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Job 18-21
New American Standard Bible
Job 18-21
New American Standard Bible
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 (A)regarded as animals,
As stupid in your eyes?
4 [a]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 (B)light of the wicked goes out,
And the spark from his fire does not shine.
6 The light in his tent is (C)darkened,
And his lamp goes out above him.
7 His [b]vigorous stride is shortened,
And his (D)own plan brings him down.
8 For he is (E)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 (F)sudden terrors frighten him,
And (G)harass him at every step.
12 His strength is (H)famished,
And disaster is ready at his side.
13 [c]It devours parts of his skin,
The firstborn of death (I)devours his [d]limbs.
14 He is (J)torn from [e]the security of his tent,
And [f]they march him before the king of (K)terrors.
15 [g]Nothing of his dwells in his tent;
(L)Brimstone is scattered on his home.
16 His (M)roots are dried below,
And his (N)branch withers above.
17 (O)The memory of him perishes from the earth,
And he has no name abroad.
18 [h]He is driven from light (P)into darkness,
And (Q)chased from the inhabited world.
19 He has no (R)offspring or descendants among his people,
Nor any survivor where he resided.
20 Those in the west are appalled at (S)his [i]fate,
And those in the east are seized with horror.
21 Certainly these are the (T)dwellings of the wicked,
And this is the place of him who does not know God.”
Job Feels Insulted
19 Then Job responded,
2 “How long will you torment [j]me
And crush me with words?
3 These ten times you have insulted me;
You are not ashamed to wrong me.
4 Even if I have truly done wrong,
My error stays with me.
5 If indeed you (U)exalt yourselves against me
And prove my disgrace to me,
6 Know then that (V)God has wronged me
And has surrounded me with (W)His net.
Everything Is Against Him
7 “Behold, (X)I cry, ‘Violence!’ but I get no answer;
I shout for help, but there is no justice.
8 He has (Y)blocked my way so that I cannot pass,
And He has put (Z)darkness on my paths.
9 He has (AA)stripped my honor from me
And removed the (AB)crown from my head.
10 He (AC)breaks me down on every side, and I am gone;
And He has uprooted my (AD)hope (AE)like a tree.
11 He has also (AF)kindled His anger against me
And (AG)considered me as His enemy.
12 His (AH)troops come together
And (AI)build up their [k]way against me
And camp around my tent.
13 “He has (AJ)removed my brothers far from me,
And my (AK)acquaintances have completely turned away from me.
14 My relatives have failed,
And my (AL)close friends have forgotten me.
15 Those who live in my house and my servant women consider me a stranger.
I am a foreigner in their sight.
16 I call to my servant, but he does not answer;
I have to implore his favor with my mouth.
17 My breath is offensive to my wife,
And I am loathsome to my own brothers.
18 Even young children despise me;
I stand up and they speak against me.
19 All [l]my (AM)associates loathe me,
And those I love have turned against me.
20 My (AN)bone clings to my skin and my flesh,
And I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.
21 Pity me, pity me, you friends of mine,
For the (AO)hand of God has struck me.
22 Why do you (AP)persecute me as God does,
And are not satisfied with my flesh?
Job Says My Redeemer Lives
23 “Oh that my words were written!
Oh that they were (AQ)recorded in a book!
24 That with an iron stylus and lead
They were engraved in the rock forever!
25 Yet as for me, I know that (AR)my Redeemer lives,
And at the last, He will take His stand on the [m]earth.
26 Even after my skin [n]is destroyed,
Yet from my flesh I will (AS)see God,
27 Whom I, on my part, shall behold for myself,
And whom my eyes will see, and not another.
My [o]heart (AT)faints [p]within me!
28 If you say, ‘How shall we (AU)persecute him?’
And ‘[q]What pretext for a case against him can we find?’
29 Then be afraid of (AV)the sword for yourselves,
For wrath brings the punishment of the sword,
So that you may know (AW)there is judgment.”
Zophar Says the Rejoicing of the Wicked Is Short
20 Then Zophar the Naamathite responded,
2 “Therefore my disquieting thoughts make me [r]respond,
Even because of my [s]inward agitation.
3 I listened to (AX)the reprimand which insults me,
And the spirit of my understanding makes me answer.
4 Do you know this from (AY)ancient times,
From the establishment of mankind on earth,
5 That the (AZ)rejoicing of the wicked is short,
And (BA)the joy of the godless momentary?
6 Though his arrogance [t](BB)reaches the heavens,
And his head touches the clouds,
7 He (BC)perishes forever like his refuse;
Those who have seen him (BD)will say, ‘Where is he?’
8 He flies away like a (BE)dream, and they cannot find him;
Like a vision of the night he is (BF)chased away.
9 The (BG)eye which saw him sees him no longer,
And (BH)his place no longer beholds him.
10 His (BI)sons [u]favor the poor,
And his hands (BJ)give back his wealth.
11 His (BK)bones are full of his youthful strength,
But it lies down with him [v]in the dust.
12 “Though (BL)evil tastes sweet in his mouth
And he hides it under his tongue,
13 Though he [w]desires it and will not let it go,
But holds it (BM)in his [x]mouth,
14 Yet his food in his stomach is changed
To the [y]venom of cobras within him.
15 He swallows riches,
But will (BN)vomit them up;
God will expel them from his belly.
16 He sucks (BO)the poison of cobras;
The viper’s tongue kills him.
17 He does not look at (BP)the streams,
The rivers flowing with honey and curds.
18 He (BQ)returns the product of his labor
And cannot swallow it;
As to the riches of his trading,
He cannot even enjoy them.
19 For he has (BR)oppressed and neglected the poor;
He has seized a house which he has not built.
20 “Because he knew no quiet [z]within him,
He does (BS)not retain anything he desires.
21 Nothing remains [aa]for him to devour,
Therefore (BT)his prosperity does not endure.
22 In the fullness of his excess he will be cramped;
The (BU)hand of everyone who suffers will come against him.
23 When he (BV)fills his belly,
God will send His fierce anger on him
And (BW)rain it on him [ab]while he is eating.
24 He may (BX)flee from the iron weapon,
But the bronze bow will pierce him.
25 It is drawn and comes out of his back,
Even the flashing point from (BY)his gallbladder;
(BZ)Terrors come upon him,
26 Complete (CA)darkness is held in reserve for his treasures,
And unfanned (CB)fire will devour him;
It will consume the survivor in his tent.
27 The (CC)heavens will reveal his guilt,
And the earth will rise up against him.
28 The (CD)increase of his house will disappear;
His possessions will flow away (CE)on the day of His anger.
29 This is a wicked person’s (CF)portion from God,
The inheritance decreed to him by God.”
Job Says God Will Deal with the Wicked
21 Then Job responded,
2 “Listen carefully to my speech,
And let this be your way of consolation.
3 Bear with me that I may speak;
Then after I have spoken, you may (CG)mock me.
4 As for me, is (CH)my complaint [ac]to a mortal?
Or (CI)why should [ad]I not be impatient?
5 Look at me, and be astonished,
And (CJ)put your hand over your mouth.
6 Even when I remember, I am disturbed,
And (CK)horror takes hold of my flesh.
7 Why (CL)do the wicked still live,
Grow old, and also become very [ae](CM)powerful?
8 Their [af](CN)descendants endure with them in their sight,
And their offspring before their eyes,
9 Their houses (CO)are safe from fear,
And the [ag]rod of God is not on them.
10 His ox mates [ah]without fail;
His cow calves and does not miscarry.
11 They send out their boys like the flock,
And their children dance.
12 They [ai]sing with the tambourine and harp,
And rejoice at the sound of the flute.
13 They (CP)spend their days in prosperity,
And [aj]suddenly they go down to [ak]Sheol.
14 Yet they say to God, ‘(CQ)Go away from us!
We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways.
15 [al]Who is [am]the Almighty, that we should serve Him,
And (CR)what would we gain if we plead with Him?’
16 Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand;
The (CS)advice of the wicked is far from me.
17 “How often is (CT)the lamp of the wicked put out,
Or does their (CU)disaster fall on them?
Does [an]God apportion destruction in His anger?
18 Are they as (CV)straw before the wind,
And like (CW)chaff which the storm carries away?
19 You say, ‘(CX)God saves up [ao]a person’s [ap]wrongdoing for his sons.’
Let [aq]God repay him so that he may know it.
20 Let his (CY)own eyes see his destruction,
And let him (CZ)drink of the wrath of [ar]the Almighty.
21 For what does he care about his household [as]after him,
When the number of his months is at an end?
22 Can anyone (DA)teach God knowledge,
In that He (DB)judges those on high?
23 One (DC)dies in his full strength,
Being wholly undisturbed and at ease;
24 His [at]sides are filled with fat,
And the (DD)marrow of his bones is wet,
25 While another dies with a bitter soul,
Never even [au]tasting anything good.
26 Together they (DE)lie down in the dust,
And (DF)maggots cover them.
27 “Behold, I know your thoughts,
And the plots you devise against me.
28 For you say, ‘Where is the house of (DG)the nobleman,
And where is the (DH)tent, the dwelling places of the wicked?’
29 Have you not asked travelers,
And do you not examine their [av]evidence?
30 For the (DI)wicked person is spared [aw]a day of disaster;
They [ax]are led away from (DJ)a day of fury.
31 Who [ay]confronts him with his actions,
And who repays him for what he has done?
32 When he is carried to the grave,
People will keep watch over his tomb.
33 The (DK)clods of the valley will [az]gently cover him;
Moreover, (DL)all mankind will [ba]follow after him,
While countless others go before him.
34 So how dare you give me empty (DM)comfort?
For your answers remain nothing but falsehood!”
Footnotes
- Job 18:4 Lit The one who tears himself in his
- Job 18:7 Lit steps of his strength
- Job 18:13 Another reading is His skin is devoured by illness
- Job 18:13 Or parts
- Job 18:14 Lit his tent his trust
- Job 18:14 Lit you march or she marches
- Job 18:15 Another reading is Fire dwells in his tent
- Job 18:18 Lit They drive him...And chase him
- Job 18:20 Lit day
- Job 19:2 Lit my soul
- Job 19:12 I.e., siege ramp
- Job 19:19 Lit the men of my council
- Job 19:25 Lit dust
- Job 19:26 Lit which they have cut off
- Job 19:27 Lit kidneys
- Job 19:27 Lit in my loins
- Job 19:28 Or the root of the matter is found in him
- Job 20:2 Lit return
- Job 20:2 Lit haste within me
- Job 20:6 Lit goes up to
- Job 20:10 Or seek the favor of
- Job 20:11 Lit on
- Job 20:13 Lit spares it
- Job 20:13 Lit palate
- Job 20:14 Lit gall
- Job 20:20 Lit in his belly
- Job 20:21 Or of what he devours
- Job 20:23 Or as his food
- Job 21:4 Or against
- Job 21:4 Lit my spirit
- Job 21:7 Or superior
- Job 21:8 Lit seed
- Job 21:9 I.e., punishment
- Job 21:10 Lit and does not fail
- Job 21:12 Lit lifted up the voice
- Job 21:13 Or in peacefulness
- Job 21:13 I.e., the netherworld
- Job 21:15 Lit What
- Job 21:15 Heb Shaddai
- Job 21:17 Lit He
- Job 21:19 Lit his
- Job 21:19 Or disaster
- Job 21:19 Lit Him
- Job 21:20 Heb Shaddai
- Job 21:21 I.e., after he dies
- Job 21:24 As in Syriac; Heb uncertain. Some render as his pails are full of milk
- Job 21:25 Lit eating
- Job 21:29 Lit signs
- Job 21:30 Or for the day
- Job 21:30 Or will be led to the day
- Job 21:31 Lit declares his way to his face
- Job 21:33 Lit be sweet to him
- Job 21:33 Lit draw
Job 18-21
New International Version
Job 18-21
New International Version
Bildad
18 Then Bildad the Shuhite(A) replied:
2 “When will you end these speeches?(B)
Be sensible, and then we can talk.
3 Why are we regarded as cattle(C)
and considered stupid in your sight?(D)
4 You who tear yourself(E) to pieces in your anger,(F)
is the earth to be abandoned for your sake?
Or must the rocks be moved from their place?(G)
5 “The lamp of a wicked man is snuffed out;(H)
the flame of his fire stops burning.(I)
6 The light in his tent(J) becomes dark;(K)
the lamp beside him goes out.(L)
7 The vigor(M) of his step is weakened;(N)
his own schemes(O) throw him down.(P)
8 His feet thrust him into a net;(Q)
he wanders into its mesh.
9 A trap seizes him by the heel;
a snare(R) holds him fast.(S)
10 A noose(T) is hidden for him on the ground;
a trap(U) lies in his path.(V)
11 Terrors(W) startle him on every side(X)
and dog(Y) his every step.
12 Calamity(Z) is hungry(AA) for him;
disaster(AB) is ready for him when he falls.(AC)
13 It eats away parts of his skin;(AD)
death’s firstborn devours his limbs.(AE)
14 He is torn from the security of his tent(AF)
and marched off to the king(AG) of terrors.(AH)
15 Fire resides[a] in his tent;(AI)
burning sulfur(AJ) is scattered over his dwelling.
16 His roots dry up below(AK)
and his branches wither above.(AL)
17 The memory of him perishes from the earth;(AM)
he has no name(AN) in the land.(AO)
18 He is driven from light into the realm of darkness(AP)
and is banished(AQ) from the world.(AR)
19 He has no offspring(AS) or descendants(AT) among his people,
no survivor(AU) where once he lived.(AV)
20 People of the west are appalled(AW) at his fate;(AX)
those of the east are seized with horror.
21 Surely such is the dwelling(AY) of an evil man;(AZ)
such is the place(BA) of one who does not know God.”(BB)
Job
19 Then Job replied:
2 “How long will you torment(BC) me
and crush(BD) me with words?
3 Ten times(BE) now you have reproached(BF) me;
shamelessly you attack me.
4 If it is true that I have gone astray,
my error(BG) remains my concern alone.
5 If indeed you would exalt yourselves above me(BH)
and use my humiliation against me,
6 then know that God has wronged me(BI)
and drawn his net(BJ) around me.(BK)
7 “Though I cry, ‘Violence!’ I get no response;(BL)
though I call for help,(BM) there is no justice.(BN)
8 He has blocked my way so I cannot pass;(BO)
he has shrouded my paths in darkness.(BP)
9 He has stripped(BQ) me of my honor(BR)
and removed the crown from my head.(BS)
10 He tears me down(BT) on every side till I am gone;
he uproots my hope(BU) like a tree.(BV)
11 His anger(BW) burns against me;
he counts me among his enemies.(BX)
12 His troops advance in force;(BY)
they build a siege ramp(BZ) against me
and encamp around my tent.(CA)
13 “He has alienated my family(CB) from me;
my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.(CC)
14 My relatives have gone away;
my closest friends(CD) have forgotten me.
15 My guests(CE) and my female servants(CF) 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(CG) to my own family.
18 Even the little boys(CH) scorn me;
when I appear, they ridicule me.(CI)
19 All my intimate friends(CJ) detest me;(CK)
those I love have turned against me.(CL)
20 I am nothing but skin and bones;(CM)
I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.[b]
21 “Have pity on me, my friends,(CN) have pity,
for the hand of God has struck(CO) me.
22 Why do you pursue(CP) me as God does?(CQ)
Will you never get enough of my flesh?(CR)
23 “Oh, that my words were recorded,
that they were written on a scroll,(CS)
24 that they were inscribed with an iron tool(CT) on[c] lead,
or engraved in rock forever!(CU)
25 I know that my redeemer[d](CV) lives,(CW)
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;(CX)
27 I myself will see him
with my own eyes(CY)—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns(CZ) within me!
28 “If you say, ‘How we will hound(DA) 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,(DB)
and then you will know that there is judgment.[i]”(DC)
Zophar
20 Then Zophar the Naamathite(DD) replied:
2 “My troubled thoughts prompt me to answer
because I am greatly disturbed.(DE)
3 I hear a rebuke(DF) that dishonors me,
and my understanding inspires me to reply.
4 “Surely you know how it has been from of old,(DG)
ever since mankind[j] was placed on the earth,
5 that the mirth of the wicked(DH) is brief,
the joy of the godless(DI) lasts but a moment.(DJ)
6 Though the pride(DK) of the godless person reaches to the heavens(DL)
and his head touches the clouds,(DM)
7 he will perish forever,(DN) like his own dung;
those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’(DO)
8 Like a dream(DP) he flies away,(DQ) no more to be found,
banished(DR) like a vision of the night.(DS)
9 The eye that saw him will not see him again;
his place will look on him no more.(DT)
10 His children(DU) must make amends to the poor;
his own hands must give back his wealth.(DV)
11 The youthful vigor(DW) that fills his bones(DX)
will lie with him in the dust.(DY)
12 “Though evil(DZ) is sweet in his mouth
and he hides it under his tongue,(EA)
13 though he cannot bear to let it go
and lets it linger in his mouth,(EB)
14 yet his food will turn sour in his stomach;(EC)
it will become the venom of serpents(ED) within him.
15 He will spit out the riches(EE) he swallowed;
God will make his stomach vomit(EF) them up.
16 He will suck the poison(EG) of serpents;
the fangs of an adder will kill him.(EH)
17 He will not enjoy the streams,
the rivers(EI) flowing with honey(EJ) and cream.(EK)
18 What he toiled for he must give back uneaten;(EL)
he will not enjoy the profit from his trading.(EM)
19 For he has oppressed the poor(EN) and left them destitute;(EO)
he has seized houses(EP) he did not build.
20 “Surely he will have no respite from his craving;(EQ)
he cannot save himself by his treasure.(ER)
21 Nothing is left for him to devour;
his prosperity will not endure.(ES)
22 In the midst of his plenty, distress will overtake him;(ET)
the full force of misery will come upon him.(EU)
23 When he has filled his belly,(EV)
God will vent his burning anger(EW) against him
and rain down his blows on him.(EX)
24 Though he flees(EY) from an iron weapon,
a bronze-tipped arrow pierces him.(EZ)
25 He pulls it out of his back,
the gleaming point out of his liver.
Terrors(FA) will come over him;(FB)
26 total darkness(FC) lies in wait for his treasures.
A fire(FD) unfanned will consume him(FE)
and devour what is left in his tent.(FF)
27 The heavens will expose his guilt;
the earth will rise up against him.(FG)
28 A flood will carry off his house,(FH)
rushing waters[k] on the day of God’s wrath.(FI)
29 Such is the fate God allots the wicked,
the heritage appointed for them by God.”(FJ)
Job
21 Then Job replied:
2 “Listen carefully to my words;(FK)
let this be the consolation you give me.(FL)
3 Bear with me while I speak,
and after I have spoken, mock on.(FM)
4 “Is my complaint(FN) directed to a human being?
Why should I not be impatient?(FO)
5 Look at me and be appalled;
clap your hand over your mouth.(FP)
6 When I think about this, I am terrified;(FQ)
trembling seizes my body.(FR)
7 Why do the wicked live on,
growing old and increasing in power?(FS)
8 They see their children established around them,
their offspring before their eyes.(FT)
9 Their homes are safe and free from fear;(FU)
the rod of God is not on them.(FV)
10 Their bulls never fail to breed;
their cows calve and do not miscarry.(FW)
11 They send forth their children as a flock;(FX)
their little ones dance about.
12 They sing to the music of timbrel and lyre;(FY)
they make merry to the sound of the pipe.(FZ)
13 They spend their years in prosperity(GA)
and go down to the grave(GB) in peace.[l](GC)
14 Yet they say to God, ‘Leave us alone!(GD)
We have no desire to know your ways.(GE)
15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
What would we gain by praying to him?’(GF)
16 But their prosperity is not in their own hands,
so I stand aloof from the plans of the wicked.(GG)
17 “Yet how often is the lamp of the wicked snuffed out?(GH)
How often does calamity(GI) come upon them,
the fate God allots in his anger?(GJ)
18 How often are they like straw before the wind,
like chaff(GK) swept away(GL) by a gale?(GM)
19 It is said, ‘God stores up the punishment of the wicked for their children.’(GN)
Let him repay the wicked, so that they themselves will experience it!(GO)
20 Let their own eyes see their destruction;(GP)
let them drink(GQ) the cup of the wrath of the Almighty.(GR)
21 For what do they care about the families they leave behind(GS)
when their allotted months(GT) come to an end?(GU)
22 “Can anyone teach knowledge to God,(GV)
since he judges even the highest?(GW)
23 One person dies in full vigor,(GX)
completely secure and at ease,(GY)
24 well nourished(GZ) in body,[m]
bones(HA) rich with marrow.(HB)
25 Another dies in bitterness of soul,(HC)
never having enjoyed anything good.
26 Side by side they lie in the dust,(HD)
and worms(HE) cover them both.(HF)
27 “I know full well what you are thinking,
the schemes by which you would wrong me.
28 You say, ‘Where now is the house of the great,(HG)
the tents where the wicked lived?’(HH)
29 Have you never questioned those who travel?
Have you paid no regard to their accounts—
30 that the wicked are spared from the day of calamity,(HI)
that they are delivered from[n] the day of wrath?(HJ)
31 Who denounces their conduct to their face?
Who repays them for what they have done?(HK)
32 They are carried to the grave,
and watch is kept over their tombs.(HL)
33 The soil in the valley is sweet to them;(HM)
everyone follows after them,
and a countless throng goes[o] before them.(HN)
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
- Job 21:13 Or in an instant
- Job 21:24 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Job 21:30 Or wicked are reserved for the day of calamity, / that they are brought forth to
- Job 21:33 Or them, / as a countless throng went
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