Job 9
New Catholic Bible
Job’s Second Response[a]
Chapter 9
The Irresistible Power of God.[b] 1 Job then answered with these words:
2 “Indeed, I realize that this is true,
but how can anyone claim to be righteous before God?
3 If someone wished to debate with him,
he could not answer him once in a thousand.
4 God is wise in heart and mighty in strength;
who then has resisted him and remained unscathed?
5 “He moves mountains without their realizing it
and overturns them in his anger.
6 He shakes the earth out of its place,
and makes its pillars tremble.
7 He commands the sun, and it does not rise;
he seals up the light of the stars.
8 He alone stretches out the heavens
and tramples upon the waves of the sea.
9 He made the Bear and Orion,
the Pleiades[c] and the constellations of the South.
10 “God performs deeds that are beyond understanding
and marvels that cannot be numbered.
11 If he passes near me, I do not see him;
he moves on, imperceptible to me.
12 If he snatches something away, who can stop him?
Who will dare to ask him, ‘What are you doing?’
13 God will not relent in his wrath;
the servants of Rahab lie prostrate at his feet.
Even If I Am Innocent, How Can I Answer God?[d]
14 “How then can I possibly reply to him
or devise arguments to counter him?
15 Even if I am innocent, how can I answer him?
I can only plead that he have mercy on me.
16 “Even if I summoned him and he responded,
I do not believe that he would listen to what I said.
17 He might crush me in a tempest
and multiply my wounds without cause.
18 He might leave me no opportunity to regain my breath
and fill me with bitterness.
19 “If it is a contest of strength,
I cannot compete with him.
If it is a matter of judgment,
who can summon him to present his evidence?
20 Even though I am innocent,
my own mouth might condemn me.
Even though I am blameless,
he might prove me guilty.
21 But am I without blame?
I am no longer certain.
Life itself I despise.
22 “It is all the same; that is why I say,
‘He destroys both the innocent and the wicked.’
23 When a deadly scourge suddenly appears,
he mocks the despair of the innocent.
24 When the earth is given into the hands of the wicked,
he blindfolds the eyes of its judges.[e]
If it is not he who does so,
then who else is responsible?
There Is No Arbiter To Judge between God and Me
25 “My days pass more swiftly than a runner;
they fly away without any experience of happiness.
26 They skim past like boats of papyrus,
like an eagle swooping upon its prey.
27 If I say, ‘I will forget my complaints,
I will put on a cheerful face instead of a sad countenance,’
28 I will still dread my sufferings,
for I know that you will not hold me innocent.
29 “If I am to be condemned as guilty,
why then should I struggle in vain?
30 If I should wash myself with snow
and cleanse my hands with lye,
31 you would plunge me into a dung-filled ditch
so that even my clothes would abhor me.
32 “For God is not a man like me,
someone before whom I can plead my case
or whom I can confront in a court.
33 There is no arbiter to judge between us
with the power to render a verdict,
34 someone who could remove God’s rod from me
so that I would not shrink from him in terror.
35 Then I would speak out without fear of him,
for I know I am not what I am thought to be.
Footnotes
- Job 9:1 Far from denying the justice of God, Job proclaims it in his turn, but he will focus attention on the mystery of this justice by emphasizing the fearful power of the Creator and his seeming hostility to the human beings who have come from his own hands.
- Job 9:1 This first hymn to God the Creator emphasizes the nothingness of human beings. The Book of Job shows a liking for these grandiose visions in which we find the ancient cosmology reflected: earth is like a building set on pillars that reach down into the abyss (v. 6); in the firmament God has set constellations that cannot all be identified with certainty (v. 9).
- Job 9:9 Bear . . . Orion . . . Pleiades: three constellations, whose creation by God was evidence of his overwhelming might. They reappear in Job 38:31-32, and the last two are found in Am 5:8.
- Job 9:14 Hounded by the desire to obtain justice, Job would like to come before God. But the heavy burden of the trial leads him to have doubts both about his own virtue and about the justice of God.
- Job 9:24 Blindfolds the eyes of [the earth’s] judges: in our day, we portray Lady Justice as wearing a blindfold, meaning that she will be an impartial judge. Job accused God of blindfolding the judges of his time so that they would be oblivious to both crimes and innocence.
Job 9
International Children’s Bible
Job Answers Bildad
9 Then Job answered:
2 “Yes, I know that this is true.
But how can man be right in the presence of God?
3 A person might want to argue with God.
But he could not answer God one time out of a thousand.
4 God’s wisdom is deep, and his power is great.
No one can fight God without being hurt.
5 God moves mountains without anyone knowing it.
He turns mountains over when he is angry.
6 God shakes the earth out of its place.
And he makes the earth’s foundations shake.
7 God commands the sun not to shine.
He shuts off the light of the stars.
8 God alone stretches out the skies.
And he walks on the waves of the sea.
9 It is God who made the Bear, Orion and the Pleiades[a]
and the groups of stars in the southern sky.
10 God does wonderful things that people cannot understand.
He does so many miracles they cannot be counted.
11 When he passes me, I cannot see him.
When he goes by me, I cannot recognize him.
12 If God snatches something away, no one can stop him.
No one can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’
13 God will not hold back his anger.
Even the helpers of the monster Rahab lie at God’s feet in fear.
14 So how can I argue with God?
I cannot find words to argue with him.
15 Even if I was right, I could not answer him.
I could only beg God, my Judge, for mercy.
16 I might call to him. But even if he answered,
I still would not believe he would listen to me.
17 God would crush me with a storm.
He would multiply my hurts for no reason.
18 He would not let me catch my breath.
He would overwhelm me with misery.
19 When it comes to strength, God is stronger than I.
And when it comes to justice, no one can accuse him!
20 Even if I were right, my own mouth would say I was wrong.
If I were innocent, my mouth would say I was guilty.
21 “I am innocent.
But I don’t think about myself.
I hate my own life.
22 It is all the same. That is why I say,
‘God destroys both the innocent and the evil people.’
23 A whip may bring sudden death.
And God will laugh when good people suffer.
24 When land falls into the hands of evil people,
God covers the judges’ faces so they can’t see it.
If it is not God who does this, then who is it?
25 “My days go by faster than a runner.
They fly away without my seeing even a little joy.
26 They glide past like boats made of papyrus plants.
My days are like eagles that swoop down on animals they attack.
27 I might say, ‘I will forget my complaint.
I will change the look on my face, and smile.’
28 But I will still dread all my suffering.
I know you will hold me guilty.
29 I have already been found guilty.
So why should I struggle for no reason?
30 I might wash myself with soap.
And I might even wash my hands with strong soap.
31 But you would push me into a dirty pit.
And even my clothes would hate me.
32 “God is not a man like me. So I cannot answer him.
We cannot meet each other in court.
33 I wish there was someone to make peace between us.
I wish someone could decide our case.
34 I wish someone could remove God’s punishment from me.
Then his terror would not frighten me anymore.
35 Then I could speak up without being afraid of God.
But I am not able to do that.
Footnotes
- 9:9 Bear . . . Pleiades Names of well-known groups of stars.
Job 9
King James Version
9 Then Job answered and said,
2 I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God?
3 If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand.
4 He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?
5 Which removeth the mountains, and they know not: which overturneth them in his anger.
6 Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.
7 Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars.
8 Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea.
9 Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south.
10 Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number.
11 Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: he passeth on also, but I perceive him not.
12 Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him? who will say unto him, What doest thou?
13 If God will not withdraw his anger, the proud helpers do stoop under him.
14 How much less shall I answer him, and choose out my words to reason with him?
15 Whom, though I were righteous, yet would I not answer, but I would make supplication to my judge.
16 If I had called, and he had answered me; yet would I not believe that he had hearkened unto my voice.
17 For he breaketh me with a tempest, and multiplieth my wounds without cause.
18 He will not suffer me to take my breath, but filleth me with bitterness.
19 If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong: and if of judgment, who shall set me a time to plead?
20 If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.
21 Though I were perfect, yet would I not know my soul: I would despise my life.
22 This is one thing, therefore I said it, He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.
23 If the scourge slay suddenly, he will laugh at the trial of the innocent.
24 The earth is given into the hand of the wicked: he covereth the faces of the judges thereof; if not, where, and who is he?
25 Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away, they see no good.
26 They are passed away as the swift ships: as the eagle that hasteth to the prey.
27 If I say, I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my heaviness, and comfort myself:
28 I am afraid of all my sorrows, I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent.
29 If I be wicked, why then labour I in vain?
30 If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean;
31 Yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me.
32 For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment.
33 Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both.
34 Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his fear terrify me:
35 Then would I speak, and not fear him; but it is not so with me.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
