Job 1-11

New International Version

Prologue

1 In the land of Uz^(A) there lived a man whose name was Job.^(B) This man was blameless^(C) and upright;^(D) he feared God^(E) and shunned evil.^(F) ²He had seven sons^(G) and three daughters,^(H) ³and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys,^(I) and had a large number of servants.^(J) He was the greatest man^(K) among all the people of the East.^(L)

⁴His sons used to hold feasts^(M) in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. ⁵When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified.^(N) Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering^(O) for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned^(P) and cursed God^(Q) in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom.

⁶One day the angels^[a]^(R) came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan^[b]^(S) also came with them.^(T) ⁷The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”

Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”^(U)

⁸Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job?^(V) There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God^(W) and shuns evil.”^(X)

⁹“Does Job fear God for nothing?”^(Y) Satan replied. ¹⁰“Have you not put a hedge^(Z) around him and his household and everything he has?^(AA) You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.^(AB) ¹¹But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has,^(AC) and he will surely curse you to your face.”^(AD)

¹²The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has^(AE) is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”^(AF)

Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

¹³One day when Job’s sons and daughters^(AG) were feasting^(AH) and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, ¹⁴a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing^(AI) nearby, ¹⁵and the Sabeans^(AJ) attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

¹⁶While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens^(AK) and burned up the sheep and the servants,^(AL) and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

¹⁷While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans^(AM) formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

¹⁸While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters^(AN) were feasting^(AO) and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, ¹⁹when suddenly a mighty wind^(AP) swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead,^(AQ) and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!^(AR)”

²⁰At this, Job got up and tore his robe^(AS) and shaved his head.^(AT) Then he fell to the ground in worship^(AU) ²¹and said:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will depart.^[c]^(AV)
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;^(AW)
may the name of the Lord be praised.”^(AX)

²²In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.^(AY)

2 On another day the angels^[d]^(AZ) came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them^(BA) to present himself before him. ²And the Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”

Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”^(BB)

³Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.^(BC) And he still maintains his integrity,^(BD) though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”^(BE)

⁴“Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has^(BF) for his own life. ⁵But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones,^(BG) and he will surely curse you to your face.”^(BH)

⁶The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands;^(BI) but you must spare his life.”^(BJ)

⁷So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.^(BK) ⁸Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.^(BL)

⁹His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity?^(BM) Curse God and die!”^(BN)

¹⁰He replied, “You are talking like a foolish^[e] woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”^(BO)

In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.^(BP)

¹¹When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite,^(BQ) Bildad the Shuhite^(BR) and Zophar the Naamathite,^(BS) heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him.^(BT) ¹²When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him;^(BU) they began to weep aloud,^(BV) and they tore their robes^(BW) and sprinkled dust on their heads.^(BX) ¹³Then they sat on the ground^(BY) with him for seven days and seven nights.^(BZ) No one said a word to him,^(CA) because they saw how great his suffering was.

Job Speaks

3 After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.^(CB) ²He said:

³“May the day of my birth perish,
    and the night that said, ‘A boy is conceived!’^(CC)
⁴That day—may it turn to darkness;
    may God above not care about it;
    may no light shine on it.
⁵May gloom and utter darkness^(CD) claim it once more;
    may a cloud settle over it;
    may blackness overwhelm it.
⁶That night—may thick darkness^(CE) seize it;
    may it not be included among the days of the year
    nor be entered in any of the months.
⁷May that night be barren;
    may no shout of joy^(CF) be heard in it.
⁸May those who curse days^[f] curse that day,^(CG)
    those who are ready to rouse Leviathan.^(CH)
⁹May its morning stars become dark;
    may it wait for daylight in vain
    and not see the first rays of dawn,^(CI)
¹⁰for it did not shut the doors of the womb on me
    to hide trouble from my eyes.

¹¹“Why did I not perish at birth,
    and die as I came from the womb?^(CJ)
¹²Why were there knees to receive me^(CK)
    and breasts that I might be nursed?
¹³For now I would be lying down^(CL) in peace;
    I would be asleep and at rest^(CM)
¹⁴with kings and rulers of the earth,^(CN)
    who built for themselves places now lying in ruins,^(CO)
¹⁵with princes^(CP) who had gold,
    who filled their houses with silver.^(CQ)
¹⁶Or why was I not hidden away in the ground like a stillborn child,^(CR)
    like an infant who never saw the light of day?^(CS)
¹⁷There the wicked cease from turmoil,^(CT)
    and there the weary are at rest.^(CU)
¹⁸Captives^(CV) also enjoy their ease;
    they no longer hear the slave driver’s^(CW) shout.^(CX)
¹⁹The small and the great are there,^(CY)
    and the slaves are freed from their owners.

²⁰“Why is light given to those in misery,
    and life to the bitter of soul,^(CZ)
²¹to those who long for death that does not come,^(DA)
    who search for it more than for hidden treasure,^(DB)
²²who are filled with gladness
    and rejoice when they reach the grave?^(DC)
²³Why is life given to a man
    whose way is hidden,^(DD)
    whom God has hedged in?^(DE)
²⁴For sighing^(DF) has become my daily food;^(DG)
    my groans^(DH) pour out like water.^(DI)
²⁵What I feared has come upon me;
    what I dreaded^(DJ) has happened to me.^(DK)
²⁶I have no peace,^(DL) no quietness;
    I have no rest,^(DM) but only turmoil.”^(DN)

Eliphaz

4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite^(DO) replied:

²“If someone ventures a word with you, will you be impatient?
    But who can keep from speaking?^(DP)
³Think how you have instructed many,^(DQ)
    how you have strengthened feeble hands.^(DR)
⁴Your words have supported those who stumbled;^(DS)
    you have strengthened faltering knees.^(DT)
⁵But now trouble comes to you, and you are discouraged;^(DU)
    it strikes^(DV) you, and you are dismayed.^(DW)
⁶Should not your piety be your confidence^(DX)
    and your blameless^(DY) ways your hope?

⁷“Consider now: Who, being innocent, has ever perished?^(DZ)
    Where were the upright ever destroyed?^(EA)
⁸As I have observed,^(EB) those who plow evil^(EC)
    and those who sow trouble reap it.^(ED)
⁹At the breath of God^(EE) they perish;
    at the blast of his anger they are no more.^(EF)
¹⁰The lions may roar^(EG) and growl,
    yet the teeth of the great lions^(EH) are broken.^(EI)
¹¹The lion perishes for lack of prey,^(EJ)
    and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.^(EK)

¹²“A word^(EL) was secretly brought to me,
    my ears caught a whisper^(EM) of it.^(EN)
¹³Amid disquieting dreams in the night,
    when deep sleep falls on people,^(EO)
¹⁴fear and trembling^(EP) seized me
    and made all my bones shake.^(EQ)
¹⁵A spirit glided past my face,
    and the hair on my body stood on end.^(ER)
¹⁶It stopped,
    but I could not tell what it was.
A form stood before my eyes,
    and I heard a hushed voice:^(ES)
¹⁷‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God?^(ET)
    Can even a strong man be more pure than his Maker?^(EU)
¹⁸If God places no trust in his servants,^(EV)
    if he charges his angels with error,^(EW)
¹⁹how much more those who live in houses of clay,^(EX)
    whose foundations^(EY) are in the dust,^(EZ)
    who are crushed^(FA) more readily than a moth!^(FB)
²⁰Between dawn and dusk they are broken to pieces;
    unnoticed, they perish forever.^(FC)
²¹Are not the cords of their tent pulled up,^(FD)
    so that they die^(FE) without wisdom?’^(FF)

5 “Call if you will, but who will answer you?^(FG)
    To which of the holy ones^(FH) will you turn?
²Resentment^(FI) kills a fool,
    and envy slays the simple.^(FJ)
³I myself have seen^(FK) a fool taking root,^(FL)
    but suddenly^(FM) his house was cursed.^(FN)
⁴His children^(FO) are far from safety,^(FP)
    crushed in court^(FQ) without a defender.^(FR)
⁵The hungry consume his harvest,^(FS)
    taking it even from among thorns,
    and the thirsty pant after his wealth.
⁶For hardship does not spring from the soil,
    nor does trouble sprout from the ground.^(FT)
⁷Yet man is born to trouble^(FU)
    as surely as sparks fly upward.

⁸“But if I were you, I would appeal to God;
    I would lay my cause before him.^(FV)
⁹He performs wonders^(FW) that cannot be fathomed,^(FX)
    miracles that cannot be counted.^(FY)
¹⁰He provides rain for the earth;^(FZ)
    he sends water on the countryside.^(GA)
¹¹The lowly he sets on high,^(GB)
    and those who mourn^(GC) are lifted^(GD) to safety.
¹²He thwarts the plans^(GE) of the crafty,
    so that their hands achieve no success.^(GF)
¹³He catches the wise^(GG) in their craftiness,^(GH)
    and the schemes of the wily are swept away.^(GI)
¹⁴Darkness^(GJ) comes upon them in the daytime;
    at noon they grope as in the night.^(GK)
¹⁵He saves the needy^(GL) from the sword in their mouth;
    he saves them from the clutches of the powerful.^(GM)
¹⁶So the poor^(GN) have hope,
    and injustice shuts its mouth.^(GO)

¹⁷“Blessed is the one whom God corrects;^(GP)
    so do not despise the discipline^(GQ) of the Almighty.^[g]^(GR)
¹⁸For he wounds, but he also binds up;^(GS)
    he injures, but his hands also heal.^(GT)
¹⁹From six calamities he will rescue^(GU) you;
    in seven no harm will touch you.^(GV)
²⁰In famine^(GW) he will deliver you from death,
    and in battle from the stroke of the sword.^(GX)
²¹You will be protected from the lash of the tongue,^(GY)
    and need not fear^(GZ) when destruction comes.^(HA)
²²You will laugh^(HB) at destruction and famine,^(HC)
    and need not fear the wild animals.^(HD)
²³For you will have a covenant^(HE) with the stones^(HF) of the field,
    and the wild animals will be at peace with you.^(HG)
²⁴You will know that your tent is secure;^(HH)
    you will take stock of your property and find nothing missing.^(HI)
²⁵You will know that your children will be many,^(HJ)
    and your descendants like the grass of the earth.^(HK)
²⁶You will come to the grave in full vigor,^(HL)
    like sheaves gathered in season.^(HM)

²⁷“We have examined this, and it is true.
So hear it^(HN) and apply it to yourself.”^(HO)

Job

6 Then Job replied:

²“If only my anguish could be weighed
    and all my misery be placed on the scales!^(HP)
³It would surely outweigh the sand^(HQ) of the seas—
    no wonder my words have been impetuous.^(HR)
⁴The arrows^(HS) of the Almighty^(HT) are in me,^(HU)
    my spirit drinks^(HV) in their poison;^(HW)
    God’s terrors^(HX) are marshaled against me.^(HY)
⁵Does a wild donkey^(HZ) bray^(IA) when it has grass,
    or an ox bellow when it has fodder?^(IB)
⁶Is tasteless food eaten without salt,
    or is there flavor in the sap of the mallow^[h]?^(IC)
⁷I refuse to touch it;
    such food makes me ill.^(ID)

⁸“Oh, that I might have my request,
    that God would grant what I hope for,^(IE)
⁹that God would be willing to crush^(IF) me,
    to let loose his hand and cut off my life!^(IG)
¹⁰Then I would still have this consolation^(IH)—
    my joy in unrelenting pain^(II)—
    that I had not denied the words^(IJ) of the Holy One.^(IK)

¹¹“What strength do I have, that I should still hope?
    What prospects, that I should be patient?^(IL)
¹²Do I have the strength of stone?
    Is my flesh bronze?^(IM)
¹³Do I have any power to help myself,^(IN)
    now that success has been driven from me?

¹⁴“Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend^(IO)
    forsakes the fear of the Almighty.^(IP)
¹⁵But my brothers are as undependable as intermittent streams,^(IQ)
    as the streams that overflow
¹⁶when darkened by thawing ice
    and swollen with melting snow,^(IR)
¹⁷but that stop flowing in the dry season,
    and in the heat^(IS) vanish from their channels.
¹⁸Caravans turn aside from their routes;
    they go off into the wasteland and perish.
¹⁹The caravans of Tema^(IT) look for water,
    the traveling merchants of Sheba^(IU) look in hope.
²⁰They are distressed, because they had been confident;
    they arrive there, only to be disappointed.^(IV)
²¹Now you too have proved to be of no help;
    you see something dreadful and are afraid.^(IW)
²²Have I ever said, ‘Give something on my behalf,
    pay a ransom^(IX) for me from your wealth,^(IY)
²³deliver me from the hand of the enemy,
    rescue me from the clutches of the ruthless’?^(IZ)

²⁴“Teach me, and I will be quiet;^(JA)
    show me where I have been wrong.^(JB)
²⁵How painful are honest words!^(JC)
    But what do your arguments prove?
²⁶Do you mean to correct what I say,
    and treat my desperate words as wind?^(JD)
²⁷You would even cast lots^(JE) for the fatherless^(JF)
    and barter away your friend.

²⁸“But now be so kind as to look at me.
    Would I lie to your face?^(JG)
²⁹Relent, do not be unjust;^(JH)
    reconsider, for my integrity^(JI) is at stake.^[i]^(JJ)
³⁰Is there any wickedness on my lips?^(JK)
    Can my mouth not discern^(JL) malice?

7 “Do not mortals have hard service^(JM) on earth?^(JN)
    Are not their days like those of hired laborers?^(JO)
²Like a slave longing for the evening shadows,^(JP)
    or a hired laborer waiting to be paid,^(JQ)
³so I have been allotted months of futility,
    and nights of misery have been assigned to me.^(JR)
⁴When I lie down I think, ‘How long before I get up?’^(JS)
    The night drags on, and I toss and turn until dawn.^(JT)
⁵My body is clothed with worms^(JU) and scabs,
    my skin is broken and festering.^(JV)

⁶“My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,^(JW)
    and they come to an end without hope.^(JX)
⁷Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath;^(JY)
    my eyes will never see happiness again.^(JZ)
⁸The eye that now sees me will see me no longer;
    you will look for me, but I will be no more.^(KA)
⁹As a cloud vanishes^(KB) and is gone,
    so one who goes down to the grave^(KC) does not return.^(KD)
¹⁰He will never come to his house again;
    his place^(KE) will know him no more.^(KF)

¹¹“Therefore I will not keep silent;^(KG)
    I will speak out in the anguish^(KH) of my spirit,
    I will complain^(KI) in the bitterness of my soul.^(KJ)
¹²Am I the sea,^(KK) or the monster of the deep,^(KL)
    that you put me under guard?^(KM)
¹³When I think my bed will comfort me
    and my couch will ease my complaint,^(KN)
¹⁴even then you frighten me with dreams
    and terrify^(KO) me with visions,^(KP)
¹⁵so that I prefer strangling and death,^(KQ)
    rather than this body of mine.^(KR)
¹⁶I despise my life;^(KS) I would not live forever.^(KT)
    Let me alone;^(KU) my days have no meaning.^(KV)

¹⁷“What is mankind that you make so much of them,
    that you give them so much attention,^(KW)
¹⁸that you examine them every morning^(KX)
    and test them^(KY) every moment?^(KZ)
¹⁹Will you never look away from me,^(LA)
    or let me alone even for an instant?^(LB)
²⁰If I have sinned, what have I done to you,^(LC)
    you who see everything we do?
Why have you made me your target?^(LD)
    Have I become a burden to you?^[j]^(LE)
²¹Why do you not pardon my offenses
    and forgive my sins?^(LF)
For I will soon lie down in the dust;^(LG)
    you will search for me, but I will be no more.”^(LH)

Bildad

8 Then Bildad the Shuhite^(LI) replied:

²“How long will you say such things?^(LJ)
    Your words are a blustering wind.^(LK)
³Does God pervert justice?^(LL)
    Does the Almighty pervert what is right?^(LM)
⁴When your children sinned against him,
    he gave them over to the penalty of their sin.^(LN)
⁵But if you will seek God earnestly
    and plead^(LO) with the Almighty,^(LP)
⁶if you are pure and upright,
    even now he will rouse himself on your behalf^(LQ)
    and restore you to your prosperous state.^(LR)
⁷Your beginnings will seem humble,
    so prosperous^(LS) will your future be.^(LT)

⁸“Ask the former generation^(LU)
    and find out what their ancestors learned,
⁹for we were born only yesterday and know nothing,^(LV)
    and our days on earth are but a shadow.^(LW)
¹⁰Will they not instruct^(LX) you and tell you?
    Will they not bring forth words from their understanding?^(LY)
¹¹Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh?^(LZ)
    Can reeds^(MA) thrive without water?
¹²While still growing and uncut,
    they wither more quickly than grass.^(MB)
¹³Such is the destiny^(MC) of all who forget God;^(MD)
    so perishes the hope of the godless.^(ME)
¹⁴What they trust in is fragile^[k];
    what they rely on is a spider’s web.^(MF)
¹⁵They lean on the web,^(MG) but it gives way;
    they cling to it, but it does not hold.^(MH)
¹⁶They are like a well-watered plant in the sunshine,
    spreading its shoots^(MI) over the garden;^(MJ)
¹⁷it entwines its roots around a pile of rocks
    and looks for a place among the stones.
¹⁸But when it is torn from its spot,
    that place disowns^(MK) it and says, ‘I never saw you.’^(ML)
¹⁹Surely its life withers^(MM) away,
    and^[l] from the soil other plants grow.^(MN)

²⁰“Surely God does not reject one who is blameless^(MO)
    or strengthen the hands of evildoers.^(MP)
²¹He will yet fill your mouth with laughter^(MQ)
    and your lips with shouts of joy.^(MR)
²²Your enemies will be clothed in shame,^(MS)
    and the tents^(MT) of the wicked will be no more.”^(MU)

Job

9 Then Job replied:

²“Indeed, I know that this is true.
    But how can mere mortals prove their innocence before God?^(MV)
³Though they wished to dispute with him,^(MW)
    they could not answer him one time out of a thousand.^(MX)
⁴His wisdom^(MY) is profound, his power is vast.^(MZ)
    Who has resisted^(NA) him and come out unscathed?^(NB)
⁵He moves mountains^(NC) without their knowing it
    and overturns them in his anger.^(ND)
⁶He shakes the earth^(NE) from its place
    and makes its pillars tremble.^(NF)
⁷He speaks to the sun and it does not shine;^(NG)
    he seals off the light of the stars.^(NH)
⁸He alone stretches out the heavens^(NI)
    and treads on the waves of the sea.^(NJ)
⁹He is the Maker^(NK) of the Bear^[m] and Orion,
    the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.^(NL)
¹⁰He performs wonders^(NM) that cannot be fathomed,
    miracles that cannot be counted.^(NN)
¹¹When he passes me, I cannot see him;
    when he goes by, I cannot perceive him.^(NO)
¹²If he snatches away, who can stop him?^(NP)
    Who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’^(NQ)
¹³God does not restrain his anger;^(NR)
    even the cohorts of Rahab^(NS) cowered at his feet.

¹⁴“How then can I dispute with him?
    How can I find words to argue with him?^(NT)
¹⁵Though I were innocent, I could not answer him;^(NU)
    I could only plead^(NV) with my Judge^(NW) for mercy.^(NX)
¹⁶Even if I summoned him and he responded,
    I do not believe he would give me a hearing.^(NY)
¹⁷He would crush me^(NZ) with a storm^(OA)
    and multiply^(OB) my wounds for no reason.^(OC)
¹⁸He would not let me catch my breath
    but would overwhelm me with misery.^(OD)
¹⁹If it is a matter of strength, he is mighty!^(OE)
    And if it is a matter of justice, who can challenge him^[n]?^(OF)
²⁰Even if I were innocent, my mouth would condemn me;
    if I were blameless, it would pronounce me guilty.^(OG)

²¹“Although I am blameless,^(OH)
    I have no concern for myself;^(OI)
    I despise my own life.^(OJ)
²²It is all the same; that is why I say,
    ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’^(OK)
²³When a scourge^(OL) brings sudden death,
    he mocks the despair of the innocent.^(OM)
²⁴When a land falls into the hands of the wicked,^(ON)
    he blindfolds its judges.^(OO)
    If it is not he, then who is it?^(OP)

²⁵“My days are swifter than a runner;^(OQ)
    they fly away without a glimpse of joy.^(OR)
²⁶They skim past^(OS) like boats of papyrus,^(OT)
    like eagles swooping down on their prey.^(OU)
²⁷If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint,^(OV)
    I will change my expression, and smile,’
²⁸I still dread^(OW) all my sufferings,
    for I know you will not hold me innocent.^(OX)
²⁹Since I am already found guilty,
    why should I struggle in vain?^(OY)
³⁰Even if I washed myself with soap^(OZ)
    and my hands^(PA) with cleansing powder,^(PB)
³¹you would plunge me into a slime pit^(PC)
    so that even my clothes would detest me.^(PD)

³²“He is not a mere mortal^(PE) like me that I might answer him,^(PF)
    that we might confront each other in court.^(PG)
³³If only there were someone to mediate between us,^(PH)
    someone to bring us together,^(PI)
³⁴someone to remove God’s rod from me,^(PJ)
    so that his terror would frighten me no more.^(PK)
³⁵Then I would speak up without fear of him,^(PL)
    but as it now stands with me, I cannot.^(PM)

10 “I loathe my very life;^(PN)
    therefore I will give free rein to my complaint
    and speak out in the bitterness of my soul.^(PO)
²I say to God:^(PP) Do not declare me guilty,
    but tell me what charges^(PQ) you have against me.^(PR)
³Does it please you to oppress me,^(PS)
    to spurn the work of your hands,^(PT)
    while you smile on the plans of the wicked?^(PU)
⁴Do you have eyes of flesh?
    Do you see as a mortal sees?^(PV)
⁵Are your days like those of a mortal
    or your years like those of a strong man,^(PW)
⁶that you must search out my faults
    and probe after my sin^(PX)—
⁷though you know that I am not guilty^(PY)
    and that no one can rescue me from your hand?^(PZ)

⁸“Your hands shaped^(QA) me and made me.
    Will you now turn and destroy me?^(QB)
⁹Remember that you molded me like clay.^(QC)
    Will you now turn me to dust again?^(QD)
¹⁰Did you not pour me out like milk
    and curdle me like cheese,
¹¹clothe me with skin and flesh
    and knit me together^(QE) with bones and sinews?
¹²You gave me life^(QF) and showed me kindness,^(QG)
    and in your providence^(QH) watched over^(QI) my spirit.

¹³“But this is what you concealed in your heart,
    and I know that this was in your mind:^(QJ)
¹⁴If I sinned, you would be watching me^(QK)
    and would not let my offense go unpunished.^(QL)
¹⁵If I am guilty^(QM)—woe to me!^(QN)
    Even if I am innocent, I cannot lift my head,^(QO)
for I am full of shame
    and drowned in^[o] my affliction.^(QP)
¹⁶If I hold my head high, you stalk me like a lion^(QQ)
    and again display your awesome power against me.^(QR)
¹⁷You bring new witnesses against me^(QS)
    and increase your anger toward me;^(QT)
    your forces come against me wave upon wave.^(QU)

¹⁸“Why then did you bring me out of the womb?^(QV)
    I wish I had died before any eye saw me.^(QW)
¹⁹If only I had never come into being,
    or had been carried straight from the womb to the grave!^(QX)
²⁰Are not my few days^(QY) almost over?^(QZ)
    Turn away from me^(RA) so I can have a moment’s joy^(RB)
²¹before I go to the place of no return,^(RC)
    to the land of gloom and utter darkness,^(RD)
²²to the land of deepest night,
    of utter darkness^(RE) and disorder,
    where even the light is like darkness.”^(RF)

Zophar

11 Then Zophar the Naamathite^(RG) replied:

²“Are all these words to go unanswered?^(RH)
    Is this talker to be vindicated?^(RI)
³Will your idle talk^(RJ) reduce others to silence?
    Will no one rebuke you when you mock?^(RK)
⁴You say to God, ‘My beliefs are flawless^(RL)
    and I am pure^(RM) in your sight.’
⁵Oh, how I wish that God would speak,^(RN)
    that he would open his lips against you
⁶and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom,^(RO)
    for true wisdom has two sides.
    Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin.^(RP)

⁷“Can you fathom^(RQ) the mysteries of God?
    Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
⁸They are higher^(RR) than the heavens^(RS) above—what can you do?
    They are deeper than the depths below^(RT)—what can you know?^(RU)
⁹Their measure^(RV) is longer than the earth
    and wider than the sea.^(RW)

¹⁰“If he comes along and confines you in prison
and convenes a court, who can oppose him?^(RX)
¹¹Surely he recognizes deceivers;
and when he sees evil, does he not take note?^(RY)

Footnotes

Job 1:6 Hebrew the sons of God
Job 1:6 Hebrew satan means adversary.
Job 1:21 Or will return there
Job 2:1 Hebrew the sons of God
Job 2:10 The Hebrew word rendered foolish denotes moral deficiency.
Job 3:8 Or curse the sea
Job 5:17 Hebrew Shaddai; here and throughout Job
Job 6:6 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
Job 6:29 Or my righteousness still stands
Job 7:20 A few manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition and Septuagint; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text I have become a burden to myself.
Job 8:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
Job 8:19 Or Surely all the joy it has / is that
Job 9:9 Or of Leo
Job 9:19 See Septuagint; Hebrew me.
Job 10:15 Or and aware of

Job 1-11

English Standard Version

Job's Character and Wealth

1 There was a man in the land of ^(A)Uz whose name was ^(B)Job, and that man was ^(C)blameless and upright, one who ^(D)feared God and ^(E)turned away from evil. ²There were born to him ^(F)seven sons and three daughters. ³He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all ^(G)the people of the east. ⁴His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. ⁵And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and ^(H)consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and ^(I)offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and ^(J)cursed^[a] God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.

Satan Allowed to Test Job

⁶Now there was a day when ^(K)the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and ^(L)Satan^[b] also came among them. ⁷The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From ^(M)going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” ⁸And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you ^(N)considered my ^(O)servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, ^(P)a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” ⁹Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? ¹⁰Have you not put ^(Q)a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have ^(R)blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. ¹¹But ^(S)stretch out your hand and ^(T)touch all that he has, and he will ^(U)curse you ^(V)to your face.” ¹²And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Satan Takes Job's Property and Children

¹³Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, ¹⁴and there came a messenger to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, ¹⁵and ^(W)the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants^[c] with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁶While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, ^(X)“The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁷While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, ^(Y)“The Chaldeans formed ^(Z)three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁸While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, ^(AA)“Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, ¹⁹and behold, a great wind came across ^(AB)the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

²⁰Then Job arose and ^(AC)tore his ^(AD)robe and ^(AE)shaved his head ^(AF)and fell on the ground and worshiped. ²¹And he said, ^(AG)“Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I ^(AH)return. The Lord ^(AI)gave, and the Lord has taken away; ^(AJ)blessed be the name of the Lord.”

²²^(AK)In all this Job did not sin or charge God with ^(AL)wrong.

Satan Attacks Job's Health

2 Again ^(AM)there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. ²And the Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” ³And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still ^(AN)holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him ^(AO)without reason.” ⁴Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. ⁵But ^(AP)stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will ^(AQ)curse you to your face.” ⁶And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.”

⁷So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome ^(AR)sores from ^(AS)the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. ⁸And he took ^(AT)a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in ^(AU)the ashes.

⁹Then his wife said to him, “Do you still ^(AV)hold fast your integrity? ^(AW)Curse God and die.” ¹⁰But he said to her, “You speak as one of the ^(AX)foolish women would speak. ^(AY)Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?”^[d] ^(AZ)In all this Job did not ^(BA)sin with his lips.

Job's Three Friends

¹¹Now when Job's three ^(BB)friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz ^(BC)the Temanite, Bildad ^(BD)the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to ^(BE)show him sympathy and comfort him. ¹²And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they ^(BF)tore their robes and sprinkled ^(BG)dust on their heads toward heaven. ¹³And they sat with him on the ground ^(BH)seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.

Job Laments His Birth

3 After this Job ^(BI)opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. ²And Job said:

³^(BJ)“Let the day perish on which I was born,
    and the night that said,
    ‘A man is conceived.’
⁴Let that day be darkness!
    May God above not seek it,
    nor light shine upon it.
⁵Let gloom and ^(BK)deep darkness claim it.
    Let clouds dwell upon it;
    let the blackness of the day terrify it.
⁶That night—let thick darkness seize it!
    Let it not rejoice among the days of the year;
    let it not come into the number of the months.
⁷Behold, let that night be barren;
    let no joyful cry enter it.
⁸Let those curse it who curse the day,
    who are ready to rouse up ^(BL)Leviathan.
⁹Let the stars of its dawn be dark;
    let it hope for light, but have none,
    nor see ^(BM)the eyelids of the morning,
¹⁰because it did not shut the doors of my mother's womb,
    nor hide trouble from my eyes.

¹¹“Why ^(BN)did I not die at birth,
    come out from the womb and expire?
¹²Why did ^(BO)the knees receive me?
    Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?
¹³For then I would have lain down and been quiet;
    I would have slept; then I would have been at rest,
¹⁴with kings and counselors of the earth
    who ^(BP)rebuilt ruins for themselves,
¹⁵or with princes who had gold,
    who filled their houses with silver.
¹⁶Or why was I not as a hidden ^(BQ)stillborn child,
    as infants who never see the light?
¹⁷There the wicked cease from troubling,
    and there the weary are at ^(BR)rest.
¹⁸There the prisoners are at ease together;
    they hear not the voice of ^(BS)the taskmaster.
¹⁹The small and the great are there,
    and the slave is free from his master.

²⁰“Why is light given to him who is in misery,
    and life to ^(BT)the bitter in soul,
²¹who ^(BU)long for death, but it comes not,
    and dig for it more than for ^(BV)hidden treasures,
²²who rejoice exceedingly
    and are glad when they find the grave?
²³Why is light given to a man whose ^(BW)way is hidden,
    whom God has ^(BX)hedged in?
²⁴For my sighing comes ^(BY)instead of^[e] my bread,
    and my ^(BZ)groanings are poured out like water.
²⁵^(CA)For the thing that I fear comes upon me,
    and what I dread befalls me.
²⁶I am not at ease, nor am I quiet;
    I have no rest, but trouble comes.”

Eliphaz Speaks: The Innocent Prosper

4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:

²“If one ventures a word with you, will you be impatient?
    Yet who can keep from speaking?
³Behold, you have instructed many,
    and you have ^(CB)strengthened the weak hands.
⁴Your words have upheld him who was stumbling,
    and you have ^(CC)made firm the feeble knees.
⁵But now it has come to you, and you are impatient;
    it touches you, and you are dismayed.
⁶^(CD)Is not your fear of God^[f] your ^(CE)confidence,
    and the integrity of your ways your hope?

⁷“Remember: ^(CF)who that was innocent ever perished?
    Or where were the upright cut off?
⁸As I have seen, those who ^(CG)plow iniquity
    and sow trouble reap the same.
⁹By ^(CH)the breath of God they perish,
    and by ^(CI)the blast of his anger they are consumed.
¹⁰The roar of the lion, the voice of the fierce lion,
    ^(CJ)the teeth of the young lions are broken.
¹¹The strong lion perishes for lack of prey,
    and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

¹²“Now a word was brought to me stealthily;
    my ear received ^(CK)the whisper of it.
¹³Amid ^(CL)thoughts from ^(CM)visions of the night,
    when ^(CN)deep sleep falls on men,
¹⁴dread came upon me, and trembling,
    which made all my bones shake.
¹⁵A spirit glided past my face;
    the hair of my flesh stood up.
¹⁶It stood still,
    but I could not discern its appearance.
^(CO)A form was before my eyes;
    there was silence, then I heard ^(CP)a voice:
¹⁷^(CQ)‘Can mortal man be in the right before^[g] God?
    Can a man be pure before his Maker?
¹⁸Even in his servants ^(CR)he puts no trust,
    and his angels he charges with error;
¹⁹how much more those who dwell in houses of ^(CS)clay,
    whose foundation is in ^(CT)the dust,
    who are crushed like^[h] ^(CU)the moth.
²⁰Between ^(CV)morning and evening they are beaten to pieces;
    they perish forever ^(CW)without anyone regarding it.
²¹Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them,
    ^(CX)do they not die, and that without wisdom?’

5 “Call now; is there anyone who will answer you?
    To which of ^(CY)the holy ones will you turn?
²Surely vexation kills the fool,
    and jealousy slays the simple.
³^(CZ)I have seen the fool taking root,
    but suddenly I cursed his dwelling.
⁴His children are ^(DA)far from safety;
    they are crushed in ^(DB)the gate,
    and there is no one to deliver them.
⁵The hungry eat his harvest,
    and he takes it even out of thorns,^[i]
    and the thirsty pant^[j] after his^[k] wealth.
⁶For affliction does not come from the dust,
    nor does trouble sprout from the ground,
⁷but man is ^(DC)born to trouble
    as the sparks fly upward.

⁸“As for me, I would seek God,
    and to God would I commit my cause,
⁹who ^(DD)does great things and ^(DE)unsearchable,
    ^(DF)marvelous things without number:
¹⁰he gives ^(DG)rain on the earth
    and sends waters on the fields;
¹¹he ^(DH)sets on high those who are lowly,
    and those who mourn are lifted to safety.
¹²He ^(DI)frustrates the devices of the crafty,
    so that their hands achieve no success.
¹³He ^(DJ)catches the wise in their own craftiness,
    and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end.
¹⁴They meet with darkness in the daytime
    and ^(DK)grope at noonday as in the night.
¹⁵But he ^(DL)saves the needy from the sword of their mouth
    and from the hand of the mighty.
¹⁶So the poor have hope,
    and ^(DM)injustice shuts her mouth.

¹⁷“Behold, ^(DN)blessed is the one whom God reproves;
    therefore ^(DO)despise not the discipline of the ^(DP)Almighty.
¹⁸For he wounds, but he ^(DQ)binds up;
    he ^(DR)shatters, but his hands heal.
¹⁹He will ^(DS)deliver you from six troubles;
    in seven no ^(DT)evil^[l] shall touch you.
²⁰^(DU)In famine he will redeem you from death,
    and in war from the power of the sword.
²¹You shall be ^(DV)hidden from the lash of the tongue,
    and shall not fear destruction when it comes.
²²At destruction and famine you shall laugh,
    and shall not fear ^(DW)the beasts of the earth.
²³For you shall be in league with the stones of the field,
    and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.
²⁴You shall know that your ^(DX)tent is at peace,
    and you shall inspect your fold and miss nothing.
²⁵You shall know also that your ^(DY)offspring shall be many,
    and your descendants as ^(DZ)the grass of the earth.
²⁶You shall come to your grave in ^(EA)ripe old age,
    like a sheaf gathered up in its season.
²⁷Behold, this we have ^(EB)searched out; it is true.
    Hear, and know it for your good.”^[m]

Job Replies: My Complaint Is Just

6 Then Job answered and said:

²“Oh that my vexation were weighed,
    and all my calamity laid in the balances!
³For then it would be heavier than ^(EC)the sand of the sea;
    therefore my words have been rash.
⁴For ^(ED)the arrows of the Almighty are in me;
    my spirit drinks their poison;
    the terrors of God are arrayed against me.
⁵Does the wild donkey bray when he has grass,
    or the ox low over his fodder?
⁶Can that which is tasteless be eaten without salt,
    or is there any taste in the juice of the mallow?^[n]
⁷My appetite refuses to touch them;
    they are as food that is loathsome to me.^[o]

⁸“Oh that I might have my request,
    and that God would fulfill my hope,
⁹that it would ^(EE)please God to crush me,
    that he would let loose his hand and cut me off!
¹⁰This would be my comfort;
    I would even exult^[p] in pain ^(EF)unsparing,
    for I have not denied the words of ^(EG)the Holy One.
¹¹What is my strength, that I should wait?
    And what is my end, that I should be patient?
¹²Is my strength the strength of stones, or is my flesh bronze?
¹³Have I any help in me,
    when resource is driven from me?

¹⁴“He who ^(EH)withholds^[q] kindness from a ^(EI)friend
    forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
¹⁵My ^(EJ)brothers are ^(EK)treacherous as a torrent-bed,
    as torrential ^(EL)streams that pass away,
¹⁶which are dark with ice,
    and where the snow hides itself.
¹⁷When they melt, they disappear;
    when it is hot, they vanish from their place.
¹⁸The caravans turn aside from their course;
    they go up into ^(EM)the waste and perish.
¹⁹The caravans of ^(EN)Tema look,
    the travelers of ^(EO)Sheba hope.
²⁰They are ^(EP)ashamed because they were confident;
    they come there and are ^(EQ)disappointed.
²¹For you have now become nothing;
    you see my calamity and are afraid.
²²Have I said, ‘Make me a gift’?
    Or, ‘From your wealth offer a bribe for me’?
²³Or, ‘Deliver me from the adversary's hand’?
    Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of ^(ER)the ruthless’?

²⁴“Teach me, and I will be silent;
    make me understand how I have gone astray.
²⁵How forceful are upright words!
    But what does reproof from you reprove?
²⁶Do you think that you can reprove words,
    when the speech of a despairing man is ^(ES)wind?
²⁷You would even ^(ET)cast lots over the fatherless,
    and bargain over your friend.

²⁸“But now, be pleased to look at me,
    for I will not lie to your face.
²⁹^(EU)Please turn; let no injustice be done.
    Turn now; my vindication is at stake.
³⁰Is there any injustice on my tongue?
    Cannot my palate discern the cause of calamity?

Job Continues: My Life Has No Hope

7 “Has not man ^(EV)a hard service on earth,
    and are not his ^(EW)days like the days of a hired hand?
²Like a slave who longs for ^(EX)the shadow,
    and like ^(EY)a hired hand who looks for his ^(EZ)wages,
³so I am allotted months of ^(FA)emptiness,
    ^(FB)and nights of misery are apportioned to me.
⁴^(FC)When I lie down I say, ‘When shall I arise?’
    But the night is long,
    and I am full of tossing till the dawn.
⁵My flesh is clothed with ^(FD)worms and ^(FE)dirt;
    my skin hardens, then ^(FF)breaks out afresh.
⁶My days are ^(FG)swifter than ^(FH)a weaver's shuttle
    and come to their end without hope.

⁷“Remember that my life is a ^(FI)breath;
    my eye will never again see good.
⁸^(FJ)The eye of him who sees me will behold me no more;
    while your eyes are on me, ^(FK)I shall be gone.
⁹As ^(FL)the cloud fades and vanishes,
    so he who ^(FM)goes down to Sheol does not come up;
¹⁰he ^(FN)returns no more to his house,
    nor does his ^(FO)place know him anymore.

¹¹“Therefore I will not ^(FP)restrain my mouth;
    I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;
    I will ^(FQ)complain in ^(FR)the bitterness of my soul.
¹²Am I the sea, or ^(FS)a sea monster,
    that you set a guard over me?
¹³^(FT)When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me,
    my couch will ease my complaint,’
¹⁴then you scare me with dreams
    and terrify me with visions,
¹⁵so that I would choose strangling
    and death rather than my ^(FU)bones.
¹⁶I ^(FV)loathe my life; I would not live forever.
    ^(FW)Leave me alone, for my days are ^(FX)a breath.
¹⁷^(FY)What is man, that you make so much of him,
    and that you set your heart on him,
¹⁸^(FZ)visit him every morning
    and ^(GA)test him every moment?
¹⁹How long will you not ^(GB)look away from me,
    nor leave me alone till I swallow my spit?
²⁰If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of mankind?
    Why have you made me ^(GC)your mark?
    Why have I become a burden to you?
²¹Why do you not pardon my transgression
    and take away my iniquity?
For now I shall lie in ^(GD)the earth;
    you will ^(GE)seek me, ^(GF)but I shall not be.”

Bildad Speaks: Job Should Repent

8 Then ^(GG)Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:

²“How long will you say these things,
    and the words of your mouth be a ^(GH)great wind?
³^(GI)Does God pervert justice?
    Or does the Almighty pervert the right?
⁴If your ^(GJ)children have sinned against him,
    he has delivered them into the hand of their transgression.
⁵If you will seek God
    and ^(GK)plead with the Almighty for mercy,
⁶if you are pure and upright,
    surely then he will ^(GL)rouse himself for you
    and ^(GM)restore your rightful habitation.
⁷And though your beginning was small,
    ^(GN)your latter days will be very great.

⁸“For ^(GO)inquire, please, of bygone ages,
    and consider what ^(GP)the fathers have searched out.
⁹For we are but of yesterday and know nothing,
    for our days on earth are ^(GQ)a shadow.
¹⁰Will they not teach you and tell you
    and utter words out of their understanding?

¹¹“Can papyrus grow where there is no marsh?
    Can reeds flourish where there is no water?
¹²While yet in flower and not cut down,
    they ^(GR)wither before any other plant.
¹³Such are the paths of all who ^(GS)forget God;
    ^(GT)the hope of ^(GU)the godless shall perish.
¹⁴His confidence is severed,
    and his trust is ^(GV)a spider's web.^[r]
¹⁵He leans against his ^(GW)house, but it does not stand;
    he lays hold of it, but it does not endure.
¹⁶He is a lush plant before the sun,
    and his ^(GX)shoots spread over his garden.
¹⁷His roots entwine the stone heap;
    he looks upon a house of stones.
¹⁸If he is destroyed from his ^(GY)place,
    then it will deny him, saying, ‘I have never ^(GZ)seen you.’
¹⁹Behold, this is the joy of his way,
    and out of ^(HA)the soil others will spring.

²⁰“Behold, God will not reject a blameless man,
    nor take the hand of evildoers.
²¹He will yet ^(HB)fill your mouth with laughter,
    and your lips with shouting.
²²Those who hate you will be ^(HC)clothed with shame,
    and the tent of the wicked will be no more.”

Job Replies: There Is No Arbiter

9 Then Job answered and said:

²“Truly I know that it is so:
    But how can a man be ^(HD)in the right before God?
³If one wished to ^(HE)contend with him,
    one could not answer him once in a thousand times.
⁴He is ^(HF)wise in heart and mighty in strength
    —who has ^(HG)hardened himself against him, and succeeded?—
⁵he who removes mountains, and they know it not,
    when he overturns them in his anger,
⁶who ^(HH)shakes the earth out of its place,
    and ^(HI)its pillars tremble;
⁷who commands the sun, and it does not rise;
    who seals up the stars;
⁸who alone ^(HJ)stretched out the heavens
    and trampled the waves of the sea;
⁹who ^(HK)made ^(HL)the Bear and ^(HM)Orion,
    the Pleiades ^(HN)and the chambers of the south;
¹⁰who does ^(HO)great things beyond searching out,
    and marvelous things beyond number.
¹¹Behold, he passes by me, and I ^(HP)see him not;
    he moves on, but I do not perceive him.
¹²Behold, he snatches away; ^(HQ)who can turn him back?
    ^(HR)Who will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’

¹³“God will not turn back his anger;
    beneath him bowed the helpers of ^(HS)Rahab.
¹⁴^(HT)How then can I ^(HU)answer him,
    choosing my words with him?
¹⁵^(HV)Though I am in the right, I cannot answer him;
    I must ^(HW)appeal for mercy to my accuser.^[s]
¹⁶If I summoned him and he answered me,
    I would not believe that he was listening to my voice.
¹⁷For he crushes me with a tempest
    and multiplies my wounds ^(HX)without cause;
¹⁸he will not let me get my breath,
    but fills me with bitterness.
¹⁹If it is a contest of ^(HY)strength, behold, he is mighty!
    If it is a matter of justice, who can ^(HZ)summon him?^[t]
²⁰Though I am in the right, ^(IA)my own mouth would condemn me;
    though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse.
²¹I am ^(IB)blameless; I regard not myself;
    I ^(IC)loathe my life.
²²It is all one; therefore I say,
    ‘He ^(ID)destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’
²³When ^(IE)disaster brings sudden death,
    he mocks at the calamity^[u] of the innocent.
²⁴^(IF)The earth is given into the hand of the wicked;
    he ^(IG)covers the faces of its judges—
    ^(IH)if it is not he, who then is it?

²⁵“My ^(II)days are swifter than ^(IJ)a runner;
    they flee away; they see no good.
²⁶They go by like ^(IK)skiffs of reed,
    like ^(IL)an eagle swooping on the prey.
²⁷If I say, ^(IM)‘I will forget my complaint,
    I will put off my sad face, and ^(IN)be of good cheer,’
²⁸I become ^(IO)afraid of all my suffering,
    for I know you will not ^(IP)hold me innocent.
²⁹I shall be ^(IQ)condemned;
    why then do I labor in vain?
³⁰If I wash myself with snow
    and ^(IR)cleanse my hands with lye,
³¹yet you will plunge me into a pit,
    and my own clothes will ^(IS)abhor me.
³²For he is not a man, as I am, that I might answer him,
    that we should ^(IT)come to trial together.
³³^(IU)There is no^[v] arbiter between us,
    who might lay his hand on us both.
³⁴^(IV)Let him take his ^(IW)rod away from me,
    and let ^(IX)not dread of him terrify me.
³⁵Then I would speak without fear of him,
    for I am not so in myself.

Job Continues: A Plea to God

10 “I ^(IY)loathe my life;
I will give free utterance to my ^(IZ)complaint;
    I will speak in ^(JA)the bitterness of my soul.
²I will say to God, Do not ^(JB)condemn me;
    let me know why you ^(JC)contend against me.
³^(JD)Does it seem good to you to oppress,
    to despise ^(JE)the work of your hands
    ^(JF)and favor the designs of the wicked?
⁴Have you ^(JG)eyes of flesh?
    ^(JH)Do you see as man sees?
⁵Are your days as the days of man,
    or your ^(JI)years as a man's years,
⁶that you ^(JJ)seek out my iniquity
    and search for my sin,
⁷although you ^(JK)know that I am not guilty,
    and there is ^(JL)none to deliver out of your hand?
⁸^(JM)Your hands fashioned and made me,
    and now you have destroyed me altogether.
⁹Remember that you have made me like ^(JN)clay;
    and will you return me to the ^(JO)dust?
¹⁰Did you not pour me out like milk
    and curdle me like cheese?
¹¹You clothed me with skin and flesh,
    and knit me together with bones and sinews.
¹²You have granted me life and steadfast love,
    and your care has preserved my spirit.
¹³Yet these things you hid in your heart;
    I know that ^(JP)this was your purpose.
¹⁴If I sin, you ^(JQ)watch me
    and do not ^(JR)acquit me of my iniquity.
¹⁵^(JS)If I am guilty, woe to me!
    If I am ^(JT)in the right, I cannot lift up my head,
for I am filled with disgrace
    and ^(JU)look on my affliction.
¹⁶And were my head lifted up,^[w] you would hunt me like ^(JV)a lion
    and again work ^(JW)wonders against me.
¹⁷You renew your ^(JX)witnesses against me
    and increase your vexation toward me;
    you ^(JY)bring fresh troops against me.

¹⁸^(JZ)“Why did you bring me out from the womb?
    Would that I had died before any eye had seen me
¹⁹^(KA)and were as though I had not been,
    carried from the womb to the grave.
²⁰^(KB)Are not my days few?
    ^(KC)Then cease, and leave me alone, ^(KD)that I may find a little cheer
²¹before I go—and ^(KE)I shall not return—
    to the land of ^(KF)darkness and ^(KG)deep shadow,
²²the land of gloom like thick darkness,
    like deep shadow without any order,
    where light is as thick darkness.”

Zophar Speaks: You Deserve Worse

11 Then ^(KH)Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:

²“Should ^(KI)a multitude of words go unanswered,
    and a man full of talk be judged right?
³Should your babble silence men,
    and when you mock, shall no one shame you?
⁴For ^(KJ)you say, ‘My ^(KK)doctrine is pure,
    and I am clean in God's^[x] eyes.’
⁵But oh, that God would speak
    and open his lips to you,
⁶and that he would tell you the secrets of wisdom!
    For he is manifold in ^(KL)understanding.^[y]
Know then that God ^(KM)exacts of you less than your guilt deserves.

⁷^(KN)“Can you find out the deep things of God?
    Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?
⁸It is ^(KO)higher than heaven^[z]—what can you do?
    Deeper than Sheol—what can you know?
⁹Its measure is longer than the earth
    and broader than the sea.
¹⁰If he ^(KP)passes through and ^(KQ)imprisons
    and summons the court, who can ^(KR)turn him back?
¹¹For he knows ^(KS)worthless men;
    when he sees iniquity, will he not consider it?

Footnotes

Job 1:5 The Hebrew word bless is used euphemistically for curse in 1:5, 11; 2:5, 9
Job 1:6 Hebrew the Accuser or the Adversary; so throughout chapters 1–2
Job 1:15 Hebrew the young men; also verses 16, 17
Job 2:10 Or disaster; also verse 11
Job 3:24 Or like; Hebrew before
Job 4:6 Hebrew lacks of God
Job 4:17 Or more than; twice in this verse
Job 4:19 Or before
Job 5:5 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
Job 5:5 Aquila, Symmachus, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew could be read as and the snare pants
Job 5:5 Hebrew their
Job 5:19 Or disaster
Job 5:27 Hebrew for yourself
Job 6:6 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
Job 6:7 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
Job 6:10 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
Job 6:14 Syriac, Vulgate (compare Targum); the meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
Job 8:14 Hebrew house
Job 9:15 Or to my judge
Job 9:19 Or who can grant me a hearing?
Job 9:23 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
Job 9:33 Or Would that there were an
Job 10:16 Hebrew lacks my head
Job 11:4 Hebrew your
Job 11:6 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
Job 11:8 Hebrew The heights of heaven

Job 1-11

New American Standard Bible

Job’s Character and Wealth

1 There was a man in the ^(A)land of Uz whose name was ^(B)Job; and that man was ^(C)blameless, upright, ^(D)fearing God and ^(E)turning away from evil. ²^(F)Seven sons and three daughters were born to him. ³^(G)His possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and very many servants; and that man was ^(H)the greatest of all the ^[a]men of the east. ⁴His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send word and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. ⁵When the days of feasting had completed their cycle, Job would send word to them and consecrate them, getting up early in the morning and offering ^(I)burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, “^(J)Perhaps my sons have sinned and ^(K)cursed God in their hearts.” Job did so continually.

⁶^(L)Now there was a day when the ^[b]^(M)sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and ^[c]Satan also came among them. ⁷The Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “^(N)From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.” ⁸The Lord said to Satan, “Have you ^[d]considered ^(O)My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, ^(P)a blameless and upright man, ^[e]fearing God and turning away from evil.” ⁹Then ^(Q)Satan answered the ^[f]Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing? ¹⁰^(R)Have You not made a fence around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? ^(S)You have blessed the work of his hands, and his ^(T)possessions have increased in the land. ¹¹^(U)But reach out with Your hand now and ^(V)touch all that he has; he will certainly curse You to Your face.” ¹²Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your ^[g]power; only do not reach out and put your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.

Satan Allowed to Test Job

¹³Now on the day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁴a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the female donkeys feeding beside them, ¹⁵and ^[h]the ^(W)Sabeans ^[i]attacked and took them. They also ^[j]killed the servants with the edge of the sword, and ^[k]I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁶While he was still speaking, another came and said, “^(X)The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁷While he was still speaking, another came and said, “The ^(Y)Chaldeans formed three units and made a raid on the camels and took them, and ^[l]killed the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁸While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁹and behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

²⁰Then Job got up, ^(Z)tore his robe, and shaved his head; then he fell to the ground and worshiped. ²¹He said,

“^(AA)Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked I shall return there.
The ^(AB)Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

²²^(AC)Despite all this, Job did not sin, nor did he ^[m]blame God.

Job Loses His Health

2 ^(AD)Again, there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and ^[n]Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. ²The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.” ³The Lord said to Satan, “Have you ^[o]considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man ^[p]fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still ^(AE)holds firm to his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ^[q]ruin him without cause.” ⁴Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has, he will give for his life. ⁵^(AF)However, reach out with Your hand now, and ^(AG)touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face!” ⁶So the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your ^[r]power, only spare his life.”

⁷Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with ^(AH)severe boils from the sole of his foot to the top of his head. ⁸And Job took a piece of pottery to scrape himself while ^(AI)he was sitting in the ashes.

⁹Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold firm your integrity? Curse God and die!” ¹⁰But he said to her, “You are speaking as one of the foolish women speaks. ^(AJ)Shall we actually accept good from God but not accept adversity?” ^(AK)Despite all this, Job did not sin with his lips.

¹¹Now when Job’s three friends heard about all this adversity that had come upon him, they came, each one from his own place—Eliphaz the ^(AL)Temanite, Bildad the ^(AM)Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to ^(AN)sympathize with him and comfort him. ¹²When they ^[s]looked from a distance and did not recognize him, they raised their voices and wept. And each of them ^(AO)tore his robe, and they ^(AP)threw dust over their heads toward the sky. ¹³^(AQ)Then they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights, with no one speaking a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.

Job’s Lament

3 Afterward Job opened his mouth and cursed ^[t]the day of his birth. ²And Job ^[u]said,

³“^(AR)May the day on which I was to be born perish,
As well as the night which said, ‘A ^[v]boy is conceived.’
⁴May that day be darkness;
May God above not care for it,
Nor light shine on it.
⁵May ^(AS)darkness and black gloom claim it;
May a cloud settle on it;
May the blackness of the day terrify it.
⁶As for that night, may darkness seize it;
May it not rejoice among the days of the year;
May it not come into the number of the months.
⁷Behold, may that night be barren;
May no joyful shout enter it.
⁸May those curse it who curse the day,
Who are ^[w]prepared to ^(AT)disturb Leviathan.
⁹May the stars of its twilight be darkened;
May it wait for light but have none,
And may it not see the ^[x]breaking dawn;
¹⁰Because it did not shut the opening of my mother’s womb,
Or hide trouble from my eyes.

¹¹“^(AU)Why did I not die ^[y]at birth,
Come out of the womb and pass away?
¹²Why were the knees there in front of me,
And why the breasts, that I would nurse?
¹³For now I ^(AV)would have lain down and been quiet;
I would have slept then, I would have been at rest,
¹⁴With ^(AW)kings and ^(AX)counselors of the earth,
Who rebuilt ^(AY)ruins for themselves;
¹⁵Or with ^(AZ)rulers ^(BA)who had gold,
Who were filling their houses with silver.
¹⁶Or like a miscarriage which is ^[z]hidden, I would not exist,
As infants that never saw light.
¹⁷There the wicked cease from raging,
And there the ^[aa]weary are at ^(BB)rest.
¹⁸The prisoners are at ease together;
They do not hear the voice of the taskmaster.
¹⁹The small and the great are there,
And the slave is free from his master.

²⁰“Why is ^(BC)light given to one burdened with grief,
And life to the bitter of soul,
²¹Who ^[ab]^(BD)long for death, but there is none,
And dig for it more than for ^(BE)hidden treasures;
²²Who are filled with jubilation,
And rejoice when they find the grave?
²³Why is light given to a man ^(BF)whose way is hidden,
And whom ^(BG)God has shut off?
²⁴For ^(BH)my groaning comes at the sight of my food,
And ^(BI)my cries pour out like water.
²⁵For ^[ac]^(BJ)what I fear comes upon me,
And what I dread ^[ad]encounters me.
²⁶I ^(BK)am not at ease, nor am I quiet,
And I am not at rest, but turmoil comes.”

Eliphaz Says the Innocent Do Not Suffer

4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded,

²“If one ventures a word with you, will you become impatient?
But ^(BL)who can refrain ^[ae]from speaking?
³Behold, ^(BM)you have taught many,
And you have strengthened weak hands.
⁴Your words have helped the stumbling to stand,
And you have strengthened ^[af]feeble knees.
⁵But now it comes to you, and you ^(BN)are impatient;
It ^(BO)touches you, and you are horrified.
⁶Is your ^[ag]^(BP)fear of God not ^(BQ)your confidence,
And the integrity of your ways your hope?

⁷“Remember now, ^(BR)who ever perished being innocent?
Or where were the upright destroyed?
⁸According to what I have seen, ^(BS)those who ^[ah]plow wrongdoing
And those who sow trouble harvest it.
⁹By ^(BT)the breath of God they perish,
And ^(BU)by the ^[ai]blast of His anger they come to an end.
¹⁰The ^(BV)roaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion,
And the teeth of the young lions are broken out.
¹¹The ^(BW)lion perishes for lack of prey,
And the ^(BX)cubs of the lioness are scattered.

¹²“Now a word ^(BY)was brought to me secretly,
And my ear received a ^(BZ)whisper of it.
¹³Amid disquieting ^(CA)thoughts from visions of the night,
When deep sleep falls on people,
¹⁴Dread came upon me, and trembling,
And made ^[aj]all my bones shake.
¹⁵Then a ^[ak]spirit passed by my face;
The hair of my flesh stood up.
¹⁶Something was standing still, but I could not recognize its appearance;
A form was before my eyes;
There was silence, then I heard a voice:
¹⁷‘Can ^(CB)mankind be righteous ^[al]before God?
Can a man be pure ^[am]before his ^(CC)Maker?
¹⁸^(CD)He puts no trust even in His servants;
And He accuses His angels of error.
¹⁹How much more those who live in ^(CE)houses of clay,
Whose ^(CF)foundation is in the dust,
Who are crushed before the moth!
²⁰^(CG)Between morning and evening they are broken in pieces;
Unregarded, they ^(CH)perish forever.
²¹Is their ^(CI)tent-cord not pulled out within them?
They die, yet ^(CJ)without wisdom.’

God Is Just

5 “Call now, is there anyone who will answer you?
And to which of the ^(CK)holy ones will you turn?
²For ^(CL)irritation kills the fool,
And jealousy brings death to the simple.
³I have seen the ^(CM)fool taking root,
And I ^(CN)cursed his home immediately.
⁴His ^(CO)sons are far from safety,
They are also ^[an]oppressed at the gate,
And there is no one to save them.
⁵^[ao]The hungry devour his harvest
And take it to a place of thorns,
And the ^[ap]^(CP)schemer is eager for their wealth.
⁶For ^(CQ)disaster does not come from the dust,
Nor does trouble sprout from the ground,
⁷For ^(CR)man is born for trouble,
As sparks fly upward.

⁸“But as for me, I would ^(CS)seek God,
And I would make my plea before God,
⁹Who ^(CT)does great and unsearchable things,
^[aq]Wonders without number.
¹⁰He ^(CU)gives rain on the earth,
And sends water on the fields,
¹¹So that ^(CV)He sets on high those who are lowly,
And those who mourn are lifted to safety.
¹²He ^(CW)frustrates the schemes of the shrewd,
So that their hands cannot attain success.
¹³He ^(CX)captures the wise by their own cleverness,
And the advice of the cunning is quickly thwarted.
¹⁴By day they ^(CY)meet with darkness,
And grope at noon as in the night.
¹⁵But He saves from ^(CZ)the sword of their mouth,
And ^(DA)the poor from the hand of the strong.
¹⁶So the helpless has hope,
And ^(DB)injustice has shut its mouth.

¹⁷“Behold, ^(DC)happy is the person whom God disciplines,
So do not reject the ^(DD)discipline of ^[ar]the Almighty.
¹⁸For ^(DE)He inflicts pain, and ^[as]gives relief;
He wounds, but His hands also heal.
¹⁹In six troubles ^(DF)He will save you;
Even in seven, ^(DG)evil will not touch you.
²⁰In ^(DH)famine He will redeem you from death,
And ^(DI)in war, from the power of the sword.
²¹You will be ^(DJ)hidden ^[at]from the scourge of the tongue,
^(DK)And you will not be afraid of violence when it comes.
²²You will ^(DL)laugh at violence and hunger,
^(DM)And you will not be afraid of ^[au]wild animals.
²³For you will be in league with the stones of the field,
And ^(DN)the animals of the field will be at peace with you.
²⁴You will know that your ^(DO)tent is secure,
For you will visit your home and ^[av]have nothing missing.
²⁵You will also know that your ^[aw]^(DP)descendants will be many,
And ^(DQ)your offspring as the grass of the earth.
²⁶You will ^(DR)come to the grave at a ripe age,
Like the stacking of grain in its season.
²⁷Behold this; we have investigated it, and so it is.
Hear it, and know for yourself.”

Job’s Friends Are No Help

6 Then Job responded,

²“^(DS)Oh if only my grief were actually weighed
And laid in the balances together with my disaster!
³For then it would be ^(DT)heavier than the sand of the seas;
For that reason my words have been rash.
⁴For the ^(DU)arrows of the Almighty are within me,
^[ax]My spirit drinks their ^(DV)poison;
The ^(DW)terrors of God line up against me.
⁵Does the ^(DX)wild donkey bray over his grass,
Or does the ox low over his feed?
⁶Can something tasteless be eaten without salt,
Or is there any taste in the ^[ay]juice of an alkanet plant?
⁷My soul ^(DY)refuses to touch them;
They are like loathsome food to me.

⁸“Oh, that my request might come to pass,
And that God would grant my hope!
⁹Oh, that God would ^(DZ)decide to crush me,
That He would let loose His hand and cut me off!
¹⁰But it is still my comfort,
And I rejoice in unsparing pain,
That I ^(EA)have not ^[az]denied the words of the Holy One.
¹¹What is my strength, that I should wait?
And what is my end, that I should ^[ba]^(EB)endure?
¹²Is my strength the strength of stones,
Or is my flesh bronze?
¹³Is it that my ^(EC)help is not within me,
And that a ^(ED)good outcome is driven away from me?

¹⁴“For the ^(EE)despairing man there should be kindness from his friend;
So that he does not ^(EF)abandon the ^[bb]fear of the Almighty.
¹⁵My brothers have acted ^(EG)deceitfully like a ^[bc]wadi,
Like the torrents of ^[bd]wadis which drain away,
¹⁶Which are darkened because of ice,
And into which the snow ^[be]melts.
¹⁷When ^(EH)they dry up, they vanish;
When it is hot, they disappear from their place.
¹⁸The ^[bf]paths of their course wind along,
They go up into wasteland and perish.
¹⁹The caravans of ^(EI)Tema looked,
The travelers of ^(EJ)Sheba hoped for them.
²⁰They ^(EK)were put to shame, for they had trusted,
They came there and were humiliated.
²¹Indeed, you have now become such,
^(EL)You see terrors and are afraid.
²²Have I said, ‘Give me something,’
Or, ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth,’
²³Or, ‘Save me from the hand of the enemy,’
Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of the tyrants’?

²⁴“Teach me, and ^(EM)I will be silent;
And show me how I have done wrong.
²⁵How painful are honest words!
But what does your argument prove?
²⁶Do you intend to rebuke my words,
When the ^(EN)words of one in despair belong to the wind?
²⁷You would even ^(EO)cast lots for ^(EP)the orphans,
And ^(EQ)barter over your friend.
²⁸Now please look at me,
And see if I am ^(ER)lying to your face.
²⁹Please turn away, let there be no injustice;
Turn away, ^(ES)my righteousness is still in it.
³⁰Is there injustice on my tongue?
Does ^(ET)my palate not discern disasters?

Job’s Life Seems Futile

7 “^[bg]Is a person not ^(EU)forced to labor on earth,
And are his days not like the days of ^(EV)a hired worker?
²As a slave pants for the shade,
And as a hired worker who eagerly waits for his wages,
³So I am allotted worthless months,
And ^(EW)nights of trouble are apportioned to me.
⁴When I ^(EX)lie down, I say,
‘When shall I arise?’
But the night continues,
And I am continually tossing until dawn.
⁵My ^(EY)flesh is clothed with maggots and a crust of dirt,
My skin hardens and ^[bh]oozes.
⁶My days are ^(EZ)swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,
And they come to an end ^(FA)without hope.

⁷“Remember that my life ^(FB)is a mere breath;
My eye will ^(FC)not see goodness again.
⁸The ^(FD)eye of him who sees me will no longer look at me;
Your eyes will be on me, but ^(FE)I will not exist.
⁹When a ^(FF)cloud vanishes, it is gone;
In the same way ^(FG)one who goes down to ^[bi]^(FH)Sheol does not come up.
¹⁰He will not return to his house again,
Nor will ^(FI)his place know about him anymore.

¹¹“Therefore ^(FJ)I will not restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit,
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
¹²Am I the sea, or ^(FK)the sea monster,
That You set a guard over me?
¹³If I say, ‘^(FL)My couch will comfort me,
My bed will ^[bj]ease my complaint,’
¹⁴Then You frighten me with dreams,
And terrify me by visions,
¹⁵So that my soul would choose suffocation,
Death rather than my ^[bk]pains.
¹⁶I ^[bl]^(FM)waste away; I will not live forever.
Leave me alone, ^(FN)for my days are only a breath.
¹⁷^(FO)What is man that You exalt him,
And that You ^[bm]are concerned about him,
¹⁸That ^(FP)You examine him every morning
And put him to the test every moment?
¹⁹^[bn]^(FQ)Will You never turn Your gaze away from me,
Nor leave me alone until I swallow my spittle?
²⁰^(FR)Have I sinned? What have I done to You,
^(FS)Watcher of mankind?
Why have You made me Your target,
So that I am a burden to myself?
²¹Why then ^(FT)do You not forgive my wrongdoing
And take away my ^[bo]guilt?
For now I will ^(FU)lie down in the dust;
And You will search for me, ^(FV)but I will no longer exist.”

Bildad Says God Rewards the Good

8 Then Bildad the Shuhite responded,

²“How long will you say these things,
And the ^(FW)words of your mouth be a mighty wind?
³Does ^(FX)God pervert justice?
Or does ^[bp]the Almighty pervert what is right?
⁴^(FY)If your sons sinned against Him,
Then He turned them over to the ^[bq]power of their wrongdoing.
⁵If you will ^(FZ)search for God
And implore the compassion of ^[br]the Almighty,
⁶If you are pure and upright,
Surely now ^(GA)He will stir Himself for you
And restore your righteous ^[bs]^(GB)estate.
⁷Though your beginning was insignificant,
Yet your ^(GC)end will increase greatly.

⁸“Please ^(GD)inquire of past generations,
And consider the things searched out by their fathers.
⁹For we are only of yesterday and know nothing,
Because ^(GE)our days on earth are as a shadow.
¹⁰Will they not teach you and tell you,
And bring forth words from their minds?

¹¹“Can papyrus grow tall without a marsh?
Can the rushes grow without water?
¹²While it is still green and not cut down,
Yet it withers before any other ^[bt]plant.
¹³So are the paths of ^(GF)all who forget God;
And the ^(GG)hope of the godless will perish,
¹⁴His confidence is fragile,
And his trust is a ^(GH)spider’s ^[bu]web.
¹⁵He depends on his ^(GI)house, but it does not stand;
He holds on to it, but it does not endure.
¹⁶He ^(GJ)flourishes before the sun,
And his ^(GK)shoots spread out over his garden.
¹⁷His roots wrap around a rock pile,
He ^[bv]grasps a house of stones.
¹⁸If he is ^[bw]removed from ^(GL)his place,
Then it will deny him, saying, ‘^(GM)I never saw you.’
¹⁹Behold, ^(GN)this is the joy of His way;
And out of the dust others will spring.
²⁰Behold, ^(GO)God will not reject a person of integrity,
Nor ^(GP)will He ^[bx]help evildoers.
²¹He will yet fill ^(GQ)your mouth with laughter,
And your lips with joyful shouting.
²²Those who hate you will be ^(GR)clothed with shame,
And the ^(GS)tent of the wicked will no longer exist.”

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 ^(GT)person be in the right with God?
³If one wished to ^(GU)dispute with Him,
He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.
⁴^(GV)Wise in heart and ^(GW)mighty in strength,
Who has ^[by]^(GX)defied Him ^[bz]without harm?
⁵^(GY)It is God who removes the mountains, and they do not know how,
When He overturns them in His anger.
⁶It is He who ^(GZ)shakes the earth from its place,
And its ^(HA)pillars tremble;
⁷Who commands the ^(HB)sun ^[ca]not to shine,
And puts a seal on the stars;
⁸Who alone ^(HC)stretches out the heavens,
And ^[cb]^(HD)tramples down the waves of the sea;
⁹Who makes the ^(HE)Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades,
And the ^[cc]^(HF)constellations of the south.
¹⁰It is He who ^(HG)does great things, ^[cd]the unfathomable,
And wondrous works without number.
¹¹If He were to pass by me, ^(HH)I would not see Him;
Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him.
¹²If He were to snatch away, who could ^(HI)restrain Him?
Who could say to Him, ‘^(HJ)What are You doing?’

¹³“God will not turn back His anger;
Beneath Him the helpers of ^[ce]^(HK)Rahab cower.
¹⁴How then can ^(HL)I ^[cf]answer Him,
And choose my words ^[cg]before Him?
¹⁵For ^(HM)though I were right, I could not ^[ch]answer;
I would have to ^(HN)implore the mercy of my Judge.
¹⁶If I called and He answered me,
I could not believe that He was listening to my voice.
¹⁷For He ^(HO)bruises me with a storm
And multiplies my wounds without cause.
¹⁸He will ^(HP)not allow me to get my breath,
But He saturates me with ^(HQ)bitterness.
¹⁹If it is a matter of power, ^(HR)behold, He is the strong one!
And if it is a matter of justice, who can summon ^[ci]Him?
²⁰^(HS)Though I am righteous, my mouth will ^(HT)condemn me;
Though I am guiltless, He will declare me guilty.
²¹I am ^(HU)guiltless;
I do not take notice of myself;
I ^(HV)reject my life.
²²It is all one; therefore I say,
‘He ^(HW)destroys the guiltless and the wicked.’
²³If the whip kills suddenly,
He ^(HX)mocks the despair of the innocent.
²⁴The earth ^(HY)is handed over to the wicked;
He ^(HZ)covers the faces of its judges.
If it is not He, then who is it?

²⁵“Now ^(IA)my days are swifter than a runner;
They flee away, ^(IB)they see no good.
²⁶They slip by like ^(IC)reed boats,
Like an ^(ID)eagle that swoops on ^[cj]its prey.
²⁷Though I say, ‘I will forget ^(IE)my complaint,
I will ^[ck]put my face in order and be cheerful,’
²⁸I am ^(IF)afraid of all my pains,
I know that ^(IG)You will not acquit me.
²⁹I am ^(IH)guilty,
Why then should I struggle in vain?
³⁰If I ^(II)washed myself with snow,
And cleansed ^(IJ)my hands with lye,
³¹Then You would plunge me into the pit,
And my own clothes would loathe me.
³²For ^(IK)He is not a man, as I am, that ^(IL)I may answer Him—
That we may go to ^[cl]court together!
³³There is no ^(IM)arbitrator between us,
Who can place his hand upon us both.
³⁴Let Him ^(IN)remove His rod from me,
And let not the dread of Him terrify me.
³⁵Then I ^(IO)would speak and not fear Him;
But I am not like that in myself.

Job Despairs of God’s Dealings

10 “^[cm]^(IP)I am disgusted with my own life;
I will express ^(IQ)my complaint freely;
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
²I will say to God, ‘^(IR)Do not condemn me;
Let me know why You contend with me.
³Is it ^[cn]right for You indeed to ^(IS)oppress,
To reject ^(IT)the work of Your hands,
And ^[co]to look favorably on ^(IU)the plan of the wicked?
⁴Do You have eyes of flesh?
Or do You ^(IV)see as mankind sees?
⁵Are Your days like the days of a mortal,
Or ^(IW)Your years like a man’s year,
⁶That ^(IX)You should search for my guilt
And carefully seek my sin?
⁷According to Your knowledge ^(IY)I am indeed not guilty,
Yet there is ^(IZ)no one to save me from Your hand.

⁸‘^(JA)Your hands fashioned and made me ^[cp]altogether,
^(JB)Yet would You destroy me?
⁹Remember that You have made me as ^(JC)clay;
Yet would You ^(JD)turn me into dust again?
¹⁰Did You not pour me out like milk,
And curdle me like cheese,
¹¹Clothe me with skin and flesh,
And intertwine me with bones and tendons?
¹²You have ^(JE)granted me life and ^[cq]goodness;
And Your care has guarded my spirit.
¹³Yet You have concealed ^(JF)these things in Your heart;
I know that this is within You:
¹⁴If I have sinned, You will ^(JG)take note of me,
And ^(JH)will not acquit me of my guilt.
¹⁵If ^(JI)I am wicked, woe to me!
But if ^(JJ)I am righteous, I dare not lift up my head.
I am full of shame, and ^[cr]conscious of my misery.
¹⁶And should my head be high, ^(JK)You would hunt me like a lion;
And You would show Your ^(JL)power against me again.
¹⁷You renew ^(JM)Your witnesses against me
And increase Your anger toward me;
^[cs]^(JN)Hardship after hardship is with me.

¹⁸‘^(JO)Why then did You bring me out of the womb?
If only I had died and no eye had seen me!
¹⁹I should have been as though I had not been,
Brought from womb to tomb.’
²⁰Would He not leave ^(JP)my few days alone?
^[ct]^(JQ)Withdraw from me so that I may have a little cheerfulness
²¹Before I go—^(JR)and I shall not return—
^(JS)To the land of darkness and ^(JT)deep shadow,
²²The land of utter gloom like darkness itself,
Of deep shadow without order,
And it shines like darkness.”

Zophar Rebukes Job

11 Then Zophar the Naamathite responded,

²“Shall a multitude of words go unanswered,
And a ^(JU)talkative man be acquitted?
³Shall your boasts silence people?
And will you ^(JV)scoff, and no one rebuke?
⁴For ^(JW)you have said, ‘My teaching is pure,
And ^(JX)I am innocent in your eyes.’
⁵But if only God would speak,
And open His lips against you,
⁶And show you the secrets of wisdom!
For sound wisdom ^[cu]^(JY)has two sides.
Know then that God ^[cv]forgets part of ^(JZ)your guilt.

⁷“^(KA)Can you discover the depths of God?
Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?
⁸They are as ^(KB)high as ^[cw]the heavens; what can you do?
Deeper than ^[cx]^(KC)Sheol; what can you know?
⁹Its measurement is longer than the earth
And broader than the sea.
¹⁰If He passes by or apprehends people,
Or calls an assembly, ^(KD)who can restrain Him?
¹¹For ^(KE)He knows false people,
And He ^(KF)sees injustice ^[cy]without investigating.
¹²^[cz]^(KG)An idiot will become intelligent
When a ^(KH)wild donkey is born a human.

¹³“^(KI)If you would ^(KJ)direct your heart rightly
And ^(KK)spread out your hands to Him,
¹⁴If wrongdoing is in your hand, ^(KL)put it far away,
And do not let malice dwell in your tents;
¹⁵Then, indeed, you could ^(KM)lift up your face without moral blemish,
And you would be firmly established and ^(KN)not fear.
¹⁶For you would ^(KO)forget your trouble;
Like ^(KP)waters that have passed by, you would remember it.
¹⁷Your ^[da]life would ^[db]be ^(KQ)brighter than noonday;
Darkness would be like the morning.
¹⁸Then you would trust, because there is hope;
And you would look around and rest securely.
¹⁹You would ^(KR)lie down and none would disturb you,
And many would ^[dc]^(KS)flatter you.
²⁰But the ^(KT)eyes of the wicked will fail,
And ^[dd]there will ^(KU)be no escape for them;
And their ^(KV)hope is ^[de]^(KW)to breathe their last.”

Footnotes

Job 1:3 Lit sons
Job 1:6 I.e., prob. angels
Job 1:6 Heb ha-satan; i.e., the adversary, and so throughout the ch
Job 1:8 Lit set your heart on
Job 1:8 Or revering
Job 1:9 Lit Lord and said
Job 1:12 Lit hand
Job 1:15 Lit Sheba
Job 1:15 Lit fell upon
Job 1:15 Lit struck
Job 1:15 Lit only I alone, and so also vv 16, 17, 19
Job 1:17 Lit struck
Job 1:22 Lit ascribe unseemliness to
Job 2:1 Heb ha-satan; i.e., the adversary, and so throughout the ch
Job 2:3 Lit set your heart to
Job 2:3 Or revering
Job 2:3 Lit swallow him up
Job 2:6 Lit hand
Job 2:12 Lit raised their eyes
Job 3:1 Lit his day
Job 3:2 Lit answered and said
Job 3:3 Lit man-child
Job 3:8 Or skillful
Job 3:9 Lit eyelids of dawn
Job 3:11 Lit from the womb
Job 3:16 I.e., buried
Job 3:17 Lit weary of strength
Job 3:21 Lit wait
Job 3:25 Lit I fear a fear, and it comes
Job 3:25 Lit comes to me
Job 4:2 Lit in words
Job 4:4 Lit knees giving way
Job 4:6 Or reverence for
Job 4:8 I.e., devise
Job 4:9 Lit wind
Job 4:14 Lit the multitude of
Job 4:15 Or wind passed over
Job 4:17 Lit from
Job 4:17 Lit from
Job 5:4 Lit crushed
Job 5:5 Lit Whose harvest the hungry devour
Job 5:5 Ancient versions thirsty
Job 5:9 Or Miracles
Job 5:17 Heb Shaddai, and so throughout ch 6
Job 5:18 Lit binds
Job 5:21 Lit at
Job 5:22 Lit animals of the earth
Job 5:24 Lit not miss
Job 5:25 Lit seed
Job 6:4 Lit Whose poison my spirit drinks
Job 6:6 Heb hallamuth, meaning uncertain
Job 6:10 Lit hidden
Job 6:11 Lit prolong my soul
Job 6:14 Or reverence for
Job 6:15 I.e., dry stream bed(s), except in the rainy season
Job 6:15 I.e., dry stream bed(s), except in the rainy season
Job 6:16 Lit hides itself
Job 6:18 Or caravans turn from their course, they go up into the waste and perish
Job 7:1 Lit Has not man compulsory labor
Job 7:5 Lit melts
Job 7:9 I.e., the netherworld
Job 7:13 Lit bear
Job 7:15 Lit bones
Job 7:16 Or loathe
Job 7:17 Lit set Your heart on
Job 7:19 Lit How long will You not
Job 7:21 Or unjust deed
Job 8:3 Heb Shaddai
Job 8:4 Lit hand
Job 8:5 Heb Shaddai
Job 8:6 Lit place
Job 8:12 Lit reed
Job 8:14 Lit house
Job 8:17 Heb sees
Job 8:18 Lit swallowed up
Job 8:20 Lit strengthen the hand of
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 10:1 Lit My soul loathes
Job 10:3 Lit good
Job 10:3 Lit You shine forth
Job 10:8 Lit together round about
Job 10:12 See Job 1:1-2
Job 10:15 Lit see
Job 10:17 Lit Changes and warfare are with me
Job 10:20 Lit Put
Job 11:6 Lit is double
Job 11:6 Lit causes to be forgotten for you
Job 11:8 Lit the heights of heaven
Job 11:8 I.e., the netherworld
Job 11:11 Or and does not investigate
Job 11:12 Lit A hollow man
Job 11:17 Lit lifespan
Job 11:17 Lit rise above noonday
Job 11:19 Lit soften your face
Job 11:20 Lit escape has perished from them
Job 11:20 Lit the expiring of the soul

Job 1-11

New King James Version

Job and His Family in Uz

1 There was a man ^(A)in the land of Uz, whose name was ^(B)Job; and that man was ^(C)blameless and upright, and one who ^(D)feared God and ^[a]shunned evil. ²And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. ³Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the ^[b]people of the East.

⁴And his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his appointed day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. ⁵So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and ^[c]sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning ^(E)and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned and ^(F)cursed^[d] God in their hearts.” Thus Job did regularly.

Satan Attacks Job’s Character

⁶Now ^(G)there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and ^[e]Satan also came among them. ⁷And the Lord said to ^[f]Satan, “From where do you come?”

So Satan answered the Lord and said, “From ^(H)going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”

⁸Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you ^[g]considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and ^[h]shuns evil?”

⁹So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? ¹⁰^(I)Have You not ^[i]made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? ^(J)You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. ¹¹^(K)But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely ^(L)curse^[j] You to Your face!”

¹²And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your ^[k]power; only do not lay a hand on his person.”

So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Job Loses His Property and Children

¹³Now there was a day ^(M)when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house; ¹⁴and a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, ¹⁵when the ^[l]Sabeans ^[m]raided them and took them away—indeed they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

¹⁶While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and ^[n]consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

¹⁷While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels and took them away, yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

¹⁸While he was still speaking, another also came and said, ^(N)“Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁹and suddenly a great wind came from ^[o]across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

²⁰Then Job arose, ^(O)tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he ^(P)fell to the ground and worshiped. ²¹And he said:

^(Q)“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked shall I return there.
The Lord ^(R)gave, and the Lord has ^(S)taken away;
^(T)Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

²²^(U)In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.

Satan Attacks Job’s Health

2 Again ^(V)there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord. ²And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?”

^(W)Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”

³Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, ^(X)a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he ^(Y)holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, ^(Z)to ^[p]destroy him without cause.”

⁴So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. ⁵^(AA)But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his ^(AB)bone and his flesh, and he will surely ^[q]curse You to Your face!”

⁶^(AC)And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.”

⁷So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and struck Job with painful boils ^(AD)from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. ⁸And he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself ^(AE)while he sat in the midst of the ashes.

⁹Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? ^[r]Curse God and die!”

¹⁰But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. ^(AF)Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” ^(AG)In all this Job did not ^(AH)sin with his lips.

Job’s Three Friends

¹¹Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place—Eliphaz the ^(AI)Temanite, Bildad the ^(AJ)Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. For they had made an appointment together to come ^(AK)and mourn with him, and to comfort him. ¹²And when they raised their eyes from afar, and did not recognize him, they lifted their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe and ^(AL)sprinkled dust on his head toward heaven. ¹³So they sat down with him on the ground ^(AM)seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.

Job Deplores His Birth

3 After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. ²And Job ^[s]spoke, and said:

³“May^(AN) the day perish on which I was born,
And the night in which it was said,
‘A male child is conceived.’
⁴May that day be darkness;
May God above not seek it,
Nor the light shine upon it.
⁵May darkness and ^(AO)the shadow of death claim it;
May a cloud settle on it;
May the blackness of the day terrify it.
⁶As for that night, may darkness seize it;
May it not ^[t]rejoice among the days of the year,
May it not come into the number of the months.
⁷Oh, may that night be barren!
May no joyful shout come into it!
⁸May those curse it who curse the day,
Those ^(AP)who are ready to arouse Leviathan.
⁹May the stars of its morning be dark;
May it look for light, but have none,
And not see the ^[u]dawning of the day;
¹⁰Because it did not shut up the doors of my mother’s womb,
Nor hide sorrow from my eyes.

¹¹“Why^(AQ) did I not die at birth?
Why did I not ^[v]perish when I came from the womb?
¹²^(AR)Why did the knees receive me?
Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?
¹³For now I would have lain still and been quiet,
I would have been asleep;
Then I would have been at rest
¹⁴With kings and counselors of the earth,
Who ^(AS)built ruins for themselves,
¹⁵Or with princes who had gold,
Who filled their houses with silver;
¹⁶Or why was I not hidden ^(AT)like a stillborn child,
Like infants who never saw light?
¹⁷There the wicked cease from troubling,
And there the ^[w]weary are at ^(AU)rest.
¹⁸There the prisoners ^[x]rest together;
^(AV)They do not hear the voice of the oppressor.
¹⁹The small and great are there,
And the servant is free from his master.

²⁰“Why^(AW) is light given to him who is in misery,
And life to the ^(AX)bitter of soul,
²¹Who ^(AY)long^[y] for death, but it does not come,
And search for it more than ^(AZ)hidden treasures;
²²Who rejoice exceedingly,
And are glad when they can find the ^(BA)grave?
²³Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden,
^(BB)And whom God has hedged in?
²⁴For my sighing comes before ^[z]I eat,
And my groanings pour out like water.
²⁵For the thing I greatly ^(BC)feared has come upon me,
And what I dreaded has happened to me.
²⁶I am not at ease, nor am I quiet;
I have no rest, for trouble comes.”

Eliphaz: Job Has Sinned

4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:

²“If one attempts a word with you, will you become weary?
But who can withhold himself from speaking?
³Surely you have instructed many,
And you ^(BD)have strengthened weak hands.
⁴Your words have upheld him who was stumbling,
And you ^(BE)have strengthened the ^[aa]feeble knees;
⁵But now it comes upon you, and you are weary;
It touches you, and you are troubled.
⁶Is not ^(BF)your reverence ^(BG)your confidence?
And the integrity of your ways your hope?

⁷“Remember now, ^(BH)who ever perished being innocent?
Or where were the upright ever cut off?
⁸Even as I have seen,
^(BI)Those who plow iniquity
And sow trouble reap the same.
⁹By the blast of God they perish,
And by the breath of His anger they are consumed.
¹⁰The roaring of the lion,
The voice of the fierce lion,
And ^(BJ)the teeth of the young lions are broken.
¹¹^(BK)The old lion perishes for lack of prey,
And the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

¹²“Now a word was secretly brought to me,
And my ear received a whisper of it.
¹³^(BL)In disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night,
When deep sleep falls on men,
¹⁴Fear came upon me, and ^(BM)trembling,
Which made all my bones shake.
¹⁵Then a spirit passed before my face;
The hair on my body stood up.
¹⁶It stood still,
But I could not discern its appearance.
A form was before my eyes;
There was silence;
Then I heard a voice saying:
¹⁷‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God?
Can a man be more pure than his Maker?
¹⁸If He ^(BN)puts no trust in His servants,
If He charges His angels with error,
¹⁹How much more those who dwell in houses of clay,
Whose foundation is in the dust,
Who are crushed before a moth?
²⁰^(BO)They are broken in pieces from morning till evening;
They perish forever, with no one regarding.
²¹Does not their own excellence go away?
They die, even without wisdom.’

Eliphaz: Job Is Chastened by God

5 “Call out now;
Is there anyone who will answer you?
And to which of the holy ones will you turn?
²For wrath kills a foolish man,
And envy slays a simple one.
³^(BP)I have seen the foolish taking root,
But suddenly I cursed his dwelling place.
⁴His sons are ^(BQ)far from safety,
They are crushed in the gate,
And ^(BR)there is no deliverer.
⁵Because the hungry eat up his harvest,
^[ab]Taking it even from the thorns,
^[ac]And a snare snatches their ^[ad]substance.
⁶For affliction does not come from the dust,
Nor does trouble spring from the ground;
⁷Yet man is ^(BS)born to ^[ae]trouble,
As the sparks fly upward.

⁸“But as for me, I would seek God,
And to God I would commit my cause—
⁹Who does great things, and unsearchable,
Marvelous things without number.
¹⁰^(BT)He gives rain on the earth,
And sends waters on the fields.
¹¹^(BU)He sets on high those who are lowly,
And those who mourn are lifted to safety.
¹²^(BV)He frustrates the devices of the crafty,
So that their hands cannot carry out their plans.
¹³He catches the ^(BW)wise in their own craftiness,
And the counsel of the cunning comes quickly upon them.
¹⁴They meet with darkness in the daytime,
And grope at noontime as in the night.
¹⁵But ^(BX)He saves the needy from the sword,
From the mouth of the mighty,
And from their hand.
¹⁶^(BY)So the poor have hope,
And injustice shuts her mouth.

¹⁷“Behold,^(BZ) happy is the man whom God corrects;
Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.
¹⁸^(CA)For He bruises, but He binds up;
He wounds, but His hands make whole.
¹⁹^(CB)He shall deliver you in six troubles,
Yes, in seven ^(CC)no evil shall touch you.
²⁰^(CD)In famine He shall redeem you from death,
And in war from the ^[af]power of the sword.
²¹^(CE)You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue,
And you shall not be afraid of destruction when it comes.
²²You shall laugh at destruction and famine,
And ^(CF)you shall not be afraid of the ^(CG)beasts of the earth.
²³^(CH)For you shall have a covenant with the stones of the field,
And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.
²⁴You shall know that your tent is in peace;
You shall visit your dwelling and find nothing amiss.
²⁵You shall also know that ^(CI)your descendants shall be many,
And your offspring ^(CJ)like the grass of the earth.
²⁶^(CK)You shall come to the grave at a full age,
As a sheaf of grain ripens in its season.
²⁷Behold, this we have ^(CL)searched out;
It is true.
Hear it, and know for yourself.”

Job: My Complaint Is Just

6 Then Job answered and said:

²“Oh, that my grief were fully weighed,
And my calamity laid with it on the scales!
³For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea—
Therefore my words have been rash.
⁴^(CM)For the arrows of the Almighty are within me;
My spirit drinks in their poison;
^(CN)The terrors of God are arrayed ^(CO)against me.
⁵Does the ^(CP)wild donkey bray when it has grass,
Or does the ox low over its fodder?
⁶Can flavorless food be eaten without salt?
Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?
⁷My soul refuses to touch them;
They are as loathsome food to me.

⁸“Oh, that I might have my request,
That God would grant me the thing that I long for!
⁹That it would please God to crush me,
That He would loose His hand and ^(CQ)cut me off!
¹⁰Then I would still have comfort;
Though in anguish I would exult,
He will not spare;
For ^(CR)I have not concealed the words of ^(CS)the Holy One.

¹¹“What strength do I have, that I should hope?
And what is my end, that I should prolong my life?
¹²Is my strength the strength of stones?
Or is my flesh bronze?
¹³Is my help not within me?
And is success driven from me?

¹⁴“To^(CT) him who is ^[ag]afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend,
Even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
¹⁵^(CU)My brothers have dealt deceitfully like a brook,
^(CV)Like the streams of the brooks that pass away,
¹⁶Which are dark because of the ice,
And into which the snow vanishes.
¹⁷When it is warm, they cease to flow;
When it is hot, they vanish from their place.
¹⁸The paths of their way turn aside,
They go nowhere and perish.
¹⁹The caravans of ^(CW)Tema look,
The travelers of ^(CX)Sheba hope for them.
²⁰They are ^(CY)disappointed^[ah] because they were confident;
They come there and are confused.
²¹For now ^(CZ)you are nothing,
You see terror and ^(DA)are afraid.
²²Did I ever say, ‘Bring something to me’?
Or, ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth’?
²³Or, ‘Deliver me from the enemy’s hand’?
Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of oppressors’?

²⁴“Teach me, and I will hold my tongue;
Cause me to understand wherein I have erred.
²⁵How forceful are right words!
But what does your arguing prove?
²⁶Do you intend to rebuke my words,
And the speeches of a desperate one, which are as wind?
²⁷Yes, you overwhelm the fatherless,
And you ^(DB)undermine your friend.
²⁸Now therefore, be pleased to look at me;
For I would never lie to your face.
²⁹^(DC)Yield now, let there be no injustice!
Yes, concede, my ^(DD)righteousness ^[ai]still stands!
³⁰Is there injustice on my tongue?
Cannot my ^[aj]taste discern the unsavory?

Job: My Suffering Is Comfortless

7 “Is there not ^(DE)a time of hard service for man on earth?
Are not his days also like the days of a hired man?
²Like a servant who ^[ak]earnestly desires the shade,
And like a hired man who eagerly looks for his wages,
³So I have been allotted ^(DF)months of futility,
And wearisome nights have been appointed to me.
⁴^(DG)When I lie down, I say, ‘When shall I arise,
And the night be ended?’
For I have had my fill of tossing till dawn.
⁵My flesh is ^(DH)caked with worms and dust,
My skin is cracked and breaks out afresh.

⁶“My^(DI) days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,
And are spent without hope.
⁷Oh, remember that ^(DJ)my life is a breath!
My eye will never again see good.
⁸^(DK)The eye of him who sees me will see me no more;
While your eyes are upon me, I shall no longer be.
⁹As the cloud disappears and vanishes away,
So ^(DL)he who goes down to the grave does not come up.
¹⁰He shall never return to his house,
^(DM)Nor shall his place know him anymore.

¹¹“Therefore I will ^(DN)not restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;
I will ^(DO)complain in the bitterness of my soul.
¹²Am I a sea, or a sea serpent,
That You set a guard over me?
¹³^(DP)When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me,
My couch will ease my complaint,’
¹⁴Then You scare me with dreams
And terrify me with visions,
¹⁵So that my soul chooses strangling
And death rather than ^[al]my body.
¹⁶^(DQ)I loathe my life;
I would not live forever.
^(DR)Let me alone,
For ^(DS)my days are but ^[am]a breath.

¹⁷“What^(DT) is man, that You should exalt him,
That You should set Your heart on him,
¹⁸That You should ^[an]visit him every morning,
And test him every moment?
¹⁹How long?
Will You not look away from me,
And let me alone till I swallow my saliva?
²⁰Have I sinned?
What have I done to You, ^(DU)O watcher of men?
Why ^(DV)have You set me as Your target,
So that I am a burden ^[ao]to myself?
²¹Why then do You not pardon my transgression,
And take away my iniquity?
For now I will lie down in the dust,
And You will seek me diligently,
But I will no longer be.”

Bildad: Job Should Repent

8 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:

²“How long will you speak these things,
And the words of your mouth be like a strong wind?
³^(DW)Does God subvert judgment?
Or does the Almighty pervert justice?
⁴If ^(DX)your sons have sinned against Him,
He has cast them away ^[ap]for their transgression.
⁵^(DY)If you would earnestly seek God
And make your supplication to the Almighty,
⁶If you were pure and upright,
Surely now He would ^[aq]awake for you,
And prosper your rightful dwelling place.
⁷Though your beginning was small,
Yet your latter end would ^(DZ)increase abundantly.

⁸“For^(EA) inquire, please, of the former age,
And consider the things discovered by their fathers;
⁹For ^(EB)we were born yesterday, and know ^[ar]nothing,
Because our days on earth are a shadow.
¹⁰Will they not teach you and tell you,
And utter words from their heart?

¹¹“Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh?
Can the reeds flourish without water?
¹²^(EC)While it is yet green and not cut down,
It withers before any other plant.
¹³So are the paths of all who ^(ED)forget God;
And the hope of the ^(EE)hypocrite shall perish,
¹⁴Whose confidence shall be cut off,
And whose trust is ^[as]a spider’s web.
¹⁵^(EF)He leans on his house, but it does not stand.
He holds it fast, but it does not endure.
¹⁶He grows green in the sun,
And his branches spread out in his garden.
¹⁷His roots wrap around the rock heap,
And look for a place in the stones.
¹⁸^(EG)If he is destroyed from his place,
Then it will deny him, saying, ‘I have not seen you.’

¹⁹“Behold, this is the joy of His way,
And ^(EH)out of the earth others will grow.
²⁰Behold, ^(EI)God will not ^[at]cast away the blameless,
Nor will He uphold the evildoers.
²¹He will yet fill your mouth with laughing,
And your lips with ^[au]rejoicing.
²²Those who hate you will be ^(EJ)clothed with shame,
And the dwelling place of the wicked ^[av]will come to nothing.”

Job: There Is No Mediator

9 Then Job answered and said:

²“Truly I know it is so,
But how can a ^(EK)man be ^(EL)righteous before God?
³If one wished to ^[aw]contend with Him,
He could not answer Him one time out of a thousand.
⁴^(EM)God is wise in heart and mighty in strength.
Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered?
⁵He removes the mountains, and they do not know
When He overturns them in His anger;
⁶He ^(EN)shakes the earth out of its place,
And its ^(EO)pillars tremble;
⁷He commands the sun, and it does not rise;
He seals off the stars;
⁸^(EP)He alone spreads out the heavens,
And ^[ax]treads on the ^[ay]waves of the sea;
⁹^(EQ)He made ^[az]the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades,
And the chambers of the south;
¹⁰^(ER)He does great things past finding out,
Yes, wonders without number.
¹¹^(ES)If He goes by me, I do not see Him;
If He moves past, I do not perceive Him;
¹²^(ET)If He takes away, ^[ba]who can hinder Him?
Who can say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’
¹³God will not withdraw His anger,
^(EU)The allies of ^[bb]the proud lie prostrate beneath Him.

¹⁴“How then can I answer Him,
And choose my words to reason with Him?
¹⁵^(EV)For though I were righteous, I could not answer Him;
I would beg mercy of my Judge.
¹⁶If I called and He answered me,
I would not believe that He was listening to my voice.
¹⁷For He crushes me with a tempest,
And multiplies my wounds ^(EW)without cause.
¹⁸He will not allow me to catch my breath,
But fills me with bitterness.
¹⁹If it is a matter of strength, indeed He is strong;
And if of justice, who will appoint my day in court?
²⁰Though I were righteous, my own mouth would condemn me;
Though I were blameless, it would prove me perverse.

²¹“I am blameless, yet I do not know myself;
I despise my life.
²²It is all one thing;
Therefore I say, ^(EX)‘He destroys the blameless and the wicked.’
²³If the scourge slays suddenly,
He laughs at the plight of the innocent.
²⁴The earth is given into the hand of the wicked.
He covers the faces of its judges.
If it is not He, who else could it be?

²⁵“Now ^(EY)my days are swifter than a runner;
They flee away, they see no good.
²⁶They pass by like ^[bc]swift ships,
^(EZ)Like an eagle swooping on its prey.
²⁷^(FA)If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint,
I will put off my sad face and wear a smile,’
²⁸^(FB)I am afraid of all my sufferings;
I know that You ^(FC)will not hold me innocent.
²⁹If I am condemned,
Why then do I labor in vain?
³⁰^(FD)If I wash myself with snow water,
And cleanse my hands with ^[bd]soap,
³¹Yet You will plunge me into the pit,
And my own clothes will ^[be]abhor me.

³²“For ^(FE)He is not a man, as I am,
That I may answer Him,
And that we should go to court together.
³³^(FF)Nor is there any mediator between us,
Who may lay his hand on us both.
³⁴^(FG)Let Him take His rod away from me,
And do not let dread of Him terrify me.
³⁵Then I would speak and not fear Him,
But it is not so with me.

Job: I Would Plead with God

10 “My ^(FH)soul loathes my life;
I will ^[bf]give free course to my complaint,
^(FI)I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
²I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me;
Show me why You contend with me.
³Does it seem good to You that You should oppress,
That You should despise the work of Your hands,
And smile on the counsel of the wicked?
⁴Do You have eyes of flesh?
Or ^(FJ)do You see as man sees?
⁵Are Your days like the days of a mortal man?
Are Your years like the days of a mighty man,
⁶That You should seek for my iniquity
And search out my sin,
⁷Although You know that I am not wicked,
And there is no one who can deliver from Your hand?

⁸‘Your^(FK) hands have made me and fashioned me,
An intricate unity;
Yet You would ^(FL)destroy me.
⁹Remember, I pray, ^(FM)that You have made me like clay.
And will You turn me into dust again?
¹⁰^(FN)Did You not pour me out like milk,
And curdle me like cheese,
¹¹Clothe me with skin and flesh,
And knit me together with bones and sinews?
¹²You have granted me life and favor,
And Your care has preserved my spirit.

¹³‘And these things You have hidden in Your heart;
I know that this was with You:
¹⁴If I sin, then ^(FO)You mark me,
And will not acquit me of my iniquity.
¹⁵If I am wicked, ^(FP)woe to me;
^(FQ)Even if I am righteous, I ^[bg]cannot lift up my head.
I am full of disgrace;
^(FR)See my misery!
¹⁶If my head is exalted,
^(FS)You hunt me like a fierce lion,
And again You show Yourself awesome against me.
¹⁷You renew Your witnesses against me,
And increase Your indignation toward me;
Changes and war are ever with me.

¹⁸‘Why^(FT) then have You brought me out of the womb?
Oh, that I had perished and no eye had seen me!
¹⁹I would have been as though I had not been.
I would have been carried from the womb to the grave.
²⁰^(FU)Are not my days few?
Cease! ^(FV)Leave me alone, that I may take a little comfort,
²¹Before I go to the place from which I shall not return,
^(FW)To the land of darkness ^(FX)and the shadow of death,
²²A land as dark as darkness itself,
As the shadow of death, without any order,
Where even the light is like darkness.’ ”

Zophar Urges Job to Repent

11 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:

²“Should not the multitude of words be answered?
And should ^[bh]a man full of talk be vindicated?
³Should your empty talk make men ^[bi]hold their peace?
And when you mock, should no one rebuke you?
⁴For you have said,
^(FY)‘My doctrine is pure,
And I am clean in your eyes.’
⁵But oh, that God would speak,
And open His lips against you,
⁶That He would show you the secrets of wisdom!
For they would double your prudence.
Know therefore that ^(FZ)God ^[bj]exacts from you
Less than your iniquity deserves.

⁷“Can^(GA) you search out the deep things of God?
Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?
⁸They are higher than heaven—what can you do?
Deeper than ^[bk]Sheol—what can you know?
⁹Their measure is longer than the earth
And broader than the sea.

¹⁰“If^(GB) He passes by, imprisons, and gathers to judgment,
Then who can ^[bl]hinder Him?
¹¹For ^(GC)He knows deceitful men;
He sees wickedness also.
Will He not then consider it?
¹²For an ^(GD)empty-headed man will be wise,
When a wild donkey’s colt is born a man.

¹³“If you would ^(GE)prepare your heart,
And ^(GF)stretch out your hands toward Him;
¹⁴If iniquity were in your hand, and you put it far away,
And ^(GG)would not let wickedness dwell in your tents;
¹⁵^(GH)Then surely you could lift up your face without spot;
Yes, you could be steadfast, and not fear;
¹⁶Because you would ^(GI)forget your misery,
And remember it as waters that have passed away,
¹⁷And your life ^(GJ)would be brighter than noonday.
Though you were dark, you would be like the morning.
¹⁸And you would be secure, because there is hope;
Yes, you would dig around you, and ^(GK)take your rest in safety.
¹⁹You would also lie down, and no one would make you afraid;
Yes, many would court your favor.
²⁰But ^(GL)the eyes of the wicked will fail,
And they shall not escape,
And ^(GM)their hope—^[bm]loss of life!”

Footnotes

Job 1:1 Lit. turned away from
Job 1:3 Lit. sons
Job 1:5 consecrate
Job 1:5 Lit. blessed, but in an evil sense; cf. Job 1:11; 2:5, 9
Job 1:6 Lit. the Adversary
Job 1:7 Lit. the Adversary
Job 1:8 Lit. set your heart on
Job 1:8 Lit. turns away from
Job 1:10 Protected him
Job 1:11 Lit. bless, but in an evil sense; cf. Job 1:5
Job 1:12 Lit. hand
Job 1:15 Lit. Sheba; cf. Job 6:19
Job 1:15 Lit. fell upon
Job 1:16 destroyed
Job 1:19 LXX omits across
Job 2:3 Lit. consume
Job 2:5 Lit. bless, but in an evil sense; cf. Job 1:5
Job 2:9 Lit. Bless, but in an evil sense; cf. Job 1:5
Job 3:2 Lit. answered
Job 3:6 LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. be joined
Job 3:9 eyelids of the dawn
Job 3:11 expire
Job 3:17 Lit. weary of strength
Job 3:18 are at ease
Job 3:21 Lit. wait
Job 3:24 Lit. my bread
Job 4:4 Lit. bending
Job 5:5 LXX They shall not be taken from evil men; Vg. And the armed man shall take him by violence
Job 5:5 LXX The might shall draw them off; Vg. And the thirsty shall drink up their riches
Job 5:5 wealth
Job 5:7 labor
Job 5:20 Lit. hand
Job 6:14 Or despairing
Job 6:20 Lit. ashamed
Job 6:29 Lit. is in it
Job 6:30 palate
Job 7:2 Lit. pants for
Job 7:15 Lit. my bones
Job 7:16 Without substance, futile
Job 7:18 attend to
Job 7:20 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX, Jewish tradition to You
Job 8:4 Lit. into the hand of their transgression
Job 8:6 arise
Job 8:9 Lit. not
Job 8:14 Lit. a spider’s house
Job 8:20 reject
Job 8:21 Lit. shouts of joy
Job 8:22 Lit. will not be
Job 9:3 argue
Job 9:8 walks
Job 9:8 Lit. heights
Job 9:9 Heb. Ash, Kesil, and Kimah
Job 9:12 Lit. who can turn Him back?
Job 9:13 Heb. rahab
Job 9:26 Lit. ships of reeds
Job 9:30 lye
Job 9:31 loathe
Job 10:1 Lit. leave on myself
Job 10:15 Lit. will not
Job 11:2 Lit. a man of lips
Job 11:3 be silent
Job 11:6 Lit. forgets some of your iniquity for you
Job 11:8 The abode of the dead
Job 11:10 restrain
Job 11:20 Lit. the breathing out of life

Job 1-11

The Message

A Man Devoted to God

1 ^1-3Job was a man who lived in Uz. He was honest inside and out, a man of his word, who was totally devoted to God and hated evil with a passion. He had seven sons and three daughters. He was also very wealthy—seven thousand head of sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred teams of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and a huge staff of servants—the most influential man in all the East!

^4-5His sons used to take turns hosting parties in their homes, always inviting their three sisters to join them in their merrymaking. When the parties were over, Job would get up early in the morning and sacrifice a burnt offering for each of his children, thinking, “Maybe one of them sinned by defying God inwardly.” Job made a habit of this sacrificial atonement, just in case they’d sinned.

The First Test: Family and Fortune

^6-7One day when the angels came to report to God, Satan, who was the Designated Accuser, came along with them. God singled out Satan and said, “What have you been up to?”

Satan answered God, “Going here and there, checking things out on earth.”

⁸God said to Satan, “Have you noticed my friend Job? There’s no one quite like him—honest and true to his word, totally devoted to God and hating evil.”

^9-10Satan retorted, “So do you think Job does all that out of the sheer goodness of his heart? Why, no one ever had it so good! You pamper him like a pet, make sure nothing bad ever happens to him or his family or his possessions, bless everything he does—he can’t lose!

¹¹“But what do you think would happen if you reached down and took away everything that is his? He’d curse you right to your face, that’s what.”

¹²God replied, “We’ll see. Go ahead—do what you want with all that is his. Just don’t hurt him.” Then Satan left the presence of God.

^13-15Sometime later, while Job’s children were having one of their parties at the home of the oldest son, a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys grazing in the field next to us when Sabeans attacked. They stole the animals and killed the field hands. I’m the only one to get out alive and tell you what happened.”

¹⁶While he was still talking, another messenger arrived and said, “Bolts of lightning struck the sheep and the shepherds and fried them—burned them to a crisp. I’m the only one to get out alive and tell you what happened.”

¹⁷While he was still talking, another messenger arrived and said, “Chaldeans coming from three directions raided the camels and massacred the camel drivers. I’m the only one to get out alive and tell you what happened.”

^18-19While he was still talking, another messenger arrived and said, “Your children were having a party at the home of the oldest brother when a tornado swept in off the desert and struck the house. It collapsed on the young people and they died. I’m the only one to get out alive and tell you what happened.”

²⁰Job got to his feet, ripped his robe, shaved his head, then fell to the ground and worshiped:

²¹Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
naked I’ll return to the womb of the earth.
God gives, God takes.
God’s name be ever blessed.

²²Not once through all this did Job sin; not once did he blame God.

The Second Test: Health

2 ^1-3One day when the angels came to report to God, Satan also showed up. God singled out Satan, saying, “And what have you been up to?” Satan answered God, “Oh, going here and there, checking things out.” Then God said to Satan, “Have you noticed my friend Job? There’s no one quite like him, is there—honest and true to his word, totally devoted to God and hating evil? He still has a firm grip on his integrity! You tried to trick me into destroying him, but it didn’t work.”

^4-5Satan answered, “A human would do anything to save his life. But what do you think would happen if you reached down and took away his health? He’d curse you to your face, that’s what.”

⁶God said, “All right. Go ahead—you can do what you like with him. But mind you, don’t kill him.”

^7-8Satan left God and struck Job with terrible sores. Job was ulcers and scabs from head to foot. They itched and oozed so badly that he took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself, then went and sat on a trash heap, among the ashes.

⁹His wife said, “Still holding on to your precious integrity, are you? Curse God and be done with it!”

¹⁰He told her, “You’re talking like an empty-headed fool. We take the good days from God—why not also the bad days?”

Not once through all this did Job sin. He said nothing against God.

Job’s Three Friends

^11-13Three of Job’s friends heard of all the trouble that had fallen on him. Each traveled from his own country—Eliphaz from Teman, Bildad from Shuhah, Zophar from Naamath—and went together to Job to keep him company and comfort him. When they first caught sight of him, they couldn’t believe what they saw—they hardly recognized him! They cried out in lament, ripped their robes, and dumped dirt on their heads as a sign of their grief. Then they sat with him on the ground. Seven days and nights they sat there without saying a word. They could see how rotten he felt, how deeply he was suffering.

Job Cries Out

What’s the Point of Life?

3 ^1-2Then Job broke the silence. He spoke up and cursed his fate:

^3-10“Obliterate the day I was born.
    Blank out the night I was conceived!
Let it be a black hole in space.
    May God above forget it ever happened.
    Erase it from the books!
May the day of my birth be buried in deep darkness,
    shrouded by the fog,
    swallowed by the night.
And the night of my conception—the devil take it!
    Rip the date off the calendar,
    delete it from the almanac.
Oh, turn that night into pure nothingness—
    no sounds of pleasure from that night, ever!
May those who are good at cursing curse that day.
    Unleash the sea beast, Leviathan, on it.
May its morning stars turn to black cinders,
    waiting for a daylight that never comes,
    never once seeing the first light of dawn.
And why? Because it released me from my mother’s womb
    into a life with so much trouble.

^11-19“Why didn’t I die at birth,
    my first breath out of the womb my last?
Why were there arms to rock me,
    and breasts for me to drink from?
I could be resting in peace right now,
    asleep forever, feeling no pain,
In the company of kings and statesmen
    in their royal ruins,
Or with princes resplendent
    in their gold and silver tombs.
Why wasn’t I stillborn and buried
    with all the babies who never saw light,
Where the wicked no longer trouble anyone
    and bone-weary people get a long-deserved rest?
Prisoners sleep undisturbed,
    never again to wake up to the bark of the guards.
The small and the great are equals in that place,
    and slaves are free from their masters.

^20-23“Why does God bother giving light to the miserable,
    why bother keeping bitter people alive,
Those who want in the worst way to die, and can’t,
    who can’t imagine anything better than death,
Who count the day of their death and burial
    the happiest day of their life?
What’s the point of life when it doesn’t make sense,
    when God blocks all the roads to meaning?

^24-26“Instead of bread I get groans for my supper,
    then leave the table and vomit my anguish.
The worst of my fears has come true,
    what I’ve dreaded most has happened.
My repose is shattered, my peace destroyed.
    No rest for me, ever—death has invaded life.”

Eliphaz Speaks Out

Now You’re the One in Trouble

4 ^1-6Then Eliphaz from Teman spoke up:

“Would you mind if I said something to you?
    Under the circumstances it’s hard to keep quiet.
You yourself have done this plenty of times, spoken words
    that clarify, encouraged those who were about to quit.
Your words have put stumbling people on their feet,
    put fresh hope in people about to collapse.
But now you’re the one in trouble—you’re hurting!
    You’ve been hit hard and you’re reeling from the blow.
But shouldn’t your devout life give you confidence now?
    Shouldn’t your exemplary life give you hope?

^7-11“Think! Has a truly innocent person ever ended up on the scrap heap?
    Do genuinely upright people ever lose out in the end?
It’s my observation that those who plow evil
    and sow trouble reap evil and trouble.
One breath from God and they fall apart,
    one blast of his anger and there’s nothing left of them.
The mighty lion, king of the beasts, roars mightily,
    but when he’s toothless he’s useless—
No teeth, no prey—and the cubs
    wander off to fend for themselves.

^12-16“A word came to me in secret—
    a mere whisper of a word, but I heard it clearly.
It came in a scary dream one night,
    after I had fallen into a deep, deep sleep.
Dread stared me in the face, and Terror.
    I was scared to death—I shook from head to foot.
A spirit glided right in front of me—
    the hair on my head stood on end.
I couldn’t tell what it was that appeared there—
    a blur . . . and then I heard a muffled voice:

^17-21“‘How can mere mortals be more righteous than God?
    How can humans be purer than their Creator?
Why, God doesn’t even trust his own servants,
    doesn’t even cheer his angels,
So how much less these bodies composed of mud,
    fragile as moths?
These bodies of ours are here today and gone tomorrow,
    and no one even notices—gone without a trace.
When the tent stakes are ripped up, the tent collapses—
    we die and are never the wiser for having lived.’”

Don’t Blame Fate When Things Go Wrong

5 ^1-7“Call for help, Job, if you think anyone will answer!
    To which of the holy angels will you turn?
The hot temper of a fool eventually kills him,
    the jealous anger of an idiot does her in.
I’ve seen it myself—seen fools putting down roots,
    and then, suddenly, their houses are cursed.
Their children out in the cold, abused and exploited,
    with no one to stick up for them.
Hungry people off the street plunder their harvests,
    cleaning them out completely, taking thorns and all,
    insatiable for everything they have.
Don’t blame fate when things go wrong—
    trouble doesn’t come from nowhere.
It’s human! Mortals are born and bred for trouble,
    as certainly as sparks fly upward.

What a Blessing When God Corrects You!

^8-16“If I were in your shoes, I’d go straight to God,
    I’d throw myself on the mercy of God.
After all, he’s famous for great and unexpected acts;
    there’s no end to his surprises.
He gives rain, for instance, across the wide earth,
    sends water to irrigate the fields.
He raises up the down-and-out,
    gives firm footing to those sinking in grief.
He aborts the schemes of conniving crooks,
    so that none of their plots come to term.
He catches the know-it-alls in their conspiracies—
    all that intricate intrigue swept out with the trash!
Suddenly they’re disoriented, plunged into darkness;
    they can’t see to put one foot in front of the other.
But the downtrodden are saved by God,
    saved from the murderous plots, saved from the iron fist.
And so the poor continue to hope,
    while injustice is bound and gagged.

^17-19“So, what a blessing when God steps in and corrects you!
    Mind you, don’t despise the discipline of Almighty God!
True, he wounds, but he also dresses the wound;
    the same hand that hurts you, heals you.
From one disaster after another he delivers you;
    no matter what the calamity, the evil can’t touch you—

^20-26“In famine, he’ll keep you from starving,
    in war, from being gutted by the sword.
You’ll be protected from vicious gossip
    and live fearless through any catastrophe.
You’ll shrug off disaster and famine,
    and stroll fearlessly among wild animals.
You’ll be on good terms with rocks and mountains;
    wild animals will become your good friends.
You’ll know that your place on earth is safe,
    you’ll look over your goods and find nothing amiss.
You’ll see your children grow up,
    your family lovely and graceful as orchard grass.
You’ll arrive at your grave ripe with many good years,
    like sheaves of golden grain at harvest.

²⁷“Yes, this is the way things are—my word of honor!
Take it to heart and you won’t go wrong.”

Job Replies to Eliphaz

God Has Dumped the Works on Me

6 ^1-7Job answered:

“If my misery could be weighed,
    if you could pile the whole bitter load on the scales,
It would be heavier than all the sand of the sea!
    Is it any wonder that I’m howling like a caged cat?
The arrows of God Almighty are in me,
    poison arrows—and I’m poisoned all through!
    God has dumped the whole works on me.
Donkeys bray and cows moo when they run out of pasture—
    so don’t expect me to keep quiet in this.
Do you see what God has dished out for me?
    It’s enough to turn anyone’s stomach!
Everything in me is repulsed by it—
    it makes me sick.

Pressed Past the Limits

^8-13“All I want is an answer to one prayer,
    a last request to be honored:
Let God step on me—squash me like a bug,
    and be done with me for good.
I’d at least have the satisfaction
    of not having blasphemed the Holy God,
    before being pressed past the limits.
Where’s the strength to keep my hopes up?
    What future do I have to keep me going?
Do you think I have nerves of steel?
    Do you think I’m made of iron?
Do you think I can pull myself up by my bootstraps?
    Why, I don’t even have any boots!

My So-Called Friends

^14-23“When desperate people give up on God Almighty,
    their friends, at least, should stick with them.
But my brothers are fickle as a gulch in the desert—
    one day they’re gushing with water
From melting ice and snow
    cascading out of the mountains,
But by midsummer they’re dry,
    gullies baked dry in the sun.
Travelers who spot them and go out of their way for a drink
    end up in a waterless gulch and die of thirst.
Merchant caravans from Tema see them and expect water,
    tourists from Sheba hope for a cool drink.
They arrive so confident—but what a disappointment!
    They get there, and their faces fall!
And you, my so-called friends, are no better—
        there’s nothing to you!
    One look at a hard scene and you shrink in fear.
It’s not as though I asked you for anything—
    I didn’t ask you for one red cent—
Nor did I beg you to go out on a limb for me.
    So why all this dodging and shuffling?

^24-27“Confront me with the truth and I’ll shut up,
    show me where I’ve gone off the track.
Honest words never hurt anyone,
    but what’s the point of all this pious bluster?
You pretend to tell me what’s wrong with my life,
    but treat my words of anguish as so much hot air.
Are people mere things to you?
    Are friends just items of profit and loss?

^28-30“Look me in the eyes!
    Do you think I’d lie to your face?
Think it over—no double-talk!
    Think carefully—my integrity is on the line!
Can you detect anything false in what I say?
    Don’t you trust me to discern good from evil?”

There’s Nothing to My Life

7 ^1-6“Human life is a struggle, isn’t it?
    It’s a life sentence to hard labor.
Like field hands longing for quitting time
    and working stiffs with nothing to hope for but payday,
I’m given a life that meanders and goes nowhere—
    months of aimlessness, nights of misery!
I go to bed and think, ‘How long till I can get up?’
    I toss and turn as the night drags on—and I’m fed up!
I’m covered with maggots and scabs.
    My skin gets scaly and hard, then oozes with pus.
My days come and go swifter than the click of knitting needles,
    and then the yarn runs out—an unfinished life!

^7-10“God, don’t forget that I’m only a wisp of air!
    These eyes have had their last look at goodness.
And your eyes have seen the last of me;
    even while you’re looking, there’ll be nothing left to look at.
When a cloud evaporates, it’s gone for good;
    those who go to the grave never come back.
They don’t return to visit their families;
    never again will friends drop in for coffee.

^11-16“And so I’m not keeping one bit of this quiet,
    I’m laying it all out on the table;
    my complaining to high heaven is bitter, but honest.
Are you going to put a muzzle on me,
    the way you quiet the sea and still the storm?
If I say, ‘I’m going to bed, then I’ll feel better.
    A little nap will lift my spirits,’
You come and so scare me with nightmares
    and frighten me with ghosts
That I’d rather strangle in the sheets
    than face this kind of life any longer.
I hate this life! Who needs any more of this?
    Let me alone! There’s nothing to my life—it’s nothing
        but smoke.

^17-21“What are mortals anyway, that you bother with them,
    that you even give them the time of day?
That you check up on them every morning,
    looking in on them to see how they’re doing?
Let up on me, will you?
    Can’t you even let me spit in peace?
Even suppose I’d sinned—how would that hurt you?
    You’re responsible for every human being.
Don’t you have better things to do than pick on me?
    Why make a federal case out of me?
Why don’t you just forgive my sins
    and start me off with a clean slate?
The way things are going, I’ll soon be dead.
    You’ll look high and low, but I won’t be around.”

Bildad’s Response

Does God Mess Up?

8 ^1-7Bildad from Shuhah was next to speak:

“How can you keep on talking like this?
    You’re talking nonsense, and noisy nonsense at that.
Does God mess up?
    Does God Almighty ever get things backward?
It’s plain that your children sinned against him—
    otherwise, why would God have punished them?
Here’s what you must do—and don’t put it off any longer:
    Get down on your knees before God Almighty.
If you’re as innocent and upright as you say,
    it’s not too late—he’ll come running;
    he’ll set everything right again, reestablish your fortunes.
Even though you’re not much right now,
    you’ll end up better than ever.

To Hang Your Life from One Thin Thread

^8-19“Put the question to our ancestors,
    study what they learned from their ancestors.
For we’re newcomers at this, with a lot to learn,
    and not too long to learn it.
So why not let the ancients teach you, tell you what’s what,
    instruct you in what they knew from experience?
Can mighty pine trees grow tall without soil?
    Can luscious tomatoes flourish without water?
Blossoming flowers look beautiful before they’re cut or picked,
    but without soil or water they wither more quickly than grass.
That’s what happens to all who forget God—
    all their hopes come to nothing.
They hang their life from one thin thread,
    they hitch their fate to a spider web.
One jiggle and the thread breaks,
    one jab and the web collapses.
Or they’re like weeds springing up in the sunshine,
    invading the garden,
Spreading everywhere, overtaking the flowers,
    getting a foothold even in the rocks.
But when the gardener rips them out by the roots,
    the garden doesn’t miss them one bit.
The sooner the godless are gone, the better;
    then good plants can grow in their place.

^20-22“There’s no way that God will reject a good person,
    and there is no way he’ll help a bad one.
God will let you laugh again;
    you’ll raise the roof with shouts of joy,
With your enemies thoroughly discredited,
    their house of cards collapsed.”

Job Continues

How Can Mere Mortals Get Right with God?

9 ^1-13Job 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.”

To Find Some Skeleton in My Closet

10 “I can’t stand my life—I hate it!
I’m putting it all out on the table,
all the bitterness of my life—I’m holding back nothing.”

^2-7Job prayed:

“Here’s what I want to say:
Don’t, God, bring in a verdict of guilty
    without letting me know the charges you’re bringing.
How does this fit into what you once called ‘good’—
    giving me a hard time, spurning me,
    a life you shaped by your very own hands,
    and then blessing the plots of the wicked?
You don’t look at things the way we mortals do.
    You’re not taken in by appearances, are you?
Unlike us, you’re not working against a deadline.
    You have all eternity to work things out.
So what’s this all about, anyway—this compulsion
    to dig up some dirt, to find some skeleton in my closet?
You know good and well I’m not guilty.
    You also know no one can help me.

^8-12“You made me like a handcrafted piece of pottery—
    and now are you going to smash me to pieces?
Don’t you remember how beautifully you worked my clay?
    Will you reduce me now to a mud pie?
Oh, that marvel of conception as you stirred together
    semen and ovum—
What a miracle of skin and bone,
    muscle and brain!
You gave me life itself, and incredible love.
    You watched and guarded every breath I took.

^13-17“But you never told me about this part.
    I should have known that there was more to it—
That if I so much as missed a step, you’d notice and pounce,
    wouldn’t let me get by with a thing.
If I’m truly guilty, I’m doomed.
    But if I’m innocent, it’s no better—I’m still doomed.
My belly is full of bitterness.
    I’m up to my ears in a swamp of affliction.
I try to make the best of it, try to brave it out,
    but you’re too much for me,
    relentless, like a lion on the prowl.
You line up fresh witnesses against me.
    You compound your anger
    and pile on the grief and pain!

^18-22“So why did you have me born?
    I wish no one had ever laid eyes on me!
I wish I’d never lived—a stillborn,
    buried without ever having breathed.
Isn’t it time to call it quits on my life?
    Can’t you let up, and let me smile just once
Before I die and am buried,
    before I’m nailed into my coffin, sealed in the ground,
And banished for good to the land of the dead,
    blind in the final dark?”

Zophar’s Counsel

How Wisdom Looks from the Inside

11 ^1-6Now it was the turn of Zophar from Naamath:

“What a flood of words! Shouldn’t we put a stop to it?
    Should this kind of loose talk be permitted?
Job, do you think you can carry on like this and we’ll say nothing?
    That we’ll let you rail and mock and not step in?
You claim, ‘My doctrine is sound
    and my conduct impeccable.’
How I wish God would give you a piece of his mind,
    tell you what’s what!
I wish he’d show you how wisdom looks from the inside,
    for true wisdom is mostly ‘inside.’
But you can be sure of this,
    you haven’t gotten half of what you deserve.

^7-12“Do you think you can explain the mystery of God?
    Do you think you can diagram God Almighty?
God is far higher than you can imagine,
    far deeper than you can comprehend,
Stretching farther than earth’s horizons,
    far wider than the endless ocean.
If he happens along, throws you in jail
    then hauls you into court, can you do anything about it?
He sees through vain pretensions,
    spots evil a long way off—
    no one pulls the wool over his eyes!
Hollow men, hollow women, will wise up
    about the same time mules learn to talk.

Reach Out to God

^13-20“Still, if you set your heart on God
    and reach out to him,
If you scrub your hands of sin
    and refuse to entertain evil in your home,
You’ll be able to face the world unashamed
    and keep a firm grip on life, guiltless and fearless.
You’ll forget your troubles;
    they’ll be like old, faded photographs.
Your world will be washed in sunshine,
    every shadow dispersed by dawn.
Full of hope, you’ll relax, confident again;
    you’ll look around, sit back, and take it easy.
Expansive, without a care in the world,
    you’ll be hunted out by many for your blessing.
But the wicked will see none of this.
    They’re headed down a dead-end road
    with nothing to look forward to—nothing.”

'Job 1-21' not found for the version: New International Version.

'Job 1-21' not found for the version: English Standard Version.

Job 1-11

New American Standard Bible

Job’s Character and Wealth

Satan Allowed to Test Job

²⁰Then Job got up, ^(Z)tore his robe, and shaved his head; then he fell to the ground and worshiped. ²¹He said,

“^(AA)Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked I shall return there.
The ^(AB)Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

²²^(AC)Despite all this, Job did not sin, nor did he ^[m]blame God.

Job Loses His Health

Job’s Lament

3 Afterward Job opened his mouth and cursed ^[t]the day of his birth. ²And Job ^[u]said,

Eliphaz Says the Innocent Do Not Suffer

4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded,

God Is Just

Job’s Friends Are No Help

6 Then Job responded,

Job’s Life Seems Futile

Bildad Says God Rewards the Good

8 Then Bildad the Shuhite responded,

Job Says There Is No Arbitrator between God and Mankind

9 Then Job responded,

Job Despairs of God’s Dealings

Zophar Rebukes Job

11 Then Zophar the Naamathite responded,

²“Shall a multitude of words go unanswered,
And a ^(JU)talkative man be acquitted?

Footnotes

Job 1:3 Lit sons
Job 1:6 I.e., prob. angels
Job 1:6 Heb ha-satan; i.e., the adversary, and so throughout the ch
Job 1:8 Lit set your heart on
Job 1:8 Or revering
Job 1:9 Lit Lord and said
Job 1:12 Lit hand
Job 1:15 Lit Sheba
Job 1:15 Lit fell upon
Job 1:15 Lit struck
Job 1:15 Lit only I alone, and so also vv 16, 17, 19
Job 1:17 Lit struck
Job 1:22 Lit ascribe unseemliness to
Job 2:1 Heb ha-satan; i.e., the adversary, and so throughout the ch
Job 2:3 Lit set your heart to
Job 2:3 Or revering
Job 2:3 Lit swallow him up
Job 2:6 Lit hand
Job 2:12 Lit raised their eyes
Job 3:1 Lit his day
Job 3:2 Lit answered and said
Job 3:3 Lit man-child
Job 3:8 Or skillful
Job 3:9 Lit eyelids of dawn
Job 3:11 Lit from the womb
Job 3:16 I.e., buried
Job 3:17 Lit weary of strength
Job 3:21 Lit wait
Job 3:25 Lit I fear a fear, and it comes
Job 3:25 Lit comes to me
Job 4:2 Lit in words
Job 4:4 Lit knees giving way
Job 4:6 Or reverence for
Job 4:8 I.e., devise
Job 4:9 Lit wind
Job 4:14 Lit the multitude of
Job 4:15 Or wind passed over
Job 4:17 Lit from
Job 4:17 Lit from
Job 5:4 Lit crushed
Job 5:5 Lit Whose harvest the hungry devour
Job 5:5 Ancient versions thirsty
Job 5:9 Or Miracles
Job 5:17 Heb Shaddai, and so throughout ch 6
Job 5:18 Lit binds
Job 5:21 Lit at
Job 5:22 Lit animals of the earth
Job 5:24 Lit not miss
Job 5:25 Lit seed
Job 6:4 Lit Whose poison my spirit drinks
Job 6:6 Heb hallamuth, meaning uncertain
Job 6:10 Lit hidden
Job 6:11 Lit prolong my soul
Job 6:14 Or reverence for
Job 6:15 I.e., dry stream bed(s), except in the rainy season
Job 6:15 I.e., dry stream bed(s), except in the rainy season
Job 6:16 Lit hides itself
Job 6:18 Or caravans turn from their course, they go up into the waste and perish
Job 7:1 Lit Has not man compulsory labor
Job 7:5 Lit melts
Job 7:9 I.e., the netherworld
Job 7:13 Lit bear
Job 7:15 Lit bones
Job 7:16 Or loathe
Job 7:17 Lit set Your heart on
Job 7:19 Lit How long will You not
Job 7:21 Or unjust deed
Job 8:3 Heb Shaddai
Job 8:4 Lit hand
Job 8:5 Heb Shaddai
Job 8:6 Lit place
Job 8:12 Lit reed
Job 8:14 Lit house
Job 8:17 Heb sees
Job 8:18 Lit swallowed up
Job 8:20 Lit strengthen the hand of
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 10:1 Lit My soul loathes
Job 10:3 Lit good
Job 10:3 Lit You shine forth
Job 10:8 Lit together round about
Job 10:12 See Job 1:1-2
Job 10:15 Lit see
Job 10:17 Lit Changes and warfare are with me
Job 10:20 Lit Put

Job 1-21

New King James Version

Job and His Family in Uz

Satan Attacks Job’s Character

⁶Now ^(G)there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and ^[e]Satan also came among them. ⁷And the Lord said to ^[f]Satan, “From where do you come?”

So Satan answered the Lord and said, “From ^(H)going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”

⁸Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you ^[g]considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and ^[h]shuns evil?”

¹²And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your ^[k]power; only do not lay a hand on his person.”

So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Job Loses His Property and Children

²⁰Then Job arose, ^(O)tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he ^(P)fell to the ground and worshiped. ²¹And he said:

^(Q)“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked shall I return there.
The Lord ^(R)gave, and the Lord has ^(S)taken away;
^(T)Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

²²^(U)In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.

Satan Attacks Job’s Health

^(W)Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”

⁶^(AC)And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.”

⁹Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? ^[r]Curse God and die!”

Job’s Three Friends

Job Deplores His Birth

3 After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. ²And Job ^[s]spoke, and said:

Eliphaz: Job Has Sinned

4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:

Eliphaz: Job Is Chastened by God

Job: My Complaint Is Just

6 Then Job answered and said:

Job: My Suffering Is Comfortless

Bildad: Job Should Repent

8 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:

Job: There Is No Mediator

9 Then Job answered and said:

Job: I Would Plead with God

Zophar Urges Job to Repent

11 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:

Job Answers His Critics

12 Then Job answered and said:

²“No doubt you are the people,
And wisdom will die with you!
³But I have ^[bn]understanding as well as you;
I am not ^(GN)inferior to you.
Indeed, who does not know such things as these?

⁴“I^(GO) am one mocked by his friends,
Who ^(GP)called on God, and He answered him,
The just and blameless who is ridiculed.
⁵A ^[bo]lamp is despised in the thought of one who is at ease;
It is made ready for ^(GQ)those whose feet slip.
⁶^(GR)The tents of robbers prosper,
And those who provoke God are secure—
In what God provides by His hand.

⁷“But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you;
And the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
⁸Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you;
And the fish of the sea will explain to you.
⁹Who among all these does not know
That the hand of the Lord has done this,
¹⁰^(GS)In whose hand is the ^[bp]life of every living thing,
And the ^(GT)breath of ^[bq]all mankind?
¹¹Does not the ear test words
And the ^[br]mouth taste its food?
¹²Wisdom is with aged men,
And with ^[bs]length of days, understanding.

¹³“With Him are ^(GU)wisdom and strength,
He has counsel and understanding.
¹⁴If ^(GV)He breaks a thing down, it cannot be rebuilt;
If He imprisons a man, there can be no release.
¹⁵If He ^(GW)withholds the waters, they dry up;
If He ^(GX)sends them out, they overwhelm the earth.
¹⁶With Him are strength and prudence.
The deceived and the deceiver are His.
¹⁷He leads counselors away plundered,
And makes fools of the judges.
¹⁸He loosens the bonds of kings,
And binds their waist with a belt.
¹⁹He leads ^[bt]princes away plundered,
And overthrows the mighty.
²⁰^(GY)He deprives the trusted ones of speech,
And takes away the discernment of the elders.
²¹^(GZ)He pours contempt on princes,
And ^[bu]disarms the mighty.
²²He ^(HA)uncovers deep things out of darkness,
And brings the shadow of death to light.
²³^(HB)He makes nations great, and destroys them;
He ^[bv]enlarges nations, and guides them.
²⁴He takes away the ^[bw]understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth,
And ^(HC)makes them wander in a pathless wilderness.
²⁵^(HD)They grope in the dark without light,
And He makes them ^(HE)stagger like a drunken man.

Job Defends Himself

13 “Behold, my eye has seen all this,
My ear has heard and understood it.
²^(HF)What you know, I also know;
I am not inferior to you.
³^(HG)But I would speak to the Almighty,
And I desire to reason with God.
⁴But you forgers of lies,
^(HH)You are all worthless physicians.
⁵Oh, that you would be silent,
And ^(HI)it would be your wisdom!
⁶Now hear my reasoning,
And heed the pleadings of my lips.
⁷^(HJ)Will you speak ^[bx]wickedly for God,
And talk deceitfully for Him?
⁸Will you show partiality for Him?
Will you contend for God?
⁹Will it be well when He searches you out?
Or can you mock Him as one mocks a man?
¹⁰He will surely rebuke you
If you secretly show partiality.
¹¹Will not His ^[by]excellence make you afraid,
And the dread of Him fall upon you?
¹²Your platitudes are proverbs of ashes,
Your defenses are defenses of clay.

¹³“Hold^[bz] your peace with me, and let me speak,
Then let come on me what may!
¹⁴Why ^(HK)do I take my flesh in my teeth,
And put my life in my hands?
¹⁵^(HL)Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.
^(HM)Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him.
¹⁶He also shall be my salvation,
For a ^(HN)hypocrite could not come before Him.
¹⁷Listen carefully to my speech,
And to my declaration with your ears.
¹⁸See now, I have prepared my case,
I know that I shall be ^(HO)vindicated.
¹⁹^(HP)Who is he who will contend with me?
If now I hold my tongue, I perish.

Job’s Despondent Prayer

²⁰“Only^(HQ) two things do not do to me,
Then I will not hide myself from You:
²¹^(HR)Withdraw Your hand far from me,
And let not the dread of You make me afraid.
²²Then call, and I will ^(HS)answer;
Or let me speak, then You respond to me.
²³How many are my iniquities and sins?
Make me know my transgression and my sin.
²⁴^(HT)Why do You hide Your face,
And ^(HU)regard me as Your enemy?
²⁵^(HV)Will You frighten a leaf driven to and fro?
And will You pursue dry stubble?
²⁶For You write bitter things against me,
And ^(HW)make me inherit the iniquities of my youth.
²⁷^(HX)You put my feet in the stocks,
And watch closely all my paths.
You ^[ca]set a limit for the ^[cb]soles of my feet.

²⁸“Man^[cc] decays like a rotten thing,
Like a garment that is moth-eaten.

Job Speaks of Life’s Woes

14 “Man who is born of woman
Is of few days and ^(HY)full of ^[cd]trouble.
²^(HZ)He comes forth like a flower and fades away;
He flees like a shadow and does not continue.
³And ^(IA)do You open Your eyes on such a one,
And ^(IB)bring ^[ce]me to judgment with Yourself?
⁴Who ^(IC)can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?
No one!
⁵^(ID)Since his days are determined,
The number of his months is with You;
You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass.
⁶^(IE)Look away from him that he may ^[cf]rest,
Till ^(IF)like a hired man he finishes his day.

⁷“For there is hope for a tree,
If it is cut down, that it will sprout again,
And that its tender shoots will not cease.
⁸Though its root may grow old in the earth,
And its stump may die in the ground,
⁹Yet at the scent of water it will bud
And bring forth branches like a plant.
¹⁰But man dies and ^[cg]is laid away;
Indeed he ^[ch]breathes his last
And where is ^(IG)he?
¹¹As water disappears from the sea,
And a river becomes parched and dries up,
¹²So man lies down and does not rise.
^(IH)Till the heavens are no more,
They will not awake
Nor be roused from their sleep.

¹³“Oh, that You would hide me in the grave,
That You would conceal me until Your wrath is past,
That You would appoint me a set time, and remember me!
¹⁴If a man dies, shall he live again?
All the days of my hard service ^(II)I will wait,
Till my change comes.
¹⁵^(IJ)You shall call, and I will answer You;
You shall desire the work of Your hands.
¹⁶For now ^(IK)You number my steps,
But do not watch over my sin.
¹⁷^(IL)My transgression is sealed up in a bag,
And You ^[ci]cover my iniquity.

¹⁸“But as a mountain falls and crumbles away,
And as a rock is moved from its place;
¹⁹As water wears away stones,
And as torrents wash away the soil of the earth;
So You destroy the hope of man.
²⁰You prevail forever against him, and he passes on;
You change his countenance and send him away.
²¹His sons come to honor, and ^(IM)he does not know it;
They are brought low, and he does not perceive it.
²²But his flesh will be in pain over it,
And his soul will mourn over it.”

Eliphaz Accuses Job of Folly

15 Then ^(IN)Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:

²“Should a wise man answer with empty knowledge,
And fill ^[cj]himself with the east wind?
³Should he reason with unprofitable talk,
Or by speeches with which he can do no good?
⁴Yes, you cast off fear,
And restrain ^[ck]prayer before God.
⁵For your iniquity teaches your mouth,
And you choose the tongue of the crafty.
⁶^(IO)Your own mouth condemns you, and not I;
Yes, your own lips testify against you.

⁷“Are you the first man who was born?
^(IP)Or were you made before the hills?
⁸^(IQ)Have you heard the counsel of God?
Do you limit wisdom to yourself?
⁹^(IR)What do you know that we do not know?
What do you understand that is not in us?
¹⁰^(IS)Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us,
Much older than your father.
¹¹Are the consolations of God too small for you,
And the word spoken ^[cl]gently with you?
¹²Why does your heart carry you away,
And ^[cm]what do your eyes wink at,
¹³That you turn your spirit against God,
And let such words go out of your mouth?

¹⁴“What^(IT) is man, that he could be pure?
And he who is born of a woman, that he could be righteous?
¹⁵^(IU)If God puts no trust in His saints,
And the heavens are not pure in His sight,
¹⁶^(IV)How much less man, who is abominable and filthy,
^(IW)Who drinks iniquity like water!

¹⁷“I will tell you, hear me;
What I have seen I will declare,
¹⁸What wise men have told,
Not hiding anything received ^(IX)from their fathers,
¹⁹To whom alone the ^[cn]land was given,
And ^(IY)no alien passed among them:
²⁰The wicked man writhes with pain all his days,
^(IZ)And the number of years is hidden from the oppressor.
²¹^[co]Dreadful sounds are in his ears;
^(JA)In prosperity the destroyer comes upon him.
²²He does not believe that he will ^(JB)return from darkness,
For a sword is waiting for him.
²³He ^(JC)wanders about for bread, saying, ‘Where is it?’
He knows ^(JD)that a day of darkness is ready at his hand.
²⁴Trouble and anguish make him afraid;
They overpower him, like a king ready for ^[cp]battle.
²⁵For he stretches out his hand against God,
And acts defiantly against the Almighty,
²⁶Running stubbornly against Him
With his strong, embossed shield.

²⁷“Though^(JE) he has covered his face with his fatness,
And made his waist heavy with fat,
²⁸He dwells in desolate cities,
In houses which no one inhabits,
Which are destined to become ruins.
²⁹He will not be rich,
Nor will his wealth ^(JF)continue,
Nor will his possessions overspread the earth.
³⁰He will not depart from darkness;
The flame will dry out his branches,
And ^(JG)by the breath of His mouth he will go away.
³¹Let him not ^(JH)trust in futile things, deceiving himself,
For futility will be his reward.
³²It will be accomplished ^(JI)before his time,
And his branch will not be green.
³³He will shake off his unripe grape like a vine,
And cast off his blossom like an olive tree.
³⁴For the company of hypocrites will be barren,
And fire will consume the tents of bribery.
³⁵^(JJ)They conceive trouble and bring forth futility;
Their womb prepares deceit.”

Job Reproaches His Pitiless Friends

16 Then Job answered and said:

²“I have heard many such things;
^(JK)Miserable^[cq] comforters are you all!
³Shall ^[cr]words of wind have an end?
Or what provokes you that you answer?
⁴I also could speak as you do,
If your soul were in my soul’s place.
I could heap up words against you,
And ^(JL)shake my head at you;
⁵But I would strengthen you with my mouth,
And the comfort of my lips would relieve your grief.

⁶“Though I speak, my grief is not relieved;
And if I remain silent, how am I eased?
⁷But now He has ^(JM)worn me out;
You ^(JN)have made desolate all my company.
⁸You have shriveled me up,
And it is a ^(JO)witness against me;
My leanness rises up against me
And bears witness to my face.
⁹^(JP)He tears me in His wrath, and hates me;
He gnashes at me with His teeth;
^(JQ)My adversary sharpens His gaze on me.
¹⁰They ^(JR)gape at me with their mouth,
They ^(JS)strike me reproachfully on the cheek,
They gather together against me.
¹¹God ^(JT)has delivered me to the ungodly,
And turned me over to the hands of the wicked.
¹²I was at ease, but He has ^(JU)shattered me;
He also has taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces;
He has ^(JV)set me up for His target,
¹³His archers surround me.
He pierces my ^[cs]heart and does not pity;
He pours out my gall on the ground.
¹⁴He breaks me with wound upon wound;
He runs at me like a ^[ct]warrior.

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

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

Job Prays for Relief

17 “My spirit is broken,
My days are extinguished,
^(KB)The grave is ready for me.
²Are not mockers with me?
And does not my eye ^[cx]dwell on their ^(KC)provocation?

³“Now put down a pledge for me with Yourself.
Who is he who ^(KD)will shake hands with me?
⁴For You have hidden their heart from ^(KE)understanding;
Therefore You will not exalt them.
⁵He who speaks flattery to his friends,
Even the eyes of his children will ^(KF)fail.

⁶“But He has made me ^(KG)a byword of the people,
And I have become one in whose face men spit.
⁷^(KH)My eye has also grown dim because of sorrow,
And all my members are like shadows.
⁸Upright men are astonished at this,
And the innocent stirs himself up against the hypocrite.
⁹Yet the righteous will hold to his ^(KI)way,
And he who has ^(KJ)clean hands will be stronger and stronger.

¹⁰“But please, ^(KK)come back again, ^[cy]all of you,
For I shall not find one wise man among you.
¹¹^(KL)My days are past,
My purposes are broken off,
Even the ^[cz]thoughts of my heart.
¹²They change the night into day;
‘The light is near,’ they say, in the face of darkness.
¹³If I wait for the grave as my house,
If I make my bed in the darkness,
¹⁴If I say to corruption, ‘You are my father,’
And to the worm, ‘You are my mother and my sister,’
¹⁵Where then is my ^(KM)hope?
As for my hope, who can see it?
¹⁶Will they go down ^(KN)to the gates of ^[da]Sheol?
Shall we have ^(KO)rest together in the dust?”

Bildad: The Wicked Are Punished

18 Then ^(KP)Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:

²“How long till you put an end to words?
Gain understanding, and afterward we will speak.
³Why are we counted ^(KQ)as beasts,
And regarded as stupid in your sight?
⁴^(KR)You^[db] who tear yourself in anger,
Shall the earth be forsaken for you?
Or shall the rock be removed from its place?

⁵“The^(KS) light of the wicked indeed goes out,
And the flame of his fire does not shine.
⁶The light is dark in his tent,
^(KT)And his lamp beside him is put out.
⁷The steps of his strength are shortened,
And ^(KU)his own counsel casts him down.
⁸For ^(KV)he is cast into a net by his own feet,
And he walks into a snare.
⁹The net takes him by the heel,
And ^(KW)a snare lays hold of him.
¹⁰A noose is hidden for him on the ground,
And a trap for him in the road.
¹¹^(KX)Terrors frighten him on every side,
And drive him to his feet.
¹²His strength is starved,
And ^(KY)destruction is ready at his side.
¹³It devours patches of his skin;
The firstborn of death devours his ^[dc]limbs.
¹⁴He is uprooted from ^(KZ)the shelter of his tent,
And they parade him before the king of terrors.
¹⁵They dwell in his tent who are none of his;
Brimstone is scattered on his dwelling.
¹⁶^(LA)His roots are dried out below,
And his branch withers above.
¹⁷^(LB)The memory of him perishes from the earth,
And he has no name ^[dd]among the renowned.
¹⁸^[de]He is driven from light into darkness,
And chased out of the world.
¹⁹^(LC)He has neither son nor posterity among his people,
Nor any remaining in his dwellings.
²⁰Those ^[df]in the west are astonished ^(LD)at his day,
As those ^[dg]in the east are frightened.
²¹Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked,
And this is the place of him who ^(LE)does not know God.”

Job Trusts in His Redeemer

19 Then Job answered and said:

²“How long will you torment my soul,
And break me in pieces with words?
³These ten times you have ^[dh]reproached me;
You are not ashamed that you ^[di]have wronged me.
⁴And if indeed I have erred,
My error remains with me.
⁵If indeed you ^(LF)exalt yourselves against me,
And plead my disgrace against me,
⁶Know then that ^(LG)God has wronged me,
And has surrounded me with His net.

⁷“If I cry out concerning ^[dj]wrong, I am not heard.
If I cry aloud, there is no justice.
⁸^(LH)He has ^[dk]fenced up my way, so that I cannot pass;
And He has set darkness in my paths.
⁹^(LI)He has stripped me of my glory,
And taken the crown from my head.
¹⁰He breaks me down on every side,
And I am gone;
My ^(LJ)hope He has uprooted like a tree.
¹¹He has also kindled His wrath against me,
And ^(LK)He counts me as one of His enemies.
¹²His troops come together
And build up their road against me;
They encamp all around my tent.

¹³“He^(LL) has removed my brothers far from me,
And my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.
¹⁴My relatives have failed,
And my close friends have forgotten me.
¹⁵Those who dwell in my house, and my maidservants,
Count me as a stranger;
I am an alien in their sight.
¹⁶I call my servant, but he gives no answer;
I beg him with my mouth.
¹⁷My breath is offensive to my wife,
And I am ^[dl]repulsive to the children of my own body.
¹⁸Even ^(LM)young children despise me;
I arise, and they speak against me.
¹⁹^(LN)All my close friends abhor me,
And those whom I love have turned against me.
²⁰^(LO)My bone clings to my skin and to my flesh,
And I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.

²¹“Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends,
For the hand of God has struck me!
²²Why do you ^(LP)persecute me as God does,
And are not satisfied with my flesh?

²³“Oh, that my words were written!
Oh, that they were inscribed in a book!
²⁴That they were engraved on a rock
With an iron pen and lead, forever!
²⁵For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth;
²⁶And after my skin is ^[dm]destroyed, this I know,
That ^(LQ)in my flesh I shall see God,
²⁷Whom I shall see for myself,
And my eyes shall behold, and not another.
How my ^[dn]heart yearns within me!
²⁸If you should say, ‘How shall we persecute him?’—
Since the root of the matter is found in me,
²⁹Be afraid of the sword for yourselves;
For wrath brings the punishment of the sword,
That you may know there is a judgment.”

Zophar’s Sermon on the Wicked Man

20 Then ^(LR)Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:

²“Therefore my anxious thoughts make me answer,
Because of the turmoil within me.
³I have heard the rebuke ^[do]that reproaches me,
And the spirit of my understanding causes me to answer.

⁴“Do you not know this of ^(LS)old,
Since man was placed on earth,
⁵^(LT)That the triumphing of the wicked is short,
And the joy of the hypocrite is but for a ^(LU)moment?
⁶^(LV)Though his haughtiness mounts up to the heavens,
And his head reaches to the clouds,
⁷Yet he will perish forever like his own refuse;
Those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’
⁸He will fly away ^(LW)like a dream, and not be found;
Yes, he ^(LX)will be chased away like a vision of the night.
⁹The eye that saw him will see him no more,
Nor will his place behold him anymore.
¹⁰His children will seek the favor of the poor,
And his hands will restore his wealth.
¹¹His bones are full of ^(LY)his youthful vigor,
^(LZ)But it will lie down with him in the dust.

¹²“Though evil is sweet in his mouth,
And he hides it under his tongue,
¹³Though he spares it and does not forsake it,
But still keeps it in his ^[dp]mouth,
¹⁴Yet his food in his stomach turns sour;
It becomes cobra venom within him.
¹⁵He swallows down riches
And vomits them up again;
God casts them out of his belly.
¹⁶He will suck the poison of cobras;
The viper’s tongue will slay him.
¹⁷He will not see ^(MA)the streams,
The rivers flowing with honey and cream.
¹⁸He will restore that for which he labored,
And will not swallow it down;
From the proceeds of business
He will get no enjoyment.
¹⁹For he has ^[dq]oppressed and forsaken the poor,
He has violently seized a house which he did not build.

²⁰“Because^(MB) he knows no quietness in his ^[dr]heart,
He will not save anything he desires.
²¹Nothing is left for him to eat;
Therefore his well-being will not last.
²²In his self-sufficiency he will be in distress;
Every hand of ^[ds]misery will come against him.
²³When he is about to fill his stomach,
God will cast on him the fury of His wrath,
And will rain it on him while he is eating.
²⁴^(MC)He will flee from the iron weapon;
A bronze bow will pierce him through.
²⁵It is drawn, and comes out of the body;
Yes, ^(MD)the glittering point comes out of his ^[dt]gall.
^(ME)Terrors come upon him;
²⁶Total darkness is reserved for his treasures.
^(MF)An unfanned fire will consume him;
It shall go ill with him who is left in his tent.
²⁷The heavens will reveal his iniquity,
And the earth will rise up against him.
²⁸The increase of his house will depart,
And his goods will flow away in the day of His ^(MG)wrath.
²⁹^(MH)This is the portion from God for a wicked man,
The heritage appointed to him by God.”

Job’s Discourse on the Wicked

21 Then Job answered and said:

²“Listen carefully to my speech,
And let this be your ^[du]consolation.
³Bear with me that I may speak,
And after I have spoken, keep ^(MI)mocking.

⁴“As for me, is my complaint against man?
And if it were, why should I not be impatient?
⁵Look at me and be astonished;
^(MJ)Put your hand over your mouth.
⁶Even when I remember I am terrified,
And trembling takes hold of my flesh.
⁷^(MK)Why do the wicked live and become old,
Yes, become mighty in power?
⁸Their descendants are established with them in their sight,
And their offspring before their eyes.
⁹Their houses are safe from fear,
^(ML)Neither is ^[dv]the rod of God upon them.
¹⁰Their bull breeds without failure;
Their cow calves ^(MM)without miscarriage.
¹¹They send forth their little ones like a flock,
And their children dance.
¹²They sing to the tambourine and harp,
And rejoice to the sound of the flute.
¹³They ^(MN)spend their days in wealth,
And ^[dw]in a moment go down to the ^[dx]grave.
¹⁴^(MO)Yet they say to God, ‘Depart from us,
For we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways.
¹⁵^(MP)Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him?
And ^(MQ)what profit do we have if we pray to Him?’
¹⁶Indeed ^[dy]their prosperity is not in their hand;
^(MR)The counsel of the wicked is far from me.

¹⁷“How often is the lamp of the wicked put out?
How often does their destruction come upon them,
The sorrows God ^(MS)distributes in His anger?
¹⁸^(MT)They are like straw before the wind,
And like chaff that a storm ^[dz]carries away.
¹⁹They say, ‘God ^[ea]lays up ^[eb]one’s iniquity ^(MU)for his children’;
Let Him recompense him, that he may know it.
²⁰Let his eyes see his destruction,
And ^(MV)let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
²¹For what does he care about his household after him,
When the number of his months is cut in half?

²²“Can^(MW) anyone teach God knowledge,
Since He judges those on high?
²³One dies in his full strength,
Being wholly at ease and secure;
²⁴His ^[ec]pails are full of milk,
And the marrow of his bones is moist.
²⁵Another man dies in the bitterness of his soul,
Never having eaten with pleasure.
²⁶They ^(MX)lie down alike in the dust,
And worms cover them.

²⁷“Look, I know your thoughts,
And the schemes with which you would wrong me.
²⁸For you say,
‘Where is the house of the prince?
And where is ^[ed]the tent,
The dwelling place of the wicked?’
²⁹Have you not asked those who travel the road?
And do you not know their signs?
³⁰^(MY)For the wicked are reserved for the day of doom;
They shall be brought out on the day of wrath.
³¹Who condemns his way to his face?
And who repays him for what he has done?
³²Yet he shall be brought to the grave,
And a vigil kept over the tomb.
³³The clods of the valley shall be sweet to him;
^(MZ)Everyone shall follow him,
As countless have gone before him.
³⁴How then can you comfort me with empty words,
Since ^[ee]falsehood remains in your answers?”

Footnotes

Job 1:1 Lit. turned away from
Job 1:3 Lit. sons
Job 1:5 consecrate
Job 1:5 Lit. blessed, but in an evil sense; cf. Job 1:11; 2:5, 9
Job 1:6 Lit. the Adversary
Job 1:7 Lit. the Adversary
Job 1:8 Lit. set your heart on
Job 1:8 Lit. turns away from
Job 1:10 Protected him
Job 1:11 Lit. bless, but in an evil sense; cf. Job 1:5
Job 1:12 Lit. hand
Job 1:15 Lit. Sheba; cf. Job 6:19
Job 1:15 Lit. fell upon
Job 1:16 destroyed
Job 1:19 LXX omits across
Job 2:3 Lit. consume
Job 2:5 Lit. bless, but in an evil sense; cf. Job 1:5
Job 2:9 Lit. Bless, but in an evil sense; cf. Job 1:5
Job 3:2 Lit. answered
Job 3:6 LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. be joined
Job 3:9 eyelids of the dawn
Job 3:11 expire
Job 3:17 Lit. weary of strength
Job 3:18 are at ease
Job 3:21 Lit. wait
Job 3:24 Lit. my bread
Job 4:4 Lit. bending
Job 5:5 LXX They shall not be taken from evil men; Vg. And the armed man shall take him by violence
Job 5:5 LXX The might shall draw them off; Vg. And the thirsty shall drink up their riches
Job 5:5 wealth
Job 5:7 labor
Job 5:20 Lit. hand
Job 6:14 Or despairing
Job 6:20 Lit. ashamed
Job 6:29 Lit. is in it
Job 6:30 palate
Job 7:2 Lit. pants for
Job 7:15 Lit. my bones
Job 7:16 Without substance, futile
Job 7:18 attend to
Job 7:20 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX, Jewish tradition to You
Job 8:4 Lit. into the hand of their transgression
Job 8:6 arise
Job 8:9 Lit. not
Job 8:14 Lit. a spider’s house
Job 8:20 reject
Job 8:21 Lit. shouts of joy
Job 8:22 Lit. will not be
Job 9:3 argue
Job 9:8 walks
Job 9:8 Lit. heights
Job 9:9 Heb. Ash, Kesil, and Kimah
Job 9:12 Lit. who can turn Him back?
Job 9:13 Heb. rahab
Job 9:26 Lit. ships of reeds
Job 9:30 lye
Job 9:31 loathe
Job 10:1 Lit. leave on myself
Job 10:15 Lit. will not
Job 11:2 Lit. a man of lips
Job 11:3 be silent
Job 11:6 Lit. forgets some of your iniquity for you
Job 11:8 The abode of the dead
Job 11:10 restrain
Job 11:20 Lit. the breathing out of life
Job 12:3 Lit. a heart
Job 12:5 Or disaster
Job 12:10 Or soul
Job 12:10 Lit. all flesh of men
Job 12:11 palate
Job 12:12 Long life
Job 12:19 Lit. priests, but not in a technical sense
Job 12:21 loosens the belt of
Job 12:23 Lit. spreads out
Job 12:24 Lit. heart
Job 13:7 unrighteously
Job 13:11 Lit. exaltation
Job 13:13 Be silent
Job 13:27 Lit. inscribe a print
Job 13:27 Lit. roots
Job 13:28 Lit. He
Job 14:1 turmoil
Job 14:3 LXX, Syr., Vg. him
Job 14:6 Lit. cease
Job 14:10 lies prostrate
Job 14:10 expires
Job 14:17 Lit. plaster over
Job 15:2 Lit. his belly
Job 15:4 meditation or complaint
Job 15:11 Or a secret thing
Job 15:12 Or why do your eyes flash
Job 15:19 Or earth
Job 15:21 Terrifying
Job 15:24 attack
Job 16:2 Troublesome
Job 16:3 Empty words
Job 16:13 Lit. kidneys
Job 16:14 Vg. giant
Job 16:15 Lit. horn
Job 16:16 Lit. red
Job 16:21 friend
Job 17:2 Lit. lodge
Job 17:10 So with some Heb. mss., LXX, Syr., Vg.; MT, Tg. all of them
Job 17:11 desires
Job 17:16 The abode of the dead
Job 18:4 Lit. one who tears his soul
Job 18:13 parts
Job 18:17 Lit. before the outside, i.e., the distinguished or famous
Job 18:18 Or They drive him
Job 18:20 Lit. who came after
Job 18:20 Lit. who have gone before
Job 19:3 shamed or disgraced
Job 19:3 A Jewish tradition make yourselves strange to me
Job 19:7 violence
Job 19:8 walled off my way
Job 19:17 Lit. strange
Job 19:26 Lit. struck off
Job 19:27 Lit. kidneys
Job 20:3 Lit. of my insulting correction
Job 20:13 Lit. palate
Job 20:19 crushed
Job 20:20 Lit. belly
Job 20:22 Or the wretched or sufferer
Job 20:25 Gallbladder
Job 21:2 comfort
Job 21:9 The rod of God’s chastisement
Job 21:13 Without lingering
Job 21:13 Or Sheol
Job 21:16 Lit. their goal
Job 21:18 steals away
Job 21:19 stores up
Job 21:19 Lit. his
Job 21:24 LXX, Vg. bowels; Syr. sides; Tg. breasts
Job 21:28 Vg. omits the tent
Job 21:34 faithlessness

Job 1-21

The Message