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Job 26-28
New American Standard Bible
Job 26-28
New American Standard Bible
Job Rebukes Bildad
26 Then Job responded,
2 “What a help you are to [a](A)the weak!
You have saved the arm (B)without strength!
3 What advice you have given to one without wisdom!
What helpful insight you have abundantly [b]provided!
4 To whom have you uttered words?
And whose [c]spirit was expressed through you?
The Greatness of God
5 “The [d](C)departed spirits are made to tremble
Under the waters and their inhabitants.
6 [e](D)Sheol is naked before Him,
And [f](E)Abaddon has no covering.
7 He (F)stretches out the north over empty space
And hangs the earth on nothing.
8 He (G)wraps up the waters in His clouds,
And the cloud does not burst under them.
9 He [g](H)obscures the face of the [h]full moon
And spreads His cloud over it.
10 He has inscribed a (I)circle on the surface of the waters
At the (J)boundary of light and darkness.
11 The pillars of heaven tremble
And are amazed at His rebuke.
12 With His power He (K)quieted the sea,
And by His (L)understanding He shattered [i](M)Rahab.
13 By His breath the (N)heavens are [j]cleared;
His hand has pierced (O)the fleeing serpent.
14 Behold, these are the fringes of His ways;
And how faint (P)a word we hear of Him!
But His mighty (Q)thunder, who can understand?”
Job Affirms His Righteousness
27 Job again took up his (R)discourse and said,
2 “As God lives, (S)who has taken away my right,
And the Almighty, (T)who has embittered my soul,
3 For as long as [k]life is in me,
And the [l](U)breath of God is in my nostrils,
4 My lips certainly will not speak unjustly,
Nor will (V)my tongue mutter deceit.
5 Far be it from me that I should declare you right;
Until I die, (W)I will not [m]give up my integrity.
6 I have (X)kept hold of my righteousness and will not let it go.
My heart does not rebuke any of my days.
The State of the Godless
7 “May my enemy be as the wicked,
And [n]my opponent as the criminal.
8 For what is (Y)the hope of the godless when he makes an end of life,
When God requires (Z)his [o]life?
9 Will God (AA)hear his cry
When (AB)distress comes upon him?
10 Or will he take (AC)pleasure in the Almighty?
Will he call on God at all times?
11 I will instruct you in the [p]power of God;
What is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
12 Behold, all of you have seen it;
Why then do you talk of nothing?
13 “This is (AD)the portion of a wicked person from God,
And the inheritance which (AE)tyrants receive from the Almighty:
14 Though his sons are many, [q]they are destined (AF)for the sword;
And his (AG)descendants will not be satisfied with bread.
15 His survivors will be buried because of the plague,
And [r]their (AH)widows will not be able to weep.
16 Though he piles up silver like dust,
And prepares garments as plentiful as the clay,
17 He may prepare it, (AI)but the righteous will wear it
And the innocent will divide the silver.
18 He has built his (AJ)house like the [s]spider’s web,
Or a hut which the watchman has made.
19 He lies down rich, but never [t]again;
He opens his eyes, and (AK)it no longer exists.
20 (AL)Terrors overtake him like a flood;
A storm steals him away (AM)in the night.
21 The east (AN)wind carries him away, and he is gone;
For it sweeps him (AO)away from his place.
22 For it will hurl at him (AP)without mercy;
He will certainly try to (AQ)flee from its [u]power.
23 People will [v]clap their hands at him,
And will (AR)whistle at him from their places.
Job Tells of Earth’s Treasures
28 “Certainly there is a [w]mine for silver
And a place [x]for refining gold.
2 Iron is taken from the dust,
And copper is smelted from rock.
3 Man puts an end to darkness,
And (AS)to the farthest limit he searches out
The rock in gloom and deep shadow.
4 He [y]sinks a shaft away from [z]inhabited areas,
Forgotten by the foot;
They hang and swing, away from people.
5 [aa]From the earth comes food,
And underneath, it is turned over like fire.
6 Its rocks are the [ab]source of sapphires,
And its dust contains gold.
7 No bird of prey knows the path,
Nor has the falcon’s eye caught sight of it.
8 The [ac]proud animals have not trodden it,
Nor has the lion passed over it.
9 He puts his hand on the flint;
He overturns the mountains at the [ad]base.
10 He carves out channels through the rocks,
And his eye sees anything precious.
11 He dams up the streams from [ae]flowing,
And brings to light what is hidden.
The Search for Wisdom Is Harder
12 “But (AT)where can wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
13 (AU)Mankind does not know its value,
Nor is it found in the land of the living.
14 The ocean depth says, ‘It is not in me’;
And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
15 (AV)Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it,
Nor can silver be weighed as its price.
16 It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
In precious onyx, or sapphire.
17 (AW)Gold or glass cannot equal it,
Nor can it be exchanged for articles of pure gold.
18 Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned;
And the acquisition of (AX)wisdom is more valuable than pearls.
19 The topaz of [af]Cush cannot equal it,
Nor can it be valued in (AY)pure gold.
20 (AZ)Where then does wisdom come from?
And where is this place of understanding?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living creature,
And concealed from the birds of the sky.
22 [ag](BA)Abaddon and Death say,
‘With our ears we have heard a report of it.’
23 “(BB)God understands its way,
And He knows its place.
24 For He (BC)looks to the ends of the earth;
He sees everything under the heavens.
25 When He imparted (BD)weight to the wind,
And (BE)assessed the waters by measure,
26 When He made a (BF)limit for the rain,
And a course for the (BG)thunderbolt,
27 Then He saw it and declared it;
He established it and also searched it out.
28 And to mankind He said, ‘Behold, the (BH)fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;
And to turn away from evil is understanding.’”
Footnotes
- Job 26:2 Lit no strength
- Job 26:3 Lit made known
- Job 26:4 Lit breath has gone forth
- Job 26:5 Or shades; Heb Rephaim
- Job 26:6 I.e., the netherworld
- Job 26:6 I.e., the place of destruction
- Job 26:9 Lit covers
- Job 26:9 Or throne
- Job 26:12 I.e., a sea monster, not to be confused with Rahab in Joshua 2
- Job 26:13 Lit beauty
- Job 27:3 Lit breath
- Job 27:3 Or spirit
- Job 27:5 Lit remove from me
- Job 27:7 Lit one who rises up against me
- Job 27:8 Or soul
- Job 27:11 Lit hand
- Job 27:14 Lit the sword is for them
- Job 27:15 As in ancient versions; Heb his
- Job 27:18 As in ancient versions; Heb moth
- Job 27:19 As in ancient versions; Heb will be gathered
- Job 27:22 Lit hand
- Job 27:23 I.e., mock and ridicule him
- Job 28:1 Lit source
- Job 28:1 Lit for gold they refine
- Job 28:4 Lit breaks open
- Job 28:4 Lit sojourning
- Job 28:5 Lit Earth, from it
- Job 28:6 Or place
- Job 28:8 Lit sons of pride
- Job 28:9 Lit root
- Job 28:11 Lit weeping
- Job 28:19 Or Ethiopia
- Job 28:22 I.e., Destruction
Job 26-28
New International Version
Job 26-28
New International Version
Job
26 Then Job replied:
2 “How you have helped the powerless!(A)
How you have saved the arm that is feeble!(B)
3 What advice you have offered to one without wisdom!
And what great insight(C) you have displayed!
4 Who has helped you utter these words?
And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?(D)
5 “The dead are in deep anguish,(E)
those beneath the waters and all that live in them.
6 The realm of the dead(F) is naked before God;
Destruction[a](G) lies uncovered.(H)
7 He spreads out the northern skies(I) over empty space;
he suspends the earth over nothing.(J)
8 He wraps up the waters(K) in his clouds,(L)
yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
9 He covers the face of the full moon,
spreading his clouds(M) over it.
10 He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters(N)
for a boundary between light and darkness.(O)
11 The pillars of the heavens quake,(P)
aghast at his rebuke.
12 By his power he churned up the sea;(Q)
by his wisdom(R) he cut Rahab(S) to pieces.
13 By his breath the skies(T) became fair;
his hand pierced the gliding serpent.(U)
14 And these are but the outer fringe of his works;
how faint the whisper(V) we hear of him!(W)
Who then can understand the thunder of his power?”(X)
Job’s Final Word to His Friends
27 And Job continued his discourse:(Y)
2 “As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,(Z)
the Almighty,(AA) who has made my life bitter,(AB)
3 as long as I have life within me,
the breath of God(AC) in my nostrils,
4 my lips will not say anything wicked,
and my tongue will not utter lies.(AD)
5 I will never admit you are in the right;
till I die, I will not deny my integrity.(AE)
6 I will maintain my innocence(AF) and never let go of it;
my conscience(AG) will not reproach me as long as I live.(AH)
7 “May my enemy be like the wicked,(AI)
my adversary(AJ) like the unjust!
8 For what hope have the godless(AK) when they are cut off,
when God takes away their life?(AL)
9 Does God listen to their cry
when distress comes upon them?(AM)
10 Will they find delight in the Almighty?(AN)
Will they call on God at all times?
11 “I will teach you about the power of God;
the ways(AO) of the Almighty I will not conceal.(AP)
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:(AQ)
14 However many his children,(AR) their fate is the sword;(AS)
his offspring will never have enough to eat.(AT)
15 The plague will bury those who survive him,
and their widows will not weep for them.(AU)
16 Though he heaps up silver like dust(AV)
and clothes like piles of clay,(AW)
17 what he lays up(AX) the righteous will wear,(AY)
and the innocent will divide his silver.(AZ)
18 The house(BA) he builds is like a moth’s cocoon,(BB)
like a hut(BC) made by a watchman.
19 He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;(BD)
when he opens his eyes, all is gone.(BE)
20 Terrors(BF) overtake him like a flood;(BG)
a tempest snatches him away in the night.(BH)
21 The east wind(BI) carries him off, and he is gone;(BJ)
it sweeps him out of his place.(BK)
22 It hurls itself against him without mercy(BL)
as he flees headlong(BM) from its power.(BN)
23 It claps its hands(BO) in derision
and hisses him out of his place.”(BP)
Interlude: Where Wisdom Is Found
28 There is a mine for silver
and a place where gold is refined.(BQ)
2 Iron is taken from the earth,
and copper is smelted from ore.(BR)
3 Mortals put an end to the darkness;(BS)
they search out the farthest recesses
for ore in the blackest darkness.(BT)
4 Far from human dwellings they cut a shaft,(BU)
in places untouched by human feet;
far from other people they dangle and sway.
5 The earth, from which food comes,(BV)
is transformed below as by fire;
6 lapis lazuli(BW) comes from its rocks,
and its dust contains nuggets of gold.(BX)
7 No bird of prey knows that hidden path,
no falcon’s eye has seen it.(BY)
8 Proud beasts(BZ) do not set foot on it,
and no lion prowls there.(CA)
9 People assault the flinty rock(CB) with their hands
and lay bare the roots of the mountains.(CC)
10 They tunnel through the rock;(CD)
their eyes see all its treasures.(CE)
11 They search[b] the sources of the rivers(CF)
and bring hidden things(CG) to light.
12 But where can wisdom be found?(CH)
Where does understanding dwell?(CI)
13 No mortal comprehends its worth;(CJ)
it cannot be found in the land of the living.(CK)
14 The deep(CL) says, “It is not in me”;
the sea(CM) says, “It is not with me.”
15 It cannot be bought with the finest gold,
nor can its price be weighed out in silver.(CN)
16 It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir,(CO)
with precious onyx or lapis lazuli.(CP)
17 Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it,(CQ)
nor can it be had for jewels of gold.(CR)
18 Coral(CS) and jasper(CT) are not worthy of mention;
the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.(CU)
19 The topaz(CV) of Cush(CW) cannot compare with it;
it cannot be bought with pure gold.(CX)
20 Where then does wisdom come from?
Where does understanding dwell?(CY)
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
concealed even from the birds in the sky.(CZ)
22 Destruction[c](DA) and Death(DB) say,
“Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.”
23 God understands the way to it
and he alone(DC) knows where it dwells,(DD)
24 for he views the ends of the earth(DE)
and sees everything under the heavens.(DF)
25 When he established the force of the wind
and measured out the waters,(DG)
26 when he made a decree for the rain(DH)
and a path for the thunderstorm,(DI)
27 then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;
he confirmed it and tested it.(DJ)
28 And he said to the human race,
“The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
and to shun evil(DK) is understanding.”(DL)
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
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