Job 17
New Century Version
17 My spirit is broken;
the days of my life are almost gone.
The grave is waiting for me.
2 Those who laugh at me surround me;
I watch them insult me.
3 “God, make me a promise.
No one will make a pledge for me.
4 You have closed their minds to understanding.
Do not let them win over me.
5 People might speak against their friends for money,
but if they do, the eyes of their children go blind.
6 “God has made my name a curse word;
people spit in my face.
7 My sight has grown weak because of my sadness,
and my body is as thin as a shadow.
8 Honest people are upset about this;
innocent people are upset with those who do wrong.
9 But those who do right will continue to do right,
and those whose hands are not dirty with sin will grow stronger.
10 “But, all of you, come and try again!
I do not find a wise person among you.
11 My days are gone, and my plans have been destroyed,
along with the desires of my heart.
12 These men think night is day;
when it is dark, they say, ‘Light is near.’
13 If the only home I hope for is the grave,
if I spread out my bed in darkness,
14 if I say to the grave, ‘You are my father,’
and to the worm, ‘You are my mother’ or ‘You are my sister,’
15 where, then, is my hope?
Who can see any hope for me?
16 Will hope go down to the gates of death?
Will we go down together into the dust?”
Job 17
Evangelical Heritage Version
17 My spirit is broken.
My days are snuffed out.
The tomb is waiting for me.
2 Surely mockery closes in on me.
My eyes must live with my enemies’ bitter contempt.
3 Please pay for me the deposit that you require from me.
Indeed, who else could guarantee this payment for me?
4 You have hidden understanding from their hearts.
Therefore, you will not let them win.
5 If someone denounces friends for a payoff,
his children’s eyes will fail.
6 He has made me a laughingstock among the people.
They spit in my face.
7 My vision is blurry from grief.
I am just a shadow of myself.
8 The upright are appalled at this,
and the innocent are aroused against the godless.
9 In spite of it all, the righteous hold tight to their ways,
and everyone with clean hands grows stronger.
10 All right then—all of you, please come and try again,
but I will not find a wise man among you.
11 My days have passed.
All the things I planned to do are ripped apart,
including the deepest desires of my heart.
12 They turn night into day.
In the face of darkness, they claim light is near.
13 If I wait hopefully for the grave to become my house,
if I spread out my bed in the darkness,
14 if I cry out to the pit, “You are my father,”
and to the worm, “My mother” or “My sister,”
15 where then is my hope?
Who can find any hope for me?
16 Will it go down with me to the barred gates of the grave?
Will we rest in the dust together?
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.