13 「這一切,我親眼見過,
親耳聽過,且已明白。
你們知道的我也知道,
我不比你們遜色。
我想和全能者對話,
我渴望跟上帝理論。
而你們只會編造謊言,
都是無用的庸醫。
但願你們閉口不言,
那樣還算你們明智。
請聽我的申辯,
留心聽我的爭訟。
你們要為上帝說謊,
為祂說詭詐的話嗎?
你們要偏袒上帝嗎?
你們要替祂辯護嗎?
祂查問你們時豈會有好結果?
你們豈能像欺騙人一樣欺騙祂?
10 你們若暗中偏袒,
祂必責備你們。
11 難道你們不怕祂的威嚴,
不對祂充滿恐懼嗎?
12 你們的名言是無用的灰塵,
你們的雄辯是土築的營壘。

13 「你們住口,讓我發言;
我願承擔一切後果。
14 我已經豁出性命,
不惜冒生命危險。
15 祂必殺我,我毫無指望,[a]
但我仍要在祂面前申辯。
16 這樣我才能得救,
因為不信上帝的人無法到祂面前。
17 請留心聽我說話,
側耳聽我發言。
18 看啊,我已準備好辯詞,
我知道自己有理。
19 若有人能指控我,
我就緘默,情願死去。
20 上帝啊,只要你應允兩件事,
我就不躲避你的面,
21 求你把手從我身上挪開,
不要用你的威嚴驚嚇我。
22 這樣,你傳喚我,我必回應;
或者讓我陳述,你來回答。
23 我究竟有什麼過錯和罪惡?
求你指出我的過犯和罪愆。
24 你為何掩面不看我?
為何把我當作仇敵?
25 你要恐嚇一片風中的落葉嗎?
你要追趕一根枯乾的茅草嗎?
26 你記下指控我的罪狀,
讓我承擔幼年的罪惡。
27 你給我上了腳鐐,
監視我的一舉一動,
為我的腳掌設界限。
28 我消逝如朽爛之物,
又如蟲蛀的衣服。

Footnotes

  1. 13·15 祂必殺我,我毫無指望」或譯「即使祂殺我,我也信靠祂」。

Job’s Fourth Speech Continues

13 “Look, my eye has seen everything;
my ear has heard and has understood it.
What you[a] know,[b] I myself[c] also know—
I am not more inferior than you.[d]
But I would speak to Shaddai,
and I desire to argue with God.
“But[e] you[f] whitewash with lies;[g]
all of you[h] are worthless healers.[i]
O that[j] you[k] would keep completely silent,
and that it would become wisdom for you.[l]
Please hear my argument,
and listen attentively to the pleadings of my lips.
“Will you[m] speak falsely for God?
And will you[n] speak deceitfully for him?
Will you[o] show partiality for him?[p]
Or do you[q] want to plead God’s case?
Will it be well, if he examines you?[r]
Or can you[s] deceive him like deceiving a human being?
10 “Surely he will rebuke you[t]
if you[u] show partiality[v] in secret.
11 Will not his majesty terrify you,[w]
and his dread fall upon you?[x]
12 Your[y] maxims are proverbs of ashes;
your[z] defenses are defenses of clay.
13 Let me have silence,[aa] and I myself[ab] will speak,
and let come over me whatever may.
14 Why should I take my flesh in my teeth
and[ac] put[ad] my life in my hand?
15 Look,[ae] though he kill me, I will hope in[af] him;
however, I will defend my ways before him.[ag]
16 Moreover, this is salvation to me,
that the godless would not come before him.[ah]
17 “Listen carefully to my words,
and let my exposition be in your ears.
18 Please look,[ai] I have prepared my case;
I know that I myself[aj] will be vindicated.
19 Who is he who will contend with me?
For then I would be silent, and I would pass away.

Job Argues His Case with God

20 “Only you[ak] must not do these two things to me;
then I will not hide from your face:
21 withdraw your[al] hand from me,
and let not your[am] dread terrify me.
22 Then[an] call, and I myself[ao] will answer;
or let me speak, then[ap] reply to me.
23 How many[aq] are my iniquities and sins?
Make known to me my transgression and my sin.
24 Why do you[ar] hide your[as] face
and count me as your[at] enemy?
25 Will you[au] terrify a blown leaf?
And will you[av] pursue dry stubble?
26 “Indeed, you[aw] write bitter things against me,
and you[ax] make me reap the iniquities of my childhood.
27 And you[ay] put my feet in the block,
and you[az] watch all my paths;
you carve a mark on the soles of my feet.[ba]
28 And he himself [bb]wastes away like something rotten,
like a garment that the moth has eaten.

Footnotes

  1. Job 13:2 Plural
  2. Job 13:2 Literally “Like your knowledge”
  3. Job 13:2 Emphatic personal pronoun
  4. Job 13:2 Plural
  5. Job 13:4 Or “And but”
  6. Job 13:4 Plural
  7. Job 13:4 Literally “coverers of lies”
  8. Job 13:4 Plural
  9. Job 13:4 Literally “healers of worthlessness”
  10. Job 13:5 Literally “Who shall give”
  11. Job 13:5 Plural
  12. Job 13:5 Plural
  13. Job 13:7 Plural
  14. Job 13:7 Plural
  15. Job 13:8 Plural
  16. Job 13:8 Literally “his faces will you raise”
  17. Job 13:8 Plural
  18. Job 13:9 Plural
  19. Job 13:9 Plural
  20. Job 13:10 Plural
  21. Job 13:10 Plural
  22. Job 13:10 Literally “faces you lift up”
  23. Job 13:11 Plural
  24. Job 13:11 Plural
  25. Job 13:12 Plural
  26. Job 13:12 Plural
  27. Job 13:13 Literally “Be silent away from me”
  28. Job 13:13 Emphatic personal pronoun
  29. Job 13:14 Hebrew “now”
  30. Job 13:14 Or “should I put,” or “will I put”
  31. Job 13:15 Or “Though”
  32. Job 13:15 Or “for”
  33. Job 13:15 Literally “to his faces”
  34. Job 13:16 Literally “to his faces”
  35. Job 13:18 Or “Look here”
  36. Job 13:18 Emphatic personal pronoun
  37. Job 13:20 Singular; the antecedent is God
  38. Job 13:21 Singular
  39. Job 13:21 Singular
  40. Job 13:22 Hebrew “And”
  41. Job 13:22 Emphatic personal pronoun
  42. Job 13:22 Hebrew “and”
  43. Job 13:23 Literally “Like what”
  44. Job 13:24 Singular
  45. Job 13:24 Singular
  46. Job 13:24 Singular
  47. Job 13:25 Singular
  48. Job 13:25 Singular
  49. Job 13:26 Singular
  50. Job 13:26 Singular
  51. Job 13:27 Singular
  52. Job 13:27 Singular
  53. Job 13:27 Or “You mark/note my footprints”
  54. Job 13:28 Emphatic personal pronoun