Add parallel Print Page Options

26 Then 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 plentifully declared sound knowledge!
To whom have you uttered words?
    Whose spirit came out of you?

“The departed spirits tremble,
    those beneath the waters and all that live in them.
Sheol[a] is naked before God,
    and Abaddon[b] has no covering.
He stretches out the north over empty space,
    and hangs the earth on nothing.
He binds up the waters in his thick clouds,
    and the cloud is not burst under them.
He encloses the face of his throne,
    and spreads his cloud on it.
10 He has described a boundary on the surface of the waters,
    and to the confines of light and darkness.
11 The pillars of heaven tremble
    and are astonished at his rebuke.
12 He stirs up the sea with his power,
    and by his understanding he strikes through Rahab.
13 By his Spirit the heavens are garnished.
    His hand has pierced the swift serpent.
14 Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways.
    How small a whisper do we hear of him!
    But the thunder of his power who can understand?”

Footnotes

  1. 26:6 Sheol is the place of the dead.
  2. 26:6 Abaddon means Destroyer.

Job’s Reply to Bildad

26 Then Job answered:

How you have helped(A) the powerless
and delivered the arm that is weak!
How you have counseled the unwise(B)
and abundantly provided insight!
With whom did you speak these words?
Whose breath came out of your mouth?

The departed spirits tremble
beneath the waters and all that inhabit them.(C)
Sheol(D) is naked before God,
and Abaddon(E) has no covering.(F)

He stretches the northern skies over empty space;
he hangs the earth on nothing.
He wraps up the water in his clouds,
yet the clouds do not burst beneath its weight.(G)
He obscures the view of his throne,
spreading his cloud over it.
10 He laid out the horizon on the surface of the waters(H)
at the boundary between light and darkness.
11 The pillars that hold up the sky tremble,
astounded at his rebuke.(I)
12 By his power he stirred(J) the sea,
and by his understanding he crushed Rahab.(K)

13 By his breath the heavens gained their beauty;
his hand pierced the fleeing serpent.[a](L)
14 These are but the fringes of his ways;
how faint is the word we hear of him!
Who can understand his mighty thunder?

Footnotes

  1. 26:13 = Leviathan