Job 1:19-9:23
English Standard Version
19 and behold, a great wind came across (A)the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
20 Then Job arose and (B)tore his (C)robe and (D)shaved his head (E)and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said, (F)“Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I (G)return. The Lord (H)gave, and the Lord has taken away; (I)blessed be the name of the Lord.”
22 (J)In all this Job did not sin or charge God with (K)wrong.
Satan Attacks Job's Health
2 Again (L)there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” 3 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still (M)holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him (N)without reason.” 4 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. 5 But (O)stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will (P)curse you to your face.” 6 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.”
7 So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome (Q)sores from (R)the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 8 And he took (S)a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in (T)the ashes.
9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still (U)hold fast your integrity? (V)Curse God and die.” 10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the (W)foolish women would speak. (X)Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?”[a] (Y)In all this Job did not (Z)sin with his lips.
Job's Three Friends
11 Now when Job's three (AA)friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz (AB)the Temanite, Bildad (AC)the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to (AD)show him sympathy and comfort him. 12 And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they (AE)tore their robes and sprinkled (AF)dust on their heads toward heaven. 13 And they sat with him on the ground (AG)seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.
Job Laments His Birth
3 After this Job (AH)opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. 2 And Job said:
3 (AI)“Let the day perish on which I was born,
and the night that said,
‘A man is conceived.’
4 Let that day be darkness!
May God above not seek it,
nor light shine upon it.
5 Let gloom and (AJ)deep darkness claim it.
Let clouds dwell upon it;
let the blackness of the day terrify it.
6 That night—let thick darkness seize it!
Let it not rejoice among the days of the year;
let it not come into the number of the months.
7 Behold, let that night be barren;
let no joyful cry enter it.
8 Let those curse it who curse the day,
who are ready to rouse up (AK)Leviathan.
9 Let the stars of its dawn be dark;
let it hope for light, but have none,
nor see (AL)the eyelids of the morning,
10 because it did not shut the doors of my mother's womb,
nor hide trouble from my eyes.
11 “Why (AM)did I not die at birth,
come out from the womb and expire?
12 Why did (AN)the knees receive me?
Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?
13 For then I would have lain down and been quiet;
I would have slept; then I would have been at rest,
14 with kings and counselors of the earth
who (AO)rebuilt ruins for themselves,
15 or with princes who had gold,
who filled their houses with silver.
16 Or why was I not as a hidden (AP)stillborn child,
as infants who never see the light?
17 There the wicked cease from troubling,
and there the weary are at (AQ)rest.
18 There the prisoners are at ease together;
they hear not the voice of (AR)the taskmaster.
19 The small and the great are there,
and the slave is free from his master.
20 “Why is light given to him who is in misery,
and life to (AS)the bitter in soul,
21 who (AT)long for death, but it comes not,
and dig for it more than for (AU)hidden treasures,
22 who rejoice exceedingly
and are glad when they find the grave?
23 Why is light given to a man whose (AV)way is hidden,
whom God has (AW)hedged in?
24 For my sighing comes (AX)instead of[b] my bread,
and my (AY)groanings are poured out like water.
25 (AZ)For the thing that I fear comes upon me,
and what I dread befalls me.
26 I am not at ease, nor am I quiet;
I have no rest, but trouble comes.”
Eliphaz Speaks: The Innocent Prosper
4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
2 “If one ventures a word with you, will you be impatient?
Yet who can keep from speaking?
3 Behold, you have instructed many,
and you have (BA)strengthened the weak hands.
4 Your words have upheld him who was stumbling,
and you have (BB)made firm the feeble knees.
5 But now it has come to you, and you are impatient;
it touches you, and you are dismayed.
6 (BC)Is not your fear of God[c] your (BD)confidence,
and the integrity of your ways your hope?
7 “Remember: (BE)who that was innocent ever perished?
Or where were the upright cut off?
8 As I have seen, those who (BF)plow iniquity
and sow trouble reap the same.
9 By (BG)the breath of God they perish,
and by (BH)the blast of his anger they are consumed.
10 The roar of the lion, the voice of the fierce lion,
(BI)the teeth of the young lions are broken.
11 The strong lion perishes for lack of prey,
and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.
12 “Now a word was brought to me stealthily;
my ear received (BJ)the whisper of it.
13 Amid (BK)thoughts from (BL)visions of the night,
when (BM)deep sleep falls on men,
14 dread came upon me, and trembling,
which made all my bones shake.
15 A spirit glided past my face;
the hair of my flesh stood up.
16 It stood still,
but I could not discern its appearance.
(BN)A form was before my eyes;
there was silence, then I heard (BO)a voice:
17 (BP)‘Can mortal man be in the right before[d] God?
Can a man be pure before his Maker?
18 Even in his servants (BQ)he puts no trust,
and his angels he charges with error;
19 how much more those who dwell in houses of (BR)clay,
whose foundation is in (BS)the dust,
who are crushed like[e] (BT)the moth.
20 Between (BU)morning and evening they are beaten to pieces;
they perish forever (BV)without anyone regarding it.
21 Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them,
(BW)do they not die, and that without wisdom?’
5 “Call now; is there anyone who will answer you?
To which of (BX)the holy ones will you turn?
2 Surely vexation kills the fool,
and jealousy slays the simple.
3 (BY)I have seen the fool taking root,
but suddenly I cursed his dwelling.
4 His children are (BZ)far from safety;
they are crushed in (CA)the gate,
and there is no one to deliver them.
5 The hungry eat his harvest,
and he takes it even out of thorns,[f]
and the thirsty pant[g] after his[h] wealth.
6 For affliction does not come from the dust,
nor does trouble sprout from the ground,
7 but man is (CB)born to trouble
as the sparks fly upward.
8 “As for me, I would seek God,
and to God would I commit my cause,
9 who (CC)does great things and (CD)unsearchable,
(CE)marvelous things without number:
10 he gives (CF)rain on the earth
and sends waters on the fields;
11 he (CG)sets on high those who are lowly,
and those who mourn are lifted to safety.
12 He (CH)frustrates the devices of the crafty,
so that their hands achieve no success.
13 He (CI)catches the wise in their own craftiness,
and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end.
14 They meet with darkness in the daytime
and (CJ)grope at noonday as in the night.
15 But he (CK)saves the needy from the sword of their mouth
and from the hand of the mighty.
16 So the poor have hope,
and (CL)injustice shuts her mouth.
17 “Behold, (CM)blessed is the one whom God reproves;
therefore (CN)despise not the discipline of the (CO)Almighty.
18 For he wounds, but he (CP)binds up;
he (CQ)shatters, but his hands heal.
19 He will (CR)deliver you from six troubles;
in seven no (CS)evil[i] shall touch you.
20 (CT)In famine he will redeem you from death,
and in war from the power of the sword.
21 You shall be (CU)hidden from the lash of the tongue,
and shall not fear destruction when it comes.
22 At destruction and famine you shall laugh,
and shall not fear (CV)the beasts of the earth.
23 For you shall be in league with the stones of the field,
and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.
24 You shall know that your (CW)tent is at peace,
and you shall inspect your fold and miss nothing.
25 You shall know also that your (CX)offspring shall be many,
and your descendants as (CY)the grass of the earth.
26 You shall come to your grave in (CZ)ripe old age,
like a sheaf gathered up in its season.
27 Behold, this we have (DA)searched out; it is true.
Hear, and know it for your good.”[j]
Job Replies: My Complaint Is Just
6 Then Job answered and said:
2 “Oh that my vexation were weighed,
and all my calamity laid in the balances!
3 For then it would be heavier than (DB)the sand of the sea;
therefore my words have been rash.
4 For (DC)the arrows of the Almighty are in me;
my spirit drinks their poison;
the terrors of God are arrayed against me.
5 Does the wild donkey bray when he has grass,
or the ox low over his fodder?
6 Can that which is tasteless be eaten without salt,
or is there any taste in the juice of the mallow?[k]
7 My appetite refuses to touch them;
they are as food that is loathsome to me.[l]
8 “Oh that I might have my request,
and that God would fulfill my hope,
9 that it would (DD)please God to crush me,
that he would let loose his hand and cut me off!
10 This would be my comfort;
I would even exult[m] in pain (DE)unsparing,
for I have not denied the words of (DF)the Holy One.
11 What is my strength, that I should wait?
And what is my end, that I should be patient?
12 Is my strength the strength of stones, or is my flesh bronze?
13 Have I any help in me,
when resource is driven from me?
14 “He who (DG)withholds[n] kindness from a (DH)friend
forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
15 My (DI)brothers are (DJ)treacherous as a torrent-bed,
as torrential (DK)streams that pass away,
16 which are dark with ice,
and where the snow hides itself.
17 When they melt, they disappear;
when it is hot, they vanish from their place.
18 The caravans turn aside from their course;
they go up into (DL)the waste and perish.
19 The caravans of (DM)Tema look,
the travelers of (DN)Sheba hope.
20 They are (DO)ashamed because they were confident;
they come there and are (DP)disappointed.
21 For you have now become nothing;
you see my calamity and are afraid.
22 Have I said, ‘Make me a gift’?
Or, ‘From your wealth offer a bribe for me’?
23 Or, ‘Deliver me from the adversary's hand’?
Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of (DQ)the ruthless’?
24 “Teach me, and I will be silent;
make me understand how I have gone astray.
25 How forceful are upright words!
But what does reproof from you reprove?
26 Do you think that you can reprove words,
when the speech of a despairing man is (DR)wind?
27 You would even (DS)cast lots over the fatherless,
and bargain over your friend.
28 “But now, be pleased to look at me,
for I will not lie to your face.
29 (DT)Please turn; let no injustice be done.
Turn now; my vindication is at stake.
30 Is there any injustice on my tongue?
Cannot my palate discern the cause of calamity?
Job Continues: My Life Has No Hope
7 “Has not man (DU)a hard service on earth,
and are not his (DV)days like the days of a hired hand?
2 Like a slave who longs for (DW)the shadow,
and like (DX)a hired hand who looks for his (DY)wages,
3 so I am allotted months of (DZ)emptiness,
(EA)and nights of misery are apportioned to me.
4 (EB)When I lie down I say, ‘When shall I arise?’
But the night is long,
and I am full of tossing till the dawn.
5 My flesh is clothed with (EC)worms and (ED)dirt;
my skin hardens, then (EE)breaks out afresh.
6 My days are (EF)swifter than (EG)a weaver's shuttle
and come to their end without hope.
7 “Remember that my life is a (EH)breath;
my eye will never again see good.
8 (EI)The eye of him who sees me will behold me no more;
while your eyes are on me, (EJ)I shall be gone.
9 As (EK)the cloud fades and vanishes,
so he who (EL)goes down to Sheol does not come up;
10 he (EM)returns no more to his house,
nor does his (EN)place know him anymore.
11 “Therefore I will not (EO)restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;
I will (EP)complain in (EQ)the bitterness of my soul.
12 Am I the sea, or (ER)a sea monster,
that you set a guard over me?
13 (ES)When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me,
my couch will ease my complaint,’
14 then you scare me with dreams
and terrify me with visions,
15 so that I would choose strangling
and death rather than my (ET)bones.
16 I (EU)loathe my life; I would not live forever.
(EV)Leave me alone, for my days are (EW)a breath.
17 (EX)What is man, that you make so much of him,
and that you set your heart on him,
18 (EY)visit him every morning
and (EZ)test him every moment?
19 How long will you not (FA)look away from me,
nor leave me alone till I swallow my spit?
20 If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of mankind?
Why have you made me (FB)your mark?
Why have I become a burden to you?
21 Why do you not pardon my transgression
and take away my iniquity?
For now I shall lie in (FC)the earth;
you will (FD)seek me, (FE)but I shall not be.”
Bildad Speaks: Job Should Repent
8 Then (FF)Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:
2 “How long will you say these things,
and the words of your mouth be a (FG)great wind?
3 (FH)Does God pervert justice?
Or does the Almighty pervert the right?
4 If your (FI)children have sinned against him,
he has delivered them into the hand of their transgression.
5 If you will seek God
and (FJ)plead with the Almighty for mercy,
6 if you are pure and upright,
surely then he will (FK)rouse himself for you
and (FL)restore your rightful habitation.
7 And though your beginning was small,
(FM)your latter days will be very great.
8 “For (FN)inquire, please, of bygone ages,
and consider what (FO)the fathers have searched out.
9 For we are but of yesterday and know nothing,
for our days on earth are (FP)a shadow.
10 Will they not teach you and tell you
and utter words out of their understanding?
11 “Can papyrus grow where there is no marsh?
Can reeds flourish where there is no water?
12 While yet in flower and not cut down,
they (FQ)wither before any other plant.
13 Such are the paths of all who (FR)forget God;
(FS)the hope of (FT)the godless shall perish.
14 His confidence is severed,
and his trust is (FU)a spider's web.[o]
15 He leans against his (FV)house, but it does not stand;
he lays hold of it, but it does not endure.
16 He is a lush plant before the sun,
and his (FW)shoots spread over his garden.
17 His roots entwine the stone heap;
he looks upon a house of stones.
18 If he is destroyed from his (FX)place,
then it will deny him, saying, ‘I have never (FY)seen you.’
19 Behold, this is the joy of his way,
and out of (FZ)the soil others will spring.
20 “Behold, God will not reject a blameless man,
nor take the hand of evildoers.
21 He will yet (GA)fill your mouth with laughter,
and your lips with shouting.
22 Those who hate you will be (GB)clothed with shame,
and the tent of the wicked will be no more.”
Job Replies: There Is No Arbiter
9 Then Job answered and said:
2 “Truly I know that it is so:
But how can a man be (GC)in the right before God?
3 If one wished to (GD)contend with him,
one could not answer him once in a thousand times.
4 He is (GE)wise in heart and mighty in strength
—who has (GF)hardened himself against him, and succeeded?—
5 he who removes mountains, and they know it not,
when he overturns them in his anger,
6 who (GG)shakes the earth out of its place,
and (GH)its pillars tremble;
7 who commands the sun, and it does not rise;
who seals up the stars;
8 who alone (GI)stretched out the heavens
and trampled the waves of the sea;
9 who (GJ)made (GK)the Bear and (GL)Orion,
the Pleiades (GM)and the chambers of the south;
10 who does (GN)great things beyond searching out,
and marvelous things beyond number.
11 Behold, he passes by me, and I (GO)see him not;
he moves on, but I do not perceive him.
12 Behold, he snatches away; (GP)who can turn him back?
(GQ)Who will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’
13 “God will not turn back his anger;
beneath him bowed the helpers of (GR)Rahab.
14 (GS)How then can I (GT)answer him,
choosing my words with him?
15 (GU)Though I am in the right, I cannot answer him;
I must (GV)appeal for mercy to my accuser.[p]
16 If I summoned him 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 (GW)without cause;
18 he will not let me get my breath,
but fills me with bitterness.
19 If it is a contest of (GX)strength, behold, he is mighty!
If it is a matter of justice, who can (GY)summon him?[q]
20 Though I am in the right, (GZ)my own mouth would condemn me;
though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse.
21 I am (HA)blameless; I regard not myself;
I (HB)loathe my life.
22 It is all one; therefore I say,
‘He (HC)destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’
23 When (HD)disaster brings sudden death,
he mocks at the calamity[r] of the innocent.
Footnotes
- Job 2:10 Or disaster; also verse 11
- Job 3:24 Or like; Hebrew before
- Job 4:6 Hebrew lacks of God
- Job 4:17 Or more than; twice in this verse
- Job 4:19 Or before
- Job 5:5 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
- Job 5:5 Aquila, Symmachus, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew could be read as and the snare pants
- Job 5:5 Hebrew their
- Job 5:19 Or disaster
- Job 5:27 Hebrew for yourself
- Job 6:6 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
- Job 6:7 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
- Job 6:10 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
- Job 6:14 Syriac, Vulgate (compare Targum); the meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
- Job 8:14 Hebrew house
- Job 9:15 Or to my judge
- Job 9:19 Or who can grant me a hearing?
- Job 9:23 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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