The Parable of the Sower

Again (A)he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, (B)so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. And (C)he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: “Listen! Behold, (D)a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And (E)when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, (F)it withered away. Other seed fell among (G)thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and (H)a hundredfold.” And he said, (I)“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

The Purpose of the Parables

10 And (J)when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11 And he said to them, (K)“To you has been given (L)the secret of the kingdom of God, but for (M)those outside everything is in parables, 12 (N)so that

“‘they (O)may indeed see but not perceive,
    and may indeed hear but not understand,
lest they (P)should turn and be forgiven.’”

13 (Q)And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 (R)The sower sows (S)the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it (T)with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but (U)endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately (V)they fall away.[a] 18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but (W)the cares of (X)the world and (Y)the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and (Z)bear fruit, (AA)thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

A Lamp Under a Basket

21 (AB)And he said to them, (AC)“Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? 22 (AD)For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. 23 (AE)If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 24 And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: (AF)with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. 25 (AG)For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

The Parable of the Seed Growing

26 And he said, (AH)“The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; (AI)he knows not how. 28 The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once (AJ)he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

30 (AK)And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? 31 It is like (AL)a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

33 (AM)With many such parables he spoke (AN)the word to them, (AO)as they were able to hear it. 34 He did not speak to them (AP)without a parable, but (AQ)privately to his own disciples he (AR)explained everything.

Jesus Calms a Storm

35 (AS)On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves (AT)were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and (AU)rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and (AV)there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you (AW)so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, (AX)“Who then is this, that even (AY)the wind and the sea obey him?”

Footnotes

  1. Mark 4:17 Or stumble

The Parable of the Sower(A)(B)

Again Jesus began to teach by the lake.(C) The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. He taught them many things by parables,(D) and in his teaching said: “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.(E) As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”(F)

Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”(G)

10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God(H) has been given to you. But to those on the outside(I) everything is said in parables 12 so that,

“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
    and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’[a](J)

13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word.(K) 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan(L) comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth(M) and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

A Lamp on a Stand

21 He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand?(N) 22 For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.(O) 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”(P)

24 “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more.(Q) 25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”(R)

The Parable of the Growing Seed

26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like.(S) A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”(T)

The Parable of the Mustard Seed(U)

30 Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like,(V) or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”

33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand.(W) 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable.(X) But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

Jesus Calms the Storm(Y)

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat.(Z) There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”(AA)

41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Footnotes

  1. Mark 4:12 Isaiah 6:9,10

The Obedience of the Rechabites

35 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of (A)Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: “Go to the house of the (B)Rechabites and speak with them and bring them to the house of the Lord, into one of (C)the chambers; then offer them wine to drink.” So I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, son of Habazziniah and his brothers and all his sons and the whole house of the Rechabites. I brought them to the house of the Lord into (D)the chamber of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, (E)the man of God, which was near (F)the chamber of the officials, above (G)the chamber of (H)Maaseiah the son of Shallum, (I)keeper of the threshold. Then I set before the Rechabites pitchers full of wine, and cups, and I said to them, “Drink wine.” But they answered, “We will drink no wine, for (J)Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, ‘You shall not drink wine, neither you nor your sons forever. You shall not build a house; you shall not sow seed; you shall not plant or have a vineyard; but you shall live in tents all your days, (K)that you may live many days in the land where you sojourn.’ We have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he commanded us, to drink no wine all our days, ourselves, our wives, our sons, or our daughters, and not to build houses to dwell in. We have no vineyard or field or seed, 10 but we have lived in tents and have obeyed and done all that Jonadab our father commanded us. 11 But (L)when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against the land, we said, ‘Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of (M)the army of the Chaldeans and (N)the army of the Syrians.’ (O)So we are living in Jerusalem.”

12 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 13 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Go and say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, (P)Will you not receive instruction and listen to my words? declares the Lord. 14 The command that Jonadab the son of Rechab gave to his sons, to drink no wine, has been kept, and they drink none to this day, for they have obeyed their father's command. I have spoken to you (Q)persistently, but you have not listened to me. 15 I have sent to you all my servants the prophets, sending them (R)persistently, saying, (S)‘Turn now every one of you from his evil way, and amend your deeds, and (T)do not go after other gods to serve them, and then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to you and your fathers.’ (U)But you did not incline your ear or listen to me. 16 The sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have kept the command that their father gave them, but this people has not obeyed me. 17 Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing upon Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the disaster that I have pronounced against them, (V)because I have spoken to them and they have not listened, (W)I have called to them and they have not answered.”

18 But to the house of the Rechabites Jeremiah said, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Because you have obeyed the command of Jonadab your father and kept all his precepts and done all that he commanded you, 19 therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Jonadab the son of Rechab shall never lack a man (X)to stand before me.”

Jehoiakim Burns Jeremiah's Scroll

36 In the (Y)fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Take (Z)a scroll and (AA)write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and (AB)Judah (AC)and all the nations, (AD)from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today. (AE)It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, (AF)so that every one may turn from his evil way, and (AG)that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”

Then Jeremiah called (AH)Baruch the son of Neriah, and (AI)Baruch wrote on (AJ)a scroll at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord that he had spoken to him. And Jeremiah ordered (AK)Baruch, saying, (AL)“I am banned from going to the house of the Lord, so you are to go, and (AM)on a day of fasting in the hearing of all the people in the Lord's house you shall read the words of the Lord from the scroll that you have written at my dictation. You shall read them also in the hearing of all the men of Judah who come out of their cities. (AN)It may be that their plea for mercy will come before the Lord, (AO)and that every one will turn from his evil way, for great is the anger and wrath that the Lord has pronounced against this people.” And Baruch the son of Neriah did all that Jeremiah the prophet ordered him about reading from the scroll the words of the Lord in the Lord's house.

(AP)In the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, (AQ)in the ninth month, all the people in Jerusalem and all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem (AR)proclaimed a fast before the Lord. 10 Then, in the hearing of all the people, Baruch read the words of Jeremiah from the scroll, in the house of the Lord, in (AS)the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the secretary, which was in the upper court, at the entry of the New Gate of the Lord's house.

11 When Micaiah the son of Gemariah, son of (AT)Shaphan, heard all the words of the Lord from the scroll, 12 he went down to the king's house, into the secretary's chamber, and (AU)all the officials were sitting there: (AV)Elishama the secretary, (AW)Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, (AX)Elnathan (AY)the son of Achbor, (AZ)Gemariah the son of (BA)Shaphan, Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the officials. 13 And Micaiah told them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read the scroll in the hearing of the people. 14 Then all the officials sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, son of (BB)Shelemiah, son of Cushi, to say to Baruch, “Take in your hand the scroll that you read in the hearing of the people, and come.” So Baruch the son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand and came to them. 15 And they said to him, “Sit down and read it.” So Baruch read it to them. 16 When they heard all the words, they turned one to another in fear. And they said to Baruch, (BC)“We must report all these words to the king.” 17 Then they asked Baruch, “Tell us, please, how did you write all these words? Was it at his dictation?” 18 Baruch answered them, “He dictated all these words to me, (BD)while I wrote them with ink on the scroll.” 19 Then the officials said to Baruch, “Go and hide, you and Jeremiah, and let no one know where you are.”

20 So they went into the court to the king, having put the scroll in (BE)the chamber of Elishama the secretary, and they reported all the words to the king. 21 Then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it from the chamber of Elishama the secretary. And Jehudi read it to the king and all the officials who stood beside the king. 22 It was (BF)the ninth month, and the king was sitting in (BG)the winter house, and there was a fire burning in the fire pot before him. 23 As Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut them off with a knife and throw them into the fire in the fire pot, until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the fire pot. 24 Yet (BH)neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words was afraid, (BI)nor did they tear their garments. 25 Even when (BJ)Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah (BK)urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. 26 And the king commanded Jerahmeel the (BL)king's son and Seraiah the son of Azriel and (BM)Shelemiah the son of Abdeel to seize (BN)Baruch the secretary and Jeremiah the prophet, but the Lord hid them.

27 Now after the king had burned the scroll with the words that Baruch wrote at Jeremiah's dictation, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 28 “Take another scroll and write on it all the former words that were in the first scroll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah has burned. 29 And concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah you shall say, ‘Thus says the Lord, You have burned this scroll, saying, (BO)“Why have you written in it that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land, and will cut off from it man and beast?” 30 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: (BP)He shall have none (BQ)to sit on the throne of David, (BR)and his dead body shall be cast out to the heat by day and the frost by night. 31 (BS)And I will punish him and his offspring and his servants for their iniquity. I will bring upon them and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and upon the people of Judah all the disaster that I have pronounced against them, but they would not hear.’”

32 Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to (BT)Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah, who (BU)wrote on it at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And many similar words were added to them.

The Rekabites

35 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord during the reign of Jehoiakim(A) son of Josiah king of Judah: “Go to the Rekabite(B) family and invite them to come to one of the side rooms(C) of the house of the Lord and give them wine to drink.”

So I went to get Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons—the whole family of the Rekabites. I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the room of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah the man of God.(D) It was next to the room of the officials, which was over that of Maaseiah son of Shallum(E) the doorkeeper.(F) Then I set bowls full of wine and some cups before the Rekabites and said to them, “Drink some wine.”

But they replied, “We do not drink wine, because our forefather Jehonadab[a](G) son of Rekab gave us this command: ‘Neither you nor your descendants must ever drink wine.(H) Also you must never build houses, sow seed or plant vineyards; you must never have any of these things, but must always live in tents.(I) Then you will live a long time in the land(J) where you are nomads.’ We have obeyed everything our forefather(K) Jehonadab son of Rekab commanded us. Neither we nor our wives nor our sons and daughters have ever drunk wine or built houses to live in or had vineyards, fields or crops.(L) 10 We have lived in tents and have fully obeyed everything our forefather Jehonadab commanded us. 11 But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded(M) this land, we said, ‘Come, we must go to Jerusalem(N) to escape the Babylonian[b] and Aramean armies.’ So we have remained in Jerusalem.”

12 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying: 13 “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go and tell(O) the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘Will you not learn a lesson(P) and obey my words?’ declares the Lord. 14 ‘Jehonadab son of Rekab ordered his descendants not to drink wine and this command has been kept. To this day they do not drink wine, because they obey their forefather’s command.(Q) But I have spoken to you again and again,(R) yet you have not obeyed(S) me. 15 Again and again I sent all my servants the prophets(T) to you. They said, “Each of you must turn(U) from your wicked ways and reform(V) your actions; do not follow other gods(W) to serve them. Then you will live in the land(X) I have given to you and your ancestors.” But you have not paid attention or listened(Y) to me. 16 The descendants of Jehonadab son of Rekab have carried out the command their forefather(Z) gave them, but these people have not obeyed me.’

17 “Therefore this is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Listen! I am going to bring on Judah and on everyone living in Jerusalem every disaster(AA) I pronounced against them. I spoke to them, but they did not listen;(AB) I called to them, but they did not answer.’”(AC)

18 Then Jeremiah said to the family of the Rekabites, “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘You have obeyed the command of your forefather(AD) Jehonadab and have followed all his instructions and have done everything he ordered.’ 19 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Jehonadab son of Rekab will never fail(AE) to have a descendant to serve(AF) me.’”

Jehoiakim Burns Jeremiah’s Scroll

36 In the fourth year of Jehoiakim(AG) son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Take a scroll(AH) and write on it all the words(AI) I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah and all the other nations from the time I began speaking to you in the reign of Josiah(AJ) till now. Perhaps(AK) when the people of Judah hear(AL) about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, they will each turn(AM) from their wicked ways; then I will forgive(AN) their wickedness and their sin.”

So Jeremiah called Baruch(AO) son of Neriah,(AP) and while Jeremiah dictated(AQ) all the words the Lord had spoken to him, Baruch wrote them on the scroll.(AR) Then Jeremiah told Baruch, “I am restricted; I am not allowed to go to the Lord’s temple. So you go to the house of the Lord on a day of fasting(AS) and read to the people from the scroll the words of the Lord that you wrote as I dictated.(AT) Read them to all the people of Judah(AU) who come in from their towns. Perhaps they will bring their petition(AV) before the Lord and will each turn(AW) from their wicked ways, for the anger(AX) and wrath pronounced against this people by the Lord are great.”

Baruch son of Neriah did everything Jeremiah the prophet told him to do; at the Lord’s temple he read the words of the Lord from the scroll. In the ninth month(AY) of the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, a time of fasting(AZ) before the Lord was proclaimed for all the people in Jerusalem and those who had come from the towns of Judah. 10 From the room of Gemariah(BA) son of Shaphan(BB) the secretary,(BC) which was in the upper courtyard at the entrance of the New Gate(BD) of the temple, Baruch read to all the people at the Lord’s temple the words of Jeremiah from the scroll.

11 When Micaiah son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, heard all the words of the Lord from the scroll, 12 he went down to the secretary’s(BE) room in the royal palace, where all the officials were sitting: Elishama the secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan(BF) son of Akbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials.(BG) 13 After Micaiah told them everything he had heard Baruch read to the people from the scroll, 14 all the officials sent Jehudi(BH) son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to say to Baruch, “Bring the scroll(BI) from which you have read to the people and come.” So Baruch son of Neriah went to them with the scroll in his hand. 15 They said to him, “Sit down, please, and read it to us.”

So Baruch read it to them. 16 When they heard all these words, they looked at each other in fear(BJ) and said to Baruch, “We must report all these words to the king.” 17 Then they asked Baruch, “Tell us, how did you come to write(BK) all this? Did Jeremiah dictate it?”

18 “Yes,” Baruch replied, “he dictated(BL) all these words to me, and I wrote them in ink on the scroll.”

19 Then the officials(BM) said to Baruch, “You and Jeremiah, go and hide.(BN) Don’t let anyone know where you are.”

20 After they put the scroll in the room of Elishama the secretary, they went to the king in the courtyard and reported everything to him. 21 The king sent Jehudi(BO) to get the scroll, and Jehudi brought it from the room of Elishama the secretary and read it to the king(BP) and all the officials standing beside him. 22 It was the ninth month and the king was sitting in the winter apartment,(BQ) with a fire burning in the firepot in front of him. 23 Whenever Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll,(BR) the king cut them off with a scribe’s knife and threw them into the firepot, until the entire scroll was burned in the fire.(BS) 24 The king and all his attendants who heard all these words showed no fear,(BT) nor did they tear their clothes.(BU) 25 Even though Elnathan, Delaiah(BV) and Gemariah(BW) urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. 26 Instead, the king commanded Jerahmeel, a son of the king, Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest(BX) Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. But the Lord had hidden(BY) them.

27 After the king burned the scroll containing the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah’s dictation,(BZ) the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 28 “Take another scroll(CA) and write on it all the words that were on the first scroll, which Jehoiakim king of Judah burned up. 29 Also tell Jehoiakim king of Judah, ‘This is what the Lord says: You burned that scroll and said, “Why did you write on it that the king of Babylon would certainly come and destroy this land and wipe from it(CB) both man and beast?”(CC) 30 Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim(CD) king of Judah: He will have no one to sit on the throne of David; his body will be thrown out(CE) and exposed(CF) to the heat by day and the frost by night.(CG) 31 I will punish him and his children(CH) and his attendants for their wickedness; I will bring on them and those living in Jerusalem and the people of Judah every disaster(CI) I pronounced against them, because they have not listened.(CJ)’”

32 So Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch son of Neriah, and as Jeremiah dictated,(CK) Baruch wrote(CL) on it all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned(CM) in the fire. And many similar words were added to them.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 35:6 Hebrew Jonadab, a variant of Jehonadab; here and often in this chapter
  2. Jeremiah 35:11 Or Chaldean

Job Replies: The Wicked Do Prosper

21 Then Job answered and said:

(A)“Keep listening to my words,
    and let this be your comfort.
Bear with me, and I will speak,
    and after I have spoken, (B)mock on.
As for me, is my (C)complaint against man?
    Why should I not be impatient?
Look at me and be appalled,
    and (D)lay your hand over your mouth.
When I remember, I am dismayed,
    and shuddering seizes my flesh.
(E)Why do the wicked live,
    reach old age, and grow mighty in power?
Their (F)offspring are established in their presence,
    and their descendants before their eyes.
Their houses are (G)safe from fear,
    and (H)no rod of God is upon them.
10 Their bull breeds without fail;
    their cow calves and (I)does not miscarry.
11 They send out their (J)little boys like a flock,
    and their children dance.
12 They sing to (K)the tambourine and (L)the lyre
    and rejoice to the sound of (M)the pipe.
13 They (N)spend their days in prosperity,
    and in (O)peace they go down to (P)Sheol.
14 They say to God, (Q)‘Depart from us!
    We do not desire the knowledge of your ways.
15 (R)What is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
    And what (S)profit do we get if we pray to him?’
16 Behold, is not their prosperity in their hand?
    (T)The counsel of the wicked is far from me.

17 “How often is it that (U)the lamp of the wicked is put out?
    That their calamity comes upon them?
    That God[a] distributes pains in his anger?
18 That they are like (V)straw before the wind,
    and like (W)chaff that the storm carries away?
19 You say, ‘God (X)stores up their iniquity for their (Y)children.’
    Let him pay it out to them, that they may (Z)know it.
20 Let their own eyes see their destruction,
    and let them (AA)drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
21 For what do they care for their houses after them,
    when (AB)the number of their months is cut off?
22 (AC)Will any teach God knowledge,
    seeing that he (AD)judges those who are on high?
23 One dies in his full vigor,
    being wholly at ease and secure,
24 his pails[b] full of milk
    and (AE)the marrow of his bones moist.
25 Another dies in (AF)bitterness of soul,
    never having tasted of prosperity.
26 They (AG)lie down alike in the dust,
    and (AH)the worms cover them.

27 “Behold, I know your thoughts
    and your schemes to wrong me.
28 For you say, (AI)‘Where is the house of the prince?
    Where is (AJ)the tent in which the wicked lived?’
29 Have you not asked those who travel the roads,
    and do you not accept their testimony
30 that (AK)the evil man is spared in the day of calamity,
    that he is rescued in the day of wrath?
31 Who declares his way (AL)to his face,
    and who (AM)repays him for what he has done?
32 When he is (AN)carried to the grave,
    watch is kept over his tomb.
33 (AO)The clods of the valley are sweet to him;
    (AP)all mankind follows after him,
    and those who go before him are innumerable.
34 How then will you comfort me with empty nothings?
    There is nothing left of your answers but falsehood.”

Footnotes

  1. Job 21:17 Hebrew he
  2. Job 21:24 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain

Job

21 Then Job replied:

“Listen carefully to my words;(A)
    let this be the consolation you give me.(B)
Bear with me while I speak,
    and after I have spoken, mock on.(C)

“Is my complaint(D) directed to a human being?
    Why should I not be impatient?(E)
Look at me and be appalled;
    clap your hand over your mouth.(F)
When I think about this, I am terrified;(G)
    trembling seizes my body.(H)
Why do the wicked live on,
    growing old and increasing in power?(I)
They see their children established around them,
    their offspring before their eyes.(J)
Their homes are safe and free from fear;(K)
    the rod of God is not on them.(L)
10 Their bulls never fail to breed;
    their cows calve and do not miscarry.(M)
11 They send forth their children as a flock;(N)
    their little ones dance about.
12 They sing to the music of timbrel and lyre;(O)
    they make merry to the sound of the pipe.(P)
13 They spend their years in prosperity(Q)
    and go down to the grave(R) in peace.[a](S)
14 Yet they say to God, ‘Leave us alone!(T)
    We have no desire to know your ways.(U)
15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
    What would we gain by praying to him?’(V)
16 But their prosperity is not in their own hands,
    so I stand aloof from the plans of the wicked.(W)

17 “Yet how often is the lamp of the wicked snuffed out?(X)
    How often does calamity(Y) come upon them,
    the fate God allots in his anger?(Z)
18 How often are they like straw before the wind,
    like chaff(AA) swept away(AB) by a gale?(AC)
19 It is said, ‘God stores up the punishment of the wicked for their children.’(AD)
    Let him repay the wicked, so that they themselves will experience it!(AE)
20 Let their own eyes see their destruction;(AF)
    let them drink(AG) the cup of the wrath of the Almighty.(AH)
21 For what do they care about the families they leave behind(AI)
    when their allotted months(AJ) come to an end?(AK)

22 “Can anyone teach knowledge to God,(AL)
    since he judges even the highest?(AM)
23 One person dies in full vigor,(AN)
    completely secure and at ease,(AO)
24 well nourished(AP) in body,[b]
    bones(AQ) rich with marrow.(AR)
25 Another dies in bitterness of soul,(AS)
    never having enjoyed anything good.
26 Side by side they lie in the dust,(AT)
    and worms(AU) cover them both.(AV)

27 “I know full well what you are thinking,
    the schemes by which you would wrong me.
28 You say, ‘Where now is the house of the great,(AW)
    the tents where the wicked lived?’(AX)
29 Have you never questioned those who travel?
    Have you paid no regard to their accounts—
30 that the wicked are spared from the day of calamity,(AY)
    that they are delivered from[c] the day of wrath?(AZ)
31 Who denounces their conduct to their face?
    Who repays them for what they have done?(BA)
32 They are carried to the grave,
    and watch is kept over their tombs.(BB)
33 The soil in the valley is sweet to them;(BC)
    everyone follows after them,
    and a countless throng goes[d] before them.(BD)

34 “So how can you console me(BE) with your nonsense?
    Nothing is left of your answers but falsehood!”(BF)

Footnotes

  1. Job 21:13 Or in an instant
  2. Job 21:24 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  3. Job 21:30 Or wicked are reserved for the day of calamity, / that they are brought forth to
  4. Job 21:33 Or them, / as a countless throng went