Job 11
New American Standard Bible
Zophar Rebukes Job
11 Then Zophar the Naamathite responded,
2 “Shall a multitude of words go unanswered,
And a (A)talkative man be acquitted?
3 Shall your boasts silence people?
And will you (B)scoff, and no one rebuke?
4 For (C)you have said, ‘My teaching is pure,
And (D)I am innocent in your eyes.’
5 But if only God would speak,
And open His lips against you,
6 And show you the secrets of wisdom!
For sound wisdom [a](E)has two sides.
Know then that God [b]forgets part of (F)your guilt.
7 “(G)Can you discover the depths of God?
Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?
8 They are as (H)high as [c]the heavens; what can you do?
Deeper than [d](I)Sheol; what can you know?
9 Its measurement is longer than the earth
And broader than the sea.
10 If He passes by or apprehends people,
Or calls an assembly, (J)who can restrain Him?
11 For (K)He knows false people,
And He (L)sees injustice [e]without investigating.
12 [f](M)An idiot will become intelligent
When a (N)wild donkey is born a human.
13 “(O)If you would (P)direct your heart rightly
And (Q)spread out your hands to Him,
14 If wrongdoing is in your hand, (R)put it far away,
And do not let malice dwell in your tents;
15 Then, indeed, you could (S)lift up your face without moral blemish,
And you would be firmly established and (T)not fear.
16 For you would (U)forget your trouble;
Like (V)waters that have passed by, you would remember it.
17 Your [g]life would [h]be (W)brighter than noonday;
Darkness would be like the morning.
18 Then you would trust, because there is hope;
And you would look around and rest securely.
19 You would (X)lie down and none would disturb you,
And many would [i](Y)flatter you.
20 But the (Z)eyes of the wicked will fail,
And [j]there will (AA)be no escape for them;
And their (AB)hope is [k](AC)to breathe their last.”
Footnotes
- 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 11
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Zophar Speaks
11 Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:
2 Should this stream 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 declare His case[b] 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 sin.(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 man will gain understanding
as soon as a wild donkey is born a man!
13 As for you, if you redirect your heart
and lift up 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 waters that have flowed by.
17 Your life will be brighter than noonday;
its darkness[c] 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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