Job 23
Svenska Folkbibeln 2015
Jobs svar på Elifas tredje tal
23 Då tog Job till orda och sade:
2 Också i dag är min klagan bitter.[a]
Min hand[b] vilar tungt
över mitt suckande.
3 (A) O, om jag visste
hur jag skulle finna honom,
hur jag kunde komma
till hans boning!
4 Jag skulle lägga fram
min sak inför honom,
fylla min mun med bevis.
5 Jag vill veta
vad han kan svara mig,
begrunda vad han har
att säga mig.
6 Skulle han bekämpa mig
med sin stora makt?
Nej, han skulle lyssna på mig.
7 En rättfärdig skulle då
vara hans motpart,
jag skulle för alltid
bli frikänd av min domare.
8 (B) Se, går jag mot öster
är han inte där,
går jag mot väster
finner jag honom inte.
9 Är han verksam i norr
skådar jag honom inte,
vänder han sig åt söder
ser jag honom inte.
10 (C) Han vet vilken väg jag har vandrat.
Prövar han mig
ska jag komma fram som guld.
11 (D) Min fot har hållit fast vid hans spår,
jag har följt hans väg utan att vika av.
12 (E) Jag har inte övergett
hans läppars bud,
hans muns ord är mig en större skatt
än mitt dagliga bröd.
13 (F) Men han är den ende,
vem kan stå honom emot?
Vad han vill, det gör han.
14 Han fullbordar
vad han beslutat om mig,
och mycket mer av samma slag.
15 (G) Därför bävar jag för hans ansikte,
när jag tänker på det
blir jag rädd för honom.
16 Gud har gjort mitt hjärta försagt,
den Allsmäktige
har fått mig att bäva,
17 (H) för jag fick inte förgås
innan mörkret kom,
han dolde inte den svarta natten
för mitt ansikte.
Job 23
New King James Version
Job Proclaims God’s Righteous Judgments
23 Then Job answered and said:
2 “Even today my (A)complaint is bitter;
[a]My hand is listless because of my groaning.
3 (B)Oh, that I knew where I might find Him,
That I might come to His seat!
4 I would present my case before Him,
And fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would know the words which He would answer me,
And understand what He would say to me.
6 (C)Would He contend with me in His great power?
No! But He would take note of me.
7 There the upright could reason with Him,
And I would be delivered forever from my Judge.
8 “Look,(D) I go forward, but He is not there,
And backward, but I cannot perceive Him;
9 When He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him;
When He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him.
10 But (E)He knows the way that I take;
When (F)He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.
11 (G)My foot has held fast to His steps;
I have kept His way and not turned aside.
12 I have not departed from the (H)commandment of His lips;
(I)I have treasured the words of His mouth
More than my [b]necessary food.
13 “But He is unique, and who can make Him change?
And whatever (J)His soul desires, that He does.
14 For He performs what is (K)appointed for me,
And many such things are with Him.
15 Therefore I am terrified at His presence;
When I consider this, I am afraid of Him.
16 For God (L)made my heart weak,
And the Almighty terrifies me;
17 Because I was not (M)cut off [c]from the presence of darkness,
And He did not hide deep darkness from my face.
Job 23
English Standard Version
Job Replies: Where Is God?
23 Then Job answered and said:
2 “Today also my (A)complaint is bitter;[a]
my (B)hand is heavy on account of my groaning.
3 Oh, (C)that I knew where I might find him,
that I might come even to his (D)seat!
4 I would (E)lay my case before him
and fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would know what he would answer me
and understand what he would say to me.
6 Would he (F)contend with me in the greatness of his power?
No; he would pay attention to me.
7 There an upright man could argue with him,
and I would be acquitted forever by my judge.
8 “Behold, (G)I go forward, but he is not there,
and backward, but I do not perceive him;
9 on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him;
he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him.
10 But he (H)knows (I)the way that I (J)take;
when he has (K)tried me, I shall come out as gold.
11 My foot (L)has held fast to his steps;
I have kept his way and have (M)not turned aside.
12 I have not departed from the commandment of his lips;
I have (N)treasured the words of his mouth more than my (O)portion of food.
13 But he is unchangeable,[b] and (P)who can turn him back?
What he (Q)desires, that he does.
14 For he will complete what he (R)appoints for me,
and many such things are (S)in his mind.
15 Therefore I am terrified at his presence;
when I consider, I am in dread of him.
16 God has made my (T)heart faint;
the Almighty has terrified me;
17 yet I am not silenced because of the darkness,
nor because thick darkness covers my face.
Job 23
EasyEnglish Bible
Job replies to Eliphaz[a]
23 Then Job replied. This is what he said:
2 ‘I continue to complain against God
because I am still angry today.
God continues to punish me
even when I cry in pain.
3 I would like to know where to find him.
Then I could go to the place where he lives.
4 I would tell him why I am not guilty.
I would say many things to explain this to him.
5 Then I would know how he would answer me.
I would understand what he would say to me.
6 Would God use his great power to argue against me?
No! He would listen carefully to me.
7 Honest people can explain things to him.
So he would judge me in a fair way.
He would let me go free.
8 I look for God in the east, but he is not there.
I do not find him in the west either.
9 When he does his work in the north,
I do not see him.
When he moves to the south,
I still cannot find him anywhere.
10 But he knows the way that I live.
When he has finished testing me,
he will see that I am pure.
I will be as pure as gold.
11 I have always lived in the way that God showed me.
I have obeyed him faithfully.
I have not turned away from his teaching.
12 I have been careful to obey his commands.
His words are more important to me than my food.
13 But he is always true to himself.
Nobody can change him.
Whatever he wants to do, he does.
14 He will do to me everything that he has decided to do.
He has plans to do many things like this.
15 Because of that,
I am afraid of him.
When I think about all these things,
I am very afraid.
16 God has made me become weak with fear.
Almighty God has frightened me.
17 Because of all my troubles,
I seem to be in a very dark place.
The darkness seems to cover me.
But I will not be afraid to speak.
Footnotes
- 23:1 In chapter 23, Job says that he wants to find God. God seems to be very far away. But God sees everything that Job does. Job knows that. And Job has tried to obey God and to live in the right way. But still he is afraid of God.
Svenska Folkbibeln 2015, Copyright © 2015 by Svenska Folkbibeln Foundation
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.
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