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Job 26-30
New Living Translation
Job 26-30
New Living Translation
Job’s Ninth Speech: A Response to Bildad
26 Then Job spoke again:
2 “How you have helped the powerless!
How you have saved the weak!
3 How you have enlightened my stupidity!
What wise advice you have offered!
4 Where have you gotten all these wise sayings?
Whose spirit speaks through you?
5 “The dead tremble—
those who live beneath the waters.
6 The underworld[a] is naked in God’s presence.
The place of destruction[b] is uncovered.
7 God stretches the northern sky over empty space
and hangs the earth on nothing.
8 He wraps the rain in his thick clouds,
and the clouds don’t burst with the weight.
9 He covers the face of the moon,[c]
shrouding it with his clouds.
10 He created the horizon when he separated the waters;
he set the boundary between day and night.
11 The foundations of heaven tremble;
they shudder at his rebuke.
12 By his power the sea grew calm.
By his skill he crushed the great sea monster.[d]
13 His Spirit made the heavens beautiful,
and his power pierced the gliding serpent.
14 These are just the beginning of all that he does,
merely a whisper of his power.
Who, then, can comprehend the thunder of his power?”
Job’s Final Speech
27 Job continued speaking:
2 “I vow by the living God, who has taken away my rights,
by the Almighty who has embittered my soul—
3 As long as I live,
while I have breath from God,
4 my lips will speak no evil,
and my tongue will speak no lies.
5 I will never concede that you are right;
I will defend my integrity until I die.
6 I will maintain my innocence without wavering.
My conscience is clear for as long as I live.
7 “May my enemy be punished like the wicked,
my adversary like those who do evil.
8 For what hope do the godless have when God cuts them off
and takes away their life?
9 Will God listen to their cry
when trouble comes upon them?
10 Can they take delight in the Almighty?
Can they call to God at any time?
11 I will teach you about God’s power.
I will not conceal anything concerning the Almighty.
12 But you have seen all this,
yet you say all these useless things to me.
13 “This is what the wicked will receive from God;
this is their inheritance from the Almighty.
14 They may have many children,
but the children will die in war or starve to death.
15 Those who survive will die of a plague,
and not even their widows will mourn them.
16 “Evil people may have piles of money
and may store away mounds of clothing.
17 But the righteous will wear that clothing,
and the innocent will divide that money.
18 The wicked build houses as fragile as a spider’s web,[e]
as flimsy as a shelter made of branches.
19 The wicked go to bed rich
but wake to find that all their wealth is gone.
20 Terror overwhelms them like a flood,
and they are blown away in the storms of the night.
21 The east wind carries them away, and they are gone.
It sweeps them away.
22 It whirls down on them without mercy.
They struggle to flee from its power.
23 But everyone jeers at them
and mocks them.
Job Speaks of Wisdom and Understanding
28 “People know where to mine silver
and how to refine gold.
2 They know where to dig iron from the earth
and how to smelt copper from rock.
3 They know how to shine light in the darkness
and explore the farthest regions of the earth
as they search in the dark for ore.
4 They sink a mine shaft into the earth
far from where anyone lives.
They descend on ropes, swinging back and forth.
5 Food is grown on the earth above,
but down below, the earth is melted as by fire.
6 Here the rocks contain precious lapis lazuli,
and the dust contains gold.
7 These are treasures no bird of prey can see,
no falcon’s eye observe.
8 No wild animal has walked upon these treasures;
no lion has ever set his paw there.
9 People know how to tear apart flinty rocks
and overturn the roots of mountains.
10 They cut tunnels in the rocks
and uncover precious stones.
11 They dam up the trickling streams
and bring to light the hidden treasures.
12 “But do people know where to find wisdom?
Where can they find understanding?
13 No one knows where to find it,[f]
for it is not found among the living.
14 ‘It is not here,’ says the ocean.
‘Nor is it here,’ says the sea.
15 It cannot be bought with gold.
It cannot be purchased with silver.
16 It’s worth more than all the gold of Ophir,
greater than precious onyx or lapis lazuli.
17 Wisdom is more valuable than gold and crystal.
It cannot be purchased with jewels mounted in fine gold.
18 Coral and jasper are worthless in trying to get it.
The price of wisdom is far above rubies.
19 Precious peridot from Ethiopia[g] cannot be exchanged for it.
It’s worth more than the purest gold.
20 “But do people know where to find wisdom?
Where can they find understanding?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of all humanity.
Even the sharp-eyed birds in the sky cannot discover it.
22 Destruction[h] and Death say,
‘We’ve heard only rumors of where wisdom can be found.’
23 “God alone understands the way to wisdom;
he knows where it can be found,
24 for he looks throughout the whole earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
25 He decided how hard the winds should blow
and how much rain should fall.
26 He made the laws for the rain
and laid out a path for the lightning.
27 Then he saw wisdom and evaluated it.
He set it in place and examined it thoroughly.
28 And this is what he says to all humanity:
‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom;
to forsake evil is real understanding.’”
Job Speaks of His Former Blessings
29 Job continued speaking:
2 “I long for the years gone by
when God took care of me,
3 when he lit up the way before me
and I walked safely through the darkness.
4 When I was in my prime,
God’s friendship was felt in my home.
5 The Almighty was still with me,
and my children were around me.
6 My steps were awash in cream,
and the rocks gushed olive oil for me.
7 “Those were the days when I went to the city gate
and took my place among the honored leaders.
8 The young stepped aside when they saw me,
and even the aged rose in respect at my coming.
9 The princes stood in silence
and put their hands over their mouths.
10 The highest officials of the city stood quietly,
holding their tongues in respect.
11 “All who heard me praised me.
All who saw me spoke well of me.
12 For I assisted the poor in their need
and the orphans who required help.
13 I helped those without hope, and they blessed me.
And I caused the widows’ hearts to sing for joy.
14 Everything I did was honest.
Righteousness covered me like a robe,
and I wore justice like a turban.
15 I served as eyes for the blind
and feet for the lame.
16 I was a father to the poor
and assisted strangers who needed help.
17 I broke the jaws of godless oppressors
and plucked their victims from their teeth.
18 “I thought, ‘Surely I will die surrounded by my family
after a long, good life.[i]
19 For I am like a tree whose roots reach the water,
whose branches are refreshed with the dew.
20 New honors are constantly bestowed on me,
and my strength is continually renewed.’
21 “Everyone listened to my advice.
They were silent as they waited for me to speak.
22 And after I spoke, they had nothing to add,
for my counsel satisfied them.
23 They longed for me to speak as people long for rain.
They drank my words like a refreshing spring rain.
24 When they were discouraged, I smiled at them.
My look of approval was precious to them.
25 Like a chief, I told them what to do.
I lived like a king among his troops
and comforted those who mourned.
Job Speaks of His Anguish
30 “But now I am mocked by people younger than I,
by young men whose fathers are not worthy to run with my sheepdogs.
2 A lot of good they are to me—
those worn-out wretches!
3 They are gaunt from poverty and hunger.
They claw the dry ground in desolate wastelands.
4 They pluck wild greens from among the bushes
and eat from the roots of broom trees.
5 They are driven from human society,
and people shout at them as if they were thieves.
6 So now they live in frightening ravines,
in caves and among the rocks.
7 They sound like animals howling among the bushes,
huddled together beneath the nettles.
8 They are nameless fools,
outcasts from society.
9 “And now they mock me with vulgar songs!
They taunt me!
10 They despise me and won’t come near me,
except to spit in my face.
11 For God has cut my bowstring.
He has humbled me,
so they have thrown off all restraint.
12 These outcasts oppose me to my face.
They send me sprawling
and lay traps in my path.
13 They block my road
and do everything they can to destroy me.
They know I have no one to help me.
14 They come at me from all directions.
They jump on me when I am down.
15 I live in terror now.
My honor has blown away in the wind,
and my prosperity has vanished like a cloud.
16 “And now my life seeps away.
Depression haunts my days.
17 At night my bones are filled with pain,
which gnaws at me relentlessly.
18 With a strong hand, God grabs my shirt.[j]
He grips me by the collar of my coat.
19 He has thrown me into the mud.
I’m nothing more than dust and ashes.
20 “I cry to you, O God, but you don’t answer.
I stand before you, but you don’t even look.
21 You have become cruel toward me.
You use your power to persecute me.
22 You throw me into the whirlwind
and destroy me in the storm.
23 And I know you are sending me to my death—
the destination of all who live.
24 “Surely no one would turn against the needy
when they cry for help in their trouble.
25 Did I not weep for those in trouble?
Was I not deeply grieved for the needy?
26 So I looked for good, but evil came instead.
I waited for the light, but darkness fell.
27 My heart is troubled and restless.
Days of suffering torment me.
28 I walk in gloom, without sunlight.
I stand in the public square and cry for help.
29 Instead, I am considered a brother to jackals
and a companion to owls.
30 My skin has turned dark,
and my bones burn with fever.
31 My harp plays sad music,
and my flute accompanies those who weep.
Footnotes
- 26:6a Hebrew Sheol.
- 26:6b Hebrew Abaddon.
- 26:9 Or covers his throne.
- 26:12 Hebrew Rahab, the name of a mythical sea monster that represents chaos in ancient literature.
- 27:18 As in Greek and Syriac versions (see also 8:14); Hebrew reads a moth.
- 28:13 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads knows its value.
- 28:19 Hebrew from Cush.
- 28:22 Hebrew Abaddon.
- 29:18 Hebrew after I have counted my days like sand.
- 30:18 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads hand, my garment is disfigured.
Job 26-30
New International Version
Job 26-30
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)
Job’s Final Defense
29 Job continued his discourse:(DM)
2 “How I long for the months gone by,(DN)
for the days when God watched over me,(DO)
3 when his lamp shone on my head
and by his light I walked through darkness!(DP)
4 Oh, for the days when I was in my prime,
when God’s intimate friendship(DQ) blessed my house,(DR)
5 when the Almighty was still with me
and my children(DS) were around me,(DT)
6 when my path was drenched with cream(DU)
and the rock(DV) poured out for me streams of olive oil.(DW)
7 “When I went to the gate(DX) of the city
and took my seat in the public square,
8 the young men saw me and stepped aside(DY)
and the old men rose to their feet;(DZ)
9 the chief men refrained from speaking(EA)
and covered their mouths with their hands;(EB)
10 the voices of the nobles were hushed,(EC)
and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.(ED)
11 Whoever heard me spoke well of me,
and those who saw me commended me,(EE)
12 because I rescued the poor(EF) who cried for help,
and the fatherless(EG) who had none to assist them.(EH)
13 The one who was dying blessed me;(EI)
I made the widow’s(EJ) heart sing.
14 I put on righteousness(EK) as my clothing;
justice was my robe and my turban.(EL)
15 I was eyes(EM) to the blind
and feet to the lame.(EN)
16 I was a father to the needy;(EO)
I took up the case(EP) of the stranger.(EQ)
17 I broke the fangs of the wicked
and snatched the victims(ER) from their teeth.(ES)
18 “I thought, ‘I will die in my own house,
my days as numerous as the grains of sand.(ET)
19 My roots will reach to the water,(EU)
and the dew will lie all night on my branches.(EV)
20 My glory will not fade;(EW)
the bow(EX) will be ever new in my hand.’(EY)
21 “People listened to me expectantly,
waiting in silence for my counsel.(EZ)
22 After I had spoken, they spoke no more;(FA)
my words fell gently on their ears.(FB)
23 They waited for me as for showers
and drank in my words as the spring rain.(FC)
24 When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it;
the light of my face(FD) was precious to them.[d](FE)
25 I chose the way for them and sat as their chief;(FF)
I dwelt as a king(FG) among his troops;
I was like one who comforts mourners.(FH)
30 “But now they mock me,(FI)
men younger than I,
whose fathers I would have disdained
to put with my sheep dogs.(FJ)
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(FK)
in desolate wastelands(FL) at night.(FM)
4 In the brush they gathered salt herbs,(FN)
and their food[f] was the root of the broom bush.(FO)
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.(FP)
7 They brayed(FQ) among the bushes(FR)
and huddled in the undergrowth.
8 A base and nameless brood,(FS)
they were driven out of the land.(FT)
9 “And now those young men mock me(FU) in song;(FV)
I have become a byword(FW) among them.
10 They detest me(FX) and keep their distance;
they do not hesitate to spit in my face.(FY)
11 Now that God has unstrung my bow(FZ) and afflicted me,(GA)
they throw off restraint(GB) in my presence.
12 On my right(GC) the tribe[g] attacks;
they lay snares(GD) for my feet,(GE)
they build their siege ramps against me.(GF)
13 They break up my road;(GG)
they succeed in destroying me.(GH)
‘No one can help him,’ they say.
14 They advance as through a gaping breach;(GI)
amid the ruins they come rolling in.
15 Terrors(GJ) overwhelm me;(GK)
my dignity is driven away as by the wind,
my safety vanishes like a cloud.(GL)
16 “And now my life ebbs away;(GM)
days of suffering grip me.(GN)
17 Night pierces my bones;
my gnawing pains never rest.(GO)
18 In his great power(GP) God becomes like clothing to me[h];
he binds me like the neck of my garment.
19 He throws me into the mud,(GQ)
and I am reduced to dust and ashes.(GR)
20 “I cry out to you,(GS) God, but you do not answer;(GT)
I stand up, but you merely look at me.
21 You turn on me ruthlessly;(GU)
with the might of your hand(GV) you attack me.(GW)
22 You snatch me up and drive me before the wind;(GX)
you toss me about in the storm.(GY)
23 I know you will bring me down to death,(GZ)
to the place appointed for all the living.(HA)
24 “Surely no one lays a hand on a broken man(HB)
when he cries for help in his distress.(HC)
25 Have I not wept for those in trouble?(HD)
Has not my soul grieved for the poor?(HE)
26 Yet when I hoped for good, evil came;
when I looked for light, then came darkness.(HF)
27 The churning inside me never stops;(HG)
days of suffering confront me.(HH)
28 I go about blackened,(HI) but not by the sun;
I stand up in the assembly and cry for help.(HJ)
29 I have become a brother of jackals,(HK)
a companion of owls.(HL)
30 My skin grows black(HM) and peels;(HN)
my body burns with fever.(HO)
31 My lyre is tuned to mourning,(HP)
and my pipe(HQ) 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
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. 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.