Beginning
24 2 Job describeth the wickedness of men, and showeth what curse belongeth to the wicked. 12 How all things are governed by God’s providence. 17 And the destruction of the wicked.
1 How should not the times [a]be hid from the Almighty, seeing that they which know him, see not his [b]days?
2 Some remove the landmarks, that rob the flocks and feed thereof.
3 They lead away the ass of the fatherless, and take the widow’s ox to pledge.
4 They make the poor to turn out of the way, so that the poor of the earth hide themselves [c]together.
5 Behold, others as wild asses in the wilderness, go forth to their business, and [d]rise early for a prey: the wilderness [e]giveth him and his children food.
6 They reap [f]his provision in the field, but they gather the late [g]vintage of the wicked.
7 They cause the naked to lodge without garment, and without covering in the cold.
8 They are wet with the showers of the mountains, [h]and they embrace the rock for want of a covering.
9 They pluck the fatherless [i]from the breast, and take the pledge of [j]the poor.
10 They cause him to go naked without clothing, and take the gleaning from the hungry.
11 They that make oil [k]between their walls, and tread their winepresses, suffer thirst.
12 Men [l]cry out of the city, and the souls of the slain [m]cry out: yet God [n]doth not charge them with folly.
13 These are they that abhor the [o]light: they know not the ways thereof, nor continue in the paths thereof.
14 The murderer riseth early, and killeth the poor and the needy: and in the night he is as a thief.
15 The eye also of the [p]adulterer waiteth for the twilight, and saith, None eye shall see me, and disguiseth his face.
16 They dig through houses in the dark, which they marked for themselves in the day: they know not the light.
17 But the morning is even to them as the shadow of death: if one know them, they are in the terrors of the shadow of death.
18 He is swift upon the [q]waters: their [r]portion shall be cursed in the earth: he will not behold the way of the vineyards.
19 As the dry ground and heat consume the snow waters, so shall the grave [s]the sinners.
20 [t]The pitiful man shall forget him: the worm shall feel his sweetness: he shall be no more remembered, and the wicked shall be broken like a tree.
21 He [u]doth evil entreat the barren that doth not bear, neither doeth he good to the widow.
22 He draweth also the [v]mighty by his power, and when he riseth up, none is sure of life.
23 Though men give him assurance to be in safety, yet his eyes are upon their ways.
24 They are exalted for a little, but they are gone, and are brought low as all others: they are destroyed, and cut off as the top of an ear of corn.
25 But if it be not [w]so, where is he? or who will prove me a liar, and make my words of no value?
25 Bildad proveth that no man is clean nor without sin before God.
1 Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,
2 [x]Power and fear is with him, that maketh peace in his places.
3 Is there any number in his armies? [y]and upon whom shall not his light arise?
4 And how may a man [z]be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of woman?
5 Behold, he will give no light to the Moon, [aa]and the Stars are unclean in his sight.
6 How much more man, a worm, even the son of man, which is but a worm?
26 Job showeth that man cannot help God, and proveth it by his miracles.
1 But Job answered, and said,
2 [ab]Whom helpest thou? him that hath no power? savest thou the arm that hath no strength?
3 Whom counselest thou? him that hath no wisdom? [ac]thou showest right well as the thing is.
4 To whom dost thou declare these words? or whose spirit [ad]cometh out of thee?
5 The [ae]dead things are formed under the waters, and near unto them.
6 The grave is [af]naked before him, and there is no covering for [ag]destruction.
7 He stretcheth out the [ah]North over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.
8 He bindeth the waters in his clouds, and the cloud is not broken under them.
9 He holdeth back the face of his throne, and spreadeth his cloud upon it.
10 He hath set bounds [ai]about the waters, until the [aj]day and night come to an end.
11 The [ak]pillars of heaven tremble and quake at his reproof.
12 The sea is calm by his power, and by his understanding he smiteth the pride thereof.
13 His Spirit hath garnished the heavens, and his hand hath formed the crooked [al]serpent.
14 Lo, these are part of his ways: but [am]how little a portion hear we of him? and who can understand his fearful power?
27 3 The constancy and perfectness of Job. 13 The reward of the wicked and of the tyrants.
1 Moreover Job proceeded and continued his parable, saying,
2 The living God hath taken away my [an]judgment: for the Almighty hath put my soul in bitterness.
3 Yet so long as my breath is in me, and the Spirit of God in my nostrils,
4 [ao]My lips surely shall speak no wickedness, and my tongue shall utter no deceit.
5 God forbid, that I should [ap]justify you: until I die, I will never take away mine [aq]innocency from myself.
6 I will keep my righteousness, and will not forsake it: mine heart shall not reprove me of my [ar]days.
7 Mine enemy shall be as the wicked, and he that riseth against me, as the unrighteous.
8 For what [as]hope hath the hypocrite when he hath heaped up riches, if God take away his soul?
9 Will God hear his cry, when trouble cometh upon him?
10 Will he set his delight on the Almighty? will he call upon God at all times?
11 I will teach you what is in the hand of [at]God, and I will not conceal that which is with the Almighty.
12 Behold, all ye yourselves [au]have seen it: why then do you thus vanish [av]vanity?
13 This is the [aw]portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage of tyrants, which they shall receive of the Almighty.
14 If his children be in great number, the sword shall destroy them, and his posterity shall not be satisfied with bread.
15 His remnant shall be buried in death, and his widows [ax]shall not weep.
16 Though he should heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay,
17 He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver.
18 He buildeth his house as the [ay]moth, and as a lodge that the watchman maketh.
19 When the rich man sleepeth, [az]he shall not be gathered to his fathers: they opened their eyes, and he was gone.
20 Terrors shall take him as waters, and a tempest shall carry him away by night.
21 The East wind shall take him away, and he shall depart: and it shall hurl him out of his place.
22 And God shall cast upon him and not spare, though he would fain flee out of his hand.
23 Every man shall clap their hands at him, and hiss at him out of their place.
28 Job showeth that the wisdom of God is unsearchable.
1 The silver surely hath his vein, [ba]and the gold his palace, where they take it.
2 Iron is taken out of the dust, and brass is molten out of the stone.
3 God putteth an end to darkness, [bb]and he trieth the perfection of all things: he setteth a bond of darkness, and of the shadow of death.
4 The flood breaketh out against the [bc]inhabitant, and the waters [bd]forgotten of the foot, being higher than man, are gone away.
5 Out of the same earth cometh [be]bread, and under it, as it were fire is turned up.
6 The stones thereof are a place [bf]of Sapphires, and the dust of it is gold.
7 There is a path which no fowl hath known, neither hath the kite’s eye seen it.
8 The Lion’s whelps have not walked it, nor the Lion passed thereby.
9 He putteth his hand upon the [bg]rocks, and overthroweth the mountains by the roots.
10 He breaketh rivers in the roots, and his eye seeth every precious thing.
11 He bindeth the floods, that they do not overflow, and the thing that is hid, bringeth he to light.
12 But where is wisdom found? [bh]and where is the place of understanding?
13 Man knoweth not [bi]the price thereof: for it is not found in the land of the living.
14 The depth saith, It is not in me: the Sea also saith, It is not with me.
15 [bj]Gold shall not be given for it, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.
16 It shall not be valued with the wedge of gold of Ophir, nor with the precious onyx, nor the sapphire.
17 The gold nor the crystal shall be equal unto it, nor the exchange shall be for plate of fine gold.
18 No mention shall be made of coral, nor of the [bk]gabish: for wisdom is more precious than pearls.
19 The Topaz of Ethiopia shall not be equal unto it, neither shall it be valued with the wedge of pure gold.
20 Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding,
21 Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all the living, and is hid from the [bl]fowls of the heaven?
22 Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.
23 But God understandeth the [bm]way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.
24 For he beholdeth the ends of the world, and seeth all that is under heaven,
25 To make the weight of the winds and to weigh the waters by measure.
26 When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunders,
27 Then did he see it, and counted it: he prepared it, and also considered it.
28 And unto man he said, Behold, (A)the [bn]fear of the Lord is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.