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Job Replies: God’s Majesty Is Unsearchable

26 But Job answered:

“How have you helped him who is without power?
    How have you saved the arm that has no strength?
How have you counseled him who has no wisdom?
    And how have you plentifully declared sound knowledge?
To whom have you uttered words?
    And whose breath came from you?

“The departed spirits tremble under the waters,
    and their inhabitants.
The underworld is naked before Him,
    and destruction has no covering.
He stretches out the north over empty space,
    He hangs the earth upon nothing.
He binds up the waters in His thick clouds,
    and the cloud is not broken under them.
He covers the face of the full moon
    and spreads His cloud over it.
10 He has circled the waters with boundaries,
    until the day and night come to an end.
11 The pillars of heaven tremble
    and are astonished at His reproof.
12 He divides the sea with His power,
    and by His understanding He strikes through the proud.
13 By His breath He has made fair the heavens;
    His hand has formed the fleeing serpent.
14 Indeed, these are but a part of His ways,
    and how small a whisper we hear of Him!
    But the thunder of His power who can understand?”

Job’s Ninth Speech: A Response to Bildad

26 Then[a] Job answered and said,

“How you[b] have helped one who has no power![c]
How you[d] have assisted the arm that has no strength![e]
How you[f] have advised one who has no wisdom![g]
And what sound wisdom you[h] have made known in abundance![i]
With whose help[j] have you[k] uttered words,
and whose breath has come forth from you?[l]
“The spirits of the dead tremble
below the waters and their inhabitants.
Sheol is naked before him,
and there is no covering for Abaddon.
He stretches out the north over emptiness;
he hangs the earth over nothing.[m]
He ties up the water in its clouds,
and the cloud is not torn open beneath it.[n]
He covers the face of the full moon;[o]
he spreads his cloud over it.
10 He has described a circle[p] on the face of the water
between light and darkness.[q]
11 The pillars of heaven tremble,
and they are astounded at his rebuke.
12 By his power he stilled the sea,
and by his understanding he struck down Rahab.
13 By his breath the heavens were made clear;[r]
his hand pierced the fleeing snake.
14 Look, these are the outer fringes of his ways,
and how faint is the word[s] that we hear of him!
But[t] who can understand the thunder of his power?”

Footnotes

  1. Job 26:1 Hebrew “And”
  2. Job 26:2 Singular
  3. Job 26:2 Literally “for not power”
  4. Job 26:2 Singular
  5. Job 26:2 Literally “not strength”
  6. Job 26:3 Singular
  7. Job 26:3 Literally “for not wisdom”
  8. Job 26:3 Singular
  9. Job 26:3 Literally “as far as the multitude,” or “for multitude”
  10. Job 26:4 Literally “With whom”
  11. Job 26:4 Singular
  12. Job 26:4 Singular
  13. Job 26:7 Literally “over not what”
  14. Job 26:8 Hebrew “them”; antecedent for “them” is “water” (literally “waters”)
  15. Job 26:9 Text reads “throne”; “full moon” is based on a change of the vowels
  16. Job 26:10 NRSV; literally “a limit he has circled”
  17. Job 26:10 Literally “at the end of light with darkness”
  18. Job 26:13 Literally “heavens clearness”
  19. Job 26:14 Literally “how whisper of word”
  20. Job 26:14 Hebrew “And”