God Questions Job

Then the (A)Lord answered Job from the whirlwind and said,

“Now [a](B)tighten the belt on your waist like a man;
I will (C)ask you, and you instruct Me.
Will you really (D)nullify My judgment?
Will you (E)condemn Me (F)so that you may be justified?
Or do you have an arm like God,
And can you (G)thunder with a voice like His?

10 (H)Adorn yourself with pride and dignity,
And clothe yourself with honor and majesty.
11 Let out your (I)outbursts of anger,
And look at everyone who is (J)arrogant, and humble him.
12 Look at everyone who is arrogant, and (K)humble him,
And (L)trample down the wicked [b]where they stand.
13 (M)Hide them together in the dust;
Imprison [c]them in the hidden place.
14 Then I will also [d]confess to you,
That your own right hand can save you.

God’s Power Shown in Creatures

15 “Behold, [e]Behemoth, which (N)I made [f]as well as you;
He eats grass like an ox.
16 Behold, his strength in his waist,
And his power in the muscles of his belly.
17 He hangs his tail like a cedar;
The tendons of his thighs are knit together.
18 His bones are tubes of bronze;
His [g]limbs are like bars of iron.

19 “He is the (O)first of the ways of God;
Let his (P)Maker bring His sword near.
20 Indeed the [h]mountains (Q)bring him food,
And all the animals of the field (R)play there.
21 He lies down under the lotus plants,
In the hiding place of the reeds and the marsh.
22 The lotus plants cover him with [i]shade;
The willows of the brook surround him.
23 If a river [j]rages, he is not alarmed;
He is confident, though the (S)Jordan rushes to his mouth.
24 Can anyone capture him [k]when he is on watch,
Can anyone pierce his nose with barbs?

God’s Power Shown in Creatures

41 [l]Can you drag out [m](T)Leviathan with a fishhook,
And press down his tongue with a rope?
Can you (U)put a [n]rope in his nose,
And pierce his jaw with a [o]hook?
Will he make many pleas to you,
Or will he speak to you gentle words?
Will he make a covenant with you?
Will you take him as a servant forever?
Will you play with him as with a bird,
And tie him down for your young girls?
Will the [p]traders bargain for him?
Will they divide him among the merchants?
Can you fill his skin with harpoons,
Or his head with fishing spears?
Lay your hand on him.
Remember the battle; [q]you will not do it again!
[r]Behold, [s]your expectation is false;
Will [t]you be hurled down even at the sight of him?
10 No one is so reckless that he dares to (V)stir him;
Who then is he who opposes Me?
11 Who has (W)been first to give to Me, that I should repay him?
Whatever is (X)under the entire heaven is Mine.

12 “I will not be silent about his limbs,
Or his mighty strength, or his graceful frame.
13 Who can [u]strip off his outer covering?
Who can [v]pierce his double [w]armor?
14 Who can open the doors of his face?
Around his teeth there is terror.
15 His [x]strong scales are his pride,
Locked as with a tight seal.
16 One is so close to another
That no air can come between them.
17 They are joined one to another;
They clasp each other and cannot be separated.
18 His sneezes flash forth light,
And his eyes are like the (Y)eye of dawn.
19 From his mouth go burning torches;
Sparks of fire leap forth.
20 From his nostrils smoke goes out
As from a boiling pot and burning reeds.
21 His breath sets coals aglow,
And a flame goes forth from his mouth.
22 In his neck dwells strength,
And dismay leaps before him.
23 The folds of his flesh are joined together,
Firm and immovable on him.
24 His heart is as firm as a stone,
And as firm as a lower millstone.
25 When he rises up, the [y]mighty are afraid;
Because of the crashing they are bewildered.
26 The sword that reaches him cannot [z]prevail,
Nor the spear, the dart, or the javelin.
27 He regards iron as straw,
Bronze as rotten wood.
28 The [aa]arrow cannot make him flee;
Slingstones are turned into stubble for him.
29 Clubs are regarded as stubble;
He laughs at the rattling of the javelin.
30 His underparts are like sharp pieces of pottery;
He [ab]spreads out like a threshing sledge on the mud.
31 He makes the depths boil like a pot;
He makes the sea like a jar of ointment.
32 Behind him he illuminates a pathway;
One would think the deep to be gray-haired.
33 (Z)Nothing on [ac]earth is like him,
One made without fear.
34 [ad]He looks on everything that is high;
He is king over all the (AA)sons of pride.”

Job’s Confession

42 Then Job answered the Lord and said,

“I know that (AB)You can do all things,
And that no plan is impossible for You.
‘Who is this who (AC)conceals advice without knowledge?’
Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand,
Things (AD)too wonderful for me, which I do not know.
‘Please listen, and I will speak;
I will (AE)ask You, and You instruct me.’
I have (AF)heard of You by the hearing of the ear;
But now my (AG)eye sees You;
Therefore I retract,
And I repent, sitting on dust and ashes.”

God Is Displeased with Job’s Friends

It came about after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is trustworthy, (AH)as My servant Job has. Now therefore, take for yourselves (AI)seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a (AJ)burnt offering for yourselves, and My servant Job will (AK)pray for you. (AL)For I will [ae]accept him so as not to do with you as your foolishness deserves, because you have not spoken of Me what is trustworthy, as My servant Job has.” So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the Lord told them; and the Lord [af]accepted Job.

God Restores Job’s Fortunes

10 The Lord also (AM)restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased double all that Job had. 11 Then all his (AN)brothers, all his sisters, and all who had known him before came to him, and they ate bread with him in his house; and they (AO)sympathized with him and comforted him for all the adversities that the Lord had brought on him. And each one gave him a [ag]piece of money, and each a ring of gold. 12 (AP)The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; (AQ)and he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand female donkeys. 13 (AR)He also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 He named the first Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. 15 In all the land no women were found as beautiful as Job’s daughters; and their father gave them inheritances among their brothers. 16 After this, Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons and his grandsons, four generations. 17 (AS)And Job died, an old man and full of days.

Footnotes

  1. Job 40:7 I.e., as if for battle
  2. Job 40:12 Lit under them
  3. Job 40:13 Lit their faces
  4. Job 40:14 Or praise you
  5. Job 40:15 I.e., a powerful animal, possibly a hippopotamus
  6. Job 40:15 Lit with you
  7. Job 40:18 Lit bones
  8. Job 40:20 I.e., the mountain streams
  9. Job 40:22 Lit his shade
  10. Job 40:23 Or oppresses
  11. Job 40:24 Lit in his eyes
  12. Job 41:1 Ch 40:25 in Heb
  13. Job 41:1 I.e., a sea monster or crocodile
  14. Job 41:2 Lit rope of rushes
  15. Job 41:2 Or thorn; or ring
  16. Job 41:6 Lit partners
  17. Job 41:8 Lit do not add
  18. Job 41:9 Ch 41:1 in Heb
  19. Job 41:9 Lit his
  20. Job 41:9 Lit he
  21. Job 41:13 Lit uncover the face of his garment
  22. Job 41:13 Lit come into
  23. Job 41:13 As in LXX; Heb bridle
  24. Job 41:15 Lit rows of shields
  25. Job 41:25 Or gods
  26. Job 41:26 Lit rise
  27. Job 41:28 Lit son of the bow
  28. Job 41:30 Or moves across
  29. Job 41:33 Lit dust
  30. Job 41:34 Ch 41:26 in Heb
  31. Job 42:8 Lit lift up his face
  32. Job 42:9 Lit lifted up the face of
  33. Job 42:11 Heb qesitah

Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm:(A)

“Brace yourself like a man;
    I will question you,
    and you shall answer me.(B)

“Would you discredit my justice?(C)
    Would you condemn me to justify yourself?(D)
Do you have an arm like God’s,(E)
    and can your voice(F) thunder like his?(G)
10 Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor,
    and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.(H)
11 Unleash the fury of your wrath,(I)
    look at all who are proud and bring them low,(J)
12 look at all who are proud(K) and humble them,(L)
    crush(M) the wicked where they stand.
13 Bury them all in the dust together;(N)
    shroud their faces in the grave.(O)
14 Then I myself will admit to you
    that your own right hand can save you.(P)

15 “Look at Behemoth,
    which I made(Q) along with you
    and which feeds on grass like an ox.(R)
16 What strength(S) it has in its loins,
    what power in the muscles of its belly!(T)
17 Its tail sways like a cedar;
    the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.(U)
18 Its bones are tubes of bronze,
    its limbs(V) like rods of iron.(W)
19 It ranks first among the works of God,(X)
    yet its Maker(Y) can approach it with his sword.(Z)
20 The hills bring it their produce,(AA)
    and all the wild animals play(AB) nearby.(AC)
21 Under the lotus plants it lies,
    hidden among the reeds(AD) in the marsh.(AE)
22 The lotuses conceal it in their shadow;
    the poplars by the stream(AF) surround it.
23 A raging river(AG) does not alarm it;
    it is secure, though the Jordan(AH) should surge against its mouth.
24 Can anyone capture it by the eyes,
    or trap it and pierce its nose?(AI)

41 [a]“Can you pull in Leviathan(AJ) with a fishhook(AK)
    or tie down its tongue with a rope?
Can you put a cord through its nose(AL)
    or pierce its jaw with a hook?(AM)
Will it keep begging you for mercy?(AN)
    Will it speak to you with gentle words?
Will it make an agreement with you
    for you to take it as your slave for life?(AO)
Can you make a pet of it like a bird
    or put it on a leash for the young women in your house?
Will traders barter for it?
    Will they divide it up among the merchants?
Can you fill its hide with harpoons
    or its head with fishing spears?(AP)
If you lay a hand on it,
    you will remember the struggle and never do it again!(AQ)
Any hope of subduing it is false;
    the mere sight of it is overpowering.(AR)
10 No one is fierce enough to rouse it.(AS)
    Who then is able to stand against me?(AT)
11 Who has a claim against me that I must pay?(AU)
    Everything under heaven belongs to me.(AV)

12 “I will not fail to speak of Leviathan’s limbs,(AW)
    its strength(AX) and its graceful form.
13 Who can strip off its outer coat?
    Who can penetrate its double coat of armor[b]?(AY)
14 Who dares open the doors of its mouth,(AZ)
    ringed about with fearsome teeth?
15 Its back has[c] rows of shields
    tightly sealed together;(BA)
16 each is so close to the next
    that no air can pass between.
17 They are joined fast to one another;
    they cling together and cannot be parted.
18 Its snorting throws out flashes of light;
    its eyes are like the rays of dawn.(BB)
19 Flames(BC) stream from its mouth;
    sparks of fire shoot out.
20 Smoke pours from its nostrils(BD)
    as from a boiling pot over burning reeds.
21 Its breath(BE) sets coals ablaze,
    and flames dart from its mouth.(BF)
22 Strength(BG) resides in its neck;
    dismay goes before it.
23 The folds of its flesh are tightly joined;
    they are firm and immovable.
24 Its chest is hard as rock,
    hard as a lower millstone.(BH)
25 When it rises up, the mighty are terrified;(BI)
    they retreat before its thrashing.(BJ)
26 The sword that reaches it has no effect,
    nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin.(BK)
27 Iron it treats like straw(BL)
    and bronze like rotten wood.
28 Arrows do not make it flee;(BM)
    slingstones are like chaff to it.
29 A club seems to it but a piece of straw;(BN)
    it laughs(BO) at the rattling of the lance.
30 Its undersides are jagged potsherds,
    leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge.(BP)
31 It makes the depths churn like a boiling caldron(BQ)
    and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment.(BR)
32 It leaves a glistening wake behind it;
    one would think the deep had white hair.
33 Nothing on earth is its equal(BS)
    a creature without fear.
34 It looks down on all that are haughty;(BT)
    it is king over all that are proud.(BU)

Job

42 Then Job replied to the Lord:

“I know that you can do all things;(BV)
    no purpose of yours can be thwarted.(BW)
You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’(BX)
    Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
    things too wonderful for me to know.(BY)

“You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;
    I will question you,
    and you shall answer me.’(BZ)
My ears had heard of you(CA)
    but now my eyes have seen you.(CB)
Therefore I despise myself(CC)
    and repent(CD) in dust and ashes.”(CE)

Epilogue

After the Lord had said these things to Job(CF), he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends,(CG) because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.(CH) So now take seven bulls and seven rams(CI) and go to my servant Job(CJ) and sacrifice a burnt offering(CK) for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer(CL) and not deal with you according to your folly.(CM) You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.”(CN) So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite(CO) did what the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.(CP)

10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes(CQ) and gave him twice as much as he had before.(CR) 11 All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before(CS) came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought on him,(CT) and each one gave him a piece of silver[d] and a gold ring.

12 The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. 13 And he also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. 15 Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.

16 After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 And so Job died, an old man and full of years.(CU)

Footnotes

  1. Job 41:1 In Hebrew texts 41:1-8 is numbered 40:25-32, and 41:9-34 is numbered 41:1-26.
  2. Job 41:13 Septuagint; Hebrew double bridle
  3. Job 41:15 Or Its pride is its
  4. Job 42:11 Hebrew him a kesitah; a kesitah was a unit of money of unknown weight and value.