Job 4:1-13:27

English Standard Version

² “If one ventures a word with you, will you be impatient?
    Yet who can keep from speaking?
³ Behold, you have instructed many,
    and you have ^(A)strengthened the weak hands.
⁴ Your words have upheld him who was stumbling,
    and you have ^(B)made firm the feeble knees.
⁵ But now it has come to you, and you are impatient;
    it touches you, and you are dismayed.
^6 (C)Is not your fear of God^[a] your ^(D)confidence,
    and the integrity of your ways your hope?

⁷ “Remember: ^(E)who that was innocent ever perished?
    Or where were the upright cut off?
⁸ As I have seen, those who ^(F)plow iniquity
    and sow trouble reap the same.
⁹ By ^(G)the breath of God they perish,
    and by ^(H)the blast of his anger they are consumed.
¹⁰ The roar of the lion, the voice of the fierce lion,
    ^(I)the teeth of the young lions are broken.
¹¹ The strong lion perishes for lack of prey,
    and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

¹² “Now a word was brought to me stealthily;
    my ear received ^(J)the whisper of it.
¹³ Amid ^(K)thoughts from ^(L)visions of the night,
    when ^(M)deep sleep falls on men,
¹⁴ dread came upon me, and trembling,
    which made all my bones shake.
¹⁵ A spirit glided past my face;
    the hair of my flesh stood up.
¹⁶ It stood still,
    but I could not discern its appearance.
^(N)A form was before my eyes;
    there was silence, then I heard ^(O)a voice:
^17 (P)‘Can mortal man be in the right before^[b] God?
    Can a man be pure before his Maker?
¹⁸ Even in his servants ^(Q)he puts no trust,
    and his angels he charges with error;
¹⁹ how much more those who dwell in houses of ^(R)clay,
    whose foundation is in ^(S)the dust,
    who are crushed like^{[c] (T)}the moth.
²⁰ Between ^(U)morning and evening they are beaten to pieces;
    they perish forever ^(V)without anyone regarding it.
²¹ Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them,
    ^(W)do they not die, and that without wisdom?’

5 “Call now; is there anyone who will answer you?
    To which of ^(X)the holy ones will you turn?
² Surely vexation kills the fool,
    and jealousy slays the simple.
^3 (Y)I have seen the fool taking root,
    but suddenly I cursed his dwelling.
⁴ His children are ^(Z)far from safety;
    they are crushed in ^(AA)the gate,
    and there is no one to deliver them.
⁵ The hungry eat his harvest,
    and he takes it even out of thorns,^[d]
    and the thirsty pant^[e] after his^[f] wealth.
⁶ For affliction does not come from the dust,
    nor does trouble sprout from the ground,
⁷ but man is ^(AB)born to trouble
    as the sparks fly upward.

⁸ “As for me, I would seek God,
    and to God would I commit my cause,
⁹ who ^(AC)does great things and ^(AD)unsearchable,
    ^(AE)marvelous things without number:
¹⁰ he gives ^(AF)rain on the earth
    and sends waters on the fields;
¹¹ he ^(AG)sets on high those who are lowly,
    and those who mourn are lifted to safety.
¹² He ^(AH)frustrates the devices of the crafty,
    so that their hands achieve no success.
¹³ He ^(AI)catches the wise in their own craftiness,
    and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end.
¹⁴ They meet with darkness in the daytime
    and ^(AJ)grope at noonday as in the night.
¹⁵ But he ^(AK)saves the needy from the sword of their mouth
    and from the hand of the mighty.
¹⁶ So the poor have hope,
    and ^(AL)injustice shuts her mouth.

¹⁷ “Behold, ^(AM)blessed is the one whom God reproves;
    therefore ^(AN)despise not the discipline of the ^(AO)Almighty.
¹⁸ For he wounds, but he ^(AP)binds up;
    he ^(AQ)shatters, but his hands heal.
¹⁹ He will ^(AR)deliver you from six troubles;
    in seven no ^(AS)evil^[g] shall touch you.
^20 (AT)In famine he will redeem you from death,
    and in war from the power of the sword.
²¹ You shall be ^(AU)hidden from the lash of the tongue,
    and shall not fear destruction when it comes.
²² At destruction and famine you shall laugh,
    and shall not fear ^(AV)the beasts of the earth.
²³ For you shall be in league with the stones of the field,
    and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.
²⁴ You shall know that your ^(AW)tent is at peace,
    and you shall inspect your fold and miss nothing.
²⁵ You shall know also that your ^(AX)offspring shall be many,
    and your descendants as ^(AY)the grass of the earth.
²⁶ You shall come to your grave in ^(AZ)ripe old age,
    like a sheaf gathered up in its season.
²⁷ Behold, this we have ^(BA)searched out; it is true.
    Hear, and know it for your good.”^[h]

² “Oh that my vexation were weighed,
    and all my calamity laid in the balances!
³ For then it would be heavier than ^(BB)the sand of the sea;
    therefore my words have been rash.
⁴ For ^(BC)the arrows of the Almighty are in me;
    my spirit drinks their poison;
    the terrors of God are arrayed against me.
⁵ Does the wild donkey bray when he has grass,
    or the ox low over his fodder?
⁶ Can that which is tasteless be eaten without salt,
    or is there any taste in the juice of the mallow?^[i]
7 My appetite refuses to touch them;
    they are as food that is loathsome to me.^[j]

⁸ “Oh that I might have my request,
    and that God would fulfill my hope,
⁹ that it would ^(BD)please God to crush me,
    that he would let loose his hand and cut me off!
¹⁰ This would be my comfort;
    I would even exult^[k] in pain ^(BE)unsparing,
    for I have not denied the words of ^(BF)the Holy One.
¹¹ What is my strength, that I should wait?
    And what is my end, that I should be patient?
¹² Is my strength the strength of stones, or is my flesh bronze?
¹³ Have I any help in me,
    when resource is driven from me?

¹⁴ “He who ^(BG)withholds^[l] kindness from a ^(BH)friend
    forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
¹⁵ My ^(BI)brothers are ^(BJ)treacherous as a torrent-bed,
    as torrential ^(BK)streams that pass away,
¹⁶ which are dark with ice,
    and where the snow hides itself.
¹⁷ When they melt, they disappear;
    when it is hot, they vanish from their place.
¹⁸ The caravans turn aside from their course;
    they go up into ^(BL)the waste and perish.
¹⁹ The caravans of ^(BM)Tema look,
    the travelers of ^(BN)Sheba hope.
²⁰ They are ^(BO)ashamed because they were confident;
    they come there and are ^(BP)disappointed.
²¹ For you have now become nothing;
    you see my calamity and are afraid.
²² Have I said, ‘Make me a gift’?
    Or, ‘From your wealth offer a bribe for me’?
²³ Or, ‘Deliver me from the adversary's hand’?
    Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of ^(BQ)the ruthless’?

²⁴ “Teach me, and I will be silent;
    make me understand how I have gone astray.
²⁵ How forceful are upright words!
    But what does reproof from you reprove?
²⁶ Do you think that you can reprove words,
    when the speech of a despairing man is ^(BR)wind?
²⁷ You would even ^(BS)cast lots over the fatherless,
    and bargain over your friend.

²⁸ “But now, be pleased to look at me,
    for I will not lie to your face.
^29 (BT)Please turn; let no injustice be done.
    Turn now; my vindication is at stake.
³⁰ Is there any injustice on my tongue?
    Cannot my palate discern the cause of calamity?

⁷ “Remember that my life is a ^(CH)breath;
    my eye will never again see good.
^8 (CI)The eye of him who sees me will behold me no more;
    while your eyes are on me, ^(CJ)I shall be gone.
⁹ As ^(CK)the cloud fades and vanishes,
    so he who ^(CL)goes down to Sheol does not come up;
¹⁰ he ^(CM)returns no more to his house,
    nor does his ^(CN)place know him anymore.

¹¹ “Therefore I will not ^(CO)restrain my mouth;
    I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;
    I will ^(CP)complain in ^(CQ)the bitterness of my soul.
¹² Am I the sea, or ^(CR)a sea monster,
    that you set a guard over me?
^13 (CS)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 I would choose strangling
    and death rather than my ^(CT)bones.
¹⁶ I ^(CU)loathe my life; I would not live forever.
    ^(CV)Leave me alone, for my days are ^(CW)a breath.
^17 (CX)What is man, that you make so much of him,
    and that you set your heart on him,
^18 (CY)visit him every morning
    and ^(CZ)test him every moment?
¹⁹ How long will you not ^(DA)look away from me,
    nor leave me alone till I swallow my spit?
²⁰ If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of mankind?
    Why have you made me ^(DB)your mark?
    Why have I become a burden to you?
²¹ Why do you not pardon my transgression
    and take away my iniquity?
For now I shall lie in ^(DC)the earth;
    you will ^(DD)seek me, ^(DE)but I shall not be.”

² “How long will you say these things,
    and the words of your mouth be a ^(DG)great wind?
^3 (DH)Does God pervert justice?
    Or does the Almighty pervert the right?
⁴ If your ^(DI)children have sinned against him,
    he has delivered them into the hand of their transgression.
⁵ If you will seek God
    and ^(DJ)plead with the Almighty for mercy,
⁶ if you are pure and upright,
    surely then he will ^(DK)rouse himself for you
    and ^(DL)restore your rightful habitation.
⁷ And though your beginning was small,
    ^(DM)your latter days will be very great.

⁸ “For ^(DN)inquire, please, of bygone ages,
    and consider what ^(DO)the fathers have searched out.
⁹ For we are but of yesterday and know nothing,
    for our days on earth are ^(DP)a shadow.
¹⁰ Will they not teach you and tell you
    and utter words out of their understanding?

¹¹ “Can papyrus grow where there is no marsh?
    Can reeds flourish where there is no water?
¹² While yet in flower and not cut down,
    they ^(DQ)wither before any other plant.
¹³ Such are the paths of all who ^(DR)forget God;
    ^(DS)the hope of ^(DT)the godless shall perish.
¹⁴ His confidence is severed,
    and his trust is ^(DU)a spider's web.^[m]
15 He leans against his ^(DV)house, but it does not stand;
    he lays hold of it, but it does not endure.
¹⁶ He is a lush plant before the sun,
    and his ^(DW)shoots spread over his garden.
¹⁷ His roots entwine the stone heap;
    he looks upon a house of stones.
¹⁸ If he is destroyed from his ^(DX)place,
    then it will deny him, saying, ‘I have never ^(DY)seen you.’
¹⁹ Behold, this is the joy of his way,
    and out of ^(DZ)the soil others will spring.

²⁰ “Behold, God will not reject a blameless man,
    nor take the hand of evildoers.
²¹ He will yet ^(EA)fill your mouth with laughter,
    and your lips with shouting.
²² Those who hate you will be ^(EB)clothed with shame,
    and the tent of the wicked will be no more.”

² “Truly I know that it is so:
    But how can a man be ^(EC)in the right before God?
³ If one wished to ^(ED)contend with him,
    one could not answer him once in a thousand times.
⁴ He is ^(EE)wise in heart and mighty in strength
    —who has ^(EF)hardened himself against him, and succeeded?—
⁵ he who removes mountains, and they know it not,
    when he overturns them in his anger,
⁶ who ^(EG)shakes the earth out of its place,
    and ^(EH)its pillars tremble;
⁷ who commands the sun, and it does not rise;
    who seals up the stars;
⁸ who alone ^(EI)stretched out the heavens
    and trampled the waves of the sea;
⁹ who ^(EJ)made ^(EK)the Bear and ^(EL)Orion,
    the Pleiades ^(EM)and the chambers of the south;
¹⁰ who does ^(EN)great things beyond searching out,
    and marvelous things beyond number.
¹¹ Behold, he passes by me, and I ^(EO)see him not;
    he moves on, but I do not perceive him.
¹² Behold, he snatches away; ^(EP)who can turn him back?
    ^(EQ)Who will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’

¹³ “God will not turn back his anger;
    beneath him bowed the helpers of ^(ER)Rahab.
^14 (ES)How then can I ^(ET)answer him,
    choosing my words with him?
^15 (EU)Though I am in the right, I cannot answer him;
    I must ^(EV)appeal for mercy to my accuser.^[n]
16 If I summoned him 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 ^(EW)without cause;
¹⁸ he will not let me get my breath,
    but fills me with bitterness.
¹⁹ If it is a contest of ^(EX)strength, behold, he is mighty!
    If it is a matter of justice, who can ^(EY)summon him?^[o]
20 Though I am in the right, ^(EZ)my own mouth would condemn me;
    though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse.
²¹ I am ^(FA)blameless; I regard not myself;
    I ^(FB)loathe my life.
²² It is all one; therefore I say,
    ‘He ^(FC)destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’
²³ When ^(FD)disaster brings sudden death,
    he mocks at the calamity^[p] of the innocent.
^24 (FE)The earth is given into the hand of the wicked;
    he ^(FF)covers the faces of its judges—
    ^(FG)if it is not he, who then is it?

²⁵ “My ^(FH)days are swifter than ^(FI)a runner;
    they flee away; they see no good.
²⁶ They go by like ^(FJ)skiffs of reed,
    like ^(FK)an eagle swooping on the prey.
²⁷ If I say, ^(FL)‘I will forget my complaint,
    I will put off my sad face, and ^(FM)be of good cheer,’
²⁸ I become ^(FN)afraid of all my suffering,
    for I know you will not ^(FO)hold me innocent.
²⁹ I shall be ^(FP)condemned;
    why then do I labor in vain?
³⁰ If I wash myself with snow
    and ^(FQ)cleanse my hands with lye,
³¹ yet you will plunge me into a pit,
    and my own clothes will ^(FR)abhor me.
³² For he is not a man, as I am, that I might answer him,
    that we should ^(FS)come to trial together.
^33 (FT)There is no^[q] arbiter between us,
    who might lay his hand on us both.
^34 (FU)Let him take his ^(FV)rod away from me,
    and let ^(FW)not dread of him terrify me.
³⁵ Then I would speak without fear of him,
    for I am not so in myself.

^18 (GY)“Why did you bring me out from the womb?
    Would that I had died before any eye had seen me
^19 (GZ)and were as though I had not been,
    carried from the womb to the grave.
^20 (HA)Are not my days few?
    ^(HB)Then cease, and leave me alone, ^(HC)that I may find a little cheer
²¹ before I go—and ^(HD)I shall not return—
    to the land of ^(HE)darkness and ^(HF)deep shadow,
²² the land of gloom like thick darkness,
    like deep shadow without any order,
    where light is as thick darkness.”

² “Should ^(HH)a multitude of words go unanswered,
    and a man full of talk be judged right?
³ Should your babble silence men,
    and when you mock, shall no one shame you?
⁴ For ^(HI)you say, ‘My ^(HJ)doctrine is pure,
    and I am clean in God's^[s] eyes.’
⁵ But oh, that God would speak
    and open his lips to you,
⁶ and that he would tell you the secrets of wisdom!
    For he is manifold in ^(HK)understanding.^[t]
Know then that God ^(HL)exacts of you less than your guilt deserves.

^7 (HM)“Can you find out the deep things of God?
    Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?
⁸ It is ^(HN)higher than heaven^[u]—what can you do?
    Deeper than Sheol—what can you know?
⁹ Its measure is longer than the earth
    and broader than the sea.
¹⁰ If he ^(HO)passes through and ^(HP)imprisons
    and summons the court, who can ^(HQ)turn him back?
¹¹ For he knows ^(HR)worthless men;
    when he sees iniquity, will he not consider it?
¹² But a stupid man will get understanding
    when ^(HS)a wild donkey's colt is ^(HT)born a man!

¹³ “If you ^(HU)prepare your heart,
    you will ^(HV)stretch out your hands toward him.
¹⁴ If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away,
    and let not injustice dwell in your tents.
¹⁵ Surely then you will ^(HW)lift up your face without ^(HX)blemish;
    you will be secure and will not fear.
¹⁶ You will ^(HY)forget your misery;
    you will remember it as waters that have passed away.
¹⁷ And your life will be ^(HZ)brighter than the noonday;
    its darkness will be like the morning.
¹⁸ And you will feel secure, because there is hope;
    you will look around and ^(IA)take your rest in security.
¹⁹ You will ^(IB)lie down, and none will make you afraid;
    many will ^(IC)court your favor.
²⁰ But ^(ID)the eyes of the wicked will fail;
    all way of escape will be lost to them,
    and their hope is ^(IE)to breathe their last.”

² “No doubt you are the people,
    and wisdom will die with you.
³ But I have ^(IF)understanding as well as you;
    I am not inferior to you.
    Who does not know ^(IG)such things as these?
⁴ I am ^(IH)a laughingstock to my friends;
    I, who ^(II)called to God and he answered me,
    a just and blameless man, am a laughingstock.
⁵ In the thought of one who is ^(IJ)at ease there is contempt for misfortune;
    it is ready for those whose feet slip.
^6 (IK)The tents of robbers are at peace,
    and those who provoke God are secure,
    who bring their god in their hand.^[v]

⁷ “But ask the beasts, and they will teach you;
    the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you;
⁸ or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you;^[w]
    and the fish of the sea will declare to you.
⁹ Who among all these does not know
    that ^(IL)the hand of the Lord has done this?
¹⁰ In ^(IM)his hand is the life of every living thing
    and the breath of all mankind.
¹¹ Does not ^(IN)the ear test words
    as the palate tastes food?
¹² Wisdom is with ^(IO)the aged,
    and understanding in length of days.

^13 (IP)“With God^[x] are wisdom and might;
    he has counsel and understanding.
¹⁴ If he tears down, none can rebuild;
    if he ^(IQ)shuts a man in, none can open.
¹⁵ If he ^(IR)withholds the waters, they dry up;
    if he ^(IS)sends them out, they overwhelm the land.
¹⁶ With him are strength and ^(IT)sound wisdom;
    the deceived and the deceiver are his.
¹⁷ He leads ^(IU)counselors away stripped,
    and ^(IV)judges he makes fools.
¹⁸ He ^(IW)looses the bonds of kings
    and binds a waistcloth on their hips.
¹⁹ He leads priests away stripped
    and overthrows the mighty.
²⁰ He deprives of speech those who are trusted
    ^(IX)and takes away the discernment of the elders.
²¹ He ^(IY)pours contempt on princes
    and loosens the belt of the strong.
²² He ^(IZ)uncovers the deeps out of darkness
    and brings ^(JA)deep darkness to light.
²³ He ^(JB)makes nations great, and he destroys them;
    he enlarges nations, and ^(JC)leads them away.
²⁴ He takes away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth
    and ^(JD)makes them wander in a trackless waste.
²⁵ They ^(JE)grope in the dark without light,
    and he makes them ^(JF)stagger like a drunken man.

¹³ “Let me have silence, and I will speak,
    and let come on me what may.
¹⁴ Why should I take my flesh in my teeth
    and ^(JT)put my life in my hand?
^15 (JU)Though he slay me, I will ^(JV)hope in him;^[y]
    yet I will ^(JW)argue my ways to his face.
¹⁶ This will be my salvation,
    that the godless shall not come before him.
^17 (JX)Keep listening to my words,
    and let my declaration be in your ears.
¹⁸ Behold, I have ^(JY)prepared my case;
    I know that I shall be in the right.
^19 (JZ)Who is there who will contend with me?
    For then I would be silent and die.
²⁰ Only grant me two things,
    then I will not ^(KA)hide myself from your face:
^21 (KB)withdraw your hand far from me,
    and let not ^(KC)dread of you terrify me.
^22 (KD)Then call, and I will answer;
    or let me speak, and you reply to me.
²³ How many are my iniquities and my sins?
    ^(KE)Make me know my transgression and my sin.
²⁴ Why ^(KF)do you hide your face
    and ^(KG)count me as your enemy?
²⁵ Will you frighten ^(KH)a driven leaf
    and pursue dry ^(KI)chaff?
²⁶ For you ^(KJ)write bitter things against me
    and make me inherit ^(KK)the iniquities of my youth.
²⁷ You put my feet in ^(KL)the stocks
    and ^(KM)watch all my paths;
    you set a limit for^[z] the soles of my feet.