Bible in 90 Days
8 Then answered Bildad the Shuhite,
2 How long will you say these things [Job]? And how long shall the words of your mouth be as a mighty wind?
3 Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert righteousness?
4 If your children have sinned against Him, then He has delivered them into the power of their transgression.
5 If you will seek God diligently and make your supplication to the Almighty,
6 Then, if you are pure and upright, surely He will bestir Himself for you and make your righteous dwelling prosperous again.
7 And though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would greatly increase.
8 For inquire, I pray you, of the former age and apply yourself to that which their fathers have searched out,
9 For we are but of yesterday and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow.
10 Shall not [the forefathers] teach you and tell you and utter words out of their hearts (the deepest part of their nature)?
11 Can the rush or papyrus grow up without marsh? Can the flag or reed grass grow without water?
12 While it is yet green, in flower, and not cut down, it withers before any other herb [when without water].
13 So are the ways of all who forget God; and the hope of the godless shall perish.
14 For his confidence breaks, and [the object of] his trust is a spider’s web.
15 He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand; he shall hold fast to it, but it shall not last.
16 He is green before the sun, and his shoots go forth over his garden.
17 [Godless] his roots are wrapped about the [stone] heap, and see their way [promisingly] among the rocks.
18 But if [God] snatches him from his property, [then having passed into the hands of others] it [his property] will forget and deny him, [saying,] I have never seen you [before, as if ashamed of him—like his former friends].
19 See, this is the joy of going the way [of the ungodly]! And from the dust others will spring up [to take his place].
20 Behold, as surely as God will never uphold wrongdoers, He will never cast away a blameless man.
21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter [Job] and your lips with joyful shouting.
22 Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the tents of the wicked shall be no more.
9 Then Job answered and said,
2 Yes, I know it is true. But how can mortal man be right before God?
3 If one should want to contend with Him, he cannot answer one [of His questions] in a thousand.
4 [God] is wise in heart and mighty in strength; who has [ever] hardened himself against Him and prospered or even been safe?
5 [God] Who removes the mountains, and they know it not when He overturns them in His anger;
6 Who shakes the earth out of its place, and the pillars of it tremble;
7 Who commands the sun, and it rises not; Who seals up the stars [from view];
8 Who alone stretches out the heavens and treads upon the waves and high places of the sea;
9 Who made [the constellations] the Bear, Orion, and the [loose cluster] Pleiades, and the [vast starry] spaces of the south;
10 Who does great things past finding out, yes, marvelous things without number.
11 Behold, He goes by me, and I see Him not; He passes on also, but I perceive Him not.
12 Behold, He snatches away; who can hinder or turn Him back? Who will say to Him, What are You doing?
13 God will not withdraw His anger; the [proud] helpers of Rahab [arrogant monster of the sea] bow under Him.
14 How much less shall I answer Him, choosing out my words to reason with Him
15 Whom, though I were righteous (upright and innocent) yet I could not answer? I must appeal for mercy to my Opponent and Judge [for my right].
16 If I called and He answered me, yet would I not believe that He listened to my voice.
17 For He overwhelms and breaks me with a tempest and multiplies my wounds without cause.
18 He will not allow me to catch my breath, but fills me with bitterness.
19 If I speak of strength, behold, He is mighty! And if of justice, Who, says He, will summon Me?
20 Though I am innocent and in the right, my own mouth would condemn me; though I am blameless, He would prove me perverse.
21 Though I am blameless, I regard not myself; I despise my life.
22 It is all one; therefore I say, God [does not discriminate, but] destroys the blameless and the wicked.
23 When [His] scourge slays suddenly, He mocks at the calamity and trial of the innocent.
24 The earth is given into the hands of the wicked; He covers the faces of its judges [so that they are blinded to justice]. If it is not [God], who then is it [responsible for all this inequality]?
25 Now my days are swifter than a runner; they flee away, they see no good.
26 They are passed away like the swift rowboats made of reeds, or like the eagle that swoops down on the prey.
27 If I say, I will forget my complaint, I will put off my sad countenance, and be of good cheer and brighten up,
28 I become afraid of all my pains and sorrows [yet to come], for I know You will not pronounce me innocent [by removing them].
29 I shall be held guilty and be condemned; why then should I labor in vain [to appear innocent]?
30 If I wash myself with snow and cleanse my hands with lye,
31 Yet You will plunge me into the ditch, and my own clothes will abhor me [and refuse to cover so foul a body].
32 For [God] is not a [mere] man, as I am, that I should answer Him, that we should come together in court.
33 There is no umpire between us, who might lay his hand upon us both, [would that there were!](A)
34 That He might take His rod away from [threatening] me, and that the fear of Him might not terrify me.
35 [Then] would I speak and not fear Him, but I am not so in myself [to make me afraid, were only a fair trial given me].
10 I am weary of my life and loathe it! I will give free expression to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
2 I will say to God, Do not condemn me [do not make me guilty]! Show me why You contend with me.
3 Does it seem good to You that You should oppress, that You should despise and reject the work of Your hands, and favor the schemes of the wicked?
4 Have You eyes of flesh? Do You see as man sees?
5 Are Your days as the days of man, are Your years as man’s [years],
6 That You inquire after my iniquity and search for my sin—
7 Although You know that I am not wicked or guilty and that there is none who can deliver me out of Your hand?
8 Your hands have formed me and made me. Would You turn around and destroy me?
9 Remember [earnestly], I beseech You, that You have fashioned me as clay [out of the same earth material, exquisitely and elaborately]. And will You bring me into dust again?
10 Have You not poured me out like milk and curdled me like cheese?
11 You have clothed me with skin and flesh and have knit me together with bones and sinews.
12 You have granted me life and favor, and Your providence has preserved my spirit.
13 Yet these [the present evils] have You hid in Your heart [for me since my creation]; I know that this was with You [in Your purpose and thought].
14 If I sin, then You observe me, and You will not acquit me from my iniquity and guilt.
15 If I am wicked, woe unto me! And if I am righteous, yet must I not lift up my head, for I am filled with disgrace and the sight of my affliction.
16 If I lift myself up, You hunt me like a lion and again show Yourself [inflicting] marvelous [trials] upon me.
17 You renew Your witnesses against me and increase Your indignation toward me; I am as if attacked by a troop time after time.
18 Why then did You bring me forth out of the womb? Would that I had perished and no eye had seen me!
19 I should have been as though I had not existed; I should have been carried from the womb to the grave.
20 Are not my days few? Cease then and let me alone, that I may take a little comfort and cheer up
21 Before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death,
22 The land of sunless gloom as intense darkness, [the land] of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as thick darkness.
11 Then Zophar the Naamathite replied,
2 Should not the multitude of words be answered? And should a man full of talk [and making such great professions] be pronounced free from guilt or blame?
3 Should your boastings and babble make men keep silent? And when you mock and scoff, shall no man make you ashamed?
4 For you have said, My doctrine [that God afflicts the righteous knowingly] is pure, and I am clean in [God’s] eyes.(B)
5 But oh, that God would speak, and open His lips against you,
6 And that He would show you the secrets of wisdom! For He is manifold in understanding! Know therefore that God exacts of you less than your guilt and iniquity [deserve].
7 Can you find out the deep things of God, or can you by searching find out the limits of the Almighty [explore His depths, ascend to His heights, extend to His breadths, and comprehend His infinite perfection]?
8 His wisdom is as high as the heights of heaven! What can you do? It is deeper than Sheol (the place of the dead)! What can you know?
9 Longer in measure [and scope] is it than the earth, and broader than the sea.
10 If [God] sweeps in and arrests and calls into judgment, who can hinder Him? [If He is against a man, who shall call Him to account for it?]
11 For He recognizes and knows hollow, wicked, and useless men (men of falsehood); when He sees iniquity, will He not consider it?
12 But a stupid man will get wisdom [only] when a wild donkey’s colt is born a man [as when he thinks himself free because he is lifted up in pride].
13 If you set your heart aright and stretch out your hands to [God],
14 If you put sin out of your hand and far away from you and let not evil dwell in your tents;
15 Then can you lift up your face to Him without stain [of sin, and unashamed]; yes, you shall be steadfast and secure; you shall not fear.
16 For you shall forget your misery; you shall remember it as waters that pass away.
17 And [your] life shall be clearer than the noonday and rise above it; though there be darkness, it shall be as the morning.
18 And you shall be secure and feel confident because there is hope; yes, you shall search about you, and you shall take your rest in safety.
19 You shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid; yes, many shall sue for your favor.
20 But the eyes of the wicked shall look [for relief] in vain, and they shall not escape [the justice of God]; and their hope shall be to give up the ghost.
12 Then Job answered,
2 No doubt you are the [only wise] people [in the world], and wisdom will die with you!
3 But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know such things as these [of God’s wisdom and might]?
4 I am become one who is a laughingstock to his friend; I, one whom God answered when he called upon Him—a just, upright (blameless) man—laughed to scorn!
5 In the thought of him who is at ease there is contempt for misfortune—but it is ready for those whose feet slip.
6 The dwellings of robbers prosper; those who provoke God are [apparently] secure; God supplies them abundantly [who have no god but their own hands and power].
7 For ask now the animals, and they will teach you [that God does not deal with His creatures according to their character]; ask the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
8 Or speak to the earth [with its other forms of life], and it will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare [this truth] to you.
9 Who [is so blind as] not to recognize in all these [that good and evil are promiscuously scattered throughout nature and human life] that it is God’s hand which does it [and God’s way]?
10 In His hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.
11 Is it not the task of the ear to discriminate between [wise and unwise] words, just as the mouth distinguishes [between desirable and undesirable] food?
12 With the aged [you say] is wisdom, and with length of days comes understanding.
13 But [only] with [God] are [perfect] wisdom and might; He [alone] has [true] counsel and understanding.
14 Behold, He tears down, and it cannot be built again; He shuts a man in, and none can open.
15 He withholds the waters, and the land dries up; again, He sends forth [rains], and they overwhelm the land or transform it.
16 With Him are might and wisdom; the deceived and the deceiver are His [and in His power].
17 He leads [great and scheming] counselors away stripped and barefoot and makes the judges fools [in human estimation, by overthrowing their plans].
18 He looses the fetters [ordered] by kings and has [the] waistcloth [of a slave] bound about their [own] loins.
19 He leads away priests as spoil, and men firmly seated He overturns.
20 He deprives of speech those who are trusted and takes away the discernment and discretion of the aged.
21 He pours contempt on princes and loosens the belt of the strong [disabling them, bringing low the pride of the learned].
22 He uncovers deep things out of darkness and brings into light black gloom and the shadow of death.
23 He makes nations great, and He destroys them; He enlarges nations [and then straitens and shrinks them again], and leads them [away captive].
24 He takes away understanding from the leaders of the people of the land and of the earth, and causes them to wander in a wilderness where there is no path.
25 They grope in the dark without light, and He makes them to stagger and wander like a drunken man.
13 [Job continued:] Behold, my eye has seen all this, my ear has heard and understood it.
2 What you know, I also know; I am not inferior to you.
3 Surely I wish to speak to the Almighty, and I desire to argue and reason my case with God [that He may explain the conflict between what I believe of Him and what I see of Him].
4 But you are forgers of lies [you defame my character most untruthfully]; you are all physicians of no value and have no remedy to offer.
5 Oh, that you would altogether hold your peace! Then you would evidence your wisdom and you might pass for wise men.
6 Hear now my reasoning, and listen to the pleadings of my lips.
7 Will you speak unrighteously for God and talk deceitfully for Him?
8 Will you show partiality to Him [be unjust to me in order to gain favor with Him]? Will you act as special pleaders for God?
9 Would it be profitable for you if He should investigate your tactics [with me]? Or as one deceives and mocks a man, do you deceive and mock Him?
10 He will surely reprove you if you do secretly show partiality.
11 Shall not His majesty make you afraid, and should not your awe for Him restrain you?
12 Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes [valueless]; your defenses are defenses of clay [and will crumble].
13 Hold your peace! Let me alone, so I may speak; and let come on me what may.
14 Why should I take my flesh in my teeth and put my life in my hands [incurring the danger of God’s wrath]?
15 [I do it because, though He slay me, yet will I wait for and trust Him and] behold, He will slay me; I have no hope—nevertheless, I will maintain and argue my ways before Him and even to His face.
16 This will be my salvation, that a polluted and godless man shall not come before Him.
17 Listen diligently to my speech, and let my declaration be in your ears.
18 Behold now, I have prepared my case; I know that I shall be justified and vindicated.
19 Who is he who will argue against and refute me? For then I would hold my peace and expire.
20 Only [O Lord] grant two conditions to me, and then will I not hide myself from You:
21 Withdraw Your hand and take this bodily suffering far from me; and let not my [reverent] dread of You terrify me.
22 Then [Lord] call and I will answer, or let me speak, and You answer me.
23 How many are my iniquities and sins [that so much sorrow should come to me]? Make me recognize and know my transgression and my sin.(C)
24 Why do You hide Your face [as if offended] and alienate me as if I were Your enemy?
25 Will You harass and frighten a [poor, helpless] leaf driven to and fro, and will You pursue the chaff of the dry stubble?
26 For You write bitter things against me [in Your bill of indictment] and make me inherit and be accountable now for the iniquities of my youth.
27 You put my feet also in the stocks and observe critically all my paths; You set a circle and limit around the soles of my feet [which I must not overstep].
28 And he wastes away as a rotten thing, like a garment that is moth-eaten.
14 Man who is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble.
2 He comes forth like a flower and withers; he flees also like a shadow and continues not.
3 And [Lord] do You open Your eyes upon such a one, and bring me into judgment with You?
4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one!(D)
5 Since a man’s days are already determined, and the number of his months is wholly in Your control, and he cannot pass the bounds of his allotted time—
6 [O God] turn from him [and cease to watch him so pitilessly]; let him rest until he has accomplished as does a hireling the appointed time for his day.
7 For there is hope for a tree if it is cut down, that it will sprout again and that the tender shoots of it will not cease. [But there is no such hope for man.]
8 Though its roots grow old in the earth and its stock dies in the ground,
9 Yet through the scent [and breathing] of water [the stump of the tree] will bud and bring forth boughs like a young plant.
10 But [the brave, strong] man must die and lie prostrate; yes, man breathes his last, and where is he?
11 As waters evaporate from the lake, and the river drains and dries up,
12 So man lies down and does not rise [to his former state]. Till the heavens are no more, men will not awake nor be raised [physically] out of their sleep.
13 Oh, that You would hide me in Sheol (the unseen state), that You would conceal me until Your wrath is past, that You would set a definite time and then remember me earnestly [and imprint me on your heart]!
14 If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my warfare and service I will wait, till my change and release shall come.(E)
15 [Then] You would call and I would answer You; You would yearn for [me] the work of Your hands.
16 But now You number each of my steps and take note of my every sin.
17 My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and You glue up my iniquity [to preserve it in full for the day of reckoning].
18 But as a mountain, if it falls, crumbles to nothing, and as the rock is removed out of its place,
19 As waters wear away the stones and as floods wash away the soil of the earth, so You [O Lord] destroy the hope of man.
20 You prevail forever against him, and he passes on; You change his appearance [in death] and send him away [from the presence of the living].
21 His sons come to honor, and he knows it not; they are brought low, and he perceives it not.
22 But his body [lamenting its decay in the grave] shall grieve over him, and his soul shall mourn [over the body of clay which it once enlivened].
15 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered [Job],
2 Should a wise man utter such windy knowledge [as we have just heard] and fill himself with the east wind [of withering, parching, and violent accusations]?
3 Should he reason with unprofitable talk? Or with speeches with which he can do no good?
4 Indeed, you are doing away with [reverential] fear, and you are hindering and diminishing meditation and devotion before God.
5 For your iniquity teaches your mouth, and you choose the tongue of the crafty.
6 Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; yes, your own lips testify against you.
7 Are you the first man that was born [the original wise man]? Or were you created before the hills?
8 Were you present to hear the secret counsel of God? And do you limit [the possession of] wisdom to yourself?
9 What do you know that we know not? What do you understand that is not equally clear to us?
10 Among us are both the gray-haired and the aged, older than your father by far.
11 Are God’s consolations [as we have interpreted them to you] too trivial for you? Is there any secret thing (any bosom sin) which you have not given up? [Or] were we too gentle [in our first speech] toward you to be effective?
12 Why does your heart carry you away [why allow yourself to be controlled by feeling]? And why do your eyes flash [in anger or contempt],
13 That you turn your spirit against God and let [such] words [as you have spoken] go out of your mouth?
14 What is man, that he could be pure and clean? And he who is born of a woman, that he could be right and just?
15 Behold, [God] puts no trust in His holy ones [the angels]; indeed, the heavens are not clean in His sight—
16 How much less that which is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks iniquity like water?
17 I will show you, hear me; and that which I have seen I will relate,
18 What wise men have not hid but have freely communicated; it was told to them by their fathers,
19 Unto whom alone the land was given, and no stranger intruded or passed among them [corrupting the truth].
20 The wicked man suffers with [self-inflicted] torment all his days, through all the years that are numbered and laid up for him, the oppressor.
21 A [dreadful] sound of terrors is in his ears; in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him [the dwellings of robbers are not at peace].
22 He believes that he will not return out of darkness, and [because of his guilt] he is waited for by the sword [of God’s vengeance].
23 He wanders abroad for food, saying, Where is it? He knows that the day of darkness and destruction is already close upon him.
24 Distress and anguish terrify him; [he knows] they shall prevail against him, like a king ready for battle.
25 Because he has stretched out his hand against God and bids defiance and behaves himself proudly against the Almighty,
26 Running stubbornly against Him with a thickly ornamented shield;
27 Because he has covered his face with his fat, adding layers of fat on his loins [giving himself up to animal pleasures],
28 And has lived in desolate [God-forsaken] cities and in houses which no man should inhabit, which were destined to become heaps [of ruins];
29 He shall not be rich, neither shall his wealth last, neither shall his produce bend to the earth nor his possessions be extended on the earth.
30 He shall not depart out of darkness [and escape from calamity; the wrath of God] shall consume him as flame consumes a dry tree, and by the blast of His mouth he shall be swept away.
31 Let him not deceive himself and trust in vanity (emptiness, falseness, and futility), for these shall be his recompense [for such living].
32 It shall be accomplished and paid in full while he still lives, and his branch shall not be green [but shall wither away].
33 He shall fail to bring his grapes to maturity [leaving them to wither unnourished] on the vine and shall cast off blossoms [and fail to bring forth fruit] like the olive tree.
34 For the company of the godless shall be barren, and fire shall consume the tents of bribery (wrong and injustice).
35 They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity, and their inmost soul hatches deceit.
16 Then Job answered,
2 I have heard many such things; wearisome and miserable comforters are you all!
3 Will your futile words of wind have no end? Or what makes you so bold to answer [me like this]?
4 I also could speak as you do, if you were in my stead; I could join words together against you and shake my head at you.
5 [But] I would strengthen and encourage you with [the words of] my mouth, and the consolation of my lips would soothe your suffering.
6 If I speak [to you miserable comforters], my sorrow is not soothed or lessened; and if I refrain [from speaking], in what way am I eased? [I hardly know whether to answer you or be silent.]
7 But now [God] has taken away my strength. You [O Lord] have made desolate all my family and associates.
8 You have laid firm hold on me and have shriveled me up, which is a witness against me; and my leanness [and wretched state of body] are further evidence [against me]; [they] testify to my face.
9 [[a]My adversary Satan] has torn [me] in his wrath and hated and persecuted me; he has gnashed upon me with his teeth; my adversary sharpens his eyes against me.
10 [The forces of evil] have gaped at me with their mouths; they have struck me upon the cheek insolently; they massed themselves together and conspired unanimously against me.(F)
11 God has delivered me to the ungodly (to the evil one) and cast me [headlong] into the hands of the wicked (Satan’s host).
12 I was living at ease, but [Satan] crushed me and broke me apart; yes, he seized me by the neck and dashed me in pieces; then he set me up for his target.
13 [Satan’s] arrows whiz around me. He slashes open my vitals and does not spare; he pours out my gall on the ground.
14 [Satan] stabs me, making breach after breach and attacking again and again; he runs at me like a giant and irresistible warrior.
15 I have sewed sackcloth over my skin [as a sign of mourning] and have defiled my horn (my insignia of strength) in the dust.
16 My face is red and swollen with weeping, and on my eyelids is the shadow of death [my eyes are dimmed],
17 Although there is no guilt or violence in my hands and my prayer is pure.
18 O earth, cover not my blood, and let my cry have no resting-place [where it will cease being heard].
19 Even now, behold, my Witness is in heaven, and He who vouches for me is on high.(G)
20 My friends scorn me, but my eye pours out tears to God.
21 Oh, that there might be one who would plead for a man with God and that he would maintain his right with Him, as a son of man pleads with or for his neighbor!(H)
22 For when a few years are come, I shall go the way from which I shall not return.
17 My spirit is broken, my days are spent (snuffed out); the grave is ready for me.
2 Surely there are mockers and mockery around me, and my eye dwells on their obstinacy, insults, and resistance.
3 Give me a pledge with Yourself [acknowledge my innocence before my death]; who is there that will give security for me?
4 But their hearts [Lord] You have closed to understanding; therefore You will not let them triumph [by giving them a verdict against me].
5 He who denounces his friends [in order to make them] a prey and get a share, the eyes of his children shall fail [to find food].
6 But He has made me a byword among the people, and they spit before my face.
7 My eye has grown dim because of grief, and all my members are [wasted away] like a shadow.
8 Upright men shall be astonished and appalled at this, and the innocent shall stir himself up against the godless and polluted.
9 Yet shall the righteous (those upright and in right standing with God) hold to their ways, and he who has clean hands shall grow stronger and stronger.(I)
10 But as for you, come on again, all of you, though I find not a wise man among you.
11 My days are past, my purposes and plans are frustrated; even the thoughts (desires and possessions) of my heart [are broken off].
12 These [thoughts] extend from the night into the day, [so that] the light is short because of darkness.
13 But if I look to Sheol (the unseen state) as my abode, if I spread my couch in the darkness,
14 If I say to the grave and corruption, You are my father, and to the worm [that feeds on decay], You are my mother and my sister [because I will soon be closest to you],
15 Where then is my hope? And if I have hope, who will see [its fulfillment]?
16 [My hope] shall go down to the bars of Sheol (the unseen state) when once there is rest in the dust.
18 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered,
2 How long will you lay snares for words and have to hunt for your argument? Do some clear thinking, and then we will reply.
3 Why are we counted as beasts [as if we had no sense]? Why are we unclean in your sight?
4 You who tear yourself in your anger, shall the earth be forsaken for you, or the rock be removed out of its place?
5 Yes, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the flame of his fire shall not shine.(J)
6 The light shall be dark in his dwelling, and his lamp beside him shall be put out.(K)
7 The steps of his strength shall be shortened, and his own counsel and the plans in which he trusted shall bring about his downfall.
8 For the wicked is cast into a net by his own feet, and he walks upon a lattice-covered pit.
9 A trap will catch him by the heel, and a snare will lay hold on him.
10 A noose is hidden for him on the ground and a trap for him in the way.
11 Terrors shall make him afraid on every side and shall chase him at his heels.
12 The strength [of the wicked] shall be hunger-bitten, and calamity is ready at his side [if he halts].
13 By disease his strength and his skin shall be devoured; the firstborn of death [the worst of diseases] shall consume his limbs.
14 He shall be rooted out of his dwelling place in which he trusted, and he shall be brought to the king of terrors [death].
15 There shall dwell in his tent that which is none of his [family]; sulphur shall be scattered over his dwelling [to purify it after his going].
16 The roots [of the wicked] shall be dried up beneath, and above shall his branch be cut off and wither.
17 His remembrance shall perish from the earth, and he shall have no name in the street.
18 He shall be thrust from light into darkness and driven out of the world.
19 He shall neither have son nor grandson among his people, nor any remaining where he sojourned.
20 They [of the west] that come after [the wicked man] shall be astonished and appalled at his day, as they [of the east] that went before were seized with horror.
21 Surely such are the dwellings of the ungodly, and such is the place of him who knows not (recognizes not and honors not) God.
19 Then Job answered:
2 How long will you vex and torment me and break me in pieces with words?
3 These ten times you have reproached me; you are not ashamed that you make yourselves strange [harden yourselves against me and deal severely with me].
4 And if it were true that I have erred, my error would remain with me [I would be conscious of it].
5 If indeed you magnify yourselves against me and plead against me my reproach and humiliation,
6 Know that God has overthrown and put me in the wrong and has closed His net about me.
7 Behold, I cry out, Violence! but I am not heard; I cry aloud for help, but there is no justice.
8 He has walled up my way so that I cannot pass, and He has set darkness upon my paths.
9 He has stripped me of my glory and taken the crown from my head.
10 He has broken me down on every side, and I am gone; my hope has He pulled up like a tree.
11 He has also kindled His wrath against me, and He counts me as one of His adversaries.
12 His troops come together and cast up their way and siege works against me and encamp round about my tent.
13 He has put my brethren far from me, and my acquaintances are wholly estranged from me.
14 My kinsfolk have failed me, and my familiar friends have forgotten me.
15 Those who live temporarily in my house and my maids count me as a stranger; I am an alien in their sight.
16 I call to my servant, but he gives me no answer, though I beseech him with words.
17 I am repulsive to my wife and loathsome to the children of my own mother.
18 Even young children despise me; when I get up, they speak against me.
19 All the men of my council and my familiar friends abhor me; those whom I loved are turned against me.
20 My bone clings to my skin and to my flesh, and I have escaped with the skin or gums of my teeth.
21 Have pity on me! Have pity on me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has touched me!
22 Why do you, as if you were God, pursue and persecute me? [Acting like wild beasts] why are you not satisfied with my flesh?
23 Oh, that the words I now speak were written! Oh, that they were inscribed in a book [carved on a tablet of stone]!
24 That with an iron pen and [molten] lead they were graven in the rock forever!
25 For I know that my Redeemer and Vindicator lives, and at last He [the Last One] will stand upon the earth.(L)
26 And after my skin, even this body, has been destroyed, then from my flesh or without it I shall see God,
27 Whom I, even I, shall see for myself and on my side! And my eyes shall behold Him, and not as a stranger! My heart pines away and is consumed within me.
28 If you say, How we will pursue him! [and continue to persecute me with the claim] that the root [cause] of all these [afflictions] is found in me,
29 Then beware and be afraid of the sword [of divine vengeance], for wrathful are the punishments of that sword, that you may know there is a judgment.
20 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered,
2 Therefore do my thoughts give me an answer, and I make haste [to offer it] for this reason.
3 I have heard the reproof which puts me to shame, but out of my understanding my spirit answers me.
4 Do you not know from of old, since the time that man was placed on the earth,
5 That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the godless and defiled is but for a moment?(M)
6 Though his [proud] height mounts up to the heavens and his head reaches to the clouds,
7 Yet he will perish forever like his own dung; those who have seen him will say, Where is he?
8 He will fly away like a dream and will not be found; yes, he will be chased away as a vision of the night.
9 The eye which saw him will see him no more, neither will his [accustomed] place any more behold him.
10 The poor will oppress his children, and his hands will give back his [ill-gotten] wealth.
11 His bones are full of youthful energy, but it will lie down with him in the dust.
12 Though wickedness is sweet in his mouth, though he hides it under his tongue,
13 Though he is loath to let it go but keeps it still within his mouth,
14 Yet his food turns [to poison] in his stomach; it is the venom of asps within him.
15 He has swallowed down [his ill-gotten] riches, and he shall vomit them up again; God will cast them out of his belly.
16 He shall suck the poison of asps [which ill-gotten wealth contains]; the viper’s tongue shall slay him.
17 He shall not look upon the rivers, the flowing streams of honey and butter [to enjoy his wealth].
18 That which he labored for shall he give back and shall not swallow it down [to enjoy it]; according to his wealth shall the restitution be, and he shall not rejoice in it.
19 For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor; he has violently taken away a house which he did not build.
20 Because his desire and greed knew no quietness within him, he will not save anything of that in which he delights.
21 There was nothing left that he did not devour; therefore his prosperity will not endure.
22 In the fullness of his sufficiency [in the time of his great abundance] he shall be poor and in straits; every hand of everyone who is in misery shall come upon him [he is but a wretch on every side].
23 When he is about to fill his belly [as in the wilderness when God sent the quails], God will cast the fierceness of His wrath upon him and will rain it upon him while he is eating.(N)
24 He will flee from the iron weapon, but the bow of bronze shall strike him through.
25 [The arrow] is drawn forth and it comes out after passing through his body; yes, the glittering point comes out of his gall. Terrors march in upon him;
26 Every misfortune is laid up for his treasures. A fire not blown by man shall devour him; it shall consume what is left in his tent [and it shall go ill with him who remains there].
27 The heavens shall reveal his iniquity, and the earth shall rise up against him.
28 The produce and increase of his house will go into exile [with the victors], dragged away in the day of [God’s] wrath.
29 This is the wicked man’s portion from God, and the heritage appointed to him by God.
21 Then Job answered,
2 Hear diligently my speech, and let this [your attention] be your consolation [given me].
3 Allow me, and I also will speak; and after I have spoken, mock on.
4 As for me, is my complaint to man or of him? And why should I not be impatient and my spirit be troubled?
5 Look at me and be astonished (appalled); and lay your hand upon your mouth.
6 Even when I remember, I am troubled and afraid; horror and trembling take hold of my flesh.
7 Why do the wicked live, become old, and become mighty in power?
8 Their children are established with them in their sight, and their offspring before their eyes.
9 Their houses are safe and in peace, without fear; neither is the rod of God upon them.
10 Their bull breeds and fails not; their cows calve and do not miscarry.
11 They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children skip about.
12 They themselves lift up their voices and sing to the tambourine and the lyre and rejoice to the sound of the pipe.
13 They spend their days in prosperity and go down to Sheol (the unseen state) in a moment and peacefully.
14 Yet they say to God, Depart from us, for we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways.
15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? And what profit do we have if we pray to Him?(O)
16 But notice, [you say] the prosperity of the wicked is not in their power; the mystery [of God’s dealings] with the ungodly is far from my comprehension.
17 How often [then] is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out? That their calamity comes upon them? That God distributes pains and sorrows to them in His anger?(P)
18 That they are like stubble before the wind and like chaff that the storm steals and carries away?
19 You say, God lays up [the punishment of the wicked man’s] iniquity for his children. Let Him recompense it to the man himself, that he may know and feel it.
20 Let his own eyes see his destruction, and let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
21 For what pleasure or interest has a man in his house and family after he is dead, when the number of his months is cut off?
22 Shall any teach God knowledge, seeing that He judges those who are on high?(Q)
23 One dies in his full strength, being wholly at ease and quiet;
24 His pails are full of milk [his veins are filled with nourishment], and the marrow of his bones is fresh and moist,
25 Whereas another man dies in bitterness of soul and never tastes of pleasure or good fortune.
26 They lie down alike in the dust, and the worm spreads a covering over them.
27 Behold, I know your thoughts and plans and the devices with which you would wrong me.
28 For you say, Where is the house of the rich and liberal prince [meaning me]? And where is the tent in which the wicked [Job] dwelt?
29 Have you not asked those who travel this way, and do you not accept their testimony and evidences—
30 That the evil man is [now] spared in the day of calamity and destruction, and they are led forth and away on the day of [God’s] wrath?
31 But who declares [a man’s] way [and rebukes] him to his face? And who pays him back for what he has done?
32 When he is borne to the grave, watch is kept over his tomb.
33 The clods of the valley are sweet to him, and every man shall follow him to a grave, as innumerable people [have gone] before him.
34 How then can you comfort me with empty and futile words, since in your replies there lurks falsehood?
22 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered [Job],
2 Can a man be profitable to God? Surely he that is wise is profitable to himself.(R)
3 Is it any pleasure or advantage to the Almighty that you are righteous (upright and in right standing with Him)? Or is it gain to Him that you make your ways perfect?(S)
4 Is it for your [reverential] fear of Him that He [thus] reproves you, that He enters with you into judgment?
5 Is not your wickedness great? There is no end to your iniquities.
6 For you have taken pledges of your brother for nothing, and stripped the naked of their clothing.
7 You have not given water to the weary to drink, and you have withheld bread from the hungry.(T)
8 But [you, Job] the man with power possessed the land, and the favored and accepted man dwelt in it.
9 You have sent widows away empty-handed, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
10 Therefore snares are round about you, and sudden fear troubles and overwhelms you;
11 Your light is darkened, so that you cannot see, and a flood of water covers you.
12 Is not God in the height of heaven? And behold the height of the stars, how high they are!
13 Therefore you say, How and what does God know [about me]? Can He judge through the thick darkness?
14 Thick clouds are a covering to Him, so that He does not see, and He walks on the vault of the heavens.
15 Will you pay attention and keep to the old way that wicked men trod [in Noah’s time],(U)
16 Men who were snatched away before their time, whose foundations were poured out like a stream [during the flood]?
17 They said to God, Depart from us, and, What can the Almighty do for or to us?
18 Yet He filled their houses with good [things]. But the counsel of the ungodly is far from me.
19 The righteous see it and are glad; and the innocent laugh them to scorn [saying],
20 Surely those who rose up against us are cut off, and that which remained to them the fire has consumed.
21 Acquaint now yourself with Him [agree with God and show yourself to be conformed to His will] and be at peace; by that [you shall prosper and great] good shall come to you.
22 Receive, I pray you, the law and instruction from His mouth and lay up His words in your heart.(V)
23 If you return to the Almighty [and submit and humble yourself before Him], you will be built up; if you put away unrighteousness far from your tents,
24 If you lay gold in the dust, and the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brook [considering them of little worth],
25 And make the Almighty your gold and [the Lord] your precious silver treasure,
26 Then you will have delight in the Almighty, and you will lift up your face to God.
27 You will make your prayer to Him, and He will hear you, and you will pay your vows.
28 You shall also decide and decree a thing, and it shall be established for you; and the light [of God’s favor] shall shine upon your ways.
29 When they make [you] low, you will say, [There is] a lifting up; and the humble person He lifts up and saves.
30 He will even deliver the one [for whom you intercede] who is not innocent; yes, he will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.(W)
23 Then Job answered,
2 Even today is my complaint rebellious and bitter; my stroke is heavier than my groaning.
3 Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come even to His seat!
4 I would lay my cause before Him and fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would learn what He would answer me, and understand what He would say to me.
6 Would He plead against me with His great power? No, He would give heed to me.(X)
7 There the righteous [one who is upright and in right standing with God] could reason with Him; so I should be acquitted by my Judge forever.
8 Behold, I go forward [and to the east], but He is not there; I go backward [and to the west], but I cannot perceive Him;
9 On the left hand [and to the north] where He works [I seek Him], but I cannot behold Him; He turns Himself to the right hand [and to the south], but I cannot see Him.
10 But He knows the way that I take [He has concern for it, appreciates, and pays attention to it]. When He has tried me, I shall come forth as refined gold [pure and luminous].(Y)
11 My foot has held fast to His steps; His ways have I kept and not turned aside.
12 I have not gone back from the commandment of His lips; I have esteemed and treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.
13 But He is unchangeable, and who can turn Him? And what He wants to do, that He does.
14 For He performs [that which He has] planned for me, and of many such matters He is mindful.
15 Therefore am I troubled and terrified at His presence; when I consider, I am in dread and afraid of Him.
16 For God has made my heart faint, timid, and broken, and the Almighty has terrified me,
17 Because I was not cut off before the darkness [of these woes befell me], neither has He covered the thick darkness from my face.
24 Why [seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty] does He not set seasons for judgment? Why do those who know Him see not His days [for punishment of the wicked]?(Z)
2 Some remove the landmarks; they violently take away flocks and pasture them [appropriating land and flocks openly].
3 They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; they take the widow’s ox for a pledge.
4 They crowd the poor and needy off the road; the poor and meek of the earth all hide themselves.
5 Behold, as wild asses in the desert, [the poor] go forth to their work, seeking diligently for prey and food; the wilderness yields them bread for their children [in roots and herbage].
6 They reap each one his fodder in a field [that is not his own], and they glean the vintage of the wicked man.
7 They lie all night naked, without clothing, and have no covering in the cold.
8 They are wet with the showers of the mountains and cling to the rock for want of shelter.
9 [The violent men whose wickedness seems unnoticed] pluck the fatherless infants from the breast [to sell or make them slaves], and take [the clothing on] the poor for a pledge,
10 So that the needy go about naked for lack of clothing, and though hungry, they must carry [but not eat from] the sheaves.
11 Among the olive rows [of the wicked, the poor] make oil; they tread [the fresh juice of the grape from] the presses, but suffer thirst.
12 From out of the populous city men groan, and the very life of the wounded cries for help; yet God [seemingly] regards not the wrong done them.
13 These wrongdoers are of those who rebel against the light; they know not its ways nor stay in its paths.
14 The murderer rises with the light; he kills the poor and the needy, and in the night he becomes as a thief.
15 The eye also of the adulterer waits for the twilight, saying, No eye shall see me, and he puts a disguise upon his face.
16 In the dark, they dig through [the penetrable walls of] houses; by day they shut themselves up; they do not know the sunlight.
17 For midnight is morning to all of them; for they are familiar with the terrors of deep darkness.
18 [You say] Swiftly such men pass away on the face of the waters; their portion is cursed in the earth; [no treader] turns into their vineyards.
19 Drought and heat consume the snow waters; so does Sheol (the place of the dead) those who have sinned.
20 The womb shall forget him, the worm shall feed sweetly on him; he shall be no more remembered, and unrighteousness shall be broken like a tree [which cannot be healed].(AA)
21 [The evil man] preys upon the barren, childless woman and does no good to the widow.
22 Yet [God] prolongs the life of the [wicked] mighty by His power; they rise up when they had despaired of life.
23 God gives them security, and they rest on it; and His eyes are upon their ways.
24 They are exalted for a little while, and then are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all others are and are cut off as the tops of the ears of grain.
25 And if this is not so, who will prove me a liar and make my speech worthless?
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation