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Job 16-19
New Living Translation
Job 16-19
New Living Translation
Job’s Fifth Speech: A Response to Eliphaz
16 Then Job spoke again:
2 “I have heard all this before.
What miserable comforters you are!
3 Won’t you ever stop blowing hot air?
What makes you keep on talking?
4 I could say the same things if you were in my place.
I could spout off criticism and shake my head at you.
5 But if it were me, I would encourage you.
I would try to take away your grief.
6 Instead, I suffer if I defend myself,
and I suffer no less if I refuse to speak.
7 “O God, you have ground me down
and devastated my family.
8 As if to prove I have sinned, you’ve reduced me to skin and bones.
My gaunt flesh testifies against me.
9 God hates me and angrily tears me apart.
He snaps his teeth at me
and pierces me with his eyes.
10 People jeer and laugh at me.
They slap my cheek in contempt.
A mob gathers against me.
11 God has handed me over to sinners.
He has tossed me into the hands of the wicked.
12 “I was living quietly until he shattered me.
He took me by the neck and broke me in pieces.
Then he set me up as his target,
13 and now his archers surround me.
His arrows pierce me without mercy.
The ground is wet with my blood.[a]
14 Again and again he smashes against me,
charging at me like a warrior.
15 I wear burlap to show my grief.
My pride lies in the dust.
16 My eyes are red with weeping;
dark shadows circle my eyes.
17 Yet I have done no wrong,
and my prayer is pure.
18 “O earth, do not conceal my blood.
Let it cry out on my behalf.
19 Even now my witness is in heaven.
My advocate is there on high.
20 My friends scorn me,
but I pour out my tears to God.
21 I need someone to mediate between God and me,
as a person mediates between friends.
22 For soon I must go down that road
from which I will never return.
Job Continues to Defend His Innocence
17 “My spirit is crushed,
and my life is nearly snuffed out.
The grave is ready to receive me.
2 I am surrounded by mockers.
I watch how bitterly they taunt me.
3 “You must defend my innocence, O God,
since no one else will stand up for me.
4 You have closed their minds to understanding,
but do not let them triumph.
5 They betray their friends for their own advantage,
so let their children faint with hunger.
6 “God has made a mockery of me among the people;
they spit in my face.
7 My eyes are swollen with weeping,
and I am but a shadow of my former self.
8 The virtuous are horrified when they see me.
The innocent rise up against the ungodly.
9 The righteous keep moving forward,
and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.
10 “As for all of you, come back with a better argument,
though I still won’t find a wise man among you.
11 My days are over.
My hopes have disappeared.
My heart’s desires are broken.
12 These men say that night is day;
they claim that the darkness is light.
13 What if I go to the grave[b]
and make my bed in darkness?
14 What if I call the grave my father,
and the maggot my mother or my sister?
15 Where then is my hope?
Can anyone find it?
16 No, my hope will go down with me to the grave.
We will rest together in the dust!”
Bildad’s Second Response to Job
18 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:
2 “How long before you stop talking?
Speak sense if you want us to answer!
3 Do you think we are mere animals?
Do you think we are stupid?
4 You may tear out your hair in anger,
but will that destroy the earth?
Will it make the rocks tremble?
5 “Surely the light of the wicked will be snuffed out.
The sparks of their fire will not glow.
6 The light in their tent will grow dark.
The lamp hanging above them will be quenched.
7 The confident stride of the wicked will be shortened.
Their own schemes will be their downfall.
8 The wicked walk into a net.
They fall into a pit.
9 A trap grabs them by the heel.
A snare holds them tight.
10 A noose lies hidden on the ground.
A rope is stretched across their path.
11 “Terrors surround the wicked
and trouble them at every step.
12 Hunger depletes their strength,
and calamity waits for them to stumble.
13 Disease eats their skin;
death devours their limbs.
14 They are torn from the security of their homes
and are brought down to the king of terrors.
15 The homes of the wicked will burn down;
burning sulfur rains on their houses.
16 Their roots will dry up,
and their branches will wither.
17 All memory of their existence will fade from the earth;
no one will remember their names.
18 They will be thrust from light into darkness,
driven from the world.
19 They will have neither children nor grandchildren,
nor any survivor in the place where they lived.
20 People in the west are appalled at their fate;
people in the east are horrified.
21 They will say, ‘This was the home of a wicked person,
the place of one who rejected God.’”
Job’s Sixth Speech: A Response to Bildad
19 Then Job spoke again:
2 “How long will you torture me?
How long will you try to crush me with your words?
3 You have already insulted me ten times.
You should be ashamed of treating me so badly.
4 Even if I have sinned,
that is my concern, not yours.
5 You think you’re better than I am,
using my humiliation as evidence of my sin.
6 But it is God who has wronged me,
capturing me in his net.[c]
7 “I cry out, ‘Help!’ but no one answers me.
I protest, but there is no justice.
8 God has blocked my way so I cannot move.
He has plunged my path into darkness.
9 He has stripped me of my honor
and removed the crown from my head.
10 He has demolished me on every side, and I am finished.
He has uprooted my hope like a fallen tree.
11 His fury burns against me;
he counts me as an enemy.
12 His troops advance.
They build up roads to attack me.
They camp all around my tent.
13 “My relatives stay far away,
and my friends have turned against me.
14 My family is gone,
and my close friends have forgotten me.
15 My servants and maids consider me a stranger.
I am like a foreigner to them.
16 When I call my servant, he doesn’t come;
I have to plead with him!
17 My breath is repulsive to my wife.
I am rejected by my own family.
18 Even young children despise me.
When I stand to speak, they turn their backs on me.
19 My close friends detest me.
Those I loved have turned against me.
20 I have been reduced to skin and bones
and have escaped death by the skin of my teeth.
21 “Have mercy on me, my friends, have mercy,
for the hand of God has struck me.
22 Must you also persecute me, like God does?
Haven’t you chewed me up enough?
23 “Oh, that my words could be recorded.
Oh, that they could be inscribed on a monument,
24 carved with an iron chisel and filled with lead,
engraved forever in the rock.
25 “But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
and he will stand upon the earth at last.
26 And after my body has decayed,
yet in my body I will see God![d]
27 I will see him for myself.
Yes, I will see him with my own eyes.
I am overwhelmed at the thought!
28 “How dare you go on persecuting me,
saying, ‘It’s his own fault’?
29 You should fear punishment yourselves,
for your attitude deserves punishment.
Then you will know that there is indeed a judgment.”
Job 16-19
New International Version
Job 16-19
New International Version
Job
16 Then Job replied:
2 “I have heard many things like these;
you are miserable comforters,(A) all of you!(B)
3 Will your long-winded speeches never end?(C)
What ails you that you keep on arguing?(D)
4 I also could speak like you,
if you were in my place;
I could make fine speeches against you
and shake my head(E) at you.
5 But my mouth would encourage you;
comfort(F) from my lips would bring you relief.(G)
6 “Yet if I speak, my pain is not relieved;
and if I refrain, it does not go away.(H)
7 Surely, God, you have worn me out;(I)
you have devastated my entire household.(J)
8 You have shriveled me up—and it has become a witness;
my gauntness(K) rises up and testifies against me.(L)
9 God assails me and tears(M) me in his anger(N)
and gnashes his teeth at me;(O)
my opponent fastens on me his piercing eyes.(P)
10 People open their mouths(Q) to jeer at me;(R)
they strike my cheek(S) in scorn
and unite together against me.(T)
11 God has turned me over to the ungodly
and thrown me into the clutches of the wicked.(U)
12 All was well with me, but he shattered me;
he seized me by the neck and crushed me.(V)
He has made me his target;(W)
13 his archers surround me.(X)
Without pity, he pierces(Y) my kidneys
and spills my gall on the ground.
14 Again and again(Z) he bursts upon me;
he rushes at me like a warrior.(AA)
15 “I have sewed sackcloth(AB) over my skin
and buried my brow in the dust.(AC)
16 My face is red with weeping,(AD)
dark shadows ring my eyes;(AE)
17 yet my hands have been free of violence(AF)
and my prayer is pure.(AG)
18 “Earth, do not cover my blood;(AH)
may my cry(AI) never be laid to rest!(AJ)
19 Even now my witness(AK) is in heaven;(AL)
my advocate is on high.(AM)
20 My intercessor(AN) is my friend[a](AO)
as my eyes pour out(AP) tears(AQ) to God;
21 on behalf of a man he pleads(AR) with God
as one pleads for a friend.
22 “Only a few years will pass
before I take the path of no return.(AS)
17 1 My spirit(AT) is broken,
my days are cut short,(AU)
the grave awaits me.(AV)
2 Surely mockers(AW) surround me;(AX)
my eyes must dwell on their hostility.
3 “Give me, O God, the pledge you demand.(AY)
Who else will put up security(AZ) for me?(BA)
4 You have closed their minds to understanding;(BB)
therefore you will not let them triumph.
5 If anyone denounces their friends for reward,(BC)
the eyes of their children will fail.(BD)
6 “God has made me a byword(BE) to everyone,(BF)
a man in whose face people spit.(BG)
7 My eyes have grown dim with grief;(BH)
my whole frame is but a shadow.(BI)
8 The upright are appalled at this;
the innocent are aroused(BJ) against the ungodly.
9 Nevertheless, the righteous(BK) will hold to their ways,
and those with clean hands(BL) will grow stronger.(BM)
10 “But come on, all of you, try again!
I will not find a wise man among you.(BN)
11 My days have passed,(BO) my plans are shattered.
Yet the desires of my heart(BP)
12 turn night into day;(BQ)
in the face of the darkness light is near.(BR)
13 If the only home I hope for is the grave,(BS)
if I spread out my bed(BT) in the realm of darkness,(BU)
14 if I say to corruption,(BV) ‘You are my father,’
and to the worm,(BW) ‘My mother’ or ‘My sister,’
15 where then is my hope—(BX)
who can see any hope for me?(BY)
16 Will it go down to the gates of death?(BZ)
Will we descend together into the dust?”(CA)
Bildad
18 Then Bildad the Shuhite(CB) replied:
2 “When will you end these speeches?(CC)
Be sensible, and then we can talk.
3 Why are we regarded as cattle(CD)
and considered stupid in your sight?(CE)
4 You who tear yourself(CF) to pieces in your anger,(CG)
is the earth to be abandoned for your sake?
Or must the rocks be moved from their place?(CH)
5 “The lamp of a wicked man is snuffed out;(CI)
the flame of his fire stops burning.(CJ)
6 The light in his tent(CK) becomes dark;(CL)
the lamp beside him goes out.(CM)
7 The vigor(CN) of his step is weakened;(CO)
his own schemes(CP) throw him down.(CQ)
8 His feet thrust him into a net;(CR)
he wanders into its mesh.
9 A trap seizes him by the heel;
a snare(CS) holds him fast.(CT)
10 A noose(CU) is hidden for him on the ground;
a trap(CV) lies in his path.(CW)
11 Terrors(CX) startle him on every side(CY)
and dog(CZ) his every step.
12 Calamity(DA) is hungry(DB) for him;
disaster(DC) is ready for him when he falls.(DD)
13 It eats away parts of his skin;(DE)
death’s firstborn devours his limbs.(DF)
14 He is torn from the security of his tent(DG)
and marched off to the king(DH) of terrors.(DI)
15 Fire resides[b] in his tent;(DJ)
burning sulfur(DK) is scattered over his dwelling.
16 His roots dry up below(DL)
and his branches wither above.(DM)
17 The memory of him perishes from the earth;(DN)
he has no name(DO) in the land.(DP)
18 He is driven from light into the realm of darkness(DQ)
and is banished(DR) from the world.(DS)
19 He has no offspring(DT) or descendants(DU) among his people,
no survivor(DV) where once he lived.(DW)
20 People of the west are appalled(DX) at his fate;(DY)
those of the east are seized with horror.
21 Surely such is the dwelling(DZ) of an evil man;(EA)
such is the place(EB) of one who does not know God.”(EC)
Job
19 Then Job replied:
2 “How long will you torment(ED) me
and crush(EE) me with words?
3 Ten times(EF) now you have reproached(EG) me;
shamelessly you attack me.
4 If it is true that I have gone astray,
my error(EH) remains my concern alone.
5 If indeed you would exalt yourselves above me(EI)
and use my humiliation against me,
6 then know that God has wronged me(EJ)
and drawn his net(EK) around me.(EL)
7 “Though I cry, ‘Violence!’ I get no response;(EM)
though I call for help,(EN) there is no justice.(EO)
8 He has blocked my way so I cannot pass;(EP)
he has shrouded my paths in darkness.(EQ)
9 He has stripped(ER) me of my honor(ES)
and removed the crown from my head.(ET)
10 He tears me down(EU) on every side till I am gone;
he uproots my hope(EV) like a tree.(EW)
11 His anger(EX) burns against me;
he counts me among his enemies.(EY)
12 His troops advance in force;(EZ)
they build a siege ramp(FA) against me
and encamp around my tent.(FB)
13 “He has alienated my family(FC) from me;
my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.(FD)
14 My relatives have gone away;
my closest friends(FE) have forgotten me.
15 My guests(FF) and my female servants(FG) count me a foreigner;
they look on me as on a stranger.
16 I summon my servant, but he does not answer,
though I beg him with my own mouth.
17 My breath is offensive to my wife;
I am loathsome(FH) to my own family.
18 Even the little boys(FI) scorn me;
when I appear, they ridicule me.(FJ)
19 All my intimate friends(FK) detest me;(FL)
those I love have turned against me.(FM)
20 I am nothing but skin and bones;(FN)
I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.[c]
21 “Have pity on me, my friends,(FO) have pity,
for the hand of God has struck(FP) me.
22 Why do you pursue(FQ) me as God does?(FR)
Will you never get enough of my flesh?(FS)
23 “Oh, that my words were recorded,
that they were written on a scroll,(FT)
24 that they were inscribed with an iron tool(FU) on[d] lead,
or engraved in rock forever!(FV)
25 I know that my redeemer[e](FW) lives,(FX)
and that in the end he will stand on the earth.[f]
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet[g] in[h] my flesh I will see God;(FY)
27 I myself will see him
with my own eyes(FZ)—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns(GA) within me!
Footnotes
- Job 16:20 Or My friends treat me with scorn
- Job 18:15 Or Nothing he had remains
- Job 19:20 Or only by my gums
- Job 19:24 Or and
- Job 19:25 Or vindicator
- Job 19:25 Or on my grave
- Job 19:26 Or And after I awake, / though this body has been destroyed, / then
- Job 19:26 Or destroyed, / apart from
- Job 19:28 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts me
- Job 19:29 Or sword, / that you may come to know the Almighty
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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.