Job 6
New American Standard Bible
Job’s Friends Are No Help
6 Then Job responded,
2 “(A)Oh if only my grief were actually weighed
And laid in the balances together with my disaster!
3 For then it would be (B)heavier than the sand of the seas;
For that reason my words have been rash.
4 For the (C)arrows of the Almighty are within me,
[a]My spirit drinks their (D)poison;
The (E)terrors of God line up against me.
5 Does the (F)wild donkey bray over his grass,
Or does the ox low over his feed?
6 Can something tasteless be eaten without salt,
Or is there any taste in the [b]juice of an alkanet plant?
7 My soul (G)refuses to touch them;
They are like loathsome food to me.
8 “Oh, that my request might come to pass,
And that God would grant my hope!
9 Oh, that God would (H)decide to crush me,
That He would let loose His hand and cut me off!
10 But it is still my comfort,
And I rejoice in unsparing pain,
That I (I)have not [c]denied the words of the Holy One.
11 What is my strength, that I should wait?
And what is my end, that I should [d](J)endure?
12 Is my strength the strength of stones,
Or is my flesh bronze?
13 Is it that my (K)help is not within me,
And that a (L)good outcome is driven away from me?
14 “For the (M)despairing man there should be kindness from his friend;
So that he does not (N)abandon the [e]fear of the Almighty.
15 My brothers have acted (O)deceitfully like a [f]wadi,
Like the torrents of [g]wadis which drain away,
16 Which are darkened because of ice,
And into which the snow [h]melts.
17 When (P)they dry up, they vanish;
When it is hot, they disappear from their place.
18 The [i]paths of their course wind along,
They go up into wasteland and perish.
19 The caravans of (Q)Tema looked,
The travelers of (R)Sheba hoped for them.
20 They (S)were put to shame, for they had trusted,
They came there and were humiliated.
21 Indeed, you have now become such,
(T)You see terrors and are afraid.
22 Have I said, ‘Give me something,’
Or, ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth,’
23 Or, ‘Save me from the hand of the enemy,’
Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of the tyrants’?
24 “Teach me, and (U)I will be silent;
And show me how I have done wrong.
25 How painful are honest words!
But what does your argument prove?
26 Do you intend to rebuke my words,
When the (V)words of one in despair belong to the wind?
27 You would even (W)cast lots for (X)the orphans,
And (Y)barter over your friend.
28 Now please look at me,
And see if I am (Z)lying to your face.
29 Please turn away, let there be no injustice;
Turn away, (AA)my righteousness is still in it.
30 Is there injustice on my tongue?
Does (AB)my palate not discern disasters?
Footnotes
- Job 6:4 Lit Whose poison my spirit drinks
- Job 6:6 Heb hallamuth, meaning uncertain
- Job 6:10 Lit hidden
- Job 6:11 Lit prolong my soul
- Job 6:14 Or reverence for
- Job 6:15 I.e., dry stream bed(s), except in the rainy season
- Job 6:15 I.e., dry stream bed(s), except in the rainy season
- Job 6:16 Lit hides itself
- Job 6:18 Or caravans turn from their course, they go up into the waste and perish
Job 6
English Standard Version
Job Replies: My Complaint Is Just
6 Then Job answered and said:
2 “Oh that my vexation were weighed,
and all my calamity laid in the balances!
3 For then it would be heavier than (A)the sand of the sea;
therefore my words have been rash.
4 For (B)the arrows of the Almighty are in me;
my spirit drinks their poison;
the terrors of God are arrayed against me.
5 Does the wild donkey bray when he has grass,
or the ox low over his fodder?
6 Can that which is tasteless be eaten without salt,
or is there any taste in the juice of the mallow?[a]
7 My appetite refuses to touch them;
they are as food that is loathsome to me.[b]
8 “Oh that I might have my request,
and that God would fulfill my hope,
9 that it would (C)please God to crush me,
that he would let loose his hand and cut me off!
10 This would be my comfort;
I would even exult[c] in pain (D)unsparing,
for I have not denied the words of (E)the Holy One.
11 What is my strength, that I should wait?
And what is my end, that I should be patient?
12 Is my strength the strength of stones, or is my flesh bronze?
13 Have I any help in me,
when resource is driven from me?
14 “He who (F)withholds[d] kindness from a (G)friend
forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
15 My (H)brothers are (I)treacherous as a torrent-bed,
as torrential (J)streams that pass away,
16 which are dark with ice,
and where the snow hides itself.
17 When they melt, they disappear;
when it is hot, they vanish from their place.
18 The caravans turn aside from their course;
they go up into (K)the waste and perish.
19 The caravans of (L)Tema look,
the travelers of (M)Sheba hope.
20 They are (N)ashamed because they were confident;
they come there and are (O)disappointed.
21 For you have now become nothing;
you see my calamity and are afraid.
22 Have I said, ‘Make me a gift’?
Or, ‘From your wealth offer a bribe for me’?
23 Or, ‘Deliver me from the adversary's hand’?
Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of (P)the ruthless’?
24 “Teach me, and I will be silent;
make me understand how I have gone astray.
25 How forceful are upright words!
But what does reproof from you reprove?
26 Do you think that you can reprove words,
when the speech of a despairing man is (Q)wind?
27 You would even (R)cast lots over the fatherless,
and bargain over your friend.
28 “But now, be pleased to look at me,
for I will not lie to your face.
29 (S)Please turn; let no injustice be done.
Turn now; my vindication is at stake.
30 Is there any injustice on my tongue?
Cannot my palate discern the cause of calamity?
Job 6
Segond 21
Intervention n° 2 de Job
6 Job prit la parole et dit:
2 «Si seulement il était possible de peser mon exaspération,
si seulement on plaçait tous mes malheurs ensemble sur une balance!
3 Ils seraient plus lourds que le sable de la mer:
voilà pourquoi mes paroles dépassent la mesure.
4 Oui, les flèches du Tout-Puissant m'ont transpercé
et mon esprit en suce le venin;
les terreurs de Dieu se rangent en ordre de bataille contre moi.
5 »L'âne sauvage se met-il à braire quand il est près de l'herbe?
Le bœuf se met-il à mugir quand il est près de son fourrage?
6 Mange-t-on ce qui est fade, sans sel?
Y a-t-il de la saveur dans le blanc d'un œuf?
7 Ce que je voudrais ne pas toucher,
c’est justement ma nourriture, si dégoûtante soit-elle!
8 Si seulement mon vœu pouvait se réaliser!
Si seulement Dieu pouvait m’accorder ce que j’attends!
9 »Que Dieu consente donc à m'écraser,
qu'il libère sa main et m'achève!
10 Il me restera au moins une consolation,
une joie, malgré la douleur dont il m'accable:
c’est que jamais je n'ai négligé les paroles du Saint.
11 »Aurai-je encore la force d’espérer?
Quelle sera ma fin, pour que je veuille persister à vivre?
12 Ma force serait-elle aussi résistante que la pierre?
Mon corps serait-il en bronze?
13 N’est-il pas vrai que je suis dépourvu de ressources,
que le succès a été chassé loin de moi?
14 »Celui qui souffre a droit à la bienveillance de son ami,
même s’il abandonne la crainte du Tout-Puissant.
15 Mes frères m’ont trompé comme le fait un torrent,
comme les cours d’eau qui disparaissent.
16 La fonte des glaces assombrit leur eau,
la neige s'y dissimule.
17 Mais à la saison chaude, ils arrêtent de couler;
sous l’effet de la chaleur, leur lit devient tout sec.
18 Les caravanes quittent leur chemin,
s'enfoncent dans le désert et disparaissent.
19 Les caravanes de Théma les cherchent du regard,
les voyageurs de Séba sont pleins d'espoir,
20 mais ils se retrouvent tout honteux d'avoir eu confiance,
ils sont tout désappointés quand ils y arrivent.
21 »De fait, maintenant, vous n’êtes pas vraiment présents pour moi.
Vous voyez mon angoisse et vous en êtes tout effrayés!
22 Vous ai-je demandé de me donner quelque chose,
de tirer pour moi un cadeau de vos ressources,
23 de me délivrer d’un adversaire
ou de me libérer d’hommes violents?
24 »Enseignez-moi et je me tairai.
Faites-moi comprendre quelle est mon erreur!
25 Quelle force auraient des paroles à propos!
Mais que prouvent vos critiques?
26 Voulez-vous donc corriger ce que j'ai dit,
vous débarrasser des discours d'un désespéré?
27 Vous seriez même capables de tirer au sort pour un orphelin,
de faire du commerce sur le dos de votre ami.
28 »Et maintenant, je vous en prie, regardez-moi!
Vous mentirais-je en face?
29 Revenez donc, je vous en prie, ne soyez pas injustes!
Revenez et reconnaissez-le, ma justice est intacte dans cette affaire.
30 Y a-t-il de l'injustice sur ma langue
et ma bouche ne discerne-t-elle pas le mal?
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Version Segond 21 Copyright © 2007 Société Biblique de Genève by Société Biblique de Genève