1 Many years ago, a man named Job lived in the land of Uz. He was a truly good person, who respected God and refused to do evil.
2 Job had seven sons and three daughters.
3 He owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred pair of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and a large number of servants. He was the richest person in the East.
4 Job's sons took turns having feasts in their homes, and they always invited their three sisters to join in the eating and drinking.
5 After each feast, Job would send for his children and perform a ceremony, as a way of asking God to forgive them of any wrongs they may have done. He would get up early the next morning and offer a sacrifice for each of them, just in case they had sinned or silently cursed God.
6 One day, when the angels had gathered around the LORD, and Satan was there with them,
7 the LORD asked, "Satan, where have you been?" Satan replied, "I have been going all over the earth."
8 Then the LORD asked, "What do you think of my servant Job? No one on earth is like him--he is a truly good person, who respects me and refuses to do evil."
9 "Why shouldn't he respect you?" Satan remarked.
10 "You are like a wall protecting not only him, but his entire family and all his property. You make him successful in whatever he does, and his flocks and herds are everywhere.
11 Try taking away everything he owns, and he will curse you to your face."
12 The LORD replied, "All right, Satan, do what you want with anything that belongs to him, but don't harm Job." Then Satan left.
13 Job's sons and daughters were having a feast in the home of his oldest son,
14 when someone rushed up to Job and said, "While your servants were plowing with your oxen, and your donkeys were nearby eating grass,
15 a gang of Sabeans attacked and stole the oxen and donkeys! Your other servants were killed, and I was the only one who escaped to tell you."
16 That servant was still speaking, when a second one came running up and saying, "God sent down a fire that killed your sheep and your servants. I am the only one who escaped to tell you."
17 Before that servant finished speaking, a third one raced up and said, "Three gangs of Chaldeans attacked and stole your camels! All of your other servants were killed, and I am the only one who escaped to tell you."
18 That servant was still speaking, when a fourth one dashed up and said, "Your children were having a feast and drinking wine at the home of your oldest son,
19 when suddenly a windstorm from the desert blew the house down, crushing all of your children. I am the only one who escaped to tell you."
20 When Job heard this, he tore his clothes and shaved his head because of his great sorrow. He knelt on the ground, then worshiped God
21 and said: "We bring nothing at birth; we take nothing with us at death. The LORD alone gives and takes. Praise the name of the LORD!"
22 In spite of everything, Job did not sin or accuse God of doing wrong.
1 When the angels gathered around the LORD again, Satan was there with them,
2 and the LORD asked, "Satan, where have you been?" Satan replied, "I have been going all over the earth."
3 Then the LORD asked, "What do you think of my servant Job? No one on earth is like him--he is a truly good person, who respects me and refuses to do evil. And he hasn't changed, even though you persuaded me to destroy him for no reason."
4 Satan answered, "There's no pain like your own. People will do anything to stay alive.
5 Try striking Job's own body with pain, and he will curse you to your face."
6 "All right!" the LORD replied. "Make Job suffer as much as you want, but just don't kill him."
7 Satan left and caused painful sores to break out all over Job's body--from head to toe.
8 Then Job sat on the ash-heap to show his sorrow. And while he was scraping his sores with a broken piece of pottery,
9 his wife asked, "Why do you still trust God? Why don't you curse him and die?"
10 Job replied, "Don't talk like a fool! If we accept blessings from God, we must accept trouble as well." In all that happened, Job never once said anything against God.
11 Eliphaz from Teman, Bildad from Shuah, and Zophar from Naamah were three of Job's friends, and they heard about his troubles. So they agreed to visit Job and comfort him.
12 When they came near enough to see Job, they could hardly recognize him. And in their great sorrow, they tore their clothes, then sprinkled dust on their heads and cried bitterly.
13 For seven days and nights, they sat silently on the ground beside him, because they realized what terrible pain he was in.
1 Finally, Job cursed the day of his birth
2 by saying to God:
3 Blot out the day of my birth and the night when my parents created a son.
4 Forget about that day, cover it with darkness,
5 and send thick, gloomy shadows to fill it with dread.
6 Erase that night from the calendar and conceal it with darkness.
7 Don't let children be created or joyful shouts be heard ever again in that night.
8 Let those with magic powers place a curse on that day.
9 Darken its morning stars and remove all hope of light,
10 because it let me be born into a world of trouble.
11 Why didn't I die at birth?
12 Why was I accepted and allowed to nurse at my mother's breast?
13 Now I would be at peace in the silent world below
14 with kings and their advisors whose palaces lie in ruins,
15 and with rulers once rich with silver and gold.
16 I wish I had been born dead and then buried, never to see the light of day.
17 In the world of the dead, the wicked and the weary rest without a worry.
18 Everyone is there--
19 where captives and slaves are free at last.
20 Why does God let me live when life is miserable and so bitter?
21 I keep longing for death more than I would seek a valuable treasure.
22 Nothing could make me happier than to be in the grave.
23 Why do I go on living when God has me surrounded, and I can't see the road?
24 Moaning and groaning are my food and drink,
25 and my worst fears have all come true.
26 I have no peace or rest-- only troubles and worries.
1 Eliphaz from Teman said:
2 Please be patient and listen to what I have to say.
3 Remember how your words
4 have guided and encouraged many in need.
5 But now you feel discouraged when struck by trouble.
6 You respect God and live right, so don't lose hope!
7 No truly innocent person has ever died young.
8 In my experience, only those who plant seeds of evil harvest trouble,
9 and then they are swept away by the angry breath of God.
10 They may roar and growl like powerful lions. But when God breaks their teeth,
11 they starve, and their children are scattered.
12 A secret was told to me in a faint whisper--
13 I was overcome by sleep, but disturbed by dreams;
14 I trembled with fear,
15 and my hair stood on end, as a wind blew past my face.
16 It stopped and stood still. Then a form appeared-- a shapeless form. And from the silence, I heard a voice say,
17 "No humans are innocent in the eyes of God their Creator.
18 He finds fault with his servants and even with his angels.
19 Humans are formed from clay and are fragile as moths, so what chance do you have?
20 Born after daybreak, you die before nightfall and disappear forever.
21 Your tent pegs are pulled up, and you leave this life, having gained no wisdom."
1 Job, call out for help and see if an angel comes!
2 Envy and jealousy will kill a stupid fool.
3 I have seen fools take root. But God sends a curse, suddenly uprooting them
4 and leaving their children helpless in court.
5 Then hungry and greedy people gobble down their crops and grab up their wealth.
6 Our suffering isn't caused by the failure of crops;
7 it's all part of life, like sparks shooting skyward.
8 Job, if I were you, I would ask God for help.
9 His miracles are marvelous, more than we can count.
10 God sends showers on earth and waters the fields.
11 He protects the sorrowful and lifts up those who have been disgraced.
12 God swiftly traps the wicked
13 in their own evil schemes, and their wisdom fails.
14 Darkness is their only companion, hiding their path at noon.
15 God rescues the needy from the words of the wicked and the fist of the mighty.
16 The poor are filled with hope, and injustice is silenced.
17 Consider yourself fortunate if God All-Powerful chooses to correct you.
18 He may cause injury and pain, but he will bandage and heal your cuts and bruises.
19 God will protect you from harm, no matter how often trouble may strike.
20 In times of war and famine, God will keep you safe.
21 You will be sheltered, without fear of hurtful words or any other weapon.
22 You will laugh at the threat of destruction and famine. And you won't be afraid of wild animals--
23 they will no longer be fierce, and your rocky fields will become friendly.
24 Your home will be secure, and your sheep will be safe.
25 You will have more descendants than there are blades of grass on the face of the earth.
26 You will live a long life, and your body will be strong until the day you die.
27 Our experience has proven these things to be true, so listen and learn.
1 Job said:
2 It's impossible to weigh my misery and grief!
3 They outweigh the sand along the beach, and that's why I have spoken without thinking first.
4 The fearsome arrows of God All-Powerful have filled my soul with their poison.
5 Do oxen and wild donkeys cry out in distress unless they are hungry?
6 What is food without salt? What is more tasteless than the white of an egg?
7 That's how my food tastes, and my appetite is gone.
8 How I wish that God would answer my prayer
9 and do away with me.
10 Then I would be comforted, knowing that in all of my pain I have never disobeyed God.
11 Why should I patiently hope when my strength is gone?
12 I am not strong as stone or bronze,
13 and I have finally reached the end of my rope.
14 My friends, I am desperate, and you should help me, even if I no longer respect God All-Powerful.
15 But you are treacherous
16 as streams that swell with melting snow,
17 then suddenly disappear in the summer heat.
18 I am like a caravan, lost in the desert while searching for water.
19 Caravans from Tema and Sheba
20 thought they would find water. But they were disappointed,
21 just as I am with you. Only one look at my suffering, and you run away scared.
22 Have I ever asked any of you to give me a gift
23 or to purchase my freedom from brutal enemies?
24 What have I done wrong? Show me, and I will keep quiet.
25 The truth is always painful, but your arguments prove nothing.
26 Here I am desperate, and you consider my words as worthless as wind.
27 Why, you would sell an orphan or your own neighbor!
28 Look me straight in the eye; I won't lie to you.
29 Stop accusing me falsely; my reputation is at stake.
30 I know right from wrong, and I am not telling lies.
1 Why is life so hard? Why do we suffer?
2 We are slaves in search of shade; we are laborers longing for our wages.
3 God has made my days drag on and my nights miserable.
4 I pray for night to end, but it stretches out while I toss and turn.
5 My parched skin is covered with worms, dirt, and sores,
6 and my days are running out quicker than the thread of a fast-moving needle.
7 I beg you, God, don't forget! My life is just a breath, and trouble lies ahead.
8 I will vanish from sight, and no one, including you, will ever see me again.
9 I will disappear in the grave or vanish from sight like a passing cloud.
10 Never will I return home; soon I will be forgotten.
11 And so, I cry out to you in agony and distress.
12 Am I the sea or a sea monster? Is that why you imprison me?
13 I go to bed, hoping for rest,
14 but you torture me with terrible dreams.
15 I'd rather choke to death than live in this body.
16 Leave me alone and let me die; my life has no meaning.
17 What makes you so concerned about us humans?
18 Why do you test us from sunrise to sunset?
19 Won't you look away just long enough for me to swallow?
20 Why do you watch us so closely? What's it to you, if I sin? Why am I your target and such a heavy burden?
21 Why do you refuse to forgive? Soon you won't find me, because I'll be dead.
1 Bildad from Shuah said:
2 How long will you talk and keep saying nothing?
3 Does God All-Powerful stand in the way of justice?
4 He made your children pay for their sins.
5 So why don't you turn to him
6 and start living right? Then he will decide to rescue and restore you to your place of honor.
7 Your future will be brighter by far than your past.
8 Our ancestors were wise, so learn from them.
9 Our own time has been short, like a fading shadow, and we know very little.
10 But they will instruct you with great understanding.
11 Papyrus reeds grow healthy only in a swamp,
12 and if the water dries up, they die sooner than grass.
13 Such is the hopeless future of all who turn from God
14 and trust in something as frail as a spider's web--
15 they take hold and fall because it's so flimsy.
16 Sinful people are like plants with spreading roots and plenty of sun and water.
17 They wrap their roots tightly around rocks.
18 But once they are pulled up, they have no more place;
19 their life slips away, and other plants grow there.
20 We know God doesn't reject an innocent person or help a sinner.
21 And so, he will make you happy and give you something to smile about.
22 But your evil enemies will be put to shame and disappear forever.
1 Job said:
2 What you say is true. No human is innocent in the sight of God.
3 Not once in a thousand times could we win our case if we took him to court.
4 God is wise and powerful-- who could possibly oppose him and win?
5 When God becomes angry, he can move mountains before they even know it.
6 God can shake the earth loose from its foundations
7 or command the sun and stars to hold back their light.
8 God alone stretched out the sky, stepped on the sea,
9 and set the stars in place-- the Big Dipper and Orion, the Pleiades and the stars in the southern sky.
10 Of all the miracles God works, we cannot understand a one.
11 God walks right past me, without making a sound.
12 And if he grabs something, who can stop him or raise a question?
13 When God showed his anger, the servants of the sea monster fell at his feet.
14 How, then, could I possibly argue my case with God?
15 Even though I am innocent, I can only beg for mercy.
16 And if God came into court when I called him, he would not hear my case.
17 He would strike me with a storm and increase my injuries for no reason at all.
18 Before I could get my breath, my miseries would multiply.
19 God is much stronger than I am, and who would call me into court to give me justice?
20 Even if I were innocent, God would prove me wrong.
21 I am not guilty, but I no longer care what happens to me.
22 What difference does it make? God destroys the innocent along with the guilty.
23 When a good person dies a sudden death, God sits back and laughs.
24 And who else but God blindfolds the judges, then lets the wicked take over the earth?
25 My life is speeding by, without a hope of happiness.
26 Each day passes swifter than a sailing ship or an eagle swooping down.
27 Sometimes I try to be cheerful and to stop complaining,
28 but my sufferings frighten me, because I know that God still considers me guilty.
29 So what's the use of trying to prove my innocence?
30 Even if I washed myself with the strongest soap,
31 God would throw me into a pit of stinking slime, leaving me disgusting to my clothes.
32 God isn't a mere human like me. I can't put him on trial.
33 Who could possibly judge between the two of us?
34 Can someone snatch away the stick God carries to frighten me?
35 Then I could speak up without fear of him, but for now, I cannot speak.
1 I am sick of life! And from my deep despair, I complain to you, my God.
2 Don't just condemn me! Point out my sin.
3 Why do you take such delight in destroying those you created and in smiling on sinners?
4 Do you look at things the way we humans do?
5 Is your life as short as ours?
6 Is that why you are so quick to find fault with me?
7 You know I am innocent, but who can defend me against you?
8 Will you now destroy someone you created?
9 Remember that you molded me like a piece of clay. So don't turn me back into dust once again.
10 As cheese is made from milk, you created my body from a tiny drop.
11 Then you tied my bones together with muscles and covered them with flesh and skin.
12 You, the source of my life, showered me with kindness and watched over me.
13 You have not explained all of your mysteries,
14 but you catch and punish me each time I sin.
15 Guilty or innocent, I am condemned and ashamed because of my troubles.
16 No matter how hard I try, you keep hunting me down like a powerful lion.
17 You never stop accusing me; you become furious and attack over and over again.
18 Why did you let me be born? I would rather have died before birth
19 and been carried to the grave without ever breathing.
20 I have only a few days left. Why don't you leave me alone? Let me find some relief,
21 before I travel to the land
22 of darkness and despair, the place of no return.
1 Zophar from Naamah said:
2 So much foolish talk cannot go unanswered.
3 Your words have silenced others and made them ashamed; now it is only right for you to be put to shame.
4 You claim to be innocent and argue that your beliefs are acceptable to God.
5 But I wish he would speak
6 and let you know that wisdom has many different sides. You would then discover that God has punished you less than you deserve.
7 Can you understand the mysteries surrounding God All-Powerful?
8 They are higher than the heavens and deeper than the grave. So what can you do when you know so little,
9 and these mysteries outreach the earth and the ocean?
10 If God puts you in prison or drags you to court, what can you do?
11 God has the wisdom to know when someone is worthless and sinful,
12 but it's easier to tame a wild donkey than to make a fool wise.
13 Surrender your heart to God, turn to him in prayer,
14 and give up your sins-- even those you do in secret.
15 Then you won't be ashamed; you will be confident and fearless.
16 Your troubles will go away like water beneath a bridge,
17 and your darkest night will be brighter than noon.
18 You will rest safe and secure, filled with hope and emptied of worry.
19 You will sleep without fear and be greatly respected.
20 But those who are evil will go blind and lose their way. Their only escape is death!
1 Job said to his friends:
2 You think you are so great, with all the answers.
3 But I know as much as you do, and so does everyone else.
4 I have always lived right, and God answered my prayers; now friends make fun of me.
5 It's easy to condemn those who are suffering, when you have no troubles.
6 Robbers and other godless people live safely at home and say, "God is in our hands!"
7 If you want to learn, then go and ask the wild animals and the birds,
8 the flowers and the fish.
9 Any of them can tell you what the LORD has done.
10 Every living creature is in the hands of God.
11 We hear with our ears, taste with our tongues,
12 and gain some wisdom from those who have lived a long time.
13 But God is the real source of wisdom and strength.
14 No one can rebuild what he destroys, or release those he has imprisoned.
15 God can hold back the rain or send a flood,
16 just as he rules over liars and those they lie to.
17 God destroys counselors, turns judges into fools,
18 and makes slaves of kings.
19 God removes priests and others who have great power--
20 he confuses wise, experienced advisors,
21 puts mighty kings to shame, and takes away their power.
22 God turns darkness to light;
23 he makes nations strong, then shatters their strength.
24 God strikes their rulers senseless, then leaves them to roam through barren deserts,
25 lost in the dark, staggering like someone drunk.
1 I know and understand every bit of this.
2 None of you are smarter than I am; there's nothing you know that I don't.
3 But I prefer to argue my case with God All-Powerful--
4 you are merely useless doctors, who treat me with lies.
5 The wisest thing you can do is to keep quiet
6 and listen to my argument.
7 Are you telling lies for God
8 and not telling the whole truth when you argue his case?
9 If he took you to court, could you fool him, just as you fool others?
10 If you were secretly unfair, he would correct you,
11 and his glorious splendor would make you terrified.
12 Your wisdom and arguments are as delicate as dust.
13 Be quiet while I speak, then say what you will.
14 I will be responsible for what happens to me.
15 God may kill me, but still I will trust him and offer my defense.
16 This may be what saves me, because no guilty person would come to his court.
17 Listen carefully to my words!
18 I have prepared my case well, and I am certain to win.
19 If you can prove me guilty, I will give up and die.
20 I ask only two things of you, my God, and I will no longer hide from you--
21 stop punishing and terrifying me!
22 Then speak, and I will reply; or else let me speak, and you reply.
23 Please point out my sins, so I will know them.
24 Why have you turned your back and count me your enemy?
25 Do you really enjoy frightening a fallen leaf?
26 Why do you accuse me of horrible crimes and make me pay for sins I did in my youth?
27 You have tied my feet down and keep me surrounded;
28 I am rotting away like cloth eaten by worms.
1 Life is short and sorrowful for every living soul.
2 We are flowers that fade and shadows that vanish.
3 And so, I ask you, God, why pick on me?
4 There's no way a human can be completely pure.
5 Our time on earth is brief; the number of our days is already decided by you.
6 Why don't you leave us alone and let us find some happiness while we toil and labor?
7 When a tree is chopped down, there is always the hope that it will sprout again.
8 Its roots and stump may rot,
9 but at the touch of water, fresh twigs shoot up.
10 Humans are different-- we die, and that's the end.
11 We are like streams and lakes after the water has gone;
12 we fall into the sleep of death, never to rise again, until the sky disappears.
13 Please hide me, God, deep in the ground-- and when you are angry no more, remember to rescue me.
14 Will we humans live again? I would gladly suffer and wait for my time.
15 My Creator, you would want me; you would call out, and I would answer.
16 You would take care of me, but not count my sins--
17 you would put them in a bag, tie it tight, and toss them away.
18 But in the real world, mountains tumble, and rocks crumble;
19 streams wear away stones and wash away soil. And you destroy our hopes!
20 You change the way we look, then send us away, wiped out forever.
21 We never live to know if our children are praised or disgraced.
22 We feel no pain but our own, and when we mourn, it's only for ourselves.
1 Eliphaz from Teman said:
2 Job, if you had any sense,
3 you would stop spreading all of this hot air.
4 Your words are enough to make others turn from God and lead them to doubt.
5 And your sinful, scheming mind is the source of all you say.
6 I am not here as your judge; your own words are witnesses against you.
7 Were you the first human? Are you older than the hills?
8 Have you ever been present when God's council meets? Do you alone have wisdom?
9 Do you know and understand something we don't?
10 We have the benefit of wisdom older than your father.
11 And you have been offered comforting words from God. Isn't this enough?
12 Your emotions are out of control, making you look fierce;
13 that's why you attack God with everything you say.
14 No human is pure and innocent,
15 and neither are angels-- not in the sight of God. If God doesn't trust his angels,
16 what chance do humans have? We are so terribly evil that we thirst for sin.
17 Just listen to what I know, and you will learn
18 wisdom known by others since ancient times.
19 Those who gained such insights also gained the land, and they were not influenced by foreign teachings.
20 But suffering is in store each day for those who sin.
21 Even in times of success, they constantly hear the threat of doom.
22 Darkness, despair, and death are their destiny.
23 They scrounge around for food, all the while dreading the approaching darkness.
24 They are overcome with despair, like a terrified king about to go into battle.
25 This is because they rebelled against God All-Powerful
26 and have attacked him with their weapons.
27 They may be rich and fat,
28 but they will live in the ruins of deserted towns.
29 Their property and wealth will shrink and disappear.
30 They won't escape the darkness, and the blazing breath of God will set their future aflame.
31 They have put their trust in something worthless; now they will become worthless
32 like a date palm tree without a leaf.
33 Or like vineyards or orchards whose blossoms and unripe fruit drop to the ground.
34 Yes, the godless and the greedy will have nothing but flames feasting on their homes,
35 because they are the parents of trouble and vicious lies.
1 Job said:
2 I have often heard this, and it offers no comfort.
3 So why don't you keep quiet? What's bothering you?
4 If I were in your place, it would be easy to criticize or to give advice.
5 But I would offer hope and comfort instead.
6 If I speak, or if I don't, I hurt all the same. My torment continues.
7 God has worn me down and destroyed my family;
8 my shriveled up skin proves that I am his prisoner.
9 God is my hateful enemy, glaring at me and attacking with his sharp teeth.
10 Everyone is against me; they sneer and slap my face.
11 And God is the one who handed me over to this merciless mob.
12 Everything was going well, until God grabbed my neck and shook me to pieces. God set me up as the target
13 for his arrows, and without showing mercy, he slashed my stomach open, spilling out my insides.
14 God never stops attacking,
15 and so, in my sorrow I dress in sackcloth and sit in the dust.
16 My face is red with tears, and dark shadows circle my eyes,
17 though I am not violent, and my prayers are sincere.
18 If I should die, I beg the earth not to cover my cry for justice.
19 Even now, God in heaven is both my witness and my protector.
20 My friends have rejected me, but God is the one I beg
21 to show that I am right, just as a friend should.
22 Because in only a few years, I will be dead and gone.
1 My hopes have died, my time is up, and the grave is ready.
2 All I can see are angry crowds, making fun of me.
3 If you, LORD, don't help, who will pay the price for my release?
4 My friends won't really listen, all because of you, and so you must be the one to prove them wrong.
5 They have condemned me, just to benefit themselves; now blind their children.
6 You, God, are the reason I am insulted and spit on.
7 I am almost blind with grief; my body is a mere shadow.
8 People who are truly good would feel so alarmed, that they would become angry at my worthless friends.
9 They would do the right thing and because they did, they would grow stronger.
10 But none of my friends show any sense.
11 My life is drawing to an end; hope has disappeared.
12 But all my friends can do is offer empty hopes.
13 I could tell the world below to prepare me a bed.
14 Then I could greet the grave as my father and say to the worms, "Hello, mother and sisters!"
15 But what kind of hope is that?
16 Will it keep me company in the world of the dead?
1 Bildad from Shuah said:
2 How long will you talk? Be sensible! Let us speak.
3 Or do you think that we are dumb animals?
4 You cut yourself in anger. Will that shake the earth or even move the rocks?
5 The lamps of sinful people soon are snuffed out,
6 leaving their tents dark.
7 Their powerful legs become weak, and they stumble on schemes of their own doing.
8 Before they know it,
9 they are trapped in a net,
10 hidden along the path.
11 Terror strikes and pursues from every side.
12 Starving, they run, only to meet disaster,
13 then afterwards to be eaten alive by death itself.
14 Those sinners are dragged from the safety of their tents to die a gruesome death.
15 Then their tents and possessions are burned to ashes,
16 and they are left like trees, dried up from the roots.
17 They are gone and forgotten,
18 thrown far from the light into a world of darkness,
19 without any children to carry on their name.
20 Everyone, from east to west, is overwhelmed with horror.
21 Such is the fate of sinners and their families who don't know God.
1 Job said:
2 How long will you torture me with your words?
3 Isn't ten times enough for you to accuse me? Aren't you ashamed?
4 Even if I have sinned, you haven't been harmed.
5 You boast of your goodness, claiming I am suffering because I am guilty.
6 But God is the one at fault for finding fault with me.
7 Though I pray to be rescued from this torment, no whisper of justice answers me.
8 God has me trapped with a wall of darkness
9 and stripped of respect.
10 God rips me apart, uproots my hopes,
11 and attacks with fierce anger, as though I were his enemy.
12 His entire army advances, then surrounds my tent.
13 God has turned relatives and friends against me,
14 and I am forgotten.
15 My guests and my servants consider me a stranger,
16 and when I call my servants, they pay no attention.
17 My breath disgusts my wife; everyone in my family turns away.
18 Young children can't stand me, and when I come near, they make fun.
19 My best friends and loved ones have turned from me.
20 I am skin and bones-- just barely alive.
21 My friends, I beg you for pity! God has made me his target.
22 Hasn't he already done enough? Why do you join the attack?
23 I wish that my words could be written down
24 or chiseled into rock.
25 I know that my Savior lives, and at the end he will stand on this earth.
26 My flesh may be destroyed, yet from this body I will see God.
27 Yes, I will see him for myself, and I long for that moment.
28 My friends, you think up ways to blame and torment me, saying I brought it on myself.
29 But watch out for the judgment, when God will punish you!
1 Zophar from Naamah said:
2 Your words are disturbing; now I must speak.
3 You have accused and insulted me, and reason requires a reply.
4 Since the time of creation, everyone has known
5 that sinful people are happy for only a while.
6 Though their pride and power may reach to the sky,
7 they will disappear like dust, and those who knew them will wonder what happened.
8 They will be forgotten like a dream
9 and vanish from the sight of family and friends.
10 Their children will have to repay what the parents took from the poor.
11 Indeed, the wicked will die and go to their graves in the prime of life.
12 Sinners love the taste of sin; they relish every bite
13 and swallow it slowly.
14 But their food will turn sour and poison their stomachs.
15 Then God will make them lose the wealth they gobbled down.
16 They will die from the fangs of poisonous snakes
17 and never enjoy rivers flowing with milk and honey.
18 Their hard work will result in nothing gained,
19 because they cheated the poor and took their homes.
20 Greedy people want everything and are never satisfied.
21 But when nothing remains for them to grab, they will be nothing.
22 Once they have everything, distress and despair will strike them down,
23 and God will make them swallow his blazing anger.
24 While running from iron spears, they will be killed by arrows of bronze,
25 whose shining tips go straight through their bodies. They will be trapped by terror,
26 and what they treasure most will be lost in the dark. God will send flames to destroy them in their tents with all their property.
27 The heavens and the earth will testify against them,
28 and all their possessions will be dragged off when God becomes angry.
29 This is what God has decided for those who are evil.
1 Job said:
2 If you want to offer comfort, then listen to me.
3 And when I have finished, you can start your insults all over again.
4 My complaint is against God; that's why I am impatient.
5 Just looking at me is enough to make you sick,
6 and the very thought of myself fills me with disgust.
7 Why do evil people live so long and gain such power?
8 Why are they allowed to see their children grow up?
9 They have no worries at home, and God never punishes them.
10 Their cattle have lots of calves without ever losing one;
11 their children play and dance safely by themselves.
12 These people sing and celebrate to the sound of tambourines, small harps, and flutes,
13 and they are successful, without a worry, until the day they die.
14 Those who are evil say to God All-Powerful, "Leave us alone! Don't bother us with your teachings.
15 What do we gain from praying and worshiping you?
16 We succeeded all on our own." And so, I keep away from them and their evil schemes.
17 How often does God become angry and send disaster and darkness to punish sinners?
18 How often does he strike them like a windstorm that scatters straw?
19 You say, "God will punish those sinners' children in place of those sinners." But I say, "Let him punish those sinners themselves until they really feel it.
20 Let God All-Powerful force them to drink their own destruction from the cup of his anger.
21 Because after they are dead, they won't care what happens to their children."
22 Who can tell God what to do? He judges powerful rulers.
23 Some of us die prosperous,
24 enjoying good health,
25 while others die in poverty, having known only pain.
26 But we all end up dead, beneath a blanket of worms.
27 My friends, I know that you are plotting against me.
28 You ask, "Where is the home of that important person who does so much evil?"
29 Everyone, near and far, agrees
30 that those who do wrong never suffer disaster, when God becomes angry.
31 No one points out their sin or punishes them.
32 Then at their funerals, they are highly praised;
33 the earth welcomes them home, while crowds mourn.
34 But empty, meaningless words are the comfort you offer me.
1 Eliphaz from Teman said:
2 What use are we humans to God, even the wisest of us?
3 If you were completely sinless, that would still mean nothing to God All-Powerful.
4 Is he correcting you for worshiping him?
5 No! It's because of your terrible sins.
6 To guarantee payment of a debt, you have taken clothes from the poor.
7 And you refused bread and water to the hungry and thirsty,
8 although you were rich, respected, and powerful.
9 You have turned away widows and have broken the arms of orphans.
10 That's why you were suddenly trapped by terror,
11 blinded by darkness, and drowned in a flood.
12 God lives in the heavens above the highest stars, where he sees everything.
13 Do you think the deep darkness hides you from God?
14 Do thick clouds cover his eyes, as he walks around heaven's dome high above the earth?
15 Give up those ancient ideas believed by sinners,
16 who were swept away without warning.
17 They rejected God All-Powerful, feeling he was helpless,
18 although he had been kind to their families. The beliefs of these sinners are truly disgusting.
19 When God's people see the godless swept away, they celebrate,
20 saying, "Our enemies are gone, and fire has destroyed their possessions."
21 Surrender to God All-Powerful! You will find peace and prosperity.
22 Listen to his teachings and take them to heart.
23 If you return to God and turn from sin, all will go well for you.
24 So get rid of your finest gold, as though it were sand.
25 Let God All-Powerful be your silver and gold,
26 and you will find happiness by worshiping him.
27 God will answer your prayers, and you will keep the promises you made to him.
28 He will do whatever you ask, and life will be bright.
29 When others are disgraced, God will clear their names in answer to your prayers.
30 Even those who are guilty will be forgiven, because you obey God.
1 Job said:
2 Today I complain bitterly, because God has been cruel and made me suffer.
3 If I knew where to find God, I would go there
4 and argue my case.
5 Then I would discover what he wanted to say.
6 Would he overwhelm me with his greatness? No! He would listen
7 because I am innocent, and he would say, "I now set you free!"
8 I cannot find God anywhere-- in front or back of me,
9 to my left or my right. God is always at work, though I never see him.
10 But he knows what I am doing, and when he tests me, I will be pure as gold.
11 I have never refused to follow any of his commands,
12 and I have always treasured his teachings.
13 But he alone is God, and who can oppose him? God does as he pleases,
14 and he will do exactly what he intends with me.
15 Merely the thought of God All-Powerful
16 makes me tremble with fear.
17 God has covered me with darkness, but I refuse to be silent.
1 Why doesn't God set a time for court? Why don't his people know where he can be found?
2 Sinners remove boundary markers and take care of sheep they have stolen.
3 They cheat orphans and widows by taking their donkeys and oxen.
4 The poor are trampled and forced to hide
5 in the desert, where they and their children must live like wild donkeys and search for food.
6 If they want grain or grapes, they must go to the property of these sinners.
7 They sleep naked in the cold, because they have no cover,
8 and during a storm their only shelters are caves among the rocky cliffs.
9 Children whose fathers have died are taken from their mothers as payment for a debt.
10 Then they are forced to work naked in the grain fields because they have no clothes, and they go hungry.
11 They crush olives to make oil and grapes to make wine-- but still they go thirsty.
12 And along the city streets, the wounded and dying cry out, yet God does nothing.
13 Some rebel and refuse to follow the light.
14 Soon after sunset they murder the poor and the needy, and at night they steal.
15 Others wait for the dark, thinking they won't be seen if they sleep with the wife or husband of someone else.
16 Robbers hide during the day, then break in after dark because they reject the light.
17 They prefer night to day, since the terrors of the night are their friends.
18 Those sinners are filthy foam on the surface of the water. And so, their fields and vineyards will fall under a curse and won't produce.
19 Just as the heat of summer swallows the snow, the world of the dead swallows those who sin.
20 Forgotten here on earth, and with their power broken, they taste sweet to worms.
21 Sinners take advantage of widows and other helpless women.
22 But God's mighty strength destroys those in power. Even if they seem successful, they are doomed to fail.
23 God may let them feel secure, but they are never out of his sight.
24 Great for a while; gone forever! Sinners are mowed down like weeds, then they wither and die.
25 If I haven't spoken the truth, then prove me wrong.
1 Bildad from Shuah said:
2 God is the one to fear, because God is in control and rules the heavens.
3 Who can count his army of stars? Isn't God the source of light?
4 How can anyone be innocent in the sight of God?
5 To him, not even the light of the moon and stars can ever be pure.
6 So how can we humans, when we are merely worms?
1 Job said:
2 You have really been helpful to someone weak and weary.
3 You have given great advice and wonderful wisdom to someone truly in need.
4 How can anyone possibly speak with such understanding?
5 Remember the terrible trembling of those in the world of the dead below the mighty ocean.
6 Nothing in that land of death and destruction is hidden from God,
7 who hung the northern sky and suspended the earth on empty space.
8 God stores water in clouds, but they don't burst,
9 and he wraps them around the face of the moon.
10 On the surface of the ocean, God has drawn a boundary line between light and darkness.
11 And columns supporting the sky tremble at his command.
12 By his power and wisdom, God conquered the force of the mighty ocean.
13 The heavens became bright when he breathed, and the escaping sea monster died at the hands of God.
14 These things are merely a whisper of God's power at work. How little we would understand if this whisper ever turned into thunder!
1 Job said:
2 I am desperate because God All-Powerful refuses to do what is right. As surely as God lives,
3 and while he gives me breath,
4 I will tell only the truth.
5 Until the day I die, I will refuse to do wrong by saying you are right,
6 because each day my conscience agrees that I am innocent.
7 I pray that my enemies will suffer no less than the wicked.
8 Such people are hopeless, and God All-Powerful will cut them down,
9 without listening when they beg for mercy.
10 And that is what God should do, because they don't like him or ever pray.
11 Now I will explain in detail what God All-Powerful does.
12 All of you have seen these things for yourselves. So you have no excuse.
13 Here is how God All-Powerful treats those who are wicked and brutal.
14 They may have many children, but most of them will go hungry or suffer a violent death.
15 Others will die of disease, and their widows won't be able to weep.
16 The wicked may collect riches and clothes in abundance as easily as clay.
17 But God's people will wear clothes taken from them and divide up their riches.
18 No homes built by the wicked will outlast a cocoon or a shack.
19 Those sinners may go to bed rich, but they will wake up poor.
20 Terror will strike at night like a flood or a storm.
21 Then a scorching wind will sweep them away
22 without showing mercy, as they try to escape.
23 At last, the wind will celebrate because they are gone.
1 Gold and silver are mined, then purified;
2 the same is done with iron and copper.
3 Miners carry lanterns deep into the darkness to search for these metals.
4 They dig tunnels in distant, unknown places, where they dangle by ropes.
5 Far beneath the grain fields, fires are built to break loose those rocks
6 that have jewels or gold.
7 Miners go to places unseen by the eyes of hawks;
8 they walk on soil unknown to the proudest lions.
9 With their own hands they remove sharp rocks and uproot mountains.
10 They dig through the rocks in search of jewels and precious metals.
11 They also uncover the sources of rivers and discover secret places.
12 But where is wisdom found?
13 No human knows the way.
14 Nor can it be discovered in the deepest sea.
15 It is worth much more than silver or pure gold
16 or precious stones.
17 Nothing is its equal-- not gold or costly glass.
18 Wisdom is worth much more than coral, jasper, or rubies.
19 All the topaz of Ethiopia and the finest gold cannot compare with it.
20 Where then is wisdom?
21 It is hidden from human eyes and even from birds.
22 Death and destruction have merely heard rumors about where it is found.
23 God is the only one who knows the way to wisdom,
24 because he sees everything beneath the heavens.
25 When God divided out the wind and the water,
26 and when he decided the path for rain and lightning,
27 he also determined the truth and defined wisdom.
28 God told us, "Wisdom means that you respect me, the Lord, and turn from sin."
1 Job said:
2 I long for the past, when God took care of me,
3 and the light from his lamp showed me the way through the dark.
4 I was in the prime of life, God All-Powerful was my closest friend,
5 and all of my children were nearby.
6 My herds gave enough milk to bathe my feet, and from my olive harvest flowed rivers of oil.
7 When I sat down at the meeting of the city council,
8 the young leaders stepped aside,
9 while the older ones stood
10 and remained silent.
11 Everyone was pleased with what I said and did.
12 When poor people or orphans cried out for help, I came to their rescue.
13 And I was highly praised for my generosity to widows and others in poverty.
14 Kindness and justice were my coat and hat;
15 I was good to the blind and to the lame.
16 I was a father to the needy, and I defended them in court, even if they were strangers.
17 When criminals attacked, I broke their teeth and set their victims free.
18 I felt certain that I would live a long and happy life, then die in my own bed.
19 In those days I was strong like a tree with deep roots and with plenty of water,
20 or like an archer's new bow.
21 Everyone listened in silence to my welcome advice,
22 and when I finished speaking, nothing needed to be said.
23 My words were eagerly accepted like the showers of spring,
24 and the smile on my face renewed everyone's hopes.
25 My advice was followed as though I were a king leading my troops, or someone comforting those in sorrow.
1 Young people now insult me, although their fathers would have been a disgrace to my sheep dogs.
2 And those who insult me are helpless themselves.
3 They must claw the desert sand in the dark for something to satisfy their hunger.
4 They gather tasteless shrubs for food and firewood,
5 and they are run out of towns, as though they were thieves.
6 Their only homes are ditches or holes between rocks,
7 where they bray like donkeys gathering around shrubs.
8 And like senseless donkeys they are chased away.
9 Those worthless nobodies make up jokes and songs to disgrace me.
10 They are hateful and keep their distance, even while spitting in my direction.
11 God has destroyed me, and so they don't care what they do.
12 Their attacks never stop, though I am defenseless, and my feet are trapped.
13 Without any help, they prevent my escape, destroying me completely
14 and leaving me crushed.
15 Terror has me surrounded; my reputation and my riches have vanished like a cloud.
16 I am sick at heart! Pain has taken its toll.
17 Night chews on my bones, causing endless torment,
18 and God has shrunk my skin, choking me to death.
19 I have been thrown in the dirt and now am dirt myself.
20 I beg God for help, but there is no answer; and when I stand up, he simply stares.
21 God has turned brutal,
22 stirring up a windstorm to toss me about.
23 Soon he will send me home to the world of the dead, where we all must go.
24 No one refuses help to others, when disaster strikes.
25 I mourned for the poor and those who suffered.
26 But when I beg for relief and light, all I receive are disaster and darkness.
27 My stomach is tied in knots; pain is my daily companion.
28 Suffering has scorched my skin, and in the city council I stand and cry out,
29 making mournful sounds like jackals and owls.
30 My skin is so parched, that it peels right off, and my bones are burning.
31 My only songs are sorrow and sadness.
1 I promised myself never to stare with desire at a young woman.
2 God All-Powerful punishes men who do that.
3 In fact, God sends disaster on all who sin,
4 and he keeps a close watch on everything I do.
5 I am not dishonest or deceitful,
6 and I beg God to prove my innocence.
7 If I have disobeyed him or even wanted to,
8 then others can eat my harvest and uproot my crops.
9 If I have desired someone's wife and chased after her,
10 then let some stranger steal my wife from me.
11 If I took someone's wife, it would be a horrible crime,
12 sending me to destruction and my crops to the flames.
13 When my servants complained against me, I was fair to them.
14 Otherwise, what answer would I give to God when he judges me?
15 After all, God is the one who gave life to each of us before we were born.
16 I have never cheated widows or others in need,
17 and I have always shared my food with orphans.
18 Since the time I was young, I have cared for orphans and helped widows.
19 I provided clothes for the poor,
20 and I was praised for supplying woolen garments to keep them warm.
21 If I have ever raised my arm to threaten an orphan when the power was mine,
22 I hope that arm will fall from its socket.
23 I could not have been abusive; I was terrified at the thought that God might punish me.
24 I have never trusted the power of wealth,
25 or taken pride in owning many possessions.
26 I have never openly or secretly
27 worshiped the sun or moon.
28 Such horrible sins would have deserved punishment from God.
29 I have never laughed when my enemies were struck by disaster.
30 Neither have I sinned by asking God to send down on them the curse of death.
31 No one ever went hungry at my house,
32 and travelers were always welcome.
33 Many have attempted to hide their sins from others-- but I refused.
34 And the fear of public disgrace never forced me to keep silent about what I had done.
35 Why doesn't God All-Powerful listen and answer? If God has something against me, let him speak up or put it in writing!
36 Then I would wear his charges on my clothes and forehead.
37 And with my head held high, I would tell him everything I have ever done.
38 I have never mistreated the land I farmed and made it mourn.
39 Nor have I cheated my workers and caused them pain.
40 If I had, I would pray for weeds instead of wheat to grow in my fields. After saying these things, Job was silent.
1 Finally, these three men stopped arguing with Job, because he refused to admit that he was guilty.
2 Elihu from Buz was there, and he had become upset with Job for blaming God instead of himself.
3 He was also angry with Job's three friends for not being able to prove that Job was wrong.
4 Elihu was younger than these three, and he let them speak first.
5 But he became irritated when they could not answer Job,
6 and he said to them: I am much younger than you, so I have shown respect by keeping silent.
7 I once believed age was the source of wisdom;
8 now I truly realize wisdom comes from God.
9 Age is no guarantee of wisdom and understanding.
10 That's why I ask you to listen to me.
11 I eagerly listened to each of your arguments,
12 but not one of you proved Job to be wrong.
13 You shouldn't say, "We know what's right! Let God punish him."
14 Job hasn't spoken against me, and so I won't answer him with your arguments.
15 All of you are shocked; you don't know what to say.
16 But am I to remain silent, just because you have stopped speaking?
17 No! I will give my opinion,
18 because I have so much to say, that I can't keep quiet.
19 I am like a swollen wineskin, and I will burst
20 if I don't speak.
21 I don't know how to be unfair or to flatter anyone--
22 if I did, my Creator would quickly destroy me!
1 Job, listen to me! Pay close attention.
2 Everything I will say
3 is true and sincere,
4 just as surely as the Spirit of God All-Powerful gave me the breath of life.
5 Now line up your arguments and prepare to face me.
6 We each were made from clay, and God has no favorites,
7 so don't be afraid of me or what I might do.
8 I have heard you argue
9 that you are innocent, guilty of nothing.
10 You claim that God has made you his enemy,
11 that he has bound your feet and blocked your path.
12 But, Job, you're wrong-- God is greater than any human.
13 So why do you challenge God to answer you?
14 God speaks in different ways, and we don't always recognize his voice.
15 Sometimes in the night, he uses terrifying dreams
16 to give us warnings.
17 God does this to make us turn from sin and pride
18 and to protect us from being swept away to the world of the dead.
19 Sometimes we are punished with a serious illness and aching joints.
20 Merely the thought of our favorite food makes our stomachs sick,
21 and we become so skinny that our bones stick out.
22 We feel death and the grave taking us in their grip.
23 One of a thousand angels then comes to our rescue by saying we are innocent.
24 The angel shows kindness, commanding death to release us, because the price was paid.
25 Our health is restored, we feel young again,
26 and we ask God to accept us. Then we joyfully worship God, and we are rewarded because we are innocent.
27 When that happens, we tell everyone, "I sinned and did wrong, but God forgave me
28 and rescued me from death! Now I will see the light."
29 God gives each of us chance after chance
30 to be saved from death and brought into the light that gives life.
31 So, Job, pay attention and don't interrupt,
32 though I would gladly listen to anything you say that proves you are right.
33 Otherwise, listen in silence to my wisdom.
1 Elihu said:
2 You men think you are wise, but just listen to me!
3 Think about my words, as you would taste food.
4 Then we can decide the case and give a just verdict.
5 Job claims he is innocent and God is guilty of mistreating him.
6 Job also argues that God considers him a liar and that he is suffering severely in spite of his innocence.
7 But to tell the truth, Job is shameless!
8 He spends his time with sinners,
9 because he has said, "It doesn't pay to please God."
10 If any of you are smart, you will listen and learn that God All-Powerful does what is right.
11 God always treats everyone the way they deserve,
12 and he is never unfair.
13 From the very beginning, God has been in control of all the world.
14 If God took back the breath that he breathed into us,
15 we humans would die and return to the soil.
16 So be smart and listen!
17 The mighty God is the one who brings about justice, and you are condemning him.
18 Indeed, God is the one who condemns unfair rulers.
19 And God created us all; he has no favorites, whether rich or poor.
20 Even powerful rulers die in the darkness of night when they least expect it, just like the rest of us.
21 God watches everything we do.
22 No evil person can hide in the deepest darkness.
23 And so, God doesn't need to set a time for judgment.
24 Without asking for advice, God removes mighty leaders and puts others in their place.
25 He knows what they are like, and he wipes them out in the middle of the night.
26 And while others look on, he punishes them because they were evil
27 and refused to obey him.
28 The persons they mistreated had prayed for help, until God answered their prayers.
29 When God does nothing, can any person or nation find fault with him?
30 But still, he punishes rulers who abuse their people.
31 Job, you should tell God that you are guilty and promise to do better.
32 Then ask him to point out what you did wrong, so you won't do it again.
33 Do you make the rules, or does God? You have to decide-- I can't do it for you; now make up your mind.
34 Job, anyone with good sense can easily see
35 that you are speaking nonsense and lack good judgment.
36 So I pray for you to suffer as much as possible for talking like a sinner.
37 You have rebelled against God, time after time, and have even insulted us.
1 Elihu said:
2 Job, are you really innocent in the sight of God?
3 Don't you honestly believe it pays to obey him?
4 I will give the answers to you and your friends.
5 Look up to the heavens
6 and think! Do your sins hurt God?
7 Is any good you may have done at all helpful to him?
8 The evil or good you do only affects other humans.
9 In times of trouble, everyone begs the mighty God to have mercy.
10 But after their Creator helps them through hard times, they forget about him,
11 though he makes us wiser than animals or birds.
12 God won't listen to the prayers of proud and evil people.
13 If God All-Powerful refuses to answer their empty prayers,
14 he will surely deny your impatient request to face him in court.
15 Job, you were wrong to say God doesn't punish sin.
16 Everything you have said adds up to nonsense.
1 Elihu said:
2 Be patient a while longer; I have something else to say in God's defense.
3 God always does right-- and this knowledge comes straight from God.
4 You can rest assured that what I say is true.
5 Although God is mighty, he cares about everyone and makes fair decisions.
6 The wicked are cut down, and those who are wronged receive justice.
7 God watches over good people and places them in positions of power and honor forever.
8 But when people are prisoners of suffering and pain,
9 God points out their sin and their pride,
10 then he warns them to turn back to him.
11 And if they obey, they will be successful and happy from then on.
12 But if they foolishly refuse, they will be rewarded with a violent death.
13 Godless people are too angry to ask God for help when he punishes them.
14 So they die young in shameful disgrace.
15 Hard times and trouble are God's way of getting our attention!
16 And at this very moment, God deeply desires to lead you from trouble and to spread your table with your favorite food.
17 Now that the judgment for your sins has fallen upon you,
18 don't let your anger and the pain you endured make you sneer at God.
19 Your reputation and riches cannot protect you from distress,
20 nor can you find safety in the dark world below.
21 Be on guard! Don't turn to evil as a way of escape.
22 God's power is unlimited. He needs no teachers
23 to guide or correct him.
24 Others have praised God for what he has done, so join with them.
25 From down here on earth, everyone has looked up and seen
26 how great God is-- God is more than we imagine; no one can count the years he has lived.
27 God gathers moisture into the clouds
28 and supplies us with rain.
29 Who can understand how God scatters the clouds and speaks from his home in the thunderstorm?
30 And when God sends lightning, it can be seen at the bottom of the sea.
31 By producing such rainstorms, God rules the world and provides us with food.
32 Each flash of lightning is one of his arrows striking its target,
33 and the thunder tells of his anger against sin.
1 I am frightened and tremble all over,
2 when I hear the roaring voice of God in the thunder,
3 and when I see his lightning flash across the sky.
4 God's majestic voice thunders his commands,
5 creating miracles too marvelous for us to understand.
6 Snow and heavy rainstorms
7 make us stop and think about God's power,
8 and they force animals to seek shelter.
9 The windstorms of winter strike,
10 and the breath of God freezes streams and rivers.
11 Rain clouds filled with lightning appear at God's command,
12 traveling across the sky
13 to release their cargo-- sometimes as punishment for sin, sometimes as kindness.
14 Job, consider carefully the many wonders of God.
15 Can you explain why lightning flashes at the orders
16 of God who knows all things? Or how he hangs the clouds in empty space?
17 You almost melt in the heat of fierce desert winds when the sky is like brass.
18 God can spread out the clouds to get relief from the heat, but can you?
19 Tell us what to say to God! Our minds are in the dark, and we don't know how to argue our case.
20 Should I risk my life by telling God that I want to speak?
21 No one can stare at the sun after a breeze has blown the clouds from the sky.
22 Yet the glorious splendor of God All-Powerful is brighter by far.
23 God cannot be seen-- but his power is great, and he is always fair.
24 And so we humans fear God, because he shows no respect for those who are proud and think they know so much.
1 From out of a storm, the LORD said to Job:
2 Why do you talk so much when you know so little?
3 Now get ready to face me! Can you answer the questions I ask?
4 How did I lay the foundation for the earth? Were you there?
5 Doubtless you know who decided its length and width.
6 What supports the foundation? Who placed the cornerstone,
7 while morning stars sang, and angels rejoiced?
8 When the ocean was born, I set its boundaries
9 and wrapped it in blankets of thickest fog.
10 Then I built a wall around it, locked the gates,
11 and said, "Your powerful waves stop here! They can go no farther."
12 Did you ever tell the sun to rise? And did it obey?
13 Did it take hold of the earth and shake out the wicked like dust from a rug?
14 Early dawn outlines the hills like stitches on clothing or sketches on clay.
15 But its light is too much for those who are evil, and their power is broken.
16 Job, have you ever walked on the ocean floor?
17 Have you seen the gate to the world of the dead?
18 And how large is the earth? Tell me, if you know!
19 Where is the home of light, and where does darkness live?
20 Can you lead them home?
21 I'm certain you must be able to, since you were already born when I created everything.
22 Have you been to the places where I keep snow and hail,
23 until I use them to punish and conquer nations?
24 From where does lightning leap, or the east wind blow?
25 Who carves out a path for thunderstorms? Who sends torrents of rain
26 on empty deserts where no one lives?
27 Rain that changes barren land to meadows green with grass.
28 Who is the father of the dew and of the rain?
29 Who gives birth to the sleet and the frost
30 that fall in winter, when streams and lakes freeze solid as a rock?
31 Can you arrange stars in groups such as Orion and the Pleiades?
32 Do you control the stars or set in place the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper?
33 Do you know the laws that govern the heavens, and can you make them rule the earth?
34 Can you order the clouds to send a downpour,
35 or will lightning flash at your command?
36 Did you teach birds to know that rain or floods are on their way?
37 Can you count the clouds or pour out their water
38 on the dry, lumpy soil?
39 When lions are hungry, do you help them hunt?
40 Do you send an animal into their den?
41 And when starving young ravens cry out to me for food, do you satisfy their hunger?
1 When do mountain goats and deer give birth? Have you been there when their young are born?
2 How long are they pregnant
3 before they deliver?
4 Soon their young grow strong and then leave to be on their own.
5 Who set wild donkeys free?
6 I alone help them survive in salty desert sand.
7 They stay far from crowded cities and refuse to be tamed.
8 Instead, they roam the hills, searching for pastureland.
9 Would a wild ox agree to live in your barn and labor for you?
10 Could you force him to plow or to drag a heavy log to smooth out the soil?
11 Can you depend on him to use his great strength and do your heavy work?
12 Can you trust him to harvest your grain or take it to your barn from the threshing place?
13 An ostrich proudly flaps her wings, but not because she loves her young.
14 She abandons her eggs and lets the dusty ground keep them warm.
15 And she doesn't seem to worry that the feet of an animal could crush them all.
16 She treats her eggs as though they were not her own, unconcerned that her work might be for nothing.
17 I myself made her foolish and without common sense.
18 But once she starts running, she laughs at a rider on the fastest horse.
19 Did you give horses their strength and the flowing hair along their necks?
20 Did you make them able to jump like grasshoppers or to frighten people with their snorting?
21 Before horses are ridden into battle, they paw at the ground, proud of their strength.
22 Laughing at fear, they rush toward the fighting,
23 while the weapons of their riders rattle and flash in the sun.
24 Unable to stand still, they gallop eagerly into battle when trumpets blast.
25 Stirred by the distant smells and sounds of war, they snort in reply to the trumpet.
26 Did you teach hawks to fly south for the winter?
27 Did you train eagles to build
28 their nests on rocky cliffs,
29 where they can look down to spot their next meal?
30 Then their young gather to feast wherever the victim lies.
1 I am the LORD All-Powerful,
2 but you have argued that I am wrong. Now you must answer me.
3 Job said to the LORD:
4 Who am I to answer you?
5 I did speak once or twice, but never again.
6 Then out of the storm the LORD said to Job:
7 Face me and answer the questions I ask!
8 Are you trying to prove that you are innocent by accusing me of injustice?
9 Do you have a powerful arm and a thundering voice that compare with mine?
10 If so, then surround yourself with glory and majesty.
11 Show your furious anger! Throw down and crush
12 all who are proud and evil.
13 Wrap them in grave clothes and bury them together in the dusty soil.
14 Do this, and I will agree that you have won this argument.
15 I created both you and the hippopotamus. It eats only grass like an ox,
16 but look at the mighty muscles in its body
17 and legs. Its tail is like a cedar tree, and its thighs are thick.
18 The bones in its legs are like bronze or iron.
19 I made it more powerful than any other creature, yet I am stronger still.
20 Undisturbed, it eats grass while the other animals play nearby.
21 It rests in the shade of trees along the riverbank
22 or hides among reeds in the swamp.
23 It remains calm and unafraid with the Jordan River rushing and splashing in its face.
24 There is no way to capture a hippopotamus-- not even by hooking its nose or blinding its eyes.
1 Can you catch a sea monster by using a fishhook? Can you tie its mouth shut with a rope?
2 Can it be led around by a ring in its nose or a hook in its jaw?
3 Will it beg for mercy?
4 Will it surrender as a slave for life?
5 Can it be tied by the leg like a pet bird for little girls?
6 Is it ever chopped up and its pieces bargained for in the fish-market?
7 Can it be killed with harpoons or spears?
8 Wrestle it just once-- that will be the end.
9 Merely a glimpse of this monster makes all courage melt.
10 And if it is too fierce for anyone to attack, who would dare oppose me?
11 I am in command of the world and in debt to no one.
12 What powerful legs, what a stout body this monster possesses!
13 Who could strip off its armor or bring it under control with a harness?
14 Who would try to open its jaws, full of fearsome teeth?
15 Its back is covered with shield after shield,
16 firmly bound and closer together
17 than breath to breath.
18 When this monster sneezes, lightning flashes, and its eyes glow like the dawn.
19 Sparks and fiery flames explode from its mouth.
20 And smoke spews from its nose like steam from a boiling pot,
21 while its blazing breath scorches everything in sight.
22 Its neck is so tremendous that everyone trembles,
23 the weakest parts of its body are harder than iron,
24 and its heart is stone.
25 When this noisy monster appears, even the most powerful turn and run in fear.
26 No sword or spear can harm it,
27 and weapons of bronze or iron are as useless as straw or rotten wood.
28 Rocks thrown from a sling cause it no more harm than husks of grain. This monster fears no arrows,
29 it simply smiles at spears, and striking it with a stick is like slapping it with straw.
30 As it crawls through the mud, its sharp and spiny hide tears the ground apart.
31 And when it swims down deep, the sea starts churning like boiling oil,
32 and it leaves behind a trail of shining white foam.
33 No other creature on earth is so fearless.
34 It is king of all proud creatures, and it looks upon the others as nothing.
1 Job said:
2 No one can oppose you, because you have the power to do what you want.
3 You asked why I talk so much when I know so little. I have talked about things that are far beyond my understanding.
4 You told me to listen and answer your questions.
5 I heard about you from others; now I have seen you with my own eyes.
6 That's why I hate myself and sit here in dust and ashes to show my sorrow.
7 The LORD said to Eliphaz: What my servant Job has said about me is true, but I am angry at you and your two friends for not telling the truth.
8 So I want you to go over to Job and offer seven bulls and seven goats on an altar as a sacrifice to please me. After this, Job will pray, and I will agree not to punish you for your foolishness.
9 Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar obeyed the LORD, and he answered Job's prayer.
10 After Job had prayed for his three friends, the LORD made Job twice as rich as he had been before.
11 Then Job gave a feast for his brothers and sisters and for his old friends. They expressed their sorrow for the suffering the LORD had brought on him, and they each gave Job some silver and a gold ring.
12 The LORD now blessed Job more than ever; he gave him fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand pair of oxen, and a thousand donkeys.
13 In addition to seven sons, Job had three daughters,
14 whose names were Jemimah, Keziah, and Keren Happuch.
15 They were the most beautiful women in that part of the world, and Job gave them shares of his property, along with their brothers.
16 Job lived for another one hundred forty years--long enough to see his great-grandchildren have children of their own--
17 and when he finally died, he was very old.