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Job 9
Common English Bible
Job 9
Common English Bible
Hymnic praise
9 Job responded:
2 I know for certain that this is so;
and how can anyone be innocent before God?
3 If one wants to contend with him,
he won’t answer one in a thousand.
4 He is wise[a] and powerful;
who can resist him and prosper?
5 Who removes mountains, and they are unaware;
who overthrows them in anger?
6 Who shakes the earth from its place,
and its pillars shudder?
7 Who commands the sun, and it does not rise,
even seals up the stars;
8 stretched out the heavens alone
and trod on the waves of the Sea;[b]
9 made the Bear and Orion, Pleiades
and the southern constellations;
10 does great and unsearchable things,
wonders beyond number?
A mismatch
11 If God goes by me, I can’t see him;
he glides past, and I can’t perceive him.
12 If he seizes, who can bring back?
Who can say to him, “What are you doing?”
13 God won’t retract his anger;
the helpers of Rahab bow beneath him.
14 Yet I myself will answer him;
I’ll choose my words in a contest[c] with him.
15 Even if I’m innocent, I can’t answer;
I must plead for justice.
16 If I were to call and he answered me,
I couldn’t believe that he heard my voice.
17 Who bruises me with a tempest
and multiplies my wounds for no reason?
18 He doesn’t let me catch my breath,
for he fills me with bitterness.
19 If the issue is strength—behold power!
If justice—who calls God to meet me?
There is no justice
20 If I’m innocent, my mouth condemns me;
I have integrity; but God declares me perverse.
21 I’m blameless, yet don’t know myself;
I reject my life.
22 It’s all the same;
therefore, I say God destroys the blameless and the sinners.
23 If calamity suddenly kills,
he mocks at the slaying[d] of innocents.
24 The earth is handed over to the wicked;
he covers the faces of its judges.
If not God, then who does?
Job wants an arbitrator
25 My days are swifter than a runner;
they flee and don’t experience good.
26 They sweep by like ships made of reeds,
as an eagle swoops on prey.
27 If I say, “I’ll forget my lament,
put on a different face so I can smile,”
28 I’m still afraid of all my suffering;
I know that you won’t declare me innocent.
29 I myself am thought guilty;
why have I tried so hard in vain?
30 If I wash myself with snow,
purify my hands with soap,
31 then you’ll hurl me into a slimy pit
so that my clothes detest me.
32 God is not a man like me—someone I could answer—
so that we could come together in court.
33 Oh, that[e] there were a mediator between us;
he would lay his hand on both of us,
34 remove his rod from me,
so his fury wouldn’t frighten me.
35 Then I would speak—unafraid—
for I’m not that way.
Job 9
New International Version
Job 9
New International Version
Job
9 Then Job replied:
2 “Indeed, I know that this is true.
But how can mere mortals prove their innocence before God?(A)
3 Though they wished to dispute with him,(B)
they could not answer him one time out of a thousand.(C)
4 His wisdom(D) is profound, his power is vast.(E)
Who has resisted(F) him and come out unscathed?(G)
5 He moves mountains(H) without their knowing it
and overturns them in his anger.(I)
6 He shakes the earth(J) from its place
and makes its pillars tremble.(K)
7 He speaks to the sun and it does not shine;(L)
he seals off the light of the stars.(M)
8 He alone stretches out the heavens(N)
and treads on the waves of the sea.(O)
9 He is the Maker(P) of the Bear[a] and Orion,
the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.(Q)
10 He performs wonders(R) that cannot be fathomed,
miracles that cannot be counted.(S)
11 When he passes me, I cannot see him;
when he goes by, I cannot perceive him.(T)
12 If he snatches away, who can stop him?(U)
Who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’(V)
13 God does not restrain his anger;(W)
even the cohorts of Rahab(X) cowered at his feet.
14 “How then can I dispute with him?
How can I find words to argue with him?(Y)
15 Though I were innocent, I could not answer him;(Z)
I could only plead(AA) with my Judge(AB) for mercy.(AC)
16 Even if I summoned him and he responded,
I do not believe he would give me a hearing.(AD)
17 He would crush me(AE) with a storm(AF)
and multiply(AG) my wounds for no reason.(AH)
18 He would not let me catch my breath
but would overwhelm me with misery.(AI)
19 If it is a matter of strength, he is mighty!(AJ)
And if it is a matter of justice, who can challenge him[b]?(AK)
20 Even if I were innocent, my mouth would condemn me;
if I were blameless, it would pronounce me guilty.(AL)
21 “Although I am blameless,(AM)
I have no concern for myself;(AN)
I despise my own life.(AO)
22 It is all the same; that is why I say,
‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’(AP)
23 When a scourge(AQ) brings sudden death,
he mocks the despair of the innocent.(AR)
24 When a land falls into the hands of the wicked,(AS)
he blindfolds its judges.(AT)
If it is not he, then who is it?(AU)
25 “My days are swifter than a runner;(AV)
they fly away without a glimpse of joy.(AW)
26 They skim past(AX) like boats of papyrus,(AY)
like eagles swooping down on their prey.(AZ)
27 If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint,(BA)
I will change my expression, and smile,’
28 I still dread(BB) all my sufferings,
for I know you will not hold me innocent.(BC)
29 Since I am already found guilty,
why should I struggle in vain?(BD)
30 Even if I washed myself with soap(BE)
and my hands(BF) with cleansing powder,(BG)
31 you would plunge me into a slime pit(BH)
so that even my clothes would detest me.(BI)
32 “He is not a mere mortal(BJ) like me that I might answer him,(BK)
that we might confront each other in court.(BL)
33 If only there were someone to mediate between us,(BM)
someone to bring us together,(BN)
34 someone to remove God’s rod from me,(BO)
so that his terror would frighten me no more.(BP)
35 Then I would speak up without fear of him,(BQ)
but as it now stands with me, I cannot.(BR)
Job 9
Easy-to-Read Version
Job 9
Easy-to-Read Version
Job Answers Bildad
9 Then Job answered:
2 “Of course, I know that this is true.
But how can a human being win an argument with God?
3 Anyone who chose to argue with him
could not answer one question in a thousand!
4 God is so wise and powerful that
no one could oppose him and survive.
5 When God is angry, he moves mountains before they know what happened.
6 He can shake the earth,
and it will tremble down to its foundations.
7 With one command he can stop the sun from rising.
He can lock up the stars and keep them from shining.
8 He alone made the skies,
and he walks on the ocean waves.
9 “God made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades.[a]
He made the planets that cross the southern sky.[b]
10 He does things too marvelous for people to understand.
He does too many miracles to count!
11 When he passes by, I cannot see him.
He goes right past me, and I don’t notice.
12 If he takes 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 Rahab’s helpers are afraid of him.
14 So I cannot argue with God.
I would not know what to say to him.
15 I am innocent, but I cannot give him an answer.
All I can do is beg my Judge for mercy.
16 Even if I called and he answered,
I cannot believe he would listen to me.
17 He would just send storms to crush me.
He would give me more wounds for no reason.
18 He would not let me catch my breath again.
He would just give me more trouble.
19 I cannot defeat God.
He is too powerful!
I cannot take him to court for justice.
Who could force him to come?
20 I am innocent, but anything I say makes me seem guilty.
I am innocent, but if I speak, my mouth proves me wrong.
21 I am innocent, but I don’t know what to think.
I hate my own life.
22 So I say, ‘Does it make any difference?
God destroys the innocent as well as the guilty.’
23 Is it God who laughs when a disaster kills innocent people?
24 Is it God who keeps the leaders from seeing when an evil person takes control?
If it is not God, then who is it?
25 “My days are passing faster than a runner.
They are flying by without any joy.
26 They go by as quickly as papyrus boats,
as fast as an eagle swooping down on its prey.
27 “I could say, ‘I will not complain.
I will forget my pain and put a smile on my face.’
28 But the suffering still frightens me.
I know that God will not see me as innocent.
29 I will be found guilty,
so why should I even think about it?
30 Even if I scrubbed my hands with soap
and washed myself whiter than snow,
31 God would still push me into the slime pit,[c]
and even my clothes would hate to touch me.
32 God is not a human like me, so I cannot argue with him.
I cannot take him to court.
33 I wish there were someone who could listen to both sides,[d]
someone to judge both of us in a fair way.
34 I wish someone could take away the threat of God’s punishment.
Then he would not frighten me anymore.
35 Then I could say what I want without being afraid of him.
But I cannot do that now.
Footnotes
- Job 9:9 Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades Names of well-known constellations (groups of stars) in the night sky.
- Job 9:9 planets … sky Literally, “Rooms of the South” or “Rooms of Teman.” This might be the planets or the twelve constellations of the Zodiac. North of the equator, these seem to move across the southern sky.
- Job 9:31 slime pit The grave, a place where bodies rot.
- Job 9:33 someone … sides Literally, “a mediator” or “an umpire.”
Common English Bible (CEB)
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
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.
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International