Job 11-15

Legacy Standard Bible

⁷ “^(G)Can you find the depths of God?
Can you find the limits of the Almighty?
⁸ They are ^(H)high as ^[c]the heavens, what can you do?
Deeper than ^(I)Sheol, what can you know?
⁹ Its measure is longer than the earth
And broader than the sea.
¹⁰ If He sweeps by or shuts up,
Or calls an assembly, ^(J)who can turn Him around?
¹¹ For ^(K)He knows worthless men,
And He ^(L)sees wickedness, ^[d]so will He not carefully consider it?
^12 [e](M)Yet an empty headed man will obtain a heart of wisdom,
And the ^[f]foal of a ^(N)wild donkey is born a man.

¹³ “^(O)If you would ^(P)set your heart right
And ^(Q)spread out your hand to Him,
¹⁴ If wickedness is in your hand, ^(R)put it far away,
And do not let unrighteousness dwell in your tents;
¹⁵ Then, indeed, you could ^(S)lift up your face without moral defect,
And you would be steadfast and ^(T)not fear.
¹⁶ For you would ^(U)forget your trouble,
As ^(V)waters that pass by, so you would remember it.
¹⁷ And your lifetime would ^(W)arise brighter than noonday;
Darkness would be like the morning.
¹⁸ Then you would trust, because there is hope;
And you would search around and rest securely.
¹⁹ You would ^(X)lie down and none would make you tremble,
And many would ^(Y)entreat your ^[g]favor.
²⁰ But the ^(Z)eyes of the wicked will come to an end,
And escape will ^(AA)perish from them;
And their ^(AB)hope is ^(AC)the expiring of their soul.”

⁷ “But now ask the beasts, and let them instruct you;
And the birds of the sky, and let them tell you.
⁸ Or muse to the earth, and let it instruct you;
And let the fish of the sea recount it to you.
⁹ Who among all these does not know
That ^(AK)the hand of Yahweh has done this,
^10 (AL)In whose hand is the life of every living thing,
And ^(AM)the breath of all the flesh of man?
¹¹ Does not ^(AN)the ear test words,
As the palate ^[l]tastes its food?
¹² Wisdom is with ^(AO)aged men,
With ^[m]long life is discernment.

³ “But ^(BL)I would speak to ^[s]the Almighty,
And I desire to ^(BM)argue with God.
⁴ But you ^(BN)cover me with lies;
You are all ^(BO)worthless physicians.
⁵ O that you would ^(BP)be completely silent,
And that it would become your wisdom!
⁶ Please hear my argument
And give heed to the contentions of my lips.
⁷ Will you ^(BQ)speak what is unrighteous for God,
And speak what is deceitful for Him?
⁸ Will you ^(BR)show partiality for Him?
Will you contend for God?
⁹ Will it be well when He examines you?
Or ^(BS)will you deceive Him as one deceives a man?
¹⁰ He will surely reprove you
If you secretly ^(BT)show partiality.
¹¹ Will not ^(BU)His exaltedness terrify you,
And the dread of Him fall on you?
¹² Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes;
Your defenses are defenses of clay.

¹³ “^(BV)Be silent before me so that I may speak;
Then let come on me what may.
¹⁴ Why should I take my flesh in my teeth
And ^(BW)put my life in my ^[t]hands?
^15 [u](BX)Though He slay me,
I will hope in Him.
Nevertheless I ^(BY)will argue my ways ^[v]before Him.
¹⁶ This also will be my ^(BZ)salvation,
For ^(CA)a godless man may not come before His presence.
^17 [w]Listen carefully to my words,
And let my declaration fill your ears.
¹⁸ Behold now, I have ^(CB)arranged my case for justice;
I know that ^(CC)I will be declared righteous.
^19 (CD)Who will contend with me?
For now I am silent and ^(CE)will breathe my last.

²⁰ “Only two things do not do to me,
Then I will not hide from Your face:
^21 (CF)Move Your ^[x]hand far from me,
And let not the dread of You terrify me.
²² Then call, and ^(CG)I will answer;
Or let me speak, then respond to me.
^23 (CH)How many are my iniquities and sins?
Make known to me my transgression and my sin.
²⁴ Why do You ^(CI)hide Your face
And think of me as ^(CJ)Your enemy?
²⁵ Will You cause a ^(CK)driven leaf to tremble?
Or will You pursue the dry ^(CL)chaff?
²⁶ For You write ^(CM)bitter things against me
And ^(CN)make me to possess the iniquities of my youth.
²⁷ You ^(CO)put my feet in the stocks
And kept watch over all my paths;
You ^[y]set a limit for the soles of my feet,
²⁸ While ^[z]I am decaying like a ^(CP)rotten thing,
Like a garment that is moth-eaten.

⁷ “For there is hope for a tree,
When it is cut down, that it will change back sprouting again,
And its shoots will not cease.
⁸ Though its roots grow old in the ground
And its stump dies in the dry soil,
⁹ At the scent of water it will flourish
And put forth sprigs like a plant.
¹⁰ But ^(CZ)man dies and lies prostrate.
Man ^(DA)breathes his last, and where is he?
¹¹ As ^(DB)water ^[ad]evaporates from the sea,
And a river becomes parched and dried up,
¹² So ^(DC)man lies down and does not rise.
Until the heavens are no longer,
^[ae]He will not awake nor be aroused out of ^[af]his sleep.

¹³ “Oh that You would conceal me in Sheol,
That You would hide me ^(DD)until Your anger returns to You,
That You would set a limit for me and remember me!
¹⁴ If a man dies, will he live again?
All the days of my labor I will wait
Until my change comes.
¹⁵ You will call, and I will answer You;
You will long for ^(DE)the work of Your hands.
¹⁶ For now You ^(DF)number my steps,
You do not ^(DG)keep watch over my sin.
¹⁷ My transgression is ^(DH)sealed up in a bag,
And You ^[ag]cover up my iniquity.

¹⁸ “But the falling mountain ^[ah]crumbles away,
And the rock moves from its place;
¹⁹ Water wears away stones;
Its torrents wash away the dust of the earth;
So You ^(DI)make man’s hope perish.
²⁰ You forever overpower him and he ^(DJ)goes away;
You alter his appearance and send him away.
²¹ His sons achieve honor, but ^(DK)he does not know it;
Or they become insignificant, but he does not perceive it.
²² But his flesh pains him,
And he mourns only for himself.”

⁷ “Were you the first man to be born,
Or ^(DP)were you brought forth before the hills?
⁸ Do you hear the ^(DQ)secret counsel of God,
And cut down wisdom only unto yourself?
^9 (DR)What do you know that we do not know?
What do you understand that is not with us?
¹⁰ Both the ^(DS)gray-haired and the aged are among us,
Older than your father.
¹¹ Are ^(DT)the consolations of God too small for you,
Even the ^(DU)word spoken gently with you?
¹² Why does your ^(DV)heart take you away?
And why do your eyes flash,
¹³ That you should turn your spirit against God
And allow such words to go out of your mouth?
¹⁴ What is man, that ^(DW)he should be pure,
Or ^(DX)he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
¹⁵ Behold, He puts no faith in His ^(DY)holy ones,
And the ^(DZ)heavens are not pure in His sight;
¹⁶ How much less one who is ^(EA)abominable and corrupt,
Man, who ^(EB)drinks ^[ai]unrighteousness like water!

¹⁷ “I will tell you, listen to me;
And what I have beheld I will also recount;
¹⁸ What wise men have told,
And have not concealed from ^(EC)their fathers,
¹⁹ To whom alone the land was given,
And no stranger passed among them.
²⁰ The wicked man writhes ^(ED)in pain all his days,
And ^[aj]numbered are the years ^(EE)stored up for the ruthless.
^21 [ak]Sounds of ^(EF)dread are in his ears;
^(EG)While at peace the destroyer comes upon him.
²² He does not believe that he will ^(EH)return from darkness,
And he is destined for ^(EI)the sword.
²³ He wanders about for food, saying, ‘Where is it?’
He knows that a day of ^(EJ)darkness is ready at his hand.
²⁴ Distress and anguish terrify him;
They overpower him like a king ready for the attack,
²⁵ Because he has stretched out his hand against God
And ^(EK)magnifies himself against ^[al]the Almighty.
²⁶ He rushes ^[am]headlong at Him
With ^[an]his massive shield.
²⁷ For he has ^(EL)covered his face with his fat
And made his thighs heavy with flesh.
²⁸ He has ^(EM)dwelt in desolate cities,
In houses no one would inhabit,
Which are destined to become ^[ao]ruins.
²⁹ He ^(EN)will not become rich, nor will his wealth endure;
And his grain will not stretch out over the land.
³⁰ He will ^(EO)not be able to ^[ap]depart from darkness;
The ^(EP)flame will wither his shoots,
And by ^(EQ)the breath of His mouth he will depart.
³¹ Let him not ^(ER)believe in emptiness, deceiving himself;
For emptiness will be his ^[aq]reward,
³² When ^(ES)his days are not yet fulfilled,
And his palm ^(ET)branch is not green.
³³ He will drop off his unripe grape like the vine,
And will ^(EU)cast off his flower like the olive tree.
³⁴ For the company of ^(EV)the godless is barren,
And fire consumes ^(EW)the tents of ^[ar]the corrupt.
³⁵ They ^(EX)conceive ^[as]trouble and give birth to wickedness,
And their ^[at]belly prepares deception.”