Job 29-37
Christian Standard Bible
Job’s Final Claim of Innocence
29 Job continued his discourse, saying:
2 If only I could be as in months gone by,
in the days when God watched over me,
3 when his lamp shone above my head,
and I walked through darkness by his light!(A)
4 I would be as I was in the days of my youth
when God’s friendship(B) rested on my tent,
5 when the Almighty was still with me
and my children were around me,
6 when my feet were bathed in curds
and the rock(C) poured out streams of oil for me!
7 When I went out to the city gate(D)
and took my seat in the town square,
8 the young men saw me and withdrew,
while older men stood to their feet.
9 City officials stopped talking
and covered their mouths with their hands.(E)
10 The noblemen’s voices were hushed,
and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.(F)
11 When they heard me, they blessed me,
and when they saw me, they spoke well of me.[a]
12 For I rescued the poor who cried out for help,
and the fatherless child who had no one to support him.(G)
13 The dying blessed me,
and I made the widow’s heart rejoice.
14 I clothed myself in righteousness,(H)
and it enveloped me;
my just decisions were like a robe and a turban.
15 I was eyes to the blind
and feet to the lame.(I)
16 I was a father to the needy,
and I examined the case of the stranger.
17 I shattered the fangs of the unjust(J)
and snatched the prey from his teeth.
18 So I thought, “I will die in my own nest
and multiply my days as the sand.[b]
19 My roots will have access to water,(K)
and the dew will rest on my branches all night.
20 My whole being will be refreshed within me,
and my bow will be renewed in my hand.”(L)
21 Men listened to me with expectation,
waiting silently for my advice.
22 After a word from me they did not speak again;
my speech settled on them like dew.(M)
23 They waited for me as for the rain
and opened their mouths as for spring showers.
24 If I smiled at them, they couldn’t believe it;
they were thrilled at[c] the light of my countenance.
25 I directed their course and presided as chief.
I lived as a king among his troops,
like one who comforts those who mourn.
30 But now they mock(N) me,
men younger than I am,
whose fathers I would have refused to put
with my sheep dogs.
2 What use to me was the strength of their hands?
Their vigor had left them.
3 Emaciated from poverty and hunger,
they gnawed the dry land,
the desolate wasteland by night.
4 They plucked mallow[d](O) among the shrubs,
and the roots of the broom tree were their food.
5 They were banished from human society;
people shouted at them as if they were thieves.
6 They are living on the slopes of the wadis,
among the rocks and in holes in the ground.
7 They bray among the shrubs;
they huddle beneath the thistles.
8 Foolish(P) men, without even a name.
They were forced to leave the land.
9 Now I am mocked by their songs;(Q)
I have become an object of scorn to them.
10 They despise me and keep their distance from me;(R)
they do not hesitate to spit(S) in my face.
11 Because God has loosened my[e] bowstring and oppressed me,
they have cast off restraint in my presence.(T)
12 The rabble[f] rise up at my right;
they trap[g] my feet
and construct their siege ramp[h] against me.(U)
13 They tear up my path;
they contribute to my destruction,(V)
without anyone to help them.
14 They advance as through a gaping breach;
they keep rolling in through the ruins.(W)
15 Terrors(X) are turned loose against me;
they chase my dignity away like the wind,
and my prosperity has passed by like a cloud.
16 Now my life is poured out before me,
and days of suffering(Y) have seized me.
17 Night pierces my bones,
but my gnawing pains never rest.(Z)
18 My clothing is distorted with great force;
he chokes me by the neck of my garment.[i]
19 He throws me into the mud,
and I have become like dust and ashes.(AA)
20 I cry out to you for help, but you do not answer me;(AB)
when I stand up, you merely look at me.
21 You have turned against me with cruelty;
you harass(AC) me with your strong hand.
22 You lift me up on the wind and make me ride it;
you scatter me in the storm.(AD)
23 Yes, I know that you will lead me to death—
the place(AE) appointed for all who live.
24 Yet no one would stretch out his hand
against a ruined person[j]
when he cries out to him for help
because of his distress.(AF)
25 Have I not wept for those who have fallen on hard times?
Has my soul not grieved for the needy?(AG)
26 But when I hoped for good, evil came;
when I looked for light, darkness(AH) came.
27 I am churning within[k] and cannot rest;
days of suffering confront me.
28 I walk about blackened, but not by the sun.[l]
I stood in the assembly and cried out for help.
29 I have become a brother to jackals
and a companion of ostriches.
30 My skin blackens and flakes off,[m]
and my bones burn with fever.(AI)
31 My lyre is used for mourning
and my flute for the sound of weeping.(AJ)
31 I have made a covenant with my eyes.(AK)
How then could I look at a young woman?[n](AL)
2 For what portion(AM) would I have from God above,
or what inheritance from the Almighty on high?
3 Doesn’t disaster come to the unjust
and misfortune to evildoers?
4 Does he not see my ways
and number all my steps?(AN)
5 If I have walked in falsehood
or my foot has rushed to deceit,
6 let God weigh me on accurate scales,(AO)
and he will recognize my integrity.(AP)
7 If my step has turned from the way,
my heart has followed my eyes,
or impurity has stained my hands,(AQ)
8 let someone else eat what I have sown,
and let my crops be uprooted.(AR)
9 If my heart has gone astray over a woman
or I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,
10 let my own wife grind grain for another man,
and let other men sleep with[o] her.
11 For that would be a disgrace;
it would be an iniquity deserving punishment.(AS)
12 For it is a fire that consumes down to Abaddon;
it would destroy my entire harvest.(AT)
13 If I have dismissed the case of my male or female servants
when they made a complaint against me,
14 what could I do when God stands up to judge?
How should I answer him when he calls me to account?
15 Did not the one who made me in the womb also make them?
Did not the same God form us both in the womb?(AU)
16 If I have refused the wishes of the poor
or let the widow’s(AV) eyes go blind,
17 if I have eaten my few crumbs alone
without letting the fatherless eat any of it—
18 for from my youth, I raised him as his father,
and since the day I was born[p] I guided the widow—
19 if I have seen anyone dying for lack of clothing
or a needy person without a cloak,(AW)
20 if he[q] did not bless me
while warming himself with the fleece from my sheep,
21 if I ever cast my vote[r] against a fatherless child
when I saw that I had support in the city gate,(AX)
22 then let my shoulder blade fall from my back,
and my arm be pulled from its socket.
23 For disaster from God terrifies me,
and because of his majesty I could not do these things.(AY)
24 If I placed my confidence in gold
or called fine gold my trust,(AZ)
25 if I have rejoiced because my wealth is great
or because my own hand has acquired so much,
26 if I have gazed at the sun when it was shining
or at the moon moving in splendor,(BA)
27 so that my heart was secretly enticed
and I threw them a kiss,[s]
28 this would also be an iniquity deserving punishment,
for I would have denied God above.
29 Have I rejoiced over my enemy’s distress,
or become excited when trouble came his way?
30 I have not allowed my mouth to sin
by asking for his life with a curse.
31 Haven’t the members of my household said,
“Who is there who has not had enough to eat at Job’s table?”
32 No stranger had to spend the night on the street,
for I opened my door to the traveler.
33 Have I covered my transgressions(BB) as others do[t]
by hiding my iniquity in my heart(BC)
34 because I greatly feared the crowds
and because the contempt of the clans terrified me,
so I grew silent and would not go outside?
35 If only I had someone to hear my case!(BD)
Here is my signature; let the Almighty answer me.
Let my Opponent compose his indictment.
36 I would surely carry it on my shoulder
and wear it like a crown.(BE)
37 I would give him an account of all my steps;
I would approach him like a prince.
38 If my land cries out against me
and its furrows join in weeping,
39 if I have consumed its produce without payment
or shown contempt for its tenants,[u]
40 then let thorns(BF) grow instead of wheat
and stinkweed(BG) instead of barley.
The words of Job are concluded.
Elihu’s Angry Response
32 So these three men quit answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.(BH) 2 Then Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite(BI) from the family of Ram became angry. He was angry at Job because he had justified(BJ) himself rather than God. 3 He was also angry at Job’s three friends because they had failed to refute him and yet had condemned him.[v]
4 Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were all older than he. 5 But when he saw that the three men could not answer Job, he became angry.
6 So Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite replied:
I am young in years,
while you are old;
therefore I was timid and afraid
to tell(BK) you what I know.
7 I thought that age should speak
and maturity should teach wisdom.
8 But it is the spirit in a person—
the breath(BL) from the Almighty—
that gives anyone understanding.
9 It is not only the old who are wise
or the elderly who understand how to judge.
10 Therefore I say, “Listen to me.
I too will declare what I know.”
11 Look, I waited for your conclusions;
I listened to your insights
as you sought for words.
12 I paid close attention to you.
Yet no one proved Job wrong;
not one of you refuted his arguments.
13 So do not claim, “We have found wisdom;
let God deal with him, not man.”
14 But Job has not directed his argument to me,
and I will not respond to him with your arguments.
15 Job’s friends are dismayed and can no longer answer;
words have left them.
16 Should I continue to wait now that they are silent,
now that they stand there and no longer answer?
17 I too will answer;[w]
yes, I will tell what I know.
18 For I am full of words,
and my spirit[x] compels me to speak.(BM)
19 My heart[y] is like unvented wine;
it is about to burst like new wineskins.(BN)
20 I must speak so that I can find relief;
I must open my lips and respond.
21 I will be partial to no one,(BO)
and I will not give anyone an undeserved title.
22 For I do not know how to give such titles;
otherwise, my Maker would remove me in an instant.
Elihu Confronts Job
33 But now, Job, pay attention to my speech,
and listen to all my words.
2 I am going to open my mouth;
my tongue will form words on my palate.
3 My words come from my upright(BP) heart,
and my lips speak with sincerity what they know.
4 The Spirit of God has made me,
and the breath of the Almighty(BQ) gives me life.(BR)
5 Refute me if you can.
Prepare(BS) your case against me; take your stand.(BT)
6 I am just like you before God;
I was also pinched off from a piece of clay.(BU)
7 Fear(BV) of me should not terrify you;
no pressure from me should weigh you down.
8 Surely you have spoken in my hearing,
and I have heard these very[z] words:
9 “I am pure, without transgression;
I am clean and have no iniquity.(BW)
10 But he finds reasons to oppose me;
he regards me as his enemy.(BX)
11 He puts my feet in the stocks;
he stands watch(BY) over all my paths.”
12 But I tell you that you are wrong in this matter,
since God is greater than man.(BZ)
13 Why do you take(CA) him to court
for not answering anything a person asks?[aa]
14 For God speaks time and again,
but a person may not notice it.
15 In a dream, a vision(CB) in the night,
when deep sleep comes over people(CC)
as they slumber on their beds,
16 he uncovers their ears(CD)
and terrifies them[ab] with warnings,
17 in order to turn a person from his actions
and suppress the pride of a person.
18 God spares his soul from the Pit,(CE)
his life from crossing the river of death.[ac]
19 A person may be disciplined on his bed(CF) with pain
and constant distress in his bones,(CG)
20 so that he detests bread,
and his soul despises his favorite food.(CH)
21 His flesh wastes away to nothing,[ad]
and his unseen bones stick out.
22 He draws near to the Pit,
and his life to the executioners.
23 If there is an angel(CI) on his side,
one mediator out of a thousand,
to tell a person what is right for him[ae]
24 and to be gracious to him and say,
“Spare him from going down to the Pit;
I have found a ransom,”(CJ)
25 then his flesh will be healthier[af] than in his youth,
and he will return to the days of his youthful vigor.(CK)
26 He will pray to God, and God will delight in him.
That person will see his face(CL) with a shout of joy,
and God will restore his righteousness to him.(CM)
27 He will look at men and say,
“I have sinned and perverted what was right;
yet I did not get what I deserved.[ag]
28 He redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit,
and I will continue to see the light.”
29 God certainly does all these things
two or three times to a person
30 in order to turn him back from the Pit,
so he may shine with the light of life.(CN)
31 Pay attention, Job, and listen to me.
Be quiet, and I will speak.
32 But if you have something to say,[ah] answer me;
speak, for I would like to justify you.
33 If not, then listen to me;
be quiet, and I will teach you wisdom.
34 Then Elihu continued,[ai] saying:
2 Hear my words, you wise ones,
and listen to me, you knowledgeable ones.
3 Doesn’t the ear test words
as the palate tastes food?
4 Let us judge for ourselves what is right;
let us decide together what is good.
5 For Job has declared, “I am righteous,
yet God has deprived me of justice.(CO)
6 Would I lie about my case?(CP)
My wound[aj] is incurable,
though I am without transgression.”
7 What man is like Job?
He drinks derision(CQ) like water.
8 He keeps company with evildoers
and walks with wicked men.
9 For he has said, “A man gains nothing
when he becomes God’s friend.”(CR)
10 Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding.
It is impossible for God to do wrong,
and for the Almighty to act unjustly.(CS)
11 For he repays(CT) a person according to his deeds,
and he gives him what his conduct deserves.[ak]
12 Indeed, it is true that God does not act wickedly
and the Almighty does not pervert justice.(CU)
13 Who gave him authority over the earth?
Who put him in charge of the entire world?(CV)
14 If he put his mind to it
and withdrew the spirit(CW) and breath he gave,
15 every living thing would perish together
and mankind would return to the dust.(CX)
16 If you have understanding, hear this;
listen to what I have to say.
17 Could one who hates justice govern the world?
Will you condemn the mighty Righteous One,(CY)
18 who says to a king, “Worthless man!”
and to nobles, “Wicked men!”?(CZ)
19 God is not partial(DA) to princes
and does not favor the rich over the poor,
for they are all the work of his hands.
20 They die suddenly in the middle of the night;
people shudder, then pass away.
Even the mighty are removed without effort.
21 For his eyes watch over a man’s ways,
and he observes all his steps.(DB)
22 There is no darkness, no deep darkness,
where evildoers can hide.(DC)
23 God does not need to examine a person further,
that one should[al] approach him in court.
24 He shatters the mighty without an investigation
and sets others in their place.(DD)
25 Therefore, he recognizes their deeds(DE)
and overthrows them by night, and they are crushed.
26 In full view of the public,[am]
he strikes them for their wickedness,
27 because they turned aside from following him
and did not understand any of his ways
28 but caused the poor to cry out to him,
and he heard the outcry of the needy.(DF)
29 But when God is silent, who can declare him guilty?
When he hides his face, who can see him?
Yet he watches over both individuals and nations,
30 so that godless men should not rule
or ensnare the people.
31 Suppose someone says to God,
“I have endured my punishment;
I will no longer act wickedly.
32 Teach me what I cannot see;
if I have done wrong, I won’t do it again.”
33 Should God repay you on your terms
when you have rejected his?
You must choose, not I!
So declare what you know.
34 Reasonable men will say to me,
along with the wise men who hear me,
35 “Job speaks without knowledge;(DG)
his words are without insight.”
36 If only Job were tested to the limit,
because his answers are like those of wicked men.
37 For he adds rebellion to his sin;
he scornfully claps(DH) in our presence,
while multiplying(DI) his words against God.
35 Then Elihu continued, saying:
2 Do you think it is just when you say,
“I am righteous before God”?
3 For you ask, “What does it profit you,[an]
and what benefit comes to me, if I do not sin?” (DJ)
4 I will answer you
and your friends with you.
5 Look at the heavens and see;
gaze at the clouds high above you.
6 If you sin, how does it affect God?
If you multiply your transgressions, what does it do to him?
7 If you are righteous, what do you give him,
or what does he receive from your hand?(DK)
8 Your wickedness affects a person like yourself,
and your righteousness, a son of man.[ao]
9 People cry out because of severe oppression;
they shout for help because of the power of the mighty.(DL)
10 But no one asks, “Where is God my Maker,(DM)
who provides us with songs in the night,(DN)
11 who gives us more understanding than the animals of the earth
and makes us wiser than the birds of the sky?” (DO)
12 There they cry out, but he does not answer,
because of the pride of evil people.(DP)
13 Indeed, God does not listen to empty cries,
and the Almighty does not take note of it—
14 how much less when[ap] you complain[aq]
that you do not see him,
that your case(DQ) is before him
and you are waiting(DR) for him.
15 But now, because God’s anger does not punish
and he does not pay attention to transgression,[ar]
16 Job opens his mouth in vain
and multiplies words without knowledge.(DS)
36 Then Elihu continued, saying:
2 Be patient with me a little longer, and I will inform you,
for there is still more to be said on God’s behalf.
3 I will get my knowledge from a distant place
and ascribe justice to my Maker.
4 Indeed, my words are not false;
one who has complete knowledge is with you.
5 Yes, God is mighty, but he despises no one;
he understands all things.[as](DT)
6 He does not keep the wicked alive,(DU)
but he gives justice to the oppressed.
7 He does not withdraw his gaze from the righteous,
but he seats them forever with enthroned kings,
and they are exalted.
8 If people are bound with chains
and trapped by the cords of affliction,
9 God tells them what they have done
and how arrogantly they have transgressed.
10 He opens their ears(DV) to correction
and tells them to repent from iniquity.
11 If they listen and serve him,
they will end their days in prosperity
and their years in happiness.(DW)
12 But if they do not listen,
they will cross the river of death[at]
and die without knowledge.(DX)
13 Those who have a godless heart harbor anger;
even when God binds them, they do not cry for help.
14 They die in their youth;
their life ends among male cult prostitutes.(DY)
15 God rescues the afflicted by their affliction;
he instructs them by their torment.
16 Indeed, he lured you from the jaws[au] of distress
to a spacious and unconfined place.
Your table was spread with choice food.
17 Yet now you are obsessed with the judgment due the wicked;
judgment and justice have seized you.
18 Be careful that no one lures you with riches;[av]
do not let a large ransom[aw] lead you astray.(DZ)
19 Can your wealth[ax] or all your physical exertion
keep you from distress?(EA)
20 Do not long for the night
when nations will disappear from their places.
21 Be careful that you do not turn to iniquity,
for that is why you have been tested by[ay] affliction.
22 Look, God shows himself exalted by his power.
Who is a teacher like him?
23 Who has appointed his way for him,
and who has declared, “You have done wrong”?(EB)
24 Remember that you should praise his work,
which people have sung about.(EC)
25 All mankind has seen it;
people have looked at it from a distance.(ED)
26 Yes, God is exalted beyond our knowledge;(EE)
the number of his years cannot be counted.(EF)
27 For he makes waterdrops evaporate;[az]
they distill the rain into its[ba] mist,(EG)
28 which the clouds pour out
and shower abundantly on mankind.
29 Can anyone understand how the clouds spread out
or how the thunder roars from God’s pavilion?(EH)
30 See how he spreads his lightning(EI) around him
and covers the depths of the sea.
31 For he judges the nations with these;
he gives food in abundance.(EJ)
32 He covers his hands with lightning
and commands it to hit its mark.
33 The[bb] thunder declares his presence;[bc]
the cattle also, the approaching storm.
37 My heart(EK) pounds at this
and leaps from my chest.[bd]
2 Just listen to his thunderous voice
and the rumbling that comes from his mouth.
3 He lets it loose beneath the entire sky;
his lightning to the ends(EL) of the earth.
4 Then there comes a roaring sound;
God thunders(EM) with his majestic voice.
He does not restrain the lightning
when his rumbling voice is heard.
5 God thunders wondrously with his voice;
he does great things that we cannot comprehend.
6 For he says to the snow,(EN) “Fall to the earth,”
and the torrential rains, his mighty torrential rains,
7 serve as his sign to all mankind,
so that all men may know his work.
8 The wild animals enter their lairs
and stay in their dens.(EO)
9 The windstorm comes from its chamber,
and the cold from the driving north winds.
10 Ice is formed by the breath of God,(EP)
and watery expanses are frozen.
11 He saturates clouds with moisture;(EQ)
he scatters his lightning through them.
12 They swirl about,
turning round and round at his direction,
accomplishing everything he commands them
over the surface of the inhabited world.
13 He causes this to happen for punishment,
for his land, or for his faithful love.
14 Listen to this, Job.
Stop and consider God’s wonders.
15 Do you know how God directs his clouds
or makes their lightning flash?
16 Do you understand how the clouds float,
those wonderful works of him who has perfect knowledge?
17 You whose clothes get hot
when the south wind brings calm to the land,
18 can you help God spread out the skies
as hard as a cast metal mirror?
19 Teach us what we should say to him;(ER)
we cannot prepare our case because of our darkness.
20 Should he be told that I want to speak?
Can a man speak when he is confused?
21 Now no one can even look at the sun
after a wind has swept through and cleared the sky.
22 Out of the north he comes, shrouded in a golden glow;
awesome(ES) majesty surrounds him.
23 The Almighty—we cannot reach him—
he is exalted in power!
He will not violate justice and abundant righteousness,
24 therefore, men fear him.
He does not look favorably on any who are wise(ET) in heart.
Footnotes
- 29:11 Lit When an ear heard, it called me blessed, and when an eye saw, it testified for me
- 29:18 Or as the phoenix
- 29:24 Lit they did not cast down
- 30:4 Or saltwort
- 30:11 Alt Hb tradition, LXX, Vg read his
- 30:12 Hb obscure
- 30:12 Lit stretch out
- 30:12 Lit and raise up their destructive paths
- 30:18 Hb obscure
- 30:24 Lit a heap of ruins
- 30:27 Lit My bowels boil
- 30:28 Or walk in sunless gloom
- 30:30 Lit blackens away from me
- 31:1 Or a virgin
- 31:10 Lit men kneel down over
- 31:18 Lit and from my mother’s womb
- 31:20 Lit his loins
- 31:21 Lit I raise my hand
- 31:27 Lit and my hand kissed my mouth
- 31:33 Or as Adam
- 31:39 Lit or caused the breath of its tenants to breathe out
- 32:3 Alt Hb tradition reads condemned God
- 32:17 Lit answer my part
- 32:18 Lit and the spirit of my belly
- 32:19 Lit belly
- 33:8 Lit heard a sound of
- 33:13 Lit court, for he does not answer all his words
- 33:16 LXX; MT reads and seals
- 33:18 Or from perishing by the sword
- 33:21 Lit away from sight
- 33:23 Or to vouch for a person’s uprightness
- 33:25 Hb obscure
- 33:27 Lit and the same was not to me
- 33:32 Lit If there are words
- 34:1 Lit answered
- 34:6 Lit arrow
- 34:11 Lit and like a path of a man, he causes him to find
- 34:23 Some emend to God has not appointed a time for man to
- 34:26 Lit In a place of spectators
- 35:3 Some emend to me
- 35:8 Or a mere mortal
- 35:14 Or how then can
- 35:14 Lit say
- 35:15 LXX, Vg; MT reads folly, or arrogance; Hb obscure
- 36:5 Lit he is mighty in strength of heart
- 36:12 Or will perish by the sword
- 36:16 Lit from a mouth of narrowness
- 36:18 Or you into mockery
- 36:18 Or bribe
- 36:19 Or cry for help
- 36:21 Or for you have preferred this to
- 36:27 Lit he draws in waterdrops
- 36:27 Or his
- 36:33 Lit His, or Its
- 36:33 Lit thunder announces concerning him or it
- 37:1 Lit from its place
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