24 “Why are (A)not times of judgment (B)kept by the Almighty,
    and why do those who know him never see his (C)days?
Some move (D)landmarks;
    they seize flocks and pasture them.
They drive away the donkey of the fatherless;
    they (E)take the widow's ox for a pledge.
They (F)thrust the poor off the road;
    the poor of the earth (G)all hide themselves.
Behold, like wild donkeys in the desert
    the poor[a] (H)go out to their toil, (I)seeking game;
    the wasteland yields food for their children.
They gather their[b] fodder in the field,
    and they glean the vineyard of the wicked man.
They (J)lie all night naked, without clothing,
    and have no covering in the cold.
They are wet with the rain of the mountains
    and (K)cling to the rock for lack of shelter.
(There are those who snatch the fatherless child from the breast,
    and they take a pledge against the poor.)
10 They go about naked, without clothing;
    hungry, they (L)carry the sheaves;
11 among the olive rows of the wicked[c] they make oil;
    they tread the winepresses, but suffer thirst.
12 From out of the city the dying[d] groan,
    and the soul of (M)the wounded cries for help;
    yet God charges no one with (N)wrong.

13 “There are those who rebel (O)against the light,
    who are not acquainted with its ways,
    and do not stay in its paths.
14 The murderer rises before it is light,
    that he (P)may kill the poor and needy,
    and in the night he is like a thief.
15 The eye of the adulterer also waits for (Q)the twilight,
    saying, ‘No (R)eye will see me’;
    and he veils his face.
16 In the dark they (S)dig through houses;
    by day they shut themselves up;
    they do not know the light.
17 For (T)deep darkness is morning to all of them;
    for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness.

18 “You say, (U)‘Swift are they on the face of the waters;
    their portion is cursed in the land;
    no treader turns toward their vineyards.
19 Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters;
    so does (V)Sheol those who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets them;
    the worm finds them sweet;
they are (W)no longer remembered,
    so wickedness is broken like (X)a tree.’

21 “They wrong the barren, childless woman,
    and do no good to the widow.
22 Yet God[e] prolongs the life of the mighty by his power;
    they rise up when they despair of life.
23 He gives them security, and they are supported,
    and his (Y)eyes are upon their ways.
24 They are exalted (Z)a little while, and then (AA)are gone;
    they are brought low and gathered up like all others;
    they are (AB)cut off like the heads of grain.
25 If it is (AC)not so, who will prove me a liar
    and show that there is nothing in what I say?”

Footnotes

  1. Job 24:5 Hebrew they
  2. Job 24:6 Hebrew his
  3. Job 24:11 Hebrew their olive rows
  4. Job 24:12 Or the men
  5. Job 24:22 Hebrew he

24 “Why does the Almighty not set times(A) for judgment?(B)
    Why must those who know him look in vain for such days?(C)
There are those who move boundary stones;(D)
    they pasture flocks they have stolen.(E)
They drive away the orphan’s donkey
    and take the widow’s ox in pledge.(F)
They thrust the needy(G) from the path
    and force all the poor(H) of the land into hiding.(I)
Like wild donkeys(J) in the desert,
    the poor go about their labor(K) of foraging food;
    the wasteland(L) provides food for their children.
They gather fodder(M) in the fields
    and glean in the vineyards(N) of the wicked.(O)
Lacking clothes, they spend the night naked;
    they have nothing to cover themselves in the cold.(P)
They are drenched(Q) by mountain rains
    and hug(R) the rocks for lack of shelter.(S)
The fatherless(T) child is snatched(U) from the breast;
    the infant of the poor is seized(V) for a debt.(W)
10 Lacking clothes, they go about naked;(X)
    they carry the sheaves,(Y) but still go hungry.
11 They crush olives among the terraces[a];
    they tread the winepresses,(Z) yet suffer thirst.(AA)
12 The groans of the dying rise from the city,
    and the souls of the wounded cry out for help.(AB)
    But God charges no one with wrongdoing.(AC)

13 “There are those who rebel against the light,(AD)
    who do not know its ways
    or stay in its paths.(AE)
14 When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up,
    kills(AF) the poor and needy,(AG)
    and in the night steals forth like a thief.(AH)
15 The eye of the adulterer(AI) watches for dusk;(AJ)
    he thinks, ‘No eye will see me,’(AK)
    and he keeps his face concealed.
16 In the dark, thieves break into houses,(AL)
    but by day they shut themselves in;
    they want nothing to do with the light.(AM)
17 For all of them, midnight is their morning;
    they make friends with the terrors(AN) of darkness.(AO)

18 “Yet they are foam(AP) on the surface of the water;(AQ)
    their portion of the land is cursed,(AR)
    so that no one goes to the vineyards.(AS)
19 As heat and drought snatch away the melted snow,(AT)
    so the grave(AU) snatches away those who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets them,
    the worm(AV) feasts on them;(AW)
the wicked are no longer remembered(AX)
    but are broken like a tree.(AY)
21 They prey on the barren and childless woman,
    and to the widow they show no kindness.(AZ)
22 But God drags away the mighty by his power;(BA)
    though they become established,(BB) they have no assurance of life.(BC)
23 He may let them rest in a feeling of security,(BD)
    but his eyes(BE) are on their ways.(BF)
24 For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone;(BG)
    they are brought low and gathered up like all others;(BH)
    they are cut off like heads of grain.(BI)

25 “If this is not so, who can prove me false
    and reduce my words to nothing?”(BJ)

Footnotes

  1. Job 24:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

Bildad Speaks: Man Cannot Be Righteous

25 Then (A)Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:

“Dominion and fear are with God;[a]
    he makes peace in his high heaven.
Is there any number to his (B)armies?
    Upon whom does his (C)light not arise?
How then can man be (D)in the right before God?
    How can he who is (E)born of woman be (F)pure?
Behold, even the moon is not bright,
    and the stars are not pure in his eyes;
(G)how much less man, who is (H)a maggot,
    and (I)the son of man, who is a worm!”

Footnotes

  1. Job 25:2 Hebrew him

Bildad

25 Then Bildad the Shuhite(A) replied:

“Dominion and awe belong to God;(B)
    he establishes order in the heights of heaven.(C)
Can his forces be numbered?
    On whom does his light not rise?(D)
How then can a mortal be righteous before God?
    How can one born of woman be pure?(E)
If even the moon(F) is not bright
    and the stars are not pure in his eyes,(G)
how much less a mortal, who is but a maggot—
    a human being,(H) who is only a worm!”(I)

Job Replies: God's Majesty Is Unsearchable

26 Then Job answered and said:

“How you have (A)helped him who has no power!
    How you have saved (B)the arm that has no strength!
How you have (C)counseled him who has no wisdom,
    and plentifully declared sound knowledge!
With whose help have you uttered words,
    and whose breath (D)has come out from you?
The (E)dead tremble
    under the waters and their inhabitants.
Sheol is (F)naked before God,[a]
    and (G)Abaddon has no covering.
He (H)stretches out the north over (I)the void
    and hangs the earth on nothing.
He (J)binds up the waters in his thick clouds,
    and the cloud is not split open under them.
He covers the face of the full moon[b]
    and (K)spreads over it his cloud.
10 He has inscribed (L)a circle on the face of the waters
    at the boundary between light and darkness.
11 (M)The pillars of heaven tremble
    and are astounded at his (N)rebuke.
12 By his power he (O)stilled the sea;
    by his understanding he shattered (P)Rahab.
13 (Q)By his wind the heavens were made fair;
    his hand pierced (R)the fleeing serpent.
14 Behold, these are but the outskirts of his (S)ways,
    and how small (T)a whisper do we hear of him!
    But the thunder of his power who can understand?”

Footnotes

  1. Job 26:6 Hebrew him
  2. Job 26:9 Or his throne

Job

26 Then Job replied:

“How you have helped the powerless!(A)
    How you have saved the arm that is feeble!(B)
What advice you have offered to one without wisdom!
    And what great insight(C) you have displayed!
Who has helped you utter these words?
    And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?(D)

“The dead are in deep anguish,(E)
    those beneath the waters and all that live in them.
The realm of the dead(F) is naked before God;
    Destruction[a](G) lies uncovered.(H)
He spreads out the northern skies(I) over empty space;
    he suspends the earth over nothing.(J)
He wraps up the waters(K) in his clouds,(L)
    yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
He covers the face of the full moon,
    spreading his clouds(M) over it.
10 He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters(N)
    for a boundary between light and darkness.(O)
11 The pillars of the heavens quake,(P)
    aghast at his rebuke.
12 By his power he churned up the sea;(Q)
    by his wisdom(R) he cut Rahab(S) to pieces.
13 By his breath the skies(T) became fair;
    his hand pierced the gliding serpent.(U)
14 And these are but the outer fringe of his works;
    how faint the whisper(V) we hear of him!(W)
    Who then can understand the thunder of his power?”(X)

Footnotes

  1. Job 26:6 Hebrew Abaddon

Job Continues: I Will Maintain My Integrity

27 And Job again (A)took up his discourse, and said:

“As God lives, who has (B)taken away my right,
    and the Almighty, who has (C)made my soul bitter,
as long as my breath is in me,
    and (D)the spirit of God is in my nostrils,
my lips will not speak (E)falsehood,
    and my tongue will not utter (F)deceit.
Far be it from me to say that you are right;
    till I die I will not put away my (G)integrity from me.
I (H)hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go;
    my heart does not (I)reproach me for any of my days.

“Let my enemy be as the wicked,
    and let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous.
(J)For what is the hope of the godless (K)when God cuts him off,
    when God takes away his life?
(L)Will God hear his cry
    when distress comes upon him?
10 Will he (M)take delight in the Almighty?
    Will he call upon God at all times?
11 I will teach you concerning the hand of God;
    (N)what is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
12 Behold, all of you have seen it yourselves;
    why then have you become altogether vain?

13 (O)“This is the portion of a wicked man with God,
    and the heritage that (P)oppressors receive from the Almighty:
14 If his (Q)children are multiplied, it is for (R)the sword,
    and his descendants have not enough bread.
15 Those who survive him the pestilence buries,
    and his (S)widows do not weep.
16 Though he (T)heap up silver like dust,
    and pile up clothing like clay,
17 he may pile it up, but the righteous will wear it,
    and (U)the innocent will divide the silver.
18 He builds his (V)house like a moth's,
    like (W)a booth that (X)a watchman makes.
19 He goes to bed rich, but will (Y)do so no more;
    he opens his eyes, and (Z)his wealth is gone.
20 (AA)Terrors overtake him like (AB)a flood;
    in the night a whirlwind (AC)carries him off.
21 (AD)The east wind lifts him up and he is gone;
    it (AE)sweeps him out of his place.
22 It[a] hurls at him (AF)without pity;
    he flees from its[b] power in headlong flight.
23 It (AG)claps its hands at him
    and (AH)hisses at him from its place.

Footnotes

  1. Job 27:22 Or He (that is, God); also verse 23
  2. Job 27:22 Or his; also verse 23

Job’s Final Word to His Friends

27 And Job continued his discourse:(A)

“As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,(B)
    the Almighty,(C) who has made my life bitter,(D)
as long as I have life within me,
    the breath of God(E) in my nostrils,
my lips will not say anything wicked,
    and my tongue will not utter lies.(F)
I will never admit you are in the right;
    till I die, I will not deny my integrity.(G)
I will maintain my innocence(H) and never let go of it;
    my conscience(I) will not reproach me as long as I live.(J)

“May my enemy be like the wicked,(K)
    my adversary(L) like the unjust!
For what hope have the godless(M) when they are cut off,
    when God takes away their life?(N)
Does God listen to their cry
    when distress comes upon them?(O)
10 Will they find delight in the Almighty?(P)
    Will they call on God at all times?

11 “I will teach you about the power of God;
    the ways(Q) of the Almighty I will not conceal.(R)
12 You have all seen this yourselves.
    Why then this meaningless talk?

13 “Here is the fate God allots to the wicked,
    the heritage a ruthless man receives from the Almighty:(S)
14 However many his children,(T) their fate is the sword;(U)
    his offspring will never have enough to eat.(V)
15 The plague will bury those who survive him,
    and their widows will not weep for them.(W)
16 Though he heaps up silver like dust(X)
    and clothes like piles of clay,(Y)
17 what he lays up(Z) the righteous will wear,(AA)
    and the innocent will divide his silver.(AB)
18 The house(AC) he builds is like a moth’s cocoon,(AD)
    like a hut(AE) made by a watchman.
19 He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;(AF)
    when he opens his eyes, all is gone.(AG)
20 Terrors(AH) overtake him like a flood;(AI)
    a tempest snatches him away in the night.(AJ)
21 The east wind(AK) carries him off, and he is gone;(AL)
    it sweeps him out of his place.(AM)
22 It hurls itself against him without mercy(AN)
    as he flees headlong(AO) from its power.(AP)
23 It claps its hands(AQ) in derision
    and hisses him out of his place.”(AR)

Job Continues: Where Is Wisdom?

28 “Surely there is a mine for silver,
    and a place for gold that they (A)refine.
Iron is taken out of the earth,
    and copper is smelted from the ore.
Man puts an end to darkness
    and searches out to the farthest limit
    the ore in (B)gloom and (C)deep darkness.
He opens shafts in a valley away from where anyone lives;
    they are forgotten by travelers;
    they hang in the air, far away from mankind; they swing to and fro.
As for the earth, (D)out of it comes bread,
    but underneath it is turned up as by fire.
Its stones are the place of (E)sapphires,[a]
    and it has dust of gold.

“That path no bird of prey knows,
    and the falcon's eye has not seen it.
(F)The proud beasts have not trodden it;
    (G)the lion has not passed over it.

“Man puts his hand to (H)the flinty rock
    and overturns mountains by the roots.
10 He cuts out channels in the rocks,
    and his eye sees every precious thing.
11 He dams up the streams so that they do not trickle,
    and the thing that is hidden he brings out to light.

12 (I)“But where shall wisdom be found?
    And where is the place of understanding?
13 Man does not know its worth,
    and it is not found in (J)the land of the living.
14 (K)The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’
    and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
15 It (L)cannot be bought for gold,
    and silver cannot be weighed as its price.
16 It cannot be valued in (M)the gold of (N)Ophir,
    in precious (O)onyx or (P)sapphire.
17 Gold and glass cannot equal it,
    nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
18 No mention shall be made of (Q)coral or of crystal;
    the price of wisdom is above (R)(S)pearls.
19 (T)The 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?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of (U)all living
    and concealed from the birds of the air.
22 (V)Abaddon and Death say,
    ‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’

23 (W)“God understands the way to it,
    and he knows its place.
24 For he (X)looks to the ends of the earth
    and sees everything under the heavens.
25 When he (Y)gave to the wind its weight
    and apportioned the waters by measure,
26 when he made a decree for the rain
    and (Z)a way for the lightning of the thunder,
27 then he saw it and declared it;
    he established it, and searched it out.
28 And he said to man,
‘Behold, (AA)the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
    and to (AB)turn away from evil is understanding.’”

Footnotes

  1. Job 28:6 Or lapis lazuli; also verse 16

Interlude: Where Wisdom Is Found

28 There is a mine for silver
    and a place where gold is refined.(A)
Iron is taken from the earth,
    and copper is smelted from ore.(B)
Mortals put an end to the darkness;(C)
    they search out the farthest recesses
    for ore in the blackest darkness.(D)
Far from human dwellings they cut a shaft,(E)
    in places untouched by human feet;
    far from other people they dangle and sway.
The earth, from which food comes,(F)
    is transformed below as by fire;
lapis lazuli(G) comes from its rocks,
    and its dust contains nuggets of gold.(H)
No bird of prey knows that hidden path,
    no falcon’s eye has seen it.(I)
Proud beasts(J) do not set foot on it,
    and no lion prowls there.(K)
People assault the flinty rock(L) with their hands
    and lay bare the roots of the mountains.(M)
10 They tunnel through the rock;(N)
    their eyes see all its treasures.(O)
11 They search[a] the sources of the rivers(P)
    and bring hidden things(Q) to light.

12 But where can wisdom be found?(R)
    Where does understanding dwell?(S)
13 No mortal comprehends its worth;(T)
    it cannot be found in the land of the living.(U)
14 The deep(V) says, “It is not in me”;
    the sea(W) says, “It is not with me.”
15 It cannot be bought with the finest gold,
    nor can its price be weighed out in silver.(X)
16 It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir,(Y)
    with precious onyx or lapis lazuli.(Z)
17 Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it,(AA)
    nor can it be had for jewels of gold.(AB)
18 Coral(AC) and jasper(AD) are not worthy of mention;
    the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.(AE)
19 The topaz(AF) of Cush(AG) cannot compare with it;
    it cannot be bought with pure gold.(AH)

20 Where then does wisdom come from?
    Where does understanding dwell?(AI)
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
    concealed even from the birds in the sky.(AJ)
22 Destruction[b](AK) and Death(AL) say,
    “Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.”
23 God understands the way to it
    and he alone(AM) knows where it dwells,(AN)
24 for he views the ends of the earth(AO)
    and sees everything under the heavens.(AP)
25 When he established the force of the wind
    and measured out the waters,(AQ)
26 when he made a decree for the rain(AR)
    and a path for the thunderstorm,(AS)
27 then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;
    he confirmed it and tested it.(AT)
28 And he said to the human race,
    “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
    and to shun evil(AU) is understanding.”(AV)

Footnotes

  1. Job 28:11 Septuagint, Aquila and Vulgate; Hebrew They dam up
  2. Job 28:22 Hebrew Abaddon