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Job Continues
Gold and Silver Are Mined
28 Gold and silver are mined,
then purified;
2 the same is done
with iron and copper.
3 Miners carry lanterns
deep into the darkness
to search for these metals.
4 They dig tunnels
in distant, unknown places,
where they dangle by ropes.
5 Far beneath the grain fields,
fires are built
to break loose those rocks
6 that have jewels or gold.[a]
7 Miners go to places unseen
by the eyes of hawks;
8 they walk on soil unknown
to the proudest lions.
9 With their own hands
they remove sharp rocks
and uproot mountains.
10 They dig through the rocks
in search of jewels
and precious metals.
11 They also uncover
the sources of[b] rivers
and discover secret places.
Where Is Wisdom Found?
12 (A) But where is wisdom found?
13 (B) No human knows the way.[c]
14 Nor can it be discovered
in the deepest sea.
* 15 It is worth much more
than silver or pure gold
16 or precious stones.
17 Nothing is its equal—
not gold or costly glass.[d]
18 Wisdom is worth much more than
coral, jasper,[e] or rubies.
19 All the topaz[f] of Ethiopia[g]
and the finest gold
cannot compare with it.
20 Where then is wisdom?
21 It is hidden from human eyes
and even from birds.
22 Death and destruction
have merely heard rumors
about where it is found.
23 (C) God is the only one who knows
the way to wisdom;
24 he alone sees everything
beneath the heavens.
25 When God divided out
the wind and the water,
26 and when he decided the path
for rain and lightning,
27 (D) he also determined the truth
and defined wisdom.
28 (E) God told us, “Wisdom means
that you respect me, the Lord,
and turn from sin.”
Job Continues
I Long for the Past
29 Job said:
2 I long for the past,
when God took care of me,
3 and the light from his lamp
showed me the way
through the dark.
4 I was in the prime of life,
God All-Powerful
was my closest friend,
5 and all of my children
were nearby.
6 My herds gave enough milk
to bathe my feet,
and from my olive harvest
flowed rivers of oil.
* 7 When I sat down at the meeting
of the city council,
8 the young leaders stepped aside,
* 9 while the older ones stood
10 and remained silent.
Everyone Was Pleased
11 Everyone was pleased
with what I said and did.
12 When poor people or orphans
cried out for help,
I came to their rescue.
13 And I was highly praised
for my generosity to widows
and others in poverty.
14 Kindness and justice
were my coat and hat;
15 I was helpful to the blind
and to the lame.
16 I was a father to the needy,
and I defended them in court,
even if they were strangers.
17 When criminals attacked,
I broke their teeth
and set their victims free.
18 I felt certain that I would live
a long and happy life,
then die in my own bed.
19 In those days I was strong
like a tree with deep roots
and with plenty of water,
20 or like an archer's new bow.
21 Everyone listened in silence
to my welcome advice,
22 and when I finished speaking,
nothing needed to be said.
23 My words were eagerly accepted
like the showers of spring,
24 and the smile on my face
renewed everyone's hopes.
25 My advice was followed
as though I were a king
leading my troops,
or someone comforting
those in sorrow.
Job Continues
Young People Now Insult Me
30 Young people now insult me,
although their fathers
would have been a disgrace
to my sheep dogs.
2 And those who insult me
are helpless themselves.
3 They must claw the desert sand
in the dark for something
to satisfy their hunger.[h]
4 They gather tasteless shrubs
for food and firewood,
5 and they are run out of towns,
as though they were thieves.
6 Their only homes are ditches
or holes between rocks,
7 where they bray like donkeys
gathering around shrubs.
8 And like senseless donkeys
they are chased away.
Those Worthless Nobodies
9 Those worthless nobodies
make up jokes and songs
to disgrace me.
10 They are hateful
and keep their distance,
even while spitting
in my direction.
11 God has destroyed me,
and so they don't care
what they do.[i]
12 Their attacks never stop,
though I am defenseless,
and my feet are trapped.[j]
13 Without any help,
they prevent my escape,
destroying me completely[k]
14 and leaving me crushed.
15 Terror has me surrounded;
my reputation and my riches
have vanished like a cloud.
I Am Sick at Heart
16 I am sick at heart!
Pain has taken its toll.
17 Night chews on my bones,
causing endless torment,
18 and God has shrunk my skin,
choking me to death.[l]
19 I have been thrown in the dirt
and now am dirt myself.
20 I beg God for help,
but there is no answer;
and when I stand up,
he simply stares.
21 God has turned brutal,
22 stirring up a windstorm
to toss me about.
23 Soon he will send me home
to the world of the dead,
where we all must go.
24 No one refuses help to others,
when disaster strikes.[m]
25 I mourned for the poor
and those who suffered.
26 But when I beg for relief
and light,
all I receive are disaster
and darkness.
27 My stomach is tied in knots;
pain is my daily companion.
28 My days are dark and gloomy
and in the city council
I stand and cry out,
29 making mournful sounds
like jackals[n] and owls.
30 My skin is so parched,
that it peels right off,
and my bones are burning.
31 My only songs are sorrow
and sadness.
12 (A) When I went to Troas to preach the good news about Christ, I found that the Lord had already prepared the way. 13 But I was worried when I didn't find my friend Titus there. So I left the other followers and went on to Macedonia.
14 I am grateful that God always makes it possible for Christ to lead us to victory. God also helps us spread the knowledge about Christ everywhere, and this knowledge is like the smell of perfume. 15-16 In fact, God thinks of us as a perfume that brings Christ to everyone. For people who are being saved, this perfume has a sweet smell and leads them to a better life. But for people who are lost, it has a bad smell and leads them to a horrible death.
No one really has what it takes to do this work. 17 A lot of people try to get rich from preaching God's message. But we are God's sincere messengers, and by the power of Christ we speak our message with God as our witness.
BOOK II
(Psalms 42–72)
(A special psalm by the clan of Korah and for the music leader.)
Longing for God
1 As a deer gets thirsty
for streams of water,
I truly am thirsty
for you, my God.
2 In my heart, I am thirsty
for you, the living God.
When will I see your face?
3 Day and night my tears
are my only food,
as everyone keeps asking,
“Where is your God?”
4 Sorrow floods my heart,
when I remember
leading the worshipers
to your house.[a]
I can still hear them shout
their joyful praises.
5 Why am I discouraged?
Why am I restless?
I should trust you, Lord.
I will praise you again
because you help me,
6 and you are my God.
I am deeply discouraged,
and so I think about you
here where the Jordan begins
at Mount Hermon
and at Mount Mizar.[b]
7 Your vicious waves
have swept over me
like an angry ocean
or a roaring waterfall.
8 Every day, you are kind,
and at night
you give me a song
as my prayer to you,
the God of my life.
9 You are my mighty rock.[c]
Why have you forgotten me?
Why must enemies mistreat me
and make me sad?
10 Even my bones are in pain,
while all day long
my enemies sneer and ask,
“Where is your God?”
11 Why am I discouraged?
Why am I restless?
I trust you, Lord!
And I will praise you again
because you help me,
and you are my God.
7 The poor are ruled by the rich,
and those who borrow
are slaves of moneylenders.
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