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Job 5-7
New Living Translation
Job 5-7
New Living Translation
Eliphaz’s Response Continues
5 “Cry for help, but will anyone answer you?
Which of the angels[a] will help you?
2 Surely resentment destroys the fool,
and jealousy kills the simple.
3 I have seen that fools may be successful for the moment,
but then comes sudden disaster.
4 Their children are abandoned far from help;
they are crushed in court with no one to defend them.
5 The hungry devour their harvest,
even when it is guarded by brambles.[b]
The thirsty pant after their wealth.[c]
6 But evil does not spring from the soil,
and trouble does not sprout from the earth.
7 People are born for trouble
as readily as sparks fly up from a fire.
8 “If I were you, I would go to God
and present my case to him.
9 He does great things too marvelous to understand.
He performs countless miracles.
10 He gives rain for the earth
and water for the fields.
11 He gives prosperity to the poor
and protects those who suffer.
12 He frustrates the plans of schemers
so the work of their hands will not succeed.
13 He traps the wise in their own cleverness
so their cunning schemes are thwarted.
14 They find it is dark in the daytime,
and they grope at noon as if it were night.
15 He rescues the poor from the cutting words of the strong,
and rescues them from the clutches of the powerful.
16 And so at last the poor have hope,
and the snapping jaws of the wicked are shut.
17 “But consider the joy of those corrected by God!
Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you sin.
18 For though he wounds, he also bandages.
He strikes, but his hands also heal.
19 From six disasters he will rescue you;
even in the seventh, he will keep you from evil.
20 He will save you from death in time of famine,
from the power of the sword in time of war.
21 You will be safe from slander
and have no fear when destruction comes.
22 You will laugh at destruction and famine;
wild animals will not terrify you.
23 You will be at peace with the stones of the field,
and its wild animals will be at peace with you.
24 You will know that your home is safe.
When you survey your possessions, nothing will be missing.
25 You will have many children;
your descendants will be as plentiful as grass!
26 You will go to the grave at a ripe old age,
like a sheaf of grain harvested at the proper time!
27 “We have studied life and found all this to be true.
Listen to my counsel, and apply it to yourself.”
Job’s Second Speech: A Response to Eliphaz
6 Then Job spoke again:
2 “If my misery could be weighed
and my troubles be put on the scales,
3 they would outweigh all the sands of the sea.
That is why I spoke impulsively.
4 For the Almighty has struck me down with his arrows.
Their poison infects my spirit.
God’s terrors are lined up against me.
5 Don’t I have a right to complain?
Don’t wild donkeys bray when they find no grass,
and oxen bellow when they have no food?
6 Don’t people complain about unsalted food?
Does anyone want the tasteless white of an egg?[d]
7 My appetite disappears when I look at it;
I gag at the thought of eating it!
8 “Oh, that I might have my request,
that God would grant my desire.
9 I wish he would crush me.
I wish he would reach out his hand and kill me.
10 At least I can take comfort in this:
Despite the pain,
I have not denied the words of the Holy One.
11 But I don’t have the strength to endure.
I have nothing to live for.
12 Do I have the strength of a stone?
Is my body made of bronze?
13 No, I am utterly helpless,
without any chance of success.
14 “One should be kind to a fainting friend,
but you accuse me without any fear of the Almighty.[e]
15 My brothers, you have proved as unreliable as a seasonal brook
that overflows its banks in the spring
16 when it is swollen with ice and melting snow.
17 But when the hot weather arrives, the water disappears.
The brook vanishes in the heat.
18 The caravans turn aside to be refreshed,
but there is nothing to drink, so they die.
19 The caravans from Tema search for this water;
the travelers from Sheba hope to find it.
20 They count on it but are disappointed.
When they arrive, their hopes are dashed.
21 You, too, have given no help.
You have seen my calamity, and you are afraid.
22 But why? Have I ever asked you for a gift?
Have I begged for anything of yours for myself?
23 Have I asked you to rescue me from my enemies,
or to save me from ruthless people?
24 Teach me, and I will keep quiet.
Show me what I have done wrong.
25 Honest words can be painful,
but what do your criticisms amount to?
26 Do you think your words are convincing
when you disregard my cry of desperation?
27 You would even send an orphan into slavery[f]
or sell a friend.
28 Look at me!
Would I lie to your face?
29 Stop assuming my guilt,
for I have done no wrong.
30 Do you think I am lying?
Don’t I know the difference between right and wrong?
7 “Is not all human life a struggle?
Our lives are like that of a hired hand,
2 like a worker who longs for the shade,
like a servant waiting to be paid.
3 I, too, have been assigned months of futility,
long and weary nights of misery.
4 Lying in bed, I think, ‘When will it be morning?’
But the night drags on, and I toss till dawn.
5 My body is covered with maggots and scabs.
My skin breaks open, oozing with pus.
Job Cries Out to God
6 “My days fly faster than a weaver’s shuttle.
They end without hope.
7 O God, remember that my life is but a breath,
and I will never again feel happiness.
8 You see me now, but not for long.
You will look for me, but I will be gone.
9 Just as a cloud dissipates and vanishes,
those who die[g] will not come back.
10 They are gone forever from their home—
never to be seen again.
11 “I cannot keep from speaking.
I must express my anguish.
My bitter soul must complain.
12 Am I a sea monster or a dragon
that you must place me under guard?
13 I think, ‘My bed will comfort me,
and sleep will ease my misery,’
14 but then you shatter me with dreams
and terrify me with visions.
15 I would rather be strangled—
rather die than suffer like this.
16 I hate my life and don’t want to go on living.
Oh, leave me alone for my few remaining days.
17 “What are people, that you should make so much of us,
that you should think of us so often?
18 For you examine us every morning
and test us every moment.
19 Why won’t you leave me alone,
at least long enough for me to swallow!
20 If I have sinned, what have I done to you,
O watcher of all humanity?
Why make me your target?
Am I a burden to you?[h]
21 Why not just forgive my sin
and take away my guilt?
For soon I will lie down in the dust and die.
When you look for me, I will be gone.”
Footnotes
- 5:1 Hebrew the holy ones.
- 5:5a The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
- 5:5b As in Greek and Syriac versions; Hebrew reads A snare snatches their wealth.
- 6:6 Or the tasteless juice of the mallow plant?
- 6:14 Or friend, / or he might lose his fear of the Almighty.
- 6:27 Hebrew even gamble over an orphan.
- 7:9 Hebrew who go down to Sheol.
- 7:20 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads target, so that I am a burden to myself?
Job 5-7
New International Version
Job 5-7
New International Version
5 “Call if you will, but who will answer you?(A)
To which of the holy ones(B) will you turn?
2 Resentment(C) kills a fool,
and envy slays the simple.(D)
3 I myself have seen(E) a fool taking root,(F)
but suddenly(G) his house was cursed.(H)
4 His children(I) are far from safety,(J)
crushed in court(K) without a defender.(L)
5 The hungry consume his harvest,(M)
taking it even from among thorns,
and the thirsty pant after his wealth.
6 For hardship does not spring from the soil,
nor does trouble sprout from the ground.(N)
7 Yet man is born to trouble(O)
as surely as sparks fly upward.
8 “But if I were you, I would appeal to God;
I would lay my cause before him.(P)
9 He performs wonders(Q) that cannot be fathomed,(R)
miracles that cannot be counted.(S)
10 He provides rain for the earth;(T)
he sends water on the countryside.(U)
11 The lowly he sets on high,(V)
and those who mourn(W) are lifted(X) to safety.
12 He thwarts the plans(Y) of the crafty,
so that their hands achieve no success.(Z)
13 He catches the wise(AA) in their craftiness,(AB)
and the schemes of the wily are swept away.(AC)
14 Darkness(AD) comes upon them in the daytime;
at noon they grope as in the night.(AE)
15 He saves the needy(AF) from the sword in their mouth;
he saves them from the clutches of the powerful.(AG)
16 So the poor(AH) have hope,
and injustice shuts its mouth.(AI)
17 “Blessed is the one whom God corrects;(AJ)
so do not despise the discipline(AK) of the Almighty.[a](AL)
18 For he wounds, but he also binds up;(AM)
he injures, but his hands also heal.(AN)
19 From six calamities he will rescue(AO) you;
in seven no harm will touch you.(AP)
20 In famine(AQ) he will deliver you from death,
and in battle from the stroke of the sword.(AR)
21 You will be protected from the lash of the tongue,(AS)
and need not fear(AT) when destruction comes.(AU)
22 You will laugh(AV) at destruction and famine,(AW)
and need not fear the wild animals.(AX)
23 For you will have a covenant(AY) with the stones(AZ) of the field,
and the wild animals will be at peace with you.(BA)
24 You will know that your tent is secure;(BB)
you will take stock of your property and find nothing missing.(BC)
25 You will know that your children will be many,(BD)
and your descendants like the grass of the earth.(BE)
26 You will come to the grave in full vigor,(BF)
like sheaves gathered in season.(BG)
Job
6 Then Job replied:
2 “If only my anguish could be weighed
and all my misery be placed on the scales!(BJ)
3 It would surely outweigh the sand(BK) of the seas—
no wonder my words have been impetuous.(BL)
4 The arrows(BM) of the Almighty(BN) are in me,(BO)
my spirit drinks(BP) in their poison;(BQ)
God’s terrors(BR) are marshaled against me.(BS)
5 Does a wild donkey(BT) bray(BU) when it has grass,
or an ox bellow when it has fodder?(BV)
6 Is tasteless food eaten without salt,
or is there flavor in the sap of the mallow[b]?(BW)
7 I refuse to touch it;
such food makes me ill.(BX)
8 “Oh, that I might have my request,
that God would grant what I hope for,(BY)
9 that God would be willing to crush(BZ) me,
to let loose his hand and cut off my life!(CA)
10 Then I would still have this consolation(CB)—
my joy in unrelenting pain(CC)—
that I had not denied the words(CD) of the Holy One.(CE)
11 “What strength do I have, that I should still hope?
What prospects, that I should be patient?(CF)
12 Do I have the strength of stone?
Is my flesh bronze?(CG)
13 Do I have any power to help myself,(CH)
now that success has been driven from me?
14 “Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend(CI)
forsakes the fear of the Almighty.(CJ)
15 But my brothers are as undependable as intermittent streams,(CK)
as the streams that overflow
16 when darkened by thawing ice
and swollen with melting snow,(CL)
17 but that stop flowing in the dry season,
and in the heat(CM) vanish from their channels.
18 Caravans turn aside from their routes;
they go off into the wasteland and perish.
19 The caravans of Tema(CN) look for water,
the traveling merchants of Sheba(CO) look in hope.
20 They are distressed, because they had been confident;
they arrive there, only to be disappointed.(CP)
21 Now you too have proved to be of no help;
you see something dreadful and are afraid.(CQ)
22 Have I ever said, ‘Give something on my behalf,
pay a ransom(CR) for me from your wealth,(CS)
23 deliver me from the hand of the enemy,
rescue me from the clutches of the ruthless’?(CT)
24 “Teach me, and I will be quiet;(CU)
show me where I have been wrong.(CV)
25 How painful are honest words!(CW)
But what do your arguments prove?
26 Do you mean to correct what I say,
and treat my desperate words as wind?(CX)
27 You would even cast lots(CY) for the fatherless(CZ)
and barter away your friend.
28 “But now be so kind as to look at me.
Would I lie to your face?(DA)
29 Relent, do not be unjust;(DB)
reconsider, for my integrity(DC) is at stake.[c](DD)
30 Is there any wickedness on my lips?(DE)
Can my mouth not discern(DF) malice?
7 “Do not mortals have hard service(DG) on earth?(DH)
Are not their days like those of hired laborers?(DI)
2 Like a slave longing for the evening shadows,(DJ)
or a hired laborer waiting to be paid,(DK)
3 so I have been allotted months of futility,
and nights of misery have been assigned to me.(DL)
4 When I lie down I think, ‘How long before I get up?’(DM)
The night drags on, and I toss and turn until dawn.(DN)
5 My body is clothed with worms(DO) and scabs,
my skin is broken and festering.(DP)
6 “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,(DQ)
and they come to an end without hope.(DR)
7 Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath;(DS)
my eyes will never see happiness again.(DT)
8 The eye that now sees me will see me no longer;
you will look for me, but I will be no more.(DU)
9 As a cloud vanishes(DV) and is gone,
so one who goes down to the grave(DW) does not return.(DX)
10 He will never come to his house again;
his place(DY) will know him no more.(DZ)
11 “Therefore I will not keep silent;(EA)
I will speak out in the anguish(EB) of my spirit,
I will complain(EC) in the bitterness of my soul.(ED)
12 Am I the sea,(EE) or the monster of the deep,(EF)
that you put me under guard?(EG)
13 When I think my bed will comfort me
and my couch will ease my complaint,(EH)
14 even then you frighten me with dreams
and terrify(EI) me with visions,(EJ)
15 so that I prefer strangling and death,(EK)
rather than this body of mine.(EL)
16 I despise my life;(EM) I would not live forever.(EN)
Let me alone;(EO) my days have no meaning.(EP)
17 “What is mankind that you make so much of them,
that you give them so much attention,(EQ)
18 that you examine them every morning(ER)
and test them(ES) every moment?(ET)
19 Will you never look away from me,(EU)
or let me alone even for an instant?(EV)
20 If I have sinned, what have I done to you,(EW)
you who see everything we do?
Why have you made me your target?(EX)
Have I become a burden to you?[d](EY)
21 Why do you not pardon my offenses
and forgive my sins?(EZ)
For I will soon lie down in the dust;(FA)
you will search for me, but I will be no more.”(FB)
Footnotes
- Job 5:17 Hebrew Shaddai; here and throughout Job
- Job 6:6 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
- Job 6:29 Or my righteousness still stands
- Job 7:20 A few manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition and Septuagint; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text I have become a burden to myself.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. 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.