Job 6-7
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 Continues: My Life Has No Hope
7 “Has not man (T)a hard service on earth,
and are not his (U)days like the days of a hired hand?
2 Like a slave who longs for (V)the shadow,
and like (W)a hired hand who looks for his (X)wages,
3 so I am allotted months of (Y)emptiness,
(Z)and nights of misery are apportioned to me.
4 (AA)When I lie down I say, ‘When shall I arise?’
But the night is long,
and I am full of tossing till the dawn.
5 My flesh is clothed with (AB)worms and (AC)dirt;
my skin hardens, then (AD)breaks out afresh.
6 My days are (AE)swifter than (AF)a weaver's shuttle
and come to their end without hope.
7 “Remember that my life is a (AG)breath;
my eye will never again see good.
8 (AH)The eye of him who sees me will behold me no more;
while your eyes are on me, (AI)I shall be gone.
9 As (AJ)the cloud fades and vanishes,
so he who (AK)goes down to Sheol does not come up;
10 he (AL)returns no more to his house,
nor does his (AM)place know him anymore.
11 “Therefore I will not (AN)restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;
I will (AO)complain in (AP)the bitterness of my soul.
12 Am I the sea, or (AQ)a sea monster,
that you set a guard over me?
13 (AR)When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me,
my couch will ease my complaint,’
14 then you scare me with dreams
and terrify me with visions,
15 so that I would choose strangling
and death rather than my (AS)bones.
16 I (AT)loathe my life; I would not live forever.
(AU)Leave me alone, for my days are (AV)a breath.
17 (AW)What is man, that you make so much of him,
and that you set your heart on him,
18 (AX)visit him every morning
and (AY)test him every moment?
19 How long will you not (AZ)look away from me,
nor leave me alone till I swallow my spit?
20 If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of mankind?
Why have you made me (BA)your mark?
Why have I become a burden to you?
21 Why do you not pardon my transgression
and take away my iniquity?
For now I shall lie in (BB)the earth;
you will (BC)seek me, (BD)but I shall not be.”
Job 6-7
International Standard Version
Job’s Suffering is Grave
6 In rebuttal, Job replied:
2 “If only my grief could be weighed;
or my calamity piled together on a balance scale!
3 It would weigh more than the sand on the seashore![a]
Here’s why I’ve talked so rashly:
4 “The arrows of the Almighty have pierced me;
my spirit absorbs[b] their poison;[c]
God’s terrors have been arranged just for me!
5 “Will the wild donkey bray from hunger[d] if fresh grass is beside him?
Will the ox low from distress[e] if it is near its feed?
6 Tasteless food isn’t eaten without salt, is it?
Is there any taste in an egg white?
7 I cannot bring myself to touch them;[f]
food like this makes me sick.”
Job Desires Death
8 “Who will grant my wish?[g]
I wish God would grant what I’m hoping for:
9 that God would just be willing[h] to crush me;
that he would let loose[i] and eliminate me!
10 At least I could still take comfort
and rejoice in unceasing anguish,
for I didn’t conceal what the Holy One has to say.
11 “Do I have the strength to wait?
And why[j] should I be patient?
12 Am I as strong as a rock?
Am I some kind of iron man?[k]
13 There is no help within me, is there?
My resources have been driven away from me, haven’t they?
Job Accuses His Friends of Treachery
14 The friend shows gracious love for his friend,
even if he has forsaken the fear of the Almighty.
15 But my brothers have acted treacherously like a cascading river,
like torrential rivers that overflow.
16 Filled with waters made cold[l] by ice,
they are where the snow goes to hide.
17 But then the snow melts, and they disappear;
when warmed, they evaporate from their stream beds.[m]
18 Travelers divert[n] in their route;
they go into a wasteland and die.
19 Travelers from Tema search intently;
caravans from Sheba hope to find them.
20 For all their expectations, they are doomed to disappointment;
even though they have come and searched this far.
21 “And now you’re all just like them, aren’t you?[o]
You see my terror and are terrified.
22 When did I ever ask you for anything,
say ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth?’
23 or say ‘Deliver me from my enemy’s control,’[p]
or ‘Redeem me from the domination[q] of ruthless people’?”
Job Requests Mercy from His Friends
24 “Instruct me, and I’ll remain silent.
Help me understand where I’ve gone astray.
25 The truth[r] can be painful,
but what has your argument proven?
26 Did you intend your words to reprove,
even though the speech of a desperate person is just wind?
27 Indeed, you would gamble to buy an orphan;
and barter to buy your friend!
28 Now be willing to face me,
and I won’t lie to your face.
29 Repent! Let there be no injustice;
Change your ways![s] My vindication[t] is at stake.
30 Have I said anything that’s unjust?
I can discern[u] evil, can’t I?”
Job Acknowledges the Brevity of Life
7 “Men have harsh servitude on earth, do they not?
His days are like those of a hired laborer, are they not?[v]
2 I’m like a servant who longs for the shade,
like a hired laborer who is looking for his wages.
3 Truly I’ve been allotted months of emptiness;
nights of trouble have been appointed for me.
4 “When I lie down I ask,
‘When will I wake up?’
But the night continues
and I keep tossing and turning until dawn.[w]
5 My skin[x] is covered with worms and clods of dirt;
my skin becomes rough and then breaks out afresh.
6 My days pass as swiftly as a hand-loom;
they come to their conclusion without hope.
7 Remember that my life is a breath;
my eyes won’t go back to seeing good things.[y]
8 The eyes of the one who sees me won’t see me anymore;
your eyes will look[z] for me
but I won’t be around![aa]
9 As a cloud fades away and vanishes,
the one who descends to the afterlife[ab] doesn’t return.[ac]
10 He doesn’t return again to his house,
and his place won’t recognize him anymore.”
Job Intends to Complain
11 “In addition, I won’t keep my opinion[ad] to myself;
I’ll speak from my distressed spirit;
I’ll complain with my bitter soul.
12 Am I the sea, or a sea monster,
that you keep watching me?
13 For I’ve said, ‘My bed will comfort me;
my couch will ease my burdens[ae] while I complain.’
14 But then you scared me with dreams;
you terrified me with visions.
15 I would rather die by strangulation
than continue living.[af]
16 I hate the thought of living forever!
Leave me alone, because my days are pointless.”
Job Acknowledges Humankind’s Insignificance
17 “What is a human being, that you make so much of him;
that you set your affections on him,
18 visit him every morning,
and test him continually?
19 Why won’t you look away from me?
Why don’t you leave me alone so I can swallow my saliva?
20 So what if I sin? What have I done against you,
you observer of humankind?
Why have you made me your target?
Why burden yourself with me?
21 Why haven’t you pardoned my transgression
and taken away my iniquity?
Now I’m about to lie down in the dust.
You will seek me diligently,
but I won’t be around!”[ag]
Footnotes
- Job 6:3 Lit. sea
- Job 6:4 Lit. drinks
- Job 6:4 Lit. heat
- Job 6:5 The Heb. lacks from hunger
- Job 6:5 The Heb. lacks from distress
- Job 6:7 The Heb. lacks them
- Job 6:8 Or Oh, that I might have my request
- Job 6:9 Lit. pleased
- Job 6:9 Lit. loose his hand
- Job 6:11 Lit. And to what end
- Job 6:12 Lit. Is my flesh bronze?
- Job 6:16 Lit. dark
- Job 6:17 Lit. their place
- Job 6:18 Lit. twist
- Job 6:21 Lit. it
- Job 6:23 Lit. hand
- Job 6:23 Lit. hand
- Job 6:25 Lit. Upright words
- Job 6:29 The Heb. lacks your ways
- Job 6:29 Or righteousness
- Job 6:30 Lit. taste
- Job 7:1 Or hireling
- Job 7:4 Or twilight
- Job 7:5 Or flesh
- Job 7:7 The Heb. lacks things
- Job 7:8 The Heb. lacks will look
- Job 7:8 The Heb. lacks around
- Job 7:9 Lit. Sheol; i.e. the dwelling place of the dead
- Job 7:9 Lit. doesn’t come back up
- Job 7:11 Lit. mouth
- Job 7:13 Or carry
- Job 7:15 Lit. my bones
- Job 7:21 The Heb. lacks around
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.
