约伯的回答

16 约伯回答说:

“这些话,我听过很多,
你们安慰人,反让人愁烦。
你们的空谈无休无止吗?
是什么惹你们说个不停?
倘若你我易地而处,
我也能说你们那样的话,
滔滔不绝地攻击你们,
向你们摇头。
我会对你们讲鼓励的话,
用劝慰之言减轻你们的痛苦。

“我若申辩,痛苦不减;
我若缄默,痛苦犹在。
上帝啊,你使我精疲力竭,
家破人亡,
你榨干了我,
使我骨瘦如柴,
这成了我的罪证。
上帝在愤怒中撕裂我,迫害我,
向我咬牙切齿;
仇敌恶狠狠地盯着我。
10 他们嘲笑我,
轻蔑地掴我的脸,
联合起来攻击我。
11 上帝把我交给罪人,
把我扔到恶人手中。
12 我本来平顺,祂击垮了我,
祂抓住我的颈项将我摔碎,
把我当祂的箭靶。
13 祂的弓箭手四面围住我,
祂毫不留情地刺透我的肾脏,
使我肝胆涂地。
14 祂一次次地击伤我,
像勇士一样扑向我。
15 我缝制麻衣,披在身上,
把我的荣耀埋在尘土中。
16 我哭得脸颊红肿,
眼皮发黑。
17 但我未行残暴之事,
我的祷告纯真。

18 “大地啊!不要掩盖我的血,
不要拦阻我的呼求。
19 此时,我的见证人在天上,
我的辩护者在高天上。
20 我的朋友讥笑我,
我在上帝面前流泪。
21 但愿人与上帝之间有仲裁者,
如同人与人之间。
22 因为我的年日不多,
我快要踏上不归路。

Job

16 Then Job replied:

“I have heard many things like these;
    you are miserable comforters,(A) all of you!(B)
Will your long-winded speeches never end?(C)
    What ails you that you keep on arguing?(D)
I also could speak like you,
    if you were in my place;
I could make fine speeches against you
    and shake my head(E) at you.
But my mouth would encourage you;
    comfort(F) from my lips would bring you relief.(G)

“Yet if I speak, my pain is not relieved;
    and if I refrain, it does not go away.(H)
Surely, God, you have worn me out;(I)
    you have devastated my entire household.(J)
You have shriveled me up—and it has become a witness;
    my gauntness(K) rises up and testifies against me.(L)
God assails me and tears(M) me in his anger(N)
    and gnashes his teeth at me;(O)
    my opponent fastens on me his piercing eyes.(P)
10 People open their mouths(Q) to jeer at me;(R)
    they strike my cheek(S) in scorn
    and unite together against me.(T)
11 God has turned me over to the ungodly
    and thrown me into the clutches of the wicked.(U)
12 All was well with me, but he shattered me;
    he seized me by the neck and crushed me.(V)
He has made me his target;(W)
13     his archers surround me.(X)
Without pity, he pierces(Y) my kidneys
    and spills my gall on the ground.
14 Again and again(Z) he bursts upon me;
    he rushes at me like a warrior.(AA)

15 “I have sewed sackcloth(AB) over my skin
    and buried my brow in the dust.(AC)
16 My face is red with weeping,(AD)
    dark shadows ring my eyes;(AE)
17 yet my hands have been free of violence(AF)
    and my prayer is pure.(AG)

18 “Earth, do not cover my blood;(AH)
    may my cry(AI) never be laid to rest!(AJ)
19 Even now my witness(AK) is in heaven;(AL)
    my advocate is on high.(AM)
20 My intercessor(AN) is my friend[a](AO)
    as my eyes pour out(AP) tears(AQ) to God;
21 on behalf of a man he pleads(AR) with God
    as one pleads for a friend.

22 “Only a few years will pass
    before I take the path of no return.(AS)

Footnotes

  1. Job 16:20 Or My friends treat me with scorn

Job Reproaches His Pitiless Friends

16 Then Job answered and said:

“I have heard many such things;
(A)Miserable[a] comforters are you all!
Shall [b]words of wind have an end?
Or what provokes you that you answer?
I also could speak as you do,
If your soul were in my soul’s place.
I could heap up words against you,
And (B)shake my head at you;
But I would strengthen you with my mouth,
And the comfort of my lips would relieve your grief.

“Though I speak, my grief is not relieved;
And if I remain silent, how am I eased?
But now He has (C)worn me out;
You (D)have made desolate all my company.
You have shriveled me up,
And it is a (E)witness against me;
My leanness rises up against me
And bears witness to my face.
(F)He tears me in His wrath, and hates me;
He gnashes at me with His teeth;
(G)My adversary sharpens His gaze on me.
10 They (H)gape at me with their mouth,
They (I)strike me reproachfully on the cheek,
They gather together against me.
11 God (J)has delivered me to the ungodly,
And turned me over to the hands of the wicked.
12 I was at ease, but He has (K)shattered me;
He also has taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces;
He has (L)set me up for His target,
13 His archers surround me.
He pierces my [c]heart and does not pity;
He pours out my gall on the ground.
14 He breaks me with wound upon wound;
He runs at me like a [d]warrior.

15 “I have sewn sackcloth over my skin,
And (M)laid my [e]head in the dust.
16 My face is [f]flushed from weeping,
And on my eyelids is the shadow of death;
17 Although no violence is in my hands,
And my prayer is pure.

18 “O earth, do not cover my blood,
And (N)let my cry have no resting place!
19 Surely even now (O)my witness is in heaven,
And my evidence is on high.
20 My friends scorn me;
My eyes pour out tears to God.
21 (P)Oh, that one might plead for a man with God,
As a man pleads for his [g]neighbor!
22 For when a few years are finished,
I shall (Q)go the way of no return.

Footnotes

  1. Job 16:2 Troublesome
  2. Job 16:3 Empty words
  3. Job 16:13 Lit. kidneys
  4. Job 16:14 Vg. giant
  5. Job 16:15 Lit. horn
  6. Job 16:16 Lit. red
  7. Job 16:21 friend

Troublesome Comforters

16 Then Job answered and said,

“I have heard many such things;
[a](A)Troublesome comforters are you all.
Is there no end to (B)windy words?
Or what pains you that you answer?
I too could speak like you,
If your soul were in the place of my soul.
I could compose words against you
And (C)shake my head at you.
I could encourage you with my mouth,
And the solace of my lips could lessen your pain.

“If I speak, (D)my pain is not lessened,
And if I cease, what will go forth from me?
But now He has (E)exhausted me;
You have made (F)desolate all my company.
You have shriveled me up,
(G)It has become a witness;
And my (H)leanness rises up against me,
It answers to my face.
His anger has (I)torn me and [b]hunted me down;
He has (J)gnashed at me with His teeth;
My (K)adversary sharpens his eyes to look at me.
10 They have (L)opened their mouth wide at me;
They have (M)struck me on the cheek in reproach;
They have (N)massed themselves against me.
11 God hands me over to ruffians
And tosses me into the hands of the wicked.
12 I was at ease, but (O)He shattered me,
And He has grasped me by the neck and shaken me to pieces;
He has also set me up as His (P)target.
13 His (Q)arrows surround me.
Without mercy He splits my kidneys open;
He pours out (R)my gall on the ground.
14 He (S)breaks through me with breach after breach;
He (T)runs at me like a warrior.
15 I have sewed (U)sackcloth over my skin
And (V)thrust my horn in the dust.
16 My face is flushed from (W)weeping,
(X)And the shadow of death is on my eyelids,
17 Why?—because there is no (Y)violence in my hands,
And (Z)my prayer is pure.

18 “O earth, do not cover my blood,
And let there be no resting place for my cry.
19 Even now, behold, (AA)my witness is in heaven,
And my [c]advocate is (AB)on high.
20 My friends are my scoffers;
(AC)My eye [d]weeps to God.
21 O that a man might argue with God
As a man with his neighbor!
22 For when a few years are past,
I shall go the way (AD)of no return.

Footnotes

  1. Job 16:2 Lit Comforters of trouble
  2. Job 16:9 Lit borne a grudge against me
  3. Job 16:19 Or witness
  4. Job 16:20 Or drips

Job Answers Eliphaz

16 Then Job answered:

“I have heard many things like these.
    You are all painful comforters!
Will your long-winded speeches never end?
    What makes you keep on arguing?
I also could speak as you do
    if you were in my place.
I could make great speeches against you
    and shake my head at you.
But, instead, I would encourage you,
    and my words would bring you relief.

“Even if I speak, my pain is not less,
    and if I don’t speak, it still does not go away.
God, you have surely taken away my strength
    and destroyed my whole family.
You have made me thin and weak,
    and this shows I have done wrong.
God attacks me and tears me with anger;
    he grinds his teeth at me;
    my enemy stares at me with his angry eyes.
10 People open their mouths to make fun of me
    and hit my cheeks to insult me.
    They join together against me.
11 God has turned me over to evil people
    and has handed me over to the wicked.
12 Everything was fine with me,
    but God broke me into pieces;
    he held me by the neck and crushed me.
He has made me his target;
13 his archers surround me.
He stabs my kidneys without mercy;
    he spills my blood on the ground.
14 Again and again God attacks me;
    he runs at me like a soldier.

15 “I have sewed rough cloth over my skin to show my sadness
    and have buried my face in the dust.
16 My face is red from crying;
    I have dark circles around my eyes.
17 Yet my hands have never done anything cruel,
    and my prayer is pure.

18 “Earth, please do not cover up my blood.
    Don’t let my cry ever stop being heard!
19 Even now I have one who speaks for me in heaven;
    the one who is on my side is high above.
20 The one who speaks for me is my friend.
    My eyes pour out tears to God.
21 He begs God on behalf of a human
    as a person begs for his friend.

22 “Only a few years will pass
    before I go on the journey of no return.