Font Size
Job 17-18
New American Standard Bible
Job 17-18
New American Standard Bible
Job Says He Has Become a Proverb
17 “My spirit is broken, my days are extinguished,
The [a](A)grave is ready for me.
2 (B)Mockers are certainly with me,
And my eye [b]gazes on their provocation.
3 “Make a pledge (C)for me with Yourself;
Who is there that will [c]be my guarantor?
4 For You have [d](D)kept their hearts away from understanding;
Therefore You will not exalt them.
5 He who (E)informs against friends for a share of the spoils,
The (F)eyes of his children also will perish.
6 “But He has made me a (G)proverb among the people,
And I am [e]one at whom people (H)spit.
7 My eye has also become (I)inexpressive because of grief,
And all my (J)body parts are like a shadow.
8 The upright will be appalled at this,
And the (K)innocent will stir himself up against the godless.
9 Nevertheless (L)the righteous will hold to his way,
And (M)the one who has clean hands will grow stronger and stronger.
10 But come again all of [f]you now,
For I (N)do not find a wise man among you.
11 My (O)days are past, my plans are torn apart,
The wishes of my heart.
12 They make night into day, saying,
‘The light is near,’ in the presence of darkness.
13 If I hope for [g](P)Sheol as my home,
I [h]make my bed in the darkness;
14 If I call to the (Q)grave, ‘You are my father’;
To the (R)maggot, ‘my mother and my sister’;
15 Where then is (S)my hope?
And who looks at my hope?
16 [i]Will it go down with me to Sheol?
Shall we together (T)go down into the dust?”
Bildad Speaks of the Wicked
18 Then Bildad the Shuhite responded,
2 “How long will you hunt for words?
Show understanding, and then we can talk.
3 Why are we (U)regarded as animals,
As stupid in your eyes?
4 [j]You who tear yourself in your anger—
Should the earth be abandoned for your sake,
Or the rock moved from its place?
5 “Indeed, the (V)light of the wicked goes out,
And the spark from his fire does not shine.
6 The light in his tent is (W)darkened,
And his lamp goes out above him.
7 His [k]vigorous stride is shortened,
And his (X)own plan brings him down.
8 For he is (Y)thrown into the net by his own feet,
And he steps on the webbing.
9 A snare seizes him by the heel,
And a trap snaps shut on him.
10 A noose for him is hidden in the ground,
And a trap for him on the pathway.
11 All around (Z)sudden terrors frighten him,
And (AA)harass him at every step.
12 His strength is (AB)famished,
And disaster is ready at his side.
13 [l]It devours parts of his skin,
The firstborn of death (AC)devours his [m]limbs.
14 He is (AD)torn from [n]the security of his tent,
And [o]they march him before the king of (AE)terrors.
15 [p]Nothing of his dwells in his tent;
(AF)Brimstone is scattered on his home.
16 His (AG)roots are dried below,
And his (AH)branch withers above.
17 (AI)The memory of him perishes from the earth,
And he has no name abroad.
18 [q]He is driven from light (AJ)into darkness,
And (AK)chased from the inhabited world.
19 He has no (AL)offspring or descendants among his people,
Nor any survivor where he resided.
20 Those in the west are appalled at (AM)his [r]fate,
And those in the east are seized with horror.
21 Certainly these are the (AN)dwellings of the wicked,
And this is the place of him who does not know God.”
Footnotes
- Job 17:1 Lit graves are
- Job 17:2 Lit dwells
- Job 17:3 Lit strike hands with me
- Job 17:4 Lit hidden
- Job 17:6 Lit a spitting to the faces
- Job 17:10 As in some mss and ancient versions; MT them
- Job 17:13 I.e., the netherworld
- Job 17:13 Lit spread out
- Job 17:16 As in LXX; Heb possibly Let my limbs sink down to Sheol, since there is rest in the dust for all.
- Job 18:4 Lit The one who tears himself in his
- Job 18:7 Lit steps of his strength
- Job 18:13 Another reading is His skin is devoured by illness
- Job 18:13 Or parts
- Job 18:14 Lit his tent his trust
- Job 18:14 Lit you march or she marches
- Job 18:15 Another reading is Fire dwells in his tent
- Job 18:18 Lit They drive him...And chase him
- Job 18:20 Lit day
Job 17-18
New International Version
Job 17-18
New International Version
17 1 My spirit(A) is broken,
my days are cut short,(B)
the grave awaits me.(C)
2 Surely mockers(D) surround me;(E)
my eyes must dwell on their hostility.
3 “Give me, O God, the pledge you demand.(F)
Who else will put up security(G) for me?(H)
4 You have closed their minds to understanding;(I)
therefore you will not let them triumph.
5 If anyone denounces their friends for reward,(J)
the eyes of their children will fail.(K)
6 “God has made me a byword(L) to everyone,(M)
a man in whose face people spit.(N)
7 My eyes have grown dim with grief;(O)
my whole frame is but a shadow.(P)
8 The upright are appalled at this;
the innocent are aroused(Q) against the ungodly.
9 Nevertheless, the righteous(R) will hold to their ways,
and those with clean hands(S) will grow stronger.(T)
10 “But come on, all of you, try again!
I will not find a wise man among you.(U)
11 My days have passed,(V) my plans are shattered.
Yet the desires of my heart(W)
12 turn night into day;(X)
in the face of the darkness light is near.(Y)
13 If the only home I hope for is the grave,(Z)
if I spread out my bed(AA) in the realm of darkness,(AB)
14 if I say to corruption,(AC) ‘You are my father,’
and to the worm,(AD) ‘My mother’ or ‘My sister,’
15 where then is my hope—(AE)
who can see any hope for me?(AF)
16 Will it go down to the gates of death?(AG)
Will we descend together into the dust?”(AH)
Bildad
18 Then Bildad the Shuhite(AI) replied:
2 “When will you end these speeches?(AJ)
Be sensible, and then we can talk.
3 Why are we regarded as cattle(AK)
and considered stupid in your sight?(AL)
4 You who tear yourself(AM) to pieces in your anger,(AN)
is the earth to be abandoned for your sake?
Or must the rocks be moved from their place?(AO)
5 “The lamp of a wicked man is snuffed out;(AP)
the flame of his fire stops burning.(AQ)
6 The light in his tent(AR) becomes dark;(AS)
the lamp beside him goes out.(AT)
7 The vigor(AU) of his step is weakened;(AV)
his own schemes(AW) throw him down.(AX)
8 His feet thrust him into a net;(AY)
he wanders into its mesh.
9 A trap seizes him by the heel;
a snare(AZ) holds him fast.(BA)
10 A noose(BB) is hidden for him on the ground;
a trap(BC) lies in his path.(BD)
11 Terrors(BE) startle him on every side(BF)
and dog(BG) his every step.
12 Calamity(BH) is hungry(BI) for him;
disaster(BJ) is ready for him when he falls.(BK)
13 It eats away parts of his skin;(BL)
death’s firstborn devours his limbs.(BM)
14 He is torn from the security of his tent(BN)
and marched off to the king(BO) of terrors.(BP)
15 Fire resides[a] in his tent;(BQ)
burning sulfur(BR) is scattered over his dwelling.
16 His roots dry up below(BS)
and his branches wither above.(BT)
17 The memory of him perishes from the earth;(BU)
he has no name(BV) in the land.(BW)
18 He is driven from light into the realm of darkness(BX)
and is banished(BY) from the world.(BZ)
19 He has no offspring(CA) or descendants(CB) among his people,
no survivor(CC) where once he lived.(CD)
20 People of the west are appalled(CE) at his fate;(CF)
those of the east are seized with horror.
21 Surely such is the dwelling(CG) of an evil man;(CH)
such is the place(CI) of one who does not know God.”(CJ)
Footnotes
- Job 18:15 Or Nothing he had remains
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
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.