Beginning
Job replies to Zophar
21 Then Job replied. This is what he said:
2 ‘Listen carefully to the things that I am saying.
You can only help me if you do that.
3 Be patient with me so that I can speak.
After you have heard what I say,
you may choose to laugh at me.
4 It is not people that I want to argue with.[a]
So I have good reason to be upset.
5 When you look at me, you should be upset.
You should cover your mouth with your hand.
6 I think about what has happened to me.
It makes me very afraid.
My body shakes with fear.
7 Why do wicked people continue to live for a long time?
The older they become, the more power they have.
8 They see their own children grow and become strong.
Their children also have strong families.
9 They are safe in their homes
and they are not afraid.
God does not punish them.
10 Their cows give birth safely to many calves.
11 Their children run and play.
They jump like young lambs.
12 They enjoy the music of tambourines and harps.
They sing with joy to the sound of flutes.
13 Wicked people have plenty of money through their whole lives.
Even when they die, they do not suffer.
14 They say to God, “Leave us alone!
We do not want to know about your ways.
15 We do not need to serve the Almighty God.
If we pray to him,
there is nothing he can do to help us.”
16 They think that they have made themselves rich.
But it is not true.
So I do not listen to the things that wicked people say.
17 It seems that wicked people enjoy a long life.
They do not often have many troubles.
When God is angry with them,
he does not cause them to suffer.
18 He does not blow them away,
like the wind blows dry grass.
They do not disappear like chaff that a storm blows away.
19 You may say, “God will punish a wicked person's children
with the punishment that he deserves.”
But I say that God should punish the wicked person himself.
Then he will realize that he is wicked.
20 Wicked people should receive their own punishment.
They should see that Almighty God is angry with them.
21 After wicked people have died,
it does not matter to them if their family suffers.
22 No one can teach God what he should do.
He himself judges the most powerful rulers.[b]
23 One person has good health all his life.
Even when he is ready to die,
he still lives a safe and happy life.
24 He eats good food and his body is strong.
25 But another person is sad all his life, until he dies.
No good things ever happen to him.
26 But they all die one day
and their bodies lie under the ground.
Worms cover their bodies, whoever they are.
27 I know what you are thinking.
You want to show that I am guilty.
28 You say, “You see that the rich person no longer has a house.
Wicked people no longer have homes to live in.”
29 But you should ask people who travel to different places.
You should listen to the things that they say.
30 They would tell you that wicked people do not always suffer.
When trouble comes,
they continue to be safe.
When God is angry with people,
wicked people escape punishment.
31 No one speaks against them
to say that they are guilty.
No one punishes them
for the bad things that they have done.
32 When a wicked person dies,
people bury him with honour.
Guards watch over his grave.
33 A big crowd of people come to his funeral.
They make a heap of earth over his body,
in the valley where he rests happily.
34 So your useless words do not comfort me.
Your answers are all lies!’
Eliphaz speaks to Job a third time[c]
22 Then Eliphaz, the man from Teman, replied. This is what he said:
2 ‘Nothing that a man can do will help God.
Even a wise man cannot help God.
3 If you are a righteous person,
it does nothing to help Almighty God.
If you live a completely good life,
it still does not help him.
4 It is not because you respect and obey God
that he punishes you.
It is not because you are a good person
that he accuses you.
5 No! It is because you are a very wicked person.
You have done too many evil things for anyone to count them.
That is why he is punishing you.
6 You took things from your friends when you lent money to them.
You had no reason to do that.
You even took away the only clothes that poor people were wearing.[d]
7 When you met people who were weak and tired,
you did not give them any water to drink.
You refused to feed hungry people.
8 You were a powerful man,
with land that belonged to you.
People respected you.
Your land gave you a good life.
9 But you refused to help widows.
You were cruel to children who have no family.
10 That is why you have so many troubles.
That is why you shake with fear.
11 It seems to you that you are in the dark
and you cannot see.
You feel as if a flood of deep water covers you.
12 God lives high above us in heaven.
Look up at the stars and see how high they are!
13 So you say, “God does not know about us.
He cannot judge us,
because darkness hides us from him.
14 Thick clouds cover him,
so that he does not see us.
He moves around high above the sky.”
15 Job, you must not continue to turn against God.
That is the way that evil people lived long ago.
16 Those people died before they should have done.
A great flood of water took them away.
They had no safe place to stand.[e]
17 They said to God, “Leave us alone!”
They thought that Almighty God could not hurt them.
18 But it was God who gave them many good things to enjoy.
So I cannot accept the ideas of wicked people.
19 God punishes wicked people.
When righteous people see that happen,
they are happy.
Good people then laugh at wicked people.
20 They say, “God has destroyed our enemies.
He has burned all their valuable things in a fire.”
21 So, Job, agree to accept God's ways.
Have peace in your mind about him.
Then you will again have good success.
22 Listen to his teaching.
Remember carefully what he tells you.
23 Turn back to the Almighty God,
so that you become strong again.
Stop all the evil things that happen in your house.
24 Throw away your gold things.
Throw your pure gold among the rocks in the streams.
25 Then the Almighty God will be like gold for you.
He will be like your valuable silver.[f]
26 You will be happy that Almighty God is your friend.
You will look up to him to help you.
27 You will pray to him, and he will answer you.
You will do the things that you have promised to him.
28 You will be able to do everything that you decide to do.
Light from God will show you the right way to go.
29 You will pray for God to help people who are in trouble.
God will save those people who are humble.
30 God will rescue even people who are guilty.
Because you do what is right,
God will save those people.’
Job replies to Eliphaz[g]
23 Then Job replied. This is what he said:
2 ‘I continue to complain against God
because I am still angry today.
God continues to punish me
even when I cry in pain.
3 I would like to know where to find him.
Then I could go to the place where he lives.
4 I would tell him why I am not guilty.
I would say many things to explain this to him.
5 Then I would know how he would answer me.
I would understand what he would say to me.
6 Would God use his great power to argue against me?
No! He would listen carefully to me.
7 Honest people can explain things to him.
So he would judge me in a fair way.
He would let me go free.
8 I look for God in the east, but he is not there.
I do not find him in the west either.
9 When he does his work in the north,
I do not see him.
When he moves to the south,
I still cannot find him anywhere.
10 But he knows the way that I live.
When he has finished testing me,
he will see that I am pure.
I will be as pure as gold.
11 I have always lived in the way that God showed me.
I have obeyed him faithfully.
I have not turned away from his teaching.
12 I have been careful to obey his commands.
His words are more important to me than my food.
13 But he is always true to himself.
Nobody can change him.
Whatever he wants to do, he does.
14 He will do to me everything that he has decided to do.
He has plans to do many things like this.
15 Because of that,
I am afraid of him.
When I think about all these things,
I am very afraid.
16 God has made me become weak with fear.
Almighty God has frightened me.
17 Because of all my troubles,
I seem to be in a very dark place.
The darkness seems to cover me.
But I will not be afraid to speak.
EasyEnglish Bible Copyright © MissionAssist 2019 - Charitable Incorporated Organisation 1162807. Used by permission. All rights reserved.