Job 10
Lexham English Bible
Job Continues His Response to Bildad
10 “My inner self[a] loathes my life;
I want to give vent to my complaint;[b]
I want to speak out of the bitterness of my inner self.[c]
2 I will say to God, ‘You should not condemn me;
let me know why you contend against me.
3 Is it good for you that you oppress,
that you despise the labor of your hands,
and you smile over the schemes of the wicked?
4 Do you have eyes of flesh?[d]
Or do you see as human beings see?[e]
5 Are your days as the days of human beings,
or your years as the days of man,
6 that you seek out my iniquity,
and you search for my sin
7 because of your knowledge that I am not guilty,
and there is no escaping from your hand?
8 Your hands fashioned me and made me[f] altogether,[g]
then[h] you destroyed me.
9 Please[i] remember that you made me like clay,
but[j] you turn me into dust again?
10 Did you not pour me out like milk
and curdle me[k] like cheese?
11 You clothed me with skin and flesh,
and you knit me together with bones and sinews.
12 You have granted me life and loyal love,
and your care has preserved my spirit.
13 “‘Yet[l] you hid these things in your heart;
I know that this was your purpose.[m]
14 If I had sinned, then[n] you would be watching me,
and you would not acquit me of my guilt.
15 If I am guilty, woe to me!
But[o] if I am righteous, I dare not lift my head;
I am filled with shame, and just look at my misery!
16 And if my head grows bold, you would hunt me as the lion in its prime;
and you repeat your exploits against me.[p]
17 You renew your witnesses against me,
and you increase your vexation against me;
relief forces[q] are against me.
18 So[r] why did you bring me forth from the womb?
I should have passed away, and no eye should have seen me.[s]
19 I should have been as though I had not been;
I should have been brought from the womb to the grave.
20 Are not my days few? Let him leave me alone;
let him turn from me, and let me rejoice a little.
21 Before I go—and I will not return—
to the land of darkness and deep shadow,
22 to the land of darkness,
like the darkness of a deep shadow and chaos,[t]
so that[u] it shines forth like darkness.’”
Footnotes
- Job 10:1 Or “soul”
- Job 10:1 Literally “I want to let go upon me my complaint”
- Job 10:1 Or “soul”
- Job 10:4 Literally “Are eyes of flesh for you”
- Job 10:4 Literally “as seeing of human beings you see”
- Job 10:8 Hebrew “they made me”
- Job 10:8 Literally “together all around”
- Job 10:8 Or “and”
- Job 10:9 Or an untranslatable particle expressing urgency
- Job 10:9 Hebrew “and”
- Job 10:10 Literally “you did curdle me”
- Job 10:13 Hebrew “And”
- Job 10:13 Literally “was with you”
- Job 10:14 Hebrew “and”
- Job 10:15 Hebrew “And”
- Job 10:16 Literally “and you do again you display marvelous powers against me”
- Job 10:17 Literally “substitute and forces”
- Job 10:18 Hebrew “And”
- Job 10:18 Literally “and an eye should not have seen me”
- Job 10:22 Literally “and not order”
- Job 10:22 Or “and”
Job 10
Revised Standard Version
Job: I Loathe My Life
10 “I loathe my life;
I will give free utterance to my complaint;
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
2 I will say to God, Do not condemn me;
let me know why thou dost contend against me.
3 Does it seem good to thee to oppress,
to despise the work of thy hands
and favor the designs of the wicked?
4 Hast thou eyes of flesh?
Dost thou see as man sees?
5 Are thy days as the days of man,
or thy years as man’s years,
6 that thou dost seek out my iniquity
and search for my sin,
7 although thou knowest that I am not guilty,
and there is none to deliver out of thy hand?
8 Thy hands fashioned and made me;
and now thou dost turn about and destroy me.[a]
9 Remember that thou hast made me of clay;[b]
and wilt thou turn me to dust again?
10 Didst thou not pour me out like milk
and curdle me like cheese?
11 Thou didst clothe me with skin and flesh,
and knit me together with bones and sinews.
12 Thou hast granted me life and steadfast love;
and thy care has preserved my spirit.
13 Yet these things thou didst hide in thy heart;
I know that this was thy purpose.
14 If I sin, thou dost mark me,
and dost not acquit me of my iniquity.
15 If I am wicked, woe to me!
If I am righteous, I cannot lift up my head,
for I am filled with disgrace
and look upon my affliction.
16 And if I lift myself up,[c] thou dost hunt me like a lion,
and again work wonders against me;
17 thou dost renew thy witnesses against me,
and increase thy vexation toward me;
thou dost bring fresh hosts against me.[d]
18 “Why didst thou bring me forth from the womb?
Would that I had died before any eye had seen me,
19 and were as though I had not been,
carried from the womb to the grave.
20 Are not the days of my life few?[e]
Let me alone, that I may find a little comfort[f]
21 before I go whence I shall not return,
to the land of gloom and deep darkness,
22 the land of gloom[g] and chaos,
where light is as darkness.”
Footnotes
- Job 10:8 Cn Compare Gk Syr: Heb made me together round about and thou dost destroy me
- Job 10:9 Gk: Heb like clay
- Job 10:16 Syr: Heb he lifts himself up
- Job 10:17 Cn Compare Gk: Heb changes and a host are with me
- Job 10:20 Cn Compare Gk Syr: Heb Are not my days few? Let him cease
- Job 10:20 Heb brighten up
- Job 10:22 Heb gloom as darkness, deep darkness
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