Job 6-7
Lexham English Bible
Job’s Second Speech: A Response to Eliphaz
6 Then[a] Job answered and said,
2 “If only my vexation could be well weighed,
and my calamity could be lifted up together with it in the balances,
3 for then it would be heavier than the sand of the seas;
therefore my words have been rash,
4 for the arrows of Shaddai are in me;
my spirit drinks their poison;
the terrors of God are arrayed against me.
5 Does the wild ass bray over grass,
or the ox bellow over its fodder?
6 Can tasteless food be eaten without[b] salt,
or is there taste in the white of a marshmallow plant?
7 I refused[c] to touch them;
they are like food that will make me ill.[d]
8 “O that[e] my request may come,
and that God may grant my hope,
9 that[f] God would decide that[g] he would crush me,
that he would let loose his hand and kill me.[h]
10 But[i] it will still be my consolation,
and I would recoil in unrelenting[j] pain,
for I have not denied the words of the Holy One.
11 What is my strength, that I should wait?
And what is my end, that I should hold out?[k]
12 Or is my strength like the strength of stones?
Or is my flesh bronze?
13 Indeed,[l] my help is not in me,
and any success is driven from me.
14 “Loyal love[m] should come for the afflicted from his friend,
even if[n] he forsakes the fear of Shaddai.
15 My companions are treacherous like a torrent-bed;
like a streambed of wadis[o] they flow away,
16 which are growing dark because of ice upon them,
it will pile up snow.
17 In time they dry up, they disappear;
when it is hot, they vanish from their place.
18 The paths of their way wind around;
they go up into the wasteland, and they perish.
19 The caravans of Tema looked;
the traveling merchants of Sheba hope for them.
20 They are disappointed, because they trusted;
they came here[p] and they are confounded.
21 “For now you[q] have become such;[r]
you see terrors, and you fear.
22 Is it because I have said, ‘Give to me,’
or,[s] ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth’?
23 or,[t] ‘Save me from the foe’s hand,’
or,[u] ‘Ransom me from the tyrants’ hand’?
24 Teach me, and I myself[v] will be silent;
and make me understand how I have gone astray.
25 How painful are upright words![w]
But[x] what does your reproof[y] reprove?
26 Do you intend to reprove my words[z]
and consider the words of a desperate man as wind?
27 Even over the orphan you would cast the lot,
and you would bargain over your friend.
28 “Therefore[aa] be prepared, turn to me,
and I surely will not lie to your face.[ab]
29 Please turn, let no injustice happen;
indeed,[ac] turn, my righteousness is still intact.[ad]
30 Is there injustice on my tongue?
Or can my palate not discern calamity?[ae]
Job’s Second Speech: A Response to Eliphaz
7 “Does not a human being[af] have hard service[ag] on earth?
And are not his[ah] days like the days of a laborer?
2 Like a slave he longs for the shadow,
and like a laborer he waits for his wages.
3 So I had to inherit[ai] months of worthlessness,
and nights of misery are apportioned to me.
4 When I lie down, I say,[aj] ‘When shall I rise?’
But[ak] the night is long,
and I have my fill of tossing until dawn.
5 My body is clothed with maggots and clods of dust;
my skin hardens, then[al] it gives way again.
6 “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,
and they come to an end without hope.[am]
7 Remember that my life is a breath;
my eye will not return to see good.
8 The eye of the one seeing me will not see me;
your eyes are upon me, but[an] I will be gone.[ao]
9 A cloud vanishes, and it goes away,
so he who goes down to Sheol will not come up.
10 He does not return again to his house,
and his place does not recognize him again.
11 “Even[ap] I will not restrain my mouth;
I will speak in my spirit’s anguish;
I will complain in my inner self’s[aq] bitterness.
12 Am I the sea, or a sea monster,
that you set a guard over me?
13 When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me,
and my couch[ar] will ease my complaint,’
14 then[as] you terrify me with dreams,[at]
and with visions you terrify[au] me.
15 So[av] my inner self[aw] will choose[ax] strangling—
death more than my existence.[ay]
16 I loathe my life; I would not live forever;
depart from me, for my days are a breath.
17 “What is a human being that you make him great
and that you fix your mind on him,[az]
18 so that[ba] you visit him every morning,[bb]
you test him every moment?[bc]
19 How long[bd] will you not turn away from me?
Or not leave me alone until I swallow[be] my spit?
20 If I have sinned, what have I done to you, watcher of humanity?
Why have you made me as a target for yourself,
so that[bf] I have become a burden to myself?[bg]
21 And why do you not pardon my transgression
and take away my guilt?
For now I shall lie in the dust,
and you will seek me, but[bh] I will be no more.”[bi]
Footnotes
- Job 6:1 Hebrew “And”
- Job 6:6 Hebrew “from without”
- Job 6:7 Literally “My soul/throat refuses”
- Job 6:7 Literally “the illness of my bread/food”
- Job 6:8 Literally “Who would give”
- Job 6:9 Hebrew “and”
- Job 6:9 Hebrew “and”
- Job 6:9 Literally “he would cut me off”
- Job 6:10 Hebrew “And”
- Job 6:10 Literally “he/it does not have compassion,” or “he/it does not have pity,” or “he/it does not spare”
- Job 6:11 Literally “I should make my self long,” or “I should lengthen my self”
- Job 6:13 An interrogative marker plus “if”
- Job 6:14 Or “Kindness”
- Job 6:14 Hebrew “and”
- Job 6:15 A seasonal stream that is often dry
- Job 6:20 Literally “up to it”
- Job 6:21 Plural throughout the rest of this chapter
- Job 6:21 Literally “to it,” or “for it”
- Job 6:22 Hebrew “and”
- Job 6:23 Hebrew “and”
- Job 6:23 Hebrew “And”
- Job 6:24 Emphatic personal pronoun
- Job 6:25 Literally “words of uprightness”
- Job 6:25 Hebrew “And”
- Job 6:25 Literally “reproving from you”
- Job 6:26 Or “Do you intend to reprove with words”
- Job 6:28 Literally “And now,” or “And so then”
- Job 6:28 Hebrew “faces”
- Job 6:29 Hebrew “and”
- Job 6:29 Literally “still my righteousness is in it”
- Job 6:30 Or “calamities”
- Job 7:1 Or a collective singular, “human beings”
- Job 7:1 Literally “hard service for a human being”
- Job 7:1 Or a collective singular, “their”
- Job 7:3 Literally “I am allotted to me”
- Job 7:4 Hebrew “and I say”
- Job 7:4 Hebrew “And”
- Job 7:5 Hebrew “and”
- Job 7:6 Literally “with nothing hope”
- Job 7:8 Hebrew “and”
- Job 7:8 Literally “there is not me,” or “I am not”
- Job 7:11 Or “I on my part”
- Job 7:11 Or “soul’s”
- Job 7:13 Or “bed”
- Job 7:14 Hebrew “and”
- Job 7:14 Or “the dreams”
- Job 7:14 Or “dishearten,” or “frighten”
- Job 7:15 Or “And”
- Job 7:15 Or “soul”
- Job 7:15 Or “I will choose”
- Job 7:15 Literally “bones”
- Job 7:17 Literally “you set on him your heart”
- Job 7:18 Hebrew “and”
- Job 7:18 Literally “for mornings,” or “at mornings”
- Job 7:18 Literally “for moments,” or “at moments”
- Job 7:19 Literally “Like what”
- Job 7:19 Or “my swallowing”
- Job 7:20 Hebrew “and”
- Job 7:20 Some translations translate as “you” (e.g., ESV, NRSV, NIV, NET)
- Job 7:21 Hebrew “and”
- Job 7:21 Literally “there is not me,” or “I am not”
Job 6-7
International Standard Version
Job’s Suffering is Grave
6 In rebuttal, Job replied:
2 “If only my grief could be weighed;
or my calamity piled together on a balance scale!
3 It would weigh more than the sand on the seashore![a]
Here’s why I’ve talked so rashly:
4 “The arrows of the Almighty have pierced me;
my spirit absorbs[b] their poison;[c]
God’s terrors have been arranged just for me!
5 “Will the wild donkey bray from hunger[d] if fresh grass is beside him?
Will the ox low from distress[e] if it is near its feed?
6 Tasteless food isn’t eaten without salt, is it?
Is there any taste in an egg white?
7 I cannot bring myself to touch them;[f]
food like this makes me sick.”
Job Desires Death
8 “Who will grant my wish?[g]
I wish God would grant what I’m hoping for:
9 that God would just be willing[h] to crush me;
that he would let loose[i] and eliminate me!
10 At least I could still take comfort
and rejoice in unceasing anguish,
for I didn’t conceal what the Holy One has to say.
11 “Do I have the strength to wait?
And why[j] should I be patient?
12 Am I as strong as a rock?
Am I some kind of iron man?[k]
13 There is no help within me, is there?
My resources have been driven away from me, haven’t they?
Job Accuses His Friends of Treachery
14 The friend shows gracious love for his friend,
even if he has forsaken the fear of the Almighty.
15 But my brothers have acted treacherously like a cascading river,
like torrential rivers that overflow.
16 Filled with waters made cold[l] by ice,
they are where the snow goes to hide.
17 But then the snow melts, and they disappear;
when warmed, they evaporate from their stream beds.[m]
18 Travelers divert[n] in their route;
they go into a wasteland and die.
19 Travelers from Tema search intently;
caravans from Sheba hope to find them.
20 For all their expectations, they are doomed to disappointment;
even though they have come and searched this far.
21 “And now you’re all just like them, aren’t you?[o]
You see my terror and are terrified.
22 When did I ever ask you for anything,
say ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth?’
23 or say ‘Deliver me from my enemy’s control,’[p]
or ‘Redeem me from the domination[q] of ruthless people’?”
Job Requests Mercy from His Friends
24 “Instruct me, and I’ll remain silent.
Help me understand where I’ve gone astray.
25 The truth[r] can be painful,
but what has your argument proven?
26 Did you intend your words to reprove,
even though the speech of a desperate person is just wind?
27 Indeed, you would gamble to buy an orphan;
and barter to buy your friend!
28 Now be willing to face me,
and I won’t lie to your face.
29 Repent! Let there be no injustice;
Change your ways![s] My vindication[t] is at stake.
30 Have I said anything that’s unjust?
I can discern[u] evil, can’t I?”
Job Acknowledges the Brevity of Life
7 “Men have harsh servitude on earth, do they not?
His days are like those of a hired laborer, are they not?[v]
2 I’m like a servant who longs for the shade,
like a hired laborer who is looking for his wages.
3 Truly I’ve been allotted months of emptiness;
nights of trouble have been appointed for me.
4 “When I lie down I ask,
‘When will I wake up?’
But the night continues
and I keep tossing and turning until dawn.[w]
5 My skin[x] is covered with worms and clods of dirt;
my skin becomes rough and then breaks out afresh.
6 My days pass as swiftly as a hand-loom;
they come to their conclusion without hope.
7 Remember that my life is a breath;
my eyes won’t go back to seeing good things.[y]
8 The eyes of the one who sees me won’t see me anymore;
your eyes will look[z] for me
but I won’t be around![aa]
9 As a cloud fades away and vanishes,
the one who descends to the afterlife[ab] doesn’t return.[ac]
10 He doesn’t return again to his house,
and his place won’t recognize him anymore.”
Job Intends to Complain
11 “In addition, I won’t keep my opinion[ad] to myself;
I’ll speak from my distressed spirit;
I’ll complain with my bitter soul.
12 Am I the sea, or a sea monster,
that you keep watching me?
13 For I’ve said, ‘My bed will comfort me;
my couch will ease my burdens[ae] while I complain.’
14 But then you scared me with dreams;
you terrified me with visions.
15 I would rather die by strangulation
than continue living.[af]
16 I hate the thought of living forever!
Leave me alone, because my days are pointless.”
Job Acknowledges Humankind’s Insignificance
17 “What is a human being, that you make so much of him;
that you set your affections on him,
18 visit him every morning,
and test him continually?
19 Why won’t you look away from me?
Why don’t you leave me alone so I can swallow my saliva?
20 So what if I sin? What have I done against you,
you observer of humankind?
Why have you made me your target?
Why burden yourself with me?
21 Why haven’t you pardoned my transgression
and taken away my iniquity?
Now I’m about to lie down in the dust.
You will seek me diligently,
but I won’t be around!”[ag]
Footnotes
- Job 6:3 Lit. sea
- Job 6:4 Lit. drinks
- Job 6:4 Lit. heat
- Job 6:5 The Heb. lacks from hunger
- Job 6:5 The Heb. lacks from distress
- Job 6:7 The Heb. lacks them
- Job 6:8 Or Oh, that I might have my request
- Job 6:9 Lit. pleased
- Job 6:9 Lit. loose his hand
- Job 6:11 Lit. And to what end
- Job 6:12 Lit. Is my flesh bronze?
- Job 6:16 Lit. dark
- Job 6:17 Lit. their place
- Job 6:18 Lit. twist
- Job 6:21 Lit. it
- Job 6:23 Lit. hand
- Job 6:23 Lit. hand
- Job 6:25 Lit. Upright words
- Job 6:29 The Heb. lacks your ways
- Job 6:29 Or righteousness
- Job 6:30 Lit. taste
- Job 7:1 Or hireling
- Job 7:4 Or twilight
- Job 7:5 Or flesh
- Job 7:7 The Heb. lacks things
- Job 7:8 The Heb. lacks will look
- Job 7:8 The Heb. lacks around
- Job 7:9 Lit. Sheol; i.e. the dwelling place of the dead
- Job 7:9 Lit. doesn’t come back up
- Job 7:11 Lit. mouth
- Job 7:13 Or carry
- Job 7:15 Lit. my bones
- Job 7:21 The Heb. lacks around
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