Job 11
Lexham English Bible
Zophar’s First Response to Job
11 Then[a] Zophar the Naamathite answered and said,
2 “Should an abundance of words go unanswered,
or a man full of talk[b] be vindicated?[c]
3 Should your loose talk put people to silence?
And when you mock, shall no one put you to shame?[d]
4 For you say, ‘My teaching is pure,
and I am clean in your sight.’
5 But,[e] O that[f] God might speak,
and that he would open his lips to you,
6 and that he would tell you the secrets of wisdom,
for insight has many sides.[g]
And know that God on your behalf[h] has forgotten some of[i] your guilt.
7 “Can you find out the essence of God,
or can you find out the ultimate limits[j] of Shaddai?
8 It is higher than the heaven;[k] what can you do?
It is deeper than Sheol; what can you know?
9 Its measure is longer than the earth
and broader than the sea.
10 “If he passes through and imprisons someone[l]
and summons the assembly,[m] then[n] who can hinder him?
11 For he knows those who are worthless;[o]
when he sees[p] iniquity, he will not consider it.[q]
12 But[r] an empty-headed person[s] will get understanding
when[t] a wild donkey’s colt is born as a human being.
13 “If you yourself[u] direct your heart
and stretch out your hands to him—
14 if iniquity[v] is in your hand, put it far away,
and you must not let wickedness reside in your tents—
15 surely then you will lift up your face without[w] blemish,
and you will be firmly established and will not fear.[x]
16 For you yourself[y] will forget your misery;
you will remember it as water that has flowed past.
17 “And your life will be brighter than noon;[z]
its darkness will be like the morning.
18 And you will have confidence because there is hope;
and you will be well protected—you will sleep in safety.[aa]
19 And you will lie down, and no one will make you afraid;[ab]
and many will entreat your favor.[ac]
20 But[ad] the eyes of the wicked will fail;
and refuge will be lost to them,
and their hope is to breathe their last breath.”[ae]
Footnotes
- Job 11:1 Hebrew “And”
- Job 11:2 Literally “a man of lips”
- Job 11:2 Hebrew “should he be vindicated”
- Job 11:3 Literally “And you will mock there is not putting to shame”
- Job 11:5 Hebrew “And but”
- Job 11:5 Literally “who shall give”
- Job 11:6 Literally “double to sound wisdom”
- Job 11:6 Literally “for you”
- Job 11:6 Literally “from”
- Job 11:7 Literally “up to the limit”
- Job 11:8 Literally “heights of heaven”
- Job 11:10 Hebrew “and he imprisons”
- Job 11:10 Literally “and he summons”
- Job 11:10 Hebrew “and”
- Job 11:11 Literally “men of worthlessness”
- Job 11:11 Literally “And he will see”
- Job 11:11 Literally “and he will not consider”
- Job 11:12 Hebrew “And”
- Job 11:12 Literally “a man hollowed out”
- Job 11:12 Hebrew “and”
- Job 11:13 Emphatic personal pronoun
- Job 11:14 See v. 11, where the same word is used
- Job 11:15 Hebrew “from”
- Job 11:15 Hebrew “and not will you fear”
- Job 11:16 Emphatic personal pronoun
- Job 11:17 Literally “And from noon lifespan will arise”
- Job 11:18 Literally “you will lie down securely”
- Job 11:19 Literally “there is not making afraid”
- Job 11:19 Literally “and they will appease/implore your faces many”
- Job 11:20 Hebrew “And”
- Job 11:20 Literally “the expiring of soul”
Job 11
Christian Standard Bible
Zophar Speaks
11 Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:
2 Should this abundance of words(A) go unanswered
and such a talker[a] be acquitted?
3 Should your babbling put others to silence,
so that you can keep on ridiculing
with no one to humiliate you?
4 You have said, “My teaching(B) is sound,
and I am pure in your sight.”
5 But if only God would speak
and open his lips against you!
6 He would show you the secrets of wisdom,(C)
for true wisdom has two sides.
Know then that God has chosen to overlook some of your iniquity.(D)
7 Can you fathom the depths of God
or discover the limits of the Almighty?(E)
8 They are higher than the heavens—what can you do?
They are deeper than Sheol—what can you know?(F)
9 Their measure is longer than the earth
and wider than the sea.
10 If he passes by and throws someone in prison
or convenes a court, who can stop him?(G)
11 Surely he knows which people are worthless.
If he sees iniquity, will he not take note of it?(H)
12 But a stupid person will gain understanding
as soon as a wild donkey is born a human!
13 As for you, if you redirect your heart
and spread out your hands to him in prayer—
14 if there is iniquity in your hand, remove it,
and don’t allow injustice to dwell in your tents—
15 then you will hold your head high, free from fault.
You will be firmly established and unafraid.(I)
16 For you will forget your suffering,
recalling it only as water that has flowed by.
17 Your life will be brighter than noonday;
its darkness[b] will be like the morning.(J)
18 You will be confident, because there is hope.(K)
You will look carefully about and lie down in safety.(L)
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The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.