Job 21
Reina Valera Revisada
Job afirma que los malos prosperan
21 Entonces respondió Job, y dijo:
2 Oíd atentamente mis palabras,
Y sea esto el consuelo que me deis.
3 Tened paciencia, y hablaré;
Y después que haya hablado, escarnecedme.
4 ¿Acaso me quejo yo de algún hombre?
¿Y por qué no se ha de angustiar mi espíritu?
5 Miradme, y espantaos,
Y poned la mano sobre la boca.
6 Aun yo mismo, cuando lo recuerdo, me horrorizo,
Y el temblor estremece mi carne.
7 ¿Por qué siguen con vida los impíos,
Y hasta cuando envejecen, aún crecen en riquezas?
8 Su descendencia se robustece en su presencia,
Y sus renuevos están delante de sus ojos.
9 Sus casas están a salvo de temor,
Y no viene azote de Dios sobre ellos.
10 Sus toros engendran, y no fallan;
Paren sus vacas, y no malogran su cría.
11 Salen sus pequeñuelos como manada,
Y sus hijos andan saltando.
12 Al son del tamboril y de la cítara saltan,
Y se regocijan al son de la flauta.
13 Pasan sus días en prosperidad,
Y descienden en paz al Seol.
14 Y, sin embargo, le dicen a Dios: Apártate de nosotros,
Porque no queremos conocer tus caminos.
15 ¿Quién es el Todopoderoso, para que le sirvamos?
¿Y de qué nos aprovechará que oremos a él?
16 He aquí que su dicha no está en manos de ellos;
Lejos esté de mí el consejo de los impíos.
17 ¿Cuántas veces es apagada la lámpara de los impíos,
Y viene sobre ellos su quebranto,
Y Dios en su ira les reparte dolores?
18 ¿Serán acaso como la paja delante del viento,
Y como el tamo que arrebata el torbellino?
19 ¿Guardará Dios para los hijos de ellos su violencia?
¡Que le dé su pago a él, para que aprenda!
20 ¡Vean sus ojos su quebranto,
Y beba de la ira del Todopoderoso!
21 Porque ¿qué le importará a él la suerte de su casa después de muerto,
Cuando se haya acabado el número de sus meses?
22 ¿Enseñará alguien a Dios sabiduría,
Si él juzga a los más encumbrados?
23 Hay quien muere en su pleno vigor,
En el colmo de la dicha y de la paz;
24 Sus ijares están llenos de grasa,
Y sus huesos bien regados de tuétano.
25 En cambio, otro morirá en amargura de ánimo,
Y sin haber comido jamás con gusto.
26 Pero igualmente yacerán ambos en el polvo,
Y gusanos los cubrirán.
27 He aquí, yo conozco vuestros pensamientos,
Y las maquinaciones que contra mí forjáis.
28 Porque decís: ¿Qué queda de la casa del poderoso,
Y qué de las tiendas en que moraban los impíos?
29 ¿No habéis preguntado a los que pasan por los caminos,
Y no habéis conocido su respuesta,
30 Que el malo es preservado en el día de la destrucción?
Guardado será en el día de la ira.
31 ¿Quién le denunciará en su cara su camino?
Y de lo que él hizo, ¿quién le dará el pago?
32 Porque llevado será al cementerio,
Y sobre su mausoleo estarán velando.
33 Los terrones del valle le cubrirán suavemente;
Tras él marchará un enorme gentío,
Y delante de él una multitud innumerable.
34 ¿Cómo, pues, me consoláis en vano,
Viniendo a parar vuestras respuestas en falacia?
Job 21
New King James Version
Job’s Discourse on the Wicked
21 Then Job answered and said:
2 “Listen carefully to my speech,
And let this be your [a]consolation.
3 Bear with me that I may speak,
And after I have spoken, keep (A)mocking.
4 “As for me, is my complaint against man?
And if it were, why should I not be impatient?
5 Look at me and be astonished;
(B)Put your hand over your mouth.
6 Even when I remember I am terrified,
And trembling takes hold of my flesh.
7 (C)Why do the wicked live and become old,
Yes, become mighty in power?
8 Their descendants are established with them in their sight,
And their offspring before their eyes.
9 Their houses are safe from fear,
(D)Neither is [b]the rod of God upon them.
10 Their bull breeds without failure;
Their cow calves (E)without miscarriage.
11 They send forth their little ones like a flock,
And their children dance.
12 They sing to the tambourine and harp,
And rejoice to the sound of the flute.
13 They (F)spend their days in wealth,
And [c]in a moment go down to the [d]grave.
14 (G)Yet they say to God, ‘Depart from us,
For we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways.
15 (H)Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him?
And (I)what profit do we have if we pray to Him?’
16 Indeed [e]their prosperity is not in their hand;
(J)The counsel of the wicked is far from me.
17 “How often is the lamp of the wicked put out?
How often does their destruction come upon them,
The sorrows God (K)distributes in His anger?
18 (L)They are like straw before the wind,
And like chaff that a storm [f]carries away.
19 They say, ‘God [g]lays up [h]one’s iniquity (M)for his children’;
Let Him recompense him, that he may know it.
20 Let his eyes see his destruction,
And (N)let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
21 For what does he care about his household after him,
When the number of his months is cut in half?
22 “Can(O) anyone teach God knowledge,
Since He judges those on high?
23 One dies in his full strength,
Being wholly at ease and secure;
24 His [i]pails are full of milk,
And the marrow of his bones is moist.
25 Another man dies in the bitterness of his soul,
Never having eaten with pleasure.
26 They (P)lie down alike in the dust,
And worms cover them.
27 “Look, I know your thoughts,
And the schemes with which you would wrong me.
28 For you say,
‘Where is the house of the prince?
And where is [j]the tent,
The dwelling place of the wicked?’
29 Have you not asked those who travel the road?
And do you not know their signs?
30 (Q)For the wicked are reserved for the day of doom;
They shall be brought out on the day of wrath.
31 Who condemns his way to his face?
And who repays him for what he has done?
32 Yet he shall be brought to the grave,
And a vigil kept over the tomb.
33 The clods of the valley shall be sweet to him;
(R)Everyone shall follow him,
As countless have gone before him.
34 How then can you comfort me with empty words,
Since [k]falsehood remains in your answers?”
Footnotes
Job 21
English Standard Version
Job Replies: The Wicked Do Prosper
21 Then Job answered and said:
2 (A)“Keep listening to my words,
and let this be your comfort.
3 Bear with me, and I will speak,
and after I have spoken, (B)mock on.
4 As for me, is my (C)complaint against man?
Why should I not be impatient?
5 Look at me and be appalled,
and (D)lay your hand over your mouth.
6 When I remember, I am dismayed,
and shuddering seizes my flesh.
7 (E)Why do the wicked live,
reach old age, and grow mighty in power?
8 Their (F)offspring are established in their presence,
and their descendants before their eyes.
9 Their houses are (G)safe from fear,
and (H)no rod of God is upon them.
10 Their bull breeds without fail;
their cow calves and (I)does not miscarry.
11 They send out their (J)little boys like a flock,
and their children dance.
12 They sing to (K)the tambourine and (L)the lyre
and rejoice to the sound of (M)the pipe.
13 They (N)spend their days in prosperity,
and in (O)peace they go down to (P)Sheol.
14 They say to God, (Q)‘Depart from us!
We do not desire the knowledge of your ways.
15 (R)What is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
And what (S)profit do we get if we pray to him?’
16 Behold, is not their prosperity in their hand?
(T)The counsel of the wicked is far from me.
17 “How often is it that (U)the lamp of the wicked is put out?
That their calamity comes upon them?
That God[a] distributes pains in his anger?
18 That they are like (V)straw before the wind,
and like (W)chaff that the storm carries away?
19 You say, ‘God (X)stores up their iniquity for their (Y)children.’
Let him pay it out to them, that they may (Z)know it.
20 Let their own eyes see their destruction,
and let them (AA)drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
21 For what do they care for their houses after them,
when (AB)the number of their months is cut off?
22 (AC)Will any teach God knowledge,
seeing that he (AD)judges those who are on high?
23 One dies in his full vigor,
being wholly at ease and secure,
24 his pails[b] full of milk
and (AE)the marrow of his bones moist.
25 Another dies in (AF)bitterness of soul,
never having tasted of prosperity.
26 They (AG)lie down alike in the dust,
and (AH)the worms cover them.
27 “Behold, I know your thoughts
and your schemes to wrong me.
28 For you say, (AI)‘Where is the house of the prince?
Where is (AJ)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 (AK)the evil man is spared in the day of calamity,
that he is rescued in the day of wrath?
31 Who declares his way (AL)to his face,
and who (AM)repays him for what he has done?
32 When he is (AN)carried to the grave,
watch is kept over his tomb.
33 (AO)The clods of the valley are sweet to him;
(AP)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.”
Texto bíblico tomado de La Santa Biblia, Reina Valera Revisada® RVR® Copyright © 2017 por HarperCollins Christian Publishing® Usado con permiso. Reservados todos los derechos en todo el mundo.
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.
