Job 22-28
New American Standard Bible
Eliphaz Accuses and Exhorts Job
22 Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded,
2 “Can a strong (A)man be of use to God,
Or a wise one be useful to himself?
3 Is it any pleasure to [a]the Almighty if you are righteous,
Or gain if you make your ways blameless?
4 Is it because of your [b]reverence that He punishes you,
That He (B)enters into judgment against you?
5 Is (C)your wickedness not abundant,
And is there no end to your guilty deeds?
6 For you have (D)seized pledges from your brothers without cause,
And [c](E)stripped people naked.
7 You have (F)given the weary no water to drink,
And you have (G)withheld bread from the hungry.
8 But the earth (H)belongs to the (I)powerful man,
And (J)the one who is honorable dwells on it.
9 You have sent (K)widows away empty,
And the [d]strength of (L)orphans has been crushed.
10 Therefore (M)traps surround you,
And sudden (N)dread terrifies you,
11 Or (O)darkness, so that you cannot see,
And a (P)flood of water covers you.
12 “Is God not (Q)in the height of heaven?
Look also at the [e]highest stars, how high they are!
13 But you say, ‘(R)What does God know?
Can He judge through the thick darkness?
14 (S)Clouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He cannot see;
And He walks on the [f]vault of heaven.’
15 Will you keep to the ancient path
Which (T)wicked people have walked,
16 Who were snatched away (U)before their time,
Whose (V)foundations were [g]washed away by a river?
17 They (W)said to God, ‘Go away from us!’
And ‘What can [h]the Almighty do to them?’
18 Yet He (X)filled their houses with good things;
But (Y)the advice of the wicked is far from me.
19 The (Z)righteous see and are glad,
And the innocent mock them, saying,
20 ‘Truly our enemies are eliminated,
And (AA)fire has consumed their [i]abundance.’
21 “(AB)Be reconciled with Him, and be at peace;
Thereby good will come to you.
22 Please receive [j](AC)instruction from His mouth,
And put His words in your heart.
23 If you (AD)return to [k]the Almighty, you will be [l]restored;
If you (AE)remove injustice far from your tent,
24 And (AF)put your [m]gold in the dust,
And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks,
25 Then [n]the Almighty will be your [o]gold
And abundant silver to you.
26 For then you will (AG)take pleasure in [p]the Almighty
And lift up your face to God.
27 You will (AH)pray to Him, and (AI)He will hear you;
And you will pay your vows.
28 You will also decide something, and it will be established for you;
And (AJ)light will shine on your ways.
29 When [q]they have brought you low, you will speak with [r]confidence,
And He will save the [s](AK)humble person.
30 He will rescue one who is not innocent,
And he will be (AL)rescued due to the cleanness of your hands.”
Job Says He Longs for God
23 Then Job responded,
2 “Even today my (AM)complaint is rebellion;
[t]His hand is (AN)heavy despite my groaning.
3 Oh that I knew how to find Him,
That I might come to His home!
4 I would (AO)present my case before Him
And fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would learn the words which He would [u]answer,
And perceive what He would tell me.
6 Would He contend with me by (AP)the greatness of His power?
No, surely He would pay attention to me.
7 There the upright would (AQ)argue with Him;
And I [v]would be (AR)free of my Judge forever.
8 “Behold, I go forward but He is not there,
And backward, but I (AS)cannot perceive Him;
9 When He acts on the left, I cannot see Him;
He turns to the right, but I cannot see Him.
10 But He knows the [w]way I take;
When He has (AT)put me to the test, I will come out as gold.
11 My foot has (AU)held on to His path;
I have kept His way and not turned aside.
12 I have not [x]failed the command of His lips;
I have treasured the (AV)words of His mouth [y]more than my [z]necessary food.
13 But He is unique, and who can [aa]make Him turn?
Whatever His soul desires, He does it.
14 For He carries out what is destined for me,
And many such destinies are with Him.
15 Therefore, I would be terrified at His presence;
When I consider this, I am frightened of Him.
16 It is God who has made my (AW)heart faint,
And the Almighty who has terrified me,
17 But I (AX)am not destroyed by darkness,
Nor by (AY)deep gloom which covers me.
Job Says God Seems to Ignore Wrongs
24 “(AZ)Why are [ab]times not stored up by the Almighty,
And why do those who know Him not see (BA)His [ac]days?
2 People (BB)remove landmarks;
They seize and [ad]devour flocks.
3 They drive away the donkeys of (BC)orphans;
They seize the (BD)widow’s ox as a pledge.
4 They push (BE)the needy aside from the road;
The (BF)poor of the land have to hide themselves together.
5 Behold, like (BG)wild donkeys in the wilderness
They (BH)go out scavenging for food in their activity,
As [ae]bread for their children in the desert.
6 They harvest their feed in the field
And glean the vineyard of the wicked.
7 (BI)They spend the night naked, without clothing,
And have no covering against the cold.
8 They are wet from the mountain rains,
And they hug the rock for lack of a shelter.
9 Others snatch an (BJ)orphan from the breast,
And they seize it as a pledge against the poor.
10 The poor move about naked without clothing,
And they carry sheaves, while going hungry.
11 Within the walls they produce oil;
They tread wine presses but go thirsty.
12 From the city people groan,
And the souls of the wounded cry for help;
Yet God (BK)does not pay attention to the offensiveness.
13 “[af]Others have been with those who rebel against the light;
They do not want to know its ways
Nor stay in its paths.
14 The murderer (BL)arises at dawn;
He (BM)kills the poor and the needy,
And at night he is like a thief.
15 The eye of the (BN)adulterer watches for [ag]twilight,
Saying, ‘No eye will see me.’
And he [ah]disguises his face.
16 In the darkness they (BO)dig into houses,
They (BP)shut themselves up by day;
They do not know the light.
17 For the morning is the same to him as thick darkness,
For he is familiar with the (BQ)terrors of thick darkness.
18 “They are [ai](BR)insignificant on the surface of the water;
Their plot of land on the earth is (BS)cursed.
They do not turn [aj]toward the (BT)vineyards.
19 Dryness and heat (BU)snatch away the snow waters,
As [ak](BV)Sheol snatches those who have sinned.
20 A [al](BW)mother will forget him;
The (BX)maggot feeds sweetly until he is (BY)no longer remembered.
And injustice will be broken (BZ)like a tree.
21 He wrongs the [am]infertile woman,
And does no good for (CA)the widow.
22 But He drags off the mighty by (CB)His power;
He rises, but (CC)no one has assurance of life.
23 He provides them (CD)with security, and they are supported;
And His (CE)eyes are on their ways.
24 They are exalted a (CF)little while, then they are gone;
Moreover, they are (CG)brought low, and like everything they are gathered up;
Like the heads of grain they wither.
25 Now if it is not so, (CH)who can prove me a liar,
And make my speech worthless?”
Bildad Says Mankind Is Inferior
25 Then Bildad the Shuhite responded,
2 “(CI)Dominion and awe [an]belong to Him
Who makes peace in (CJ)His heights.
3 Is there any number to (CK)His troops?
And upon whom does His light not rise?
4 How then can mankind be (CL)righteous with God?
Or how can anyone who is born of woman be (CM)pure?
5 If even (CN)the moon has no brightness
And the (CO)stars are not pure in His sight,
6 How much less (CP)man, that (CQ)maggot,
And a son of man, that worm!”
Job Rebukes Bildad
26 Then Job responded,
2 “What a help you are to [ao](CR)the weak!
You have saved the arm (CS)without strength!
3 What advice you have given to one without wisdom!
What helpful insight you have abundantly [ap]provided!
4 To whom have you uttered words?
And whose [aq]spirit was expressed through you?
The Greatness of God
5 “The [ar](CT)departed spirits are made to tremble
Under the waters and their inhabitants.
6 [as](CU)Sheol is naked before Him,
And [at](CV)Abaddon has no covering.
7 He (CW)stretches out the north over empty space
And hangs the earth on nothing.
8 He (CX)wraps up the waters in His clouds,
And the cloud does not burst under them.
9 He [au](CY)obscures the face of the [av]full moon
And spreads His cloud over it.
10 He has inscribed a (CZ)circle on the surface of the waters
At the (DA)boundary of light and darkness.
11 The pillars of heaven tremble
And are amazed at His rebuke.
12 With His power He (DB)quieted the sea,
And by His (DC)understanding He shattered [aw](DD)Rahab.
13 By His breath the (DE)heavens are [ax]cleared;
His hand has pierced (DF)the fleeing serpent.
14 Behold, these are the fringes of His ways;
And how faint (DG)a word we hear of Him!
But His mighty (DH)thunder, who can understand?”
Job Affirms His Righteousness
27 Job again took up his (DI)discourse and said,
2 “As God lives, (DJ)who has taken away my right,
And the Almighty, (DK)who has embittered my soul,
3 For as long as [ay]life is in me,
And the [az](DL)breath of God is in my nostrils,
4 My lips certainly will not speak unjustly,
Nor will (DM)my tongue mutter deceit.
5 Far be it from me that I should declare you right;
Until I die, (DN)I will not [ba]give up my integrity.
6 I have (DO)kept hold of my righteousness and will not let it go.
My heart does not rebuke any of my days.
The State of the Godless
7 “May my enemy be as the wicked,
And [bb]my opponent as the criminal.
8 For what is (DP)the hope of the godless when he makes an end of life,
When God requires (DQ)his [bc]life?
9 Will God (DR)hear his cry
When (DS)distress comes upon him?
10 Or will he take (DT)pleasure in the Almighty?
Will he call on God at all times?
11 I will instruct you in the [bd]power of God;
What is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
12 Behold, all of you have seen it;
Why then do you talk of nothing?
13 “This is (DU)the portion of a wicked person from God,
And the inheritance which (DV)tyrants receive from the Almighty:
14 Though his sons are many, [be]they are destined (DW)for the sword;
And his (DX)descendants will not be satisfied with bread.
15 His survivors will be buried because of the plague,
And [bf]their (DY)widows will not be able to weep.
16 Though he piles up silver like dust,
And prepares garments as plentiful as the clay,
17 He may prepare it, (DZ)but the righteous will wear it
And the innocent will divide the silver.
18 He has built his (EA)house like the [bg]spider’s web,
Or a hut which the watchman has made.
19 He lies down rich, but never [bh]again;
He opens his eyes, and (EB)it no longer exists.
20 (EC)Terrors overtake him like a flood;
A storm steals him away (ED)in the night.
21 The east (EE)wind carries him away, and he is gone;
For it sweeps him (EF)away from his place.
22 For it will hurl at him (EG)without mercy;
He will certainly try to (EH)flee from its [bi]power.
23 People will [bj]clap their hands at him,
And will (EI)whistle at him from their places.
Job Tells of Earth’s Treasures
28 “Certainly there is a [bk]mine for silver
And a place [bl]for refining gold.
2 Iron is taken from the dust,
And copper is smelted from rock.
3 Man puts an end to darkness,
And (EJ)to the farthest limit he searches out
The rock in gloom and deep shadow.
4 He [bm]sinks a shaft away from [bn]inhabited areas,
Forgotten by the foot;
They hang and swing, away from people.
5 [bo]From the earth comes food,
And underneath, it is turned over like fire.
6 Its rocks are the [bp]source of sapphires,
And its dust contains gold.
7 No bird of prey knows the path,
Nor has the falcon’s eye caught sight of it.
8 The [bq]proud animals have not trodden it,
Nor has the lion passed over it.
9 He puts his hand on the flint;
He overturns the mountains at the [br]base.
10 He carves out channels through the rocks,
And his eye sees anything precious.
11 He dams up the streams from [bs]flowing,
And brings to light what is hidden.
The Search for Wisdom Is Harder
12 “But (EK)where can wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
13 (EL)Mankind does not know its value,
Nor is it found in the land of the living.
14 The ocean depth says, ‘It is not in me’;
And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
15 (EM)Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it,
Nor can silver be weighed as its price.
16 It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
In precious onyx, or sapphire.
17 (EN)Gold or glass cannot equal it,
Nor can it be exchanged for articles of pure gold.
18 Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned;
And the acquisition of (EO)wisdom is more valuable than pearls.
19 The topaz of [bt]Cush cannot equal it,
Nor can it be valued in (EP)pure gold.
20 (EQ)Where then does wisdom come from?
And where is this place of understanding?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living creature,
And concealed from the birds of the sky.
22 [bu](ER)Abaddon and Death say,
‘With our ears we have heard a report of it.’
23 “(ES)God understands its way,
And He knows its place.
24 For He (ET)looks to the ends of the earth;
He sees everything under the heavens.
25 When He imparted (EU)weight to the wind,
And (EV)assessed the waters by measure,
26 When He made a (EW)limit for the rain,
And a course for the (EX)thunderbolt,
27 Then He saw it and declared it;
He established it and also searched it out.
28 And to mankind He said, ‘Behold, the (EY)fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;
And to turn away from evil is understanding.’”
Footnotes
- Job 22:3 Heb Shaddai
- Job 22:4 Or fear
- Job 22:6 Lit stripped clothing of the naked
- Job 22:9 Lit arms
- Job 22:12 Lit head, top-most
- Job 22:14 Lit circle
- Job 22:16 Lit poured out
- Job 22:17 Heb Shaddai
- Job 22:20 Or excess
- Job 22:22 Or law
- Job 22:23 Heb Shaddai
- Job 22:23 Lit built up
- Job 22:24 Lit ore
- Job 22:25 Heb Shaddai
- Job 22:25 Lit ore
- Job 22:26 Heb Shaddai
- Job 22:29 Lit they cast you down
- Job 22:29 Lit pride
- Job 22:29 Lit lowly of eyes
- Job 23:2 As in LXX and Syriac; MT My
- Job 23:5 Lit answer me
- Job 23:7 Or bring forth my justice forever
- Job 23:10 Lit way with me
- Job 23:12 Lit ceased from
- Job 23:12 Or with some ancient versions, in my breast
- Job 23:12 Lit prescribed portion
- Job 23:13 Or deprive Him of anything
- Job 24:1 I.e., of judgment for the wicked
- Job 24:1 I.e., of judgment for the wicked
- Job 24:2 Or pasture
- Job 24:5 Lit his bread
- Job 24:13 Lit They
- Job 24:15 Lit the twilight
- Job 24:15 Or puts a covering on his face
- Job 24:18 Or light; or swift
- Job 24:18 Lit to the path of
- Job 24:19 I.e., the netherworld
- Job 24:20 Lit womb
- Job 24:21 Lit infertile who does not bear
- Job 25:2 Lit are with Him
- Job 26:2 Lit no strength
- Job 26:3 Lit made known
- Job 26:4 Lit breath has gone forth
- Job 26:5 Or shades; Heb Rephaim
- Job 26:6 I.e., the netherworld
- Job 26:6 I.e., the place of destruction
- Job 26:9 Lit covers
- Job 26:9 Or throne
- Job 26:12 I.e., a sea monster, not to be confused with Rahab in Joshua 2
- Job 26:13 Lit beauty
- Job 27:3 Lit breath
- Job 27:3 Or spirit
- Job 27:5 Lit remove from me
- Job 27:7 Lit one who rises up against me
- Job 27:8 Or soul
- Job 27:11 Lit hand
- Job 27:14 Lit the sword is for them
- Job 27:15 As in ancient versions; Heb his
- Job 27:18 As in ancient versions; Heb moth
- Job 27:19 As in ancient versions; Heb will be gathered
- Job 27:22 Lit hand
- Job 27:23 I.e., mock and ridicule him
- Job 28:1 Lit source
- Job 28:1 Lit for gold they refine
- Job 28:4 Lit breaks open
- Job 28:4 Lit sojourning
- Job 28:5 Lit Earth, from it
- Job 28:6 Or place
- Job 28:8 Lit sons of pride
- Job 28:9 Lit root
- Job 28:11 Lit weeping
- Job 28:19 Or Ethiopia
- Job 28:22 I.e., Destruction
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