Job 4:12-21

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

¹² “Now a word came stealing to me;
    my ear received the whisper of it.^(A)
13 Amid thoughts from visions of the night,
    when deep sleep falls on mortals,
¹⁴ dread came upon me and trembling,
    which made all my bones shake.^(B)
15 A spirit glided past my face;
    the hair of my flesh bristled.
¹⁶ It stood still,
    but I could not discern its appearance.
A form was before my eyes;
    there was silence; then I heard a voice:
¹⁷ ‘Can mortals be righteous before^[a] God?
    Can humans be pure before^[b] their Maker?^(C)
18 Even in his servants he puts no trust,
    and his angels he charges with error;^(D)
19 how much more those who live in houses of clay,
    whose foundation is in the dust,
    who are crushed like a moth.^(E)
20 Between morning and evening they are destroyed;
    they perish forever without any regarding it.^(F)
21 Their tent cord is plucked up within them,
    and they die devoid of wisdom.’^(G)