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Eliphaz Speaks: Job Undermines Religion

15 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:

“Should the wise answer with windy knowledge,
    and fill themselves with the east wind?
Should they argue in unprofitable talk,
    or in words with which they can do no good?
But you are doing away with the fear of God,
    and hindering meditation before God.
For your iniquity teaches your mouth,
    and you choose the tongue of the crafty.
Your own mouth condemns you, and not I;
    your own lips testify against you.

“Are you the firstborn of the human race?
    Were you brought forth before the hills?
Have you listened in the council of God?
    And do you limit wisdom to yourself?
What do you know that we do not know?
    What do you understand that is not clear to us?
10 The gray-haired and the aged are on our side,
    those older than your father.
11 Are the consolations 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,[a]
13 so that you turn your spirit against God,
    and let such words go out of your mouth?
14 What are mortals, that they can be clean?
    Or those born of woman, that they can be righteous?
15 God puts no trust even in his holy ones,
    and the heavens are not clean in his sight;
16 how much less one who is abominable and corrupt,
    one who drinks iniquity like water!

17 “I will show you; listen to me;
    what I have seen I will declare—
18 what sages have told,
    and their ancestors have not hidden,
19 to whom alone the land was given,
    and no stranger passed among them.
20 The wicked writhe in pain all their days,
    through all the years that are laid up for the ruthless.
21 Terrifying sounds are in their ears;
    in prosperity the destroyer will come upon them.
22 They despair of returning from darkness,
    and they are destined for the sword.
23 They wander abroad for bread, saying, ‘Where is it?’
    They know that a day of darkness is ready at hand;
24 distress and anguish terrify them;
    they prevail against them, like a king prepared for battle.
25 Because they stretched out their hands against God,
    and bid defiance to the Almighty,[b]
26 running stubbornly against him
    with a thick-bossed shield;
27 because they have covered their faces with their fat,
    and gathered fat upon their loins,
28 they will live in desolate cities,
    in houses that no one should inhabit,
    houses destined to become heaps of ruins;
29 they will not be rich, and their wealth will not endure,
    nor will they strike root in the earth;[c]
30 they will not escape from darkness;
    the flame will dry up their shoots,
    and their blossom[d] will be swept away[e] by the wind.
31 Let them not trust in emptiness, deceiving themselves;
    for emptiness will be their recompense.
32 It will be paid in full before their time,
    and their branch will not be green.
33 They will shake off their unripe grape, like the vine,
    and cast off their blossoms, like the olive tree.
34 For the company of the godless is barren,
    and fire consumes the tents of bribery.
35 They conceive mischief and bring forth evil
    and their heart prepares deceit.”

Job Reaffirms His Innocence

16 Then Job answered:

“I have heard many such things;
    miserable comforters are you all.
Have windy words no limit?
    Or what provokes you that you keep on talking?
I also could talk as you do,
    if you were in my place;
I could join words together against you,
    and shake my head at you.
I could encourage you with my mouth,
    and the solace of my lips would assuage your pain.

“If I speak, my pain is not assuaged,
    and if I forbear, how much of it leaves me?
Surely now God has worn me out;
    he has[f] made desolate all my company.
And he has[g] shriveled me up,
    which is a witness against me;
my leanness has risen up against me,
    and it testifies to my face.
He has torn me in his wrath, and hated me;
    he has gnashed his teeth at me;
    my adversary sharpens his eyes against me.
10 They have gaped at me with their mouths;
    they have struck me insolently on the cheek;
    they 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 in two;
    he seized me by the neck and dashed me to pieces;
he set me up as his target;
13     his archers surround me.
He slashes open my kidneys, and shows no mercy;
    he pours out my gall on the ground.
14 He bursts upon me again and again;
    he rushes at me like a warrior.
15 I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin,
    and have laid my strength in the dust.
16 My face is red with weeping,
    and deep darkness is on my eyelids,
17 though there is no violence in my hands,
    and my prayer is pure.

18 “O earth, do not cover my blood;
    let my outcry find no resting place.
19 Even now, in fact, my witness is in heaven,
    and he that vouches for me is on high.
20 My friends scorn me;
    my eye pours out tears to God,
21 that he would maintain the right of a mortal with God,
    as[h] one does for a neighbor.
22 For when a few years have come,
    I shall go the way from which I shall not return.

Job Prays for Relief

17 My spirit is broken, my days are extinct,
    the grave is ready for me.
Surely there are mockers around me,
    and my eye dwells on their provocation.

“Lay down a pledge for me with yourself;
    who is there that will give surety for me?
Since you have closed their minds to understanding,
    therefore you will not let them triumph.
Those who denounce friends for reward—
    the eyes of their children will fail.

“He has made me a byword of the peoples,
    and I am one before whom people spit.
My eye has grown dim from grief,
    and all my members are like a shadow.
The upright are appalled at this,
    and the innocent stir themselves up against the godless.
Yet the righteous hold to their way,
    and they that have clean hands grow stronger and stronger.
10 But you, come back now, all of you,
    and I shall not find a sensible person among you.
11 My days are past, my plans are broken off,
    the desires of my heart.
12 They make night into day;
    ‘The light,’ they say, ‘is near to the darkness.’[i]
13 If I look for Sheol as my house,
    if I spread my couch in darkness,
14 if I say to the Pit, ‘You are my father,’
    and to the worm, ‘My mother,’ or ‘My sister,’
15 where then is my hope?
    Who will see my hope?
16 Will it go down to the bars of Sheol?
    Shall we descend together into the dust?”

Footnotes

  1. Job 15:12 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  2. Job 15:25 Traditional rendering of Heb Shaddai
  3. Job 15:29 Vg: Meaning of Heb uncertain
  4. Job 15:30 Gk: Heb mouth
  5. Job 15:30 Cn: Heb will depart
  6. Job 16:7 Heb you have
  7. Job 16:8 Heb you have
  8. Job 16:21 Syr Vg Tg: Heb and
  9. Job 17:12 Meaning of Heb uncertain

Eliphaz

15 Then Eliphaz the Temanite(A) replied:

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

“Are you the first man ever born?(I)
    Were you brought forth before the hills?(J)
Do you listen in on God’s council?(K)
    Do you have a monopoly on wisdom?(L)
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:

“I have heard many things like these;
    you are miserable comforters,(BT) all of you!(BU)
Will your long-winded speeches never end?(BV)
    What ails you that you keep on arguing?(BW)
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.
But my mouth would encourage you;
    comfort(BY) from my lips would bring you relief.(BZ)

“Yet if I speak, my pain is not relieved;
    and if I refrain, it does not go away.(CA)
Surely, God, you have worn me out;(CB)
    you have devastated my entire household.(CC)
You have shriveled me up—and it has become a witness;
    my gauntness(CD) rises up and testifies against me.(CE)
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 My spirit(DM) is broken,
    my days are cut short,(DN)
    the grave awaits me.(DO)
Surely mockers(DP) surround me;(DQ)
    my eyes must dwell on their hostility.

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

“God has made me a byword(DX) to everyone,(DY)
    a man in whose face people spit.(DZ)
My eyes have grown dim with grief;(EA)
    my whole frame is but a shadow.(EB)
The upright are appalled at this;
    the innocent are aroused(EC) against the ungodly.
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)

Footnotes

  1. Job 16:20 Or My friends treat me with scorn

She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other,
and she orders all things well.

Solomon’s Love for Wisdom

I loved her and sought her from my youth;
I desired to take her for my bride,
and became enamored of her beauty.
She glorifies her noble birth by living with God,
and the Lord of all loves her.
For she is an initiate in the knowledge of God,
and an associate in his works.
If riches are a desirable possession in life,
what is richer than wisdom, the active cause of all things?
And if understanding is effective,
who more than she is fashioner of what exists?
And if anyone loves righteousness,
her labors are virtues;
for she teaches self-control and prudence,
justice and courage;
nothing in life is more profitable for mortals than these.
And if anyone longs for wide experience,
she knows the things of old, and infers the things to come;
she understands turns of speech and the solutions of riddles;
she has foreknowledge of signs and wonders
and of the outcome of seasons and times.

Wisdom Indispensible to Rulers

Therefore I determined to take her to live with me,
knowing that she would give me good counsel
and encouragement in cares and grief.
10 Because of her I shall have glory among the multitudes
and honor in the presence of the elders, though I am young.

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'Wisdom 8:1-10' not found for the version: New International Version.

The Question about the Resurrection

27 Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to him 28 and asked him a question, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man[a] shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers; the first married, and died childless; 30 then the second 31 and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless. 32 Finally the woman also died. 33 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had married her.”

34 Jesus said to them, “Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage; 35 but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. 36 Indeed they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. 37 And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 38 Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive.” 39 Then some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you have spoken well.” 40 For they no longer dared to ask him another question.

The Question about David’s Son

41 Then he said to them, “How can they say that the Messiah[b] is David’s son? 42 For David himself says in the book of Psalms,

‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
43     until I make your enemies your footstool.”’

44 David thus calls him Lord; so how can he be his son?”

Jesus Denounces the Scribes

45 In the hearing of all the people he said to the[c] disciples, 46 “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets. 47 They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 20:28 Gk his brother
  2. Luke 20:41 Or the Christ
  3. Luke 20:45 Other ancient authorities read his

The Resurrection and Marriage(A)

27 Some of the Sadducees,(B) who say there is no resurrection,(C) came to Jesus with a question. 28 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.(D) 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. 30 The second 31 and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. 32 Finally, the woman died too. 33 Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”

34 Jesus replied, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come(E) and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, 36 and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children,(F) since they are children of the resurrection. 37 But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’[a](G) 38 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”

39 Some of the teachers of the law responded, “Well said, teacher!” 40 And no one dared to ask him any more questions.(H)

Whose Son Is the Messiah?(I)

41 Then Jesus said to them, “Why is it said that the Messiah is the son of David?(J) 42 David himself declares in the Book of Psalms:

“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
    “Sit at my right hand
43 until I make your enemies
    a footstool for your feet.”’[b](K)

44 David calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?”

Warning Against the Teachers of the Law

45 While all the people were listening, Jesus said to his disciples, 46 “Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.(L) 47 They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 20:37 Exodus 3:6
  2. Luke 20:43 Psalm 110:1