Chronological
Job Describes Social Injustice
24 Why doesn’t the Almighty reserve time for judgment?
And why don’t those who know him perceive his days?
2 They move boundary stones,[a]
steal flocks, and pasture them.[b]
3 They drive away the orphan’s donkey;
they take the ox of the widow as security for a loan;[c]
4 They push the needy off the road,
and force the poor of the land into hiding.
5 “Look! Like wild donkeys in the wilderness,
they work diligently as they seek wild game in the desert,
food for them and their young ones.
6 They reap fodder in the field
and glean in the vineyard of the wicked.
7 They spend the night naked, without clothing,
with no covering against the cold.
8 They are wet from mountain rains;
without shelter, they cling to a rock.
9 “The fatherless are torn from the breast;
the poor are taken away as security for a loan.[d]
10 They wander around naked, without clothes;
hungry, though they carry sheaves of grain.[e]
11 They press oil between the olive groves owned by the wicked;
they suffer from thirst, even while treading the winepress.
12 From the city, dying men groan aloud,
and the wounded cries out for help,
but God charges no one with wrong.
13 “Then there are those who rebel against the light;
they are not acquainted with its ways;
and they don’t stay on its course.[f]
14 The murderer rises at dawn to kill the poor and needy;
at night, he is like a thief.
15 The adulterer watches for twilight,[g]
saying, ‘No eye is watching me’
while he veils his face.
16 They break into houses in the dark;
during the day they remained sealed in.
They don’t know daylight.
17 As a group, deep darkness is their morning time;
fear that lives in darkness is their friend.”
Social Injustice will Be Punished
18 “They remain only a short time on the water’s surface;
their inheritance will be cursed in the land;
no one will work in their vineyards.
19 As drought and heat evaporate melting snow,
that’s what Sheol[h] does with sinners.
20 The womb will forget them.
Maggots will find them to be a delicacy!
They won’t be remembered anymore,
their iniquity will be cut to pieces like firewood.[i]
21 “They prey on the barren woman,
and do no favors for widows.
22 God[j] prolongs the life of the strong by his power,
but they get up in the morning[k] without purpose in life.
23 He gives them security and financial support,
but he watches everything they do.
24 They’re exalted momentarily, but then they are gone;
they are humbled,[l] just like all the others.
They are cut down like heads of corn.
25 If this weren’t so, who can prove that I’m a liar
by showing that there’s nothing to what I’m saying?”
Bildad Speaks a Third Time
25 Bildad from Shuah responded and said:
2 “Dominion and fear belong to God;[m]
who fashions peace in his high heaven.
3 Is there any limit to his armies?
On whom does his light not shine?[n]
4 How can a human being[o] become right with God?
How can a human being[p] be pure?
5 Behold, even the moon isn’t bright,
and the stars aren’t pure in his eyes.
6 How much less is man, who is only a maggot,
or a man’s children, who are only worms!”
Job Reasons with Bildad
26 In reply, Job responded:
2 “What a help you are to the weak!
How powerfully you deliver those without strength!
3 What counsel you provide to the fool!
What insight you provide so abundantly!
4 Who helped you say all of this?
Who inspired you?”
Job Acknowledges God’s Power
5 “The ghosts of the dead[q] writhe under the waters
along with those who live there with them.
6 Sheol[r] is naked before God[s]
and Abaddon[t] has no clothes.
7 He spreads out the north over empty space,
suspending the earth over nothing.
8 “He restricts the waters within clouds
and the clouds don’t burst open under them.
9 He has enclosed the face of the full moon
and spread his clouds over it.
10 He has delimited a boundary[u] over the surface of the oceans
as a limit between light and darkness.
11 The pillars of the heavens tremble
and are astounded at his rebuke.
12 By his power he disturbs the sea;
and with his skill he shatters the sea monster.[v]
13 He clears the skies with his wind;
his hands have pierced the fleeing serpent.
14 Indeed, these are the fringes of his ways,
and how faint is the whisper we’ve heard of it!
But who can comprehend the thunder of his might?”
Job Asserts His Innocence
27 Job continued with his discussion and said:
2 “The living God has withheld justice from me;
the Almighty has made my life[w] bitter.
3 As long as I can breathe;
as long as God’s breath is in my nostrils,
4 I won’t speak lies
nor will I utter deceit.
5 Far be it from me to admit that you’re right!
I intend to maintain my integrity[x] even if it kills me!
6 I’ll retain my righteousness and not compromise it;
my conscience won’t rebuke me at any time.
7 “May my enemy be like the wicked;
my adversary like the unjust.[y]
8 For where is the hope of the godless when he is eliminated;
when God takes away his life?
9 Will God hear his cry
when distress overtakes him?
10 Will he take delight in the Almighty?
Will he call on God at all times?”
On the Demise of the Wicked
11 “I’ll teach you about the power[z] of God,
that which is with the Almighty I won’t conceal.
12 Look! All of you have been watching,
so why have you become so completely worthless?
13 “This is what a wicked person[aa] inherits from God,
and what the ruthless will receive from the Almighty:
14 If he has many children,
their destiny is to die by the sword,
and his descendants won’t have enough food.
15 Those who do survive him disease will bury,
and his widow won’t even weep.
16 “Though he hoards silver[ab] like dust,
and stores away garments like clay,
17 whatever he stores up, the righteous will wear,
and the innocent will inherit that silver!
18 “He has built his house like a moth’s cocoon,[ac]
like a temporary[ad] sunshade that a watchman makes.
19 He will go to bed wealthy,
but won’t be doing that anymore!
When he opens his eyes, it will be gone!
20 Terror will overtake him like a flood,[ae]
at night, a tornado will sweep him away.
21 He’ll be swept up by a storm[af] wind and carried away;
he’ll be whirled away from his place.
22 It will toss him around without pity.
He’ll try to break free[ag] from its grip,[ah]
23 but it will clap its hands over him,
hissing at him as it lunges toward him.”[ai]
Priceless Wisdom is Sourced in God
28 “Surely there are mines for silver
and places where gold is refined.
2 Iron is taken from the ground;[aj]
and copper is smelted from ore.
3 Mankind limits the darkness
as they search the deepest depths
for ore[ak] in unfathomable darkness.
4 He sinks his shaft far from human habitations,
in a place[al] forgotten by explorers;
they hang on harnesses
as they swing back and forth.
5 “While the ground produces food,
underneath it is torn up and burning hot,[am]
6 where stones are sapphire
and gold dust can be found,
7 a place where birds of prey never fly,
and the eyes of the falcon have never seen.
8 The proud beasts haven’t walked there;
lions have never passed over it.
9 “Using a flint, he thrusts his hand,
overturning mountains by the roots.
10 He cuts a channel through the rocks,
while his eyes search for anything of value.
11 He dams up flowing rivers,
bringing hidden things to light.”
Wisdom is of Greater Value than Precious Stones
12 “Where can wisdom be found?
Where is understanding’s home?
13 Mankind doesn’t appreciate their value;
and you won’t find it anywhere on earth.[an]
14 The deepest ocean says, ‘It’s not within me.’
and the sea says, ‘You’ll never find it with me.’
15 You can’t buy it with gold,
and its value cannot be calculated in silver.
16 It cannot be compared to gold from Ophir,[ao]
with precious onyx, or with sapphire.
17 It cannot be compared to gold and fine glass[ap] crystal,
nor can it be exchanged for gold-plated weaponry.[aq]
18 Don’t even bother to mention coral and crystal—
wisdom is more valuable than a bag of rubies.[ar]
19 It can neither be compared with the topaz of Ethiopia
nor valued in comparison to pure gold.”
Wisdom is from God
20 “From where, then, does wisdom originate?
Where does understanding live?[as]
21 It has been concealed from the sight of every living creature
and hidden even from the birds in the skies.
22 Abaddon[at] and death said,
‘We did hear a rumor about it.’
23 God understands how to get there;
he knows where they live.[au]
24 For he looks as far as the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the sky.[av]
25 “He imparted weight to the wind;
he regulated water by his measurement.
26 He set in place ordinances for the rain;
and determined the pathway for thunder that accompanies lightning.[aw]
27 Then he looked at wisdom,
and fixed it in place;
he established it,
and also examined it.
28 He has commanded mankind:
‘To fear the Lord—that is wisdom;
to move away from evil—that is understanding.’”
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