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Eliphaz Says the Innocent Do Not Suffer
4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded,
2 “If one ventures a word with you, will you become impatient?
But (A)who can refrain [a]from speaking?
3 Behold, (B)you have taught many,
And you have strengthened weak hands.
4 Your words have helped the stumbling to stand,
And you have strengthened [b]feeble knees.
5 But now it comes to you, and you (C)are impatient;
It (D)touches you, and you are horrified.
6 Is your [c](E)fear of God not (F)your confidence,
And the integrity of your ways your hope?
7 “Remember now, (G)who ever perished being innocent?
Or where were the upright destroyed?
8 According to what I have seen, (H)those who [d]plow wrongdoing
And those who sow trouble harvest it.
9 By (I)the breath of God they perish,
And (J)by the [e]blast of His anger they come to an end.
10 The (K)roaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion,
And the teeth of the young lions are broken out.
11 The (L)lion perishes for lack of prey,
And the (M)cubs of the lioness are scattered.
12 “Now a word (N)was brought to me secretly,
And my ear received a (O)whisper of it.
13 Amid disquieting (P)thoughts from visions of the night,
When deep sleep falls on people,
14 Dread came upon me, and trembling,
And made [f]all my bones shake.
15 Then a [g]spirit passed by my face;
The hair of my flesh stood up.
16 Something was standing still, but I could not recognize its appearance;
A form was before my eyes;
There was silence, then I heard a voice:
17 ‘Can (Q)mankind be righteous [h]before God?
Can a man be pure [i]before his (R)Maker?
18 (S)He puts no trust even in His servants;
And He accuses His angels of error.
19 How much more those who live in (T)houses of clay,
Whose (U)foundation is in the dust,
Who are crushed before the moth!
20 (V)Between morning and evening they are broken in pieces;
Unregarded, they (W)perish forever.
21 Is their (X)tent-cord not pulled out within them?
They die, yet (Y)without wisdom.’
God Is Just
5 “Call now, is there anyone who will answer you?
And to which of the (Z)holy ones will you turn?
2 For (AA)irritation kills the fool,
And jealousy brings death to the simple.
3 I have seen the (AB)fool taking root,
And I (AC)cursed his home immediately.
4 His (AD)sons are far from safety,
They are also [j]oppressed at the gate,
And there is no one to save them.
5 [k]The hungry devour his harvest
And take it to a place of thorns,
And the [l](AE)schemer is eager for their wealth.
6 For (AF)disaster does not come from the dust,
Nor does trouble sprout from the ground,
7 For (AG)man is born for trouble,
As sparks fly upward.
8 “But as for me, I would (AH)seek God,
And I would make my plea before God,
9 Who (AI)does great and unsearchable things,
[m]Wonders without number.
10 He (AJ)gives rain on the earth,
And sends water on the fields,
11 So that (AK)He sets on high those who are lowly,
And those who mourn are lifted to safety.
12 He (AL)frustrates the schemes of the shrewd,
So that their hands cannot attain success.
13 He (AM)captures the wise by their own cleverness,
And the advice of the cunning is quickly thwarted.
14 By day they (AN)meet with darkness,
And grope at noon as in the night.
15 But He saves from (AO)the sword of their mouth,
And (AP)the poor from the hand of the strong.
16 So the helpless has hope,
And (AQ)injustice has shut its mouth.
17 “Behold, (AR)happy is the person whom God disciplines,
So do not reject the (AS)discipline of [n]the Almighty.
18 For (AT)He inflicts pain, and [o]gives relief;
He wounds, but His hands also heal.
19 In six troubles (AU)He will save you;
Even in seven, (AV)evil will not touch you.
20 In (AW)famine He will redeem you from death,
And (AX)in war, from the power of the sword.
21 You will be (AY)hidden [p]from the scourge of the tongue,
(AZ)And you will not be afraid of violence when it comes.
22 You will (BA)laugh at violence and hunger,
(BB)And you will not be afraid of [q]wild animals.
23 For you will be in league with the stones of the field,
And (BC)the animals of the field will be at peace with you.
24 You will know that your (BD)tent is secure,
For you will visit your home and [r]have nothing missing.
25 You will also know that your [s](BE)descendants will be many,
And (BF)your offspring as the grass of the earth.
26 You will (BG)come to the grave at a ripe age,
Like the stacking of grain in its season.
27 Behold this; we have investigated it, and so it is.
Hear it, and know for yourself.”
Job’s Friends Are No Help
6 Then Job responded,
2 “(BH)Oh if only my grief were actually weighed
And laid in the balances together with my disaster!
3 For then it would be (BI)heavier than the sand of the seas;
For that reason my words have been rash.
4 For the (BJ)arrows of the Almighty are within me,
[t]My spirit drinks their (BK)poison;
The (BL)terrors of God line up against me.
5 Does the (BM)wild donkey bray over his grass,
Or does the ox low over his feed?
6 Can something tasteless be eaten without salt,
Or is there any taste in the [u]juice of an alkanet plant?
7 My soul (BN)refuses to touch them;
They are like loathsome food to me.
8 “Oh, that my request might come to pass,
And that God would grant my hope!
9 Oh, that God would (BO)decide to crush me,
That He would let loose His hand and cut me off!
10 But it is still my comfort,
And I rejoice in unsparing pain,
That I (BP)have not [v]denied the words of the Holy One.
11 What is my strength, that I should wait?
And what is my end, that I should [w](BQ)endure?
12 Is my strength the strength of stones,
Or is my flesh bronze?
13 Is it that my (BR)help is not within me,
And that a (BS)good outcome is driven away from me?
14 “For the (BT)despairing man there should be kindness from his friend;
So that he does not (BU)abandon the [x]fear of the Almighty.
15 My brothers have acted (BV)deceitfully like a [y]wadi,
Like the torrents of [z]wadis which drain away,
16 Which are darkened because of ice,
And into which the snow [aa]melts.
17 When (BW)they dry up, they vanish;
When it is hot, they disappear from their place.
18 The [ab]paths of their course wind along,
They go up into wasteland and perish.
19 The caravans of (BX)Tema looked,
The travelers of (BY)Sheba hoped for them.
20 They (BZ)were put to shame, for they had trusted,
They came there and were humiliated.
21 Indeed, you have now become such,
(CA)You see terrors and are afraid.
22 Have I said, ‘Give me something,’
Or, ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth,’
23 Or, ‘Save me from the hand of the enemy,’
Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of the tyrants’?
24 “Teach me, and (CB)I will be silent;
And show me how I have done wrong.
25 How painful are honest words!
But what does your argument prove?
26 Do you intend to rebuke my words,
When the (CC)words of one in despair belong to the wind?
27 You would even (CD)cast lots for (CE)the orphans,
And (CF)barter over your friend.
28 Now please look at me,
And see if I am (CG)lying to your face.
29 Please turn away, let there be no injustice;
Turn away, (CH)my righteousness is still in it.
30 Is there injustice on my tongue?
Does (CI)my palate not discern disasters?
Job’s Life Seems Futile
7 “[ac]Is a person not (CJ)forced to labor on earth,
And are his days not like the days of (CK)a hired worker?
2 As a slave pants for the shade,
And as a hired worker who eagerly waits for his wages,
3 So I am allotted worthless months,
And (CL)nights of trouble are apportioned to me.
4 When I (CM)lie down, I say,
‘When shall I arise?’
But the night continues,
And I am continually tossing until dawn.
5 My (CN)flesh is clothed with maggots and a crust of dirt,
My skin hardens and [ad]oozes.
6 My days are (CO)swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,
And they come to an end (CP)without hope.
7 “Remember that my life (CQ)is a mere breath;
My eye will (CR)not see goodness again.
8 The (CS)eye of him who sees me will no longer look at me;
Your eyes will be on me, but (CT)I will not exist.
9 When a (CU)cloud vanishes, it is gone;
In the same way (CV)one who goes down to [ae](CW)Sheol does not come up.
10 He will not return to his house again,
Nor will (CX)his place know about him anymore.
11 “Therefore (CY)I will not restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit,
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
12 Am I the sea, or (CZ)the sea monster,
That You set a guard over me?
13 If I say, ‘(DA)My couch will comfort me,
My bed will [af]ease my complaint,’
14 Then You frighten me with dreams,
And terrify me by visions,
15 So that my soul would choose suffocation,
Death rather than my [ag]pains.
16 I [ah](DB)waste away; I will not live forever.
Leave me alone, (DC)for my days are only a breath.
17 (DD)What is man that You exalt him,
And that You [ai]are concerned about him,
18 That (DE)You examine him every morning
And put him to the test every moment?
19 [aj](DF)Will You never turn Your gaze away from me,
Nor leave me alone until I swallow my spittle?
20 (DG)Have I sinned? What have I done to You,
(DH)Watcher of mankind?
Why have You made me Your target,
So that I am a burden to myself?
21 Why then (DI)do You not forgive my wrongdoing
And take away my [ak]guilt?
For now I will (DJ)lie down in the dust;
And You will search for me, (DK)but I will no longer exist.”
18 I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all; 19 nevertheless, in church I prefer to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.
Instruction for the Church
20 (A)Brothers and sisters, (B)do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil (C)be infants, but in your thinking be mature. 21 In (D)the [a]Law it is written: “(E)By men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people, and even so they will not listen to Me,” says the Lord. 22 So then, tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but (F)prophecy is not for unbelievers, but for those who believe. 23 Therefore if the whole church gathers together and all the people speak in tongues, and [b]outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that (G)you are insane? 24 But if all (H)prophesy, and an unbeliever or an [c]outsider enters, he is (I)convicted by all, he is called to account by all; 25 (J)the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will (K)fall on his face and worship God, (L)declaring that God is certainly among you.
26 (M)What is the outcome then, (N)brothers and sisters? When you assemble, (O)each one has a (P)psalm, has a (Q)teaching, has a (R)revelation, has a (S)tongue, has an (T)interpretation. (U)All things are to be done for edification. 27 If anyone speaks in a (V)tongue, it must be by two or at the most three, and each one in turn, and one is to (W)interpret; 28 but if there is no interpreter, he is to keep silent in church; and have him speak to himself and to God. 29 Have two or three (X)prophets speak, and have the others (Y)pass judgment. 30 But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, then the first one is to keep silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be [d]exhorted; 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets; 33 for God is not a God of (Z)confusion, but of peace.
As in (AA)all the churches of the [e](AB)saints, 34 the women are to (AC)keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but (AD)are to subject themselves, just as (AE)the Law also says. 35 If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is [f]improper for a woman to speak in church. 36 Or was it from you that the word of God first went out? Or has it come to you only?
37 (AF)If anyone thinks that he is a prophet or (AG)spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you (AH)are the Lord’s commandment. 38 But if anyone does not recognize this, [g]he is not recognized.
39 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, (AI)earnestly desire to (AJ)prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But (AK)all things must be done properly and in an orderly way.
30 The mouth of the righteous (A)utters wisdom,
And his tongue (B)speaks justice.
31 The (C)Law of his God is in his heart;
His (D)steps do not slip.
32 The (E)wicked spies upon the righteous
And (F)seeks to kill him.
33 The Lord will (G)not leave him in his hand
Or (H)let him be condemned when he is judged.
34 (I)Wait for the Lord and keep His way,
And He will exalt you to inherit the land;
When the (J)wicked are eliminated, you will see it.
35 I have (K)seen a wicked, violent person
Spreading himself like a (L)luxuriant [a]tree in its native soil.
36 Then he passed away, and behold, he (M)was no more;
I searched for him, but he could not be found.
37 Observe the [b](N)blameless person, and look at the (O)upright;
For the person of peace will have (P)a future.
38 But wrongdoers will altogether be (Q)destroyed;
The future of the wicked will be (R)eliminated.
39 But the (S)salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
He is their strength (T)in time of trouble.
40 (U)The Lord helps them and rescues them;
He (V)rescues them from the wicked and saves them,
Because they (W)take refuge in Him.
27 The (A)sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination,
How much more when he brings it with evil intent!
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.