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Job 27-30
New American Standard Bible
Job 27-30
New American Standard Bible
Job Affirms His Righteousness
27 Job again took up his (A)discourse and said,
2 “As God lives, (B)who has taken away my right,
And the Almighty, (C)who has embittered my soul,
3 For as long as [a]life is in me,
And the [b](D)breath of God is in my nostrils,
4 My lips certainly will not speak unjustly,
Nor will (E)my tongue mutter deceit.
5 Far be it from me that I should declare you right;
Until I die, (F)I will not [c]give up my integrity.
6 I have (G)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 [d]my opponent as the criminal.
8 For what is (H)the hope of the godless when he makes an end of life,
When God requires (I)his [e]life?
9 Will God (J)hear his cry
When (K)distress comes upon him?
10 Or will he take (L)pleasure in the Almighty?
Will he call on God at all times?
11 I will instruct you in the [f]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 (M)the portion of a wicked person from God,
And the inheritance which (N)tyrants receive from the Almighty:
14 Though his sons are many, [g]they are destined (O)for the sword;
And his (P)descendants will not be satisfied with bread.
15 His survivors will be buried because of the plague,
And [h]their (Q)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, (R)but the righteous will wear it
And the innocent will divide the silver.
18 He has built his (S)house like the [i]spider’s web,
Or a hut which the watchman has made.
19 He lies down rich, but never [j]again;
He opens his eyes, and (T)it no longer exists.
20 (U)Terrors overtake him like a flood;
A storm steals him away (V)in the night.
21 The east (W)wind carries him away, and he is gone;
For it sweeps him (X)away from his place.
22 For it will hurl at him (Y)without mercy;
He will certainly try to (Z)flee from its [k]power.
23 People will [l]clap their hands at him,
And will (AA)whistle at him from their places.
Job Tells of Earth’s Treasures
28 “Certainly there is a [m]mine for silver
And a place [n]for refining gold.
2 Iron is taken from the dust,
And copper is smelted from rock.
3 Man puts an end to darkness,
And (AB)to the farthest limit he searches out
The rock in gloom and deep shadow.
4 He [o]sinks a shaft away from [p]inhabited areas,
Forgotten by the foot;
They hang and swing, away from people.
5 [q]From the earth comes food,
And underneath, it is turned over like fire.
6 Its rocks are the [r]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 [s]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 [t]base.
10 He carves out channels through the rocks,
And his eye sees anything precious.
11 He dams up the streams from [u]flowing,
And brings to light what is hidden.
The Search for Wisdom Is Harder
12 “But (AC)where can wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
13 (AD)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 (AE)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 (AF)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 (AG)wisdom is more valuable than pearls.
19 The topaz of [v]Cush cannot equal it,
Nor can it be valued in (AH)pure gold.
20 (AI)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 [w](AJ)Abaddon and Death say,
‘With our ears we have heard a report of it.’
23 “(AK)God understands its way,
And He knows its place.
24 For He (AL)looks to the ends of the earth;
He sees everything under the heavens.
25 When He imparted (AM)weight to the wind,
And (AN)assessed the waters by measure,
26 When He made a (AO)limit for the rain,
And a course for the (AP)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 (AQ)fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;
And to turn away from evil is understanding.’”
Job’s Past Was Glorious
29 Job again took up his (AR)discourse and said,
2 “Oh that I were as in months gone by,
As in the days when God (AS)watched over me;
3 When (AT)His lamp shone over my head,
And (AU)by His light I walked through darkness;
4 Just as I was in the days of my youth,
When the (AV)protection of God was over my tent;
5 When [x]the Almighty was still with me,
And my children were around me;
6 When my steps were bathed in (AW)cream,
And the (AX)rock poured out streams of oil for me!
7 When I went out to (AY)the gate of the city,
When I [y]took my seat in the public square,
8 The young men saw me and hid themselves,
And the old men arose and stood.
9 The leaders (AZ)stopped talking
And (BA)put their hands on their mouths;
10 The voices of the prominent people were [z](BB)hushed,
And their (BC)tongues stuck to their palates.
11 For when (BD)an ear heard, it called me blessed,
And when an eye saw, it testified in support of me,
12 Because I saved (BE)the poor who cried for help,
And the (BF)orphan who had no helper.
13 The blessing of the one who (BG)was about to perish came upon me,
And I made the (BH)widow’s heart sing for joy.
14 I (BI)put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
My justice was like a robe and a headband.
15 I was (BJ)eyes to those who were blind,
And feet to those who [aa]could not walk.
16 I was a father to (BK)the poor,
And I investigated the case which I did not know.
17 I (BL)broke the jaws of the wicked
And rescued the prey from his teeth.
18 Then I [ab]thought, ‘I will die with my [ac]family,
And I will multiply my days as the sand.
19 My (BM)root is spread out to the waters,
And (BN)dew lies on my branch all night.
20 My glory is ever new with me,
And my (BO)bow is renewed in my hand.’
21 “To me (BP)they listened and waited,
And they kept silent for my advice.
22 After my words (BQ)they did not speak again,
And (BR)my speech dropped on them.
23 They waited for me as for the rain,
And opened their mouths as for the late rain.
24 I smiled at them when they did not believe,
And they did not look at [ad]my kindness ungraciously.
25 I chose a way for them and sat as (BS)chief,
And lived as a king among the troops,
As one who (BT)comforted the mourners.
Job’s Present State Is Humiliating
30 “But now those who are younger than I (BU)mock me,
Whose fathers I refused to put with the dogs of my flock.
2 Indeed, what good was the strength of their hands to me?
Vigor had perished from them.
3 From poverty and famine they are gaunt,
They who gnaw at the dry ground by night in waste and desolation,
4 Who pluck saltweed by the bushes,
And whose food is the root of the broom shrub.
5 They are driven from the community;
They shout against them as against a thief,
6 So that they live on the slopes of ravines,
In holes in the ground and among the rocks.
7 Among the bushes they [ae]cry out;
Under the weeds they are gathered together.
8 Worthless [af]fellows, even [ag]those without a name,
They were cast out from the land.
9 “And now I have become their [ah](BV)taunt,
And I have become a [ai](BW)byword to them.
10 They loathe me and stand aloof from me,
And they do not [aj]refrain from (BX)spitting in my face.
11 Because He has undone [ak]my [al]bowstring and (BY)afflicted me,
They have cast off (BZ)the bridle before me.
12 On the right hand their [am]mob arises;
They (CA)push aside my feet (CB)and pile up their ways of destruction against me.
13 They (CC)break up my path,
They promote my destruction;
No one restrains them.
14 As through a wide gap they come,
[an]Amid the storm they roll on.
15 (CD)Sudden terrors are turned upon me;
They chase away my dignity like the wind,
And my [ao]prosperity has passed away (CE)like a cloud.
16 “And now (CF)my soul is poured out [ap]within me;
Days of misery have seized me.
17 At night it pierces (CG)my bones [aq]within me,
And my gnawing pains do not rest.
18 By a great force my garment is (CH)distorted;
It ties me up like the collar of my coat.
19 He has thrown me into the (CI)mire,
And I have become like dust and ashes.
20 I (CJ)cry out to You for help, but You do not answer me;
I stand up, and You turn Your attention against me.
21 You have [ar]become cruel to me;
With the strength of Your hand You (CK)persecute me.
22 You (CL)lift me up to the wind and make me ride it;
And You dissolve me in a storm.
23 For I know that You (CM)will bring me to death,
And to the (CN)house of meeting for all living.
24 “Yet does one in a heap of ruins not reach out with his hand,
Or in his disaster does he not (CO)cry out for help?
25 Have I not (CP)wept for the [as]one whose life is hard?
Was my soul not grieved for (CQ)the needy?
26 When I (CR)expected good, evil came;
When I waited for light, (CS)darkness came.
27 [at]I am seething (CT)within and cannot rest;
Days of misery confront me.
28 I go about [au](CU)mourning without comfort;
I stand up in the assembly and (CV)cry out for help.
29 I have become a brother to (CW)jackals,
And a companion of ostriches.
30 My (CX)skin turns black [av]on me,
And my (CY)bones burn with [aw]fever.
31 Therefore my (CZ)harp [ax]is turned to mourning,
And my flute to the sound of those who weep.
Footnotes
- 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 29:5 Heb Shaddai
- Job 29:7 Lit set up
- Job 29:10 Lit hidden
- Job 29:15 Or limped
- Job 29:18 Lit said
- Job 29:18 Lit nest
- Job 29:24 Lit the light of my face
- Job 30:7 Or bray
- Job 30:8 Lit sons
- Job 30:8 Lit sons
- Job 30:9 Lit song
- Job 30:9 I.e., prob. a word of insult
- Job 30:10 Lit withhold spit from my face
- Job 30:11 Some mss His
- Job 30:11 Or cord
- Job 30:12 Or youth arise
- Job 30:14 Lit Under
- Job 30:15 Or welfare
- Job 30:16 Lit upon
- Job 30:17 Lit from upon
- Job 30:21 Lit turned to be
- Job 30:25 Lit hard of day
- Job 30:27 Lit My inward parts are boiling
- Job 30:28 Or blackened, but not by the heat of the sun
- Job 30:30 Lit from upon
- Job 30:30 Lit heat
- Job 30:31 Lit becomes
Job 27-30
New International Version
Job 27-30
New International Version
Job’s Final Word to His Friends
27 And Job continued his discourse:(A)
2 “As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,(B)
the Almighty,(C) who has made my life bitter,(D)
3 as long as I have life within me,
the breath of God(E) in my nostrils,
4 my lips will not say anything wicked,
and my tongue will not utter lies.(F)
5 I will never admit you are in the right;
till I die, I will not deny my integrity.(G)
6 I will maintain my innocence(H) and never let go of it;
my conscience(I) will not reproach me as long as I live.(J)
7 “May my enemy be like the wicked,(K)
my adversary(L) like the unjust!
8 For what hope have the godless(M) when they are cut off,
when God takes away their life?(N)
9 Does God listen to their cry
when distress comes upon them?(O)
10 Will they find delight in the Almighty?(P)
Will they call on God at all times?
11 “I will teach you about the power of God;
the ways(Q) of the Almighty I will not conceal.(R)
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:(S)
14 However many his children,(T) their fate is the sword;(U)
his offspring will never have enough to eat.(V)
15 The plague will bury those who survive him,
and their widows will not weep for them.(W)
16 Though he heaps up silver like dust(X)
and clothes like piles of clay,(Y)
17 what he lays up(Z) the righteous will wear,(AA)
and the innocent will divide his silver.(AB)
18 The house(AC) he builds is like a moth’s cocoon,(AD)
like a hut(AE) made by a watchman.
19 He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;(AF)
when he opens his eyes, all is gone.(AG)
20 Terrors(AH) overtake him like a flood;(AI)
a tempest snatches him away in the night.(AJ)
21 The east wind(AK) carries him off, and he is gone;(AL)
it sweeps him out of his place.(AM)
22 It hurls itself against him without mercy(AN)
as he flees headlong(AO) from its power.(AP)
23 It claps its hands(AQ) in derision
and hisses him out of his place.”(AR)
Interlude: Where Wisdom Is Found
28 There is a mine for silver
and a place where gold is refined.(AS)
2 Iron is taken from the earth,
and copper is smelted from ore.(AT)
3 Mortals put an end to the darkness;(AU)
they search out the farthest recesses
for ore in the blackest darkness.(AV)
4 Far from human dwellings they cut a shaft,(AW)
in places untouched by human feet;
far from other people they dangle and sway.
5 The earth, from which food comes,(AX)
is transformed below as by fire;
6 lapis lazuli(AY) comes from its rocks,
and its dust contains nuggets of gold.(AZ)
7 No bird of prey knows that hidden path,
no falcon’s eye has seen it.(BA)
8 Proud beasts(BB) do not set foot on it,
and no lion prowls there.(BC)
9 People assault the flinty rock(BD) with their hands
and lay bare the roots of the mountains.(BE)
10 They tunnel through the rock;(BF)
their eyes see all its treasures.(BG)
11 They search[a] the sources of the rivers(BH)
and bring hidden things(BI) to light.
12 But where can wisdom be found?(BJ)
Where does understanding dwell?(BK)
13 No mortal comprehends its worth;(BL)
it cannot be found in the land of the living.(BM)
14 The deep(BN) says, “It is not in me”;
the sea(BO) says, “It is not with me.”
15 It cannot be bought with the finest gold,
nor can its price be weighed out in silver.(BP)
16 It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir,(BQ)
with precious onyx or lapis lazuli.(BR)
17 Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it,(BS)
nor can it be had for jewels of gold.(BT)
18 Coral(BU) and jasper(BV) are not worthy of mention;
the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.(BW)
19 The topaz(BX) of Cush(BY) cannot compare with it;
it cannot be bought with pure gold.(BZ)
20 Where then does wisdom come from?
Where does understanding dwell?(CA)
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
concealed even from the birds in the sky.(CB)
22 Destruction[b](CC) and Death(CD) say,
“Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.”
23 God understands the way to it
and he alone(CE) knows where it dwells,(CF)
24 for he views the ends of the earth(CG)
and sees everything under the heavens.(CH)
25 When he established the force of the wind
and measured out the waters,(CI)
26 when he made a decree for the rain(CJ)
and a path for the thunderstorm,(CK)
27 then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;
he confirmed it and tested it.(CL)
28 And he said to the human race,
“The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
and to shun evil(CM) is understanding.”(CN)
Job’s Final Defense
29 Job continued his discourse:(CO)
2 “How I long for the months gone by,(CP)
for the days when God watched over me,(CQ)
3 when his lamp shone on my head
and by his light I walked through darkness!(CR)
4 Oh, for the days when I was in my prime,
when God’s intimate friendship(CS) blessed my house,(CT)
5 when the Almighty was still with me
and my children(CU) were around me,(CV)
6 when my path was drenched with cream(CW)
and the rock(CX) poured out for me streams of olive oil.(CY)
7 “When I went to the gate(CZ) of the city
and took my seat in the public square,
8 the young men saw me and stepped aside(DA)
and the old men rose to their feet;(DB)
9 the chief men refrained from speaking(DC)
and covered their mouths with their hands;(DD)
10 the voices of the nobles were hushed,(DE)
and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.(DF)
11 Whoever heard me spoke well of me,
and those who saw me commended me,(DG)
12 because I rescued the poor(DH) who cried for help,
and the fatherless(DI) who had none to assist them.(DJ)
13 The one who was dying blessed me;(DK)
I made the widow’s(DL) heart sing.
14 I put on righteousness(DM) as my clothing;
justice was my robe and my turban.(DN)
15 I was eyes(DO) to the blind
and feet to the lame.(DP)
16 I was a father to the needy;(DQ)
I took up the case(DR) of the stranger.(DS)
17 I broke the fangs of the wicked
and snatched the victims(DT) from their teeth.(DU)
18 “I thought, ‘I will die in my own house,
my days as numerous as the grains of sand.(DV)
19 My roots will reach to the water,(DW)
and the dew will lie all night on my branches.(DX)
20 My glory will not fade;(DY)
the bow(DZ) will be ever new in my hand.’(EA)
21 “People listened to me expectantly,
waiting in silence for my counsel.(EB)
22 After I had spoken, they spoke no more;(EC)
my words fell gently on their ears.(ED)
23 They waited for me as for showers
and drank in my words as the spring rain.(EE)
24 When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it;
the light of my face(EF) was precious to them.[c](EG)
25 I chose the way for them and sat as their chief;(EH)
I dwelt as a king(EI) among his troops;
I was like one who comforts mourners.(EJ)
30 “But now they mock me,(EK)
men younger than I,
whose fathers I would have disdained
to put with my sheep dogs.(EL)
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[d] the parched land(EM)
in desolate wastelands(EN) at night.(EO)
4 In the brush they gathered salt herbs,(EP)
and their food[e] was the root of the broom bush.(EQ)
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.(ER)
7 They brayed(ES) among the bushes(ET)
and huddled in the undergrowth.
8 A base and nameless brood,(EU)
they were driven out of the land.(EV)
9 “And now those young men mock me(EW) in song;(EX)
I have become a byword(EY) among them.
10 They detest me(EZ) and keep their distance;
they do not hesitate to spit in my face.(FA)
11 Now that God has unstrung my bow(FB) and afflicted me,(FC)
they throw off restraint(FD) in my presence.
12 On my right(FE) the tribe[f] attacks;
they lay snares(FF) for my feet,(FG)
they build their siege ramps against me.(FH)
13 They break up my road;(FI)
they succeed in destroying me.(FJ)
‘No one can help him,’ they say.
14 They advance as through a gaping breach;(FK)
amid the ruins they come rolling in.
15 Terrors(FL) overwhelm me;(FM)
my dignity is driven away as by the wind,
my safety vanishes like a cloud.(FN)
16 “And now my life ebbs away;(FO)
days of suffering grip me.(FP)
17 Night pierces my bones;
my gnawing pains never rest.(FQ)
18 In his great power(FR) God becomes like clothing to me[g];
he binds me like the neck of my garment.
19 He throws me into the mud,(FS)
and I am reduced to dust and ashes.(FT)
20 “I cry out to you,(FU) God, but you do not answer;(FV)
I stand up, but you merely look at me.
21 You turn on me ruthlessly;(FW)
with the might of your hand(FX) you attack me.(FY)
22 You snatch me up and drive me before the wind;(FZ)
you toss me about in the storm.(GA)
23 I know you will bring me down to death,(GB)
to the place appointed for all the living.(GC)
24 “Surely no one lays a hand on a broken man(GD)
when he cries for help in his distress.(GE)
25 Have I not wept for those in trouble?(GF)
Has not my soul grieved for the poor?(GG)
26 Yet when I hoped for good, evil came;
when I looked for light, then came darkness.(GH)
27 The churning inside me never stops;(GI)
days of suffering confront me.(GJ)
28 I go about blackened,(GK) but not by the sun;
I stand up in the assembly and cry for help.(GL)
29 I have become a brother of jackals,(GM)
a companion of owls.(GN)
30 My skin grows black(GO) and peels;(GP)
my body burns with fever.(GQ)
31 My lyre is tuned to mourning,(GR)
and my pipe(GS) to the sound of wailing.
Footnotes
- 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
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