Job 11
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 11
Zophar’s First Speech. 1 And Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:
2 Should not many words be answered,
    or must the garrulous man necessarily be right?
3 Shall your babblings keep others silent,
    and shall you deride and no one give rebuke?
4 Shall you say: “My teaching is pure,
    and I am clean in your sight”?
5 But oh, that God would speak,[a]
    and open his lips against you,
6 And tell you the secrets of wisdom,
    for good sense has two sides;
So you might learn that God
    overlooks some of your sinfulness.
7 Can you find out the depths of God?(A)
    or find out the perfection of the Almighty?
8 It is higher than the heavens; what can you do?
    It is deeper than Sheol; what can you know?
9 It is longer than the earth in measure,
    and broader than the sea.
10 If he should seize and imprison
    or call to judgment, who then could turn him back?
11 For he knows the worthless
    and sees iniquity; will he then ignore it?
12 An empty head will gain understanding,
    when a colt of a wild jackass(B) is born human.[b]
13 If you set your heart aright
    and stretch out your hands toward him,
14 If iniquity is in your hand, remove it,
    and do not let injustice dwell in your tent,
15 Surely then you may lift up your face in innocence;
    you may stand firm and unafraid.
16 For then you shall forget your misery,
    like water that has ebbed away you shall regard it.
17 Then your life shall be brighter than the noonday;
    its gloom shall become like the morning,
18 And you shall be secure, because there is hope;
    you shall look round you and lie down in safety;(C)
19     you shall lie down and no one will disturb you.
Many shall entreat your favor,
20     but the wicked, looking on, shall be consumed with envy.
Escape shall be cut off from them,
    their only hope their last breath.
Footnotes
- 11:5 This is another of many ironies (e.g., cf. 11:16–19) that occur throughout the book. Zophar does not know that God will speak (chaps. 38–42), but contrary to what he thinks.
- 11:12 A colt…is born human: the Hebrew is obscure. As translated, it seems to be a proverb referring to an impossible event.
Job 11
New International Version
Zophar
11 Then Zophar the Naamathite(A) replied:
2 “Are all these words to go unanswered?(B)
    Is this talker to be vindicated?(C)
3 Will your idle talk(D) reduce others to silence?
    Will no one rebuke you when you mock?(E)
4 You say to God, ‘My beliefs are flawless(F)
    and I am pure(G) in your sight.’
5 Oh, how I wish that God would speak,(H)
    that he would open his lips against you
6 and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom,(I)
    for true wisdom has two sides.
    Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin.(J)
7 “Can you fathom(K) the mysteries of God?
    Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
8 They are higher(L) than the heavens(M) above—what can you do?
    They are deeper than the depths below(N)—what can you know?(O)
9 Their measure(P) is longer than the earth
    and wider than the sea.(Q)
10 “If he comes along and confines you in prison
    and convenes a court, who can oppose him?(R)
11 Surely he recognizes deceivers;
    and when he sees evil, does he not take note?(S)
12 But the witless can no more become wise
    than a wild donkey’s colt(T) can be born human.[a](U)
13 “Yet if you devote your heart(V) to him
    and stretch out your hands(W) to him,(X)
14 if you put away(Y) the sin that is in your hand
    and allow no evil(Z) to dwell in your tent,(AA)
15 then, free of fault, you will lift up your face;(AB)
    you will stand firm(AC) and without fear.(AD)
16 You will surely forget your trouble,(AE)
    recalling it only as waters gone by.(AF)
17 Life will be brighter than noonday,(AG)
    and darkness will become like morning.(AH)
18 You will be secure, because there is hope;
    you will look about you and take your rest(AI) in safety.(AJ)
19 You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid,(AK)
    and many will court your favor.(AL)
20 But the eyes of the wicked will fail,(AM)
    and escape will elude them;(AN)
    their hope will become a dying gasp.”(AO)
Footnotes
- Job 11:12 Or wild donkey can be born tame
Job 11
English Standard Version
Zophar Speaks: You Deserve Worse
11 Then (A)Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:
2 “Should (B)a multitude of words go unanswered,
    and a man full of talk be judged right?
3 Should your babble silence men,
    and when you mock, shall no one shame you?
4 For (C)you say, ‘My (D)doctrine is pure,
    and I am clean in God's[a] eyes.’
5 But oh, that God would speak
    and open his lips to you,
6 and that he would tell you the secrets of wisdom!
    For he is manifold in (E)understanding.[b]
Know then that God (F)exacts of you less than your guilt deserves.
7 (G)“Can you find out the deep things of God?
    Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?
8 It is (H)higher than heaven[c]—what can you do?
    Deeper than Sheol—what can you know?
9 Its measure is longer than the earth
    and broader than the sea.
10 If he (I)passes through and (J)imprisons
    and summons the court, who can (K)turn him back?
11 For he knows (L)worthless men;
    when he sees iniquity, will he not consider it?
12 But a stupid man will get understanding
    when (M)a wild donkey's colt is (N)born a man!
13 “If you (O)prepare your heart,
    you will (P)stretch out your hands toward him.
14 If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away,
    and let not injustice dwell in your tents.
15 Surely then you will (Q)lift up your face without (R)blemish;
    you will be secure and will not fear.
16 You will (S)forget your misery;
    you will remember it as waters that have passed away.
17 And your life will be (T)brighter than the noonday;
    its darkness will be like the morning.
18 And you will feel secure, because there is hope;
    you will look around and (U)take your rest in security.
19 You will (V)lie down, and none will make you afraid;
    many will (W)court your favor.
20 But (X)the eyes of the wicked will fail;
    all way of escape will be lost to them,
    and their hope is (Y)to breathe their last.”
Iyov 11
Orthodox Jewish Bible
11 Then answered Tzophar the Na’amati, and said,
2 Should not the multitude of dvarim be answered? And should an ish full of talk yitzdak (be justified)?
3 Should thy vain talk silence men, so that thou mockest, v’ein machlim (without anyone putting thee to shame)?
4 For thou hast said, My lekach (doctrine, teaching, belief) is pure, and I am clean in Thine eyes.
5 But oh that Eloah would speak, and open His lips against thee,
6 And that He would show thee the secrets of chochmah, that tushiyyah (true wisdom) has two sides! Have da’as therefore that Eloah forgetteth much of thy avon.
7 Canst thou search out the cheker Eloah (depths of G-d)? Canst thou probe to the tachlis Shaddai (the end, completeness of Almighty)?
8 It is like the heights of Shomayim; what canst thou do? Deeper than Sheol; of what canst thou have da’as?
9 The measure thereof is longer than ha’aretz, and broader than the yam (sea).
10 When Eloah passes by and arrests and convenes for judgment, who then can constrain Him?
11 For He has da’as of deceitful men; He seeth wickedness also; will He not then take note of it?
12 But before a witless ish can become wise, a colt of a pereh (wild donkey) would be born an adam!
13 If thou direct thine lev, and stretch out thine hands to Him,
14 If iniquity be in thine yad, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy ohalim.
15 For then shalt thou lift up thy face without mum; yea, thou shalt be firm, and shalt not fear,
16 Because thou shalt forget thy amal (grief), and remember it as waters that flow by,
17 And thine cheled (duration of life) shall be brighter than the tzohorayim (noonday); thou shalt shine forth; thou shalt be as the boker.
18 And thou shalt be secure, because now there is tikveh; yea, thou shalt search, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.
19 Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid; yea, rabbim (many) shall court thy favor.
20 But the eyes of the resha’im faileth, and they shall not escape, and their tikveh shall be as the last gasp of the nefesh.
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