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Job 24-27
New King James Version
Job 24-27
New King James Version
Job Complains of Violence on the Earth
2 “Some remove (C)landmarks;
They seize flocks violently and feed on them;
3 They drive away the donkey of the fatherless;
They (D)take the widow’s ox as a pledge.
4 They push the needy off the road;
All the (E)poor of the land are forced to hide.
5 Indeed, like wild donkeys in the desert,
They go out to their work, searching for food.
The wilderness yields food for them and for their children.
6 They gather their fodder in the field
And glean in the vineyard of the wicked.
7 They (F)spend the night naked, without clothing,
And have no covering in the cold.
8 They are wet with the showers of the mountains,
And (G)huddle around the rock for want of shelter.
9 “Some snatch the fatherless from the breast,
And take a pledge from the poor.
10 They cause the poor to go naked, without (H)clothing;
And they take away the sheaves from the hungry.
11 They press out oil within their walls,
And tread winepresses, yet suffer thirst.
12 The dying groan in the city,
And the souls of the wounded cry out;
Yet God does not charge them with wrong.
13 “There are those who rebel against the light;
They do not know its ways
Nor abide in its paths.
14 (I)The murderer rises with the light;
He kills the poor and needy;
And in the night he is like a thief.
15 (J)The eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight,
(K)Saying, ‘No eye will see me’;
And he [a]disguises his face.
16 In the dark they break into houses
Which they marked for themselves in the daytime;
(L)They do not know the light.
17 For the morning is the same to them as the shadow of death;
If someone recognizes them,
They are in the terrors of the shadow of death.
18 “They should be swift on the face of the waters,
Their portion should be cursed in the earth,
So that no one would turn into the way of their vineyards.
19 As drought and heat [b]consume the snow waters,
So [c]the grave consumes those who have sinned.
20 The womb should forget him,
The worm should feed sweetly on him;
(M)He should be remembered no more,
And wickedness should be broken like a tree.
21 For he [d]preys on the barren who do not bear,
And does no good for the widow.
22 “But God draws the mighty away with His power;
He rises up, but no man is sure of life.
23 He gives them security, and they rely on it;
Yet (N)His eyes are on their ways.
24 They are exalted for a little while,
Then they are gone.
They are brought low;
They are [e]taken out of the way like all others;
They dry out like the heads of grain.
25 “Now if it is not so, who will prove me a liar,
And make my speech worth nothing?”
Bildad: How Can Man Be Righteous?
25 Then (O)Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:
2 “Dominion and fear belong to Him;
He makes peace in His high places.
3 [f]Is there any number to His armies?
Upon whom does (P)His light not rise?
4 (Q)How then can man be righteous before God?
Or how can he be (R)pure who is born of a woman?
5 If even the moon does not shine,
And the stars are not pure in His (S)sight,
6 How much less man, who is (T)a maggot,
And a son of man, who is a worm?”
Job: Man’s Frailty and God’s Majesty
26 But Job answered and said:
2 “How have you helped him who is without power?
How have you saved the arm that has no strength?
3 How have you counseled one who has no wisdom?
And how have you declared sound advice to many?
4 To whom have you uttered words?
And whose spirit came from you?
5 “The dead tremble,
Those under the waters and those inhabiting them.
6 (U)Sheol is naked before Him,
And Destruction has no covering.
7 (V)He stretches out the north over empty space;
He hangs the earth on nothing.
8 (W)He binds up the water in His thick clouds,
Yet the clouds [g]are not broken under it.
9 He covers the face of His throne,
And spreads His cloud over it.
10 (X)He drew a circular horizon on the face of the waters,
At the boundary of light and darkness.
11 The pillars of heaven tremble,
And are [h]astonished at His rebuke.
12 (Y)He stirs up the sea with His power,
And by His understanding He breaks up [i]the storm.
13 (Z)By His Spirit He adorned the heavens;
His hand pierced (AA)the fleeing serpent.
14 Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?”
Job Maintains His Integrity
27 Moreover Job continued his discourse, and said:
2 “As God lives, (AB)who has taken away my justice,
And the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,
3 As long as my breath is in me,
And the breath of God in my nostrils,
4 My lips will not speak wickedness,
Nor my tongue utter deceit.
5 Far be it from me
That I should say you are right;
Till I die (AC)I will not put away my integrity from me.
6 My righteousness I (AD)hold fast, and will not let it go;
(AE)My heart shall not [j]reproach me as long as I live.
7 “May my enemy be like the wicked,
And he who rises up against me like the unrighteous.
8 (AF)For what is the hope of the hypocrite,
Though he may gain much,
If God takes away his life?
9 (AG)Will God hear his cry
When trouble comes upon him?
10 (AH)Will he delight himself in the Almighty?
Will he always call on God?
11 “I will teach you [k]about the hand of God;
What is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
12 Surely all of you have seen it;
Why then do you behave with complete nonsense?
13 “This(AI) is the portion of a wicked man with God,
And the heritage of oppressors, received from the Almighty:
14 (AJ)If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword;
And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.
15 Those who survive him shall be buried in death,
And (AK)their[l] widows shall not weep,
16 Though he heaps up silver like dust,
And piles up clothing like clay—
17 He may pile it up, but (AL)the just will wear it,
And the innocent will divide the silver.
18 He builds his house like a [m]moth,
(AM)Like a [n]booth which a watchman makes.
19 The rich man will lie down,
[o]But not be gathered up;
He opens his eyes,
And he is (AN)no more.
20 (AO)Terrors overtake him like a flood;
A tempest steals him away in the night.
21 The east wind carries him away, and he is gone;
It sweeps him out of his place.
22 It hurls against him and does not (AP)spare;
He flees desperately from its [p]power.
23 Men shall clap their hands at him,
And shall hiss him out of his place.
Footnotes
- Job 24:15 Lit. puts a covering on his face
- Job 24:19 Lit. seize
- Job 24:19 Or Sheol
- Job 24:21 Lit. feeds on
- Job 24:24 Lit. gathered up
- Job 25:3 Can His armies be counted?
- Job 26:8 do not break
- Job 26:11 amazed
- Job 26:12 Heb. rahab
- Job 27:6 reprove
- Job 27:11 Or by
- Job 27:15 Lit. his
- Job 27:18 So with MT, Vg.; LXX, Syr. spider (cf. 8:14); Tg. decay
- Job 27:18 Temporary shelter
- Job 27:19 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Syr. But shall not add (i.e., do it again); Vg. But take away nothing
- Job 27:22 Lit. hand
Job 24-27
New International Version
Job 24-27
New International Version
24 “Why does the Almighty not set times(A) for judgment?(B)
Why must those who know him look in vain for such days?(C)
2 There are those who move boundary stones;(D)
they pasture flocks they have stolen.(E)
3 They drive away the orphan’s donkey
and take the widow’s ox in pledge.(F)
4 They thrust the needy(G) from the path
and force all the poor(H) of the land into hiding.(I)
5 Like wild donkeys(J) in the desert,
the poor go about their labor(K) of foraging food;
the wasteland(L) provides food for their children.
6 They gather fodder(M) in the fields
and glean in the vineyards(N) of the wicked.(O)
7 Lacking clothes, they spend the night naked;
they have nothing to cover themselves in the cold.(P)
8 They are drenched(Q) by mountain rains
and hug(R) the rocks for lack of shelter.(S)
9 The fatherless(T) child is snatched(U) from the breast;
the infant of the poor is seized(V) for a debt.(W)
10 Lacking clothes, they go about naked;(X)
they carry the sheaves,(Y) but still go hungry.
11 They crush olives among the terraces[a];
they tread the winepresses,(Z) yet suffer thirst.(AA)
12 The groans of the dying rise from the city,
and the souls of the wounded cry out for help.(AB)
But God charges no one with wrongdoing.(AC)
13 “There are those who rebel against the light,(AD)
who do not know its ways
or stay in its paths.(AE)
14 When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up,
kills(AF) the poor and needy,(AG)
and in the night steals forth like a thief.(AH)
15 The eye of the adulterer(AI) watches for dusk;(AJ)
he thinks, ‘No eye will see me,’(AK)
and he keeps his face concealed.
16 In the dark, thieves break into houses,(AL)
but by day they shut themselves in;
they want nothing to do with the light.(AM)
17 For all of them, midnight is their morning;
they make friends with the terrors(AN) of darkness.(AO)
18 “Yet they are foam(AP) on the surface of the water;(AQ)
their portion of the land is cursed,(AR)
so that no one goes to the vineyards.(AS)
19 As heat and drought snatch away the melted snow,(AT)
so the grave(AU) snatches away those who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets them,
the worm(AV) feasts on them;(AW)
the wicked are no longer remembered(AX)
but are broken like a tree.(AY)
21 They prey on the barren and childless woman,
and to the widow they show no kindness.(AZ)
22 But God drags away the mighty by his power;(BA)
though they become established,(BB) they have no assurance of life.(BC)
23 He may let them rest in a feeling of security,(BD)
but his eyes(BE) are on their ways.(BF)
24 For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone;(BG)
they are brought low and gathered up like all others;(BH)
they are cut off like heads of grain.(BI)
25 “If this is not so, who can prove me false
and reduce my words to nothing?”(BJ)
Bildad
25 Then Bildad the Shuhite(BK) replied:
2 “Dominion and awe belong to God;(BL)
he establishes order in the heights of heaven.(BM)
3 Can his forces be numbered?
On whom does his light not rise?(BN)
4 How then can a mortal be righteous before God?
How can one born of woman be pure?(BO)
5 If even the moon(BP) is not bright
and the stars are not pure in his eyes,(BQ)
6 how much less a mortal, who is but a maggot—
a human being,(BR) who is only a worm!”(BS)
Job
26 Then Job replied:
2 “How you have helped the powerless!(BT)
How you have saved the arm that is feeble!(BU)
3 What advice you have offered to one without wisdom!
And what great insight(BV) you have displayed!
4 Who has helped you utter these words?
And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?(BW)
5 “The dead are in deep anguish,(BX)
those beneath the waters and all that live in them.
6 The realm of the dead(BY) is naked before God;
Destruction[b](BZ) lies uncovered.(CA)
7 He spreads out the northern skies(CB) over empty space;
he suspends the earth over nothing.(CC)
8 He wraps up the waters(CD) in his clouds,(CE)
yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
9 He covers the face of the full moon,
spreading his clouds(CF) over it.
10 He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters(CG)
for a boundary between light and darkness.(CH)
11 The pillars of the heavens quake,(CI)
aghast at his rebuke.
12 By his power he churned up the sea;(CJ)
by his wisdom(CK) he cut Rahab(CL) to pieces.
13 By his breath the skies(CM) became fair;
his hand pierced the gliding serpent.(CN)
14 And these are but the outer fringe of his works;
how faint the whisper(CO) we hear of him!(CP)
Who then can understand the thunder of his power?”(CQ)
Job’s Final Word to His Friends
27 And Job continued his discourse:(CR)
2 “As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,(CS)
the Almighty,(CT) who has made my life bitter,(CU)
3 as long as I have life within me,
the breath of God(CV) in my nostrils,
4 my lips will not say anything wicked,
and my tongue will not utter lies.(CW)
5 I will never admit you are in the right;
till I die, I will not deny my integrity.(CX)
6 I will maintain my innocence(CY) and never let go of it;
my conscience(CZ) will not reproach me as long as I live.(DA)
7 “May my enemy be like the wicked,(DB)
my adversary(DC) like the unjust!
8 For what hope have the godless(DD) when they are cut off,
when God takes away their life?(DE)
9 Does God listen to their cry
when distress comes upon them?(DF)
10 Will they find delight in the Almighty?(DG)
Will they call on God at all times?
11 “I will teach you about the power of God;
the ways(DH) of the Almighty I will not conceal.(DI)
12 You have all seen this yourselves.
Why then this meaningless talk?
13 “Here is the fate God allots to the wicked,
the heritage a ruthless man receives from the Almighty:(DJ)
14 However many his children,(DK) their fate is the sword;(DL)
his offspring will never have enough to eat.(DM)
15 The plague will bury those who survive him,
and their widows will not weep for them.(DN)
16 Though he heaps up silver like dust(DO)
and clothes like piles of clay,(DP)
17 what he lays up(DQ) the righteous will wear,(DR)
and the innocent will divide his silver.(DS)
18 The house(DT) he builds is like a moth’s cocoon,(DU)
like a hut(DV) made by a watchman.
19 He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;(DW)
when he opens his eyes, all is gone.(DX)
20 Terrors(DY) overtake him like a flood;(DZ)
a tempest snatches him away in the night.(EA)
21 The east wind(EB) carries him off, and he is gone;(EC)
it sweeps him out of his place.(ED)
22 It hurls itself against him without mercy(EE)
as he flees headlong(EF) from its power.(EG)
23 It claps its hands(EH) in derision
and hisses him out of his place.”(EI)
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.