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Job Finishes His Defense

29 And Job again took up his discourse, and said:

“Oh, that I were as in the months of old,
    as in the days when God watched over me;
when his lamp shone upon my head,
    and by his light I walked through darkness;
as I was in my autumn days,
    when the friendship of God was upon my tent;
when the Almighty was yet with me,
    when my children were about me;
when my steps were washed with milk,
    and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!
When I went out to the gate of the city,
    when I prepared my seat in the square,
the young men saw me and withdrew,
    and the aged rose and stood;
the princes refrained from talking,
    and laid their hand on their mouth;
10 the voice of the nobles was hushed,
    and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.
11 When the ear heard, it called me blessed,
    and when the eye saw, it approved;
12 because I delivered the poor who cried,
    and the fatherless who had none to help him.
13 The blessing of him who was about to perish came upon me,
    and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.
14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
    my justice was like a robe and a turban.
15 I was eyes to the blind,
    and feet to the lame.
16 I was a father to the poor,
    and I searched out the cause of him whom I did not know.
17 I broke the fangs of the unrighteous,
    and made him drop his prey from his teeth.
18 Then I thought, ‘I shall die in my nest,
    and I shall multiply my days as the sand,
19 my roots spread out to the waters,
    with the dew all night on my branches,
20 my glory fresh with me,
    and my bow ever new in my hand.’

21 “Men listened to me, and waited,
    and kept silence for my counsel.
22 After I spoke they did not speak again,
    and my word dropped upon them.
23 They waited for me as for the rain;
    and they opened their mouths as for the spring rain.
24 I smiled on them when they had no confidence;
    and the light of my countenance they did not cast down.
25 I chose their way, and sat as chief,
    and I dwelt like a king among his troops,
    like one who comforts mourners.

30 “But now they make sport of me,
men who are younger than I,
whose fathers I would have disdained
    to set with the dogs of my flock.
What could I gain from the strength of their hands,
    men whose vigor is gone?
Through want and hard hunger
    they gnaw the dry and desolate ground;[a]
they pick mallow and the leaves of bushes,
    and to warm themselves the roots of the broom.
They are driven out from among men;
    they shout after them as after a thief.
In the gullies of the torrents they must dwell,
    in holes of the earth and of the rocks.
Among the bushes they bray;
    under the nettles they huddle together.
A senseless, a disreputable brood,
    they have been whipped out of the land.

“And now I have become their song,
    I am a byword to them.
10 They abhor me, they keep aloof from me;
    they do not hesitate to spit at the sight of me.
11 Because God has loosed my cord and humbled me,
    they have cast off restraint in my presence.
12 On my right hand the rabble rise,
    they drive me[b] forth,
    they cast up against me their ways of destruction.
13 They break up my path,
    they promote my calamity;
    no one restrains[c] them.
14 As through[d] a wide breach they come;
    amid the crash they roll on.
15 Terrors are turned upon me;
    my honor is pursued as by the wind,
    and my prosperity has passed away like a cloud.

16 “And now my soul is poured out within me;
    days of affliction have taken hold of me.
17 The night racks my bones,
    and the pain that gnaws me takes no rest.
18 With violence it seizes my garment;[e]
    it binds me about like the collar of my tunic.
19 God has cast me into the mire,
    and I have become like dust and ashes.
20 I cry to thee and thou dost not answer me;
    I stand, and thou dost not[f] heed me.
21 Thou hast turned cruel to me;
    with the might of thy hand thou dost persecute me.
22 Thou liftest me up on the wind, thou makest me ride on it,
    and thou tossest me about in the roar of the storm.
23 Yea, I know that thou wilt bring me to death,
    and to the house appointed for all living.

24 “Yet does not one in a heap of ruins stretch out his hand,
    and in his disaster cry for help?[g]
25 Did not I weep for him whose day was hard?
    Was not my soul grieved for the poor?
26 But when I looked for good, evil came;
    and when I waited for light, darkness came.
27 My heart is in turmoil, and is never still;
    days of affliction come to meet me.
28 I go about blackened, but not by the sun;
    I stand up in the assembly, and cry for help.
29 I am a brother of jackals,
    and a companion of ostriches.
30 My skin turns black and falls from me,
    and my bones burn with heat.
31 My lyre is turned to mourning,
    and my pipe to the voice of those who weep.

31 “I have made a covenant with my eyes;
    how then could I look upon a virgin?
What would be my portion from God above,
    and my heritage from the Almighty on high?
Does not calamity befall the unrighteous,
    and disaster the workers of iniquity?
Does not he see my ways,
    and number all my steps?

“If I have walked with falsehood,
    and my foot has hastened to deceit;
(Let me be weighed in a just balance,
    and let God know my integrity!)
if my step has turned aside from the way,
    and my heart has gone after my eyes,
    and if any spot has cleaved to my hands;
then let me sow, and another eat;
    and let what grows for me be rooted out.

“If my heart has been enticed to a woman,
    and I have lain in wait at my neighbor’s door;
10 then let my wife grind for another,
    and let others bow down upon her.
11 For that would be a heinous crime;
    that would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges;
12 for that would be a fire which consumes unto Abaddon,
    and it would burn to the root all my increase.

13 “If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or my maidservant,
    when they brought a complaint against me;
14 what then shall I do when God rises up?
    When he makes inquiry, what shall I answer him?
15 Did not he who made me in the womb make him?
    And did not one fashion us in the womb?

16 “If I have withheld anything that the poor desired,
    or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
17 or have eaten my morsel alone,
    and the fatherless has not eaten of it
18 (for from his youth I reared him as a father,
    and from his mother’s womb I guided him[h]);
19 if I have seen any one perish for lack of clothing,
    or a poor man without covering;
20 if his loins have not blessed me,
    and if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;
21 if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,
    because I saw help in the gate;
22 then let my shoulder blade fall from my shoulder,
    and let my arm be broken from its socket.
23 For I was in terror of calamity from God,
    and I could not have faced his majesty.

24 “If I have made gold my trust,
    or called fine gold my confidence;
25 if I have rejoiced because my wealth was great,
    or because my hand had gotten much;
26 if I have looked at the sun[i] when it shone,
    or the moon moving in splendor,
27 and my heart has been secretly enticed,
    and my mouth has kissed my hand;
28 this also would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges,
    for I should have been false to God above.

29 “If I have rejoiced at the ruin of him that hated me,
    or exulted when evil overtook him
30 (I have not let my mouth sin
    by asking for his life with a curse);
31 if the men of my tent have not said,
    ‘Who is there that has not been filled with his meat?’
32 (the sojourner has not lodged in the street;
    I have opened my doors to the wayfarer);
33 if I have concealed my transgressions from men,[j]
    by hiding my iniquity in my bosom,
34 because I stood in great fear of the multitude,
    and the contempt of families terrified me,
    so that I kept silence, and did not go out of doors—
35 Oh, that I had one to hear me!
    (Here is my signature! let the Almighty answer me!)
    Oh, that I had the indictment written by my adversary!
36 Surely I would carry it on my shoulder;
    I would bind it on me as a crown;
37 I would give him an account of all my steps;
    like a prince I would approach him.

38 “If my land has cried out against me,
    and its furrows have wept together;
39 if I have eaten its yield without payment,
    and caused the death of its owners;
40 let thorns grow instead of wheat,
    and foul weeds instead of barley.”

The words of Job are ended.

Footnotes

  1. Job 30:3 Heb ground yesterday waste
  2. Job 30:12 Heb my feet
  3. Job 30:13 Cn: Heb helps
  4. Job 30:14 Cn: Heb like
  5. Job 30:18 Gk: Heb my garment is disfigured
  6. Job 30:20 One Heb Ms and Vg: Heb lacks not
  7. Job 30:24 Cn: Heb obscure
  8. Job 31:18 Cn: Heb for from my youth he grew up to me as a father, and from my mother’s womb I guided her
  9. Job 31:26 Heb the light
  10. Job 31:33 Cn: Heb like men or like Adam

Job’s Final Defense

29 Job continued his discourse:(A)

“How I long for the months gone by,(B)
    for the days when God watched over me,(C)
when his lamp shone on my head
    and by his light I walked through darkness!(D)
Oh, for the days when I was in my prime,
    when God’s intimate friendship(E) blessed my house,(F)
when the Almighty was still with me
    and my children(G) were around me,(H)
when my path was drenched with cream(I)
    and the rock(J) poured out for me streams of olive oil.(K)

“When I went to the gate(L) of the city
    and took my seat in the public square,
the young men saw me and stepped aside(M)
    and the old men rose to their feet;(N)
the chief men refrained from speaking(O)
    and covered their mouths with their hands;(P)
10 the voices of the nobles were hushed,(Q)
    and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.(R)
11 Whoever heard me spoke well of me,
    and those who saw me commended me,(S)
12 because I rescued the poor(T) who cried for help,
    and the fatherless(U) who had none to assist them.(V)
13 The one who was dying blessed me;(W)
    I made the widow’s(X) heart sing.
14 I put on righteousness(Y) as my clothing;
    justice was my robe and my turban.(Z)
15 I was eyes(AA) to the blind
    and feet to the lame.(AB)
16 I was a father to the needy;(AC)
    I took up the case(AD) of the stranger.(AE)
17 I broke the fangs of the wicked
    and snatched the victims(AF) from their teeth.(AG)

18 “I thought, ‘I will die in my own house,
    my days as numerous as the grains of sand.(AH)
19 My roots will reach to the water,(AI)
    and the dew will lie all night on my branches.(AJ)
20 My glory will not fade;(AK)
    the bow(AL) will be ever new in my hand.’(AM)

21 “People listened to me expectantly,
    waiting in silence for my counsel.(AN)
22 After I had spoken, they spoke no more;(AO)
    my words fell gently on their ears.(AP)
23 They waited for me as for showers
    and drank in my words as the spring rain.(AQ)
24 When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it;
    the light of my face(AR) was precious to them.[a](AS)
25 I chose the way for them and sat as their chief;(AT)
    I dwelt as a king(AU) among his troops;
    I was like one who comforts mourners.(AV)

30 “But now they mock me,(AW)
    men younger than I,
whose fathers I would have disdained
    to put with my sheep dogs.(AX)
Of what use was the strength of their hands to me,
    since their vigor had gone from them?
Haggard from want and hunger,
    they roamed[b] the parched land(AY)
    in desolate wastelands(AZ) at night.(BA)
In the brush they gathered salt herbs,(BB)
    and their food[c] was the root of the broom bush.(BC)
They were banished from human society,
    shouted at as if they were thieves.
They were forced to live in the dry stream beds,
    among the rocks and in holes in the ground.(BD)
They brayed(BE) among the bushes(BF)
    and huddled in the undergrowth.
A base and nameless brood,(BG)
    they were driven out of the land.(BH)

“And now those young men mock me(BI) in song;(BJ)
    I have become a byword(BK) among them.
10 They detest me(BL) and keep their distance;
    they do not hesitate to spit in my face.(BM)
11 Now that God has unstrung my bow(BN) and afflicted me,(BO)
    they throw off restraint(BP) in my presence.
12 On my right(BQ) the tribe[d] attacks;
    they lay snares(BR) for my feet,(BS)
    they build their siege ramps against me.(BT)
13 They break up my road;(BU)
    they succeed in destroying me.(BV)
    ‘No one can help him,’ they say.
14 They advance as through a gaping breach;(BW)
    amid the ruins they come rolling in.
15 Terrors(BX) overwhelm me;(BY)
    my dignity is driven away as by the wind,
    my safety vanishes like a cloud.(BZ)

16 “And now my life ebbs away;(CA)
    days of suffering grip me.(CB)
17 Night pierces my bones;
    my gnawing pains never rest.(CC)
18 In his great power(CD) God becomes like clothing to me[e];
    he binds me like the neck of my garment.
19 He throws me into the mud,(CE)
    and I am reduced to dust and ashes.(CF)

20 “I cry out to you,(CG) God, but you do not answer;(CH)
    I stand up, but you merely look at me.
21 You turn on me ruthlessly;(CI)
    with the might of your hand(CJ) you attack me.(CK)
22 You snatch me up and drive me before the wind;(CL)
    you toss me about in the storm.(CM)
23 I know you will bring me down to death,(CN)
    to the place appointed for all the living.(CO)

24 “Surely no one lays a hand on a broken man(CP)
    when he cries for help in his distress.(CQ)
25 Have I not wept for those in trouble?(CR)
    Has not my soul grieved for the poor?(CS)
26 Yet when I hoped for good, evil came;
    when I looked for light, then came darkness.(CT)
27 The churning inside me never stops;(CU)
    days of suffering confront me.(CV)
28 I go about blackened,(CW) but not by the sun;
    I stand up in the assembly and cry for help.(CX)
29 I have become a brother of jackals,(CY)
    a companion of owls.(CZ)
30 My skin grows black(DA) and peels;(DB)
    my body burns with fever.(DC)
31 My lyre is tuned to mourning,(DD)
    and my pipe(DE) to the sound of wailing.

31 “I made a covenant with my eyes(DF)
    not to look lustfully at a young woman.(DG)
For what is our lot(DH) from God above,
    our heritage from the Almighty on high?(DI)
Is it not ruin(DJ) for the wicked,
    disaster(DK) for those who do wrong?(DL)
Does he not see my ways(DM)
    and count my every step?(DN)

“If I have walked with falsehood
    or my foot has hurried after deceit(DO)
let God weigh me(DP) in honest scales(DQ)
    and he will know that I am blameless(DR)
if my steps have turned from the path,(DS)
    if my heart has been led by my eyes,
    or if my hands(DT) have been defiled,(DU)
then may others eat what I have sown,(DV)
    and may my crops be uprooted.(DW)

“If my heart has been enticed(DX) by a woman,(DY)
    or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,
10 then may my wife grind(DZ) another man’s grain,
    and may other men sleep with her.(EA)
11 For that would have been wicked,(EB)
    a sin to be judged.(EC)
12 It is a fire(ED) that burns to Destruction[f];(EE)
    it would have uprooted my harvest.(EF)

13 “If I have denied justice to any of my servants,(EG)
    whether male or female,
    when they had a grievance against me,(EH)
14 what will I do when God confronts me?(EI)
    What will I answer when called to account?(EJ)
15 Did not he who made me in the womb make them?(EK)
    Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?(EL)

16 “If I have denied the desires of the poor(EM)
    or let the eyes of the widow(EN) grow weary,(EO)
17 if I have kept my bread to myself,
    not sharing it with the fatherless(EP)
18 but from my youth I reared them as a father would,
    and from my birth I guided the widow(EQ)
19 if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing,(ER)
    or the needy(ES) without garments,
20 and their hearts did not bless me(ET)
    for warming them with the fleece(EU) from my sheep,
21 if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,(EV)
    knowing that I had influence in court,(EW)
22 then let my arm fall from the shoulder,
    let it be broken off at the joint.(EX)
23 For I dreaded destruction from God,(EY)
    and for fear of his splendor(EZ) I could not do such things.(FA)

24 “If I have put my trust in gold(FB)
    or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’(FC)
25 if I have rejoiced over my great wealth,(FD)
    the fortune my hands had gained,(FE)
26 if I have regarded the sun(FF) in its radiance
    or the moon(FG) moving in splendor,
27 so that my heart was secretly enticed(FH)
    and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,(FI)
28 then these also would be sins to be judged,(FJ)
    for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.(FK)

29 “If I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune(FL)
    or gloated over the trouble that came to him(FM)
30 I have not allowed my mouth to sin
    by invoking a curse against their life(FN)
31 if those of my household have never said,
    ‘Who has not been filled with Job’s meat?’(FO)
32 but no stranger had to spend the night in the street,
    for my door was always open to the traveler(FP)
33 if I have concealed(FQ) my sin as people do,[g]
    by hiding(FR) my guilt in my heart
34 because I so feared the crowd(FS)
    and so dreaded the contempt of the clans
    that I kept silent(FT) and would not go outside—

35 (“Oh, that I had someone to hear me!(FU)
    I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me;
    let my accuser(FV) put his indictment in writing.
36 Surely I would wear it on my shoulder,(FW)
    I would put it on like a crown.(FX)
37 I would give him an account of my every step;(FY)
    I would present it to him as to a ruler.(FZ))—

38 “if my land cries out against me(GA)
    and all its furrows are wet(GB) with tears,
39 if I have devoured its yield without payment(GC)
    or broken the spirit of its tenants,(GD)
40 then let briers(GE) come up instead of wheat
    and stinkweed(GF) instead of barley.”

The words of Job are ended.(GG)

Footnotes

  1. Job 29:24 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
  2. Job 30:3 Or gnawed
  3. Job 30:4 Or fuel
  4. Job 30:12 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  5. Job 30:18 Hebrew; Septuagint power he grasps my clothing
  6. Job 31:12 Hebrew Abaddon
  7. Job 31:33 Or as Adam did

13 When a righteous man was sold, wisdom[a] did not desert him,
but delivered him from sin.
She descended with him into the dungeon,
14 and when he was in prison she did not leave him,
until she brought him the scepter of a kingdom
and authority over his masters.
Those who accused him she showed to be false,
and she gave him everlasting honor.

Wisdom Led the Israelites out of Egypt

15 A holy people and blameless race
wisdom[b] delivered from a nation of oppressors.
16 She entered the soul of a servant of the Lord,
and withstood dread kings with wonders and signs.
17 She gave holy men the reward of their labors;
she guided them along a marvelous way,
and became a shelter to them by day,
and a starry flame through the night.
18 She brought them over the Red Sea,
and led them through deep waters;
19 but she drowned their enemies,
and cast them up from the depth of the sea.
20 Therefore the righteous plundered the ungodly;
they sang hymns, O Lord, to thy holy name,
and praised with one accord thy defending hand,
21 because wisdom opened the mouth of the dumb,
and made the tongues of babes speak clearly.

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Footnotes

  1. Wisdom 10:13 Gk she
  2. Wisdom 10:15 Gk she
'Wisdom 10:13-21' not found for the version: New International Version.

The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

47 While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him; 48 but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of man with a kiss?” 49 And when those who were about him saw what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” 50 And one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51 But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him. 52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests and captains of the temple and elders, who had come out against him,[a] “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? 53 When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”

Peter Denies Jesus

54 Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house. Peter followed at a distance; 55 and when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. 56 Then a maid, seeing him as he sat in the light and gazing at him, said, “This man also was with him.” 57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” 58 And a little later some one else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” 59 And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him; for he is a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly.

The Mocking and Beating of Jesus

63 Now the men who were holding Jesus mocked him and beat him; 64 they also blindfolded him and asked him, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” 65 And they spoke many other words against him, reviling him.

Jesus before the Council

66 When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes; and they led him away to their council, and they said, 67 “If you are the Christ, tell us.” But he said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe; 68 and if I ask you, you will not answer. 69 But from now on the Son of man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” 70 And they all said, “Are you the Son of God, then?” And he said to them, “You say that I am.” 71 And they said, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips.”

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Footnotes

  1. 22.52 Matthew and Mark describe the arrest first, before Christ’s words. Luke and John both put his address to the soldiers and officials before the arrest, doubtless to stress his command over events.

Jesus Arrested(A)

47 While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

49 When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?”(B) 50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.

51 But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.

52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard,(C) and the elders, who had come for him, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? 53 Every day I was with you in the temple courts,(D) and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour(E)—when darkness reigns.”(F)

Peter Disowns Jesus(G)

54 Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest.(H) Peter followed at a distance.(I) 55 And when some there had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. 56 A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.”

57 But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said.

58 A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.”

“Man, I am not!” Peter replied.

59 About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.”(J)

60 Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 The Lord(K) turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.”(L) 62 And he went outside and wept bitterly.

The Guards Mock Jesus(M)

63 The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him. 64 They blindfolded him and demanded, “Prophesy! Who hit you?” 65 And they said many other insulting things to him.(N)

Jesus Before Pilate and Herod(O)(P)(Q)

66 At daybreak the council(R) of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and the teachers of the law, met together,(S) and Jesus was led before them. 67 “If you are the Messiah,” they said, “tell us.”

Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, 68 and if I asked you, you would not answer.(T) 69 But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.”(U)

70 They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?”(V)

He replied, “You say that I am.”(W)

71 Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips.”

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