Beginning

24 Times be not hid from Almighty God; soothly they that know him, know not his days (but even they who know him, do not know when the day of reckoning is).

² Other men have turned over the terms, (or the boundary stones,) of (their) neighbours, they have taken away their flocks, and fed themselves.

³ They have driven away the ass of fatherless children, and they took away the cow of a widow for a wed. (They have driven away the donkey of some fatherless children, and they took away the cow of a widow for a pledge.)

⁴ They destroyed the way of poor men, and they oppressed together the mild men of [the] earth. (They pushed the poor out of their way, and they oppressed the needy of the earth, who huddle together.)

⁵ Other men as wild asses in desert go out to their work; and they wake to (take) prey, and before make ready bread to their children. (Other men, like wild donkeys, go out to the wilderness; and they seek prey, to find food for their children.)

⁶ They cut down a field not theirs, and they gather [the] grapes of his vinery, whom they have oppressed by violence. (They cut down a field not their own, and they gather grapes from the vineyard of the wicked.)

⁷ They leave men naked, and take away their clothes, to the which men there is no covering in cold; (They leave people naked, having taken away their clothes, for whom then there is no more cover from the cold;)

⁸ which men the rains of mountains wet, and they have no covering, and they embrace stones. (they be drenched by rains from the mountains, and have nothing to cover themselves with, and so all they can do is hold onto stones.)

⁹ They did violence, and robbed fatherless and motherless children; and they spoiled, either robbed, the community of poor men (and they stole from, or plundered, the poor).

¹⁰ They took away ears of corn from naked men, and (those) going without cloak, and from hungry men. (They took away clothes from those who now must go naked, and ears of corn from the hungry.)

¹¹ They were hid in midday among the heaps of those men, that thirst, when the presses of grapes be trodden. (They make oil in shady places, and tread the winepresses, but they themselves suffer thirst.)

¹² They made men of (the) cities to wail, and the souls of wounded men shall cry; and God suffereth it not to go away unpunished. (In the cities men wail, and the souls of the wounded cry out; but God alloweth them not to go away unpunished.)

¹³ They were rebel to (the) light; they knew not the ways thereof, neither they turned again by the paths thereof. (They rebelled against the light; they knew not its ways, nor they walked by its paths.)

¹⁴ A manslayer riseth full early, and slayeth a needy man, and a poor man; and by night he shall be as a night thief. (The murderer riseth very early, and killeth the needy and the poor; and in the night he shall be a thief.)

¹⁵ The eye of [the] adulterer keepeth darkness, and saith, An eye shall not see me; and he shall cover his face. (The eye of the adulterer waiteth for the darkness, and saith, No eye shall see me; but he shall still cover his face.)

¹⁶ They (under)mine houses in darknesses, as they said together to themselves in the day; and they knew not light. (They break into houses in the night, like they said that they would during the day; and they know not, or avoid, the light.)

¹⁷ If the morrowtide appeareth suddenly, they deem it the shadow of death; and so they go in (the) darknesses, as in (the) light.

¹⁸ He is unstabler than the face of the water; his part in [the] earth be cursed, and go he not by the way of vineries. (He is more unstable than the face, or the surface, of the water; let his portion be cursed in the land, and go he not by the way of the vineyards.)

¹⁹ Pass he to a full great heat from the waters of snows, and the sin of him till to hells. (Like a great heat taketh away the waters of the snow, so let Sheol, or the grave, take him away.)

²⁰ Mercy forget him; his sweetness be (for) a worm; be he not in mind, but be he all-broken as an unfruitful tree. (The womb shall forget him; let his sweetness be for a worm; let him be forgotten, and all-broken, like an unfruitful tree.)

²¹ For he fed (not) the barren, and her that childeth not, and he did not well to the widow.

²² He drew down strong men in his strength; and when he standeth in great state/in prosperity, he shall not believe to his life. (He drew down the strong with his strength; and yet, though he standeth in great state/in prosperity, he shall not have any hope for his life.)

²³ God gave to him a place of penance, and he misuseth that into pride; soothly the eyes of God be beholding in the ways of that man (truly God’s eyes behold the ways of such people).

²⁴ They be raised up at a little while, and they shall not stand; and they shall be made low as all vile things, and they shall be taken away; and as the highnesses of ears of corn they shall be all-broken. (They shall be raised up for a little while, but they shall not stand; then they shall be made low like all vile things, and they shall be taken away; and they shall be all-broken like the tops of the ears of corn.)

²⁵ That if it is not so, who may reprove me, that I lied, and have put forth follily my words before God? (And if this is not so, then who shall rebuke me, and say that I have lied, and have foolishly put forth my words before God?)

25 Then Bildad (the) Shuhite answered, and said,

² Power and dread is with him, that is, God, which maketh according in his high things. (Power and reverence is with God/Power and fear is with God, who maketh peace in all his high places.)

³ Whether there is (a) number of his knights? (Can his host be counted?) and upon whom shineth not his light?

⁴ Whether a man comparisoned to God may be justified, either a man born of a woman may appear clean? (Can a man be justified when compared to God, or can a man born of a woman ever be pure, or innocent?)

⁵ Lo! also the moon shineth not, and [the] stars be not clean in his sight; (Lo! to his eyes, the moon shineth not, and the stars be not pure;)

⁶ how much more man, that is rot, and the son of a man, that is a worm, is unclean, (and vile,) in comparison to God. (and so how much more a man, who is but rot, and the son of a man, who is but a worm, be unclean, and vile, when compared to God.)

26 Forsooth Job answered, and said,

² Whose helper art thou? whether of the feeble, and sustainest the arm of him, which is not strong? (Whose helper art thou? of the feeble? and sustainest thou the arm of him, who is not strong?)

³ To whom hast thou given counsel? In hap to him that hath not wisdom (Perhaps to someone who hath not wisdom); and thou hast showed full much prudence.

⁴ Either whom wouldest thou teach? whether not him, that made breathing? (Or whom wouldest thou teach? surely not he, who gave you breathe!)

⁵ Lo! giants wail under waters, and they that dwell with them. (Lo! the spirits of the dead wail under the waters, and they that dwell with them.)

⁶ Hell is naked before him, and no covering is to perdition. (Sheol is naked before him, and perdition hath no covering.)

⁷ The which God stretcheth forth the north upon (a) void thing, and he hangeth the earth upon nought.

⁸ And he bindeth waters in their clouds, that those break not out (al)together downward. (And he bindeth up the waters in the clouds, so that they do not burst open.)

⁹ He holdeth the cheer of his seat, and spreadeth abroad thereon his cloud. (He spreadeth his cloud upon the surface of his throne.)

¹⁰ He hath (en)compassed a term, or an end, to (the) waters, till that light and darkness be ended. (He hath surrounded the waters with a border, where light and darkness meet.)

¹¹ The pillars of heaven tremble, and dread at his will. (The pillars of heaven tremble, and fear his will.)

¹² In the strength of him the seas were gathered together suddenly (By his strength he divided the seas), and his prudence smote the proud.

¹³ His spirit hath adorned (the) heavens (By his breathe he hath cleared the skies), and the crooked serpent was led out by his hand, leading him out as a midwife leadeth out a child.

¹⁴ Lo! these things be said in part of his ways; and when we have heard scarcely a little drop of his word, who may see the thunder of his greatness? (Lo! these things that be said be but a part of his ways; and as we have scarcely heard but a little drop of his word, who can understand the thunder of his greatness?)

27 Also Job added, taking his parable, and said, (And Job added to his parable, and said,)

² God liveth, that hath taken away my doom, and Almighty God, that hath brought my soul to bitterness. (The Lord God liveth, who hath taken away my justice, and Almighty God, who hath brought my soul to bitterness.)

³ For as long as breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils,

⁴ my lips shall not speak wickedness, neither my tongue shall think a leasing (nor shall my tongue tell a lie).

⁵ Far be it from me, that I deem you just (that I judge you right, or correct); till I fail (life), that is, (for) as long as I live, I shall not go away from mine innocence.

⁶ I shall not forsake my justifying, which I began to hold (fast to); for mine heart reproveth me not in all my life (for my heart shall not rebuke me in all my life).

⁷ As my wicked enemy doeth; (and) mine adversary is as (the) wicked.

⁸ For what is the hope of an hypocrite, if he ravisheth greedily, and God delivereth not his soul? (For what is the hope of a hypocrite, even though he may greedily robbeth, when God taketh away his life?)

⁹ Whether God shall hear the cry of him, when anguish shall come upon him?

¹⁰ either whether he may delight in Almighty God, and inwardly call God in all time? (shall he delight himself in Almighty God, and call on God at all times?)

¹¹ I shall teach you by the hand of God, what things Almighty God hath; and I shall not hide them.

¹² Lo! all ye know (them), and what then speak ye vain things without cause? (Lo! ye all know them, so why then do ye speak vain, or empty, things without any reason?)

¹³ This is the part of a wicked man with God, and the heritage of violent men, or raveners, which they shall take of Almighty God. (This is the portion from God for the wicked, and the inheritance for the violent, or the raveners, which they shall receive from Almighty God.)

¹⁴ If his children be multiplied, they shall be killed with (the) sword; and his sons shall not be [ful]filled with bread.

¹⁵ They, that be residue of him, shall be buried in perishing; and the widows of him shall not weep. (They, who be left of him, shall die from disease; and their widows shall not weep for them.)

¹⁶ If he gathereth together silver as earth, and maketh ready clothes as (the) clay; (Yea, though he gathereth together silver like dust, and getteth himself heaps of clothes;)

¹⁷ soothly he made these things ready, but a just man shall be clothed in those things, and an innocent man shall part the silver. (truly he got these things, but the righteous shall be clothed in them, and the innocent shall divide, or shall share, the silver.)

¹⁸ As a moth he hath builded his house, and as a keeper he made a shadowing place. (Like a moth, he hath built his house, and he hath made his place of shade like a watchman.)

¹⁹ A rich man, when he shall die, shall bear nothing with him; he shall open his eyes, and he shall find nothing.

²⁰ Poverty as water shall take him (Poverty shall overtake him like a flood); and (a) tempest shall oppress him in the night.

²¹ Burning wind shall take him (up), and it shall do him away; and as a whirlwind it shall ravish him from his place (and like a whirlwind it shall snatch him away from his place).

²² The Lord shall send out (these) torments upon him, and shall not spare; (and) he fleeing shall flee from his hand.

²³ He shall constrain his hands on him, and he shall hiss on him, and shall behold his place. (The wind shall clap its hands at him, and shall hiss at him, wherever he may go.)

28 Silver hath [the] beginning of his veins (Silver hath the beginning of its veins); and a place is to gold, in which it is welled together.

² Iron is taken from the earth, and a stone dissolved, or melted, by heat, is turned into money (is turned into bronze).

³ God hath set (a) time to darknesses, and he beholdeth the end of all things. Also a strand parteth a stone of darkness, and the shadow of death, (God hath set an end for darkness, and he beholdeth the end of all things; a stone of darkness, and the shadow of death.)

⁴ from the people going in pilgrimage; it parteth those hills, which the foot of a needy man forgat, and hills without (a) way. (The stream departeth from the people going in pilgrimage; it parteth those hills, which the foot of the needy forgot, and the hills be without a way.)

⁵ The earth, whereof bread came forth in his place, is destroyed by fire. (Though bread came forth in its place, underneath the earth is destroyed by fire.)

⁶ The place of a sapphire be the stones thereof, and the clots thereof be gold. (Its stones be the place for sapphires, and its dust containeth gold.)

⁷ A bird knew not the way, and the eye of a vulture beheld it not.

⁸ The sons of merchants trode not upon that way, and a lioness passed not thereby. (The sons of a lion trod not on that way, and a lioness passed not by it.)

⁹ God stretched forth his hand to a flint; he destroyed [the] hills from the roots thereof. (God stretched forth his hand to the stones; he destroyed the mountains down to their roots.)

¹⁰ He hewed down rivers in stones (He hewed out rivers among the stones); and his eye saw all precious thing/s.

¹¹ And he sought out the depths/the deepness of (the) floods; and he brought forth hid things into light. (And he dammed up the sources of the rivers; and he brought forth hidden things into the light.)

¹² But where is wisdom found, and which is the place of understanding? (But where is wisdom found, and where is the place of understanding?)

¹³ Man knoweth not the price thereof, neither it is found in the land of men living delicately. (Man knoweth not its price, or its value, nor is it found in the land of the living.)

¹⁴ The depth of (the) waters saith, It is not in me; and the sea speaketh, It is not with me.

¹⁵ Gold full clean shall not be given for wisdom, neither silver shall be weighed in the (ex)changing thereof. (Pure gold cannot purchase wisdom, or be exchanged for it, nor can its price be weighed out in silver.)

¹⁶ It shall not be comparisoned to the dyed colours of India (It cannot be compared to the gold of Ophir), nor to the most precious stone sardius, neither to the sapphire.

¹⁷ Neither gold, neither glass shall be made even worth thereto; and high and far appearing vessels of gold shall not be (ex)changed for wisdom, (Neither gold, nor crystal, can be made equal in worth to it; and high-priced and outstanding vessels of gold cannot be exchanged for wisdom,)

¹⁸ neither they shall be had in mind in comparison thereof. Forsooth wisdom is drawn out of privy things; (nor shall they even be considered when compared to it. For wisdom is drawn from private, or hidden, things;)

¹⁹ topaz of Ethiopia shall not be made even worth to wisdom (the topaz of Ethiopia cannot be made equal in worth to wisdom), and most precious dyeings shall not be set together in price, or comparisoned, thereto.

²⁰ Therefore whereof cometh wisdom, and which is the place of understanding? (And so from where cometh wisdom, and where is the place of understanding?)

²¹ It is hid from the eyes of all living men; and also it is hid from the birds of (the) heaven(s), or of the air.

²² Perdition and death said, With our ears we have heard (of) the fame of wisdom.

²³ God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.

²⁴ For he beholdeth the ends of the world, and beholdeth all things that be under heaven.

²⁵ He hath made weight to winds (He hath made a counter-weight for the winds), and he hath weighed (the) waters in measure.

²⁶ When he set law to rain, and way to tempests sounding; (When he made a law for the rain, and a way for the sounding tempests;)

²⁷ then he saw wisdom, and told it out, and he made it ready, and sought it out.

²⁸ And he said to man, Lo! the dread of the Lord, that is wisdom (And he said to man, Lo! the fear of the Lord/Lo! reverence for the Lord, that is wisdom); and to go away from evil, (that) is understanding.