Job 17
Christian Standard Bible
17 My spirit is broken.
My days are extinguished.
A graveyard(A) awaits me.
2 Surely mockers surround[a] me,
and my eyes must gaze at their rebellion.(B)
3 Accept my pledge! Put up security for me.(C)
Who else will be my sponsor?[b]
4 You have closed their minds to understanding,
therefore you will not honor them.
5 If a man denounces his friends for a price,
the eyes of his children will fail.
6 He has made me an object of scorn to the people;
I have become a man people spit at.[c](D)
7 My eyes have grown dim from grief,
and my whole body has become but a shadow.
8 The upright are appalled(E) at this,
and the innocent are roused against the godless.
9 Yet the righteous person will hold to his way,
and the one whose hands are clean(F) will grow stronger.
10 But come back and try again, all of you.[d]
I will not find a wise man among you.
11 My days have slipped by;
my plans have been ruined,
even the things dear to my heart.
12 They turned night into day
and made light seem near in the face of darkness.(G)
13 If I await Sheol as my home,
spread out my bed in darkness,
14 and say to corruption, “You are my father,”
and to the maggot, “My mother” or “My sister,”(H)
15 where then is my hope?(I)
Who can see any hope for me?
16 Will it go down to the gates of Sheol,(J)
or will we descend together to the dust?
Job 17
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Job Prays for Relief
17 “My spirit is broken; my days are extinct;
the grave is ready for me.(A)
2 Surely there are mockers around me,
and my eye dwells on their provocation.(B)
3 “Lay down a pledge for me with yourself;
who is there who will give surety for me?(C)
4 Since you have closed their minds to understanding,
therefore you will not let them triumph.(D)
5 Those who denounce friends for reward—
the eyes of their children will fail.(E)
6 “He has made me a byword of the peoples,
and I am one before whom people spit.(F)
7 My eye has grown dim from grief,
and all my members are like a shadow.(G)
8 The upright are appalled at this,
and the innocent stir themselves up against the godless.
9 Yet the righteous hold to their way,
and they who have clean hands grow stronger and stronger.(H)
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.(I)
12 They make night into day;
‘The light,’ they say, ‘is near to the darkness.’[a]
13 If I look for Sheol as my house,
if I spread my couch in darkness,(J)
14 if I say to the Pit, ‘You are my father,’
and to the worm, ‘My mother’ or ‘My sister,’(K)
15 where then is my hope?
Who will see my hope?(L)
16 Will it go down to the bars of Sheol?
Shall we descend together into the dust?”(M)
Footnotes
- 17.12 Meaning of Heb uncertain
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.