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Job 14-16
English Standard Version
Job 14-16
English Standard Version
Job Continues: Death Comes Soon to All
14 “Man who is (A)born of a woman
is (B)few of days and (C)full of trouble.
2 He comes out like (D)a flower and (E)withers;
he flees like (F)a shadow and continues not.
3 And do you (G)open your eyes on such a one
and (H)bring me into judgment with you?
4 Who can bring (I)a clean thing out of an unclean?
There is not one.
5 Since his (J)days are determined,
and (K)the number of his months is with you,
and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass,
6 (L)look away from him and leave him alone,[a]
that he may enjoy, like (M)a hired hand, his day.
7 “For there is hope for a tree,
if it be cut down, that it will sprout again,
and that its shoots will not cease.
8 Though its root grow old in the earth,
and (N)its stump die in the soil,
9 yet at the scent of water it will bud
and put out (O)branches like a young plant.
10 But a man dies and is laid low;
man breathes his last, and (P)where is he?
11 (Q)As waters fail from a lake
and a river wastes away and dries up,
12 so a man lies down and rises not again;
till (R)the heavens are no more he will not awake
or be (S)roused out of his sleep.
13 Oh that you would (T)hide me in (U)Sheol,
that you would (V)conceal me (W)until your wrath be past,
that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me!
14 If a man dies, shall he live again?
All the days of my (X)service I would (Y)wait,
till my renewal[b] should come.
15 You would (Z)call, and I would answer you;
you would long for the (AA)work of your hands.
16 For then you would (AB)number my steps;
you would not keep (AC)watch over my sin;
17 my transgression would be (AD)sealed up in a bag,
and you would cover over my iniquity.
18 “But the mountain falls and (AE)crumbles away,
and (AF)the rock is removed from its place;
19 the waters wear away the stones;
the torrents wash away the soil of the earth;
so you destroy the hope of man.
20 You prevail forever against him, and he passes;
you change his countenance, and send him away.
21 His sons come to honor, and he (AG)does not know it;
they are brought low, and he perceives it not.
22 He feels only the pain of his own body,
and he mourns only for himself.”
Eliphaz Accuses: Job Does Not Fear God
15 Then (AH)Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
2 “Should (AI)a wise man answer with (AJ)windy knowledge,
and fill his (AK)belly with (AL)the east wind?
3 Should he argue in unprofitable talk,
or in words with which he can do no good?
4 But you are doing away with the fear of God[c]
and hindering meditation before God.
5 For your iniquity teaches your mouth,
and you choose the tongue of the crafty.
6 Your (AM)own mouth condemns you, and not I;
(AN)your own lips testify against you.
7 (AO)“Are you the first man who was born?
Or (AP)were you brought forth (AQ)before the hills?
8 Have you listened in (AR)the council of God?
And do you limit wisdom to yourself?
9 (AS)What do you know that we do not know?
What do you understand that is not clear to us?
10 (AT)Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us,
older than your father.
11 Are the comforts of God too small for you,
or the word that deals gently with you?
12 Why does your heart carry you away,
and why do your eyes flash,
13 that you turn your (AU)spirit against God
and bring such words out of your mouth?
14 (AV)What is man, (AW)that he can be pure?
Or he who is (AX)born of a woman, that he can be righteous?
15 Behold, God[d] (AY)puts no trust in his (AZ)holy ones,
and the heavens are not pure in his sight;
16 (BA)how much less one who is abominable and (BB)corrupt,
a man who (BC)drinks injustice like water!
17 “I will show you; hear me,
and what I have seen I will declare
18 (what wise men have told,
without hiding it (BD)from their fathers,
19 to whom alone the land was given,
and no (BE)stranger passed among them).
20 The wicked man writhes in pain all his days,
through all the (BF)years that are laid up for (BG)the ruthless.
21 (BH)Dreadful sounds are in his ears;
in (BI)prosperity the destroyer will come upon him.
22 He does not believe that he will return out of darkness,
and he is marked for the sword.
23 He (BJ)wanders abroad for bread, saying, ‘Where is it?’
He knows that a day of darkness is ready at his hand;
24 distress and anguish terrify him;
they (BK)prevail against him, like a king ready for battle.
25 Because he has stretched out his hand against God
and defies the Almighty,
26 (BL)running (BM)stubbornly against him
with a thickly bossed shield;
27 because he has (BN)covered his face with his fat
and gathered fat upon his waist
28 and has lived in desolate cities,
in houses that none should inhabit,
which were ready to become heaps of ruins;
29 he will not be rich, and his wealth will not endure,
nor will his possessions spread over the earth;[e]
30 he will not depart from darkness;
the flame will dry up his shoots,
and by (BO)the breath of his mouth he will depart.
31 Let him not (BP)trust in emptiness, deceiving himself,
for emptiness will be his payment.
32 It will be paid in full (BQ)before his time,
and his branch will not be green.
33 He will shake off his unripe grape like the vine,
and cast off his blossom like the olive tree.
34 For (BR)the company of the godless is barren,
and (BS)fire consumes the tents of bribery.
35 They (BT)conceive trouble and give birth to evil,
and their (BU)womb prepares deceit.”
Job Replies: Miserable Comforters Are You
16 Then Job answered and said:
2 “I have heard (BV)many such things;
(BW)miserable comforters are you all.
3 Shall (BX)windy words have an end?
Or what provokes you that you answer?
4 I also could speak as you do,
if you were in my place;
I could join words together against you
and (BY)shake my head at you.
5 I could strengthen you with my mouth,
and the solace of my lips would assuage your pain.
6 “If I speak, my pain is not assuaged,
and if I forbear, how much of it leaves me?
7 Surely now God has worn me out;
(BZ)he has[f] made desolate all my company.
8 And he has shriveled me up,
which is (CA)a witness against me,
and my (CB)leanness has risen up against me;
it testifies to my face.
9 He has (CC)torn me in his wrath (CD)and hated me;
he has (CE)gnashed his teeth at me;
my adversary sharpens his eyes against me.
10 Men have (CF)gaped at me with their mouth;
they have (CG)struck me insolently on the cheek;
they (CH)mass themselves together against me.
11 God gives me up to the ungodly
and casts me into the hands of the wicked.
12 I was at ease, and he broke me apart;
he seized me by the neck and dashed me to pieces;
he set me up as his (CI)target;
13 his (CJ)archers surround me.
He slashes open my kidneys (CK)and does not spare;
he (CL)pours out my gall on the ground.
14 He breaks me with (CM)breach upon breach;
he (CN)runs upon me like a warrior.
15 I have sewed (CO)sackcloth upon my skin
and have laid (CP)my strength (CQ)in the dust.
16 My face is red with weeping,
and on my eyelids is (CR)deep darkness,
17 although there is no (CS)violence in my hands,
and my prayer is pure.
18 “O earth, (CT)cover not my blood,
and let my (CU)cry find no resting place.
19 Even now, behold, my (CV)witness is in heaven,
and he who testifies for me is (CW)on high.
20 My friends (CX)scorn me;
my eye pours out tears to God,
21 that he would (CY)argue the case of a man with God,
as[g] a son of man does with his neighbor.
22 For when a few years have come
I shall go the way (CZ)from which I shall not return.
Job 14-16
New International Version
Job 14-16
New International Version
14 “Mortals, born of woman,(A)
are of few days(B) and full of trouble.(C)
2 They spring up like flowers(D) and wither away;(E)
like fleeting shadows,(F) they do not endure.(G)
3 Do you fix your eye on them?(H)
Will you bring them[a] before you for judgment?(I)
4 Who can bring what is pure(J) from the impure?(K)
No one!(L)
5 A person’s days are determined;(M)
you have decreed the number of his months(N)
and have set limits he cannot exceed.(O)
6 So look away from him and let him alone,(P)
till he has put in his time like a hired laborer.(Q)
7 “At least there is hope for a tree:(R)
If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
and its new shoots(S) will not fail.(T)
8 Its roots may grow old in the ground
and its stump(U) die in the soil,
9 yet at the scent of water(V) it will bud
and put forth shoots like a plant.(W)
10 But a man dies and is laid low;(X)
he breathes his last and is no more.(Y)
11 As the water of a lake dries up
or a riverbed becomes parched and dry,(Z)
12 so he lies down and does not rise;(AA)
till the heavens are no more,(AB) people will not awake
or be roused from their sleep.(AC)
13 “If only you would hide me in the grave(AD)
and conceal me till your anger has passed!(AE)
If only you would set me a time
and then remember(AF) me!(AG)
14 If someone dies, will they live again?
All the days of my hard service(AH)
I will wait for my renewal[b](AI) to come.
15 You will call and I will answer you;(AJ)
you will long for the creature your hands have made.(AK)
16 Surely then you will count my steps(AL)
but not keep track of my sin.(AM)
17 My offenses will be sealed(AN) up in a bag;(AO)
you will cover over my sin.(AP)
18 “But as a mountain erodes and crumbles(AQ)
and as a rock is moved from its place,(AR)
19 as water wears away stones
and torrents(AS) wash away the soil,(AT)
so you destroy a person’s hope.(AU)
20 You overpower them once for all, and they are gone;(AV)
you change their countenance and send them away.(AW)
21 If their children are honored, they do not know it;
if their offspring are brought low, they do not see it.(AX)
22 They feel but the pain of their own bodies(AY)
and mourn only for themselves.(AZ)”
Eliphaz
15 Then Eliphaz the Temanite(BA) replied:
2 “Would a wise person answer with empty notions
or fill their belly with the hot east wind?(BB)
3 Would they argue with useless words,
with speeches that have no value?(BC)
4 But you even undermine piety
and hinder devotion to God.(BD)
5 Your sin(BE) prompts your mouth;(BF)
you adopt the tongue of the crafty.(BG)
6 Your own mouth condemns you, not mine;
your own lips testify against you.(BH)
7 “Are you the first man ever born?(BI)
Were you brought forth before the hills?(BJ)
8 Do you listen in on God’s council?(BK)
Do you have a monopoly on wisdom?(BL)
9 What do you know that we do not know?
What insights do you have that we do not have?(BM)
10 The gray-haired and the aged(BN) are on our side,
men even older than your father.(BO)
11 Are God’s consolations(BP) not enough for you,
words(BQ) spoken gently to you?(BR)
12 Why has your heart(BS) carried you away,
and why do your eyes flash,
13 so that you vent your rage(BT) against God
and pour out such words(BU) from your mouth?(BV)
14 “What are mortals, that they could be pure,
or those born of woman,(BW) that they could be righteous?(BX)
15 If God places no trust in his holy ones,(BY)
if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes,(BZ)
16 how much less mortals, who are vile and corrupt,(CA)
who drink up evil(CB) like water!(CC)
17 “Listen to me and I will explain to you;
let me tell you what I have seen,(CD)
18 what the wise have declared,
hiding nothing received from their ancestors(CE)
19 (to whom alone the land(CF) was given
when no foreigners moved among them):
20 All his days the wicked man suffers torment,(CG)
the ruthless man through all the years stored up for him.(CH)
21 Terrifying sounds fill his ears;(CI)
when all seems well, marauders attack him.(CJ)
22 He despairs of escaping the realm of darkness;(CK)
he is marked for the sword.(CL)
23 He wanders about(CM) for food like a vulture;(CN)
he knows the day of darkness(CO) is at hand.(CP)
24 Distress and anguish(CQ) fill him with terror;(CR)
troubles overwhelm him, like a king(CS) poised to attack,
25 because he shakes his fist(CT) at God
and vaunts himself against the Almighty,(CU)
26 defiantly charging against him
with a thick, strong shield.(CV)
27 “Though his face is covered with fat
and his waist bulges with flesh,(CW)
28 he will inhabit ruined towns
and houses where no one lives,(CX)
houses crumbling to rubble.(CY)
29 He will no longer be rich and his wealth will not endure,(CZ)
nor will his possessions spread over the land.(DA)
30 He will not escape the darkness;(DB)
a flame(DC) will wither his shoots,(DD)
and the breath of God’s mouth(DE) will carry him away.(DF)
31 Let him not deceive(DG) himself by trusting what is worthless,(DH)
for he will get nothing in return.(DI)
32 Before his time(DJ) he will wither,(DK)
and his branches will not flourish.(DL)
33 He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes,(DM)
like an olive tree shedding its blossoms.(DN)
34 For the company of the godless(DO) will be barren,
and fire will consume(DP) the tents of those who love bribes.(DQ)
35 They conceive trouble(DR) and give birth to evil;(DS)
their womb fashions deceit.”
Job
16 Then Job replied:
2 “I have heard many things like these;
you are miserable comforters,(DT) all of you!(DU)
3 Will your long-winded speeches never end?(DV)
What ails you that you keep on arguing?(DW)
4 I also could speak like you,
if you were in my place;
I could make fine speeches against you
and shake my head(DX) at you.
5 But my mouth would encourage you;
comfort(DY) from my lips would bring you relief.(DZ)
6 “Yet if I speak, my pain is not relieved;
and if I refrain, it does not go away.(EA)
7 Surely, God, you have worn me out;(EB)
you have devastated my entire household.(EC)
8 You have shriveled me up—and it has become a witness;
my gauntness(ED) rises up and testifies against me.(EE)
9 God assails me and tears(EF) me in his anger(EG)
and gnashes his teeth at me;(EH)
my opponent fastens on me his piercing eyes.(EI)
10 People open their mouths(EJ) to jeer at me;(EK)
they strike my cheek(EL) in scorn
and unite together against me.(EM)
11 God has turned me over to the ungodly
and thrown me into the clutches of the wicked.(EN)
12 All was well with me, but he shattered me;
he seized me by the neck and crushed me.(EO)
He has made me his target;(EP)
13 his archers surround me.(EQ)
Without pity, he pierces(ER) my kidneys
and spills my gall on the ground.
14 Again and again(ES) he bursts upon me;
he rushes at me like a warrior.(ET)
15 “I have sewed sackcloth(EU) over my skin
and buried my brow in the dust.(EV)
16 My face is red with weeping,(EW)
dark shadows ring my eyes;(EX)
17 yet my hands have been free of violence(EY)
and my prayer is pure.(EZ)
18 “Earth, do not cover my blood;(FA)
may my cry(FB) never be laid to rest!(FC)
19 Even now my witness(FD) is in heaven;(FE)
my advocate is on high.(FF)
20 My intercessor(FG) is my friend[c](FH)
as my eyes pour out(FI) tears(FJ) to God;
21 on behalf of a man he pleads(FK) with God
as one pleads for a friend.
22 “Only a few years will pass
before I take the path of no return.(FL)
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.