Job 6-9 (Young's Literal Translation)

Job 6

 ¹And Job answereth and saith: --

 ²O that my provocation were thoroughly weighed, And my calamity in balances They would lift up together!

 ³For now, than the sands of the sea it is heavier, Therefore my words have been rash.

 ⁴For arrows of the Mighty [are] with me, Whose poison is drinking up my spirit. Terrors of God array themselves [for] me!

 ⁵Brayeth a wild ass over tender grass? Loweth an ox over his provender?

 ⁶Eaten is an insipid thing without salt? Is there sense in the drivel of dreams?

 ⁷My soul is refusing to touch! They [are] as my sickening food.

 ⁸O that my request may come, That God may grant my hope!

 ⁹That God would please -- and bruise me, Loose His hand and cut me off!

 ¹⁰And yet it is my comfort, (And I exult in pain -- He doth not spare,) That I have not hidden The sayings of the Holy One.

 ¹¹What [is] my power that I should hope? And what mine end That I should prolong my life?

 ¹²Is my strength the strength of stones? Is my flesh brazen?

 ¹³Is not my help with me, And substance driven from me?

 ¹⁴To a despiser of his friends [is] shame, And the fear of the Mighty he forsaketh.

 ¹⁵My brethren have deceived as a brook, As a stream of brooks they pass away.

 ¹⁶That are black because of ice, By them doth snow hide itself.

 ¹⁷By the time they are warm they have been cut off, By its being hot they have been Extinguished from their place.

 ¹⁸Turn aside do the paths of their way, They ascend into emptiness, and are lost.

 ¹⁹Passengers of Tema looked expectingly, Travellers of Sheba hoped for them.

 ²⁰They were ashamed that one hath trusted, They have come unto it and are confounded.

 ²¹Surely now ye have become the same! Ye see a downfall, and are afraid.

 ²²Is it because I said, Give to me? And, By your power bribe for me?

 ²³And, Deliver me from the hand of an adversary? And, From the hand of terrible ones ransom me?

 ²⁴Shew me, and I -- I keep silent, And what I have erred, let me understand.

 ²⁵How powerful have been upright sayings, And what doth reproof from you reprove?

 ²⁶For reproof -- do you reckon words? And for wind -- sayings of the desperate.

 ²⁷Anger on the fatherless ye cause to fall, And are strange to your friend.

 ²⁸And, now, please, look upon me, Even to your face do I lie?

 ²⁹Turn back, I pray you, let it not be perverseness, Yea, turn back again -- my righteousness [is] in it.

 ³⁰Is there in my tongue perverseness? Discerneth not my palate desirable things?

Job 7

 ¹Is there not a warfare to man on earth? And as the days of an hireling his days?

 ²As a servant desireth the shadow, And as a hireling expecteth his wage,

 ³So I have been caused to inherit months of vanity, And nights of misery they numbered to me.

 ⁴If I lay down then I said, `When do I rise!' And evening hath been measured, And I have been full of tossings till dawn.

 ⁵Clothed hath been my flesh [with] worms, And a clod of dust, My skin hath been shrivelled and is loathsome,

 ⁶My days swifter than a weaving machine, And they are consumed without hope.

 ⁷Remember Thou that my life [is] a breath, Mine eye turneth not back to see good.

 ⁸The eye of my beholder beholdeth me not. Thine eyes [are] upon me -- and I am not.

 ⁹Consumed hath been a cloud, and it goeth, So he who is going down to Sheol cometh not up.

 ¹⁰He turneth not again to his house, Nor doth his place discern him again.

 ¹¹Also I -- I withhold not my mouth -- I speak in the distress of my spirit, I talk in the bitterness of my soul.

 ¹²A sea-[monster] am I, or a dragon, That thou settest over me a guard?

 ¹³When I said, `My bed doth comfort me,' He taketh away in my talking my couch.

 ¹⁴And thou hast affrighted me with dreams, And from visions thou terrifiest me,

 ¹⁵And my soul chooseth strangling, Death rather than my bones.

 ¹⁶I have wasted away -- not to the age do I live. Cease from me, for my days [are] vanity.

 ¹⁷What [is] man that Thou dost magnify him? And that Thou settest unto him Thy heart?

 ¹⁸And inspectest him in the mornings, In the evenings dost try him?

 ¹⁹How long dost Thou not look from me? Thou dost not desist till I swallow my spittle.

 ²⁰I have sinned, what do I to Thee, O watcher of man? Why hast Thou set me for a mark to Thee, And I am for a burden to myself -- and what?

 ²¹Thou dost not take away my transgression, And cause to pass away mine iniquity, Because now, for dust I lie down: And Thou hast sought me -- and I am not!

Job 8

 ¹And Bildad the Shuhite answereth and saith: --

 ²Till when dost thou speak these things? And a strong wind -- sayings of thy mouth?

 ³Doth God pervert judgment? And doth the Mighty One pervert justice?

 ⁴If thy sons have sinned before Him, And He doth send them away, By the hand of their transgression,

 ⁵If thou dost seek early unto God, And unto the Mighty makest supplication,

 ⁶If pure and upright thou [art], Surely now He waketh for thee, And hath completed The habitation of thy righteousness.

 ⁷And thy beginning hath been small, And thy latter end is very great.

 ⁸For, ask I pray thee of a former generation, And prepare to a search of their fathers,

 ⁹(For of yesterday we [are], and we know not, For a shadow [are] our days on earth.)

 ¹⁰Do they not shew thee -- speak to thee, And from their heart bring forth words?

 ¹¹`Doth a rush wise without mire? A reed increase without water?

 ¹²While it [is] in its budding -- uncropt, Even before any herb it withereth.

 ¹³So [are] the paths of all forgetting God, And the hope of the profane doth perish,

 ¹⁴Whose confidence is loathsome, And the house of a spider his trust.

 ¹⁵He leaneth on his house -- and it standeth not: He taketh hold on it -- and it abideth not.

 ¹⁶Green he [is] before the sun, And over his garden his branch goeth out.

 ¹⁷By a heap his roots are wrapped, A house of stones he looketh for.

 ¹⁸If [one] doth destroy him from his place, Then it hath feigned concerning him, I have not seen thee!

 ¹⁹Lo, this [is] the joy of his way, And from the dust others spring up.'

 ²⁰Lo, God doth not reject the perfect, Nor taketh hold on the hand of evil doers.

 ²¹While he filleth with laughter thy mouth, And thy lips with shouting,

 ²²Those hating thee do put on shame, And the tent of the wicked is not!

Job 9

 ¹And Job answereth and saith: --

 ²Truly I have known that [it is] so, And what -- is man righteous with God?

 ³If he delight to strive with Him -- He doth not answer him one of a thousand.

 ⁴Wise in heart and strong in power -- Who hath hardened toward Him and is at peace?

 ⁵Who is removing mountains, And they have not known, Who hath overturned them in His anger.

 ⁶Who is shaking earth from its place, And its pillars move themselves.

 ⁷Who is speaking to the sun, and it riseth not, And the stars He sealeth up.

 ⁸Stretching out the heavens by Himself, And treading on the heights of the sea,

 ⁹Making Osh, Kesil, and Kimah, And the inner chambers of the south.

 ¹⁰Doing great things till there is no searching, And wonderful, till there is no numbering.

 ¹¹Lo, He goeth over by me, and I see not, And He passeth on, and I attend not to it.

 ¹²Lo, He snatches away, who bringeth it back? Who saith unto Him, `What dost Thou?'

 ¹³God doth not turn back His anger, Under Him bowed have proud helpers.

 ¹⁴How much less do I -- I answer Him? Choose out my words with Him?

 ¹⁵Whom, though I were righteous, I answer not, For my judgment I make supplication.

 ¹⁶Though I had called and He answereth me, I do not believe that He giveth ear [to] my voice.

 ¹⁷Because with a tempest He bruiseth me, And hath multiplied my wounds for nought.

 ¹⁸He permitteth me not to refresh my spirit, But filleth me with bitter things.

 ¹⁹If of power, lo, the Strong One; And if of judgment -- who doth convene me?

 ²⁰If I be righteous, Mine mouth doth declare me wicked, Perfect I am! -- it declareth me perverse.

 ²¹Perfect I am! -- I know not my soul, I despise my life.

 ²²It is the same thing, therefore I said, `The perfect and the wicked He is consuming.'

 ²³If a scourge doth put to death suddenly, At the trial of the innocent He laugheth.

 ²⁴Earth hath been given Into the hand of the wicked one. The face of its judges he covereth, If not -- where, who [is] he?

 ²⁵My days have been swifter than a runner, They have fled, they have not seen good,

 ²⁶They have passed on with ships of reed, As an eagle darteth on food.

 ²⁷Though I say, `I forget my talking, I forsake my corner, and I brighten up!'

 ²⁸I have been afraid of all my griefs, I have known that Thou dost not acquit me.

 ²⁹I -- I am become wicked; why [is] this? [In] vain I labour.

 ³⁰If I have washed myself with snow-water, And purified with soap my hands,

 ³¹Then in corruption Thou dost dip me, And my garments have abominated me.

 ³²But if a man like myself -- I answer him, We come together into judgment.

 ³³If there were between us an umpire, He doth place his hand on us both.

 ³⁴He doth turn aside from off me his rod, And His terror doth not make me afraid,

 ³⁵I speak, and do not fear Him, But I am not right with myself.