Job 19
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Job’s Reply to Bildad
19 Then Job answered:
2 How long will you torment me
and crush me with words?
3 You have humiliated me ten times now,
and you mistreat[a] me without shame.(A)
4 Even if it is true that I have sinned,
my mistake concerns only[b] me.
5 If you really want to appear superior(B) to me
and would use my disgrace as evidence against me,
6 then understand that it is God who has wronged me
and caught me in His net.(C)
7 I cry out: “Violence!” but get no response;(D)
I call for help, but there is no justice.
8 He has blocked(E) my way so that I cannot pass through;
He has veiled my paths with darkness.(F)
9 He has stripped me of my honor
and removed the crown from my head.
10 He tears me down on every side so that I am ruined.[c]
He uproots my hope like a tree.(G)
11 His anger(H) burns against me,
and He regards me as one of His enemies.(I)
12 His troops advance together;
they construct a ramp[d] against me
and camp(J) around my tent.
13 He has removed my brothers from me;
my acquaintances have abandoned me.(K)
14 My relatives stop coming by,
and my close friends have forgotten me.
15 My house guests[e] and female servants regard me as a stranger;
I am a foreigner in their sight.(L)
16 I call for my servant, but he does not answer,
even if I beg him with my own mouth.
17 My breath is offensive to my wife,
and my own family[f] finds me repulsive.
18 Even young boys scorn me.
When I stand up, they mock me.(M)
19 All of my best friends[g] despise me,(N)
and those I love have turned against me.(O)
20 My skin and my flesh cling to my bones;
I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.
21 Have mercy on me, my friends,(P) have mercy,
for God’s hand(Q) has struck me.(R)
22 Why do you persecute me as God does?
Will you never get enough of my flesh?
23 I wish that my words were written down,
that they were recorded on a scroll
24 or were inscribed in stone forever
by an iron stylus and lead!
25 But I know my living Redeemer,[h](S)
and He will stand on the dust[i] at last.[j](T)
26 Even after my skin has been destroyed,[k]
yet I will see God in[l] my flesh.(U)
27 I will see Him myself;
my eyes will look at Him, and not as a stranger.[m]
My heart longs[n] within me.(V)
28 If you say, “How will we pursue him,
since the root of the problem lies with him?”[o]
29 then be afraid of the sword,
because wrath brings punishment by the sword,(W)
so that you may know there is a judgment.
Footnotes
- Job 19:3 Hb obscure
- Job 19:4 Lit mistake lives with
- Job 19:10 Lit gone
- Job 19:12 Lit they raise up their way
- Job 19:15 Or The resident aliens in my household
- Job 19:17 Lit and the sons of my belly
- Job 19:19 Lit of the men of my council
- Job 19:25 Or know that my Redeemer is living
- Job 19:25 Or earth
- Job 19:25 Or dust at the last, or dust as the Last One
- Job 19:26 Lit skin which they destroyed, or skin they destroyed in this way
- Job 19:26 Or apart from
- Job 19:27 Or not a stranger
- Job 19:27 Lit My kidneys grow faint
- Job 19:28 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg; other Hb mss read me
Job 19
New King James Version
Job Trusts in His Redeemer
19 Then Job answered and said:
2 “How long will you torment my soul,
And break me in pieces with words?
3 These ten times you have [a]reproached me;
You are not ashamed that you [b]have wronged me.
4 And if indeed I have erred,
My error remains with me.
5 If indeed you (A)exalt yourselves against me,
And plead my disgrace against me,
6 Know then that (B)God has wronged me,
And has surrounded me with His net.
7 “If I cry out concerning [c]wrong, I am not heard.
If I cry aloud, there is no justice.
8 (C)He has [d]fenced up my way, so that I cannot pass;
And He has set darkness in my paths.
9 (D)He has stripped me of my glory,
And taken the crown from my head.
10 He breaks me down on every side,
And I am gone;
My (E)hope He has uprooted like a tree.
11 He has also kindled His wrath against me,
And (F)He counts me as one of His enemies.
12 His troops come together
And build up their road against me;
They encamp all around my tent.
13 “He(G) has removed my brothers far from me,
And my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.
14 My relatives have failed,
And my close friends have forgotten me.
15 Those who dwell in my house, and my maidservants,
Count me as a stranger;
I am an alien in their sight.
16 I call my servant, but he gives no answer;
I beg him with my mouth.
17 My breath is offensive to my wife,
And I am [e]repulsive to the children of my own body.
18 Even (H)young children despise me;
I arise, and they speak against me.
19 (I)All my close friends abhor me,
And those whom I love have turned against me.
20 (J)My bone clings to my skin and to my flesh,
And I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.
21 “Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends,
For the hand of God has struck me!
22 Why do you (K)persecute me as God does,
And are not satisfied with my flesh?
23 “Oh, that my words were written!
Oh, that they were inscribed in a book!
24 That they were engraved on a rock
With an iron pen and lead, forever!
25 For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth;
26 And after my skin is [f]destroyed, this I know,
That (L)in my flesh I shall see God,
27 Whom I shall see for myself,
And my eyes shall behold, and not another.
How my [g]heart yearns within me!
28 If you should say, ‘How shall we persecute him?’—
Since the root of the matter is found in me,
29 Be afraid of the sword for yourselves;
For wrath brings the punishment of the sword,
That you may know there is a judgment.”
Job 19
English Standard Version
Job Replies: My Redeemer Lives
19 Then Job answered and said:
2 “How long will you torment me
and break me in pieces with words?
3 These (A)ten times you have cast reproach upon me;
are you not ashamed to wrong me?
4 And even if it be true that I have erred,
my error remains with myself.
5 If indeed you (B)magnify yourselves against me
and make my disgrace an argument against me,
6 know then that God has (C)put me in the wrong
and closed his net about me.
7 Behold, I (D)cry out, ‘Violence!’ but I am not answered;
I call for help, but there is no justice.
8 He has (E)walled up my way, so that I cannot pass,
and he has set darkness upon my paths.
9 He has (F)stripped from me my glory
and taken the (G)crown from my head.
10 He breaks me down on every side, and I (H)am gone,
and my hope has he pulled up like a tree.
11 He has kindled his wrath against me
and (I)counts me as his adversary.
12 His (J)troops come on together;
they have (K)cast up their siege ramp[a] against me
and encamp around my tent.
13 “He has put my (L)brothers far from me,
and (M)those who knew me are wholly estranged from me.
14 My relatives (N)have failed me,
my close (O)friends have forgotten me.
15 The guests (P)in my house and my maidservants count me as a stranger;
I have become a foreigner in their eyes.
16 I call to my servant, but he gives me no answer;
I must plead with him with my mouth for mercy.
17 My breath is strange to my (Q)wife,
and I am a stench to the children of (R)my own mother.
18 Even young (S)children despise me;
when I rise they talk against me.
19 All my (T)intimate friends abhor me,
and those whom I loved have turned against me.
20 My (U)bones stick to my skin and to my flesh,
and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.
21 Have mercy on me, have mercy on me, O you my friends,
for the hand of God has (V)touched me!
22 Why do you, like God, (W)pursue me?
Why are you not satisfied with my flesh?
23 “Oh that my words were written!
Oh that they were (X)inscribed in a book!
24 Oh that with an iron (Y)pen and lead
they were engraved in the rock forever!
25 For I (Z)know that my (AA)Redeemer lives,
and at the last he will stand upon the (AB)earth.[b]
26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed,
yet in[c] my flesh I shall (AC)see God,
27 whom I shall see for myself,
and my eyes shall behold, and not (AD)another.
My heart (AE)faints within me!
28 If you say, ‘How we will (AF)pursue him!’
and, ‘The root of the matter is found in him,’[d]
29 be afraid of the sword,
for wrath brings the punishment of the sword,
that you may know there is (AG)a judgment.”
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
