Job 1-11

New International Version

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
    and naked I will depart.^[c](AV)
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;^(AW)
    may the name of the Lord be praised.”^(AX)

³ “May the day of my birth perish,
    and the night that said, ‘A boy is conceived!’^(CC)
4 That day—may it turn to darkness;
    may God above not care about it;
    may no light shine on it.
⁵ May gloom and utter darkness^(CD) claim it once more;
    may a cloud settle over it;
    may blackness overwhelm it.
⁶ That night—may thick darkness^(CE) seize it;
    may it not be included among the days of the year
    nor be entered in any of the months.
⁷ May that night be barren;
    may no shout of joy^(CF) be heard in it.
⁸ May those who curse days^[f] curse that day,^(CG)
    those who are ready to rouse Leviathan.^(CH)
9 May its morning stars become dark;
    may it wait for daylight in vain
    and not see the first rays of dawn,^(CI)
10 for it did not shut the doors of the womb on me
    to hide trouble from my eyes.

¹¹ “Why did I not perish at birth,
    and die as I came from the womb?^(CJ)
12 Why were there knees to receive me^(CK)
    and breasts that I might be nursed?
¹³ For now I would be lying down^(CL) in peace;
    I would be asleep and at rest^(CM)
14 with kings and rulers of the earth,^(CN)
    who built for themselves places now lying in ruins,^(CO)
15 with princes^(CP) who had gold,
    who filled their houses with silver.^(CQ)
16 Or why was I not hidden away in the ground like a stillborn child,^(CR)
    like an infant who never saw the light of day?^(CS)
17 There the wicked cease from turmoil,^(CT)
    and there the weary are at rest.^(CU)
18 Captives^(CV) also enjoy their ease;
    they no longer hear the slave driver’s^(CW) shout.^(CX)
19 The small and the great are there,^(CY)
    and the slaves are freed from their owners.

²⁰ “Why is light given to those in misery,
    and life to the bitter of soul,^(CZ)
21 to those who long for death that does not come,^(DA)
    who search for it more than for hidden treasure,^(DB)
22 who are filled with gladness
    and rejoice when they reach the grave?^(DC)
23 Why is life given to a man
    whose way is hidden,^(DD)
    whom God has hedged in?^(DE)
24 For sighing^(DF) has become my daily food;^(DG)
    my groans^(DH) pour out like water.^(DI)
25 What I feared has come upon me;
    what I dreaded^(DJ) has happened to me.^(DK)
26 I have no peace,^(DL) no quietness;
    I have no rest,^(DM) but only turmoil.”^(DN)

² “If someone ventures a word with you, will you be impatient?
    But who can keep from speaking?^(DP)
3 Think how you have instructed many,^(DQ)
    how you have strengthened feeble hands.^(DR)
4 Your words have supported those who stumbled;^(DS)
    you have strengthened faltering knees.^(DT)
5 But now trouble comes to you, and you are discouraged;^(DU)
    it strikes^(DV) you, and you are dismayed.^(DW)
6 Should not your piety be your confidence^(DX)
    and your blameless^(DY) ways your hope?

⁷ “Consider now: Who, being innocent, has ever perished?^(DZ)
    Where were the upright ever destroyed?^(EA)
8 As I have observed,^(EB) those who plow evil^(EC)
    and those who sow trouble reap it.^(ED)
9 At the breath of God^(EE) they perish;
    at the blast of his anger they are no more.^(EF)
10 The lions may roar^(EG) and growl,
    yet the teeth of the great lions^(EH) are broken.^(EI)
11 The lion perishes for lack of prey,^(EJ)
    and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.^(EK)

¹² “A word^(EL) was secretly brought to me,
    my ears caught a whisper^(EM) of it.^(EN)
13 Amid disquieting dreams in the night,
    when deep sleep falls on people,^(EO)
14 fear and trembling^(EP) seized me
    and made all my bones shake.^(EQ)
15 A spirit glided past my face,
    and the hair on my body stood on end.^(ER)
16 It stopped,
    but I could not tell what it was.
A form stood before my eyes,
    and I heard a hushed voice:^(ES)
17 ‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God?^(ET)
    Can even a strong man be more pure than his Maker?^(EU)
18 If God places no trust in his servants,^(EV)
    if he charges his angels with error,^(EW)
19 how much more those who live in houses of clay,^(EX)
    whose foundations^(EY) are in the dust,^(EZ)
    who are crushed^(FA) more readily than a moth!^(FB)
20 Between dawn and dusk they are broken to pieces;
    unnoticed, they perish forever.^(FC)
21 Are not the cords of their tent pulled up,^(FD)
    so that they die^(FE) without wisdom?’^(FF)

⁸ “But if I were you, I would appeal to God;
    I would lay my cause before him.^(FV)
9 He performs wonders^(FW) that cannot be fathomed,^(FX)
    miracles that cannot be counted.^(FY)
10 He provides rain for the earth;^(FZ)
    he sends water on the countryside.^(GA)
11 The lowly he sets on high,^(GB)
    and those who mourn^(GC) are lifted^(GD) to safety.
¹² He thwarts the plans^(GE) of the crafty,
    so that their hands achieve no success.^(GF)
13 He catches the wise^(GG) in their craftiness,^(GH)
    and the schemes of the wily are swept away.^(GI)
14 Darkness^(GJ) comes upon them in the daytime;
    at noon they grope as in the night.^(GK)
15 He saves the needy^(GL) from the sword in their mouth;
    he saves them from the clutches of the powerful.^(GM)
16 So the poor^(GN) have hope,
    and injustice shuts its mouth.^(GO)

¹⁷ “Blessed is the one whom God corrects;^(GP)
    so do not despise the discipline^(GQ) of the Almighty.^[g](GR)
18 For he wounds, but he also binds up;^(GS)
    he injures, but his hands also heal.^(GT)
19 From six calamities he will rescue^(GU) you;
    in seven no harm will touch you.^(GV)
20 In famine^(GW) he will deliver you from death,
    and in battle from the stroke of the sword.^(GX)
21 You will be protected from the lash of the tongue,^(GY)
    and need not fear^(GZ) when destruction comes.^(HA)
22 You will laugh^(HB) at destruction and famine,^(HC)
    and need not fear the wild animals.^(HD)
23 For you will have a covenant^(HE) with the stones^(HF) of the field,
    and the wild animals will be at peace with you.^(HG)
24 You will know that your tent is secure;^(HH)
    you will take stock of your property and find nothing missing.^(HI)
25 You will know that your children will be many,^(HJ)
    and your descendants like the grass of the earth.^(HK)
26 You will come to the grave in full vigor,^(HL)
    like sheaves gathered in season.^(HM)

²⁷ “We have examined this, and it is true.
    So hear it^(HN) and apply it to yourself.”^(HO)

² “If only my anguish could be weighed
    and all my misery be placed on the scales!^(HP)
3 It would surely outweigh the sand^(HQ) of the seas—
    no wonder my words have been impetuous.^(HR)
4 The arrows^(HS) of the Almighty^(HT) are in me,^(HU)
    my spirit drinks^(HV) in their poison;^(HW)
    God’s terrors^(HX) are marshaled against me.^(HY)
5 Does a wild donkey^(HZ) bray^(IA) when it has grass,
    or an ox bellow when it has fodder?^(IB)
6 Is tasteless food eaten without salt,
    or is there flavor in the sap of the mallow^[h]?^(IC)
7 I refuse to touch it;
    such food makes me ill.^(ID)

⁸ “Oh, that I might have my request,
    that God would grant what I hope for,^(IE)
9 that God would be willing to crush^(IF) me,
    to let loose his hand and cut off my life!^(IG)
10 Then I would still have this consolation^(IH)—
    my joy in unrelenting pain^(II)—
    that I had not denied the words^(IJ) of the Holy One.^(IK)

¹¹ “What strength do I have, that I should still hope?
    What prospects, that I should be patient?^(IL)
12 Do I have the strength of stone?
    Is my flesh bronze?^(IM)
13 Do I have any power to help myself,^(IN)
    now that success has been driven from me?

¹⁴ “Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend^(IO)
    forsakes the fear of the Almighty.^(IP)
15 But my brothers are as undependable as intermittent streams,^(IQ)
    as the streams that overflow
¹⁶ when darkened by thawing ice
    and swollen with melting snow,^(IR)
17 but that stop flowing in the dry season,
    and in the heat^(IS) vanish from their channels.
¹⁸ Caravans turn aside from their routes;
    they go off into the wasteland and perish.
¹⁹ The caravans of Tema^(IT) look for water,
    the traveling merchants of Sheba^(IU) look in hope.
²⁰ They are distressed, because they had been confident;
    they arrive there, only to be disappointed.^(IV)
21 Now you too have proved to be of no help;
    you see something dreadful and are afraid.^(IW)
22 Have I ever said, ‘Give something on my behalf,
    pay a ransom^(IX) for me from your wealth,^(IY)
23 deliver me from the hand of the enemy,
    rescue me from the clutches of the ruthless’?^(IZ)

²⁴ “Teach me, and I will be quiet;^(JA)
    show me where I have been wrong.^(JB)
25 How painful are honest words!^(JC)
    But what do your arguments prove?
²⁶ Do you mean to correct what I say,
    and treat my desperate words as wind?^(JD)
27 You would even cast lots^(JE) for the fatherless^(JF)
    and barter away your friend.

²⁸ “But now be so kind as to look at me.
    Would I lie to your face?^(JG)
29 Relent, do not be unjust;^(JH)
    reconsider, for my integrity^(JI) is at stake.^[i](JJ)
30 Is there any wickedness on my lips?^(JK)
    Can my mouth not discern^(JL) malice?

7 “Do not mortals have hard service^(JM) on earth?^(JN)
    Are not their days like those of hired laborers?^(JO)
2 Like a slave longing for the evening shadows,^(JP)
    or a hired laborer waiting to be paid,^(JQ)
3 so I have been allotted months of futility,
    and nights of misery have been assigned to me.^(JR)
4 When I lie down I think, ‘How long before I get up?’^(JS)
    The night drags on, and I toss and turn until dawn.^(JT)
5 My body is clothed with worms^(JU) and scabs,
    my skin is broken and festering.^(JV)

⁶ “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,^(JW)
    and they come to an end without hope.^(JX)
7 Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath;^(JY)
    my eyes will never see happiness again.^(JZ)
8 The eye that now sees me will see me no longer;
    you will look for me, but I will be no more.^(KA)
9 As a cloud vanishes^(KB) and is gone,
    so one who goes down to the grave^(KC) does not return.^(KD)
10 He will never come to his house again;
    his place^(KE) will know him no more.^(KF)

¹¹ “Therefore I will not keep silent;^(KG)
    I will speak out in the anguish^(KH) of my spirit,
    I will complain^(KI) in the bitterness of my soul.^(KJ)
12 Am I the sea,^(KK) or the monster of the deep,^(KL)
    that you put me under guard?^(KM)
13 When I think my bed will comfort me
    and my couch will ease my complaint,^(KN)
14 even then you frighten me with dreams
    and terrify^(KO) me with visions,^(KP)
15 so that I prefer strangling and death,^(KQ)
    rather than this body of mine.^(KR)
16 I despise my life;^(KS) I would not live forever.^(KT)
    Let me alone;^(KU) my days have no meaning.^(KV)

¹⁷ “What is mankind that you make so much of them,
    that you give them so much attention,^(KW)
18 that you examine them every morning^(KX)
    and test them^(KY) every moment?^(KZ)
19 Will you never look away from me,^(LA)
    or let me alone even for an instant?^(LB)
20 If I have sinned, what have I done to you,^(LC)
    you who see everything we do?
Why have you made me your target?^(LD)
    Have I become a burden to you?^[j](LE)
21 Why do you not pardon my offenses
    and forgive my sins?^(LF)
For I will soon lie down in the dust;^(LG)
    you will search for me, but I will be no more.”^(LH)

² “How long will you say such things?^(LJ)
    Your words are a blustering wind.^(LK)
3 Does God pervert justice?^(LL)
    Does the Almighty pervert what is right?^(LM)
4 When your children sinned against him,
    he gave them over to the penalty of their sin.^(LN)
5 But if you will seek God earnestly
    and plead^(LO) with the Almighty,^(LP)
6 if you are pure and upright,
    even now he will rouse himself on your behalf^(LQ)
    and restore you to your prosperous state.^(LR)
7 Your beginnings will seem humble,
    so prosperous^(LS) will your future be.^(LT)

⁸ “Ask the former generation^(LU)
    and find out what their ancestors learned,
⁹ for we were born only yesterday and know nothing,^(LV)
    and our days on earth are but a shadow.^(LW)
10 Will they not instruct^(LX) you and tell you?
    Will they not bring forth words from their understanding?^(LY)
11 Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh?^(LZ)
    Can reeds^(MA) thrive without water?
¹² While still growing and uncut,
    they wither more quickly than grass.^(MB)
13 Such is the destiny^(MC) of all who forget God;^(MD)
    so perishes the hope of the godless.^(ME)
14 What they trust in is fragile^[k];
    what they rely on is a spider’s web.^(MF)
15 They lean on the web,^(MG) but it gives way;
    they cling to it, but it does not hold.^(MH)
16 They are like a well-watered plant in the sunshine,
    spreading its shoots^(MI) over the garden;^(MJ)
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^(MK) it and says, ‘I never saw you.’^(ML)
19 Surely its life withers^(MM) away,
    and^[l] from the soil other plants grow.^(MN)

²⁰ “Surely God does not reject one who is blameless^(MO)
    or strengthen the hands of evildoers.^(MP)
21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter^(MQ)
    and your lips with shouts of joy.^(MR)
22 Your enemies will be clothed in shame,^(MS)
    and the tents^(MT) of the wicked will be no more.”^(MU)

² “Indeed, I know that this is true.
    But how can mere mortals prove their innocence before God?^(MV)
3 Though they wished to dispute with him,^(MW)
    they could not answer him one time out of a thousand.^(MX)
4 His wisdom^(MY) is profound, his power is vast.^(MZ)
    Who has resisted^(NA) him and come out unscathed?^(NB)
5 He moves mountains^(NC) without their knowing it
    and overturns them in his anger.^(ND)
6 He shakes the earth^(NE) from its place
    and makes its pillars tremble.^(NF)
7 He speaks to the sun and it does not shine;^(NG)
    he seals off the light of the stars.^(NH)
8 He alone stretches out the heavens^(NI)
    and treads on the waves of the sea.^(NJ)
9 He is the Maker^(NK) of the Bear^[m] and Orion,
    the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.^(NL)
10 He performs wonders^(NM) that cannot be fathomed,
    miracles that cannot be counted.^(NN)
11 When he passes me, I cannot see him;
    when he goes by, I cannot perceive him.^(NO)
12 If he snatches away, who can stop him?^(NP)
    Who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’^(NQ)
13 God does not restrain his anger;^(NR)
    even the cohorts of Rahab^(NS) cowered at his feet.

¹⁴ “How then can I dispute with him?
    How can I find words to argue with him?^(NT)
15 Though I were innocent, I could not answer him;^(NU)
    I could only plead^(NV) with my Judge^(NW) for mercy.^(NX)
16 Even if I summoned him and he responded,
    I do not believe he would give me a hearing.^(NY)
17 He would crush me^(NZ) with a storm^(OA)
    and multiply^(OB) my wounds for no reason.^(OC)
18 He would not let me catch my breath
    but would overwhelm me with misery.^(OD)
19 If it is a matter of strength, he is mighty!^(OE)
    And if it is a matter of justice, who can challenge him^[n]?^(OF)
20 Even if I were innocent, my mouth would condemn me;
    if I were blameless, it would pronounce me guilty.^(OG)

²¹ “Although I am blameless,^(OH)
    I have no concern for myself;^(OI)
    I despise my own life.^(OJ)
22 It is all the same; that is why I say,
    ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’^(OK)
23 When a scourge^(OL) brings sudden death,
    he mocks the despair of the innocent.^(OM)
24 When a land falls into the hands of the wicked,^(ON)
    he blindfolds its judges.^(OO)
    If it is not he, then who is it?^(OP)

²⁵ “My days are swifter than a runner;^(OQ)
    they fly away without a glimpse of joy.^(OR)
26 They skim past^(OS) like boats of papyrus,^(OT)
    like eagles swooping down on their prey.^(OU)
27 If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint,^(OV)
    I will change my expression, and smile,’
²⁸ I still dread^(OW) all my sufferings,
    for I know you will not hold me innocent.^(OX)
29 Since I am already found guilty,
    why should I struggle in vain?^(OY)
30 Even if I washed myself with soap^(OZ)
    and my hands^(PA) with cleansing powder,^(PB)
31 you would plunge me into a slime pit^(PC)
    so that even my clothes would detest me.^(PD)

³² “He is not a mere mortal^(PE) like me that I might answer him,^(PF)
    that we might confront each other in court.^(PG)
33 If only there were someone to mediate between us,^(PH)
    someone to bring us together,^(PI)
34 someone to remove God’s rod from me,^(PJ)
    so that his terror would frighten me no more.^(PK)
35 Then I would speak up without fear of him,^(PL)
    but as it now stands with me, I cannot.^(PM)

10 “I loathe my very life;^(PN)
    therefore I will give free rein to my complaint
    and speak out in the bitterness of my soul.^(PO)
2 I say to God:^(PP) Do not declare me guilty,
    but tell me what charges^(PQ) you have against me.^(PR)
3 Does it please you to oppress me,^(PS)
    to spurn the work of your hands,^(PT)
    while you smile on the plans of the wicked?^(PU)
4 Do you have eyes of flesh?
    Do you see as a mortal sees?^(PV)
5 Are your days like those of a mortal
    or your years like those of a strong man,^(PW)
6 that you must search out my faults
    and probe after my sin^(PX)—
⁷ though you know that I am not guilty^(PY)
    and that no one can rescue me from your hand?^(PZ)

⁸ “Your hands shaped^(QA) me and made me.
    Will you now turn and destroy me?^(QB)
9 Remember that you molded me like clay.^(QC)
    Will you now turn me to dust again?^(QD)
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^(QE) with bones and sinews?
¹² You gave me life^(QF) and showed me kindness,^(QG)
    and in your providence^(QH) watched over^(QI) my spirit.

¹³ “But this is what you concealed in your heart,
    and I know that this was in your mind:^(QJ)
14 If I sinned, you would be watching me^(QK)
    and would not let my offense go unpunished.^(QL)
15 If I am guilty^(QM)—woe to me!^(QN)
    Even if I am innocent, I cannot lift my head,^(QO)
for I am full of shame
    and drowned in^[o] my affliction.^(QP)
16 If I hold my head high, you stalk me like a lion^(QQ)
    and again display your awesome power against me.^(QR)
17 You bring new witnesses against me^(QS)
    and increase your anger toward me;^(QT)
    your forces come against me wave upon wave.^(QU)

¹⁸ “Why then did you bring me out of the womb?^(QV)
    I wish I had died before any eye saw me.^(QW)
19 If only I had never come into being,
    or had been carried straight from the womb to the grave!^(QX)
20 Are not my few days^(QY) almost over?^(QZ)
    Turn away from me^(RA) so I can have a moment’s joy^(RB)
21 before I go to the place of no return,^(RC)
    to the land of gloom and utter darkness,^(RD)
22 to the land of deepest night,
    of utter darkness^(RE) and disorder,
    where even the light is like darkness.”^(RF)

² “Are all these words to go unanswered?^(RH)
    Is this talker to be vindicated?^(RI)
3 Will your idle talk^(RJ) reduce others to silence?
    Will no one rebuke you when you mock?^(RK)
4 You say to God, ‘My beliefs are flawless^(RL)
    and I am pure^(RM) in your sight.’
⁵ Oh, how I wish that God would speak,^(RN)
    that he would open his lips against you
⁶ and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom,^(RO)
    for true wisdom has two sides.
    Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin.^(RP)

⁷ “Can you fathom^(RQ) the mysteries of God?
    Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
⁸ They are higher^(RR) than the heavens^(RS) above—what can you do?
    They are deeper than the depths below^(RT)—what can you know?^(RU)
9 Their measure^(RV) is longer than the earth
    and wider than the sea.^(RW)

¹⁰ “If he comes along and confines you in prison
    and convenes a court, who can oppose him?^(RX)
11 Surely he recognizes deceivers;
    and when he sees evil, does he not take note?^(RY)