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Job 25-27
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Job 25-27
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Bildad Speaks
25 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:
2 Dominion and dread(A) belong to Him,
the One who establishes harmony in the heavens.[a]
3 Can His troops be numbered?
Does His light not shine on everyone?
4 How can a person be justified before God?(B)
How can one born of woman be pure?(C)
5 If even the moon does not shine
and the stars are not pure in His sight,(D)
6 how much less man, who is a maggot,
and the son of man, who is a worm!(E)
Job’s Reply to Bildad
26 Then Job answered:
2 How you have helped(F) the powerless
and delivered the arm that is weak!
3 How you have counseled the unwise(G)
and thoroughly explained the path to success!
4 Who did you speak these words to?
Whose breath came out of your mouth?
5 The departed spirits tremble
beneath the waters and all that inhabit them.(H)
6 Sheol(I) is naked before God,
and Abaddon(J) has no covering.(K)
7 He stretches the northern skies over empty space;
He hangs the earth on nothing.
8 He wraps up the waters in His clouds,
yet the clouds do not burst beneath their weight.(L)
9 He obscures the view of His throne,
spreading His cloud over it.
10 He laid out the horizon on the surface of the waters(M)
at the boundary between light and darkness.
11 The pillars that hold up the sky tremble,
astounded at His rebuke.(N)
12 By His power He stirred(O) the sea,
and by His understanding He crushed Rahab.(P)
13 By His breath the heavens gained their beauty;
His hand pierced the fleeing serpent.[b](Q)
14 These are but the fringes of His ways;
how faint is the word we hear of Him!
Who can understand His mighty thunder?
27 Job continued his discourse, saying:
2 As God lives, who has deprived me of justice,(R)
and the Almighty who has made me bitter,(S)
3 as long as my breath is still in me
and the breath from God remains in my nostrils,(T)
4 my lips will not speak unjustly,
and my tongue will not utter deceit.
5 I will never affirm that you are right.
I will maintain my integrity[c](U) until I die.
6 I will cling to my righteousness and never let it go.
My conscience(V) will not accuse me as long as I live!
7 May my enemy be like the wicked
and my opponent like the unjust.
8 For what hope does the godless man(W) have when he is cut off,
when God takes away his life?(X)
9 Will God hear his cry
when distress comes on him?
10 Will he delight(Y) in the Almighty?
Will he call on God at all times?
11 I will teach you about God’s power.
I will not conceal what the Almighty has planned.[d]
12 All of you have seen this for yourselves,
why do you keep up this empty talk?(Z)
13 This is a wicked man’s lot(AA) from God,
the inheritance the ruthless receive from the Almighty.
14 Even if his children increase, they are destined for the sword;
his descendants will never have enough food.
15 Those who survive him will be buried by the plague,
yet their widows will not weep for them.(AB)
16 Though he piles up silver like dust
and heaps up a wardrobe like clay—
17 he may heap it up, but the righteous will wear it,
and the innocent will divide up his silver.(AC)
18 The house he built is like a moth’s cocoon
or a booth set up by a watchman.(AD)
19 He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;
when he opens his eyes, it is gone.
20 Terrors overtake him like a flood;(AE)
a storm(AF) wind sweeps him away at night.
21 An east wind picks him up, and he is gone;
it carries him away from his place.
22 It blasts at him without mercy,
while he flees desperately from its grasp.
23 It claps(AG) its hands at him
and scorns him from its place.
Job 25-27
New International Version
Job 25-27
New International Version
Bildad
25 Then Bildad the Shuhite(A) replied:
2 “Dominion and awe belong to God;(B)
he establishes order in the heights of heaven.(C)
3 Can his forces be numbered?
On whom does his light not rise?(D)
4 How then can a mortal be righteous before God?
How can one born of woman be pure?(E)
5 If even the moon(F) is not bright
and the stars are not pure in his eyes,(G)
6 how much less a mortal, who is but a maggot—
a human being,(H) who is only a worm!”(I)
Job
26 Then Job replied:
2 “How you have helped the powerless!(J)
How you have saved the arm that is feeble!(K)
3 What advice you have offered to one without wisdom!
And what great insight(L) you have displayed!
4 Who has helped you utter these words?
And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?(M)
5 “The dead are in deep anguish,(N)
those beneath the waters and all that live in them.
6 The realm of the dead(O) is naked before God;
Destruction[a](P) lies uncovered.(Q)
7 He spreads out the northern skies(R) over empty space;
he suspends the earth over nothing.(S)
8 He wraps up the waters(T) in his clouds,(U)
yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
9 He covers the face of the full moon,
spreading his clouds(V) over it.
10 He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters(W)
for a boundary between light and darkness.(X)
11 The pillars of the heavens quake,(Y)
aghast at his rebuke.
12 By his power he churned up the sea;(Z)
by his wisdom(AA) he cut Rahab(AB) to pieces.
13 By his breath the skies(AC) became fair;
his hand pierced the gliding serpent.(AD)
14 And these are but the outer fringe of his works;
how faint the whisper(AE) we hear of him!(AF)
Who then can understand the thunder of his power?”(AG)
Job’s Final Word to His Friends
27 And Job continued his discourse:(AH)
2 “As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,(AI)
the Almighty,(AJ) who has made my life bitter,(AK)
3 as long as I have life within me,
the breath of God(AL) in my nostrils,
4 my lips will not say anything wicked,
and my tongue will not utter lies.(AM)
5 I will never admit you are in the right;
till I die, I will not deny my integrity.(AN)
6 I will maintain my innocence(AO) and never let go of it;
my conscience(AP) will not reproach me as long as I live.(AQ)
7 “May my enemy be like the wicked,(AR)
my adversary(AS) like the unjust!
8 For what hope have the godless(AT) when they are cut off,
when God takes away their life?(AU)
9 Does God listen to their cry
when distress comes upon them?(AV)
10 Will they find delight in the Almighty?(AW)
Will they call on God at all times?
11 “I will teach you about the power of God;
the ways(AX) of the Almighty I will not conceal.(AY)
12 You have all seen this yourselves.
Why then this meaningless talk?
13 “Here is the fate God allots to the wicked,
the heritage a ruthless man receives from the Almighty:(AZ)
14 However many his children,(BA) their fate is the sword;(BB)
his offspring will never have enough to eat.(BC)
15 The plague will bury those who survive him,
and their widows will not weep for them.(BD)
16 Though he heaps up silver like dust(BE)
and clothes like piles of clay,(BF)
17 what he lays up(BG) the righteous will wear,(BH)
and the innocent will divide his silver.(BI)
18 The house(BJ) he builds is like a moth’s cocoon,(BK)
like a hut(BL) made by a watchman.
19 He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;(BM)
when he opens his eyes, all is gone.(BN)
20 Terrors(BO) overtake him like a flood;(BP)
a tempest snatches him away in the night.(BQ)
21 The east wind(BR) carries him off, and he is gone;(BS)
it sweeps him out of his place.(BT)
22 It hurls itself against him without mercy(BU)
as he flees headlong(BV) from its power.(BW)
23 It claps its hands(BX) in derision
and hisses him out of his place.”(BY)
Footnotes
- Job 26:6 Hebrew Abaddon
Job 25-27
King James Version
Job 25-27
King James Version
25 Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,
2 Dominion and fear are with him, he maketh peace in his high places.
3 Is there any number of his armies? and upon whom doth not his light arise?
4 How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?
5 Behold even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight.
6 How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?
26 But Job answered and said,
2 How hast thou helped him that is without power? how savest thou the arm that hath no strength?
3 How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom? and how hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is?
4 To whom hast thou uttered words? and whose spirit came from thee?
5 Dead things are formed from under the waters, and the inhabitants thereof.
6 Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering.
7 He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.
8 He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds; and the cloud is not rent under them.
9 He holdeth back the face of his throne, and spreadeth his cloud upon it.
10 He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end.
11 The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproof.
12 He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud.
13 By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.
14 Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?
27 Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,
2 As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul;
3 All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;
4 My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.
5 God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.
6 My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.
7 Let mine enemy be as the wicked, and he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous.
8 For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?
9 Will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him?
10 Will he delight himself in the Almighty? will he always call upon God?
11 I will teach you by the hand of God: that which is with the Almighty will I not conceal.
12 Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it; why then are ye thus altogether vain?
13 This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage of oppressors, which they shall receive of the Almighty.
14 If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword: and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.
15 Those that remain of him shall be buried in death: and his widows shall not weep.
16 Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay;
17 He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver.
18 He buildeth his house as a moth, and as a booth that the keeper maketh.
19 The rich man shall lie down, but he shall not be gathered: he openeth his eyes, and he is not.
20 Terrors take hold on him as waters, a tempest stealeth him away in the night.
21 The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth: and as a storm hurleth him out of his place.
22 For God shall cast upon him, and not spare: he would fain flee out of his hand.
23 Men shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his place.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
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