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Job 14-16
New American Standard Bible 1995

Job Speaks of the Finality of Death

14 “(A)Man, who is born of woman,
Is [a]short-lived and (B)full of turmoil.
2 “(C)Like a flower he comes forth and withers.
He also flees like (D)a shadow and does not remain.
3 “You also (E)open Your eyes on him
And (F)bring [b]him into judgment with Yourself.
4 “(G)Who can make the clean out of the unclean?
No one!
5 “Since his days are determined,
The (H)number of his months is with You;
And his limits You have [c]set so that he cannot pass.
6 “(I)Turn Your gaze from him that he may [d]rest,
Until he [e]fulfills his day like a hired man.

7 “For there is hope for a tree,
When it is cut down, that it will sprout again,
And its shoots will not [f]fail.
8 “Though its roots grow old in the ground
And its stump dies in the dry soil,
9 At the scent of water it will flourish
And put forth sprigs like a plant.
10 “But (J)man dies and lies prostrate.
Man (K)expires, and where is he?
11 “As (L)water [g]evaporates from the sea,
And a river becomes parched and dried up,
12 So (M)man lies down and does not rise.
Until the heavens are no longer,
[h]He will not awake nor be aroused out of [i]his sleep.

13 “Oh that You would hide me in [j]Sheol,
That You would conceal me (N)until Your wrath returns to You,
That You would set a limit for me and remember me!
14 “If a man dies, will he live again?
All the days of my struggle I will wait
Until my change comes.
15 “You will call, and I will answer You;
You will long for (O)the work of Your hands.
16 “For now You (P)number my steps,
You do not (Q)observe my sin.
17 “My transgression is (R)sealed up in a bag,
And You [k]wrap up my iniquity.

18 “But the falling mountain [l]crumbles away,
And the rock moves from its place;
19 Water wears away stones,
Its torrents wash away the dust of the earth;
So You (S)destroy man’s hope.
20 “You forever overpower him and he (T)departs;
You change his appearance and send him away.
21 “His sons achieve honor, but (U)he does not know it;
Or they become insignificant, but he does not perceive it.
22 “But his [m]body pains him,
And he mourns only for himself.”

Eliphaz Says Job Presumes Much

15 Then Eliphaz the Temanite [n]responded,

2 “Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge
(V)And fill [o]himself with the east wind?
3 “Should he argue with useless talk,
Or with words which are not profitable?
4 “Indeed, you do away with [p]reverence
And hinder meditation before God.
5 “For (W)your guilt teaches your mouth,
And you choose the language of (X)the crafty.
6 “Your (Y)own mouth condemns you, and not I;
And your own lips testify against you.

7 “Were you the first man to be born,
Or (Z)were you brought forth before the hills?
8 “Do you hear the (AA)secret counsel of God,
And limit wisdom to yourself?
9 “(AB)What do you know that we do not know?
What do you understand that [q]we do not?
10 “Both the (AC)gray-haired and the aged are among us,
Older than your father.
11 “Are (AD)the consolations of God too small for you,
Even the (AE)word spoken gently with you?
12 “Why does your (AF)heart carry you away?
And why do your eyes flash,
13 That you should turn your spirit against God
And allow such words to go out of your mouth?
14 “What is man, that (AG)he should be pure,
Or (AH)he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
15 “Behold, He puts no trust in His (AI)holy ones,
And the (AJ)heavens are not pure in His sight;
16 How much less one who is (AK)detestable and corrupt,
Man, who (AL)drinks iniquity like water!

What Eliphaz Has Seen of Life

17 “I will tell you, listen to me;
And what I have seen I will also declare;
18 What wise men have told,
And have not concealed from (AM)their fathers,
19 To whom alone the land was given,
And no alien passed among them.
20 “The wicked man writhes (AN)in pain all his days,
And [r]numbered are the years (AO)stored up for the ruthless.
21 “[s]Sounds of (AP)terror are in his ears;
(AQ)While at peace the destroyer comes upon him.
22 “He does not believe that he will (AR)return from darkness,
And he is destined for (AS)the sword.
23 “He wanders about for food, saying, ‘Where is it?’
He knows that a day of (AT)darkness is [t]at hand.
24 “Distress and anguish terrify him,
They overpower him like a king ready for the attack,
25 Because he has stretched out his hand against God
And conducts himself (AU)arrogantly against [u]the Almighty.
26 “He rushes [v]headlong at Him
With [w]his massive shield.
27 “For he has (AV)covered his face with his fat
And made his thighs heavy with flesh.
28 “He has (AW)lived in desolate cities,
In houses no one would inhabit,
Which are destined to become [x]ruins.
29 “He (AX)will not become rich, nor will his wealth endure;
And his grain will not bend down to the ground.
30 “He will (AY)not [y]escape from darkness;
The (AZ)flame will wither his shoots,
And by (BA)the breath of His mouth he will go away.
31 “Let him not (BB)trust in emptiness, deceiving himself;
For emptiness will be his [z]reward.
32 “It will be accomplished (BC)before his time,
And his palm (BD)branch will not be green.
33 “He will drop off his unripe grape like the vine,
And will (BE)cast off his flower like the olive tree.
34 “For the company of (BF)the godless is barren,
And fire consumes (BG)the tents of [aa]the corrupt.
35 “They (BH)conceive [ab]mischief and bring forth iniquity,
And their [ac]mind prepares deception.”

Job Says Friends Are Sorry Comforters

16 Then Job [ad]answered,

2 “I have heard many such things;
[ae](BI)Sorry comforters are you all.
3 “Is there no limit to (BJ)windy words?
Or what plagues you that you answer?
4 “I too could speak like you,
If [af]I were in your place.
I could compose words against you
And (BK)shake my head at you.
5 “I could strengthen you with my mouth,
And the solace of my lips could lessen your pain.

Job Says God Shattered Him

6 “If I speak, (BL)my pain is not lessened,
And if I hold back, what has left me?
7 “But now He has (BM)exhausted me;
You have laid (BN)waste all my company.
8 “You have shriveled me up,
(BO)It has become a witness;
And my (BP)leanness rises up against me,
It testifies to my face.
9 “His anger has (BQ)torn me and [ag]hunted me down,
He has (BR)gnashed at me with His teeth;
My (BS)adversary [ah]glares at me.
10 “They have (BT)gaped at me with their mouth,
They have [ai](BU)slapped me on the cheek with contempt;
They have (BV)massed themselves against me.
11 “God hands me over to ruffians
And tosses me into the hands of the wicked.
12 “I was at ease, but (BW)He shattered me,
And He has grasped me by the neck and shaken me to pieces;
He has also set me up as His (BX)target.
13 “His (BY)arrows surround me.
Without mercy He splits my kidneys open;
He pours out (BZ)my gall on the ground.
14 “He (CA)breaks through me with breach after breach;
He (CB)runs at me like a warrior.
15 “I have sewed (CC)sackcloth over my skin
And (CD)thrust my horn in the dust.
16 “My face is flushed from (CE)weeping,
(CF)And deep darkness is on my eyelids,
17 Although there is no (CG)violence in my hands,
And (CH)my prayer is pure.

18 “O earth, do not cover my blood,
And let there be no resting place for my cry.
19 “Even now, behold, (CI)my witness is in heaven,
And my [aj]advocate is (CJ)on high.
20 “My friends are my scoffers;
(CK)My eye [ak]weeps to God.
21 “O that a man might plead with God
As a man with his neighbor!
22 “For when a few years are past,
I shall go the way (CL)of no return.

Footnotes

  1. Job 14:1 Lit short of days
  2. Job 14:3 So with some ancient versions; M.T. me
  3. Job 14:5 Lit made
  4. Job 14:6 Lit cease
  5. Job 14:6 Lit makes acceptable
  6. Job 14:7 Or cease
  7. Job 14:11 Lit disappears
  8. Job 14:12 Lit They
  9. Job 14:12 Lit their
  10. Job 14:13 I.e. the nether world
  11. Job 14:17 Lit plaster; or glue together
  12. Job 14:18 Lit withers
  13. Job 14:22 Lit flesh
  14. Job 15:1 Lit answered and said
  15. Job 15:2 Lit his belly
  16. Job 15:4 Lit fear
  17. Job 15:9 Lit is not within us?
  18. Job 15:20 Lit the number of years are
  19. Job 15:21 Lit A sound of terrors is
  20. Job 15:23 Lit ready at his hand
  21. Job 15:25 Heb Shaddai
  22. Job 15:26 Lit with a stiff neck
  23. Job 15:26 Lit the thick-bossed shields
  24. Job 15:28 Or heaps
  25. Job 15:30 Lit turn aside
  26. Job 15:31 Lit exchange
  27. Job 15:34 Lit a bribe
  28. Job 15:35 Or pain
  29. Job 15:35 Lit belly
  30. Job 16:1 Lit answered and said
  31. Job 16:2 Lit Comforters of trouble
  32. Job 16:4 Lit your soul were in place of my soul
  33. Job 16:9 Lit borne a grudge against me
  34. Job 16:9 Lit sharpens his eyes
  35. Job 16:10 Lit struck
  36. Job 16:19 Or witness
  37. Job 16:20 Or drips
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Job 13
Job 17
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New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995)

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

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