Job Replies: My Complaint Is Just

Then Job answered and said:

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Job

Then Job replied:

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Job Continues: My Life Has No Hope

“Has not man (A)a hard service on earth,
    and are not his (B)days like the days of a hired hand?
Like a slave who longs for (C)the shadow,
    and like (D)a hired hand who looks for his (E)wages,
so I am allotted months of (F)emptiness,
    (G)and nights of misery are apportioned to me.
(H)When I lie down I say, ‘When shall I arise?’
    But the night is long,
    and I am full of tossing till the dawn.
My flesh is clothed with (I)worms and (J)dirt;
    my skin hardens, then (K)breaks out afresh.
My days are (L)swifter than (M)a weaver's shuttle
    and come to their end without hope.

“Remember that my life is a (N)breath;
    my eye will never again see good.
(O)The eye of him who sees me will behold me no more;
    while your eyes are on me, (P)I shall be gone.
As (Q)the cloud fades and vanishes,
    so he who (R)goes down to Sheol does not come up;
10 he (S)returns no more to his house,
    nor does his (T)place know him anymore.

11 “Therefore I will not (U)restrain my mouth;
    I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;
    I will (V)complain in (W)the bitterness of my soul.
12 Am I the sea, or (X)a sea monster,
    that you set a guard over me?
13 (Y)When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me,
    my couch will ease my complaint,’
14 then you scare me with dreams
    and terrify me with visions,
15 so that I would choose strangling
    and death rather than my (Z)bones.
16 I (AA)loathe my life; I would not live forever.
    (AB)Leave me alone, for my days are (AC)a breath.
17 (AD)What is man, that you make so much of him,
    and that you set your heart on him,
18 (AE)visit him every morning
    and (AF)test him every moment?
19 How long will you not (AG)look away from me,
    nor leave me alone till I swallow my spit?
20 If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of mankind?
    Why have you made me (AH)your mark?
    Why have I become a burden to you?
21 Why do you not pardon my transgression
    and take away my iniquity?
For now I shall lie in (AI)the earth;
    you will (AJ)seek me, (AK)but I shall not be.”

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“Do not mortals have hard service(A) on earth?(B)
    Are not their days like those of hired laborers?(C)
Like a slave longing for the evening shadows,(D)
    or a hired laborer waiting to be paid,(E)
so I have been allotted months of futility,
    and nights of misery have been assigned to me.(F)
When I lie down I think, ‘How long before I get up?’(G)
    The night drags on, and I toss and turn until dawn.(H)
My body is clothed with worms(I) and scabs,
    my skin is broken and festering.(J)

“My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,(K)
    and they come to an end without hope.(L)
Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath;(M)
    my eyes will never see happiness again.(N)
The eye that now sees me will see me no longer;
    you will look for me, but I will be no more.(O)
As a cloud vanishes(P) and is gone,
    so one who goes down to the grave(Q) does not return.(R)
10 He will never come to his house again;
    his place(S) will know him no more.(T)

11 “Therefore I will not keep silent;(U)
    I will speak out in the anguish(V) of my spirit,
    I will complain(W) in the bitterness of my soul.(X)
12 Am I the sea,(Y) or the monster of the deep,(Z)
    that you put me under guard?(AA)
13 When I think my bed will comfort me
    and my couch will ease my complaint,(AB)
14 even then you frighten me with dreams
    and terrify(AC) me with visions,(AD)
15 so that I prefer strangling and death,(AE)
    rather than this body of mine.(AF)
16 I despise my life;(AG) I would not live forever.(AH)
    Let me alone;(AI) my days have no meaning.(AJ)

17 “What is mankind that you make so much of them,
    that you give them so much attention,(AK)
18 that you examine them every morning(AL)
    and test them(AM) every moment?(AN)
19 Will you never look away from me,(AO)
    or let me alone even for an instant?(AP)
20 If I have sinned, what have I done to you,(AQ)
    you who see everything we do?
Why have you made me your target?(AR)
    Have I become a burden to you?[a](AS)
21 Why do you not pardon my offenses
    and forgive my sins?(AT)
For I will soon lie down in the dust;(AU)
    you will search for me, but I will be no more.”(AV)

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Footnotes

  1. Job 7:20 A few manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition and Septuagint; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text I have become a burden to myself.

Peter and Cornelius

10 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of (A)what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man (B)who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. (C)About the ninth hour of the day[a] (D)he saw clearly in a vision (E)an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms (F)have ascended (G)as a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging (H)with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

Peter's Vision

The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, (I)Peter went up (J)on the housetop about (K)the sixth hour[b] to pray. 10 And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into (L)a trance 11 and saw (M)the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. 13 And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; (N)for I have never eaten anything that is (O)common or (P)unclean.” 15 And the voice came to him again a second time, (Q)“What God has made clean, do not call common.” 16 This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 10:3 That is, 3 p.m.
  2. Acts 10:9 That is, noon

Cornelius Calls for Peter

10 At Caesarea(A) there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing;(B) he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon(C) he had a vision.(D) He distinctly saw an angel(E) of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”

Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.

The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering(F) before God.(G) Now send men to Joppa(H) to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the tanner,(I) whose house is by the sea.”

When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.(J)

Peter’s Vision(K)

About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof(L) to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.(M) 11 He saw heaven opened(N) and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. 13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”

14 “Surely not, Lord!”(O) Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”(P)

15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”(Q)

16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.

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Jesus at the Feast of Booths

After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because (A)the Jews[a] were seeking to kill him. Now (B)the Jews' Feast of (C)Booths was at hand. (D)So his brothers[b] said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, (E)show yourself to the world.” (F)For not even (G)his brothers believed in him. Jesus said to them, (H)“My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but (I)it hates me because I testify about it that (J)its works are evil. You go up to the feast. I am not[c] going up to this feast, for (K)my time has not yet fully come.” After saying this, he remained in Galilee.

10 But after (L)his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. 11 (M)The Jews (N)were looking for him at the feast, and saying, “Where is he?” 12 And there was much (O)muttering about him among the people. (P)While some said, “He is a good man,” others said, “No, (Q)he is leading the people astray.” 13 Yet (R)for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him.

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Footnotes

  1. John 7:1 Or Judeans; Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time
  2. John 7:3 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 5, 10
  3. John 7:8 Some manuscripts add yet

Jesus Goes to the Festival of Tabernacles

After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want[a] to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders(A) there were looking for a way to kill him.(B) But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles(C) was near, Jesus’ brothers(D) said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” For even his own brothers did not believe in him.(E)

Therefore Jesus told them, “My time(F) is not yet here; for you any time will do. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me(G) because I testify that its works are evil.(H) You go to the festival. I am not[b] going up to this festival, because my time(I) has not yet fully come.” After he had said this, he stayed in Galilee.

10 However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. 11 Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus(J) and asking, “Where is he?”

12 Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.”

Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.”(K) 13 But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the leaders.(L)

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Footnotes

  1. John 7:1 Some manuscripts not have authority
  2. John 7:8 Some manuscripts not yet