約伯的回應

約伯回答說:

「不錯,我知道你所言不虛,
但人怎能在上帝面前算為義人?
人若想與祂辯駁,
千次也不能勝一次。
祂充滿智慧,能力無比,
誰能抗拒祂還可平安無恙?
祂可猝然挪動群山,
在怒氣中把山翻倒。
祂震動大地,使其挪位,
以致地的支柱搖撼。
祂一聲令下,
太陽便不再升起,
眾星也不再發光。
祂獨自鋪展穹蒼,
步行在海浪之上。
祂創造了北斗星、參星、昴星及南天的星座。
10 祂行的奇事不可測度,
奇蹟不可勝數。
11 祂經過我身旁,我卻看不見;
祂從旁邊掠過,我也無法察覺。
12 祂若奪取,誰能阻擋?
誰敢問祂,『你做什麽?』
13 上帝不會忍怒不發,
海怪[a]的幫手必屈膝在祂腳前。

14 「因此,我怎敢與祂辯駁?
怎敢措辭與祂理論?
15 我縱然無辜,也無法申訴,
只能乞求我的審判者施恩。
16 即使我呼喚祂的時候,祂回應我,
我仍不相信祂會垂聽我的聲音。
17 祂用暴風摧毀我,
無故地使我飽受創傷。
18 祂不肯讓我喘息,
祂使我嚐盡苦頭。
19 若論力量,祂甚強大;
若上公堂,誰敢傳祂?
20 即使我清白無辜,我的口也會認罪;
即使我純全無過,祂也會判我有罪。
21 我雖純全無過,也已毫不在乎,
我厭惡我的生命。
22 因為,我認為都是一樣,
純全無過的人和惡人都會被祂毀滅。
23 災禍突然奪走人命時,
祂嘲笑無辜者的遭遇。
24 大地落入惡人手中,
蒙蔽審判官眼睛的不是祂是誰?

25 「我的年日比信差還快,
匆匆而過,不見幸福。
26 我的歲月疾馳如快船,
快如急降抓食的老鷹。
27 即使我說要忘掉怨恨,
拋開愁容,強顏歡笑,
28 諸多的患難仍使我懼怕,
我知道祂[b]不承認我無辜。
29 既然我被定為有罪,
又何必徒然掙扎?
30 即使我用雪水淨身,
用鹼水洗手,
31 祂仍會把我扔進污坑,
連我的衣服也嫌棄我。
32 祂並非我的同類,
我無法與祂爭辯,一起對簿公堂。
33 我倆中間沒有仲裁者,
無人為我們斷定是非[c]
34 若能拿開祂責打我的刑杖,
使我不再受祂的驚嚇,
35 我就會放膽發言,不必對祂心存恐懼,
但現在我卻不能這樣[d]

Footnotes

  1. 9·13 海怪」希伯來文是「拉哈伯」,下同26·12
  2. 9·28 」希伯來文是「你」,下同31節。
  3. 9·33 為我們斷定是非」希伯來文是「把手按在我們身上」。
  4. 9·35 但現在我卻不能這樣」或譯「因為我知道自己的清白」。

Job’s Third Speech: A Response to Bildad

Then[a] Job answered and said,

“Truly I know that it is so,
but[b] how can a human being be just before God?
If he wants to contend with him,
he cannot answer him one time in a thousand.
He is wise in[c] heart and mighty in[d] strength;
who has resisted him and succeeded?[e]
He is the one who moves mountains, and they do not know how,
who overturns them in his anger.
He is the one who shakes the earth from its place,
and its pillars tremble.
He is the one who commands the sun, and it does not rise,
and he seals up the stars.[f]
He is the one who alone stretches out the heavens
and who tramples on the waves of the sea.
He is the one who made the Bear and Orion,
the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.
10 He is the one who does great things beyond understanding[g]
and marvelous things beyond number.[h]
11 If[i] he passes by me, I would not see him;[j]
and if he should move on, I would not recognize him.[k]
12 If[l] he would snatch away, who could turn him?
Who could say to him, ‘What are you doing?’
13 God will not turn back his anger;
beneath him the helpers of Rahab bow.
14 How much less[m] can I myself[n] answer him?
How can I choose my words with him,
15 whom I cannot answer, even though I am righteous?
From[o] my judge I must implore grace.
16 If I summon him, and he should answer me,
I do not believe that he will listen to my voice—
17 who crushes me with a tempest
and multiplies[p] my wounds without cause.
18 He will not allow me to catch[q] my breath;
rather, he will fill me with bitterness.
19 If it is a matter of[r] strength, look, he is mighty.
But[s] if it is a matter of[t] justice, who can summon me?[u]
20 Even though I am righteous, my mouth will condemn me;
even though I am blameless, yet[v] it would pronounce me guilty.
21 “I am blameless; I do not care about myself;[w]
I loathe my life.
22 It is all one; therefore I say,
‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’
23 When the whip[x] kills suddenly,
he mocks at the despair of the innocent.
24 The earth is given into the hand of the wicked;
he covers the face of its judge—
if it is not he, then who is it?
25 “And my days are swifter than a runner;
they flee away; they do not see good.
26 They go by like papyrus skiffs,
like an eagle swoops down on its prey.
27 Though[y] I say,[z] ‘I will forget my complaint;
I will change my expression, and I will rejoice,’
28 I become afraid of all my sufferings;
I know that you do not consider me innocent.
29 If I shall be declared guilty,
why then should I labor in vain?
30 If I wash myself with soap,[aa]
and I cleanse my hands with lye,
31 then you plunge me into the slime pit,
and my clothes abhor me.
32 “For[ab] he is not a mortal like me that I can answer him,
that we can come to trial together.[ac]
33 There is no arbiter between us
that he might lay his hand on both of us.
34 May he remove his rod from me,
and let his dread not terrify me;
35 then I would speak and not fear him,[ad]
for in myself I am not fearful.[ae]

Footnotes

  1. Job 9:1 Hebrew “And”
  2. Job 9:2 Hebrew “and”
  3. Job 9:4 Hebrew “of”
  4. Job 9:4 Hebrew “of”
  5. Job 9:4 Literally “he succeeded”
  6. Job 9:7 Literally “and behind the stars he seals up”
  7. Job 9:10 Literally “until there is not understanding”
  8. Job 9:10 Literally “until there is not number”
  9. Job 9:11 Literally “Look”
  10. Job 9:11 Literally “and I would not see”
  11. Job 9:11 Literally “and I would not recognize him”
  12. Job 9:12 Literally “Look”
  13. Job 9:14 Literally “Also for”
  14. Job 9:14 Emphatic personal pronoun
  15. Job 9:15 Hebrew “To”
  16. Job 9:17 Hebrew “he multiplies”
  17. Job 9:18 Literally “return,” or “regain”
  18. Job 9:19 Literally “for”; see NASB, NIV, NET
  19. Job 9:19 Hebrew “And”
  20. Job 9:19 Literally “for”; NASB, NIV, NET, NRSV
  21. Job 9:19 Or “arraign me”
  22. Job 9:20 Hebrew “and”
  23. Job 9:21 Perhaps the meaning is “but it makes no difference to me” (NLT)
  24. Job 9:23 Or “scourge”
  25. Job 9:27 Or “If”
  26. Job 9:27 Literally “my saying”
  27. Job 9:30 Or “with snow,” or “in snow”
  28. Job 9:32 Or the emphatic “Indeed”
  29. Job 9:32 Literally “we come together in the justice,” or “we come together in the judgment”
  30. Job 9:35 Hebrew “and I will not fear him”
  31. Job 9:35 Literally “not so I with me”

Then Job answered and said,

I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God?

If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand.

He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?

Which removeth the mountains, and they know not: which overturneth them in his anger.

Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.

Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars.

Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea.

Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south.

10 Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number.

11 Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: he passeth on also, but I perceive him not.

12 Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him? who will say unto him, What doest thou?

13 If God will not withdraw his anger, the proud helpers do stoop under him.

14 How much less shall I answer him, and choose out my words to reason with him?

15 Whom, though I were righteous, yet would I not answer, but I would make supplication to my judge.

16 If I had called, and he had answered me; yet would I not believe that he had hearkened unto my voice.

17 For he breaketh me with a tempest, and multiplieth my wounds without cause.

18 He will not suffer me to take my breath, but filleth me with bitterness.

19 If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong: and if of judgment, who shall set me a time to plead?

20 If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.

21 Though I were perfect, yet would I not know my soul: I would despise my life.

22 This is one thing, therefore I said it, He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.

23 If the scourge slay suddenly, he will laugh at the trial of the innocent.

24 The earth is given into the hand of the wicked: he covereth the faces of the judges thereof; if not, where, and who is he?

25 Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away, they see no good.

26 They are passed away as the swift ships: as the eagle that hasteth to the prey.

27 If I say, I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my heaviness, and comfort myself:

28 I am afraid of all my sorrows, I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent.

29 If I be wicked, why then labour I in vain?

30 If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean;

31 Yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me.

32 For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment.

33 Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both.

34 Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his fear terrify me:

35 Then would I speak, and not fear him; but it is not so with me.