Job 32-42

New American Standard Bible

¹¹ “Behold, I waited for your words,
I listened to your skillful speech,
While you ^[k]pondered what to say.
¹² I also paid close attention to you;
But ^[l]indeed, there was no one who refuted Job,
Not one of you who answered his words.
¹³ So do not say,
‘^(J)We have found wisdom:
God will ^[m]defeat him, not man.’
¹⁴ But he has not presented his words against me,
Nor will I reply to him with your ^[n]arguments.

¹⁵ “They are dismayed, they no longer answer;
Words have ^[o]failed them.
¹⁶ Should I wait, because they are not speaking,
Because they have ^[p]stopped and no longer answer?
¹⁷ I too will ^[q]give my share of answers;
I also will tell my opinion.
¹⁸ For I am full of words;
The spirit within me compels me.
¹⁹ Behold, my belly is like unvented wine;
Like new wineskins, it is about to burst.
²⁰ Let me speak so that I may get relief;
Let me open my lips and answer.
²¹ Let me ^(K)be partial to no one,
Nor flatter any man.
²² For I do not know how to flatter,
Otherwise my Maker would quickly take me away.

⁸ “You have in fact spoken ^[u]while I listened,
And I heard the sound of your words:
⁹ ‘I am ^(S)pure, ^(T)without wrongdoing;
I am innocent and there ^(U)is no guilt in me.
¹⁰ Behold, He ^[v]invents ^[w]criticisms against me;
He ^(V)counts me as His enemy.
¹¹ He ^(W)puts my feet in the stocks;
He watches all my paths.’
¹² Behold, let me respond to you, ^(X)you are not right in this,
For God is greater than mankind.

¹³ “Why do you ^(Y)complain to Him
That He does not give an account of all His doings?
¹⁴ Indeed ^(Z)God speaks once,
Or twice, yet no one notices it.
¹⁵ In a ^(AA)dream, a vision of the night,
When deep sleep falls on people,
While they slumber in their beds,
¹⁶ Then ^(AB)He opens the ears of people,
And horrifies them with warnings,
¹⁷ So that He may turn a person away from bad conduct,
And ^[x]keep a man from pride;
¹⁸ He ^(AC)keeps his soul back from the pit,
And his life from perishing by the ^(AD)spear.

¹⁹ “A person is also rebuked by ^(AE)pain in his bed,
And with constant complaint in his bones,
²⁰ So that his life ^(AF)loathes bread,
And his soul, food ^[y]that he should crave.
²¹ His ^(AG)flesh wastes away from sight,
And his ^(AH)bones, which were not seen, stick out.
²² Then ^(AI)his soul comes near to the pit,
And his life to those who bring death.

²³ “If there is an ^(AJ)interceding angel for him,
One out of a thousand,
To remind a person of what is ^[z]right for him,
²⁴ And he is gracious to him, and says,
‘Free him from ^(AK)going down to the pit,
I have found a ^(AL)ransom’;
²⁵ Let his flesh become fresher than in youth,
Let him return to the days of his youthful vigor;
²⁶ Then he will ^(AM)pray to God, and He will accept him,
So that ^(AN)he may see His face with joy,
And He will restore His righteousness to that person.
²⁷ He will sing to people and say,
‘I ^(AO)have sinned and perverted what is right,
And it is not ^(AP)proper for me.
²⁸ He has redeemed my soul from going to the pit,
And my life will ^(AQ)see the light.’

²⁹ “Behold, God does ^(AR)all these things for a man two or three times,
³⁰ To ^(AS)bring back his soul from the pit,
So that he may be enlightened with the light of life.
³¹ Pay attention, Job, listen to me;
Keep silent, and let me speak.
³² Then if ^[aa]you have anything to say, answer me;
Speak, for I would take pleasure in justifying you.
³³ If not, ^(AT)listen to me;
Keep silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

¹⁰ “Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding.
Far be it from God to ^(BB)do evil,
And from the Almighty to do wrong.
¹¹ For He repays a person for ^(BC)his work,
And lets things happen in correspondence to a man’s ^[ad]behavior.
^12 (BD)God certainly will not act wickedly,
And the Almighty will not pervert justice.
¹³ Who ^(BE)gave Him authority over the earth?
And who ^(BF)has placed the whole world on Him?
¹⁴ If He were to ^[ae]determine to do so,
If He were to ^(BG)gather His ^[af]spirit and His breath to Himself,
^15 [ag](BH)Humanity would perish together,
And mankind would ^(BI)return to dust.

¹⁶ “But if you have understanding, hear this;
Listen to the sound of my words.
¹⁷ Shall ^(BJ)one who hates justice rule?
And ^(BK)will you condemn the righteous mighty One,
¹⁸ Who says to a king, ‘You worthless one,’
To nobles, ‘You wicked one’;
¹⁹ Who shows no ^(BL)partiality to the prominent,
Nor regards the rich as above the poor,
Since they are all the ^(BM)work of His hands?
²⁰ In a moment they die, and ^(BN)at midnight
People are shaken and pass away,
And ^(BO)the powerful are taken away without a hand.

²¹ “For ^(BP)His eyes are upon the ways of a person,
And He sees all his steps.
²² There is ^(BQ)no darkness or deep shadow
Where the workers of injustice can hide themselves.
²³ For He does not ^(BR)need to consider a person further,
That he should go before God in judgment.
²⁴ He breaks in pieces the ^(BS)mighty without investigation,
And sets others in their place.
²⁵ Therefore He ^(BT)knows their deeds,
And ^(BU)He overthrows them in the night,
And they are crushed.
²⁶ He ^(BV)strikes them like the wicked
^[ah]In a public place,
²⁷ Because they ^(BW)turned aside from following Him,
And ^(BX)had no regard for any of His ways,
²⁸ So that they caused ^(BY)the cry of the poor to come to Him,
And that He would ^(BZ)hear the cry of the afflicted—
²⁹ When He keeps quiet, who can condemn?
And when He hides His face, who then can look at Him,
That is, regarding both nation and a person?—
³⁰ So that ^(CA)godless people would not rule,
Nor be snares for the people.

³¹ “For has anyone said to God,
‘I have endured punishment;
I will not offend anymore;
³² Teach me what I do not see;
If I have ^(CB)done wrong,
I will not do it again’?
³³ Shall God ^(CC)repay on your terms, because you have rejected His?
For you must choose, and not I;
Therefore declare what you know.
³⁴ Men of understanding will say to me,
And a wise man who hears me,
³⁵ ‘Job ^(CD)speaks without knowledge,
And his words are without wisdom.
³⁶ Oh that Job were tested ^[ai]to the limit,
Because ^[aj]he answers ^(CE)like sinners.
³⁷ For he adds ^(CF)rebellion to his sin;
He ^(CG)claps his hands among us,
And multiplies his words against God.’”

⁹ “Because of the ^(CO)multitude of oppressions they cry out;
They cry for help because of the arm ^(CP)of the mighty.
¹⁰ But ^(CQ)no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker,
Who ^(CR)gives songs in the night,
¹¹ Who ^(CS)teaches us more than the animals of the earth
And makes us wiser than the birds of the sky?’
¹² There ^(CT)they cry out, but He does not answer
Because of the pride of evil people.
^13 (CU)God certainly will not listen to ^[al]an empty cry,
Nor will the Almighty regard it.
¹⁴ How much less when ^(CV)you say you do not look at Him,
The ^(CW)case is before Him, and you must wait for Him!
¹⁵ And now, because He has not avenged His anger,
Nor has He acknowledged ^[am]wrongdoing well,
¹⁶ So Job opens his mouth with empty words;
He multiplies words ^(CX)without knowledge.”

¹⁷ “But you were full of ^(DS)judgment on the wicked;
Judgment and justice take hold of you.
¹⁸ Beware that ^(DT)wrath does not entice you to mockery;
And do not let the greatness of the ^(DU)ransom turn you aside.
¹⁹ Will your cry for help keep you from distress,
Or all the exertions of your strength?
²⁰ Do not long for ^(DV)the night,
When people ^[as]vanish in their places.
²¹ Be careful, do ^(DW)not turn to evil,
For you preferred this to ^(DX)misery.
²² Behold, God is exalted in His power;
Who is a ^(DY)teacher like Him?
²³ Who has appointed Him His way,
And who has said, ‘^(DZ)You have done wrong’?

²⁴ “Remember that you are to ^(EA)exalt His work,
Of which people have ^(EB)sung.
²⁵ All people have seen it;
Mankind looks at it from afar.
²⁶ Behold, God is ^(EC)exalted, and ^(ED)we do not know Him;
The ^(EE)number of His years is unsearchable.
²⁷ For ^(EF)He draws up the drops of water;
They distill rain from its ^[at]celestial stream,
²⁸ Which clouds pour down;
They drip upon mankind abundantly.
²⁹ Can anyone understand the ^(EG)spreading of the clouds,
The ^(EH)thundering of His ^[au]pavilion?
³⁰ Behold, He spreads His ^[av]lightning about Him,
And He covers the depths of the sea.
³¹ For by them He ^(EI)judges peoples;
He ^(EJ)gives food in abundance.
³² He covers His hands with the ^[aw]lightning,
And ^(EK)commands it to strike the target.
³³ Its ^(EL)thundering voice declares ^[ax]His presence;
The livestock also, concerning what is coming up.

¹⁴ “Listen to this, Job;
Stand and consider the wonders of God.
¹⁵ Do you know how God establishes them,
And makes the ^[bi]lightning of His clouds to shine?
¹⁶ Do you know about the hovering of the clouds,
The ^(FF)wonders of One who is ^(FG)perfect in knowledge,
¹⁷ You whose garments are hot
When the land is still because of the south wind?
¹⁸ Can you, with Him, ^(FH)spread out the skies,
Strong as a cast metal mirror?
¹⁹ Teach us what we are to say to Him;
We ^(FI)cannot present our case because of darkness.
²⁰ Shall it be told Him that I would speak?
^[bj]Or should a man say that he would be swallowed up?

²¹ “Now people do not see the light which is bright in the skies;
But the wind has passed and cleared them.
²² From the north comes golden splendor;
Around God is awesome majesty.
²³ The Almighty—^(FJ)we cannot find Him;
He is ^(FK)exalted in power
And ^(FL)He will not violate ^(FM)justice and abundant righteousness.
²⁴ Therefore people ^(FN)fear Him;
He does not ^(FO)regard any who are wise of heart.”

⁸ “Or who ^(FX)enclosed the sea with doors
When it went out from the womb, bursting forth;
⁹ When I made a cloud its garment,
And thick darkness its swaddling bands,
¹⁰ And I ^[bm](FY)placed boundaries on it
And set a bolt and doors,
¹¹ And I said, ‘As far as this point you shall come, but no farther;
And here your proud waves shall stop’?

¹⁶ “Have you entered ^(GD)the springs of the sea,
And walked ^[bo]in the depth of the ocean?
¹⁷ Have the gates of death been revealed to you,
And have you seen the gates of ^(GE)deep darkness?
¹⁸ Have you understood the ^[bp]expanse of ^(GF)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,
²⁰ That you would take it to ^(GG)its territory,
And discern the paths to its ^[bq]home?
²¹ You know, for ^(GH)you were born then,
And the number of your days is great!
²² Have you entered the storehouses ^(GI)of the snow,
And have you seen the storehouses of the ^(GJ)hail,
²³ Which I have reserved for a time of distress,
For a day of war and battle?
²⁴ Where is the way that ^(GK)the light is divided,
And the east wind scattered on the earth?

²⁵ “Who has split open a channel for the flood,
And a way for the thunderbolt,
²⁶ To bring ^(GL)rain on a land without ^[br]people,
On a desert without a person in it,
²⁷ To ^(GM)satisfy the waste and desolate land,
And to make the ^[bs]seeds of grass to sprout?
²⁸ Does ^(GN)the rain have a father?
Or who has fathered the drops of dew?
²⁹ From whose womb has come the ^(GO)ice?
And the frost of heaven, who has given it birth?
³⁰ Water ^[bt]becomes hard like stone,
And the surface of the deep is imprisoned.

³¹ “Can you tie up the chains of the ^(GP)Pleiades,
Or untie the cords of Orion?
³² Can you bring out a ^[bu]constellation in its season,
And guide the Bear with her ^[bv]satellites?
³³ Do you know the ^(GQ)ordinances of the heavens,
Or do you establish their rule over the earth?

³⁴ “Can you raise your voice to the clouds,
So that an ^(GR)abundance of water will cover you?
³⁵ Can you ^(GS)send flashes of lightning, so that they may go
And say to you, ‘Here we are’?
³⁶ Who has ^(GT)put wisdom in the innermost being,
Or given ^(GU)understanding to the ^[bw]mind?
³⁷ Who can count the clouds by wisdom,
And ^(GV)pour out the water jars of the heavens,
³⁸ When the dust hardens into a mass
And the clods stick together?

³⁹ “Can you hunt the ^(GW)prey for the lioness,
Or satisfy the appetite of young lions,
⁴⁰ When they ^(GX)crouch in their hiding places,
And lie in wait in their lair?
⁴¹ Who prepares ^[bx]feed for ^(GY)the raven
When its young cry to God,
And wander about without food?

⁵ “Who sent the ^(HB)wild donkey out free?
And who opened the bonds of the swift donkey,
⁶ To whom I gave ^(HC)the wilderness as his home,
And the salt land as his dwelling place?
⁷ He laughs at the turmoil of the city,
He does not hear the shouting of the taskmaster.
⁸ He explores the mountains of his pasture,
And searches after every green thing.
⁹ Will the ^(HD)wild bull be willing to serve you,
Or will he spend the night at your feeding trough?
¹⁰ Can you tie down the wild bull in a furrow with ^[bz]ropes,
Or will he ^[ca]plow the valleys after you?
¹¹ Will you trust him because his strength is great,
And leave your labor to him?
¹² Will you have faith in him that he will return your ^[cb]grain
And gather it from your threshing floor?

¹³ “The wings of the ostrich flap joyously,
With the pinion and feathers of ^[cc]love,
¹⁴ For she abandons her eggs to the earth
And warms them in the dust,
¹⁵ And she forgets that a foot may crush ^[cd]them,
Or that a wild animal may trample ^[ce]them.
¹⁶ She treats her young ^(HE)cruelly, as if they were not hers;
Though her labor is for nothing, she is ^[cf]unconcerned,
¹⁷ Because God has made her forget wisdom,
And has not given her a share of understanding.
¹⁸ When she rushes away on high,
She laughs at the horse and his rider.

¹⁹ “Do you give the horse his might?
Do you clothe his neck with a mane?
²⁰ Do you make him ^(HF)leap like locusts?
His majestic ^(HG)snorting is frightening.
^21 [cg]He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength;
He ^(HH)goes out to meet the battle.
²² He laughs at fear and is not dismayed;
And he does not turn back from the sword.
²³ The quiver rattles against him,
The flashing spear and javelin.
²⁴ He ^[ch]races over the ground with a roar and fury,
And he does not stand still when he hears the sound of the trumpet.
²⁵ As often as the trumpet sounds he says, ‘Aha!’
And he senses the battle from afar,
And the thunder of the captains and the war cry.

²⁶ “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars,
Stretching his wings toward the south?
²⁷ Is it at your ^[ci]command that the eagle flies high,
And makes ^(HI)his nest on high?
²⁸ He dwells and spends his nights on the cliff,
On the rocky cliff, an inaccessible place.
²⁹ From there he ^(HJ)tracks food;
His eyes look at it from afar.
³⁰ His young ones also lick up blood greedily;
And ^(HK)where the slain are, there he is.”

¹⁰ “^(HW)Adorn yourself with pride and dignity,
And clothe yourself with honor and majesty.
¹¹ Let out your ^(HX)outbursts of anger,
And look at everyone who is ^(HY)arrogant, and humble him.
¹² Look at everyone who is arrogant, and ^(HZ)humble him,
And ^(IA)trample down the wicked ^[cl]where they stand.
^13 (IB)Hide them together in the dust;
Imprison ^[cm]them in the hidden place.
¹⁴ Then I will also ^[cn]confess to you,
That your own right hand can save you.

¹⁹ “He is the ^(ID)first of the ways of God;
Let his ^(IE)Maker bring His sword near.
²⁰ Indeed the ^[cr]mountains ^(IF)bring him food,
And all the animals of the field ^(IG)play there.
²¹ He lies down under the lotus plants,
In the hiding place of the reeds and the marsh.
²² The lotus plants cover him with ^[cs]shade;
The willows of the brook surround him.
²³ If a river ^[ct]rages, he is not alarmed;
He is confident, though the ^(IH)Jordan rushes to his mouth.
²⁴ Can anyone capture him ^[cu]when he is on watch,
Can anyone pierce his nose with barbs?

¹² “I will not be silent about his limbs,
Or his mighty strength, or his graceful frame.
¹³ Who can ^[de]strip off his outer covering?
Who can ^[df]pierce his double ^[dg]armor?
¹⁴ Who can open the doors of his face?
Around his teeth there is terror.
¹⁵ His ^[dh]strong scales are his pride,
Locked as with a tight seal.
¹⁶ One is so close to another
That no air can come between them.
¹⁷ They are joined one to another;
They clasp each other and cannot be separated.
¹⁸ His sneezes flash forth light,
And his eyes are like the ^(IN)eye of dawn.
¹⁹ From his mouth go burning torches;
Sparks of fire leap forth.
²⁰ From his nostrils smoke goes out
As from a boiling pot and burning reeds.
²¹ His breath sets coals aglow,
And a flame goes forth from his mouth.
²² In his neck dwells strength,
And dismay leaps before him.
²³ The folds of his flesh are joined together,
Firm and immovable on him.
²⁴ His heart is as firm as a stone,
And as firm as a lower millstone.
²⁵ When he rises up, the ^[di]mighty are afraid;
Because of the crashing they are bewildered.
²⁶ The sword that reaches him cannot ^[dj]prevail,
Nor the spear, the dart, or the javelin.
²⁷ He regards iron as straw,
Bronze as rotten wood.
²⁸ The ^[dk]arrow cannot make him flee;
Slingstones are turned into stubble for him.
²⁹ Clubs are regarded as stubble;
He laughs at the rattling of the javelin.
³⁰ His underparts are like sharp pieces of pottery;
He ^[dl]spreads out like a threshing sledge on the mud.
³¹ He makes the depths boil like a pot;
He makes the sea like a jar of ointment.
³² Behind him he illuminates a pathway;
One would think the deep to be gray-haired.
^33 (IO)Nothing on ^[dm]earth is like him,
One made without fear.
^34 [dn]He looks on everything that is high;
He is king over all the ^(IP)sons of pride.”