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Job’s Fourth Speech
12 Then[a] Job answered and said,
2 “Truly indeed you[b] are the people,
and wisdom will die with you.[c]
3 I also have insight[d] like you;[e]
I am not more inferior than you.[f]
And who does not know things like these?[g]
4 I am a laughingstock to my friends:[h]
‘He calls on God, and he answers him.’
A righteous, blameless man is a laughingstock.
5 Those at ease have contempt[i] for the thought of disaster,[j]
but it is ready for those unstable of foot.
6 The tents of the destroyers are at peace,
and there is security for those who provoke God,
for those whom God brings into his hand.[k]
7 “But[l] ask[m] the animals, and they will teach you,
and the birds of the heaven, and they will tell you;
8 or ask the earth, and it will teach you,
and the fishes of the sea will declare to you.
9 Who among all of these does not know
that Yahweh’s hand has done this?
10 In whose hand is the life of all living things
and the breath of every human being?[n]
11 Does not the ear test words
and the palate taste food for itself?
12 Wisdom is with the aged,
and understanding is in length of days.
13 “With him are wisdom and powerful deeds,
and to him belong counsel and understanding.
14 If he tears down, then[o] it will not be rebuilt;
if he shuts a man in, then[p] he cannot be freed.
15 Look, if he withholds the water,[q] then[r] they dry up;
and if he sends them out, then[s] they overwhelm the land.
16 “Strength and sound wisdom are with him;
the deceived and the deceiver are his.[t]
17 He leads counselors away stripped,
and he makes fools of judges.
18 He loosens the fetters of kings,
and he binds a loincloth on their loins.
19 He leads priests away stripped,
and he overthrows the members of ancient families.[u]
20 He deprives the trustworthy of speech,
and he takes away the discretion of elders.
21 He pours contempt on noblemen,
and he loosens the girdle of the mighty.
22 “He uncovers mysteries out of darkness,
and he brings deep shadow to the light.
23 He makes the nations great, then[v] he destroys them;
he expands the nations, then[w] he guides them.
24 He strips away the insight of the heads of the earth’s people,
and he makes them wander in a pathless wasteland.[x]
25 They grope in the dark without[y] light,
and he makes them stagger like a[z] drunkard.
Job’s Fourth Speech Continues
13 “Look, my eye has seen everything;
my ear has heard and has understood it.
2 What you[aa] know,[ab] I myself[ac] also know—
I am not more inferior than you.[ad]
3 But I would speak to Shaddai,
and I desire to argue with God.
4 “But[ae] you[af] whitewash with lies;[ag]
all of you[ah] are worthless healers.[ai]
5 O that[aj] you[ak] would keep completely silent,
and that it would become wisdom for you.[al]
6 Please hear my argument,
and listen attentively to the pleadings of my lips.
7 “Will you[am] speak falsely for God?
And will you[an] speak deceitfully for him?
8 Will you[ao] show partiality for him?[ap]
Or do you[aq] want to plead God’s case?
9 Will it be well, if he examines you?[ar]
Or can you[as] deceive him like deceiving a human being?
10 “Surely he will rebuke you[at]
if you[au] show partiality[av] in secret.
11 Will not his majesty terrify you,[aw]
and his dread fall upon you?[ax]
12 Your[ay] maxims are proverbs of ashes;
your[az] defenses are defenses of clay.
13 “Let me have silence,[ba] and I myself[bb] will speak,
and let come over me whatever may.
14 Why should I take my flesh in my teeth
and[bc] put[bd] my life in my hand?
15 Look,[be] though he kill me, I will hope in[bf] him;
however, I will defend my ways before him.[bg]
16 Moreover, this is salvation to me,
that the godless would not come before him.[bh]
17 “Listen carefully to my words,
and let my exposition be in your ears.
18 Please look,[bi] I have prepared my case;
I know that I myself[bj] will be vindicated.
19 Who is he who will contend with me?
For then I would be silent, and I would pass away.
Job Argues His Case with God
20 “Only you[bk] must not do these two things to me;
then I will not hide from your face:
21 withdraw your[bl] hand from me,
and let not your[bm] dread terrify me.
22 Then[bn] call, and I myself[bo] will answer;
or let me speak, then[bp] reply to me.
23 “How many[bq] are my iniquities and sins?
Make known to me my transgression and my sin.
24 Why do you[br] hide your[bs] face
and count me as your[bt] enemy?
25 Will you[bu] terrify a blown leaf?
And will you[bv] pursue dry stubble?
26 “Indeed, you[bw] write bitter things against me,
and you[bx] make me reap the iniquities of my childhood.
27 And you[by] put my feet in the block,
and you[bz] watch all my paths;
you carve a mark on the soles of my feet.[ca]
28 And he himself [cb]wastes away like something rotten,
like a garment that the moth has eaten.
Job Continues to Argue His Case with God
14 “A human being born of a woman
is short of days and full of troubles.[cc]
2 Like a flower he comes up, and he withers away;
and he flees like a[cd] shadow, but[ce] he does not last.
3 Even on such a one you fix your eyes,
and you bring me into judgment with you.
4 “Who can bring a clean thing from an unclean thing?
No one![cf]
5 If his days are determined, the number of his months is with you;
you have appointed his boundaries, and he cannot cross them.
6 Look away from him, and let him desist
until he enjoys his days like a laborer.
7 “Indeed, there is hope for a tree:
if it is cut down, then[cg] it will sprout again,
and its new shoots will not cease;
8 though its root grows old in the earth,
and its stump dies in the dust,
9 at[ch] the scent of water it will bud,
and it will put forth branches like a young plant.
10 “But[ci] a man dies, and he dwindles away;
thus[cj] a human being passes away, and where is he?[ck]
11 As water disappears from a lake,
and a river withers away and dries up,[cl]
12 so[cm] a man lies down, and he does not arise.
Until the heavens are no more,[cn] they will not awaken,
and they will not be roused out of their sleep.
13 “O that[co] you would conceal me in Sheol,
that you would hide me until your wrath is past,[cp]
that you would appoint a set time for me and remember me.
14 If a man dies, will he live again?
All the days of my compulsory service I will wait,
until the coming of my relief.
15 You would call, and I myself[cq] would answer you;
you would long for the work of your hand.
16 For then[cr] you would count my steps,
but you would not keep watch over my sin.
17 My transgression would be sealed in a bag,
and you would cover over my guilt.
18 “But[cs] a mountain falls; it crumbles away,
and a rock moves away from its place.
19 Water wears away stones;
its torrents wash away the soil of the earth;
so[ct] you destroy the hope of human beings.
20 You overpower him forever, and he passes away;
you change his countenance,[cu] then[cv] you send him away.
21 His children may come to honor, but[cw] he does not know it;
or[cx] they may become lowly, but[cy] he does not realize it.[cz]
22 He feels only the pain of his own body,[da]
and his inner self[db] mourns for him.”[dc]
Eliphaz’s Second Response to Job
15 Then[dd] Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2 “Should the wise answer with windy knowledge,
and should he fill his stomach with the east wind?
3 Should he argue in talk that is not profitable
or in words with which he cannot do good?
4 “What is worse,[de] you yourself[df] are doing away with fear,
and you are lessening meditation before[dg] God.
5 For your iniquity teaches your mouth,
and you choose the tongue of the crafty.
6 Your mouth condemns you, and not I;
and your lips testify against you.
7 “Were you born the firstborn of the human race?
And were you brought forth before[dh] the hills?
8 Have you listened in God’s confidential discussion?
And do you limit wisdom to yourself?
9 What do you know that we do not know?
What do you understand that is not clear to us?
10 Both the gray-haired and the old are among us—
those older than your father.[di]
11 “Are the consolations of God too small for you,
a word spoken gently with you?
12 Why does your heart carry you away?
And why do your eyes flash,
13 that you turn your spirit against God,
and you let such words go out of your mouth?
14 “What is a human being, that he can be clean,
or[dj] that one born of a woman can be righteous?
15 Look, he does not trust his holy ones,
and the heavens are not clean in his eyes.
16 How much less[dk] he who is abominable and corrupt,[dl]
a man drinking wickedness like water.
17 “I will show you, listen to me;
and what I have seen, I will tell[dm]—
18 what wise men have told,
and they have not hidden that which is from their ancestors,
19 to whom alone[dn] the land was given,
and no stranger passed through their midst.
20 “All of the wicked one’s days he is writhing,
even[do] through the number of years that are laid up for the tyrant.
21 Sounds of terror are in his ears;
in prosperity the destroyer will come against him.
22 He cannot trust that he will return[dp] from darkness,
and he himself[dq] is destined for the sword.
23 “He is wandering for bread, saying, ‘Where is it?’
He knows that a day of darkness is ready at hand.[dr]
24 Anguish and distress terrify him;
they[ds] overpower him like a king ready for the battle.
25 Because he stretched out his hand against God,
and he was arrogant to Shaddai;
26 he stubbornly[dt] runs against him
with his thick-bossed shield.[du]
27 “Because he has covered his face with his fat
and has gathered fat upon his loins,
28 he will dwell[dv] in desolate cities,
in houses that they should not inhabit,
which are destined for rubble.
29 He will not become rich, and his wealth will not endure,
and their possessions will not stretch across the earth.[dw]
30 “He will not escape from darkness;
a flame will dry up his new shoot,
and by the wind of his mouth he shall be removed.
31 Let him not trust in emptiness—he will be deceiving himself—
for worthlessness will be his recompense.
32 It will be paid in full before his time,[dx]
and his branch will not flourish.
33 “He will shake off his unripe fruit like the vine,
and he will cast off his blossom like the olive tree;
34 for the company of the godless is barren,
and fire consumes the tents of those who accept bribes.
35 They conceive trouble and bring forth mischief,
and their womb prepares deceit.”
29 Otherwise, why do they do it, those who are being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why indeed are they being baptized on behalf of them? 30 And why are we in danger every hour? 31 I die every day—yes indeed, by my boasting in you,[a] which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord! 32 If according to a human perspective I fought wild beasts at Ephesus, what benefit is it to me? If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.[b] 33 Do not be deceived! “Bad company corrupts good morals.”[c] 34 Sober up correctly and stop sinning[d], for some have no knowledge of God—I say this to your shame.
Questions Concerning the Resurrection Body
35 But someone will say, “How are the dead raised? And with what sort of body do they come?” 36 Foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And what you sow is not the body which it will become, but you sow the bare seed, whether perhaps of wheat or of some of the rest. 38 But God gives to it a body just as he wishes, and to each one of the seeds its own body. 39 Not all flesh is the same, but there is one flesh of human beings, and another flesh of animals, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish, 40 and heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. But the glory of the heavenly bodies is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly bodies is of another kind. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars, for star differs from star in glory.
42 Thus also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruptibility. 43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul”;[e] the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. 47 The first man is from the earth, made of earth; the second man is from heaven. 48 As the one who is made of earth, so also are those who are made of earth, and as the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the one who is made of earth, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.
50 But I say this, brothers, that flesh and blood is not able to inherit the kingdom of God, nor can corruption inherit incorruptibility. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: we will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For it is necessary for this perishable body to put on incorruptibility, and this mortal body to put on immortality. 54 But whenever this perishable body puts on incorruptibility and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will take place:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?
56 Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! 58 So then, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, because you[f] know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
The Brevity of Human Life
For the music director. For Jeduthun.[a] A psalm of David.[b]
39 I said, “I will guard my ways
that I may not sin[c] with my tongue.
I will keep a muzzle over my mouth
as long as the wicked are before me.”
2 I was mute with silence. I was silent even from saying good things,
and my pain was stirred up.
3 My heart grew hot inside me;
in my sighing a fire burned.
Then I spoke with my tongue,
4 “Let me know, O Yahweh, my end,
and what is the measure of my days.
Let me know how transient I am.”
5 Look, you have made my days mere handbreadths,
and my lifespan as nothing next to you.
Surely every person standing firm is complete vanity. Selah
6 Surely a man walks about as a mere shadow;[d]
surely in vain they bustle about.
He heaps up possessions but does not know who will gather them in.
7 And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?
My hope is for you.
8 From all my transgressions deliver me;
do not make me the taunt of the fool.
9 I am mute. I do not open my mouth,
for you, yourself, have done it.
10 Remove from me your affliction.
By the opposition of your hand I perish.
11 When with rebukes you chastise a man for sin,
you[e] consume[f] like a moth his delightful things.
Surely everyone is a mere vapor.[g] Selah
12 Hear my prayer, O Yahweh, and listen to my cry for help;
do not be deaf to my tears.
For I am an alien[h] with you,
a sojourner like all my ancestors.[i]
13 Look away from me that I may be cheerful,
before I depart and I am no more.
30 There is no wisdom, nor understanding,
nor counsel to oppose Yahweh.
31 A horse is prepared for the day of battle,
but to Yahweh belongs the victory.
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