约伯记 9
Chinese New Version (Traditional)
約伯承認 神的智慧與能力
9 約伯回答說：
2 “我實在知道是這樣，
但是，人在 神面前怎能算為公義呢？
3 人若願意與他辯論，
連千分之一也答不出來。
4 他心裡有智慧，而且有極大的能力，
有誰對他剛硬而平安無事呢？
5 他在怒中移山翻岡；
山岡卻不知道；
6 他使大地震動離開本處，
大地的柱子就搖撼；
7 他吩咐太陽，太陽就不上升，
又封閉眾星；
8 他獨自鋪開蒼天，
步行在海浪之上；
9 他造北斗與參星，
昴星和南方的星座；
10 他所行的大事無法測度，
所行的奇事不可勝數。
11 他行過我身邊，我卻看不見；
他掠過去，我竟不覺察。
12 他奪取，誰能攔阻他？
誰敢問他：‘你幹甚麼？’
人受苦難不一定因為罪
13 神必不抑制他的怒氣，
海怪拉哈伯的助手都俯伏在他以下。
14 何況我呢？我怎敢回答他，
措辭與他辯論呢？
15 即使我有理，也不敢回答，
只向那審判我的求憐憫；
16 即使我呼求，他也回答我，
我還是不信他會垂聽我的聲音。
17 他用暴風傷害我，
無緣無故加添我的創傷。
18 他不讓我喘一口氣，
卻使我飽嘗苦楚。
19 若論力量，他多麼強大，
若論訴訟，他說：‘誰能把我傳來？’
20 即使我有理，我的口還是定我有罪；
即使我完全，我的口還是判我乖謬。
21 我雖然完全，卻不顧我自己，
倒厭惡我的生命。
22 所以我說，善惡都是一樣，
完全人和惡人，他都滅盡。
23 災禍忽然把人殺害的時候，
他就必嘲笑無辜人的遭遇。
24 全世界交在惡人的手中，
他蒙蔽世上審判官的臉，
如果不是他，那麼是誰呢？
25 我的日子過得比信差還快，
飛快逝去，不見福樂。
26 我的日子消逝有如快船，
好像俯衝猛撲食物的鷹。
27 我若說：‘我要忘記我的苦情，
要除去愁容，面露喜樂。’
28 我就懼怕我的一切痛苦，
因為我知道你必不以我為無辜。
29 我既然被定為有罪，
又何必徒然勞苦呢？
30 我若用雪水洗淨我的身，
又用鹼水潔淨我的手，
31 你還是把我扔入坑中，
連我的衣服也憎惡我。
32 他不像我是個人，
使我可以答他，讓我們一起對簿公堂。
33 我倆之間並沒有仲裁者，
能夠按手在我們雙方身上。
34 願他使他的刑杖離開我，
願他可畏的威嚴不驚嚇我，
35 我就說話，也不怕他，
因為我本身並不是這種人。”
约伯记 9
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
约伯的回应
9 约伯回答说：
2 “不错，我知道你所言不虚，
但人怎能在上帝面前算为义人？
3 人若想与祂辩驳，
千次也不能胜一次。
4 祂充满智慧，能力无比，
谁能抗拒祂还可平安无恙？
5 祂可猝然挪动群山，
在怒气中把山翻倒。
6 祂震动大地，使其挪位，
以致地的支柱摇撼。
7 祂一声令下，
太阳便不再升起，
众星也不再发光。
8 祂独自铺展穹苍，
步行在海浪之上。
9 祂创造了北斗星、参星、昴星及南天的星座。
10 祂行的奇事不可测度，
奇迹不可胜数。
11 祂经过我身旁，我却看不见；
祂从旁边掠过，我也无法察觉。
12 祂若夺取，谁能阻挡？
谁敢问祂，‘你做什么？’
13 上帝不会忍怒不发，
海怪[a]的帮手必屈膝在祂脚前。
14 “因此，我怎敢与祂辩驳？
怎敢措辞与祂理论？
15 我纵然无辜，也无法申诉，
只能乞求我的审判者施恩。
16 即使我呼唤祂的时候，祂回应我，
我仍不相信祂会垂听我的声音。
17 祂用暴风摧毁我，
无故地使我饱受创伤。
18 祂不肯让我喘息，
祂使我尝尽苦头。
19 若论力量，祂甚强大；
若上公堂，谁敢传祂？
20 即使我清白无辜，我的口也会认罪；
即使我纯全无过，祂也会判我有罪。
21 我虽纯全无过，也已毫不在乎，
我厌恶我的生命。
22 因为，我认为都是一样，
纯全无过的人和恶人都会被祂毁灭。
23 灾祸突然夺走人命时，
祂嘲笑无辜者的遭遇。
24 大地落入恶人手中，
蒙敝审判官眼睛的不是祂是谁？
Job 9
New American Standard Bible
Job Says There Is No Arbitrator between God and Mankind
9 Then Job responded,
2 “In truth I know that this is so;
But how can a (A)person be in the right with God?
3 If one wished to (B)dispute with Him,
He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.
4 (C)Wise in heart and (D)mighty in strength,
Who has [a](E)defied Him [b]without harm?
5 (F)It is God who removes the mountains, and they do not know how,
When He overturns them in His anger.
6 It is He who (G)shakes the earth from its place,
And its (H)pillars tremble;
7 Who commands the (I)sun [c]not to shine,
And puts a seal on the stars;
8 Who alone (J)stretches out the heavens,
And [d](K)tramples down the waves of the sea;
9 Who makes the (L)Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades,
And the [e](M)constellations of the south.
10 It is He who (N)does great things, [f]the unfathomable,
And wondrous works without number.
11 If He were to pass by me, (O)I would not see Him;
Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him.
12 If He were to snatch away, who could (P)restrain Him?
Who could say to Him, ‘(Q)What are You doing?’
13 “God will not turn back His anger;
Beneath Him the helpers of [g](R)Rahab cower.
14 How then can (S)I [h]answer Him,
And choose my words [i]before Him?
15 For (T)though I were right, I could not [j]answer;
I would have to (U)implore the mercy of my Judge.
16 If I called and He answered me,
I could not believe that He was listening to my voice.
17 For He (V)bruises me with a storm
And multiplies my wounds without cause.
18 He will (W)not allow me to get my breath,
But He saturates me with (X)bitterness.
19 If it is a matter of power, (Y)behold, He is the strong one!
And if it is a matter of justice, who can summon [k]Him?
20 (Z)Though I am righteous, my mouth will (AA)condemn me;
Though I am guiltless, He will declare me guilty.
21 I am (AB)guiltless;
I do not take notice of myself;
I (AC)reject my life.
22 It is all one; therefore I say,
‘He (AD)destroys the guiltless and the wicked.’
23 If the whip kills suddenly,
He (AE)mocks the despair of the innocent.
24 The earth (AF)is handed over to the wicked;
He (AG)covers the faces of its judges.
If it is not He, then who is it?
25 “Now (AH)my days are swifter than a runner;
They flee away, (AI)they see no good.
26 They slip by like (AJ)reed boats,
Like an (AK)eagle that swoops on [l]its prey.
27 Though I say, ‘I will forget (AL)my complaint,
I will [m]put my face in order and be cheerful,’
28 I am (AM)afraid of all my pains,
I know that (AN)You will not acquit me.
29 I am (AO)guilty,
Why then should I struggle in vain?
30 If I (AP)washed myself with snow,
And cleansed (AQ)my hands with lye,
31 Then You would plunge me into the pit,
And my own clothes would loathe me.
32 For (AR)He is not a man, as I am, that (AS)I may answer Him—
That we may go to [n]court together!
33 There is no (AT)arbitrator between us,
Who can place his hand upon us both.
34 Let Him (AU)remove His rod from me,
And let not the dread of Him terrify me.
35 Then I (AV)would speak and not fear Him;
But I am not like that in myself.
Footnotes
- Job 9:4 Lit stiffened his neck against
- Job 9:4 Lit and remained safe
- Job 9:7 Lit and it does not shine
- Job 9:8 Lit treads upon the heights of
- Job 9:9 Lit chambers
- Job 9:10 Lit until there is no searching out
- Job 9:13 I.e., a sea monster, not to be confused with Rahab in Joshua 2
- Job 9:14 Or plead my case
- Job 9:14 Lit with
- Job 9:15 Or plead my case
- Job 9:19 As in LXX; Heb me
- Job 9:26 Lit food
- Job 9:27 I.e., improve the look
- Job 9:32 Lit judgment
Job 9
The Message
Job Continues
How Can Mere Mortals Get Right with God?
9 1-13 Job continued by saying:
“So what’s new? I know all this.
The question is, ‘How can mere mortals get right with God?’
If we wanted to bring our case before him,
what chance would we have? Not one in a thousand!
God’s wisdom is so deep, God’s power so immense,
who could take him on and come out in one piece?
He moves mountains before they know what’s happened,
flips them on their heads on a whim.
He gives the earth a good shaking up,
rocks it down to its very foundations.
He tells the sun, ‘Don’t shine,’ and it doesn’t;
he pulls the blinds on the stars.
All by himself he stretches out the heavens
and strides on the waves of the sea.
He designed the Big Dipper and Orion,
the Pleiades and Alpha Centauri.
We’ll never comprehend all the great things he does;
his miracle-surprises can’t be counted.
Somehow, though he moves right in front of me, I don’t see him;
quietly but surely he’s active, and I miss it.
If he steals you blind, who can stop him?
Who’s going to say, ‘Hey, what are you doing?’
God doesn’t hold back on his anger;
even dragon-bred monsters cringe before him.
14-20 “So how could I ever argue with him,
construct a defense that would influence God?
Even though I’m innocent I could never prove it;
I can only throw myself on the Judge’s mercy.
If I called on God and he himself answered me,
then, and only then, would I believe that he’d heard me.
As it is, he knocks me about from pillar to post,
beating me up, black-and-blue, for no good reason.
He won’t even let me catch my breath,
piles bitterness upon bitterness.
If it’s a question of who’s stronger, he wins, hands down!
If it’s a question of justice, who’ll serve him the subpoena?
Even though innocent, anything I say incriminates me;
blameless as I am, my defense just makes me sound worse.
If God’s Not Responsible, Who Is?
21-24 “Believe me, I’m blameless.
I don’t understand what’s going on.
I hate my life!
Since either way it ends up the same, I can only conclude
that God destroys the good right along with the bad.
When calamity hits and brings sudden death,
he folds his arms, aloof from the despair of the innocent.
He lets the wicked take over running the world,
he installs judges who can’t tell right from wrong.
If he’s not responsible, who is?
25-31 “My time is short—what’s left of my life races off
too fast for me to even glimpse the good.
My life is going fast, like a ship under full sail,
like an eagle plummeting to its prey.
Even if I say, ‘I’ll put all this behind me,
I’ll look on the bright side and force a smile,’
All these troubles would still be like grit in my gut
since it’s clear you’re not going to let up.
The verdict has already been handed down—‘Guilty!’—
so what’s the use of protests or appeals?
Even if I scrub myself all over
and wash myself with the strongest soap I can find,
It wouldn’t last—you’d push me into a pigpen, or worse,
so nobody could stand me for the stink.
32-35 “God and I are not equals; I can’t bring a case against him.
We’ll never enter a courtroom as peers.
How I wish we had an arbitrator
to step in and let me get on with life—
To break God’s death grip on me,
to free me from this terror so I could breathe again.
Then I’d speak up and state my case boldly.
As things stand, there is no way I can do it.”
Chinese New Version (CNV). Copyright © 1976, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2005 by Worldwide Bible Society.
Chinese Contemporary Bible Copyright © 1979, 2005, 2007, 2011 by Biblica® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson