Beginning
God Is Just
5 “Call now, is there anyone who will answer you?
And to which of the (A)holy ones will you turn?
2 “For (B)anger slays the foolish man,
And jealousy kills the simple.
3 “I have seen the (C)foolish taking root,
And I (D)cursed his abode immediately.
4 “His (E)sons are far from safety,
They are even [a]oppressed in the gate,
And there is no deliverer.
5 “[b]His harvest the hungry devour
And take it to a place of thorns,
And the [c](F)schemer is eager for their wealth.
6 “For (G)affliction does not come from the dust,
Nor does trouble sprout from the ground,
7 For (H)man is born for trouble,
As sparks fly upward.
8 “But as for me, I would (I)seek God,
And I would place my cause before God;
9 Who (J)does great and unsearchable things,
[d]Wonders without number.
10 “He (K)gives rain on the earth
And sends water on the fields,
11 So that (L)He sets on high those who are lowly,
And those who mourn are lifted to safety.
12 “He (M)frustrates the plotting of the shrewd,
So that their hands cannot attain success.
13 “He (N)captures the wise by their own shrewdness,
And the advice of the cunning is quickly thwarted.
14 “By day they (O)meet with darkness,
And grope at noon as in the night.
15 “But He saves from (P)the sword of their mouth,
And (Q)the poor from the hand of the mighty.
16 “So the helpless has hope,
And (R)unrighteousness must shut its mouth.
17 “Behold, how (S)happy is the man whom God reproves,
So do not despise the (T)discipline of [e]the Almighty.
18 “For (U)He inflicts pain, and [f]gives relief;
He wounds, and His hands also heal.
19 “[g]From six troubles (V)He will deliver you,
Even in seven (W)evil will not touch you.
20 “In (X)famine He will redeem you from death,
And (Y)in war from the power of the sword.
21 “You will be (Z)hidden from the scourge of the tongue,
(AA)And you will not be afraid of violence when it comes.
22 “You will (AB)laugh at violence and famine,
(AC)And you will not be afraid of [h]wild beasts.
23 “For you will be in league with the stones of the field,
And (AD)the beasts of the field will be at peace with you.
24 “You will know that your (AE)tent is secure,
For you will visit your abode and fear no loss.
25 “You will know also that your [i](AF)descendants will be many,
And (AG)your offspring as the grass of the earth.
26 “You will (AH)come to the grave in full vigor,
Like the stacking of grain in its season.
27 “Behold this; we have investigated it, and so it is.
Hear it, and know for yourself.”
Job’s Friends Are No Help
6 Then Job [j]answered,
2 “(AI)Oh that my grief were actually weighed
And laid in the balances together with my calamity!
3 “For then it would be (AJ)heavier than the sand of the seas;
Therefore my words have been rash.
4 “For the (AK)arrows of the Almighty are within me,
[k]Their (AL)poison my spirit drinks;
The (AM)terrors of God are arrayed against me.
5 “Does the (AN)wild donkey bray over his grass,
Or does the ox low over his fodder?
6 “Can something tasteless be eaten without salt,
Or is there any taste in the [l]white of an egg?
7 “My soul (AO)refuses to touch them;
They are like loathsome food to me.
8 “Oh that my request might come to pass,
And that God would grant my longing!
9 “Would that God were (AP)willing to crush me,
That He would loose His hand and cut me off!
10 “But it is still my consolation,
And I rejoice in unsparing pain,
That I (AQ)have not [m]denied the words of the Holy One.
11 “What is my strength, that I should wait?
And what is my end, that I should [n](AR)endure?
12 “Is my strength the strength of stones,
Or is my flesh bronze?
13 “Is it that my (AS)help is not within me,
And that [o](AT)deliverance is driven from me?
14 “For the (AU)despairing man there should be kindness from his friend;
So that he does not (AV)forsake the [p]fear of the Almighty.
15 “My brothers have acted (AW)deceitfully like a [q]wadi,
Like the torrents of [r]wadis which vanish,
16 Which are turbid because of ice
And into which the snow [s]melts.
17 “When (AX)they become waterless, they [t]are silent,
When it is hot, they vanish from their place.
18 “The [u]paths of their course wind along,
They go up into nothing and perish.
19 “The caravans of (AY)Tema looked,
The travelers of (AZ)Sheba hoped for them.
20 “They (BA)were [v]disappointed for they had trusted,
They came there and were confounded.
21 “Indeed, you have now become such,
(BB)You see a terror and are afraid.
22 “Have I said, ‘Give me something,’
Or, ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth,’
23 Or, ‘Deliver me from the hand of the adversary,’
Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of the tyrants’?
24 “Teach me, and (BC)I will be silent;
And show me how I have erred.
25 “How painful are honest words!
But what does your argument prove?
26 “Do you intend to reprove my words,
When the (BD)words of one in despair belong to the wind?
27 “You would even (BE)cast lots for (BF)the orphans
And (BG)barter over your friend.
28 “Now please look at me,
And see if I (BH)lie to your face.
29 “Desist now, let there be no injustice;
Even desist, (BI)my righteousness is yet in it.
30 “Is there injustice on my tongue?
Cannot (BJ)my palate discern [w]calamities?
Job’s Life Seems Futile
7 “[x]Is not man (BK)forced to labor on earth,
And are not his days like the days of (BL)a hired man?
2 “As a slave who pants for the shade,
And as a hired man who eagerly waits for his wages,
3 So am I allotted months of vanity,
And (BM)nights of trouble are appointed me.
4 “When I (BN)lie down I say,
‘When shall I arise?’
But the night continues,
And I am [y]continually tossing until dawn.
5 “My (BO)flesh is clothed with worms and a crust of dirt,
My skin hardens and runs.
6 “My days are (BP)swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,
And come to an end (BQ)without hope.
7 “Remember that my life (BR)is but breath;
My eye will (BS)not again see good.
8 “The (BT)eye of him who sees me will behold me no longer;
Your eyes will be on me, but (BU)I will not be.
9 “When a (BV)cloud vanishes, it is gone,
So (BW)he who goes down to (BX)Sheol does not come up.
10 “He will not return again to his house,
Nor will (BY)his place know him anymore.
11 “Therefore (BZ)I will not restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit,
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
12 “Am I the sea, or (CA)the sea monster,
That You set a guard over me?
13 “If I say, ‘(CB)My bed will comfort me,
My couch will [z]ease my complaint,’
14 Then You frighten me with dreams
And terrify me by visions;
15 So that my soul would choose suffocation,
Death rather than my [aa]pains.
16 “I [ab](CC)waste away; I will not live forever.
Leave me alone, (CD)for my days are but a breath.
17 “(CE)What is man that You magnify him,
And that You [ac]are concerned about him,
18 That (CF)You examine him every morning
And try him every moment?
19 “[ad](CG)Will You never turn Your gaze away from me,
Nor let me alone until I swallow my spittle?
20 “(CH)Have I sinned? What have I done to You,
O (CI)watcher of men?
Why have You set me as Your target,
So that I am a burden to myself?
21 “Why then (CJ)do You not pardon my transgression
And take away my iniquity?
For now I will (CK)lie down in the dust;
And You will seek me, (CL)but I will not be.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.