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Job 8-11
New King James Version
Job 8-11
New King James Version
Bildad: Job Should Repent
8 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:
2 “How long will you speak these things,
And the words of your mouth be like a strong wind?
3 (A)Does God subvert judgment?
Or does the Almighty pervert justice?
4 If (B)your sons have sinned against Him,
He has cast them away [a]for their transgression.
5 (C)If you would earnestly seek God
And make your supplication to the Almighty,
6 If you were pure and upright,
Surely now He would [b]awake for you,
And prosper your rightful dwelling place.
7 Though your beginning was small,
Yet your latter end would (D)increase abundantly.
8 “For(E) inquire, please, of the former age,
And consider the things discovered by their fathers;
9 For (F)we were born yesterday, and know [c]nothing,
Because our days on earth are a shadow.
10 Will they not teach you and tell you,
And utter words from their heart?
11 “Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh?
Can the reeds flourish without water?
12 (G)While it is yet green and not cut down,
It withers before any other plant.
13 So are the paths of all who (H)forget God;
And the hope of the (I)hypocrite shall perish,
14 Whose confidence shall be cut off,
And whose trust is [d]a spider’s web.
15 (J)He leans on his house, but it does not stand.
He holds it fast, but it does not endure.
16 He grows green in the sun,
And his branches spread out in his garden.
17 His roots wrap around the rock heap,
And look for a place in the stones.
18 (K)If he is destroyed from his place,
Then it will deny him, saying, ‘I have not seen you.’
19 “Behold, this is the joy of His way,
And (L)out of the earth others will grow.
20 Behold, (M)God will not [e]cast away the blameless,
Nor will He uphold the evildoers.
21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughing,
And your lips with [f]rejoicing.
22 Those who hate you will be (N)clothed with shame,
And the dwelling place of the wicked [g]will come to nothing.”
Job: There Is No Mediator
9 Then Job answered and said:
2 “Truly I know it is so,
But how can a (O)man be (P)righteous before God?
3 If one wished to [h]contend with Him,
He could not answer Him one time out of a thousand.
4 (Q)God is wise in heart and mighty in strength.
Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered?
5 He removes the mountains, and they do not know
When He overturns them in His anger;
6 He (R)shakes the earth out of its place,
And its (S)pillars tremble;
7 He commands the sun, and it does not rise;
He seals off the stars;
8 (T)He alone spreads out the heavens,
And [i]treads on the [j]waves of the sea;
9 (U)He made [k]the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades,
And the chambers of the south;
10 (V)He does great things past finding out,
Yes, wonders without number.
11 (W)If He goes by me, I do not see Him;
If He moves past, I do not perceive Him;
12 (X)If He takes away, [l]who can hinder Him?
Who can say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’
13 God will not withdraw His anger,
(Y)The allies of [m]the proud lie prostrate beneath Him.
14 “How then can I answer Him,
And choose my words to reason with Him?
15 (Z)For though I were righteous, I could not answer Him;
I would beg mercy of my Judge.
16 If I called and He answered me,
I would not believe that He was listening to my voice.
17 For He crushes me with a tempest,
And multiplies my wounds (AA)without cause.
18 He will not allow me to catch my breath,
But fills me with bitterness.
19 If it is a matter of strength, indeed He is strong;
And if of justice, who will appoint my day in court?
20 Though I were righteous, my own mouth would condemn me;
Though I were blameless, it would prove me perverse.
21 “I am blameless, yet I do not know myself;
I despise my life.
22 It is all one thing;
Therefore I say, (AB)‘He destroys the blameless and the wicked.’
23 If the scourge slays suddenly,
He laughs at the plight of the innocent.
24 The earth is given into the hand of the wicked.
He covers the faces of its judges.
If it is not He, who else could it be?
25 “Now (AC)my days are swifter than a runner;
They flee away, they see no good.
26 They pass by like [n]swift ships,
(AD)Like an eagle swooping on its prey.
27 (AE)If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint,
I will put off my sad face and wear a smile,’
28 (AF)I am afraid of all my sufferings;
I know that You (AG)will not hold me innocent.
29 If I am condemned,
Why then do I labor in vain?
30 (AH)If I wash myself with snow water,
And cleanse my hands with [o]soap,
31 Yet You will plunge me into the pit,
And my own clothes will [p]abhor me.
32 “For (AI)He is not a man, as I am,
That I may answer Him,
And that we should go to court together.
33 (AJ)Nor is there any mediator between us,
Who may lay his hand on us both.
34 (AK)Let Him take His rod away from me,
And do not let dread of Him terrify me.
35 Then I would speak and not fear Him,
But it is not so with me.
Job: I Would Plead with God
10 “My (AL)soul loathes my life;
I will [q]give free course to my complaint,
(AM)I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
2 I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me;
Show me why You contend with me.
3 Does it seem good to You that You should oppress,
That You should despise the work of Your hands,
And smile on the counsel of the wicked?
4 Do You have eyes of flesh?
Or (AN)do You see as man sees?
5 Are Your days like the days of a mortal man?
Are Your years like the days of a mighty man,
6 That You should seek for my iniquity
And search out my sin,
7 Although You know that I am not wicked,
And there is no one who can deliver from Your hand?
8 ‘Your(AO) hands have made me and fashioned me,
An intricate unity;
Yet You would (AP)destroy me.
9 Remember, I pray, (AQ)that You have made me like clay.
And will You turn me into dust again?
10 (AR)Did You not pour me out like milk,
And curdle me like cheese,
11 Clothe me with skin and flesh,
And knit me together with bones and sinews?
12 You have granted me life and favor,
And Your care has preserved my spirit.
13 ‘And these things You have hidden in Your heart;
I know that this was with You:
14 If I sin, then (AS)You mark me,
And will not acquit me of my iniquity.
15 If I am wicked, (AT)woe to me;
(AU)Even if I am righteous, I [r]cannot lift up my head.
I am full of disgrace;
(AV)See my misery!
16 If my head is exalted,
(AW)You hunt me like a fierce lion,
And again You show Yourself awesome against me.
17 You renew Your witnesses against me,
And increase Your indignation toward me;
Changes and war are ever with me.
18 ‘Why(AX) then have You brought me out of the womb?
Oh, that I had perished and no eye had seen me!
19 I would have been as though I had not been.
I would have been carried from the womb to the grave.
20 (AY)Are not my days few?
Cease! (AZ)Leave me alone, that I may take a little comfort,
21 Before I go to the place from which I shall not return,
(BA)To the land of darkness (BB)and the shadow of death,
22 A land as dark as darkness itself,
As the shadow of death, without any order,
Where even the light is like darkness.’ ”
Zophar Urges Job to Repent
11 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:
2 “Should not the multitude of words be answered?
And should [s]a man full of talk be vindicated?
3 Should your empty talk make men [t]hold their peace?
And when you mock, should no one rebuke you?
4 For you have said,
(BC)‘My doctrine is pure,
And I am clean in your eyes.’
5 But oh, that God would speak,
And open His lips against you,
6 That He would show you the secrets of wisdom!
For they would double your prudence.
Know therefore that (BD)God [u]exacts from you
Less than your iniquity deserves.
7 “Can(BE) you search out the deep things of God?
Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?
8 They are higher than heaven—what can you do?
Deeper than [v]Sheol—what can you know?
9 Their measure is longer than the earth
And broader than the sea.
10 “If(BF) He passes by, imprisons, and gathers to judgment,
Then who can [w]hinder Him?
11 For (BG)He knows deceitful men;
He sees wickedness also.
Will He not then consider it?
12 For an (BH)empty-headed man will be wise,
When a wild donkey’s colt is born a man.
13 “If you would (BI)prepare your heart,
And (BJ)stretch out your hands toward Him;
14 If iniquity were in your hand, and you put it far away,
And (BK)would not let wickedness dwell in your tents;
15 (BL)Then surely you could lift up your face without spot;
Yes, you could be steadfast, and not fear;
16 Because you would (BM)forget your misery,
And remember it as waters that have passed away,
17 And your life (BN)would be brighter than noonday.
Though you were dark, you would be like the morning.
18 And you would be secure, because there is hope;
Yes, you would dig around you, and (BO)take your rest in safety.
19 You would also lie down, and no one would make you afraid;
Yes, many would court your favor.
20 But (BP)the eyes of the wicked will fail,
And they shall not escape,
And (BQ)their hope—[x]loss of life!”
Footnotes
- Job 8:4 Lit. into the hand of their transgression
- Job 8:6 arise
- Job 8:9 Lit. not
- Job 8:14 Lit. a spider’s house
- Job 8:20 reject
- Job 8:21 Lit. shouts of joy
- Job 8:22 Lit. will not be
- Job 9:3 argue
- Job 9:8 walks
- Job 9:8 Lit. heights
- Job 9:9 Heb. Ash, Kesil, and Kimah
- Job 9:12 Lit. who can turn Him back?
- Job 9:13 Heb. rahab
- Job 9:26 Lit. ships of reeds
- Job 9:30 lye
- Job 9:31 loathe
- Job 10:1 Lit. leave on myself
- Job 10:15 Lit. will not
- Job 11:2 Lit. a man of lips
- Job 11:3 be silent
- Job 11:6 Lit. forgets some of your iniquity for you
- Job 11:8 The abode of the dead
- Job 11:10 restrain
- Job 11:20 Lit. the breathing out of life
Job 8-11
New International Version
Job 8-11
New International Version
Bildad
8 Then Bildad the Shuhite(A) replied:
2 “How long will you say such things?(B)
Your words are a blustering wind.(C)
3 Does God pervert justice?(D)
Does the Almighty pervert what is right?(E)
4 When your children sinned against him,
he gave them over to the penalty of their sin.(F)
5 But if you will seek God earnestly
and plead(G) with the Almighty,(H)
6 if you are pure and upright,
even now he will rouse himself on your behalf(I)
and restore you to your prosperous state.(J)
7 Your beginnings will seem humble,
so prosperous(K) will your future be.(L)
8 “Ask the former generation(M)
and find out what their ancestors learned,
9 for we were born only yesterday and know nothing,(N)
and our days on earth are but a shadow.(O)
10 Will they not instruct(P) you and tell you?
Will they not bring forth words from their understanding?(Q)
11 Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh?(R)
Can reeds(S) thrive without water?
12 While still growing and uncut,
they wither more quickly than grass.(T)
13 Such is the destiny(U) of all who forget God;(V)
so perishes the hope of the godless.(W)
14 What they trust in is fragile[a];
what they rely on is a spider’s web.(X)
15 They lean on the web,(Y) but it gives way;
they cling to it, but it does not hold.(Z)
16 They are like a well-watered plant in the sunshine,
spreading its shoots(AA) over the garden;(AB)
17 it entwines its roots around a pile of rocks
and looks for a place among the stones.
18 But when it is torn from its spot,
that place disowns(AC) it and says, ‘I never saw you.’(AD)
19 Surely its life withers(AE) away,
and[b] from the soil other plants grow.(AF)
20 “Surely God does not reject one who is blameless(AG)
or strengthen the hands of evildoers.(AH)
21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter(AI)
and your lips with shouts of joy.(AJ)
22 Your enemies will be clothed in shame,(AK)
and the tents(AL) of the wicked will be no more.”(AM)
Job
9 Then Job replied:
2 “Indeed, I know that this is true.
But how can mere mortals prove their innocence before God?(AN)
3 Though they wished to dispute with him,(AO)
they could not answer him one time out of a thousand.(AP)
4 His wisdom(AQ) is profound, his power is vast.(AR)
Who has resisted(AS) him and come out unscathed?(AT)
5 He moves mountains(AU) without their knowing it
and overturns them in his anger.(AV)
6 He shakes the earth(AW) from its place
and makes its pillars tremble.(AX)
7 He speaks to the sun and it does not shine;(AY)
he seals off the light of the stars.(AZ)
8 He alone stretches out the heavens(BA)
and treads on the waves of the sea.(BB)
9 He is the Maker(BC) of the Bear[c] and Orion,
the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.(BD)
10 He performs wonders(BE) that cannot be fathomed,
miracles that cannot be counted.(BF)
11 When he passes me, I cannot see him;
when he goes by, I cannot perceive him.(BG)
12 If he snatches away, who can stop him?(BH)
Who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’(BI)
13 God does not restrain his anger;(BJ)
even the cohorts of Rahab(BK) cowered at his feet.
14 “How then can I dispute with him?
How can I find words to argue with him?(BL)
15 Though I were innocent, I could not answer him;(BM)
I could only plead(BN) with my Judge(BO) for mercy.(BP)
16 Even if I summoned him and he responded,
I do not believe he would give me a hearing.(BQ)
17 He would crush me(BR) with a storm(BS)
and multiply(BT) my wounds for no reason.(BU)
18 He would not let me catch my breath
but would overwhelm me with misery.(BV)
19 If it is a matter of strength, he is mighty!(BW)
And if it is a matter of justice, who can challenge him[d]?(BX)
20 Even if I were innocent, my mouth would condemn me;
if I were blameless, it would pronounce me guilty.(BY)
21 “Although I am blameless,(BZ)
I have no concern for myself;(CA)
I despise my own life.(CB)
22 It is all the same; that is why I say,
‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’(CC)
23 When a scourge(CD) brings sudden death,
he mocks the despair of the innocent.(CE)
24 When a land falls into the hands of the wicked,(CF)
he blindfolds its judges.(CG)
If it is not he, then who is it?(CH)
25 “My days are swifter than a runner;(CI)
they fly away without a glimpse of joy.(CJ)
26 They skim past(CK) like boats of papyrus,(CL)
like eagles swooping down on their prey.(CM)
27 If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint,(CN)
I will change my expression, and smile,’
28 I still dread(CO) all my sufferings,
for I know you will not hold me innocent.(CP)
29 Since I am already found guilty,
why should I struggle in vain?(CQ)
30 Even if I washed myself with soap(CR)
and my hands(CS) with cleansing powder,(CT)
31 you would plunge me into a slime pit(CU)
so that even my clothes would detest me.(CV)
32 “He is not a mere mortal(CW) like me that I might answer him,(CX)
that we might confront each other in court.(CY)
33 If only there were someone to mediate between us,(CZ)
someone to bring us together,(DA)
34 someone to remove God’s rod from me,(DB)
so that his terror would frighten me no more.(DC)
35 Then I would speak up without fear of him,(DD)
but as it now stands with me, I cannot.(DE)
10 “I loathe my very life;(DF)
therefore I will give free rein to my complaint
and speak out in the bitterness of my soul.(DG)
2 I say to God:(DH) Do not declare me guilty,
but tell me what charges(DI) you have against me.(DJ)
3 Does it please you to oppress me,(DK)
to spurn the work of your hands,(DL)
while you smile on the plans of the wicked?(DM)
4 Do you have eyes of flesh?
Do you see as a mortal sees?(DN)
5 Are your days like those of a mortal
or your years like those of a strong man,(DO)
6 that you must search out my faults
and probe after my sin(DP)—
7 though you know that I am not guilty(DQ)
and that no one can rescue me from your hand?(DR)
8 “Your hands shaped(DS) me and made me.
Will you now turn and destroy me?(DT)
9 Remember that you molded me like clay.(DU)
Will you now turn me to dust again?(DV)
10 Did you not pour me out like milk
and curdle me like cheese,
11 clothe me with skin and flesh
and knit me together(DW) with bones and sinews?
12 You gave me life(DX) and showed me kindness,(DY)
and in your providence(DZ) watched over(EA) my spirit.
13 “But this is what you concealed in your heart,
and I know that this was in your mind:(EB)
14 If I sinned, you would be watching me(EC)
and would not let my offense go unpunished.(ED)
15 If I am guilty(EE)—woe to me!(EF)
Even if I am innocent, I cannot lift my head,(EG)
for I am full of shame
and drowned in[e] my affliction.(EH)
16 If I hold my head high, you stalk me like a lion(EI)
and again display your awesome power against me.(EJ)
17 You bring new witnesses against me(EK)
and increase your anger toward me;(EL)
your forces come against me wave upon wave.(EM)
18 “Why then did you bring me out of the womb?(EN)
I wish I had died before any eye saw me.(EO)
19 If only I had never come into being,
or had been carried straight from the womb to the grave!(EP)
20 Are not my few days(EQ) almost over?(ER)
Turn away from me(ES) so I can have a moment’s joy(ET)
21 before I go to the place of no return,(EU)
to the land of gloom and utter darkness,(EV)
22 to the land of deepest night,
of utter darkness(EW) and disorder,
where even the light is like darkness.”(EX)
Zophar
11 Then Zophar the Naamathite(EY) replied:
2 “Are all these words to go unanswered?(EZ)
Is this talker to be vindicated?(FA)
3 Will your idle talk(FB) reduce others to silence?
Will no one rebuke you when you mock?(FC)
4 You say to God, ‘My beliefs are flawless(FD)
and I am pure(FE) in your sight.’
5 Oh, how I wish that God would speak,(FF)
that he would open his lips against you
6 and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom,(FG)
for true wisdom has two sides.
Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin.(FH)
7 “Can you fathom(FI) the mysteries of God?
Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
8 They are higher(FJ) than the heavens(FK) above—what can you do?
They are deeper than the depths below(FL)—what can you know?(FM)
9 Their measure(FN) is longer than the earth
and wider than the sea.(FO)
10 “If he comes along and confines you in prison
and convenes a court, who can oppose him?(FP)
11 Surely he recognizes deceivers;
and when he sees evil, does he not take note?(FQ)
12 But the witless can no more become wise
than a wild donkey’s colt(FR) can be born human.[f](FS)
13 “Yet if you devote your heart(FT) to him
and stretch out your hands(FU) to him,(FV)
14 if you put away(FW) the sin that is in your hand
and allow no evil(FX) to dwell in your tent,(FY)
15 then, free of fault, you will lift up your face;(FZ)
you will stand firm(GA) and without fear.(GB)
16 You will surely forget your trouble,(GC)
recalling it only as waters gone by.(GD)
17 Life will be brighter than noonday,(GE)
and darkness will become like morning.(GF)
18 You will be secure, because there is hope;
you will look about you and take your rest(GG) in safety.(GH)
19 You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid,(GI)
and many will court your favor.(GJ)
20 But the eyes of the wicked will fail,(GK)
and escape will elude them;(GL)
their hope will become a dying gasp.”(GM)
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. 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.