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Job

Yo sé muy bien que esto es así,
y que ante Dios el hombre no puede alegar inocencia.
Si alguno quisiera discutir con él,
de mil argumentos no podría rebatirle uno solo.
Dios es grande en poder y sabiduría,
¿quién podrá hacerle frente y salir bien librado?
Dios, en su furor, remueve las montañas;
las derrumba, y nadie se da cuenta.
Él hace que la tierra se sacuda
y que sus bases se estremezcan.
Él ordena al sol que no salga,
y a las estrellas, que no brillen.
Sin ayuda de nadie extendió el cielo
y aplastó al monstruo del mar.
Él creó las constelaciones:
la Osa Mayor, el Orión y las Pléyades,
y el grupo de estrellas del sur.
10 ¡Él hace tantas y tan grandes maravillas,
cosas que nadie es capaz de comprender!
11 Si Dios pasa junto a mí, no lo podré ver;
pasará y no me daré cuenta.
12 Si de algo se adueña, ¿quién podrá reclamárselo?
¿Quién podrá pedirle cuentas de lo que hace?
13 Si Dios se enoja, no se calma fácilmente;
a sus pies quedan humillados los aliados de Rahab.
14 ¿Cómo, pues, encontraré palabras
para contradecir a Dios?
15 Por muy inocente que yo sea, no puedo responderle;
él es mi juez, y sólo puedo pedirle compasión.
16 Si yo lo llamara a juicio, y él se presentara,
no creo que hiciera caso a mis palabras.
17 Haría que me azotara una tempestad,
y aumentaría mis heridas sin motivo;
18 me llenaría de amargura
y no me dejaría tomar aliento.
19 ¿Acudir a la fuerza? Él es más poderoso.
¿Citarlo a juicio? ¿Y quién lo hará presentarse?
20 Por más recto e intachable que yo fuera,
él me declararía culpable y malo.
21 Yo soy inocente, pero poco importa;
ya estoy cansado de vivir.
22 Todo es lo mismo. Y esto es lo que pienso:
que él destruye lo mismo a culpables que a inocentes.
23 Si en un desastre muere gente inocente,
Dios se ríe de su desesperación.
24 Deja el mundo en manos de los malvados
y a los jueces les venda los ojos.
Y si no ha sido Dios, ¿quién, entonces?
25 Mis días huyen en veloz carrera,
sin haber visto la felicidad.
26 Se van como barcos ligeros,
como águila que se lanza tras la presa.
27 Si trato de olvidar mis penas
y de parecer alegre,
28 todo mi dolor vuelve a asustarme,
pues sé que Dios no me cree inocente.
29 Y si él me tiene por culpable,
de nada sirve que yo me esfuerce.
30 Aunque me lave las manos con jabón
y me las frote con lejía,
31 Dios me hundirá en el fango,
y hasta mi ropa sentirá asco de mí.
32 Yo no puedo encararme con Dios como con otro hombre,
ni decirle que vayamos los dos a un tribunal.
33 ¡Ojalá entre nosotros hubiera un juez
que tuviera autoridad sobre los dos,
34 que impidiera que Dios me siga castigando
y me siga llenando de terror!
35 Entonces yo hablaría sin tenerle miedo,
pues no creo haberle faltado.

Job Replies: There Is No Mediator

Then Job answered:

“Truly I know that it is so:
    But how can a man be just before God?
If one wished to contend with him,
    one could not answer him once in a thousand times.
He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength
—who has hardened himself against him, and succeeded?—
he who removes mountains, and they know it not,
    when he overturns them in his anger;
who shakes the earth out of its place,
    and its pillars tremble;
who commands the sun, and it does not rise;
    who seals up the stars;
who alone stretched out the heavens,
    and trampled the waves of the sea;[a]
who made the Bear and Orion,
    the Plei′ades and the chambers of the south;
10 who does great things beyond understanding,
    and marvelous things without number.
11 Lo, he passes by me, and I see him not;
    he moves on, but I do not perceive him.
12 Behold, he snatches away; who can hinder him?
    Who will say to him, ‘What doest thou?’

13 “God will not turn back his anger;
    beneath him bowed the helpers of Rahab.
14 How then can I answer him,
    choosing my words with him?
15 Though I am innocent, I cannot answer him;
    I must appeal for mercy to my accuser.[b]
16 If I summoned him and he answered me,
    I would not believe that he was listening to my voice.
17 For he crushes me with a tempest,
    and multiplies my wounds without cause;
18 he will not let me get my breath,
    but fills me with bitterness.
19 If it is a contest of strength, behold him!
    If it is a matter of justice, who can summon him?[c]
20 Though I am innocent, my own mouth would condemn me;
    though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse.
21 I am blameless; I regard not myself;
    I loathe my life.
22 It is all one; therefore I say,
    he destroys both the blameless and the wicked.
23 When disaster brings sudden death,
    he mocks at the calamity[d] of the innocent.
24 The earth is given into the hand of the wicked;
    he covers the faces of its judges—
    if it is not he, who then is it?

25 “My days are swifter than a runner;
    they flee away, they see no good.
26 They go by like skiffs of reed,
    like an eagle swooping on the prey.
27 If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint,
    I will put off my sad countenance, and be of good cheer,’
28 I become afraid of all my suffering,
    for I know thou wilt not hold me innocent.
29 I shall be condemned;
    why then do I labor in vain?
30 If I wash myself with snow,
    and cleanse my hands with lye,
31 yet thou wilt plunge me into a pit,
    and my own clothes will abhor me.
32 For he is not a man, as I am, that I might answer him,
    that we should come to trial together.
33 There is no[e] umpire between us,
    who might lay his hand upon us both.
34 Let him take his rod away from me,
    and let not dread of him terrify me.
35 Then I would speak without fear of him,
    for I am not so in myself.

Footnotes

  1. Job 9:8 Or trampled the back of the sea dragon
  2. Job 9:15 Or for my right
  3. Job 9:19 Compare Gk: Heb me. The text of the verse is uncertain
  4. Job 9:23 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
  5. Job 9:33 Another reading is Would that there were

Then Job answered and said,

I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God?

If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand.

He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?

Which removeth the mountains, and they know not: which overturneth them in his anger.

Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.

Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars.

Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea.

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.