Job 23
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Job’s Reply to Eliphaz
23 Then Job answered:
2 Today also my complaint is bitter.[a](A)
His[b] hand is heavy despite my groaning.
3 If only I knew how to find Him,
so that I could go to His throne.
4 I would plead my case before Him(B)
and fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would learn how[c] He would answer me;
and understand what He would say to me.
6 Would He prosecute(C) me forcefully?
No, He will certainly pay attention to me.
7 Then an upright man could reason(D) with Him,
and I would escape from my Judge(E) forever.
8 If I go east, He is not there,
and if I go west, I cannot perceive Him.(F)
9 When He is at work to the north, I cannot see Him;
when He turns south, I cannot find Him.
10 Yet He knows the way I have taken;[d]
when He has tested me,(G) I will emerge as pure gold.
11 My feet have followed in His tracks;
I have kept to His way(H) and not turned aside.
12 I have not departed from the commands of His lips;
I have treasured[e] the words(I) of His mouth
more than my daily food.
13 But He is unchangeable; who can oppose Him?
He does what He desires.(J)
14 He will certainly accomplish what He has decreed for me,
and He has many more things like these in mind.[f]
15 Therefore I am terrified(K) in His presence;
when I consider this, I am afraid of Him.
16 God has made my heart faint;(L)
the Almighty has terrified me.
17 Yet I am not destroyed[g] by the darkness,(M)
by the thick darkness that covers my face.
Job 23
Common English Bible
Grant me a trial
23 Job answered:
2 Today my complaint is again bitter;[a]
my strength is weighed down because of my groaning.
3 Oh, that I could know how to find him—
come to his dwelling place;
4 I would lay out my case before him,
fill my mouth with arguments,
5 know the words with which he would answer,
understand what he would say to me.
6 Would he contend with me through brute force?
No, he would surely listen to me.
7 There those who do the right thing can argue with him;
I could escape from my judge forever.
God’s hiddenness
8 Look, I go east; he’s not there,
west, and don’t discover him;
9 north in his activity, and I don’t grasp him;
he turns south, and I don’t see.
10 Surely he knows my way;
when he tests me,
I will emerge as gold.
11 My feet have stayed right in his tracks.
I have kept his way and not left it,
12 kept the commandments from his lips and not departed,
valued the words from his mouth more than my food.
Dread
13 He is of one mind; who can reverse it?
What he desires, he does.
14 He carries out what is decreed for me
and can do many similar things with me.
15 Therefore, I am scared by his presence;
I think and become afraid of him.
16 God has weakened my mind;
the Almighty has frightened me.
17 Still I’m not annihilated by darkness;
he has hidden deep darkness from me.
Footnotes
- Job 23:2 Vulg, Syr, Tg; MT my complaint is rebellious.
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