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Job 15-18
New American Standard Bible

Eliphaz Says Job Presumes Much

15 Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded,

2 “Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge,
(A)And fill [a]himself with the east wind?
3 Should he argue with useless talk,
Or with words which do not benefit?
4 Indeed, you do away with [b]reverence,
And hinder meditation before God.
5 For (B)your wrongdoing teaches your mouth,
And you choose the language of (C)the cunning.
6 Your (D)own mouth condemns you, and not I;
And your own lips testify against you.

7 “Were you the first person to be born,
Or (E)were you brought forth before the hills?
8 Do you hear the (F)secret discussion of God,
And limit wisdom to yourself?
9 (G)What do you know that we do not know?
What do you understand that [c]we do not?
10 Both the (H)gray-haired and the aged are among us,
Older than your father.
11 Are (I)the consolations of God too little for you,
Or the (J)word spoken gently to you?
12 Why does your (K)heart take you away?
And why do your eyes wink,
13 That you can turn your spirit against God
And produce such words from your mouth?
14 What is man, that (L)he would be pure,
Or (M)he who is born of a woman, that he would be righteous?
15 Behold, He has no trust in His (N)holy ones,
And the (O)heavens are not pure in His sight;
16 How much less one who is (P)detestable and corrupt:
A person who (Q)drinks [d]malice like water!

What Eliphaz Has Seen of Life

17 “I will tell you, listen to me;
And what I have seen I will also declare;
18 What wise people have told,
And have not concealed from (R)their fathers,
19 To whom alone the land was given,
And no stranger passed among them.
20 The wicked person writhes (S)in pain all his days,
And the [e]years (T)reserved for the ruthless are numbered.
21 [f]Sounds of (U)terror are in his ears;
(V)While he is at peace the destroyer comes upon him.
22 He does not believe that he will (W)return from darkness,
And he is destined for (X)the sword.
23 He wanders about for food, saying, ‘Where is it?’
He knows that a day of (Y)darkness is [g]at hand.
24 Distress and anguish terrify him,
They overpower him like a king ready for the attack,
25 Because he has reached out with his hand against God,
And is (Z)arrogant toward [h]the Almighty.
26 He rushes [i]headlong at Him
With his [j]massive shield.
27 For he has (AA)covered his face with his fat,
And [k]put fat on his waist.
28 He has (AB)lived in desolate cities,
In houses no one would inhabit,
Which are destined to become [l]ruins.
29 He (AC)will not become rich, nor will his wealth endure;
And his property will not stretch out on the earth.
30 He will (AD)not [m]escape from darkness;
The (AE)flame will dry up his shoot,
And he will go away by (AF)the breath of His mouth.
31 Let him not (AG)trust in emptiness, deceiving himself;
For his [n]reward will be emptiness.
32 It will be accomplished (AH)before his time,
And his palm (AI)branch will not be green.
33 He will drop off his unripe grape like the vine,
And will (AJ)cast off his flower like the olive tree.
34 For the company of (AK)the godless is barren,
And fire consumes (AL)the tents of [o]the corrupt.
35 They (AM)conceive [p]harm and give birth to wrongdoing,
And their [q]mind prepares deception.”

Job Says Friends Are Miserable Comforters

16 Then Job responded,

2 “I have heard many things like these;
[r](AN)Miserable comforters are you all!
3 Is there no end to (AO)windy words?
Or what provokes you that you answer?
4 I too could speak like you,
If only [s]I were in your place.
I could compose words against you
And (AP)shake my head at you.
5 Or I could strengthen you with my mouth,
And the condolence of my lips could lessen your pain.

Job Says God Shattered Him

6 “If I speak, (AQ)my pain is not lessened,
And if I refrain, what pain leaves me?
7 But now He has (AR)exhausted me;
You have laid (AS)waste all my group of loved ones.
8 And you have shriveled me up,
[t](AT)It has become a witness;
And my (AU)infirmity rises up against me,
It testifies to my face.
9 His anger has (AV)torn me and [u]hunted me down,
He has (AW)gnashed at me with His teeth;
My (AX)enemy [v]glares at me.
10 They have (AY)gaped at me with their mouths,
They have [w](AZ)slapped me on the cheek with contempt;
They have (BA)massed themselves against me.
11 God hands me over to criminals,
And tosses me into the hands of the wicked.
12 I was at ease, but (BB)He shattered me,
And He has grasped me by my neck and shaken me to pieces;
He has also set me up as His (BC)target.
13 His (BD)arrows surround me.
He splits my kidneys open without mercy;
He pours out (BE)my bile on the ground.
14 He (BF)breaks through me with breach after breach;
He (BG)runs at me like a warrior.
15 I have sewed (BH)sackcloth over my skin,
And (BI)thrust my horn in the dust.
16 My face is flushed from (BJ)weeping,
(BK)And deep darkness is on my eyelids,
17 Although there is no (BL)violence in my hands,
And (BM)my prayer is pure.

18 “Earth, do not cover my blood,
And may there be no resting place for my cry.
19 Even now, behold, (BN)my witness is in heaven,
And my [x]advocate is (BO)on high.
20 My friends are my scoffers;
(BP)My eye weeps to God,
21 That one might plead for a man with God
As a son of man with his neighbor!
22 For when a few years are past,
I shall go the way (BQ)of no return.

Job Says He Has Become a Proverb

17 “My spirit is broken, my days are extinguished,
The [y](BR)grave is ready for me.
2 (BS)Mockers are certainly with me,
And my eye [z]gazes on their provocation.

3 “Make a pledge (BT)for me with Yourself;
Who is there that will [aa]be my guarantor?
4 For You have [ab](BU)kept their hearts away from understanding;
Therefore You will not exalt them.
5 He who (BV)informs against friends for a share of the spoils,
The (BW)eyes of his children also will perish.

6 “But He has made me a (BX)proverb among the people,
And I am [ac]one at whom people (BY)spit.
7 My eye has also become (BZ)inexpressive because of grief,
And all my (CA)body parts are like a shadow.
8 The upright will be appalled at this,
And the (CB)innocent will stir himself up against the godless.
9 Nevertheless (CC)the righteous will hold to his way,
And (CD)the one who has clean hands will grow stronger and stronger.
10 But come again all of [ad]you now,
For I (CE)do not find a wise man among you.
11 My (CF)days are past, my plans are torn apart,
The wishes of my heart.
12 They make night into day, saying,
‘The light is near,’ in the presence of darkness.
13 If I hope for [ae](CG)Sheol as my home,
I [af]make my bed in the darkness;
14 If I call to the (CH)grave, ‘You are my father’;
To the (CI)maggot, ‘my mother and my sister’;
15 Where then is (CJ)my hope?
And who looks at my hope?
16 [ag]Will it go down with me to Sheol?
Shall we together (CK)go down into the dust?”

Bildad Speaks of the Wicked

18 Then Bildad the Shuhite responded,

2 “How long will you hunt for words?
Show understanding, and then we can talk.
3 Why are we (CL)regarded as animals,
As stupid in your eyes?
4 [ah]You who tear yourself in your anger—
Should the earth be abandoned for your sake,
Or the rock moved from its place?

5 “Indeed, the (CM)light of the wicked goes out,
And the spark from his fire does not shine.
6 The light in his tent is (CN)darkened,
And his lamp goes out above him.
7 His [ai]vigorous stride is shortened,
And his (CO)own plan brings him down.
8 For he is (CP)thrown into the net by his own feet,
And he steps on the webbing.
9 A snare seizes him by the heel,
And a trap snaps shut on him.
10 A noose for him is hidden in the ground,
And a trap for him on the pathway.
11 All around (CQ)sudden terrors frighten him,
And (CR)harass him at every step.
12 His strength is (CS)famished,
And disaster is ready at his side.
13 [aj]It devours parts of his skin,
The firstborn of death (CT)devours his [ak]limbs.
14 He is (CU)torn from [al]the security of his tent,
And [am]they march him before the king of (CV)terrors.
15 [an]Nothing of his dwells in his tent;
(CW)Brimstone is scattered on his home.
16 His (CX)roots are dried below,
And his (CY)branch withers above.
17 (CZ)The memory of him perishes from the earth,
And he has no name abroad.
18 [ao]He is driven from light (DA)into darkness,
And (DB)chased from the inhabited world.
19 He has no (DC)offspring or descendants among his people,
Nor any survivor where he resided.
20 Those in the west are appalled at (DD)his [ap]fate,
And those in the east are seized with horror.
21 Certainly these are the (DE)dwellings of the wicked,
And this is the place of him who does not know God.”

Footnotes

  1. Job 15:2 Lit his belly
  2. Job 15:4 Lit fear
  3. Job 15:9 Lit is not within us?
  4. Job 15:16 Or injustice
  5. Job 15:20 Lit number of years are reserved for
  6. Job 15:21 Lit A sound of terrors is
  7. Job 15:23 Lit ready at his hand
  8. Job 15:25 Heb Shaddai
  9. Job 15:26 Lit with a stiff neck
  10. Job 15:26 Lit thick-bossed shields
  11. Job 15:27 Lit made
  12. Job 15:28 Or heaps
  13. Job 15:30 Lit turn aside
  14. Job 15:31 Lit exchange
  15. Job 15:34 Lit a bribe
  16. Job 15:35 Or pain
  17. Job 15:35 Lit belly
  18. Job 16:2 Lit Comforters of trouble
  19. Job 16:4 Lit your soul were in place of my soul
  20. Job 16:8 I.e., Job’s condition
  21. Job 16:9 Lit borne a grudge against me
  22. Job 16:9 Lit sharpens his eyes
  23. Job 16:10 Lit struck
  24. Job 16:19 Or witness
  25. Job 17:1 Lit graves are
  26. Job 17:2 Lit dwells
  27. Job 17:3 Lit strike hands with me
  28. Job 17:4 Lit hidden
  29. Job 17:6 Lit a spitting to the faces
  30. Job 17:10 As in some mss and ancient versions; MT them
  31. Job 17:13 I.e., the netherworld
  32. Job 17:13 Lit spread out
  33. Job 17:16 As in LXX; Heb possibly Let my limbs sink down to Sheol, since there is rest in the dust for all.
  34. Job 18:4 Lit The one who tears himself in his
  35. Job 18:7 Lit steps of his strength
  36. Job 18:13 Another reading is His skin is devoured by illness
  37. Job 18:13 Or parts
  38. Job 18:14 Lit his tent his trust
  39. Job 18:14 Lit you march or she marches
  40. Job 18:15 Another reading is Fire dwells in his tent
  41. Job 18:18 Lit They drive him...And chase him
  42. Job 18:20 Lit day
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Job 15-18
New International Version

Eliphaz

15 Then Eliphaz the Temanite(A) replied:

2 “Would a wise person answer with empty notions
    or fill their belly with the hot east wind?(B)
3 Would they argue with useless words,
    with speeches that have no value?(C)
4 But you even undermine piety
    and hinder devotion to God.(D)
5 Your sin(E) prompts your mouth;(F)
    you adopt the tongue of the crafty.(G)
6 Your own mouth condemns you, not mine;
    your own lips testify against you.(H)

7 “Are you the first man ever born?(I)
    Were you brought forth before the hills?(J)
8 Do you listen in on God’s council?(K)
    Do you have a monopoly on wisdom?(L)
9 What do you know that we do not know?
    What insights do you have that we do not have?(M)
10 The gray-haired and the aged(N) are on our side,
    men even older than your father.(O)
11 Are God’s consolations(P) not enough for you,
    words(Q) spoken gently to you?(R)
12 Why has your heart(S) carried you away,
    and why do your eyes flash,
13 so that you vent your rage(T) against God
    and pour out such words(U) from your mouth?(V)

14 “What are mortals, that they could be pure,
    or those born of woman,(W) that they could be righteous?(X)
15 If God places no trust in his holy ones,(Y)
    if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes,(Z)
16 how much less mortals, who are vile and corrupt,(AA)
    who drink up evil(AB) like water!(AC)

17 “Listen to me and I will explain to you;
    let me tell you what I have seen,(AD)
18 what the wise have declared,
    hiding nothing received from their ancestors(AE)
19 (to whom alone the land(AF) was given
    when no foreigners moved among them):
20 All his days the wicked man suffers torment,(AG)
    the ruthless man through all the years stored up for him.(AH)
21 Terrifying sounds fill his ears;(AI)
    when all seems well, marauders attack him.(AJ)
22 He despairs of escaping the realm of darkness;(AK)
    he is marked for the sword.(AL)
23 He wanders about(AM) for food like a vulture;(AN)
    he knows the day of darkness(AO) is at hand.(AP)
24 Distress and anguish(AQ) fill him with terror;(AR)
    troubles overwhelm him, like a king(AS) poised to attack,
25 because he shakes his fist(AT) at God
    and vaunts himself against the Almighty,(AU)
26 defiantly charging against him
    with a thick, strong shield.(AV)

27 “Though his face is covered with fat
    and his waist bulges with flesh,(AW)
28 he will inhabit ruined towns
    and houses where no one lives,(AX)
    houses crumbling to rubble.(AY)
29 He will no longer be rich and his wealth will not endure,(AZ)
    nor will his possessions spread over the land.(BA)
30 He will not escape the darkness;(BB)
    a flame(BC) will wither his shoots,(BD)
    and the breath of God’s mouth(BE) will carry him away.(BF)
31 Let him not deceive(BG) himself by trusting what is worthless,(BH)
    for he will get nothing in return.(BI)
32 Before his time(BJ) he will wither,(BK)
    and his branches will not flourish.(BL)
33 He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes,(BM)
    like an olive tree shedding its blossoms.(BN)
34 For the company of the godless(BO) will be barren,
    and fire will consume(BP) the tents of those who love bribes.(BQ)
35 They conceive trouble(BR) and give birth to evil;(BS)
    their womb fashions deceit.”

Job

16 Then Job replied:

2 “I have heard many things like these;
    you are miserable comforters,(BT) all of you!(BU)
3 Will your long-winded speeches never end?(BV)
    What ails you that you keep on arguing?(BW)
4 I also could speak like you,
    if you were in my place;
I could make fine speeches against you
    and shake my head(BX) at you.
5 But my mouth would encourage you;
    comfort(BY) from my lips would bring you relief.(BZ)

6 “Yet if I speak, my pain is not relieved;
    and if I refrain, it does not go away.(CA)
7 Surely, God, you have worn me out;(CB)
    you have devastated my entire household.(CC)
8 You have shriveled me up—and it has become a witness;
    my gauntness(CD) rises up and testifies against me.(CE)
9 God assails me and tears(CF) me in his anger(CG)
    and gnashes his teeth at me;(CH)
    my opponent fastens on me his piercing eyes.(CI)
10 People open their mouths(CJ) to jeer at me;(CK)
    they strike my cheek(CL) in scorn
    and unite together against me.(CM)
11 God has turned me over to the ungodly
    and thrown me into the clutches of the wicked.(CN)
12 All was well with me, but he shattered me;
    he seized me by the neck and crushed me.(CO)
He has made me his target;(CP)
13     his archers surround me.(CQ)
Without pity, he pierces(CR) my kidneys
    and spills my gall on the ground.
14 Again and again(CS) he bursts upon me;
    he rushes at me like a warrior.(CT)

15 “I have sewed sackcloth(CU) over my skin
    and buried my brow in the dust.(CV)
16 My face is red with weeping,(CW)
    dark shadows ring my eyes;(CX)
17 yet my hands have been free of violence(CY)
    and my prayer is pure.(CZ)

18 “Earth, do not cover my blood;(DA)
    may my cry(DB) never be laid to rest!(DC)
19 Even now my witness(DD) is in heaven;(DE)
    my advocate is on high.(DF)
20 My intercessor(DG) is my friend[a](DH)
    as my eyes pour out(DI) tears(DJ) to God;
21 on behalf of a man he pleads(DK) with God
    as one pleads for a friend.

22 “Only a few years will pass
    before I take the path of no return.(DL)

17 1 My spirit(DM) is broken,
    my days are cut short,(DN)
    the grave awaits me.(DO)
2 Surely mockers(DP) surround me;(DQ)
    my eyes must dwell on their hostility.

3 “Give me, O God, the pledge you demand.(DR)
    Who else will put up security(DS) for me?(DT)
4 You have closed their minds to understanding;(DU)
    therefore you will not let them triumph.
5 If anyone denounces their friends for reward,(DV)
    the eyes of their children will fail.(DW)

6 “God has made me a byword(DX) to everyone,(DY)
    a man in whose face people spit.(DZ)
7 My eyes have grown dim with grief;(EA)
    my whole frame is but a shadow.(EB)
8 The upright are appalled at this;
    the innocent are aroused(EC) against the ungodly.
9 Nevertheless, the righteous(ED) will hold to their ways,
    and those with clean hands(EE) will grow stronger.(EF)

10 “But come on, all of you, try again!
    I will not find a wise man among you.(EG)
11 My days have passed,(EH) my plans are shattered.
    Yet the desires of my heart(EI)
12 turn night into day;(EJ)
    in the face of the darkness light is near.(EK)
13 If the only home I hope for is the grave,(EL)
    if I spread out my bed(EM) in the realm of darkness,(EN)
14 if I say to corruption,(EO) ‘You are my father,’
    and to the worm,(EP) ‘My mother’ or ‘My sister,’
15 where then is my hope—(EQ)
    who can see any hope for me?(ER)
16 Will it go down to the gates of death?(ES)
    Will we descend together into the dust?”(ET)

Bildad

18 Then Bildad the Shuhite(EU) replied:

2 “When will you end these speeches?(EV)
    Be sensible, and then we can talk.
3 Why are we regarded as cattle(EW)
    and considered stupid in your sight?(EX)
4 You who tear yourself(EY) to pieces in your anger,(EZ)
    is the earth to be abandoned for your sake?
    Or must the rocks be moved from their place?(FA)

5 “The lamp of a wicked man is snuffed out;(FB)
    the flame of his fire stops burning.(FC)
6 The light in his tent(FD) becomes dark;(FE)
    the lamp beside him goes out.(FF)
7 The vigor(FG) of his step is weakened;(FH)
    his own schemes(FI) throw him down.(FJ)
8 His feet thrust him into a net;(FK)
    he wanders into its mesh.
9 A trap seizes him by the heel;
    a snare(FL) holds him fast.(FM)
10 A noose(FN) is hidden for him on the ground;
    a trap(FO) lies in his path.(FP)
11 Terrors(FQ) startle him on every side(FR)
    and dog(FS) his every step.
12 Calamity(FT) is hungry(FU) for him;
    disaster(FV) is ready for him when he falls.(FW)
13 It eats away parts of his skin;(FX)
    death’s firstborn devours his limbs.(FY)
14 He is torn from the security of his tent(FZ)
    and marched off to the king(GA) of terrors.(GB)
15 Fire resides[b] in his tent;(GC)
    burning sulfur(GD) is scattered over his dwelling.
16 His roots dry up below(GE)
    and his branches wither above.(GF)
17 The memory of him perishes from the earth;(GG)
    he has no name(GH) in the land.(GI)
18 He is driven from light into the realm of darkness(GJ)
    and is banished(GK) from the world.(GL)
19 He has no offspring(GM) or descendants(GN) among his people,
    no survivor(GO) where once he lived.(GP)
20 People of the west are appalled(GQ) at his fate;(GR)
    those of the east are seized with horror.
21 Surely such is the dwelling(GS) of an evil man;(GT)
    such is the place(GU) of one who does not know God.”(GV)

Footnotes

  1. Job 16:20 Or My friends treat me with scorn
  2. Job 18:15 Or Nothing he had remains
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