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And Job answered and said,

Oh that my grief were thoroughly weighed, and all my calamity laid in the balances!

For now it would be heavier than the sand of the seas; therefore my words are vehement.

For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, their poison drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of +God are arrayed against me.

Doth the wild ass bray by the grass? loweth an ox over his fodder?

Shall that which is insipid be eaten without salt? Is there any taste in the white of an egg?

What my soul refuseth to touch, that is as my loathsome food.

Oh that I might have my request, and that +God would grant my desire!

And that it would please +God to crush me, that he would let loose his hand and cut me off!

10 Then should I yet have comfort; and in the pain which spareth not I would rejoice that I have not denied the words of the Holy One.

11 What is my strength, that I should hope? and what is mine end, that I should have patience?

12 Is my strength the strength of stones? is my flesh of brass?

13 Is it not that there is no help in me, and soundness is driven away from me?

14 For him that is fainting kindness [is meet] from his friend; or he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.

15 My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a stream, as the channel of streams which pass away,

16 Which are turbid by reason of the ice, in which the snow hideth itself:

17 At the time they diminish, they are dried up; when heat affecteth them, they vanish from their place:

18 They wind about in the paths of their course, they go off into the waste and perish.

19 The caravans of Tema looked, the companies of Sheba counted on them:

20 They are ashamed at their hope; they come thither, and are confounded.

21 So now ye are nothing; ye see a terrible object and are afraid.

22 Did I say, Bring unto me, and make me a present from your substance?

23 Or, rescue me from the hand of the oppressor, and redeem me from the hand of the violent?

24 Teach me, and I will hold my tongue; and cause me to understand wherein I have erred.

25 How forcible are right words! but what doth your upbraiding reprove?

26 Do ye imagine to reprove words? The speeches of one that is desperate are indeed for the wind.

27 Yea, ye overwhelm the fatherless, and dig [a pit] for your friend.

28 Now therefore if ye will, look upon me; and it shall be to your face if I lie.

29 Return, I pray you, let there be no wrong; yea, return again, my righteousness shall be in it.

30 Is there wrong in my tongue? cannot my taste discern mischievous things?

Hath not man a life of labour upon earth? and are not his days like the days of a hireling?

As a bondman earnestly desireth the shadow, and a hireling expecteth his wages,

So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me.

If I lie down, I say, When shall I rise up, and the darkness be gone? and I am full of tossings until the dawn.

My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken, and suppurates.

My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope.

Remember thou that my life is wind; mine eye shall no more see good.

The eye of him that hath seen me shall behold me no [more]: thine eyes are upon me, and I am not.

The cloud consumeth and vanisheth away; so he that goeth down to Sheol shall not come up.

10 He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him again.

11 Therefore I will not restrain my mouth: I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

12 Am I a sea, or a sea-monster, that thou settest a watch over me?

13 When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint;

14 Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions;

15 So that my soul chooseth strangling, death, rather than my bones.

16 I loathe it; I shall not live always: let me alone, for my days are a breath.

17 What is man, that thou makest much of him? and that thou settest thy heart upon him?

18 And that thou visitest him every morning, triest him every moment?

19 How long wilt thou not look away from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?

20 Have I sinned, what do I unto thee, thou Observer of men? Why hast thou set me as an object of assault for thee, so that I am become a burden to myself?

21 And why dost not thou forgive my transgression and take away mine iniquity? for now shall I lie down in the dust, and thou shalt seek me early, and I shall not be.

And Bildad the Shuhite answered and said,

How long wilt thou speak these things? and the words of thy mouth be a strong wind?

Doth God pervert judgment, and the Almighty pervert justice?

If thy children have sinned against him, he hath also given them over into the hand of their transgression.

If thou seek earnestly unto God, and make thy supplication to the Almighty,

If thou be pure and upright, surely now he will awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous;

And though thy beginning was small, yet thine end shall be very great.

For inquire, I pray thee, of the former generation, and attend to the researches of their fathers;

For we are [but] of yesterday, and know nothing, for our days upon earth are a shadow.

10 Shall not they teach thee, [and] tell thee, and utter words out of their heart?

11 Doth the papyrus shoot up without mire? doth the reed-grass grow without water?

12 Whilst it is yet in its greenness [and] not cut down, it withereth before any [other] grass.

13 So are the paths of all that forget God; and the profane man's hope shall perish,

14 Whose confidence shall be cut off, and his reliance is a spider's web.

15 He shall lean upon his house, and it shall not stand; he shall lay hold on it, but it shall not endure.

16 He is full of sap before the sun, and his sprout shooteth forth over his garden;

17 His roots are entwined about the stoneheap; he seeth the place of stones.

18 If he destroy him from his place, then it shall deny him: I have not seen thee!

19 Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the dust shall others grow.

20 Behold, God will not cast off a perfect man, neither will he take evil-doers by the hand.

21 Whilst he would fill thy mouth with laughing and thy lips with shouting,

22 They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame, and the tent of the wicked be no more.

And Job answered and said,

Of a truth I know it is so; but how can man be just with God?

If he shall choose to strive with him, he cannot answer him one thing of a thousand.

He is wise in heart and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and had peace?

Who removeth mountains, and they know it not, when he overturneth them in his anger;

Who shaketh the earth out of its place, and the pillars thereof tremble;

Who commandeth the sun, and it riseth not, and he sealeth up the stars;

Who alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the high waves of the sea;

Who maketh the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, and the chambers of the south;

10 Who doeth great things past finding out, and wonders without number.

11 Lo, he goeth by me, and I see [him] not; and he passeth along, and I perceive him not.

12 Behold, he taketh away: who will hinder him? Who will say unto him, What doest thou?

13 +God withdraweth not his anger; the proud helpers stoop under him:

14 How much less shall I answer him, choose out my words [to strive] with him?

15 Whom, though I were righteous, [yet] would I not answer; I would make supplication to my judge.

16 If I had called, and he had answered me, I would not believe that he hearkened to my voice,—

17 He, who crusheth me with a tempest, and multiplieth my wounds without cause.

18 He suffereth me not to take my breath, for he filleth me with bitternesses.

19 Be it a question of strength, lo, [he is] strong; and be it of judgment, who will set me a time?

20 If I justified myself, mine own mouth would condemn me; were I perfect, he would prove me perverse.

21 Were I perfect, [yet] would I not know my soul: I would despise my life.

22 It is all one; therefore I said, he destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.

23 If the scourge kill suddenly, he mocketh at the trial of the innocent.

24 The earth is given over into the hand of the wicked [man]; he covereth the faces of its judges. If not, who then is it?

25 And my days are swifter than a runner: they flee away, they see no good.

26 They pass by like skiffs of reed; as an eagle that swoops upon the prey.

27 If I say, I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my [sad] countenance, and brighten up,

28 I am afraid of all my sorrows; I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent.

29 Be it that I am wicked, why then do I labour in vain?

30 If I washed myself with snow-water, and cleansed my hands in purity,

31 Then wouldest thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes would abhor me.

32 For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him; that we should come together in judgment.

33 There is not an umpire between us, who should lay his hand upon us both.

34 Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his terror make me afraid,

35 [Then] I will speak, and not fear him; but it is not so with me.

Job

Then Job replied:

“If only my anguish could be weighed
    and all my misery be placed on the scales!(A)
It would surely outweigh the sand(B) of the seas—
    no wonder my words have been impetuous.(C)
The arrows(D) of the Almighty(E) are in me,(F)
    my spirit drinks(G) in their poison;(H)
    God’s terrors(I) are marshaled against me.(J)
Does a wild donkey(K) bray(L) when it has grass,
    or an ox bellow when it has fodder?(M)
Is tasteless food eaten without salt,
    or is there flavor in the sap of the mallow[a]?(N)
I refuse to touch it;
    such food makes me ill.(O)

“Oh, that I might have my request,
    that God would grant what I hope for,(P)
that God would be willing to crush(Q) me,
    to let loose his hand and cut off my life!(R)
10 Then I would still have this consolation(S)
    my joy in unrelenting pain(T)
    that I had not denied the words(U) of the Holy One.(V)

11 “What strength do I have, that I should still hope?
    What prospects, that I should be patient?(W)
12 Do I have the strength of stone?
    Is my flesh bronze?(X)
13 Do I have any power to help myself,(Y)
    now that success has been driven from me?

14 “Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend(Z)
    forsakes the fear of the Almighty.(AA)
15 But my brothers are as undependable as intermittent streams,(AB)
    as the streams that overflow
16 when darkened by thawing ice
    and swollen with melting snow,(AC)
17 but that stop flowing in the dry season,
    and in the heat(AD) vanish from their channels.
18 Caravans turn aside from their routes;
    they go off into the wasteland and perish.
19 The caravans of Tema(AE) look for water,
    the traveling merchants of Sheba(AF) look in hope.
20 They are distressed, because they had been confident;
    they arrive there, only to be disappointed.(AG)
21 Now you too have proved to be of no help;
    you see something dreadful and are afraid.(AH)
22 Have I ever said, ‘Give something on my behalf,
    pay a ransom(AI) for me from your wealth,(AJ)
23 deliver me from the hand of the enemy,
    rescue me from the clutches of the ruthless’?(AK)

24 “Teach me, and I will be quiet;(AL)
    show me where I have been wrong.(AM)
25 How painful are honest words!(AN)
    But what do your arguments prove?
26 Do you mean to correct what I say,
    and treat my desperate words as wind?(AO)
27 You would even cast lots(AP) for the fatherless(AQ)
    and barter away your friend.

28 “But now be so kind as to look at me.
    Would I lie to your face?(AR)
29 Relent, do not be unjust;(AS)
    reconsider, for my integrity(AT) is at stake.[b](AU)
30 Is there any wickedness on my lips?(AV)
    Can my mouth not discern(AW) malice?

“Do not mortals have hard service(AX) on earth?(AY)
    Are not their days like those of hired laborers?(AZ)
Like a slave longing for the evening shadows,(BA)
    or a hired laborer waiting to be paid,(BB)
so I have been allotted months of futility,
    and nights of misery have been assigned to me.(BC)
When I lie down I think, ‘How long before I get up?’(BD)
    The night drags on, and I toss and turn until dawn.(BE)
My body is clothed with worms(BF) and scabs,
    my skin is broken and festering.(BG)

“My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,(BH)
    and they come to an end without hope.(BI)
Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath;(BJ)
    my eyes will never see happiness again.(BK)
The eye that now sees me will see me no longer;
    you will look for me, but I will be no more.(BL)
As a cloud vanishes(BM) and is gone,
    so one who goes down to the grave(BN) does not return.(BO)
10 He will never come to his house again;
    his place(BP) will know him no more.(BQ)

11 “Therefore I will not keep silent;(BR)
    I will speak out in the anguish(BS) of my spirit,
    I will complain(BT) in the bitterness of my soul.(BU)
12 Am I the sea,(BV) or the monster of the deep,(BW)
    that you put me under guard?(BX)
13 When I think my bed will comfort me
    and my couch will ease my complaint,(BY)
14 even then you frighten me with dreams
    and terrify(BZ) me with visions,(CA)
15 so that I prefer strangling and death,(CB)
    rather than this body of mine.(CC)
16 I despise my life;(CD) I would not live forever.(CE)
    Let me alone;(CF) my days have no meaning.(CG)

17 “What is mankind that you make so much of them,
    that you give them so much attention,(CH)
18 that you examine them every morning(CI)
    and test them(CJ) every moment?(CK)
19 Will you never look away from me,(CL)
    or let me alone even for an instant?(CM)
20 If I have sinned, what have I done to you,(CN)
    you who see everything we do?
Why have you made me your target?(CO)
    Have I become a burden to you?[c](CP)
21 Why do you not pardon my offenses
    and forgive my sins?(CQ)
For I will soon lie down in the dust;(CR)
    you will search for me, but I will be no more.”(CS)

Bildad

Then Bildad the Shuhite(CT) replied:

“How long will you say such things?(CU)
    Your words are a blustering wind.(CV)
Does God pervert justice?(CW)
    Does the Almighty pervert what is right?(CX)
When your children sinned against him,
    he gave them over to the penalty of their sin.(CY)
But if you will seek God earnestly
    and plead(CZ) with the Almighty,(DA)
if you are pure and upright,
    even now he will rouse himself on your behalf(DB)
    and restore you to your prosperous state.(DC)
Your beginnings will seem humble,
    so prosperous(DD) will your future be.(DE)

“Ask the former generation(DF)
    and find out what their ancestors learned,
for we were born only yesterday and know nothing,(DG)
    and our days on earth are but a shadow.(DH)
10 Will they not instruct(DI) you and tell you?
    Will they not bring forth words from their understanding?(DJ)
11 Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh?(DK)
    Can reeds(DL) thrive without water?
12 While still growing and uncut,
    they wither more quickly than grass.(DM)
13 Such is the destiny(DN) of all who forget God;(DO)
    so perishes the hope of the godless.(DP)
14 What they trust in is fragile[d];
    what they rely on is a spider’s web.(DQ)
15 They lean on the web,(DR) but it gives way;
    they cling to it, but it does not hold.(DS)
16 They are like a well-watered plant in the sunshine,
    spreading its shoots(DT) over the garden;(DU)
17 it entwines its roots around a pile of rocks
    and looks for a place among the stones.
18 But when it is torn from its spot,
    that place disowns(DV) it and says, ‘I never saw you.’(DW)
19 Surely its life withers(DX) away,
    and[e] from the soil other plants grow.(DY)

20 “Surely God does not reject one who is blameless(DZ)
    or strengthen the hands of evildoers.(EA)
21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter(EB)
    and your lips with shouts of joy.(EC)
22 Your enemies will be clothed in shame,(ED)
    and the tents(EE) of the wicked will be no more.”(EF)

Job

Then Job replied:

“Indeed, I know that this is true.
    But how can mere mortals prove their innocence before God?(EG)
Though they wished to dispute with him,(EH)
    they could not answer him one time out of a thousand.(EI)
His wisdom(EJ) is profound, his power is vast.(EK)
    Who has resisted(EL) him and come out unscathed?(EM)
He moves mountains(EN) without their knowing it
    and overturns them in his anger.(EO)
He shakes the earth(EP) from its place
    and makes its pillars tremble.(EQ)
He speaks to the sun and it does not shine;(ER)
    he seals off the light of the stars.(ES)
He alone stretches out the heavens(ET)
    and treads on the waves of the sea.(EU)
He is the Maker(EV) of the Bear[f] and Orion,
    the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.(EW)
10 He performs wonders(EX) that cannot be fathomed,
    miracles that cannot be counted.(EY)
11 When he passes me, I cannot see him;
    when he goes by, I cannot perceive him.(EZ)
12 If he snatches away, who can stop him?(FA)
    Who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’(FB)
13 God does not restrain his anger;(FC)
    even the cohorts of Rahab(FD) cowered at his feet.

14 “How then can I dispute with him?
    How can I find words to argue with him?(FE)
15 Though I were innocent, I could not answer him;(FF)
    I could only plead(FG) with my Judge(FH) for mercy.(FI)
16 Even if I summoned him and he responded,
    I do not believe he would give me a hearing.(FJ)
17 He would crush me(FK) with a storm(FL)
    and multiply(FM) my wounds for no reason.(FN)
18 He would not let me catch my breath
    but would overwhelm me with misery.(FO)
19 If it is a matter of strength, he is mighty!(FP)
    And if it is a matter of justice, who can challenge him[g]?(FQ)
20 Even if I were innocent, my mouth would condemn me;
    if I were blameless, it would pronounce me guilty.(FR)

21 “Although I am blameless,(FS)
    I have no concern for myself;(FT)
    I despise my own life.(FU)
22 It is all the same; that is why I say,
    ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’(FV)
23 When a scourge(FW) brings sudden death,
    he mocks the despair of the innocent.(FX)
24 When a land falls into the hands of the wicked,(FY)
    he blindfolds its judges.(FZ)
    If it is not he, then who is it?(GA)

25 “My days are swifter than a runner;(GB)
    they fly away without a glimpse of joy.(GC)
26 They skim past(GD) like boats of papyrus,(GE)
    like eagles swooping down on their prey.(GF)
27 If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint,(GG)
    I will change my expression, and smile,’
28 I still dread(GH) all my sufferings,
    for I know you will not hold me innocent.(GI)
29 Since I am already found guilty,
    why should I struggle in vain?(GJ)
30 Even if I washed myself with soap(GK)
    and my hands(GL) with cleansing powder,(GM)
31 you would plunge me into a slime pit(GN)
    so that even my clothes would detest me.(GO)

32 “He is not a mere mortal(GP) like me that I might answer him,(GQ)
    that we might confront each other in court.(GR)
33 If only there were someone to mediate between us,(GS)
    someone to bring us together,(GT)
34 someone to remove God’s rod from me,(GU)
    so that his terror would frighten me no more.(GV)
35 Then I would speak up without fear of him,(GW)
    but as it now stands with me, I cannot.(GX)

Footnotes

  1. Job 6:6 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  2. Job 6:29 Or my righteousness still stands
  3. 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.
  4. Job 8:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  5. Job 8:19 Or Surely all the joy it has / is that
  6. Job 9:9 Or of Leo
  7. Job 9:19 See Septuagint; Hebrew me.