Job 25-27

English Standard Version

² “Dominion and fear are with God;^[a]
    he makes peace in his high heaven.
³ Is there any number to his ^(B)armies?
    Upon whom does his ^(C)light not arise?
⁴ How then can man be ^(D)in the right before God?
    How can he who is ^(E)born of woman be ^(F)pure?
⁵ Behold, even the moon is not bright,
    and the stars are not pure in his eyes;
^6 (G)how much less man, who is ^(H)a maggot,
    and ^(I)the son of man, who is a worm!”

² “How you have ^(J)helped him who has no power!
    How you have saved ^(K)the arm that has no strength!
³ How you have ^(L)counseled him who has no wisdom,
    and plentifully declared sound knowledge!
⁴ With whose help have you uttered words,
    and whose breath ^(M)has come out from you?
⁵ The ^(N)dead tremble
    under the waters and their inhabitants.
⁶ Sheol is ^(O)naked before God,^[b]
    and ^(P)Abaddon has no covering.
⁷ He ^(Q)stretches out the north over ^(R)the void
    and hangs the earth on nothing.
⁸ He ^(S)binds up the waters in his thick clouds,
    and the cloud is not split open under them.
⁹ He covers the face of the full moon^[c]
    and ^(T)spreads over it his cloud.
¹⁰ He has inscribed ^(U)a circle on the face of the waters
    at the boundary between light and darkness.
^11 (V)The pillars of heaven tremble
    and are astounded at his ^(W)rebuke.
¹² By his power he ^(X)stilled the sea;
    by his understanding he shattered ^(Y)Rahab.
^13 (Z)By his wind the heavens were made fair;
    his hand pierced ^(AA)the fleeing serpent.
¹⁴ Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ^(AB)ways,
    and how small ^(AC)a whisper do we hear of him!
    But the thunder of his power who can understand?”

² “As God lives, who has ^(AE)taken away my right,
    and the Almighty, who has ^(AF)made my soul bitter,
³ as long as my breath is in me,
    and ^(AG)the spirit of God is in my nostrils,
⁴ my lips will not speak ^(AH)falsehood,
    and my tongue will not utter ^(AI)deceit.
⁵ Far be it from me to say that you are right;
    till I die I will not put away my ^(AJ)integrity from me.
⁶ I ^(AK)hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go;
    my heart does not ^(AL)reproach me for any of my days.

⁷ “Let my enemy be as the wicked,
    and let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous.
^8 (AM)For what is the hope of the godless ^(AN)when God cuts him off,
    when God takes away his life?
^9 (AO)Will God hear his cry
    when distress comes upon him?
¹⁰ Will he ^(AP)take delight in the Almighty?
    Will he call upon God at all times?
¹¹ I will teach you concerning the hand of God;
    ^(AQ)what is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
¹² Behold, all of you have seen it yourselves;
    why then have you become altogether vain?

^13 (AR)“This is the portion of a wicked man with God,
    and the heritage that ^(AS)oppressors receive from the Almighty:
¹⁴ If his ^(AT)children are multiplied, it is for ^(AU)the sword,
    and his descendants have not enough bread.
¹⁵ Those who survive him the pestilence buries,
    and his ^(AV)widows do not weep.
¹⁶ Though he ^(AW)heap up silver like dust,
    and pile up clothing like clay,
¹⁷ he may pile it up, but the righteous will wear it,
    and ^(AX)the innocent will divide the silver.
¹⁸ He builds his ^(AY)house like a moth's,
    like ^(AZ)a booth that ^(BA)a watchman makes.
¹⁹ He goes to bed rich, but will ^(BB)do so no more;
    he opens his eyes, and ^(BC)his wealth is gone.
^20 (BD)Terrors overtake him like ^(BE)a flood;
    in the night a whirlwind ^(BF)carries him off.
^21 (BG)The east wind lifts him up and he is gone;
    it ^(BH)sweeps him out of his place.
²² It^[d] hurls at him ^(BI)without pity;
    he flees from its^[e] power in headlong flight.
²³ It ^(BJ)claps its hands at him
    and ^(BK)hisses at him from its place.