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Job 25-30
The Message
Job 25-30
The Message
Bildad’s Third Attack
Even the Stars Aren’t Perfect in God’s Eyes
25 1-6 Bildad the Shuhite again attacked Job:
“God is sovereign, God is fearsome—
everything in the cosmos fits and works in his plan.
Can anyone count his angel armies?
Is there any place where his light doesn’t shine?
How can a mere mortal presume to stand up to God?
How can an ordinary person pretend to be guiltless?
Why, even the moon has its flaws,
even the stars aren’t perfect in God’s eyes,
So how much less, plain men and women—
slugs and maggots by comparison!”
Job’s Defense
God Sets a Boundary Between Light and Darkness
26 1-4 Job answered:
“Well, you’ve certainly been a great help to a helpless man!
You came to the rescue just in the nick of time!
What wonderful advice you’ve given to a mixed-up man!
What amazing insights you’ve provided!
Where in the world did you learn all this?
How did you become so inspired?
5-14 “All the buried dead are in torment,
and all who’ve been drowned in the deep, deep sea.
Hell is ripped open before God,
graveyards dug up and exposed.
He spreads the skies over unformed space,
hangs the earth out in empty space.
He pours water into cumulus cloud-bags
and the bags don’t burst.
He makes the moon wax and wane,
putting it through its phases.
He draws the horizon out over the ocean,
sets a boundary between light and darkness.
Thunder crashes and rumbles in the skies.
Listen! It’s God raising his voice!
By his power he stills sea storms,
by his wisdom he tames sea monsters.
With one breath he clears the sky,
with one finger he crushes the sea serpent.
And this is only the beginning,
a mere whisper of his rule.
Whatever would we do if he really raised his voice!”
No Place to Hide
27 1-6 Having waited for Zophar, Job now resumed his defense:
“God-Alive! He’s denied me justice!
God Almighty! He’s ruined my life!
But for as long as I draw breath,
and for as long as God breathes life into me,
I refuse to say one word that isn’t true.
I refuse to confess to any charge that’s false.
There is no way I’ll ever agree to your accusations.
I’ll not deny my integrity even if it costs me my life.
I’m holding fast to my integrity and not loosening my grip—
and, believe me, I’ll never regret it.
7-10 “Let my enemy be exposed as wicked!
Let my adversary be proven guilty!
What hope do people without God have when life is cut short?
when God puts an end to life?
Do you think God will listen to their cry for help
when disaster hits?
What interest have they ever shown in the Almighty?
Have they ever been known to pray before?
11-12 “I’ve given you a clear account of God in action,
suppressed nothing regarding God Almighty.
The evidence is right before you. You can all see it for yourselves,
so why do you keep talking nonsense?
13-23 “I’ll quote your own words back to you:
“‘This is how God treats the wicked,
this is what evil people can expect from God Almighty:
Their children—all of them—will die violent deaths;
they’ll never have enough bread to put on the table.
They’ll be wiped out by the plague,
and none of the widows will shed a tear when they’re gone.
Even if they make a lot of money
and are resplendent in the latest fashions,
It’s the good who will end up wearing the clothes
and the decent who will divide up the money.
They build elaborate houses
that won’t survive a single winter.
They go to bed wealthy
and wake up poor.
Terrors pour in on them like flash floods—
a tornado snatches them away in the middle of the night,
A cyclone sweeps them up—gone!
Not a trace of them left, not even a footprint.
Catastrophes relentlessly pursue them;
they run this way and that, but there’s no place to hide—
Pummeled by the weather,
blown to smithereens by the storm.’”
Where Does Wisdom Come From?
28 1-11 “We all know how silver seams the rocks,
we’ve seen the stuff from which gold is refined,
We’re aware of how iron is dug out of the ground
and copper is smelted from rock.
Miners penetrate the earth’s darkness,
searching the roots of the mountains for ore,
digging away in the suffocating darkness.
Far from civilization, far from the traffic,
they cut a shaft,
and are lowered into it by ropes.
Earth’s surface is a field for grain,
but its depths are a forge
Firing sapphires from stones
and chiseling gold from rocks.
Vultures are blind to its riches,
hawks never lay eyes on it.
Wild animals are oblivious to it,
lions don’t know it’s there.
Miners hammer away at the rock,
they uproot the mountains.
They tunnel through the rock
and find all kinds of beautiful gems.
They discover the origins of rivers,
and bring earth’s secrets to light.
12-19 “But where, oh where, will they find Wisdom?
Where does Insight hide?
Mortals don’t have a clue,
haven’t the slightest idea where to look.
Earth’s depths say, ‘It’s not here’;
ocean deeps echo, ‘Never heard of it.’
It can’t be bought with the finest gold;
no amount of silver can get it.
Even famous Ophir gold can’t buy it,
not even diamonds and sapphires.
Neither gold nor emeralds are comparable;
extravagant jewelry can’t touch it.
Pearl necklaces and ruby bracelets—why bother?
None of this is even a down payment on Wisdom!
Pile gold and African diamonds as high as you will,
they can’t hold a candle to Wisdom.
20-22 “So where does Wisdom come from?
And where does Insight live?
It can’t be found by looking, no matter
how deep you dig, no matter how high you fly.
If you search through the graveyard and question the dead,
they say, ‘We’ve only heard rumors of it.’
23-28 “God alone knows the way to Wisdom,
he knows the exact place to find it.
He knows where everything is on earth,
he sees everything under heaven.
After he commanded the winds to blow
and measured out the waters,
Arranged for the rain
and set off explosions of thunder and lightning,
He focused on Wisdom,
made sure it was all set and tested and ready.
Then he addressed the human race: ‘Here it is!
Fear-of-the-Lord—that’s Wisdom,
and Insight means shunning evil.’”
When God Was Still by My Side
29 1-6 Job now resumed his response:
“Oh, how I long for the good old days,
when God took such very good care of me.
He always held a lamp before me
and I walked through the dark by its light.
Oh, how I miss those golden years
when God’s friendship graced my home,
When the Mighty One was still by my side
and my children were all around me,
When everything was going my way,
and nothing seemed too difficult.
7-20 “When I walked downtown
and sat with my friends in the public square,
Young and old greeted me with respect;
I was honored by everyone in town.
When I spoke, everyone listened;
they hung on my every word.
People who knew me spoke well of me;
my reputation went ahead of me.
I was known for helping people in trouble
and standing up for those who were down on their luck.
The dying blessed me,
and the bereaved were cheered by my visits.
All my dealings with people were good.
I was known for being fair to everyone I met.
I was eyes to the blind
and feet to the lame,
Father to the needy,
and champion of abused aliens.
I grabbed street thieves by the scruff of the neck
and made them give back what they’d stolen.
I thought, ‘I’ll die peacefully in my own bed,
grateful for a long and full life,
A life deep-rooted and well-watered,
a life limber and dew-fresh,
My soul soaked through with glory
and my body robust until the day I die.’
21-25 “Men and women listened when I spoke,
hung expectantly on my every word.
After I spoke, they’d be quiet,
taking it all in.
They welcomed my counsel like spring rain,
drinking it all in.
When I smiled at them, they could hardly believe it;
their faces lit up, their troubles took wing!
I was their leader, establishing the mood
and setting the pace by which they lived.
Where I led, they followed.”
The Pain Never Lets Up
30 1-8 “But no longer. Now I’m the butt of their jokes—
young thugs! whippersnappers!
Why, I considered their fathers
mere inexperienced pups.
But they are worse than dogs—good for nothing,
stray, mangy animals,
Half-starved, scavenging the back alleys,
howling at the moon;
Homeless ragamuffins
chewing on old bones and licking old tin cans;
Outcasts from the community,
cursed as dangerous delinquents.
Nobody would put up with them;
they were driven from the neighborhood.
You could hear them out there at the edge of town,
yelping and barking, huddled in junkyards,
A gang of beggars and no-names,
thrown out on their ears.
9-15 “But now I’m the one they’re after,
mistreating me, taunting and mocking.
They abhor me, they abuse me.
How dare those scoundrels—they spit in my face!
Now that God has undone me and left me in a heap,
they hold nothing back. Anything goes.
They come at me from my blind side,
trip me up, then jump on me while I’m down.
They throw every kind of obstacle in my path,
determined to ruin me—
and no one lifts a finger to help me!
They violate my broken body,
trample through the rubble of my ruined life.
Terrors assault me—
my dignity in shreds,
salvation up in smoke.
16-19 “And now my life drains out,
as suffering seizes and grips me hard.
Night gnaws at my bones;
the pain never lets up.
I am tied hand and foot, my neck in a noose.
I twist and turn.
Thrown facedown in the muck,
I’m a muddy mess, inside and out.
What Did I Do to Deserve This?
20-23 “I shout for help, God, and get nothing, no answer!
I stand to face you in protest, and you give me a blank stare!
You’ve turned into my tormenter—
you slap me around, knock me about.
You raised me up so I was riding high
and then dropped me, and I crashed.
I know you’re determined to kill me,
to put me six feet under.
24-31 “What did I do to deserve this?
Did I ever hit anyone who was calling for help?
Haven’t I wept for those who live a hard life,
been heartsick over the lot of the poor?
But where did it get me?
I expected good but evil showed up.
I looked for light but darkness fell.
My stomach’s in a constant churning, never settles down.
Each day confronts me with more suffering.
I walk under a black cloud. The sun is gone.
I stand in the congregation and protest.
I howl with the jackals,
I hoot with the owls.
I’m black-and-blue all over,
burning up with fever.
My fiddle plays nothing but the blues;
my mouth harp wails laments.”
Job 25-30
New International Version
Job 25-30
New International Version
Bildad
25 Then Bildad the Shuhite(A) replied:
2 “Dominion and awe belong to God;(B)
he establishes order in the heights of heaven.(C)
3 Can his forces be numbered?
On whom does his light not rise?(D)
4 How then can a mortal be righteous before God?
How can one born of woman be pure?(E)
5 If even the moon(F) is not bright
and the stars are not pure in his eyes,(G)
6 how much less a mortal, who is but a maggot—
a human being,(H) who is only a worm!”(I)
Job
26 Then Job replied:
2 “How you have helped the powerless!(J)
How you have saved the arm that is feeble!(K)
3 What advice you have offered to one without wisdom!
And what great insight(L) you have displayed!
4 Who has helped you utter these words?
And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?(M)
5 “The dead are in deep anguish,(N)
those beneath the waters and all that live in them.
6 The realm of the dead(O) is naked before God;
Destruction[a](P) lies uncovered.(Q)
7 He spreads out the northern skies(R) over empty space;
he suspends the earth over nothing.(S)
8 He wraps up the waters(T) in his clouds,(U)
yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
9 He covers the face of the full moon,
spreading his clouds(V) over it.
10 He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters(W)
for a boundary between light and darkness.(X)
11 The pillars of the heavens quake,(Y)
aghast at his rebuke.
12 By his power he churned up the sea;(Z)
by his wisdom(AA) he cut Rahab(AB) to pieces.
13 By his breath the skies(AC) became fair;
his hand pierced the gliding serpent.(AD)
14 And these are but the outer fringe of his works;
how faint the whisper(AE) we hear of him!(AF)
Who then can understand the thunder of his power?”(AG)
Job’s Final Word to His Friends
27 And Job continued his discourse:(AH)
2 “As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,(AI)
the Almighty,(AJ) who has made my life bitter,(AK)
3 as long as I have life within me,
the breath of God(AL) in my nostrils,
4 my lips will not say anything wicked,
and my tongue will not utter lies.(AM)
5 I will never admit you are in the right;
till I die, I will not deny my integrity.(AN)
6 I will maintain my innocence(AO) and never let go of it;
my conscience(AP) will not reproach me as long as I live.(AQ)
7 “May my enemy be like the wicked,(AR)
my adversary(AS) like the unjust!
8 For what hope have the godless(AT) when they are cut off,
when God takes away their life?(AU)
9 Does God listen to their cry
when distress comes upon them?(AV)
10 Will they find delight in the Almighty?(AW)
Will they call on God at all times?
11 “I will teach you about the power of God;
the ways(AX) of the Almighty I will not conceal.(AY)
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:(AZ)
14 However many his children,(BA) their fate is the sword;(BB)
his offspring will never have enough to eat.(BC)
15 The plague will bury those who survive him,
and their widows will not weep for them.(BD)
16 Though he heaps up silver like dust(BE)
and clothes like piles of clay,(BF)
17 what he lays up(BG) the righteous will wear,(BH)
and the innocent will divide his silver.(BI)
18 The house(BJ) he builds is like a moth’s cocoon,(BK)
like a hut(BL) made by a watchman.
19 He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;(BM)
when he opens his eyes, all is gone.(BN)
20 Terrors(BO) overtake him like a flood;(BP)
a tempest snatches him away in the night.(BQ)
21 The east wind(BR) carries him off, and he is gone;(BS)
it sweeps him out of his place.(BT)
22 It hurls itself against him without mercy(BU)
as he flees headlong(BV) from its power.(BW)
23 It claps its hands(BX) in derision
and hisses him out of his place.”(BY)
Interlude: Where Wisdom Is Found
28 There is a mine for silver
and a place where gold is refined.(BZ)
2 Iron is taken from the earth,
and copper is smelted from ore.(CA)
3 Mortals put an end to the darkness;(CB)
they search out the farthest recesses
for ore in the blackest darkness.(CC)
4 Far from human dwellings they cut a shaft,(CD)
in places untouched by human feet;
far from other people they dangle and sway.
5 The earth, from which food comes,(CE)
is transformed below as by fire;
6 lapis lazuli(CF) comes from its rocks,
and its dust contains nuggets of gold.(CG)
7 No bird of prey knows that hidden path,
no falcon’s eye has seen it.(CH)
8 Proud beasts(CI) do not set foot on it,
and no lion prowls there.(CJ)
9 People assault the flinty rock(CK) with their hands
and lay bare the roots of the mountains.(CL)
10 They tunnel through the rock;(CM)
their eyes see all its treasures.(CN)
11 They search[b] the sources of the rivers(CO)
and bring hidden things(CP) to light.
12 But where can wisdom be found?(CQ)
Where does understanding dwell?(CR)
13 No mortal comprehends its worth;(CS)
it cannot be found in the land of the living.(CT)
14 The deep(CU) says, “It is not in me”;
the sea(CV) says, “It is not with me.”
15 It cannot be bought with the finest gold,
nor can its price be weighed out in silver.(CW)
16 It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir,(CX)
with precious onyx or lapis lazuli.(CY)
17 Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it,(CZ)
nor can it be had for jewels of gold.(DA)
18 Coral(DB) and jasper(DC) are not worthy of mention;
the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.(DD)
19 The topaz(DE) of Cush(DF) cannot compare with it;
it cannot be bought with pure gold.(DG)
20 Where then does wisdom come from?
Where does understanding dwell?(DH)
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
concealed even from the birds in the sky.(DI)
22 Destruction[c](DJ) and Death(DK) say,
“Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.”
23 God understands the way to it
and he alone(DL) knows where it dwells,(DM)
24 for he views the ends of the earth(DN)
and sees everything under the heavens.(DO)
25 When he established the force of the wind
and measured out the waters,(DP)
26 when he made a decree for the rain(DQ)
and a path for the thunderstorm,(DR)
27 then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;
he confirmed it and tested it.(DS)
28 And he said to the human race,
“The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
and to shun evil(DT) is understanding.”(DU)
Job’s Final Defense
29 Job continued his discourse:(DV)
2 “How I long for the months gone by,(DW)
for the days when God watched over me,(DX)
3 when his lamp shone on my head
and by his light I walked through darkness!(DY)
4 Oh, for the days when I was in my prime,
when God’s intimate friendship(DZ) blessed my house,(EA)
5 when the Almighty was still with me
and my children(EB) were around me,(EC)
6 when my path was drenched with cream(ED)
and the rock(EE) poured out for me streams of olive oil.(EF)
7 “When I went to the gate(EG) of the city
and took my seat in the public square,
8 the young men saw me and stepped aside(EH)
and the old men rose to their feet;(EI)
9 the chief men refrained from speaking(EJ)
and covered their mouths with their hands;(EK)
10 the voices of the nobles were hushed,(EL)
and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.(EM)
11 Whoever heard me spoke well of me,
and those who saw me commended me,(EN)
12 because I rescued the poor(EO) who cried for help,
and the fatherless(EP) who had none to assist them.(EQ)
13 The one who was dying blessed me;(ER)
I made the widow’s(ES) heart sing.
14 I put on righteousness(ET) as my clothing;
justice was my robe and my turban.(EU)
15 I was eyes(EV) to the blind
and feet to the lame.(EW)
16 I was a father to the needy;(EX)
I took up the case(EY) of the stranger.(EZ)
17 I broke the fangs of the wicked
and snatched the victims(FA) from their teeth.(FB)
18 “I thought, ‘I will die in my own house,
my days as numerous as the grains of sand.(FC)
19 My roots will reach to the water,(FD)
and the dew will lie all night on my branches.(FE)
20 My glory will not fade;(FF)
the bow(FG) will be ever new in my hand.’(FH)
21 “People listened to me expectantly,
waiting in silence for my counsel.(FI)
22 After I had spoken, they spoke no more;(FJ)
my words fell gently on their ears.(FK)
23 They waited for me as for showers
and drank in my words as the spring rain.(FL)
24 When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it;
the light of my face(FM) was precious to them.[d](FN)
25 I chose the way for them and sat as their chief;(FO)
I dwelt as a king(FP) among his troops;
I was like one who comforts mourners.(FQ)
30 “But now they mock me,(FR)
men younger than I,
whose fathers I would have disdained
to put with my sheep dogs.(FS)
2 Of what use was the strength of their hands to me,
since their vigor had gone from them?
3 Haggard from want and hunger,
they roamed[e] the parched land(FT)
in desolate wastelands(FU) at night.(FV)
4 In the brush they gathered salt herbs,(FW)
and their food[f] was the root of the broom bush.(FX)
5 They were banished from human society,
shouted at as if they were thieves.
6 They were forced to live in the dry stream beds,
among the rocks and in holes in the ground.(FY)
7 They brayed(FZ) among the bushes(GA)
and huddled in the undergrowth.
8 A base and nameless brood,(GB)
they were driven out of the land.(GC)
9 “And now those young men mock me(GD) in song;(GE)
I have become a byword(GF) among them.
10 They detest me(GG) and keep their distance;
they do not hesitate to spit in my face.(GH)
11 Now that God has unstrung my bow(GI) and afflicted me,(GJ)
they throw off restraint(GK) in my presence.
12 On my right(GL) the tribe[g] attacks;
they lay snares(GM) for my feet,(GN)
they build their siege ramps against me.(GO)
13 They break up my road;(GP)
they succeed in destroying me.(GQ)
‘No one can help him,’ they say.
14 They advance as through a gaping breach;(GR)
amid the ruins they come rolling in.
15 Terrors(GS) overwhelm me;(GT)
my dignity is driven away as by the wind,
my safety vanishes like a cloud.(GU)
16 “And now my life ebbs away;(GV)
days of suffering grip me.(GW)
17 Night pierces my bones;
my gnawing pains never rest.(GX)
18 In his great power(GY) God becomes like clothing to me[h];
he binds me like the neck of my garment.
19 He throws me into the mud,(GZ)
and I am reduced to dust and ashes.(HA)
20 “I cry out to you,(HB) God, but you do not answer;(HC)
I stand up, but you merely look at me.
21 You turn on me ruthlessly;(HD)
with the might of your hand(HE) you attack me.(HF)
22 You snatch me up and drive me before the wind;(HG)
you toss me about in the storm.(HH)
23 I know you will bring me down to death,(HI)
to the place appointed for all the living.(HJ)
24 “Surely no one lays a hand on a broken man(HK)
when he cries for help in his distress.(HL)
25 Have I not wept for those in trouble?(HM)
Has not my soul grieved for the poor?(HN)
26 Yet when I hoped for good, evil came;
when I looked for light, then came darkness.(HO)
27 The churning inside me never stops;(HP)
days of suffering confront me.(HQ)
28 I go about blackened,(HR) but not by the sun;
I stand up in the assembly and cry for help.(HS)
29 I have become a brother of jackals,(HT)
a companion of owls.(HU)
30 My skin grows black(HV) and peels;(HW)
my body burns with fever.(HX)
31 My lyre is tuned to mourning,(HY)
and my pipe(HZ) to the sound of wailing.
Footnotes
- Job 26:6 Hebrew Abaddon
- Job 28:11 Septuagint, Aquila and Vulgate; Hebrew They dam up
- Job 28:22 Hebrew Abaddon
- Job 29:24 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
- Job 30:3 Or gnawed
- Job 30:4 Or fuel
- Job 30:12 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Job 30:18 Hebrew; Septuagint power he grasps my clothing
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
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.