Job 17
New King James Version
Job Prays for Relief
17 “My spirit is broken,
My days are extinguished,
(A)The grave is ready for me.
2 Are not mockers with me?
And does not my eye [a]dwell on their (B)provocation?
3 “Now put down a pledge for me with Yourself.
Who is he who (C)will shake hands with me?
4 For You have hidden their heart from (D)understanding;
Therefore You will not exalt them.
5 He who speaks flattery to his friends,
Even the eyes of his children will (E)fail.
6 “But He has made me (F)a byword of the people,
And I have become one in whose face men spit.
7 (G)My eye has also grown dim because of sorrow,
And all my members are like shadows.
8 Upright men are astonished at this,
And the innocent stirs himself up against the hypocrite.
9 Yet the righteous will hold to his (H)way,
And he who has (I)clean hands will be stronger and stronger.
10 “But please, (J)come back again, [b]all of you,
For I shall not find one wise man among you.
11 (K)My days are past,
My purposes are broken off,
Even the [c]thoughts of my heart.
12 They change the night into day;
‘The light is near,’ they say, in the face of darkness.
13 If I wait for the grave as my house,
If I make my bed in the darkness,
14 If I say to corruption, ‘You are my father,’
And to the worm, ‘You are my mother and my sister,’
15 Where then is my (L)hope?
As for my hope, who can see it?
16 Will they go down (M)to the gates of [d]Sheol?
Shall we have (N)rest together in the dust?”
Job 17
Wycliffe Bible
17 My spirit shall be made feeble; my days shall be made short, and only the sepulchre is left to me. (My breath shall be made weak; my days shall be made short, and only the grave, or a tomb, is left to me.)
2 I have not sinned, and mine eye dwelleth in bitternesses. (I have not sinned, and yet I see their bitterness toward me.)
3 Lord, deliver thou me, and set me beside thee; and the hand of each man fight against me. (Lord, save thou me, and put me beside thee; then let someone try to fight against me!)
4 Thou hast made the heart of them far from doctrine, that is, (far) from knowing of (the) truth; therefore they shall not be enhanced (and so thou shalt not let them triumph).
5 He promiseth prey to his fellows, and the eyes of his sons shall fail (yet the eyes of his sons shall fail).
6 He hath set [me] as into a proverb of the common people, and his ensample before them.
7 Mine eye dimmed at [the] indignation (My eyes dimmed with grief); and my members be driven as into nought.
8 Just men shall wonder on this thing; and an innocent shall be raised up against an hypocrite.
9 And a just man shall hold his way, and he shall add strength to clean hands. (The righteous shall hold to their way, and he who hath clean hands shall be made even stronger.)
10 Therefore all ye be turned again, and come ye; and I shall not find in you any wise man. (And so come now, let all of you try again; for thus far, I have not found a wise man among you.)
11 My days be passed; my thoughts be scattered, tormenting mine heart.
12 Those have turned the night into day; and again after darknesses hope (for) light. (They have turned the night into day; and then again after darkness, hope for some light.)
13 If I sustain, either suffer patiently, hell is mine house; and I have arrayed my bed in darknesses. (If I endure, Sheol, or the grave, shall be my house; and I shall array my bed in darkness.)
14 I said to rot (And I shall say to rot), Thou art my father; and to worms, Ye be my mother, and my sister.
15 Therefore where is now mine abiding? and who beholdeth my patience?
16 All my things shall go down into [the] deepest hell; guessest thou, whether rest shall be to me, namely there. (All my thoughts shall go down into Sheol; thinkest thou, that there shall be any rest for me there?)
Job 17
King James Version
17 My breath is corrupt, my days are extinct, the graves are ready for me.
2 Are there not mockers with me? and doth not mine eye continue in their provocation?
3 Lay down now, put me in a surety with thee; who is he that will strike hands with me?
4 For thou hast hid their heart from understanding: therefore shalt thou not exalt them.
5 He that speaketh flattery to his friends, even the eyes of his children shall fail.
6 He hath made me also a byword of the people; and aforetime I was as a tabret.
7 Mine eye also is dim by reason of sorrow, and all my members are as a shadow.
8 Upright men shall be astonied at this, and the innocent shall stir up himself against the hypocrite.
9 The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger.
10 But as for you all, do ye return, and come now: for I cannot find one wise man among you.
11 My days are past, my purposes are broken off, even the thoughts of my heart.
12 They change the night into day: the light is short because of darkness.
13 If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness.
14 I have said to corruption, Thou art my father: to the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister.
15 And where is now my hope? as for my hope, who shall see it?
16 They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when our rest together is in the dust.
Job 17
English Standard Version
Job Continues: Where Then Is My Hope?
17 “My spirit is broken; my days are (A)extinct;
(B)the graveyard is ready for me.
2 Surely there are mockers about me,
and my eye dwells on their (C)provocation.
3 “Lay down a pledge for me with you;
who is there who will put up (D)security for me?
4 Since you have closed their hearts to understanding,
therefore you will not let them triumph.
5 He who informs against his friends to get a share of their property—
the (E)eyes of his children will fail.
6 “He has made me (F)a byword of the peoples,
and I am one before whom men spit.
7 My (G)eye has grown dim from vexation,
and all my members are like (H)a shadow.
8 The upright are (I)appalled at this,
and the innocent stirs himself up against the godless.
9 Yet the righteous holds to his way,
and he who has (J)clean hands grows stronger and stronger.
10 But you, (K)come on again, all of you,
and I shall not find a wise man among you.
11 My (L)days are past; my plans are broken off,
the desires of my heart.
12 They (M)make night into day:
‘The light,’ they say, ‘is near to the darkness.’[a]
13 If I hope for (N)Sheol as (O)my house,
if I make my bed in darkness,
14 if I say to the pit, ‘You are my father,’
and to the worm, ‘My mother,’ or ‘My sister,’
15 where then is my hope?
Who will see my hope?
16 Will it go down to the bars of (P)Sheol?
Shall we (Q)descend together (R)into the dust?”[b]
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
2001 by Terence P. Noble
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
