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Job Frames His Plea to God

10 “I am disgusted with my life.
    Let me complain freely.
    My bitter soul must complain.
I will say to God, ‘Don’t simply condemn me—
    tell me the charge you are bringing against me.
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?
Are your eyes like those of a human?
    Do you see things only as people see them?
Is your lifetime only as long as ours?
    Is your life so short
that you must quickly probe for my guilt
    and search for my sin?
Although you know I am not guilty,
    no one can rescue me from your hands.

“‘You formed me with your hands; you made me,
    yet now you completely destroy me.
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:

“Shouldn’t someone answer this torrent of words?
    Is a person proved innocent just by a lot of talking?
Should I remain silent while you babble on?
    When you mock God, shouldn’t someone make you ashamed?
You claim, ‘My beliefs are pure,’
    and ‘I am clean in the sight of God.’
If only God would speak;
    if only he would tell you what he thinks!
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!

“Can you solve the mysteries of God?
    Can you discover everything about the Almighty?
Such knowledge is higher than the heavens—
    and who are you?
It is deeper than the underworld[b]
    what do you know?
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:

“You people really know everything, don’t you?
    And when you die, wisdom will die with you!
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?
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.
People who are at ease mock those in trouble.
    They give a push to people who are stumbling.
But robbers are left in peace,
    and those who provoke God live in safety—
    though God keeps them in his power.[d]

“Just ask the animals, and they will teach you.
    Ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you.
Speak to the earth, and it will instruct you.
    Let the fish in the sea speak to you.
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.
I know as much as you do.
    You are no better than I am.
As for me, I would speak directly to the Almighty.
    I want to argue my case with God himself.
As for you, you smear me with lies.
    As physicians, you are worthless quacks.
If only you could be silent!
    That’s the wisest thing you could do.
Listen to my charge;
    pay attention to my arguments.

“Are you defending God with lies?
    Do you make your dishonest arguments for his sake?
Will you slant your testimony in his favor?
    Will you argue God’s case for him?
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

  1. 10:10 Hebrew You poured me out like milk / and curdled me like cheese.
  2. 11:8 Hebrew than Sheol.
  3. 11:12 Or than a wild male donkey can bear a tame colt.
  4. 12:6 Or safety—those who try to manipulate God. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  5. 12:9 Hebrew that this.
  6. 13:14 Hebrew Why should I take my flesh in my teeth.
  7. 13:15 An alternate reading in the Masoretic Text reads God might kill me, but I hope in him.

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)
I say to God:(C) Do not declare me guilty,
    but tell me what charges(D) you have against me.(E)
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)
Do you have eyes of flesh?
    Do you see as a mortal sees?(I)
Are your days like those of a mortal
    or your years like those of a strong man,(J)
that you must search out my faults
    and probe after my sin(K)
though you know that I am not guilty(L)
    and that no one can rescue me from your hand?(M)

“Your hands shaped(N) me and made me.
    Will you now turn and destroy me?(O)
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:

“Are all these words to go unanswered?(AU)
    Is this talker to be vindicated?(AV)
Will your idle talk(AW) reduce others to silence?
    Will no one rebuke you when you mock?(AX)
You say to God, ‘My beliefs are flawless(AY)
    and I am pure(AZ) in your sight.’
Oh, how I wish that God would speak,(BA)
    that he would open his lips against you
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)

“Can you fathom(BD) the mysteries of God?
    Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
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)
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:

“Doubtless you are the only people who matter,
    and wisdom will die with you!(CI)
But I have a mind as well as you;
    I am not inferior to you.
    Who does not know all these things?(CJ)

“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)
Those who are at ease have contempt(CO) for misfortune
    as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.(CP)
The tents of marauders are undisturbed,(CQ)
    and those who provoke God are secure(CR)
    those God has in his hand.[c]

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you,(CS)
    or the birds in the sky,(CT) and they will tell you;(CU)
or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
    or let the fish in the sea inform you.
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.
What you know, I also know;
    I am not inferior to you.(EH)
But I desire to speak to the Almighty(EI)
    and to argue my case with God.(EJ)
You, however, smear me with lies;(EK)
    you are worthless physicians,(EL) all of you!(EM)
If only you would be altogether silent!(EN)
    For you, that would be wisdom.(EO)
Hear now my argument;
    listen to the pleas of my lips.(EP)
Will you speak wickedly on God’s behalf?
    Will you speak deceitfully for him?(EQ)
Will you show him partiality?(ER)
    Will you argue the case for God?
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.

28 “So man wastes away like something rotten,
    like a garment(GD) eaten by moths.(GE)

Footnotes

  1. Job 10:15 Or and aware of
  2. Job 11:12 Or wild donkey can be born tame
  3. Job 12:6 Or those whose god is in their own hand
  4. Job 12:18 Or shackles of kings / and ties a belt
  5. Job 13:15 Or He will surely slay me; I have no hope — / yet I will

Job Despairs of God’s Dealings

10 [a](A)I am disgusted with my own life;
I will express (B)my complaint freely;
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
I will say to God, ‘(C)Do not condemn me;
Let me know why You contend with me.
Is it [b]right for You indeed to (D)oppress,
To reject (E)the work of Your hands,
And [c]to look favorably on (F)the plan of the wicked?
Do You have eyes of flesh?
Or do You (G)see as mankind sees?
Are Your days like the days of a mortal,
Or (H)Your years like a man’s year,
That (I)You should search for my guilt
And carefully seek my sin?
According to Your knowledge (J)I am indeed not guilty,
Yet there is (K)no one to save me from Your hand.

(L)Your hands fashioned and made me [d]altogether,
(M)Yet would You destroy me?
Remember that You have made me as (N)clay;
Yet would You (O)turn me into dust again?
10 Did You not pour me out like milk,
And curdle me like cheese,
11 Clothe me with skin and flesh,
And intertwine me with bones and tendons?
12 You have (P)granted me life and [e]goodness;
And Your care has guarded my spirit.
13 Yet You have concealed (Q)these things in Your heart;
I know that this is within You:
14 If I have sinned, You will (R)take note of me,
And (S)will not acquit me of my guilt.
15 If (T)I am wicked, woe to me!
But if (U)I am righteous, I dare not lift up my head.
I am full of shame, and [f]conscious of my misery.
16 And should my head be high, (V)You would hunt me like a lion;
And You would show Your (W)power against me again.
17 You renew (X)Your witnesses against me
And increase Your anger toward me;
[g](Y)Hardship after hardship is with me.

18 (Z)Why then did You bring me out of the womb?
If only I had died and no eye had seen me!
19 I should have been as though I had not been,
Brought from womb to tomb.’
20 Would He not leave (AA)my few days alone?
[h](AB)Withdraw from me so that I may have a little cheerfulness
21 Before I go—(AC)and I shall not return—
(AD)To the land of darkness and (AE)deep shadow,
22 The land of utter gloom like darkness itself,
Of deep shadow without order,
And it shines like darkness.”

Zophar Rebukes Job

11 Then Zophar the Naamathite responded,

“Shall a multitude of words go unanswered,
And a (AF)talkative man be acquitted?
Shall your boasts silence people?
And will you (AG)scoff, and no one rebuke?
For (AH)you have said, ‘My teaching is pure,
And (AI)I am innocent in your eyes.’
But if only God would speak,
And open His lips against you,
And show you the secrets of wisdom!
For sound wisdom [i](AJ)has two sides.
Know then that God [j]forgets part of (AK)your guilt.

(AL)Can you discover the depths of God?
Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?
They are as (AM)high as [k]the heavens; what can you do?
Deeper than [l](AN)Sheol; what can you know?
Its measurement is longer than the earth
And broader than the sea.
10 If He passes by or apprehends people,
Or calls an assembly, (AO)who can restrain Him?
11 For (AP)He knows false people,
And He (AQ)sees injustice [m]without investigating.
12 [n](AR)An idiot will become intelligent
When a (AS)wild donkey is born a human.

13 (AT)If you would (AU)direct your heart rightly
And (AV)spread out your hands to Him,
14 If wrongdoing is in your hand, (AW)put it far away,
And do not let malice dwell in your tents;
15 Then, indeed, you could (AX)lift up your face without moral blemish,
And you would be firmly established and (AY)not fear.
16 For you would (AZ)forget your trouble;
Like (BA)waters that have passed by, you would remember it.
17 Your [o]life would [p]be (BB)brighter than noonday;
Darkness would be like the morning.
18 Then you would trust, because there is hope;
And you would look around and rest securely.
19 You would (BC)lie down and none would disturb you,
And many would [q](BD)flatter you.
20 But the (BE)eyes of the wicked will fail,
And [r]there will (BF)be no escape for them;
And their (BG)hope is [s](BH)to breathe their last.”

Job Chides His Accusers

12 Then Job responded,

“Truly then (BI)you are the people,
And with you wisdom will die!
But (BJ)I have intelligence as well as you;
I am not inferior to you.
And [t]who does not know such things as these?
I am a (BK)joke to [u]my friends,
The one who called on God and He answered him;
The just and (BL)blameless man is a joke.
[v]He who is at ease holds disaster in contempt,
As prepared for those whose feet slip.
The (BM)tents of the destroyers prosper,
And those who provoke God (BN)are secure,
[w]Whom God brings (BO)into their power.

“But just ask the animals, and have them teach you;
And the birds of the sky, and have them tell you.
Or speak to the earth, and have it teach you;
And have the fish of the sea tell you.
Who among all these does not know
That (BP)the hand of the Lord has done this,
10 (BQ)In whose hand is the life of every living thing,
And (BR)the breath of all mankind?
11 Does (BS)the ear not put words to the test,
As the palate [x]tastes its food?
12 Wisdom is with the (BT)aged,
And with [y]long life comes understanding.

Job Speaks of the Power of God

13 (BU)Wisdom and (BV)might are with Him;
Advice and (BW)understanding belong to Him.
14 Behold, He (BX)tears down, and it cannot be rebuilt;
He [z](BY)imprisons a person, and [aa]there is no release.
15 Behold, He (BZ)restrains the waters, and they dry up;
And He (CA)sends them out, and they [ab]inundate the earth.
16 Strength and sound wisdom are with Him.
One who (CB)goes astray and one who leads astray belong to Him.
17 He makes (CC)advisers walk [ac]barefoot
And makes fools of (CD)judges.
18 He (CE)undoes the binding of kings,
And ties a loincloth around their waist.
19 He makes priests walk [ad]barefoot,
And overthrows (CF)the secure ones.
20 He deprives the trusted ones of speech,
And (CG)takes away the discernment of the elders.
21 He (CH)pours contempt on nobles,
And (CI)loosens the belt of the strong.
22 He (CJ)reveals mysteries from the darkness,
And brings the deep darkness into light.
23 He (CK)makes the nations great, then destroys them;
He [ae]enlarges the nations, then leads them away.
24 He (CL)deprives the leaders of the earth’s people of [af]intelligence
And makes them wander in a pathless wasteland.
25 They (CM)grope in darkness with no light,
And He makes them (CN)stagger like a drunken person.

Job Says His Friends’ Proverbs Are Ashes

13 (CO)Behold, my eye has seen all this,
My ear has heard and understood it.
(CP)What you know I also know;
I am not inferior to you.

“But (CQ)I would speak to [ag]the Almighty,
And I desire to (CR)argue with God.
But you (CS)smear me with lies;
You are all (CT)worthless physicians.
Oh that you would (CU)be completely silent,
And that it would become your wisdom!
Please hear my argument,
And give your attention to the contentions of my lips.
Will you (CV)speak what is unjust for God,
And speak what is deceitful for Him?
Will you (CW)show partiality for Him?
Will you contend for God?
Will it go well when He examines you?
Or (CX)will you deceive Him as one deceives a man?
10 He will certainly punish you
If you secretly (CY)show partiality.
11 Will (CZ)His [ah]majesty not terrify you,
And the dread of Him fall upon you?
12 Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes,
Your defenses are defenses of clay.

Job Is Sure He Will Be Vindicated

13 (DA)Be silent before me so that I may speak;
Then let come upon me what may.
14 Why should I take my flesh in my teeth,
And (DB)put my life in my [ai]hands?
15 (DC)Though He slay me,
I will [aj]hope in Him.
Nevertheless I (DD)will argue my ways [ak]before Him.
16 This also will be my (DE)salvation,
For (DF)a godless person cannot come before His presence.
17 Listen carefully to my speech,
And let my declaration fill your ears.
18 Behold now, I have (DG)prepared my case;
I know that (DH)I will be vindicated.
19 (DI)Who could contend with me?
For then I would be silent and (DJ)die.

20 “Only two things I ask that You do not do to me,
Then I will not hide from Your face:
21 (DK)Remove Your [al]hand from me,
And may the dread of You not terrify me.
22 Then call and (DL)I will answer;
Or let me speak, then reply to me.
23 (DM)How many are my guilty deeds and sins?
Make known to me my wrongdoing and my sin.
24 Why do You (DN)hide Your face
And consider me (DO)Your enemy?
25 Will You scare away a (DP)scattered leaf?
Or will You pursue the dry (DQ)chaff?
26 For You write (DR)bitter things against me
And (DS)make me inherit the guilty deeds of my youth.
27 You (DT)put my feet in the stocks
And watch all my paths;
You [am]set a limit for the soles of my feet,
28 While [an]I am decaying like a (DU)rotten thing,
Like a garment that is moth-eaten.

Footnotes

  1. Job 10:1 Lit My soul loathes
  2. Job 10:3 Lit good
  3. Job 10:3 Lit You shine forth
  4. Job 10:8 Lit together round about
  5. Job 10:12 See Job 1:1-2
  6. Job 10:15 Lit see
  7. Job 10:17 Lit Changes and warfare are with me
  8. Job 10:20 Lit Put
  9. Job 11:6 Lit is double
  10. Job 11:6 Lit causes to be forgotten for you
  11. Job 11:8 Lit the heights of heaven
  12. Job 11:8 I.e., the netherworld
  13. Job 11:11 Or and does not investigate
  14. Job 11:12 Lit A hollow man
  15. Job 11:17 Lit lifespan
  16. Job 11:17 Lit rise above noonday
  17. Job 11:19 Lit soften your face
  18. Job 11:20 Lit escape has perished from them
  19. Job 11:20 Lit the expiring of the soul
  20. Job 12:3 Lit with whom is there not like these?
  21. Job 12:4 Lit his
  22. Job 12:5 Lit Contempt for calamity is the thought of him who is at ease
  23. Job 12:6 Or He who brings God into his hand.
  24. Job 12:11 Lit tastes food for itself
  25. Job 12:12 Lit length of days
  26. Job 12:14 Lit shuts against
  27. Job 12:14 Lit it is not opened
  28. Job 12:15 Lit overturn
  29. Job 12:17 Or stripped
  30. Job 12:19 Or stripped
  31. Job 12:23 Or spreads out
  32. Job 12:24 Lit heart
  33. Job 13:3 Heb Shaddai
  34. Job 13:11 Lit exaltation
  35. Job 13:14 Lit palm
  36. Job 13:15 Lit wait for
  37. Job 13:15 Lit to His face
  38. Job 13:21 Lit palm
  39. Job 13:27 Lit carve for
  40. Job 13:28 Lit he is