AFV2020 - Job

Chapter 1

1:1  There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job. And that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and turned aside from evil.

1:2  And there were born to him seven sons and three daughters.

1:3  And his possessions also were seven thousand sheep and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred female donkeys, and a very great household, so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.

1:4  And his sons went and feasted in their houses, each one on his day. And they sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.

1:5  And when the days of feasting were concluded, Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, "It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." Thus Job continually did so.

1:6  Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD. And Satan also came among them.

1:7  And the LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?" Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it."

1:8  And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil?"

1:9  And Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing?

1:10  Have You not made a hedge around him, and around his house, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.

1:11  But put forth Your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse You to Your face."

1:12  And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power. Only do not lay your hand upon him." And Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

1:13  Now there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house.

1:14  And there came a messenger to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing, and the donkeys feeding beside them.

1:15  And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away. Yea, they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword. And I only have escaped alone to tell you."

1:16  While he was still speaking, there also came another and said, "The fire of God has fallen from the heavens and has burned up the sheep and the servants, and destroyed them. And I only have escaped alone to tell you."

1:17  While he was still speaking, there also came another and said, "The Chaldeans formed three bands and swooped down upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and have killed the servants with the edge of the sword. And I only have escaped alone to tell you."

1:18  While he was still speaking, there also came another and said, "Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house.

1:19  And, behold, a great wind came from the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the youths, and they are dead. And I only have escaped alone to tell you."

1:20  And Job arose, and tore his robe, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground and worshiped.

1:21  And he said, "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD."

1:22  In all this Job did not sin, nor charge God foolishly.

Chapter 2

2:1  And again it came to pass on a day that the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD. And Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD.

2:2  And the LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?" And Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it."

2:3  And the LORD said unto Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil? And still he is holding fast to his integrity, although you moved Me against him to destroy him without cause."

2:4  And Satan answered the LORD and said, "Skin for skin, yea, all that a man has he will give for his life.

2:5  But indeed put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse You to Your face."

2:6  And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life."

2:7  And Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD and struck Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the top of his head.

2:8  And he took a broken piece of pottery to scrape himself with. And he sat down among the ashes.

2:9  And his wife said to him, "Do you still hold to your integrity? Curse God and die!"

2:10  But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speak. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

2:11  Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, and they each one came from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. For they had met together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.

2:12  And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and did not recognize him, they lifted up their voices and wept. And each one tore his robe, and they threw dust upon their heads toward heaven.

2:13  And they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights. And no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.

Chapter 3

3:1  After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.

3:2  And Job spoke and said,

3:3  "Let the day perish in which I was born, and the night in which it was said, 'A man child is brought forth.'

3:4  Let that day be darkness. Let not God look upon it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.

3:5  Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it. Let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it.

3:6  As for that night, let darkness seize upon it. Let it not rejoice among the days of the year. Let it not come into the number of the months.

3:7  Lo, let that night be barren; let no joyful voice come in it.

3:8  Let those curse it who curse the day, who are ready to stir up Leviathan.

3:9  Let the stars of its twilight be dark; let it look for light, but have none. Let it not see the dawning of the day.

3:10  For it did not shut up the doors of my mother's womb, nor hide sorrow from my eyes.

3:11  Why did I not die from the womb, why did I not expire when I came from the womb?

3:12  Why did the knees receive me; or why the breasts, that I should suck?

3:13  For now I should have lain still and been quiet; I should have slept. Then I would have been at rest

3:14  With kings and wise men of the earth, who built desolate places for themselves,

3:15  Or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver;

3:16  Or as a discarded untimely birth I would not exist, like infants who did not see light.

3:17  There the wicked cease raging, and there the weary are at rest;

3:18  There the prisoners are at rest together; they hear not the voice of the slave driver.

3:19  The small and the great are there, and the slave is free from his master.

3:20  Why is light given to him who is in misery, and life to the bitter in soul,

3:21  Who is waiting for death—but it comes not—and digs for it more than for hidden treasures?

3:22  They are rejoicing to exultation. They are glad when they can find the grave.

3:23  Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, and whom God has made a hedge about?

3:24  For my sighing comes instead of my food, and my groanings are poured out like the waters.

3:25  For the thing which I greatly feared has come upon me, and that which I was afraid of has come to me.

3:26  I was not in safety, I have no rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble comes."

Chapter 4

4:1  And Eliphaz the Temanite answered:

4:2  "Shall one try to speak a word with you, or will you grow weary? But who can hold back himself from speaking?

4:3  Behold, you have instructed many, and you have made the weak hands strong.

4:4  Your words have upheld him who was falling, and you have made strong the feeble knees.

4:5  But now it has come upon you, and you faint. It touches you, and you are troubled.

4:6  Is not your fear of God your confidence, and the uprightness of your ways your hope?

4:7  Remember now who ever perished being innocent? Or where were the righteous ever cut off?

4:8  Even as I have seen, the ones who plow iniquity and sow wickedness reap the same.

4:9  By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of His nostrils they are destroyed.

4:10  The roar of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken.

4:11  The strong lion perishes for lack of prey, and the strong lion's cubs are scattered abroad.

4:12  And a word was secretly brought to me, and my ear received a little of it.

4:13  In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men,

4:14  Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones shake.

4:15  And a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up.

4:16  It stood still, but I could not tell the form of it. An image was before my eyes; there was silence; then I heard a voice saying,

4:17  'Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his Maker?

4:18  Behold, He puts no trust in His servants servants, and His angels He charges with folly!

4:19  How much less in those who live in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed before the moth?

4:20  They are destroyed from morning till evening; they perish forever without anyone regarding it.

4:21  Does not their excellency which is within them go away? They die, but even without wisdom.' ”

Chapter 5

5:1  "Call now, is there anyone who will answer you? And to which of the saints will you turn?

5:2  For wrath kills the fool, and envy slays the simple one.

5:3  I have seen the fool taking root, but suddenly I beheld his dwelling place cursed.

5:4  His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, nor is there any to deliver them.

5:5  Their harvest the hungry eats up, and takes it even out of the thorns; and the snare swallows up their wealth.

5:6  For affliction does not come forth from the dust, nor does trouble spring up out of the ground;

5:7  Yet man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward.

5:8  But as for me, I would seek to God, and to God I would commit my cause,

5:9  Who is doing great things, even beyond searching; marvelous things without number,

5:10  Who gives rain upon the earth and sends waters upon the field,

5:11  To set on high those who are low, so that those who mourn may be lifted up to safety;

5:12  He frustrates the devising of the crafty, so that their hands cannot achieve prosperity.

5:13  He takes the wise in their own craftiness; and the schemes of the cunning are carried headlong upon them.

5:14  They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope at the noonday as in the night.

5:15  But He saves the poor from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty.

5:16  So then there is hope for the weak, and iniquity shuts her mouth.

5:17  Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects. Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.

5:18  For He makes sore, and binds up; He wounds, and His hands make whole.

5:19  He will deliver you in six troubles; yea, in seven no evil shall touch you.

5:20  In famine He shall redeem you from death; and in war from the power of the sword.

5:21  You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue; neither shall you be afraid of destruction when it comes.

5:22  At destruction and famine you shall laugh; neither shall you be afraid of the beasts of the earth.

5:23  For you shall be in covenant with the stones of the field; and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.

5:24  And you shall know that your tabernacle is in peace; and you shall visit your habitation, and shall miss nothing.

5:25  And you shall know that your seed will be numerous, and your offspring as the grass of the earth.

5:26  You shall come to your grave in a full age, like a shock of grain comes in its season.

5:27  Behold this, we have searched it out; it is true. Hear it and know for yourself."

Chapter 6

6:1  And Job answered and said,

6:2  "Oh, that my grief were but weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together!

6:3  For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea; therefore my words have been rash.

6:4  For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, my spirit is drinking up their poison. The terrors of God do set themselves against me.

6:5  Does the wild donkey bray when he has grass? Or does the ox low over his fodder?

6:6  Can that which has no taste be eaten without salt? Or is there taste in the white of an egg?

6:7  My soul refuses to touch them; they are sickening food to me.

6:8  Oh, that I might have my desire, and that God would grant the thing that I long for!

6:9  Even that it would please God to destroy me; that He would loose His hand and cut me off!

6:10  Then I would yet have my comfort; yea, I would rejoice in pain, though He did not spare me; for I have not denied the words of the Holy One.

6:11  What is my strength, that I should hope? And what is my end, that I should prolong my life?

6:12  Is my strength the strength of stones? Or is my flesh bronze?

6:13  Is there no help within me? And is wisdom fully driven away from me?

6:14  To him who is afflicted, pity is due from his friend, lest he forsake the fear of the Almighty.

6:15  My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook; they pass away as the streams of torrents,

6:16  Which are black from ice, in which the snow hides itself.

6:17  When they become waterless, they fall silent; when it is hot, they vanish from their place.

6:18  The paths of their way are turned aside; they go to nothing and perish.

6:19  The troops of Tema looked; the companies of Sheba hoped for them.

6:20  They were ashamed because they had hoped; they came there and were ashamed.

6:21  Surely now you are like them; you see my casting down, and are afraid.

6:22  Did I say, 'Give to me?' or, 'Offer a bribe for me from your wealth;'

6:23  Or, 'Deliver me from the enemy's hand;' or, 'Redeem me from the hand of the mighty'?

6:24  Teach me, and I will be silent; and cause me to understand where I have gone astray.

6:25  Right words are powerful, but what does your arguing prove?

6:26  Do you intend to criticize words, and the speeches of one who is hopeless, that are as wind?

6:27  Yea, you overwhelm the fatherless, and you dig a pit for your friend.

6:28  And now, please look upon me; for if I lie, it is evident to you.

6:29  Relent, I pray you, let there be no iniquity; yea, acknowledge, my righteousness yet stands.

6:30  Is there iniquity in my tongue? Cannot my taste discern perverse things?"

Chapter 7

7:1  "Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? Are not his days also like the days of a hireling?

7:2  As a servant earnestly desires the shade, and as a hireling looks for his wages,

7:3  So I am made to possess months of vanity, and weary nights are appointed to me.

7:4  When I lie down, I say, 'When shall I rise?' But the night is long, and I am full of tossing to and fro until the dawning of the day.

7:5  My flesh is clothed with maggots and dusty scabs; my skin cracks open and runs with pus.

7:6  My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope.

7:7  O remember that my life is a breath; my eye shall no more see good.

7:8  The eye of him who has seen me shall see me no more; while your eyes are upon me, I shall be no more.

7:9  As the cloud fades and vanishes away, so he who goes down to the grave shall come up no more.

7:10  He shall return no more to his house, nor shall his place know him any more.

7:11  Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

7:12  Am I like the sea, or a whale, that You set a watch over me?

7:13  When I say, 'My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint,'

7:14  Then You scare me with dreams, and terrify me with visions;

7:15  So that my soul chooses strangling, and death rather than my life.

7:16  I despise my life; I will not live forever; let me alone, for my days are vanity.

7:17  What is man, that You should magnify him, and that You should set Your heart on him,

7:18  And that You should visit him every morning, and try him every moment?

7:19  How long? Will You not look away from me, nor let me alone until I swallow down my spittle?

7:20  If I have sinned, what shall I do to You, O Watcher of men? Why have You set me as Your target, so that I am a burden to myself?

7:21  And why do You not pardon my transgression, and take away my iniquity? For now I shall sleep in the dust, and You shall seek me in the morning, but I shall not be."

Chapter 8

8:1  And Bildad the Shuhite answered and said,

8:2  "How long will you speak these things, since the words of your mouth are like a strong wind?

8:3  Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert that which is right?

8:4  If your sons have sinned against Him, and if He has cast them away for their transgression,

8:5  If you would seek earnestly to God and make your supplication to the Almighty;

8:6  If you were pure and upright, surely now He would awake for you, and make the dwelling place of your righteousness prosperous.

8:7  And if your beginning was small, yet your end would greatly increase.

8:8  For please inquire of the former age, and consider that which their fathers have searched out,

8:9  For we are but of yesterday and know nothing, because our days on earth are a shadow.

8:10  Shall they not teach you, and tell you, and speak words out of their heart?

8:11  Can the rush grow up without mire? Can the reed grass grow without water?

8:12  While it is yet in its greenness, and not cut down, it dries out before any other herb.

8:13  So are the paths of all who forget God; and the hope of the hypocrite shall perish.

8:14  His hope shall be cut off, and his trust shall be a spider's web.

8:15  He shall lean on his house, but it shall not stand; he shall hold fast to it, but it shall not endure.

8:16  He is moist before the sun, and his branches shoot forth in his garden.

8:17  His roots are wrapped around the heap, and he sees the place of stones.

8:18  If he is destroyed from his place, then it shall deny him saying, 'I have not seen you.'

8:19  Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth shall others grow.

8:20  Behold, God will not cast away the innocent, nor will He help the evildoers,

8:21  Until He fills your mouth with laughter, and your lips with rejoicing.

8:22  Those who hate you shall be clothed with shame; and the tent of the wicked shall come to nought."

Chapter 9

9:1  And Job answered and said,

9:2  "Truly I know it is so, but how can man be just with God?

9:3  If he desired to argue with Him, he cannot answer Him one time out of a thousand times.

9:4  He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against Him and has prospered;

9:5  He Who removes the mountains, and they know it not when He overturns them in His anger;

9:6  He Who shakes the earth out of its place, and the pillars of it tremble;

9:7  He commands the sun, and it does not rise; and seals up the stars;

9:8  He alone stretches out the heavens, and walks on the waves of the sea;

9:9  Who made the Bear, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south;

9:10  Who is doing great things past finding out; yea, marvelous things without number?

9:11  Behold! He goes by me, and I do not see Him; He passes on also, but I do not perceive Him.

9:12  Behold, He takes away; who can turn Him back? Who will say to Him, 'What are You doing?'

9:13  God will not withdraw His anger; the helpers of the proud are bowed beneath Him.

9:14  How much less shall I answer Him, and choose my words to reason with Him?

9:15  Whom, though I were righteous, yet I could not answer; I would make supplication to My Judge.

9:16  If I had called and He had answered me, yet I would not believe that He had listened to my voice;

9:17  For He breaks me with a tempest, and multiplies my wounds without cause;

9:18  He will not allow me to take my breath, but fills me with bitterness.

9:19  If I speak of strength, lo, He is mighty! And if of judgment, who shall set me a time to plead?

9:20  If I justify myself, my own mouth shall condemn me; though I am blameless, He shall declare me perverse.

9:21  Though I were blameless, yet I would not know myself. I would despise my life.

9:22  It is all one; therefore I said, 'He is consuming the blameless and the wicked.'

9:23  If the scourge kills suddenly, He will mock at the calamity of the innocent.

9:24  The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; He covers the faces of its judges; if it is not He, then who is it?

9:25  Now my days are swifter than a runner; they flee away, they see no good.

9:26  They have passed away like the swift ships; like the eagle who swoops on the prey.

9:27  If I say, 'I will forget my complaint, I will depart from my heaviness and be of good cheer,'

9:28  I am afraid of all my sorrows; I know that You will not hold me innocent.

9:29  I am guilty; why then should I labor in vain?

9:30  If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands ever so clean,

9:31  Yet You will plunge me into the ditch and my own clothes shall despise me.

9:32  For He is not a man, as I am, that I should answer Him, that we should come together in court;

9:33  There is no umpire between us, who might lay his hand upon us both.

9:34  Let Him take His rod away from me, and let not His fear make me afraid;

9:35  Then would I speak and not fear Him; but it is not so with me."

Chapter 10

10:1  "My soul is weary of my life; I will give full vent to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.

10:2  I will say to God, 'Do not condemn me; make me know why You contend with me.

10:3  Is it good to You that You should oppress, that You should despise the work of Your hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wicked?

10:4  Have You eyes of flesh? Or do You see as a man sees?

10:5  Are Your days like the days of man? Are Your years like man's days,

10:6  That You seek out my iniquity, and search for my sin?

10:7  Although You know that I am not wicked, yet there is none who can deliver out of Your hand.

10:8  Your hands have made me and shaped me, together all around; yet You destroy me.

10:9  Remember, I beseech You, that You have formed me as the clay; and will You bring me into the dust again?

10:10  Have You not poured me out like milk, and curdled me like cheese?

10:11  You have clothed me with skin and flesh, and have fenced me with bones and sinews.

10:12  You have granted me life and favor, and Your providence has preserved my spirit.

10:13  And these things have You hidden in Your heart; I know that this was with You.

10:14  If I sin, then You mark me, and You will not acquit me from my iniquity.

10:15  If I am wicked, woe to me; and if I am righteous, I will not lift up my head, being filled with confusion—therefore look upon my affliction.

10:16  For if my head be lifted up, You will hunt me as a fierce lion; and again You will show Yourself awesome against me.

10:17  You renew Your witnesses against me, and increase Your anger upon me; changes and warfare are against me.

10:18  Why then have You brought me from the womb? Oh, that I had given up the spirit, and no eye had seen me!

10:19  I should have been as though I had not been; I would have been carried from the womb to the grave.

10:20  Are not my days few? Withdraw then, and let me alone, that I may take a little comfort,

10:21  Before I go, and I do not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death;

10:22  A land of obscurity, as the darkness itself and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness.' ”

Chapter 11

11:1  Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said,

11:2  "Should not the multitude of words be answered? And should a man full of talk be justified?

11:3  Should your lies make men silent? And will you mock and no one make you ashamed?

11:4  For you have said, 'My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in Your eyes.'

11:5  But oh, that God would speak, and open His lips against you,

11:6  And would tell you the secrets of His wisdom. For sound wisdom has two sides. Know therefore that God exacts from you less than your iniquity deserves.

11:7  Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?

11:8  They are higher than the heights of the heavens! What can you do? It is deeper than the pit, what can you know?

11:9  The measure of it is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.

11:10  If He passes through and imprisons, or convenes a court, then who can turn Him back?

11:11  For He knows vain men; and when He sees wickedness, will He not take note?

11:12  For vain man would be wise, though man is born like a wild donkey's colt.

11:13  If you prepare your heart and stretch out your hands toward Him;

11:14  If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and do not let wickedness dwell in your tabernacles;

11:15  Surely then you shall lift up your face without spot; yea, you shall be steadfast and shall not fear;

11:16  For you shall forget your misery, and you shall remember it as waters that pass away.

11:17  And your life shall be brighter than the noonday; darkness shall be as the morning.

11:18  And you shall be safe, because there is hope; yea, you shall look around you, and you shall take your rest in safety.

11:19  You shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid. Yea, many shall seek your favor.

11:20  But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall have no escape, and their hope shall be like the giving up of the spirit."

Chapter 12

12:1  And Job answered and said,

12:2  "For truly you are no doubt the people, and wisdom will die with you.

12:3  But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you; yea, who does not know such things as these?

12:4  I am as one who is a laughingstock to my friends; a man who called upon God, and He answered him; the just, the innocent one is laughed to scorn;

12:5  Those who are at ease have contempt for misfortune; as it is ready for those whose feet slip.

12:6  The tabernacles of robbers prosper, and those who provoke God are secure, in whatever God brings into their hand.

12:7  But now ask the animals, and they shall teach you; and the birds of the air, and they shall tell you;

12:8  Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach you; and the fish of the sea shall declare it to you;

12:9  Who of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this?

12:10  In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all flesh, even of mankind?

12:11  Does not the ear try words? And does not the mouth taste its food?

12:12  With the ancient is wisdom, and understanding in length of days.

12:13  With Him is wisdom and strength; He has counsel and understanding.

12:14  Behold, if He tears down, no one can rebuild; if He shuts in a man, no one can open.

12:15  Behold, He withholds the waters, and they dry up; also He sends them out, and they inundate the earth.

12:16  With Him is strength and sound wisdom; the deceived and the deceiver are His.

12:17  He leads counselors away stripped, and makes the judges fools.

12:18  He loosens the bonds of kings, and binds their loins with a girdle.

12:19  He leads princes away stripped, and overthrows the mighty.

12:20  He silences the lips of trusted ones, and takes away the understanding of the elders.

12:21  He pours contempt upon princes, and unties the belt of the mighty.

12:22  He uncovers deep things out of darkness, and brings the shadow of death to light.

12:23  He gives greatness to the nations, and destroys them. He enlarges the nations, and leads them away.

12:24  He takes away the heart of the chief of the people of the earth, and causes them to wander in a wilderness where there is no path.

12:25  They grope in the dark without light, and He makes them to stagger like a drunken man."

Chapter 13

13:1  "Lo, my eye has seen all this, my ear has heard and understood it.

13:2  What you know, I know also; I am not inferior to you.

13:3  Notwithstanding I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to argue my case before God.

13:4  But you are forgers of lies; you are all worthless physicians.

13:5  Oh, that you would stop speaking entirely! And it would be your wisdom.

13:6  Hear now my reasoning, and listen to the pleadings of my lips.

13:7  Would you speak wickedly for God, and talk deceitfully for Him?

13:8  Will you show partiality for Him, or will you contend for God?

13:9  Is it good that He should search you out? Or as one man mocks another, do you mock Him?

13:10  He will surely blame you, if you secretly show respect of persons.

13:11  Shall not His excellency make you afraid, and His dread fall upon you?

13:12  Your lofty sayings are like proverbs of ashes, your bulwarks are like defenses of clay.

13:13  Be quiet. Let me alone so that I may speak, and let come upon me what may.

13:14  Why do I take my flesh in my teeth and put my life in my hand?

13:15  Though He slay me, I will trust in Him; but I will maintain my own ways before Him.

13:16  He also is my salvation, for a hypocrite shall not come before Him.

13:17  Listen carefully to my words, and to my declarations with your ears.

13:18  Behold now, I have set my cause in order; I know that I shall be justified.

13:19  Can anyone bring charges against me? If so, I will be silent and die.

13:20  Only do not do two things to me; then I will not hide myself from You.

13:21  Withdraw Your hand far from me, and let not Your dread terrify me.

13:22  Then call, and I will answer; or let me speak, and You answer me

13:23  How many are my iniquities and sins? Make me to know my transgression and my sin.

13:24  Why do You hide Your face, and reckon me as Your enemy?

13:25  Will You terrify a leaf driven to and fro? Will You pursue the dry stubble?

13:26  For You write bitter things against me, and make me to possess the sins of my youth.

13:27  You put my feet also in the stocks, and look closely to all my paths; You set a limit for the soles of my feet,

13:28  While I waste away like a rotten thing, like a garment that a moth has eaten."

Chapter 14

14:1  "Man born of woman is of few days, and full of trouble.

14:2  He comes forth like a flower, and withers; he also flees as a shadow, and does not stand.

14:3  And do You open Your eyes upon such a one, and bring me into judgment with You?

14:4  Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one!

14:5  For his days are fixed, the number of his months is with You, and You have set his limits so that he cannot pass;

14:6  Look away from him, so that he may rest until he shall finish his day, as a hireling.

14:7  For there is hope of a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and its tender branch will not cease.

14:8  Though its root becomes old in the earth, and its stump dies in the ground,

14:9  Yet at the scent of water it will bud and bring forth branches like a plant.

14:10  But man dies and is cut off; and man expires, and where is he?

14:11  As the waters fail from the sea, and a river withers away and dries up,

14:12  So man lies down and does not rise. Till the heavens are no more, they shall not awake, nor be awakened out of their sleep.

14:13  O that You will grant that You would hide me in the grave, that You would keep me secret, until Your wrath is past, that You would set me a fixed time and remember me.

14:14  If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time in the grave I will wait, until my change comes.

14:15  You shall call, and I will answer You; You shall have the desire for the work of Your hands.

14:16  For now You number my steps; but do You not watch over my sin?

14:17  My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and You heap up my iniquity.

14:18  And as surely as a falling mountain crumbles away, and the rock moves out of its place;

14:19  As the waters wear away the stones, and the outpouring of it washes the dust of the earth; so You destroy the hope of man.

14:20  You overpower him forever, and he passes; You change his countenance, and send him away.

14:21  His sons come to honor him, but he knows it not; they are brought low, but he does not perceive it.

14:22  But his flesh is pained within himself; and his soul mourns for himself."

Chapter 15

15:1  And Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

15:2  "Should a wise man answer with vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind?

15:3  Should he reason with unprofitable talk, or with speeches which can do no good?

15:4  Yea, you do away with fear, and hinder prayer before God.

15:5  For your iniquity teaches your mouth, and you choose the tongue of the crafty.

15:6  Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; yea, your own lips testify against you.

15:7  Were you the first man born? Or were you made before the hills?

15:8  Have you heard the secret counsel of God? And do you limit wisdom to yourself?

15:9  What do you know that we do not know, or what do you understand that we do not?

15:10  With us are both the gray-headed and the aged, mightier than your father as to days.

15:11  Are the consolations of God too small with you, even a word dealing gently with you?

15:12  Why does your heart carry you away? And what do your eyes wink at,

15:13  That you turn your spirit against God, and let such words go out of your mouth?

15:14  What is man, that he should be clean? And what is he born of a woman that he should be righteous?

15:15  Behold, He puts no trust in His saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in His sight.

15:16  How much more abominable and filthy is man, who drinks iniquity like water?

15:17  I will show you; hear me; and what I have seen I will declare,

15:18  That which wise men have told, and have not hidden from their fathers;

15:19  To them alone the earth was given, and no stranger passed among them.

15:20  The wicked man labors in pain all his days, and numbered are the years stored up for the ruthless.

15:21  A dreadful sound of things is in his ears; while at peace the destroyer shall come upon him.

15:22  He does not believe that he shall return out of darkness, but he is destined for the sword.

15:23  He wanders for bread, saying, 'Where is it?' He knows that the day of darkness is ready at hand.

15:24  Trouble and anguish shall terrify him; they shall overpower him, as a king ready for the battle;

15:25  Because he stretches out his hand against God, and sets himself against the Almighty.

15:26  He runs at Him, with a stiff neck, with the thick layers of his shields,

15:27  Because he has covered his face with fatness; he has put fat on his loins.

15:28  And he lives in desolate cities, in houses where none are living, which are ready to become heaps.

15:29  He shall not be rich, nor shall his possessions continue, nor shall he spread out his possessions over the earth.

15:30  He shall not escape from darkness; the flame shall dry up his branches, and by the breath of His mouth he shall turn away.

15:31  Let not him who is deceived trust in vanity; for vanity shall be his reward.

15:32  It shall be accomplished before his time, and his branch shall not be green.

15:33  He shall shake off its unripe grape as the vine; and shall cast off his flower like the olive.

15:34  For the company of the ungodly shall be barren, and fire shall devour the tents of bribery.

15:35  They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity, and their belly prepares deceit."

Chapter 16

16:1  And Job answered and said,

16:2  "I have heard many such things. Miserable comforters are you all!

16:3  Is there no end to windy words? Or what provokes you that you should answer?

16:4  I also could speak as you do; if your soul were in my soul's place. I could heap up words against you, and shake my head at you.

16:5  But I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the moving of my lips would assuage your grief.

16:6  Though I speak, my grief is not assuaged, and though I forbear speaking, in what way am I eased?

16:7  But now He has made me exhausted; You have made all my company desolate.

16:8  And You have shriveled me up, for it is a witness against me: and my leanness rises up in me, and it is seen in my face.

16:9  His anger has torn and assailed me; He gnashes upon me with His teeth; my enemy sharpens his eyes at me;

16:10  They have gaped upon me with their mouth; and have scornfully beaten me on the cheek; they gather themselves together against me.

16:11  God has delivered me to the ungodly; and turned me over into the hands of the wicked.

16:12  I was at ease, but He has dashed me in pieces; yea, He has also seized me by my neck and shaken me to pieces and set me up for His mark.

16:13  His archers hem me in; He splits my reins asunder, and does not spare; He pours out my gall upon the ground.

16:14  He breaks me with breach upon breach; He runs upon me like a giant.

16:15  I have sewed sackcloth on my skin and laid my horn in the dust.

16:16  My face is reddened from weeping, and on my eyelids is the shadow of death;

16:17  Though no injustice is in my hand, and also my prayer is pure.

16:18  Oh, earth, do not cover my blood, and let not my cry have a resting place.

16:19  Also now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and He who testifies of me is on high.

16:20  My friends scorn me; my eyes pour out tears to God.

16:21  Oh, that a man might plead with God, as a man pleads with his neighbor!

16:22  Only a few years will pass before I go on the journey of no return."

Chapter 17

17:1  "My spirit is broken, my days are extinct, the grave is ready for me.

17:2  Are not mockers with me? Yea, my eye gazes upon their insults.

17:3  Please lay down a pledge for me with Yourself; who is he who will strike hands with me?

17:4  For You have hidden their heart from understanding; therefore You shall not lift them up.

17:5  He who denounces his friend for flattery, even the eyes of his children shall fail.

17:6  He has made me also a byword of the people; and I have become one in whose face they spit.

17:7  My eyes also are dim from grief; and all my members are like a shadow.

17:8  Upright men shall be amazed at this, and the innocent shall stir himself up against the godless.

17:9  The righteous also shall hold on to his way, and he who has clean hands grows stronger and stronger.

17:10  And now all of them, go away, and come again; for I cannot find one wise man among you.

17:11  My days are past, my purposes are broken off, even the thoughts of my heart.

17:12  They change night into day; the light is short because of darkness.

17:13  If I wait for the grave as my home, I have made my bed in the darkness;

17:14  I have said to corruption, 'You are my father;' to the worm, 'My mother and my sister!'

17:15  And where then is my hope? And as for my hope, who shall see it?

17:16  They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when we rest together in the dust."

Chapter 18

18:1  And Bildad the Shuhite answered and said,

18:2  "How long will it be until you make an end of words? Consider, and afterwards we will speak.

18:3  Why are we counted as beasts, or seem stupid in your sight?

18:4  O you who tears yourself in your anger; shall the earth be forsaken for you? And shall the rock be moved out of its place?

18:5  Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the spark of his fire shall not shine.

18:6  The light shall be dark in his tabernacle, and his lamp shall be put out with him.

18:7  The steps of his strength shall be hobbled, and his own plans shall cast him down.

18:8  For he is thrown into a net by his own feet, and he walks into a trap.

18:9  The trap shall take him by the heel, and the snare shall lay hold on him.

18:10  The noose is laid for him in the ground, and a trap is set for him in the way.

18:11  Terrors shall make him afraid on every side, and shall chase him at every step.

18:12  His trouble shall be ravenous, and calamity shall be ready for his fall.

18:13  It shall devour the members of his body; yea, the firstborn of death consumes his strength.

18:14  His confidence shall be rooted out of his tabernacle, and he shall be brought to the king of terrors.

18:15  What is not his shall dwell in his tabernacle; brimstone shall be scattered on his habitation.

18:16  His roots shall be dried up from beneath, and his branch above shall wither.

18:17  His memory shall perish from the earth, and he shall have no name abroad.

18:18  He shall be driven from light into darkness, and chased out of the world.

18:19  He shall have neither son nor kinsman among his people, nor any remaining in his dwellings.

18:20  Those who come after him shall be appalled at his day; as those who went before were seized with horror.

18:21  Surely these are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him that has not known God."

Chapter 19

19:1  And Job answered and said,

19:2  "How long will you torment my soul and break me in pieces with words?

19:3  These ten times you have blamed me; yet you are not ashamed that you have wronged me.

19:4  And if indeed I have erred, my error remains with me.

19:5  If indeed you magnify yourself against me, and plead my reproach against me,

19:6  Know now that God has overthrown me, and His net has closed upon me.

19:7  Behold, I cry out, 'Violence!' but I am not answered; I cry aloud, but there is no justice.

19:8  He has fenced up my way so that I cannot pass, and He has set darkness in my paths.

19:9  He has stripped me of my glory, and has taken the crown from my head.

19:10  He has broken me on every side, and I am gone, and He has uprooted my hope like a tree.

19:11  He has also kindled His wrath against me, and to Himself He counts me as His enemy.

19:12  His troops come together and cast up their way against me, and camp around my tent.

19:13  He has put my brethren far from me, and my acquaintances are wholly estranged from me.

19:14  My kinsfolk have failed, and my familiar friends have forgotten me.

19:15  Those who dwell in my house, and my maidservants, count me as a stranger; I am a foreigner in their sight.

19:16  I called my servant, and he gave no answer; though I entreated him with my mouth.

19:17  My breath is abhorred by my wife, and I am loathsome to the children of my body.

19:18  Yea, even young children despise me; I arise, and they speak against me.

19:19  All my intimate friends abhor me, and those I have loved have turned against me.

19:20  My bone clings to my skin and to my flesh, and I have escaped with the skin of my teeth.

19:21  Have pity on me! Have pity on me, my friends! For the hand of God has struck me.

19:22  Why do you persecute me, like God is doing, and are not satisfied with my flesh?

19:23  Oh, that my words were now written! Oh, that they were inscribed in a book!

19:24  Oh, that they were cut with an iron pen and lead and engraved in the rock forever!

19:25  For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that He shall stand upon the earth in the latter days;

19:26  And though worms destroy my skin and body, yet apart from my flesh shall I see God—

19:27  Whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another; though my heart be consumed within me.

19:28  For you ought to say, 'How shall we persecute him?' since the root of the matter is found in me.

19:29  Fear for yourselves because of the sword; for wrath brings the punishments of the sword, so that you may know there is a judgment."

Chapter 20

20:1  And Zophar the Naamathite answered and said,

20:2  "Therefore do my thoughts cause me to answer, even because of my inner turmoil.

20:3  I have heard the rebuke which puts me to shame, and the spirit of my understanding causes me to answer.

20:4  Do you not know this from days of old, since man was placed upon earth,

20:5  That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite is for a moment?

20:6  Though his excellency mounts up to the heavens, and his head reaches to the clouds,

20:7  He shall perish forever like his own dung; those who have seen him shall say, 'Where is he?'

20:8  He shall fly away like a dream, and shall not be found, yea, he shall be chased away like a vision of the night.

20:9  The eye also which saw him, shall see him no more; yea, neither shall his place see him any longer.

20:10  His children shall seek to please the poor, and his hands shall give back his wealth.

20:11  His bones are full of his youthful vigor, but it shall lie down with him in the dust.

20:12  Though wickedness is sweet in his mouth, though he hides it under his tongue;

20:13  Though he desires it and will not let it go; but, keeps it still within his mouth;

20:14  Yet his food in his belly shall be turned and become the gall of asps within him.

20:15  He has swallowed riches, but he shall vomit them up again; God shall cast them out of his belly.

20:16  He shall suck the poison of asps; the viper's tongue shall slay him.

20:17  He shall not see the rivers, the flowings of the brooks of honey and butter,

20:18  That which he labored for shall he give back, and shall not swallow it down: according to his possessions shall the restitution be, and he shall not rejoice in it.

20:19  For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor; and has violently seized a house which he did not build.

20:20  Surely he did not know rest in his heart; that in which he delights, he will not save anything.

20:21  There was nothing left for him to devour. Therefore, his prosperity shall not endure.

20:22  In the fullness of his sufficiency he shall be in trouble; every hand of the wicked shall come against him.

20:23  When he is filling his belly, God shall cast the fury of His wrath upon him, and He shall rain it upon him while he is eating.

20:24  If he shall flee from the iron weapon, a bow of bronze shall pierce him through.

20:25  It will be pulled and come out of his body, yea, the glittering sword comes out of his gall; terrors come upon him.

20:26  All darkness is laid up for his treasures; a fire not blown by man shall consume him; those left in his tabernacle shall be broken.

20:27  The heavens shall reveal his iniquity, and the earth shall rise up against him.

20:28  The increase of his house shall depart, and his goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath.

20:29  This is the portion of a wicked man from God, and his heritage decreed by God."

Chapter 21

21:1  And Job answered and said,

21:2  "Listen carefully to my speech, and let this be your comfort.

21:3  Allow me and I shall speak; and after I have spoken, mock on.

21:4  As for me, is my complaint to man? And why should my spirit not be troubled?

21:5  Look at me and be astonished, and lay your hand on your mouth.

21:6  Even when I remember, I am afraid, and trembling takes hold on my flesh.

21:7  Why do the wicked live? They grow old and yea, they become mighty in power.

21:8  Their children are established in their sight with them, and their offspring before their eyes.

21:9  Their houses are in peace, without fear; nor is the rod of God upon them.

21:10  Their bull mates and does not fail; their cow calves, and does not cast her calf.

21:11  They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance.

21:12  They sing to the drum and lyre, and rejoice at the sound of the pipe.

21:13  They spend their days in prosperity, and peacefully they go down to the grave.

21:14  And they say to God, 'Depart from us; for we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways;

21:15  What is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? And what profit should we have if we pray to Him?'

21:16  Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand; the counsel of the wicked is far from me.

21:17  How often is the lamp of the wicked put out, and their trouble comes upon them! He distributes destruction in His anger;

21:18  They are as stubble before the wind, and as chaff carried away in a windstorm.

21:19  It is said, 'God lays up one's iniquity for his children'—but let Him repay him that he may know it.

21:20  His eyes shall see his destruction, and he shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty.

21:21  For what pleasure does he have in his house after him, when the number of his months is cut off?

21:22  Shall any teach God knowledge, since He shall judge those who are high?

21:23  One dies in his full strength, being wholly at ease and quiet.

21:24  His pails are full of milk, his bones are moistened with marrow.

21:25  And another dies in the bitterness of his soul, and never eats with pleasure.

21:26  They lie down together in the dust, and the worms shall cover them.

21:27  Behold, I know your thoughts, and the plots which you wrongfully imagine against me.

21:28  For you say, 'Where is the house of the prince, and where are the dwelling places of the wicked?'

21:29  Did you not ask those who travel the road? And do you not know their signs,

21:30  That the evil man is preserved for the day of destruction? They shall be brought forth to the day of wrath.

21:31  Who shall confront him to his face? And who shall repay him for what he has done?

21:32  Yet he shall be brought to the grave, and watch shall be kept over his tomb.

21:33  And the clods of the valley shall be sweet to him and every man shall draw after him, as there is no numbering of those who have gone before him.

21:34  How then do you comfort me in vain; yea, your answers are full of falsehoods?"

Chapter 22

22:1  And Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

22:2  "Can a man be profitable to God, or can a wise man be profitable to Him?

22:3  Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that you are righteous, or is it a gain to Him that you make your ways blameless?

22:4  Is it for your fear of Him that he reproves you, or that He enters into judgment with you?

22:5  Is not your wickedness great, and your iniquity without measure?

22:6  For you have taken a pledge from your brother for nothing, and stripped the naked of their clothing.

22:7  You have not given water to the weary to drink, and you have held back bread from the hungry.

22:8  But the earth belongs to the mighty man, and the honorable man lived in it.

22:9  You have sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.

22:10  Therefore snares are all around you, and sudden fear troubles you;

22:11  Or darkness, so that you cannot see; and a flood of waters covers you.

22:12  Is not God high in heaven? And behold the height of the stars, how high they are!

22:13  And you say, 'What does God know? Can He judge through the dark cloud?

22:14  Clouds are a covering to Him, so that He does not see; and He walks on the circuit of heaven.'

22:15  Do you keep to the old way which wicked men have walked,

22:16  Who were cut down before their time, whose foundations were deluged by a flood?

22:17  Who said to God, 'Depart from us! What can the Almighty do to them?'

22:18  Yet He filled their houses with good things; but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.

22:19  The righteous saw it, and were glad; and the innocent laughed them to scorn, saying,

22:20  'Truly our adversaries are cut down, and fire consumed their abundance.'

22:21  Now agree with Him, and be at peace, thereby good shall come to you.

22:22  Please receive the law from His mouth and lay up His words in your heart.

22:23  If you return to the Almighty, you shall be built up; you shall put away unrighteousness far from your tabernacles.

22:24  Then you shall lay up gold like dust, the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.

22:25  Yea, the Almighty shall be your gold and you shall have plenty of silver.

22:26  For then you shall have your delight in the Almighty, and shall lift up your face to God.

22:27  You shall make your prayer to Him, and He shall hear you, and you shall pay your vows.

22:28  You shall also decree a thing, and it shall be fulfilled to you; and the light shall shine upon your ways.

22:29  When they cast you down, then you shall say, 'A lifting up shall come!' And He shall save the humble person.

22:30  He shall deliver even one who is not innocent, yea, you shall be delivered through the cleanness of your hands."

Chapter 23

23:1  And Job answered and said,

23:2  "Even today is my complaint bitter; my stroke is heavier than my groaning.

23:3  Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come even to His seat!

23:4  I would lay my cause before Him, and fill my mouth with arguments.

23:5  I would know the words which He would answer me, and understand what He would say to me.

23:6  Will He contend against me with His great power? No, surely He would give heed to me.

23:7  There the righteous might reason with Him; and I would be acquitted from my Judge forever.

23:8  Behold, I go forward, but He is not there; and backward, but I cannot see Him;

23:9  On the left hand, where He works, but I cannot behold Him. He turns to the right, but I cannot see Him.

23:10  But He knows the way that I take; when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

23:11  My foot has held fast in His steps; I have kept His way, and have not turned aside;

23:12  Nor have I gone back from the commandment of His lips; I treasured up the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.

23:13  But He is of one mind, and who can turn Him? Yea, what He Himself desires, even that He does.

23:14  For He performs the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with Him.

23:15  Therefore I am terrified at His presence; when I consider, I am afraid of Him.

23:16  For God makes my heart weak, and the Almighty terrifies me;

23:17  Because I was not cut off by the darkness; nor by the thick darkness covering my face."

Chapter 24

24:1  "Since times are not laid up by the Almighty, why do those who know Him not see His days?

24:2  They remove the landmarks; they seize flocks and feed on them.

24:3  They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; they take the widow's ox for a pledge.

24:4  They turn the needy out of the way; the poor of the earth hide themselves together.

24:5  Behold, like wild donkeys in the desert, they go forth to their work, rising early for a prey. The wilderness yields food for them and for their children.

24:6  They reap his fodder in the field; and they glean the vineyard of the wicked.

24:7  They lodge the naked without clothing, and they have no covering in the cold.

24:8  They are wet with the showers of the mountains, and embrace the rock for lack of shelter.

24:9  They pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge from the poor.

24:10  They cause him to go naked without clothing, and they take away the sheaves from the hungry.

24:11  They press out oil among the olive rows; and they tread their winepresses, and still suffer thirst.

24:12  Men groan from out of the city, and the soul of the wounded cries out for help; yet God does not charge foolishness to them.

24:13  They are of those who rebel against the light; they know not His ways, nor stay in His paths.

24:14  The murderer rising with the dawn kills the poor and needy, and in the night he is as a thief.

24:15  And the eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight, saying, 'No eye will see me;' and he disguises his face.

24:16  In the dark they dig through houses, they shut themselves up in the daytime; they do not know the light.

24:17  For the morning is to them as the shadow of death; for they know the terrors of the shadow of death.

24:18  He is swift upon the waters; their portion is cursed in the earth; he turns not by the way of the vineyards.

24:19  Drought and heat eat up the snow waters; so does the grave those who have sinned.

24:20  The womb shall forget him; the worm shall feed sweetly on him; he shall be remembered no more; and wickedness shall be broken like a tree.

24:21  He ill-treats the women who bear no children; and does not do good for the widow.

24:22  He drags away the mighty with his power; he rises up, and no one is sure of life.

24:23  He gives them security, and they are supported; yet His eyes are on their ways.

24:24  They are exalted for a little while, but are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all others, and are cut off like the heads of grain.

24:25  And if it is not so, who will make me a liar, and make my speech worth nothing?"

Chapter 25

25:1  And Bildad the Shuhite answered and said,

25:2  "Dominion and fear are with Him; He makes peace in His high heaven.

25:3  Is there any number of His armies? And upon whom does not His light arise?

25:4  How then can man be justified with God? Or how can one who is born of a woman be clean?

25:5  Look even to the moon, and it shines not; yea, the stars are not pure in His sight;

25:6  How much less man who is a maggot, and the son of man, who is a worm?"

Chapter 26

26:1  But Job answered and said,

26:2  "How have you helped the powerless, or saved the arm that has no strength?

26:3  How have you advised those who have no wisdom? How have you plentifully declared sound knowledge?

26:4  To whom have you spoken words? And whose spirit came from you?

26:5  The dead tremble beneath the waters, and those who dwell in them.

26:6  The grave is naked before Him, and destruction has no covering.

26:7  He stretches out the north over the empty space, and He hung the earth on nothing.

26:8  He binds up the waters in His thick clouds; and the cloud is not torn under them.

26:9  He covers the face of His throne, spreading His cloud upon it.

26:10  He has prescribed a limit upon the surface of the waters, and a boundary between light and darkness.

26:11  The pillars of the heavens tremble and are astonished at His rebuke.

26:12  He quiets the sea with His power, and by His understanding He shatters the storm.

26:13  By His Spirit He has made the heavens beautiful; His hand pierced the fleeing serpent.

26:14  Lo, these are only the outer fringes of His ways; but what a trifling whisper we hear about Him! And the thunder of His power who can understand?"

Chapter 27

27:1  And Job continued his speech, and said,

27:2  "As God lives, He has denied me justice; and the Almighty has made my soul bitter.

27:3  As long as my breath is in me, and the breath of God is in my nostrils,

27:4  My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.

27:5  Far be it from me that I should declare you to be right; until I die I will not retract my integrity from me.

27:6  I hold fast my righteousness, and I will not let it go; my heart shall not shame me so long as I live.

27:7  Let my enemy be like the wicked, and he who rises up against me as the unrighteous.

27:8  For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he has gained much, when God takes away his life?

27:9  Will God hear his cry when trouble comes upon him?

27:10  Will he delight himself in the Almighty? Will he always call upon God?

27:11  I will teach you by the hand of God; that which is with the Almighty I will not hide.

27:12  Behold, all of you have seen it yourselves; indeed why then do you become completely vain?

27:13  This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the inheritance of oppressors which they shall receive from the Almighty.

27:14  If his children are multiplied, the sword is for them; and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.

27:15  Those who survive of him shall be buried by pestilence; and his widows shall not weep.

27:16  Though he heaps up silver like the dust, and prepares clothing like the clay,

27:17  While he may prepare, the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver.

27:18  He builds his house like a moth, and like a booth that a watchman makes.

27:19  The rich man shall lie down, but shall not be gathered. He opens his eyes, and his wealth is not.

27:20  Terrors overtake him like flooding waters; a tempest steals him away in the night.

27:21  The east wind carries him up, and he is gone; for it sweeps him out of his place.

27:22  For it will hurl at him, and will not spare; he will surely try to flee from its power.

27:23  Men shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his place."

Chapter 28

28:1  "Surely there is a mine for the silver, and a place where they refine gold.

28:2  Iron is taken out of the earth, and bronze is melted out of the stone.

28:3  Man puts an end to darkness, and to the farthest limits they search out the ore in the darkness of the mine and in the shadow of death.

28:4  He opens a shaft away from where men travel, in places forgotten by men's feet; they hang and swing to and fro far away from men.

28:5  As to the earth, out of it comes bread; but from underneath it is turned up like fire.

28:6  Its stones are the place of sapphires; and it has dust of gold.

28:7  There is a path which no bird knows, nor the vulture's eye has seen it;

28:8  And the proud beasts have not walked on it, nor the fierce lion passed by it.

28:9  He puts forth His hand on the flinty places; He overturns the mountains by the roots.

28:10  He cuts out rivers among the rocks; and His eye sees every precious thing.

28:11  He holds back the streams from flowing; and the hidden thing He brings to light.

28:12  But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?

28:13  Man does not know the price of it; nor is it found in the land of the living.

28:14  The deep says, 'It is not in me;' and the sea says, ' It is not in me.'

28:15  Pure gold cannot be given instead of it, nor silver be weighed as its price.

28:16  It cannot be valued against the gold of Ophir, or against precious onyx, or sapphire;

28:17  Gold and glass cannot equal it, nor can it be exchanged for the jewels of fine gold.

28:18  No mention shall be made of coral, or of crystal; and the price of wisdom is above rubies.

28:19  The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it; it cannot be valued against pure gold.

28:20  From where then does wisdom come, and where is the place of understanding?

28:21  Yea, it is hidden from the eyes of all living, and concealed from the birds of the heavens.

28:22  Destruction and death say, 'We have heard the fame of it with our ears.'

28:23  God understands the way of it, and He knows its place.

28:24  For He looks to the end of the earth, and sees under the whole heavens;

28:25  He endowed the winds with weight, and gauged the waters by measure.

28:26  When He made a decree for the rain, and a path for the thunderstorm;

28:27  Then He saw it, and declared it; He prepared it, yea, and searched it out.

28:28  And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom! And to depart from evil is understanding!' ”

Chapter 29

29:1  And Job continued speaking, and said,

29:2  "Oh, that I were as in months past, as in the days when God watched over me;

29:3  When His lamp shined upon my head; and when I walked through darkness by His light;

29:4  As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle;

29:5  When the Almighty was yet with me, and my children were around me;

29:6  When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock pressed out rivers of oil for me;

29:7  When I went out to the gate of the city; when I prepared my seat in the square!

29:8  The young men saw me and hid themselves; and the aged arose and stood up.

29:9  The rulers refrained from talking, and laid their hands on their mouths.

29:10  The noble's voice was subdued, and their tongue clung to the roof of their mouth.

29:11  When the ear heard me then it blessed me. And when the eye saw me it gave witness to me.

29:12  For I delivered the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to help.

29:13  The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me; and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.

29:14  I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a diadem.

29:15  I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame.

29:16  I was a father to the poor; and the cause which I did not know, I searched out.

29:17  I broke the fangs of the wicked, and plucked the prey out of his teeth.

29:18  Then I said, 'I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days like the sand.'

29:19  My root was spread out to the waters, and the dew lay all night upon my branch.

29:20  My glory was fresh in me, and my bow was renewed in my hand.

29:21  They listened to me, and waited, and kept silent at my counsel.

29:22  After my words they did not speak again; and my speech dropped on them.

29:23  And they waited for me like the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.

29:24  I smiled on them when they did not believe; and the light of my countenance they did not cast down.

29:25  I chose out their way, and sat as chief; and I lived like a king in the army, as one who comforts the mourners."

Chapter 30

30:1  "But now those who are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have refused to put with the dogs of my flock.

30:2  Yea, what profit to me was the strength of their hands, for their vigor had perished from them?

30:3  They are dried up with want and famine; who fled into the wilderness, which was before desolate and waste,

30:4  Those plucking mallows by the bushes, and broom roots for their food.

30:5  They are driven forth from the midst of men; they shouted after them as a thief.

30:6  They dwell in the clefts of the valleys, in caves of the earth and in rocks.

30:7  They bray among the bushes; they huddle together under the nettles;

30:8  They were children of fools, yea, children of base men; they were scourged out of the land.

30:9  And now I am their song; yea, I am their byword.

30:10  They despise me, and they flee far from me; they do not spare spitting in my face.

30:11  Because He has loosed my cord and afflicted me, they have also cast off restraint before me.

30:12  On my right an insolent brood rises; they push away my feet and cast up against me the ways of their destruction.

30:13  They have broken down my path, they gain by my trouble without anyone helping them.

30:14  As through a wide breach they come; in the midst of ruin they roll themselves upon me.

30:15  Terrors have turned upon me; they pursue my soul like the wind; and my good passes away like a cloud.

30:16  And now my soul is poured out within me; the days of affliction have taken hold upon me.

30:17  My bones are pierced with pain in the night; and my gnawing pains give me no rest.

30:18  By the great force of my disease my garment is disfigured; it binds me about like the collar of my coat.

30:19  He has cast me into the mire, and I have become like dust and ashes.

30:20  I cried to You, and You did not answer me; I stood up, and You did not consider me.

30:21  You have become cruel to me; with Your mighty hand You oppose me.

30:22  You lift me up to the wind; You cause me to ride upon it; and You dissolve my substance.

30:23  For I know that You will bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living.

30:24  Surely one will stretch out his hand from a ruinous heap, or in his calamity cry out for help.

30:25  Did I not weep for him who was in trouble; and was not my soul grieved for the poor?

30:26  When I looked for good, then evil came; and when I waited for light, then darkness came.

30:27  My bowels boiled, and did not rest; the days of trouble confront me.

30:28  I go in mourning without any comfort; I stood up and I cried out in the assembly.

30:29  I am a brother to jackals, and a companion to the ostrich.

30:30  My skin is black and falling from me, and my bones are burning with heat.

30:31  And my lyre has turned to mourning, and my pipe to the sound of weeping."

Chapter 31

31:1  "I made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I look upon a virgin?

31:2  For what is the portion from God above? And what is the inheritance of the Almighty from on high?

31:3  Is not destruction for the wicked, and calamity to the workers of iniquity?

31:4  Does He not see my ways, and count all my steps?

31:5  If I have walked with vanity, or if my foot has hurried to deceit,

31:6  Let me be weighed in an even balance so that God may know that I am blameless.

31:7  If my step has turned out of the way, or my heart has walked after my eyes, and if any spot has cleaved to my hands;

31:8  Then let me sow, and let another eat; and let my harvests be rooted out.

31:9  If my heart has been enticed by a woman, or I have laid wait at my neighbor's door,

31:10  Then let my wife grind for another, and let others bow down upon her.

31:11  For that would be a heinous crime; yea, it would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges.

31:12  For it is a fire that devours to destruction, and it would root out all my increase.

31:13  If I despised the cause of my manservant or of my maidservant, when they complained against me;

31:14  What then shall I do when God rises up? And when He calls me to account, what shall I answer Him?

31:15  Did not He who made me in the womb make him also? And did not one fashion us in the womb?

31:16  If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,

31:17  Or have eaten my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless has not eaten of it—

31:18  For from my youth he grew up with me, as with a father, and from infancy I guided her—

31:19  If I have seen any perish for lack of clothing, or there was no covering for the needy;

31:20  If his loins have not blessed me, and he warmed himself with the fleece of my sheep;

31:21  If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless when I watched over my help in the gate;

31:22  Then let my arm fall from the shoulder blade, and let my arm be broken from the elbow.

31:23  For calamity from God is a terror to me, and by reason of His majesty I could do nothing.

31:24  If I have made gold my hope, or have called fine gold my confidence;

31:25  If I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because my hand had gotten much;

31:26  If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness,

31:27  And my heart has been secretly enticed, or my mouth has kissed my hand;

31:28  This also would be an iniquity for the judges to punish; for I would have lied to God who is above.

31:29  If I rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, or exulted myself when evil found him;

31:30  Verily I have not allowed my mouth to sin by wishing for a curse on his life;

31:31  If the men of my tabernacle did not say, 'Who can find one who has not been satisfied with his meat?'

31:32  The stranger did not sleep in the street, for I opened my doors to the traveler.

31:33  If I covered my transgressions like Adam, by hiding my iniquity in my bosom,

31:34  Then let me tremble before a great multitude, and be terrified by the scorn of families; and I will be silent and not go out the door.

31:35  Oh, that I had one to hear me! Behold, my desire is that the Almighty would answer me, and the indictment that my adversary had written.

31:36  Surely I would carry it on my shoulder, and bind it like a crown upon my head.

31:37  I would declare to Him the number of my steps; like a prince I would come before Him.

31:38  If my land cry against me, or its furrows weep together;

31:39  If I have eaten its strength without paying for it, or have caused its owners to lose their life,

31:40  Let thorns come forth instead of wheat, and weeds instead of barley." The words of Job are ended.

Chapter 32

32:1  And these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.

32:2  Then was kindled the anger of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram. His wrath burned against Job, because he had justified himself rather than God.

32:3  Also his wrath was kindled against his three friends, because they had found no answer and yet had condemned Job.

32:4  Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job, because they were older than he in days.

32:5  When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, then his wrath was kindled.

32:6  And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said, "I am young, and you are very old; therefore I was afraid, and dared not show you my opinion.

32:7  I said, 'The aged should speak, and the multitude of years should teach wisdom.'

32:8  But there is a spirit in man and the inspiration of the Almighty gives them understanding.

32:9  Great men are not always wise; neither do the aged understand justice.

32:10  Therefore I say, 'Hearken to me. I also will declare my opinion.'

32:11  Behold, I waited for your words; I listened to your reasons, while you searched out what to say.

32:12  Yea, I listened intently to you, and, behold, not one of you proved Job wrong nor answered his words,

32:13  Lest you should say, 'We have found out wisdom. God has vanquished him, not man.'

32:14  And he has not directed his words against me; and I will not answer him with your words.

32:15  They were amazed, and answered no more; words left them.

32:16  Shall I wait (because they do not speak, because they stand there and answer no more?)

32:17  I said, 'I also will answer my part; I also will declare my opinion.

32:18  For I am full of the matter; the spirit within me constrains me.

32:19  Behold, my inner being is as wine which has no vent; it is ready to burst like new wineskins.

32:20  I will speak so that I may be refreshed; I will open my lips and answer.

32:21  Let me not, I pray you, accept any man's person, neither let me give flattering titles unto man.

32:22  For I do not know how to give flattering titles to any man, else my Maker would soon take me away.' ”

Chapter 33

33:1  "Wherefore, Job, please hear my speech, and hearken to all my words.

33:2  Behold, now I have opened my mouth, my tongue has spoken in my mouth,

33:3  My words shall be from the uprightness of my heart, and my lips will clearly speak knowledge.

33:4  The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

33:5  If you can, answer me; set yourself in order before me, stand up.

33:6  Behold, I am according to your wish in God's stead; I also am formed out of the clay.

33:7  Behold, my terror shall not make you afraid, and my burden shall not be heavy upon you.

33:8  Surely you have spoken in my ears, and I have heard the sound of your words, saying,

33:9  'I am pure, without transgression; I am innocent, and there is no iniquity in me;

33:10  Behold, He finds occasions against me, He counts me as His enemy;

33:11  He puts my feet in the stocks; He marks all my paths.'

33:12  Behold, in this you are not right; I will answer you, for God is greater than man.

33:13  Why do you fight against Him? For He does not give account for any of His matters.

33:14  For God speaks once, yea, twice, yet man does not perceive it.

33:15  In a dream, a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men; while they slumber upon the bed;

33:16  Then He opens the ear of men and seals their instruction,

33:17  So that He may turn man away from his own purpose, that He may keep man from pride.

33:18  He keeps back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.

33:19  He also chastened man with pain upon his bed, and with strong pain in his bones;

33:20  So that his life abhors bread, and his soul detests desirable food.

33:21  His flesh visibly consumes away; and his bones that were not seen stick out.

33:22  Yea, his soul draws near to the pit, and his life to the destroyers.

33:23  If there is a messenger for him, a mediator, one among a thousand, to vouch for a man's uprightness,

33:24  Then He is gracious to him and says, 'Deliver him from going down to the pit; for I have found a ransom.'

33:25  His flesh shall be fresher than a child's; he shall return to the days of his youth;

33:26  He shall pray to God, and He will be gracious to him; and he shall see His face with joy, for He will restore to man his righteousness.

33:27  He will observe men, and if any says, 'I have sinned and perverted what is right; and it profited me nothing,'

33:28  He will rescue his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light.

33:29  Lo, all these things God does twice, yea, three times with a man,

33:30  To bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living.

33:31  Hear this, Job, hearken unto me; be silent and I will speak.

33:32  If you have anything to say, answer me; speak, for I desire to justify you.

33:33  If not, hearken unto me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom."

Chapter 34

34:1  And Elihu answered and said,

34:2  "Hear my words, O you wise men; and give ear to me, you who have knowledge;

34:3  For the ear tries words, as the palate tastes food.

34:4  Let us choose for ourselves what is right; let us know among ourselves what is good.

34:5  For Job has said, 'I am righteous; but God has denied me justice;

34:6  Should I lie against my right? My wound cannot be cured; I am without transgression.'

34:7  What man is like Job, who drinks up scorning like water;

34:8  Who goes in company with the workers of iniquity, and walks with wicked men?

34:9  For he has said, 'It profits a man nothing when he delights himself in God.'

34:10  Therefore hearken to me, O you men of understanding; far be it from God to commit iniquity; and from the Almighty, that He should commit iniquity.

34:11  For the work of a man shall He render unto him, and cause every man to find according to his ways.

34:12  Yea, surely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment.

34:13  Who has given Him charge over the earth? Or who has appointed Him over the whole world?

34:14  If He sets His heart on man, if He gathers to Himself his spirit and his breath,

34:15  All flesh shall perish together, and man shall return again to the dust.

34:16  If now you have understanding, hear this; hearken to the voice of my words.

34:17  Indeed, shall anyone who hates justice govern? And will you condemn Him who is most just and mighty?

34:18  Who says to a king, 'O worthless one;' and to nobles, 'O ungodly ones'?

34:19  How much less to Him who does not respect the persons of princes, nor regard the rich more than the poor? For all of them are the work of His hands.

34:20  In a moment they die, and people are troubled at midnight and pass away; and the mighty shall be taken away without a hand.

34:21  For His eyes are on the ways of man, and He sees all his steps.

34:22  There is no darkness, nor shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.

34:23  For He will not lay upon man more than right that he should enter into judgment with God.

34:24  He shall break in pieces mighty men without number, and set others in their place.

34:25  Therefore He knows their works, and He overturns them in the night, so that they are destroyed.

34:26  He strikes them as wicked men in the open sight of others,

34:27  Because they turned back from following Him, and they did not consider any of His ways;

34:28  So that they cause the cry of the poor to come to Him, for He hears the cry of the afflicted.

34:29  When He is quiet, who then can condemn? And when He hides His face, who then can behold Him? Whether it is done against a nation or against a man only;

34:30  That the godless man should not reign, that he should not ensnare the people.

34:31  For has any said to God, 'I have borne chastisement; though I have not offended.

34:32  You teach me that which I have not seen; if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more'?

34:33  Shall His recompense be as you desire? For you have rejected it. For you must choose, and not I; therefore speak what you know.

34:34  Let men of understanding tell me, and let a wise man hearken unto me,

34:35  'Job has spoken without knowledge, and his words were without wisdom.'

34:36  My desire is that Job may be tried unto the end because his answers are like those of wicked men.

34:37  For he adds rebellion to his sin; he claps his hands among us, and multiplies his words against God."

Chapter 35

35:1  And Elihu answered and said,

35:2  "Do you think this to be right, you that say, 'My righteousness is more than God's'?

35:3  For you say, 'What advantage will it be to You? What profit shall I have, more than if I had sinned?'

35:4  I will answer your words, and your companions with you.

35:5  Look to the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds; they are higher than you.

35:6  If you sin, what do you do against Him? Or if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to Him?

35:7  If you are righteous, what do you give Him? Or what does He receive from your hand?

35:8  Your wickedness may hurt a man like yourself; and your righteousness may profit the son of man.

35:9  By reason of the multitude of oppressions they cry out; they cry out because of the powerful arm of the mighty.

35:10  But none says, 'Where is God my Maker, Who gives songs in the night;

35:11  Who teaches us more than the animals of the earth, and makes us wiser than the birds of heaven?'

35:12  There they cry, but He gives no answer, because of the pride of evildoers.

35:13  Surely God will not hear vanity, neither will the Almighty regard it.

35:14  How much less when you say you do not see Him! The cause is before Him; you must wait for Him.

35:15  And now because it is not so, He has visited in anger yet he does not understand even his great extremity.

35:16  Therefore does Job open his mouth in vain; he multiplies his words without knowledge."

Chapter 36

36:1  Elihu also proceeded and said,

36:2  "Bear with me a little, and I will show you that I have yet to speak on God's behalf.

36:3  I will fetch my knowledge from afar, and I will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.

36:4  For truly my words are not false; He who is perfect in knowledge is with you.

36:5  Behold, God is mighty, yet He does not despise any; He is mighty in strength of understanding.

36:6  He will not preserve the life of the wicked, but gives to the poor their right.

36:7  He withdraws not His eyes from the righteous, but they are like kings on the throne; yea, He establishes them forever, and they are exalted.

36:8  And if they are bound in chains, and are held in cords of affliction,

36:9  Then He shows them their work, and their transgressions, that they have behaved themselves arrogantly.

36:10  He also opens their ears to discipline, and commands that they return from iniquity.

36:11  If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.

36:12  But if they do not obey, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge.

36:13  But the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath; they cry not for help when He binds them.

36:14  They die in youth, and their life ends among the depraved.

36:15  He delivers the poor in his affliction, and opens their ears by tribulation.

36:16  And He also would have removed you out of dire distress into a wide place without constraint; and the setting of your table is full with richness.

36:17  But you have fulfilled the judgment of the wicked; judgment and justice take hold of you;

36:18  For beware lest wrath entice you into scoffing; neither let the greatness of the ransom turn you aside.

36:19  Will He esteem your riches? No, not gold, nor all the forces of strength can keep you from distress.

36:20  Desire not the night, when people are cut off in their place.

36:21  Beware, do not turn to iniquity; for this you have chosen rather than affliction.

36:22  Behold, God is exalted in His power; who is a Teacher like Him?

36:23  Who has appointed Him His way; or who can say, 'You have done wrong'?

36:24  Remember that you should exalt His work of which men have sung;

36:25  All men have seen it; man may see it afar off.

36:26  Behold, God is great, beyond our knowledge; the number of His years cannot be searched out.

36:27  For He draws up the drops of water; they distill into rain from the mist,

36:28  Which the clouds pour down and drop on man abundantly.

36:29  Also can any understand the spreading of the clouds, or the crashing thunder of His canopy?

36:30  Behold, He spreads His light upon it, and He covers the depths of the sea.

36:31  For by these He judges the people; He gives food in abundance.

36:32  He covers His hands with the lightning, and commands it to strike the mark;

36:33  Its thunder declares concerning it, and the livestock, concerning a storm that is coming."

Chapter 37

37:1  "My heart trembles at this also, and it leaps out of its place.

37:2  Listen carefully to the thunder of His voice, and the rumbling that comes out of His mouth.

37:3  He sends it out under the whole heaven, and His lightning to the ends of the earth.

37:4  After it a sound roars; He thunders with the voice of His majesty, and He will not hold them back when His voice is heard.

37:5  God thunders marvelously with His voice; He does great things, which we cannot comprehend.

37:6  For He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth;' also to the shower of rain, and to the showers of His mighty rain.

37:7  He seals up the hand of every man, so that all men may know His work.

37:8  Then the beast goes into its lair, and remains in its dens.

37:9  Out of the south comes the whirlwind: and cold out of the north.

37:10  By the breath of God ice is given; and the expanse of waters is frozen tight.

37:11  Also He loads the clouds with moisture; He spreads abroad the clouds of His lightning.

37:12  And they are turned around by His guidance, so that they may do whatever He commands them upon the face of the whole earth.

37:13  Whether for correction, or for His land, or for mercy, He causes it to come.

37:14  Hearken to this, O Job; stand still, and consider the wonderful works of God.

37:15  Do you know how God directs them, and causes the lightning of His cloud to shine?

37:16  Do you know the balancing of the clouds, the wonderful works of Him who is perfect in knowledge?

37:17  You whose clothes are warm when the earth is still by the south wind?

37:18  Have you spread out the expanse of the sky with Him, which is strong as a molten mirror?

37:19  Teach us what we shall say to Him; for because of darkness we cannot order our speech.

37:20  Shall it be told Him that I speak? If a man speaks, surely he shall be swallowed up.

37:21  And now men cannot see the bright light in the skies, covered by the clouds; but the wind blows and clears them away.

37:22  As golden splendor comes out of the north, God is awesome in His majesty.

37:23  As for the Almighty, we cannot find Him out; He is exalted in power; and He does no violence to justice and abundant righteousness.

37:24  Therefore, men fear Him; He does not show partiality to any who are wise of heart."

Chapter 38

38:1  Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

38:2  "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

38:3  Now gird up your loins like a man; for I will demand of you, and you shall answer Me.

38:4  Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare it, if you have understanding!

38:5  Who has determined its measurements, if you know? Or who has stretched the line upon it?

38:6  On what are the foundations fastened to? Or who laid its cornerstone,

38:7  When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

38:8  Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it broke forth as it came from the womb?

38:9  When I made the clouds its robe, and thick darkness a swaddling band for it,

38:10  And prescribed My limit on it, and set bars and doors,

38:11  And I said, 'You shall come to here, but no further; and here your proud waves shall stop.'

38:12  Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place,

38:13  That it might take hold of the ends of the earth; that the wicked might be shaken out of it?

38:14  It is changed like clay under a seal; and they stand forth like a garment.

38:15  But from the wicked their light is withheld, and the uplifted arm is broken.

38:16  Have you entered into the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in search of the depths?

38:17  Have the gates of death been opened to you? Or have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?

38:18  Have you surveyed the breadth of the earth? Declare it, if you know it all!

38:19  Where is the way where light dwells? And as for darkness, where is the place thereof,

38:20  That you should take it to its boundary, and that you should know the paths to its home?

38:21  Do you know it, because you were then born? Or are the number of your days great?

38:22  Have you entered into the treasures of the snow? Or have you seen the treasures of the hail,

38:23  Which I have reserved for the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?

38:24  By what way is the light distributed, and how does the east wind spread itself upon the earth?

38:25  Who has cut a channel for the overflowing of waters, or a pathway for the thunderbolts;

38:26  To cause rain to fall upon the earth where no man is, a wilderness and no man in it;

38:27  To satisfy the desolate and waste ground, and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth?

38:28  Has the rain a father? Or who has brought forth the drops of dew?

38:29  Out of whose womb came the ice? And the frost of the heavens, who engendered it?

38:30  The waters are hard like stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.

38:31  Can you bind the bands of the Pleiades, or loosen the cords of Orion?

38:32  Can you bring the constellations in their season? Or can you guide the Bear with its sons?

38:33  Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set up their dominion on the earth?

38:34  Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, so that floods of waters may cover you?

38:35  Can you send lightnings, that they may go, and say to you, 'Here we are?'

38:36  Who has put wisdom in the inward parts? Or who has given understanding to the mind?

38:37  Who can number the clouds by wisdom; or who can pour out the bottles of the heavens,

38:38  When the dust is melted into hardness, and the clods cling fast together?

38:39  Will you hunt the prey for the lion, or fill the appetite of the young lions,

38:40  When they crouch in dens, and sit in the cover of their hiding place?

38:41  Who provides food for the raven, when its young ones cry to God and wander about without food?"

Chapter 39

39:1  "Do you know the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? Can you observe the calving of deer?

39:2  Can you number the months that they fulfill? Or do you know the time for when they give birth;

39:3  When they bow down and bring forth; and when they get rid of their birth pangs,

39:4  Their young ones are strong, they grow up in the open field; they go forth and do not return to them again.

39:5  Who has sent out the wild donkey free? Or who has loosed the bands of the swift donkey,

39:6  To whom I gave the wilderness for its home, and the salt land for its dwellings?

39:7  He scorns the tumult of the city; he does not hear the driver's shouts.

39:8  The range of the mountains is his pasture, and he searches after every green thing.

39:9  Will the wild ox be willing to serve you, or spend the night by your feed trough?

39:10  Can you tie the wild ox in the furrow with rope? Or will he harrow the valleys for you?

39:11  Will you trust him because his strength is great? Or will you leave your labor to him?

39:12  Will you trust him, that he will bring home your seed and gather it to your threshing floor?

39:13  The wing of the ostrich beats joyously; though not like the stork's pinions with its feathers.

39:14  For she leaves her eggs in the earth, and lets them warm in the dust,

39:15  And forgets that a foot may crush them, or that the beast of the field may break them.

39:16  She treats her young roughly, as if not hers; for her labor is vanity without fear;

39:17  Because God did not endow her with wisdom, and He has not imparted to her understanding.

39:18  At the time she lifts herself up high, she scorns the horse and its rider.

39:19  Have you given the horse strength? Have you clothed his neck with a quivering mane?

39:20  Can you make him leap like a locust? The glory of his snorting is terrifying.

39:21  He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength; he goes on to meet the clash of weapons.

39:22  He mocks at fear, and is not terrified; and he does not turn back from the sword.

39:23  The quiver rattles against him, the glittering spear and the shield.

39:24  He swallows the ground with fierceness and rage; and he does not stand still at the sound of the ram's horn.

39:25  When the ram's horn sounds, he says, 'Aha!' And he smells the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

39:26  Does the hawk soar by your wisdom? Will he spread his wings toward the south?

39:27  Does the eagle mount up at your command and make her nest on high?

39:28  She lives and abides on the rock, on the crag of the rock and the strong place.

39:29  From there she seeks food, and her eyes see it afar off.

39:30  And her young ones also suck up blood; and where the dead are, there she is."

Chapter 40

40:1  And the LORD answered Job and said,

40:2  "Shall he who contends with the Almighty instruct Him? He who reproves God, let him answer it."

40:3  And Job answered the LORD and said,

40:4  "Behold, I am vile! What shall I answer You? I will lay my hand on my mouth.

40:5  Once I have spoken; but I will not answer; yea, twice, but I will proceed no further."

40:6  And the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

40:7  "Gird up your loins now like a man. I will demand of you, and you declare unto Me.

40:8  Will you even annul My judgment? Will you condemn Me so that you may be righteous?

40:9  And have you an arm like God? Or can you thunder with a voice like His?

40:10  Deck yourself now with majesty and excellency, and array yourself with glory and beauty.

40:11  Cast abroad the rage of your wrath; and behold everyone who is proud, and abase him.

40:12  Look on everyone who is proud, and bring him low; and tread down the wicked in their place.

40:13  Hide them in the dust together; and bind their faces in darkness.

40:14  Then I will also confess to you that your own right hand can save you.

40:15  Now behold the behemoth, which I made along with you; he eats grass like an ox;

40:16  See, now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the muscles of his belly.

40:17  He moves his tail like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are knit together.

40:18  His bones are like tubes of bronze; his ribs are like bars of iron.

40:19  He is the first of the ways of God; let his Maker bring His sword near.

40:20  For the mountains yield food for him, and all the beasts of the field play there.

40:21  He lies under the lotus trees, in the covert of the reed and the marsh.

40:22  The lotus trees cover him with their shadow; the willows of the brook surround him.

40:23  Behold, if a river overflows, he does not run away; he is confident even if Jordan swells up to his mouth.

40:24  Can anyone capture him when he is on watch, or pierce through his nose with a trap?"

Chapter 41

41:1  "Can you draw out the leviathan with a hook, or hold down his tongue with a cord?

41:2  Can you put a ring into his nose, or pierce his jaw with a gaff hook?

41:3  Will he multiply pleas for help to you? Will he speak soft words to you?

41:4  Will he make a covenant with you? Will you take him for a servant forever?

41:5  Will you play with him as with a bird? Or will you bind him for your maidens?

41:6  Shall traders bargain over him? Shall they divide him among the merchants?

41:7  Can you fill his skin with barbed irons, or his head with fishing spears?

41:8  Lay your hand on him, think of the battle; you will never do it again.

41:9  Behold, your expectation is vain; will you be laid low even at the sight of him?

41:10  None is so fierce as to dare to stir him up; who then is able to stand before Me?

41:11  Who has gone before Me that I should repay him? All that is in the heavens is Mine.

41:12  I will not keep silent concerning his limbs, or his mighty strength, or the grace of his frame.

41:13  Who can strip off his outer armor? Who can penetrate within his double jaws?

41:14  Who can open the doors to his face, with his terrible teeth all around?

41:15  The rows of scales are his pride, shut up with a closed seal;

41:16  One is so near to another that no air can come between them;

41:17  They are joined one to another, they stick together so that they cannot be separated.

41:18  His sneezings flash forth light, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the dawn.

41:19  Out of his mouth go burning torches, sparks of fire leap out.

41:20  Out of his nostrils goes smoke, as out of a boiling pot fired by reeds.

41:21  His breath kindles coals, and a flame goes out of his mouth.

41:22  In his neck resides strength, and terror dances before him.

41:23  The folds of his flesh are joined together, cast firm upon him; they cannot be moved.

41:24  His heart is cast hard as a stone, even cast hard as the lower millstone.

41:25  The mighty are afraid when he raises himself up; they are beside themselves because of his crashing.

41:26  If the sword is thrust at him, it will not hold firm, nor the spear, the dart, and the javelin.

41:27  He esteems iron as straw, bronze as rotten wood.

41:28  An arrow cannot make him flee; sling-stones are turned by him into stubble.

41:29  Clubs are counted as stubble; he laughs at the shaking of a javelin.

41:30  Sharpest potsherds line his belly; he spreads himself like a threshing sledge.

41:31  He makes the deep boil like a pot; he makes the sea like a seething mixture.

41:32  Behind him he leaves a shining wake; one would think the deep abyss to be gray-headed.

41:33  On earth there is nothing like him, who is made to be fearless.

41:34  He beholds every thing that is high; he is a king over all the children of pride."

Chapter 42

42:1  And Job answered the LORD and said,

42:2  "I know that You can do all things, and that no thought can be withheld from You.

42:3  You asked, 'Who is he who hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have spoken that which I did not understand; things too wonderful for me; yea, which I did not know.

42:4  Hear, I beseech You, and I will speak; You said, 'I will ask of you, and you will declare to Me.'

42:5  I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You.

42:6  Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes."

42:7  And it came to pass after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is kindled against you and your two friends. For you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.

42:8  And now therefore take to yourselves seven young bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering. And My servant Job will pray for you. For him will I accept; lest I deal with you according to your foolishness, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, like My servant Job."

42:9  And Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, went and did according as the LORD commanded them. The LORD also accepted Job.

42:10  And the LORD lifted up the face of Job when he prayed for his friends. Also the LORD added double to Job all that had been his.

42:11  Then all his brothers came to him, and all his sisters, and all those who had known him before. And they ate bread with him in his house, and consoled him and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him. Each one also gave him a piece of money, and each one a ring of gold.

42:12  And the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than the beginning. For he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand female donkeys.

42:13  He also had seven sons and three daughters.

42:14  And he called the name of the first, Jemimah; and the name of the second, Keziah; and the name of the third, Keren -Happuch.

42:15  And in all the land there were not found women as beautiful as the daughters of Job. And their father gave them inheritance among their brothers.

42:16  After this Job lived a hundred and forty years, and he saw his sons, and his sons' sons, four generations.

42:17  And Job died, being old and full of days.