Font Size
Job 30-31
New King James Version
Job 30-31
New King James Version
Job’s Wealth Now Poverty
30 “But now they mock at me, men [a]younger than I,
Whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock.
2 Indeed, what profit is the strength of their hands to me?
Their vigor has perished.
3 They are gaunt from want and famine,
Fleeing late to the wilderness, desolate and waste,
4 Who pluck [b]mallow by the bushes,
And broom tree roots for their food.
5 They were driven out from among men,
They shouted at them as at a thief.
6 They had to live in the clefts of the [c]valleys,
In [d]caves of the earth and the rocks.
7 Among the bushes they brayed,
Under the nettles they nestled.
8 They were sons of fools,
Yes, sons of vile men;
They were scourged from the land.
9 “And(A) now I am their taunting song;
Yes, I am their byword.
10 They abhor me, they keep far from me;
They do not hesitate (B)to spit in my face.
11 Because (C)He has loosed [e]my bowstring and afflicted me,
They have cast off restraint before me.
12 At my right hand the rabble arises;
They push away my feet,
And (D)they raise against me their ways of destruction.
13 They break up my path,
They promote my calamity;
They have no helper.
14 They come as broad breakers;
Under the ruinous storm they roll along.
15 Terrors are turned upon me;
They pursue my honor as the wind,
And my prosperity has passed like a cloud.
16 “And(E) now my soul is (F)poured out because of my plight;
The days of affliction take hold of me.
17 My bones are pierced in me at night,
And my gnawing pains take no rest.
18 By great force my garment is disfigured;
It binds me about as the collar of my coat.
19 He has cast me into the mire,
And I have become like dust and ashes.
20 “I (G)cry out to You, but You do not answer me;
I stand up, and You regard me.
21 But You have become cruel to me;
With the strength of Your hand You (H)oppose me.
22 You lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride on it;
You spoil my success.
23 For I know that You will bring me to death,
And to the house (I)appointed for all living.
24 “Surely He would not stretch out His hand against a heap of ruins,
If they cry out when He destroys it.
25 (J)Have I not wept for him who was in trouble?
Has not my soul grieved for the poor?
26 (K)But when I looked for good, evil came to me;
And when I waited for light, then came darkness.
27 [f]My heart is in turmoil and cannot rest;
Days of affliction confront me.
28 (L)I go about mourning, but not in the sun;
I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help.
29 (M)I am a brother of jackals,
And a companion of ostriches.
30 (N)My skin grows black and falls from me;
(O)My bones burn with fever.
31 My harp is turned to mourning,
And my flute to the voice of those who weep.
Job Defends His Righteousness
31 “I have made a covenant with my eyes;
Why then should I [g]look upon a (P)young woman?
2 For what is the (Q)allotment of God from above,
And the inheritance of the Almighty from on high?
3 Is it not destruction for the wicked,
And disaster for the workers of iniquity?
4 (R)Does He not see my ways,
And count all my steps?
5 “If I have walked with falsehood,
Or if my foot has hastened to deceit,
6 [h]Let me be weighed on honest scales,
That God may know my (S)integrity.
7 If my step has turned from the way,
Or (T)my heart walked after my eyes,
Or if any spot adheres to my hands,
8 Then (U)let me sow, and another eat;
Yes, let my harvest be [i]rooted out.
9 “If my heart has been enticed by a woman,
Or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,
10 Then let my wife grind for (V)another,
And let others bow down over her.
11 For that would be wickedness;
Yes, (W)it would be iniquity deserving of judgment.
12 For that would be a fire that consumes to destruction,
And would root out all my increase.
13 “If I have (X)despised the cause of my male or female servant
When they complained against me,
14 What then shall I do when (Y)God rises up?
When He punishes, how shall I answer Him?
15 (Z)Did not He who made me in the womb make them?
Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?
16 “If I have kept the poor from their desire,
Or caused the eyes of the widow to (AA)fail,
17 Or eaten my morsel by myself,
So that the fatherless could not eat of it
18 (But from my youth I reared him as a father,
And from my mother’s womb I guided [j]the widow);
19 If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,
Or any poor man without covering;
20 If his [k]heart has not (AB)blessed me,
And if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;
21 If I have raised my hand (AC)against the fatherless,
When I saw I had help in the gate;
22 Then let my arm fall from my shoulder,
Let my arm be torn from the socket.
23 For (AD)destruction from God is a terror to me,
And because of His magnificence I cannot endure.
24 “If(AE) I have made gold my hope,
Or said to fine gold, ‘You are my confidence’;
25 (AF)If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great,
And because my hand had gained much;
26 (AG)If I have observed the [l]sun when it shines,
Or the moon moving in brightness,
27 So that my heart has been secretly enticed,
And my mouth has kissed my hand;
28 This also would be an iniquity deserving of judgment,
For I would have denied God who is above.
29 “If(AH) I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me,
Or lifted myself up when evil found him
30 (AI)(Indeed I have not allowed my mouth to sin
By asking for a curse on his [m]soul);
31 If the men of my tent have not said,
‘Who is there that has not been satisfied with his meat?’
32 (AJ)(But no sojourner had to lodge in the street,
For I have opened my doors to the [n]traveler);
33 If I have covered my transgressions (AK)as[o] Adam,
By hiding my iniquity in my bosom,
34 Because I feared the great (AL)multitude,
And dreaded the contempt of families,
So that I kept silence
And did not go out of the door—
35 (AM)Oh, that I had one to hear me!
Here is my mark.
Oh, (AN)that the Almighty would answer me,
That my [p]Prosecutor had written a book!
36 Surely I would carry it on my shoulder,
And bind it on me like a crown;
37 I would declare to Him the number of my steps;
Like a prince I would approach Him.
38 “If my land cries out against me,
And its furrows weep together;
39 If (AO)I have eaten its [q]fruit without money,
Or (AP)caused its owners to lose their lives;
40 Then let (AQ)thistles grow instead of wheat,
And weeds instead of barley.”
The words of Job are ended.
Footnotes
- Job 30:1 Lit. of fewer days
- Job 30:4 A plant of the salty marshes
- Job 30:6 wadis
- Job 30:6 Lit. holes
- Job 30:11 So with MT, Syr., Tg.; LXX, Vg. His
- Job 30:27 I seethe inside
- Job 31:1 look intently or gaze
- Job 31:6 Lit. Let Him weigh me
- Job 31:8 uprooted
- Job 31:18 Lit. her
- Job 31:20 Lit. loins
- Job 31:26 Lit. light
- Job 31:30 Or life
- Job 31:32 So with LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg.; MT road
- Job 31:33 Or as men do
- Job 31:35 Lit. Accuser
- Job 31:39 Lit. strength
Job 30-31
New International Version
Job 30-31
New International Version
30 “But now they mock me,(A)
men younger than I,
whose fathers I would have disdained
to put with my sheep dogs.(B)
2 Of what use was the strength of their hands to me,
since their vigor had gone from them?
3 Haggard from want and hunger,
they roamed[a] the parched land(C)
in desolate wastelands(D) at night.(E)
4 In the brush they gathered salt herbs,(F)
and their food[b] was the root of the broom bush.(G)
5 They were banished from human society,
shouted at as if they were thieves.
6 They were forced to live in the dry stream beds,
among the rocks and in holes in the ground.(H)
7 They brayed(I) among the bushes(J)
and huddled in the undergrowth.
8 A base and nameless brood,(K)
they were driven out of the land.(L)
9 “And now those young men mock me(M) in song;(N)
I have become a byword(O) among them.
10 They detest me(P) and keep their distance;
they do not hesitate to spit in my face.(Q)
11 Now that God has unstrung my bow(R) and afflicted me,(S)
they throw off restraint(T) in my presence.
12 On my right(U) the tribe[c] attacks;
they lay snares(V) for my feet,(W)
they build their siege ramps against me.(X)
13 They break up my road;(Y)
they succeed in destroying me.(Z)
‘No one can help him,’ they say.
14 They advance as through a gaping breach;(AA)
amid the ruins they come rolling in.
15 Terrors(AB) overwhelm me;(AC)
my dignity is driven away as by the wind,
my safety vanishes like a cloud.(AD)
16 “And now my life ebbs away;(AE)
days of suffering grip me.(AF)
17 Night pierces my bones;
my gnawing pains never rest.(AG)
18 In his great power(AH) God becomes like clothing to me[d];
he binds me like the neck of my garment.
19 He throws me into the mud,(AI)
and I am reduced to dust and ashes.(AJ)
20 “I cry out to you,(AK) God, but you do not answer;(AL)
I stand up, but you merely look at me.
21 You turn on me ruthlessly;(AM)
with the might of your hand(AN) you attack me.(AO)
22 You snatch me up and drive me before the wind;(AP)
you toss me about in the storm.(AQ)
23 I know you will bring me down to death,(AR)
to the place appointed for all the living.(AS)
24 “Surely no one lays a hand on a broken man(AT)
when he cries for help in his distress.(AU)
25 Have I not wept for those in trouble?(AV)
Has not my soul grieved for the poor?(AW)
26 Yet when I hoped for good, evil came;
when I looked for light, then came darkness.(AX)
27 The churning inside me never stops;(AY)
days of suffering confront me.(AZ)
28 I go about blackened,(BA) but not by the sun;
I stand up in the assembly and cry for help.(BB)
29 I have become a brother of jackals,(BC)
a companion of owls.(BD)
30 My skin grows black(BE) and peels;(BF)
my body burns with fever.(BG)
31 My lyre is tuned to mourning,(BH)
and my pipe(BI) to the sound of wailing.
31 “I made a covenant with my eyes(BJ)
not to look lustfully at a young woman.(BK)
2 For what is our lot(BL) from God above,
our heritage from the Almighty on high?(BM)
3 Is it not ruin(BN) for the wicked,
disaster(BO) for those who do wrong?(BP)
4 Does he not see my ways(BQ)
and count my every step?(BR)
5 “If I have walked with falsehood
or my foot has hurried after deceit(BS)—
6 let God weigh me(BT) in honest scales(BU)
and he will know that I am blameless(BV)—
7 if my steps have turned from the path,(BW)
if my heart has been led by my eyes,
or if my hands(BX) have been defiled,(BY)
8 then may others eat what I have sown,(BZ)
and may my crops be uprooted.(CA)
9 “If my heart has been enticed(CB) by a woman,(CC)
or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,
10 then may my wife grind(CD) another man’s grain,
and may other men sleep with her.(CE)
11 For that would have been wicked,(CF)
a sin to be judged.(CG)
12 It is a fire(CH) that burns to Destruction[e];(CI)
it would have uprooted my harvest.(CJ)
13 “If I have denied justice to any of my servants,(CK)
whether male or female,
when they had a grievance against me,(CL)
14 what will I do when God confronts me?(CM)
What will I answer when called to account?(CN)
15 Did not he who made me in the womb make them?(CO)
Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?(CP)
16 “If I have denied the desires of the poor(CQ)
or let the eyes of the widow(CR) grow weary,(CS)
17 if I have kept my bread to myself,
not sharing it with the fatherless(CT)—
18 but from my youth I reared them as a father would,
and from my birth I guided the widow(CU)—
19 if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing,(CV)
or the needy(CW) without garments,
20 and their hearts did not bless me(CX)
for warming them with the fleece(CY) from my sheep,
21 if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,(CZ)
knowing that I had influence in court,(DA)
22 then let my arm fall from the shoulder,
let it be broken off at the joint.(DB)
23 For I dreaded destruction from God,(DC)
and for fear of his splendor(DD) I could not do such things.(DE)
24 “If I have put my trust in gold(DF)
or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’(DG)
25 if I have rejoiced over my great wealth,(DH)
the fortune my hands had gained,(DI)
26 if I have regarded the sun(DJ) in its radiance
or the moon(DK) moving in splendor,
27 so that my heart was secretly enticed(DL)
and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,(DM)
28 then these also would be sins to be judged,(DN)
for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.(DO)
29 “If I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune(DP)
or gloated over the trouble that came to him(DQ)—
30 I have not allowed my mouth to sin
by invoking a curse against their life(DR)—
31 if those of my household have never said,
‘Who has not been filled with Job’s meat?’(DS)—
32 but no stranger had to spend the night in the street,
for my door was always open to the traveler(DT)—
33 if I have concealed(DU) my sin as people do,[f]
by hiding(DV) my guilt in my heart
34 because I so feared the crowd(DW)
and so dreaded the contempt of the clans
that I kept silent(DX) and would not go outside—
35 (“Oh, that I had someone to hear me!(DY)
I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me;
let my accuser(DZ) put his indictment in writing.
36 Surely I would wear it on my shoulder,(EA)
I would put it on like a crown.(EB)
37 I would give him an account of my every step;(EC)
I would present it to him as to a ruler.(ED))—
38 “if my land cries out against me(EE)
and all its furrows are wet(EF) with tears,
39 if I have devoured its yield without payment(EG)
or broken the spirit of its tenants,(EH)
40 then let briers(EI) come up instead of wheat
and stinkweed(EJ) instead of barley.”
The words of Job are ended.(EK)
Job 30-31
King James Version
Job 30-31
King James Version
30 But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock.
2 Yea, whereto might the strength of their hands profit me, in whom old age was perished?
3 For want and famine they were solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste.
4 Who cut up mallows by the bushes, and juniper roots for their meat.
5 They were driven forth from among men, (they cried after them as after a thief;)
6 To dwell in the cliffs of the valleys, in caves of the earth, and in the rocks.
7 Among the bushes they brayed; under the nettles they were gathered together.
8 They were children of fools, yea, children of base men: they were viler than the earth.
9 And now am I their song, yea, I am their byword.
10 They abhor me, they flee far from me, and spare not to spit in my face.
11 Because he hath loosed my cord, and afflicted me, they have also let loose the bridle before me.
12 Upon my right hand rise the youth; they push away my feet, and they raise up against me the ways of their destruction.
13 They mar my path, they set forward my calamity, they have no helper.
14 They came upon me as a wide breaking in of waters: in the desolation they rolled themselves upon me.
15 Terrors are turned upon me: they pursue my soul as the wind: and my welfare passeth away as a cloud.
16 And now my soul is poured out upon me; the days of affliction have taken hold upon me.
17 My bones are pierced in me in the night season: and my sinews take no rest.
18 By the great force of my disease is my garment changed: it bindeth me about as the collar of my coat.
19 He hath cast me into the mire, and I am become like dust and ashes.
20 I cry unto thee, and thou dost not hear me: I stand up, and thou regardest me not.
21 Thou art become cruel to me: with thy strong hand thou opposest thyself against me.
22 Thou liftest me up to the wind; thou causest me to ride upon it, and dissolvest my substance.
23 For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living.
24 Howbeit he will not stretch out his hand to the grave, though they cry in his destruction.
25 Did not I weep for him that was in trouble? was not my soul grieved for the poor?
26 When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness.
27 My bowels boiled, and rested not: the days of affliction prevented me.
28 I went mourning without the sun: I stood up, and I cried in the congregation.
29 I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls.
30 My skin is black upon me, and my bones are burned with heat.
31 My harp also is turned to mourning, and my organ into the voice of them that weep.
31 I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?
2 For what portion of God is there from above? and what inheritance of the Almighty from on high?
3 Is not destruction to the wicked? and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity?
4 Doth not he see my ways, and count all my steps?
5 If I have walked with vanity, or if my foot hath hasted to deceit;
6 Let me be weighed in an even balance that God may know mine integrity.
7 If my step hath turned out of the way, and mine heart walked after mine eyes, and if any blot hath cleaved to mine hands;
8 Then let me sow, and let another eat; yea, let my offspring be rooted out.
9 If mine heart have been deceived by a woman, or if I have laid wait at my neighbour's door;
10 Then let my wife grind unto another, and let others bow down upon her.
11 For this is an heinous crime; yea, it is an iniquity to be punished by the judges.
12 For it is a fire that consumeth to destruction, and would root out all mine increase.
13 If I did despise the cause of my manservant or of my maidservant, when they contended with me;
14 What then shall I do when God riseth up? and when he visiteth, what shall I answer him?
15 Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?
16 If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail;
17 Or have eaten my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten thereof;
18 (For from my youth he was brought up with me, as with a father, and I have guided her from my mother's womb;)
19 If I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or any poor without covering;
20 If his loins have not blessed me, and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;
21 If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, when I saw my help in the gate:
22 Then let mine arm fall from my shoulder blade, and mine arm be broken from the bone.
23 For destruction from God was a terror to me, and by reason of his highness I could not endure.
24 If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence;
25 If I rejoice because my wealth was great, and because mine hand had gotten much;
26 If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness;
27 And my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand:
28 This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above.
29 If I rejoice at the destruction of him that hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him:
30 Neither have I suffered my mouth to sin by wishing a curse to his soul.
31 If the men of my tabernacle said not, Oh that we had of his flesh! we cannot be satisfied.
32 The stranger did not lodge in the street: but I opened my doors to the traveller.
33 If I covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom:
34 Did I fear a great multitude, or did the contempt of families terrify me, that I kept silence, and went not out of the door?
35 Oh that one would hear me! behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me, and that mine adversary had written a book.
36 Surely I would take it upon my shoulder, and bind it as a crown to me.
37 I would declare unto him the number of my steps; as a prince would I go near unto him.
38 If my land cry against me, or that the furrows likewise thereof complain;
39 If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money, or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life:
40 Let thistles grow instead of wheat, and cockle instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.