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Job 10-13
New Living Translation
Job 10-13
New Living Translation
Job Frames His Plea to God
10 “I am disgusted with my life.
Let me complain freely.
My bitter soul must complain.
2 I will say to God, ‘Don’t simply condemn me—
tell me the charge you are bringing against me.
3 What do you gain by oppressing me?
Why do you reject me, the work of your own hands,
while smiling on the schemes of the wicked?
4 Are your eyes like those of a human?
Do you see things only as people see them?
5 Is your lifetime only as long as ours?
Is your life so short
6 that you must quickly probe for my guilt
and search for my sin?
7 Although you know I am not guilty,
no one can rescue me from your hands.
8 “‘You formed me with your hands; you made me,
yet now you completely destroy me.
9 Remember that you made me from dust—
will you turn me back to dust so soon?
10 You guided my conception
and formed me in the womb.[a]
11 You clothed me with skin and flesh,
and you knit my bones and sinews together.
12 You gave me life and showed me your unfailing love.
My life was preserved by your care.
13 “‘Yet your real motive—
your true intent—
14 was to watch me, and if I sinned,
you would not forgive my guilt.
15 If I am guilty, too bad for me;
and even if I’m innocent, I can’t hold my head high,
because I am filled with shame and misery.
16 And if I hold my head high, you hunt me like a lion
and display your awesome power against me.
17 Again and again you witness against me.
You pour out your growing anger on me
and bring fresh armies against me.
18 “‘Why, then, did you deliver me from my mother’s womb?
Why didn’t you let me die at birth?
19 It would be as though I had never existed,
going directly from the womb to the grave.
20 I have only a few days left, so leave me alone,
that I may have a moment of comfort
21 before I leave—never to return—
for the land of darkness and utter gloom.
22 It is a land as dark as midnight,
a land of gloom and confusion,
where even the light is dark as midnight.’”
Zophar’s First Response to Job
11 Then Zophar the Naamathite replied to Job:
2 “Shouldn’t someone answer this torrent of words?
Is a person proved innocent just by a lot of talking?
3 Should I remain silent while you babble on?
When you mock God, shouldn’t someone make you ashamed?
4 You claim, ‘My beliefs are pure,’
and ‘I am clean in the sight of God.’
5 If only God would speak;
if only he would tell you what he thinks!
6 If only he would tell you the secrets of wisdom,
for true wisdom is not a simple matter.
Listen! God is doubtless punishing you
far less than you deserve!
7 “Can you solve the mysteries of God?
Can you discover everything about the Almighty?
8 Such knowledge is higher than the heavens—
and who are you?
It is deeper than the underworld[b]—
what do you know?
9 It is broader than the earth
and wider than the sea.
10 If God comes and puts a person in prison
or calls the court to order, who can stop him?
11 For he knows those who are false,
and he takes note of all their sins.
12 An empty-headed person won’t become wise
any more than a wild donkey can bear a human child.[c]
13 “If only you would prepare your heart
and lift up your hands to him in prayer!
14 Get rid of your sins,
and leave all iniquity behind you.
15 Then your face will brighten with innocence.
You will be strong and free of fear.
16 You will forget your misery;
it will be like water flowing away.
17 Your life will be brighter than the noonday.
Even darkness will be as bright as morning.
18 Having hope will give you courage.
You will be protected and will rest in safety.
19 You will lie down unafraid,
and many will look to you for help.
20 But the wicked will be blinded.
They will have no escape.
Their only hope is death.”
Job’s Fourth Speech: A Response to Zophar
12 Then Job spoke again:
2 “You people really know everything, don’t you?
And when you die, wisdom will die with you!
3 Well, I know a few things myself—
and you’re no better than I am.
Who doesn’t know these things you’ve been saying?
4 Yet my friends laugh at me,
for I call on God and expect an answer.
I am a just and blameless man,
yet they laugh at me.
5 People who are at ease mock those in trouble.
They give a push to people who are stumbling.
6 But robbers are left in peace,
and those who provoke God live in safety—
though God keeps them in his power.[d]
7 “Just ask the animals, and they will teach you.
Ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you.
8 Speak to the earth, and it will instruct you.
Let the fish in the sea speak to you.
9 For they all know
that my disaster[e] has come from the hand of the Lord.
10 For the life of every living thing is in his hand,
and the breath of every human being.
11 The ear tests the words it hears
just as the mouth distinguishes between foods.
12 Wisdom belongs to the aged,
and understanding to the old.
13 “But true wisdom and power are found in God;
counsel and understanding are his.
14 What he destroys cannot be rebuilt.
When he puts someone in prison, there is no escape.
15 If he holds back the rain, the earth becomes a desert.
If he releases the waters, they flood the earth.
16 Yes, strength and wisdom are his;
deceivers and deceived are both in his power.
17 He leads counselors away, stripped of good judgment;
wise judges become fools.
18 He removes the royal robe of kings.
They are led away with ropes around their waist.
19 He leads priests away, stripped of status;
he overthrows those with long years in power.
20 He silences the trusted adviser
and removes the insight of the elders.
21 He pours disgrace upon princes
and disarms the strong.
22 “He uncovers mysteries hidden in darkness;
he brings light to the deepest gloom.
23 He builds up nations, and he destroys them.
He expands nations, and he abandons them.
24 He strips kings of understanding
and leaves them wandering in a pathless wasteland.
25 They grope in the darkness without a light.
He makes them stagger like drunkards.
Job Wants to Argue His Case with God
13 “Look, I have seen all this with my own eyes
and heard it with my own ears, and now I understand.
2 I know as much as you do.
You are no better than I am.
3 As for me, I would speak directly to the Almighty.
I want to argue my case with God himself.
4 As for you, you smear me with lies.
As physicians, you are worthless quacks.
5 If only you could be silent!
That’s the wisest thing you could do.
6 Listen to my charge;
pay attention to my arguments.
7 “Are you defending God with lies?
Do you make your dishonest arguments for his sake?
8 Will you slant your testimony in his favor?
Will you argue God’s case for him?
9 What will happen when he finds out what you are doing?
Can you fool him as easily as you fool people?
10 No, you will be in trouble with him
if you secretly slant your testimony in his favor.
11 Doesn’t his majesty terrify you?
Doesn’t your fear of him overwhelm you?
12 Your platitudes are as valuable as ashes.
Your defense is as fragile as a clay pot.
13 “Be silent now and leave me alone.
Let me speak, and I will face the consequences.
14 Why should I put myself in mortal danger[f]
and take my life in my own hands?
15 God might kill me, but I have no other hope.[g]
I am going to argue my case with him.
16 But this is what will save me—I am not godless.
If I were, I could not stand before him.
17 “Listen closely to what I am about to say.
Hear me out.
18 I have prepared my case;
I will be proved innocent.
19 Who can argue with me over this?
And if you prove me wrong, I will remain silent and die.
Job Asks How He Has Sinned
20 “O God, grant me these two things,
and then I will be able to face you.
21 Remove your heavy hand from me,
and don’t terrify me with your awesome presence.
22 Now summon me, and I will answer!
Or let me speak to you, and you reply.
23 Tell me, what have I done wrong?
Show me my rebellion and my sin.
24 Why do you turn away from me?
Why do you treat me as your enemy?
25 Would you terrify a leaf blown by the wind?
Would you chase dry straw?
26 “You write bitter accusations against me
and bring up all the sins of my youth.
27 You put my feet in stocks.
You examine all my paths.
You trace all my footprints.
28 I waste away like rotting wood,
like a moth-eaten coat.
Footnotes
- 10:10 Hebrew You poured me out like milk / and curdled me like cheese.
- 11:8 Hebrew than Sheol.
- 11:12 Or than a wild male donkey can bear a tame colt.
- 12:6 Or safety—those who try to manipulate God. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
- 12:9 Hebrew that this.
- 13:14 Hebrew Why should I take my flesh in my teeth.
- 13:15 An alternate reading in the Masoretic Text reads God might kill me, but I hope in him.
Job 10-13
New International Version
Job 10-13
New International Version
10 “I loathe my very life;(A)
therefore I will give free rein to my complaint
and speak out in the bitterness of my soul.(B)
2 I say to God:(C) Do not declare me guilty,
but tell me what charges(D) you have against me.(E)
3 Does it please you to oppress me,(F)
to spurn the work of your hands,(G)
while you smile on the plans of the wicked?(H)
4 Do you have eyes of flesh?
Do you see as a mortal sees?(I)
5 Are your days like those of a mortal
or your years like those of a strong man,(J)
6 that you must search out my faults
and probe after my sin(K)—
7 though you know that I am not guilty(L)
and that no one can rescue me from your hand?(M)
8 “Your hands shaped(N) me and made me.
Will you now turn and destroy me?(O)
9 Remember that you molded me like clay.(P)
Will you now turn me to dust again?(Q)
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(R) with bones and sinews?
12 You gave me life(S) and showed me kindness,(T)
and in your providence(U) watched over(V) my spirit.
13 “But this is what you concealed in your heart,
and I know that this was in your mind:(W)
14 If I sinned, you would be watching me(X)
and would not let my offense go unpunished.(Y)
15 If I am guilty(Z)—woe to me!(AA)
Even if I am innocent, I cannot lift my head,(AB)
for I am full of shame
and drowned in[a] my affliction.(AC)
16 If I hold my head high, you stalk me like a lion(AD)
and again display your awesome power against me.(AE)
17 You bring new witnesses against me(AF)
and increase your anger toward me;(AG)
your forces come against me wave upon wave.(AH)
18 “Why then did you bring me out of the womb?(AI)
I wish I had died before any eye saw me.(AJ)
19 If only I had never come into being,
or had been carried straight from the womb to the grave!(AK)
20 Are not my few days(AL) almost over?(AM)
Turn away from me(AN) so I can have a moment’s joy(AO)
21 before I go to the place of no return,(AP)
to the land of gloom and utter darkness,(AQ)
22 to the land of deepest night,
of utter darkness(AR) and disorder,
where even the light is like darkness.”(AS)
Zophar
11 Then Zophar the Naamathite(AT) replied:
2 “Are all these words to go unanswered?(AU)
Is this talker to be vindicated?(AV)
3 Will your idle talk(AW) reduce others to silence?
Will no one rebuke you when you mock?(AX)
4 You say to God, ‘My beliefs are flawless(AY)
and I am pure(AZ) in your sight.’
5 Oh, how I wish that God would speak,(BA)
that he would open his lips against you
6 and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom,(BB)
for true wisdom has two sides.
Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin.(BC)
7 “Can you fathom(BD) the mysteries of God?
Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
8 They are higher(BE) than the heavens(BF) above—what can you do?
They are deeper than the depths below(BG)—what can you know?(BH)
9 Their measure(BI) is longer than the earth
and wider than the sea.(BJ)
10 “If he comes along and confines you in prison
and convenes a court, who can oppose him?(BK)
11 Surely he recognizes deceivers;
and when he sees evil, does he not take note?(BL)
12 But the witless can no more become wise
than a wild donkey’s colt(BM) can be born human.[b](BN)
13 “Yet if you devote your heart(BO) to him
and stretch out your hands(BP) to him,(BQ)
14 if you put away(BR) the sin that is in your hand
and allow no evil(BS) to dwell in your tent,(BT)
15 then, free of fault, you will lift up your face;(BU)
you will stand firm(BV) and without fear.(BW)
16 You will surely forget your trouble,(BX)
recalling it only as waters gone by.(BY)
17 Life will be brighter than noonday,(BZ)
and darkness will become like morning.(CA)
18 You will be secure, because there is hope;
you will look about you and take your rest(CB) in safety.(CC)
19 You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid,(CD)
and many will court your favor.(CE)
20 But the eyes of the wicked will fail,(CF)
and escape will elude them;(CG)
their hope will become a dying gasp.”(CH)
Job
12 Then Job replied:
2 “Doubtless you are the only people who matter,
and wisdom will die with you!(CI)
3 But I have a mind as well as you;
I am not inferior to you.
Who does not know all these things?(CJ)
4 “I have become a laughingstock(CK) to my friends,(CL)
though I called on God and he answered(CM)—
a mere laughingstock, though righteous and blameless!(CN)
5 Those who are at ease have contempt(CO) for misfortune
as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.(CP)
6 The tents of marauders are undisturbed,(CQ)
and those who provoke God are secure(CR)—
those God has in his hand.[c]
7 “But ask the animals, and they will teach you,(CS)
or the birds in the sky,(CT) and they will tell you;(CU)
8 or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
or let the fish in the sea inform you.
9 Which of all these does not know(CV)
that the hand of the Lord has done this?(CW)
10 In his hand is the life(CX) of every creature
and the breath of all mankind.(CY)
11 Does not the ear test words
as the tongue tastes food?(CZ)
12 Is not wisdom found among the aged?(DA)
Does not long life bring understanding?(DB)
13 “To God belong wisdom(DC) and power;(DD)
counsel and understanding are his.(DE)
14 What he tears down(DF) cannot be rebuilt;(DG)
those he imprisons cannot be released.(DH)
15 If he holds back the waters,(DI) there is drought;(DJ)
if he lets them loose, they devastate the land.(DK)
16 To him belong strength and insight;(DL)
both deceived and deceiver are his.(DM)
17 He leads rulers away stripped(DN)
and makes fools of judges.(DO)
18 He takes off the shackles(DP) put on by kings
and ties a loincloth[d] around their waist.(DQ)
19 He leads priests away stripped(DR)
and overthrows officials long established.(DS)
20 He silences the lips of trusted advisers
and takes away the discernment of elders.(DT)
21 He pours contempt on nobles(DU)
and disarms the mighty.(DV)
22 He reveals the deep things of darkness(DW)
and brings utter darkness(DX) into the light.(DY)
23 He makes nations great, and destroys them;(DZ)
he enlarges nations,(EA) and disperses them.(EB)
24 He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason;(EC)
he makes them wander in a trackless waste.(ED)
25 They grope in darkness with no light;(EE)
he makes them stagger like drunkards.(EF)
13 “My eyes have seen all this,(EG)
my ears have heard and understood it.
2 What you know, I also know;
I am not inferior to you.(EH)
3 But I desire to speak to the Almighty(EI)
and to argue my case with God.(EJ)
4 You, however, smear me with lies;(EK)
you are worthless physicians,(EL) all of you!(EM)
5 If only you would be altogether silent!(EN)
For you, that would be wisdom.(EO)
6 Hear now my argument;
listen to the pleas of my lips.(EP)
7 Will you speak wickedly on God’s behalf?
Will you speak deceitfully for him?(EQ)
8 Will you show him partiality?(ER)
Will you argue the case for God?
9 Would it turn out well if he examined you?(ES)
Could you deceive him as you might deceive a mortal?(ET)
10 He would surely call you to account
if you secretly showed partiality.(EU)
11 Would not his splendor(EV) terrify you?
Would not the dread of him fall on you?(EW)
12 Your maxims are proverbs of ashes;
your defenses are defenses of clay.(EX)
13 “Keep silent(EY) and let me speak;(EZ)
then let come to me what may.(FA)
14 Why do I put myself in jeopardy
and take my life in my hands?(FB)
15 Though he slay me, yet will I hope(FC) in him;(FD)
I will surely[e] defend my ways to his face.(FE)
16 Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance,(FF)
for no godless(FG) person would dare come before him!(FH)
17 Listen carefully to what I say;(FI)
let my words ring in your ears.
18 Now that I have prepared my case,(FJ)
I know I will be vindicated.(FK)
19 Can anyone bring charges against me?(FL)
If so, I will be silent(FM) and die.(FN)
20 “Only grant me these two things, God,
and then I will not hide from you:
21 Withdraw your hand(FO) far from me,
and stop frightening me with your terrors.(FP)
22 Then summon me and I will answer,(FQ)
or let me speak, and you reply to me.(FR)
23 How many wrongs and sins have I committed?(FS)
Show me my offense and my sin.(FT)
24 Why do you hide your face(FU)
and consider me your enemy?(FV)
25 Will you torment(FW) a windblown leaf?(FX)
Will you chase(FY) after dry chaff?(FZ)
26 For you write down bitter things against me
and make me reap the sins of my youth.(GA)
27 You fasten my feet in shackles;(GB)
you keep close watch on all my paths(GC)
by putting marks on the soles of my feet.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. 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.