Bible in 90 Days
Bildad Speaks
25 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:
2 Dominion and dread(A) belong to Him,
the One who establishes harmony in the heavens.[a]
3 Can His troops be numbered?
Does His light not shine on everyone?
4 How can a person be justified before God?(B)
How can one born of woman be pure?(C)
5 If even the moon does not shine
and the stars are not pure in His sight,(D)
6 how much less man, who is a maggot,
and the son of man, who is a worm!(E)
Job’s Reply to Bildad
26 Then Job answered:
2 How you have helped(F) the powerless
and delivered the arm that is weak!
3 How you have counseled the unwise(G)
and thoroughly explained the path to success!
4 Who did you speak these words to?
Whose breath came out of your mouth?
5 The departed spirits tremble
beneath the waters and all that inhabit them.(H)
6 Sheol(I) is naked before God,
and Abaddon(J) has no covering.(K)
7 He stretches the northern skies over empty space;
He hangs the earth on nothing.
8 He wraps up the waters in His clouds,
yet the clouds do not burst beneath their weight.(L)
9 He obscures the view of His throne,
spreading His cloud over it.
10 He laid out the horizon on the surface of the waters(M)
at the boundary between light and darkness.
11 The pillars that hold up the sky tremble,
astounded at His rebuke.(N)
12 By His power He stirred(O) the sea,
and by His understanding He crushed Rahab.(P)
13 By His breath the heavens gained their beauty;
His hand pierced the fleeing serpent.[b](Q)
14 These are but the fringes of His ways;
how faint is the word we hear of Him!
Who can understand His mighty thunder?
27 Job continued his discourse, saying:
2 As God lives, who has deprived me of justice,(R)
and the Almighty who has made me bitter,(S)
3 as long as my breath is still in me
and the breath from God remains in my nostrils,(T)
4 my lips will not speak unjustly,
and my tongue will not utter deceit.
5 I will never affirm that you are right.
I will maintain my integrity[c](U) until I die.
6 I will cling to my righteousness and never let it go.
My conscience(V) will not accuse me as long as I live!
7 May my enemy be like the wicked
and my opponent like the unjust.
8 For what hope does the godless man(W) have when he is cut off,
when God takes away his life?(X)
9 Will God hear his cry
when distress comes on him?
10 Will he delight(Y) in the Almighty?
Will he call on God at all times?
11 I will teach you about God’s power.
I will not conceal what the Almighty has planned.[d]
12 All of you have seen this for yourselves,
why do you keep up this empty talk?(Z)
13 This is a wicked man’s lot(AA) from God,
the inheritance the ruthless receive from the Almighty.
14 Even if his children increase, they are destined for the sword;
his descendants will never have enough food.
15 Those who survive him will be buried by the plague,
yet their widows will not weep for them.(AB)
16 Though he piles up silver like dust
and heaps up a wardrobe like clay—
17 he may heap it up, but the righteous will wear it,
and the innocent will divide up his silver.(AC)
18 The house he built is like a moth’s cocoon
or a booth set up by a watchman.(AD)
19 He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;
when he opens his eyes, it is gone.
20 Terrors overtake him like a flood;(AE)
a storm(AF) wind sweeps him away at night.
21 An east wind picks him up, and he is gone;
it carries him away from his place.
22 It blasts at him without mercy,
while he flees desperately from its grasp.
23 It claps(AG) its hands at him
and scorns him from its place.
Job’s Hymn to Wisdom
28 Surely there is a mine for silver
and a place where gold is refined.
2 Iron is taken from the ground,
and copper is smelted from ore.
3 A miner puts an end to the darkness;
he probes[e] the deepest recesses
for ore in the gloomy darkness.
4 He cuts a shaft far from human habitation,
in places unknown to those who walk above ground.[f]
Suspended far away from people,
the miners swing back and forth.
5 Food may come from the earth,
but below the surface the earth is transformed as by fire.
6 Its rocks are a source of sapphire,[g](AH)
containing flecks of gold.
7 No bird of prey knows that path;
no falcon’s eye has seen it.
8 Proud beasts have never walked on it;
no lion has ever prowled over it.
9 The miner strikes the flint
and transforms the mountains at their foundations.
10 He cuts out channels in the rocks,
and his eyes spot every treasure.
11 He dams up the streams from flowing[h]
so that he may bring to light what is hidden.
12 But where can wisdom(AI) be found,
and where is understanding located?
13 No man can know its value,[i]
since it cannot be found in the land of the living.
14 The ocean depths say, “It’s not in me,”
while the sea declares, “I don’t have it.”(AJ)
15 Gold cannot be exchanged for it,
and silver cannot be weighed out for its price.
16 Wisdom cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,(AK)
in precious onyx or sapphire.[j](AL)
17 Gold and glass do not compare with it,
and articles of fine gold cannot be exchanged for it.(AM)
18 Coral and quartz are not worth mentioning.
The price of wisdom is beyond pearls.
19 Topaz from Cush cannot compare with it,
and it cannot be valued in pure gold.
20 Where then does wisdom come from,
and where is understanding located?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing
and concealed from the birds of the sky.
22 Abaddon and Death(AN) say,
“We have heard news of it with our ears.”
23 But God understands the way to wisdom,
and He knows its location.
24 For He looks to the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
25 When God fixed the weight of the wind
and limited the water by measure,(AO)
26 when He established a limit[k] for the rain(AP)
and a path for the lightning,
27 He considered wisdom and evaluated it;
He established it and examined it.
28 He said to mankind,
“The fear of the Lord is this: wisdom.
And to turn from evil is understanding.”(AQ)
Job’s Final Claim of Innocence
29 Job continued his discourse, saying:
2 If only I could be as in months gone by,
in the days when God watched over me,
3 when His lamp shone above my head,
and I walked through darkness by His light!(AR)
4 I would be as I was in the days of my youth
when God’s friendship(AS) rested on my tent,
5 when the Almighty was still with me
and my children were around me,
6 when my feet were bathed in cream
and the rock(AT) poured out streams of oil for me!
7 When I went out to the city gate
and took my seat in the town square,
8 the young men saw me and withdrew,
while older men stood to their feet.
9 City officials stopped talking
and covered their mouths with their hands.(AU)
10 The noblemen’s voices were hushed,
and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.
11 When they heard me, they blessed me,
and when they saw me, they spoke well of me.[l]
12 For I rescued the poor man who cried out for help,
and the fatherless child who had no one to support him.(AV)
13 The dying man blessed me,
and I made the widow’s heart rejoice.
14 I clothed myself in righteousness,(AW)
and it enveloped me;
my just decisions were like a robe and a turban.
15 I was eyes to the blind
and feet to the lame.(AX)
16 I was a father to the needy,
and I examined the case of the stranger.
17 I shattered the fangs of the unjust(AY)
and snatched the prey from his teeth.
18 So I thought: I will die in my own nest
and multiply my days as the sand.[m]
19 My roots will have access to water,(AZ)
and the dew will rest on my branches all night.
20 My strength will be refreshed within me,
and my bow will be renewed in my hand.(BA)
21 Men listened to me with expectation,
waiting silently for my advice.
22 After a word from me they did not speak again;
my speech settled on them like dew.
23 They waited for me as for the rain
and opened their mouths as for spring showers.
24 If I smiled at them, they couldn’t believe it;
they were thrilled at[n] the light of my countenance.
25 I directed their course and presided as chief.
I lived as a king among his troops,
like one who comforts those who mourn.
30 But now they mock(BB) me,
men younger than I am,
whose fathers I would have refused to put
with my sheep dogs.
2 What use to me was the strength of their hands?
Their vigor had left them.
3 Emaciated from poverty and hunger,
they gnawed the dry land,
the desolate wasteland by night.
4 They plucked mallow[o](BC) among the shrubs,
and the roots of the broom tree were their food.
5 They were expelled from human society;
people shouted at them as if they were thieves.
6 They are living on the slopes of the wadis,
among the rocks and in holes in the ground.
7 They bray among the shrubs;
they huddle beneath the thistles.
8 Foolish(BD) men, without even a name.
They were forced to leave the land.
9 Now I am mocked by their songs;(BE)
I have become an object of scorn to them.
10 They despise me and keep their distance from me;(BF)
they do not hesitate to spit(BG) in my face.
11 Because God has loosened my[p] bowstring and oppressed me,
they have cast off restraint in my presence.(BH)
12 The rabble[q] rise up at my right;
they trap[r] my feet
and construct their siege ramp[s] against me.(BI)
13 They tear up my path;
they contribute to my destruction,(BJ)
without anyone to help them.
14 They advance as through a gaping breach;
they keep rolling in through the ruins.(BK)
15 Terrors(BL) are turned loose against me;
they chase my dignity away like the wind,
and my prosperity has passed by like a cloud.
16 Now my life is poured out before my eyes,
and days of suffering(BM) have seized me.
17 Night pierces my bones,
but my gnawing pains never rest.(BN)
18 My clothing is distorted with great force;
He chokes me by the neck of my garment.[t]
19 He throws me into the mud,
and I have become like dust and ashes.(BO)
20 I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer me;(BP)
when I stand up, You merely look at me.
21 You have turned against me with cruelty;
You harass(BQ) me with Your strong hand.
22 You lift me up on the wind and make me ride it;
You scatter me in the storm.(BR)
23 Yes, I know that You will lead me to death—
the place(BS) appointed for all who live.
24 Yet no one would stretch out his hand
against a ruined man[u]
when he cries out to him for help
because of his distress.(BT)
25 Have I not wept for those who have fallen on hard times?
Has my soul not grieved for the needy?(BU)
26 But when I hoped for good, evil came;
when I looked for light, darkness(BV) came.
27 I am churning within[v] and cannot rest;
days of suffering confront me.
28 I walk about blackened, but not by the sun.[w]
I stood in the assembly and cried out for help.
29 I have become a brother to jackals
and a companion of ostriches.
30 My skin blackens and flakes off,[x]
and my bones burn with fever.(BW)
31 My lyre is used for mourning
and my flute for the sound of weeping.(BX)
31 I have made a covenant with my eyes.(BY)
How then could I look at a young woman?[y](BZ)
2 For what portion(CA) would I have from God above,
or what inheritance from the Almighty on high?
3 Doesn’t disaster come to the unjust
and misfortune to evildoers?
4 Does He not see my ways
and number all my steps?(CB)
5 If I have walked in falsehood
or my foot has rushed to deceit,
6 let God weigh me in accurate scales,(CC)
and He will recognize my integrity.(CD)
7 If my step has turned from the way,
my heart has followed my eyes,
or impurity has stained my hands,(CE)
8 let someone else eat what I have sown,
and let my crops be uprooted.(CF)
9 If my heart has been seduced by my neighbor’s wife
or I have lurked at his door,
10 let my own wife grind grain for another man,
and let other men sleep with[z] her.
11 For that would be a disgrace;
it would be a crime deserving punishment.[aa](CG)
12 For it is a fire that consumes down to Abaddon;
it would destroy my entire harvest.(CH)
13 If I have dismissed the case of my male or female servants
when they made a complaint against me,
14 what could I do when God stands up to judge?
How should I answer Him when He calls me to account?
15 Did not the One who made me in the womb also make them?
Did not the same God form us both in the womb?(CI)
16 If I have refused the wishes of the poor
or let the widow’s(CJ) eyes go blind,
17 if I have eaten my few crumbs alone
without letting the fatherless eat any of it—
18 for from my youth, I raised him as his father,
and since the day I was born[ab] I guided the widow—
19 if I have seen anyone dying for lack of clothing
or a needy person without a cloak,(CK)
20 if he[ac] did not bless me
while warming himself with the fleece from my sheep,
21 if I ever cast my vote[ad] against a fatherless child
when I saw that I had support in the city gate,(CL)
22 then let my shoulder blade fall from my back,
and my arm be pulled from its socket.
23 For disaster from God terrifies me,
and because of His majesty I could not do these things.(CM)
24 If I placed my confidence in gold
or called fine gold my trust,(CN)
25 if I have rejoiced because my wealth is great
or because my own hand has acquired so much,
26 if I have gazed at the sun when it was shining
or at the moon moving in splendor,(CO)
27 so that my heart was secretly enticed
and I threw them a kiss,[ae]
28 this would also be a crime deserving punishment,
for I would have denied God above.
29 Have I rejoiced over my enemy’s distress,
or become excited when trouble came his way?
30 I have not allowed my mouth to sin
by asking for his life with a curse.
31 Haven’t the members of my household said,
“Who is there who has not had enough to eat at Job’s table?”
32 No stranger had to spend the night on the street,
for I opened my door to the traveler.
33 Have I covered my transgressions(CP) as others do[af]
by hiding my guilt in my heart,(CQ)
34 because I greatly feared the crowds,
and the contempt of the clans terrified me,
so I grew silent and would not go outside?
35 If only I had someone to hear my case!(CR)
Here is my signature; let the Almighty answer me.
Let my Opponent compose His indictment.
36 I would surely carry it on my shoulder
and wear it like a crown.(CS)
37 I would give Him an account of all my steps;
I would approach Him like a prince.
38 If my land cries out against me
and its furrows join in weeping,
39 if I have consumed its produce without payment
or shown contempt for its tenants,[ag]
40 then let thorns(CT) grow instead of wheat
and stinkweed(CU) instead of barley.
The words of Job are concluded.
Elihu’s Angry Response
32 So these three men quit answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.(CV) 2 Then Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite(CW) from the family of Ram became angry. He was angry at Job because he had justified(CX) himself rather than God. 3 He was also angry at Job’s three friends because they had failed to refute him and yet had condemned him.[ah]
4 Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were all older than he. 5 But when he saw that the three men could not answer Job, he became angry.
6 So Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite replied:
I am young in years,
while you are old;
therefore I was timid and afraid
to tell(CY) you what I know.
7 I thought that age should speak
and maturity should teach wisdom.
8 But it is a spirit in man[ai]
and the breath(CZ) of the Almighty
that give him understanding.
9 It is not only the old who are wise
or the elderly who understand how to judge.
10 Therefore I say, “Listen to me.
I too will declare what I know.”
11 Look, I waited for your conclusions;
I listened to your insights
as you sought for words.
12 I paid close attention to you.
Yet no one proved Job wrong;
not one of you refuted his arguments.
13 So do not claim, “We have found wisdom;
let God deal with him, not man.”
14 But Job has not directed his argument to me,
and I will not respond to him with your arguments.
15 Job’s friends are dismayed and can no longer answer;
words have left them.
16 Should I continue to wait now that they are silent,
now that they stand there and no longer answer?
17 I too will answer;[aj]
yes, I will tell what I know.
18 For I am full of words,
and my spirit[ak] compels me to speak.(DA)
19 My heart[al] is like unvented wine;
it is about to burst like new wineskins.(DB)
20 I must speak so that I can find relief;
I must open my lips and respond.
21 I will be partial to no one,(DC)
and I will not give anyone an undeserved title.
22 For I do not know how to give such titles;
otherwise, my Maker would remove me in an instant.
Elihu Confronts Job
33 But now, Job, pay attention to my speech,
and listen to all my words.
2 I am going to open my mouth;
my tongue will form words on my palate.
3 My words come from my upright(DD) heart,
and my lips speak with sincerity what they know.
4 The Spirit of God has made me,
and the breath of the Almighty(DE) gives me life.(DF)
5 Refute me if you can.
Prepare(DG) your case against me; take your stand.(DH)
6 I am just like you before God;
I was also pinched off from a piece of clay.(DI)
7 Fear(DJ) of me should not terrify you;
the pressure I exert[am] against you will be light.
8 Surely you have spoken in my hearing,
and I have heard these very[an] words:
9 “I am pure, without transgression;
I am clean and have no guilt.(DK)
10 But He finds reasons to oppose me;
He regards me as His enemy.(DL)
11 He puts my feet in the stocks;
He stands watch(DM) over all my paths.”
12 But I tell you that you are wrong in this matter,
since God is greater than man.(DN)
13 Why do you take(DO) Him to court
for not answering anything a person asks?[ao]
14 For God speaks time and again,
but a person may not notice it.
15 In a dream, a vision(DP) in the night,
when deep sleep falls on people(DQ)
as they slumber on their beds,
16 He uncovers their ears(DR) at that time
and terrifies them[ap] with warnings,
17 in order to turn a person from his actions
and suppress his pride.[aq]
18 God spares his soul from the Pit,(DS)
his life from crossing the river of death.[ar]
19 A person may be disciplined on his bed(DT) with pain
and constant distress in his bones,(DU)
20 so that he detests bread,
and his soul despises his favorite food.(DV)
21 His flesh wastes away to nothing,[as]
and his unseen bones stick out.
22 He draws near to the Pit,
and his life to the executioners.
23 If there is an angel(DW) on his side,
one mediator out of a thousand,
to tell a person what is right for him[at]
24 and to be gracious to him and say,
“Spare him from going down to the Pit;
I have found a ransom,”(DX)
25 then his flesh will be healthier[au] than in his youth,
and he will return to the days of his youthful vigor.(DY)
26 He will pray to God, and God will delight in him.
That man will see His face(DZ) with a shout of joy,
and God will restore his righteousness to him.(EA)
27 He will look at men and say,
“I have sinned and perverted what was right;
yet I did not get what I deserved.[av]
28 He redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit,
and I will continue to see the light.”
29 God certainly does all these things
two or three times to a man
30 in order to turn him back from the Pit,
so he may shine with the light of life.(EB)
31 Pay attention, Job, and listen to me.
Be quiet, and I will speak.
32 But if you have something to say,[aw] answer me;
speak, for I would like to justify you.
33 If not, then listen to me;
be quiet, and I will teach you wisdom.
34 Then Elihu continued,[ax] saying:
2 Hear my words, you wise men,
and listen to me, you knowledgeable ones.
3 Doesn’t the ear test words
as the palate tastes food?
4 Let us judge for ourselves what is right;
let us decide together what is good.
5 For Job has declared, “I am righteous,
yet God has deprived me of justice.(EC)
6 Would I lie about my case?(ED)
My wound[ay] is incurable,
though I am without transgression.”
7 What man is like Job?
He drinks derision(EE) like water.
8 He keeps company with evildoers
and walks with wicked men.
9 For he has said, “A man gains nothing
when he becomes God’s friend.”(EF)
10 Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding.
It is impossible for God to do wrong,
and for the Almighty to act unjustly.(EG)
11 For He repays(EH) a person according to his deeds,
and He brings his ways on him.
12 Indeed, it is true that God does not act wickedly
and the Almighty does not pervert justice.(EI)
13 Who gave Him authority over the earth?
Who put Him in charge of the entire world?(EJ)
14 If He put His mind to it
and withdrew the spirit(EK) and breath He gave,
15 every living thing would perish together
and mankind would return to the dust.(EL)
16 If you have understanding, hear this;
listen to what I have to say.
17 Could one who hates justice govern the world?
Will you condemn the mighty Righteous One,(EM)
18 who says to a king, “Worthless man!”
and to nobles, “Wicked men!”?(EN)
19 God is not partial(EO) to princes
and does not favor the rich over the poor,
for they are all the work of His hands.
20 They die suddenly in the middle of the night;
people shudder, then pass away.
Even the mighty are removed without effort.
21 For His eyes watch over a man’s ways,
and He observes all his steps.(EP)
22 There is no darkness, no deep darkness,
where evildoers can hide themselves.(EQ)
23 God does not need to examine a person further,
that one should[az] approach Him in court.
24 He shatters the mighty without an investigation
and sets others in their place.(ER)
25 Therefore, He recognizes their deeds(ES)
and overthrows them by night, and they are crushed.
26 In full view of the public,[ba]
He strikes them for their wickedness,
27 because they turned aside from following Him
and did not understand any of His ways
28 but caused the poor to cry out to Him,
and He heard the outcry of the afflicted.(ET)
29 But when God is silent, who can declare Him guilty?
When He hides His face, who can see Him?
Yet He watches over both individuals and nations,
30 so that godless men should not rule
or ensnare the people.
31 Suppose someone says to God,
“I have endured my punishment;
I will no longer act wickedly.
32 Teach me what I cannot see;
if I have done wrong, I won’t do it again.”
33 Should God repay you on your terms
when you have rejected His?
You must choose, not I!
So declare what you know.
34 Reasonable men will say to me,
along with the wise men who hear me,
35 “Job speaks without knowledge;(EU)
his words are without insight.”
36 If only Job were tested to the limit,
because his answers are like those of wicked men.
37 For he adds rebellion to his sin;
he scornfully claps(EV) in our presence,
while multiplying(EW) his words against God.
35 Then Elihu continued, saying:
2 Do you think it is just when you say,
“I am righteous before God”?
3 For you ask, “What does it profit You,[bb]
and what benefit comes to me, if I do not sin?”(EX)
4 I will answer you
and your friends with you.
5 Look at the heavens and see;
gaze at the clouds high above you.
6 If you sin, how does it affect God?
If you multiply your transgressions, what does it do to Him?
7 If you are righteous, what do you give Him,
or what does He receive from your hand?(EY)
8 Your wickedness affects a person like yourself,
and your righteousness another human being.
9 People cry out because of severe oppression;
they shout for help because of the arm of the mighty.(EZ)
10 But no one asks, “Where is God my Maker,(FA)
who provides us with songs in the night,(FB)
11 who gives us more understanding than the animals of the earth
and makes us wiser than the birds of the sky?”(FC)
12 There they cry out, but He does not answer,
because of the pride of evil men.(FD)
13 Indeed, God does not listen to empty cries,
and the Almighty does not take note of it—
14 how much less when[bc] you complain[bd]
that you do not see Him,
that your case(FE) is before Him
and you are waiting(FF) for Him.
15 But now, because God’s anger does not punish
and He does not pay attention to transgression,[be]
16 Job opens his mouth in vain
and multiplies words without knowledge.(FG)
36 Then Elihu continued, saying:
2 Be patient with me a little longer, and I will inform you,
for there is still more to be said on God’s behalf.
3 I will get my knowledge from a distant place
and ascribe justice to my Maker.
4 For my arguments are without flaw;[bf]
one who has perfect knowledge is with you.
5 Yes, God is mighty, but He despises no one;
He understands all things.[bg](FH)
6 He does not keep the wicked alive,(FI)
but He gives justice to the afflicted.
7 He does not remove His gaze from the righteous,
but He seats them forever with enthroned kings,
and they are exalted.
8 If people are bound with chains
and trapped by the cords of affliction,
9 God tells them what they have done
and how arrogantly they have transgressed.
10 He opens their ears(FJ) to correction
and insists they repent from iniquity.
11 If they serve Him obediently,
they will end their days in prosperity
and their years in happiness.(FK)
12 But if they do not obey,
they will cross the river of death[bh]
and die without knowledge.(FL)
13 Those who have a godless heart harbor anger;
even when God binds them, they do not cry for help.
14 They die in their youth;
their life ends among male cult prostitutes.(FM)
15 God rescues the afflicted by their affliction;
He instructs them by their torment.
16 Indeed, He lured you from the jaws[bi] of distress
to a spacious and unconfined place.
Your table was spread with choice food.
17 Yet now you are obsessed with the judgment due the wicked;
judgment and justice have seized you.
18 Be careful that no one lures you with riches;[bj]
do not let a large ransom[bk] lead you astray.(FN)
19 Can your wealth[bl] or all your physical exertion
keep you from distress?(FO)
20 Do not long for the night
when nations will disappear from their places.
21 Be careful that you do not turn to iniquity,
for that is why you have been tested by[bm] affliction.
22 Look, God shows Himself exalted by His power.
Who is a teacher like Him?
23 Who has appointed His way for Him,
and who has declared, “You have done wrong”?(FP)
24 Remember that you should praise His work,
which people have sung about.(FQ)
25 All mankind has seen it;
people have looked at it from a distance.(FR)
26 Yes, God is exalted beyond our knowledge;(FS)
the number of His years cannot be counted.(FT)
27 For He makes waterdrops evaporate;[bn]
they distill the rain into its[bo] mist,(FU)
28 which the clouds pour out
and shower abundantly on mankind.
29 Can anyone understand how the clouds spread out
or how the thunder roars from God’s pavilion?(FV)
30 See how He spreads His lightning(FW) around Him
and covers the depths of the sea.
31 For He judges the nations with these;
He gives food in abundance.(FX)
32 He covers His hands with lightning
and commands it to hit its mark.
33 The[bp] thunder declares His presence;[bq]
the cattle also, the approaching storm.
37 My heart(FY) pounds at this
and leaps from my chest.[br]
2 Just listen to His thunderous voice
and the rumbling that comes from His mouth.
3 He lets it loose beneath the entire sky;
His lightning to the ends(FZ) of the earth.
4 Then there comes a roaring sound;
God thunders(GA) with His majestic voice.
He does not restrain the lightning
when His rumbling voice is heard.
5 God thunders marvelously with His voice;
He does great things that we cannot comprehend.
6 For He says to the snow,(GB) “Fall to the earth,”
and the torrential rains, His mighty torrential rains,
7 serve as His sign to all mankind,
so that all men may know His work.
8 The wild animals enter their lairs
and stay in their dens.(GC)
9 The windstorm comes from its chamber,
and the cold from the driving north winds.
10 Ice is formed by the breath of God,(GD)
and watery expanses are frozen.
11 He saturates clouds with moisture;(GE)
He scatters His lightning through them.
12 They swirl about,
turning round and round at His direction,
accomplishing everything He commands them
over the surface of the inhabited world.
13 He causes this to happen for punishment,
for His land, or for His faithful love.
14 Listen to this, Job.
Stop and consider God’s wonders.
15 Do you know how God directs His clouds
or makes their lightning flash?
16 Do you understand how the clouds float,
those wonderful works of Him who has perfect knowledge?
17 You whose clothes get hot
when the south wind brings calm to the land,
18 can you help God spread out the skies
as hard as a cast metal mirror?
19 Teach us what we should say to Him;(GF)
we cannot prepare our case because of our darkness.
20 Should He be told that I want to speak?
Can a man speak when he is confused?
21 Now men cannot even look at the sun
when it is in the skies,
after a wind has swept through and cleared them away.
22 Yet out of the north He comes, shrouded in a golden glow;
awesome(GG) majesty surrounds Him.
23 The Almighty—we cannot reach Him—
He is exalted in power!
He will not oppress justice and abundant righteousness,
24 Therefore, men fear Him.
He does not look favorably on any who are wise(GH) in heart.
The Lord Speaks
38 Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind.(GI) He said:
2 Who is this who obscures My counsel
with ignorant words?(GJ)
3 Get ready to answer Me like a man;
when I question(GK) you, you will inform Me.
4 Where were you when I established(GL) the earth?
Tell Me, if you have[bs] understanding.
5 Who fixed its dimensions? Certainly you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?
6 What supports its foundations?
Or who laid its cornerstone
7 while the morning stars sang together
and all the sons of God(GM) shouted for joy?
8 Who enclosed the sea behind doors
when it burst from the womb,
9 when I made the clouds its garment
and thick darkness its blanket,[bt](GN)
10 when I determined its boundaries[bu]
and put its bars and doors in place,
11 when I declared: “You may come this far, but no farther;
your proud waves stop here”?
12 Have you ever in your life commanded the morning
or assigned the dawn its place,
13 so it may seize the edges of the earth
and shake the wicked out of it?
14 The earth is changed as clay is by a seal;
its hills stand out like the folds of a garment.
15 Light[bv] is withheld from the wicked,
and the arm raised in violence is broken.
16 Have you traveled to the sources of the sea
or walked in the depths of the oceans?
17 Have the gates(GO) of death been revealed to you?
Have you seen the gates of deep darkness?
18 Have you comprehended the extent of the earth?
Tell Me, if you know all this.
19 Where is the road to the home of light?
Do you know where darkness lives,
20 so you can lead it back to its border?
Are you familiar with the paths to its home?
21 Don’t you know? You were already born;(GP)
you have lived so long![bw]
22 Have you entered the place where the snow is stored?
Or have you seen the storehouses of hail,(GQ)
23 which I hold in reserve for times of trouble,
for the day of warfare and battle?(GR)
24 What road leads to the place where light is dispersed?[bx]
Where is the source of the east wind that spreads across the earth?
25 Who cuts a channel for the flooding rain
or clears the way for lightning,
26 to bring rain on an uninhabited land,
on a desert with no human life,[by]
27 to satisfy the parched wasteland
and cause the grass to sprout?(GS)
28 Does the rain have a father?
Who fathered the drops of dew?(GT)
29 Whose womb did the ice come from?
Who gave birth to the frost of heaven
30 when water becomes as hard as stone,[bz]
and the surface of the watery depths is frozen?(GU)
31 Can you fasten the chains of the Pleiades
or loosen the belt of Orion?
32 Can you bring out the constellations[ca] in their season
and lead the Bear[cb] and her cubs?(GV)
33 Do you know the laws(GW) of heaven?
Can you impose its[cc] authority on earth?
34 Can you command[cd] the clouds
so that a flood of water covers you?(GX)
35 Can you send out lightning(GY) bolts, and they go?
Do they report to you: “Here we are”?
36 Who put wisdom(GZ) in the heart[ce]
or gave the mind understanding?
37 Who has the wisdom to number the clouds?
Or who can tilt the water jars of heaven
38 when the dust hardens like cast metal
and the clods of dirt stick together?
39 Can you hunt prey for a lioness
or satisfy the appetite of young lions(HA)
40 when they crouch in their dens
and lie in wait within their lairs?
41 Who provides the raven’s food(HB)
when its young cry out to God
and wander about for lack of food?
39 Do you know when mountain goats give birth?
Have you watched the deer in labor?
2 Can you count the months they are pregnant[cf]
so you can know the time they give birth?
3 They crouch down to give birth to their young;
they deliver their newborn.[cg]
4 Their offspring are healthy and grow up in the open field.
They leave and do not return.[ch]
5 Who set the wild donkey free?
Who released the swift donkey from its harness?
6 I made the wilderness(HC) its home,
and the salty(HD) wasteland its dwelling.
7 It scoffs at the noise of the village
and never hears the shouts of a driver.(HE)
8 It roams the mountains for its pastureland,
searching for anything green.
9 Would the wild ox be willing to serve you?
Would it spend the night by your feeding trough?
10 Can you hold the wild ox(HF) to a furrow by its harness?
Will it plow the valleys behind you?
11 Can you depend on it because its strength is great?
Would you leave it to do your hard work?
12 Can you trust the wild ox to harvest your grain
and bring it to your threshing floor?
13 The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully,
but are her feathers and plumage like the stork’s?[ci](HG)
14 She abandons her eggs on the ground
and lets them be warmed in the sand.
15 She forgets that a foot may crush them
or that some wild animal may trample them.
16 She treats her young harshly, as if they were not her own,
with no fear that her labor may have been in vain.
17 For God has deprived her of wisdom;
He has not endowed her with understanding.(HH)
18 When she proudly[cj] spreads her wings,
she laughs at the horse and its rider.
19 Do you give strength to the horse?
Do you adorn his neck with a mane?[ck]
20 Do you make him leap like a locust?
His proud snorting fills one with terror.
21 He paws[cl] in the valley and rejoices in his strength;
He charges into battle.[cm]
22 He laughs at fear, since he is afraid of nothing;
he does not run from the sword.
23 A quiver rattles at his side,
along with a flashing spear and a lance.[cn]
24 He charges ahead[co] with trembling rage;
he cannot stand still at the trumpet’s sound.
25 When the trumpet blasts, he snorts defiantly.[cp]
He smells the battle from a distance;
he hears the officers’ shouts and the battle cry.
26 Does the hawk take flight by your understanding
and spread its wings to the south?
27 Does the eagle soar at your command
and make its nest(HI) on high?
28 It lives on a cliff where it spends the night;
its stronghold is on a rocky crag.
29 From there it searches for prey;(HJ)
its eyes penetrate the distance.
30 Its brood gulps down blood,
and where the slain are, it is there.(HK)
40 The Lord answered Job:
2 Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him?
Let him who argues with God give an answer.[cq]
3 Then Job answered the Lord:
4 I am so insignificant. How can I answer You?(HL)
I place my hand over my mouth.
5 I have spoken once, and I will not reply;
twice, but now I can add nothing.(HM)
6 Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind:(HN)
7 Get ready to answer Me like a man;
When I question(HO) you, you will inform Me.
8 Would you really challenge My justice?
Would you declare Me guilty(HP) to justify yourself?(HQ)
9 Do you have an arm like God’s?
Can you thunder with a voice like His?
10 Adorn yourself with majesty(HR) and splendor,
and clothe yourself with honor and glory.
11 Unleash your raging anger;(HS)
look on every proud person and humiliate him.(HT)
12 Look on every proud person and humble him;(HU)
trample the wicked where they stand.[cr]
13 Hide them together in the dust;
imprison them in the grave.[cs]
14 Then I will confess to you
that your own right hand(HV) can deliver you.(HW)
15 Look at Behemoth,
which I made along with you.
He eats grass like an ox.
16 Look at the strength of his loins
and the power in the muscles of his belly.
17 He stiffens his tail like a cedar tree;
the tendons of his thighs are woven firmly together.
18 His bones are bronze tubes;
his limbs are like iron rods.
19 He is the foremost of God’s works;(HX)
only his Maker can draw the sword against him.
20 The hills yield food for him,
while all sorts of wild animals play there.
21 He lies under the lotus plants,
hiding in the protection[ct] of marshy reeds.
22 Lotus plants cover him with their shade;
the willows by the brook surround him.
23 Though the river rages, Behemoth is unafraid;
he remains confident, even if the Jordan surges up to his mouth.
24 Can anyone capture him while he looks on,[cu]
or pierce his nose with snares?
41 [cv]Can you pull in Leviathan(HY) with a hook(HZ)
or tie his tongue down with a rope?
2 Can you put a cord[cw] through his nose
or pierce his jaw with a hook?(IA)
3 Will he beg you for mercy
or speak softly to you?
4 Will he make a covenant with you
so that you can take him as a slave forever?(IB)
5 Can you play with him like a bird
or put him on a leash[cx] for your girls?
6 Will traders bargain for him
or divide him among the merchants?
7 Can you fill his hide with harpoons
or his head with fishing spears?
8 Lay a[cy] hand on him.
You will remember the battle
and never repeat it!
9 [cz]Any hope of capturing him proves false.
Does a person not collapse at the very sight of him?
10 No one is ferocious enough to rouse Leviathan;(IC)
who then can stand against Me?
11 Who confronted Me, that I should repay him?
Everything under heaven belongs to Me.(ID)
12 I cannot be silent about his limbs,
his power, and his graceful proportions.
13 Who can strip off his outer covering?
Who can penetrate his double layer of armor?[da](IE)
14 Who can open his jaws,[db]
surrounded by those terrifying teeth?
15 His pride is in his rows of scales,
closely sealed together.
16 One scale is so close to another[dc]
that no air can pass between them.
17 They are joined to one another,
so closely connected[dd] they cannot be separated.
18 His snorting[de] flashes with light,
while his eyes are like the rays[df] of dawn.
19 Flaming torches shoot from his mouth;
fiery sparks fly out!
20 Smoke billows from his nostrils(IF)
as from a boiling pot or burning reeds.
21 His breath sets coals ablaze,
and flames pour out of his mouth.
22 Strength resides in his neck,
and dismay dances before him.
23 The folds of his flesh are joined together,
solid as metal[dg] and immovable.
24 His heart is as hard as a rock,
as hard as a lower millstone!
25 When Leviathan rises, the mighty[dh] are terrified;
they withdraw because of his thrashing.
26 The sword that reaches him will have no effect,
nor will a spear, dart, or arrow.
27 He regards iron as straw,
and bronze as rotten wood.
28 No arrow can make him flee;
slingstones become like stubble to him.
29 A club is regarded as stubble,
and he laughs(IG) at the sound of a javelin.
30 His undersides are jagged potsherds,
spreading the mud like a threshing sledge.(IH)
31 He makes the depths seethe like a cauldron;
he makes the sea like an ointment jar.
32 He leaves a shining wake behind him;[di]
one would think the deep had gray hair!
33 He has no equal on earth—
a creature devoid of fear!
34 He surveys everything that is haughty;
he is king over all the proud beasts.[dj]
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.