Chronological
Chapter 10
Tell Me Why![a]
1 “I loathe my very life;
therefore I will give free rein to my complaints
and speak out in the bitterness of my soul.
2 I will say to God: ‘Do not condemn me,
but simply let me know what is your charge against me.
3 Do you get any joy in oppressing me,
spurning the work of your own hands
while approving the schemes of the wicked?
4 “ ‘Do you have eyes of flesh?
Do you see as a mortal sees?
5 Are your days like those of a mortal,
or your years like those of a man,
6 that you investigate my iniquity
and keep a record of my sins,
7 even though you know that I am innocent
and have no one to rescue me from your hand?
I Realize What Was Your Intent[b]
8 “ ‘Your hands created and fashioned me;
will you now turn away and destroy me?
9 Remember that you fashioned me like clay;
will you now reduce me again to dust?
10 Did you not pour me out like milk
and curdle me like cheese?
11 You clothed me with skin and flesh
and knit me together with bones and sinews.
12 “ ‘You have given me life and kindness,
and in your providence you have preserved my spirit.
13 Yet within your heart you had a secret plan,
and I realize what was your intent:
14 you would be watching me,
and if I sinned, you would not absolve me of my guilt.
15 “ ‘Woe to me if I should be wicked.
Even if I am righteous, I dare not lift up my head,
for I am filled with shame
and bent over with affliction.
16 Should I lift up my head, you hunt me like a proud lion,
confronting me time and again with your awesome power.
17 You renew your onslaughts against me,
your fury increasing incessantly
as fresh troops assail me wave after wave.
Let Me Alone So That I May Have a Few Moments of Happiness
18 “ ‘Why did you bring me forth from the womb?
It would have been better if I had died
before an eye had beheld me,
19 and had been carried from the womb to the grave
as though I had never existed.
20 Do I not have but a few remaining days of life?
Let me alone so that I may have a few moments of happiness
21 before I go to the place of no return,
to the land of gloom and darkness,
22 to the land of deepest night,
a land of gloom and disorder,
where even the light is like darkness.’ ”
Zophar’s First Speech[c]
Chapter 11
God Recognizes the Deceitful. 1 Then Zophar the Naamathite responded:
2 “Should we allow this torrent of words to go unanswered?
Is a clever speaker always to be considered right?
3 Should your endless talk reduce others to silence?
When you mock, is no one allowed to refute you?
4 For you said, ‘My judgments are irrefutable
and I am blameless in the sight of God.’
5 Oh, how I wish that God would speak
and open his lips to contradict your opinions
6 while revealing to you the secrets of wisdom,
which puts human intelligence to shame.
Thus, you might know
that God will call you to account for your sin.
7 “Can you fathom the mysteries of God?
Can you attain to the perfection of the Almighty?
8 It is higher than the heavens—what can you do?
It is deeper than the netherworld—what can you know?
9 Its measure is longer than the earth
and broader than the sea.
10 “If while passing by he decides to imprison you
or subject you to judgment, who can prevent him?
11 He surely recognizes the deceitful;
he will hardly ignore their iniquity.
12 An ignorant fool can no more gain understanding
than a wild donkey can be domesticated.
Stretch Out Your Hands toward God[d]
13 “However, if you will have a change of heart
and stretch out your hands toward him in prayer,
14 if you banish all iniquity far away from you
and do not allow wickedness to penetrate your tent,
15 you will then be able to lift up your face in innocence;
you will be unwavering and without fear.
16 You will then forget your wretchedness,
remembering it only as flood waters gone by.
17 “Then your life will be brighter than noonday,
and its darkness will be like morning.
18 You will be filled with confidence because there is hope;
you will look around and take your rest in safety.
19 You will lie down without fearing anyone,
and many will seek your favor.
20 But the eyes of the wicked will fail;
for them all the ways of escape will be closed,
and all they can hope for is death.”
Job’s Third Response[e]
Chapter 12
Wisdom Will Die with You.[f] 1 Job then answered with these words:
2 “Undoubtedly, you are the voice of the people,
and when you die, wisdom will die with you.
3 But I also have intelligence;
I am not inferior to you in this regard.
Who is ignorant of all these things?
4 [g]“I have become a laughingstock to my friends,
I whom God would answer when I called upon him;
although I am innocent and just, he afflicted me.
5 Those who live untroubled lives scorn the misfortunes of others,
the blows that strike those who are already staggering.
6 Yet the tents of robbers remain undisturbed,
and those who provoke God sleep securely
as well as those who make a god of their strength.[h]
7 “But ask the animals, and they will teach you;
ask the birds of the air, and they will inform you.
8 Ask the reptiles on earth, and they will instruct you,
or let the fish of the sea enlighten you.
9 Which of all these is unaware
that the hand of God has done this?
10 “In God’s hand is the soul of every living thing
and the breath of all mankind.
11 Does not the ear test words
as the palate tastes food?
12 Wisdom is found in the aged,
and long life nourishes understanding.
With God Are Wisdom and Power
13 “With God are wisdom and power;
wise counsel and understanding are his.
14 If he tears down, no one can rebuild;
anyone he imprisons cannot gain freedom.
15 If he holds back the waters, drought ensues;
if he releases them, the land is overwhelmed.
16 Strength and wisdom are his;
his too are the deceived and the deceivers.
17 “He deprives counselors of their wits
and makes fools of judges.
18 He looses the sashes of kings
and gives them only a waistcloth to cover their loins.[i]
19 He forces priests to walk barefoot
and overthrows those in positions of power.
20 He silences the lips of trusted counselors
and deprives the aged of their power of discernment.
21 “He pours contempt on princes
and disarms the powerful.
22 He unveils mysteries long obscured in darkness
and brings their meaning to light.
23 He makes nations great and then destroys them;
he enlarges nations and then reduces them to nothing.
24 He weakens the minds of the leaders of the earth
and leaves them to wander in a trackless waste.
25 They grope their way in the darkness without light,
staggering like drunken men.
Chapter 13
Be Silent—I Want To Question God[j]
1 “All this I have observed with my own eyes;
my ears have heard and understood it.
2 What you know, I also know;
I am not inferior to you in any way.
3 But I only wish to speak with the Almighty
and to argue my case with God.
4 As for you, you are obscuring the truth with lies,
and the solutions you offer are all worthless.
5 “Oh, if only you would be completely silent!
For you, that would be regarded as wisdom.
6 Hear now my reasoning
and listen to the plea that issues from my lips.
7 Is it on God’s behalf that you utter lies?
Is it in his defense that you speak deceitfully?
8 Will you show partiality for him
as you plead his case?
9 “Will you feel totally comfortable when he examines you?
Will you be able to deceive him as you deceive men?
10 If you show partiality, even though not flagrant,
he will surely rebuke you.
11 Will not his majesty frighten you
and the fear of him overcome you?
12 The ideas you propose are proverbs of ash;
your arguments are defenses of clay.
13 “Be silent so that I may speak on my own behalf.
Then let what may come upon me.
14 I am taking my life in my own hands
and placing myself in jeopardy.
15 Perhaps he may slay me, but I have no other hope
than to defend my conduct before him.
16 This will prove to be my salvation,
for the godless will not dare to come before him.
I Am Certain That I Will Be Vindicated[k]
17 “Therefore, listen carefully to my words
and give my defense a careful hearing.
18 I have prepared my case carefully,
and I am certain that I will be vindicated.
19 If anyone can make a valid case against me,
then I will be silent and die.
20 “Only grant me two things, O God,
and then I will not hide myself from your face:
21 just withdraw your hand far from me,
and stop frightening me with your terrors.
22 Then summon me, and I will answer,
or let me speak first, and then you can reply.
23 “Of how many crimes and sins am I guilty?
Make known to me my faults and my transgressions.
24 Why do you hide your face[l]
and look upon me as your enemy?
25 Will you harass a wind-blown leaf
and chase after dry chaff?
26 “For you have drawn up bitter charges against me
and caused me to suffer for the iniquities of my youth,
27 putting my feet in the stocks
and keeping a close watch on every step I take
as you trace all my footprints.
28 Thus, I waste away like rotting wood
or like a moth-eaten garment.
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