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Job 19
New American Bible (Revised Edition)

Chapter 19

Job’s Fifth Reply. 1 [a]Then Job answered and said:

2 How long will you afflict my spirit,
    grind me down with words?
3 These ten times you have humiliated me,
    have assailed me without shame!
4 Even if it were true that I am at fault,
    my fault would remain with me;
5 If truly you exalt yourselves at my expense,
    and use my shame as an argument against me,
6 Know then that it is God who has dealt unfairly with me,
    and compassed me round with his net.
7 If I cry out “Violence!” I am not answered.(A)
    I shout for help, but there is no justice.
8 He has barred my way and I cannot pass;
    veiled my path in darkness;
9 He has stripped me of my glory,
    taken the diadem from my brow.
10 He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone;
    he has uprooted my hope like a tree.
11 He has kindled his wrath against me;
    he counts me one of his enemies.(B)
12 His troops advance as one;
    they build up their road to attack me,
    encamp around my tent.
13 My family has withdrawn from me,(C)
    my friends are wholly estranged.
14 My relatives and companions neglect me,
    my guests have forgotten me.
15 Even my maidservants consider me a stranger;
    I am a foreigner in their sight.
16 I call my servant, but he gives no answer,
    though I plead aloud with him.
17 My breath is abhorrent to my wife;(D)
    I am loathsome to my very children.
18 Even young children despise me;
    when I appear, they speak against me.
19 All my intimate friends hold me in horror;
    those whom I loved have turned against me!(E)
20 My bones cling to my skin,
    and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.[b]
21 Pity me, pity me, you my friends,
    for the hand of God has struck me!
22 Why do you pursue me like God,
    and prey insatiably upon me?
23 Oh, would that my words were written down!(F)
    Would that they were inscribed in a record:[c]
24 That with an iron chisel and with lead
    they were cut in the rock forever!
25 As for me, I know that my vindicator lives,[d]
    and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust.(G)
26 This will happen when my skin has been stripped off,
    and from my flesh I will see God:
27 I will see for myself,
    my own eyes, not another’s, will behold him:
    my inmost being is consumed with longing.
28 But you who say, “How shall we persecute him,
    seeing that the root of the matter is found in him?”
29 Be afraid of the sword for yourselves,
    for your anger is a crime deserving the sword;
    that you may know that there is a judgment.

Footnotes

  1. 19:1 Job continues railing against his friends (vv. 2–5), and describing God’s savage attack in words reminiscent of 16:9–17.
  2. 19:20 Skin of my teeth: although the metaphor is not clear, this has become a proverbial expression for a narrow escape. It does not fit Job’s situation here.
  3. 19:23–24 What Job is about to say is so important that he wants it recorded in a permanent manner.
  4. 19:25–27 The meaning of this passage is obscure because the original text has been poorly preserved and the ancient versions do not agree among themselves. Job asserts three times that he shall see a future vindicator (Hebrew goel), but he leaves the time and manner of this vindication undefined. The Vulgate translation has Job indicating a belief in resurrection after death, but the Hebrew and the other ancient versions are less specific.
Listen to Job 19
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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.”

Footnotes

  1. Job 19:3 shamed or disgraced
  2. Job 19:3 A Jewish tradition make yourselves strange to me
  3. Job 19:7 violence
  4. Job 19:8 walled off my way
  5. Job 19:17 Lit. strange
  6. Job 19:26 Lit. struck off
  7. Job 19:27 Lit. kidneys
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Job 19
Lexham English Bible

Job’s Sixth Speech: A Response to Bildad

19 Then[a] Job answered and said,

2 “How long[b] will you[c] torment me[d]
and crush me with words?
3 These ten times you[e] have disgraced me;
you[f] are not ashamed that you[g] have attacked[h] me.
4 And what is more, if I have truly erred,
my error remains with me.
5 If indeed you[i] must magnify yourselves against me,
and you[j] must let my disgrace argue against me,
6 know then that God has wronged me
and has surrounded me with his net.
7 “Look, I cry out, ‘Violence!’ but[k] I am not answered;
I cry out, but[l] there is no justice.
8 He has walled up my way so that[m] I cannot pass;
and he has set darkness upon my paths.
9 He has taken my glory from me,
and he has removed the crown of[n] my head.
10 He has broken me down all around, and I am gone.
And he has uprooted my hope like a tree,
11 and he has kindled his wrath against me,
and he has counted me as one of his foes.[o]
12 His troops have come together
and have thrown up their rampart[p] against me
and have encamped around my tent.
13 “He has removed my kinsfolk from me,
and my acquaintances have only[q] turned aside from me.
14 My relatives have failed,
and my close friends have forgotten me.
15 The sojourners in[r] my house and my slave women count me as a stranger;
I have become a foreigner in their eyes.
16 I call to my servant, but[s] he does not answer;
I must personally[t] plead with him.
17 My breath is repulsive to my wife,
and I am loathsome to my own family.[u]
18 Little boys also despise me;
when I rise, then[v] they talk against me.
19 All my intimate friends[w] abhor me,
and these whom I have loved have turned against me.
20 My bones[x] cling to my skin and to my flesh,
and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.
21 “Pity me, pity me, you my friends,
for God’s hand has touched me.
22 Why do you[y] pursue me like God?
And are not satisfied with my flesh?
23 “O that[z] my words could be written down!
O that they could be inscribed in a scroll![aa]
24 That with a pen of iron and with lead
they might be engraved on a rock forever!
25 But[ab] I myself[ac] know that my redeemer is alive,
and at the last he will stand up upon the earth.[ad]
26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed,
but[ae] from[af] my flesh I will see God,
27 whom I will see for myself,[ag]
and whom my eyes will see and not a stranger.[ah]
My heart faints within me.[ai]
28 “If you[aj] say, ‘How will we persecute him?’
And ‘The root of the trouble is found’ in me,[ak]
29 be afraid for yourselves because of the sword,[al]
for wrath brings punishment by[am] the sword,
so that you may know that there is judgment.”

Footnotes

  1. Job 19:1 Hebrew “And”
  2. Job 19:2 Literally “Until when”
  3. Job 19:2 Plural
  4. Job 19:2 Hebrew “my soul,” or “my self”
  5. Job 19:3 Plural
  6. Job 19:3 Plural
  7. Job 19:3 Plural
  8. Job 19:3 Or “astonished”
  9. Job 19:5 Plural
  10. Job 19:5 Plural
  11. Job 19:7 Or “and”
  12. Job 19:7 Hebrew “and”
  13. Job 19:8 Hebrew “and”
  14. Job 19:9 Or “from”
  15. Job 19:11 Literally “he has counted me for him as his foes”
  16. Job 19:12 Or “siege works”; compare NRSV
  17. Job 19:13 Or “completely”
  18. Job 19:15 Or “of”
  19. Job 19:16 Hebrew “and”
  20. Job 19:16 Literally “with my mouth”
  21. Job 19:17 Literally “to the children of my womb”
  22. Job 19:18 Hebrew “and”
  23. Job 19:19 Literally “the men of the circle of my confidants”
  24. Job 19:20 Collective singular
  25. Job 19:22 Plural
  26. Job 19:23 Literally “Who then shall give and”
  27. Job 19:23 Literally “Who shall give in the scroll and they could be inscribed”
  28. Job 19:25 Hebrew “And”
  29. Job 19:25 Emphatic personal pronoun
  30. Job 19:25 Literally “dust”
  31. Job 19:26 Hebrew “and”
  32. Job 19:26 Or “without”
  33. Job 19:27 Literally “I myself will see for myself”; emphatic personal pronoun as subject to the singular verb
  34. Job 19:27 Or “another”
  35. Job 19:27 Literally “My kidneys fail in my lap”; see NRSV
  36. Job 19:28 Plural
  37. Job 19:28 Or “‘The root of the trouble is found’ in him”
  38. Job 19:29 Literally “from the faces of the sword”
  39. Job 19:29 Literally “of”
Listen to Job 19
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Job 19
New International Version

Job

19 Then Job replied:

2 “How long will you torment(A) me
    and crush(B) me with words?
3 Ten times(C) now you have reproached(D) me;
    shamelessly you attack me.
4 If it is true that I have gone astray,
    my error(E) remains my concern alone.
5 If indeed you would exalt yourselves above me(F)
    and use my humiliation against me,
6 then know that God has wronged me(G)
    and drawn his net(H) around me.(I)

7 “Though I cry, ‘Violence!’ I get no response;(J)
    though I call for help,(K) there is no justice.(L)
8 He has blocked my way so I cannot pass;(M)
    he has shrouded my paths in darkness.(N)
9 He has stripped(O) me of my honor(P)
    and removed the crown from my head.(Q)
10 He tears me down(R) on every side till I am gone;
    he uproots my hope(S) like a tree.(T)
11 His anger(U) burns against me;
    he counts me among his enemies.(V)
12 His troops advance in force;(W)
    they build a siege ramp(X) against me
    and encamp around my tent.(Y)

13 “He has alienated my family(Z) from me;
    my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.(AA)
14 My relatives have gone away;
    my closest friends(AB) have forgotten me.
15 My guests(AC) and my female servants(AD) count me a foreigner;
    they look on me as on a stranger.
16 I summon my servant, but he does not answer,
    though I beg him with my own mouth.
17 My breath is offensive to my wife;
    I am loathsome(AE) to my own family.
18 Even the little boys(AF) scorn me;
    when I appear, they ridicule me.(AG)
19 All my intimate friends(AH) detest me;(AI)
    those I love have turned against me.(AJ)
20 I am nothing but skin and bones;(AK)
    I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.[a]

21 “Have pity on me, my friends,(AL) have pity,
    for the hand of God has struck(AM) me.
22 Why do you pursue(AN) me as God does?(AO)
    Will you never get enough of my flesh?(AP)

23 “Oh, that my words were recorded,
    that they were written on a scroll,(AQ)
24 that they were inscribed with an iron tool(AR) on[b] lead,
    or engraved in rock forever!(AS)
25 I know that my redeemer[c](AT) lives,(AU)
    and that in the end he will stand on the earth.[d]
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
    yet[e] in[f] my flesh I will see God;(AV)
27 I myself will see him
    with my own eyes(AW)—I, and not another.
    How my heart yearns(AX) within me!

28 “If you say, ‘How we will hound(AY) him,
    since the root of the trouble lies in him,[g]’
29 you should fear the sword yourselves;
    for wrath will bring punishment by the sword,(AZ)
    and then you will know that there is judgment.[h]”(BA)

Footnotes

  1. Job 19:20 Or only by my gums
  2. Job 19:24 Or and
  3. Job 19:25 Or vindicator
  4. Job 19:25 Or on my grave
  5. Job 19:26 Or And after I awake, / though this body has been destroyed, / then
  6. Job 19:26 Or destroyed, / apart from
  7. Job 19:28 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts me
  8. Job 19:29 Or sword, / that you may come to know the Almighty
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New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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