Prologue

1In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. 2He had seven sons and three daughters, 3and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.

4His sons used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom.

6One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. 7The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”

Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”

8Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

9“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. 10“Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

12The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”

Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

13One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, 14a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, 15and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

16While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

17While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

18While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, 19when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

20At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21and said:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,

and naked I will depart.

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;

may the name of the Lord be praised.”

22In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

1On another day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. 2And the Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”

Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”

3Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”

4“Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life. 5But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

6The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.”

7So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. 8Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.

9His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!”

10He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”

In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.

11When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. 12When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. 13Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.

Job Speaks

1After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. 2He said:

3“May the day of my birth perish,

and the night that said, ‘A boy is conceived!’

4That day—may it turn to darkness;

may God above not care about it;

may no light shine on it.

5May gloom and utter darkness claim it once more;

may a cloud settle over it;

may blackness overwhelm it.

6That night—may thick darkness seize it;

may it not be included among the days of the year

nor be entered in any of the months.

7May that night be barren;

may no shout of joy be heard in it.

8May those who curse days curse that day,

those who are ready to rouse Leviathan.

9May its morning stars become dark;

may it wait for daylight in vain

and not see the first rays of dawn,

10for it did not shut the doors of the womb on me

to hide trouble from my eyes.

11“Why did I not perish at birth,

and die as I came from the womb?

12Why were there knees to receive me

and breasts that I might be nursed?

13For now I would be lying down in peace;

I would be asleep and at rest

14with kings and rulers of the earth,

who built for themselves places now lying in ruins,

15with princes who had gold,

who filled their houses with silver.

16Or why was I not hidden away in the ground like a stillborn child,

like an infant who never saw the light of day?

17There the wicked cease from turmoil,

and there the weary are at rest.

18Captives also enjoy their ease;

they no longer hear the slave driver’s shout.

19The small and the great are there,

and the slaves are freed from their owners.

20“Why is light given to those in misery,

and life to the bitter of soul,

21to those who long for death that does not come,

who search for it more than for hidden treasure,

22who are filled with gladness

and rejoice when they reach the grave?

23Why is life given to a man

whose way is hidden,

whom God has hedged in?

24For sighing has become my daily food;

my groans pour out like water.

25What I feared has come upon me;

what I dreaded has happened to me.

26I have no peace, no quietness;

I have no rest, but only turmoil.”

Eliphaz

1Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:

2“If someone ventures a word with you, will you be impatient?

But who can keep from speaking?

3Think how you have instructed many,

how you have strengthened feeble hands.

4Your words have supported those who stumbled;

you have strengthened faltering knees.

5But now trouble comes to you, and you are discouraged;

it strikes you, and you are dismayed.

6Should not your piety be your confidence

and your blameless ways your hope?

7“Consider now: Who, being innocent, has ever perished?

Where were the upright ever destroyed?

8As I have observed, those who plow evil

and those who sow trouble reap it.

9At the breath of God they perish;

at the blast of his anger they are no more.

10The lions may roar and growl,

yet the teeth of the great lions are broken.

11The lion perishes for lack of prey,

and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

12“A word was secretly brought to me,

my ears caught a whisper of it.

13Amid disquieting dreams in the night,

when deep sleep falls on people,

14fear and trembling seized me

and made all my bones shake.

15A spirit glided past my face,

and the hair on my body stood on end.

16It stopped,

but I could not tell what it was.

A form stood before my eyes,

and I heard a hushed voice:

17‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God?

Can even a strong man be more pure than his Maker?

18If God places no trust in his servants,

if he charges his angels with error,

19how much more those who live in houses of clay,

whose foundations are in the dust,

who are crushed more readily than a moth!

20Between dawn and dusk they are broken to pieces;

unnoticed, they perish forever.

21Are not the cords of their tent pulled up,

so that they die without wisdom?’

1“Call if you will, but who will answer you?

To which of the holy ones will you turn?

2Resentment kills a fool,

and envy slays the simple.

3I myself have seen a fool taking root,

but suddenly his house was cursed.

4His children are far from safety,

crushed in court without a defender.

5The hungry consume his harvest,

taking it even from among thorns,

and the thirsty pant after his wealth.

6For hardship does not spring from the soil,

nor does trouble sprout from the ground.

7Yet man is born to trouble

as surely as sparks fly upward.

8“But if I were you, I would appeal to God;

I would lay my cause before him.

9He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed,

miracles that cannot be counted.

10He provides rain for the earth;

he sends water on the countryside.

11The lowly he sets on high,

and those who mourn are lifted to safety.

12He thwarts the plans of the crafty,

so that their hands achieve no success.

13He catches the wise in their craftiness,

and the schemes of the wily are swept away.

14Darkness comes upon them in the daytime;

at noon they grope as in the night.

15He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth;

he saves them from the clutches of the powerful.

16So the poor have hope,

and injustice shuts its mouth.

17“Blessed is the one whom God corrects;

so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.

18For he wounds, but he also binds up;

he injures, but his hands also heal.

19From six calamities he will rescue you;

in seven no harm will touch you.

20In famine he will deliver you from death,

and in battle from the stroke of the sword.

21You will be protected from the lash of the tongue,

and need not fear when destruction comes.

22You will laugh at destruction and famine,

and need not fear the wild animals.

23For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field,

and the wild animals will be at peace with you.

24You will know that your tent is secure;

you will take stock of your property and find nothing missing.

25You will know that your children will be many,

and your descendants like the grass of the earth.

26You will come to the grave in full vigor,

like sheaves gathered in season.

27“We have examined this, and it is true.

So hear it and apply it to yourself.”

Job

1Then Job replied:

2“If only my anguish could be weighed

and all my misery be placed on the scales!

3It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas—

no wonder my words have been impetuous.

4The arrows of the Almighty are in me,

my spirit drinks in their poison;

God’s terrors are marshaled against me.

5Does a wild donkey bray when it has grass,

or an ox bellow when it has fodder?

6Is tasteless food eaten without salt,

or is there flavor in the sap of the mallow?

7I refuse to touch it;

such food makes me ill.

8“Oh, that I might have my request,

that God would grant what I hope for,

9that God would be willing to crush me,

to let loose his hand and cut off my life!

10Then I would still have this consolation—

my joy in unrelenting pain—

that I had not denied the words of the Holy One.

11“What strength do I have, that I should still hope?

What prospects, that I should be patient?

12Do I have the strength of stone?

Is my flesh bronze?

13Do I have any power to help myself,

now that success has been driven from me?

14“Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend

forsakes the fear of the Almighty.

15But my brothers are as undependable as intermittent streams,

as the streams that overflow

16when darkened by thawing ice

and swollen with melting snow,

17but that stop flowing in the dry season,

and in the heat vanish from their channels.

18Caravans turn aside from their routes;

they go off into the wasteland and perish.

19The caravans of Tema look for water,

the traveling merchants of Sheba look in hope.

20They are distressed, because they had been confident;

they arrive there, only to be disappointed.

21Now you too have proved to be of no help;

you see something dreadful and are afraid.

22Have I ever said, ‘Give something on my behalf,

pay a ransom for me from your wealth,

23deliver me from the hand of the enemy,

rescue me from the clutches of the ruthless’?

24“Teach me, and I will be quiet;

show me where I have been wrong.

25How painful are honest words!

But what do your arguments prove?

26Do you mean to correct what I say,

and treat my desperate words as wind?

27You would even cast lots for the fatherless

and barter away your friend.

28“But now be so kind as to look at me.

Would I lie to your face?

29Relent, do not be unjust;

reconsider, for my integrity is at stake.

30Is there any wickedness on my lips?

Can my mouth not discern malice?

1“Do not mortals have hard service on earth?

Are not their days like those of hired laborers?

2Like a slave longing for the evening shadows,

or a hired laborer waiting to be paid,

3so I have been allotted months of futility,

and nights of misery have been assigned to me.

4When I lie down I think, ‘How long before I get up?’

The night drags on, and I toss and turn until dawn.

5My body is clothed with worms and scabs,

my skin is broken and festering.

6“My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,

and they come to an end without hope.

7Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath;

my eyes will never see happiness again.

8The eye that now sees me will see me no longer;

you will look for me, but I will be no more.

9As a cloud vanishes and is gone,

so one who goes down to the grave does not return.

10He will never come to his house again;

his place will know him no more.

11“Therefore I will not keep silent;

I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit,

I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

12Am I the sea, or the monster of the deep,

that you put me under guard?

13When I think my bed will comfort me

and my couch will ease my complaint,

14even then you frighten me with dreams

and terrify me with visions,

15so that I prefer strangling and death,

rather than this body of mine.

16I despise my life; I would not live forever.

Let me alone; my days have no meaning.

17“What is mankind that you make so much of them,

that you give them so much attention,

18that you examine them every morning

and test them every moment?

19Will you never look away from me,

or let me alone even for an instant?

20If I have sinned, what have I done to you,

you who see everything we do?

Why have you made me your target?

Have I become a burden to you?7:20 A few manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition and Septuagint; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text I have become a burden to myself.

21Why do you not pardon my offenses

and forgive my sins?

For I will soon lie down in the dust;

you will search for me, but I will be no more.”

Bildad

1Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:

2“How long will you say such things?

Your words are a blustering wind.

3Does God pervert justice?

Does the Almighty pervert what is right?

4When your children sinned against him,

he gave them over to the penalty of their sin.

5But if you will seek God earnestly

and plead with the Almighty,

6if you are pure and upright,

even now he will rouse himself on your behalf

and restore you to your prosperous state.

7Your beginnings will seem humble,

so prosperous will your future be.

8“Ask the former generation

and find out what their ancestors learned,

9for we were born only yesterday and know nothing,

and our days on earth are but a shadow.

10Will they not instruct you and tell you?

Will they not bring forth words from their understanding?

11Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh?

Can reeds thrive without water?

12While still growing and uncut,

they wither more quickly than grass.

13Such is the destiny of all who forget God;

so perishes the hope of the godless.

14What they trust in is fragile;

what they rely on is a spider’s web.

15They lean on the web, but it gives way;

they cling to it, but it does not hold.

16They are like a well-watered plant in the sunshine,

spreading its shoots over the garden;

17it entwines its roots around a pile of rocks

and looks for a place among the stones.

18But when it is torn from its spot,

that place disowns it and says, ‘I never saw you.’

19Surely its life withers away,

and from the soil other plants grow.

20“Surely God does not reject one who is blameless

or strengthen the hands of evildoers.

21He will yet fill your mouth with laughter

and your lips with shouts of joy.

22Your enemies will be clothed in shame,

and the tents of the wicked will be no more.”

Job

1Then Job replied:

2“Indeed, I know that this is true.

But how can mere mortals prove their innocence before God?

3Though they wished to dispute with him,

they could not answer him one time out of a thousand.

4His wisdom is profound, his power is vast.

Who has resisted him and come out unscathed?

5He moves mountains without their knowing it

and overturns them in his anger.

6He shakes the earth from its place

and makes its pillars tremble.

7He speaks to the sun and it does not shine;

he seals off the light of the stars.

8He alone stretches out the heavens

and treads on the waves of the sea.

9He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion,

the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.

10He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed,

miracles that cannot be counted.

11When he passes me, I cannot see him;

when he goes by, I cannot perceive him.

12If he snatches away, who can stop him?

Who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’

13God does not restrain his anger;

even the cohorts of Rahab cowered at his feet.

14“How then can I dispute with him?

How can I find words to argue with him?

15Though I were innocent, I could not answer him;

I could only plead with my Judge for mercy.

16Even if I summoned him and he responded,

I do not believe he would give me a hearing.

17He would crush me with a storm

and multiply my wounds for no reason.

18He would not let me catch my breath

but would overwhelm me with misery.

19If it is a matter of strength, he is mighty!

And if it is a matter of justice, who can challenge him?

20Even if I were innocent, my mouth would condemn me;

if I were blameless, it would pronounce me guilty.

21“Although I am blameless,

I have no concern for myself;

I despise my own life.

22It is all the same; that is why I say,

‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’

23When a scourge brings sudden death,

he mocks the despair of the innocent.

24When a land falls into the hands of the wicked,

he blindfolds its judges.

If it is not he, then who is it?

25“My days are swifter than a runner;

they fly away without a glimpse of joy.

26They skim past like boats of papyrus,

like eagles swooping down on their prey.

27If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint,

I will change my expression, and smile,’

28I still dread all my sufferings,

for I know you will not hold me innocent.

29Since I am already found guilty,

why should I struggle in vain?

30Even if I washed myself with soap

and my hands with cleansing powder,

31you would plunge me into a slime pit

so that even my clothes would detest me.

32“He is not a mere mortal like me that I might answer him,

that we might confront each other in court.

33If only there were someone to mediate between us,

someone to bring us together,

34someone to remove God’s rod from me,

so that his terror would frighten me no more.

35Then I would speak up without fear of him,

but as it now stands with me, I cannot.

1“I loathe my very life;

therefore I will give free rein to my complaint

and speak out in the bitterness of my soul.

2I say to God: Do not declare me guilty,

but tell me what charges you have against me.

3Does it please you to oppress me,

to spurn the work of your hands,

while you smile on the plans of the wicked?

4Do you have eyes of flesh?

Do you see as a mortal sees?

5Are your days like those of a mortal

or your years like those of a strong man,

6that you must search out my faults

and probe after my sin—

7though you know that I am not guilty

and that no one can rescue me from your hand?

8“Your hands shaped me and made me.

Will you now turn and destroy me?

9Remember that you molded me like clay.

Will you now turn me to dust again?

10Did you not pour me out like milk

and curdle me like cheese,

11clothe me with skin and flesh

and knit me together with bones and sinews?

12You gave me life and showed me kindness,

and in your providence watched over my spirit.

13“But this is what you concealed in your heart,

and I know that this was in your mind:

14If I sinned, you would be watching me

and would not let my offense go unpunished.

15If I am guilty—woe to me!

Even if I am innocent, I cannot lift my head,

for I am full of shame

and drowned in my affliction.

16If I hold my head high, you stalk me like a lion

and again display your awesome power against me.

17You bring new witnesses against me

and increase your anger toward me;

your forces come against me wave upon wave.

18“Why then did you bring me out of the womb?

I wish I had died before any eye saw me.

19If only I had never come into being,

or had been carried straight from the womb to the grave!

20Are not my few days almost over?

Turn away from me so I can have a moment’s joy

21before I go to the place of no return,

to the land of gloom and utter darkness,

22to the land of deepest night,

of utter darkness and disorder,

where even the light is like darkness.”

Zophar

1Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:

2“Are all these words to go unanswered?

Is this talker to be vindicated?

3Will your idle talk reduce others to silence?

Will no one rebuke you when you mock?

4You say to God, ‘My beliefs are flawless

and I am pure in your sight.’

5Oh, how I wish that God would speak,

that he would open his lips against you

6and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom,

for true wisdom has two sides.

Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin.

7“Can you fathom the mysteries of God?

Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?

8They are higher than the heavens above—what can you do?

They are deeper than the depths below—what can you know?

9Their measure is longer than the earth

and wider than the sea.

10“If he comes along and confines you in prison

and convenes a court, who can oppose him?

11Surely he recognizes deceivers;

and when he sees evil, does he not take note?

12But the witless can no more become wise

than a wild donkey’s colt can be born human.

13“Yet if you devote your heart to him

and stretch out your hands to him,

14if you put away the sin that is in your hand

and allow no evil to dwell in your tent,

15then, free of fault, you will lift up your face;

you will stand firm and without fear.

16You will surely forget your trouble,

recalling it only as waters gone by.

17Life will be brighter than noonday,

and darkness will become like morning.

18You will be secure, because there is hope;

you will look about you and take your rest in safety.

19You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid,

and many will court your favor.

20But the eyes of the wicked will fail,

and escape will elude them;

their hope will become a dying gasp.”

Job

1Then Job replied:

2“Doubtless you are the only people who matter,

and wisdom will die with you!

3But I have a mind as well as you;

I am not inferior to you.

Who does not know all these things?

4“I have become a laughingstock to my friends,

though I called on God and he answered—

a mere laughingstock, though righteous and blameless!

5Those who are at ease have contempt for misfortune

as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.

6The tents of marauders are undisturbed,

and those who provoke God are secure—

those God has in his hand.

7“But ask the animals, and they will teach you,

or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;

8or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,

or let the fish in the sea inform you.

9Which of all these does not know

that the hand of the Lord has done this?

10In his hand is the life of every creature

and the breath of all mankind.

11Does not the ear test words

as the tongue tastes food?

12Is not wisdom found among the aged?

Does not long life bring understanding?

13“To God belong wisdom and power;

counsel and understanding are his.

14What he tears down cannot be rebuilt;

those he imprisons cannot be released.

15If he holds back the waters, there is drought;

if he lets them loose, they devastate the land.

16To him belong strength and insight;

both deceived and deceiver are his.

17He leads rulers away stripped

and makes fools of judges.

18He takes off the shackles put on by kings

and ties a loincloth around their waist.

19He leads priests away stripped

and overthrows officials long established.

20He silences the lips of trusted advisers

and takes away the discernment of elders.

21He pours contempt on nobles

and disarms the mighty.

22He reveals the deep things of darkness

and brings utter darkness into the light.

23He makes nations great, and destroys them;

he enlarges nations, and disperses them.

24He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason;

he makes them wander in a trackless waste.

25They grope in darkness with no light;

he makes them stagger like drunkards.

1“My eyes have seen all this,

my ears have heard and understood it.

2What you know, I also know;

I am not inferior to you.

3But I desire to speak to the Almighty

and to argue my case with God.

4You, however, smear me with lies;

you are worthless physicians, all of you!

5If only you would be altogether silent!

For you, that would be wisdom.

6Hear now my argument;

listen to the pleas of my lips.

7Will you speak wickedly on God’s behalf?

Will you speak deceitfully for him?

8Will you show him partiality?

Will you argue the case for God?

9Would it turn out well if he examined you?

Could you deceive him as you might deceive a mortal?

10He would surely call you to account

if you secretly showed partiality.

11Would not his splendor terrify you?

Would not the dread of him fall on you?

12Your maxims are proverbs of ashes;

your defenses are defenses of clay.

13“Keep silent and let me speak;

then let come to me what may.

14Why do I put myself in jeopardy

and take my life in my hands?

15Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him;

I will surely defend my ways to his face.

16Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance,

for no godless person would dare come before him!

17Listen carefully to what I say;

let my words ring in your ears.

18Now that I have prepared my case,

I know I will be vindicated.

19Can anyone bring charges against me?

If so, I will be silent and die.

20“Only grant me these two things, God,

and then I will not hide from you:

21Withdraw your hand far from me,

and stop frightening me with your terrors.

22Then summon me and I will answer,

or let me speak, and you reply to me.

23How many wrongs and sins have I committed?

Show me my offense and my sin.

24Why do you hide your face

and consider me your enemy?

25Will you torment a windblown leaf?

Will you chase after dry chaff?

26For you write down bitter things against me

and make me reap the sins of my youth.

27You fasten my feet in shackles;

you keep close watch on all my paths

by putting marks on the soles of my feet.

28“So man wastes away like something rotten,

like a garment eaten by moths.

1“Mortals, born of woman,

are of few days and full of trouble.

2They spring up like flowers and wither away;

like fleeting shadows, they do not endure.

3Do you fix your eye on them?

Will you bring them before you for judgment?

4Who can bring what is pure from the impure?

No one!

5A person’s days are determined;

you have decreed the number of his months

and have set limits he cannot exceed.

6So look away from him and let him alone,

till he has put in his time like a hired laborer.

7“At least there is hope for a tree:

If it is cut down, it will sprout again,

and its new shoots will not fail.

8Its roots may grow old in the ground

and its stump die in the soil,

9yet at the scent of water it will bud

and put forth shoots like a plant.

10But a man dies and is laid low;

he breathes his last and is no more.

11As the water of a lake dries up

or a riverbed becomes parched and dry,

12so he lies down and does not rise;

till the heavens are no more, people will not awake

or be roused from their sleep.

13“If only you would hide me in the grave

and conceal me till your anger has passed!

If only you would set me a time

and then remember me!

14If someone dies, will they live again?

All the days of my hard service

I will wait for my renewal to come.

15You will call and I will answer you;

you will long for the creature your hands have made.

16Surely then you will count my steps

but not keep track of my sin.

17My offenses will be sealed up in a bag;

you will cover over my sin.

18“But as a mountain erodes and crumbles

and as a rock is moved from its place,

19as water wears away stones

and torrents wash away the soil,

so you destroy a person’s hope.

20You overpower them once for all, and they are gone;

you change their countenance and send them away.

21If their children are honored, they do not know it;

if their offspring are brought low, they do not see it.

22They feel but the pain of their own bodies

and mourn only for themselves.”

Eliphaz

1Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:

2“Would a wise person answer with empty notions

or fill their belly with the hot east wind?

3Would they argue with useless words,

with speeches that have no value?

4But you even undermine piety

and hinder devotion to God.

5Your sin prompts your mouth;

you adopt the tongue of the crafty.

6Your own mouth condemns you, not mine;

your own lips testify against you.

7“Are you the first man ever born?

Were you brought forth before the hills?

8Do you listen in on God’s council?

Do you have a monopoly on wisdom?

9What do you know that we do not know?

What insights do you have that we do not have?

10The gray-haired and the aged are on our side,

men even older than your father.

11Are God’s consolations not enough for you,

words spoken gently to you?

12Why has your heart carried you away,

and why do your eyes flash,

13so that you vent your rage against God

and pour out such words from your mouth?

14“What are mortals, that they could be pure,

or those born of woman, that they could be righteous?

15If God places no trust in his holy ones,

if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes,

16how much less mortals, who are vile and corrupt,

who drink up evil like water!

17“Listen to me and I will explain to you;

let me tell you what I have seen,

18what the wise have declared,

hiding nothing received from their ancestors

19(to whom alone the land was given

when no foreigners moved among them):

20All his days the wicked man suffers torment,

the ruthless man through all the years stored up for him.

21Terrifying sounds fill his ears;

when all seems well, marauders attack him.

22He despairs of escaping the realm of darkness;

he is marked for the sword.

23He wanders about for food like a vulture;

he knows the day of darkness is at hand.

24Distress and anguish fill him with terror;

troubles overwhelm him, like a king poised to attack,

25because he shakes his fist at God

and vaunts himself against the Almighty,

26defiantly charging against him

with a thick, strong shield.

27“Though his face is covered with fat

and his waist bulges with flesh,

28he will inhabit ruined towns

and houses where no one lives,

houses crumbling to rubble.

29He will no longer be rich and his wealth will not endure,

nor will his possessions spread over the land.

30He will not escape the darkness;

a flame will wither his shoots,

and the breath of God’s mouth will carry him away.

31Let him not deceive himself by trusting what is worthless,

for he will get nothing in return.

32Before his time he will wither,

and his branches will not flourish.

33He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes,

like an olive tree shedding its blossoms.

34For the company of the godless will be barren,

and fire will consume the tents of those who love bribes.

35They conceive trouble and give birth to evil;

their womb fashions deceit.”

Job

1Then Job replied:

2“I have heard many things like these;

you are miserable comforters, all of you!

3Will your long-winded speeches never end?

What ails you that you keep on arguing?

4I also could speak like you,

if you were in my place;

I could make fine speeches against you

and shake my head at you.

5But my mouth would encourage you;

comfort from my lips would bring you relief.

6“Yet if I speak, my pain is not relieved;

and if I refrain, it does not go away.

7Surely, God, you have worn me out;

you have devastated my entire household.

8You have shriveled me up—and it has become a witness;

my gauntness rises up and testifies against me.

9God assails me and tears me in his anger

and gnashes his teeth at me;

my opponent fastens on me his piercing eyes.

10People open their mouths to jeer at me;

they strike my cheek in scorn

and unite together against me.

11God has turned me over to the ungodly

and thrown me into the clutches of the wicked.

12All was well with me, but he shattered me;

he seized me by the neck and crushed me.

He has made me his target;

13his archers surround me.

Without pity, he pierces my kidneys

and spills my gall on the ground.

14Again and again he bursts upon me;

he rushes at me like a warrior.

15“I have sewed sackcloth over my skin

and buried my brow in the dust.

16My face is red with weeping,

dark shadows ring my eyes;

17yet my hands have been free of violence

and my prayer is pure.

18“Earth, do not cover my blood;

may my cry never be laid to rest!

19Even now my witness is in heaven;

my advocate is on high.

20My intercessor is my friend

as my eyes pour out tears to God;

21on behalf of a man he pleads with God

as one pleads for a friend.

22“Only a few years will pass

before I take the path of no return.

1My spirit is broken,

my days are cut short,

the grave awaits me.

2Surely mockers surround me;

my eyes must dwell on their hostility.

3“Give me, O God, the pledge you demand.

Who else will put up security for me?

4You have closed their minds to understanding;

therefore you will not let them triumph.

5If anyone denounces their friends for reward,

the eyes of their children will fail.

6“God has made me a byword to everyone,

a man in whose face people spit.

7My eyes have grown dim with grief;

my whole frame is but a shadow.

8The upright are appalled at this;

the innocent are aroused against the ungodly.

9Nevertheless, the righteous will hold to their ways,

and those with clean hands will grow stronger.

10“But come on, all of you, try again!

I will not find a wise man among you.

11My days have passed, my plans are shattered.

Yet the desires of my heart

12turn night into day;

in the face of the darkness light is near.

13If the only home I hope for is the grave,

if I spread out my bed in the realm of darkness,

14if I say to corruption, ‘You are my father,’

and to the worm, ‘My mother’ or ‘My sister,’

15where then is my hope—

who can see any hope for me?

16Will it go down to the gates of death?

Will we descend together into the dust?”

Bildad

1Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:

2“When will you end these speeches?

Be sensible, and then we can talk.

3Why are we regarded as cattle

and considered stupid in your sight?

4You who tear yourself to pieces in your anger,

is the earth to be abandoned for your sake?

Or must the rocks be moved from their place?

5“The lamp of a wicked man is snuffed out;

the flame of his fire stops burning.

6The light in his tent becomes dark;

the lamp beside him goes out.

7The vigor of his step is weakened;

his own schemes throw him down.

8His feet thrust him into a net;

he wanders into its mesh.

9A trap seizes him by the heel;

a snare holds him fast.

10A noose is hidden for him on the ground;

a trap lies in his path.

11Terrors startle him on every side

and dog his every step.

12Calamity is hungry for him;

disaster is ready for him when he falls.

13It eats away parts of his skin;

death’s firstborn devours his limbs.

14He is torn from the security of his tent

and marched off to the king of terrors.

15Fire resides in his tent;

burning sulfur is scattered over his dwelling.

16His roots dry up below

and his branches wither above.

17The memory of him perishes from the earth;

he has no name in the land.

18He is driven from light into the realm of darkness

and is banished from the world.

19He has no offspring or descendants among his people,

no survivor where once he lived.

20People of the west are appalled at his fate;

those of the east are seized with horror.

21Surely such is the dwelling of an evil man;

such is the place of one who does not know God.”

Job

1Then Job replied:

2“How long will you torment me

and crush me with words?

3Ten times now you have reproached me;

shamelessly you attack me.

4If it is true that I have gone astray,

my error remains my concern alone.

5If indeed you would exalt yourselves above me

and use my humiliation against me,

6then know that God has wronged me

and drawn his net around me.

7“Though I cry, ‘Violence!’ I get no response;

though I call for help, there is no justice.

8He has blocked my way so I cannot pass;

he has shrouded my paths in darkness.

9He has stripped me of my honor

and removed the crown from my head.

10He tears me down on every side till I am gone;

he uproots my hope like a tree.

11His anger burns against me;

he counts me among his enemies.

12His troops advance in force;

they build a siege ramp against me

and encamp around my tent.

13“He has alienated my family from me;

my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.

14My relatives have gone away;

my closest friends have forgotten me.

15My guests and my female servants count me a foreigner;

they look on me as on a stranger.

16I summon my servant, but he does not answer,

though I beg him with my own mouth.

17My breath is offensive to my wife;

I am loathsome to my own family.

18Even the little boys scorn me;

when I appear, they ridicule me.

19All my intimate friends detest me;

those I love have turned against me.

20I am nothing but skin and bones;

I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.

21“Have pity on me, my friends, have pity,

for the hand of God has struck me.

22Why do you pursue me as God does?

Will you never get enough of my flesh?

23“Oh, that my words were recorded,

that they were written on a scroll,

24that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead,

or engraved in rock forever!

25I know that my redeemer lives,

and that in the end he will stand on the earth.

26And after my skin has been destroyed,

yet in my flesh I will see God;

27I myself will see him

with my own eyes—I, and not another.

How my heart yearns within me!

28“If you say, ‘How we will hound him,

since the root of the trouble lies in him,’

29you should fear the sword yourselves;

for wrath will bring punishment by the sword,

and then you will know that there is judgment.”

Zophar

1Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:

2“My troubled thoughts prompt me to answer

because I am greatly disturbed.

3I hear a rebuke that dishonors me,

and my understanding inspires me to reply.

4“Surely you know how it has been from of old,

ever since mankind was placed on the earth,

5that the mirth of the wicked is brief,

the joy of the godless lasts but a moment.

6Though the pride of the godless person reaches to the heavens

and his head touches the clouds,

7he will perish forever, like his own dung;

those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’

8Like a dream he flies away, no more to be found,

banished like a vision of the night.

9The eye that saw him will not see him again;

his place will look on him no more.

10His children must make amends to the poor;

his own hands must give back his wealth.

11The youthful vigor that fills his bones

will lie with him in the dust.

12“Though evil is sweet in his mouth

and he hides it under his tongue,

13though he cannot bear to let it go

and lets it linger in his mouth,

14yet his food will turn sour in his stomach;

it will become the venom of serpents within him.

15He will spit out the riches he swallowed;

God will make his stomach vomit them up.

16He will suck the poison of serpents;

the fangs of an adder will kill him.

17He will not enjoy the streams,

the rivers flowing with honey and cream.

18What he toiled for he must give back uneaten;

he will not enjoy the profit from his trading.

19For he has oppressed the poor and left them destitute;

he has seized houses he did not build.

20“Surely he will have no respite from his craving;

he cannot save himself by his treasure.

21Nothing is left for him to devour;

his prosperity will not endure.

22In the midst of his plenty, distress will overtake him;

the full force of misery will come upon him.

23When he has filled his belly,

God will vent his burning anger against him

and rain down his blows on him.

24Though he flees from an iron weapon,

a bronze-tipped arrow pierces him.

25He pulls it out of his back,

the gleaming point out of his liver.

Terrors will come over him;

26total darkness lies in wait for his treasures.

A fire unfanned will consume him

and devour what is left in his tent.

27The heavens will expose his guilt;

the earth will rise up against him.

28A flood will carry off his house,

rushing waters on the day of God’s wrath.

29Such is the fate God allots the wicked,

the heritage appointed for them by God.”

Job

1Then Job replied:

2“Listen carefully to my words;

let this be the consolation you give me.

3Bear with me while I speak,

and after I have spoken, mock on.

4“Is my complaint directed to a human being?

Why should I not be impatient?

5Look at me and be appalled;

clap your hand over your mouth.

6When I think about this, I am terrified;

trembling seizes my body.

7Why do the wicked live on,

growing old and increasing in power?

8They see their children established around them,

their offspring before their eyes.

9Their homes are safe and free from fear;

the rod of God is not on them.

10Their bulls never fail to breed;

their cows calve and do not miscarry.

11They send forth their children as a flock;

their little ones dance about.

12They sing to the music of timbrel and lyre;

they make merry to the sound of the pipe.

13They spend their years in prosperity

and go down to the grave in peace.

14Yet they say to God, ‘Leave us alone!

We have no desire to know your ways.

15Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him?

What would we gain by praying to him?’

16But their prosperity is not in their own hands,

so I stand aloof from the plans of the wicked.

17“Yet how often is the lamp of the wicked snuffed out?

How often does calamity come upon them,

the fate God allots in his anger?

18How often are they like straw before the wind,

like chaff swept away by a gale?

19It is said, ‘God stores up the punishment of the wicked for their children.’

Let him repay the wicked, so that they themselves will experience it!

20Let their own eyes see their destruction;

let them drink the cup of the wrath of the Almighty.

21For what do they care about the families they leave behind

when their allotted months come to an end?

22“Can anyone teach knowledge to God,

since he judges even the highest?

23One person dies in full vigor,

completely secure and at ease,

24well nourished in body,

bones rich with marrow.

25Another dies in bitterness of soul,

never having enjoyed anything good.

26Side by side they lie in the dust,

and worms cover them both.

27“I know full well what you are thinking,

the schemes by which you would wrong me.

28You say, ‘Where now is the house of the great,

the tents where the wicked lived?’

29Have you never questioned those who travel?

Have you paid no regard to their accounts—

30that the wicked are spared from the day of calamity,

that they are delivered from the day of wrath?

31Who denounces their conduct to their face?

Who repays them for what they have done?

32They are carried to the grave,

and watch is kept over their tombs.

33The soil in the valley is sweet to them;

everyone follows after them,

and a countless throng goes before them.

34“So how can you console me with your nonsense?

Nothing is left of your answers but falsehood!”

Eliphaz

1Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:

2“Can a man be of benefit to God?

Can even a wise person benefit him?

3What pleasure would it give the Almighty if you were righteous?

What would he gain if your ways were blameless?

4“Is it for your piety that he rebukes you

and brings charges against you?

5Is not your wickedness great?

Are not your sins endless?

6You demanded security from your relatives for no reason;

you stripped people of their clothing, leaving them naked.

7You gave no water to the weary

and you withheld food from the hungry,

8though you were a powerful man, owning land—

an honored man, living on it.

9And you sent widows away empty-handed

and broke the strength of the fatherless.

10That is why snares are all around you,

why sudden peril terrifies you,

11why it is so dark you cannot see,

and why a flood of water covers you.

12“Is not God in the heights of heaven?

And see how lofty are the highest stars!

13Yet you say, ‘What does God know?

Does he judge through such darkness?

14Thick clouds veil him, so he does not see us

as he goes about in the vaulted heavens.’

15Will you keep to the old path

that the wicked have trod?

16They were carried off before their time,

their foundations washed away by a flood.

17They said to God, ‘Leave us alone!

What can the Almighty do to us?’

18Yet it was he who filled their houses with good things,

so I stand aloof from the plans of the wicked.

19The righteous see their ruin and rejoice;

the innocent mock them, saying,

20‘Surely our foes are destroyed,

and fire devours their wealth.’

21“Submit to God and be at peace with him;

in this way prosperity will come to you.

22Accept instruction from his mouth

and lay up his words in your heart.

23If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored:

If you remove wickedness far from your tent

24and assign your nuggets to the dust,

your gold of Ophir to the rocks in the ravines,

25then the Almighty will be your gold,

the choicest silver for you.

26Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty

and will lift up your face to God.

27You will pray to him, and he will hear you,

and you will fulfill your vows.

28What you decide on will be done,

and light will shine on your ways.

29When people are brought low and you say, ‘Lift them up!’

then he will save the downcast.

30He will deliver even one who is not innocent,

who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”

Job

1Then Job replied:

2“Even today my complaint is bitter;

his hand is heavy in spite of my groaning.

3If only I knew where to find him;

if only I could go to his dwelling!

4I would state my case before him

and fill my mouth with arguments.

5I would find out what he would answer me,

and consider what he would say to me.

6Would he vigorously oppose me?

No, he would not press charges against me.

7There the upright can establish their innocence before him,

and there I would be delivered forever from my judge.

8“But if I go to the east, he is not there;

if I go to the west, I do not find him.

9When he is at work in the north, I do not see him;

when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.

10But he knows the way that I take;

when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

11My feet have closely followed his steps;

I have kept to his way without turning aside.

12I have not departed from the commands of his lips;

I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.

13“But he stands alone, and who can oppose him?

He does whatever he pleases.

14He carries out his decree against me,

and many such plans he still has in store.

15That is why I am terrified before him;

when I think of all this, I fear him.

16God has made my heart faint;

the Almighty has terrified me.

17Yet I am not silenced by the darkness,

by the thick darkness that covers my face.

1“Why does the Almighty not set times for judgment?

Why must those who know him look in vain for such days?

2There are those who move boundary stones;

they pasture flocks they have stolen.

3They drive away the orphan’s donkey

and take the widow’s ox in pledge.

4They thrust the needy from the path

and force all the poor of the land into hiding.

5Like wild donkeys in the desert,

the poor go about their labor of foraging food;

the wasteland provides food for their children.

6They gather fodder in the fields

and glean in the vineyards of the wicked.

7Lacking clothes, they spend the night naked;

they have nothing to cover themselves in the cold.

8They are drenched by mountain rains

and hug the rocks for lack of shelter.

9The fatherless child is snatched from the breast;

the infant of the poor is seized for a debt.

10Lacking clothes, they go about naked;

they carry the sheaves, but still go hungry.

11They crush olives among the terraces;

they tread the winepresses, yet suffer thirst.

12The groans of the dying rise from the city,

and the souls of the wounded cry out for help.

But God charges no one with wrongdoing.

13“There are those who rebel against the light,

who do not know its ways

or stay in its paths.

14When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up,

kills the poor and needy,

and in the night steals forth like a thief.

15The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk;

he thinks, ‘No eye will see me,’

and he keeps his face concealed.

16In the dark, thieves break into houses,

but by day they shut themselves in;

they want nothing to do with the light.

17For all of them, midnight is their morning;

they make friends with the terrors of darkness.

18“Yet they are foam on the surface of the water;

their portion of the land is cursed,

so that no one goes to the vineyards.

19As heat and drought snatch away the melted snow,

so the grave snatches away those who have sinned.

20The womb forgets them,

the worm feasts on them;

the wicked are no longer remembered

but are broken like a tree.

21They prey on the barren and childless woman,

and to the widow they show no kindness.

22But God drags away the mighty by his power;

though they become established, they have no assurance of life.

23He may let them rest in a feeling of security,

but his eyes are on their ways.

24For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone;

they are brought low and gathered up like all others;

they are cut off like heads of grain.

25“If this is not so, who can prove me false

and reduce my words to nothing?”

Bildad

1Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:

2“Dominion and awe belong to God;

he establishes order in the heights of heaven.

3Can his forces be numbered?

On whom does his light not rise?

4How then can a mortal be righteous before God?

How can one born of woman be pure?

5If even the moon is not bright

and the stars are not pure in his eyes,

6how much less a mortal, who is but a maggot—

a human being, who is only a worm!”

Job

1Then Job replied:

2“How you have helped the powerless!

How you have saved the arm that is feeble!

3What advice you have offered to one without wisdom!

And what great insight you have displayed!

4Who has helped you utter these words?

And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?

5“The dead are in deep anguish,

those beneath the waters and all that live in them.

6The realm of the dead is naked before God;

Destruction lies uncovered.

7He spreads out the northern skies over empty space;

he suspends the earth over nothing.

8He wraps up the waters in his clouds,

yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.

9He covers the face of the full moon,

spreading his clouds over it.

10He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters

for a boundary between light and darkness.

11The pillars of the heavens quake,

aghast at his rebuke.

12By his power he churned up the sea;

by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces.

13By his breath the skies became fair;

his hand pierced the gliding serpent.

14And these are but the outer fringe of his works;

how faint the whisper we hear of him!

Who then can understand the thunder of his power?”

Job’s Final Word to His Friends

1And Job continued his discourse:

2“As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,

the Almighty, who has made my life bitter,

3as long as I have life within me,

the breath of God in my nostrils,

4my lips will not say anything wicked,

and my tongue will not utter lies.

5I will never admit you are in the right;

till I die, I will not deny my integrity.

6I will maintain my innocence and never let go of it;

my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.

7“May my enemy be like the wicked,

my adversary like the unjust!

8For what hope have the godless when they are cut off,

when God takes away their life?

9Does God listen to their cry

when distress comes upon them?

10Will they find delight in the Almighty?

Will they call on God at all times?

11“I will teach you about the power of God;

the ways of the Almighty I will not conceal.

12You have all seen this yourselves.

Why then this meaningless talk?

13“Here is the fate God allots to the wicked,

the heritage a ruthless man receives from the Almighty:

14However many his children, their fate is the sword;

his offspring will never have enough to eat.

15The plague will bury those who survive him,

and their widows will not weep for them.

16Though he heaps up silver like dust

and clothes like piles of clay,

17what he lays up the righteous will wear,

and the innocent will divide his silver.

18The house he builds is like a moth’s cocoon,

like a hut made by a watchman.

19He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;

when he opens his eyes, all is gone.

20Terrors overtake him like a flood;

a tempest snatches him away in the night.

21The east wind carries him off, and he is gone;

it sweeps him out of his place.

22It hurls itself against him without mercy

as he flees headlong from its power.

23It claps its hands in derision

and hisses him out of his place.”

Interlude: Where Wisdom Is Found

1There is a mine for silver

and a place where gold is refined.

2Iron is taken from the earth,

and copper is smelted from ore.

3Mortals put an end to the darkness;

they search out the farthest recesses

for ore in the blackest darkness.

4Far from human dwellings they cut a shaft,

in places untouched by human feet;

far from other people they dangle and sway.

5The earth, from which food comes,

is transformed below as by fire;

6lapis lazuli comes from its rocks,

and its dust contains nuggets of gold.

7No bird of prey knows that hidden path,

no falcon’s eye has seen it.

8Proud beasts do not set foot on it,

and no lion prowls there.

9People assault the flinty rock with their hands

and lay bare the roots of the mountains.

10They tunnel through the rock;

their eyes see all its treasures.

11They search28:11 Septuagint, Aquila and Vulgate; Hebrew They dam up the sources of the rivers

and bring hidden things to light.

12But where can wisdom be found?

Where does understanding dwell?

13No mortal comprehends its worth;

it cannot be found in the land of the living.

14The deep says, “It is not in me”;

the sea says, “It is not with me.”

15It cannot be bought with the finest gold,

nor can its price be weighed out in silver.

16It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir,

with precious onyx or lapis lazuli.

17Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it,

nor can it be had for jewels of gold.

18Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention;

the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.

19The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it;

it cannot be bought with pure gold.

20Where then does wisdom come from?

Where does understanding dwell?

21It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,

concealed even from the birds in the sky.

22Destruction28:22 Hebrew Abaddon and Death say,

“Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.”

23God understands the way to it

and he alone knows where it dwells,

24for he views the ends of the earth

and sees everything under the heavens.

25When he established the force of the wind

and measured out the waters,

26when he made a decree for the rain

and a path for the thunderstorm,

27then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;

he confirmed it and tested it.

28And he said to the human race,

“The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,

and to shun evil is understanding.”

Job’s Final Defense

1Job continued his discourse:

2“How I long for the months gone by,

for the days when God watched over me,

3when his lamp shone on my head

and by his light I walked through darkness!

4Oh, for the days when I was in my prime,

when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house,

5when the Almighty was still with me

and my children were around me,

6when my path was drenched with cream

and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil.

7“When I went to the gate of the city

and took my seat in the public square,

8the young men saw me and stepped aside

and the old men rose to their feet;

9the chief men refrained from speaking

and covered their mouths with their hands;

10the voices of the nobles were hushed,

and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.

11Whoever heard me spoke well of me,

and those who saw me commended me,

12because I rescued the poor who cried for help,

and the fatherless who had none to assist them.

13The one who was dying blessed me;

I made the widow’s heart sing.

14I put on righteousness as my clothing;

justice was my robe and my turban.

15I was eyes to the blind

and feet to the lame.

16I was a father to the needy;

I took up the case of the stranger.

17I broke the fangs of the wicked

and snatched the victims from their teeth.

18“I thought, ‘I will die in my own house,

my days as numerous as the grains of sand.

19My roots will reach to the water,

and the dew will lie all night on my branches.

20My glory will not fade;

the bow will be ever new in my hand.’

21“People listened to me expectantly,

waiting in silence for my counsel.

22After I had spoken, they spoke no more;

my words fell gently on their ears.

23They waited for me as for showers

and drank in my words as the spring rain.

24When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it;

the light of my face was precious to them.

25I chose the way for them and sat as their chief;

I dwelt as a king among his troops;

I was like one who comforts mourners.

1“But now they mock me,

men younger than I,

whose fathers I would have disdained

to put with my sheep dogs.

2Of what use was the strength of their hands to me,

since their vigor had gone from them?

3Haggard from want and hunger,

they roamed the parched land

in desolate wastelands at night.

4In the brush they gathered salt herbs,

and their food was the root of the broom bush.

5They were banished from human society,

shouted at as if they were thieves.

6They were forced to live in the dry stream beds,

among the rocks and in holes in the ground.

7They brayed among the bushes

and huddled in the undergrowth.

8A base and nameless brood,

they were driven out of the land.

9“And now those young men mock me in song;

I have become a byword among them.

10They detest me and keep their distance;

they do not hesitate to spit in my face.

11Now that God has unstrung my bow and afflicted me,

they throw off restraint in my presence.

12On my right the tribe attacks;

they lay snares for my feet,

they build their siege ramps against me.

13They break up my road;

they succeed in destroying me.

‘No one can help him,’ they say.

14They advance as through a gaping breach;

amid the ruins they come rolling in.

15Terrors overwhelm me;

my dignity is driven away as by the wind,

my safety vanishes like a cloud.

16“And now my life ebbs away;

days of suffering grip me.

17Night pierces my bones;

my gnawing pains never rest.

18In his great power God becomes like clothing to me;

he binds me like the neck of my garment.

19He throws me into the mud,

and I am reduced to dust and ashes.

20“I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer;

I stand up, but you merely look at me.

21You turn on me ruthlessly;

with the might of your hand you attack me.

22You snatch me up and drive me before the wind;

you toss me about in the storm.

23I know you will bring me down to death,

to the place appointed for all the living.

24“Surely no one lays a hand on a broken man

when he cries for help in his distress.

25Have I not wept for those in trouble?

Has not my soul grieved for the poor?

26Yet when I hoped for good, evil came;

when I looked for light, then came darkness.

27The churning inside me never stops;

days of suffering confront me.

28I go about blackened, but not by the sun;

I stand up in the assembly and cry for help.

29I have become a brother of jackals,

a companion of owls.

30My skin grows black and peels;

my body burns with fever.

31My lyre is tuned to mourning,

and my pipe to the sound of wailing.

1“I made a covenant with my eyes

not to look lustfully at a young woman.

2For what is our lot from God above,

our heritage from the Almighty on high?

3Is it not ruin for the wicked,

disaster for those who do wrong?

4Does he not see my ways

and count my every step?

5“If I have walked with falsehood

or my foot has hurried after deceit—

6let God weigh me in honest scales

and he will know that I am blameless—

7if my steps have turned from the path,

if my heart has been led by my eyes,

or if my hands have been defiled,

8then may others eat what I have sown,

and may my crops be uprooted.

9“If my heart has been enticed by a woman,

or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,

10then may my wife grind another man’s grain,

and may other men sleep with her.

11For that would have been wicked,

a sin to be judged.

12It is a fire that burns to Destruction;

it would have uprooted my harvest.

13“If I have denied justice to any of my servants,

whether male or female,

when they had a grievance against me,

14what will I do when God confronts me?

What will I answer when called to account?

15Did not he who made me in the womb make them?

Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?

16“If I have denied the desires of the poor

or let the eyes of the widow grow weary,

17if I have kept my bread to myself,

not sharing it with the fatherless—

18but from my youth I reared them as a father would,

and from my birth I guided the widow—

19if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing,

or the needy without garments,

20and their hearts did not bless me

for warming them with the fleece from my sheep,

21if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,

knowing that I had influence in court,

22then let my arm fall from the shoulder,

let it be broken off at the joint.

23For I dreaded destruction from God,

and for fear of his splendor I could not do such things.

24“If I have put my trust in gold

or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’

25if I have rejoiced over my great wealth,

the fortune my hands had gained,

26if I have regarded the sun in its radiance

or the moon moving in splendor,

27so that my heart was secretly enticed

and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,

28then these also would be sins to be judged,

for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.

29“If I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune

or gloated over the trouble that came to him—

30I have not allowed my mouth to sin

by invoking a curse against their life—

31if those of my household have never said,

‘Who has not been filled with Job’s meat?’—

32but no stranger had to spend the night in the street,

for my door was always open to the traveler—

33if I have concealed my sin as people do,

by hiding my guilt in my heart

34because I so feared the crowd

and so dreaded the contempt of the clans

that I kept silent and would not go outside—

35(“Oh, that I had someone to hear me!

I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me;

let my accuser put his indictment in writing.

36Surely I would wear it on my shoulder,

I would put it on like a crown.

37I would give him an account of my every step;

I would present it to him as to a ruler.)—

38“if my land cries out against me

and all its furrows are wet with tears,

39if I have devoured its yield without payment

or broken the spirit of its tenants,

40then let briers come up instead of wheat

and stinkweed instead of barley.”

The words of Job are ended.

Elihu

1So these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2But Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became very angry with Job for justifying himself rather than God. 3He was also angry with the three friends, because they had found no way to refute Job, and yet had condemned him. 4Now Elihu had waited before speaking to Job because they were older than he. 5But when he saw that the three men had nothing more to say, his anger was aroused.

6So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said:

“I am young in years,

and you are old;

that is why I was fearful,

not daring to tell you what I know.

7I thought, ‘Age should speak;

advanced years should teach wisdom.’

8But it is the spirit in a person,

the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding.

9It is not only the old who are wise,

not only the aged who understand what is right.

10“Therefore I say: Listen to me;

I too will tell you what I know.

11I waited while you spoke,

I listened to your reasoning;

while you were searching for words,

12I gave you my full attention.

But not one of you has proved Job wrong;

none of you has answered his arguments.

13Do not say, ‘We have found wisdom;

let God, not a man, refute him.’

14But Job has not marshaled his words against me,

and I will not answer him with your arguments.

15“They are dismayed and have no more to say;

words have failed them.

16Must I wait, now that they are silent,

now that they stand there with no reply?

17I too will have my say;

I too will tell what I know.

18For I am full of words,

and the spirit within me compels me;

19inside I am like bottled-up wine,

like new wineskins ready to burst.

20I must speak and find relief;

I must open my lips and reply.

21I will show no partiality,

nor will I flatter anyone;

22for if I were skilled in flattery,

my Maker would soon take me away.

1“But now, Job, listen to my words;

pay attention to everything I say.

2I am about to open my mouth;

my words are on the tip of my tongue.

3My words come from an upright heart;

my lips sincerely speak what I know.

4The Spirit of God has made me;

the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

5Answer me then, if you can;

stand up and argue your case before me.

6I am the same as you in God’s sight;

I too am a piece of clay.

7No fear of me should alarm you,

nor should my hand be heavy on you.

8“But you have said in my hearing—

I heard the very words—

9‘I am pure, I have done no wrong;

I am clean and free from sin.

10Yet God has found fault with me;

he considers me his enemy.

11He fastens my feet in shackles;

he keeps close watch on all my paths.’

12“But I tell you, in this you are not right,

for God is greater than any mortal.

13Why do you complain to him

that he responds to no one’s words?

14For God does speak—now one way, now another—

though no one perceives it.

15In a dream, in a vision of the night,

when deep sleep falls on people

as they slumber in their beds,

16he may speak in their ears

and terrify them with warnings,

17to turn them from wrongdoing

and keep them from pride,

18to preserve them from the pit,

their lives from perishing by the sword.

19“Or someone may be chastened on a bed of pain

with constant distress in their bones,

20so that their body finds food repulsive

and their soul loathes the choicest meal.

21Their flesh wastes away to nothing,

and their bones, once hidden, now stick out.

22They draw near to the pit,

and their life to the messengers of death.

23Yet if there is an angel at their side,

a messenger, one out of a thousand,

sent to tell them how to be upright,

24and he is gracious to that person and says to God,

‘Spare them from going down to the pit;

I have found a ransom for them—

25let their flesh be renewed like a child’s;

let them be restored as in the days of their youth’—

26then that person can pray to God and find favor with him,

they will see God’s face and shout for joy;

he will restore them to full well-being.

27And they will go to others and say,

‘I have sinned, I have perverted what is right,

but I did not get what I deserved.

28God has delivered me from going down to the pit,

and I shall live to enjoy the light of life.’

29“God does all these things to a person—

twice, even three times—

30to turn them back from the pit,

that the light of life may shine on them.

31“Pay attention, Job, and listen to me;

be silent, and I will speak.

32If you have anything to say, answer me;

speak up, for I want to vindicate you.

33But if not, then listen to me;

be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

1Then Elihu said:

2“Hear my words, you wise men;

listen to me, you men of learning.

3For the ear tests words

as the tongue tastes food.

4Let us discern for ourselves what is right;

let us learn together what is good.

5“Job says, ‘I am innocent,

but God denies me justice.

6Although I am right,

I am considered a liar;

although I am guiltless,

his arrow inflicts an incurable wound.’

7Is there anyone like Job,

who drinks scorn like water?

8He keeps company with evildoers;

he associates with the wicked.

9For he says, ‘There is no profit

in trying to please God.’

10“So listen to me, you men of understanding.

Far be it from God to do evil,

from the Almighty to do wrong.

11He repays everyone for what they have done;

he brings on them what their conduct deserves.

12It is unthinkable that God would do wrong,

that the Almighty would pervert justice.

13Who appointed him over the earth?

Who put him in charge of the whole world?

14If it were his intention

and he withdrew his spirit and breath,

15all humanity would perish together

and mankind would return to the dust.

16“If you have understanding, hear this;

listen to what I say.

17Can someone who hates justice govern?

Will you condemn the just and mighty One?

18Is he not the One who says to kings, ‘You are worthless,’

and to nobles, ‘You are wicked,’

19who shows no partiality to princes

and does not favor the rich over the poor,

for they are all the work of his hands?

20They die in an instant, in the middle of the night;

the people are shaken and they pass away;

the mighty are removed without human hand.

21“His eyes are on the ways of mortals;

he sees their every step.

22There is no deep shadow, no utter darkness,

where evildoers can hide.

23God has no need to examine people further,

that they should come before him for judgment.

24Without inquiry he shatters the mighty

and sets up others in their place.

25Because he takes note of their deeds,

he overthrows them in the night and they are crushed.

26He punishes them for their wickedness

where everyone can see them,

27because they turned from following him

and had no regard for any of his ways.

28They caused the cry of the poor to come before him,

so that he heard the cry of the needy.

29But if he remains silent, who can condemn him?

If he hides his face, who can see him?

Yet he is over individual and nation alike,

30to keep the godless from ruling,

from laying snares for the people.

31“Suppose someone says to God,

‘I am guilty but will offend no more.

32Teach me what I cannot see;

if I have done wrong, I will not do so again.’

33Should God then reward you on your terms,

when you refuse to repent?

You must decide, not I;

so tell me what you know.

34“Men of understanding declare,

wise men who hear me say to me,

35‘Job speaks without knowledge;

his words lack insight.’

36Oh, that Job might be tested to the utmost

for answering like a wicked man!

37To his sin he adds rebellion;

scornfully he claps his hands among us

and multiplies his words against God.”

1Then Elihu said:

2“Do you think this is just?

You say, ‘I am in the right, not God.’

3Yet you ask him, ‘What profit is it to me,

and what do I gain by not sinning?’

4“I would like to reply to you

and to your friends with you.

5Look up at the heavens and see;

gaze at the clouds so high above you.

6If you sin, how does that affect him?

If your sins are many, what does that do to him?

7If you are righteous, what do you give to him,

or what does he receive from your hand?

8Your wickedness only affects humans like yourself,

and your righteousness only other people.

9“People cry out under a load of oppression;

they plead for relief from the arm of the powerful.

10But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker,

who gives songs in the night,

11who teaches us more than he teaches the beasts of the earth

and makes us wiser than the birds in the sky?’

12He does not answer when people cry out

because of the arrogance of the wicked.

13Indeed, God does not listen to their empty plea;

the Almighty pays no attention to it.

14How much less, then, will he listen

when you say that you do not see him,

that your case is before him

and you must wait for him,

15and further, that his anger never punishes

and he does not take the least notice of wickedness.

16So Job opens his mouth with empty talk;

without knowledge he multiplies words.”

1Elihu continued:

2“Bear with me a little longer and I will show you

that there is more to be said in God’s behalf.

3I get my knowledge from afar;

I will ascribe justice to my Maker.

4Be assured that my words are not false;

one who has perfect knowledge is with you.

5“God is mighty, but despises no one;

he is mighty, and firm in his purpose.

6He does not keep the wicked alive

but gives the afflicted their rights.

7He does not take his eyes off the righteous;

he enthrones them with kings

and exalts them forever.

8But if people are bound in chains,

held fast by cords of affliction,

9he tells them what they have done—

that they have sinned arrogantly.

10He makes them listen to correction

and commands them to repent of their evil.

11If they obey and serve him,

they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity

and their years in contentment.

12But if they do not listen,

they will perish by the sword

and die without knowledge.

13“The godless in heart harbor resentment;

even when he fetters them, they do not cry for help.

14They die in their youth,

among male prostitutes of the shrines.

15But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering;

he speaks to them in their affliction.

16“He is wooing you from the jaws of distress

to a spacious place free from restriction,

to the comfort of your table laden with choice food.

17But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked;

judgment and justice have taken hold of you.

18Be careful that no one entices you by riches;

do not let a large bribe turn you aside.

19Would your wealth or even all your mighty efforts

sustain you so you would not be in distress?

20Do not long for the night,

to drag people away from their homes.

21Beware of turning to evil,

which you seem to prefer to affliction.

22“God is exalted in his power.

Who is a teacher like him?

23Who has prescribed his ways for him,

or said to him, ‘You have done wrong’?

24Remember to extol his work,

which people have praised in song.

25All humanity has seen it;

mortals gaze on it from afar.

26How great is God—beyond our understanding!

The number of his years is past finding out.

27“He draws up the drops of water,

which distill as rain to the streams;

28the clouds pour down their moisture

and abundant showers fall on mankind.

29Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds,

how he thunders from his pavilion?

30See how he scatters his lightning about him,

bathing the depths of the sea.

31This is the way he governs the nations

and provides food in abundance.

32He fills his hands with lightning

and commands it to strike its mark.

33His thunder announces the coming storm;

even the cattle make known its approach.

1“At this my heart pounds

and leaps from its place.

2Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice,

to the rumbling that comes from his mouth.

3He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven

and sends it to the ends of the earth.

4After that comes the sound of his roar;

he thunders with his majestic voice.

When his voice resounds,

he holds nothing back.

5God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways;

he does great things beyond our understanding.

6He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’

and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’

7So that everyone he has made may know his work,

he stops all people from their labor.

8The animals take cover;

they remain in their dens.

9The tempest comes out from its chamber,

the cold from the driving winds.

10The breath of God produces ice,

and the broad waters become frozen.

11He loads the clouds with moisture;

he scatters his lightning through them.

12At his direction they swirl around

over the face of the whole earth

to do whatever he commands them.

13He brings the clouds to punish people,

or to water his earth and show his love.

14“Listen to this, Job;

stop and consider God’s wonders.

15Do you know how God controls the clouds

and makes his lightning flash?

16Do you know how the clouds hang poised,

those wonders of him who has perfect knowledge?

17You who swelter in your clothes

when the land lies hushed under the south wind,

18can you join him in spreading out the skies,

hard as a mirror of cast bronze?

19“Tell us what we should say to him;

we cannot draw up our case because of our darkness.

20Should he be told that I want to speak?

Would anyone ask to be swallowed up?

21Now no one can look at the sun,

bright as it is in the skies

after the wind has swept them clean.

22Out of the north he comes in golden splendor;

God comes in awesome majesty.

23The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power;

in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.

24Therefore, people revere him,

for does he not have regard for all the wise in heart?”

The Lord Speaks

1Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said:

2“Who is this that obscures my plans

with words without knowledge?

3Brace yourself like a man;

I will question you,

and you shall answer me.

4“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?

Tell me, if you understand.

5Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!

Who stretched a measuring line across it?

6On what were its footings set,

or who laid its cornerstone—

7while the morning stars sang together

and all the angels38:7 Hebrew the sons of God shouted for joy?

8“Who shut up the sea behind doors

when it burst forth from the womb,

9when I made the clouds its garment

and wrapped it in thick darkness,

10when I fixed limits for it

and set its doors and bars in place,

11when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;

here is where your proud waves halt’?

12“Have you ever given orders to the morning,

or shown the dawn its place,

13that it might take the earth by the edges

and shake the wicked out of it?

14The earth takes shape like clay under a seal;

its features stand out like those of a garment.

15The wicked are denied their light,

and their upraised arm is broken.

16“Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea

or walked in the recesses of the deep?

17Have the gates of death been shown to you?

Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?

18Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?

Tell me, if you know all this.

19“What is the way to the abode of light?

And where does darkness reside?

20Can you take them to their places?

Do you know the paths to their dwellings?

21Surely you know, for you were already born!

You have lived so many years!

22“Have you entered the storehouses of the snow

or seen the storehouses of the hail,

23which I reserve for times of trouble,

for days of war and battle?

24What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed,

or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?

25Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain,

and a path for the thunderstorm,

26to water a land where no one lives,

an uninhabited desert,

27to satisfy a desolate wasteland

and make it sprout with grass?

28Does the rain have a father?

Who fathers the drops of dew?

29From whose womb comes the ice?

Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens

30when the waters become hard as stone,

when the surface of the deep is frozen?

31“Can you bind the chains38:31 Septuagint; Hebrew beauty of the Pleiades?

Can you loosen Orion’s belt?

32Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons38:32 Or the morning star in its season

or lead out the Bear38:32 Or out Leo with its cubs?

33Do you know the laws of the heavens?

Can you set up God’s38:33 Or their dominion over the earth?

34“Can you raise your voice to the clouds

and cover yourself with a flood of water?

35Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?

Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?

36Who gives the ibis wisdom38:36 That is, wisdom about the flooding of the Nile

or gives the rooster understanding?38:36 That is, understanding of when to crow; the meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.

37Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?

Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens

38when the dust becomes hard

and the clods of earth stick together?

39“Do you hunt the prey for the lioness

and satisfy the hunger of the lions

40when they crouch in their dens

or lie in wait in a thicket?

41Who provides food for the raven

when its young cry out to God

and wander about for lack of food?

1“Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?

Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?

2Do you count the months till they bear?

Do you know the time they give birth?

3They crouch down and bring forth their young;

their labor pains are ended.

4Their young thrive and grow strong in the wilds;

they leave and do not return.

5“Who let the wild donkey go free?

Who untied its ropes?

6I gave it the wasteland as its home,

the salt flats as its habitat.

7It laughs at the commotion in the town;

it does not hear a driver’s shout.

8It ranges the hills for its pasture

and searches for any green thing.

9“Will the wild ox consent to serve you?

Will it stay by your manger at night?

10Can you hold it to the furrow with a harness?

Will it till the valleys behind you?

11Will you rely on it for its great strength?

Will you leave your heavy work to it?

12Can you trust it to haul in your grain

and bring it to your threshing floor?

13“The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully,

though they cannot compare

with the wings and feathers of the stork.

14She lays her eggs on the ground

and lets them warm in the sand,

15unmindful that a foot may crush them,

that some wild animal may trample them.

16She treats her young harshly, as if they were not hers;

she cares not that her labor was in vain,

17for God did not endow her with wisdom

or give her a share of good sense.

18Yet when she spreads her feathers to run,

she laughs at horse and rider.

19“Do you give the horse its strength

or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?

20Do you make it leap like a locust,

striking terror with its proud snorting?

21It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength,

and charges into the fray.

22It laughs at fear, afraid of nothing;

it does not shy away from the sword.

23The quiver rattles against its side,

along with the flashing spear and lance.

24In frenzied excitement it eats up the ground;

it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.

25At the blast of the trumpet it snorts, ‘Aha!’

It catches the scent of battle from afar,

the shout of commanders and the battle cry.

26“Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom

and spread its wings toward the south?

27Does the eagle soar at your command

and build its nest on high?

28It dwells on a cliff and stays there at night;

a rocky crag is its stronghold.

29From there it looks for food;

its eyes detect it from afar.

30Its young ones feast on blood,

and where the slain are, there it is.”

1The Lord said to Job:

2“Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?

Let him who accuses God answer him!”

3Then Job answered the Lord:

4“I am unworthy—how can I reply to you?

I put my hand over my mouth.

5I spoke once, but I have no answer—

twice, but I will say no more.”

6Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm:

7“Brace yourself like a man;

I will question you,

and you shall answer me.

8“Would you discredit my justice?

Would you condemn me to justify yourself?

9Do you have an arm like God’s,

and can your voice thunder like his?

10Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor,

and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.

11Unleash the fury of your wrath,

look at all who are proud and bring them low,

12look at all who are proud and humble them,

crush the wicked where they stand.

13Bury them all in the dust together;

shroud their faces in the grave.

14Then I myself will admit to you

that your own right hand can save you.

15“Look at Behemoth,

which I made along with you

and which feeds on grass like an ox.

16What strength it has in its loins,

what power in the muscles of its belly!

17Its tail sways like a cedar;

the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.

18Its bones are tubes of bronze,

its limbs like rods of iron.

19It ranks first among the works of God,

yet its Maker can approach it with his sword.

20The hills bring it their produce,

and all the wild animals play nearby.

21Under the lotus plants it lies,

hidden among the reeds in the marsh.

22The lotuses conceal it in their shadow;

the poplars by the stream surround it.

23A raging river does not alarm it;

it is secure, though the Jordan should surge against its mouth.

24Can anyone capture it by the eyes,

or trap it and pierce its nose?

1“Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook

or tie down its tongue with a rope?

2Can you put a cord through its nose

or pierce its jaw with a hook?

3Will it keep begging you for mercy?

Will it speak to you with gentle words?

4Will it make an agreement with you

for you to take it as your slave for life?

5Can you make a pet of it like a bird

or put it on a leash for the young women in your house?

6Will traders barter for it?

Will they divide it up among the merchants?

7Can you fill its hide with harpoons

or its head with fishing spears?

8If you lay a hand on it,

you will remember the struggle and never do it again!

9Any hope of subduing it is false;

the mere sight of it is overpowering.

10No one is fierce enough to rouse it.

Who then is able to stand against me?

11Who has a claim against me that I must pay?

Everything under heaven belongs to me.

12“I will not fail to speak of Leviathan’s limbs,

its strength and its graceful form.

13Who can strip off its outer coat?

Who can penetrate its double coat of armor?

14Who dares open the doors of its mouth,

ringed about with fearsome teeth?

15Its back has rows of shields

tightly sealed together;

16each is so close to the next

that no air can pass between.

17They are joined fast to one another;

they cling together and cannot be parted.

18Its snorting throws out flashes of light;

its eyes are like the rays of dawn.

19Flames stream from its mouth;

sparks of fire shoot out.

20Smoke pours from its nostrils

as from a boiling pot over burning reeds.

21Its breath sets coals ablaze,

and flames dart from its mouth.

22Strength resides in its neck;

dismay goes before it.

23The folds of its flesh are tightly joined;

they are firm and immovable.

24Its chest is hard as rock,

hard as a lower millstone.

25When it rises up, the mighty are terrified;

they retreat before its thrashing.

26The sword that reaches it has no effect,

nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin.

27Iron it treats like straw

and bronze like rotten wood.

28Arrows do not make it flee;

slingstones are like chaff to it.

29A club seems to it but a piece of straw;

it laughs at the rattling of the lance.

30Its undersides are jagged potsherds,

leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge.

31It makes the depths churn like a boiling caldron

and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment.

32It leaves a glistening wake behind it;

one would think the deep had white hair.

33Nothing on earth is its equal—

a creature without fear.

34It looks down on all that are haughty;

it is king over all that are proud.”

Job

1Then Job replied to the Lord:

2“I know that you can do all things;

no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

3You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’

Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,

things too wonderful for me to know.

4“You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;

I will question you,

and you shall answer me.’

5My ears had heard of you

but now my eyes have seen you.

6Therefore I despise myself

and repent in dust and ashes.”

Epilogue

7After the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has. 8So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.” 9So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.

10After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. 11All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring.

12The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. 13And he also had seven sons and three daughters. 14The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. 15Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.

16After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17And so Job died, an old man and full of years.