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Job 30-31
New American Standard Bible
Job 30-31
New American Standard Bible
Job’s Present State Is Humiliating
30 “But now those who are younger than I (A)mock me,
Whose fathers I refused to put with the dogs of my flock.
2 Indeed, what good was the strength of their hands to me?
Vigor had perished from them.
3 From poverty and famine they are gaunt,
They who gnaw at the dry ground by night in waste and desolation,
4 Who pluck saltweed by the bushes,
And whose food is the root of the broom shrub.
5 They are driven from the community;
They shout against them as against a thief,
6 So that they live on the slopes of ravines,
In holes in the ground and among the rocks.
7 Among the bushes they [a]cry out;
Under the weeds they are gathered together.
8 Worthless [b]fellows, even [c]those without a name,
They were cast out from the land.
9 “And now I have become their [d](B)taunt,
And I have become a [e](C)byword to them.
10 They loathe me and stand aloof from me,
And they do not [f]refrain from (D)spitting in my face.
11 Because He has undone [g]my [h]bowstring and (E)afflicted me,
They have cast off (F)the bridle before me.
12 On the right hand their [i]mob arises;
They (G)push aside my feet (H)and pile up their ways of destruction against me.
13 They (I)break up my path,
They promote my destruction;
No one restrains them.
14 As through a wide gap they come,
[j]Amid the storm they roll on.
15 (J)Sudden terrors are turned upon me;
They chase away my dignity like the wind,
And my [k]prosperity has passed away (K)like a cloud.
16 “And now (L)my soul is poured out [l]within me;
Days of misery have seized me.
17 At night it pierces (M)my bones [m]within me,
And my gnawing pains do not rest.
18 By a great force my garment is (N)distorted;
It ties me up like the collar of my coat.
19 He has thrown me into the (O)mire,
And I have become like dust and ashes.
20 I (P)cry out to You for help, but You do not answer me;
I stand up, and You turn Your attention against me.
21 You have [n]become cruel to me;
With the strength of Your hand You (Q)persecute me.
22 You (R)lift me up to the wind and make me ride it;
And You dissolve me in a storm.
23 For I know that You (S)will bring me to death,
And to the (T)house of meeting for all living.
24 “Yet does one in a heap of ruins not reach out with his hand,
Or in his disaster does he not (U)cry out for help?
25 Have I not (V)wept for the [o]one whose life is hard?
Was my soul not grieved for (W)the needy?
26 When I (X)expected good, evil came;
When I waited for light, (Y)darkness came.
27 [p]I am seething (Z)within and cannot rest;
Days of misery confront me.
28 I go about [q](AA)mourning without comfort;
I stand up in the assembly and (AB)cry out for help.
29 I have become a brother to (AC)jackals,
And a companion of ostriches.
30 My (AD)skin turns black [r]on me,
And my (AE)bones burn with [s]fever.
31 Therefore my (AF)harp [t]is turned to mourning,
And my flute to the sound of those who weep.
Job Asserts His Integrity
31 “I have made a covenant with my (AG)eyes;
How then could I look at a virgin?
2 And what is (AH)the portion of God from above,
Or the inheritance of the Almighty from on high?
3 Is it not (AI)disaster to the criminal,
And misfortune to (AJ)those who practice injustice?
4 Does He not (AK)see my ways,
And (AL)count all my steps?
5 “If I have (AM)walked with deception,
And my foot has hurried after deceit,
6 Let Him (AN)weigh me with [u]accurate scales,
And let God know (AO)my integrity.
7 If my step has (AP)turned from the way,
Or my heart [v]followed my eyes,
Or if any (AQ)spot has stuck to my hands,
8 Let me (AR)sow and another eat,
And let my [w](AS)crops be uprooted.
9 “If my heart has been (AT)enticed by a woman,
Or I have lurked at my neighbor’s doorway,
10 May my wife (AU)grind grain for another,
And let (AV)others [x]kneel down over her.
11 For that would be a (AW)lustful crime;
Moreover, it would be (AX)wrongdoing punishable by judges.
12 For it would be (AY)fire that consumes to [y](AZ)Abaddon,
And would (BA)uproot all my [z]increase.
13 “If I have (BB)rejected the claim of my male or female slaves
When they filed a complaint against me,
14 What then could I do when God arises?
And when He calls me to account, how am I to answer Him?
15 Did (BC)He who made me in the womb not make him,
And the same one create us in the womb?
16 “If I have kept (BD)the poor from their desire,
Or have caused the eyes of (BE)the widow to fail,
17 Or have (BF)eaten my morsel alone,
And (BG)the orphan has not [aa]shared it
18 (But from my youth he grew up with me as with a father,
And from [ab]my infancy I guided her),
19 If I have seen anyone perish (BH)for lack of clothing,
Or that (BI)the needy had no covering,
20 If his waist has not [ac]thanked me,
And if he has not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep,
21 If I have lifted up my hand against (BJ)the orphan,
Because I saw [ad]I had support (BK)in the gate,
22 May my shoulder fall from its [ae]socket,
And my (BL)arm be broken off [af]at the elbow.
23 For (BM)disaster from God is a terror to me,
And because of (BN)His majesty I can do nothing.
24 “If I have put my confidence in (BO)gold,
And called fine gold my trust,
25 If I have (BP)gloated because my wealth was great,
And because my hand had obtained so much;
26 If I have (BQ)looked at the [ag]sun when it shone,
Or the moon going in splendor,
27 And my heart was secretly enticed,
And my hand [ah]threw a kiss from my mouth,
28 That too would have been (BR)a guilty deed calling for [ai]judgment,
For I would have (BS)denied God above.
29 “Have I (BT)rejoiced at the misfortune of my enemy,
Or become excited when evil found him?
30 [aj]No, (BU)I have not [ak]allowed my mouth to sin
By asking for his life in (BV)a curse.
31 Have the people of my tent not said,
‘Who can [al]find one who has not been (BW)satisfied with his meat’?
32 The stranger has not spent the night outside,
For I have opened my doors to the [am]traveler.
33 Have I (BX)covered my wrongdoings like a man,
By hiding my guilt in my shirt pocket,
34 Because I (BY)feared the great multitude
And the contempt of families terrified me,
And I kept silent and did not go out of doors?
35 Oh that I had one to hear me!
Here is my [an]signature;
(BZ)Let the Almighty answer me!
And the indictment which my (CA)adversary has written,
36 I would certainly carry it on my shoulder,
I would tie it to myself like a garland.
37 I would declare to Him (CB)the number of my steps;
Like (CC)a prince, I would approach Him.
38 “If my (CD)land cries out against me,
And its furrows weep together;
39 If I have (CE)eaten its [ao]fruit without money,
Or have (CF)caused [ap]its owners to lose their lives,
40 May the (CG)thorn-bush [aq]grow instead of wheat,
And stinkweed instead of barley.”
The words of Job are ended.
Footnotes
- Job 30:7 Or bray
- Job 30:8 Lit sons
- Job 30:8 Lit sons
- Job 30:9 Lit song
- Job 30:9 I.e., prob. a word of insult
- Job 30:10 Lit withhold spit from my face
- Job 30:11 Some mss His
- Job 30:11 Or cord
- Job 30:12 Or youth arise
- Job 30:14 Lit Under
- Job 30:15 Or welfare
- Job 30:16 Lit upon
- Job 30:17 Lit from upon
- Job 30:21 Lit turned to be
- Job 30:25 Lit hard of day
- Job 30:27 Lit My inward parts are boiling
- Job 30:28 Or blackened, but not by the heat of the sun
- Job 30:30 Lit from upon
- Job 30:30 Lit heat
- Job 30:31 Lit becomes
- Job 31:6 Lit just
- Job 31:7 Lit walked after
- Job 31:8 Or offspring
- Job 31:10 I.e., have sexual relations with her
- Job 31:12 I.e., the place of destruction
- Job 31:12 Or yield
- Job 31:17 Lit eaten from it
- Job 31:18 Lit my mother’s womb
- Job 31:20 Lit blessed; i.e., for clothing
- Job 31:21 Lit my help
- Job 31:22 Lit neck-joint
- Job 31:22 Lit from the bone of the upper arm
- Job 31:26 Lit light
- Job 31:27 Lit kissed my mouth
- Job 31:28 Lit judges
- Job 31:30 Lit And
- Job 31:30 Lit given my palate
- Job 31:31 Lit give
- Job 31:32 MT way
- Job 31:35 Lit mark
- Job 31:39 Lit strength
- Job 31:39 Lit the soul of its owners to expire
- Job 31:40 Lit come forth
Job 30-31
New International Version
Job 30-31
New International Version
30 “But now they mock me,(A)
men younger than I,
whose fathers I would have disdained
to put with my sheep dogs.(B)
2 Of what use was the strength of their hands to me,
since their vigor had gone from them?
3 Haggard from want and hunger,
they roamed[a] the parched land(C)
in desolate wastelands(D) at night.(E)
4 In the brush they gathered salt herbs,(F)
and their food[b] was the root of the broom bush.(G)
5 They were banished from human society,
shouted at as if they were thieves.
6 They were forced to live in the dry stream beds,
among the rocks and in holes in the ground.(H)
7 They brayed(I) among the bushes(J)
and huddled in the undergrowth.
8 A base and nameless brood,(K)
they were driven out of the land.(L)
9 “And now those young men mock me(M) in song;(N)
I have become a byword(O) among them.
10 They detest me(P) and keep their distance;
they do not hesitate to spit in my face.(Q)
11 Now that God has unstrung my bow(R) and afflicted me,(S)
they throw off restraint(T) in my presence.
12 On my right(U) the tribe[c] attacks;
they lay snares(V) for my feet,(W)
they build their siege ramps against me.(X)
13 They break up my road;(Y)
they succeed in destroying me.(Z)
‘No one can help him,’ they say.
14 They advance as through a gaping breach;(AA)
amid the ruins they come rolling in.
15 Terrors(AB) overwhelm me;(AC)
my dignity is driven away as by the wind,
my safety vanishes like a cloud.(AD)
16 “And now my life ebbs away;(AE)
days of suffering grip me.(AF)
17 Night pierces my bones;
my gnawing pains never rest.(AG)
18 In his great power(AH) God becomes like clothing to me[d];
he binds me like the neck of my garment.
19 He throws me into the mud,(AI)
and I am reduced to dust and ashes.(AJ)
20 “I cry out to you,(AK) God, but you do not answer;(AL)
I stand up, but you merely look at me.
21 You turn on me ruthlessly;(AM)
with the might of your hand(AN) you attack me.(AO)
22 You snatch me up and drive me before the wind;(AP)
you toss me about in the storm.(AQ)
23 I know you will bring me down to death,(AR)
to the place appointed for all the living.(AS)
24 “Surely no one lays a hand on a broken man(AT)
when he cries for help in his distress.(AU)
25 Have I not wept for those in trouble?(AV)
Has not my soul grieved for the poor?(AW)
26 Yet when I hoped for good, evil came;
when I looked for light, then came darkness.(AX)
27 The churning inside me never stops;(AY)
days of suffering confront me.(AZ)
28 I go about blackened,(BA) but not by the sun;
I stand up in the assembly and cry for help.(BB)
29 I have become a brother of jackals,(BC)
a companion of owls.(BD)
30 My skin grows black(BE) and peels;(BF)
my body burns with fever.(BG)
31 My lyre is tuned to mourning,(BH)
and my pipe(BI) to the sound of wailing.
31 “I made a covenant with my eyes(BJ)
not to look lustfully at a young woman.(BK)
2 For what is our lot(BL) from God above,
our heritage from the Almighty on high?(BM)
3 Is it not ruin(BN) for the wicked,
disaster(BO) for those who do wrong?(BP)
4 Does he not see my ways(BQ)
and count my every step?(BR)
5 “If I have walked with falsehood
or my foot has hurried after deceit(BS)—
6 let God weigh me(BT) in honest scales(BU)
and he will know that I am blameless(BV)—
7 if my steps have turned from the path,(BW)
if my heart has been led by my eyes,
or if my hands(BX) have been defiled,(BY)
8 then may others eat what I have sown,(BZ)
and may my crops be uprooted.(CA)
9 “If my heart has been enticed(CB) by a woman,(CC)
or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,
10 then may my wife grind(CD) another man’s grain,
and may other men sleep with her.(CE)
11 For that would have been wicked,(CF)
a sin to be judged.(CG)
12 It is a fire(CH) that burns to Destruction[e];(CI)
it would have uprooted my harvest.(CJ)
13 “If I have denied justice to any of my servants,(CK)
whether male or female,
when they had a grievance against me,(CL)
14 what will I do when God confronts me?(CM)
What will I answer when called to account?(CN)
15 Did not he who made me in the womb make them?(CO)
Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?(CP)
16 “If I have denied the desires of the poor(CQ)
or let the eyes of the widow(CR) grow weary,(CS)
17 if I have kept my bread to myself,
not sharing it with the fatherless(CT)—
18 but from my youth I reared them as a father would,
and from my birth I guided the widow(CU)—
19 if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing,(CV)
or the needy(CW) without garments,
20 and their hearts did not bless me(CX)
for warming them with the fleece(CY) from my sheep,
21 if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,(CZ)
knowing that I had influence in court,(DA)
22 then let my arm fall from the shoulder,
let it be broken off at the joint.(DB)
23 For I dreaded destruction from God,(DC)
and for fear of his splendor(DD) I could not do such things.(DE)
24 “If I have put my trust in gold(DF)
or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’(DG)
25 if I have rejoiced over my great wealth,(DH)
the fortune my hands had gained,(DI)
26 if I have regarded the sun(DJ) in its radiance
or the moon(DK) moving in splendor,
27 so that my heart was secretly enticed(DL)
and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,(DM)
28 then these also would be sins to be judged,(DN)
for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.(DO)
29 “If I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune(DP)
or gloated over the trouble that came to him(DQ)—
30 I have not allowed my mouth to sin
by invoking a curse against their life(DR)—
31 if those of my household have never said,
‘Who has not been filled with Job’s meat?’(DS)—
32 but no stranger had to spend the night in the street,
for my door was always open to the traveler(DT)—
33 if I have concealed(DU) my sin as people do,[f]
by hiding(DV) my guilt in my heart
34 because I so feared the crowd(DW)
and so dreaded the contempt of the clans
that I kept silent(DX) and would not go outside—
35 (“Oh, that I had someone to hear me!(DY)
I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me;
let my accuser(DZ) put his indictment in writing.
36 Surely I would wear it on my shoulder,(EA)
I would put it on like a crown.(EB)
37 I would give him an account of my every step;(EC)
I would present it to him as to a ruler.(ED))—
38 “if my land cries out against me(EE)
and all its furrows are wet(EF) with tears,
39 if I have devoured its yield without payment(EG)
or broken the spirit of its tenants,(EH)
40 then let briers(EI) come up instead of wheat
and stinkweed(EJ) instead of barley.”
The words of Job are ended.(EK)
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
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