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Round Three: Job’s Second Speech

26 Then Job responded:

How marvelously you have helped the helpless!
How wonderfully you have saved the arm that has no strength!
What great advice you have given to the one who lacks wisdom!
What great insight you have revealed!
Who helped you proclaim these words?
Whose breath[a] came out of your mouth?
The spirits of the dead writhe in pain underneath the waters,
along with all those who dwell there.
Hell[b] is naked before God,
and there is nowhere to hide in the place of destruction.[c]

He stretches out the northern sky across the emptiness.
He suspends the earth on nothing.
He encloses water in his clouds,
but the clouds are not broken apart by its weight.
He dims the face of the full moon by veiling it with his clouds.
10 He drew a circle around the surface of the waters.
It marks the boundary of light and darkness.
11 The pillars of the heavens shake.
They are stunned by his rebuke.
12 By his power he calmed[d] the sea.
By his understanding he smashed Rahab.[e]
13 By his breath the skies became beautiful.
His hand pierced the fleeing serpent.[f]

14 But all these are just the fringe of his ways!
How faint a whisper we hear of him!
Who understands his power, which is displayed in the thunder?

Footnotes

  1. Job 26:4 Or spirit
  2. Job 26:6 Or the grave or death. The Hebrew reads sheol.
  3. Job 26:6 Hebrew abaddon
  4. Job 26:12 Or stirred up
  5. Job 26:12 Rahab is a monster that symbolizes the power of the sea.
  6. Job 26:13 Perhaps this name for Leviathan here refers to a constellation like Draco, the dragon.

Who Can Understand God?

26 Then Job answered and said,

“What a help you are to (A)the one without power!
How you have saved the arm (B)without strength!
What counsel you have given to one without wisdom!
What sound wisdom you have abundantly made known!
To whom have you declared words?
And whose breath comes out from you?

“The [a](C)departed spirits tremble
Under the waters and their inhabitants.
Naked is (D)Sheol before Him,
And [b](E)Abaddon has no covering.
He (F)stretches out the north over what is formless
And hangs the earth on nothing.
He (G)wraps up the waters in His clouds,
And the cloud does not break out under them.
He [c](H)obscures the face of His [d]throne
And spreads His cloud over it.
10 He has marked a (I)circle on the surface of the waters
At the (J)boundary of light and darkness.
11 The pillars of heaven tremble
And are astonished at His rebuke.
12 He (K)quieted the sea with His power,
And by His (L)understanding He crushed (M)Rahab.
13 By His breath the (N)heavens are made beautiful;
His hand has pierced (O)the fleeing serpent.
14 Behold, these are the fringes of His ways;
And how only with a whisper of (P)a word do we hear of Him!
But His mighty (Q)thunder, who can understand?”

Footnotes

  1. Job 26:5 Or shades; Heb Rephaim
  2. Job 26:6 Lit the realm of destruction
  3. Job 26:9 Lit covers
  4. Job 26:9 Or full moon

Job: Man’s Frailty and God’s Majesty

26 But Job answered and said:

“How have you helped him who is without power?
How have you saved the arm that has no strength?
How have you counseled one who has no wisdom?
And how have you declared sound advice to many?
To whom have you uttered words?
And whose spirit came from you?

“The dead tremble,
Those under the waters and those inhabiting them.
(A)Sheol is naked before Him,
And Destruction has no covering.
(B)He stretches out the north over empty space;
He hangs the earth on nothing.
(C)He binds up the water in His thick clouds,
Yet the clouds [a]are not broken under it.
He covers the face of His throne,
And spreads His cloud over it.
10 (D)He drew a circular horizon on the face of the waters,
At the boundary of light and darkness.
11 The pillars of heaven tremble,
And are [b]astonished at His rebuke.
12 (E)He stirs up the sea with His power,
And by His understanding He breaks up [c]the storm.
13 (F)By His Spirit He adorned the heavens;
His hand pierced (G)the fleeing serpent.
14 Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?”

Footnotes

  1. Job 26:8 do not break
  2. Job 26:11 amazed
  3. Job 26:12 Heb. rahab

Job

26 Then Job replied:

“How you have helped the powerless!(A)
    How you have saved the arm that is feeble!(B)
What advice you have offered to one without wisdom!
    And what great insight(C) you have displayed!
Who has helped you utter these words?
    And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?(D)

“The dead are in deep anguish,(E)
    those beneath the waters and all that live in them.
The realm of the dead(F) is naked before God;
    Destruction[a](G) lies uncovered.(H)
He spreads out the northern skies(I) over empty space;
    he suspends the earth over nothing.(J)
He wraps up the waters(K) in his clouds,(L)
    yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
He covers the face of the full moon,
    spreading his clouds(M) over it.
10 He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters(N)
    for a boundary between light and darkness.(O)
11 The pillars of the heavens quake,(P)
    aghast at his rebuke.
12 By his power he churned up the sea;(Q)
    by his wisdom(R) he cut Rahab(S) to pieces.
13 By his breath the skies(T) became fair;
    his hand pierced the gliding serpent.(U)
14 And these are but the outer fringe of his works;
    how faint the whisper(V) we hear of him!(W)
    Who then can understand the thunder of his power?”(X)

Footnotes

  1. Job 26:6 Hebrew Abaddon

Interrupción de Job

26 Pero Job intervino:

«¡Tú sí que ayudas al débil!
    ¡Tú sí que salvas al que no tiene fuerza!
¡Qué consejos sabes dar al ignorante!
    ¡Qué gran discernimiento has demostrado!
¿Quién te ayudó a pronunciar tal discurso?
    ¿Qué espíritu ha hablado por tu boca?»

Bildad reanuda su discurso

«Un estremecimiento invade a los muertos,
    a los que habitan debajo de las aguas.
Ante Dios, queda el sepulcro al descubierto;
    nada hay que oculte a este destructor.
Dios extiende el cielo[a] sobre el vacío;
    sobre la nada tiene suspendida la tierra.
En sus nubes envuelve las aguas,
    pero las nubes no revientan con su peso.
Cubre la faz de la luna llena
    al extender sobre ella sus nubes.
10 Dibuja el horizonte sobre la faz de las aguas
    para dividir la luz de las tinieblas.
11 Aterrados por su reprensión,
    tiemblan los pilares de los cielos.
12-13 Con un soplo suyo se despejan los cielos;
    con su poder Dios agita el mar.
Con su sabiduría descuartizó a Rahab;
    con su mano ensartó a la serpiente escurridiza.
14 ¡Y esto es solo una muestra de sus obras,[b]
    un murmullo que logramos escuchar!
    ¿Quién podrá comprender su trueno poderoso?»

Footnotes

  1. 26:7 el cielo. Lit. el norte.
  2. 26:14 una muestra de sus obras. Lit. los extremos de sus caminos.