Job 1


Job and His Family in Uz


The Wealth and Faithfulness of Job
¹ There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. ²And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. ³Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East.
⁴And his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his appointed day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. ⁵So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, "It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." Thus Job did regularly.


Satan Attacks Job's Character
⁶ Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. ⁷And the LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?"
So Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it."
⁸Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?"
⁹So Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing? ¹⁰Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. ¹¹But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!"
¹²And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person."
So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.


Job Loses His Property and Children
¹³ Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house; ¹⁴and a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, ¹⁵when the Sabeans raided them and took them away--indeed they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!"
¹⁶While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell you!"
¹⁷While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels and took them away, yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!"
¹⁸While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, ¹⁹and suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you!"
²⁰Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. ²¹And he said:


        "Naked I came from my mother's womb,
        And naked shall I return there.
        The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away;
        Blessed be the name of the LORD."


²²In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.

Job 2


Satan Attacks Job's Health


Satan Attacks Job's Health
¹ Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. ²And the LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?"
Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it."
³Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause."
⁴So Satan answered the LORD and said, "Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. ⁵But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face!"
⁶And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life."
⁷So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. ⁸And he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself while he sat in the midst of the ashes.
⁹Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!"
¹⁰But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.


Job's Three Friends
¹¹ Now when Job's three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place--Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. For they had made an appointment together to come and mourn with him, and to comfort him. ¹²And when they raised their eyes from afar, and did not recognize him, they lifted their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe and sprinkled dust on his head toward heaven. ¹³So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.

Job 3


Job Deplores His Birth


Job Regrets His Birth
¹ After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. ²And Job spoke, and said:
        ³"May the day perish on which I was born,
        And the night in which it was said,
        "A male child is conceived.'
        ⁴May that day be darkness;
        May God above not seek it,
        Nor the light shine upon it.
        ⁵May darkness and the shadow of death claim it;
        May a cloud settle on it;
        May the blackness of the day terrify it.
        ⁶As for that night, may darkness seize it;
        May it not rejoice among the days of the year,
        May it not come into the number of the months.
        ⁷Oh, may that night be barren!
        May no joyful shout come into it!
        ⁸May those curse it who curse the day,
        Those who are ready to arouse Leviathan.
        ⁹May the stars of its morning be dark;
        May it look for light, but have none,
        And not see the dawning of the day;
        ¹⁰Because it did not shut up the doors of my mother's womb,
        Nor hide sorrow from my eyes.


        ¹¹"Why did I not die at birth?
        Why did I not perish when I came from the womb?
        ¹²Why did the knees receive me?
        Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?
        ¹³For now I would have lain still and been quiet,
        I would have been asleep;
        Then I would have been at rest
        ¹⁴With kings and counselors of the earth,
        Who built ruins for themselves,
        ¹⁵Or with princes who had gold,
        Who filled their houses with silver;
        ¹⁶Or why was I not hidden like a stillborn child,
        Like infants who never saw light?
        ¹⁷There the wicked cease from troubling,
        And there the weary are at rest.
        ¹⁸There the prisoners rest together;
        They do not hear the voice of the oppressor.
        ¹⁹The small and great are there,
        And the servant is free from his master.


        ²⁰"Why is light given to him who is in misery,
        And life to the bitter of soul,
        ²¹Who long for death, but it does not come,
        And search for it more than hidden treasures;
        ²²Who rejoice exceedingly,
        And are glad when they can find the grave?
        ²³Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden,
        And whom God has hedged in?
        ²⁴For my sighing comes before I eat,
        And my groanings pour out like water.
        ²⁵For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me,
        And what I dreaded has happened to me.
        ²⁶I am not at ease, nor am I quiet;
        I have no rest, for trouble comes."

Job 4


Eliphaz: Job Has Sinned


Eliphaz Rebukes Job
¹ Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:


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


        ⁷"Remember now, who ever perished being innocent?
        Or where were the upright ever cut off?
        ⁸Even as I have seen,
        Those who plow iniquity
        And sow trouble reap the same.
        ⁹By the blast of God they perish,
        And by the breath of His anger they are consumed.
        ¹⁰The roaring of the lion,
        The voice of the fierce lion,
        And the teeth of the young lions are broken.
        ¹¹The 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.
        ¹³In disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night,
        When deep sleep falls on men,
        ¹⁴Fear came upon me, and trembling,
        Which made all my bones shake.
        ¹⁵Then a spirit passed before my face;
        The hair on my body stood up.
        ¹⁶It 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?
        ¹⁸If He puts no trust in His servants,
        If He charges His angels with error,
        ¹⁹How much more those who dwell in houses of clay,
        Whose foundation is in the dust,
        Who are crushed before a moth?
        ²⁰They are broken in pieces from morning till evening;
        They perish forever, with no one regarding.
        ²¹Does not their own excellence go away?
        They die, even without wisdom.'

Job 5


Eliphaz: Job Is Chastened by God


Eliphaz Continues to Rebuke Job
¹ "Call out now;
        Is there anyone who will answer you?
        And to which of the holy ones will you turn?
        ²For wrath kills a foolish man,
        And envy slays a simple one.
        ³I have seen the foolish taking root,
        But suddenly I cursed his dwelling place.
        ⁴His sons are far from safety,
        They are crushed in the gate,
        And there is no deliverer.
        ⁵Because the hungry eat up his harvest,
        Taking it even from the thorns,
        And a snare snatches their substance.
        ⁶For affliction does not come from the dust,
        Nor does trouble spring from the ground;
        ⁷Yet man is born to trouble,
        As the sparks fly upward.


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


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

Job 6


Job: My Complaint Is Just


Job Pleads for Understanding
¹ Then Job answered and said:


        ²"Oh, that my grief were fully weighed,
        And my calamity laid with it on the scales!
        ³For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea--
        Therefore my words have been rash.
        ⁴For the arrows of the Almighty are within me;
        My spirit drinks in their poison;
        The terrors of God are arrayed against me.
        ⁵Does the wild donkey bray when it has grass,
        Or does the ox low over its fodder?
        ⁶Can flavorless food be eaten without salt?
        Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?
        ⁷My 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!
        ⁹That it would please God to crush me,
        That He would loose His hand and cut me off!
        ¹⁰Then I would still have comfort;
        Though in anguish I would exult,
        He will not spare;
        For I have not concealed the words of the Holy One.


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


        ¹⁴"To him who is afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend,
        Even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
        ¹⁵My brothers have dealt deceitfully like a brook,
        Like the streams of the brooks that pass away,
        ¹⁶Which are dark because of the ice,
        And into which the snow vanishes.
        ¹⁷When it is warm, they cease to flow;
        When it is hot, they vanish from their place.
        ¹⁸The paths of their way turn aside,
        They go nowhere and perish.
        ¹⁹The caravans of Tema look,
        The travelers of Sheba hope for them.
        ²⁰They are disappointed because they were confident;
        They come there and are confused.
        ²¹For now you are nothing,
        You see terror and are afraid.
        ²²Did I ever say, "Bring something to me'?
        Or, "Offer a bribe for me from your wealth'?
        ²³Or, "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.
        ²⁵How forceful are right words!
        But what does your arguing prove?
        ²⁶Do you intend to rebuke my words,
        And the speeches of a desperate one, which are as wind?
        ²⁷Yes, you overwhelm the fatherless,
        And you undermine your friend.
        ²⁸Now therefore, be pleased to look at me;
        For I would never lie to your face.
        ²⁹Yield now, let there be no injustice!
        Yes, concede, my righteousness still stands!
        ³⁰Is there injustice on my tongue?
        Cannot my taste discern the unsavory?

Job 7


Job: My Suffering Is Comfortless


Job Pleads with God
¹ "Is there not a time of hard service for man on earth?
        Are not his days also like the days of a hired man?
        ²Like a servant who earnestly desires the shade,
        And like a hired man who eagerly looks for his wages,
        ³So I have been allotted months of futility,
        And wearisome nights have been appointed to me.
        ⁴When I lie down, I say, "When shall I arise,
        And the night be ended?'
        For I have had my fill of tossing till dawn.
        ⁵My flesh is caked with worms and dust,
        My skin is cracked and breaks out afresh.


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


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


        ¹⁷"What is man, that You should exalt him,
        That You should set Your heart on him,
        ¹⁸That You should visit him every morning,
        And test him every moment?
        ¹⁹How long?
        Will You not look away from me,
        And let me alone till I swallow my saliva?
        ²⁰Have I sinned?
        What have I done to You, O watcher of men?
        Why have You set me as Your target,
        So that I am a burden to myself?
        ²¹Why 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."

Job 8


Bildad: Job Should Repent


Bildad Says Job Should Repent
¹ Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:


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


        ⁸"For inquire, please, of the former age,
        And consider the things discovered by their fathers;
        ⁹For we were born yesterday, and know nothing,
        Because our days on earth are a shadow.
        ¹⁰Will 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?
        ¹²While it is yet green and not cut down,
        It withers before any other plant.
        ¹³So are the paths of all who forget God;
        And the hope of the hypocrite shall perish,
        ¹⁴Whose confidence shall be cut off,
        And whose trust is a spider's web.
        ¹⁵He leans on his house, but it does not stand.
        He holds it fast, but it does not endure.
        ¹⁶He grows green in the sun,
        And his branches spread out in his garden.
        ¹⁷His roots wrap around the rock heap,
        And look for a place in the stones.
        ¹⁸If 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 out of the earth others will grow.
        ²⁰Behold, God will not cast away the blameless,
        Nor will He uphold the evildoers.
        ²¹He will yet fill your mouth with laughing,
        And your lips with rejoicing.
        ²²Those who hate you will be clothed with shame,
        And the dwelling place of the wicked will come to nothing."

Job 9


Job: There Is No Mediator


Job Finds No Comfort
¹ Then Job answered and said:


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


        ¹⁴"How then can I answer Him,
        And choose my words to reason with Him?
        ¹⁵For though I were righteous, I could not answer Him;
        I would beg mercy of my Judge.
        ¹⁶If I called and He answered me,
        I would not believe that He was listening to my voice.
        ¹⁷For He crushes me with a tempest,
        And multiplies my wounds without cause.
        ¹⁸He will not allow me to catch my breath,
        But fills me with bitterness.
        ¹⁹If it is a matter of strength, indeed He is strong;
        And if of justice, who will appoint my day in court?
        ²⁰Though 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.
        ²²It is all one thing;
        Therefore I say, "He destroys the blameless and the wicked.'
        ²³If the scourge slays suddenly,
        He laughs at the plight of the innocent.
        ²⁴The 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 my days are swifter than a runner;
        They flee away, they see no good.
        ²⁶They pass by like swift ships,
        Like an eagle swooping on its prey.
        ²⁷If I say, "I will forget my complaint,
        I will put off my sad face and wear a smile,'
        ²⁸I am afraid of all my sufferings;
        I know that You will not hold me innocent.
        ²⁹If I am condemned,
        Why then do I labor in vain?
        ³⁰If I wash myself with snow water,
        And cleanse my hands with soap,
        ³¹Yet You will plunge me into the pit,
        And my own clothes will abhor me.


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

Job 10


Job: I Would Plead with God


Job Pleads Further with God
¹ "My soul loathes my life;
        I will give free course to my complaint,
        I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
        ²I will say to God, "Do not condemn me;
        Show me why You contend with me.
        ³Does it seem good to You that You should oppress,
        That You should despise the work of Your hands,
        And smile on the counsel of the wicked?
        ⁴Do You have eyes of flesh?
        Or do You see as man sees?
        ⁵Are Your days like the days of a mortal man?
        Are Your years like the days of a mighty man,
        ⁶That You should seek for my iniquity
        And search out my sin,
        ⁷Although You know that I am not wicked,
        And there is no one who can deliver from Your hand?


        ⁸"Your hands have made me and fashioned me,
        An intricate unity;
        Yet You would destroy me.
        ⁹Remember, I pray, that You have made me like clay.
        And will You turn me into dust again?
        ¹⁰Did You not pour me out like milk,
        And curdle me like cheese,
        ¹¹Clothe me with skin and flesh,
        And knit me together with bones and sinews?
        ¹²You 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:
        ¹⁴If I sin, then You mark me,
        And will not acquit me of my iniquity.
        ¹⁵If I am wicked, woe to me;
        Even if I am righteous, I cannot lift up my head.
        I am full of disgrace;
        See my misery!
        ¹⁶If my head is exalted,
        You hunt me like a fierce lion,
        And again You show Yourself awesome against me.
        ¹⁷You renew Your witnesses against me,
        And increase Your indignation toward me;
        Changes and war are ever with me.


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

Job 11


Zophar Urges Job to Repent


Zophar Urges Job to Repent
¹ Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:


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


        ⁷"Can you search out the deep things of God?
        Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?
        ⁸They are higher than heaven-- what can you do?
        Deeper than Sheol-- what can you know?
        ⁹Their measure is longer than the earth
        And broader than the sea.


        ¹⁰"If He passes by, imprisons, and gathers to judgment,
        Then who can hinder Him?
        ¹¹For He knows deceitful men;
        He sees wickedness also.
        Will He not then consider it?
        ¹²For an empty-headed man will be wise,
        When a wild donkey's colt is born a man.


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

Job 12


Job Answers His Critics


Job Answers His Critics
¹ Then Job answered and said:


        ²"No doubt you are the people,
        And wisdom will die with you!
        ³But I have understanding as well as you;
        I am not inferior to you.
        Indeed, who does not know such things as these?


        ⁴"I am one mocked by his friends,
        Who called on God, and He answered him,
        The just and blameless who is ridiculed.
        ⁵A lamp is despised in the thought of one who is at ease;
        It is made ready for those whose feet slip.
        ⁶The 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;
        ⁸Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you;
        And the fish of the sea will explain to you.
        ⁹Who among all these does not know
        That the hand of the LORD has done this,
        ¹⁰In whose hand is the life of every living thing,
        And the breath of all mankind?
        ¹¹Does not the ear test words
        And the mouth taste its food?
        ¹²Wisdom is with aged men,
        And with length of days, understanding.


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

Job 13


Job Defends Himself
¹ "Behold, my eye has seen all this,
        My ear has heard and understood it.
        ²What you know, I also know;
        I am not inferior to you.
        ³But I would speak to the Almighty,
        And I desire to reason with God.
        ⁴But you forgers of lies,
        You are all worthless physicians.
        ⁵Oh, that you would be silent,
        And it would be your wisdom!
        ⁶Now hear my reasoning,
        And heed the pleadings of my lips.
        ⁷Will you speak wickedly for God,
        And talk deceitfully for Him?
        ⁸Will you show partiality for Him?
        Will you contend for God?
        ⁹Will it be well when He searches you out?
        Or can you mock Him as one mocks a man?
        ¹⁰He will surely rebuke you
        If you secretly show partiality.
        ¹¹Will not His excellence make you afraid,
        And the dread of Him fall upon you?
        ¹²Your platitudes are proverbs of ashes,
        Your defenses are defenses of clay.


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

Job's Despondent Prayer
²⁰ "Only two things do not do to me,
        Then I will not hide myself from You:
        ²¹Withdraw Your hand far from me,
        And let not the dread of You make me afraid.
        ²²Then call, and I will answer;
        Or let me speak, then You respond to me.
        ²³How many are my iniquities and sins?
        Make me know my transgression and my sin.
        ²⁴Why do You hide Your face,
        And regard me as Your enemy?
        ²⁵Will You frighten a leaf driven to and fro?
        And will You pursue dry stubble?
        ²⁶For You write bitter things against me,
        And make me inherit the iniquities of my youth.
        ²⁷You put my feet in the stocks,
        And watch closely all my paths.
        You set a limit for the soles of my feet.


        ²⁸"Man decays like a rotten thing,
        Like a garment that is moth-eaten.

Job 14


Job Speaks of Life's Woes
¹ "Man who is born of woman
        Is of few days and full of trouble.
        ²He comes forth like a flower and fades away;
        He flees like a shadow and does not continue.
        ³And do You open Your eyes on such a one,
        And bring me to judgment with Yourself?
        ⁴Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?
        No one!
        ⁵Since his days are determined,
        The number of his months is with You;
        You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass.
        ⁶Look away from him that he may rest,
        Till like a hired man he finishes his day.


        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.
        ⁸Though its root may grow old in the earth,
        And its stump may die in the ground,
        ⁹Yet at the scent of water it will bud
        And bring forth branches like a plant.
        ¹⁰But man dies and is laid away;
        Indeed he breathes his last
        And where is he?
        ¹¹As water disappears from the sea,
        And a river becomes parched and dries up,
        ¹²So man lies down and does not rise.
        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!
        ¹⁴If a man dies, shall he live again?
        All the days of my hard service I will wait,
        Till my change comes.
        ¹⁵You shall call, and I will answer You;
        You shall desire the work of Your hands.
        ¹⁶For now You number my steps,
        But do not watch over my sin.
        ¹⁷My transgression is sealed up in a bag,
        And You cover my iniquity.


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

Job 15


Eliphaz Accuses Job of Folly


Eliphaz Accuses Job of Folly
¹ Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:


        ²"Should a wise man answer with empty knowledge,
        And fill himself with the east wind?
        ³Should he reason with unprofitable talk,
        Or by speeches with which he can do no good?
        ⁴Yes, you cast off fear,
        And restrain prayer before God.
        ⁵For your iniquity teaches your mouth,
        And you choose the tongue of the crafty.
        ⁶Your own mouth condemns you, and not I;
        Yes, your own lips testify against you.


        ⁷"Are you the first man who was born?
        Or were you made before the hills?
        ⁸Have you heard the counsel of God?
        Do you limit wisdom to yourself?
        ⁹What do you know that we do not know?
        What do you understand that is not in us?
        ¹⁰Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us,
        Much older than your father.
        ¹¹Are the consolations of God too small for you,
        And the word spoken gently with you?
        ¹²Why does your heart carry you away,
        And what do your eyes wink at,
        ¹³That you turn your spirit against God,
        And let such words go out of your mouth?


        ¹⁴"What is man, that he could be pure?
        And he who is born of a woman, that he could be righteous?
        ¹⁵If God puts no trust in His saints,
        And the heavens are not pure in His sight,
        ¹⁶How much less man, who is abominable and filthy,
        Who drinks iniquity like water!


        ¹⁷"I will tell you, hear me;
        What I have seen I will declare,
        ¹⁸What wise men have told,
        Not hiding anything received from their fathers,
        ¹⁹To whom alone the land was given,
        And no alien passed among them:
        ²⁰The wicked man writhes with pain all his days,
        And the number of years is hidden from the oppressor.
        ²¹Dreadful sounds are in his ears;
        In prosperity the destroyer comes upon him.
        ²²He does not believe that he will return from darkness,
        For a sword is waiting for him.
        ²³He wanders about for bread, saying, "Where is it?'
        He knows that a day of darkness is ready at his hand.
        ²⁴Trouble and anguish make him afraid;
        They overpower him, like a king ready for battle.
        ²⁵For he stretches out his hand against God,
        And acts defiantly against the Almighty,
        ²⁶Running stubbornly against Him
        With his strong, embossed shield.


        ²⁷"Though he has covered his face with his fatness,
        And made his waist heavy with fat,
        ²⁸He dwells in desolate cities,
        In houses which no one inhabits,
        Which are destined to become ruins.
        ²⁹He will not be rich,
        Nor will his wealth continue,
        Nor will his possessions overspread the earth.
        ³⁰He will not depart from darkness;
        The flame will dry out his branches,
        And by the breath of His mouth he will go away.
        ³¹Let him not trust in futile things, deceiving himself,
        For futility will be his reward.
        ³²It will be accomplished before his time,
        And his branch will not be green.
        ³³He will shake off his unripe grape like a vine,
        And cast off his blossom like an olive tree.
        ³⁴For the company of hypocrites will be barren,
        And fire will consume the tents of bribery.
        ³⁵They conceive trouble and bring forth futility;
        Their womb prepares deceit."

Job 16


Job Reproaches His Pitiless Friends


Job Shames His Unsympathetic Friends
¹ Then Job answered and said:


        ²"I have heard many such things;
        Miserable comforters are you all!
        ³Shall words of wind have an end?
        Or what provokes you that you answer?
        ⁴I also could speak as you do,
        If your soul were in my soul's place.
        I could heap up words against you,
        And shake my head at you;
        ⁵But I would strengthen you with my mouth,
        And the comfort of my lips would relieve your grief.


        ⁶"Though I speak, my grief is not relieved;
        And if I remain silent, how am I eased?
        ⁷But now He has worn me out;
        You have made desolate all my company.
        ⁸You have shriveled me up,
        And it is a witness against me;
        My leanness rises up against me
        And bears witness to my face.
        ⁹He tears me in His wrath, and hates me;
        He gnashes at me with His teeth;
        My adversary sharpens His gaze on me.
        ¹⁰They gape at me with their mouth,
        They strike me reproachfully on the cheek,
        They gather together against me.
        ¹¹God has delivered me to the ungodly,
        And turned me over to the hands of the wicked.
        ¹²I was at ease, but He has shattered me;
        He also has taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces;
        He has set me up for His target,
        ¹³His archers surround me.
        He pierces my heart and does not pity;
        He pours out my gall on the ground.
        ¹⁴He breaks me with wound upon wound;
        He runs at me like a warrior.


        ¹⁵"I have sewn sackcloth over my skin,
        And laid my head in the dust.
        ¹⁶My face is flushed from weeping,
        And on my eyelids is the shadow of death;
        ¹⁷Although no violence is in my hands,
        And my prayer is pure.


        ¹⁸"O earth, do not cover my blood,
        And let my cry have no resting place!
        ¹⁹Surely even now my witness is in heaven,
        And my evidence is on high.
        ²⁰My friends scorn me;
        My eyes pour out tears to God.
        ²¹Oh, that one might plead for a man with God,
        As a man pleads for his neighbor!
        ²²For when a few years are finished,
        I shall go the way of no return.

Job 17


Job Prays for Relief


Job Prays for Relief
¹ "My spirit is broken,
        My days are extinguished,
        The grave is ready for me.
        ²Are not mockers with me?
        And does not my eye dwell on their provocation?


        ³"Now put down a pledge for me with Yourself.
        Who is he who will shake hands with me?
        ⁴For You have hidden their heart from understanding;
        Therefore You will not exalt them.
        ⁵He who speaks flattery to his friends,
        Even the eyes of his children will fail.


        ⁶"But He has made me a byword of the people,
        And I have become one in whose face men spit.
        ⁷My eye has also grown dim because of sorrow,
        And all my members are like shadows.
        ⁸Upright men are astonished at this,
        And the innocent stirs himself up against the hypocrite.
        ⁹Yet the righteous will hold to his way,
        And he who has clean hands will be stronger and stronger.


        ¹⁰"But please, come back again, all of you,
        For I shall not find one wise man among you.
        ¹¹My days are past,
        My purposes are broken off,
        Even the thoughts of my heart.
        ¹²They change the night into day;
        "The light is near,' they say, in the face of darkness.
        ¹³If I wait for the grave as my house,
        If I make my bed in the darkness,
        ¹⁴If I say to corruption, "You are my father,'
        And to the worm, "You are my mother and my sister,'
        ¹⁵Where then is my hope?
        As for my hope, who can see it?
        ¹⁶Will they go down to the gates of Sheol?
        Shall we have rest together in the dust?"

Job 18


Bildad: The Wicked Are Punished


Bildad Says the Wicked Are Punished
¹ Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:


        ²"How long till you put an end to words?
        Gain understanding, and afterward we will speak.
        ³Why are we counted as beasts,
        And regarded as stupid in your sight?
        ⁴You who tear yourself in anger,
        Shall the earth be forsaken for you?
        Or shall the rock be removed from its place?


        ⁵"The light of the wicked indeed goes out,
        And the flame of his fire does not shine.
        ⁶The light is dark in his tent,
        And his lamp beside him is put out.
        ⁷The steps of his strength are shortened,
        And his own counsel casts him down.
        ⁸For he is cast into a net by his own feet,
        And he walks into a snare.
        ⁹The net takes him by the heel,
        And a snare lays hold of him.
        ¹⁰A noose is hidden for him on the ground,
        And a trap for him in the road.
        ¹¹Terrors frighten him on every side,
        And drive him to his feet.
        ¹²His strength is starved,
        And destruction is ready at his side.
        ¹³It devours patches of his skin;
        The firstborn of death devours his limbs.
        ¹⁴He is uprooted from the shelter of his tent,
        And they parade him before the king of terrors.
        ¹⁵They dwell in his tent who are none of his;
        Brimstone is scattered on his dwelling.
        ¹⁶His roots are dried out below,
        And his branch withers above.
        ¹⁷The memory of him perishes from the earth,
        And he has no name among the renowned.
        ¹⁸He is driven from light into darkness,
        And chased out of the world.
        ¹⁹He has neither son nor posterity among his people,
        Nor any remaining in his dwellings.
        ²⁰Those in the west are astonished at his day,
        As those in the east are frightened.
        ²¹Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked,
        And this is the place of him who does not know God."

Job 19


Job Trusts in His Redeemer


Job Trusts in His Redeemer
¹ Then Job answered and said:


        ²"How long will you torment my soul,
        And break me in pieces with words?
        ³These ten times you have reproached me;
        You are not ashamed that you have wronged me.
        ⁴And if indeed I have erred,
        My error remains with me.
        ⁵If indeed you exalt yourselves against me,
        And plead my disgrace against me,
        ⁶Know then that God has wronged me,
        And has surrounded me with His net.


        ⁷"If I cry out concerning wrong, I am not heard.
        If I cry aloud, there is no justice.
        ⁸He has fenced up my way, so that I cannot pass;
        And He has set darkness in my paths.
        ⁹He has stripped me of my glory,
        And taken the crown from my head.
        ¹⁰He breaks me down on every side,
        And I am gone;
        My hope He has uprooted like a tree.
        ¹¹He has also kindled His wrath against me,
        And He counts me as one of His enemies.
        ¹²His troops come together
        And build up their road against me;
        They encamp all around my tent.


        ¹³"He has removed my brothers far from me,
        And my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.
        ¹⁴My relatives have failed,
        And my close friends have forgotten me.
        ¹⁵Those who dwell in my house, and my maidservants,
        Count me as a stranger;
        I am an alien in their sight.
        ¹⁶I call my servant, but he gives no answer;
        I beg him with my mouth.
        ¹⁷My breath is offensive to my wife,
        And I am repulsive to the children of my own body.
        ¹⁸Even young children despise me;
        I arise, and they speak against me.
        ¹⁹All my close friends abhor me,
        And those whom I love have turned against me.
        ²⁰My bone clings to my skin and to my flesh,
        And I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.


        ²¹"Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends,
        For the hand of God has struck me!
        ²²Why do you persecute me as God does,
        And are not satisfied with my flesh?


        ²³"Oh, that my words were written!
        Oh, that they were inscribed in a book!
        ²⁴That they were engraved on a rock
        With an iron pen and lead, forever!
        ²⁵For I know that my Redeemer lives,
        And He shall stand at last on the earth;
        ²⁶And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,
        That in my flesh I shall see God,
        ²⁷Whom I shall see for myself,
        And my eyes shall behold, and not another.
        How my heart yearns within me!
        ²⁸If you should say, "How shall we persecute him?'--
        Since the root of the matter is found in me,
        ²⁹Be afraid of the sword for yourselves;
        For wrath brings the punishment of the sword,
        That you may know there is a judgment."

Job 20


Zophar's Sermon on the Wicked Man


Zophar's Sermon on the Wicked Man
¹ Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:


        ²"Therefore my anxious thoughts make me answer,
        Because of the turmoil within me.
        ³I have heard the rebuke that reproaches me,
        And the spirit of my understanding causes me to answer.


        ⁴"Do you not know this of old,
        Since man was placed on earth,
        ⁵That the triumphing of the wicked is short,
        And the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment?
        ⁶Though his haughtiness mounts up to the heavens,
        And his head reaches to the clouds,
        ⁷Yet he will perish forever like his own refuse;
        Those who have seen him will say, "Where is he?'
        ⁸He will fly away like a dream, and not be found;
        Yes, he will be chased away like a vision of the night.
        ⁹The eye that saw him will see him no more,
        Nor will his place behold him anymore.
        ¹⁰His children will seek the favor of the poor,
        And his hands will restore his wealth.
        ¹¹His bones are full of his youthful vigor,
        But it will lie down with him in the dust.


        ¹²"Though evil is sweet in his mouth,
        And he hides it under his tongue,
        ¹³Though he spares it and does not forsake it,
        But still keeps it in his mouth,
        ¹⁴Yet his food in his stomach turns sour;
        It becomes cobra venom within him.
        ¹⁵He swallows down riches
        And vomits them up again;
        God casts them out of his belly.
        ¹⁶He will suck the poison of cobras;
        The viper's tongue will slay him.
        ¹⁷He will not see the streams,
        The rivers flowing with honey and cream.
        ¹⁸He will restore that for which he labored,
        And will not swallow it down;
        From the proceeds of business
        He will get no enjoyment.
        ¹⁹For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor,
        He has violently seized a house which he did not build.


        ²⁰"Because he knows no quietness in his heart,
        He will not save anything he desires.
        ²¹Nothing is left for him to eat;
        Therefore his well-being will not last.
        ²²In his self-sufficiency he will be in distress;
        Every hand of misery will come against him.
        ²³When he is about to fill his stomach,
        God will cast on him the fury of His wrath,
        And will rain it on him while he is eating.
        ²⁴He will flee from the iron weapon;
        A bronze bow will pierce him through.
        ²⁵It is drawn, and comes out of the body;
        Yes, the glittering point comes out of his gall.
        Terrors come upon him;
        ²⁶Total darkness is reserved for his treasures.
        An unfanned fire will consume him;
        It shall go ill with him who is left in his tent.
        ²⁷The heavens will reveal his iniquity,
        And the earth will rise up against him.
        ²⁸The increase of his house will depart,
        And his goods will flow away in the day of His wrath.
        ²⁹This is the portion from God for a wicked man,
        The heritage appointed to him by God."

Job 21


Job's Discourse on the Wicked


Job Complains About the Prosperity of the Wicked
¹ Then Job answered and said:


        ²"Listen carefully to my speech,
        And let this be your consolation.
        ³Bear with me that I may speak,
        And after I have spoken, keep mocking.


        ⁴"As for me, is my complaint against man?
        And if it were, why should I not be impatient?
        ⁵Look at me and be astonished;
        Put your hand over your mouth.
        ⁶Even when I remember I am terrified,
        And trembling takes hold of my flesh.
        ⁷Why do the wicked live and become old,
        Yes, become mighty in power?
        ⁸Their descendants are established with them in their sight,
        And their offspring before their eyes.
        ⁹Their houses are safe from fear,
        Neither is the rod of God upon them.
        ¹⁰Their bull breeds without failure;
        Their cow calves without miscarriage.
        ¹¹They send forth their little ones like a flock,
        And their children dance.
        ¹²They sing to the tambourine and harp,
        And rejoice to the sound of the flute.
        ¹³They spend their days in wealth,
        And in a moment go down to the grave.
        ¹⁴Yet they say to God, "Depart from us,
        For we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways.
        ¹⁵Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him?
        And what profit do we have if we pray to Him?'
        ¹⁶Indeed their prosperity is not in their hand;
        The counsel of the wicked is far from me.


        ¹⁷"How often is the lamp of the wicked put out?
        How often does their destruction come upon them,
        The sorrows God distributes in His anger?
        ¹⁸They are like straw before the wind,
        And like chaff that a storm carries away.
        ¹⁹They say, "God lays up one's iniquity for his children';
        Let Him recompense him, that he may know it.
        ²⁰Let his eyes see his destruction,
        And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
        ²¹For what does he care about his household after him,
        When the number of his months is cut in half?


        ²²"Can anyone teach God knowledge,
        Since He judges those on high?
        ²³One dies in his full strength,
        Being wholly at ease and secure;
        ²⁴His pails are full of milk,
        And the marrow of his bones is moist.
        ²⁵Another man dies in the bitterness of his soul,
        Never having eaten with pleasure.
        ²⁶They lie down alike in the dust,
        And worms cover them.


        ²⁷"Look, I know your thoughts,
        And the schemes with which you would wrong me.
        ²⁸For you say,
        "Where is the house of the prince?
        And where is the tent,
        The dwelling place of the wicked?'
        ²⁹Have you not asked those who travel the road?
        And do you not know their signs?
        ³⁰For the wicked are reserved for the day of doom;
        They shall be brought out on the day of wrath.
        ³¹Who condemns his way to his face?
        And who repays him for what he has done?
        ³²Yet he shall be brought to the grave,
        And a vigil kept over the tomb.
        ³³The clods of the valley shall be sweet to him;
        Everyone shall follow him,
        As countless have gone before him.
        ³⁴How then can you comfort me with empty words,
        Since falsehood remains in your answers?"

Job 22


Eliphaz Accuses Job of Wickedness


Eliphaz Accuses Job of Sin
¹ Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:


        ²"Can a man be profitable to God,
        Though he who is wise may be profitable to himself?
        ³Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that you are righteous?
        Or is it gain to Him that you make your ways blameless?


        ⁴"Is it because of your fear of Him that He corrects you,
        And enters into judgment with you?
        ⁵Is not your wickedness great,
        And your iniquity without end?
        ⁶For you have taken pledges from your brother for no reason,
        And stripped the naked of their clothing.
        ⁷You have not given the weary water to drink,
        And you have withheld bread from the hungry.
        ⁸But the mighty man possessed the land,
        And the honorable man dwelt in it.
        ⁹You have sent widows away empty,
        And the strength of the fatherless was crushed.
        ¹⁰Therefore snares are all around you,
        And sudden fear troubles you,
        ¹¹Or darkness so that you cannot see;
        And an abundance of water covers you.


        ¹²"Is not God in the height of heaven?
        And see the highest stars, how lofty they are!
        ¹³And you say, "What does God know?
        Can He judge through the deep darkness?
        ¹⁴Thick clouds cover Him, so that He cannot see,
        And He walks above the circle of heaven.'
        ¹⁵Will you keep to the old way
        Which wicked men have trod,
        ¹⁶Who were cut down before their time,
        Whose foundations were swept away by a flood?
        ¹⁷They said to God, "Depart from us!
        What can the Almighty do to them?'
        ¹⁸Yet He filled their houses with good things;
        But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.


        ¹⁹"The righteous see it and are glad,
        And the innocent laugh at them:
        ²⁰"Surely our adversaries are cut down,
        And the fire consumes their remnant.'


        ²¹"Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace;
        Thereby good will come to you.
        ²²Receive, please, instruction from His mouth,
        And lay up His words in your heart.
        ²³If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up;
        You will remove iniquity far from your tents.
        ²⁴Then you will lay your gold in the dust,
        And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks.
        ²⁵Yes, the Almighty will be your gold
        And your precious silver;
        ²⁶For then you will have your delight in the Almighty,
        And lift up your face to God.
        ²⁷You will make your prayer to Him,
        He will hear you,
        And you will pay your vows.
        ²⁸You will also declare a thing,
        And it will be established for you;
        So light will shine on your ways.
        ²⁹When they cast you down, and you say, "Exaltation will come!'
        Then He will save the humble person.
        ³⁰He will even deliver one who is not innocent;
        Yes, he will be delivered by the purity of your hands."

Job 23


Job Proclaims God's Righteous Judgments


God Knows Men's Ways
¹ Then Job answered and said:


        ²"Even today my complaint is bitter;
        My hand is listless because of my groaning.
        ³Oh, that I knew where I might find Him,
        That I might come to His seat!
        ⁴I would present my case before Him,
        And fill my mouth with arguments.
        ⁵I would know the words which He would answer me,
        And understand what He would say to me.
        ⁶Would He contend with me in His great power?
        No! But He would take note of me.
        ⁷There the upright could reason with Him,
        And I would be delivered forever from my Judge.


        ⁸"Look, I go forward, but He is not there,
        And backward, but I cannot perceive Him;
        ⁹When He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him;
        When He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him.
        ¹⁰But He knows the way that I take;
        When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.
        ¹¹My foot has held fast to His steps;
        I have kept His way and not turned aside.
        ¹²I have not departed from the commandment of His lips;
        I have treasured the words of His mouth
        More than my necessary food.


        ¹³"But He is unique, and who can make Him change?
        And whatever His soul desires, that He does.
        ¹⁴For He performs what is appointed for me,
        And many such things are with Him.
        ¹⁵Therefore I am terrified at His presence;
        When I consider this, I am afraid of Him.
        ¹⁶For God made my heart weak,
        And the Almighty terrifies me;
        ¹⁷Because I was not cut off from the presence of darkness,
        And He did not hide deep darkness from my face.

Job 24


Job Complains of Violence on the Earth


Job Complains of the Violence on the Earth
¹ "Since times are not hidden from the Almighty,
        Why do those who know Him see not His days?


        ²"Some remove landmarks;
        They seize flocks violently and feed on them;
        ³They drive away the donkey of the fatherless;
        They take the widow's ox as a pledge.
        ⁴They push the needy off the road;
        All the poor of the land are forced to hide.
        ⁵Indeed, like wild donkeys in the desert,
        They go out to their work, searching for food.
        The wilderness yields food for them and for their children.
        ⁶They gather their fodder in the field
        And glean in the vineyard of the wicked.
        ⁷They spend the night naked, without clothing,
        And have no covering in the cold.
        ⁸They are wet with the showers of the mountains,
        And huddle around the rock for want of shelter.


        ⁹"Some snatch the fatherless from the breast,
        And take a pledge from the poor.
        ¹⁰They cause the poor to go naked, without clothing;
        And they take away the sheaves from the hungry.
        ¹¹They press out oil within their walls,
        And tread winepresses, yet suffer thirst.
        ¹²The dying groan in the city,
        And the souls of the wounded cry out;
        Yet God does not charge them with wrong.


        ¹³"There are those who rebel against the light;
        They do not know its ways
        Nor abide in its paths.
        ¹⁴The murderer rises with the light;
        He kills the poor and needy;
        And in the night he is like a thief.
        ¹⁵The eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight,
        Saying, "No eye will see me';
        And he disguises his face.
        ¹⁶In the dark they break into houses
        Which they marked for themselves in the daytime;
        They do not know the light.
        ¹⁷For the morning is the same to them as the shadow of death;
        If someone recognizes them,
        They are in the terrors of the shadow of death.


        ¹⁸"They should be swift on the face of the waters,
        Their portion should be cursed in the earth,
        So that no one would turn into the way of their vineyards.
        ¹⁹As drought and heat consume the snow waters,
        So the grave consumes those who have sinned.
        ²⁰The womb should forget him,
        The worm should feed sweetly on him;
        He should be remembered no more,
        And wickedness should be broken like a tree.
        ²¹For he preys on the barren who do not bear,
        And does no good for the widow.


        ²²"But God draws the mighty away with His power;
        He rises up, but no man is sure of life.
        ²³He gives them security, and they rely on it;
        Yet His eyes are on their ways.
        ²⁴They are exalted for a little while,
        Then they are gone.
        They are brought low;
        They are taken out of the way like all others;
        They dry out like the heads of grain.


        ²⁵"Now if it is not so, who will prove me a liar,
        And make my speech worth nothing?"

Job 25


Bildad: How Can Man Be Righteous?


How Can Man Be Justified with God?
¹ Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:


        ²"Dominion and fear belong to Him;
        He makes peace in His high places.
        ³Is there any number to His armies?
        Upon whom does His light not rise?
        ⁴How then can man be righteous before God?
        Or how can he be pure who is born of a woman?
        ⁵If even the moon does not shine,
        And the stars are not pure in His sight,
        ⁶How much less man, who is a maggot,
        And a son of man, who is a worm?"

Job 26


Job: Man's Frailty and God's Majesty


Job Rebukes Bildad and Praises God
¹ But Job answered and said:


        ²"How have you helped him who is without power?
        How have you saved the arm that has no strength?
        ³How have you counseled one who has no wisdom?
        And how have you declared sound advice to many?
        ⁴To whom have you uttered words?
        And whose spirit came from you?


        ⁵"The dead tremble,
        Those under the waters and those inhabiting them.
        ⁶Sheol is naked before Him,
        And Destruction has no covering.
        ⁷He stretches out the north over empty space;
        He hangs the earth on nothing.
        ⁸He binds up the water in His thick clouds,
        Yet the clouds are not broken under it.
        ⁹He covers the face of His throne,
        And spreads His cloud over it.
        ¹⁰He drew a circular horizon on the face of the waters,
        At the boundary of light and darkness.
        ¹¹The pillars of heaven tremble,
        And are astonished at His rebuke.
        ¹²He stirs up the sea with His power,
        And by His understanding He breaks up the storm.
        ¹³By His Spirit He adorned the heavens;
        His hand pierced the fleeing serpent.
        ¹⁴Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
        And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
        But the thunder of His power who can understand?"

Job 27


Job Maintains His Integrity


The Hypocrite's Hopelessness
¹ Moreover Job continued his discourse, and said:


        ²"As God lives, who has taken away my justice,
        And the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,
        ³As long as my breath is in me,
        And the breath of God in my nostrils,
        ⁴My lips will not speak wickedness,
        Nor my tongue utter deceit.
        ⁵Far be it from me
        That I should say you are right;
        Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.
        ⁶My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go;
        My heart shall not reproach me as long as I live.


        ⁷"May my enemy be like the wicked,
        And he who rises up against me like the unrighteous.
        ⁸For what is the hope of the hypocrite,
        Though he may gain much,
        If God takes away his life?
        ⁹Will God hear his cry
        When trouble comes upon him?
        ¹⁰Will he delight himself in the Almighty?
        Will he always call on God?


        ¹¹"I will teach you about the hand of God;
        What is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
        ¹²Surely all of you have seen it;
        Why then do you behave with complete nonsense?


        ¹³"This is the portion of a wicked man with God,
        And the heritage of oppressors, received from the Almighty:
        ¹⁴If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword;
        And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.
        ¹⁵Those who survive him shall be buried in death,
        And their widows shall not weep,
        ¹⁶Though he heaps up silver like dust,
        And piles up clothing like clay--
        ¹⁷He may pile it up, but the just will wear it,
        And the innocent will divide the silver.
        ¹⁸He builds his house like a moth,
        Like a booth which a watchman makes.
        ¹⁹The rich man will lie down,
        But not be gathered up;
        He opens his eyes,
        And he is no more.
        ²⁰Terrors overtake him like a flood;
        A tempest steals him away in the night.
        ²¹The east wind carries him away, and he is gone;
        It sweeps him out of his place.
        ²²It hurls against him and does not spare;
        He flees desperately from its power.
        ²³Men shall clap their hands at him,
        And shall hiss him out of his place.

Job 28


Job's Discourse on Wisdom


Wisdom Is God's Gift
¹ "Surely there is a mine for silver,
        And a place where gold is refined.
        ²Iron is taken from the earth,
        And copper is smelted from ore.
        ³Man puts an end to darkness,
        And searches every recess
        For ore in the darkness and the shadow of death.
        ⁴He breaks open a shaft away from people;
        In places forgotten by feet
        They hang far away from men;
        They swing to and fro.
        ⁵As for the earth, from it comes bread,
        But underneath it is turned up as by fire;
        ⁶Its stones are the source of sapphires,
        And it contains gold dust.
        ⁷That path no bird knows,
        Nor has the falcon's eye seen it.
        ⁸The proud lions have not trodden it,
        Nor has the fierce lion passed over it.
        ⁹He puts his hand on the flint;
        He overturns the mountains at the roots.
        ¹⁰He cuts out channels in the rocks,
        And his eye sees every precious thing.
        ¹¹He dams up the streams from trickling;
        What is hidden he brings forth to light.


        ¹²"But where can wisdom be found?
        And where is the place of understanding?
        ¹³Man does not know its value,
        Nor is it found in the land of the living.
        ¹⁴The deep says, "It is not in me';
        And the sea says, "It is not with me.'
        ¹⁵It cannot be purchased for gold,
        Nor can silver be weighed for its price.
        ¹⁶It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
        In precious onyx or sapphire.
        ¹⁷Neither gold nor crystal can equal it,
        Nor can it be exchanged for jewelry of fine gold.
        ¹⁸No mention shall be made of coral or quartz,
        For the price of wisdom is above rubies.
        ¹⁹The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,
        Nor can it be valued in pure gold.


        ²⁰"From where then does wisdom come?
        And where is the place of understanding?
        ²¹It is hidden from the eyes of all living,
        And concealed from the birds of the air.
        ²²Destruction and Death say,
        "We have heard a report about it with our ears.'
        ²³God understands its way,
        And He knows its place.
        ²⁴For He looks to the ends of the earth,
        And sees under the whole heavens,
        ²⁵To establish a weight for the wind,
        And apportion the waters by measure.
        ²⁶When He made a law for the rain,
        And a path for the thunderbolt,
        ²⁷Then He saw wisdom and declared it;
        He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out.
        ²⁸And to man He said,
        "Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
        And to depart from evil is understanding."'

Job 29


Job's Summary Defense


Job Speaks of Past Wealth
¹ Job further continued his discourse, and said:


        ²"Oh, that I were as in months past,
        As in the days when God watched over me;
        ³When His lamp shone upon my head,
        And when by His light I walked through darkness;
        ⁴Just as I was in the days of my prime,
        When the friendly counsel of God was over my tent;
        ⁵When the Almighty was yet with me,
        When my children were around me;
        ⁶When my steps were bathed with cream,
        And the rock poured out rivers of oil for me!


        ⁷"When I went out to the gate by the city,
        When I took my seat in the open square,
        ⁸The young men saw me and hid,
        And the aged arose and stood;
        ⁹The princes refrained from talking,
        And put their hand on their mouth;
        ¹⁰The voice of nobles was hushed,
        And their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.
        ¹¹When the ear heard, then it blessed me,
        And when the eye saw, then it approved me;
        ¹²Because I delivered the poor who cried out,
        The fatherless and the one who had no helper.
        ¹³The blessing of a perishing man came upon me,
        And I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.
        ¹⁴I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
        My justice was like a robe and a turban.
        ¹⁵I was eyes to the blind,
        And I was feet to the lame.
        ¹⁶I was a father to the poor,
        And I searched out the case that I did not know.
        ¹⁷I broke the fangs of the wicked,
        And plucked the victim from his teeth.


        ¹⁸"Then I said, "I shall die in my nest,
        And multiply my days as the sand.
        ¹⁹My root is spread out to the waters,
        And the dew lies all night on my branch.
        ²⁰My glory is fresh within me,
        And my bow is renewed in my hand.'


        ²¹"Men listened to me and waited,
        And kept silence for my counsel.
        ²²After my words they did not speak again,
        And my speech settled on them as dew.
        ²³They waited for me as for the rain,
        And they opened their mouth wide as for the spring rain.
        ²⁴If I mocked at them, they did not believe it,
        And the light of my countenance they did not cast down.
        ²⁵I chose the way for them, and sat as chief;
        So I dwelt as a king in the army,
        As one who comforts mourners.

Job 30


Job's Wealth Now Poverty
¹ "But now they mock at me, men younger than I,
        Whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock.
        ²Indeed, what profit is the strength of their hands to me?
        Their vigor has perished.
        ³They are gaunt from want and famine,
        Fleeing late to the wilderness, desolate and waste,
        ⁴Who pluck mallow by the bushes,
        And broom tree roots for their food.
        ⁵They were driven out from among men,
        They shouted at them as at a thief.
        ⁶They had to live in the clefts of the valleys,
        In caves of the earth and the rocks.
        ⁷Among the bushes they brayed,
        Under the nettles they nestled.
        ⁸They were sons of fools,
        Yes, sons of vile men;
        They were scourged from the land.


        ⁹"And now I am their taunting song;
        Yes, I am their byword.
        ¹⁰They abhor me, they keep far from me;
        They do not hesitate to spit in my face.
        ¹¹Because He has loosed my bowstring and afflicted me,
        They have cast off restraint before me.
        ¹²At my right hand the rabble arises;
        They push away my feet,
        And they raise against me their ways of destruction.
        ¹³They break up my path,
        They promote my calamity;
        They have no helper.
        ¹⁴They come as broad breakers;
        Under the ruinous storm they roll along.
        ¹⁵Terrors are turned upon me;
        They pursue my honor as the wind,
        And my prosperity has passed like a cloud.


        ¹⁶"And now my soul is poured out because of my plight;
        The days of affliction take hold of me.
        ¹⁷My bones are pierced in me at night,
        And my gnawing pains take no rest.
        ¹⁸By great force my garment is disfigured;
        It binds me about as the collar of my coat.
        ¹⁹He has cast me into the mire,
        And I have become like dust and ashes.


        ²⁰"I cry out to You, but You do not answer me;
        I stand up, and You regard me.
        ²¹But You have become cruel to me;
        With the strength of Your hand You oppose me.
        ²²You lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride on it;
        You spoil my success.
        ²³For I know that You will bring me to death,
        And to the house appointed for all living.


        ²⁴"Surely He would not stretch out His hand against a heap of ruins,
        If they cry out when He destroys it.
        ²⁵Have I not wept for him who was in trouble?
        Has not my soul grieved for the poor?
        ²⁶But when I looked for good, evil came to me;
        And when I waited for light, then came darkness.
        ²⁷My heart is in turmoil and cannot rest;
        Days of affliction confront me.
        ²⁸I go about mourning, but not in the sun;
        I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help.
        ²⁹I am a brother of jackals,
        And a companion of ostriches.
        ³⁰My skin grows black and falls from me;
        My bones burn with fever.
        ³¹My harp is turned to mourning,
        And my flute to the voice of those who weep.

Job 31


Job Defends His Righteousness
¹ "I have made a covenant with my eyes;
        Why then should I look upon a young woman?
        ²For what is the allotment of God from above,
        And the inheritance of the Almighty from on high?
        ³Is it not destruction for the wicked,
        And disaster for the workers of iniquity?
        ⁴Does He not see my ways,
        And count all my steps?


        ⁵"If I have walked with falsehood,
        Or if my foot has hastened to deceit,
        ⁶Let me be weighed on honest scales,
        That God may know my integrity.
        ⁷If my step has turned from the way,
        Or my heart walked after my eyes,
        Or if any spot adheres to my hands,
        ⁸Then let me sow, and another eat;
        Yes, let my harvest be rooted out.


        ⁹"If my heart has been enticed by a woman,
        Or if I have lurked at my neighbor's door,
        ¹⁰Then let my wife grind for another,
        And let others bow down over her.
        ¹¹For that would be wickedness;
        Yes, it would be iniquity deserving of judgment.
        ¹²For that would be a fire that consumes to destruction,
        And would root out all my increase.


        ¹³"If I have despised the cause of my male or female servant
        When they complained against me,
        ¹⁴What then shall I do when God rises up?
        When He punishes, how shall I answer Him?
        ¹⁵Did not He who made me in the womb make them?
        Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?


        ¹⁶"If I have kept the poor from their desire,
        Or caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
        ¹⁷Or eaten my morsel by myself,
        So that the fatherless could not eat of it
        ¹⁸(But from my youth I reared him as a father,
        And from my mother's womb I guided the widow);
        ¹⁹If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,
        Or any poor man without covering;
        ²⁰If his heart has not blessed me,
        And if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;
        ²¹If I have raised my hand against the fatherless,
        When I saw I had help in the gate;
        ²²Then let my arm fall from my shoulder,
        Let my arm be torn from the socket.
        ²³For destruction from God is a terror to me,
        And because of His magnificence I cannot endure.


        ²⁴"If I have made gold my hope,
        Or said to fine gold, "You are my confidence';
        ²⁵If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great,
        And because my hand had gained much;
        ²⁶If I have observed the sun when it shines,
        Or the moon moving in brightness,
        ²⁷So that my heart has been secretly enticed,
        And my mouth has kissed my hand;
        ²⁸This also would be an iniquity deserving of judgment,
        For I would have denied God who is above.


        ²⁹"If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me,
        Or lifted myself up when evil found him
        ³⁰(Indeed I have not allowed my mouth to sin
        By asking for a curse on his soul);
        ³¹If the men of my tent have not said,
        "Who is there that has not been satisfied with his meat?'
        ³²(But no sojourner had to lodge in the street,
        For I have opened my doors to the traveler);
        ³³If I have covered my transgressions as Adam,
        By hiding my iniquity in my bosom,
        ³⁴Because I feared the great multitude,
        And dreaded the contempt of families,
        So that I kept silence
        And did not go out of the door--
        ³⁵Oh, that I had one to hear me!
        Here is my mark.
        Oh, that the Almighty would answer me,
        That my Prosecutor had written a book!
        ³⁶Surely I would carry it on my shoulder,
        And bind it on me like a crown;
        ³⁷I would declare to Him the number of my steps;
        Like a prince I would approach Him.


        ³⁸"If my land cries out against me,
        And its furrows weep together;
        ³⁹If I have eaten its fruit without money,
        Or caused its owners to lose their lives;
        ⁴⁰Then let thistles grow instead of wheat,
        And weeds instead of barley."


The words of Job are ended.

Job 32


Elihu Contradicts Job's Friends


Elihu Contradicts Job's Friends
¹ So these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. ²Then the wrath of Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was aroused against Job; his wrath was aroused because he justified himself rather than God. ³Also against his three friends his wrath was aroused, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.
⁴Now because they were years older than he, Elihu had waited to speak to Job. ⁵When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, his wrath was aroused.
⁶So Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, answered and said:


        "I am young in years, and you are very old;
        Therefore I was afraid,
        And dared not declare my opinion to you.
        ⁷I said, "Age should speak,
        And multitude of years should teach wisdom.'
        ⁸But there is a spirit in man,
        And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.
        ⁹Great men are not always wise,
        Nor do the aged always understand justice.


        ¹⁰"Therefore I say, "Listen to me,
        I also will declare my opinion.'
        ¹¹Indeed I waited for your words,
        I listened to your reasonings, while you searched out what to say.
        ¹²I paid close attention to you;
        And surely not one of you convinced Job,
        Or answered his words--
        ¹³Lest you say,
        "We have found wisdom';
        God will vanquish him, not man.
        ¹⁴Now he has not directed his words against me;
        So I will not answer him with your words.


        ¹⁵"They are dismayed and answer no more;
        Words escape them.
        ¹⁶And I have waited, because they did not speak,
        Because they stood still and answered no more.
        ¹⁷I also will answer my part,
        I too will declare my opinion.
        ¹⁸For I am full of words;
        The spirit within me compels me.
        ¹⁹Indeed my belly is like wine that has no vent;
        It is ready to burst like new wineskins.
        ²⁰I will speak, that I may find relief;
        I must open my lips and answer.
        ²¹Let me not, I pray, show partiality to anyone;
        Nor let me flatter any man.
        ²²For I do not know how to flatter,
        Else my Maker would soon take me away.

Job 33


Elihu Contradicts Job


Elihu Contradicts Job
¹ "But please, Job, hear my speech,
        And listen to all my words.
        ²Now, I open my mouth;
        My tongue speaks in my mouth.
        ³My words come from my upright heart;
        My lips utter pure knowledge.
        ⁴The Spirit of God has made me,
        And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
        ⁵If you can answer me,
        Set your words in order before me;
        Take your stand.
        ⁶Truly I am as your spokesman before God;
        I also have been formed out of clay.
        ⁷Surely no fear of me will terrify you,
        Nor will my hand be heavy on you.


        ⁸"Surely you have spoken in my hearing,
        And I have heard the sound of your words, saying,
        ⁹"I am pure, without transgression;
        I am innocent, and there is no iniquity in me.
        ¹⁰Yet He finds occasions against me,
        He counts me as His enemy;
        ¹¹He puts my feet in the stocks,
        He watches all my paths.'


        ¹²"Look, in this you are not righteous.
        I will answer you,
        For God is greater than man.
        ¹³Why do you contend with Him?
        For He does not give an accounting of any of His words.
        ¹⁴For God may speak in one way, or in another,
        Yet man does not perceive it.
        ¹⁵In a dream, in a vision of the night,
        When deep sleep falls upon men,
        While slumbering on their beds,
        ¹⁶Then He opens the ears of men,
        And seals their instruction.
        ¹⁷In order to turn man from his deed,
        And conceal pride from man,
        ¹⁸He keeps back his soul from the Pit,
        And his life from perishing by the sword.


        ¹⁹"Man is also chastened with pain on his bed,
        And with strong pain in many of his bones,
        ²⁰So that his life abhors bread,
        And his soul succulent food.
        ²¹His flesh wastes away from sight,
        And his bones stick out which once were not seen.
        ²²Yes, his soul draws near the Pit,
        And his life to the executioners.


        ²³"If there is a messenger for him,
        A mediator, one among a thousand,
        To show man His uprightness,
        ²⁴Then He is gracious to him, and says,
        "Deliver him from going down to the Pit;
        I have found a ransom';
        ²⁵His flesh shall be young like a child's,
        He shall return to the days of his youth.
        ²⁶He shall pray to God, and He will delight in him,
        He shall see His face with joy,
        For He restores to man His righteousness.
        ²⁷Then he looks at men and says,
        "I have sinned, and perverted what was right,
        And it did not profit me.'
        ²⁸He will redeem his soul from going down to the Pit,
        And his life shall see the light.


        ²⁹"Behold, God works all these things,
        Twice, in fact, three times with a man,
        ³⁰To bring back his soul from the Pit,
        That he may be enlightened with the light of life.


        ³¹"Give ear, Job, listen to me;
        Hold your peace, and I will speak.
        ³²If you have anything to say, answer me;
        Speak, for I desire to justify you.
        ³³If not, listen to me;
        Hold your peace, and I will teach you wisdom."

Job 34


Elihu Proclaims God's Justice


God Cannot Be Unjust
¹ Elihu further answered and said:


        ²"Hear my words, you wise men;
        Give ear to me, you who have knowledge.
        ³For the ear tests words
        As the palate tastes food.
        ⁴Let us choose justice for ourselves;
        Let us know among ourselves what is good.


        ⁵"For Job has said, "I am righteous,
        But God has taken away my justice;
        ⁶Should I lie concerning my right?
        My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.'
        ⁷What man is like Job,
        Who drinks scorn like water,
        ⁸Who goes in company with the workers of iniquity,
        And walks with wicked men?
        ⁹For he has said, "It profits a man nothing
        That he should delight in God.'


        ¹⁰"Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding:
        Far be it from God to do wickedness,
        And from the Almighty to commit iniquity.
        ¹¹For He repays man according to his work,
        And makes man to find a reward according to his way.
        ¹²Surely God will never do wickedly,
        Nor will the Almighty pervert justice.
        ¹³Who gave Him charge over the earth?
        Or who appointed Him over the whole world?
        ¹⁴If He should set His heart on it,
        If He should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath,
        ¹⁵All flesh would perish together,
        And man would return to dust.


        ¹⁶"If you have understanding, hear this;
        Listen to the sound of my words:
        ¹⁷Should one who hates justice govern?
        Will you condemn Him who is most just?
        ¹⁸Is it fitting to say to a king, "You are worthless,'
        And to nobles, "You are wicked'?
        ¹⁹Yet He is not partial to princes,
        Nor does He regard the rich more than the poor;
        For they are all the work of His hands.
        ²⁰In a moment they die, in the middle of the night;
        The people are shaken and pass away;
        The mighty are taken away without a hand.


        ²¹"For His eyes are on the ways of man,
        And He sees all his steps.
        ²²There is no darkness nor shadow of death
        Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
        ²³For He need not further consider a man,
        That he should go before God in judgment.
        ²⁴He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry,
        And sets others in their place.
        ²⁵Therefore He knows their works;
        He overthrows them in the night,
        And they are crushed.
        ²⁶He strikes them as wicked men
        In the open sight of others,
        ²⁷Because they turned back from Him,
        And would not consider any of His ways,
        ²⁸So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him;
        For He hears the cry of the afflicted.
        ²⁹When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble?
        And when He hides His face, who then can see Him,
        Whether it is against a nation or a man alone?--
        ³⁰That the hypocrite should not reign,
        Lest the people be ensnared.


        ³¹"For has anyone said to God,
        "I have borne chastening;
        I will offend no more;
        ³²Teach me what I do not see;
        If I have done iniquity, I will do no more'?
        ³³Should He repay it according to your terms,
        Just because you disavow it?
        You must choose, and not I;
        Therefore speak what you know.


        ³⁴"Men of understanding say to me,
        Wise men who listen to me:
        ³⁵"Job speaks without knowledge,
        His words are without wisdom.'
        ³⁶Oh, that Job were tried to the utmost,
        Because his answers are like those of wicked men!
        ³⁷For he adds rebellion to his sin;
        He claps his hands among us,
        And multiplies his words against God."

Job 35


Elihu Condemns Self-Righteousness


Man Is Not Good
¹ Moreover Elihu answered and said:


        ²"Do you think this is right?
        Do you say,
        "My righteousness is more than God's'?
        ³For you say,
        "What advantage will it be to You?
        What profit shall I have, more than if I had sinned?'


        ⁴"I will answer you,
        And your companions with you.
        ⁵Look to the heavens and see;
        And behold the clouds--
        They are higher than you.
        ⁶If you sin, what do you accomplish against Him?
        Or, if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to Him?
        ⁷If you are righteous, what do you give Him?
        Or what does He receive from your hand?
        ⁸Your wickedness affects a man such as you,
        And your righteousness a son of man.


        ⁹"Because of the multitude of oppressions they cry out;
        They cry out for help because of the arm of the mighty.
        ¹⁰But no one says, "Where is God my Maker,
        Who gives songs in the night,
        ¹¹Who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth,
        And makes us wiser than the birds of heaven?'
        ¹²There they cry out, but He does not answer,
        Because of the pride of evil men.
        ¹³Surely God will not listen to empty talk,
        Nor will the Almighty regard it.
        ¹⁴Although you say you do not see Him,
        Yet justice is before Him, and you must wait for Him.
        ¹⁵And now, because He has not punished in His anger,
        Nor taken much notice of folly,
        ¹⁶Therefore Job opens his mouth in vain;
        He multiplies words without knowledge."

Job 36


Elihu Proclaims God's Goodness


Results of Job's Sins
¹ Elihu also proceeded and said:


        ²"Bear with me a little, and I will show you
        That there are yet words to speak on God's behalf.
        ³I will fetch my knowledge from afar;
        I will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
        ⁴For truly my words are not false;
        One who is perfect in knowledge is with you.


        ⁵"Behold, God is mighty, but despises no one;
        He is mighty in strength of understanding.
        ⁶He does not preserve the life of the wicked,
        But gives justice to the oppressed.
        ⁷He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous;
        But they are on the throne with kings,
        For He has seated them forever,
        And they are exalted.
        ⁸And if they are bound in fetters,
        Held in the cords of affliction,
        ⁹Then He tells them their work and their transgressions--
        That they have acted defiantly.
        ¹⁰He also opens their ear to instruction,
        And commands that they turn from iniquity.
        ¹¹If they obey and serve Him,
        They shall spend their days in prosperity,
        And their years in pleasures.
        ¹²But if they do not obey,
        They shall perish by the sword,
        And they shall die without knowledge.


        ¹³"But the hypocrites in heart store up wrath;
        They do not cry for help when He binds them.
        ¹⁴They die in youth,
        And their life ends among the perverted persons.
        ¹⁵He delivers the poor in their affliction,
        And opens their ears in oppression.


        ¹⁶"Indeed He would have brought you out of dire distress,
        Into a broad place where there is no restraint;
        And what is set on your table would be full of richness.
        ¹⁷But you are filled with the judgment due the wicked;
        Judgment and justice take hold of you.
        ¹⁸Because there is wrath, beware lest He take you away with one blow;
        For a large ransom would not help you avoid it.
        ¹⁹Will your riches,
        Or all the mighty forces,
        Keep you from distress?
        ²⁰Do not desire the night,
        When people are cut off in their place.
        ²¹Take heed, do not turn to iniquity,
        For you have chosen this rather than affliction.


        ²²"Behold, God is exalted by His power;
        Who teaches like Him?
        ²³Who has assigned Him His way,
        Or who has said, "You have done wrong'?
       

Elihu Proclaims God's Majesty
²⁴ "Remember to magnify His work,
        Of which men have sung.
        ²⁵Everyone has seen it;
        Man looks on it from afar.


        ²⁶"Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him;
        Nor can the number of His years be discovered.
        ²⁷For He draws up drops of water,
        Which distill as rain from the mist,
        ²⁸Which the clouds drop down
        And pour abundantly on man.
        ²⁹Indeed, can anyone understand the spreading of clouds,
        The thunder from His canopy?
        ³⁰Look, He scatters His light upon it,
        And covers the depths of the sea.
        ³¹For by these He judges the peoples;
        He gives food in abundance.
        ³²He covers His hands with lightning,
        And commands it to strike.
        ³³His thunder declares it,
        The cattle also, concerning the rising storm.

Job 37


God's Works and Wisdom
¹ "At this also my heart trembles,
        And leaps from its place.
        ²Hear attentively the thunder of His voice,
        And the rumbling that comes from His mouth.
        ³He sends it forth under the whole heaven,
        His lightning to the ends of the earth.
        ⁴After it a voice roars;
        He thunders with His majestic voice,
        And He does not restrain them when His voice is heard.
        ⁵God thunders marvelously with His voice;
        He does great things which we cannot comprehend.
        ⁶For He says to the snow, "Fall on the earth';
        Likewise to the gentle rain and the heavy rain of His strength.
        ⁷He seals the hand of every man,
        That all men may know His work.
        ⁸The beasts go into dens,
        And remain in their lairs.
        ⁹From the chamber of the south comes the whirlwind,
        And cold from the scattering winds of the north.
        ¹⁰By the breath of God ice is given,
        And the broad waters are frozen.
        ¹¹Also with moisture He saturates the thick clouds;
        He scatters His bright clouds.
        ¹²And they swirl about, being turned by His guidance,
        That they may do whatever He commands them
        On the face of the whole earth.
        ¹³He causes it to come,
        Whether for correction,
        Or for His land,
        Or for mercy.


        ¹⁴"Listen to this, O Job;
        Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God.
        ¹⁵Do you know when God dispatches them,
        And causes the light of His cloud to shine?
        ¹⁶Do you know how the clouds are balanced,
        Those wondrous works of Him who is perfect in knowledge?
        ¹⁷Why are your garments hot,
        When He quiets the earth by the south wind?
        ¹⁸With Him, have you spread out the skies,
        Strong as a cast metal mirror?


        ¹⁹"Teach us what we should say to Him,
        For we can prepare nothing because of the darkness.
        ²⁰Should He be told that I wish to speak?
        If a man were to speak, surely he would be swallowed up.
        ²¹Even now men cannot look at the light when it is bright in the skies,
        When the wind has passed and cleared them.
        ²²He comes from the north as golden splendor;
        With God is awesome majesty.
        ²³As for the Almighty, we cannot find Him;
        He is excellent in power,
        In judgment and abundant justice;
        He does not oppress.
        ²⁴Therefore men fear Him;
        He shows no partiality to any who are wise of heart."

Job 38


The LORD Reveals His Omnipotence to Job


God Shows Job's Ignorance
¹ Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:


        ²"Who is this who darkens counsel
        By words without knowledge?
        ³Now prepare yourself like a man;
        I will question you, and you shall answer Me.


        ⁴"Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
        Tell Me, if you have understanding.
        ⁵Who determined its measurements?
        Surely you know!
        Or who stretched the line upon it?
        ⁶To what were its foundations fastened?
        Or who laid its cornerstone,
        ⁷When the morning stars sang together,
        And all the sons of God shouted for joy?


        ⁸"Or who shut in the sea with doors,
        When it burst forth and issued from the womb;
        ⁹When I made the clouds its garment,
        And thick darkness its swaddling band;
        ¹⁰When I fixed My limit for it,
        And set bars and doors;
        ¹¹When I said,
        "This far you may come, but no farther,
        And here your proud waves must stop!'


        ¹²"Have you commanded the morning since your days began,
        And caused the dawn to know its place,
        ¹³That it might take hold of the ends of the earth,
        And the wicked be shaken out of it?
        ¹⁴It takes on form like clay under a seal,
        And stands out like a garment.
        ¹⁵From the wicked their light is withheld,
        And the upraised arm is broken.


        ¹⁶"Have you entered the springs of the sea?
        Or have you walked in search of the depths?
        ¹⁷Have the gates of death been revealed to you?
        Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death?
        ¹⁸Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth?
        Tell Me, if you know all this.


        ¹⁹"Where is the way to the dwelling of light?
        And darkness, where is its place,
        ²⁰That you may take it to its territory,
        That you may know the paths to its home?
        ²¹Do you know it, because you were born then,
        Or because the number of your days is great?


        ²²"Have you entered the treasury of snow,
        Or have you seen the treasury of hail,
        ²³Which I have reserved for the time of trouble,
        For the day of battle and war?
        ²⁴By what way is light diffused,
        Or the east wind scattered over the earth?


        ²⁵"Who has divided a channel for the overflowing water,
        Or a path for the thunderbolt,
        ²⁶To cause it to rain on a land where there is no one,
        A wilderness in which there is no man;
        ²⁷To satisfy the desolate waste,
        And cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass?
        ²⁸Has the rain a father?
        Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
        ²⁹From whose womb comes the ice?
        And the frost of heaven, who gives it birth?
        ³⁰The waters harden like stone,
        And the surface of the deep is frozen.


        ³¹"Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades,
        Or loose the belt of Orion?
        ³²Can you bring out Mazzaroth in its season?
        Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs?
        ³³Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?
        Can you set their dominion over the earth?


        ³⁴"Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
        That an abundance of water may cover you?
        ³⁵Can you send out lightnings, that they may go,
        And say to you, "Here we are!'?
        ³⁶Who has put wisdom in the mind?
        Or who has given understanding to the heart?
        ³⁷Who can number the clouds by wisdom?
        Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,
        ³⁸When the dust hardens in clumps,
        And the clods cling together?


        ³⁹"Can you hunt the prey for the lion,
        Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
        ⁴⁰When they crouch in their dens,
        Or lurk in their lairs to lie in wait?
        ⁴¹Who provides food for the raven,
        When its young ones cry to God,
        And wander about for lack of food?

Job 39


God Continues to Challenge Job
¹ "Do you know the time when the wild mountain goats bear young?
        Or can you mark when the deer gives birth?
        ²Can you number the months that they fulfill?
        Or do you know the time when they bear young?
        ³They bow down,
        They bring forth their young,
        They deliver their offspring.
        ⁴Their young ones are healthy,
        They grow strong with grain;
        They depart and do not return to them.


        ⁵"Who set the wild donkey free?
        Who loosed the bonds of the onager,
        ⁶Whose home I have made the wilderness,
        And the barren land his dwelling?
        ⁷He scorns the tumult of the city;
        He does not heed the shouts of the driver.
        ⁸The range of the mountains is his pasture,
        And he searches after every green thing.


        ⁹"Will the wild ox be willing to serve you?
        Will he bed by your manger?
        ¹⁰Can you bind the wild ox in the furrow with ropes?
        Or will he plow the valleys behind you?
        ¹¹Will you trust him because his strength is great?
        Or will you leave your labor to him?
        ¹²Will you trust him to bring home your grain,
        And gather it to your threshing floor?


        ¹³"The wings of the ostrich wave proudly,
        But are her wings and pinions like the kindly stork's?
        ¹⁴For she leaves her eggs on the ground,
        And warms them in the dust;
        ¹⁵She forgets that a foot may crush them,
        Or that a wild beast may break them.
        ¹⁶She treats her young harshly, as though they were not hers;
        Her labor is in vain, without concern,
        ¹⁷Because God deprived her of wisdom,
        And did not endow her with understanding.
        ¹⁸When she lifts herself on high,
        She scorns the horse and its rider.


        ¹⁹"Have you given the horse strength?
        Have you clothed his neck with thunder?
        ²⁰Can you frighten him like a locust?
        His majestic snorting strikes terror.
        ²¹He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength;
        He gallops into the clash of arms.
        ²²He mocks at fear, and is not frightened;
        Nor does he turn back from the sword.
        ²³The quiver rattles against him,
        The glittering spear and javelin.
        ²⁴He devours the distance with fierceness and rage;
        Nor does he come to a halt because the trumpet has sounded.
        ²⁵At the blast of the trumpet he says, "Aha!'
        He smells the battle from afar,
        The thunder of captains and shouting.


        ²⁶"Does the hawk fly by your wisdom,
        And spread its wings toward the south?
        ²⁷Does the eagle mount up at your command,
        And make its nest on high?
        ²⁸On the rock it dwells and resides,
        On the crag of the rock and the stronghold.
        ²⁹From there it spies out the prey;
        Its eyes observe from afar.
        ³⁰Its young ones suck up blood;
        And where the slain are, there it is."

Job 40


God's Power and Wisdom
¹ Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said:


        ²"Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him?
        He who rebukes God, let him answer it."


Job's Response to God
³ Then Job answered the LORD and said:


        ⁴"Behold, I am vile;
        What shall I answer You?
        I lay my hand over my mouth.
        ⁵Once I have spoken, but I will not answer;
        Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further."


God's Challenge to Job
⁶ Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:


        ⁷"Now prepare yourself like a man;
        I will question you, and you shall answer Me:


        ⁸"Would you indeed annul My judgment?
        Would you condemn Me that you may be justified?
        ⁹Have you an arm like God?
        Or can you thunder with a voice like His?
        ¹⁰Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor,
        And array yourself with glory and beauty.
        ¹¹Disperse the rage of your wrath;
        Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him.
        ¹²Look on everyone who is proud, and bring him low;
        Tread down the wicked in their place.
        ¹³Hide them in the dust together,
        Bind their faces in hidden darkness.
        ¹⁴Then I will also confess to you
        That your own right hand can save you.


        ¹⁵"Look now at the behemoth, which I made along with you;
        He eats grass like an ox.
        ¹⁶See now, his strength is in his hips,
        And his power is in his stomach muscles.
        ¹⁷He moves his tail like a cedar;
        The sinews of his thighs are tightly knit.
        ¹⁸His bones are like beams of bronze,
        His ribs like bars of iron.
        ¹⁹He is the first of the ways of God;
        Only He who made him can bring near His sword.
        ²⁰Surely the mountains yield food for him,
        And all the beasts of the field play there.
        ²¹He lies under the lotus trees,
        In a covert of reeds and marsh.
        ²²The lotus trees cover him with their shade;
        The willows by the brook surround him.
        ²³Indeed the river may rage,
        Yet he is not disturbed;
        He is confident, though the Jordan gushes into his mouth,
        ²⁴Though he takes it in his eyes,
        Or one pierces his nose with a snare.

Job 41


God's Power in the Leviathan
¹ "Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook,
        Or snare his tongue with a line which you lower?
        ²Can you put a reed through his nose,
        Or pierce his jaw with a hook?
        ³Will he make many supplications to you?
        Will he speak softly to you?
        ⁴Will he make a covenant with you?
        Will you take him as a servant forever?
        ⁵Will you play with him as with a bird,
        Or will you leash him for your maidens?
        ⁶Will your companions make a banquet of him?
        Will they apportion him among the merchants?
        ⁷Can you fill his skin with harpoons,
        Or his head with fishing spears?
        ⁸Lay your hand on him;
        Remember the battle--
        Never do it again!
        ⁹Indeed, any hope of overcoming him is false;
        Shall one not be overwhelmed at the sight of him?
        ¹⁰No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up.
        Who then is able to stand against Me?
        ¹¹Who has preceded Me, that I should pay him?
        Everything under heaven is Mine.


        ¹²"I will not conceal his limbs,
        His mighty power, or his graceful proportions.
        ¹³Who can remove his outer coat?
        Who can approach him with a double bridle?
        ¹⁴Who can open the doors of his face,
        With his terrible teeth all around?
        ¹⁵His rows of scales are his pride,
        Shut up tightly as with a seal;
        ¹⁶One is so near another
        That no air can come between them;
        ¹⁷They are joined one to another,
        They stick together and cannot be parted.
        ¹⁸His sneezings flash forth light,
        And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
        ¹⁹Out of his mouth go burning lights;
        Sparks of fire shoot out.
        ²⁰Smoke goes out of his nostrils,
        As from a boiling pot and burning rushes.
        ²¹His breath kindles coals,
        And a flame goes out of his mouth.
        ²²Strength dwells in his neck,
        And sorrow dances before him.
        ²³The folds of his flesh are joined together;
        They are firm on him and cannot be moved.
        ²⁴His heart is as hard as stone,
        Even as hard as the lower millstone.
        ²⁵When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid;
        Because of his crashings they are beside themselves.
        ²⁶Though the sword reaches him, it cannot avail;
        Nor does spear, dart, or javelin.
        ²⁷He regards iron as straw,
        And bronze as rotten wood.
        ²⁸The arrow cannot make him flee;
        Slingstones become like stubble to him.
        ²⁹Darts are regarded as straw;
        He laughs at the threat of javelins.
        ³⁰His undersides are like sharp potsherds;
        He spreads pointed marks in the mire.
        ³¹He makes the deep boil like a pot;
        He makes the sea like a pot of ointment.
        ³²He leaves a shining wake behind him;
        One would think the deep had white hair.
        ³³On earth there is nothing like him,
        Which is made without fear.
        ³⁴He beholds every high thing;
        He is king over all the children of pride."

Job 42


Job's Repentance and Restoration


God Blesses Job
¹ Then Job answered the LORD and said:


        ²"I know that You can do everything,
        And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.
        ³You asked, "Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?'
        Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
        Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
        ⁴Listen, please, and let me speak;
        You said, "I will question you, and you shall answer Me.'


        ⁵"I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear,
        But now my eye sees You.
        ⁶Therefore I abhor myself,
        And repent in dust and ashes."


⁷And so it was, after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has. ⁸Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you. For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your folly; because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has."
⁹So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the LORD commanded them; for the LORD had accepted Job. ¹⁰And the LORD restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. ¹¹Then all his brothers, all his sisters, and all those who had been his acquaintances before, came to him and ate food with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversity that the LORD had brought upon him. Each one gave him a piece of silver and each a ring of gold.
¹²Now the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. ¹³He also had seven sons and three daughters. ¹⁴And he called the name of the first Jemimah, the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-Happuch. ¹⁵In all the land were found no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers.
¹⁶After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. ¹⁷So Job died, old and full of days.