Job’s Present State Is Humiliating

30 “But now those younger than I (A)mock me,
Whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock.
“Indeed, what good was the strength of their hands to me?
Vigor had perished from them.
“From want and famine they are gaunt
Who gnaw the dry ground by night in waste and desolation,
Who pluck [a]mallow by the bushes,
And whose food is the root of the broom shrub.
“They are driven from the community;
They shout against them as against a thief,
So that they dwell in dreadful [b]valleys,
In holes of the earth and of the rocks.
“Among the bushes they [c]cry out;
Under the nettles they are gathered together.
[d]Fools, even [e]those without a name,
They were scourged from the land.

“And now I have become their [f](B)taunt,
I have even become a (C)byword to them.
10 “They abhor me and stand aloof from me,
And they do not [g]refrain from (D)spitting at my face.
11 “Because [h]He has loosed [i]His [j]bowstring and (E)afflicted me,
They have cast off (F)the bridle before me.
12 “On the right hand their [k]brood arises;
They (G)thrust aside my feet (H)and build up against me their ways of destruction.
13 “They (I)break up my path,
They profit [l]from my destruction;
No one restrains them.
14 “As through a wide breach they come,
[m]Amid the tempest they roll on.
15 (J)Terrors are turned against me;
They pursue my [n]honor as the wind,
And my [o]prosperity has passed away (K)like a cloud.

16 “And now (L)my soul is poured out [p]within me;
Days of affliction have seized me.
17 “At night it pierces (M)my bones [q]within me,
And my gnawing pains take no rest.
18 “By a great force my garment is (N)distorted;
It binds me about as the collar of my coat.
19 “He has cast me into the (O)mire,
And I have become like dust and ashes.
20 “I (P)cry out to You for help, but You do not answer me;
I stand up, and You turn Your attention against me.
21 “You have [r]become cruel to me;
With the might of Your hand You (Q)persecute me.
22 “You (R)lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride;
And You dissolve me in a storm.
23 “For I know that You (S)will bring me to death
And to the (T)house of meeting for all living.

24 “Yet does not one in a heap of ruins stretch out his hand,
Or in his disaster therefore (U)cry out for help?
25 “Have I not (V)wept for the [s]one whose life is hard?
Was not my soul grieved for (W)the needy?
26 “When I (X)expected good, then evil came;
When I waited for light, (Y)then darkness came.
27 [t]I am seething (Z)within and cannot relax;
Days of affliction confront me.
28 “I go about [u](AA)mourning without comfort;
I stand up in the assembly and (AB)cry out for help.
29 “I have become a brother to (AC)jackals
And a companion of ostriches.
30 “My (AD)skin turns black [v]on me,
And my (AE)bones burn with [w]fever.
31 “Therefore my (AF)harp [x]is turned to mourning,
And my flute to the sound of those who weep.

Footnotes

  1. Job 30:4 I.e. plant of the salt marshes
  2. Job 30:6 Or wadis
  3. Job 30:7 Or bray
  4. Job 30:8 Lit Sons of fools
  5. Job 30:8 Lit sons
  6. Job 30:9 Lit song
  7. Job 30:10 Lit withhold spit from my face
  8. Job 30:11 Or they
  9. Job 30:11 Some mss read my
  10. Job 30:11 Or cord
  11. Job 30:12 Possibly sprout or offspring
  12. Job 30:13 Lit for
  13. Job 30:14 Lit Under
  14. Job 30:15 Or nobility
  15. Job 30:15 Or welfare
  16. Job 30:16 Lit upon
  17. Job 30:17 Lit from upon
  18. Job 30:21 Lit turned to be
  19. Job 30:25 Lit hard of day
  20. Job 30:27 Lit My inward parts are boiling
  21. Job 30:28 Or blackened, but not by the heat of the sun
  22. Job 30:30 Lit from upon
  23. Job 30:30 Lit heat
  24. Job 30:31 Lit becomes

30 But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock.

Yea, whereto might the strength of their hands profit me, in whom old age was perished?

For want and famine they were solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste.

Who cut up mallows by the bushes, and juniper roots for their meat.

They were driven forth from among men, (they cried after them as after a thief;)

To dwell in the cliffs of the valleys, 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, yea, children of base men: they were viler than the earth.

And now am I their song, yea, I am their byword.

10 They abhor me, they flee far from me, and spare not to spit in my face.

11 Because he hath loosed my cord, and afflicted me, they have also let loose the bridle before me.

12 Upon my right hand rise the youth; they push away my feet, and they raise up against me the ways of their destruction.

13 They mar my path, they set forward my calamity, they have no helper.

14 They came upon me as a wide breaking in of waters: in the desolation they rolled themselves upon me.

15 Terrors are turned upon me: they pursue my soul as the wind: and my welfare passeth away as a cloud.

16 And now my soul is poured out upon me; the days of affliction have taken hold upon me.

17 My bones are pierced in me in the night season: and my sinews take no rest.

18 By the great force of my disease is my garment changed: it bindeth me about as the collar of my coat.

19 He hath cast me into the mire, and I am become like dust and ashes.

20 I cry unto thee, and thou dost not hear me: I stand up, and thou regardest me not.

21 Thou art become cruel to me: with thy strong hand thou opposest thyself against me.

22 Thou liftest me up to the wind; thou causest me to ride upon it, and dissolvest my substance.

23 For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living.

24 Howbeit he will not stretch out his hand to the grave, though they cry in his destruction.

25 Did not I weep for him that was in trouble? was not my soul grieved for the poor?

26 When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness.

27 My bowels boiled, and rested not: the days of affliction prevented me.

28 I went mourning without the sun: I stood up, and I cried in the congregation.

29 I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls.

30 My skin is black upon me, and my bones are burned with heat.

31 My harp also is turned to mourning, and my organ into the voice of them that weep.

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

30 “But now men who are younger than I make fun of me.
I would not have even let their fathers
    sit with my sheep dogs.
Their hands had no strength to help me.
    They had even lost their strength to work.
They were thin from being hungry and in need.
    They wandered through the dry and ruined land at night.
They gathered desert plants by the brush for food.
    They even ate the root of the broom tree.
They were forced to live away from other people.
    People shouted at them as if they were thieves.
These young men had to live in dried up streambeds.
    They lived in caves and among the rocks.
They howled like animals out among the bushes.
    And they huddled together in the brush.
They are worthless people without names.
    They were forced to leave the land.

“Now they make fun of me with songs.
    My name has become a joke among them.
10 They hate me and stay far away from me.
    But they do not mind spitting in my face.
11 God has taken away my strength and made me suffer.
    So they attack me with all their anger.
12 On my right side they attack me like a mob.
    They lay traps for my feet.
    They prepare to attack me.
13 They break up my road.
    They work to destroy me
    without anyone stopping them.
14 They go forward as if through a hole in the wall.
    They roll in among the ruins.
15 Great fears overwhelm me.
    They blow my honor away as if by a great wind.
    My safety disappears like a cloud.

16 “Now my life is almost over.
    My days are full of suffering.
17 At night my bones ache.
    Gnawing pains never stop.
18 In his great power God grabs hold of my clothing.
    He chokes me with the collar of my coat.
19 He throws me into the mud.
    And I become like dirt and ashes.

20 “I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer.
    I stand up, but you just look at me.
21 You turn on me without mercy.
    You attack me with your powerful hand.
22 You snatch me up and throw me into the wind.
    You toss me about in the storm.
23 I know you will bring me down to death.
    You will bring me to the place where all living people must go.

24 “Surely no one would hurt a ruined man
    when he cries for help in his time of trouble.
25 I have cried for those who are in trouble.
    My soul has been very sad for poor people.
26 But when I hoped for good, only evil came to me.
    When I looked for light, darkness came.
27 I never stop being upset inside.
    Days of suffering are ahead of me.
28 I have become black, but not by the sun.
    I stand up in public and cry for help.
29 It is as if I have become a brother to wild dogs
    and a friend to ostriches.
30 My skin becomes black and peels off.
    My body burns with fever.
31 My harp is tuned for singing a sad song.
    And my flute is tuned for the sound of loud crying.