Job 11-13

Common English Bible

² Should all these words go unanswered
    or a wordy man be justified?
³ Will your idle talk silence everyone;
    will you mock and not be put to shame?
⁴ You’ve said, “My teaching is pure,
    and I’m clean in God’s^[a] eyes.”

⁵ But oh, that God would speak,
    open his lips against you
⁶     and tell you secrets of wisdom;
        for sound insight has two sides.
Know that God lets some of your sin be forgotten.
⁷ Can you find the secret of God
    or find the extent of the Almighty?
⁸ They are higher than the heavens—what can you do?
    Deeper than the underworld^[b]—what can you know?
⁹ Its measurement is longer than the earth
    and broader than the sea.
¹⁰ If God passes by, imprisons someone, and calls a trial,
    who can stop him?
¹¹ He knows worthless people,
    sees sin, and certainly^[c] takes note.
¹² A stupid person becomes intelligent
    when a wild ass of a person is born tame.^[d]

¹³ If you make your mind resolute
        and spread your palms to him,
¹⁴     if you throw out the sin in your hands
        and don’t let injustice dwell in your tents,
¹⁵     then you will lift up your face without blemish;
        you will be secure and not fear.
¹⁶ You will forget trouble;
    you will remember it as water that flows past.
¹⁷ A life span will rise brighter than noon;
    darkness will be like morning.
¹⁸ You will be secure, for there is hope;
    you will look around and rest safely.
¹⁹ You will lie down without anyone to scare you;
    many will beg for your favor.
²⁰ The eyes of the wicked will grow faint;
    flight has vanished from them;
    their hope is a dying gasp.

² Surely you are the people,
    and wisdom will die with you.
³ I am also intelligent;
    I’m not inferior to you.
    Who isn’t like these people?^[e]
4 I’m a joke to friends
        who called to God and he answered;
    the innocent and blameless one is a joke,
⁵     a torch^[f] of contempt to one who is idle,
    a fixed point for slipping feet.

⁶ Raiders’ tents are prosperous
    and God’s provokers secure,
    who carry God in their hands.^[g]
7 But ask Behemoth, and he will teach you,
    the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;
⁸     or talk to earth, and it will teach you;
    the fish of the sea will recount it for you.
⁹ Among all these, who hasn’t known
    that the Lord’s hand did this?
¹⁰ In whose grasp is the life of every thing,
    the breath of every person?
¹¹ Doesn’t the ear test words
    and the palate taste food?
¹² “In old age is wisdom;
    understanding in a long life.”

¹³ With him are wisdom and power;
    counsel and understanding are his.
¹⁴ If he tears down, it can’t be rebuilt;
    if he ties a person up, he can’t be set free.
¹⁵ If he restricts water, they have drought;
    if he lets it loose, it overturns the land.
¹⁶ With him are might and success;
    the deceiver and the deceived are his.
¹⁷ He leads advisors away barefoot;
        makes madmen of judges;
¹⁸     unties the belt of kings,
        binds a garment around their loins;
¹⁹     leads priests away barefoot;
    overthrows the well-established;
²⁰     silences the talk of trusted people;
    takes away elders’ discernment;
²¹     pours contempt on royalty;
    loosens the belt of the strong;
²²     discloses deep secrets of darkness,
    makes utter darkness enter the light;
²³     makes nations prominent and destroys them,
    expands nations and leads them astray;
²⁴     takes away the power to think from earth’s leaders,
    making them wander in untraveled wastelands.
²⁵     They feel their way in the dark without light;
        he makes them stumble like drunks.

13 Look, my eye has seen it all;
    my ear has heard and understood it.
² Just as you know, I also know;
    I’m not inferior to you.
³ But I want to speak to the Almighty;
    I would gladly present my case to God.

⁴ You, however, are plasterers of lies;
    ineffective healers, all of you.
⁵ Would that you were completely quiet;
    that would be your wisdom.
⁶ Hear my teaching
    and pay attention to the arguments of my lips.
⁷ Will you speak injustice for God,
    speak deceit on his behalf?
⁸ Will you be partial
    or contend for God?
⁹ Will it go well when he searches you,
    or can you fool him as you fool people?
¹⁰ He will certainly correct you
    if you’ve been secretly partial.
¹¹ Wouldn’t his majesty scare you
    and dread of him fall on you?
¹² Your old sayings are proverbs made of ashes,
    your sayings defenses made of clay.

¹³ Be quiet and I will speak,
    come what may.
¹⁴ For what reason will I take my flesh in my teeth,
    put my life in jeopardy?
¹⁵ He will slay me; I’m without hope;^[h]
    I will surely prove my way to his face.
¹⁶ Also this will be my vindication,
    that a godless person won’t come before him.
¹⁷ Listen closely to my words
    so that my remarks will be in your ears.

¹⁸ Look, I have laid out my case;
    I know that I’m innocent.
¹⁹ Who would dare contend with me,
    for then I would be quiet and die.
²⁰ Only don’t do two things to me,
    then I won’t hide from your face.
²¹ Remove your hand far from me
    and don’t terrify me with your anger.
²² Then call and I’ll answer,
    or I’ll speak and you can reply.
²³ How many are my offenses and sins?
    Inform me about my rebellions and sins.
²⁴ Why hide your face from me
    and consider me your enemy?
²⁵ Will you cause a wind-tossed leaf to tremble, or will you pursue dry straw?
²⁶ You even write bitter things about me,
    make me inherit my youthful indiscretions.
²⁷ You tie up my feet and restrict all actions;
    you stamp marks on the bottom of my feet.

²⁸ Surely a person wastes away like refuse,
    like clothing that a moth eats.