Zophar

20 Then Zophar the Naamathite(A) replied:

“My troubled thoughts prompt me to answer
    because I am greatly disturbed.(B)
I hear a rebuke(C) that dishonors me,
    and my understanding inspires me to reply.

“Surely you know how it has been from of old,(D)
    ever since mankind[a] was placed on the earth,
that the mirth of the wicked(E) is brief,
    the joy of the godless(F) lasts but a moment.(G)
Though the pride(H) of the godless person reaches to the heavens(I)
    and his head touches the clouds,(J)
he will perish forever,(K) like his own dung;
    those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’(L)
Like a dream(M) he flies away,(N) no more to be found,
    banished(O) like a vision of the night.(P)
The eye that saw him will not see him again;
    his place will look on him no more.(Q)
10 His children(R) must make amends to the poor;
    his own hands must give back his wealth.(S)
11 The youthful vigor(T) that fills his bones(U)
    will lie with him in the dust.(V)

12 “Though evil(W) is sweet in his mouth
    and he hides it under his tongue,(X)
13 though he cannot bear to let it go
    and lets it linger in his mouth,(Y)
14 yet his food will turn sour in his stomach;(Z)
    it will become the venom of serpents(AA) within him.
15 He will spit out the riches(AB) he swallowed;
    God will make his stomach vomit(AC) them up.
16 He will suck the poison(AD) of serpents;
    the fangs of an adder will kill him.(AE)
17 He will not enjoy the streams,
    the rivers(AF) flowing with honey(AG) and cream.(AH)
18 What he toiled for he must give back uneaten;(AI)
    he will not enjoy the profit from his trading.(AJ)
19 For he has oppressed the poor(AK) and left them destitute;(AL)
    he has seized houses(AM) he did not build.

20 “Surely he will have no respite from his craving;(AN)
    he cannot save himself by his treasure.(AO)
21 Nothing is left for him to devour;
    his prosperity will not endure.(AP)
22 In the midst of his plenty, distress will overtake him;(AQ)
    the full force of misery will come upon him.(AR)
23 When he has filled his belly,(AS)
    God will vent his burning anger(AT) against him
    and rain down his blows on him.(AU)
24 Though he flees(AV) from an iron weapon,
    a bronze-tipped arrow pierces him.(AW)
25 He pulls it out of his back,
    the gleaming point out of his liver.
Terrors(AX) will come over him;(AY)
26     total darkness(AZ) lies in wait for his treasures.
A fire(BA) unfanned will consume him(BB)
    and devour what is left in his tent.(BC)
27 The heavens will expose his guilt;
    the earth will rise up against him.(BD)
28 A flood will carry off his house,(BE)
    rushing waters[b] on the day of God’s wrath.(BF)
29 Such is the fate God allots the wicked,
    the heritage appointed for them by God.”(BG)

Job

21 Then Job replied:

“Listen carefully to my words;(BH)
    let this be the consolation you give me.(BI)
Bear with me while I speak,
    and after I have spoken, mock on.(BJ)

“Is my complaint(BK) directed to a human being?
    Why should I not be impatient?(BL)
Look at me and be appalled;
    clap your hand over your mouth.(BM)
When I think about this, I am terrified;(BN)
    trembling seizes my body.(BO)
Why do the wicked live on,
    growing old and increasing in power?(BP)
They see their children established around them,
    their offspring before their eyes.(BQ)
Their homes are safe and free from fear;(BR)
    the rod of God is not on them.(BS)
10 Their bulls never fail to breed;
    their cows calve and do not miscarry.(BT)
11 They send forth their children as a flock;(BU)
    their little ones dance about.
12 They sing to the music of timbrel and lyre;(BV)
    they make merry to the sound of the pipe.(BW)
13 They spend their years in prosperity(BX)
    and go down to the grave(BY) in peace.[c](BZ)
14 Yet they say to God, ‘Leave us alone!(CA)
    We have no desire to know your ways.(CB)
15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
    What would we gain by praying to him?’(CC)
16 But their prosperity is not in their own hands,
    so I stand aloof from the plans of the wicked.(CD)

17 “Yet how often is the lamp of the wicked snuffed out?(CE)
    How often does calamity(CF) come upon them,
    the fate God allots in his anger?(CG)
18 How often are they like straw before the wind,
    like chaff(CH) swept away(CI) by a gale?(CJ)
19 It is said, ‘God stores up the punishment of the wicked for their children.’(CK)
    Let him repay the wicked, so that they themselves will experience it!(CL)
20 Let their own eyes see their destruction;(CM)
    let them drink(CN) the cup of the wrath of the Almighty.(CO)
21 For what do they care about the families they leave behind(CP)
    when their allotted months(CQ) come to an end?(CR)

22 “Can anyone teach knowledge to God,(CS)
    since he judges even the highest?(CT)
23 One person dies in full vigor,(CU)
    completely secure and at ease,(CV)
24 well nourished(CW) in body,[d]
    bones(CX) rich with marrow.(CY)
25 Another dies in bitterness of soul,(CZ)
    never having enjoyed anything good.
26 Side by side they lie in the dust,(DA)
    and worms(DB) cover them both.(DC)

27 “I know full well what you are thinking,
    the schemes by which you would wrong me.
28 You say, ‘Where now is the house of the great,(DD)
    the tents where the wicked lived?’(DE)
29 Have you never questioned those who travel?
    Have you paid no regard to their accounts—
30 that the wicked are spared from the day of calamity,(DF)
    that they are delivered from[e] the day of wrath?(DG)
31 Who denounces their conduct to their face?
    Who repays them for what they have done?(DH)
32 They are carried to the grave,
    and watch is kept over their tombs.(DI)
33 The soil in the valley is sweet to them;(DJ)
    everyone follows after them,
    and a countless throng goes[f] before them.(DK)

34 “So how can you console me(DL) with your nonsense?
    Nothing is left of your answers but falsehood!”(DM)

Eliphaz

22 Then Eliphaz the Temanite(DN) replied:

“Can a man be of benefit to God?(DO)
    Can even a wise person benefit him?(DP)
What pleasure(DQ) would it give the Almighty if you were righteous?(DR)
    What would he gain if your ways were blameless?(DS)

“Is it for your piety that he rebukes you
    and brings charges against you?(DT)
Is not your wickedness great?
    Are not your sins(DU) endless?(DV)
You demanded security(DW) from your relatives for no reason;(DX)
    you stripped people of their clothing, leaving them naked.(DY)
You gave no water(DZ) to the weary
    and you withheld food from the hungry,(EA)
though you were a powerful man, owning land(EB)
    an honored man,(EC) living on it.(ED)
And you sent widows(EE) away empty-handed(EF)
    and broke the strength of the fatherless.(EG)
10 That is why snares(EH) are all around you,(EI)
    why sudden peril terrifies you,(EJ)
11 why it is so dark(EK) you cannot see,
    and why a flood of water covers you.(EL)

12 “Is not God in the heights of heaven?(EM)
    And see how lofty are the highest stars!
13 Yet you say, ‘What does God know?(EN)
    Does he judge through such darkness?(EO)
14 Thick clouds(EP) veil him, so he does not see us(EQ)
    as he goes about in the vaulted heavens.’(ER)
15 Will you keep to the old path
    that the wicked(ES) have trod?(ET)
16 They were carried off before their time,(EU)
    their foundations(EV) washed away by a flood.(EW)
17 They said to God, ‘Leave us alone!
    What can the Almighty do to us?’(EX)
18 Yet it was he who filled their houses with good things,(EY)
    so I stand aloof from the plans of the wicked.(EZ)
19 The righteous see their ruin and rejoice;(FA)
    the innocent mock(FB) them, saying,
20 ‘Surely our foes are destroyed,(FC)
    and fire(FD) devours their wealth.’

21 “Submit to God and be at peace(FE) with him;(FF)
    in this way prosperity will come to you.(FG)
22 Accept instruction from his mouth(FH)
    and lay up his words(FI) in your heart.(FJ)
23 If you return(FK) to the Almighty, you will be restored:(FL)
    If you remove wickedness far from your tent(FM)
24 and assign your nuggets(FN) to the dust,
    your gold(FO) of Ophir(FP) to the rocks in the ravines,(FQ)
25 then the Almighty will be your gold,(FR)
    the choicest silver for you.(FS)
26 Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty(FT)
    and will lift up your face(FU) to God.(FV)
27 You will pray to him,(FW) and he will hear you,(FX)
    and you will fulfill your vows.(FY)
28 What you decide on will be done,(FZ)
    and light(GA) will shine on your ways.(GB)
29 When people are brought low(GC) and you say, ‘Lift them up!’
    then he will save the downcast.(GD)
30 He will deliver even one who is not innocent,(GE)
    who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”(GF)

Job

23 Then Job replied:

“Even today my complaint(GG) is bitter;(GH)
    his hand[g] is heavy in spite of[h] my groaning.(GI)
If only I knew where to find him;
    if only I could go to his dwelling!(GJ)
I would state my case(GK) before him
    and fill my mouth with arguments.(GL)
I would find out what he would answer me,(GM)
    and consider what he would say to me.
Would he vigorously oppose me?(GN)
    No, he would not press charges against me.(GO)
There the upright(GP) can establish their innocence before him,(GQ)
    and there I would be delivered forever from my judge.(GR)

“But if I go to the east, he is not there;
    if I go to the west, I do not find him.
When he is at work in the north, I do not see him;
    when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.(GS)
10 But he knows the way that I take;(GT)
    when he has tested me,(GU) I will come forth as gold.(GV)
11 My feet have closely followed his steps;(GW)
    I have kept to his way without turning aside.(GX)
12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips;(GY)
    I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.(GZ)

13 “But he stands alone, and who can oppose him?(HA)
    He does whatever he pleases.(HB)
14 He carries out his decree against me,
    and many such plans he still has in store.(HC)
15 That is why I am terrified before him;(HD)
    when I think of all this, I fear him.(HE)
16 God has made my heart faint;(HF)
    the Almighty(HG) has terrified me.(HH)
17 Yet I am not silenced by the darkness,(HI)
    by the thick darkness that covers my face.

24 “Why does the Almighty not set times(HJ) for judgment?(HK)
    Why must those who know him look in vain for such days?(HL)
There are those who move boundary stones;(HM)
    they pasture flocks they have stolen.(HN)
They drive away the orphan’s donkey
    and take the widow’s ox in pledge.(HO)
They thrust the needy(HP) from the path
    and force all the poor(HQ) of the land into hiding.(HR)
Like wild donkeys(HS) in the desert,
    the poor go about their labor(HT) of foraging food;
    the wasteland(HU) provides food for their children.
They gather fodder(HV) in the fields
    and glean in the vineyards(HW) of the wicked.(HX)
Lacking clothes, they spend the night naked;
    they have nothing to cover themselves in the cold.(HY)
They are drenched(HZ) by mountain rains
    and hug(IA) the rocks for lack of shelter.(IB)
The fatherless(IC) child is snatched(ID) from the breast;
    the infant of the poor is seized(IE) for a debt.(IF)
10 Lacking clothes, they go about naked;(IG)
    they carry the sheaves,(IH) but still go hungry.
11 They crush olives among the terraces[i];
    they tread the winepresses,(II) yet suffer thirst.(IJ)
12 The groans of the dying rise from the city,
    and the souls of the wounded cry out for help.(IK)
    But God charges no one with wrongdoing.(IL)

13 “There are those who rebel against the light,(IM)
    who do not know its ways
    or stay in its paths.(IN)
14 When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up,
    kills(IO) the poor and needy,(IP)
    and in the night steals forth like a thief.(IQ)
15 The eye of the adulterer(IR) watches for dusk;(IS)
    he thinks, ‘No eye will see me,’(IT)
    and he keeps his face concealed.
16 In the dark, thieves break into houses,(IU)
    but by day they shut themselves in;
    they want nothing to do with the light.(IV)
17 For all of them, midnight is their morning;
    they make friends with the terrors(IW) of darkness.(IX)

18 “Yet they are foam(IY) on the surface of the water;(IZ)
    their portion of the land is cursed,(JA)
    so that no one goes to the vineyards.(JB)
19 As heat and drought snatch away the melted snow,(JC)
    so the grave(JD) snatches away those who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets them,
    the worm(JE) feasts on them;(JF)
the wicked are no longer remembered(JG)
    but are broken like a tree.(JH)
21 They prey on the barren and childless woman,
    and to the widow they show no kindness.(JI)
22 But God drags away the mighty by his power;(JJ)
    though they become established,(JK) they have no assurance of life.(JL)
23 He may let them rest in a feeling of security,(JM)
    but his eyes(JN) are on their ways.(JO)
24 For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone;(JP)
    they are brought low and gathered up like all others;(JQ)
    they are cut off like heads of grain.(JR)

25 “If this is not so, who can prove me false
    and reduce my words to nothing?”(JS)

Bildad

25 Then Bildad the Shuhite(JT) replied:

“Dominion and awe belong to God;(JU)
    he establishes order in the heights of heaven.(JV)
Can his forces be numbered?
    On whom does his light not rise?(JW)
How then can a mortal be righteous before God?
    How can one born of woman be pure?(JX)
If even the moon(JY) is not bright
    and the stars are not pure in his eyes,(JZ)
how much less a mortal, who is but a maggot—
    a human being,(KA) who is only a worm!”(KB)

Job

26 Then Job replied:

“How you have helped the powerless!(KC)
    How you have saved the arm that is feeble!(KD)
What advice you have offered to one without wisdom!
    And what great insight(KE) you have displayed!
Who has helped you utter these words?
    And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?(KF)

“The dead are in deep anguish,(KG)
    those beneath the waters and all that live in them.
The realm of the dead(KH) is naked before God;
    Destruction[j](KI) lies uncovered.(KJ)
He spreads out the northern skies(KK) over empty space;
    he suspends the earth over nothing.(KL)
He wraps up the waters(KM) in his clouds,(KN)
    yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
He covers the face of the full moon,
    spreading his clouds(KO) over it.
10 He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters(KP)
    for a boundary between light and darkness.(KQ)
11 The pillars of the heavens quake,(KR)
    aghast at his rebuke.
12 By his power he churned up the sea;(KS)
    by his wisdom(KT) he cut Rahab(KU) to pieces.
13 By his breath the skies(KV) became fair;
    his hand pierced the gliding serpent.(KW)
14 And these are but the outer fringe of his works;
    how faint the whisper(KX) we hear of him!(KY)
    Who then can understand the thunder of his power?”(KZ)

Job’s Final Word to His Friends

27 And Job continued his discourse:(LA)

“As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,(LB)
    the Almighty,(LC) who has made my life bitter,(LD)
as long as I have life within me,
    the breath of God(LE) in my nostrils,
my lips will not say anything wicked,
    and my tongue will not utter lies.(LF)
I will never admit you are in the right;
    till I die, I will not deny my integrity.(LG)
I will maintain my innocence(LH) and never let go of it;
    my conscience(LI) will not reproach me as long as I live.(LJ)

“May my enemy be like the wicked,(LK)
    my adversary(LL) like the unjust!
For what hope have the godless(LM) when they are cut off,
    when God takes away their life?(LN)
Does God listen to their cry
    when distress comes upon them?(LO)
10 Will they find delight in the Almighty?(LP)
    Will they call on God at all times?

11 “I will teach you about the power of God;
    the ways(LQ) of the Almighty I will not conceal.(LR)
12 You have all seen this yourselves.
    Why then this meaningless talk?

13 “Here is the fate God allots to the wicked,
    the heritage a ruthless man receives from the Almighty:(LS)
14 However many his children,(LT) their fate is the sword;(LU)
    his offspring will never have enough to eat.(LV)
15 The plague will bury those who survive him,
    and their widows will not weep for them.(LW)
16 Though he heaps up silver like dust(LX)
    and clothes like piles of clay,(LY)
17 what he lays up(LZ) the righteous will wear,(MA)
    and the innocent will divide his silver.(MB)
18 The house(MC) he builds is like a moth’s cocoon,(MD)
    like a hut(ME) made by a watchman.
19 He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;(MF)
    when he opens his eyes, all is gone.(MG)
20 Terrors(MH) overtake him like a flood;(MI)
    a tempest snatches him away in the night.(MJ)
21 The east wind(MK) carries him off, and he is gone;(ML)
    it sweeps him out of his place.(MM)
22 It hurls itself against him without mercy(MN)
    as he flees headlong(MO) from its power.(MP)
23 It claps its hands(MQ) in derision
    and hisses him out of his place.”(MR)

Interlude: Where Wisdom Is Found

28 There is a mine for silver
    and a place where gold is refined.(MS)
Iron is taken from the earth,
    and copper is smelted from ore.(MT)
Mortals put an end to the darkness;(MU)
    they search out the farthest recesses
    for ore in the blackest darkness.(MV)
Far from human dwellings they cut a shaft,(MW)
    in places untouched by human feet;
    far from other people they dangle and sway.
The earth, from which food comes,(MX)
    is transformed below as by fire;
lapis lazuli(MY) comes from its rocks,
    and its dust contains nuggets of gold.(MZ)
No bird of prey knows that hidden path,
    no falcon’s eye has seen it.(NA)
Proud beasts(NB) do not set foot on it,
    and no lion prowls there.(NC)
People assault the flinty rock(ND) with their hands
    and lay bare the roots of the mountains.(NE)
10 They tunnel through the rock;(NF)
    their eyes see all its treasures.(NG)
11 They search[k] the sources of the rivers(NH)
    and bring hidden things(NI) to light.

12 But where can wisdom be found?(NJ)
    Where does understanding dwell?(NK)
13 No mortal comprehends its worth;(NL)
    it cannot be found in the land of the living.(NM)
14 The deep(NN) says, “It is not in me”;
    the sea(NO) says, “It is not with me.”
15 It cannot be bought with the finest gold,
    nor can its price be weighed out in silver.(NP)
16 It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir,(NQ)
    with precious onyx or lapis lazuli.(NR)
17 Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it,(NS)
    nor can it be had for jewels of gold.(NT)
18 Coral(NU) and jasper(NV) are not worthy of mention;
    the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.(NW)
19 The topaz(NX) of Cush(NY) cannot compare with it;
    it cannot be bought with pure gold.(NZ)

20 Where then does wisdom come from?
    Where does understanding dwell?(OA)
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
    concealed even from the birds in the sky.(OB)
22 Destruction[l](OC) and Death(OD) say,
    “Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.”
23 God understands the way to it
    and he alone(OE) knows where it dwells,(OF)
24 for he views the ends of the earth(OG)
    and sees everything under the heavens.(OH)
25 When he established the force of the wind
    and measured out the waters,(OI)
26 when he made a decree for the rain(OJ)
    and a path for the thunderstorm,(OK)
27 then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;
    he confirmed it and tested it.(OL)
28 And he said to the human race,
    “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
    and to shun evil(OM) is understanding.”(ON)

Footnotes

  1. Job 20:4 Or Adam
  2. Job 20:28 Or The possessions in his house will be carried off, / washed away
  3. Job 21:13 Or in an instant
  4. Job 21:24 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  5. Job 21:30 Or wicked are reserved for the day of calamity, / that they are brought forth to
  6. Job 21:33 Or them, / as a countless throng went
  7. Job 23:2 Septuagint and Syriac; Hebrew / the hand on me
  8. Job 23:2 Or heavy on me in
  9. Job 24:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  10. Job 26:6 Hebrew Abaddon
  11. Job 28:11 Septuagint, Aquila and Vulgate; Hebrew They dam up
  12. Job 28:22 Hebrew Abaddon

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