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Job 7-9
New American Standard Bible
Job 7-9
New American Standard Bible
Job’s Life Seems Futile
7 “[a]Is a person not (A)forced to labor on earth,
And are his days not like the days of (B)a hired worker?
2 As a slave pants for the shade,
And as a hired worker who eagerly waits for his wages,
3 So I am allotted worthless months,
And (C)nights of trouble are apportioned to me.
4 When I (D)lie down, I say,
‘When shall I arise?’
But the night continues,
And I am continually tossing until dawn.
5 My (E)flesh is clothed with maggots and a crust of dirt,
My skin hardens and [b]oozes.
6 My days are (F)swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,
And they come to an end (G)without hope.
7 “Remember that my life (H)is a mere breath;
My eye will (I)not see goodness again.
8 The (J)eye of him who sees me will no longer look at me;
Your eyes will be on me, but (K)I will not exist.
9 When a (L)cloud vanishes, it is gone;
In the same way (M)one who goes down to [c](N)Sheol does not come up.
10 He will not return to his house again,
Nor will (O)his place know about him anymore.
11 “Therefore (P)I will not restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit,
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
12 Am I the sea, or (Q)the sea monster,
That You set a guard over me?
13 If I say, ‘(R)My couch will comfort me,
My bed will [d]ease my complaint,’
14 Then You frighten me with dreams,
And terrify me by visions,
15 So that my soul would choose suffocation,
Death rather than my [e]pains.
16 I [f](S)waste away; I will not live forever.
Leave me alone, (T)for my days are only a breath.
17 (U)What is man that You exalt him,
And that You [g]are concerned about him,
18 That (V)You examine him every morning
And put him to the test every moment?
19 [h](W)Will You never turn Your gaze away from me,
Nor leave me alone until I swallow my spittle?
20 (X)Have I sinned? What have I done to You,
(Y)Watcher of mankind?
Why have You made me Your target,
So that I am a burden to myself?
21 Why then (Z)do You not forgive my wrongdoing
And take away my [i]guilt?
For now I will (AA)lie down in the dust;
And You will search for me, (AB)but I will no longer exist.”
Bildad Says God Rewards the Good
8 Then Bildad the Shuhite responded,
2 “How long will you say these things,
And the (AC)words of your mouth be a mighty wind?
3 Does (AD)God pervert justice?
Or does [j]the Almighty pervert what is right?
4 (AE)If your sons sinned against Him,
Then He turned them over to the [k]power of their wrongdoing.
5 If you will (AF)search for God
And implore the compassion of [l]the Almighty,
6 If you are pure and upright,
Surely now (AG)He will stir Himself for you
And restore your righteous [m](AH)estate.
7 Though your beginning was insignificant,
Yet your (AI)end will increase greatly.
8 “Please (AJ)inquire of past generations,
And consider the things searched out by their fathers.
9 For we are only of yesterday and know nothing,
Because (AK)our days on earth are as a shadow.
10 Will they not teach you and tell you,
And bring forth words from their minds?
11 “Can papyrus grow tall without a marsh?
Can the rushes grow without water?
12 While it is still green and not cut down,
Yet it withers before any other [n]plant.
13 So are the paths of (AL)all who forget God;
And the (AM)hope of the godless will perish,
14 His confidence is fragile,
And his trust is a (AN)spider’s [o]web.
15 He depends on his (AO)house, but it does not stand;
He holds on to it, but it does not endure.
16 He (AP)flourishes before the sun,
And his (AQ)shoots spread out over his garden.
17 His roots wrap around a rock pile,
He [p]grasps a house of stones.
18 If he is [q]removed from (AR)his place,
Then it will deny him, saying, ‘(AS)I never saw you.’
19 Behold, (AT)this is the joy of His way;
And out of the dust others will spring.
20 Behold, (AU)God will not reject a person of integrity,
Nor (AV)will He [r]help evildoers.
21 He will yet fill (AW)your mouth with laughter,
And your lips with joyful shouting.
22 Those who hate you will be (AX)clothed with shame,
And the (AY)tent of the wicked will no longer exist.”
Job Says There Is No Arbitrator between God and Mankind
9 Then Job responded,
2 “In truth I know that this is so;
But how can a (AZ)person be in the right with God?
3 If one wished to (BA)dispute with Him,
He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.
4 (BB)Wise in heart and (BC)mighty in strength,
Who has [s](BD)defied Him [t]without harm?
5 (BE)It is God who removes the mountains, and they do not know how,
When He overturns them in His anger.
6 It is He who (BF)shakes the earth from its place,
And its (BG)pillars tremble;
7 Who commands the (BH)sun [u]not to shine,
And puts a seal on the stars;
8 Who alone (BI)stretches out the heavens,
And [v](BJ)tramples down the waves of the sea;
9 Who makes the (BK)Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades,
And the [w](BL)constellations of the south.
10 It is He who (BM)does great things, [x]the unfathomable,
And wondrous works without number.
11 If He were to pass by me, (BN)I would not see Him;
Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him.
12 If He were to snatch away, who could (BO)restrain Him?
Who could say to Him, ‘(BP)What are You doing?’
13 “God will not turn back His anger;
Beneath Him the helpers of [y](BQ)Rahab cower.
14 How then can (BR)I [z]answer Him,
And choose my words [aa]before Him?
15 For (BS)though I were right, I could not [ab]answer;
I would have to (BT)implore the mercy of my Judge.
16 If I called and He answered me,
I could not believe that He was listening to my voice.
17 For He (BU)bruises me with a storm
And multiplies my wounds without cause.
18 He will (BV)not allow me to get my breath,
But He saturates me with (BW)bitterness.
19 If it is a matter of power, (BX)behold, He is the strong one!
And if it is a matter of justice, who can summon [ac]Him?
20 (BY)Though I am righteous, my mouth will (BZ)condemn me;
Though I am guiltless, He will declare me guilty.
21 I am (CA)guiltless;
I do not take notice of myself;
I (CB)reject my life.
22 It is all one; therefore I say,
‘He (CC)destroys the guiltless and the wicked.’
23 If the whip kills suddenly,
He (CD)mocks the despair of the innocent.
24 The earth (CE)is handed over to the wicked;
He (CF)covers the faces of its judges.
If it is not He, then who is it?
25 “Now (CG)my days are swifter than a runner;
They flee away, (CH)they see no good.
26 They slip by like (CI)reed boats,
Like an (CJ)eagle that swoops on [ad]its prey.
27 Though I say, ‘I will forget (CK)my complaint,
I will [ae]put my face in order and be cheerful,’
28 I am (CL)afraid of all my pains,
I know that (CM)You will not acquit me.
29 I am (CN)guilty,
Why then should I struggle in vain?
30 If I (CO)washed myself with snow,
And cleansed (CP)my hands with lye,
31 Then You would plunge me into the pit,
And my own clothes would loathe me.
32 For (CQ)He is not a man, as I am, that (CR)I may answer Him—
That we may go to [af]court together!
33 There is no (CS)arbitrator between us,
Who can place his hand upon us both.
34 Let Him (CT)remove His rod from me,
And let not the dread of Him terrify me.
35 Then I (CU)would speak and not fear Him;
But I am not like that in myself.
Footnotes
- Job 7:1 Lit Has not man compulsory labor
- Job 7:5 Lit melts
- Job 7:9 I.e., the netherworld
- Job 7:13 Lit bear
- Job 7:15 Lit bones
- Job 7:16 Or loathe
- Job 7:17 Lit set Your heart on
- Job 7:19 Lit How long will You not
- Job 7:21 Or unjust deed
- Job 8:3 Heb Shaddai
- Job 8:4 Lit hand
- Job 8:5 Heb Shaddai
- Job 8:6 Lit place
- Job 8:12 Lit reed
- Job 8:14 Lit house
- Job 8:17 Heb sees
- Job 8:18 Lit swallowed up
- Job 8:20 Lit strengthen the hand of
- Job 9:4 Lit stiffened his neck against
- Job 9:4 Lit and remained safe
- Job 9:7 Lit and it does not shine
- Job 9:8 Lit treads upon the heights of
- Job 9:9 Lit chambers
- Job 9:10 Lit until there is no searching out
- Job 9:13 I.e., a sea monster, not to be confused with Rahab in Joshua 2
- Job 9:14 Or plead my case
- Job 9:14 Lit with
- Job 9:15 Or plead my case
- Job 9:19 As in LXX; Heb me
- Job 9:26 Lit food
- Job 9:27 I.e., improve the look
- Job 9:32 Lit judgment
Job 7-9
New International Version
Job 7-9
New International Version
7 “Do not mortals have hard service(A) on earth?(B)
Are not their days like those of hired laborers?(C)
2 Like a slave longing for the evening shadows,(D)
or a hired laborer waiting to be paid,(E)
3 so I have been allotted months of futility,
and nights of misery have been assigned to me.(F)
4 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)
5 My body is clothed with worms(I) and scabs,
my skin is broken and festering.(J)
6 “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,(K)
and they come to an end without hope.(L)
7 Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath;(M)
my eyes will never see happiness again.(N)
8 The eye that now sees me will see me no longer;
you will look for me, but I will be no more.(O)
9 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)
Bildad
8 Then Bildad the Shuhite(AW) replied:
2 “How long will you say such things?(AX)
Your words are a blustering wind.(AY)
3 Does God pervert justice?(AZ)
Does the Almighty pervert what is right?(BA)
4 When your children sinned against him,
he gave them over to the penalty of their sin.(BB)
5 But if you will seek God earnestly
and plead(BC) with the Almighty,(BD)
6 if you are pure and upright,
even now he will rouse himself on your behalf(BE)
and restore you to your prosperous state.(BF)
7 Your beginnings will seem humble,
so prosperous(BG) will your future be.(BH)
8 “Ask the former generation(BI)
and find out what their ancestors learned,
9 for we were born only yesterday and know nothing,(BJ)
and our days on earth are but a shadow.(BK)
10 Will they not instruct(BL) you and tell you?
Will they not bring forth words from their understanding?(BM)
11 Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh?(BN)
Can reeds(BO) thrive without water?
12 While still growing and uncut,
they wither more quickly than grass.(BP)
13 Such is the destiny(BQ) of all who forget God;(BR)
so perishes the hope of the godless.(BS)
14 What they trust in is fragile[b];
what they rely on is a spider’s web.(BT)
15 They lean on the web,(BU) but it gives way;
they cling to it, but it does not hold.(BV)
16 They are like a well-watered plant in the sunshine,
spreading its shoots(BW) over the garden;(BX)
17 it entwines its roots around a pile of rocks
and looks for a place among the stones.
18 But when it is torn from its spot,
that place disowns(BY) it and says, ‘I never saw you.’(BZ)
19 Surely its life withers(CA) away,
and[c] from the soil other plants grow.(CB)
20 “Surely God does not reject one who is blameless(CC)
or strengthen the hands of evildoers.(CD)
21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter(CE)
and your lips with shouts of joy.(CF)
22 Your enemies will be clothed in shame,(CG)
and the tents(CH) of the wicked will be no more.”(CI)
Job
9 Then Job replied:
2 “Indeed, I know that this is true.
But how can mere mortals prove their innocence before God?(CJ)
3 Though they wished to dispute with him,(CK)
they could not answer him one time out of a thousand.(CL)
4 His wisdom(CM) is profound, his power is vast.(CN)
Who has resisted(CO) him and come out unscathed?(CP)
5 He moves mountains(CQ) without their knowing it
and overturns them in his anger.(CR)
6 He shakes the earth(CS) from its place
and makes its pillars tremble.(CT)
7 He speaks to the sun and it does not shine;(CU)
he seals off the light of the stars.(CV)
8 He alone stretches out the heavens(CW)
and treads on the waves of the sea.(CX)
9 He is the Maker(CY) of the Bear[d] and Orion,
the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.(CZ)
10 He performs wonders(DA) that cannot be fathomed,
miracles that cannot be counted.(DB)
11 When he passes me, I cannot see him;
when he goes by, I cannot perceive him.(DC)
12 If he snatches away, who can stop him?(DD)
Who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’(DE)
13 God does not restrain his anger;(DF)
even the cohorts of Rahab(DG) cowered at his feet.
14 “How then can I dispute with him?
How can I find words to argue with him?(DH)
15 Though I were innocent, I could not answer him;(DI)
I could only plead(DJ) with my Judge(DK) for mercy.(DL)
16 Even if I summoned him and he responded,
I do not believe he would give me a hearing.(DM)
17 He would crush me(DN) with a storm(DO)
and multiply(DP) my wounds for no reason.(DQ)
18 He would not let me catch my breath
but would overwhelm me with misery.(DR)
19 If it is a matter of strength, he is mighty!(DS)
And if it is a matter of justice, who can challenge him[e]?(DT)
20 Even if I were innocent, my mouth would condemn me;
if I were blameless, it would pronounce me guilty.(DU)
21 “Although I am blameless,(DV)
I have no concern for myself;(DW)
I despise my own life.(DX)
22 It is all the same; that is why I say,
‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’(DY)
23 When a scourge(DZ) brings sudden death,
he mocks the despair of the innocent.(EA)
24 When a land falls into the hands of the wicked,(EB)
he blindfolds its judges.(EC)
If it is not he, then who is it?(ED)
25 “My days are swifter than a runner;(EE)
they fly away without a glimpse of joy.(EF)
26 They skim past(EG) like boats of papyrus,(EH)
like eagles swooping down on their prey.(EI)
27 If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint,(EJ)
I will change my expression, and smile,’
28 I still dread(EK) all my sufferings,
for I know you will not hold me innocent.(EL)
29 Since I am already found guilty,
why should I struggle in vain?(EM)
30 Even if I washed myself with soap(EN)
and my hands(EO) with cleansing powder,(EP)
31 you would plunge me into a slime pit(EQ)
so that even my clothes would detest me.(ER)
32 “He is not a mere mortal(ES) like me that I might answer him,(ET)
that we might confront each other in court.(EU)
33 If only there were someone to mediate between us,(EV)
someone to bring us together,(EW)
34 someone to remove God’s rod from me,(EX)
so that his terror would frighten me no more.(EY)
35 Then I would speak up without fear of him,(EZ)
but as it now stands with me, I cannot.(FA)
Footnotes
- 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.
- Job 8:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Job 8:19 Or Surely all the joy it has / is that
- Job 9:9 Or of Leo
- Job 9:19 See Septuagint; Hebrew me.
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