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30 “But now those who are younger than I mock me,
    whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock.
Yes, how does the strength of their hands profit me?
    Their vigor has perished.
For want and famine
    they gnawed the parched land;
    fleeing into the wilderness in former time, desolate and waste.
Who pluck mallow by the bushes,
    and juniper roots for their food.
They were driven out from among men;
    they shout after them as after a thief.
They had to dwell in the rocky riverbeds,
    in caves of the earth, and in the rocks.
Among the bushes they brayed;
    under the nettles they were gathered together.
They were children of fools, yes, children of vile men;
    they were scourged from the earth.

“Now I am their taunting song;
    yes, I am their byword.
10 They abhor me, they flee far from me;
    they do not hesitate to spit in my face.
11 Because He has loosed my bowstring and afflicted me,
    they have cast off the bridle before me.
12 At my right hand their brood arises;
    they push away my feet,
    and they raise against me their ways of destruction.
13 They tear apart my path,
    they promote my calamity;
    they have no helper.
14 They came upon me as a wide breach, with a crash they came;
    in the desolation they rolled themselves upon me.
15 Terrors are turned on me;
    they pursue my dignity like the wind,
    and my help passes away as a cloud.

16 “Now my soul is poured out within me;
    the days of affliction have taken hold of me.
17 My bones are pierced in me at night,
    and my sinews have no rest.
18 By the great force of my disease my garment is changed;
    it binds me about as the collar of my coat.
19 He has cast me into the mire,
    and I have become like dust and ashes.

20 “I cry unto You, but You do not hear me;
    I stand up, and You do not regard me.
21 You have become cruel to me;
    with Your strong hand You oppose me.
22 You lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride on it;
    You dissolve my success.
23 For I know that You will bring me to death,
    and to the house appointed for all living.

24 “Surely He will not stretch out His hand to the grave,
    though they cry when He destroys it.
25 Did I not weep for him who was in trouble?
    Was not my soul grieved for the poor?
26 When I looked for good, then evil disaster came upon me;
    and when I waited for light, darkness came.
27 My insides boiled and did not rest;
    the days of affliction have met me.
28 I went mourning without the sun;
    I stood up, and I cried in the congregation.
29 I am a brother of jackals
    and a companion of owls.
30 My skin is black upon me,
    and my bones are burned with fever.
31 My harp is turned to mourning,
    and my flute to the voice of those who weep.

Job’s Final Defense Continued

30 “But now those younger than I, as far as days, laugh at me,
whose fathers I rejected for setting with the dogs of my sheep and goats.
Moreover, what use to me is the strength of their hands?[a]
With them, vigor is destroyed.
Through want and through barren hunger
they are gnawing in the dry region in the darkness of desolation and waste.
They are picking salt herbs, the leaves of bushes,
and the roots of broom trees to warm themselves.
They were driven out from fellow people;
they shout at them as at a[b] thief,
so that they dwell[c]
in holes of the ground and in the rocks.
They bray among the bushes;
they are gathered under the nettles.
A senseless crowd,[d] yes, a disreputable brood,[e]
they were cast out from the land.
“But now I am their mocking song,
and I have become a byword for them.
10 They abhor me; they keep aloof from me,
and they do not withhold spit from my face
11 because he has loosened his bowstring and humbled me,
and they have thrown off restraint in my presence.[f]
12 On the right hand the brood rises[g] up;
they put me to flight,[h]
and they build up their siege ramps[i] against me.
13 They destroy my path;
they promote my destruction;
they have no helper.
14 As through a wide breach they come;
amid a crash they rush on.
15 Terrors are turned upon me;
my honor is pursued as by the wind,
and my hope of deliverance passed by like a cloud.
16 “And now my life is poured out onto me;
days of misery have taken hold of me.
17 At night I am in great pain;[j]
my pains do not take a rest.
18 He seizes my clothing with great power;[k]
he grasps me by my tunic’s collar.
19 He has cast me into the dirt,
and I have become like dust[l] and ashes.
20 I cry to you for help, but[m] you do not answer me;
I stand, and you merely look at me.
21 You have turned cruel to me;
you persecute me with your hand’s might.
22 You lift me up to the wind—you make me ride it,
and you toss me about in the storm.
23 Indeed, I know that you will bring me to death
and to the house of assembly for all the living.
24 “Surely someone must not send a hand against the needy
when, in his misfortune, there is a cry of help for them.
25 Have I not wept for the unfortunate,[n]
and grieved myself over the poor?
26 Indeed, I hoped for good, but evil came,
and I waited for light, but darkness came.
27 My bowels are in turmoil, and they are not still;
days of misery come to confront me.
28 I go about in mourning garb, but not in sunlight;
I stand up in the assembly, and I cry for help.
29 I am a companion for the jackals
and a companion for ostriches.[o]
30 My skin turns black on me,
and my bones burn with heat.
31 So[p] my lyre came to be used for mourning,
and my flute for the voice of those who weep.

Footnotes

  1. Job 30:2 Literally “the strength of their hands what is for me”
  2. Job 30:5 Hebrew “the”
  3. Job 30:6 Literally “to dwell”
  4. Job 30:8 Literally “sons of good-for-nothing”
  5. Job 30:8 Literally “sons of no name”
  6. Job 30:11 Literally “from my face”
  7. Job 30:12 Hebrew “rise”
  8. Job 30:12 Literally “my feet they send away”
  9. Job 30:12 Literally “the ways/paths of their disaster”
  10. Job 30:17 Literally “night my bones he pierces upon me,” or “night pierces my bones upon me”
  11. Job 30:18 Literally “much of strength”
  12. Job 30:19 Hebrew “the dust”
  13. Job 30:20 Hebrew “and”
  14. Job 30:25 Literally “hard of day”
  15. Job 30:29 Literally “daughters of ostrich”
  16. Job 30:31 Hebrew “And”

Job’s Wealth Now Poverty

30 “But now they mock at me, men [a]younger than I,
Whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock.
Indeed, what profit is the strength of their hands to me?
Their vigor has perished.
They are gaunt from want and famine,
Fleeing late to the wilderness, desolate and waste,
Who pluck [b]mallow by the bushes,
And broom tree roots for their food.
They were driven out from among men,
They shouted at them as at a thief.
They had to live in the clefts of the [c]valleys,
In [d]caves of the earth and the rocks.
Among the bushes they brayed,
Under the nettles they nestled.
They were sons of fools,
Yes, sons of vile men;
They were scourged from the land.

“And(A) now I am their taunting song;
Yes, I am their byword.
10 They abhor me, they keep far from me;
They do not hesitate (B)to spit in my face.
11 Because (C)He has loosed [e]my bowstring and afflicted me,
They have cast off restraint before me.
12 At my right hand the rabble arises;
They push away my feet,
And (D)they raise against me their ways of destruction.
13 They break up my path,
They promote my calamity;
They have no helper.
14 They come as broad breakers;
Under the ruinous storm they roll along.
15 Terrors are turned upon me;
They pursue my honor as the wind,
And my prosperity has passed like a cloud.

16 “And(E) now my soul is (F)poured out because of my plight;
The days of affliction take hold of me.
17 My bones are pierced in me at night,
And my gnawing pains take no rest.
18 By great force my garment is disfigured;
It binds me about as the collar of my coat.
19 He has cast me into the mire,
And I have become like dust and ashes.

20 “I (G)cry out to You, but You do not answer me;
I stand up, and You regard me.
21 But You have become cruel to me;
With the strength of Your hand You (H)oppose me.
22 You lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride on it;
You spoil my success.
23 For I know that You will bring me to death,
And to the house (I)appointed for all living.

24 “Surely He would not stretch out His hand against a heap of ruins,
If they cry out when He destroys it.
25 (J)Have I not wept for him who was in trouble?
Has not my soul grieved for the poor?
26 (K)But when I looked for good, evil came to me;
And when I waited for light, then came darkness.
27 [f]My heart is in turmoil and cannot rest;
Days of affliction confront me.
28 (L)I go about mourning, but not in the sun;
I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help.
29 (M)I am a brother of jackals,
And a companion of ostriches.
30 (N)My skin grows black and falls from me;
(O)My bones burn with fever.
31 My harp is turned to mourning,
And my flute to the voice of those who weep.

Footnotes

  1. Job 30:1 Lit. of fewer days
  2. Job 30:4 A plant of the salty marshes
  3. Job 30:6 wadis
  4. Job 30:6 Lit. holes
  5. Job 30:11 So with MT, Syr., Tg.; LXX, Vg. His
  6. Job 30:27 I seethe inside