Job 14-16 (Contemporary English Version)

Job 14

Job Continues his Prayer

Life Is Short and Sorrowful

 ¹Life is short and sorrowful

   for every living soul.

    ²We are flowers that fade

   and shadows that vanish.

    ³And so, I ask you, God,

   why pick on me?

    ⁴There's no way a human

   can be completely pure.

    ⁵Our time on earth is brief;

   the number of our days

   is already decided by you.

    ⁶Why don't you leave us alone

   and let us find some happiness

   while we toil and labor?

   

When a Tree Is Chopped Down

 ⁷When a tree is chopped down,

   there is always the hope

   that it will sprout again.

    ⁸Its roots and stump may rot,

    ⁹but at the touch of water,

   fresh twigs shoot up.

    ¹⁰Humans are different--

   we die, and that's the end.

    ¹¹We are like streams and lakes

   after the water has gone;

    ¹²we fall into the sleep of death,

   never to rise again,

   until the sky disappears.

    ¹³Please hide me, God,

   deep in the ground--

   and when you are angry no more,

   remember to rescue me.

   

Will We Humans Live Again?

 ¹⁴Will we humans live again?

   I would gladly suffer

   and wait for my time.

    ¹⁵My Creator, you would want me;

   you would call out,

   and I would answer.

    ¹⁶You would take care of me,

   but not count my sins--

    ¹⁷you would put them in a bag,

   tie it tight,

   and toss them away.

    ¹⁸But in the real world,

   mountains tumble,

   and rocks crumble;

    ¹⁹streams wear away stones

   and wash away soil.

   And you destroy our hopes!

    ²⁰You change the way we look,

   then send us away,

   wiped out forever.

    ²¹We never live to know

   if our children are praised

   or disgraced.

    ²²We feel no pain but our own,

   and when we mourn,

   it's only for ourselves.

   

Job 15

Eliphaz's Second Speech

If You Had Any Sense

 ¹Eliphaz from Teman ^[a] said: ²Job, if you had any sense,

    ³you would stop spreading

   all of this hot air.

    ⁴Your words are enough

   to make others turn from God

   and lead them to doubt.

    ⁵And your sinful, scheming mind

   is the source of all you say.

    ⁶I am not here as your judge;

   your own words are witnesses

   against you.

    ⁷Were you the first human?

   Are you older than the hills?

    ⁸Have you ever been present

   when God's council ^[b] meets? Do you alone have wisdom?

    ⁹Do you know and understand

   something we don't?

    ¹⁰We have the benefit of wisdom

   older than your father.

    ¹¹And you have been offered

   comforting words from God.

   Isn't this enough?

    ¹²Your emotions are out of control,

   making you look fierce;

    ¹³that's why you attack God

   with everything you say.

    ¹⁴No human is pure and innocent,

    ¹⁵and neither are angels--

   not in the sight of God.

   If God doesn't trust his angels,

    ¹⁶what chance do humans have?

   We are so terribly evil

   that we thirst for sin.

   

Just Listen to What I Know

 ¹⁷Just listen to what I know,

   and you will learn

    ¹⁸wisdom known by others

   since ancient times.

    ¹⁹Those who gained such insights

   also gained the land,

   and they were not influenced

   by foreign teachings.

    ²⁰But suffering is in store

   each day for those who sin.

    ²¹Even in times of success,

   they constantly hear

   the threat of doom.

    ²²Darkness, despair, and death

   are their destiny.

    ²³They scrounge around for food,

   all the while dreading

   the approaching darkness.

    ²⁴They are overcome with despair,

   like a terrified king

   about to go into battle.

    ²⁵This is because they rebelled

   against God All-Powerful

    ²⁶and have attacked him

   with their weapons.

    ²⁷They may be rich and fat,

    ²⁸but they will live in the ruins

   of deserted towns.

    ²⁹Their property and wealth

   will shrink and disappear.

    ³⁰They won't escape the darkness,

   and the blazing breath of God

   will set their future aflame.

    ³¹They have put their trust

   in something worthless;

   now they will become worthless

    ³²like a date palm tree

   without a leaf. ^{[c] 33}Or like vineyards or orchards

   whose blossoms and unripe fruit

   drop to the ground.

    ³⁴Yes, the godless and the greedy

   will have nothing but flames

   feasting on their homes,

    ³⁵because they are the parents

   of trouble and vicious lies.

   

Job 16

Job's Reply to Eliphaz

I Have Often Heard This

 ¹Job said:

    ²I have often heard this,

   and it offers no comfort.

    ³So why don't you keep quiet?

   What's bothering you?

    ⁴If I were in your place,

   it would be easy to criticize

   or to give advice.

    ⁵But I would offer hope

   and comfort instead.

    ⁶If I speak, or if I don't,

   I hurt all the same.

   My torment continues.

    ⁷God has worn me down

   and destroyed my family;

    ⁸my shriveled up skin proves

   that I am his prisoner.

    ⁹God is my hateful enemy,

   glaring at me

   and attacking

   with his sharp teeth.

    ¹⁰Everyone is against me;

   they sneer and slap my face.

    ¹¹And God is the one

   who handed me over

   to this merciless mob.

   

Everything Was Going Well

 ¹²Everything was going well,

   until God grabbed my neck

   and shook me to pieces.

   God set me up as the target

    ¹³for his arrows,

   and without showing mercy,

   he slashed my stomach open,

   spilling out my insides.

    ¹⁴God never stops attacking,

    ¹⁵and so, in my sorrow

   I dress in sackcloth ^[d] and sit in the dust.

    ¹⁶My face is red with tears,

   and dark shadows

   circle my eyes,

    ¹⁷though I am not violent,

   and my prayers are sincere.

    ¹⁸If I should die,

   I beg the earth

   not to cover

   my cry for justice.

    ¹⁹Even now, God in heaven

   is both my witness

   and my protector.

    ²⁰My friends have rejected me,

   but God is the one I beg ^{[e] 21}to show that I am right,

   just as a friend should.

    ²²Because in only a few years,

   I will be dead and gone.