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Job 23-24
New King James Version
Job 23-24
New King James Version
Job Proclaims God’s Righteous Judgments
23 Then Job answered and said:
2 “Even today my (A)complaint is bitter;
[a]My hand is listless because of my groaning.
3 (B)Oh, that I knew where I might find Him,
That I might come to His seat!
4 I would present my case before Him,
And fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would know the words which He would answer me,
And understand what He would say to me.
6 (C)Would He contend with me in His great power?
No! But He would take note of me.
7 There the upright could reason with Him,
And I would be delivered forever from my Judge.
8 “Look,(D) I go forward, but He is not there,
And backward, but I cannot perceive Him;
9 When He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him;
When He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him.
10 But (E)He knows the way that I take;
When (F)He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.
11 (G)My foot has held fast to His steps;
I have kept His way and not turned aside.
12 I have not departed from the (H)commandment of His lips;
(I)I have treasured the words of His mouth
More than my [b]necessary food.
13 “But He is unique, and who can make Him change?
And whatever (J)His soul desires, that He does.
14 For He performs what is (K)appointed for me,
And many such things are with Him.
15 Therefore I am terrified at His presence;
When I consider this, I am afraid of Him.
16 For God (L)made my heart weak,
And the Almighty terrifies me;
17 Because I was not (M)cut off [c]from the presence of darkness,
And He did not hide deep darkness from my face.
Job Complains of Violence on the Earth
2 “Some remove (P)landmarks;
They seize flocks violently and feed on them;
3 They drive away the donkey of the fatherless;
They (Q)take the widow’s ox as a pledge.
4 They push the needy off the road;
All the (R)poor of the land are forced to hide.
5 Indeed, like wild donkeys in the desert,
They go out to their work, searching for food.
The wilderness yields food for them and for their children.
6 They gather their fodder in the field
And glean in the vineyard of the wicked.
7 They (S)spend the night naked, without clothing,
And have no covering in the cold.
8 They are wet with the showers of the mountains,
And (T)huddle around the rock for want of shelter.
9 “Some snatch the fatherless from the breast,
And take a pledge from the poor.
10 They cause the poor to go naked, without (U)clothing;
And they take away the sheaves from the hungry.
11 They press out oil within their walls,
And tread winepresses, yet suffer thirst.
12 The dying groan in the city,
And the souls of the wounded cry out;
Yet God does not charge them with wrong.
13 “There are those who rebel against the light;
They do not know its ways
Nor abide in its paths.
14 (V)The murderer rises with the light;
He kills the poor and needy;
And in the night he is like a thief.
15 (W)The eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight,
(X)Saying, ‘No eye will see me’;
And he [d]disguises his face.
16 In the dark they break into houses
Which they marked for themselves in the daytime;
(Y)They do not know the light.
17 For the morning is the same to them as the shadow of death;
If someone recognizes them,
They are in the terrors of the shadow of death.
18 “They should be swift on the face of the waters,
Their portion should be cursed in the earth,
So that no one would turn into the way of their vineyards.
19 As drought and heat [e]consume the snow waters,
So [f]the grave consumes those who have sinned.
20 The womb should forget him,
The worm should feed sweetly on him;
(Z)He should be remembered no more,
And wickedness should be broken like a tree.
21 For he [g]preys on the barren who do not bear,
And does no good for the widow.
22 “But God draws the mighty away with His power;
He rises up, but no man is sure of life.
23 He gives them security, and they rely on it;
Yet (AA)His eyes are on their ways.
24 They are exalted for a little while,
Then they are gone.
They are brought low;
They are [h]taken out of the way like all others;
They dry out like the heads of grain.
25 “Now if it is not so, who will prove me a liar,
And make my speech worth nothing?”
Job 23-24
New International Version
Job 23-24
New International Version
Job
23 Then Job replied:
2 “Even today my complaint(A) is bitter;(B)
his hand[a] is heavy in spite of[b] my groaning.(C)
3 If only I knew where to find him;
if only I could go to his dwelling!(D)
4 I would state my case(E) before him
and fill my mouth with arguments.(F)
5 I would find out what he would answer me,(G)
and consider what he would say to me.
6 Would he vigorously oppose me?(H)
No, he would not press charges against me.(I)
7 There the upright(J) can establish their innocence before him,(K)
and there I would be delivered forever from my judge.(L)
8 “But if I go to the east, he is not there;
if I go to the west, I do not find him.
9 When he is at work in the north, I do not see him;
when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.(M)
10 But he knows the way that I take;(N)
when he has tested me,(O) I will come forth as gold.(P)
11 My feet have closely followed his steps;(Q)
I have kept to his way without turning aside.(R)
12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips;(S)
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.(T)
13 “But he stands alone, and who can oppose him?(U)
He does whatever he pleases.(V)
14 He carries out his decree against me,
and many such plans he still has in store.(W)
15 That is why I am terrified before him;(X)
when I think of all this, I fear him.(Y)
16 God has made my heart faint;(Z)
the Almighty(AA) has terrified me.(AB)
17 Yet I am not silenced by the darkness,(AC)
by the thick darkness that covers my face.
24 “Why does the Almighty not set times(AD) for judgment?(AE)
Why must those who know him look in vain for such days?(AF)
2 There are those who move boundary stones;(AG)
they pasture flocks they have stolen.(AH)
3 They drive away the orphan’s donkey
and take the widow’s ox in pledge.(AI)
4 They thrust the needy(AJ) from the path
and force all the poor(AK) of the land into hiding.(AL)
5 Like wild donkeys(AM) in the desert,
the poor go about their labor(AN) of foraging food;
the wasteland(AO) provides food for their children.
6 They gather fodder(AP) in the fields
and glean in the vineyards(AQ) of the wicked.(AR)
7 Lacking clothes, they spend the night naked;
they have nothing to cover themselves in the cold.(AS)
8 They are drenched(AT) by mountain rains
and hug(AU) the rocks for lack of shelter.(AV)
9 The fatherless(AW) child is snatched(AX) from the breast;
the infant of the poor is seized(AY) for a debt.(AZ)
10 Lacking clothes, they go about naked;(BA)
they carry the sheaves,(BB) but still go hungry.
11 They crush olives among the terraces[c];
they tread the winepresses,(BC) yet suffer thirst.(BD)
12 The groans of the dying rise from the city,
and the souls of the wounded cry out for help.(BE)
But God charges no one with wrongdoing.(BF)
13 “There are those who rebel against the light,(BG)
who do not know its ways
or stay in its paths.(BH)
14 When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up,
kills(BI) the poor and needy,(BJ)
and in the night steals forth like a thief.(BK)
15 The eye of the adulterer(BL) watches for dusk;(BM)
he thinks, ‘No eye will see me,’(BN)
and he keeps his face concealed.
16 In the dark, thieves break into houses,(BO)
but by day they shut themselves in;
they want nothing to do with the light.(BP)
17 For all of them, midnight is their morning;
they make friends with the terrors(BQ) of darkness.(BR)
18 “Yet they are foam(BS) on the surface of the water;(BT)
their portion of the land is cursed,(BU)
so that no one goes to the vineyards.(BV)
19 As heat and drought snatch away the melted snow,(BW)
so the grave(BX) snatches away those who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets them,
the worm(BY) feasts on them;(BZ)
the wicked are no longer remembered(CA)
but are broken like a tree.(CB)
21 They prey on the barren and childless woman,
and to the widow they show no kindness.(CC)
22 But God drags away the mighty by his power;(CD)
though they become established,(CE) they have no assurance of life.(CF)
23 He may let them rest in a feeling of security,(CG)
but his eyes(CH) are on their ways.(CI)
24 For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone;(CJ)
they are brought low and gathered up like all others;(CK)
they are cut off like heads of grain.(CL)
25 “If this is not so, who can prove me false
and reduce my words to nothing?”(CM)
Job 23-24
King James Version
Job 23-24
King James Version
23 Then Job answered and said,
2 Even to day is my complaint bitter: my stroke is heavier than my groaning.
3 Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat!
4 I would order my cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would know the words which he would answer me, and understand what he would say unto me.
6 Will he plead against me with his great power? No; but he would put strength in me.
7 There the righteous might dispute with him; so should I be delivered for ever from my judge.
8 Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him:
9 On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him:
10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
11 My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.
12 Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.
13 But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth.
14 For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him.
15 Therefore am I troubled at his presence: when I consider, I am afraid of him.
16 For God maketh my heart soft, and the Almighty troubleth me:
17 Because I was not cut off before the darkness, neither hath he covered the darkness from my face.
24 Why, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, do they that know him not see his days?
2 Some remove the landmarks; they violently take away flocks, and feed thereof.
3 They drive away the ass of the fatherless, they take the widow's ox for a pledge.
4 They turn the needy out of the way: the poor of the earth hide themselves together.
5 Behold, as wild asses in the desert, go they forth to their work; rising betimes for a prey: the wilderness yieldeth food for them and for their children.
6 They reap every one his corn in the field: and they gather the vintage of the wicked.
7 They cause the naked to lodge without clothing, that they have no covering in the cold.
8 They are wet with the showers of the mountains, and embrace the rock for want of a shelter.
9 They pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge of the poor.
10 They cause him to go naked without clothing, and they take away the sheaf from the hungry;
11 Which make oil within their walls, and tread their winepresses, and suffer thirst.
12 Men groan from out of the city, and the soul of the wounded crieth out: yet God layeth not folly to them.
13 They are of those that rebel against the light; they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof.
14 The murderer rising with the light killeth the poor and needy, and in the night is as a thief.
15 The eye also of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight, saying, No eye shall see me: and disguiseth his face.
16 In the dark they dig through houses, which they had marked for themselves in the daytime: they know not the light.
17 For the morning is to them even as the shadow of death: if one know them, they are in the terrors of the shadow of death.
18 He is swift as the waters; their portion is cursed in the earth: he beholdeth not the way of the vineyards.
19 Drought and heat consume the snow waters: so doth the grave those which have sinned.
20 The womb shall forget him; the worm shall feed sweetly on him; he shall be no more remembered; and wickedness shall be broken as a tree.
21 He evil entreateth the barren that beareth not: and doeth not good to the widow.
22 He draweth also the mighty with his power: he riseth up, and no man is sure of life.
23 Though it be given him to be in safety, whereon he resteth; yet his eyes are upon their ways.
24 They are exalted for a little while, but are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all other, and cut off as the tops of the ears of corn.
25 And if it be not so now, who will make me a liar, and make my speech nothing worth?
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. 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.