Job 21-23 (Contemporary English Version)

Job 21

Job's Reply to Zophar

If You Want To Offer Comfort

 ¹Job said:

    ²If you want to offer comfort,

   then listen to me.

    ³And when I have finished,

   you can start your insults

   all over again.

    ⁴My complaint is against God;

   that's why I am impatient.

    ⁵Just looking at me is enough

   to make you sick,

    ⁶and the very thought of myself

   fills me with disgust.

    ⁷Why do evil people live so long

   and gain such power?

    ⁸Why are they allowed to see

   their children grow up? ^{[a] 9}They have no worries at home,

   and God never punishes them.

    ¹⁰Their cattle have lots of calves

   without ever losing one;

    ¹¹their children play and dance

   safely by themselves.

    ¹²These people sing and celebrate

   to the sound of tambourines,

   small harps, and flutes,

    ¹³and they are successful,

   without a worry,

   until the day they die.

   

Leave Us Alone!

 ¹⁴Those who are evil say

   to God All-Powerful,

   "Leave us alone! Don't bother us

   with your teachings.

    ¹⁵What do we gain from praying

   and worshiping you?

    ¹⁶We succeeded all on our own."

   And so, I keep away from them

   and their evil schemes.

    ¹⁷How often does God become angry

   and send disaster and darkness

   to punish sinners?

    ¹⁸How often does he strike them

   like a windstorm

   that scatters straw?

    ¹⁹You say, "God will punish

   those sinners' children

   in place of those sinners."

   But I say, "Let him punish

   those sinners themselves

   until they really feel it.

    ²⁰Let God All-Powerful force them

   to drink

   their own destruction

   from the cup of his anger.

    ²¹Because after they are dead,

   they won't care what happens

   to their children."

   

Who Can Tell God What To Do?

 ²²Who can tell God what to do?

   He judges powerful rulers.

    ²³Some of us die prosperous,

    ²⁴enjoying good health,

    ²⁵while others die in poverty,

   having known only pain.

    ²⁶But we all end up dead,

   beneath a blanket of worms.

    ²⁷My friends, I know that you

   are plotting against me.

    ²⁸You ask, "Where is the home

   of that important person

   who does so much evil?"

    ²⁹Everyone, near and far, agrees

    ³⁰that those who do wrong

   never suffer disaster,

   when God becomes angry.

    ³¹No one points out their sin

   or punishes them.

    ³²Then at their funerals,

   they are highly praised;

    ³³the earth welcomes them home,

   while crowds mourn.

    ³⁴But empty, meaningless words

   are the comfort you offer me.

   

Job 22

Eliphaz's Third Speech

What Use Are We Humans to God?

 ¹Eliphaz from Teman ^[b] said: ²What use are we humans

   to God,

   even the wisest of us?

    ³If you were completely sinless,

   that would still mean nothing

   to God All-Powerful.

    ⁴Is he correcting you

   for worshiping him?

    ⁵No! It's because

   of your terrible sins.

    ⁶To guarantee payment of a debt,

   you have taken clothes

   from the poor.

    ⁷And you refused bread and water

   to the hungry and thirsty,

    ⁸although you were rich,

   respected, and powerful.

    ⁹You have turned away widows

   and have broken the arms

   of orphans.

    ¹⁰That's why you were suddenly

   trapped by terror,

    ¹¹blinded by darkness,

   and drowned in a flood.

   

God Lives in the Heavens

 ¹²God lives in the heavens

   above the highest stars,

   where he sees everything.

    ¹³Do you think the deep darkness

   hides you from God?

    ¹⁴Do thick clouds cover his eyes,

   as he walks around heaven's dome

   high above the earth?

    ¹⁵Give up those ancient ideas

   believed by sinners,

    ¹⁶who were swept away

   without warning.

    ¹⁷They rejected God All-Powerful,

   feeling he was helpless,

    ¹⁸although he had been kind

   to their families.

   The beliefs of these sinners

   are truly disgusting.

    ¹⁹When God's people see

   the godless swept away,

   they celebrate, ²⁰saying,

   "Our enemies are gone,

   and fire has destroyed

   their possessions."

   

Surrender to God All-Powerful

 ²¹Surrender to God All-Powerful!

   You will find peace

   and prosperity.

    ²²Listen to his teachings

   and take them to heart.

    ²³If you return to God

   and turn from sin,

   all will go well for you.

    ²⁴So get rid of your finest gold,

   as though it were sand.

    ²⁵Let God All-Powerful

   be your silver and gold,

    ²⁶and you will find happiness

   by worshiping him.

    ²⁷God will answer your prayers,

   and you will keep the promises

   you made to him.

    ²⁸He will do whatever you ask,

   and life will be bright.

    ²⁹When others are disgraced,

   God will clear their names

   in answer to your prayers.

    ³⁰Even those who are guilty

   will be forgiven,

   because you obey God. ^[c]

Job 23

Job's Reply to Eliphaz

Today I Complain Bitterly

 ¹Job said:

    ²Today I complain bitterly,

   because God has been cruel

   and made me suffer.

    ³If I knew where to find God,

   I would go there

    ⁴and argue my case.

    ⁵Then I would discover

   what he wanted to say.

    ⁶Would he overwhelm me

   with his greatness?

   No! He would listen

    ⁷because I am innocent,

   and he would say,

   "I now set you free!"

    ⁸I cannot find God anywhere--

   in front or back of me,

    ⁹to my left or my right.

   God is always at work,

   though I never see him.

    ¹⁰But he knows what I am doing,

   and when he tests me,

   I will be pure as gold.

    ¹¹I have never refused to follow

   any of his commands,

    ¹²and I have always treasured

   his teachings. ^{[d] 13}But he alone is God,

   and who can oppose him?

   God does as he pleases,

    ¹⁴and he will do exactly

   what he intends with me.

    ¹⁵Merely the thought

   of God All-Powerful

    ¹⁶makes me tremble with fear.

    ¹⁷God has covered me

   with darkness,

   but I refuse to be silent. ^[e]