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Bible in 90 Days

An intensive Bible reading plan that walks through the entire Bible in 90 days.
Duration: 88 days
Modern English Version (MEV)
Version
Job 25-41

Bildad Speaks: Man Cannot Be Righteous

25 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered:

“Dominion and fear are with Him;
    He makes peace in His high places.
Is there any number to His armies?
    And upon whom does His light not rise?
How then can man be righteous with God?
    Or how can he who is born of a woman be clean?
Behold, even the moon does not shine,
    and the stars are not pure in His sight;
how much less man, who is a maggot?
    And the son of man, who is a worm?”

Job Replies: God’s Majesty Is Unsearchable

26 But Job answered:

“How have you helped him who is without power?
    How have you saved the arm that has no strength?
How have you counseled him who has no wisdom?
    And how have you plentifully declared sound knowledge?
To whom have you uttered words?
    And whose breath came from you?

“The departed spirits tremble under the waters,
    and their inhabitants.
The underworld is naked before Him,
    and destruction has no covering.
He stretches out the north over empty space,
    He hangs the earth upon nothing.
He binds up the waters in His thick clouds,
    and the cloud is not broken under them.
He covers the face of the full moon
    and spreads His cloud over it.
10 He has circled the waters with boundaries,
    until the day and night come to an end.
11 The pillars of heaven tremble
    and are astonished at His reproof.
12 He divides the sea with His power,
    and by His understanding He strikes through the proud.
13 By His breath He has made fair the heavens;
    His hand has formed the fleeing serpent.
14 Indeed, these are but a part of His ways,
    and how small a whisper we hear of Him!
    But the thunder of His power who can understand?”

Job’s Last Words to His Friends

27 Moreover Job continued his discourse:

“As God lives, who has taken away my judgment,
    and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,
all the while my spirit is in me,
    and the breath of God is in my nostrils,
my lips will not speak wickedness,
    nor my tongue utter deceit.
God forbid that I should justify you.
    Until I die I will not put away my integrity from me.
My righteousness I hold fast and will not let it go;
    my heart will not reproach me as long as I live.

“Let my enemy be like the wicked,
    and he who rises up against me like the unrighteous.
For what is the hope of the hypocrite,
    though he may gain much, when God takes away his soul?
Will God hear his cry
    when trouble comes upon him?
10 Will he delight himself in the Almighty?
    Will he always call upon God?

11 “I will teach you about the hand of God;
    what is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
12 Look, all of you have seen it;
    why then have you become altogether vain?

13 “This is the portion of a wicked man with God,
    and the inheritance that oppressors receive from the Almighty:
14 If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword,
    and his offspring will not be satisfied with bread.
15 Those who survive him will be buried in death,
    and their widows will not weep.
16 Though he heaps up silver like the dust
    and piles up clothing like the clay—
17 he may pile it up, but the just will wear it,
    and the innocent will divide the silver.
18 He builds his house like a moth,
    and like a booth that the watchman makes.
19 The rich man will lie down, but he will not be gathered;
    he opens his eyes, and he is not.
20 Terrors overtake him like floodwaters;
    a tempest steals him away in the night.
21 The east wind carries him away, and he departs;
    it sweeps him out of his place.
22 For God will cast it upon him and not spare;
    he would flee from its power.
23 Men will clap their hands at him
    and will hiss him out of his place.

Interlude: Where Wisdom Is Found

28 “Surely there is a mine for the silver,
    and a place where they refine gold.
Iron is taken out of the earth,
    and copper is smelted from the ore.
Man puts an end to darkness,
    and searches every extremity
    for ore in the darkness and the shadow of death.
He breaks open a shaft away from the inhabitants;
    in places forgotten by feet
    they hang far away from men; and they totter.
As for the earth, from it comes bread,
    and underneath it is turned up as by fire.
Its stones are the source of sapphires,
    and it has dust of gold.
There is a path that no bird knows,
    and that the vulture’s eye has not seen;
the lion cubs have not trodden it,
    nor has the fierce lion passed by it.
He puts forth his hand upon the rock;
    he overturns the mountains by the roots.
10 He cuts out rivers among the rocks,
    and his eye sees every precious thing.
11 He prevents the floods from overflowing,
    and the thing that is hidden he brings forth to light.

12 “But where will wisdom be found?
    And where is the place of understanding?
13 Man does not know its price,
    nor is it found in the land of the living.
14 The depth says, ‘It is not in me,’
    and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
15 It cannot be bought for gold,
    nor can silver be weighed for its price.
16 It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
    with the precious onyx or the sapphire.
17 The gold and the crystal cannot equal it,
    and it cannot be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
18 No mention will be made of coral or of pearls,
    for the price of wisdom is above rubies.
19 The topaz of Ethiopia will not equal it,
    nor will it be valued with pure gold.

20 “From where then does wisdom come?
    And where is the place of understanding?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of all living
    and concealed from the birds of the air.
22 Destruction and Death say,
    ‘We have heard of its fame with our ears.’
23 God understands its way,
    and He knows its place.
24 For He looks to the ends of the earth,
    and sees under the whole heaven,
25 to make the weight of the wind,
    and He weighs the waters by measure.
26 When He made a decree for the rain,
    and a path for the lightning of the thunder,
27 then He saw it and declared it;
    He prepared it, yes, and searched it out.
28 To man He said:
    ‘Look, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;
    And to depart from evil is understanding.’ ”

Job’s Final Defense

29 Moreover Job continued his discourse:

“Oh, that I were as in months past,
    as in the days when God watched over me;
when His lamp shone upon my head,
    and when by His light I walked through darkness;
as I was in the days of my autumn youth,
    when the friendly counsel of God was over my tent;
when the Almighty was still with me,
    when my children were around me;
when my steps were bathed in butter,
    and the rock poured out rivers of oil for me!

“When I went out to the gate of the city,
    when I took my seat in the square,
the young men saw me and hid themselves,
    and the aged arose and stood up.
The princes refrained from talking,
    and put their hand on their mouth.
10 The nobles held their peace,
    and their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.
11 When the ear heard, then it blessed me;
    and when the eye saw, then it approved me,
12 because I delivered the poor who cried,
    and the fatherless, and him who had none to help him.
13 The blessing of the perishing man came upon me,
    and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.
14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
    my judgment was like a robe and a diadem.
15 I was eyes for the blind,
    and I was feet for the lame.
16 I was a father to the poor,
    and I searched out the case that I did not know.
17 I broke the jaws of the wicked
    and plucked the victim from his teeth.

18 “Then I said, ‘I will die in my nest,
    and I will multiply my days as the sand.
19 My root was spread out by the waters,
    and the dew lay all night upon my branch.
20 My glory was fresh in me,
    and my bow was renewed in my hand.’

21 “Men listened to me and waited,
    and kept silence for my counsel.
22 After my words they did not speak again,
    and my speech settled on them like dew.
23 They waited for me as for the rain,
    and they opened their mouth wide as for the spring rain.
24 If I mocked at them, they did not believe it,
    and the light of my countenance they did not cast down.
25 I chose the way for them and sat as chief,
    and lived as a king in the army,
    as one who comforts mourners.

30 “But now those who are younger than I mock me,
    whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock.
Yes, how does the strength of their hands profit me?
    Their vigor has perished.
For want and famine
    they gnawed the parched land;
    fleeing into the wilderness in former time, desolate and waste.
Who pluck mallow by the bushes,
    and juniper roots for their food.
They were driven out from among men;
    they shout after them as after a thief.
They had to dwell in the rocky riverbeds,
    in caves of the earth, and in the rocks.
Among the bushes they brayed;
    under the nettles they were gathered together.
They were children of fools, yes, children of vile men;
    they were scourged from the earth.

“Now I am their taunting song;
    yes, I am their byword.
10 They abhor me, they flee far from me;
    they do not hesitate to spit in my face.
11 Because He has loosed my bowstring and afflicted me,
    they have cast off the bridle before me.
12 At my right hand their brood arises;
    they push away my feet,
    and they raise against me their ways of destruction.
13 They tear apart my path,
    they promote my calamity;
    they have no helper.
14 They came upon me as a wide breach, with a crash they came;
    in the desolation they rolled themselves upon me.
15 Terrors are turned on me;
    they pursue my dignity like the wind,
    and my help passes away as a cloud.

16 “Now my soul is poured out within me;
    the days of affliction have taken hold of me.
17 My bones are pierced in me at night,
    and my sinews have no rest.
18 By the great force of my disease my garment is changed;
    it binds me about as the collar of my coat.
19 He has cast me into the mire,
    and I have become like dust and ashes.

20 “I cry unto You, but You do not hear me;
    I stand up, and You do not regard me.
21 You have become cruel to me;
    with Your strong hand You oppose me.
22 You lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride on it;
    You dissolve my success.
23 For I know that You will bring me to death,
    and to the house appointed for all living.

24 “Surely He will not stretch out His hand to the grave,
    though they cry when He destroys it.
25 Did I not weep for him who was in trouble?
    Was not my soul grieved for the poor?
26 When I looked for good, then evil disaster came upon me;
    and when I waited for light, darkness came.
27 My insides boiled and did not rest;
    the days of affliction have met me.
28 I went mourning without the sun;
    I stood up, and I cried in the congregation.
29 I am a brother of jackals
    and a companion of owls.
30 My skin is black upon me,
    and my bones are burned with fever.
31 My harp is turned to mourning,
    and my flute to the voice of those who weep.

31 “I made a covenant with my eyes;
    why then should I look upon a young woman?
For what portion of God is there from above?
    And what inheritance of the Almighty from on high?
Does not destruction belong to the wicked,
    and calamity to the workers of iniquity?
Does He not see my ways,
    and count all my steps?

“If I have walked in vanity,
    or if my foot has hurried after deceit,
let me be weighed in an even balance
    that God may know my integrity.
If my step has turned out of the path,
    and my heart has gone after my eyes,
    and if any spot has clung to my hands,
then let me sow, but let another eat;
    yes, let my offspring be rooted out.

“If my heart has been deceived by a woman,
    or if I have laid wait at my neighbor’s door,
10 then let my wife grind for another,
    and let others bow down over her.
11 For this is a heinous crime;
    yes, it is an iniquity to be punished by the judges.
12 For it is a fire that consumes to destruction
    and would root out all my increase.

13 “If I have despised the cause of my male or female servant
    when they complained against me,
14 what then will I do when God rises up?
    And when He visits, what will I answer Him?
15 Did not He who made me in the womb make him?
    And did not the same One fashion us in the womb?

16 “If I have kept the poor from their desire,
    or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
17 or have eaten my morsel by myself,
    so that the fatherless could not eat of it
18 (but from my youth he was brought up with me, as with a father,
    and I have guided the widow from my mother’s womb);
19 if I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,
    or any poor without covering;
20 if his body has not blessed me,
    and if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;
21 if I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless,
    when I saw I had help in the gate;
22 then let my arm fall from my shoulder blade,
    and my arm be broken from the bone.
23 For destruction from God is a terror to me,
    and because of His highness I cannot endure.

24 “If I have made gold my hope,
    or have said to the fine gold, ‘You are my confidence’;
25 if I rejoiced because my wealth was great,
    and because my hand had gained much;
26 if I saw the sun when it shined,
    or the moon moving in brightness;
27 and my heart has been secretly enticed,
    or my mouth has kissed my hand;
28 this also would be an iniquity to be punished by the judge,
    for I would have denied the God who is above.

29 “If I rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me,
    or lifted up myself when disaster found him
30 (nor have I allowed my mouth to sin
    by wishing for a curse on his soul);
31 if the men of my tent have not said,
    ‘Who is there who has not been satisfied with his meat?’
32 (the stranger has not lodged in the street,
    but I opened my doors to the traveler);
33 if I covered my transgressions as any man,
    by hiding my iniquity in my heart,
34 did I fear a great multitude,
    or did the contempt of families terrify me,
    so that I kept silence, and did not go out of the door?

35 “Oh, that one would hear me!
    Behold, my desire is that the Almighty would answer me,
    and that the One who contends against me had written a book!
36 Surely I would carry it on my shoulder
    and bind it on me like a crown.
37 I would declare to Him the number of my steps;
    like a prince I would approach Him.

38 “If my land cries out against me,
    and its furrows also weep together;
39 if I have eaten its fruit without money,
    or have caused its owners to lose their life;
40 let thistles grow instead of wheat,
    and weeds instead of barley.”

The words of Job are ended.

Elihu Speaks: Job’s Three Friends Rebuked

32 So these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. Then the wrath of Elihu the son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was aroused; his wrath was aroused against Job because he justified himself rather than God. His wrath was aroused also against his three friends because they had found no answer and yet had condemned Job. Now Elihu had waited until Job had spoken because they were older than he. When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, then his wrath was aroused.

Elihu the son of Barakel the Buzite answered:

“I am young,
    and you are very old;
therefore I was afraid
    and dared not show you my opinion.
I said, ‘Age should speak,
    and multitude of years should teach wisdom.’
But there is a spirit in man,
    and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.
Great men are not always wise,
    nor do the aged always understand judgment.

10 “Therefore I say,
    ‘Listen to me; I will also declare my opinion.’
11 Indeed, I waited for your words;
    I listened to your reasons,
while you searched out what to say.
12     Yes, I paid attention to you;
and surely none of you convinced Job
    or answered his words.
13 Lest you say, ‘We have found wisdom’;
    God will subdue him, not man.
14 Now he has not directed his words against me,
    so I will not answer him with your speeches.

15 “They are amazed; they answer no more;
    they cease speaking.
16 And I have waited,
    (for they did not speak, but stood still and answered no more).
17 I said, ‘I also will answer my part;
    I too will show my opinion.’
18 For I am full of words;
    the spirit within me compels me.
19 See, my belly is like wine that has no vent;
    it is ready to burst like new wineskins.
20 I will speak, that I may be refreshed;
    I will open my lips and answer.
21 Let me not, I pray, show partiality to anyone,
    nor let me give flattering titles to man.
22 For I do not know how to give flattering titles;
    in so doing my Maker would soon take me away.

Elihu Addresses Job

33 “Therefore, Job, I pray, hear my speeches,
    and listen to all my words.
Behold, now I have opened my mouth;
    my tongue has spoken in my mouth.
My words will be from the uprightness of my heart,
    and my lips will utter knowledge clearly.
The Spirit of God has made me,
    and the breath of the Almighty has given me life.
If you can answer me,
    set your words in order before me; stand up.
Surely I am before God like you;
    I also am formed out of the clay.
Indeed, no dread of me will make you afraid,
    nor will my hand be heavy upon you.

“Surely you have spoken in my hearing,
    and I have heard the sound of your words, saying,
‘I am clean, without transgression;
    I am innocent, nor is there iniquity in me.
10 Behold, He finds occasions against me,
    He counts me for His enemy;
11 He puts my feet in the stocks,
    He watches all my paths.’

12 “Look, in this you are not just.
    I will answer you, that God is greater than man.
13 Why do you strive against Him?
    For He does not give an accounting for any of His words.
14 For God speaks once, yes twice,
    yet man does not perceive it.
15 In a dream, in a vision of the night,
    when deep sleep falls upon men,
    in slumber on their beds,
16 then He opens the ears of men,
    and seals their instruction,
17 that He might turn aside man from his purpose,
    and conceal pride from man.
18 He keeps back his soul from the pit,
    and his life from perishing by the sword.

19 “He is also chastened with pain on his bed,
    and with strong pain in many of his bones,
20 so that his life abhors bread,
    and his soul dainty food.
21 His flesh is consumed away that it cannot be seen,
    and his bones that were not seen stick out.
22 Yes, his soul draws near to the grave,
    and his life to the executioners.
23 If there is a messenger for him,
    an interpreter, one among a thousand,
    to show to man what is right for him,
24 then He is gracious to him, and says,
    ‘Deliver him from going down to the pit;
    I have found a ransom.’
25 His flesh will be fresher than a child’s;
    he will return to the days of his youth;
26 he will pray to God, and He will be favorable unto him,
    and he will see His face with joy,
    for He will render unto man His righteousness.
27 Then he looks at men and says,
    ‘I have sinned and perverted what was right,
    and it did not profit me.’
28 He will deliver his soul from going down to the pit,
    and his life will see the light.

29 “Behold, God works all these things,
    twice, three times with man,
30 to bring back his soul from the pit,
    to be enlightened with the light of the living.

31 “Pay attention, Job, listen to me;
    hold your peace, and I will speak.
32 If you have anything to say, answer me;
    speak, for I desire to justify you.
33 If not, listen to me; hold your peace,
    and I will teach you wisdom.”

Elihu Proclaims God’s Justice

34 Furthermore Elihu answered and said:

“Hear my words, O you wise men;
    and give ear unto me, you that have knowledge.
For the ear tests words,
    as the mouth tastes food.
Let us choose justice for ourselves;
    let us know among ourselves what is good.

“For Job has said, ‘I am righteous,
    but God has taken away my judgment.
Should I lie concerning my right?
    My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’
What man is like Job,
    who drinks scorn like water,
who goes in company with the workers of iniquity
    and walks with wicked men?
For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing
    that he should delight himself in God.’

10 “Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding:
    Far be it from God that He should do wickedness,
    and from the Almighty that He should commit iniquity.
11 He will repay a man for his work,
    and cause every man to find what is according to his ways.
12 Yes, surely God will not do wickedly,
    nor will the Almighty pervert judgment.
13 Who has given Him charge over the earth?
    Or who has set in order the whole world?
14 If He sets His heart on man,
    if He gathers unto Himself His Spirit and His breath,
15 all flesh will perish together,
    and man will turn again to dust.

16 “If now you have understanding, hear this;
    listen to the voice of my words:
17 Should he who hates justice govern?
    And will you condemn Him who is most just?
18 Is it fitting to say to a king, ‘You are wicked’?
    And to princes, ‘You are ungodly’?
19 Yet He is not partial to princes,
    nor does He regard the rich more than the poor.
    For they all are the work of His hands.
20 In a moment they will die,
    and the people will be troubled at midnight and pass away,
    and the mighty will be taken away without a hand.

21 “For His eyes are upon the ways of man,
    and He sees all his goings.
22 There is no darkness nor shadow of death
    where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
23 For He will not lay upon man more than right,
    that he should enter into judgment with God.
24 He will break in pieces mighty men without number,
    and set others in their place.
25 Therefore He knows their works,
    and He overturns them in the night
    so that they are destroyed.
26 He strikes them as wicked men
    in the open sight of others,
27 because they turned back from Him
    and would not consider any of His ways,
28 so that they cause the cry of the poor to come unto Him;
    and He hears the cry of the afflicted.
29 When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble?
    And when He hides His face, who then can behold Him,
whether it is done against a nation or against a man only?
30     That the hypocrite should not reign,
    lest the people be ensnared.

31 “Should anyone say to God,
    ‘I have borne chastisement, I will offend no more;
32 teach me what I do not see;
    if I have done iniquity, I will do no more’?
33 Should it be according to your mind?
    He will repay it, whether you refuse or whether you choose,
    and not I; therefore speak what you know.

34 “Let men of understanding say to me,
    wise men who listen to me:
35 ‘Job has spoken without knowledge,
    and his words were without wisdom.’
36 My desire is that Job may be tried unto the end,
    because he answers like wicked men.
37 For he adds rebellion unto his sin;
    he claps his hands among us,
    and multiplies his words against God.”

Elihu Condemns Self-Righteousness

35 Elihu spoke again and said:

“Do you think this is right,
    that you say, ‘My righteousness is before God’?
For you said, ‘What advantage will it be to me?
    What profit will I have if I am cleansed from my sin?’

“I will answer you,
    and your companions with you.
Look unto the heavens and see,
    and behold the clouds that are higher than you.
If you sin, what do you accomplish against Him?
    Or if your transgressions are multiplied, what does it do to Him?
If you are righteous, what does it give Him?
    Or what does He receive from your hand?
Your wickedness may hurt a man like you,
    and your righteousness may profit a son of man.

“Because of the many oppressions they cry out;
    they cry out because of the arm of the mighty.
10 But none says, ‘Where is God my Maker,
    who gives songs in the night,
11 who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth,
    and makes us wiser than the birds of heaven?’
12 There they cry out, but He does not answer
    because of the pride of evil men.
13 Surely God will not hear vanity,
    nor will the Almighty regard it.
14 Although you say you do not see Him,
    yet judgment is before Him,
    and you must trust in Him.
15 But now, because He has not punished in His anger,
    nor taken much notice of folly,
16 therefore Job opens his mouth in vain;
    he multiplies words without knowledge.”

Elihu Proclaims God’s Majesty

36 Elihu continued and said:

“Bear with me a little, and I will show you
    that I have yet to speak on God’s behalf.
I will bring my knowledge from afar
    and will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
For truly my words will not be false;
    He who is perfect in knowledge is with you.

“Behold, God is mighty and despises no one;
    He is mighty in strength and wisdom.
He does not preserve the life of the wicked,
    but gives justice to the poor.
He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous;
    but they are on the throne with kings,
    for He establishes them forever, and they are exalted.
If they are bound in chains
    and held in cords of affliction,
then He shows them their work,
    and their transgressions that they have exceeded;
10 and He opens their ear to discipline,
    and commands that they turn from iniquity.
11 If they obey and serve Him,
    they will spend their days in prosperity
    and their years in pleasures.
12 But if they do not obey,
    they will perish by the sword,
    and they will die without knowledge.

13 “But the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath;
    they do not cry out when He binds them.
14 They die in youth,
    and their life ends among the unclean.
15 He delivers the poor in their affliction,
    and opens their ears in oppression.

16 “Even so He would have removed you out of distress
    into a broad place where there is no restraint;
    and that which was set on your table would be full of richness.
17 But you are filled with the judgment due the wicked;
    judgment and justice take hold of you.
18 Because there is wrath, beware lest He take you away with a blow;
    even a great ransom cannot deliver you.
19 Will He esteem your riches?
    No, not gold, nor all the force of your strength.
20 Do not desire the night,
    when people are cut off in their place.
21 Take heed! Do not turn to iniquity,
    for you have chosen this rather than affliction.

22 “Behold, God is exalted in His power;
    who teaches like Him?
23 Who has prescribed His way for Him?
    Or who can say, ‘You have worked iniquity’?
24 Remember to magnify His work,
    which men behold.
25 Every man may see it;
    man may behold it from afar.
26 Look, God is great, and we do not know Him,
    nor can the number of His years be searched out.

27 “For He draws up the drops of water;
    they distill rain according to its mist,
28 which the clouds drop down,
    and drip upon man abundantly.
29 Indeed, can anyone understand the spreading of clouds,
    or the noise of His tent?
30 See, He spreads His light upon it
    and covers the bottom of the sea.
31 For by these He judges the people;
    He gives food in abundance.
32 With clouds He covers the light,
    and commands it to strike the mark.
33 Its thunder declares it,
    the cattle also, concerning the rising storm.

37 “At this also my heart trembles
    and moves out of its place.
Hear attentively the thunder of His voice,
    and the sound that goes out of His mouth.
He lets it loose under the whole heaven,
    and His lightning unto the ends of the earth.
After it a voice roars; He thunders with His majestic voice,
    and He does not restrain them when His voice is heard.
God thunders marvelously with His voice;
    He does great things that we cannot comprehend.
For He says to the snow, ‘Come on the earth,’
    likewise to the gentle rain and to the heavy rain of His strength.
He seals up the hand of every man,
    that all men may know His work.
Then the beasts go into dens
    and remain in their places.
Out of the south comes the whirlwind,
    and cold out of the north.
10 By the breath of God frost is given,
    and the broad waters are frozen.
11 Also He loads the thick clouds with moisture;
    He scatters His bright clouds,
12 and they are turned about by His guidance,
    that they may do whatever He commands them
    upon the face of the inhabited earth.
13 He causes it to come, whether for correction,
    or for His land or for mercy.

14 “Listen to this, Job; stand still
    and consider the wondrous works of God.
15 Do you know when God dispatches them
    and causes the light of His cloud to shine?
16 Do you know how the clouds are balanced,
    the wondrous works of Him who is perfect in knowledge?
17 How your garments are warm,
    when He quiets the earth by the south wind?
18 Have you, with Him, spread out the sky,
    which is strong and is like a molded mirror?

19 “Teach us what we will say to Him,
    for we cannot prepare our speech because of the darkness.
20 Will it be told Him that I speak?
    If a man speaks, surely he will be swallowed up.
21 Now men do not see the bright light
    which is in the clouds,
    but the wind passes and cleanses them.
22 Fair weather comes out of the north;
    with God is terrible majesty.
23 Concerning the Almighty, we cannot find Him out;
    He is excellent in power, and in judgment,
    and in much righteousness He will not oppress.
24 Men therefore fear Him;
    He shows no partiality to those who are wise in heart.”

The Lord Speaks to Job

38 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:

“Who is this who darkens counsel
    by words without knowledge?
Prepare yourself like a man;
    for I will question you,
    and you shall answer Me.

“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
    Declare, if you have understanding.
Who has determined its measurements, if you know?
    Or who has stretched the line upon it?
To what are its foundations fastened?
    Or who laid its cornerstone
when the morning stars sang together,
    and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

“Or who shut up the sea with doors
    when it broke forth and went out of the womb?
When I made the cloud its garment,
    and thick darkness its swaddling band,
10 and broke up for it My decreed place,
    and set bars and doors,
11 and said, ‘This far you will come but no farther,
    and here your proud waves will be stopped’?

12 “Have you commanded the morning in your days,
    and caused the dawn to know its place,
13 that it might take hold of the ends of the earth,
    that the wicked might be shaken out of it?
14 It is turned like clay by the seal,
    and it stands out as a garment.
15 From the wicked their light is withheld,
    and the high arm will be broken.

16 “Have you entered into the springs of the sea?
    Or have you walked in search of the depths?
17 Have the gates of death been opened to you?
    Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death?
18 Have you perceived the breadth of the earth?
    Declare, if you know it all.

19 “Where is the path where light dwells?
    And as for darkness, where is its place,
20 that you should take it to its boundary,
    and that you should know the paths to its house?
21 Do you know it because you were born then,
    or because the number of your days is many?

22 “Have you entered the treasuries of the snow?
    Or have you seen the treasuries of the hail,
23 which I have reserved against the time of trouble,
    against the day of battle and war?
24 By what way is the light diffused,
    or the east wind scattered upon the earth?
25 Who has divided a channel for the overflowing waters,
    or a path for the thunderbolt,
26 to cause it to rain on the earth where no man is,
    on the wilderness in which there are no people,
27 to satisfy the desolate waste,
    and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth?
28 Does the rain have a father?
    Or who has produced the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb came the ice?
    And the frost of heaven, who gives it birth?
30 The waters harden like stone,
    and the surface of the deep is frozen.

31 “Can you tie the cords to the Pleiades
    or loosen the belt of Orion?
32 Can you bring out the constellation in its season?
    Or can you guide the Bear with its cubs?
33 Do you know the ordinances of heaven?
    Can you set their dominion over the earth?

34 “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
    that abundance of waters may cover you?
35 Can you send lightning that they may go forth
    and say to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who has put wisdom in the inward parts,
    or who has given understanding to the heart?[a]
37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom?
    Or who can empty out the bottles of heaven,
38 when the dust turns into hard clumps
    and the clods stick together?

39 “Will you hunt the prey for the lion?
    Or fill the appetite of the young lions,
40 when they crouch in their dens
    and lie in the thicket to wait in ambush?
41 Who provides for the raven his food
    when his young ones cry unto God,
    and they wander about for lack of food?

39 “Do you know the time when the wild mountain goats produce offspring?
    Or can you observe when the deer gives birth?
Can you number the months that they fulfill,
    or do you know the time when they bring forth?
They bow themselves, they bring forth their young ones,
    they get rid of their labor pains.
Their young ones are healthy, they grow strong with grain;
    they go forth and do not return to them.

“Who has sent out the wild donkey free?
    Or who has loosed the bands of the wild donkey,
whose home I have made the wilderness,
    and the barren land his dwelling?
He scorns the multitude in the city
    and does not regard the shouts of the driver.
The range of the mountains is his pasture,
    and he searches after every green thing.

“Will the wild ox be willing to serve you
    or spend the night by your manger?
10 Can you bind the wild ox in the furrow with ropes?
    Or will he plow the valleys behind you?
11 Will you trust him because his strength is great?
    Or will you leave your labor to him?
12 Will you trust him to bring home your grain
    and gather it into your barn?

13 “Did you give the beautiful wings to the peacocks?
    Or wings and feathers to the ostrich,
14 who leaves her eggs in the earth,
    and warms them in dust,
15 and forgets that a foot may crush them,
    or that the wild beast may break them?
16 She is hardened against her young ones,
    as though they were not hers;
    her labor is in vain, without concern,
17 because God has deprived her of wisdom,
    nor has He imparted understanding to her.
18 When she lifts up herself on high,
    she scorns the horse and his rider.

19 “Have you given the horse strength?
    Have you clothed his neck with thunder?
20 Can you make him afraid like a grasshopper?
    The glory of his nostrils is awesome.
21 He paws in the valley and rejoices in his strength;
    he goes on to meet the armed men.
22 He mocks at fear and is not frightened,
    nor does he turn back from the sword.
23 The quiver rattles against him,
    the glittering spear and the shield.
24 He devours the distance with fierceness and rage,
    and he does not stand still at the sound of the trumpet.
25 At the sound of the trumpet he says, ‘Aha’;
    he smells the battle afar off,
    the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

26 “Does the hawk fly by your wisdom,
    and stretch her wings toward the south?
27 Does the eagle mount up at your command
    and make her nest on high?
28 She dwells and remains on the rock,
    upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place.
29 From there she seeks the prey,
    and her eyes see it from afar.
30 Her young ones also suck up blood,
    and where the slain are, there she is.”

40 Moreover, the Lord answered Job and said:

“Will he who argues with the Almighty instruct Him?
    He who rebukes God, let him answer it.”

Job Replies to the Lord

Then Job answered the Lord and said:

“Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer You?
    I will lay my hand over my mouth.
Once have I spoken, but I will not answer;
    yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.”

The Lord Challenges Job

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:

“Prepare yourself now like a man;
    I will question you,
    and you will answer Me.

“Will you indeed annul My judgment?
    Will you condemn Me, that you may be righteous?
Have you an arm like God?
    Or can you thunder with a voice like Him?
10 Adorn yourself now with majesty and excellence,
    and array yourself with glory and beauty.
11 Let loose the rage of your wrath,
    and look on every one who is proud and abase him;
12 look on every one who is proud and bring him low,
    and tread down the wicked in their place.
13 Hide them in the dust together,
    and imprison them in the hidden place of the grave.
14 Then I will also confess to you
    that your own right hand can save you.

15 “Look now at the behemoth
    which I made along with you;
    he eats grass like an ox.
16 See now his strength is in his hips,
    and his power is in the muscles of his belly.
17 He moves his tail like a cedar;
    the sinews of his thighs are wrapped together.
18 His bones are like strong pieces of brass;
    his bones are like bars of iron.
19 He is the first of the works of God;
    He who made him can bring near His sword.
20 Surely the mountains bring forth food for him,
    where all the beasts of the field play.
21 He lies under the shady trees,
    in the thicket of the reed and marsh.
22 The shady trees cover him with their shadow;
    the willows of the brook surround him.
23 Look, the river rages, but he is not alarmed;
    he trusts that he can draw up the Jordan into his mouth.
24 Can anyone catch it by its eyes,
    or pierce its nose with a snare?

41 “Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook[b]
    or snare his tongue with a line which you let down?
Can you put a cord into his nose,
    or pierce his jaw with a hook?
Will he make many supplications to you?
    Will he speak soft words to you?
Will he make a covenant with you?
    Will you take him for a servant forever?
Will you play with him as with a bird?
    Or will you put him on a leash for your maidens?
Will your companions make a banquet of him?
    Will they divide him among the merchants?
Can you fill his skin with harpoons
    or his head with fishing spears?
Lay your hand on him;
    remember the battle—you will do it no more.
Notice, any hope of overcoming him is in vain;
    shall not one be overwhelmed at the sight of him?
10 No one is so fierce that he dares to stir him up.
    Who then is able to stand before Me?
11 Who has preceded Me that I should repay him?
    Everything under heaven is Mine.

12 “I will not conceal his limbs,
    nor his power, nor his graceful proportions.
13 Who can remove his outer garment?
    Or who can approach him with a double bridle?
14 Who can open the jaws of his face?
    His teeth are terrible all around.
15 His scales are his pride,
    shut up tightly as with a seal.
16 One is so near to another
    that no air can come between them.
17 They are joined to each other;
    they stick together that they cannot be separated.
18 His sneezing flashes forth light,
    and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
19 Out of his mouth go burning lights,
    and sparks of fire leap out.
20 Out of his nostrils goes smoke
    as out of a seething pot or cauldron.
21 His breath kindles coals,
    and a flame goes out of his mouth.
22 In his neck remains strength,
    and sorrow is turned into joy before him.
23 The folds of his flesh are joined together;
    they are firm on him; they cannot be moved.
24 His heart is as firm as a stone,
    yes, as hard as a piece of the lower millstone.
25 When he raises up himself even the gods are afraid;
    because of his crashings they are beside themselves.
26 The sword that reaches him cannot avail,
    nor does the spear, the arrow, or the javelin.
27 He counts iron as straw,
    and brass as rotten wood.
28 The arrow cannot make him flee;
    slingstones are turned into stubble by him.
29 Arrows are counted as straw;
    he laughs at the shaking of a spear.
30 Sharp stones are his underside;
    he leaves a mark in the mire like a sharp threshing sledge.
31 He makes the deep to boil like a pot;
    he makes the sea like a pot of ointment.
32 He leaves a shining wake behind him;
    one would think the deep had white hair.
33 On earth there is nothing like him,
    a creature made without fear.
34 He beholds all high things;
    he is a king over all the children of pride.”

Modern English Version (MEV)

The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.