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Job 23-25
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Job 23-25
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Job Replies: My Complaint Is Bitter
23 Then Job answered:
2 “Today also my complaint is bitter;[a]
his[b] hand is heavy despite my groaning.(A)
3 Oh, that I knew where I might find him,
that I might come even to his dwelling!(B)
4 I would lay my case before him
and fill my mouth with arguments.(C)
5 I would learn what he would answer me
and understand what he would say to me.
6 Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power?
No, but he would give heed to me.
7 There the upright could reason with him,
and I should be acquitted forever by my judge.(D)
8 “If I go forward, he is not there;
or backward, I cannot perceive him;(E)
9 on the left he hides, and I cannot behold him;
I turn[c] to the right, but I cannot see him.
10 But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I shall come out like gold.(F)
11 My foot has held fast to his steps;
I have kept his way and have not turned aside.(G)
12 I have not departed from the commandment of his lips;
I have treasured his words in my bosom.[d](H)
13 But he stands alone, and who can dissuade him?
What he desires, that he does.(I)
14 For he will complete what he appoints for me,
and many such things are in his mind.(J)
15 Therefore I am terrified at his presence;
when I consider, I am in dread of him.
16 God has made my heart faint;
the Almighty[e] has terrified me.(K)
17 If only I could vanish in darkness,
and thick darkness would cover my face
Job Complains of Violence on the Earth
24 “Why are times not kept by the Almighty,[g]
and why do those who know him never see his days?(M)
2 The wicked[h] remove landmarks;
they seize flocks and pasture them.(N)
3 They drive away the donkey of the orphan;
they take the widow’s ox for a pledge.(O)
4 They thrust the needy off the road;
the poor of the earth all hide themselves.(P)
5 Like wild asses in the desert
they go out to their toil,
scavenging in the wasteland
food for their young.(Q)
6 They reap in a field not their own,
and they glean in the vineyard of the wicked.
7 They lie all night naked, without clothing,
and have no covering in the cold.(R)
8 They are wet with the rain of the mountains
and cling to the rock for want of shelter.(S)
9 “There are those who snatch the orphan child from the breast
and take as a pledge the infant of the poor.(T)
10 They go about naked, without clothing;
though hungry, they carry the sheaves;
11 between their terraces[i] they press out oil;
they tread the winepresses but suffer thirst.
12 From the city the dying groan,
and the throat of the wounded cries for help;
yet God pays no attention to their prayer.(U)
13 “There are those who rebel against the light,
who are not acquainted with its ways
and do not stay in its paths.(V)
14 The murderer rises at dusk
to kill the poor and needy
and in the night is like a thief.(W)
15 The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight,
saying, ‘No eye will see me,’
and he disguises his face.(X)
16 In the dark they dig through houses;
by day they shut themselves up;
they do not know the light.(Y)
17 For deep darkness is morning to all of them;
for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness.(Z)
18 “Swift are they on the face of the waters;
their portion in the land is cursed;
no treader turns toward their vineyards.(AA)
19 Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters;
so does Sheol those who have sinned.(AB)
20 The womb forgets them;
the worm finds them sweet;
they are no longer remembered,
so wickedness is broken like a tree.(AC)
21 “They harm[j] the childless woman
and do no good to the widow.(AD)
22 Yet God[k] prolongs the life of the mighty by his power;
they rise up when they despair of life.(AE)
23 He gives them security, and they are supported;
his eyes are upon their ways.(AF)
24 They are exalted a little while and then are gone;
they wither and fade like the mallow;[l]
they are cut off like the heads of grain.(AG)
25 If it is not so, who will prove me a liar
and show that there is nothing in what I say?”
Bildad Speaks: How Can a Mortal Be Righteous before God?
25 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered:
2 “Dominion and fear are with God;[m]
he makes peace in his high heaven.(AH)
3 Is there any number to his armies?
Upon whom does his light not arise?(AI)
4 How then can a mortal be righteous before God?
How can one born of woman be pure?(AJ)
5 If even the moon is not bright
and the stars are not pure in his sight,(AK)
6 how much less a mortal, who is a maggot,
and a human being, who is a worm!”(AL)
Footnotes
- 23.2 Syr Vg Tg: Heb rebellious
- 23.2 Gk Syr: Heb my
- 23.9 Syr Vg: Heb he turns
- 23.12 Gk: Heb words more than my daily bread
- 23.16 Traditional rendering of Heb Shaddai
- 23.17 Or But I am not destroyed by the darkness; he has concealed the thick darkness from me
- 24.1 Traditional rendering of Heb Shaddai
- 24.2 Gk: Heb they
- 24.11 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 24.21 Gk Tg: Heb feed on or associate with
- 24.22 Heb he
- 24.24 Gk: Heb like all others
- 25.2 Heb him
Job 23-25
New International Version
Job 23-25
New International Version
Job
23 Then Job replied:
2 “Even today my complaint(A) is bitter;(B)
his hand[a] is heavy in spite of[b] my groaning.(C)
3 If only I knew where to find him;
if only I could go to his dwelling!(D)
4 I would state my case(E) before him
and fill my mouth with arguments.(F)
5 I would find out what he would answer me,(G)
and consider what he would say to me.
6 Would he vigorously oppose me?(H)
No, he would not press charges against me.(I)
7 There the upright(J) can establish their innocence before him,(K)
and there I would be delivered forever from my judge.(L)
8 “But if I go to the east, he is not there;
if I go to the west, I do not find him.
9 When he is at work in the north, I do not see him;
when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.(M)
10 But he knows the way that I take;(N)
when he has tested me,(O) I will come forth as gold.(P)
11 My feet have closely followed his steps;(Q)
I have kept to his way without turning aside.(R)
12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips;(S)
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.(T)
13 “But he stands alone, and who can oppose him?(U)
He does whatever he pleases.(V)
14 He carries out his decree against me,
and many such plans he still has in store.(W)
15 That is why I am terrified before him;(X)
when I think of all this, I fear him.(Y)
16 God has made my heart faint;(Z)
the Almighty(AA) has terrified me.(AB)
17 Yet I am not silenced by the darkness,(AC)
by the thick darkness that covers my face.
24 “Why does the Almighty not set times(AD) for judgment?(AE)
Why must those who know him look in vain for such days?(AF)
2 There are those who move boundary stones;(AG)
they pasture flocks they have stolen.(AH)
3 They drive away the orphan’s donkey
and take the widow’s ox in pledge.(AI)
4 They thrust the needy(AJ) from the path
and force all the poor(AK) of the land into hiding.(AL)
5 Like wild donkeys(AM) in the desert,
the poor go about their labor(AN) of foraging food;
the wasteland(AO) provides food for their children.
6 They gather fodder(AP) in the fields
and glean in the vineyards(AQ) of the wicked.(AR)
7 Lacking clothes, they spend the night naked;
they have nothing to cover themselves in the cold.(AS)
8 They are drenched(AT) by mountain rains
and hug(AU) the rocks for lack of shelter.(AV)
9 The fatherless(AW) child is snatched(AX) from the breast;
the infant of the poor is seized(AY) for a debt.(AZ)
10 Lacking clothes, they go about naked;(BA)
they carry the sheaves,(BB) but still go hungry.
11 They crush olives among the terraces[c];
they tread the winepresses,(BC) yet suffer thirst.(BD)
12 The groans of the dying rise from the city,
and the souls of the wounded cry out for help.(BE)
But God charges no one with wrongdoing.(BF)
13 “There are those who rebel against the light,(BG)
who do not know its ways
or stay in its paths.(BH)
14 When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up,
kills(BI) the poor and needy,(BJ)
and in the night steals forth like a thief.(BK)
15 The eye of the adulterer(BL) watches for dusk;(BM)
he thinks, ‘No eye will see me,’(BN)
and he keeps his face concealed.
16 In the dark, thieves break into houses,(BO)
but by day they shut themselves in;
they want nothing to do with the light.(BP)
17 For all of them, midnight is their morning;
they make friends with the terrors(BQ) of darkness.(BR)
18 “Yet they are foam(BS) on the surface of the water;(BT)
their portion of the land is cursed,(BU)
so that no one goes to the vineyards.(BV)
19 As heat and drought snatch away the melted snow,(BW)
so the grave(BX) snatches away those who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets them,
the worm(BY) feasts on them;(BZ)
the wicked are no longer remembered(CA)
but are broken like a tree.(CB)
21 They prey on the barren and childless woman,
and to the widow they show no kindness.(CC)
22 But God drags away the mighty by his power;(CD)
though they become established,(CE) they have no assurance of life.(CF)
23 He may let them rest in a feeling of security,(CG)
but his eyes(CH) are on their ways.(CI)
24 For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone;(CJ)
they are brought low and gathered up like all others;(CK)
they are cut off like heads of grain.(CL)
25 “If this is not so, who can prove me false
and reduce my words to nothing?”(CM)
Bildad
25 Then Bildad the Shuhite(CN) replied:
2 “Dominion and awe belong to God;(CO)
he establishes order in the heights of heaven.(CP)
3 Can his forces be numbered?
On whom does his light not rise?(CQ)
4 How then can a mortal be righteous before God?
How can one born of woman be pure?(CR)
5 If even the moon(CS) is not bright
and the stars are not pure in his eyes,(CT)
6 how much less a mortal, who is but a maggot—
a human being,(CU) who is only a worm!”(CV)
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)
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