Job 21:4-18
Amplified Bible
4
“As for me, is my complaint to man or about him?
And why should I not be impatient and my spirit troubled?
5
“Look at me and be astonished and appalled;
And put your hand over your mouth.
6
“Even when I remember, I am troubled and afraid;
Horror and trembling take hold of my flesh.
7
“Why do the wicked still live,
Become old, and become mighty in power?
8
“Their children and descendants are established with them in their sight,
And their offspring before their eyes.
9
“Their houses are safe from fear;
And the rod of God is not on them.
10
“His bull breeds and does not fail;
His cow calves and does not miscarry.
11
“They send forth their little ones like a flock,
And their children skip about.
12
“They lift up their voices and sing to the tambourine and the lyre
And rejoice to the sound of the flute.
13
“They fully enjoy their days in prosperity,
And so go down to Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) in a [peaceful] moment.
14
“Yet they say to God, ‘Depart from us,
For we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways.
15
‘Who [and what] is [a]the Almighty, that we should serve Him?
And what would we gain if we plead with Him?’(A)
16
“But notice, the prosperity of the wicked is not in their hand (in their power);
The counsel of the wicked [and the mystery of God’s dealings with the ungodly] is far from my comprehension.
17
“How often [then] is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out,
And that their disaster falls on them?
Does God distribute pain and destruction and sorrow [to them] in His anger?(B)
18
“Are they like straw before the wind,
And like chaff that the storm steals and carries away?
Footnotes
- Job 21:15 Heb Shaddai, also v 20.
Job 21:4-18
New American Standard Bible
4 As for me, is (A)my complaint [a]to a mortal?
Or (B)why should [b]I not be impatient?
5 Look at me, and be astonished,
And (C)put your hand over your mouth.
6 Even when I remember, I am disturbed,
And (D)horror takes hold of my flesh.
7 Why (E)do the wicked still live,
Grow old, and also become very [c](F)powerful?
8 Their [d](G)descendants endure with them in their sight,
And their offspring before their eyes,
9 Their houses (H)are safe from fear,
And the [e]rod of God is not on them.
10 His ox mates [f]without fail;
His cow calves and does not miscarry.
11 They send out their boys like the flock,
And their children dance.
12 They [g]sing with the tambourine and harp,
And rejoice at the sound of the flute.
13 They (I)spend their days in prosperity,
And [h]suddenly they go down to [i]Sheol.
14 Yet they say to God, ‘(J)Go away from us!
We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways.
15 [j]Who is [k]the Almighty, that we should serve Him,
And (K)what would we gain if we plead with Him?’
16 Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand;
The (L)advice of the wicked is far from me.
17 “How often is (M)the lamp of the wicked put out,
Or does their (N)disaster fall on them?
Does [l]God apportion destruction in His anger?
18 Are they as (O)straw before the wind,
And like (P)chaff which the storm carries away?
Footnotes
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.