Job 6
New Catholic Bible
Job’s First Response[a]
Chapter 6
Impetuous Words.[b] 1 Job then answered with these words:
2 “If only my anguish could be weighed
and my misfortune placed with it on the scales.
3 They would then outweigh the sands of the sea—
hence, my words have been impetuous.
4 For the arrows of the Almighty[c] have pierced me,
and my spirit soaks in their poison;
God’s terrors are aligned against me.
5 “Does the wild donkey bray when it has grass?
Does an ox bellow when it has fodder?
6 Can tasteless food be eaten without salt?
Is there any flavor in the whites of eggs?
7 I refuse to even touch them;
they are like uncleanness in my food.
The Consolation of Death[d]
8 “Oh, that I might receive my request
and God would grant me what I hope for:
9 that it would please him to crush me,
cutting me off and ceasing to restrain his hand.
10 Such would be my consolation,
and I would exult in my unrelenting pain,
since I have never rebelled against the commands of the Holy One.
11 “Do I have the strength to continue to wait?
And what future awaits me should I decide to be patient?
12 Is my strength the strength of stone?
Is my flesh made of bronze?
13 How can I summon up the energy to survive?
All possible solutions to my plight are beyond my reach.
My Brethren Have Betrayed Me[e]
14 “One who despairs should have the support of his friends
even if he has forsaken the fear of the Almighty.
15 But my brethren have proved to be as treacherous as a torrent,
like watercourses that suddenly run dry;
16 they turn dark with ice
and swell with the thawing of the snow,
17 but they dry up in the hot season,
and in the heat vanish from their beds.
18 “Caravans wander off from their course;
they go into the wilderness and perish.
19 The caravans of Tema search for water;
the travelers from Sheba[f] move forward in hope.
20 But despite their confidence they are doomed to disappointment;
they arrive there, only to be frustrated.
21 In much the same way you have dealt with me;
you are stunned at my plight and are terrified.
Make Me Understand How I Have Been at Fault[g]
22 “Did I ever ask you to give me anything,
or to use your vast wealth to alleviate my travails,
23 or to rescue me from the hands of an oppressor,
or to ransom me from the power of ruthless men?
24 “Instruct me, and I will be silent;
make me understand how I have been at fault.
25 I can readily accept logical explanations,
but your arguments are without merit.
26 Do you think that your words should be embraced
whereas mine are so fragile that they can be borne away by a light breeze?
27 You would even cast lots for the fatherless
and sell your friend at a bargain price.
28 “Therefore, now I beg you to look at me,
for I will not lie to your face.
29 Consider what I have said,
and let no further injustice be inflicted upon me.
30 Does evil issue forth from my lips?
Would I not realize it if I spoke untruthfully?
Footnotes
- Job 6:1 Eliphaz’s words, despite their spiritual beauty, have remained theoretical. Is there any recourse outside of God?
- Job 6:1 Anyone who is without affliction cannot measure another person’s suffering. Just as a bow reaches an adversary, God’s chastisements pierce hearts; they are as frightening as his poisonous arrows (Deut 32:23; Ps 38:3; Lam 3:12-15; Ezek 5:16).
- Job 6:4 The arrows of the Almighty: (the Hebrew has the archaic Shaddai); the trials sent by God (see note on Ps 38:3).
- Job 6:8 Job has reached the end of his strength and his patience, and now waits only for death. His only consolation is that he will have remained faithful to God to the end.
- Job 6:14 Friendship is a refreshing source, but for the sick it is as rare as a spring for a caravan in the wilderness.
- Job 6:19 Tema . . . Sheba: Arabian commercial centers.
- Job 6:22 Job has a deep sense of his innocence. Hence, the pious proposals of his friends seem to him to be inconsiderate.
Job 6
Lexham English Bible
Job’s Second Speech: A Response to Eliphaz
6 Then[a] Job answered and said,
2 “If only my vexation could be well weighed,
and my calamity could be lifted up together with it in the balances,
3 for then it would be heavier than the sand of the seas;
therefore my words have been rash,
4 for the arrows of Shaddai are in me;
my spirit drinks their poison;
the terrors of God are arrayed against me.
5 Does the wild ass bray over grass,
or the ox bellow over its fodder?
6 Can tasteless food be eaten without[b] salt,
or is there taste in the white of a marshmallow plant?
7 I refused[c] to touch them;
they are like food that will make me ill.[d]
8 “O that[e] my request may come,
and that God may grant my hope,
9 that[f] God would decide that[g] he would crush me,
that he would let loose his hand and kill me.[h]
10 But[i] it will still be my consolation,
and I would recoil in unrelenting[j] pain,
for I have not denied the words of the Holy One.
11 What is my strength, that I should wait?
And what is my end, that I should hold out?[k]
12 Or is my strength like the strength of stones?
Or is my flesh bronze?
13 Indeed,[l] my help is not in me,
and any success is driven from me.
14 “Loyal love[m] should come for the afflicted from his friend,
even if[n] he forsakes the fear of Shaddai.
15 My companions are treacherous like a torrent-bed;
like a streambed of wadis[o] they flow away,
16 which are growing dark because of ice upon them,
it will pile up snow.
17 In time they dry up, they disappear;
when it is hot, they vanish from their place.
18 The paths of their way wind around;
they go up into the wasteland, and they perish.
19 The caravans of Tema looked;
the traveling merchants of Sheba hope for them.
20 They are disappointed, because they trusted;
they came here[p] and they are confounded.
21 “For now you[q] have become such;[r]
you see terrors, and you fear.
22 Is it because I have said, ‘Give to me,’
or,[s] ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth’?
23 or,[t] ‘Save me from the foe’s hand,’
or,[u] ‘Ransom me from the tyrants’ hand’?
24 Teach me, and I myself[v] will be silent;
and make me understand how I have gone astray.
25 How painful are upright words![w]
But[x] what does your reproof[y] reprove?
26 Do you intend to reprove my words[z]
and consider the words of a desperate man as wind?
27 Even over the orphan you would cast the lot,
and you would bargain over your friend.
28 “Therefore[aa] be prepared, turn to me,
and I surely will not lie to your face.[ab]
29 Please turn, let no injustice happen;
indeed,[ac] turn, my righteousness is still intact.[ad]
30 Is there injustice on my tongue?
Or can my palate not discern calamity?[ae]
Footnotes
- Job 6:1 Hebrew “And”
- Job 6:6 Hebrew “from without”
- Job 6:7 Literally “My soul/throat refuses”
- Job 6:7 Literally “the illness of my bread/food”
- Job 6:8 Literally “Who would give”
- Job 6:9 Hebrew “and”
- Job 6:9 Hebrew “and”
- Job 6:9 Literally “he would cut me off”
- Job 6:10 Hebrew “And”
- Job 6:10 Literally “he/it does not have compassion,” or “he/it does not have pity,” or “he/it does not spare”
- Job 6:11 Literally “I should make my self long,” or “I should lengthen my self”
- Job 6:13 An interrogative marker plus “if”
- Job 6:14 Or “Kindness”
- Job 6:14 Hebrew “and”
- Job 6:15 A seasonal stream that is often dry
- Job 6:20 Literally “up to it”
- Job 6:21 Plural throughout the rest of this chapter
- Job 6:21 Literally “to it,” or “for it”
- Job 6:22 Hebrew “and”
- Job 6:23 Hebrew “and”
- Job 6:23 Hebrew “And”
- Job 6:24 Emphatic personal pronoun
- Job 6:25 Literally “words of uprightness”
- Job 6:25 Hebrew “And”
- Job 6:25 Literally “reproving from you”
- Job 6:26 Or “Do you intend to reprove with words”
- Job 6:28 Literally “And now,” or “And so then”
- Job 6:28 Hebrew “faces”
- Job 6:29 Hebrew “and”
- Job 6:29 Literally “still my righteousness is in it”
- Job 6:30 Or “calamities”
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