Chronological
6 But Job answered and said,
2 “Oh that my grief was well-weighed, and that my miseries were laid with it on the scale!
3 “For it would now be heavier than the sand of the sea. Therefore, my words have been rash.
4 “For the arrows of the Almighty are in me. My spirit drinks up their poison. The terrors of God fight against me.
5 “Does the wild donkey bray when he has grass? Or does the ox bellow when he has fodder?
6 “That which is unsavory, shall it be eaten without salt? Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?
7 “Such things my soul refused to touch, like food that made me ill.
8 “Oh that I might have my desire, and that God would grant me the thing that I long for:
9 “that is, that God would destroy me, that He would let His Hand go and cut me off.
10 “Then I would still have comfort (though I burn with sorrow, Him not sparing) because I have not denied the Words of the Holy One.
11 “What strength do I have, that I should hope? Or what is my end if I should prolong my life?
12 “Is my strength the strength of stones? Is my flesh of bronze?
13 “Is it not so, that there is no help in me, and that strength is taken from me?
14 “He who is in misery ought to be comforted by his neighbor. But men have forsaken the fear of the Almighty.
15 “My brothers have deceived me as a brook. As the rising of the rivers, they pass away,
16 “which are black with ice and wherein the snow is hidden.
17 “But in time they are dried up with heat and are consumed. And when it is hot, they vanish from their places.
18 “They depart from their way and course. They vanish and perish.
19 “Those who went to Tema, considered them. Those who went to Sheba, waited for them.
20 “They were confounded. When they were confident, they came there and were embarrassed.
21 “Surely, now, you are like that. You have seen my fearful plague and are afraid.
22 “Did I say, ‘Bring to me,’ or ‘Give a reward to me from your substance,’
23 “or ‘Deliver me from the enemy’s hand,’ or ‘Ransom me out of the hand of tyrants?’
24 “Teach me, and I will hold my tongue. And cause me to understand wherein I have erred.
25 “How steadfast are the words of righteousness! And what can any of you justly prove?
26 “Do you plan to reprove words, so that the talk of the afflicted should be as the wind?
27 “You make your wrath fall upon the fatherless, and dig a pit for your friend.
28 “Now, therefore, be content to look at me. For I will not lie to your face.
29 “Relent, please. Let there be no iniquity. Relent, I say, and you shall still see my righteousness. Is there iniquity on my tongue? Does not my mouth discern desire?”
7 “Is there not an appointed time for man upon Earth? And are not his days as the days of a hired servant?
2 “As a servant longs for the shade, and as a hireling looks for the end of his work,
3 “so I have inherited months of emptiness. And painful nights have been appointed to me.
4 “If I lie down, I say, ‘When shall I arise, and the night be over?’ For I’ve had enough of tossing to and fro until dawn.
5 “My flesh is clothed with worms and filthiness of the dust. My skin is broken and has become loathsome.
6 “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle. And they are spent without hope.
7 “Remember that my life is but a breath. My eye shall not return to see pleasure.
8 “The eye that has seen me, shall see me no more. Your eyes are upon me, and I shall be no longer.
9 “As the cloud vanishes and goes away, so he who goes down to the grave shall come up no more.
10 “He shall return no more to his house. Nor shall his place know him anymore.
11 “Therefore, I will not restrain my mouth, but will speak in the trouble of my spirit, and muse in the bitterness of my mind.
12 “Am I a sea or a dragon, that You keep me under guard?
13 “When I say, ‘My couch shall relieve me. My bed shall bring comfort in my meditation,’
14 “then You scare me with dreams, and astonish me with visions.
15 “Therefore, my soul chooses to be strangled and to die, rather than to be in my bones.
16 “I abhor it. I would not live forever. Spare me, then. For my days are without meaning.
17 “What is man, that You magnify him, and that You set Your Heart upon him,
18 “and visit him every morning, and test him every moment?
19 “How long will it be before You depart from me? You will not leave me alone while I can swallow my spittle.
20 “I have sinned. What did I do to You, O You, Preserver of men? Why have You set me against Yourself, so that I am a burden to myself?
21 “And why do You not pardon my trespass, and take away my iniquity? For now, I shall sleep in the dust. And if You seek me in the morning, I shall no longer be.”
8 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered, and said,
2 “How long will you talk of these things? And how long shall the words of your mouth be as a mighty wind?
3 “Does God pervert judgment? Or does the Almighty subvert justice?
4 “If your sons have sinned against Him, and He has sent them into the place of their iniquity,
5 “if you will seek God early, and pray to the Almighty,
6 “if you are pure and upright, then surely He will be stirred up. And He will make the habitation of your righteousness peaceful.
7 “And though your beginning was small, your future shall greatly increase.
8 “Please inquire, therefore, of the previous age, and prepare yourself to search their fathers.
9 “(For we are but from yesterday and are ignorant. For our days upon Earth are but a shadow).
10 “Shall they not teach you and tell you and utter the words of their heart?
11 “Can a reed grow without a marsh? Or can the grass grow without water?
12 “Though it is green and not cut down, it shall still wither before any other herb.
13 “So are the paths of all who forget God. And the hypocrite’s hope shall perish.
14 “His confidence also shall be cut off. And his trust shall be as the web of a spider.
15 “He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand. He shall hold himself fast to it, yet it shall not endure.
16 “He is green before the Sun, and his branches spread over his garden.
17 “His roots are wrapped around the heap and are folded around the stones.
18 “If anyone pulls him from his place, it denies him, saying, ‘I have not seen you’.
19 “Behold, he will rejoice by this means, so that others may grow out of the earth.
20 “Behold, God will not cast away an upright man. Nor will He take the wicked by the hand
21 “until He has filled your mouth with laughter, and your lips with joy.
22 “Those who hate you shall be clothed with shame. And the dwelling of the wicked shall not remain.”
9 Then Job answered, and said,
2 “I know truly that it is so. For how should man be justified with God?
3 “If he would dispute with Him, he could not answer Him one thing of a thousand.
4 “He is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has been fierce against him and has prospered?
5 “He removes the mountains and they do not feel when He overthrows them in His wrath.
6 “He shakes the Earth out of its place, so that its pillars tremble.
7 “He Commands the Sun, and it does not rise. He seals up the stars.
8 “He alone spreads out the heavens and walks upon the height of the sea.
9 “He makes Arcturus, Orion, Pleiades, and the chambers of the South.
10 “He does great things, and unsearchable, indeed, marvelous things, without number.
11 “Lo, when He passes by me, I do not see Him. And when He passes by, I do not perceive Him.
12 “Behold, when He takes away, who can make Him restore it? Who shall say to Him, ‘What are you doing?’
13 “God will not withdraw His anger. The helpers of the proud stoop under Him.
14 “How shall I answer Him? Or how should I find my words with Him?
15 “For though I were just, yet I could not answer, only make supplication to my Judge.
16 “If I cry and He answers me, I do not believe that He heard my voice.
17 “For He destroys me with a storm, and wounds me without cause.
18 “He will not allow me to take my breath but fills me with bitterness.
19 “If we speak of strength, behold, He is strong. If we speak of judgment, who shall bring me in to plead?
20 “If I should justify myself, my own mouth shall condemn me. If I wish to be upright, He shall judge me wicked.
21 “I am upright, yet I do not know my soul. I reject life.
22 “These are the same thing. Therefore, I said, ‘He destroys the upright and the wicked.’
23 “If the scourge should suddenly kill, God will mock the trial of the innocent.
24 “The Earth is given into the hand of the wicked. He covers the faces of its judges. If not Him, then Who?
25 “My days have been more swift than a runner. They have fled, and have seen no good thing.
26 “They have passed as the swiftest ships, and as the eagle that flies to the prey.
27 “If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint. I will cease looking sad and put on a smile,’
28 “then I am afraid of my sorrows, knowing that You will not judge me innocent.
29 “If I am wicked, why do I labor in vain?
30 “If I wash myself with snow water, and purge my hands most clean,
31 “You shall still plunge me into the pit. And my own clothes shall make me filthy.
32 “For He is not a man, as I am, that I should answer Him if we met in court.
33 “Nor is there any umpire that might lay his hand upon us both.
34 “Let Him take His rod away from me. And do not let my fear of Him terrify me.
35 “Then I would speak, and not fear Him. But it is not so with me.
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