Chronological
Chapter 14
Everyone Born of Woman . . .[a]
1 “Everyone born of woman
has life that is short and filled with troubles.
2 He blossoms like a flower and soon begins to wither;
as fleeting as a shadow, he does not endure.
3 Is it upon a creature like this that you fix your gaze
and bring him before you to be judged?
4 “Can a man be found who has avoided defilement?
There is no such person.
5 The extent of his life has already been determined,
and the number of his months is known to you;
you have established the limits that he cannot pass.
6 Turn your gaze away from him and leave him alone
so that, like a hired laborer, he may complete his days.
7 “At least for a tree there is always hope:
if it is cut down, it may sprout once again,
and its new shoots may burst with life.
8 Although its roots age in the earth
and its stump dies in the ground,
9 once it scents water it will begin to bud
and put forth branches like a sapling.
10 “But when a man dies, he remains lifeless;
what is his fate once he expires?
11 As occurs when the waters of a lake recede
or a river ceases to flow and runs dry,
12 so men lie down and never rise again;
until the heavens cease to exist, they will not awaken
or be stirred out of their slumber.
Hide Me in the Netherworld[b]
13 “How I wish you would hide me in the netherworld
and shelter me until your wrath has subsided
while designating a time to call me to mind.
14 If one who dies were permitted to live once again,
I would willingly endure all the days of my service
waiting for my relief to arrive.
15 You would call and I would answer you;
you would long to see once again the creature you have made.
16 You would count my every step
but not watch for any evidence of sin in me.
17 You would store up all my transgressions in a bag,
and you would cover over my guilt.
18 “But as a mountain eventually falls
and a rock is removed from its place,
19 as the waters wear away the stones
and cloudbursts wash away the soil,
so you destroy the hope of man.
20 You crush him once for all and he disappears;
you alter his appearance and send him away.
21 If his sons are honored, he is unaware of it;
if they are disgraced, he does not know it.
22 He is cognizant only of the pains his flesh endures,
and he grieves for no one except himself.”
Second Cycle of Speeches[c]
Eliphaz’s Second Speech[d]
Chapter 15
You in Fact Discredit Religion. 1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded:
2 “Would a wise man respond with empty arguments
and make himself a windbag?[e]
3 Would he fill his defense with pointless talk
and speeches that serve no purpose?
4 “You in fact discredit religion
and do away with devotion to God,
5 because your iniquity dictates what you say
and you choose to exhibit a deceitful tongue.
6 Your own mouth condemns you, not I;
your own lips testify against you.
Are You the Firstborn of the Human Race?[f]
7 “Are you the firstborn of the human race?
Did you come into existence before the hills?
8 Are you a member of God’s inner council?
Do you have a monopoly on wisdom?
9 What do you know that we do not know?
What insight do you have that we do not share?
10 We ourselves have age and gray hair on our side,
people who far surpass your father in years.
11 “Are the consolations that God offers insufficient for you,
words whispered gently in your ear?
12 Why do you allow your passions to erode your judgment,
and why do your eyes flash with anger
13 so that you vent your rage against God
and permit such words to escape your mouth?
14 “What is man, that he should be without fault,
or one born of woman, that he should be righteous?
15 If God places no trust in his holy ones[g]
and the heavens are not pure in his sight,
16 how much less is man, who is vile and corrupt
and drinks up iniquity like water?
Listen to Experience and Tradition[h]
17 “I will tell you; listen to me.
I will recount what I have seen,
18 what has been related by wise men
who have faithfully transmitted the teachings of their ancestors,
19 to whom alone the land was given,
and no foreigner passed among them.
20 “The wicked man suffers torment all his days,
and limited are the years allotted to the tyrant.
21 Terrifying sounds echo in his ears,
and even when times are peaceful, marauders swoop down on him.
22 He despairs of escaping the darkness
and realizes that he is destined for the sword.
23 “In his wandering, he serves as food for vultures
and knows the day of darkness is at hand.
24 Distress and anguish overwhelm him;
they overpower him like a king prepared to attack.
25 “Because he has lifted his hands against God
and acted in brazen defiance of the Almighty,
26 rushing stubbornly against him
with his massive embossed shield,[i]
27 with his jowls heavy and gross
and his waist bulging with fat,
28 he will dwell in cities that lie in ruins,
in houses that have been abandoned
and are crumbling into a heap of rubble.
29 “He will no longer be wealthy and his riches will not endure;
no longer will his power prevail.
30 He will not escape the darkness;
intense heat will shrivel his roots,
and the wind will cause his blossoms to disappear.
31 Let him not deceive himself by trusting in what is worthless,
for he will be left bereft.
32 “His palm trees will wither before their time,
and his branches will never again be green.
33 He will be like a vine that sheds unripe grapes,
like an olive tree casting off its blossoms.
34 For the company of the godless will be completely barren,
and fire will consume the tents of those who are venal.
35 They conceive malice and breed evil,
and they give birth to deceit.”
Job’s Fourth Response[j]
Chapter 16
If You Were in My Place . . . 1 Job then answered with these words:
2 “I have heard similar comments on many occasions;
what wretched comforters you all are!
3 When will you cease your endless flow of foolish words?
Or what sickness afflicts you that you never cease babbling?
4 “I could also rant on as you do,
if you were in my place.
I could exhaust you with my words
and shake my head at you.[k]
5 But I would offer words of encouragement,
and comfort from my lips would alleviate your pain.
6 When I speak, my suffering is not eased,
and if I remain silent, my pain does not stop.
You Have Risen Up as a Witness against Me[l]
7 “Truly, my pain has left me exhausted,
and you have devastated my entire family.
8 You have risen up as a witness against me;
my gaunt appearance offers clear testimony to my plight.
9 Your anger has caused you to assail me,
and you gnash your teeth against me.
My enemies lord it over me;
10 they open their mouths to mock me.
They strike me insolently on the cheek;
they have all joined in league against me.
11 “God has left me as prey for the godless
and handed me over to the power of the wicked.
12 I was living at peace until he crushed me;
he seized me by the neck and broke me into pieces,
setting me up as a target.
13 His archers encompass me on every side;
he pierces my loins without mercy
and pours out my gall upon the ground.
14 He repeatedly bludgeons his way through my defenses
and rushes upon me like a warrior.
My Witness Is in Heaven[m]
15 “I have sewn sackcloth over my skin
and laid my forehead in the dust.
16 My face is red from incessant weeping,
and dark shadows ring my eyelids,
17 even though my hands are free of violence
and my prayer is pure.
18 “O earth, do not cover my blood;[n]
let my cries never cease to be heard.
19 Even now my witness is in heaven;
my defender is on high.
20 Although my friends scorn me,
I pour out tears before God,
21 pleading that he may listen to me
as a person would listen to a neighbor.
22 For there are only a few years left to me
before I set forth on that journey
from which there is no return.
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