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Job 23-27
English Standard Version
Job 23-27
English Standard Version
Job Replies: Where Is God?
23 Then Job answered and said:
2 “Today also my (A)complaint is bitter;[a]
my (B)hand is heavy on account of my groaning.
3 Oh, (C)that I knew where I might find him,
that I might come even to his (D)seat!
4 I would (E)lay my case before him
and fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would know what he would answer me
and understand what he would say to me.
6 Would he (F)contend with me in the greatness of his power?
No; he would pay attention to me.
7 There an upright man could argue with him,
and I would be acquitted forever by my judge.
8 “Behold, (G)I go forward, but he is not there,
and backward, but I do not perceive him;
9 on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him;
he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him.
10 But he (H)knows (I)the way that I (J)take;
when he has (K)tried me, I shall come out as gold.
11 My foot (L)has held fast to his steps;
I have kept his way and have (M)not turned aside.
12 I have not departed from the commandment of his lips;
I have (N)treasured the words of his mouth more than my (O)portion of food.
13 But he is unchangeable,[b] and (P)who can turn him back?
What he (Q)desires, that he does.
14 For he will complete what he (R)appoints for me,
and many such things are (S)in his mind.
15 Therefore I am terrified at his presence;
when I consider, I am in dread of him.
16 God has made my (T)heart faint;
the Almighty has terrified me;
17 yet I am not silenced because of the darkness,
nor because thick darkness covers my face.
24 “Why are (U)not times of judgment (V)kept by the Almighty,
and why do those who know him never see his (W)days?
2 Some move (X)landmarks;
they seize flocks and pasture them.
3 They drive away the donkey of the fatherless;
they (Y)take the widow's ox for a pledge.
4 They (Z)thrust the poor off the road;
the poor of the earth (AA)all hide themselves.
5 Behold, like wild donkeys in the desert
the poor[c] (AB)go out to their toil, (AC)seeking game;
the wasteland yields food for their children.
6 They gather their[d] fodder in the field,
and they glean the vineyard of the wicked man.
7 They (AD)lie all night naked, without clothing,
and have no covering in the cold.
8 They are wet with the rain of the mountains
and (AE)cling to the rock for lack of shelter.
9 (There are those who snatch the fatherless child from the breast,
and they take a pledge against the poor.)
10 They go about naked, without clothing;
hungry, they (AF)carry the sheaves;
11 among the olive rows of the wicked[e] they make oil;
they tread the winepresses, but suffer thirst.
12 From out of the city the dying[f] groan,
and the soul of (AG)the wounded cries for help;
yet God charges no one with (AH)wrong.
13 “There are those who rebel (AI)against the light,
who are not acquainted with its ways,
and do not stay in its paths.
14 The murderer rises before it is light,
that he (AJ)may kill the poor and needy,
and in the night he is like a thief.
15 The eye of the adulterer also waits for (AK)the twilight,
saying, ‘No (AL)eye will see me’;
and he veils his face.
16 In the dark they (AM)dig through houses;
by day they shut themselves up;
they do not know the light.
17 For (AN)deep darkness is morning to all of them;
for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness.
18 “You say, (AO)‘Swift are they on the face of the waters;
their portion is cursed in the land;
no treader turns toward their vineyards.
19 Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters;
so does (AP)Sheol those who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets them;
the worm finds them sweet;
they are (AQ)no longer remembered,
so wickedness is broken like (AR)a tree.’
21 “They wrong the barren, childless woman,
and do no good to the widow.
22 Yet God[g] prolongs the life of the mighty by his power;
they rise up when they despair of life.
23 He gives them security, and they are supported,
and his (AS)eyes are upon their ways.
24 They are exalted (AT)a little while, and then (AU)are gone;
they are brought low and gathered up like all others;
they are (AV)cut off like the heads of grain.
25 If it is (AW)not so, who will prove me a liar
and show that there is nothing in what I say?”
Bildad Speaks: Man Cannot Be Righteous
25 Then (AX)Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:
2 “Dominion and fear are with God;[h]
he makes peace in his high heaven.
3 Is there any number to his (AY)armies?
Upon whom does his (AZ)light not arise?
4 How then can man be (BA)in the right before God?
How can he who is (BB)born of woman be (BC)pure?
5 Behold, even the moon is not bright,
and the stars are not pure in his eyes;
6 (BD)how much less man, who is (BE)a maggot,
and (BF)the son of man, who is a worm!”
Job Replies: God's Majesty Is Unsearchable
26 Then Job answered and said:
2 “How you have (BG)helped him who has no power!
How you have saved (BH)the arm that has no strength!
3 How you have (BI)counseled him who has no wisdom,
and plentifully declared sound knowledge!
4 With whose help have you uttered words,
and whose breath (BJ)has come out from you?
5 The (BK)dead tremble
under the waters and their inhabitants.
6 Sheol is (BL)naked before God,[i]
and (BM)Abaddon has no covering.
7 He (BN)stretches out the north over (BO)the void
and hangs the earth on nothing.
8 He (BP)binds up the waters in his thick clouds,
and the cloud is not split open under them.
9 He covers the face of the full moon[j]
and (BQ)spreads over it his cloud.
10 He has inscribed (BR)a circle on the face of the waters
at the boundary between light and darkness.
11 (BS)The pillars of heaven tremble
and are astounded at his (BT)rebuke.
12 By his power he (BU)stilled the sea;
by his understanding he shattered (BV)Rahab.
13 (BW)By his wind the heavens were made fair;
his hand pierced (BX)the fleeing serpent.
14 Behold, these are but the outskirts of his (BY)ways,
and how small (BZ)a whisper do we hear of him!
But the thunder of his power who can understand?”
Job Continues: I Will Maintain My Integrity
27 And Job again (CA)took up his discourse, and said:
2 “As God lives, who has (CB)taken away my right,
and the Almighty, who has (CC)made my soul bitter,
3 as long as my breath is in me,
and (CD)the spirit of God is in my nostrils,
4 my lips will not speak (CE)falsehood,
and my tongue will not utter (CF)deceit.
5 Far be it from me to say that you are right;
till I die I will not put away my (CG)integrity from me.
6 I (CH)hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go;
my heart does not (CI)reproach me for any of my days.
7 “Let my enemy be as the wicked,
and let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous.
8 (CJ)For what is the hope of the godless (CK)when God cuts him off,
when God takes away his life?
9 (CL)Will God hear his cry
when distress comes upon him?
10 Will he (CM)take delight in the Almighty?
Will he call upon God at all times?
11 I will teach you concerning the hand of God;
(CN)what is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
12 Behold, all of you have seen it yourselves;
why then have you become altogether vain?
13 (CO)“This is the portion of a wicked man with God,
and the heritage that (CP)oppressors receive from the Almighty:
14 If his (CQ)children are multiplied, it is for (CR)the sword,
and his descendants have not enough bread.
15 Those who survive him the pestilence buries,
and his (CS)widows do not weep.
16 Though he (CT)heap up silver like dust,
and pile up clothing like clay,
17 he may pile it up, but the righteous will wear it,
and (CU)the innocent will divide the silver.
18 He builds his (CV)house like a moth's,
like (CW)a booth that (CX)a watchman makes.
19 He goes to bed rich, but will (CY)do so no more;
he opens his eyes, and (CZ)his wealth is gone.
20 (DA)Terrors overtake him like (DB)a flood;
in the night a whirlwind (DC)carries him off.
21 (DD)The east wind lifts him up and he is gone;
it (DE)sweeps him out of his place.
22 It[k] hurls at him (DF)without pity;
he flees from its[l] power in headlong flight.
23 It (DG)claps its hands at him
and (DH)hisses at him from its place.
Footnotes
Job 23-27
New International Version
Job 23-27
New International Version
Job
23 Then Job replied:
2 “Even today my complaint(A) is bitter;(B)
his hand[a] is heavy in spite of[b] my groaning.(C)
3 If only I knew where to find him;
if only I could go to his dwelling!(D)
4 I would state my case(E) before him
and fill my mouth with arguments.(F)
5 I would find out what he would answer me,(G)
and consider what he would say to me.
6 Would he vigorously oppose me?(H)
No, he would not press charges against me.(I)
7 There the upright(J) can establish their innocence before him,(K)
and there I would be delivered forever from my judge.(L)
8 “But if I go to the east, he is not there;
if I go to the west, I do not find him.
9 When he is at work in the north, I do not see him;
when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.(M)
10 But he knows the way that I take;(N)
when he has tested me,(O) I will come forth as gold.(P)
11 My feet have closely followed his steps;(Q)
I have kept to his way without turning aside.(R)
12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips;(S)
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.(T)
13 “But he stands alone, and who can oppose him?(U)
He does whatever he pleases.(V)
14 He carries out his decree against me,
and many such plans he still has in store.(W)
15 That is why I am terrified before him;(X)
when I think of all this, I fear him.(Y)
16 God has made my heart faint;(Z)
the Almighty(AA) has terrified me.(AB)
17 Yet I am not silenced by the darkness,(AC)
by the thick darkness that covers my face.
24 “Why does the Almighty not set times(AD) for judgment?(AE)
Why must those who know him look in vain for such days?(AF)
2 There are those who move boundary stones;(AG)
they pasture flocks they have stolen.(AH)
3 They drive away the orphan’s donkey
and take the widow’s ox in pledge.(AI)
4 They thrust the needy(AJ) from the path
and force all the poor(AK) of the land into hiding.(AL)
5 Like wild donkeys(AM) in the desert,
the poor go about their labor(AN) of foraging food;
the wasteland(AO) provides food for their children.
6 They gather fodder(AP) in the fields
and glean in the vineyards(AQ) of the wicked.(AR)
7 Lacking clothes, they spend the night naked;
they have nothing to cover themselves in the cold.(AS)
8 They are drenched(AT) by mountain rains
and hug(AU) the rocks for lack of shelter.(AV)
9 The fatherless(AW) child is snatched(AX) from the breast;
the infant of the poor is seized(AY) for a debt.(AZ)
10 Lacking clothes, they go about naked;(BA)
they carry the sheaves,(BB) but still go hungry.
11 They crush olives among the terraces[c];
they tread the winepresses,(BC) yet suffer thirst.(BD)
12 The groans of the dying rise from the city,
and the souls of the wounded cry out for help.(BE)
But God charges no one with wrongdoing.(BF)
13 “There are those who rebel against the light,(BG)
who do not know its ways
or stay in its paths.(BH)
14 When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up,
kills(BI) the poor and needy,(BJ)
and in the night steals forth like a thief.(BK)
15 The eye of the adulterer(BL) watches for dusk;(BM)
he thinks, ‘No eye will see me,’(BN)
and he keeps his face concealed.
16 In the dark, thieves break into houses,(BO)
but by day they shut themselves in;
they want nothing to do with the light.(BP)
17 For all of them, midnight is their morning;
they make friends with the terrors(BQ) of darkness.(BR)
18 “Yet they are foam(BS) on the surface of the water;(BT)
their portion of the land is cursed,(BU)
so that no one goes to the vineyards.(BV)
19 As heat and drought snatch away the melted snow,(BW)
so the grave(BX) snatches away those who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets them,
the worm(BY) feasts on them;(BZ)
the wicked are no longer remembered(CA)
but are broken like a tree.(CB)
21 They prey on the barren and childless woman,
and to the widow they show no kindness.(CC)
22 But God drags away the mighty by his power;(CD)
though they become established,(CE) they have no assurance of life.(CF)
23 He may let them rest in a feeling of security,(CG)
but his eyes(CH) are on their ways.(CI)
24 For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone;(CJ)
they are brought low and gathered up like all others;(CK)
they are cut off like heads of grain.(CL)
25 “If this is not so, who can prove me false
and reduce my words to nothing?”(CM)
Bildad
25 Then Bildad the Shuhite(CN) replied:
2 “Dominion and awe belong to God;(CO)
he establishes order in the heights of heaven.(CP)
3 Can his forces be numbered?
On whom does his light not rise?(CQ)
4 How then can a mortal be righteous before God?
How can one born of woman be pure?(CR)
5 If even the moon(CS) is not bright
and the stars are not pure in his eyes,(CT)
6 how much less a mortal, who is but a maggot—
a human being,(CU) who is only a worm!”(CV)
Job
26 Then Job replied:
2 “How you have helped the powerless!(CW)
How you have saved the arm that is feeble!(CX)
3 What advice you have offered to one without wisdom!
And what great insight(CY) you have displayed!
4 Who has helped you utter these words?
And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?(CZ)
5 “The dead are in deep anguish,(DA)
those beneath the waters and all that live in them.
6 The realm of the dead(DB) is naked before God;
Destruction[d](DC) lies uncovered.(DD)
7 He spreads out the northern skies(DE) over empty space;
he suspends the earth over nothing.(DF)
8 He wraps up the waters(DG) in his clouds,(DH)
yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
9 He covers the face of the full moon,
spreading his clouds(DI) over it.
10 He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters(DJ)
for a boundary between light and darkness.(DK)
11 The pillars of the heavens quake,(DL)
aghast at his rebuke.
12 By his power he churned up the sea;(DM)
by his wisdom(DN) he cut Rahab(DO) to pieces.
13 By his breath the skies(DP) became fair;
his hand pierced the gliding serpent.(DQ)
14 And these are but the outer fringe of his works;
how faint the whisper(DR) we hear of him!(DS)
Who then can understand the thunder of his power?”(DT)
Job’s Final Word to His Friends
27 And Job continued his discourse:(DU)
2 “As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,(DV)
the Almighty,(DW) who has made my life bitter,(DX)
3 as long as I have life within me,
the breath of God(DY) in my nostrils,
4 my lips will not say anything wicked,
and my tongue will not utter lies.(DZ)
5 I will never admit you are in the right;
till I die, I will not deny my integrity.(EA)
6 I will maintain my innocence(EB) and never let go of it;
my conscience(EC) will not reproach me as long as I live.(ED)
7 “May my enemy be like the wicked,(EE)
my adversary(EF) like the unjust!
8 For what hope have the godless(EG) when they are cut off,
when God takes away their life?(EH)
9 Does God listen to their cry
when distress comes upon them?(EI)
10 Will they find delight in the Almighty?(EJ)
Will they call on God at all times?
11 “I will teach you about the power of God;
the ways(EK) of the Almighty I will not conceal.(EL)
12 You have all seen this yourselves.
Why then this meaningless talk?
13 “Here is the fate God allots to the wicked,
the heritage a ruthless man receives from the Almighty:(EM)
14 However many his children,(EN) their fate is the sword;(EO)
his offspring will never have enough to eat.(EP)
15 The plague will bury those who survive him,
and their widows will not weep for them.(EQ)
16 Though he heaps up silver like dust(ER)
and clothes like piles of clay,(ES)
17 what he lays up(ET) the righteous will wear,(EU)
and the innocent will divide his silver.(EV)
18 The house(EW) he builds is like a moth’s cocoon,(EX)
like a hut(EY) made by a watchman.
19 He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;(EZ)
when he opens his eyes, all is gone.(FA)
20 Terrors(FB) overtake him like a flood;(FC)
a tempest snatches him away in the night.(FD)
21 The east wind(FE) carries him off, and he is gone;(FF)
it sweeps him out of his place.(FG)
22 It hurls itself against him without mercy(FH)
as he flees headlong(FI) from its power.(FJ)
23 It claps its hands(FK) in derision
and hisses him out of his place.”(FL)
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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.