Job 14-16 (New American Standard Bible)

Job 14

Job Speaks of the Finality of Death

    ¹"^(A)Man, who is born of woman,
         Is short-lived and ^(B)full of turmoil.
    ²"^(C)Like a flower he comes forth and withers
         He also flees like ^(D)a shadow and does not remain.
    ³"You also ^(E)open Your eyes on him
         And ^(F)bring him into judgment with Yourself.
    ⁴"^(G)Who can make the clean out of the unclean?
         No one!
    ⁵"Since his days are determined,
         The ^(H)number of his months is with You;
         And his limits You have set so that he cannot pass.
    ⁶"^(I)Turn Your gaze from him that he may rest,
         Until he fulfills his day like a hired man.
    ⁷"For there is hope for a tree,
         When it is cut down, that it will sprout again,
         And its shoots will not fail.
    ⁸"Though its roots grow old in the ground
         And its stump dies in the dry soil,
    ⁹At the scent of water it will flourish
         And put forth sprigs like a plant.
    ¹⁰"But ^(J)man dies and lies prostrate
         Man ^(K)expires, and where is he?
    ¹¹"As ^(L)water evaporates from the sea,
         And a river becomes parched and dried up,
    ¹²So ^(M)man lies down and does not rise.
         Until the heavens are no longer,
         He will not awake nor be aroused out of his sleep.
    ¹³"Oh that You would hide me in Sheol,
         That You would conceal me ^(N)until Your wrath returns to You,
         That You would set a limit for me and remember me!
    ¹⁴"If a man dies, will he live again?
         All the days of my struggle I will wait
         Until my change comes.
    ¹⁵"You will call, and I will answer You;
         You will long for ^(O)the work of Your hands.
    ¹⁶"For now You ^(P)number my steps,
         You do not ^(Q)observe my sin.
    ¹⁷"My transgression is ^(R)sealed up in a bag,
         And You wrap up my iniquity.
    ¹⁸"But the falling mountain crumbles away,
         And the rock moves from its place;
    ¹⁹Water wears away stones,
         Its torrents wash away the dust of the earth;
         So You ^(S)destroy man's hope.
    ²⁰"You forever overpower him and he ^(T)departs;
         You change his appearance and send him away.
    ²¹"His sons achieve honor, but ^(U)he does not know it;
         Or they become insignificant, but he does not perceive it.
    ²²"But his body pains him,
         And he mourns only for himself."

Job 15

Eliphaz Says Job Presumes Much

 ¹Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded,
    ²"Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge
         ^(V)And fill himself with the east wind?
    ³"Should he argue with useless talk,
         Or with words which are not profitable?
    ⁴"Indeed, you do away with reverence
         And hinder meditation before God.
    ⁵"For ^(W)your guilt teaches your mouth,
         And you choose the language of ^(X)the crafty.
    ⁶"Your ^(Y)own mouth condemns you, and not I;
         And your own lips testify against you.
    ⁷"Were you the first man to be born,
         Or ^(Z)were you brought forth before the hills?
    ⁸"Do you hear the ^(AA)secret counsel of God,
         And limit wisdom to yourself?
    ⁹"^(AB)What do you know that we do not know?
         What do you understand that we do not?
    ¹⁰"Both the ^(AC)gray-haired and the aged are among us,
         Older than your father.
    ¹¹"Are ^(AD)the consolations of God too small for you,
         Even the ^(AE)word spoken gently with you?
    ¹²"Why does your ^(AF)heart carry you away?
         And why do your eyes flash,
    ¹³That you should turn your spirit against God
         And allow such words to go out of your mouth?
    ¹⁴"What is man, that ^(AG)he should be pure,
         Or ^(AH)he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
    ¹⁵"Behold, He puts no trust in His ^(AI)holy ones,
         And the ^(AJ)heavens are not pure in His sight;
    ¹⁶How much less one who is ^(AK)detestable and corrupt,
         Man, who ^(AL)drinks iniquity like water!

What Eliphaz Has Seen of Life

    ¹⁷"I will tell you, listen to me;
         And what I have seen I will also declare;
    ¹⁸What wise men have told,
         And have not concealed from ^(AM)their fathers,
    ¹⁹To whom alone the land was given,
         And no alien passed among them.
    ²⁰"The wicked man writhes ^(AN)in pain all his days,
         And numbered are the years ^(AO)stored up for the ruthless.
    ²¹"Sounds of ^(AP)terror are in his ears;
         ^(AQ)While at peace the destroyer comes upon him.
    ²²"He does not believe that he will ^(AR)return from darkness,
         And he is destined for ^(AS)the sword.
    ²³"He wanders about for food, saying, 'Where is it?'
         He knows that a day of ^(AT)darkness is at hand.
    ²⁴"Distress and anguish terrify him,
         They overpower him like a king ready for the attack,
    ²⁵Because he has stretched out his hand against God
         And conducts himself ^(AU)arrogantly against the Almighty.
    ²⁶"He rushes headlong at Him
         With his massive shield.
    ²⁷"For he has ^(AV)covered his face with his fat
         And made his thighs heavy with flesh.
    ²⁸"He has ^(AW)lived in desolate cities,
         In houses no one would inhabit,
         Which are destined to become ruins.
    ²⁹"He ^(AX)will not become rich, nor will his wealth endure;
         And his grain will not bend down to the ground.
    ³⁰"He will ^(AY)not escape from darkness;
         The ^(AZ)flame will wither his shoots,
         And by ^(BA)the breath of His mouth he will go away.
    ³¹"Let him not ^(BB)trust in emptiness, deceiving himself;
         For emptiness will be his reward.
    ³²"It will be accomplished ^(BC)before his time,
         And his palm ^(BD)branch will not be green.
    ³³"He will drop off his unripe grape like the vine,
         And will ^(BE)cast off his flower like the olive tree.
    ³⁴"For the company of ^(BF)the godless is barren,
         And fire consumes ^(BG)the tents of the corrupt.
    ³⁵"They ^(BH)conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity,
         And their mind prepares deception."

Job 16

Job Says Friends Are Sorry Comforters

 ¹Then Job answered,
    ²"I have heard many such things;
         ^(BI)Sorry comforters are you all.
    ³"Is there no limit to ^(BJ)windy words?
         Or what plagues you that you answer?
    ⁴"I too could speak like you,
         If I were in your place.
         I could compose words against you
         And ^(BK)shake my head at you.
    ⁵"I could strengthen you with my mouth,
         And the solace of my lips could lessen your pain.

Job Says God Shattered Him

    ⁶"If I speak, ^(BL)my pain is not lessened,
         And if I hold back, what has left me?
    ⁷"But now He has ^(BM)exhausted me;
         You have laid ^(BN)waste all my company.
    ⁸"You have shriveled me up,
         ^(BO)It has become a witness;
         And my ^(BP)leanness rises up against me,
         It testifies to my face.
    ⁹"His anger has ^(BQ)torn me and hunted me down,
         He has ^(BR)gnashed at me with His teeth;
         My ^(BS)adversary glares at me.
    ¹⁰"They have ^(BT)gaped at me with their mouth,
         They have ^(BU)slapped me on the cheek with contempt;
         They have ^(BV)massed themselves against me.
    ¹¹"God hands me over to ruffians
         And tosses me into the hands of the wicked.
    ¹²"I was at ease, but ^(BW)He shattered me,
         And He has grasped me by the neck and shaken me to pieces;
         He has also set me up as His ^(BX)target.
    ¹³"His ^(BY)arrows surround me
         Without mercy He splits my kidneys open;
         He pours out ^(BZ)my gall on the ground.
    ¹⁴"He ^(CA)breaks through me with breach after breach;
         He ^(CB)runs at me like a warrior.
    ¹⁵"I have sewed ^(CC)sackcloth over my skin
         And ^(CD)thrust my horn in the dust.
    ¹⁶"My face is flushed from ^(CE)weeping,
         ^(CF)And deep darkness is on my eyelids,
    ¹⁷Although there is no ^(CG)violence in my hands,
         And ^(CH)my prayer is pure.
    ¹⁸"O earth, do not cover my blood,
         And let there be no resting place for my cry.
    ¹⁹"Even now, behold, ^(CI)my witness is in heaven,
         And my advocate is ^(CJ)on high.
    ²⁰"My friends are my scoffers;
         ^(CK)My eye weeps to God.
    ²¹"O that a man might plead with God
         As a man with his neighbor!
    ²²"For when a few years are past,
         I shall go the way ^(CL)of no return.