Bible in 90 Days
Bildad’s First Response to Job
8 Then[a] Bildad the Shuhite answered and said,[b]
2 “How long[c] will you say these things,
and the words of your mouth be a mighty wind?
3 Does God pervert justice,
or[d] Shaddai pervert righteousness?
4 If your children sinned against him,
then[e] he sent them into the power[f] of their transgression.
5 If you yourself[g] would seek God,
then[h] you would plead to Shaddai for grace.
6 If you are pure and upright,
indeed,[i] now he will rouse himself for you,
and he will restore your righteous abode.
7 Though[j] your beginning was small,
your end[k] will be very great.
8 “Indeed,[l] please inquire of former generations,
and consider what their ancestors have found,[m]
9 for we are of yesterday, and we do not know,
for our days on earth are a shadow.
10 Will they themselves[n] not teach you and tell you[o]
and utter[p] words from their heart?
11 Can papyrus grow tall where there is not a marsh?
Will reeds flourish without water?[q]
12 While it is in its flower and is not plucked,
yet[r] it withers before[s] all grass.
13 So are the paths of all who forget God;
and the hope of the godless will perish,
14 whose confidence is cut off
and whose trust[t] is a spider’s house.
15 He will lean himself against his house, but[u] it will not stand;
he will take hold of it, but[v] it will not endure.
16 He is thriving[w] before[x] the sun,
and his plant shoots spread over his garden.
17 His roots twine over a stone heap;
he sees a house of stone.
18 If he destroys him from his place,
then[y] it deceives him, saying, ‘I have never seen you.’
19 Look, this is the joy of his way,
and from dust others will spring up.
20 “Look, God will not reject the blameless,
and he will not uphold the hand of evildoers.
21 Yet he will fill your mouth with laughter
and your lips with a shout of joy.
22 Those who hate you will be clothed with shame,
and the tent of the wicked will be no more.”[z]
Job’s Third Speech: A Response to Bildad
9 Then[aa] Job answered and said,
2 “Truly I know that it is so,
but[ab] how can a human being be just before God?
3 If he wants to contend with him,
he cannot answer him one time in a thousand.
4 He is wise in[ac] heart and mighty in[ad] strength;
who has resisted him and succeeded?[ae]
5 “He is the one who moves mountains, and they do not know how,
who overturns them in his anger.
6 He is the one who shakes the earth from its place,
and its pillars tremble.
7 He is the one who commands the sun, and it does not rise,
and he seals up the stars.[af]
8 He is the one who alone stretches out the heavens
and who tramples on the waves of the sea.
9 He is the one who made the Bear and Orion,
the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.
10 He is the one who does great things beyond understanding[ag]
and marvelous things beyond number.[ah]
11 “If[ai] he passes by me, I would not see him;[aj]
and if he should move on, I would not recognize him.[ak]
12 If[al] he would snatch away, who could turn him?
Who could say to him, ‘What are you doing?’
13 God will not turn back his anger;
beneath him the helpers of Rahab bow.
14 How much less[am] can I myself[an] answer him?
How can I choose my words with him,
15 whom I cannot answer, even though I am righteous?
From[ao] my judge I must implore grace.
16 If I summon him, and he should answer me,
I do not believe that he will listen to my voice—
17 who crushes me with a tempest
and multiplies[ap] my wounds without cause.
18 He will not allow me to catch[aq] my breath;
rather, he will fill me with bitterness.
19 If it is a matter of[ar] strength, look, he is mighty.
But[as] if it is a matter of[at] justice, who can summon me?[au]
20 Even though I am righteous, my mouth will condemn me;
even though I am blameless, yet[av] it would pronounce me guilty.
21 “I am blameless; I do not care about myself;[aw]
I loathe my life.
22 It is all one; therefore I say,
‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’
23 When the whip[ax] kills suddenly,
he mocks at the despair of the innocent.
24 The earth is given into the hand of the wicked;
he covers the face of its judge—
if it is not he, then who is it?
25 “And my days are swifter than a runner;
they flee away; they do not see good.
26 They go by like papyrus skiffs,
like an eagle swoops down on its prey.
27 Though[ay] I say,[az] ‘I will forget my complaint;
I will change my expression, and I will rejoice,’
28 I become afraid of all my sufferings;
I know that you do not consider me innocent.
29 If I shall be declared guilty,
why then should I labor in vain?
30 If I wash myself with soap,[ba]
and I cleanse my hands with lye,
31 then you plunge me into the slime pit,
and my clothes abhor me.
32 “For[bb] he is not a mortal like me that I can answer him,
that we can come to trial together.[bc]
33 There is no arbiter between us
that he might lay his hand on both of us.
34 May he remove his rod from me,
and let his dread not terrify me;
35 then I would speak and not fear him,[bd]
for in myself I am not fearful.[be]
Job Continues His Response to Bildad
10 “My inner self[bf] loathes my life;
I want to give vent to my complaint;[bg]
I want to speak out of the bitterness of my inner self.[bh]
2 I will say to God, ‘You should not condemn me;
let me know why you contend against me.
3 Is it good for you that you oppress,
that you despise the labor of your hands,
and you smile over the schemes of the wicked?
4 Do you have eyes of flesh?[bi]
Or do you see as human beings see?[bj]
5 Are your days as the days of human beings,
or your years as the days of man,
6 that you seek out my iniquity,
and you search for my sin
7 because of your knowledge that I am not guilty,
and there is no escaping from your hand?
8 Your hands fashioned me and made me[bk] altogether,[bl]
then[bm] you destroyed me.
9 Please[bn] remember that you made me like clay,
but[bo] you turn me into dust again?
10 Did you not pour me out like milk
and curdle me[bp] like cheese?
11 You clothed me with skin and flesh,
and you knit me together with bones and sinews.
12 You have granted me life and loyal love,
and your care has preserved my spirit.
13 “‘Yet[bq] you hid these things in your heart;
I know that this was your purpose.[br]
14 If I had sinned, then[bs] you would be watching me,
and you would not acquit me of my guilt.
15 If I am guilty, woe to me!
But[bt] if I am righteous, I dare not lift my head;
I am filled with shame, and just look at my misery!
16 And if my head grows bold, you would hunt me as the lion in its prime;
and you repeat your exploits against me.[bu]
17 You renew your witnesses against me,
and you increase your vexation against me;
relief forces[bv] are against me.
18 So[bw] why did you bring me forth from the womb?
I should have passed away, and no eye should have seen me.[bx]
19 I should have been as though I had not been;
I should have been brought from the womb to the grave.
20 Are not my days few? Let him leave me alone;
let him turn from me, and let me rejoice a little.
21 Before I go—and I will not return—
to the land of darkness and deep shadow,
22 to the land of darkness,
like the darkness of a deep shadow and chaos,[by]
so that[bz] it shines forth like darkness.’”
Zophar’s First Response to Job
11 Then[ca] Zophar the Naamathite answered and said,
2 “Should an abundance of words go unanswered,
or a man full of talk[cb] be vindicated?[cc]
3 Should your loose talk put people to silence?
And when you mock, shall no one put you to shame?[cd]
4 For you say, ‘My teaching is pure,
and I am clean in your sight.’
5 But,[ce] O that[cf] God might speak,
and that he would open his lips to you,
6 and that he would tell you the secrets of wisdom,
for insight has many sides.[cg]
And know that God on your behalf[ch] has forgotten some of[ci] your guilt.
7 “Can you find out the essence of God,
or can you find out the ultimate limits[cj] of Shaddai?
8 It is higher than the heaven;[ck] what can you do?
It is deeper than Sheol; what can you know?
9 Its measure is longer than the earth
and broader than the sea.
10 “If he passes through and imprisons someone[cl]
and summons the assembly,[cm] then[cn] who can hinder him?
11 For he knows those who are worthless;[co]
when he sees[cp] iniquity, he will not consider it.[cq]
12 But[cr] an empty-headed person[cs] will get understanding
when[ct] a wild donkey’s colt is born as a human being.
13 “If you yourself[cu] direct your heart
and stretch out your hands to him—
14 if iniquity[cv] is in your hand, put it far away,
and you must not let wickedness reside in your tents—
15 surely then you will lift up your face without[cw] blemish,
and you will be firmly established and will not fear.[cx]
16 For you yourself[cy] will forget your misery;
you will remember it as water that has flowed past.
17 “And your life will be brighter than noon;[cz]
its darkness will be like the morning.
18 And you will have confidence because there is hope;
and you will be well protected—you will sleep in safety.[da]
19 And you will lie down, and no one will make you afraid;[db]
and many will entreat your favor.[dc]
20 But[dd] the eyes of the wicked will fail;
and refuge will be lost to them,
and their hope is to breathe their last breath.”[de]
Job’s Fourth Speech
12 Then[df] Job answered and said,
2 “Truly indeed you[dg] are the people,
and wisdom will die with you.[dh]
3 I also have insight[di] like you;[dj]
I am not more inferior than you.[dk]
And who does not know things like these?[dl]
4 I am a laughingstock to my friends:[dm]
‘He calls on God, and he answers him.’
A righteous, blameless man is a laughingstock.
5 Those at ease have contempt[dn] for the thought of disaster,[do]
but it is ready for those unstable of foot.
6 The tents of the destroyers are at peace,
and there is security for those who provoke God,
for those whom God brings into his hand.[dp]
7 “But[dq] ask[dr] the animals, and they will teach you,
and the birds of the heaven, and they will tell you;
8 or ask the earth, and it will teach you,
and the fishes of the sea will declare to you.
9 Who among all of these does not know
that Yahweh’s hand has done this?
10 In whose hand is the life of all living things
and the breath of every human being?[ds]
11 Does not the ear test words
and the palate taste food for itself?
12 Wisdom is with the aged,
and understanding is in length of days.
13 “With him are wisdom and powerful deeds,
and to him belong counsel and understanding.
14 If he tears down, then[dt] it will not be rebuilt;
if he shuts a man in, then[du] he cannot be freed.
15 Look, if he withholds the water,[dv] then[dw] they dry up;
and if he sends them out, then[dx] they overwhelm the land.
16 “Strength and sound wisdom are with him;
the deceived and the deceiver are his.[dy]
17 He leads counselors away stripped,
and he makes fools of judges.
18 He loosens the fetters of kings,
and he binds a loincloth on their loins.
19 He leads priests away stripped,
and he overthrows the members of ancient families.[dz]
20 He deprives the trustworthy of speech,
and he takes away the discretion of elders.
21 He pours contempt on noblemen,
and he loosens the girdle of the mighty.
22 “He uncovers mysteries out of darkness,
and he brings deep shadow to the light.
23 He makes the nations great, then[ea] he destroys them;
he expands the nations, then[eb] he guides them.
24 He strips away the insight of the heads of the earth’s people,
and he makes them wander in a pathless wasteland.[ec]
25 They grope in the dark without[ed] light,
and he makes them stagger like a[ee] drunkard.
Job’s Fourth Speech Continues
13 “Look, my eye has seen everything;
my ear has heard and has understood it.
2 What you[ef] know,[eg] I myself[eh] also know—
I am not more inferior than you.[ei]
3 But I would speak to Shaddai,
and I desire to argue with God.
4 “But[ej] you[ek] whitewash with lies;[el]
all of you[em] are worthless healers.[en]
5 O that[eo] you[ep] would keep completely silent,
and that it would become wisdom for you.[eq]
6 Please hear my argument,
and listen attentively to the pleadings of my lips.
7 “Will you[er] speak falsely for God?
And will you[es] speak deceitfully for him?
8 Will you[et] show partiality for him?[eu]
Or do you[ev] want to plead God’s case?
9 Will it be well, if he examines you?[ew]
Or can you[ex] deceive him like deceiving a human being?
10 “Surely he will rebuke you[ey]
if you[ez] show partiality[fa] in secret.
11 Will not his majesty terrify you,[fb]
and his dread fall upon you?[fc]
12 Your[fd] maxims are proverbs of ashes;
your[fe] defenses are defenses of clay.
13 “Let me have silence,[ff] and I myself[fg] will speak,
and let come over me whatever may.
14 Why should I take my flesh in my teeth
and[fh] put[fi] my life in my hand?
15 Look,[fj] though he kill me, I will hope in[fk] him;
however, I will defend my ways before him.[fl]
16 Moreover, this is salvation to me,
that the godless would not come before him.[fm]
17 “Listen carefully to my words,
and let my exposition be in your ears.
18 Please look,[fn] I have prepared my case;
I know that I myself[fo] will be vindicated.
19 Who is he who will contend with me?
For then I would be silent, and I would pass away.
Job Argues His Case with God
20 “Only you[fp] must not do these two things to me;
then I will not hide from your face:
21 withdraw your[fq] hand from me,
and let not your[fr] dread terrify me.
22 Then[fs] call, and I myself[ft] will answer;
or let me speak, then[fu] reply to me.
23 “How many[fv] are my iniquities and sins?
Make known to me my transgression and my sin.
24 Why do you[fw] hide your[fx] face
and count me as your[fy] enemy?
25 Will you[fz] terrify a blown leaf?
And will you[ga] pursue dry stubble?
26 “Indeed, you[gb] write bitter things against me,
and you[gc] make me reap the iniquities of my childhood.
27 And you[gd] put my feet in the block,
and you[ge] watch all my paths;
you carve a mark on the soles of my feet.[gf]
28 And he himself [gg]wastes away like something rotten,
like a garment that the moth has eaten.
Job Continues to Argue His Case with God
14 “A human being born of a woman
is short of days and full of troubles.[gh]
2 Like a flower he comes up, and he withers away;
and he flees like a[gi] shadow, but[gj] he does not last.
3 Even on such a one you fix your eyes,
and you bring me into judgment with you.
4 “Who can bring a clean thing from an unclean thing?
No one![gk]
5 If his days are determined, the number of his months is with you;
you have appointed his boundaries, and he cannot cross them.
6 Look away from him, and let him desist
until he enjoys his days like a laborer.
7 “Indeed, there is hope for a tree:
if it is cut down, then[gl] it will sprout again,
and its new shoots will not cease;
8 though its root grows old in the earth,
and its stump dies in the dust,
9 at[gm] the scent of water it will bud,
and it will put forth branches like a young plant.
10 “But[gn] a man dies, and he dwindles away;
thus[go] a human being passes away, and where is he?[gp]
11 As water disappears from a lake,
and a river withers away and dries up,[gq]
12 so[gr] a man lies down, and he does not arise.
Until the heavens are no more,[gs] they will not awaken,
and they will not be roused out of their sleep.
13 “O that[gt] you would conceal me in Sheol,
that you would hide me until your wrath is past,[gu]
that you would appoint a set time for me and remember me.
14 If a man dies, will he live again?
All the days of my compulsory service I will wait,
until the coming of my relief.
15 You would call, and I myself[gv] would answer you;
you would long for the work of your hand.
16 For then[gw] you would count my steps,
but you would not keep watch over my sin.
17 My transgression would be sealed in a bag,
and you would cover over my guilt.
18 “But[gx] a mountain falls; it crumbles away,
and a rock moves away from its place.
19 Water wears away stones;
its torrents wash away the soil of the earth;
so[gy] you destroy the hope of human beings.
20 You overpower him forever, and he passes away;
you change his countenance,[gz] then[ha] you send him away.
21 His children may come to honor, but[hb] he does not know it;
or[hc] they may become lowly, but[hd] he does not realize it.[he]
22 He feels only the pain of his own body,[hf]
and his inner self[hg] mourns for him.”[hh]
Eliphaz’s Second Response to Job
15 Then[hi] Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2 “Should the wise answer with windy knowledge,
and should he fill his stomach with the east wind?
3 Should he argue in talk that is not profitable
or in words with which he cannot do good?
4 “What is worse,[hj] you yourself[hk] are doing away with fear,
and you are lessening meditation before[hl] God.
5 For your iniquity teaches your mouth,
and you choose the tongue of the crafty.
6 Your mouth condemns you, and not I;
and your lips testify against you.
7 “Were you born the firstborn of the human race?
And were you brought forth before[hm] the hills?
8 Have you listened in God’s confidential discussion?
And do you limit wisdom to yourself?
9 What do you know that we do not know?
What do you understand that is not clear to us?
10 Both the gray-haired and the old are among us—
those older than your father.[hn]
11 “Are the consolations of God too small for you,
a word spoken gently with you?
12 Why does your heart carry you away?
And why do your eyes flash,
13 that you turn your spirit against God,
and you let such words go out of your mouth?
14 “What is a human being, that he can be clean,
or[ho] that one born of a woman can be righteous?
15 Look, he does not trust his holy ones,
and the heavens are not clean in his eyes.
16 How much less[hp] he who is abominable and corrupt,[hq]
a man drinking wickedness like water.
17 “I will show you, listen to me;
and what I have seen, I will tell[hr]—
18 what wise men have told,
and they have not hidden that which is from their ancestors,
19 to whom alone[hs] the land was given,
and no stranger passed through their midst.
20 “All of the wicked one’s days he is writhing,
even[ht] through the number of years that are laid up for the tyrant.
21 Sounds of terror are in his ears;
in prosperity the destroyer will come against him.
22 He cannot trust that he will return[hu] from darkness,
and he himself[hv] is destined for the sword.
23 “He is wandering for bread, saying, ‘Where is it?’
He knows that a day of darkness is ready at hand.[hw]
24 Anguish and distress terrify him;
they[hx] overpower him like a king ready for the battle.
25 Because he stretched out his hand against God,
and he was arrogant to Shaddai;
26 he stubbornly[hy] runs against him
with his thick-bossed shield.[hz]
27 “Because he has covered his face with his fat
and has gathered fat upon his loins,
28 he will dwell[ia] in desolate cities,
in houses that they should not inhabit,
which are destined for rubble.
29 He will not become rich, and his wealth will not endure,
and their possessions will not stretch across the earth.[ib]
30 “He will not escape from darkness;
a flame will dry up his new shoot,
and by the wind of his mouth he shall be removed.
31 Let him not trust in emptiness—he will be deceiving himself—
for worthlessness will be his recompense.
32 It will be paid in full before his time,[ic]
and his branch will not flourish.
33 “He will shake off his unripe fruit like the vine,
and he will cast off his blossom like the olive tree;
34 for the company of the godless is barren,
and fire consumes the tents of those who accept bribes.
35 They conceive trouble and bring forth mischief,
and their womb prepares deceit.”
Job’s Fifth Speech
16 Then[id] Job answered and said,
2 “I have heard many things like these;
all of you are miserable comforters.[ie]
3 Is there a limit to windy words?
What provokes you that you answer?
4 I myself[if] also could talk as you,
if you were in my place;[ig]
I could join against you with words,
and I could shake at you with my head.
5 I could[ih] encourage you with my mouth,
and the solace of my lips would[ii] ease the pain.
6 If I speak, my pain is not relieved;
and if I cease, how much will leave me?
7 “Surely now he has worn me out;
you[ij] have devastated all my company.
8 Thus[ik] you shriveled me up;[il]
it became a witness.
And my leanness has risen up against me;
it testifies to my face.
9 His wrath has torn, and he has been hostile toward me;
he gnashed at me with his teeth.
My foe sharpens his eyes against me.
10 They gaped at me with their mouth;
they struck my cheeks with disgrace;
they have massed themselves together against me.
11 God delivers me to an evil one,
and he casts me into the hands of the wicked.
12 “I was at ease, then[im] he broke me in two,
and he seized me by my neck;
then[in] he shattered me
and set me up as a target for him.
13 His archers surround me;
he slashes open my kidneys, and he does not have compassion;
he pours out my gall on the ground.
14 He breached me breach upon breach;[io]
he rushes at me like a warrior.
15 “I have sewed sackcloth on my skin,
and I have inserted my pride[ip] in the dust.
16 My face is red because of weeping,
and deep shadows are on my eyelids,
17 although[iq] violence is not on my hands,
and my prayer is pure.
18 “O earth, you should not cover my blood,
and let there be no place[ir] for my cry for help.
19 So now look, my witness is in the heavens,
and he who vouches for me is in the heights.
20 My friends scorn me;
my eye pours out tears to God,
21 and it argues[is] for a mortal with God,
and as a human[it] for his friend.
22 Indeed, after a few years[iu] have come,
then[iv] I will go the way from which I will not return.
Job’s Fifth Speech, Continued
17 “My spirit is pulled down; my days are extinguished;
the graveyard is for me.
2 Surely[iw] mockery is with me,
and my eye rests[ix] on their provocation.
3 Please lay down a pledge for me with yourself;
who is he who will give security for my hand?[iy]
4 Indeed,[iz] you have closed their mind from understanding;
therefore, you will not let them triumph.
5 He denounces friends for reward,
so[ja] his children’s eyes will fail.
6 “And he has made me a proverb for[jb] the peoples,
and I am one before whom people spit.[jc]
7 And my eye has grown dim from grief,
and the limbs of my body are all[jd] like a shadow.
8 The upright are appalled at this,
and the innocent excites himself over the godless.
9 But[je] the righteous holds on to his way,
and he who has clean hands[jf] increases in strength.
10 But[jg] all of you must return[jh]—please come![ji]
But[jj] I shall not find a wise person among you.
11 “My days are past; my plans are broken down—
even the desires of my heart.
12 They make night into day,
saying, ‘Light is near to darkness.’[jk]
13 If I hope for Sheol as my house,
if I spread my couch in the darkness,
14 if I call to the pit, ‘You are my father,’
to the maggot, ‘You are my mother or[jl] my sister,’
15 where[jm] then is my hope?
And who will see my hope?[jn]
16 Will they go down to the bars of Sheol?
Or shall we descend together into the dust?”
Bildad’s Second Speech
18 Then[jo] Bildad the Shuhite answered and said,
2 “How long[jp] will you[jq] hunt for words?[jr]
Consider,[js] and afterward we shall speak.
3 Why are we considered as animals?
Why are we taken as[jt] stupid in your[ju] eyes?
4 “You who are tearing yourself[jv] in your[jw] anger,
will the earth be forsaken because of you?[jx]
Or[jy] will the rock be removed from its place?
5 Furthermore,[jz] the light of the wicked is put out,
and the flame of his fire will not shine.
6 The light becomes dark in his tent,
and his lamp above him is put out.
7 “His strong steps[ka] are shortened,
and his own schemes[kb] throw him down,
8 for he is thrust into a net by his feet,
and he walks into a pitfall.
9 A trap seizes him by the heel;
a snare takes hold of him.
10 His rope is hidden in the ground,
and his trap on the path.
11 “Sudden terrors terrify him all around,
and they chase him at his heels.
12 His wealth will become hunger,
and disaster is ready for his stumbling.
13 It consumes parts of his skin;
the firstborn of death consumes his limbs.
14 He is torn from his tent in which he trusted,[kc]
and it brought him to the king of terrors.
15 “Nothing[kd] remains for him in his tent;
sulfur is scattered upon his dwelling place.
16 His roots dry up below,[ke]
and its branches[kf] wither away above.[kg]
17 His remembrance perishes from the earth,
and there is not a name for him on the street.
18 “They thrust him from light into darkness,
and they drive him out from the world.
19 There is no offspring for him nor[kh] a descendant among his people,
and there is not a survivor in his abode.
20 Those of the west are appalled over his fate,[ki]
and those of the east are seized with horror.[kj]
21 Surely these are the dwellings of the godless,
and this is the dwelling place of him who knows not God.”
Job’s Sixth Speech: A Response to Bildad
19 Then[kk] Job answered and said,
2 “How long[kl] will you[km] torment me[kn]
and crush me with words?
3 These ten times you[ko] have disgraced me;
you[kp] are not ashamed that you[kq] have attacked[kr] me.
4 And what is more, if I have truly erred,
my error remains with me.
5 If indeed you[ks] must magnify yourselves against me,
and you[kt] must let my disgrace argue against me,
6 know then that God has wronged me
and has surrounded me with his net.
7 “Look, I cry out, ‘Violence!’ but[ku] I am not answered;
I cry out, but[kv] there is no justice.
8 He has walled up my way so that[kw] I cannot pass;
and he has set darkness upon my paths.
9 He has taken my glory from me,
and he has removed the crown of[kx] my head.
10 He has broken me down all around, and I am gone.
And he has uprooted my hope like a tree,
11 and he has kindled his wrath against me,
and he has counted me as one of his foes.[ky]
12 His troops have come together
and have thrown up their rampart[kz] against me
and have encamped around my tent.
13 “He has removed my kinsfolk from me,
and my acquaintances have only[la] turned aside from me.
14 My relatives have failed,
and my close friends have forgotten me.
15 The sojourners in[lb] my house and my slave women count me as a stranger;
I have become a foreigner in their eyes.
16 I call to my servant, but[lc] he does not answer;
I must personally[ld] plead with him.
17 My breath is repulsive to my wife,
and I am loathsome to my own family.[le]
18 Little boys also despise me;
when I rise, then[lf] they talk against me.
19 All my intimate friends[lg] abhor me,
and these whom I have loved have turned against me.
20 My bones[lh] cling to my skin and to my flesh,
and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.
21 “Pity me, pity me, you my friends,
for God’s hand has touched me.
22 Why do you[li] pursue me like God?
And are not satisfied with my flesh?
23 “O that[lj] my words could be written down!
O that they could be inscribed in a scroll![lk]
24 That with a pen of iron and with lead
they might be engraved on a rock forever!
25 But[ll] I myself[lm] know that my redeemer is alive,
and at the last he will stand up upon the earth.[ln]
26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed,
but[lo] from[lp] my flesh I will see God,
27 whom I will see for myself,[lq]
and whom my eyes will see and not a stranger.[lr]
My heart faints within me.[ls]
28 “If you[lt] say, ‘How will we persecute him?’
And ‘The root of the trouble is found’ in me,[lu]
29 be afraid for yourselves because of the sword,[lv]
for wrath brings punishment by[lw] the sword,
so that you may know that there is judgment.”
Zophar’s Second Speech
20 Then[lx] Zophar the Naamathite answered and said,
2 “Therefore my disquieting thoughts bring me back
for the sake of[ly] my inward excitement.[lz]
3 I hear discipline that insults me,
and a spirit beyond my understanding answers me.
4 “Did you[ma] know this from of old,
since the setting of the human being on earth,
5 that the rejoicing of the wicked is short,[mb]
and the joy of the godless lasts only a moment?[mc]
6 Even though his stature mounts up to the heaven,
and his head reaches to the clouds,
7 he will perish forever like his dung;
those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’
8 He will fly away like a dream, and they will not find him,
and he will be chased away like a vision of the night.
9 The eye that saw him will not see him again,[md]
and his place will no longer behold him.
10 His children will seek favors from the poor,
and his hands will return his wealth.
11 His bones were full of his vigor,
but[me] it will lie down with him on[mf] the dust.
12 “Though wickedness tastes sweet in his mouth,
and he hides it under his tongue,
13 though he spares it and does not let it go
and holds it back in the midst of his palate,
14 in his bowels his food is turned,
the venom of horned vipers is within him.[mg]
15 He swallows riches, but[mh] he vomits them[mi] up;
God drives them[mj] out from his stomach.
16 He will suck the poison of horned vipers;
the viper’s tongue will kill him.
17 He will not enjoy the streams,[mk]
the torrents of honey and curds.
18 Returning the products of his toil, he will not swallow;[ml]
according to the profit of his trade, he will not enjoy,[mm]
19 for he has oppressed; he has abandoned the poor;
he has seized a house but[mn] did not build it.
20 Because he has not known satisfaction in his stomach,
he lets nothing escape that he desires.[mo]
21 There is nothing left after he has eaten;[mp]
therefore his prosperity will not endure.
22 In the fullness of his excess he will be in distress;[mq]
all of misery’s power will come upon him.
23 When his stomach fills up,[mr] God will send his burning anger[ms] upon him,
and he will let it rain down upon him[mt] as his food.
24 “He will flee from an iron weapon,
but an arrow of bronze will pierce him.
25 He draws it forth, and it comes out from his body,
and the glittering point comes from his gall-bladder;
terrors come upon him.
26 Total darkness[mu] is hidden for his treasures;[mv]
an unfanned fire[mw] will devour him;
the remnant[mx] will be consumed[my] in his tent.
27 The heavens will reveal his guilt,
and the earth will rise up against him.
28 The products of his house will be carried away[mz]
like gushing waters[na] on the day of his wrath.
29 This is a wicked human being’s portion from God
and the inheritance of his decree from God.”[nb]
Job’s Seventh Speech: A Response to Zophar
21 Then[nc] Job answered and said,
2 “Listen carefully to my words,
and let this be your[nd] consolation.
3 Bear with me, and I myself[ne] will speak;
then[nf] after my speaking you can mock.
4 As for me, is my complaint for human beings?
And if so, why cannot I be impatient?
5 Turn to me and be appalled,
and place your hand on your mouth.
6 And when I think of it, I am horrified,[ng]
and shuddering seizes my flesh.
7 “Why do the wicked live,
grow old, even grow mighty in power?
8 With them their offspring are established before them,[nh]
and their descendants before their eyes.
9 Their houses are safe without fear,
and the rod of God is not upon them.
10 His bull breeds and does not fail;
his cow calves and does not miscarry.
11 They send out their little ones like the flock,
and their children dance around.
12 They sing[ni] to the tambourine and lyre,
and they rejoice to the sound of the long flute.
13 They spend their days in prosperity,
and in peace they go down to Sheol.
14 And they say to God, ‘Turn away from us,
for[nj] we do not desire to know your ways.
15 Who is Shaddai that we should serve him,
or[nk] what would we benefit when we plead with him?’
16 Look, their prosperity is not in their hands;
the schemes of the wicked are repugnant[nl] to me.
17 “How often is the lamp of the wicked put out,
and their disaster comes upon them?
He[nm] distributes pains in his anger.
18 How often are they like straw before[nn] the wind,
and like chaff that the storm carries away?
19 ‘God stores up his iniquity for his children’?[no]
Then let him repay it to him that[np] he may know.
20 Let his eyes see his decay,
and let him drink from the wrath of Shaddai,
21 for what does he care for[nq] his house after him,
when the number of his months is[nr] cut off?
22 Can anyone teach knowledge to God,
since[ns] he himself[nt] judges high ones?
23 This one dies in full prosperity,[nu]
completely[nv] at ease and secure.
24 His vats are full with milk
and the marrow of his bones is moist.
25 Yet[nw] another dies with a bitter inner self[nx]
and has not tasted prosperity.
26 They lie down together in the dust,
and maggots cover them.
27 “Look, I know your[ny] thoughts
and the schemes you devise against me.
28 For you say, ‘Where is the nobleman’s house,
and where are the tents in which the wicked dwell?’[nz]
29 Do you not ask those traveling the roads,
and do you not take notice of their accounts?
30 Indeed, the wicked is spared from the day of disaster;
he is delivered from the day of wrath.
31 Who denounces his way to his face?
And who repays him for what he has done?
32 When[oa] he is brought to the grave,
then[ob] someone stands guard over the tomb.
33 The clods of the valley are sweet to him;
everyone will follow after him,
and before[oc] him they are innumerable.[od]
34 So[oe] how will you comfort me with emptiness,
when[of] fraud is left in your answers?”
Eliphaz’s Third Speech
22 Then[og] Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2 “Can a man be of use to God?
Yes, can the wise be of use to him?
3 Is it a pleasure to Shaddai if you are righteous,
or[oh] a gain if you make your ways blameless?
4 Does he reprove you because of your reverence
or enter into judgment with you?
5 Is not your wickedness great,
and there is no end to your iniquities?
6 “Indeed, you have required a pledge from your family for nothing,
and you have stripped off the clothes of the naked.
7 You have given no water for the weary to drink,
and you withheld food from the hungry.
8 And the land belongs to the man of power,[oi]
and the favored[oj] lives in it.
9 You have sent widows away empty-handed,
and the arms of orphans were crushed.
10 Therefore trapping nets are all around you,
and panic suddenly terrifies you,
11 or it is so dark you cannot see,
and a flood of water covers you.
12 “Is not God in the height of the heavens?
But[ok] see how lofty are the highest stars.[ol]
13 And you ask, ‘What does God know?
Can he judge through deep gloom?
14 Thick clouds are a covering for him, so that he does not see;
and he walks about on the dome of heaven.’
15 Will you keep to the way of old
that the people of mischief have trod,
16 who were snatched away before their time,[om]
whose foundation was washed away by a current?
17 Those who said to God, ‘Turn away from us,’
and ‘What can Shaddai do to us?’
18 Yet[on] he himself[oo] filled up their houses with good things,
but[op] the schemes of the wicked are repugnant to me.
19 The righteous see, and they rejoice,
but[oq] the innocent one mocks at them.
20 Surely[or] our foe perishes,
and fire has consumed their remainder.[os]
21 “Please reconcile yourself with him,
and be at peace; in this way,[ot] good will come to you.
22 Please receive instruction from his mouth,
and place his words in your heart.
23 If you return to Shaddai, you will be restored;
if you remove wickedness from your tent,
24 and if you put gold ore in the dust,
and the gold of Ophir in the rock of wadis,
25 then[ou] Shaddai will be your gold ore
and your precious silver.[ov]
26 Indeed, then you will delight yourself in Shaddai,
and you will expect that God will be good to you.[ow]
27 You will pray to him, and he will hear you,
and you will pay your vows.
28 And you will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you,
and light will shine on your ways.
29 When they are humiliated, you say,[ox] ‘It is pride,’
for[oy] he saves the humble.[oz]
30 He will deliver the guilty,
and he will escape because of the cleanness of your hands.”
Job’s Eighth Speech: A Response to Eliphaz
23 Then[pa] Job answered and said,
2 “Even today my complaint is bitter;
my hand is heavy in addition to my groaning.
3 O that[pb] I knew and that I might find him;
O that I might come to his dwelling.
4 I would lay my case before him,[pc]
and I would fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I want to know the words with which he would answer me,
and I want to understand what he would say to me.
6 Would he contend with me in the greatness of his strength?
No, but he himself[pd] would give heed to me.
7 There an upright person could reason with him,
and I would be acquitted forever by my judge.
8 “When I go forward, he is not there,[pe]
or[pf] backward, I cannot see him.[pg]
9 When he works[ph] on the left, I cannot perceive[pi] him;
he turns to the right, but[pj] I cannot see him.
10 But he knows the way that I take;[pk]
he tests me—I shall come out like gold.
11 My foot has held on to his steps;
I have kept his way, and I have not turned aside.
12 From the commandment of his lips, indeed[pl] I have not departed;
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily food.
13 “But[pm] he is alone,[pn] and who can dissuade him?
And whatever he desires,[po] indeed,[pp] he does it.
14 For he will carry out what he appoints for me,[pq]
and many things like these are with him.
15 Therefore, I am horrified because of his presence;
when I consider, I tremble[pr] because of him.
16 Indeed,[ps] God has made my heart faint,
and Shaddai has terrified me.
17 Indeed, I have not been silenced because of darkness,[pt]
and because of me he[pu] conceals thick darkness.
Job’s Eighth Speech, Continued
24 “Why are not times kept by Shaddai,
and why do not those who know him see his days?
2 They[pv] remove border stones;
they seize flocks, and they pasture them.
3 They drive away the donkey of orphans;
they take the widow’s ox as a pledge.
4 They thrust the poor off the road;
the needy of the earth hide themselves together.[pw]
5 “Look, like wild donkeys in the desert
they[px] go out to their labor as searchers for the prey;
the wilderness is[py] their[pz] food for the young.
6 They reap their[qa] fodder in the field,
and they glean in the vineyard of the wicked.
7 They spend the night naked, without[qb] clothing,
and they have no garment in the cold.
8 They are wet from the rainstorm of the mountains,[qc]
and they cling to the rock without[qd] refuge.
9 “They[qe] snatch the orphan from the breast,
and they take a pledge against the needy.[qf]
10 They[qg] go about naked, without clothing,
and hungry, they carry the sheaves.[qh]
11 Between their terraces they press out oil;
they tread the presses, but[qi] they are thirsty.
12 From the city people groan,
and the throat[qj] of the wounded cries for help;
yet[qk] God does not regard it as unseemly.[ql]
13 “Those are among the ones rebelling against the light;
they do not recognize his ways,
and they do not stay in his paths.
14 At dusk[qm] the murderer rises;
he kills the needy and the poor,
and in the night he is like a[qn] thief.
15 And the eye of the adulterer waits for dusk,
saying, ‘No eye will see me,’[qo]
and he places a covering on his face.
16 He digs through houses in the darkness;
by day they shut themselves in—
they do not know the light
17 because morning likewise is to them deep darkness;
indeed, they know about the terrors of deep darkness.
18 “He himself[qp] is swift on the water’s surface;
their portion is cursed in the land.
No one turns toward the path of their vineyards.[qq]
19 Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters,
like Sheol snatches away those[qr] who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets him.
The maggot feasts on him until he is no longer remembered,
and wickedness is broken like a[qs] tree.
21 He feeds on the barren, who does not have a child,
and does no good to the widow.
22 Yet[qt] he[qu] carries off the tyrants by his strength;
if he rises up, then[qv] he[qw] cannot be certain of life.[qx]
23 He[qy] gives security to him, and he is[qz] supported,
but[ra] his eyes are upon their ways.
24 They are exalted a little while, then[rb] they are gone.[rc]
And they are brought low; they are cut off like all others,
and like the heads of grain they wither away.
25 “And if it is not so, then who can prove me a liar
and reduce my word to nothing?”
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