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
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”
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