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As for me, is my complaint to man?
    Why shouldn’t I be impatient?
Look at me, and be astonished.
    Lay your hand on your mouth.
When I remember, I am troubled.
    Horror takes hold of my flesh.

“Why do the wicked live,
    become old, yes, and grow mighty in power?
Their child is established with them in their sight,
    their offspring before their eyes.
Their houses are safe from fear,
    neither is the rod of God upon them.
10 Their bulls breed without fail.
    Their cows calve, and don’t miscarry.
11 They send out their little ones like a flock.
    Their children dance.
12 They sing to the tambourine and harp,
    and rejoice at the sound of the pipe.
13 They spend their days in prosperity.
    In an instant they go down to Sheol.[a]
14 They tell God, ‘Depart from us,
    for we don’t want to know about your ways.
15 What is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
    What profit should we have, if we pray to him?’
16 Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand.
    The counsel of the wicked is far from me.

17 “How often is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out,
    that their calamity comes on them,
    that God distributes sorrows in his anger?
18 How often is it that they are as stubble before the wind,
    as chaff that the storm carries away?

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Footnotes

  1. 21:13 Sheol is the place of the dead.

As for me, is my complaint [a]to man?
And why should I not be impatient?
[b]Mark me, and be astonished,
And lay your hand upon your mouth.
Even when I remember I am troubled,
And horror taketh hold on my flesh.
Wherefore do the wicked live,
Become old, yea, wax mighty in power?
Their seed is established with them in their sight,
And their offspring before their eyes.
Their houses are [c]safe from fear,
Neither is the rod of God upon them.
10 Their bull gendereth, and faileth not;
Their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf.
11 They send forth their little ones like a flock,
And their children dance.
12 They [d]sing to the timbrel and harp,
And rejoice at the sound of the pipe.
13 They spend their days in prosperity,
And in a moment they go down to Sheol.
14 And they say unto God, Depart from us;
For we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.
15 What is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
And what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?
16 [e]Lo, their prosperity is not in their hand:
The counsel of the wicked is far from me.

17 [f]How oft is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out?
That their calamity cometh upon them?
That God distributeth sorrows in his anger?
18 That they are as stubble before the wind,
And as chaff that the storm carrieth away?

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Job 21:4 Or, of
  2. Job 21:5 Hebrew Look unto me.
  3. Job 21:9 Or, in peace, without fear
  4. Job 21:12 Hebrew lift up the voice.
  5. Job 21:16 Or, Ye say, Lo etc.
  6. Job 21:17 Or, How oft is the lamp of the wicked put out, And how oft cometh their calamity upon them! God distributeth sorrows in his anger. They are as stubble . . . away.