Job 13
New American Standard Bible
Job Says His Friends’ Proverbs Are Ashes
13 “(A)Behold, my eye has seen all this,
My ear has heard and understood it.
2 (B)What you know I also know;
I am not inferior to you.
3 “But (C)I would speak to [a]the Almighty,
And I desire to (D)argue with God.
4 But you (E)smear me with lies;
You are all (F)worthless physicians.
5 Oh that you would (G)be completely silent,
And that it would become your wisdom!
6 Please hear my argument,
And give your attention to the contentions of my lips.
7 Will you (H)speak what is unjust for God,
And speak what is deceitful for Him?
8 Will you (I)show partiality for Him?
Will you contend for God?
9 Will it go well when He examines you?
Or (J)will you deceive Him as one deceives a man?
10 He will certainly punish you
If you secretly (K)show partiality.
11 Will (L)His [b]majesty not terrify you,
And the dread of Him fall upon you?
12 Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes,
Your defenses are defenses of clay.
Job Is Sure He Will Be Vindicated
13 “(M)Be silent before me so that I may speak;
Then let come upon me what may.
14 Why should I take my flesh in my teeth,
And (N)put my life in my [c]hands?
15 (O)Though He slay me,
I will [d]hope in Him.
Nevertheless I (P)will argue my ways [e]before Him.
16 This also will be my (Q)salvation,
For (R)a godless person cannot come before His presence.
17 Listen carefully to my speech,
And let my declaration fill your ears.
18 Behold now, I have (S)prepared my case;
I know that (T)I will be vindicated.
19 (U)Who could contend with me?
For then I would be silent and (V)die.
20 “Only two things I ask that You do not do to me,
Then I will not hide from Your face:
21 (W)Remove Your [f]hand from me,
And may the dread of You not terrify me.
22 Then call and (X)I will answer;
Or let me speak, then reply to me.
23 (Y)How many are my guilty deeds and sins?
Make known to me my wrongdoing and my sin.
24 Why do You (Z)hide Your face
And consider me (AA)Your enemy?
25 Will You scare away a (AB)scattered leaf?
Or will You pursue the dry (AC)chaff?
26 For You write (AD)bitter things against me
And (AE)make me inherit the guilty deeds of my youth.
27 You (AF)put my feet in the stocks
And watch all my paths;
You [g]set a limit for the soles of my feet,
28 While [h]I am decaying like a (AG)rotten thing,
Like a garment that is moth-eaten.
Job 13
Lexham English Bible
Job’s Fourth Speech Continues
13 “Look, my eye has seen everything;
my ear has heard and has understood it.
2 What you[a] know,[b] I myself[c] also know—
I am not more inferior than you.[d]
3 But I would speak to Shaddai,
and I desire to argue with God.
4 “But[e] you[f] whitewash with lies;[g]
all of you[h] are worthless healers.[i]
5 O that[j] you[k] would keep completely silent,
and that it would become wisdom for you.[l]
6 Please hear my argument,
and listen attentively to the pleadings of my lips.
7 “Will you[m] speak falsely for God?
And will you[n] speak deceitfully for him?
8 Will you[o] show partiality for him?[p]
Or do you[q] want to plead God’s case?
9 Will it be well, if he examines you?[r]
Or can you[s] deceive him like deceiving a human being?
10 “Surely he will rebuke you[t]
if you[u] show partiality[v] in secret.
11 Will not his majesty terrify you,[w]
and his dread fall upon you?[x]
12 Your[y] maxims are proverbs of ashes;
your[z] defenses are defenses of clay.
13 “Let me have silence,[aa] and I myself[ab] will speak,
and let come over me whatever may.
14 Why should I take my flesh in my teeth
and[ac] put[ad] my life in my hand?
15 Look,[ae] though he kill me, I will hope in[af] him;
however, I will defend my ways before him.[ag]
16 Moreover, this is salvation to me,
that the godless would not come before him.[ah]
17 “Listen carefully to my words,
and let my exposition be in your ears.
18 Please look,[ai] I have prepared my case;
I know that I myself[aj] will be vindicated.
19 Who is he who will contend with me?
For then I would be silent, and I would pass away.
Job Argues His Case with God
20 “Only you[ak] must not do these two things to me;
then I will not hide from your face:
21 withdraw your[al] hand from me,
and let not your[am] dread terrify me.
22 Then[an] call, and I myself[ao] will answer;
or let me speak, then[ap] reply to me.
23 “How many[aq] are my iniquities and sins?
Make known to me my transgression and my sin.
24 Why do you[ar] hide your[as] face
and count me as your[at] enemy?
25 Will you[au] terrify a blown leaf?
And will you[av] pursue dry stubble?
26 “Indeed, you[aw] write bitter things against me,
and you[ax] make me reap the iniquities of my childhood.
27 And you[ay] put my feet in the block,
and you[az] watch all my paths;
you carve a mark on the soles of my feet.[ba]
28 And he himself [bb]wastes away like something rotten,
like a garment that the moth has eaten.
Footnotes
- Job 13:2 Plural
- Job 13:2 Literally “Like your knowledge”
- Job 13:2 Emphatic personal pronoun
- Job 13:2 Plural
- Job 13:4 Or “And but”
- Job 13:4 Plural
- Job 13:4 Literally “coverers of lies”
- Job 13:4 Plural
- Job 13:4 Literally “healers of worthlessness”
- Job 13:5 Literally “Who shall give”
- Job 13:5 Plural
- Job 13:5 Plural
- Job 13:7 Plural
- Job 13:7 Plural
- Job 13:8 Plural
- Job 13:8 Literally “his faces will you raise”
- Job 13:8 Plural
- Job 13:9 Plural
- Job 13:9 Plural
- Job 13:10 Plural
- Job 13:10 Plural
- Job 13:10 Literally “faces you lift up”
- Job 13:11 Plural
- Job 13:11 Plural
- Job 13:12 Plural
- Job 13:12 Plural
- Job 13:13 Literally “Be silent away from me”
- Job 13:13 Emphatic personal pronoun
- Job 13:14 Hebrew “now”
- Job 13:14 Or “should I put,” or “will I put”
- Job 13:15 Or “Though”
- Job 13:15 Or “for”
- Job 13:15 Literally “to his faces”
- Job 13:16 Literally “to his faces”
- Job 13:18 Or “Look here”
- Job 13:18 Emphatic personal pronoun
- Job 13:20 Singular; the antecedent is God
- Job 13:21 Singular
- Job 13:21 Singular
- Job 13:22 Hebrew “And”
- Job 13:22 Emphatic personal pronoun
- Job 13:22 Hebrew “and”
- Job 13:23 Literally “Like what”
- Job 13:24 Singular
- Job 13:24 Singular
- Job 13:24 Singular
- Job 13:25 Singular
- Job 13:25 Singular
- Job 13:26 Singular
- Job 13:26 Singular
- Job 13:27 Singular
- Job 13:27 Singular
- Job 13:27 Or “You mark/note my footprints”
- Job 13:28 Emphatic personal pronoun
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