Font Size
Job 11
New International Version
Job 11
New International Version
Zophar
11 Then Zophar the Naamathite(A) replied:
2 “Are all these words to go unanswered?(B)
Is this talker to be vindicated?(C)
3 Will your idle talk(D) reduce others to silence?
Will no one rebuke you when you mock?(E)
4 You say to God, ‘My beliefs are flawless(F)
and I am pure(G) in your sight.’
5 Oh, how I wish that God would speak,(H)
that he would open his lips against you
6 and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom,(I)
for true wisdom has two sides.
Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin.(J)
7 “Can you fathom(K) the mysteries of God?
Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
8 They are higher(L) than the heavens(M) above—what can you do?
They are deeper than the depths below(N)—what can you know?(O)
9 Their measure(P) is longer than the earth
and wider than the sea.(Q)
10 “If he comes along and confines you in prison
and convenes a court, who can oppose him?(R)
11 Surely he recognizes deceivers;
and when he sees evil, does he not take note?(S)
12 But the witless can no more become wise
than a wild donkey’s colt(T) can be born human.[a](U)
13 “Yet if you devote your heart(V) to him
and stretch out your hands(W) to him,(X)
14 if you put away(Y) the sin that is in your hand
and allow no evil(Z) to dwell in your tent,(AA)
15 then, free of fault, you will lift up your face;(AB)
you will stand firm(AC) and without fear.(AD)
16 You will surely forget your trouble,(AE)
recalling it only as waters gone by.(AF)
17 Life will be brighter than noonday,(AG)
and darkness will become like morning.(AH)
18 You will be secure, because there is hope;
you will look about you and take your rest(AI) in safety.(AJ)
19 You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid,(AK)
and many will court your favor.(AL)
20 But the eyes of the wicked will fail,(AM)
and escape will elude them;(AN)
their hope will become a dying gasp.”(AO)
Footnotes
- Job 11:12 Or wild donkey can be born tame
Job 11
The Message
Job 11
The Message
Zophar’s Counsel
How Wisdom Looks from the Inside
11 1-6 Now it was the turn of Zophar from Naamath:
“What a flood of words! Shouldn’t we put a stop to it?
Should this kind of loose talk be permitted?
Job, do you think you can carry on like this and we’ll say nothing?
That we’ll let you rail and mock and not step in?
You claim, ‘My doctrine is sound
and my conduct impeccable.’
How I wish God would give you a piece of his mind,
tell you what’s what!
I wish he’d show you how wisdom looks from the inside,
for true wisdom is mostly ‘inside.’
But you can be sure of this,
you haven’t gotten half of what you deserve.
7-12 “Do you think you can explain the mystery of God?
Do you think you can diagram God Almighty?
God is far higher than you can imagine,
far deeper than you can comprehend,
Stretching farther than earth’s horizons,
far wider than the endless ocean.
If he happens along, throws you in jail
then hauls you into court, can you do anything about it?
He sees through vain pretensions,
spots evil a long way off—
no one pulls the wool over his eyes!
Hollow men, hollow women, will wise up
about the same time mules learn to talk.
Reach Out to God
13-20 “Still, if you set your heart on God
and reach out to him,
If you scrub your hands of sin
and refuse to entertain evil in your home,
You’ll be able to face the world unashamed
and keep a firm grip on life, guiltless and fearless.
You’ll forget your troubles;
they’ll be like old, faded photographs.
Your world will be washed in sunshine,
every shadow dispersed by dawn.
Full of hope, you’ll relax, confident again;
you’ll look around, sit back, and take it easy.
Expansive, without a care in the world,
you’ll be hunted out by many for your blessing.
But the wicked will see none of this.
They’re headed down a dead-end road
with nothing to look forward to—nothing.”
Job 11
Amplified Bible
Job 11
Amplified Bible
Zophar Rebukes Job
11 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said,
2
“Shall a multitude of words not be answered?
And should a talkative man [making such a long-winded defense] be acquitted?
3
“Should your boasts and babble silence men?
And shall you scoff and no one put you to shame?
4
“For you have said, ‘My teaching (doctrine) [that God knowingly afflicts the righteous] is pure,
And I am innocent in your eyes.’(A)
5
“But oh, that God would speak,
And open His lips [to speak] against you,
6
And [that He would] show you the secrets of wisdom!
For sound wisdom [a]has two sides.
Know therefore that God forgets a part of your wickedness and guilt.
7
“Can you discover the depths of God?
Can you [by searching] discover the limits of the Almighty [ascend to His heights, extend to His widths, and comprehend His infinite perfection]?
8
“His wisdom is as high as the heights of heaven. What can you do?
It is deeper than Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead). What can you know?
9
“It is longer in measure [and scope] than the earth,
And broader than the sea.
10
“If God passes by or arrests,
Or calls an assembly [of judgment], who can restrain Him?
[If He is against a man, who can call Him to account for it?]
11
“For He recognizes and knows false and worthless men,
And He sees wickedness, will He not consider it?
12
“But a hollow (empty-headed) man will become intelligent and wise
[Only] when the [b]colt of a wild donkey is born as a man.
13
“If you direct your heart [on the right path]
And stretch out your hands to Him,
14
If sin is in your hand, put it far away [from you],
And do not let wrongdoing dwell in your tents;
15
Then, indeed, you could lift up your face [to Him] without moral defect,
And you would be firmly established and secure and not fear.
16
“For you would forget your trouble;
You would remember it as waters that have passed by.
17
“And your [c]life would be brighter than the noonday;
Darkness [then] would be like the morning.
18
“Then you would trust [with confidence], because there is hope;
You would look around you and rest securely.
19
“You would lie down with no one to frighten you,
And many would entreat and seek your favor.
20
“But the eyes of the wicked will fail,
And they will not escape [the justice of God];
And their hope is to breathe their last [and die].”
Job 11
New Living Translation
Job 11
New Living Translation
Zophar’s First Response to Job
11 Then Zophar the Naamathite replied to Job:
2 “Shouldn’t someone answer this torrent of words?
Is a person proved innocent just by a lot of talking?
3 Should I remain silent while you babble on?
When you mock God, shouldn’t someone make you ashamed?
4 You claim, ‘My beliefs are pure,’
and ‘I am clean in the sight of God.’
5 If only God would speak;
if only he would tell you what he thinks!
6 If only he would tell you the secrets of wisdom,
for true wisdom is not a simple matter.
Listen! God is doubtless punishing you
far less than you deserve!
7 “Can you solve the mysteries of God?
Can you discover everything about the Almighty?
8 Such knowledge is higher than the heavens—
and who are you?
It is deeper than the underworld[a]—
what do you know?
9 It is broader than the earth
and wider than the sea.
10 If God comes and puts a person in prison
or calls the court to order, who can stop him?
11 For he knows those who are false,
and he takes note of all their sins.
12 An empty-headed person won’t become wise
any more than a wild donkey can bear a human child.[b]
13 “If only you would prepare your heart
and lift up your hands to him in prayer!
14 Get rid of your sins,
and leave all iniquity behind you.
15 Then your face will brighten with innocence.
You will be strong and free of fear.
16 You will forget your misery;
it will be like water flowing away.
17 Your life will be brighter than the noonday.
Even darkness will be as bright as morning.
18 Having hope will give you courage.
You will be protected and will rest in safety.
19 You will lie down unafraid,
and many will look to you for help.
20 But the wicked will be blinded.
They will have no escape.
Their only hope is death.”
Job 11
New King James Version
Job 11
New King James Version
Zophar Urges Job to Repent
11 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:
2 “Should not the multitude of words be answered?
And should [a]a man full of talk be vindicated?
3 Should your empty talk make men [b]hold their peace?
And when you mock, should no one rebuke you?
4 For you have said,
(A)‘My doctrine is pure,
And I am clean in your eyes.’
5 But oh, that God would speak,
And open His lips against you,
6 That He would show you the secrets of wisdom!
For they would double your prudence.
Know therefore that (B)God [c]exacts from you
Less than your iniquity deserves.
7 “Can(C) you search out the deep things of God?
Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?
8 They are higher than heaven—what can you do?
Deeper than [d]Sheol—what can you know?
9 Their measure is longer than the earth
And broader than the sea.
10 “If(D) He passes by, imprisons, and gathers to judgment,
Then who can [e]hinder Him?
11 For (E)He knows deceitful men;
He sees wickedness also.
Will He not then consider it?
12 For an (F)empty-headed man will be wise,
When a wild donkey’s colt is born a man.
13 “If you would (G)prepare your heart,
And (H)stretch out your hands toward Him;
14 If iniquity were in your hand, and you put it far away,
And (I)would not let wickedness dwell in your tents;
15 (J)Then surely you could lift up your face without spot;
Yes, you could be steadfast, and not fear;
16 Because you would (K)forget your misery,
And remember it as waters that have passed away,
17 And your life (L)would be brighter than noonday.
Though you were dark, you would be like the morning.
18 And you would be secure, because there is hope;
Yes, you would dig around you, and (M)take your rest in safety.
19 You would also lie down, and no one would make you afraid;
Yes, many would court your favor.
20 But (N)the eyes of the wicked will fail,
And they shall not escape,
And (O)their hope—[f]loss of life!”
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
Amplified Bible (AMP) 
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.