Job 20-22

English Standard Version

² “Therefore my ^(B)thoughts answer me,
    because of my haste within me.
³ I hear censure that insults me,
    and out of my understanding a spirit answers me.
⁴ Do you not know this from of old,
    ^(C)since man was placed on earth,
^5 (D)that the exulting of the wicked is short,
    and the joy of the godless but for a moment?
^6 (E)Though his height mount up to the heavens,
    and his head reach to the clouds,
⁷ he will perish forever like his own ^(F)dung;
    those who have seen him will say, ^(G)‘Where is he?’
⁸ He will fly away like ^(H)a dream and not be found;
    he will be chased away like a vision of the night.
^9 (I)The eye that saw him will see him no more,
    nor will his place any more behold him.
¹⁰ His children will seek the favor of the poor,
    and his hands will ^(J)give back his wealth.
¹¹ His bones are full of his ^(K)youthful vigor,
    but it will lie ^(L)down with him in the dust.

¹² “Though evil is sweet in his mouth,
    though he hides it ^(M)under his tongue,
¹³ though he is loath to let it go
    and holds it in his mouth,
¹⁴ yet his food is turned in his stomach;
    it is the venom of ^(N)cobras within him.
¹⁵ He swallows down riches and vomits them up again;
    God casts them out of his belly.
¹⁶ He will suck the poison of cobras;
    ^(O)the tongue of a viper will kill him.
¹⁷ He will not look upon ^(P)the rivers,
    the streams flowing with ^(Q)honey and ^(R)curds.
¹⁸ He will ^(S)give back the fruit of his toil
    and will not ^(T)swallow it down;
from the profit of his trading
    he will get no enjoyment.
¹⁹ For he has crushed and abandoned the poor;
    he has seized a house that he did not build.

²⁰ “Because he ^(U)knew no ^(V)contentment in his belly,
    ^(W)he will not let anything in which he delights escape him.
²¹ There was nothing left after he had eaten;
    therefore his prosperity will not endure.
²² In the fullness of his sufficiency he will be in distress;
    the hand of everyone in misery will come against him.
²³ To fill his belly to the full,
    God^[a] will send his burning anger against him
    and rain it upon him ^(X)into his body.
^24 (Y)He will flee from an iron weapon;
    ^(Z)a bronze arrow will strike ^(AA)him through.
²⁵ It ^(AB)is drawn forth and comes out of his body;
    ^(AC)the glittering point comes out of his ^(AD)gallbladder;
    ^(AE)terrors come upon him.
²⁶ Utter darkness is laid up for his treasures;
    ^(AF)a fire not fanned will devour him;
    what is left in his tent will be consumed.
^27 (AG)The heavens will reveal his iniquity,
    and the earth will rise up against him.
²⁸ The possessions of his house will be carried away,
    dragged off in the day of God's^[b] wrath.
^29 (AH)This is the wicked man's portion from God,
    ^(AI)the heritage decreed for him by God.”

^2 (AJ)“Keep listening to my words,
    and let this be your comfort.
³ Bear with me, and I will speak,
    and after I have spoken, ^(AK)mock on.
⁴ As for me, is my ^(AL)complaint against man?
    Why should I not be impatient?
⁵ Look at me and be appalled,
    and ^(AM)lay your hand over your mouth.
⁶ When I remember, I am dismayed,
    and shuddering seizes my flesh.
^7 (AN)Why do the wicked live,
    reach old age, and grow mighty in power?
⁸ Their ^(AO)offspring are established in their presence,
    and their descendants before their eyes.
⁹ Their houses are ^(AP)safe from fear,
    and ^(AQ)no rod of God is upon them.
¹⁰ Their bull breeds without fail;
    their cow calves and ^(AR)does not miscarry.
¹¹ They send out their ^(AS)little boys like a flock,
    and their children dance.
¹² They sing to ^(AT)the tambourine and ^(AU)the lyre
    and rejoice to the sound of ^(AV)the pipe.
¹³ They ^(AW)spend their days in prosperity,
    and in ^(AX)peace they go down to ^(AY)Sheol.
¹⁴ They say to God, ^(AZ)‘Depart from us!
    We do not desire the knowledge of your ways.
^15 (BA)What is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
    And what ^(BB)profit do we get if we pray to him?’
¹⁶ Behold, is not their prosperity in their hand?
    ^(BC)The counsel of the wicked is far from me.

¹⁷ “How often is it that ^(BD)the lamp of the wicked is put out?
    That their calamity comes upon them?
    That God^[c] distributes pains in his anger?
¹⁸ That they are like ^(BE)straw before the wind,
    and like ^(BF)chaff that the storm carries away?
¹⁹ You say, ‘God ^(BG)stores up their iniquity for their ^(BH)children.’
    Let him pay it out to them, that they may ^(BI)know it.
²⁰ Let their own eyes see their destruction,
    and let them ^(BJ)drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
²¹ For what do they care for their houses after them,
    when ^(BK)the number of their months is cut off?
^22 (BL)Will any teach God knowledge,
    seeing that he ^(BM)judges those who are on high?
²³ One dies in his full vigor,
    being wholly at ease and secure,
²⁴ his pails^[d] full of milk
    and ^(BN)the marrow of his bones moist.
²⁵ Another dies in ^(BO)bitterness of soul,
    never having tasted of prosperity.
²⁶ They ^(BP)lie down alike in the dust,
    and ^(BQ)the worms cover them.

²⁷ “Behold, I know your thoughts
    and your schemes to wrong me.
²⁸ For you say, ^(BR)‘Where is the house of the prince?
    Where is ^(BS)the tent in which the wicked lived?’
²⁹ Have you not asked those who travel the roads,
    and do you not accept their testimony
³⁰ that ^(BT)the evil man is spared in the day of calamity,
    that he is rescued in the day of wrath?
³¹ Who declares his way ^(BU)to his face,
    and who ^(BV)repays him for what he has done?
³² When he is ^(BW)carried to the grave,
    watch is kept over his tomb.
^33 (BX)The clods of the valley are sweet to him;
    ^(BY)all mankind follows after him,
    and those who go before him are innumerable.
³⁴ How then will you comfort me with empty nothings?
    There is nothing left of your answers but falsehood.”

^2 (CA)“Can a man be profitable to God?
    Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.
³ Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are in the right,
    or is it gain to him if you ^(CB)make your ways blameless?
⁴ Is it for your fear of him that he reproves you
    and ^(CC)enters into judgment with you?
⁵ Is not your evil abundant?
    There is no end to your iniquities.
⁶ For you have ^(CD)exacted pledges of your brothers for nothing
    ^(CE)and stripped the naked of their clothing.
⁷ You have given no water to the weary to drink,
    and you have ^(CF)withheld bread from the hungry.
^8 (CG)The man with power possessed the land,
    and ^(CH)the favored man lived in it.
⁹ You have ^(CI)sent widows away empty,
    and ^(CJ)the arms of ^(CK)the fatherless were crushed.
¹⁰ Therefore ^(CL)snares are all around you,
    and sudden terror overwhelms you,
¹¹ or ^(CM)darkness, so that you cannot see,
    and a ^(CN)flood of ^(CO)water covers you.

¹² “Is not God high in the heavens?
    See ^(CP)the highest stars, how lofty they are!
¹³ But you say, ^(CQ)‘What does God know?
    Can he judge through ^(CR)the deep darkness?
^14 (CS)Thick clouds veil him, so that he does not see,
    and he walks on the vault of heaven.’
¹⁵ Will you keep to the old way
    that wicked men have trod?
¹⁶ They were snatched away ^(CT)before their time;
    their foundation was washed away.^[e]
17 They said to God, ^(CU)‘Depart from us,’
    and ^(CV)‘What can the Almighty do to us?’^[f]
18 Yet he filled their houses with good things—
    but ^(CW)the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
^19 (CX)The righteous see it and are glad;
    the innocent one ^(CY)mocks at them,
²⁰ saying, ‘Surely our adversaries are cut off,
    and what they left ^(CZ)the fire has consumed.’

^21 (DA)“Agree with God, and ^(DB)be at peace;
    thereby good will come to you.
²² Receive instruction from ^(DC)his mouth,
    and ^(DD)lay up his words in your heart.
²³ If you ^(DE)return to the Almighty you will be ^(DF)built up;
    if you ^(DG)remove injustice far from your tents,
²⁴ if you lay gold in ^(DH)the dust,
    and gold of ^(DI)Ophir among the stones of the torrent-bed,
²⁵ then the Almighty will be your gold
    and your precious silver.
²⁶ For then you ^(DJ)will delight yourself in the Almighty
    and ^(DK)lift up your face to God.
²⁷ You will ^(DL)make your prayer to him, and he will hear you,
    and you will ^(DM)pay your vows.
²⁸ You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you,
    and ^(DN)light will shine on your ways.
²⁹ For when they are humbled you say, ‘It is because of pride’;^[g]
    but he saves ^(DO)the lowly.
³⁰ He ^(DP)delivers even the one who is not innocent,
    who will be delivered through ^(DQ)the cleanness of your hands.”