Job 3-5
New American Standard Bible
Job’s Lament
3 Afterward Job opened his mouth and cursed [a]the day of his birth. 2 And Job [b]said,
3 “(A)May the day on which I was to be born perish,
As well as the night which said, ‘A [c]boy is conceived.’
4 May that day be darkness;
May God above not care for it,
Nor light shine on it.
5 May (B)darkness and black gloom claim it;
May a cloud settle on it;
May the blackness of the day terrify it.
6 As for that night, may darkness seize it;
May it not rejoice among the days of the year;
May it not come into the number of the months.
7 Behold, may that night be barren;
May no joyful shout enter it.
8 May those curse it who curse the day,
Who are [d]prepared to (C)disturb Leviathan.
9 May the stars of its twilight be darkened;
May it wait for light but have none,
And may it not see the [e]breaking dawn;
10 Because it did not shut the opening of my mother’s womb,
Or hide trouble from my eyes.
11 “(D)Why did I not die [f]at birth,
Come out of the womb and pass away?
12 Why were the knees there in front of me,
And why the breasts, that I would nurse?
13 For now I (E)would have lain down and been quiet;
I would have slept then, I would have been at rest,
14 With (F)kings and (G)counselors of the earth,
Who rebuilt (H)ruins for themselves;
15 Or with (I)rulers (J)who had gold,
Who were filling their houses with silver.
16 Or like a miscarriage which is [g]hidden, I would not exist,
As infants that never saw light.
17 There the wicked cease from raging,
And there the [h]weary are at (K)rest.
18 The prisoners are at ease together;
They do not hear the voice of the taskmaster.
19 The small and the great are there,
And the slave is free from his master.
20 “Why is (L)light given to one burdened with grief,
And life to the bitter of soul,
21 Who [i](M)long for death, but there is none,
And dig for it more than for (N)hidden treasures;
22 Who are filled with jubilation,
And rejoice when they find the grave?
23 Why is light given to a man (O)whose way is hidden,
And whom (P)God has shut off?
24 For (Q)my groaning comes at the sight of my food,
And (R)my cries pour out like water.
25 For [j](S)what I fear comes upon me,
And what I dread [k]encounters me.
26 I (T)am not at ease, nor am I quiet,
And I am not at rest, but turmoil comes.”
Eliphaz Says the Innocent Do Not Suffer
4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded,
2 “If one ventures a word with you, will you become impatient?
But (U)who can refrain [l]from speaking?
3 Behold, (V)you have taught many,
And you have strengthened weak hands.
4 Your words have helped the stumbling to stand,
And you have strengthened [m]feeble knees.
5 But now it comes to you, and you (W)are impatient;
It (X)touches you, and you are horrified.
6 Is your [n](Y)fear of God not (Z)your confidence,
And the integrity of your ways your hope?
7 “Remember now, (AA)who ever perished being innocent?
Or where were the upright destroyed?
8 According to what I have seen, (AB)those who [o]plow wrongdoing
And those who sow trouble harvest it.
9 By (AC)the breath of God they perish,
And (AD)by the [p]blast of His anger they come to an end.
10 The (AE)roaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion,
And the teeth of the young lions are broken out.
11 The (AF)lion perishes for lack of prey,
And the (AG)cubs of the lioness are scattered.
12 “Now a word (AH)was brought to me secretly,
And my ear received a (AI)whisper of it.
13 Amid disquieting (AJ)thoughts from visions of the night,
When deep sleep falls on people,
14 Dread came upon me, and trembling,
And made [q]all my bones shake.
15 Then a [r]spirit passed by my face;
The hair of my flesh stood up.
16 Something was standing still, but I could not recognize its appearance;
A form was before my eyes;
There was silence, then I heard a voice:
17 ‘Can (AK)mankind be righteous [s]before God?
Can a man be pure [t]before his (AL)Maker?
18 (AM)He puts no trust even in His servants;
And He accuses His angels of error.
19 How much more those who live in (AN)houses of clay,
Whose (AO)foundation is in the dust,
Who are crushed before the moth!
20 (AP)Between morning and evening they are broken in pieces;
Unregarded, they (AQ)perish forever.
21 Is their (AR)tent-cord not pulled out within them?
They die, yet (AS)without wisdom.’
God Is Just
5 “Call now, is there anyone who will answer you?
And to which of the (AT)holy ones will you turn?
2 For (AU)irritation kills the fool,
And jealousy brings death to the simple.
3 I have seen the (AV)fool taking root,
And I (AW)cursed his home immediately.
4 His (AX)sons are far from safety,
They are also [u]oppressed at the gate,
And there is no one to save them.
5 [v]The hungry devour his harvest
And take it to a place of thorns,
And the [w](AY)schemer is eager for their wealth.
6 For (AZ)disaster does not come from the dust,
Nor does trouble sprout from the ground,
7 For (BA)man is born for trouble,
As sparks fly upward.
8 “But as for me, I would (BB)seek God,
And I would make my plea before God,
9 Who (BC)does great and unsearchable things,
[x]Wonders without number.
10 He (BD)gives rain on the earth,
And sends water on the fields,
11 So that (BE)He sets on high those who are lowly,
And those who mourn are lifted to safety.
12 He (BF)frustrates the schemes of the shrewd,
So that their hands cannot attain success.
13 He (BG)captures the wise by their own cleverness,
And the advice of the cunning is quickly thwarted.
14 By day they (BH)meet with darkness,
And grope at noon as in the night.
15 But He saves from (BI)the sword of their mouth,
And (BJ)the poor from the hand of the strong.
16 So the helpless has hope,
And (BK)injustice has shut its mouth.
17 “Behold, (BL)happy is the person whom God disciplines,
So do not reject the (BM)discipline of [y]the Almighty.
18 For (BN)He inflicts pain, and [z]gives relief;
He wounds, but His hands also heal.
19 In six troubles (BO)He will save you;
Even in seven, (BP)evil will not touch you.
20 In (BQ)famine He will redeem you from death,
And (BR)in war, from the power of the sword.
21 You will be (BS)hidden [aa]from the scourge of the tongue,
(BT)And you will not be afraid of violence when it comes.
22 You will (BU)laugh at violence and hunger,
(BV)And you will not be afraid of [ab]wild animals.
23 For you will be in league with the stones of the field,
And (BW)the animals of the field will be at peace with you.
24 You will know that your (BX)tent is secure,
For you will visit your home and [ac]have nothing missing.
25 You will also know that your [ad](BY)descendants will be many,
And (BZ)your offspring as the grass of the earth.
26 You will (CA)come to the grave at a ripe age,
Like the stacking of grain in its season.
27 Behold this; we have investigated it, and so it is.
Hear it, and know for yourself.”
Footnotes
- Job 3:1 Lit his day
- Job 3:2 Lit answered and said
- Job 3:3 Lit man-child
- Job 3:8 Or skillful
- Job 3:9 Lit eyelids of dawn
- Job 3:11 Lit from the womb
- Job 3:16 I.e., buried
- Job 3:17 Lit weary of strength
- Job 3:21 Lit wait
- Job 3:25 Lit I fear a fear, and it comes
- Job 3:25 Lit comes to me
- Job 4:2 Lit in words
- Job 4:4 Lit knees giving way
- Job 4:6 Or reverence for
- Job 4:8 I.e., devise
- Job 4:9 Lit wind
- Job 4:14 Lit the multitude of
- Job 4:15 Or wind passed over
- Job 4:17 Lit from
- Job 4:17 Lit from
- Job 5:4 Lit crushed
- Job 5:5 Lit Whose harvest the hungry devour
- Job 5:5 Ancient versions thirsty
- Job 5:9 Or Miracles
- Job 5:17 Heb Shaddai, and so throughout ch 6
- Job 5:18 Lit binds
- Job 5:21 Lit at
- Job 5:22 Lit animals of the earth
- Job 5:24 Lit not miss
- Job 5:25 Lit seed
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