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Job 6-7
New International Version
Job 6-7
New International Version
Job
6 Then Job replied:
2 “If only my anguish could be weighed
and all my misery be placed on the scales!(A)
3 It would surely outweigh the sand(B) of the seas—
no wonder my words have been impetuous.(C)
4 The arrows(D) of the Almighty(E) are in me,(F)
my spirit drinks(G) in their poison;(H)
God’s terrors(I) are marshaled against me.(J)
5 Does a wild donkey(K) bray(L) when it has grass,
or an ox bellow when it has fodder?(M)
6 Is tasteless food eaten without salt,
or is there flavor in the sap of the mallow[a]?(N)
7 I refuse to touch it;
such food makes me ill.(O)
8 “Oh, that I might have my request,
that God would grant what I hope for,(P)
9 that God would be willing to crush(Q) me,
to let loose his hand and cut off my life!(R)
10 Then I would still have this consolation(S)—
my joy in unrelenting pain(T)—
that I had not denied the words(U) of the Holy One.(V)
11 “What strength do I have, that I should still hope?
What prospects, that I should be patient?(W)
12 Do I have the strength of stone?
Is my flesh bronze?(X)
13 Do I have any power to help myself,(Y)
now that success has been driven from me?
14 “Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend(Z)
forsakes the fear of the Almighty.(AA)
15 But my brothers are as undependable as intermittent streams,(AB)
as the streams that overflow
16 when darkened by thawing ice
and swollen with melting snow,(AC)
17 but that stop flowing in the dry season,
and in the heat(AD) vanish from their channels.
18 Caravans turn aside from their routes;
they go off into the wasteland and perish.
19 The caravans of Tema(AE) look for water,
the traveling merchants of Sheba(AF) look in hope.
20 They are distressed, because they had been confident;
they arrive there, only to be disappointed.(AG)
21 Now you too have proved to be of no help;
you see something dreadful and are afraid.(AH)
22 Have I ever said, ‘Give something on my behalf,
pay a ransom(AI) for me from your wealth,(AJ)
23 deliver me from the hand of the enemy,
rescue me from the clutches of the ruthless’?(AK)
24 “Teach me, and I will be quiet;(AL)
show me where I have been wrong.(AM)
25 How painful are honest words!(AN)
But what do your arguments prove?
26 Do you mean to correct what I say,
and treat my desperate words as wind?(AO)
27 You would even cast lots(AP) for the fatherless(AQ)
and barter away your friend.
28 “But now be so kind as to look at me.
Would I lie to your face?(AR)
29 Relent, do not be unjust;(AS)
reconsider, for my integrity(AT) is at stake.[b](AU)
30 Is there any wickedness on my lips?(AV)
Can my mouth not discern(AW) malice?
7 “Do not mortals have hard service(AX) on earth?(AY)
Are not their days like those of hired laborers?(AZ)
2 Like a slave longing for the evening shadows,(BA)
or a hired laborer waiting to be paid,(BB)
3 so I have been allotted months of futility,
and nights of misery have been assigned to me.(BC)
4 When I lie down I think, ‘How long before I get up?’(BD)
The night drags on, and I toss and turn until dawn.(BE)
5 My body is clothed with worms(BF) and scabs,
my skin is broken and festering.(BG)
6 “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,(BH)
and they come to an end without hope.(BI)
7 Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath;(BJ)
my eyes will never see happiness again.(BK)
8 The eye that now sees me will see me no longer;
you will look for me, but I will be no more.(BL)
9 As a cloud vanishes(BM) and is gone,
so one who goes down to the grave(BN) does not return.(BO)
10 He will never come to his house again;
his place(BP) will know him no more.(BQ)
11 “Therefore I will not keep silent;(BR)
I will speak out in the anguish(BS) of my spirit,
I will complain(BT) in the bitterness of my soul.(BU)
12 Am I the sea,(BV) or the monster of the deep,(BW)
that you put me under guard?(BX)
13 When I think my bed will comfort me
and my couch will ease my complaint,(BY)
14 even then you frighten me with dreams
and terrify(BZ) me with visions,(CA)
15 so that I prefer strangling and death,(CB)
rather than this body of mine.(CC)
16 I despise my life;(CD) I would not live forever.(CE)
Let me alone;(CF) my days have no meaning.(CG)
17 “What is mankind that you make so much of them,
that you give them so much attention,(CH)
18 that you examine them every morning(CI)
and test them(CJ) every moment?(CK)
19 Will you never look away from me,(CL)
or let me alone even for an instant?(CM)
20 If I have sinned, what have I done to you,(CN)
you who see everything we do?
Why have you made me your target?(CO)
Have I become a burden to you?[c](CP)
21 Why do you not pardon my offenses
and forgive my sins?(CQ)
For I will soon lie down in the dust;(CR)
you will search for me, but I will be no more.”(CS)
Job 6-7
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Job 6-7
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Job Replies: My Complaint Is Just
6 Then Job answered:
2 “O that my vexation were weighed
and all my calamity laid in the balances!(A)
3 For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea;
therefore my words have been rash.(B)
4 For the arrows of the Almighty[a] are in me;
my spirit drinks their poison;
the terrors of God are arrayed against me.(C)
5 Does the wild ass bray over its grass
or the ox low over its fodder?
6 Can that which is tasteless be eaten without salt,
or is there any flavor in the juice of mallows?[b]
7 My appetite refuses to touch them;
they are like food that is loathsome to me.[c]
8 “O that I might have my request
and that God would grant my desire,(D)
9 that it would please God to crush me,
that he would let loose his hand and cut me off!(E)
10 This would be my consolation;
I would even exult[d] in unrelenting pain,
for I have not denied the words of the Holy One.(F)
11 What is my strength, that I should wait?
And what is my end, that I should be patient?(G)
12 Is my strength the strength of stones,
or is my flesh bronze?
13 In truth I have no help in me,
and any resource is driven from me.(H)
14 “Those who withhold[e] kindness from a friend
forsake the fear of the Almighty.[f]
15 My companions are treacherous like a torrent bed,
like swollen streams that pass away,(I)
16 that run dark with ice,
turbid with melting snow.
17 In time of heat they disappear;
when it is hot, they vanish from their place.(J)
18 The caravans turn aside from their course;
they go up into the waste and perish.
19 The caravans of Tema look;
the travelers of Sheba hope.(K)
20 They are disappointed because they were confident;
they come there and are confounded.(L)
21 Such you have now become to me;[g]
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, ‘Save me from an opponent’s hand’?
Or, ‘Ransom me from the hand of oppressors’?
24 “Teach me, and I will be silent;
make me understand how I have gone wrong.
25 How forceful are honest words!
But your reproof, what does it reprove?(M)
26 Do you think that you can reprove words,
as if the speech of the desperate were wind?(N)
27 You would even cast lots over the orphan
and bargain over your friend.(O)
28 “But now, be pleased to look at me,
for I will not lie to your face.(P)
29 Turn, I pray; let no wrong be done.
Turn now; my vindication is at stake.
30 Is there any wrong on my tongue?
Cannot my taste discern calamity?(Q)
Job: My Suffering Is without End
7 “Do not human beings have a hard service on earth,
and are not their days like the days of a laborer?(R)
2 Like a slave who longs for the shadow,
and like laborers who look for their wages,(S)
3 so I am allotted months of emptiness,
and nights of misery are apportioned to me.(T)
4 When I lie down I say, ‘When shall I rise?’
But the night is long,
and I am full of tossing until dawn.(U)
5 My flesh is clothed with worms and dirt;
my skin hardens, then breaks out again.
6 My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle
and come to their end without hope.[h](V)
7 “Remember that my life is a breath;
my eye will never again see good.(W)
8 The eye that beholds me will see me no more;
while your eyes are upon me, I shall be gone.(X)
9 As the cloud fades and vanishes,
so those who go down to Sheol do not come up;(Y)
10 they return no more to their houses,
nor do their places know them any more.(Z)
11 “Therefore I will not restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.(AA)
12 Am I the Sea or the Dragon
that you set a guard over me?(AB)
13 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,(AC)
15 so that I would choose strangling
and death rather than this body.
16 I loathe my life; I would not live forever.
Let me alone, for my days are a breath.(AD)
17 What are humans, that you make so much of them,
that you set your mind on them,(AE)
18 visit them every morning,
test them every moment?
19 Will you not look away from me for a while,
let me alone until I swallow my spittle?
20 If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of humanity?
Why have you made me your target?
Why have I become a burden to you?(AF)
21 Why do you not pardon my transgression
and take away my iniquity?
For now I shall lie in the earth;
you will seek me, but I shall not be.”(AG)
Footnotes
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.