Chronological
Job Cries Out to God
10 “(A)My soul is loathed by my life;
I will abandon all restraint in myself to (B)my complaint;
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
2 I will say to God, ‘(C)Do not account me as wicked;
Let me know why You contend with me.
3 Is it good to You that You (D)oppress,
That You reject (E)the labor of Your hands,
And [a]cause (F)the counsel of the wicked to shine forth?
4 Have You eyes of flesh?
Or do You (G)see as a mortal man sees?
5 Are Your days as the days of a mortal man,
Or (H)Your years as man’s years,
6 That (I)You should seek for my guilt
And search after my sin?
7 According to Your knowledge (J)I am indeed not wicked,
Yet there is (K)no [b]deliverer from Your hand.
8 ‘(L)Your hands fashioned and made me [c]altogether,
(M)And would You swallow me up?
9 Remember now, that You have made me as (N)clay;
And would You (O)turn me into dust again?
10 Did You not pour me out like milk
And curdle me like cheese,
11 Clothe me with skin and flesh,
And knit me together with bones and sinews?
12 You have (P)made alongside me life and lovingkindness;
And Your care has kept my spirit.
13 Yet (Q)these things You have concealed in Your heart;
I know that this is within You:
14 If I sin, then You would (R)take note of me
And (S)would not acquit me of my guilt.
15 If (T)I am wicked, woe to me!
And (U)if I am righteous, I dare not lift up my head.
I am sated with disgrace—so see my misery!
16 Should my head be set on high, (V)You would hunt me like a lion;
And again You would show Your (W)wonders against me.
17 You renew (X)Your witnesses against me
And increase Your vexation toward me;
[d](Y)Hardship after hardship is with me.
18 ‘(Z)Why then have You brought me out of the womb?
Would that I had breathed my last and no eye had seen me!
19 I should have been as though I had not been,
Carried from womb to tomb.’
20 Would He not cease (AA)for a few of my days?
[e](AB)Withdraw from me that I may have a little cheer
21 Before I go—(AC)and I shall not return—
(AD)To the land of darkness and (AE)shadow of death,
22 The land of utter gloom as the thick darkness itself,
Of the shadow of death, without order,
And which shines as the thick darkness.”
Zophar Asks, Can You Find the Depths of God?
11 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said,
2 “Shall a multitude of words go unanswered,
And a (AF)man of lips be in the right?
3 Shall your boasts silence men?
And shall you (AG)mock and none rebuke?
4 (AH)You have said, ‘My learning is pure,
And (AI)I am innocent in your eyes.’
5 But would that God might speak,
And open His lips against you,
6 And tell you the secrets of wisdom!
For sound wisdom [f](AJ)has two sides.
Know then that God [g]forgets a part of (AK)your iniquity.
7 “(AL)Can you find the depths of God?
Can you find the limits of the Almighty?
8 They are (AM)high as [h]the heavens, what can you do?
Deeper than (AN)Sheol, what can you know?
9 Its measure is longer than the earth
And broader than the sea.
10 If He sweeps by or shuts up,
Or calls an assembly, (AO)who can turn Him around?
11 For (AP)He knows worthless men,
And He (AQ)sees wickedness, [i]so will He not carefully consider it?
12 [j](AR)Yet an empty headed man will obtain a heart of wisdom,
And the [k]foal of a (AS)wild donkey is born a man.
13 “(AT)If you would (AU)set your heart right
And (AV)spread out your hand to Him,
14 If wickedness is in your hand, (AW)put it far away,
And do not let unrighteousness dwell in your tents;
15 Then, indeed, you could (AX)lift up your face without moral defect,
And you would be steadfast and (AY)not fear.
16 For you would (AZ)forget your trouble,
As (BA)waters that pass by, so you would remember it.
17 And your lifetime would (BB)arise brighter than noonday;
Darkness would be like the morning.
18 Then you would trust, because there is hope;
And you would search around and rest securely.
19 You would (BC)lie down and none would make you tremble,
And many would (BD)entreat your [l]favor.
20 But the (BE)eyes of the wicked will come to an end,
And escape will (BF)perish from them;
And their (BG)hope is (BH)the expiring of their soul.”
Job Answers
12 Then Job answered and said,
2 “Truly then (BI)you are the people,
And with you wisdom will die!
3 But (BJ)I have a heart of wisdom as well as you;
I do not fall short of you.
And [m]who does not know such things as these?
4 I am a (BK)laughingstock to [n]my friends,
The one who called on God and He answered him;
The righteous and (BL)blameless man is a laughingstock.
5 [o]As for upheaval, there is only contempt by the one who acts at ease,
But it is prepared for those whose feet slip.
6 The (BM)tents of the destroyers are complacent,
And those who provoke God (BN)are secure,
[p]Whom God brings (BO)into their power.
7 “But now ask the beasts, and let them instruct you;
And the birds of the sky, and let them tell you.
8 Or muse to the earth, and let it instruct you;
And let the fish of the sea recount it to you.
9 Who among all these does not know
That (BP)the hand of Yahweh has done this,
10 (BQ)In whose hand is the life of every living thing,
And (BR)the breath of all the flesh of man?
11 Does not (BS)the ear test words,
As the palate [q]tastes its food?
12 Wisdom is with (BT)aged men,
With [r]long life is discernment.
Job Speaks of God’s Strength
13 “With Him are (BU)wisdom and (BV)might;
To Him belong counsel and (BW)discernment.
14 Behold, He (BX)pulls down, and it cannot be rebuilt;
He (BY)closes a man in, and it cannot be opened.
15 Behold, He (BZ)restrains the waters, and they dry up;
And He (CA)sends them out, and they overturn the earth.
16 With Him are strength and sound wisdom;
The (CB)misled and the misleader belong to Him.
17 He makes (CC)counselors walk [s]barefoot
And makes fools of (CD)judges.
18 He (CE)opens the [t]bond of kings
And binds their loins with a belt.
19 He makes priests walk [u]barefoot
And subverts (CF)the enduring ones.
20 He removes speech from the faithful
And (CG)takes away the discerning taste of the elders.
21 He (CH)pours contempt on nobles
And (CI)loosens the belt of the strong.
22 He (CJ)reveals mysteries from the darkness
And brings out the shadows of death into light.
23 He (CK)makes the nations great, then makes them perish;
He [v]enlarges the nations, then leads them away.
24 He (CL)removes the heart of wisdom from the heads of the earth’s people
And makes them wander in a pathless [w]waste.
25 They (CM)grope in darkness with no light,
And He makes them (CN)wander about like a drunken man.
I Will Be Declared Righteous
13 “(CO)Behold, my eye has seen all this;
My ear has heard and understood it.
2 (CP)What you know I also know;
I have not fallen short of you.
3 “But (CQ)I would speak to [x]the Almighty,
And I desire to (CR)argue with God.
4 But you (CS)cover me with lies;
You are all (CT)worthless physicians.
5 O that you would (CU)be completely silent,
And that it would become your wisdom!
6 Please hear my argument
And give heed to the contentions of my lips.
7 Will you (CV)speak what is unrighteous for God,
And speak what is deceitful for Him?
8 Will you (CW)show partiality for Him?
Will you contend for God?
9 Will it be well when He examines you?
Or (CX)will you deceive Him as one deceives a man?
10 He will surely reprove you
If you secretly (CY)show partiality.
11 Will not (CZ)His exaltedness terrify you,
And the dread of Him fall on you?
12 Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes;
Your defenses are defenses of clay.
13 “(DA)Be silent before me so that I may speak;
Then let come on me what may.
14 Why should I take my flesh in my teeth
And (DB)put my life in my [y]hands?
15 [z](DC)Though He slay me,
I will hope in Him.
Nevertheless I (DD)will argue my ways [aa]before Him.
16 This also will be my (DE)salvation,
For (DF)a godless man may not come before His presence.
17 [ab]Listen carefully to my words,
And let my declaration fill your ears.
18 Behold now, I have (DG)arranged my case for justice;
I know that (DH)I will be declared righteous.
19 (DI)Who will contend with me?
For now I am silent and (DJ)will breathe my last.
20 “Only two things do not do to me,
Then I will not hide from Your face:
21 (DK)Move Your [ac]hand far from me,
And let not the dread of You terrify me.
22 Then call, and (DL)I will answer;
Or let me speak, then respond to me.
23 (DM)How many are my iniquities and sins?
Make known to me my transgression and my sin.
24 Why do You (DN)hide Your face
And think of me as (DO)Your enemy?
25 Will You cause a (DP)driven leaf to tremble?
Or will You pursue the dry (DQ)chaff?
26 For You write (DR)bitter things against me
And (DS)make me to possess the iniquities of my youth.
27 You (DT)put my feet in the stocks
And kept watch over all my paths;
You [ad]set a limit for the soles of my feet,
28 While [ae]I am decaying like a (DU)rotten thing,
Like a garment that is moth-eaten.
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