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Job 17-20
New King James Version
Job 17-20
New King James Version
Job Prays for Relief
17 “My spirit is broken,
My days are extinguished,
(A)The grave is ready for me.
2 Are not mockers with me?
And does not my eye [a]dwell on their (B)provocation?
3 “Now put down a pledge for me with Yourself.
Who is he who (C)will shake hands with me?
4 For You have hidden their heart from (D)understanding;
Therefore You will not exalt them.
5 He who speaks flattery to his friends,
Even the eyes of his children will (E)fail.
6 “But He has made me (F)a byword of the people,
And I have become one in whose face men spit.
7 (G)My eye has also grown dim because of sorrow,
And all my members are like shadows.
8 Upright men are astonished at this,
And the innocent stirs himself up against the hypocrite.
9 Yet the righteous will hold to his (H)way,
And he who has (I)clean hands will be stronger and stronger.
10 “But please, (J)come back again, [b]all of you,
For I shall not find one wise man among you.
11 (K)My days are past,
My purposes are broken off,
Even the [c]thoughts of my heart.
12 They change the night into day;
‘The light is near,’ they say, in the face of darkness.
13 If I wait for the grave as my house,
If I make my bed in the darkness,
14 If I say to corruption, ‘You are my father,’
And to the worm, ‘You are my mother and my sister,’
15 Where then is my (L)hope?
As for my hope, who can see it?
16 Will they go down (M)to the gates of [d]Sheol?
Shall we have (N)rest together in the dust?”
Bildad: The Wicked Are Punished
18 Then (O)Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:
2 “How long till you put an end to words?
Gain understanding, and afterward we will speak.
3 Why are we counted (P)as beasts,
And regarded as stupid in your sight?
4 (Q)You[e] who tear yourself in anger,
Shall the earth be forsaken for you?
Or shall the rock be removed from its place?
5 “The(R) light of the wicked indeed goes out,
And the flame of his fire does not shine.
6 The light is dark in his tent,
(S)And his lamp beside him is put out.
7 The steps of his strength are shortened,
And (T)his own counsel casts him down.
8 For (U)he is cast into a net by his own feet,
And he walks into a snare.
9 The net takes him by the heel,
And (V)a snare lays hold of him.
10 A noose is hidden for him on the ground,
And a trap for him in the road.
11 (W)Terrors frighten him on every side,
And drive him to his feet.
12 His strength is starved,
And (X)destruction is ready at his side.
13 It devours patches of his skin;
The firstborn of death devours his [f]limbs.
14 He is uprooted from (Y)the shelter of his tent,
And they parade him before the king of terrors.
15 They dwell in his tent who are none of his;
Brimstone is scattered on his dwelling.
16 (Z)His roots are dried out below,
And his branch withers above.
17 (AA)The memory of him perishes from the earth,
And he has no name [g]among the renowned.
18 [h]He is driven from light into darkness,
And chased out of the world.
19 (AB)He has neither son nor posterity among his people,
Nor any remaining in his dwellings.
20 Those [i]in the west are astonished (AC)at his day,
As those [j]in the east are frightened.
21 Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked,
And this is the place of him who (AD)does not know God.”
Job Trusts in His Redeemer
19 Then Job answered and said:
2 “How long will you torment my soul,
And break me in pieces with words?
3 These ten times you have [k]reproached me;
You are not ashamed that you [l]have wronged me.
4 And if indeed I have erred,
My error remains with me.
5 If indeed you (AE)exalt yourselves against me,
And plead my disgrace against me,
6 Know then that (AF)God has wronged me,
And has surrounded me with His net.
7 “If I cry out concerning [m]wrong, I am not heard.
If I cry aloud, there is no justice.
8 (AG)He has [n]fenced up my way, so that I cannot pass;
And He has set darkness in my paths.
9 (AH)He has stripped me of my glory,
And taken the crown from my head.
10 He breaks me down on every side,
And I am gone;
My (AI)hope He has uprooted like a tree.
11 He has also kindled His wrath against me,
And (AJ)He counts me as one of His enemies.
12 His troops come together
And build up their road against me;
They encamp all around my tent.
13 “He(AK) has removed my brothers far from me,
And my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.
14 My relatives have failed,
And my close friends have forgotten me.
15 Those who dwell in my house, and my maidservants,
Count me as a stranger;
I am an alien in their sight.
16 I call my servant, but he gives no answer;
I beg him with my mouth.
17 My breath is offensive to my wife,
And I am [o]repulsive to the children of my own body.
18 Even (AL)young children despise me;
I arise, and they speak against me.
19 (AM)All my close friends abhor me,
And those whom I love have turned against me.
20 (AN)My bone clings to my skin and to my flesh,
And I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.
21 “Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends,
For the hand of God has struck me!
22 Why do you (AO)persecute me as God does,
And are not satisfied with my flesh?
23 “Oh, that my words were written!
Oh, that they were inscribed in a book!
24 That they were engraved on a rock
With an iron pen and lead, forever!
25 For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth;
26 And after my skin is [p]destroyed, this I know,
That (AP)in my flesh I shall see God,
27 Whom I shall see for myself,
And my eyes shall behold, and not another.
How my [q]heart yearns within me!
28 If you should say, ‘How shall we persecute him?’—
Since the root of the matter is found in me,
29 Be afraid of the sword for yourselves;
For wrath brings the punishment of the sword,
That you may know there is a judgment.”
Zophar’s Sermon on the Wicked Man
20 Then (AQ)Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:
2 “Therefore my anxious thoughts make me answer,
Because of the turmoil within me.
3 I have heard the rebuke [r]that reproaches me,
And the spirit of my understanding causes me to answer.
4 “Do you not know this of (AR)old,
Since man was placed on earth,
5 (AS)That the triumphing of the wicked is short,
And the joy of the hypocrite is but for a (AT)moment?
6 (AU)Though his haughtiness mounts up to the heavens,
And his head reaches to the clouds,
7 Yet he will perish forever like his own refuse;
Those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’
8 He will fly away (AV)like a dream, and not be found;
Yes, he (AW)will be chased away like a vision of the night.
9 The eye that saw him will see him no more,
Nor will his place behold him anymore.
10 His children will seek the favor of the poor,
And his hands will restore his wealth.
11 His bones are full of (AX)his youthful vigor,
(AY)But it will lie down with him in the dust.
12 “Though evil is sweet in his mouth,
And he hides it under his tongue,
13 Though he spares it and does not forsake it,
But still keeps it in his [s]mouth,
14 Yet his food in his stomach turns sour;
It becomes cobra venom within him.
15 He swallows down riches
And vomits them up again;
God casts them out of his belly.
16 He will suck the poison of cobras;
The viper’s tongue will slay him.
17 He will not see (AZ)the streams,
The rivers flowing with honey and cream.
18 He will restore that for which he labored,
And will not swallow it down;
From the proceeds of business
He will get no enjoyment.
19 For he has [t]oppressed and forsaken the poor,
He has violently seized a house which he did not build.
20 “Because(BA) he knows no quietness in his [u]heart,
He will not save anything he desires.
21 Nothing is left for him to eat;
Therefore his well-being will not last.
22 In his self-sufficiency he will be in distress;
Every hand of [v]misery will come against him.
23 When he is about to fill his stomach,
God will cast on him the fury of His wrath,
And will rain it on him while he is eating.
24 (BB)He will flee from the iron weapon;
A bronze bow will pierce him through.
25 It is drawn, and comes out of the body;
Yes, (BC)the glittering point comes out of his [w]gall.
(BD)Terrors come upon him;
26 Total darkness is reserved for his treasures.
(BE)An unfanned fire will consume him;
It shall go ill with him who is left in his tent.
27 The heavens will reveal his iniquity,
And the earth will rise up against him.
28 The increase of his house will depart,
And his goods will flow away in the day of His (BF)wrath.
29 (BG)This is the portion from God for a wicked man,
The heritage appointed to him by God.”
Footnotes
- Job 17:2 Lit. lodge
- Job 17:10 So with some Heb. mss., LXX, Syr., Vg.; MT, Tg. all of them
- Job 17:11 desires
- Job 17:16 The abode of the dead
- Job 18:4 Lit. one who tears his soul
- Job 18:13 parts
- Job 18:17 Lit. before the outside, i.e., the distinguished or famous
- Job 18:18 Or They drive him
- Job 18:20 Lit. who came after
- Job 18:20 Lit. who have gone before
- Job 19:3 shamed or disgraced
- Job 19:3 A Jewish tradition make yourselves strange to me
- Job 19:7 violence
- Job 19:8 walled off my way
- Job 19:17 Lit. strange
- Job 19:26 Lit. struck off
- Job 19:27 Lit. kidneys
- Job 20:3 Lit. of my insulting correction
- Job 20:13 Lit. palate
- Job 20:19 crushed
- Job 20:20 Lit. belly
- Job 20:22 Or the wretched or sufferer
- Job 20:25 Gallbladder
Job 17-20
New International Version
Job 17-20
New International Version
17 1 My spirit(A) is broken,
my days are cut short,(B)
the grave awaits me.(C)
2 Surely mockers(D) surround me;(E)
my eyes must dwell on their hostility.
3 “Give me, O God, the pledge you demand.(F)
Who else will put up security(G) for me?(H)
4 You have closed their minds to understanding;(I)
therefore you will not let them triumph.
5 If anyone denounces their friends for reward,(J)
the eyes of their children will fail.(K)
6 “God has made me a byword(L) to everyone,(M)
a man in whose face people spit.(N)
7 My eyes have grown dim with grief;(O)
my whole frame is but a shadow.(P)
8 The upright are appalled at this;
the innocent are aroused(Q) against the ungodly.
9 Nevertheless, the righteous(R) will hold to their ways,
and those with clean hands(S) will grow stronger.(T)
10 “But come on, all of you, try again!
I will not find a wise man among you.(U)
11 My days have passed,(V) my plans are shattered.
Yet the desires of my heart(W)
12 turn night into day;(X)
in the face of the darkness light is near.(Y)
13 If the only home I hope for is the grave,(Z)
if I spread out my bed(AA) in the realm of darkness,(AB)
14 if I say to corruption,(AC) ‘You are my father,’
and to the worm,(AD) ‘My mother’ or ‘My sister,’
15 where then is my hope—(AE)
who can see any hope for me?(AF)
16 Will it go down to the gates of death?(AG)
Will we descend together into the dust?”(AH)
Bildad
18 Then Bildad the Shuhite(AI) replied:
2 “When will you end these speeches?(AJ)
Be sensible, and then we can talk.
3 Why are we regarded as cattle(AK)
and considered stupid in your sight?(AL)
4 You who tear yourself(AM) to pieces in your anger,(AN)
is the earth to be abandoned for your sake?
Or must the rocks be moved from their place?(AO)
5 “The lamp of a wicked man is snuffed out;(AP)
the flame of his fire stops burning.(AQ)
6 The light in his tent(AR) becomes dark;(AS)
the lamp beside him goes out.(AT)
7 The vigor(AU) of his step is weakened;(AV)
his own schemes(AW) throw him down.(AX)
8 His feet thrust him into a net;(AY)
he wanders into its mesh.
9 A trap seizes him by the heel;
a snare(AZ) holds him fast.(BA)
10 A noose(BB) is hidden for him on the ground;
a trap(BC) lies in his path.(BD)
11 Terrors(BE) startle him on every side(BF)
and dog(BG) his every step.
12 Calamity(BH) is hungry(BI) for him;
disaster(BJ) is ready for him when he falls.(BK)
13 It eats away parts of his skin;(BL)
death’s firstborn devours his limbs.(BM)
14 He is torn from the security of his tent(BN)
and marched off to the king(BO) of terrors.(BP)
15 Fire resides[a] in his tent;(BQ)
burning sulfur(BR) is scattered over his dwelling.
16 His roots dry up below(BS)
and his branches wither above.(BT)
17 The memory of him perishes from the earth;(BU)
he has no name(BV) in the land.(BW)
18 He is driven from light into the realm of darkness(BX)
and is banished(BY) from the world.(BZ)
19 He has no offspring(CA) or descendants(CB) among his people,
no survivor(CC) where once he lived.(CD)
20 People of the west are appalled(CE) at his fate;(CF)
those of the east are seized with horror.
21 Surely such is the dwelling(CG) of an evil man;(CH)
such is the place(CI) of one who does not know God.”(CJ)
Job
19 Then Job replied:
2 “How long will you torment(CK) me
and crush(CL) me with words?
3 Ten times(CM) now you have reproached(CN) me;
shamelessly you attack me.
4 If it is true that I have gone astray,
my error(CO) remains my concern alone.
5 If indeed you would exalt yourselves above me(CP)
and use my humiliation against me,
6 then know that God has wronged me(CQ)
and drawn his net(CR) around me.(CS)
7 “Though I cry, ‘Violence!’ I get no response;(CT)
though I call for help,(CU) there is no justice.(CV)
8 He has blocked my way so I cannot pass;(CW)
he has shrouded my paths in darkness.(CX)
9 He has stripped(CY) me of my honor(CZ)
and removed the crown from my head.(DA)
10 He tears me down(DB) on every side till I am gone;
he uproots my hope(DC) like a tree.(DD)
11 His anger(DE) burns against me;
he counts me among his enemies.(DF)
12 His troops advance in force;(DG)
they build a siege ramp(DH) against me
and encamp around my tent.(DI)
13 “He has alienated my family(DJ) from me;
my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.(DK)
14 My relatives have gone away;
my closest friends(DL) have forgotten me.
15 My guests(DM) and my female servants(DN) count me a foreigner;
they look on me as on a stranger.
16 I summon my servant, but he does not answer,
though I beg him with my own mouth.
17 My breath is offensive to my wife;
I am loathsome(DO) to my own family.
18 Even the little boys(DP) scorn me;
when I appear, they ridicule me.(DQ)
19 All my intimate friends(DR) detest me;(DS)
those I love have turned against me.(DT)
20 I am nothing but skin and bones;(DU)
I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.[b]
21 “Have pity on me, my friends,(DV) have pity,
for the hand of God has struck(DW) me.
22 Why do you pursue(DX) me as God does?(DY)
Will you never get enough of my flesh?(DZ)
23 “Oh, that my words were recorded,
that they were written on a scroll,(EA)
24 that they were inscribed with an iron tool(EB) on[c] lead,
or engraved in rock forever!(EC)
25 I know that my redeemer[d](ED) lives,(EE)
and that in the end he will stand on the earth.[e]
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet[f] in[g] my flesh I will see God;(EF)
27 I myself will see him
with my own eyes(EG)—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns(EH) within me!
28 “If you say, ‘How we will hound(EI) him,
since the root of the trouble lies in him,[h]’
29 you should fear the sword yourselves;
for wrath will bring punishment by the sword,(EJ)
and then you will know that there is judgment.[i]”(EK)
Zophar
20 Then Zophar the Naamathite(EL) replied:
2 “My troubled thoughts prompt me to answer
because I am greatly disturbed.(EM)
3 I hear a rebuke(EN) that dishonors me,
and my understanding inspires me to reply.
4 “Surely you know how it has been from of old,(EO)
ever since mankind[j] was placed on the earth,
5 that the mirth of the wicked(EP) is brief,
the joy of the godless(EQ) lasts but a moment.(ER)
6 Though the pride(ES) of the godless person reaches to the heavens(ET)
and his head touches the clouds,(EU)
7 he will perish forever,(EV) like his own dung;
those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’(EW)
8 Like a dream(EX) he flies away,(EY) no more to be found,
banished(EZ) like a vision of the night.(FA)
9 The eye that saw him will not see him again;
his place will look on him no more.(FB)
10 His children(FC) must make amends to the poor;
his own hands must give back his wealth.(FD)
11 The youthful vigor(FE) that fills his bones(FF)
will lie with him in the dust.(FG)
12 “Though evil(FH) is sweet in his mouth
and he hides it under his tongue,(FI)
13 though he cannot bear to let it go
and lets it linger in his mouth,(FJ)
14 yet his food will turn sour in his stomach;(FK)
it will become the venom of serpents(FL) within him.
15 He will spit out the riches(FM) he swallowed;
God will make his stomach vomit(FN) them up.
16 He will suck the poison(FO) of serpents;
the fangs of an adder will kill him.(FP)
17 He will not enjoy the streams,
the rivers(FQ) flowing with honey(FR) and cream.(FS)
18 What he toiled for he must give back uneaten;(FT)
he will not enjoy the profit from his trading.(FU)
19 For he has oppressed the poor(FV) and left them destitute;(FW)
he has seized houses(FX) he did not build.
20 “Surely he will have no respite from his craving;(FY)
he cannot save himself by his treasure.(FZ)
21 Nothing is left for him to devour;
his prosperity will not endure.(GA)
22 In the midst of his plenty, distress will overtake him;(GB)
the full force of misery will come upon him.(GC)
23 When he has filled his belly,(GD)
God will vent his burning anger(GE) against him
and rain down his blows on him.(GF)
24 Though he flees(GG) from an iron weapon,
a bronze-tipped arrow pierces him.(GH)
25 He pulls it out of his back,
the gleaming point out of his liver.
Terrors(GI) will come over him;(GJ)
26 total darkness(GK) lies in wait for his treasures.
A fire(GL) unfanned will consume him(GM)
and devour what is left in his tent.(GN)
27 The heavens will expose his guilt;
the earth will rise up against him.(GO)
28 A flood will carry off his house,(GP)
rushing waters[k] on the day of God’s wrath.(GQ)
29 Such is the fate God allots the wicked,
the heritage appointed for them by God.”(GR)
Footnotes
- Job 18:15 Or Nothing he had remains
- Job 19:20 Or only by my gums
- Job 19:24 Or and
- Job 19:25 Or vindicator
- Job 19:25 Or on my grave
- Job 19:26 Or And after I awake, / though this body has been destroyed, / then
- Job 19:26 Or destroyed, / apart from
- Job 19:28 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts me
- Job 19:29 Or sword, / that you may come to know the Almighty
- Job 20:4 Or Adam
- Job 20:28 Or The possessions in his house will be carried off, / washed away
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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.