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Job 40-42
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Job 40-42
Holman Christian Standard Bible
40 The Lord answered Job:
2 Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him?
Let him who argues with God give an answer.[a]
3 Then Job answered the Lord:
4 I am so insignificant. How can I answer You?(A)
I place my hand over my mouth.
5 I have spoken once, and I will not reply;
twice, but now I can add nothing.(B)
6 Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind:(C)
7 Get ready to answer Me like a man;
When I question(D) you, you will inform Me.
8 Would you really challenge My justice?
Would you declare Me guilty(E) to justify yourself?(F)
9 Do you have an arm like God’s?
Can you thunder with a voice like His?
10 Adorn yourself with majesty(G) and splendor,
and clothe yourself with honor and glory.
11 Unleash your raging anger;(H)
look on every proud person and humiliate him.(I)
12 Look on every proud person and humble him;(J)
trample the wicked where they stand.[b]
13 Hide them together in the dust;
imprison them in the grave.[c]
14 Then I will confess to you
that your own right hand(K) can deliver you.(L)
15 Look at Behemoth,
which I made along with you.
He eats grass like an ox.
16 Look at the strength of his loins
and the power in the muscles of his belly.
17 He stiffens his tail like a cedar tree;
the tendons of his thighs are woven firmly together.
18 His bones are bronze tubes;
his limbs are like iron rods.
19 He is the foremost of God’s works;(M)
only his Maker can draw the sword against him.
20 The hills yield food for him,
while all sorts of wild animals play there.
21 He lies under the lotus plants,
hiding in the protection[d] of marshy reeds.
22 Lotus plants cover him with their shade;
the willows by the brook surround him.
23 Though the river rages, Behemoth is unafraid;
he remains confident, even if the Jordan surges up to his mouth.
24 Can anyone capture him while he looks on,[e]
or pierce his nose with snares?
41 [f]Can you pull in Leviathan(N) with a hook(O)
or tie his tongue down with a rope?
2 Can you put a cord[g] through his nose
or pierce his jaw with a hook?(P)
3 Will he beg you for mercy
or speak softly to you?
4 Will he make a covenant with you
so that you can take him as a slave forever?(Q)
5 Can you play with him like a bird
or put him on a leash[h] for your girls?
6 Will traders bargain for him
or divide him among the merchants?
7 Can you fill his hide with harpoons
or his head with fishing spears?
8 Lay a[i] hand on him.
You will remember the battle
and never repeat it!
9 [j]Any hope of capturing him proves false.
Does a person not collapse at the very sight of him?
10 No one is ferocious enough to rouse Leviathan;(R)
who then can stand against Me?
11 Who confronted Me, that I should repay him?
Everything under heaven belongs to Me.(S)
12 I cannot be silent about his limbs,
his power, and his graceful proportions.
13 Who can strip off his outer covering?
Who can penetrate his double layer of armor?[k](T)
14 Who can open his jaws,[l]
surrounded by those terrifying teeth?
15 His pride is in his rows of scales,
closely sealed together.
16 One scale is so close to another[m]
that no air can pass between them.
17 They are joined to one another,
so closely connected[n] they cannot be separated.
18 His snorting[o] flashes with light,
while his eyes are like the rays[p] of dawn.
19 Flaming torches shoot from his mouth;
fiery sparks fly out!
20 Smoke billows from his nostrils(U)
as from a boiling pot or burning reeds.
21 His breath sets coals ablaze,
and flames pour out of his mouth.
22 Strength resides in his neck,
and dismay dances before him.
23 The folds of his flesh are joined together,
solid as metal[q] and immovable.
24 His heart is as hard as a rock,
as hard as a lower millstone!
25 When Leviathan rises, the mighty[r] are terrified;
they withdraw because of his thrashing.
26 The sword that reaches him will have no effect,
nor will a spear, dart, or arrow.
27 He regards iron as straw,
and bronze as rotten wood.
28 No arrow can make him flee;
slingstones become like stubble to him.
29 A club is regarded as stubble,
and he laughs(V) at the sound of a javelin.
30 His undersides are jagged potsherds,
spreading the mud like a threshing sledge.(W)
31 He makes the depths seethe like a cauldron;
he makes the sea like an ointment jar.
32 He leaves a shining wake behind him;[s]
one would think the deep had gray hair!
33 He has no equal on earth—
a creature devoid of fear!
34 He surveys everything that is haughty;
he is king over all the proud beasts.[t]
Job Replies to the Lord
42 Then Job replied to the Lord:
2 I[u] know that You can do anything
and no plan of Yours can be thwarted.(X)
3 You asked, “Who is this who conceals My counsel with ignorance?”(Y)
Surely I spoke about things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to[v] know.(Z)
4 You said, “Listen now, and I will speak.
When I question(AA) you, you will inform Me.”
5 I had heard rumors about You,
but now my eyes(AB) have seen You.
6 Therefore I take back my words
and repent in dust and ashes.[w]
7 After the Lord had finished speaking[x] to Job, He said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “I am angry with you and your two friends, for you have not spoken the truth about Me, as My servant Job has. 8 Now take seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. Then My servant Job will pray for you.(AC) I will surely accept his prayer and not deal with you as your folly deserves. For you have not spoken the truth about Me, as My servant Job has.” 9 Then Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the Lord had told them, and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.
God Restores Job
10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his prosperity and doubled his previous possessions.(AD) 11 All his brothers, sisters, and former acquaintances(AE) came to his house and dined with him in his house. They sympathized with him and comforted him concerning all the adversity the Lord had brought on him. Each one gave him a qesitah[y](AF) and a gold earring.(AG)
12 So the Lord blessed the last part of Job’s life more than the first. He owned 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 He also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 He named his first daughter Jemimah, his second Keziah, and his third Keren-happuch.(AH) 15 No women as beautiful as Job’s daughters could be found in all the land, and their father granted them an inheritance with their brothers.
16 Job lived 140 years after this and saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 Then Job died, old and full of days.(AI)
Footnotes
- Job 40:2 Lit God respond to it
- Job 40:12 Lit wicked in their place
- Job 40:13 Lit together; bind their faces in the hidden place
- Job 40:21 Lit plants, in the hiding place
- Job 40:24 Lit capture it in its eyes
- Job 41:1 Jb 40:25 in Hb
- Job 41:2 Lit reed
- Job 41:5 Lit or bind him
- Job 41:8 Lit your
- Job 41:9 Jb 41:1 in Hb
- Job 41:13 LXX; MT reads double bridle
- Job 41:14 Lit open the doors of his face
- Job 41:16 Lit One by one they approach
- Job 41:17 Lit another; they cling together and
- Job 41:18 Or sneezing
- Job 41:18 Lit eyelids
- Job 41:23 Lit together, hard on him
- Job 41:25 Or the divine beings
- Job 41:32 Lit a path
- Job 41:34 Lit the children of pride
- Job 42:2 Alt Hb tradition reads You
- Job 42:3 Lit me, and I did not
- Job 42:6 LXX reads I despise myself and melt; I consider myself dust and ashes
- Job 42:7 Lit speaking these words
- Job 42:11 The value of the currency is unknown.
Job 40-42
New International Version
Job 40-42
New International Version
40 The Lord said to Job:(A)
2 “Will the one who contends with the Almighty(B) correct him?(C)
Let him who accuses God answer him!”(D)
3 Then Job answered the Lord:
4 “I am unworthy(E)—how can I reply to you?
I put my hand over my mouth.(F)
5 I spoke once, but I have no answer(G)—
twice, but I will say no more.”(H)
6 Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm:(I)
7 “Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.(J)
8 “Would you discredit my justice?(K)
Would you condemn me to justify yourself?(L)
9 Do you have an arm like God’s,(M)
and can your voice(N) thunder like his?(O)
10 Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor,
and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.(P)
11 Unleash the fury of your wrath,(Q)
look at all who are proud and bring them low,(R)
12 look at all who are proud(S) and humble them,(T)
crush(U) the wicked where they stand.
13 Bury them all in the dust together;(V)
shroud their faces in the grave.(W)
14 Then I myself will admit to you
that your own right hand can save you.(X)
15 “Look at Behemoth,
which I made(Y) along with you
and which feeds on grass like an ox.(Z)
16 What strength(AA) it has in its loins,
what power in the muscles of its belly!(AB)
17 Its tail sways like a cedar;
the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.(AC)
18 Its bones are tubes of bronze,
its limbs(AD) like rods of iron.(AE)
19 It ranks first among the works of God,(AF)
yet its Maker(AG) can approach it with his sword.(AH)
20 The hills bring it their produce,(AI)
and all the wild animals play(AJ) nearby.(AK)
21 Under the lotus plants it lies,
hidden among the reeds(AL) in the marsh.(AM)
22 The lotuses conceal it in their shadow;
the poplars by the stream(AN) surround it.
23 A raging river(AO) does not alarm it;
it is secure, though the Jordan(AP) should surge against its mouth.
24 Can anyone capture it by the eyes,
or trap it and pierce its nose?(AQ)
41 [a]“Can you pull in Leviathan(AR) with a fishhook(AS)
or tie down its tongue with a rope?
2 Can you put a cord through its nose(AT)
or pierce its jaw with a hook?(AU)
3 Will it keep begging you for mercy?(AV)
Will it speak to you with gentle words?
4 Will it make an agreement with you
for you to take it as your slave for life?(AW)
5 Can you make a pet of it like a bird
or put it on a leash for the young women in your house?
6 Will traders barter for it?
Will they divide it up among the merchants?
7 Can you fill its hide with harpoons
or its head with fishing spears?(AX)
8 If you lay a hand on it,
you will remember the struggle and never do it again!(AY)
9 Any hope of subduing it is false;
the mere sight of it is overpowering.(AZ)
10 No one is fierce enough to rouse it.(BA)
Who then is able to stand against me?(BB)
11 Who has a claim against me that I must pay?(BC)
Everything under heaven belongs to me.(BD)
12 “I will not fail to speak of Leviathan’s limbs,(BE)
its strength(BF) and its graceful form.
13 Who can strip off its outer coat?
Who can penetrate its double coat of armor[b]?(BG)
14 Who dares open the doors of its mouth,(BH)
ringed about with fearsome teeth?
15 Its back has[c] rows of shields
tightly sealed together;(BI)
16 each is so close to the next
that no air can pass between.
17 They are joined fast to one another;
they cling together and cannot be parted.
18 Its snorting throws out flashes of light;
its eyes are like the rays of dawn.(BJ)
19 Flames(BK) stream from its mouth;
sparks of fire shoot out.
20 Smoke pours from its nostrils(BL)
as from a boiling pot over burning reeds.
21 Its breath(BM) sets coals ablaze,
and flames dart from its mouth.(BN)
22 Strength(BO) resides in its neck;
dismay goes before it.
23 The folds of its flesh are tightly joined;
they are firm and immovable.
24 Its chest is hard as rock,
hard as a lower millstone.(BP)
25 When it rises up, the mighty are terrified;(BQ)
they retreat before its thrashing.(BR)
26 The sword that reaches it has no effect,
nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin.(BS)
27 Iron it treats like straw(BT)
and bronze like rotten wood.
28 Arrows do not make it flee;(BU)
slingstones are like chaff to it.
29 A club seems to it but a piece of straw;(BV)
it laughs(BW) at the rattling of the lance.
30 Its undersides are jagged potsherds,
leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge.(BX)
31 It makes the depths churn like a boiling caldron(BY)
and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment.(BZ)
32 It leaves a glistening wake behind it;
one would think the deep had white hair.
33 Nothing on earth is its equal(CA)—
a creature without fear.
34 It looks down on all that are haughty;(CB)
it is king over all that are proud.(CC)”
Job
42 Then Job replied to the Lord:
2 “I know that you can do all things;(CD)
no purpose of yours can be thwarted.(CE)
3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’(CF)
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.(CG)
4 “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.’(CH)
5 My ears had heard of you(CI)
but now my eyes have seen you.(CJ)
6 Therefore I despise myself(CK)
and repent(CL) in dust and ashes.”(CM)
Epilogue
7 After the Lord had said these things to Job(CN), he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends,(CO) because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.(CP) 8 So now take seven bulls and seven rams(CQ) and go to my servant Job(CR) and sacrifice a burnt offering(CS) for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer(CT) and not deal with you according to your folly.(CU) You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.”(CV) 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite(CW) did what the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.(CX)
10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes(CY) and gave him twice as much as he had before.(CZ) 11 All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before(DA) came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought on him,(DB) and each one gave him a piece of silver[d] and a gold ring.
12 The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. 13 And he also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. 15 Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.
16 After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 And so Job died, an old man and full of years.(DC)
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
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