Job

21 Then Job replied:

“Listen carefully to my words;(A)
    let this be the consolation you give me.(B)
Bear with me while I speak,
    and after I have spoken, mock on.(C)

“Is my complaint(D) directed to a human being?
    Why should I not be impatient?(E)
Look at me and be appalled;
    clap your hand over your mouth.(F)
When I think about this, I am terrified;(G)
    trembling seizes my body.(H)
Why do the wicked live on,
    growing old and increasing in power?(I)
They see their children established around them,
    their offspring before their eyes.(J)
Their homes are safe and free from fear;(K)
    the rod of God is not on them.(L)
10 Their bulls never fail to breed;
    their cows calve and do not miscarry.(M)
11 They send forth their children as a flock;(N)
    their little ones dance about.
12 They sing to the music of timbrel and lyre;(O)
    they make merry to the sound of the pipe.(P)
13 They spend their years in prosperity(Q)
    and go down to the grave(R) in peace.[a](S)
14 Yet they say to God, ‘Leave us alone!(T)
    We have no desire to know your ways.(U)
15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
    What would we gain by praying to him?’(V)
16 But their prosperity is not in their own hands,
    so I stand aloof from the plans of the wicked.(W)

17 “Yet how often is the lamp of the wicked snuffed out?(X)
    How often does calamity(Y) come upon them,
    the fate God allots in his anger?(Z)
18 How often are they like straw before the wind,
    like chaff(AA) swept away(AB) by a gale?(AC)
19 It is said, ‘God stores up the punishment of the wicked for their children.’(AD)
    Let him repay the wicked, so that they themselves will experience it!(AE)
20 Let their own eyes see their destruction;(AF)
    let them drink(AG) the cup of the wrath of the Almighty.(AH)
21 For what do they care about the families they leave behind(AI)
    when their allotted months(AJ) come to an end?(AK)

22 “Can anyone teach knowledge to God,(AL)
    since he judges even the highest?(AM)
23 One person dies in full vigor,(AN)
    completely secure and at ease,(AO)
24 well nourished(AP) in body,[b]
    bones(AQ) rich with marrow.(AR)
25 Another dies in bitterness of soul,(AS)
    never having enjoyed anything good.
26 Side by side they lie in the dust,(AT)
    and worms(AU) cover them both.(AV)

27 “I know full well what you are thinking,
    the schemes by which you would wrong me.
28 You say, ‘Where now is the house of the great,(AW)
    the tents where the wicked lived?’(AX)
29 Have you never questioned those who travel?
    Have you paid no regard to their accounts—
30 that the wicked are spared from the day of calamity,(AY)
    that they are delivered from[c] the day of wrath?(AZ)
31 Who denounces their conduct to their face?
    Who repays them for what they have done?(BA)
32 They are carried to the grave,
    and watch is kept over their tombs.(BB)
33 The soil in the valley is sweet to them;(BC)
    everyone follows after them,
    and a countless throng goes[d] before them.(BD)

34 “So how can you console me(BE) with your nonsense?
    Nothing is left of your answers but falsehood!”(BF)

Eliphaz

22 Then Eliphaz the Temanite(BG) replied:

“Can a man be of benefit to God?(BH)
    Can even a wise person benefit him?(BI)
What pleasure(BJ) would it give the Almighty if you were righteous?(BK)
    What would he gain if your ways were blameless?(BL)

“Is it for your piety that he rebukes you
    and brings charges against you?(BM)
Is not your wickedness great?
    Are not your sins(BN) endless?(BO)
You demanded security(BP) from your relatives for no reason;(BQ)
    you stripped people of their clothing, leaving them naked.(BR)
You gave no water(BS) to the weary
    and you withheld food from the hungry,(BT)
though you were a powerful man, owning land(BU)
    an honored man,(BV) living on it.(BW)
And you sent widows(BX) away empty-handed(BY)
    and broke the strength of the fatherless.(BZ)
10 That is why snares(CA) are all around you,(CB)
    why sudden peril terrifies you,(CC)
11 why it is so dark(CD) you cannot see,
    and why a flood of water covers you.(CE)

12 “Is not God in the heights of heaven?(CF)
    And see how lofty are the highest stars!
13 Yet you say, ‘What does God know?(CG)
    Does he judge through such darkness?(CH)
14 Thick clouds(CI) veil him, so he does not see us(CJ)
    as he goes about in the vaulted heavens.’(CK)
15 Will you keep to the old path
    that the wicked(CL) have trod?(CM)
16 They were carried off before their time,(CN)
    their foundations(CO) washed away by a flood.(CP)
17 They said to God, ‘Leave us alone!
    What can the Almighty do to us?’(CQ)
18 Yet it was he who filled their houses with good things,(CR)
    so I stand aloof from the plans of the wicked.(CS)
19 The righteous see their ruin and rejoice;(CT)
    the innocent mock(CU) them, saying,
20 ‘Surely our foes are destroyed,(CV)
    and fire(CW) devours their wealth.’

21 “Submit to God and be at peace(CX) with him;(CY)
    in this way prosperity will come to you.(CZ)
22 Accept instruction from his mouth(DA)
    and lay up his words(DB) in your heart.(DC)
23 If you return(DD) to the Almighty, you will be restored:(DE)
    If you remove wickedness far from your tent(DF)
24 and assign your nuggets(DG) to the dust,
    your gold(DH) of Ophir(DI) to the rocks in the ravines,(DJ)
25 then the Almighty will be your gold,(DK)
    the choicest silver for you.(DL)
26 Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty(DM)
    and will lift up your face(DN) to God.(DO)
27 You will pray to him,(DP) and he will hear you,(DQ)
    and you will fulfill your vows.(DR)
28 What you decide on will be done,(DS)
    and light(DT) will shine on your ways.(DU)
29 When people are brought low(DV) and you say, ‘Lift them up!’
    then he will save the downcast.(DW)
30 He will deliver even one who is not innocent,(DX)
    who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”(DY)

Job

23 Then Job replied:

“Even today my complaint(DZ) is bitter;(EA)
    his hand[e] is heavy in spite of[f] my groaning.(EB)
If only I knew where to find him;
    if only I could go to his dwelling!(EC)
I would state my case(ED) before him
    and fill my mouth with arguments.(EE)
I would find out what he would answer me,(EF)
    and consider what he would say to me.
Would he vigorously oppose me?(EG)
    No, he would not press charges against me.(EH)
There the upright(EI) can establish their innocence before him,(EJ)
    and there I would be delivered forever from my judge.(EK)

“But if I go to the east, he is not there;
    if I go to the west, I do not find him.
When he is at work in the north, I do not see him;
    when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.(EL)
10 But he knows the way that I take;(EM)
    when he has tested me,(EN) I will come forth as gold.(EO)
11 My feet have closely followed his steps;(EP)
    I have kept to his way without turning aside.(EQ)
12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips;(ER)
    I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.(ES)

13 “But he stands alone, and who can oppose him?(ET)
    He does whatever he pleases.(EU)
14 He carries out his decree against me,
    and many such plans he still has in store.(EV)
15 That is why I am terrified before him;(EW)
    when I think of all this, I fear him.(EX)
16 God has made my heart faint;(EY)
    the Almighty(EZ) has terrified me.(FA)
17 Yet I am not silenced by the darkness,(FB)
    by the thick darkness that covers my face.

Footnotes

  1. Job 21:13 Or in an instant
  2. Job 21:24 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  3. Job 21:30 Or wicked are reserved for the day of calamity, / that they are brought forth to
  4. Job 21:33 Or them, / as a countless throng went
  5. Job 23:2 Septuagint and Syriac; Hebrew / the hand on me
  6. Job 23:2 Or heavy on me in

Job’s Response

Why Do the Wicked Have It So Good?

21 1-3 Job replied:

“Now listen to me carefully, please listen,
    at least do me the favor of listening.
Put up with me while I have my say—
    then you can mock me later to your heart’s content.

4-16 “It’s not you I’m complaining to—it’s God.
    Is it any wonder I’m getting fed up with his silence?
Take a good look at me. Aren’t you appalled by what’s happened?
    No! Don’t say anything. I can do without your comments.
When I look back, I go into shock,
    my body is racked with spasms.
Why do the wicked have it so good,
    live to a ripe old age and get rich?
They get to see their children succeed,
    get to watch and enjoy their grandchildren.
Their homes are peaceful and free from fear;
    they never experience God’s disciplining rod.
Their bulls breed with great vigor
    and their cows calve without fail.
They send their children out to play
    and watch them frolic like spring lambs.
They make music with fiddles and flutes,
    have good times singing and dancing.
They have a long life on easy street,
    and die painlessly in their sleep.
They say to God, ‘Get lost!
    We’ve no interest in you or your ways.
Why should we have dealings with God Almighty?
    What’s there in it for us?’
But they’re wrong, dead wrong—they’re not gods.
    It’s beyond me how they can carry on like this!

17-21 “Still, how often does it happen that the wicked fail,
    or disaster strikes,
    or they get their just deserts?
How often are they blown away by bad luck?
    Not very often.
You might say, ‘God is saving up the punishment for their children.’
    I say, ‘Give it to them right now so they’ll know what they’ve done!’
They deserve to experience the effects of their evil,
    feel the full force of God’s wrath firsthand.
What do they care what happens to their families
    after they’re safely tucked away in the grave?

Fancy Funerals with All the Trimmings

22-26 “But who are we to tell God how to run his affairs?
    He’s dealing with matters that are way over our heads.
Some people die in the prime of life,
    with everything going for them—
    fat and sassy.
Others die bitter and bereft,
    never getting a taste of happiness.
They’re laid out side by side in the cemetery,
    where the worms can’t tell one from the other.

27-33 “I’m not deceived. I know what you’re up to,
    the plans you’re cooking up to bring me down.
Naively you claim that the castles of tyrants fall to pieces,
    that the achievements of the wicked collapse.
Have you ever asked world travelers how they see it?
    Have you not listened to their stories
Of evil men and women who got off scot-free,
    who never had to pay for their wickedness?
Did anyone ever confront them with their crimes?
    Did they ever have to face the music?
Not likely—they’re given fancy funerals
    with all the trimmings,
Gently lowered into expensive graves,
    with everyone telling lies about how wonderful they were.

34 “So how do you expect me to get any comfort from your nonsense?
    Your so-called comfort is a tissue of lies.”

Eliphaz Attacks Job—The Third Round

Come to Terms with God

22 1-11 Once again Eliphaz the Temanite took up his theme:

“Are any of us strong enough to give God a hand,
    or smart enough to give him advice?
So what if you were righteous—would God Almighty even notice?
    Even if you gave a perfect performance, do you think
        he’d applaud?
Do you think it’s because he cares about your purity
    that he’s disciplining you, putting you on the spot?
Hardly! It’s because you’re a first-class moral failure,
    because there’s no end to your sins.
When people came to you for help,
    you took the shirts off their backs, exploited their helplessness.
You wouldn’t so much as give a drink to the thirsty,
    or food, not even a scrap, to the hungry.
And there you sat, strong and honored by everyone,
    surrounded by immense wealth!
You turned poor widows away from your door;
    heartless, you crushed orphans.
Now you’re the one trapped in terror, paralyzed by fear.
    Suddenly the tables have turned!
How do you like living in the dark, sightless,
    up to your neck in flood waters?

12-14 “You agree, don’t you, that God is in charge?
    He runs the universe—just look at the stars!
Yet you dare raise questions: ‘What does God know?
    From that distance and darkness, how can he judge?
He roams the heavens wrapped in clouds,
    so how can he see us?’

15-18 “Are you going to persist in that tired old line
    that wicked men and women have always used?
Where did it get them? They died young,
    flash floods sweeping them off to their doom.
They told God, ‘Get lost!
    What good is God Almighty to us?’
And yet it was God who gave them everything they had.
    It’s beyond me how they can carry on like this!

19-20 “Good people see bad people crash, and call for a celebration.
    Relieved, they crow,
‘At last! Our enemies—wiped out.
    Everything they had and stood for is up in smoke!’

21-25 “Give in to God, come to terms with him
    and everything will turn out just fine.
Let him tell you what to do;
    take his words to heart.
Come back to God Almighty
    and he’ll rebuild your life.
Clean house of everything evil.
    Relax your grip on your money
    and abandon your gold-plated luxury.
God Almighty will be your treasure,
    more wealth than you can imagine.

26-30 “You’ll take delight in God, the Mighty One,
    and look to him joyfully, boldly.
You’ll pray to him and he’ll listen;
    he’ll help you do what you’ve promised.
You’ll decide what you want and it will happen;
    your life will be bathed in light.
To those who feel low you’ll say, ‘Chin up! Be brave!’
    and God will save them.
Yes, even the guilty will escape,
    escape through God’s grace in your life.”

Job’s Defense

I’m Completely in the Dark

23 1-7 Job replied:

“I’m not letting up—I’m standing my ground.
    My complaint is legitimate.
God has no right to treat me like this—
    it isn’t fair!
If I knew where on earth to find him,
    I’d go straight to him.
I’d lay my case before him face-to-face,
    give him all my arguments firsthand.
I’d find out exactly what he’s thinking,
    discover what’s going on in his head.
Do you think he’d dismiss me or bully me?
    No, he’d take me seriously.
He’d see a straight-living man standing before him;
    my Judge would acquit me for good of all charges.

8-9 “I travel East looking for him—I find no one;
    then West, but not a trace;
I go North, but he’s hidden his tracks;
    then South, but not even a glimpse.

10-12 “But he knows where I am and what I’ve done.
    He can cross-examine me all he wants, and I’ll pass the test with honors.
I’ve followed him closely, my feet in his footprints,
    not once swerving from his way.
I’ve obeyed every word he’s spoken,
    and not just obeyed his advice—I’ve treasured it.

13-17 “But he is singular and sovereign. Who can argue with him?
    He does what he wants, when he wants to.
He’ll complete in detail what he’s decided about me,
    and whatever else he determines to do.
Is it any wonder that I dread meeting him?
    Whenever I think about it, I get scared all over again.
God makes my heart sink!
    God Almighty gives me the shudders!
I’m completely in the dark,
    I can’t see my hand in front of my face.”