Job 11
Legacy Standard Bible
Zophar Asks, Can You Find the Depths of God?
11 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said,
2 “Shall a multitude of words go unanswered,
And a (A)man of lips be in the right?
3 Shall your boasts silence men?
And shall you (B)mock and none rebuke?
4 (C)You have said, ‘My learning is pure,
And (D)I am innocent in your eyes.’
5 But would that God might speak,
And open His lips against you,
6 And tell you the secrets of wisdom!
For sound wisdom [a](E)has two sides.
Know then that God [b]forgets a part of (F)your iniquity.
7 “(G)Can you find the depths of God?
Can you find the limits of the Almighty?
8 They are (H)high as [c]the heavens, what can you do?
Deeper than (I)Sheol, what can you know?
9 Its measure is longer than the earth
And broader than the sea.
10 If He sweeps by or shuts up,
Or calls an assembly, (J)who can turn Him around?
11 For (K)He knows worthless men,
And He (L)sees wickedness, [d]so will He not carefully consider it?
12 [e](M)Yet an empty headed man will obtain a heart of wisdom,
And the [f]foal of a (N)wild donkey is born a man.
13 “(O)If you would (P)set your heart right
And (Q)spread out your hand to Him,
14 If wickedness is in your hand, (R)put it far away,
And do not let unrighteousness dwell in your tents;
15 Then, indeed, you could (S)lift up your face without moral defect,
And you would be steadfast and (T)not fear.
16 For you would (U)forget your trouble,
As (V)waters that pass by, so you would remember it.
17 And your lifetime would (W)arise brighter than noonday;
Darkness would be like the morning.
18 Then you would trust, because there is hope;
And you would search around and rest securely.
19 You would (X)lie down and none would make you tremble,
And many would (Y)entreat your [g]favor.
20 But the (Z)eyes of the wicked will come to an end,
And escape will (AA)perish from them;
And their (AB)hope is (AC)the expiring of their soul.”
Job 11
Good News Translation
11 1-2 Will no one answer all this nonsense?
Does talking so much put you in the right?
3 Job, do you think we can't answer you?
That your mocking words will leave us speechless?
4 You claim that what you say is true;
you claim you are pure in the sight of God.
5 How I wish God would answer you!
6 He would tell you there are many sides to wisdom;
there are things too deep for human knowledge.
God is punishing you less than you deserve.
7 Can you discover the limits and bounds
of the greatness and power of God?
8 The sky is no limit for God,
but it lies beyond your reach.
God knows the world of the dead,
but you do not know it.
9 God's greatness is broader than the earth,
wider than the sea.
10 If God arrests you and brings you to trial,
who is there to stop him?
11 God knows which people are worthless;
he sees all their evil deeds.
12 Stupid people will start being wise
when wild donkeys are born tame.
13 Put your heart right, Job. Reach out to God.
14 Put away evil and wrong from your home.
15 Then face the world again, firm and courageous.
16 Then all your troubles will fade from your memory,
like floods that are past and remembered no more.
17 Your life will be brighter than sunshine at noon,
and life's darkest hours will shine like the dawn.
18 You will live secure and full of hope;
God will protect you and give you rest.
19 You won't be afraid of your enemies;
many people will ask you for help.
20 But the wicked will look around in despair
and find that there is no way to escape.
Their one hope is that death will come.
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Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
