Job 14-16
Contemporary English Version
Job Continues His Prayer
Life Is Short and Sorrowful
14 (A) Life is short and sorrowful
for every living soul.
2 We are flowers that fade
and shadows that vanish.
3 And so, I ask you, God,
why pick on me?
4 There's no way a human
can be completely pure.
5 Our time on earth is brief;
the number of our days
is already decided by you.
6 Why don't you leave us alone
and let us find some happiness
while we toil and labor?
When a Tree Is Chopped Down
7 When a tree is chopped down,
there is always the hope
that it will sprout again.
8 Its roots and stump may rot,
9 but at the touch of water,
it sprouts once again.
10 Humans are different—
we die, and that's the end.
11 We are like streams and lakes
after the water has gone;
12 we fall into the sleep of death,
never to rise again,
until the sky disappears.
13 Please hide me, God,
deep in the ground—
and when you are angry no more,
remember to rescue me.
Will We Humans Live Again?
14 Will we humans live again?
I would gladly suffer
and wait for my time.
15 My Creator, you would want me;
you would call out,
and I would answer.
16 You would take care of me,
but not count my sins—
17 you would put them in a bag,
tie it tight,
and toss them away.
18 But in the real world,
mountains tumble,
and rocks crumble;
19 streams wear away stones
and wash away soil.
And you destroy our hopes!
20 You change the way we look,
then send us away,
wiped out forever.
21 We never live to know
if our children are praised
or disgraced.
22 We feel no pain but our own,
and when we mourn,
it's only for ourselves.
Eliphaz's Second Speech
If You Had Any Sense
15 Eliphaz from Teman[a] said:
* 2 Job, if you had any sense,
3 you would stop spreading
all of this hot air.
4 Your words are enough
to make others turn from God
and lead them to doubt.
5 And your sinful, scheming mind
is the source of all you say.
6 I am not here as your judge;
your own words are witnesses
against you.
7 Were you the first human?
Are you older than the hills?
8 Have you ever been present
when God's council[b] meets?
Do you alone have wisdom?
9 Do you know and understand
something we don't?
10 We have the benefit of wisdom
older than your father.
11 And you have been offered
comforting words from God.
Isn't this enough?
12 Your emotions are out of control,
making you look fierce;
13 that's why you attack God
with everything you say.
14 (B) No human is pure and innocent,
15 and neither are angels—
not in the sight of God.
If God doesn't trust his angels,
16 what chance do humans have?
We are so terribly evil
that we thirst for sin.
Just Listen to What I Know
17 Just listen to what I know,
and you will learn
18 wisdom known by others
since ancient times.
19 Those who gained such insights
also gained the land,
and they were not influenced
by foreign teachings.
20 But suffering is in store
each day for those who sin.
21 Even in times of success,
they constantly hear
the threat of doom.
22 Darkness, despair, and death
are their destiny.
23 They scrounge around for food,
all the while dreading
the approaching darkness.
24 They are overcome with despair,
like frightened soldiers facing
a fearsome king in battle.
25 This is because they rebelled
against God All-Powerful
26 and have attacked him
with their weapons.
27 They may be rich and fat,
28 but they will live in the ruins
of deserted towns.
29 Their property and wealth
will shrink and disappear.
30 They won't escape the darkness,
and the blazing breath of God
will set their future aflame.
* 31 They have put their trust
in something worthless;
now they will become worthless
32 like a date palm tree
without a leaf.[c]
33 Or like vineyards or orchards
whose blossoms and unripe fruit
drop to the ground.
34 Yes, the godless and the greedy
will have nothing but flames
feasting on their homes,
35 because they are the parents
of trouble and vicious lies.
Job's Reply to Eliphaz
I Have Often Heard This
16 Job said:
2 I have often heard this,
and it offers no comfort.
3 So why don't you keep quiet?
What's bothering you?
4 If I were in your place,
it would be easy to criticize
or to give advice.
5 But I would offer hope
and comfort instead.
6 If I speak, or if I don't,
I hurt all the same.
My torment continues.
7 God has worn me down
and destroyed my family;
8 my shriveled up skin proves
that I am his prisoner.
9 God is my hateful enemy,
glaring at me and attacking
with his sharp teeth.
10 Everyone is against me;
they sneer and slap my face.
11 And God is the one
who handed me over
to this merciless mob.
Everything Was Going Well
12 Everything was going well,
until God grabbed my neck
and shook me to pieces.
God set me up as the target
13 for his arrows,
and without showing mercy,
he slashed my stomach open,
spilling out my insides.
14 God never stops attacking,
15 and so, in my sorrow
I dress in sackcloth[d]
and sit in the dust.
16 My face is red with tears,
and dark shadows
circle my eyes,
17 though I am not violent,
and my prayers are sincere.
18 If I should die,
I beg the earth not to cover
my cry for justice.
19 (C) Even now, God in heaven
is both my witness
and my protector.
20 My friends have rejected me,
but God is the one I beg[e]
21 to show that I am right,
just as a friend should.
22 Because in only a few years,
I will be dead and gone.
Footnotes
- 15.1 Teman: See the note at 2.11.
- 15.8 God's council: The angels and others who gather to discuss matters with God (see 1.6; 2.1).
- 15.32 leaf: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 32.
- 16.15 sackcloth: A rough, dark-colored cloth made from goat hair and used to make grain sacks. It was worn in times of trouble or sorrow.
- 16.20 My friends … beg: Or “God is my friend, and he is the one I beg.”
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