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Job 17-20
Christian Standard Bible
Job 17-20
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?
Bildad Speaks
18 Then Bildad the Shuhite(K) replied:
2 How long until you stop talking?
Show some sense, and then we can talk.
3 Why are we regarded as cattle,
as stupid in your sight?
4 You who tear yourself in anger[e]—
should the earth be abandoned on your account,
or a rock be removed from its place?
5 Yes, the light(L) of the wicked(M) is extinguished;
the flame of his fire does not glow.
6 The light in his tent grows dark,(N)
and the lamp beside him is put out.
7 His powerful stride is shortened,
and his own schemes trip him up.(O)
8 For his own feet lead him into a net,
and he strays into its mesh.
9 A trap catches him by the heel;
a noose seizes him.
10 A rope lies hidden for him on the ground,
and a snare waits for him along the path.
11 Terrors frighten him on every side(P)
and harass him at every step.
12 His strength is depleted;
disaster lies ready for him to stumble.[f]
13 Parts of his skin are eaten away;
death’s firstborn consumes his limbs.
14 He is ripped from the security of his tent
and marched away to the king of terrors.
15 Nothing he owned remains in his tent.
Burning sulfur(Q) is scattered over his home.
16 His roots below dry up,
and his branches above wither away.(R)
17 All memory(S) of him perishes from the earth;
he has no name anywhere.[g]
18 He is driven from light to darkness
and chased from the inhabited world.
19 He has no children or descendants among his people,
no survivor where he used to live.(T)
20 Those in the west are appalled(U) at his fate,
while those in the east tremble in horror.
21 Indeed, such is the dwelling of the unjust man,
and this is the place of the one who does not know God.(V)
Job’s Reply to Bildad
19 Then Job answered:
2 How long will you torment me
and crush me with words?
3 You have humiliated me ten times now,
and you mistreat[h] me without shame.(W)
4 Even if it is true that I have sinned,
my mistake concerns only[i] me.
5 If you really want to appear superior(X) to me
and would use my disgrace as evidence against me,
6 then understand that it is God who has wronged me
and caught me in his net.(Y)
7 I cry out, “Violence!” but get no response;(Z)
I call for help, but there is no justice.
8 He has blocked(AA) my way so that I cannot pass through;
he has veiled my paths with darkness.(AB)
9 He has stripped me of my honor
and removed the crown from my head.
10 He tears me down on every side so that I am ruined.[j]
He uproots my hope like a tree.(AC)
11 His anger(AD) burns against me,
and he regards me as one of his enemies.(AE)
12 His troops advance together;
they construct a ramp[k] against me
and camp(AF) around my tent.
13 He has removed my brothers from me;
my acquaintances have abandoned me.(AG)
14 My relatives stop coming by,
and my close friends have forgotten me.
15 My house guests[l] and female servants regard me as a stranger;
I am a foreigner in their sight.(AH)
16 I call for my servant, but he does not answer,
even if I beg him with my own mouth.
17 My breath is offensive to my wife,
and my own family[m] finds me repulsive.
18 Even young boys scorn me.
When I stand up, they mock me.(AI)
19 All of my best friends[n] despise me,(AJ)
and those I love have turned against me.(AK)
20 My skin and my flesh cling to my bones;
I have escaped with only the skin of my teeth.
21 Have mercy on me, my friends,(AL) have mercy,
for God’s hand(AM) has struck me.(AN)
22 Why do you persecute me as God does?
Will you never get enough of my flesh?
23 I wish that my words were written down,
that they were recorded on a scroll
24 or were inscribed in stone forever
by an iron stylus and lead!
25 But I know that my Redeemer lives,[o](AO)
and at the end he will stand on the dust.(AP)
26 Even after my skin has been destroyed,[p]
yet I will see God in[q] my flesh.(AQ)
27 I will see him myself;
my eyes will look at him, and not as a stranger.[r]
My heart longs[s] within me.(AR)
28 If you say, “How will we pursue him,
since the root of the problem lies with him?” [t]
29 then be afraid of the sword,
because wrath brings punishment by the sword,(AS)
so that you may know there is a judgment.
Zophar Speaks
20 Then Zophar the Naamathite(AT) replied:
2 This is why my unsettling thoughts compel me to answer,
because I am upset![u]
3 I have heard a rebuke that insults me,
and my understanding[v] makes me reply.(AU)
4 Don’t you know that ever since antiquity,
from the time a human was placed on earth,
5 the joy of the wicked has been brief
and the happiness of the godless has lasted only a moment?(AV)
6 Though his arrogance reaches heaven,
and his head touches the clouds,(AW)
7 he will vanish forever like his own dung.
Those who know[w] him will ask, “Where is he?” (AX)
8 He will fly away like a dream and never be found;
he will be chased away like a vision in the night.(AY)
9 The eye that saw him will see him no more,(AZ)
and his household will no longer see him.(BA)
10 His children will beg from[x] the poor,
for his own hands must give back his wealth.
11 His frame may be full of youthful vigor,
but it will lie down with him in dust.(BB)
12 Though evil tastes sweet in his mouth
and he conceals it under his tongue,
13 though he cherishes it and will not let it go
but keeps it in his mouth,(BC)
14 yet the food in his stomach turns
into cobras’ venom inside him.
15 He swallows wealth but must vomit it up;
God will force it from his stomach.
16 He will suck the poison of cobras;
a viper’s fangs[y] will kill him.(BD)
17 He will not enjoy the streams,
the rivers flowing with honey and curds.(BE)
18 He must return the fruit of his labor without consuming it;
he doesn’t enjoy the profits from his trading.
19 For he oppressed and abandoned the poor;
he seized a house he did not build.(BF)
20 Because his appetite is never satisfied,[z]
he does not let anything he desires escape.
21 Nothing is left for him to consume;(BG)
therefore, his prosperity will not last.
22 At the height of his success[aa] distress will come to him;(BH)
the full weight of misery[ab] will crush him.
23 When he fills his stomach,
God will send his burning anger against him,
raining(BI) it down on him while he is eating.[ac]
24 If he flees from an iron weapon,
an arrow from a bronze bow will pierce him.
25 He pulls it out of his back,
the flashing tip out of his liver.[ad]
Terrors come over him.(BJ)
26 Total darkness is reserved for his treasures.
A fire unfanned by human hands will consume(BK) him;
it will feed on what is left in his tent.
27 The heavens will expose his iniquity,(BL)
and the earth will rise up against him.(BM)
28 The possessions in his house will be removed,
flowing away on the day of God’s anger.
29 This is the wicked person’s lot(BN) from God,
the inheritance God ordained for him.
Footnotes
- 17:2 Lit are with
- 17:3 Or Who is there that will shake hands with me?
- 17:6 Lit become a spitting to the faces
- 17:10 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg; other Hb mss read them
- 18:4 Lit He who tears himself in his anger
- 18:12 Or disaster hungers for him
- 18:17 Or name in the streets
- 19:3 Hb obscure
- 19:4 Lit mistake lives with
- 19:10 Lit gone
- 19:12 Lit they raise up their way
- 19:15 Or The resident aliens in my household
- 19:17 Lit and the sons of my belly
- 19:19 Lit of the men of my council
- 19:25 Or know my living Redeemer
- 19:26 Lit skin which they destroyed, or skin they destroyed in this way
- 19:26 Or apart from
- 19:27 Or not a stranger
- 19:27 Lit My kidneys grow faint
- 19:28 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg; other Hb mss read me
- 20:2 Lit because of my feeling within me
- 20:3 Lit and a spirit from my understanding
- 20:7 Lit have seen
- 20:10 Or children must compensate
- 20:16 Lit tongue
- 20:20 Lit Because he does not know ease in his stomach
- 20:22 Lit In the fullness of his excess
- 20:22 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg; other Hb mss read the hand of everyone in misery
- 20:23 Text emended; MT reads him, against his flesh
- 20:25 Or gallbladder
Job 17-20
New International Version
Job 17-20
New International Version
17 1 My spirit(A) is broken,
my days are cut short,(B)
the grave awaits me.(C)
2 Surely mockers(D) surround me;(E)
my eyes must dwell on their hostility.
3 “Give me, O God, the pledge you demand.(F)
Who else will put up security(G) for me?(H)
4 You have closed their minds to understanding;(I)
therefore you will not let them triumph.
5 If anyone denounces their friends for reward,(J)
the eyes of their children will fail.(K)
6 “God has made me a byword(L) to everyone,(M)
a man in whose face people spit.(N)
7 My eyes have grown dim with grief;(O)
my whole frame is but a shadow.(P)
8 The upright are appalled at this;
the innocent are aroused(Q) against the ungodly.
9 Nevertheless, the righteous(R) will hold to their ways,
and those with clean hands(S) will grow stronger.(T)
10 “But come on, all of you, try again!
I will not find a wise man among you.(U)
11 My days have passed,(V) my plans are shattered.
Yet the desires of my heart(W)
12 turn night into day;(X)
in the face of the darkness light is near.(Y)
13 If the only home I hope for is the grave,(Z)
if I spread out my bed(AA) in the realm of darkness,(AB)
14 if I say to corruption,(AC) ‘You are my father,’
and to the worm,(AD) ‘My mother’ or ‘My sister,’
15 where then is my hope—(AE)
who can see any hope for me?(AF)
16 Will it go down to the gates of death?(AG)
Will we descend together into the dust?”(AH)
Bildad
18 Then Bildad the Shuhite(AI) replied:
2 “When will you end these speeches?(AJ)
Be sensible, and then we can talk.
3 Why are we regarded as cattle(AK)
and considered stupid in your sight?(AL)
4 You who tear yourself(AM) to pieces in your anger,(AN)
is the earth to be abandoned for your sake?
Or must the rocks be moved from their place?(AO)
5 “The lamp of a wicked man is snuffed out;(AP)
the flame of his fire stops burning.(AQ)
6 The light in his tent(AR) becomes dark;(AS)
the lamp beside him goes out.(AT)
7 The vigor(AU) of his step is weakened;(AV)
his own schemes(AW) throw him down.(AX)
8 His feet thrust him into a net;(AY)
he wanders into its mesh.
9 A trap seizes him by the heel;
a snare(AZ) holds him fast.(BA)
10 A noose(BB) is hidden for him on the ground;
a trap(BC) lies in his path.(BD)
11 Terrors(BE) startle him on every side(BF)
and dog(BG) his every step.
12 Calamity(BH) is hungry(BI) for him;
disaster(BJ) is ready for him when he falls.(BK)
13 It eats away parts of his skin;(BL)
death’s firstborn devours his limbs.(BM)
14 He is torn from the security of his tent(BN)
and marched off to the king(BO) of terrors.(BP)
15 Fire resides[a] in his tent;(BQ)
burning sulfur(BR) is scattered over his dwelling.
16 His roots dry up below(BS)
and his branches wither above.(BT)
17 The memory of him perishes from the earth;(BU)
he has no name(BV) in the land.(BW)
18 He is driven from light into the realm of darkness(BX)
and is banished(BY) from the world.(BZ)
19 He has no offspring(CA) or descendants(CB) among his people,
no survivor(CC) where once he lived.(CD)
20 People of the west are appalled(CE) at his fate;(CF)
those of the east are seized with horror.
21 Surely such is the dwelling(CG) of an evil man;(CH)
such is the place(CI) of one who does not know God.”(CJ)
Job
19 Then Job replied:
2 “How long will you torment(CK) me
and crush(CL) me with words?
3 Ten times(CM) now you have reproached(CN) me;
shamelessly you attack me.
4 If it is true that I have gone astray,
my error(CO) remains my concern alone.
5 If indeed you would exalt yourselves above me(CP)
and use my humiliation against me,
6 then know that God has wronged me(CQ)
and drawn his net(CR) around me.(CS)
7 “Though I cry, ‘Violence!’ I get no response;(CT)
though I call for help,(CU) there is no justice.(CV)
8 He has blocked my way so I cannot pass;(CW)
he has shrouded my paths in darkness.(CX)
9 He has stripped(CY) me of my honor(CZ)
and removed the crown from my head.(DA)
10 He tears me down(DB) on every side till I am gone;
he uproots my hope(DC) like a tree.(DD)
11 His anger(DE) burns against me;
he counts me among his enemies.(DF)
12 His troops advance in force;(DG)
they build a siege ramp(DH) against me
and encamp around my tent.(DI)
13 “He has alienated my family(DJ) from me;
my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.(DK)
14 My relatives have gone away;
my closest friends(DL) have forgotten me.
15 My guests(DM) and my female servants(DN) 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(DO) to my own family.
18 Even the little boys(DP) scorn me;
when I appear, they ridicule me.(DQ)
19 All my intimate friends(DR) detest me;(DS)
those I love have turned against me.(DT)
20 I am nothing but skin and bones;(DU)
I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.[b]
21 “Have pity on me, my friends,(DV) have pity,
for the hand of God has struck(DW) me.
22 Why do you pursue(DX) me as God does?(DY)
Will you never get enough of my flesh?(DZ)
23 “Oh, that my words were recorded,
that they were written on a scroll,(EA)
24 that they were inscribed with an iron tool(EB) on[c] lead,
or engraved in rock forever!(EC)
25 I know that my redeemer[d](ED) lives,(EE)
and that in the end he will stand on the earth.[e]
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet[f] in[g] my flesh I will see God;(EF)
27 I myself will see him
with my own eyes(EG)—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns(EH) within me!
28 “If you say, ‘How we will hound(EI) him,
since the root of the trouble lies in him,[h]’
29 you should fear the sword yourselves;
for wrath will bring punishment by the sword,(EJ)
and then you will know that there is judgment.[i]”(EK)
Zophar
20 Then Zophar the Naamathite(EL) replied:
2 “My troubled thoughts prompt me to answer
because I am greatly disturbed.(EM)
3 I hear a rebuke(EN) that dishonors me,
and my understanding inspires me to reply.
4 “Surely you know how it has been from of old,(EO)
ever since mankind[j] was placed on the earth,
5 that the mirth of the wicked(EP) is brief,
the joy of the godless(EQ) lasts but a moment.(ER)
6 Though the pride(ES) of the godless person reaches to the heavens(ET)
and his head touches the clouds,(EU)
7 he will perish forever,(EV) like his own dung;
those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’(EW)
8 Like a dream(EX) he flies away,(EY) no more to be found,
banished(EZ) like a vision of the night.(FA)
9 The eye that saw him will not see him again;
his place will look on him no more.(FB)
10 His children(FC) must make amends to the poor;
his own hands must give back his wealth.(FD)
11 The youthful vigor(FE) that fills his bones(FF)
will lie with him in the dust.(FG)
12 “Though evil(FH) is sweet in his mouth
and he hides it under his tongue,(FI)
13 though he cannot bear to let it go
and lets it linger in his mouth,(FJ)
14 yet his food will turn sour in his stomach;(FK)
it will become the venom of serpents(FL) within him.
15 He will spit out the riches(FM) he swallowed;
God will make his stomach vomit(FN) them up.
16 He will suck the poison(FO) of serpents;
the fangs of an adder will kill him.(FP)
17 He will not enjoy the streams,
the rivers(FQ) flowing with honey(FR) and cream.(FS)
18 What he toiled for he must give back uneaten;(FT)
he will not enjoy the profit from his trading.(FU)
19 For he has oppressed the poor(FV) and left them destitute;(FW)
he has seized houses(FX) he did not build.
20 “Surely he will have no respite from his craving;(FY)
he cannot save himself by his treasure.(FZ)
21 Nothing is left for him to devour;
his prosperity will not endure.(GA)
22 In the midst of his plenty, distress will overtake him;(GB)
the full force of misery will come upon him.(GC)
23 When he has filled his belly,(GD)
God will vent his burning anger(GE) against him
and rain down his blows on him.(GF)
24 Though he flees(GG) from an iron weapon,
a bronze-tipped arrow pierces him.(GH)
25 He pulls it out of his back,
the gleaming point out of his liver.
Terrors(GI) will come over him;(GJ)
26 total darkness(GK) lies in wait for his treasures.
A fire(GL) unfanned will consume him(GM)
and devour what is left in his tent.(GN)
27 The heavens will expose his guilt;
the earth will rise up against him.(GO)
28 A flood will carry off his house,(GP)
rushing waters[k] on the day of God’s wrath.(GQ)
29 Such is the fate God allots the wicked,
the heritage appointed for them by God.”(GR)
Footnotes
- 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
- Job 20:4 Or Adam
- Job 20:28 Or The possessions in his house will be carried off, / washed away
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
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