Job 6
Lexham English Bible
Job’s Second Speech: A Response to Eliphaz
6 Then[a] Job answered and said,
2 “If only my vexation could be well weighed,
and my calamity could be lifted up together with it in the balances,
3 for then it would be heavier than the sand of the seas;
therefore my words have been rash,
4 for the arrows of Shaddai are in me;
my spirit drinks their poison;
the terrors of God are arrayed against me.
5 Does the wild ass bray over grass,
or the ox bellow over its fodder?
6 Can tasteless food be eaten without[b] salt,
or is there taste in the white of a marshmallow plant?
7 I refused[c] to touch them;
they are like food that will make me ill.[d]
8 “O that[e] my request may come,
and that God may grant my hope,
9 that[f] God would decide that[g] he would crush me,
that he would let loose his hand and kill me.[h]
10 But[i] it will still be my consolation,
and I would recoil in unrelenting[j] pain,
for I have not denied the words of the Holy One.
11 What is my strength, that I should wait?
And what is my end, that I should hold out?[k]
12 Or is my strength like the strength of stones?
Or is my flesh bronze?
13 Indeed,[l] my help is not in me,
and any success is driven from me.
14 “Loyal love[m] should come for the afflicted from his friend,
even if[n] he forsakes the fear of Shaddai.
15 My companions are treacherous like a torrent-bed;
like a streambed of wadis[o] they flow away,
16 which are growing dark because of ice upon them,
it will pile up snow.
17 In time they dry up, they disappear;
when it is hot, they vanish from their place.
18 The paths of their way wind around;
they go up into the wasteland, and they perish.
19 The caravans of Tema looked;
the traveling merchants of Sheba hope for them.
20 They are disappointed, because they trusted;
they came here[p] and they are confounded.
21 “For now you[q] have become such;[r]
you see terrors, and you fear.
22 Is it because I have said, ‘Give to me,’
or,[s] ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth’?
23 or,[t] ‘Save me from the foe’s hand,’
or,[u] ‘Ransom me from the tyrants’ hand’?
24 Teach me, and I myself[v] will be silent;
and make me understand how I have gone astray.
25 How painful are upright words![w]
But[x] what does your reproof[y] reprove?
26 Do you intend to reprove my words[z]
and consider the words of a desperate man as wind?
27 Even over the orphan you would cast the lot,
and you would bargain over your friend.
28 “Therefore[aa] be prepared, turn to me,
and I surely will not lie to your face.[ab]
29 Please turn, let no injustice happen;
indeed,[ac] turn, my righteousness is still intact.[ad]
30 Is there injustice on my tongue?
Or can my palate not discern calamity?[ae]
Footnotes
- Job 6:1 Hebrew “And”
- Job 6:6 Hebrew “from without”
- Job 6:7 Literally “My soul/throat refuses”
- Job 6:7 Literally “the illness of my bread/food”
- Job 6:8 Literally “Who would give”
- Job 6:9 Hebrew “and”
- Job 6:9 Hebrew “and”
- Job 6:9 Literally “he would cut me off”
- Job 6:10 Hebrew “And”
- Job 6:10 Literally “he/it does not have compassion,” or “he/it does not have pity,” or “he/it does not spare”
- Job 6:11 Literally “I should make my self long,” or “I should lengthen my self”
- Job 6:13 An interrogative marker plus “if”
- Job 6:14 Or “Kindness”
- Job 6:14 Hebrew “and”
- Job 6:15 A seasonal stream that is often dry
- Job 6:20 Literally “up to it”
- Job 6:21 Plural throughout the rest of this chapter
- Job 6:21 Literally “to it,” or “for it”
- Job 6:22 Hebrew “and”
- Job 6:23 Hebrew “and”
- Job 6:23 Hebrew “And”
- Job 6:24 Emphatic personal pronoun
- Job 6:25 Literally “words of uprightness”
- Job 6:25 Hebrew “And”
- Job 6:25 Literally “reproving from you”
- Job 6:26 Or “Do you intend to reprove with words”
- Job 6:28 Literally “And now,” or “And so then”
- Job 6:28 Hebrew “faces”
- Job 6:29 Hebrew “and”
- Job 6:29 Literally “still my righteousness is in it”
- Job 6:30 Or “calamities”
Job 6
Revised Geneva Translation
6 But Job answered and said,
2 “Oh that my grief was well-weighed, and that my miseries were laid with it on the scale!
3 “For it would now be heavier than the sand of the sea. Therefore, my words have been rash.
4 “For the arrows of the Almighty are in me. My spirit drinks up their poison. The terrors of God fight against me.
5 “Does the wild donkey bray when he has grass? Or does the ox bellow when he has fodder?
6 “That which is unsavory, shall it be eaten without salt? Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?
7 “Such things my soul refused to touch, like food that made me ill.
8 “Oh that I might have my desire, and that God would grant me the thing that I long for:
9 “that is, that God would destroy me, that He would let His Hand go and cut me off.
10 “Then I would still have comfort (though I burn with sorrow, Him not sparing) because I have not denied the Words of the Holy One.
11 “What strength do I have, that I should hope? Or what is my end if I should prolong my life?
12 “Is my strength the strength of stones? Is my flesh of bronze?
13 “Is it not so, that there is no help in me, and that strength is taken from me?
14 “He who is in misery ought to be comforted by his neighbor. But men have forsaken the fear of the Almighty.
15 “My brothers have deceived me as a brook. As the rising of the rivers, they pass away,
16 “which are black with ice and wherein the snow is hidden.
17 “But in time they are dried up with heat and are consumed. And when it is hot, they vanish from their places.
18 “They depart from their way and course. They vanish and perish.
19 “Those who went to Tema, considered them. Those who went to Sheba, waited for them.
20 “They were confounded. When they were confident, they came there and were embarrassed.
21 “Surely, now, you are like that. You have seen my fearful plague and are afraid.
22 “Did I say, ‘Bring to me,’ or ‘Give a reward to me from your substance,’
23 “or ‘Deliver me from the enemy’s hand,’ or ‘Ransom me out of the hand of tyrants?’
24 “Teach me, and I will hold my tongue. And cause me to understand wherein I have erred.
25 “How steadfast are the words of righteousness! And what can any of you justly prove?
26 “Do you plan to reprove words, so that the talk of the afflicted should be as the wind?
27 “You make your wrath fall upon the fatherless, and dig a pit for your friend.
28 “Now, therefore, be content to look at me. For I will not lie to your face.
29 “Relent, please. Let there be no iniquity. Relent, I say, and you shall still see my righteousness. Is there iniquity on my tongue? Does not my mouth discern desire?”
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software
© 2019, 2024 by Five Talents Audio. All rights reserved.