Job 19-24
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 with only 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 that my Redeemer lives,[h](S)
and at the end he will stand on the dust.(T)
26 Even after my skin has been destroyed,[i]
yet I will see God in[j] my flesh.(U)
27 I will see him myself;
my eyes will look at him, and not as a stranger.[k]
My heart longs[l] within me.(V)
28 If you say, “How will we pursue him,
since the root of the problem lies with him?” [m]
29 then be afraid of the sword,
because wrath brings punishment by the sword,(W)
so that you may know there is a judgment.
Zophar Speaks
20 Then Zophar the Naamathite(X) replied:
2 This is why my unsettling thoughts compel me to answer,
because I am upset![n]
3 I have heard a rebuke that insults me,
and my understanding[o] makes me reply.(Y)
4 Don’t you know that ever since antiquity,
from the time a human was placed on earth,
5 the joy of the wicked has been brief
and the happiness of the godless has lasted only a moment?(Z)
6 Though his arrogance reaches heaven,
and his head touches the clouds,(AA)
7 he will vanish forever like his own dung.
Those who know[p] him will ask, “Where is he?” (AB)
8 He will fly away like a dream and never be found;
he will be chased away like a vision in the night.(AC)
9 The eye that saw him will see him no more,(AD)
and his household will no longer see him.(AE)
10 His children will beg from[q] the poor,
for his own hands must give back his wealth.
11 His frame may be full of youthful vigor,
but it will lie down with him in dust.(AF)
12 Though evil tastes sweet in his mouth
and he conceals it under his tongue,
13 though he cherishes it and will not let it go
but keeps it in his mouth,(AG)
14 yet the food in his stomach turns
into cobras’ venom inside him.
15 He swallows wealth but must vomit it up;
God will force it from his stomach.
16 He will suck the poison of cobras;
a viper’s fangs[r] will kill him.(AH)
17 He will not enjoy the streams,
the rivers flowing with honey and curds.(AI)
18 He must return the fruit of his labor without consuming it;
he doesn’t enjoy the profits from his trading.
19 For he oppressed and abandoned the poor;
he seized a house he did not build.(AJ)
20 Because his appetite is never satisfied,[s]
he does not let anything he desires escape.
21 Nothing is left for him to consume;(AK)
therefore, his prosperity will not last.
22 At the height of his success[t] distress will come to him;(AL)
the full weight of misery[u] will crush him.
23 When he fills his stomach,
God will send his burning anger against him,
raining(AM) it down on him while he is eating.[v]
24 If he flees from an iron weapon,
an arrow from a bronze bow will pierce him.
25 He pulls it out of his back,
the flashing tip out of his liver.[w]
Terrors come over him.(AN)
26 Total darkness is reserved for his treasures.
A fire unfanned by human hands will consume(AO) him;
it will feed on what is left in his tent.
27 The heavens will expose his iniquity,(AP)
and the earth will rise up against him.(AQ)
28 The possessions in his house will be removed,
flowing away on the day of God’s anger.
29 This is the wicked person’s lot(AR) from God,
the inheritance God ordained for him.
Job’s Reply to Zophar
21 Then Job answered:
2 Pay close attention to my words;
let this be the consolation you offer.
3 Bear with me while I speak;
then after I have spoken, you may continue mocking.
4 As for me, is my complaint(AS) against a human being?
Then why shouldn’t I be impatient?
5 Look at me and shudder;(AT)
put your hand over your mouth.(AU)
6 When I think about it, I am terrified
and my body trembles(AV) in horror.
7 Why do the wicked continue to live,
growing old and becoming powerful?
8 Their children are established while they are still alive,[x]
and their descendants, before their eyes.
9 Their homes are secure and free of fear;(AW)
no rod from God strikes them.(AX)
10 Their bulls breed without fail;
their cows calve and do not miscarry.
11 They let their little ones run around like lambs;
their children skip about,
12 singing to the tambourine and lyre
and rejoicing at the sound of the flute.(AY)
13 They spend[y] their days in prosperity(AZ)
and go down to Sheol in peace.
14 Yet they say to God, “Leave us alone!
We don’t want to know your ways.(BA)
15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him,
and what will we gain by pleading with him?” (BB)
16 But their prosperity is not of their own doing.
The counsel of the wicked is far from me!(BC)
17 How often is the lamp(BD) of the wicked put out?
Does disaster[z] come on them?
Does he apportion destruction in his anger?
18 Are they like straw before the wind,
like chaff(BE) a storm sweeps away?
19 God reserves a person’s punishment for his children.(BF)
Let God repay the person himself, so that he may know it.
20 Let his own eyes see his demise;
let him drink from the Almighty’s wrath!(BG)
21 For what does he care about his family once he is dead,(BH)
when the number of his months has run out?(BI)
22 Can anyone teach God knowledge,(BJ)
since he judges the exalted ones?[aa]
23 One person dies in excellent health,[ab]
completely secure[ac] and at ease.
24 His body is[ad] well fed,[ae]
and his bones are full of marrow.[af]
25 Yet another person dies with a bitter(BK) soul,
having never tasted prosperity.
26 But they both lie in the dust,
and worms cover them.(BL)
27 I know your thoughts very well,
the schemes by which you would wrong me.
28 For you say, “Where now is the nobleman’s house?”
and “Where are the tents(BM) the wicked lived in?”
29 Have you never consulted those who travel the roads?
Don’t you accept their reports?[ag]
30 Indeed, the evil person is spared from the day of disaster,
rescued from the day of wrath.
31 Who would denounce his behavior to his face?
Who would repay(BN) him for what he has done?
32 He is carried to the grave,
and someone keeps watch over his tomb.
33 The dirt on his grave is[ah] sweet to him.
Everyone follows behind him,
and those who go before him are without number.
34 So how can you offer me such futile comfort?
Your answers are deceptive.
Third Series of Speeches
Eliphaz Speaks
22 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
2 Can a man be of any use to God?
Can even a wise man be of use to him?
3 Does it delight the Almighty if you are righteous?
Does he profit if you perfect your behavior?(BO)
4 Does he correct you and take you to court
because of your piety?(BP)
5 Isn’t your wickedness abundant
and aren’t your iniquities endless?
6 For you took collateral(BQ) from your brothers without cause,
stripping off their clothes and leaving them naked.
7 You gave no water to the thirsty
and withheld food from the famished,(BR)
8 while the land belonged to a powerful man
and an influential man lived on it.
9 You sent widows away empty-handed,
and the strength of the fatherless(BS) was[ai] crushed.
10 Therefore snares surround you,
and sudden dread terrifies(BT) you,
11 or darkness, so you cannot see,
and a flood of water covers you.(BU)
12 Isn’t God as high as the heavens?
And look at the highest stars—how lofty they are!
13 Yet you say, “What does God know?
Can he judge through total darkness?(BV)
14 Clouds(BW) veil him so that he cannot see,
as he walks on the circle of the sky.”
15 Will you continue on the ancient path
that wicked men have walked?
16 They were snatched away before their time,
and their foundations(BX) were washed away by a river.
17 They were the ones who said to God, “Leave us alone!”
and “What can the Almighty do to us?” [aj](BY)
18 But it was he who filled their houses with good things.
The counsel of the wicked is far from me!
19 The righteous see this and rejoice;
the innocent mock them, saying,(BZ)
20 “Surely our opponents are destroyed,
and fire has consumed what they left behind.”(CA)
21 Come to terms with God and be at peace;(CB)
in this way[ak] good will come to you.
22 Receive instruction from his mouth,(CC)
and place his sayings(CD) in your heart.
23 If you return(CE) to the Almighty, you will be renewed.
If you banish injustice from your tent
24 and consign your gold to the dust,
the gold of Ophir(CF) to the stones in the wadis,
25 the Almighty will be your gold
and your finest silver.
26 Then you will delight(CG) in the Almighty
and lift up your face to God.(CH)
27 You will pray to him, and he will hear you,(CI)
and you will fulfill your vows.
28 When you make a decision, it will be carried out,[al]
and light will shine on your ways.(CJ)
29 When others are humiliated and you say, “Lift them up,”
God will save the humble.[am](CK)
30 He will even rescue the guilty one,
who will be rescued by the purity of your hands.(CL)
Job’s Reply to Eliphaz
23 Then Job answered:
2 Today also my complaint is bitter.[an](CM)
His[ao] hand is heavy despite my groaning.
3 If only I knew how to find him,
so that I could go to his throne.
4 I would plead my case before him(CN)
and fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would learn how[ap] he would answer me;
and understand what he would say to me.
6 Would he prosecute(CO) me forcefully?
No, he would certainly pay attention to me.
7 Then an upright man could reason(CP) with him,
and I would escape from my Judge[aq](CQ) forever.
8 If I go east, he is not there,
and if I go west, I cannot perceive him.(CR)
9 When he is at work to the north, I cannot see him;
when he turns south, I cannot find him.
10 Yet he knows the way I have taken;[ar]
when he has tested me,(CS) I will emerge as pure gold.
11 My feet have followed in his tracks;
I have kept to his way(CT) and not turned aside.
12 I have not departed from the commands from his lips;
I have treasured[as] the words(CU) from his mouth
more than my daily food.
13 But he is unchangeable; who can oppose him?
He does what he desires.(CV)
14 He will certainly accomplish what he has decreed for me,
and he has many more things like these in mind.[at]
15 Therefore I am terrified(CW) in his presence;
when I consider this, I am afraid of him.
16 God has made my heart faint;(CX)
the Almighty has terrified me.
17 Yet I am not destroyed[au] by the darkness,(CY)
by the thick darkness that covers my face.
24 Why does the Almighty not reserve times for judgment?(CZ)
Why do those who know him never see his days?
2 The wicked displace boundary markers.
They steal a flock and provide pasture for it.
3 They drive away the donkeys owned by the fatherless(DA)
and take the widow’s ox as collateral.
4 They push the needy off the road;
the poor of the land are forced into hiding.(DB)
5 Like wild donkeys in the wilderness,
the poor go out to their task of foraging for food;
the desert provides nourishment for their children.
6 They gather their fodder in the field
and glean the vineyards of the wicked.
7 Without clothing, they spend the night naked,
having no covering against the cold.(DC)
8 Drenched by mountain rains,
they huddle against[av] the rocks, shelterless.
9 The fatherless infant is snatched from the breast;
the nursing child of the poor is seized as collateral.[aw]
10 Without clothing, they wander about naked.
They carry sheaves but go hungry.(DD)
11 They crush olives in their presses;[ax]
they tread the winepresses, but go thirsty.
12 From the city, men[ay] groan;
the mortally wounded cry for help,
yet God pays no attention to this crime.(DE)
13 The wicked are those who rebel against the light.
They do not recognize its ways
or stay on its paths.
14 The murderer rises at dawn
to kill the poor and needy,
and by night he becomes a thief.
15 The adulterer’s eye watches for twilight,
thinking, “No eye will see me,”
and he covers his face.
16 In the dark they break[az] into houses;
by day they lock themselves in,[ba]
never experiencing the light.
17 For the morning is like darkness to them.
Surely they are familiar with the terrors of darkness!
18 They float[bb] on the surface of the water.
Their section of the land is cursed,
so that they never go to their vineyards.
19 As dry ground and heat snatch away the melted snow,
so Sheol(DF) steals those who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets them;
worms feed on them;
they are remembered(DG) no more.
So injustice is broken like a tree.
21 They prey on[bc] the childless woman who is unable to conceive,
and do not deal kindly with the widow.
22 Yet God drags away[bd] the mighty by his power;
when he rises up, they have no assurance of life.
23 He gives them a sense of security, so they can rely on it,(DH)
but his eyes(DI) watch over their ways.
24 They are exalted for a moment, then gone;
they are brought low and shrivel up like everything else.[be]
They wither like heads of grain.(DJ)
25 If this is not true, then who can prove me a liar(DK)
and show that my speech is worthless?
Footnotes
- 19:3 Hb obscure
- 19:4 Lit mistake lives with
- 19:10 Lit gone
- 19:12 Lit they raise up their way
- 19:15 Or The resident aliens in my household
- 19:17 Lit and the sons of my belly
- 19:19 Lit of the men of my council
- 19:25 Or know my living Redeemer
- 19:26 Lit skin which they destroyed, or skin they destroyed in this way
- 19:26 Or apart from
- 19:27 Or not a stranger
- 19:27 Lit My kidneys grow faint
- 19:28 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg; other Hb mss read me
- 20:2 Lit because of my feeling within me
- 20:3 Lit and a spirit from my understanding
- 20:7 Lit have seen
- 20:10 Or children must compensate
- 20:16 Lit tongue
- 20:20 Lit Because he does not know ease in his stomach
- 20:22 Lit In the fullness of his excess
- 20:22 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg; other Hb mss read the hand of everyone in misery
- 20:23 Text emended; MT reads him, against his flesh
- 20:25 Or gallbladder
- 21:8 Lit established before them with them
- 21:13 Alt Hb tradition reads fully enjoy
- 21:17 Lit their disaster
- 21:22 Probably angels
- 21:23 Lit in bone of his perfection
- 21:23 Text emended; MT reads health, all at ease
- 21:24 Or His sides are; Hb obscure
- 21:24 Lit is full of milk
- 21:24 Lit and the marrow of his bones is watered
- 21:29 Lit signs
- 21:33 Lit The clods of the wadi are
- 22:9 LXX, Syr, Vg, Tg read you have
- 22:17 LXX, Syr; MT reads them
- 22:21 Lit peace; by them
- 22:28 Lit out for you
- 22:29 Lit bowed of eyes
- 23:2 Syr, Tg, Vg; MT reads rebellion
- 23:2 LXX, Syr; MT reads My
- 23:5 Lit the words
- 23:7 Or judgment
- 23:10 Lit way with me
- 23:12 LXX, Vg read treasured in my bosom
- 23:14 Lit these with him
- 23:17 Or silenced
- 24:8 Lit they embrace
- 24:9 Text emended; MT reads breast; they seize collateral against the poor
- 24:11 Lit olives between their rows
- 24:12 One Hb ms, Syr read the dying
- 24:16 Lit dig
- 24:16 Lit they seal for themselves
- 24:18 Lit are insignificant
- 24:21 LXX, Tg read They harm
- 24:22 Or God prolongs the life of
- 24:24 LXX reads like a mallow plant in the heat
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