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Job 19-21
American Standard Version
Job 19-21
American Standard Version
19 Then Job answered and said,
2 How long will ye vex my soul,
And break me in pieces with words?
3 These ten times have ye reproached me:
Ye are not ashamed that ye deal hardly with me.
4 And be it indeed that I have erred,
Mine error remaineth with myself.
5 [a]If indeed ye will magnify yourselves against me,
And plead against me my reproach;
6 Know now that God hath [b]subverted me in my cause,
And hath compassed me with his net.
7 Behold, I [c]cry out of wrong, but I am not heard:
I cry for help, but there is no justice.
8 He hath walled up my way that I cannot pass,
And hath set darkness in my paths.
9 He hath stripped me of my glory,
And taken the crown from my head.
10 He hath broken me down on every side, and I am gone;
And my hope hath he plucked up like a tree.
11 He hath also kindled his wrath against me,
And he counteth me unto him as one of his adversaries.
12 His troops come on together,
And cast up their way against me,
And encamp round about my tent.
13 He hath put my brethren far from me,
And mine acquaintance are wholly estranged from me.
14 My kinsfolk have failed,
And my familiar friends have forgotten me.
15 They that [d]dwell in my house, and my maids, count me for a stranger:
I am an alien in their sight.
16 I call unto my servant, and he giveth me no answer,
Though I entreat him with my mouth.
17 My breath is strange to my wife,
And [e]my supplication to the children [f]of mine own mother.
18 Even young children despise me;
If I arise, they speak against me.
19 All [g]my familiar friends abhor me,
And they whom I loved are turned against me.
20 My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh,
And I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.
21 Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends;
For the hand of God hath touched me.
22 Why do ye persecute me as God,
And are not satisfied with my flesh?
23 Oh that my words were now written!
Oh that they were inscribed in a book!
24 That with an iron pen and lead
They were graven in the rock for ever!
25 [h]But as for me I know that my [i]Redeemer liveth,
And at last he will stand up upon the [j]earth:
26 [k]And after my skin, even this body, is destroyed,
Then without my flesh shall I see God;
27 Whom I, even I, shall see, [l]on my side,
And mine eyes shall behold, and not as a stranger.
My [m]heart is consumed within me.
28 If ye say, How we will persecute him!
And that the root of the matter is found in me;
29 Be ye afraid of the sword:
For [n]wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword,
That ye may know there is a judgment.
20 Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,
2 Therefore do my thoughts give answer to me,
[o]Even by reason of my haste that is in me.
3 I have heard the reproof which putteth me to shame;
[p]And the spirit of my understanding answereth me.
4 Knowest thou not this of old time,
Since man was placed upon earth,
5 That the triumphing of the wicked is short,
And the joy of the godless but for a moment?
6 Though his height mount up to the heavens,
And his head reach unto the clouds;
7 Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung:
They that have seen him shall say, Where is he?
8 He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found:
Yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night.
9 The eye which saw him shall see him no more;
Neither shall his place any more behold him.
10 [q]His children shall seek the favor of the poor,
And his hands shall give back his wealth.
11 His bones are full of his youth,
But it shall lie down with him in the dust.
12 Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth,
Though he hide it under his tongue,
13 Though he spare it, and will not let it go,
But keep it still within his mouth;
14 Yet his food in his bowels is turned,
It is the gall of asps within him.
15 He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again;
God will cast them out of his belly.
16 He shall suck the poison of asps:
The viper’s tongue shall slay him.
17 He shall not look upon the rivers,
The flowing streams of honey and butter.
18 That which he labored for shall he restore, and shall not swallow it down;
According to the substance [r]that he hath gotten, he shall not rejoice.
19 For he hath oppressed and forsaken the poor;
He hath violently taken away a house, [s]and he shall not build it up.
20 Because he knew no quietness [t]within him,
He shall not save aught of that wherein he delighteth.
21 There was nothing left that he devoured not;
Therefore his prosperity shall not endure.
22 In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits:
The hand of every one that is in misery shall come upon him.
23 [u]When he is about to fill his belly, God will cast the fierceness of his wrath upon him,
And will rain it upon him [v]while he is eating.
24 He shall flee from the iron weapon,
And the bow of brass shall strike him through.
25 He draweth it forth, and it cometh out of his body;
Yea, the glittering point cometh out of his gall:
Terrors are upon him.
26 All darkness is laid up for his treasures:
A fire not blown by man shall devour him;
[w]It shall consume that which is left in his tent.
27 The heavens shall reveal his iniquity,
And the earth shall rise up against him.
28 The increase of his house shall depart;
His goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath.
29 This is the portion of a wicked man from God,
And the heritage appointed unto him by God.
21 Then Job answered and said,
2 Hear diligently my speech;
And let this be your consolations.
3 Suffer me, and I also will speak;
And after that I have spoken, [x]mock on.
4 As for me, is my complaint [y]to man?
And why should I not be impatient?
5 [z]Mark me, and be astonished,
And lay your hand upon your mouth.
6 Even when I remember I am troubled,
And horror taketh hold on my flesh.
7 Wherefore do the wicked live,
Become old, yea, wax mighty in power?
8 Their seed is established with them in their sight,
And their offspring before their eyes.
9 Their houses are [aa]safe from fear,
Neither is the rod of God upon them.
10 Their bull gendereth, and faileth not;
Their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf.
11 They send forth their little ones like a flock,
And their children dance.
12 They [ab]sing to the timbrel and harp,
And rejoice at the sound of the pipe.
13 They spend their days in prosperity,
And in a moment they go down to Sheol.
14 And they say unto God, Depart from us;
For we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.
15 What is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
And what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?
16 [ac]Lo, their prosperity is not in their hand:
The counsel of the wicked is far from me.
17 [ad]How oft is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out?
That their calamity cometh upon them?
That God distributeth sorrows in his anger?
18 That they are as stubble before the wind,
And as chaff that the storm carrieth away?
19 [ae]Ye say, God layeth up his iniquity for his children.
Let him recompense it unto himself, that he may know it:
20 Let his own eyes see his destruction,
And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
21 For what careth he for his house after him,
When the number of his months is cut off?
22 Shall any teach God knowledge,
Seeing he judgeth those that are high?
23 One dieth in his full strength,
Being wholly at ease and quiet:
24 His pails are full of milk,
And the marrow of his bones is moistened.
25 And another dieth in bitterness of soul,
And never tasteth of good.
26 They lie down alike in the dust,
And the worm covereth them.
27 Behold, I know your thoughts,
And the devices wherewith ye would wrong me.
28 For ye say, Where is the house of the prince?
And where is the tent wherein the wicked dwelt?
29 Have ye not asked wayfaring men?
And do ye not know their evidences,
30 That the evil man is [af]reserved to the day of calamity?
That they are [ag]led forth to the day of wrath?
31 Who shall declare his way to his face?
And who shall repay him what he hath done?
32 [ah]Yet shall he be borne to the grave,
And men shall keep watch over the tomb.
33 The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him,
And all men shall draw after him,
As there were innumerable before him.
34 How then comfort ye me [ai]in vain,
Seeing in your answers there remaineth only [aj]falsehood?
Footnotes
- Job 19:5 Or, Will ye indeed . . . reproach?
- Job 19:6 Or, overthrown me
- Job 19:7 Or, cry out, Violence!
- Job 19:15 Or, sojourn
- Job 19:17 Or, I make supplication. Or, I am loathsome
- Job 19:17 Or, of my body
- Job 19:19 Hebrew the men of my council.
- Job 19:25 Or, For
- Job 19:25 Or, vindicator. Hebrew goel.
- Job 19:25 Hebrew dust.
- Job 19:26 Or, And after my skin hath been thus destroyed, Yet from my flesh shall I see God
- Job 19:27 Or, for myself
- Job 19:27 Hebrew reins.
- Job 19:29 Or, wrathful are
- Job 20:2 Or, And by reason of this my haste is within me
- Job 20:3 Or, But out of my understanding my spirit answereth me
- Job 20:10 Or, as otherwise read, The poor shall oppress his children
- Job 20:18 Hebrew of his exchange.
- Job 20:19 Or, which he builded not
- Job 20:20 Or, in his greed. Hebrew in his belly.
- Job 20:23 Or, Let it be for the filling of his belly that God shall cast etc.
- Job 20:23 Or, as his food
- Job 20:26 Or, It shall go ill with him that is left
- Job 21:3 Or, thou shalt mock
- Job 21:4 Or, of
- Job 21:5 Hebrew Look unto me.
- Job 21:9 Or, in peace, without fear
- Job 21:12 Hebrew lift up the voice.
- Job 21:16 Or, Ye say, Lo etc.
- Job 21:17 Or, How oft is the lamp of the wicked put out, And how oft cometh their calamity upon them! God distributeth sorrows in his anger. They are as stubble . . . away.
- Job 21:19 Or, God layeth up his iniquity for his children: He rewardeth him, and he shall know it. His eyes shall see his destruction, and he shall drink etc.
- Job 21:30 Or, spared in etc.
- Job 21:30 Or, led away in etc.
- Job 21:32 Or, Moreover he is borne to the grave, And keepeth watch over his tomb. The clods of the valley are sweet unto him; And all men draw etc.
- Job 21:34 Or, with vanity
- Job 21:34 Or, faithlessness
Job 19-21
New International Version
Job 19-21
New International Version
Job
19 Then Job replied:
2 “How long will you torment(A) me
and crush(B) me with words?
3 Ten times(C) now you have reproached(D) me;
shamelessly you attack me.
4 If it is true that I have gone astray,
my error(E) remains my concern alone.
5 If indeed you would exalt yourselves above me(F)
and use my humiliation against me,
6 then know that God has wronged me(G)
and drawn his net(H) around me.(I)
7 “Though I cry, ‘Violence!’ I get no response;(J)
though I call for help,(K) there is no justice.(L)
8 He has blocked my way so I cannot pass;(M)
he has shrouded my paths in darkness.(N)
9 He has stripped(O) me of my honor(P)
and removed the crown from my head.(Q)
10 He tears me down(R) on every side till I am gone;
he uproots my hope(S) like a tree.(T)
11 His anger(U) burns against me;
he counts me among his enemies.(V)
12 His troops advance in force;(W)
they build a siege ramp(X) against me
and encamp around my tent.(Y)
13 “He has alienated my family(Z) from me;
my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.(AA)
14 My relatives have gone away;
my closest friends(AB) have forgotten me.
15 My guests(AC) and my female servants(AD) count me a foreigner;
they look on me as on a stranger.
16 I summon my servant, but he does not answer,
though I beg him with my own mouth.
17 My breath is offensive to my wife;
I am loathsome(AE) to my own family.
18 Even the little boys(AF) scorn me;
when I appear, they ridicule me.(AG)
19 All my intimate friends(AH) detest me;(AI)
those I love have turned against me.(AJ)
20 I am nothing but skin and bones;(AK)
I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.[a]
21 “Have pity on me, my friends,(AL) have pity,
for the hand of God has struck(AM) me.
22 Why do you pursue(AN) me as God does?(AO)
Will you never get enough of my flesh?(AP)
23 “Oh, that my words were recorded,
that they were written on a scroll,(AQ)
24 that they were inscribed with an iron tool(AR) on[b] lead,
or engraved in rock forever!(AS)
25 I know that my redeemer[c](AT) lives,(AU)
and that in the end he will stand on the earth.[d]
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet[e] in[f] my flesh I will see God;(AV)
27 I myself will see him
with my own eyes(AW)—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns(AX) within me!
28 “If you say, ‘How we will hound(AY) him,
since the root of the trouble lies in him,[g]’
29 you should fear the sword yourselves;
for wrath will bring punishment by the sword,(AZ)
and then you will know that there is judgment.[h]”(BA)
Zophar
20 Then Zophar the Naamathite(BB) replied:
2 “My troubled thoughts prompt me to answer
because I am greatly disturbed.(BC)
3 I hear a rebuke(BD) that dishonors me,
and my understanding inspires me to reply.
4 “Surely you know how it has been from of old,(BE)
ever since mankind[i] was placed on the earth,
5 that the mirth of the wicked(BF) is brief,
the joy of the godless(BG) lasts but a moment.(BH)
6 Though the pride(BI) of the godless person reaches to the heavens(BJ)
and his head touches the clouds,(BK)
7 he will perish forever,(BL) like his own dung;
those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’(BM)
8 Like a dream(BN) he flies away,(BO) no more to be found,
banished(BP) like a vision of the night.(BQ)
9 The eye that saw him will not see him again;
his place will look on him no more.(BR)
10 His children(BS) must make amends to the poor;
his own hands must give back his wealth.(BT)
11 The youthful vigor(BU) that fills his bones(BV)
will lie with him in the dust.(BW)
12 “Though evil(BX) is sweet in his mouth
and he hides it under his tongue,(BY)
13 though he cannot bear to let it go
and lets it linger in his mouth,(BZ)
14 yet his food will turn sour in his stomach;(CA)
it will become the venom of serpents(CB) within him.
15 He will spit out the riches(CC) he swallowed;
God will make his stomach vomit(CD) them up.
16 He will suck the poison(CE) of serpents;
the fangs of an adder will kill him.(CF)
17 He will not enjoy the streams,
the rivers(CG) flowing with honey(CH) and cream.(CI)
18 What he toiled for he must give back uneaten;(CJ)
he will not enjoy the profit from his trading.(CK)
19 For he has oppressed the poor(CL) and left them destitute;(CM)
he has seized houses(CN) he did not build.
20 “Surely he will have no respite from his craving;(CO)
he cannot save himself by his treasure.(CP)
21 Nothing is left for him to devour;
his prosperity will not endure.(CQ)
22 In the midst of his plenty, distress will overtake him;(CR)
the full force of misery will come upon him.(CS)
23 When he has filled his belly,(CT)
God will vent his burning anger(CU) against him
and rain down his blows on him.(CV)
24 Though he flees(CW) from an iron weapon,
a bronze-tipped arrow pierces him.(CX)
25 He pulls it out of his back,
the gleaming point out of his liver.
Terrors(CY) will come over him;(CZ)
26 total darkness(DA) lies in wait for his treasures.
A fire(DB) unfanned will consume him(DC)
and devour what is left in his tent.(DD)
27 The heavens will expose his guilt;
the earth will rise up against him.(DE)
28 A flood will carry off his house,(DF)
rushing waters[j] on the day of God’s wrath.(DG)
29 Such is the fate God allots the wicked,
the heritage appointed for them by God.”(DH)
Job
21 Then Job replied:
2 “Listen carefully to my words;(DI)
let this be the consolation you give me.(DJ)
3 Bear with me while I speak,
and after I have spoken, mock on.(DK)
4 “Is my complaint(DL) directed to a human being?
Why should I not be impatient?(DM)
5 Look at me and be appalled;
clap your hand over your mouth.(DN)
6 When I think about this, I am terrified;(DO)
trembling seizes my body.(DP)
7 Why do the wicked live on,
growing old and increasing in power?(DQ)
8 They see their children established around them,
their offspring before their eyes.(DR)
9 Their homes are safe and free from fear;(DS)
the rod of God is not on them.(DT)
10 Their bulls never fail to breed;
their cows calve and do not miscarry.(DU)
11 They send forth their children as a flock;(DV)
their little ones dance about.
12 They sing to the music of timbrel and lyre;(DW)
they make merry to the sound of the pipe.(DX)
13 They spend their years in prosperity(DY)
and go down to the grave(DZ) in peace.[k](EA)
14 Yet they say to God, ‘Leave us alone!(EB)
We have no desire to know your ways.(EC)
15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
What would we gain by praying to him?’(ED)
16 But their prosperity is not in their own hands,
so I stand aloof from the plans of the wicked.(EE)
17 “Yet how often is the lamp of the wicked snuffed out?(EF)
How often does calamity(EG) come upon them,
the fate God allots in his anger?(EH)
18 How often are they like straw before the wind,
like chaff(EI) swept away(EJ) by a gale?(EK)
19 It is said, ‘God stores up the punishment of the wicked for their children.’(EL)
Let him repay the wicked, so that they themselves will experience it!(EM)
20 Let their own eyes see their destruction;(EN)
let them drink(EO) the cup of the wrath of the Almighty.(EP)
21 For what do they care about the families they leave behind(EQ)
when their allotted months(ER) come to an end?(ES)
22 “Can anyone teach knowledge to God,(ET)
since he judges even the highest?(EU)
23 One person dies in full vigor,(EV)
completely secure and at ease,(EW)
24 well nourished(EX) in body,[l]
bones(EY) rich with marrow.(EZ)
25 Another dies in bitterness of soul,(FA)
never having enjoyed anything good.
26 Side by side they lie in the dust,(FB)
and worms(FC) cover them both.(FD)
27 “I know full well what you are thinking,
the schemes by which you would wrong me.
28 You say, ‘Where now is the house of the great,(FE)
the tents where the wicked lived?’(FF)
29 Have you never questioned those who travel?
Have you paid no regard to their accounts—
30 that the wicked are spared from the day of calamity,(FG)
that they are delivered from[m] the day of wrath?(FH)
31 Who denounces their conduct to their face?
Who repays them for what they have done?(FI)
32 They are carried to the grave,
and watch is kept over their tombs.(FJ)
33 The soil in the valley is sweet to them;(FK)
everyone follows after them,
and a countless throng goes[n] before them.(FL)
Footnotes
- Job 19:20 Or only by my gums
- Job 19:24 Or and
- Job 19:25 Or vindicator
- Job 19:25 Or on my grave
- Job 19:26 Or And after I awake, / though this body has been destroyed, / then
- Job 19:26 Or destroyed, / apart from
- Job 19:28 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts me
- Job 19:29 Or sword, / that you may come to know the Almighty
- Job 20:4 Or Adam
- Job 20:28 Or The possessions in his house will be carried off, / washed away
- Job 21:13 Or in an instant
- Job 21:24 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Job 21:30 Or wicked are reserved for the day of calamity, / that they are brought forth to
- Job 21:33 Or them, / as a countless throng went
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New International Version (NIV) 
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