Job 8-10
Amplified Bible
Bildad Says God Rewards the Good
8 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said,
2
“How long will you say these things?
And will the words of your mouth be a mighty wind?
3
“Does God pervert justice?
Or does [a]the Almighty pervert righteousness?
4
“If your children have sinned against Him,
Then He has handed them over to the power of their transgression and punished them.
5
“If you would [diligently] seek God
And implore the compassion and favor of the Almighty,
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Then, if you are pure and upright,
Surely now He will awaken for you
And restore your righteous place.
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“Though your beginning was insignificant,
Yet your end will greatly increase.
8
“Inquire, please, of past generations,
And consider and apply yourself to the things searched out by their fathers.
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“For we are only of yesterday and know nothing,
Because our days on earth are [like] a shadow [just a breath or a vapor].
10
“Will they (the fathers) not teach you and tell you,
And utter words from their hearts [the deepest part of their nature]?
11
“Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh?
Can the rushes or reed grass grow without water?
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“While it is still green (in flower) and not cut down,
Yet it withers before any other plant [when without water].
13
“So are the paths of all who forget God;
And the hope of the godless will perish,
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For his confidence is fragile and breaks,
And his trust is [like] a spider’s web.
15
“He trusts in his house, but it does not stand;
He holds tightly to it, but it does not endure.
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“He thrives and prospers [like a green plant] before the sun,
And his branches spread out over his garden.
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“His [godless] roots are wrapped around a pile of rocks,
And he gazes at a house of stones.
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“If he is snatched from his place [in the garden],
Then his place will forget him, saying, ‘I have never seen you.’
19
“Behold, this is the joy of His way;
And from out of the dust others will spring up and grow [to take his place].
20
“Behold, God will not reject a man of integrity,
Nor will He strengthen or support evildoers.
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“He will yet fill your mouth with laughter
And your lips with joyful shouting [if you are found blameless].
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“Those who hate you will be clothed with shame,
And the tents of the wicked will be no longer.”
Job Says There Is No Arbitrator between God and Man
9 Then Job answered and said,
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“Yes, I know it is true.
But how can a mortal man be right before God?
3
“If one should want to contend or dispute with Him,
He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.
4
“God is wise in heart and mighty in strength;
Who has [ever] defied or challenged Him and remained unharmed?
5
“It is God who removes the mountains, and they do not know it,
When He overturns them in His anger;
6
Who shakes the earth out of its place,
And its pillars tremble;
7
Who commands the sun, and it does not shine;
Who seals up the stars [from view];
8
Who alone stretches out the heavens
And tramples down the [b]waves of the sea;
9
Who made [the constellations] the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades,
And the [vast starry] spaces of the south;
10
Who does great things, [beyond understanding,] unfathomable,
Yes, marvelous and wondrous things without number.
11
“Behold, He passes by me, and I do not see Him;
He moves past me, but I do not perceive Him.
12
“Behold, He snatches away; who can restrain or turn Him back?
Who will say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’
13
“God will not turn back His anger;
The [proud] helpers of Rahab [the arrogant monster of the sea] bow under Him.
14
“How can I answer Him [and plead my case],
Choosing my words [to reason] with Him?
15
For though I were righteous, I could not answer.
I must appeal for mercy to my Opponent and Judge.
16
“If I called and He answered me,
I could not believe that He was listening to my voice.
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“For He bruises me with a tempest
And multiplies my wounds without cause.
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“He will not allow me to catch my breath,
But fills and saturates me with bitterness.
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“If it is a matter of strength and power, behold, He is mighty!
And if of justice, who can summon and challenge Him?
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“Though I am innocent and in the right, my own mouth would pronounce me guilty;
Though I am blameless, He would denounce me as guilty.
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“[Though] I am blameless,
I do not care about myself;
I despise my life.
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“It is all one; therefore I say,
‘He destroys [both] the blameless and the wicked.’
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“When [His] scourge kills suddenly,
He mocks at the despair of the innocent.
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“The earth is given into the hands of the wicked;
He covers the faces of its judges [so that they are blind to justice].
If it is not He, then who is it [that is responsible for all this injustice]?
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“Now my days are swifter than a runner;
They vanish, they see no good.
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“They pass by like the [swift] boats made of reeds,
Like an eagle that swoops down on its prey.
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“If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint,
I will leave off my sad appearance, and be cheerful and brighten up,’
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I am afraid of all my pains and worries [yet to come];
I know that You will not acquit me and leave me unpunished.
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“I am accounted wicked and held guilty;
Why then should I labor in vain [to appear innocent]?
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“If I were to wash myself with snow
And cleanse my hands with lye,
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You would still plunge me into the pit,
And my own clothes would hate me [and refuse to cover my foul body].
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“For God is not a [mere] man, as I am, that I may answer Him,
That we may go to court and judgment together.
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“There is no arbitrator between us,
Who could lay his hand upon us both [would that there were].(A)
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“Let Him take His rod away from me,
And let not the dread and fear of Him terrify me.
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“Then I would speak [my defense] and not fear Him;
But I am not like that in myself.
Job Despairs of God’s Dealings
10 “I am disgusted with my life and loathe it!
I will give free expression to my complaint;
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
2
“I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me [and declare me guilty]!
Show me why You contend and argue and struggle with me.
3
‘Does it indeed seem right to You to oppress,
To despise and reject the work of Your hands,
And to look with favor on the schemes of the wicked?
4
‘Do You have eyes of flesh?
Do You see as a man sees?
5
‘Are Your days as the days of a mortal,
Are Your years as man’s years,
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That You seek my guilt
And search for my sin?
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‘Although You know that I am not guilty or wicked,
Yet there is no one who can rescue me from Your hand.
8
‘Your hands have formed and made me altogether.
Would You [turn around and] destroy me?
9
‘Remember now, that You have made me as clay;
So will You turn me into dust again?
10
‘Have You not poured me out like milk
And curdled me like cheese?
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‘[You have] clothed me with skin and flesh,
And knit me together with bones and sinews.
12
‘You have granted me life and lovingkindness;
And Your providence (divine care, supervision) has preserved my spirit.
13
‘Yet these [present evils] You have hidden in Your heart [since my creation]:
I know that this was within You [in Your purpose and thought].
14
‘If I sin, then You would take note and observe me,
And You would not acquit me of my guilt.
15
‘If I am wicked, woe to me [for judgment comes]!
And if I am righteous, I dare not lift up my head.
For I am sated and filled with disgrace and the sight of my misery.
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‘Should I lift my head up, You would hunt me like a lion;
And again You would show Your marvelous power against me.
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‘You renew Your witnesses against me
And increase Your indignation and anger toward me;
Hardship after hardship is with me [attacking me time after time].
18
‘Why then did You bring me out of the womb?
Would that I had perished and no eye had seen me!
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‘I should have been as though I had not existed;
[I should have been] carried from the womb to the grave.’
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“Would He not let my few days alone,
Withdraw from me that I may have a little cheer
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Before I go—and I shall not return—
To the land of darkness and the deep shadow [of death],
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The [sunless] land of utter gloom as darkness itself,
[The land] of the shadow of death, without order,
And [where] it shines as [thick] darkness.”
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
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