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Job 26
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Job 26
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 26
Job’s Reply. 1 Then Job answered and said:[a]
2 What help you give to the powerless,
what strength to the feeble arm!
3 How you give counsel to one without wisdom;
how profuse is the advice you offer!
4 With whose help have you uttered those words,
whose breath comes forth from you?(A)
5 The shades[b] beneath writhe in terror,(B)
the waters, and their inhabitants.
6 Naked before him is Sheol,[c]
and Abaddon has no covering.(C)
7 He stretches out Zaphon[d] over the void,
and suspends the earth over nothing at all;
8 He binds up the waters in his clouds,
yet the cloud is not split by their weight;
9 He holds back the appearance of the full moon
by spreading his clouds before it.
10 He has marked out a circle[e] on the surface of the deep(D)
as the boundary of light and darkness.
11 The pillars of the heavens tremble
and are stunned at his thunderous rebuke;(E)
12 By his power he stilled Sea,
by his skill he crushed Rahab;[f]
13 By his wind the heavens were made clear,
his hand pierced the fleeing serpent.[g](F)
14 Lo, these are but the outlines of his ways,
and what a whisper of a word we hear of him:
Who can comprehend the thunder of his power?
Footnotes
- 26:1–14 Perhaps to be read as Job’s reply to Bildad’s short speech.
- 26:5 Shades: the dead in Sheol, the nether world; cf. Ps 88:11; Is 26:14.
- 26:6 Sheol: cf. note on Ps 6:6. Abaddon: Hebrew for “(place of) destruction,” a synonym for nether world; cf. Jb 28:22; Rev 9:11.
- 26:7 Zaphon: lit., “the north,” used here as a synonym for the firmament, the heavens; cf. Is 14:13.
- 26:10 Circle: the horizon of the ocean which serves as the boundary for the activity of light and darkness; cf. Prv 8:27.
- 26:12 Rahab: another name for the primeval sea-monster; see notes on Jb 3:8 and Ps 89:11; cf. also Jb 7:12; 9:13.
- 26:13 The fleeing serpent: the same term occurs in Is 27:1 in apposition to Leviathan; see note on Jb 3:8.
Job 26
Amplified Bible
Job 26
Amplified Bible
Job Rebukes Bildad
26 But Job answered and said,
2
“What a help you are to the weak (powerless)!
How you have saved the arm that is without strength!
3
“How you have counseled the one who has no wisdom!
And how abundantly you have provided sound wisdom and helpful insight!
4
“To whom have you uttered [these] words?
And whose spirit [inspired what] came forth from you?
The Greatness of God
5
“The spirits of the dead tremble
Underneath the waters and their inhabitants.
6
“Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) is naked before God,
And Abaddon (the place of destruction) has no covering [from His eyes].
7
“It is He who spreads out the north over emptiness
And [a]hangs the earth on nothing.
8
“He wraps the waters in His clouds [which otherwise would spill on earth all at once],
And the cloud does not burst under them.
9
“He covers the face of the [b]full moon
And spreads His cloud over it.
10
“He has inscribed a circular limit (the horizon) on the face of the waters
At the boundary between light and darkness.
11
“The pillars of the heavens tremble
And are terrified at His rebuke.
12
“He stirred up the sea by His power,
And by His understanding He smashed [proud] [c]Rahab.
13
“By His breath the heavens are cleared;
His hand has pierced the [swiftly] fleeing serpent.(A)
14
“Yet these are just the fringes of His ways [mere samples of His power],
The faintest whisper of His voice!
Who can contemplate the thunder of His [full] mighty power?”
Job 26
King James Version
Job 26
King James Version
26 But Job answered and said,
2 How hast thou helped him that is without power? how savest thou the arm that hath no strength?
3 How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom? and how hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is?
4 To whom hast thou uttered words? and whose spirit came from thee?
5 Dead things are formed from under the waters, and the inhabitants thereof.
6 Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering.
7 He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.
8 He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds; and the cloud is not rent under them.
9 He holdeth back the face of his throne, and spreadeth his cloud upon it.
10 He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end.
11 The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproof.
12 He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud.
13 By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.
14 Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?
Job 26
New International Version
Job 26
New International Version
Job
26 Then Job replied:
2 “How you have helped the powerless!(A)
How you have saved the arm that is feeble!(B)
3 What advice you have offered to one without wisdom!
And what great insight(C) you have displayed!
4 Who has helped you utter these words?
And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?(D)
5 “The dead are in deep anguish,(E)
those beneath the waters and all that live in them.
6 The realm of the dead(F) is naked before God;
Destruction[a](G) lies uncovered.(H)
7 He spreads out the northern skies(I) over empty space;
he suspends the earth over nothing.(J)
8 He wraps up the waters(K) in his clouds,(L)
yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
9 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
- Job 26:6 Hebrew Abaddon
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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