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Job 9
Complete Jewish Bible
Job 9
Complete Jewish Bible
9 Then Iyov responded:
2 “Indeed, I know that this is so;
but how can a human win a case against God?
3 Whoever might want to argue with him
could not answer him one [question] in a thousand.
4 His heart is so wise, his strength so great —
who can resist him and succeed?
5 “He moves the mountains, although they don’t know it,
when he overturns them in his anger.
6 He shakes the earth from its place;
its supporting pillars tremble.
7 He commands the sun, and it fails to rise;
he shuts up the stars under his seal.
8 He alone spreads out the sky
and walks on the waves in the sea.
9 He made the Great Bear, Orion, the Pleiades
and the hidden constellations of the south.
10 He does great, unsearchable things,
wonders beyond counting.
11 He can go right by me, and I don’t see him;
he moves past without my being aware of him.
12 If he kills [people], who will ask why?
Who will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’
13 God will not withdraw his anger —
even Rahav’s supporters submit to him.
14 “How much less can I answer him
and select my arguments against him!
15 Even if I were right, I wouldn’t answer;
I could only ask for mercy from my judge.
16 If I summoned him, and he answered me,
I still can’t believe he would listen to my plea.
17 He could break me with a storm;
he could multiply my wounds for no reason,
18 to the point where I couldn’t even breathe —
with such bitterness he could fill me!
19 If it’s a matter of force, look how mighty he is;
if justice, who can summon him to court?
20 Even if I’m right, my own mouth will condemn me;
if I’m innocent, it would pronounce me guilty.
21 “I am innocent. Don’t I know myself?
But I’ve had enough of this life of mine!
22 So I say it’s all the same —
he destroys innocent and wicked alike.
23 When disaster brings sudden death,
he laughs at the plight of the innocent.
24 The earth has been given to the power of the wicked;
he covers the faces of its judges —
if it isn’t he, then who is it?
25 My days pass on more swiftly than a runner;
they flee without seeing anything good.
26 They skim by like skiffs built of reeds,
like an eagle swooping down on its prey.
27 “If I say, ‘I’ll forget my complaining,
I’ll put off my sad face and be cheerful,’
28 then I’m still afraid of all my pain,
and I know you will not hold me innocent.
29 I will be condemned,
so why waste my efforts?
30 Even if I washed myself in melted snow
and cleansed my hands with lye,
31 you would plunge me into the muddy pit,
till my own clothes would detest me.
32 “For he is not merely human like me;
there is no answer that I could give him
if we were to come together in court.
33 There is no arbitrator between us
who could lay his hand on us both.
34 If he would remove his rod from me
and not let his terrors frighten me,
35 then I would speak without fear of him;
for when I’m alone, I’m not afraid.
Job 9
International Children’s Bible
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
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)
Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
New Testament for Everyone (NTFE) 
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.
International Children’s Bible (ICB) 
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
New International Version (NIV) 
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