;
My spirit drinks in their poison;
^(AK)The terrors of God are arrayed ^(AL)against me.
⁵ Does the ^(AM)wild donkey bray when it has grass,
Or does the ox low over its fodder?
⁶ Can flavorless food be eaten without salt?
Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?
⁷ My soul refuses to touch them;
They are as loathsome food to me.

⁸ “Oh, that I might have my request,
That God would grant me the thing that I long for!
⁹ That it would please God to crush me,
That He would loose His hand and ^(AN)cut me off!
¹⁰ Then I would still have comfort;
Though in anguish I would exult,
He will not spare;
For ^(AO)I have not concealed the words of ^(AP)the Holy One.

¹¹ “What strength do I have, that I should hope?
And what is my end, that I should prolong my life?
¹² Is my strength the strength of stones?
Or is my flesh bronze?
¹³ Is my help not within me?
And is success driven from me?

¹⁴ “To^(AQ) him who is ^[g]afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend,
Even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
^15 (AR)My brothers have dealt deceitfully like a brook,
^(AS)Like the streams of the brooks that pass away,
¹⁶ Which are dark because of the ice,
And into which the snow vanishes.
¹⁷ When it is warm, they cease to flow;
When it is hot, they vanish from their place.
¹⁸ The paths of their way turn aside,
They go nowhere and perish.
¹⁹ The caravans of ^(AT)Tema look,
The travelers of ^(AU)Sheba hope for them.
²⁰ They are ^(AV)disappointed^[h] because they were confident;
They come there and are confused.
²¹ For now ^(AW)you are nothing,
You see terror and ^(AX)are afraid.
²² Did I ever say, ‘Bring something to me’?
Or, ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth’?
²³ Or, ‘Deliver me from the enemy’s hand’?
Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of oppressors’?

²⁴ “Teach me, and I will hold my tongue;
Cause me to understand wherein I have erred.
²⁵ How forceful are right words!
But what does your arguing prove?
²⁶ Do you intend to rebuke my words,
And the speeches of a desperate one, which are as wind?
²⁷ Yes, you overwhelm the fatherless,
And you ^(AY)undermine your friend.
²⁸ Now therefore, be pleased to look at me;
For I would never lie to your face.
^29 (AZ)Yield now, let there be no injustice!
Yes, concede, my ^(BA)righteousness ^[i]still stands!
³⁰ Is there injustice on my tongue?
Cannot my ^[j]taste discern the unsavory?

⁶ “My^(BF) days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,
And are spent without hope.
⁷ Oh, remember that ^(BG)my life is a breath!
My eye will never again see good.
^8 (BH)The eye of him who sees me will see me no more;
While your eyes are upon me, I shall no longer be.
⁹ As the cloud disappears and vanishes away,
So ^(BI)he who goes down to the grave does not come up.
¹⁰ He shall never return to his house,
^(BJ)Nor shall his place know him anymore.

¹¹ “Therefore I will ^(BK)not restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;
I will ^(BL)complain in the bitterness of my soul.
¹² Am I a sea, or a sea serpent,
That You set a guard over me?
^13 (BM)When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me,
My couch will ease my complaint,’
¹⁴ Then You scare me with dreams
And terrify me with visions,
¹⁵ So that my soul chooses strangling
And death rather than ^[l]my body.
^16 (BN)I loathe my life;
I would not live forever.
^(BO)Let me alone,
For ^(BP)my days are but ^[m]a breath.

¹⁷ “What^(BQ) is man, that You should exalt him,
That You should set Your heart on him,
¹⁸ That You should ^[n]visit him every morning,
And test him every moment?
¹⁹ How long?
Will You not look away from me,
And let me alone till I swallow my saliva?
²⁰ Have I sinned?
What have I done to You, ^(BR)O watcher of men?
Why ^(BS)have You set me as Your target,
So that I am a burden ^[o]to myself?
²¹ Why then do You not pardon my transgression,
And take away my iniquity?
For now I will lie down in the dust,
And You will seek me diligently,
But I will no longer be.”

² “How long will you speak these things,
And the words of your mouth be like a strong wind?
^3 (BT)Does God subvert judgment?
Or does the Almighty pervert justice?
⁴ If ^(BU)your sons have sinned against Him,
He has cast them away ^[p]for their transgression.
^5 (BV)If you would earnestly seek God
And make your supplication to the Almighty,
⁶ If you were pure and upright,
Surely now He would ^[q]awake for you,
And prosper your rightful dwelling place.
⁷ Though your beginning was small,
Yet your latter end would ^(BW)increase abundantly.

⁸ “For^(BX) inquire, please, of the former age,
And consider the things discovered by their fathers;
⁹ For ^(BY)we were born yesterday, and know ^[r]nothing,
Because our days on earth are a shadow.
¹⁰ Will they not teach you and tell you,
And utter words from their heart?

¹¹ “Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh?
Can the reeds flourish without water?
^12 (BZ)While it is yet green and not cut down,
It withers before any other plant.
¹³ So are the paths of all who ^(CA)forget God;
And the hope of the ^(CB)hypocrite shall perish,
¹⁴ Whose confidence shall be cut off,
And whose trust is ^[s]a spider’s web.
^15 (CC)He leans on his house, but it does not stand.
He holds it fast, but it does not endure.
¹⁶ He grows green in the sun,
And his branches spread out in his garden.
¹⁷ His roots wrap around the rock heap,
And look for a place in the stones.
^18 (CD)If he is destroyed from his place,
Then it will deny him, saying, ‘I have not seen you.’

¹⁹ “Behold, this is the joy of His way,
And ^(CE)out of the earth others will grow.
²⁰ Behold, ^(CF)God will not ^[t]cast away the blameless,
Nor will He uphold the evildoers.
²¹ He will yet fill your mouth with laughing,
And your lips with ^[u]rejoicing.
²² Those who hate you will be ^(CG)clothed with shame,
And the dwelling place of the wicked ^[v]will come to nothing.”

² “Truly I know it is so,
But how can a ^(CH)man be ^(CI)righteous before God?
³ If one wished to ^[w]contend with Him,
He could not answer Him one time out of a thousand.
^4 (CJ)God is wise in heart and mighty in strength.
Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered?
⁵ He removes the mountains, and they do not know
When He overturns them in His anger;
⁶ He ^(CK)shakes the earth out of its place,
And its ^(CL)pillars tremble;
⁷ He commands the sun, and it does not rise;
He seals off the stars;
^8 (CM)He alone spreads out the heavens,
And ^[x]treads on the ^[y]waves of the sea;
^9 (CN)He made ^[z]the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades,
And the chambers of the south;
^10 (CO)He does great things past finding out,
Yes, wonders without number.
^11 (CP)If He goes by me, I do not see Him;
If He moves past, I do not perceive Him;
^12 (CQ)If He takes away, ^[aa]who can hinder Him?
Who can say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’
¹³ God will not withdraw His anger,
^(CR)The allies of ^[ab]the proud lie prostrate beneath Him.

¹⁴ “How then can I answer Him,
And choose my words to reason with Him?
^15 (CS)For though I were righteous, I could not answer Him;
I would beg mercy of my Judge.
¹⁶ If I called and He answered me,
I would not believe that He was listening to my voice.
¹⁷ For He crushes me with a tempest,
And multiplies my wounds ^(CT)without cause.
¹⁸ He will not allow me to catch my breath,
But fills me with bitterness.
¹⁹ If it is a matter of strength, indeed He is strong;
And if of justice, who will appoint my day in court?
²⁰ Though I were righteous, my own mouth would condemn me;
Though I were blameless, it would prove me perverse.

²¹ “I am blameless, yet I do not know myself;
I despise my life.
²² It is all one thing;
Therefore I say, ^(CU)‘He destroys the blameless and the wicked.’
²³ If the scourge slays suddenly,
He laughs at the plight of the innocent.
²⁴ The earth is given into the hand of the wicked.
He covers the faces of its judges.
If it is not He, who else could it be?

²⁵ “Now ^(CV)my days are swifter than a runner;
They flee away, they see no good.
²⁶ They pass by like ^[ac]swift ships,
^(CW)Like an eagle swooping on its prey.
^27 (CX)If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint,
I will put off my sad face and wear a smile,’
^28 (CY)I am afraid of all my sufferings;
I know that You ^(CZ)will not hold me innocent.
²⁹ If I am condemned,
Why then do I labor in vain?
^30 (DA)If I wash myself with snow water,
And cleanse my hands with ^[ad]soap,
³¹ Yet You will plunge me into the pit,
And my own clothes will ^[ae]abhor me.

³² “For ^(DB)He is not a man, as I am,
That I may answer Him,
And that we should go to court together.
^33 (DC)Nor is there any mediator between us,
Who may lay his hand on us both.
^34 (DD)Let Him take His rod away from me,
And do not let dread of Him terrify me.
³⁵ Then I would speak and not fear Him,
But it is not so with me.

⁸ ‘Your^(DH) hands have made me and fashioned me,
An intricate unity;
Yet You would ^(DI)destroy me.
⁹ Remember, I pray, ^(DJ)that You have made me like clay.
And will You turn me into dust again?
^10 (DK)Did You not pour me out like milk,
And curdle me like cheese,
¹¹ Clothe me with skin and flesh,
And knit me together with bones and sinews?
¹² You have granted me life and favor,
And Your care has preserved my spirit.

¹³ ‘And these things You have hidden in Your heart;
I know that this was with You:
¹⁴ If I sin, then ^(DL)You mark me,
And will not acquit me of my iniquity.
¹⁵ If I am wicked, ^(DM)woe to me;
^(DN)Even if I am righteous, I ^[ag]cannot lift up my head.
I am full of disgrace;
^(DO)See my misery!
¹⁶ If my head is exalted,
^(DP)You hunt me like a fierce lion,
And again You show Yourself awesome against me.
¹⁷ You renew Your witnesses against me,
And increase Your indignation toward me;
Changes and war are ever with me.

¹⁸ ‘Why^(DQ) then have You brought me out of the womb?
Oh, that I had perished and no eye had seen me!
¹⁹ I would have been as though I had not been.
I would have been carried from the womb to the grave.
^20 (DR)Are not my days few?
Cease! ^(DS)Leave me alone, that I may take a little comfort,
²¹ Before I go to the place from which I shall not return,
^(DT)To the land of darkness ^(DU)and the shadow of death,
²² A land as dark as darkness itself,
As the shadow of death, without any order,
Where even the light is like darkness.’ ”

² “Should not the multitude of words be answered?
And should ^[ah]a man full of talk be vindicated?
³ Should your empty talk make men ^[ai]hold their peace?
And when you mock, should no one rebuke you?
⁴ For you have said,
^(DV)‘My doctrine is pure,
And I am clean in your eyes.’
⁵ But oh, that God would speak,
And open His lips against you,
⁶ That He would show you the secrets of wisdom!
For they would double your prudence.
Know therefore that ^(DW)God ^[aj]exacts from you
Less than your iniquity deserves.

⁷ “Can^(DX) you search out the deep things of God?
Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?
⁸ They are higher than heaven—what can you do?
Deeper than ^[ak]Sheol—what can you know?
⁹ Their measure is longer than the earth
And broader than the sea.

¹⁰ “If^(DY) He passes by, imprisons, and gathers to judgment,
Then who can ^[al]hinder Him?
¹¹ For ^(DZ)He knows deceitful men;
He sees wickedness also.
Will He not then consider it?
¹² For an ^(EA)empty-headed man will be wise,
When a wild donkey’s colt is born a man.

¹³ “If you would ^(EB)prepare your heart,
And ^(EC)stretch out your hands toward Him;
¹⁴ If iniquity were in your hand, and you put it far away,
And ^(ED)would not let wickedness dwell in your tents;
^15 (EE)Then surely you could lift up your face without spot;
Yes, you could be steadfast, and not fear;
¹⁶ Because you would ^(EF)forget your misery,
And remember it as waters that have passed away,
¹⁷ And your life ^(EG)would be brighter than noonday.
Though you were dark, you would be like the morning.
¹⁸ And you would be secure, because there is hope;
Yes, you would dig around you, and ^(EH)take your rest in safety.
¹⁹ You would also lie down, and no one would make you afraid;
Yes, many would court your favor.
²⁰ But ^(EI)the eyes of the wicked will fail,
And they shall not escape,
And ^(EJ)their hope—^[am]loss of life!”

² “No doubt you are the people,
And wisdom will die with you!
³ But I have ^[an]understanding as well as you;
I am not ^(EK)inferior to you.
Indeed, who does not know such things as these?

⁴ “I^(EL) am one mocked by his friends,
Who ^(EM)called on God, and He answered him,
The just and blameless who is ridiculed.
⁵ A ^[ao]lamp is despised in the thought of one who is at ease;
It is made ready for ^(EN)those whose feet slip.
^6 (EO)The tents of robbers prosper,
And those who provoke God are secure—
In what God provides by His hand.

⁷ “But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you;
And the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
⁸ Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you;
And the fish of the sea will explain to you.
⁹ Who among all these does not know
That the hand of the Lord has done this,
^10 (EP)In whose hand is the ^[ap]life of every living thing,
And the ^(EQ)breath of ^[aq]all mankind?
¹¹ Does not the ear test words
And the ^[ar]mouth taste its food?
¹² Wisdom is with aged men,
And with ^[as]length of days, understanding.

¹³ “With Him are ^(ER)wisdom and strength,
He has counsel and understanding.
¹⁴ If ^(ES)He breaks a thing down, it cannot be rebuilt;
If He imprisons a man, there can be no release.
¹⁵ If He ^(ET)withholds the waters, they dry up;
If He ^(EU)sends them out, they overwhelm the earth.
¹⁶ With Him are strength and prudence.
The deceived and the deceiver are His.
¹⁷ He leads counselors away plundered,
And makes fools of the judges.
¹⁸ He loosens the bonds of kings,
And binds their waist with a belt.
¹⁹ He leads ^[at]princes away plundered,
And overthrows the mighty.
^20 (EV)He deprives the trusted ones of speech,
And takes away the discernment of the elders.
^21 (EW)He pours contempt on princes,
And ^[au]disarms the mighty.
²² He ^(EX)uncovers deep things out of darkness,
And brings the shadow of death to light.
^23 (EY)He makes nations great, and destroys them;
He ^[av]enlarges nations, and guides them.
²⁴ He takes away the ^[aw]understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth,
And ^(EZ)makes them wander in a pathless wilderness.
^25 (FA)They grope in the dark without light,
And He makes them ^(FB)stagger like a drunken man.

¹³ “Hold^[az] your peace with me, and let me speak,
Then let come on me what may!
¹⁴ Why ^(FH)do I take my flesh in my teeth,
And put my life in my hands?
^15 (FI)Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.
^(FJ)Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him.
¹⁶ He also shall be my salvation,
For a ^(FK)hypocrite could not come before Him.
¹⁷ Listen carefully to my speech,
And to my declaration with your ears.
¹⁸ See now, I have prepared my case,
I know that I shall be ^(FL)vindicated.
^19 (FM)Who is he who will contend with me?
If now I hold my tongue, I perish.

²⁸ “Man^[bc] decays like a rotten thing,
Like a garment that is moth-eaten.

⁷ “For there is hope for a tree,
If it is cut down, that it will sprout again,
And that its tender shoots will not cease.
⁸ Though its root may grow old in the earth,
And its stump may die in the ground,
⁹ Yet at the scent of water it will bud
And bring forth branches like a plant.
¹⁰ But man dies and ^[bg]is laid away;
Indeed he ^[bh]breathes his last
And where is ^(GD)he?
¹¹ As water disappears from the sea,
And a river becomes parched and dries up,
¹² So man lies down and does not rise.
^(GE)Till the heavens are no more,
They will not awake
Nor be roused from their sleep.

¹³ “Oh, that You would hide me in the grave,
That You would conceal me until Your wrath is past,
That You would appoint me a set time, and remember me!
¹⁴ If a man dies, shall he live again?
All the days of my hard service ^(GF)I will wait,
Till my change comes.
^15 (GG)You shall call, and I will answer You;
You shall desire the work of Your hands.
¹⁶ For now ^(GH)You number my steps,
But do not watch over my sin.
^17 (GI)My transgression is sealed up in a bag,
And You ^[bi]cover my iniquity.

¹⁸ “But as a mountain falls and crumbles away,
And as a rock is moved from its place;
¹⁹ As water wears away stones,
And as torrents wash away the soil of the earth;
So You destroy the hope of man.
²⁰ You prevail forever against him, and he passes on;
You change his countenance and send him away.
²¹ His sons come to honor, and ^(GJ)he does not know it;
They are brought low, and he does not perceive it.
²² But his flesh will be in pain over it,
And his soul will mourn over it.”