Job 11
Contemporary English Version
Zophar's First Speech
So Much Foolish Talk
11 Zophar from Naamah[a] said:
2 So much foolish talk
cannot go unanswered.
3 Your words have silenced others
and made them ashamed;
now it is only right for you
to be put to shame.
4 You claim to be innocent
and argue that your beliefs
are acceptable to God.
5 But I wish God would speak
6 and let you know that wisdom
has many different sides.
You would then discover
that God has punished you
less than you deserve.
7 Can you understand the mysteries
surrounding God All-Powerful?
8 They are higher than the heavens
and deeper than the grave.
So what can you do
when you know so little,
9 and these mysteries outreach
the earth and the ocean?
10 If God puts you in prison
or drags you to court,
what can you do?
11 God has the wisdom to know
when someone is worthless
and sinful,
12 but it's easier to tame
a wild donkey
than to make a fool wise.[b]
Surrender Your Heart to God
13 Surrender your heart to God,
turn to him in prayer,
14 and give up your sins—
even those you do in secret.
15 Then you won't be ashamed;
you will be confident
and fearless.
16 Your troubles will go away
like water beneath a bridge,
17 and your darkest night
will be brighter than noon.
18 You will rest safe and secure,
filled with hope
and emptied of worry.
19 You will sleep without fear
and be greatly respected.
20 But those who are evil
will go blind and lose their way.
Their only escape is death!
Job's Reply to Zophar
You Think You Are So Great
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Job 11
Lexham English Bible
Zophar’s First Response to Job
11 Then[a] Zophar the Naamathite answered and said,
2 “Should an abundance of words go unanswered,
or a man full of talk[b] be vindicated?[c]
3 Should your loose talk put people to silence?
And when you mock, shall no one put you to shame?[d]
4 For you say, ‘My teaching is pure,
and I am clean in your sight.’
5 But,[e] O that[f] God might speak,
and that he would open his lips to you,
6 and that he would tell you the secrets of wisdom,
for insight has many sides.[g]
And know that God on your behalf[h] has forgotten some of[i] your guilt.
7 “Can you find out the essence of God,
or can you find out the ultimate limits[j] of Shaddai?
8 It is higher than the heaven;[k] what can you do?
It is deeper than Sheol; what can you know?
9 Its measure is longer than the earth
and broader than the sea.
10 “If he passes through and imprisons someone[l]
and summons the assembly,[m] then[n] who can hinder him?
11 For he knows those who are worthless;[o]
when he sees[p] iniquity, he will not consider it.[q]
12 But[r] an empty-headed person[s] will get understanding
when[t] a wild donkey’s colt is born as a human being.
13 “If you yourself[u] direct your heart
and stretch out your hands to him—
14 if iniquity[v] is in your hand, put it far away,
and you must not let wickedness reside in your tents—
15 surely then you will lift up your face without[w] blemish,
and you will be firmly established and will not fear.[x]
16 For you yourself[y] will forget your misery;
you will remember it as water that has flowed past.
17 “And your life will be brighter than noon;[z]
its darkness will be like the morning.
18 And you will have confidence because there is hope;
and you will be well protected—you will sleep in safety.[aa]
19 And you will lie down, and no one will make you afraid;[ab]
and many will entreat your favor.[ac]
20 But[ad] the eyes of the wicked will fail;
and refuge will be lost to them,
and their hope is to breathe their last breath.”[ae]
Footnotes
- Job 11:1 Hebrew “And”
- Job 11:2 Literally “a man of lips”
- Job 11:2 Hebrew “should he be vindicated”
- Job 11:3 Literally “And you will mock there is not putting to shame”
- Job 11:5 Hebrew “And but”
- Job 11:5 Literally “who shall give”
- Job 11:6 Literally “double to sound wisdom”
- Job 11:6 Literally “for you”
- Job 11:6 Literally “from”
- Job 11:7 Literally “up to the limit”
- Job 11:8 Literally “heights of heaven”
- Job 11:10 Hebrew “and he imprisons”
- Job 11:10 Literally “and he summons”
- Job 11:10 Hebrew “and”
- Job 11:11 Literally “men of worthlessness”
- Job 11:11 Literally “And he will see”
- Job 11:11 Literally “and he will not consider”
- Job 11:12 Hebrew “And”
- Job 11:12 Literally “a man hollowed out”
- Job 11:12 Hebrew “and”
- Job 11:13 Emphatic personal pronoun
- Job 11:14 See v. 11, where the same word is used
- Job 11:15 Hebrew “from”
- Job 11:15 Hebrew “and not will you fear”
- Job 11:16 Emphatic personal pronoun
- Job 11:17 Literally “And from noon lifespan will arise”
- Job 11:18 Literally “you will lie down securely”
- Job 11:19 Literally “there is not making afraid”
- Job 11:19 Literally “and they will appease/implore your faces many”
- Job 11:20 Hebrew “And”
- Job 11:20 Literally “the expiring of soul”
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