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Job 26-27
Christian Standard Bible
Job 26-27
Christian Standard Bible
Job’s Reply to Bildad
26 Then Job answered:
2 How you have helped(A) the powerless
and delivered the arm that is weak!
3 How you have counseled the unwise(B)
and abundantly provided insight!
4 With whom did you speak these words?
Whose breath came out of your mouth?
5 The departed spirits tremble
beneath the waters and all that inhabit them.(C)
6 Sheol(D) is naked before God,
and Abaddon(E) has no covering.(F)
7 He stretches the northern skies over empty space;
he hangs the earth on nothing.
8 He wraps up the water in his clouds,
yet the clouds do not burst beneath its weight.(G)
9 He obscures the view of his throne,
spreading his cloud over it.
10 He laid out the horizon on the surface of the waters(H)
at the boundary between light and darkness.
11 The pillars that hold up the sky tremble,
astounded at his rebuke.(I)
12 By his power he stirred(J) the sea,
and by his understanding he crushed Rahab.(K)
13 By his breath the heavens gained their beauty;
his hand pierced the fleeing serpent.[a](L)
14 These are but the fringes of his ways;
how faint is the word we hear of him!
Who can understand his mighty thunder?
27 Job continued his discourse, saying:
2 As God lives, who has deprived me of justice,(M)
and the Almighty who has made me bitter,(N)
3 as long as my breath is still in me
and the breath from God remains in my nostrils,(O)
4 my lips will not speak unjustly,
and my tongue will not utter deceit.
5 I will never affirm that you are right.
I will maintain my integrity[b](P) until I die.
6 I will cling to my righteousness and never let it go.
My conscience(Q) will not accuse me as long as I live!
7 May my enemy be like the wicked
and my opponent like the unjust.
8 For what hope does the godless person(R) have when he is cut off,
when God takes away his life?(S)
9 Will God hear his cry
when distress comes on him?
10 Will he delight(T) in the Almighty?
Will he call on God at all times?
11 I will teach you about God’s power.
I will not conceal what the Almighty has planned.[c]
12 All of you have seen this for yourselves,
why do you keep up this empty talk?(U)
13 This is a wicked man’s lot(V) from God,
the inheritance the ruthless receive from the Almighty.
14 Even if his children increase, they are destined for the sword;
his descendants will never have enough food.
15 Those who survive him will be buried by the plague,
yet their widows will not weep for them.(W)
16 Though he piles up silver like dust
and heaps up fine clothing like clay—
17 he may heap it up, but the righteous will wear it,
and the innocent will divide up his silver.(X)
18 The house he built is like a moth’s cocoon
or a shelter set up by a watchman.(Y)
19 He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;
when he opens his eyes, it is gone.
20 Terrors overtake him like a flood;(Z)
a storm(AA) wind sweeps him away at night.
21 An east wind picks him up, and he is gone;
it carries him away from his place.
22 It blasts at him without mercy,
while he flees desperately from its force.
23 It claps(AB) its hands at him
and scoffs at him from its place.
Job 26-27
New International Version
Job 26-27
New International Version
Job
26 Then Job replied:
2 “How you have helped the powerless!(A)
How you have saved the arm that is feeble!(B)
3 What advice you have offered to one without wisdom!
And what great insight(C) you have displayed!
4 Who has helped you utter these words?
And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?(D)
5 “The dead are in deep anguish,(E)
those beneath the waters and all that live in them.
6 The realm of the dead(F) is naked before God;
Destruction[a](G) lies uncovered.(H)
7 He spreads out the northern skies(I) over empty space;
he suspends the earth over nothing.(J)
8 He wraps up the waters(K) in his clouds,(L)
yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
9 He covers the face of the full moon,
spreading his clouds(M) over it.
10 He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters(N)
for a boundary between light and darkness.(O)
11 The pillars of the heavens quake,(P)
aghast at his rebuke.
12 By his power he churned up the sea;(Q)
by his wisdom(R) he cut Rahab(S) to pieces.
13 By his breath the skies(T) became fair;
his hand pierced the gliding serpent.(U)
14 And these are but the outer fringe of his works;
how faint the whisper(V) we hear of him!(W)
Who then can understand the thunder of his power?”(X)
Job’s Final Word to His Friends
27 And Job continued his discourse:(Y)
2 “As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,(Z)
the Almighty,(AA) who has made my life bitter,(AB)
3 as long as I have life within me,
the breath of God(AC) in my nostrils,
4 my lips will not say anything wicked,
and my tongue will not utter lies.(AD)
5 I will never admit you are in the right;
till I die, I will not deny my integrity.(AE)
6 I will maintain my innocence(AF) and never let go of it;
my conscience(AG) will not reproach me as long as I live.(AH)
7 “May my enemy be like the wicked,(AI)
my adversary(AJ) like the unjust!
8 For what hope have the godless(AK) when they are cut off,
when God takes away their life?(AL)
9 Does God listen to their cry
when distress comes upon them?(AM)
10 Will they find delight in the Almighty?(AN)
Will they call on God at all times?
11 “I will teach you about the power of God;
the ways(AO) of the Almighty I will not conceal.(AP)
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:(AQ)
14 However many his children,(AR) their fate is the sword;(AS)
his offspring will never have enough to eat.(AT)
15 The plague will bury those who survive him,
and their widows will not weep for them.(AU)
16 Though he heaps up silver like dust(AV)
and clothes like piles of clay,(AW)
17 what he lays up(AX) the righteous will wear,(AY)
and the innocent will divide his silver.(AZ)
18 The house(BA) he builds is like a moth’s cocoon,(BB)
like a hut(BC) made by a watchman.
19 He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;(BD)
when he opens his eyes, all is gone.(BE)
20 Terrors(BF) overtake him like a flood;(BG)
a tempest snatches him away in the night.(BH)
21 The east wind(BI) carries him off, and he is gone;(BJ)
it sweeps him out of his place.(BK)
22 It hurls itself against him without mercy(BL)
as he flees headlong(BM) from its power.(BN)
23 It claps its hands(BO) in derision
and hisses him out of his place.”(BP)
Footnotes
- Job 26:6 Hebrew Abaddon
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.