Job 16-21
New American Standard Bible
Job Says Friends Are Miserable Comforters
16 Then Job responded,
2 “I have heard many things like these;
[a](A)Miserable comforters are you all!
3 Is there no end to (B)windy words?
Or what provokes you that you answer?
4 I too could speak like you,
If only [b]I were in your place.
I could compose words against you
And (C)shake my head at you.
5 Or I could strengthen you with my mouth,
And the condolence of my lips could lessen your pain.
Job Says God Shattered Him
6 “If I speak, (D)my pain is not lessened,
And if I refrain, what pain leaves me?
7 But now He has (E)exhausted me;
You have laid (F)waste all my group of loved ones.
8 And you have shriveled me up,
[c](G)It has become a witness;
And my (H)infirmity rises up against me,
It testifies to my face.
9 His anger has (I)torn me and [d]hunted me down,
He has (J)gnashed at me with His teeth;
My (K)enemy [e]glares at me.
10 They have (L)gaped at me with their mouths,
They have [f](M)slapped me on the cheek with contempt;
They have (N)massed themselves against me.
11 God hands me over to criminals,
And tosses me into the hands of the wicked.
12 I was at ease, but (O)He shattered me,
And He has grasped me by my neck and shaken me to pieces;
He has also set me up as His (P)target.
13 His (Q)arrows surround me.
He splits my kidneys open without mercy;
He pours out (R)my bile on the ground.
14 He (S)breaks through me with breach after breach;
He (T)runs at me like a warrior.
15 I have sewed (U)sackcloth over my skin,
And (V)thrust my horn in the dust.
16 My face is flushed from (W)weeping,
(X)And deep darkness is on my eyelids,
17 Although there is no (Y)violence in my hands,
And (Z)my prayer is pure.
18 “Earth, do not cover my blood,
And may there be no resting place for my cry.
19 Even now, behold, (AA)my witness is in heaven,
And my [g]advocate is (AB)on high.
20 My friends are my scoffers;
(AC)My eye weeps to God,
21 That one might plead for a man with God
As a son of man with his neighbor!
22 For when a few years are past,
I shall go the way (AD)of no return.
Job Says He Has Become a Proverb
17 “My spirit is broken, my days are extinguished,
The [h](AE)grave is ready for me.
2 (AF)Mockers are certainly with me,
And my eye [i]gazes on their provocation.
3 “Make a pledge (AG)for me with Yourself;
Who is there that will [j]be my guarantor?
4 For You have [k](AH)kept their hearts away from understanding;
Therefore You will not exalt them.
5 He who (AI)informs against friends for a share of the spoils,
The (AJ)eyes of his children also will perish.
6 “But He has made me a (AK)proverb among the people,
And I am [l]one at whom people (AL)spit.
7 My eye has also become (AM)inexpressive because of grief,
And all my (AN)body parts are like a shadow.
8 The upright will be appalled at this,
And the (AO)innocent will stir himself up against the godless.
9 Nevertheless (AP)the righteous will hold to his way,
And (AQ)the one who has clean hands will grow stronger and stronger.
10 But come again all of [m]you now,
For I (AR)do not find a wise man among you.
11 My (AS)days are past, my plans are torn apart,
The wishes of my heart.
12 They make night into day, saying,
‘The light is near,’ in the presence of darkness.
13 If I hope for [n](AT)Sheol as my home,
I [o]make my bed in the darkness;
14 If I call to the (AU)grave, ‘You are my father’;
To the (AV)maggot, ‘my mother and my sister’;
15 Where then is (AW)my hope?
And who looks at my hope?
16 [p]Will it go down with me to Sheol?
Shall we together (AX)go down into the dust?”
Bildad Speaks of the Wicked
18 Then Bildad the Shuhite responded,
2 “How long will you hunt for words?
Show understanding, and then we can talk.
3 Why are we (AY)regarded as animals,
As stupid in your eyes?
4 [q]You who tear yourself in your anger—
Should the earth be abandoned for your sake,
Or the rock moved from its place?
5 “Indeed, the (AZ)light of the wicked goes out,
And the spark from his fire does not shine.
6 The light in his tent is (BA)darkened,
And his lamp goes out above him.
7 His [r]vigorous stride is shortened,
And his (BB)own plan brings him down.
8 For he is (BC)thrown into the net by his own feet,
And he steps on the webbing.
9 A snare seizes him by the heel,
And a trap snaps shut on him.
10 A noose for him is hidden in the ground,
And a trap for him on the pathway.
11 All around (BD)sudden terrors frighten him,
And (BE)harass him at every step.
12 His strength is (BF)famished,
And disaster is ready at his side.
13 [s]It devours parts of his skin,
The firstborn of death (BG)devours his [t]limbs.
14 He is (BH)torn from [u]the security of his tent,
And [v]they march him before the king of (BI)terrors.
15 [w]Nothing of his dwells in his tent;
(BJ)Brimstone is scattered on his home.
16 His (BK)roots are dried below,
And his (BL)branch withers above.
17 (BM)The memory of him perishes from the earth,
And he has no name abroad.
18 [x]He is driven from light (BN)into darkness,
And (BO)chased from the inhabited world.
19 He has no (BP)offspring or descendants among his people,
Nor any survivor where he resided.
20 Those in the west are appalled at (BQ)his [y]fate,
And those in the east are seized with horror.
21 Certainly these are the (BR)dwellings of the wicked,
And this is the place of him who does not know God.”
Job Feels Insulted
19 Then Job responded,
2 “How long will you torment [z]me
And crush me with words?
3 These ten times you have insulted me;
You are not ashamed to wrong me.
4 Even if I have truly done wrong,
My error stays with me.
5 If indeed you (BS)exalt yourselves against me
And prove my disgrace to me,
6 Know then that (BT)God has wronged me
And has surrounded me with (BU)His net.
Everything Is Against Him
7 “Behold, (BV)I cry, ‘Violence!’ but I get no answer;
I shout for help, but there is no justice.
8 He has (BW)blocked my way so that I cannot pass,
And He has put (BX)darkness on my paths.
9 He has (BY)stripped my honor from me
And removed the (BZ)crown from my head.
10 He (CA)breaks me down on every side, and I am gone;
And He has uprooted my (CB)hope (CC)like a tree.
11 He has also (CD)kindled His anger against me
And (CE)considered me as His enemy.
12 His (CF)troops come together
And (CG)build up their [aa]way against me
And camp around my tent.
13 “He has (CH)removed my brothers far from me,
And my (CI)acquaintances have completely turned away from me.
14 My relatives have failed,
And my (CJ)close friends have forgotten me.
15 Those who live in my house and my servant women consider me a stranger.
I am a foreigner in their sight.
16 I call to my servant, but he does not answer;
I have to implore his favor with my mouth.
17 My breath is offensive to my wife,
And I am loathsome to my own brothers.
18 Even young children despise me;
I stand up and they speak against me.
19 All [ab]my (CK)associates loathe me,
And those I love have turned against me.
20 My (CL)bone clings to my skin and my flesh,
And I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.
21 Pity me, pity me, you friends of mine,
For the (CM)hand of God has struck me.
22 Why do you (CN)persecute me as God does,
And are not satisfied with my flesh?
Job Says My Redeemer Lives
23 “Oh that my words were written!
Oh that they were (CO)recorded in a book!
24 That with an iron stylus and lead
They were engraved in the rock forever!
25 Yet as for me, I know that (CP)my Redeemer lives,
And at the last, He will take His stand on the [ac]earth.
26 Even after my skin [ad]is destroyed,
Yet from my flesh I will (CQ)see God,
27 Whom I, on my part, shall behold for myself,
And whom my eyes will see, and not another.
My [ae]heart (CR)faints [af]within me!
28 If you say, ‘How shall we (CS)persecute him?’
And ‘[ag]What pretext for a case against him can we find?’
29 Then be afraid of (CT)the sword for yourselves,
For wrath brings the punishment of the sword,
So that you may know (CU)there is judgment.”
Zophar Says the Rejoicing of the Wicked Is Short
20 Then Zophar the Naamathite responded,
2 “Therefore my disquieting thoughts make me [ah]respond,
Even because of my [ai]inward agitation.
3 I listened to (CV)the reprimand which insults me,
And the spirit of my understanding makes me answer.
4 Do you know this from (CW)ancient times,
From the establishment of mankind on earth,
5 That the (CX)rejoicing of the wicked is short,
And (CY)the joy of the godless momentary?
6 Though his arrogance [aj](CZ)reaches the heavens,
And his head touches the clouds,
7 He (DA)perishes forever like his refuse;
Those who have seen him (DB)will say, ‘Where is he?’
8 He flies away like a (DC)dream, and they cannot find him;
Like a vision of the night he is (DD)chased away.
9 The (DE)eye which saw him sees him no longer,
And (DF)his place no longer beholds him.
10 His (DG)sons [ak]favor the poor,
And his hands (DH)give back his wealth.
11 His (DI)bones are full of his youthful strength,
But it lies down with him [al]in the dust.
12 “Though (DJ)evil tastes sweet in his mouth
And he hides it under his tongue,
13 Though he [am]desires it and will not let it go,
But holds it (DK)in his [an]mouth,
14 Yet his food in his stomach is changed
To the [ao]venom of cobras within him.
15 He swallows riches,
But will (DL)vomit them up;
God will expel them from his belly.
16 He sucks (DM)the poison of cobras;
The viper’s tongue kills him.
17 He does not look at (DN)the streams,
The rivers flowing with honey and curds.
18 He (DO)returns the product of his labor
And cannot swallow it;
As to the riches of his trading,
He cannot even enjoy them.
19 For he has (DP)oppressed and neglected the poor;
He has seized a house which he has not built.
20 “Because he knew no quiet [ap]within him,
He does (DQ)not retain anything he desires.
21 Nothing remains [aq]for him to devour,
Therefore (DR)his prosperity does not endure.
22 In the fullness of his excess he will be cramped;
The (DS)hand of everyone who suffers will come against him.
23 When he (DT)fills his belly,
God will send His fierce anger on him
And (DU)rain it on him [ar]while he is eating.
24 He may (DV)flee from the iron weapon,
But the bronze bow will pierce him.
25 It is drawn and comes out of his back,
Even the flashing point from (DW)his gallbladder;
(DX)Terrors come upon him,
26 Complete (DY)darkness is held in reserve for his treasures,
And unfanned (DZ)fire will devour him;
It will consume the survivor in his tent.
27 The (EA)heavens will reveal his guilt,
And the earth will rise up against him.
28 The (EB)increase of his house will disappear;
His possessions will flow away (EC)on the day of His anger.
29 This is a wicked person’s (ED)portion from God,
The inheritance decreed to him by God.”
Job Says God Will Deal with the Wicked
21 Then Job responded,
2 “Listen carefully to my speech,
And let this be your way of consolation.
3 Bear with me that I may speak;
Then after I have spoken, you may (EE)mock me.
4 As for me, is (EF)my complaint [as]to a mortal?
Or (EG)why should [at]I not be impatient?
5 Look at me, and be astonished,
And (EH)put your hand over your mouth.
6 Even when I remember, I am disturbed,
And (EI)horror takes hold of my flesh.
7 Why (EJ)do the wicked still live,
Grow old, and also become very [au](EK)powerful?
8 Their [av](EL)descendants endure with them in their sight,
And their offspring before their eyes,
9 Their houses (EM)are safe from fear,
And the [aw]rod of God is not on them.
10 His ox mates [ax]without fail;
His cow calves and does not miscarry.
11 They send out their boys like the flock,
And their children dance.
12 They [ay]sing with the tambourine and harp,
And rejoice at the sound of the flute.
13 They (EN)spend their days in prosperity,
And [az]suddenly they go down to [ba]Sheol.
14 Yet they say to God, ‘(EO)Go away from us!
We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways.
15 [bb]Who is [bc]the Almighty, that we should serve Him,
And (EP)what would we gain if we plead with Him?’
16 Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand;
The (EQ)advice of the wicked is far from me.
17 “How often is (ER)the lamp of the wicked put out,
Or does their (ES)disaster fall on them?
Does [bd]God apportion destruction in His anger?
18 Are they as (ET)straw before the wind,
And like (EU)chaff which the storm carries away?
19 You say, ‘(EV)God saves up [be]a person’s [bf]wrongdoing for his sons.’
Let [bg]God repay him so that he may know it.
20 Let his (EW)own eyes see his destruction,
And let him (EX)drink of the wrath of [bh]the Almighty.
21 For what does he care about his household [bi]after him,
When the number of his months is at an end?
22 Can anyone (EY)teach God knowledge,
In that He (EZ)judges those on high?
23 One (FA)dies in his full strength,
Being wholly undisturbed and at ease;
24 His [bj]sides are filled with fat,
And the (FB)marrow of his bones is wet,
25 While another dies with a bitter soul,
Never even [bk]tasting anything good.
26 Together they (FC)lie down in the dust,
And (FD)maggots cover them.
27 “Behold, I know your thoughts,
And the plots you devise against me.
28 For you say, ‘Where is the house of (FE)the nobleman,
And where is the (FF)tent, the dwelling places of the wicked?’
29 Have you not asked travelers,
And do you not examine their [bl]evidence?
30 For the (FG)wicked person is spared [bm]a day of disaster;
They [bn]are led away from (FH)a day of fury.
31 Who [bo]confronts him with his actions,
And who repays him for what he has done?
32 When he is carried to the grave,
People will keep watch over his tomb.
33 The (FI)clods of the valley will [bp]gently cover him;
Moreover, (FJ)all mankind will [bq]follow after him,
While countless others go before him.
34 So how dare you give me empty (FK)comfort?
For your answers remain nothing but falsehood!”
Footnotes
- Job 16:2 Lit Comforters of trouble
- Job 16:4 Lit your soul were in place of my soul
- Job 16:8 I.e., Job’s condition
- Job 16:9 Lit borne a grudge against me
- Job 16:9 Lit sharpens his eyes
- Job 16:10 Lit struck
- Job 16:19 Or witness
- Job 17:1 Lit graves are
- Job 17:2 Lit dwells
- Job 17:3 Lit strike hands with me
- Job 17:4 Lit hidden
- Job 17:6 Lit a spitting to the faces
- Job 17:10 As in some mss and ancient versions; MT them
- Job 17:13 I.e., the netherworld
- Job 17:13 Lit spread out
- Job 17:16 As in LXX; Heb possibly Let my limbs sink down to Sheol, since there is rest in the dust for all.
- Job 18:4 Lit The one who tears himself in his
- Job 18:7 Lit steps of his strength
- Job 18:13 Another reading is His skin is devoured by illness
- Job 18:13 Or parts
- Job 18:14 Lit his tent his trust
- Job 18:14 Lit you march or she marches
- Job 18:15 Another reading is Fire dwells in his tent
- Job 18:18 Lit They drive him...And chase him
- Job 18:20 Lit day
- Job 19:2 Lit my soul
- Job 19:12 I.e., siege ramp
- Job 19:19 Lit the men of my council
- Job 19:25 Lit dust
- Job 19:26 Lit which they have cut off
- Job 19:27 Lit kidneys
- Job 19:27 Lit in my loins
- Job 19:28 Or the root of the matter is found in him
- Job 20:2 Lit return
- Job 20:2 Lit haste within me
- Job 20:6 Lit goes up to
- Job 20:10 Or seek the favor of
- Job 20:11 Lit on
- Job 20:13 Lit spares it
- Job 20:13 Lit palate
- Job 20:14 Lit gall
- Job 20:20 Lit in his belly
- Job 20:21 Or of what he devours
- Job 20:23 Or as his food
- Job 21:4 Or against
- Job 21:4 Lit my spirit
- Job 21:7 Or superior
- Job 21:8 Lit seed
- Job 21:9 I.e., punishment
- Job 21:10 Lit and does not fail
- Job 21:12 Lit lifted up the voice
- Job 21:13 Or in peacefulness
- Job 21:13 I.e., the netherworld
- Job 21:15 Lit What
- Job 21:15 Heb Shaddai
- Job 21:17 Lit He
- Job 21:19 Lit his
- Job 21:19 Or disaster
- Job 21:19 Lit Him
- Job 21:20 Heb Shaddai
- Job 21:21 I.e., after he dies
- Job 21:24 As in Syriac; Heb uncertain. Some render as his pails are full of milk
- Job 21:25 Lit eating
- Job 21:29 Lit signs
- Job 21:30 Or for the day
- Job 21:30 Or will be led to the day
- Job 21:31 Lit declares his way to his face
- Job 21:33 Lit be sweet to him
- Job 21:33 Lit draw
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.