Job 4

Eliphaz’s First Response to Job

1Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied to Job:

2“Will you be patient and let me say a word?

For who could keep from speaking out?

3“In the past you have encouraged many people;

you have strengthened those who were weak.

4Your words have supported those who were falling;

you encouraged those with shaky knees.

5But now when trouble strikes, you lose heart.

You are terrified when it touches you.

6Doesn’t your reverence for God give you confidence?

Doesn’t your life of integrity give you hope?

7“Stop and think! Do the innocent die?

When have the upright been destroyed?

8My experience shows that those who plant trouble

and cultivate evil will harvest the same.

9A breath from God destroys them.

They vanish in a blast of his anger.

10The lion roars and the wildcat snarls,

but the teeth of strong lions will be broken.

11The fierce lion will starve for lack of prey,

and the cubs of the lioness will be scattered.

12“This truth was given to me in secret,

as though whispered in my ear.

13It came to me in a disturbing vision at night,

when people are in a deep sleep.

14Fear gripped me,

and my bones trembled.

15A spirit*4:15a Or wind; also in 4:16. swept past my face,

and my hair stood on end.*4:15b Or its wind sent shivers up my spine.

16The spirit stopped, but I couldn’t see its shape.

There was a form before my eyes.

In the silence I heard a voice say,

17‘Can a mortal be innocent before God?

Can anyone be pure before the Creator?’

18“If God does not trust his own angels

and has charged his messengers with foolishness,

19how much less will he trust people made of clay!

They are made of dust, crushed as easily as a moth.

20They are alive in the morning but dead by evening,

gone forever without a trace.

21Their tent-cords are pulled and the tent collapses,

and they die in ignorance.

Job 5

Eliphaz’s Response Continues

1“Cry for help, but will anyone answer you?

Which of the angels*5:1 Hebrew the holy ones. will help you?

2Surely resentment destroys the fool,

and jealousy kills the simple.

3I have seen that fools may be successful for the moment,

but then comes sudden disaster.

4Their children are abandoned far from help;

they are crushed in court with no one to defend them.

5The hungry devour their harvest,

even when it is guarded by brambles.*5:5a The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.

The thirsty pant after their wealth.*5:5b As in Greek and Syriac versions; Hebrew reads A snare snatches their wealth.

6But evil does not spring from the soil,

and trouble does not sprout from the earth.

7People are born for trouble

as readily as sparks fly up from a fire.

8“If I were you, I would go to God

and present my case to him.

9He does great things too marvelous to understand.

He performs countless miracles.

10He gives rain for the earth

and water for the fields.

11He gives prosperity to the poor

and protects those who suffer.

12He frustrates the plans of schemers

so the work of their hands will not succeed.

13He traps the wise in their own cleverness

so their cunning schemes are thwarted.

14They find it is dark in the daytime,

and they grope at noon as if it were night.

15He rescues the poor from the cutting words of the strong,

and rescues them from the clutches of the powerful.

16And so at last the poor have hope,

and the snapping jaws of the wicked are shut.

17“But consider the joy of those corrected by God!

Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you sin.

18For though he wounds, he also bandages.

He strikes, but his hands also heal.

19From six disasters he will rescue you;

even in the seventh, he will keep you from evil.

20He will save you from death in time of famine,

from the power of the sword in time of war.

21You will be safe from slander

and have no fear when destruction comes.

22You will laugh at destruction and famine;

wild animals will not terrify you.

23You will be at peace with the stones of the field,

and its wild animals will be at peace with you.

24You will know that your home is safe.

When you survey your possessions, nothing will be missing.

25You will have many children;

your descendants will be as plentiful as grass!

26You will go to the grave at a ripe old age,

like a sheaf of grain harvested at the proper time!

27“We have studied life and found all this to be true.

Listen to my counsel, and apply it to yourself.”

Job 6

Job’s Second Speech: A Response to Eliphaz

1Then Job spoke again:

2“If my misery could be weighed

and my troubles be put on the scales,

3they would outweigh all the sands of the sea.

That is why I spoke impulsively.

4For the Almighty has struck me down with his arrows.

Their poison infects my spirit.

God’s terrors are lined up against me.

5Don’t I have a right to complain?

Don’t wild donkeys bray when they find no grass,

and oxen bellow when they have no food?

6Don’t people complain about unsalted food?

Does anyone want the tasteless white of an egg?*6:6 Or the tasteless juice of the mallow plant?

7My appetite disappears when I look at it;

I gag at the thought of eating it!

8“Oh, that I might have my request,

that God would grant my desire.

9I wish he would crush me.

I wish he would reach out his hand and kill me.

10At least I can take comfort in this:

Despite the pain,

I have not denied the words of the Holy One.

11But I don’t have the strength to endure.

I have nothing to live for.

12Do I have the strength of a stone?

Is my body made of bronze?

13No, I am utterly helpless,

without any chance of success.

14“One should be kind to a fainting friend,

but you accuse me without any fear of the Almighty.*6:14 Or friend, / or he might lose his fear of the Almighty.

15My brothers, you have proved as unreliable as a seasonal brook

that overflows its banks in the spring

16when it is swollen with ice and melting snow.

17But when the hot weather arrives, the water disappears.

The brook vanishes in the heat.

18The caravans turn aside to be refreshed,

but there is nothing to drink, so they die.

19The caravans from Tema search for this water;

the travelers from Sheba hope to find it.

20They count on it but are disappointed.

When they arrive, their hopes are dashed.

21You, too, have given no help.

You have seen my calamity, and you are afraid.

22But why? Have I ever asked you for a gift?

Have I begged for anything of yours for myself?

23Have I asked you to rescue me from my enemies,

or to save me from ruthless people?

24Teach me, and I will keep quiet.

Show me what I have done wrong.

25Honest words can be painful,

but what do your criticisms amount to?

26Do you think your words are convincing

when you disregard my cry of desperation?

27You would even send an orphan into slavery*6:27 Hebrew even gamble over an orphan.

or sell a friend.

28Look at me!

Would I lie to your face?

29Stop assuming my guilt,

for I have done no wrong.

30Do you think I am lying?

Don’t I know the difference between right and wrong?

Job 7

1“Is not all human life a struggle?

Our lives are like that of a hired hand,

2like a worker who longs for the shade,

like a servant waiting to be paid.

3I, too, have been assigned months of futility,

long and weary nights of misery.

4Lying in bed, I think, ‘When will it be morning?’

But the night drags on, and I toss till dawn.

5My body is covered with maggots and scabs.

My skin breaks open, oozing with pus.

Job Cries Out to God

6“My days fly faster than a weaver’s shuttle.

They end without hope.

7O God, remember that my life is but a breath,

and I will never again feel happiness.

8You see me now, but not for long.

You will look for me, but I will be gone.

9Just as a cloud dissipates and vanishes,

those who die*7:9 Hebrew who go down to Sheol. will not come back.

10They are gone forever from their home—

never to be seen again.

11“I cannot keep from speaking.

I must express my anguish.

My bitter soul must complain.

12Am I a sea monster or a dragon

that you must place me under guard?

13I think, ‘My bed will comfort me,

and sleep will ease my misery,’

14but then you shatter me with dreams

and terrify me with visions.

15I would rather be strangled—

rather die than suffer like this.

16I hate my life and don’t want to go on living.

Oh, leave me alone for my few remaining days.

17“What are people, that you should make so much of us,

that you should think of us so often?

18For you examine us every morning

and test us every moment.

19Why won’t you leave me alone,

at least long enough for me to swallow!

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

O watcher of all humanity?

Why make me your target?

Am I a burden to you?*7:20 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads target, so that I am a burden to myself?

21Why not just forgive my sin

and take away my guilt?

For soon I will lie down in the dust and die.

When you look for me, I will be gone.”

Job 8

Bildad’s First Response to Job

1Then Bildad the Shuhite replied to Job:

2“How long will you go on like this?

You sound like a blustering wind.

3Does God twist justice?

Does the Almighty twist what is right?

4Your children must have sinned against him,

so their punishment was well deserved.

5But if you pray to God

and seek the favor of the Almighty,

6and if you are pure and live with integrity,

he will surely rise up and restore your happy home.

7And though you started with little,

you will end with much.

8“Just ask the previous generation.

Pay attention to the experience of our ancestors.

9For we were born but yesterday and know nothing.

Our days on earth are as fleeting as a shadow.

10But those who came before us will teach you.

They will teach you the wisdom of old.

11“Can papyrus reeds grow tall without a marsh?

Can marsh grass flourish without water?

12While they are still flowering, not ready to be cut,

they begin to wither more quickly than grass.

13The same happens to all who forget God.

The hopes of the godless evaporate.

14Their confidence hangs by a thread.

They are leaning on a spider’s web.

15They cling to their home for security, but it won’t last.

They try to hold it tight, but it will not endure.

16The godless seem like a lush plant growing in the sunshine,

its branches spreading across the garden.

17Its roots grow down through a pile of stones;

it takes hold on a bed of rocks.

18But when it is uprooted,

it’s as though it never existed!

19That’s the end of its life,

and others spring up from the earth to replace it.

20“But look, God will not reject a person of integrity,

nor will he lend a hand to the wicked.

21He will once again fill your mouth with laughter

and your lips with shouts of joy.

22Those who hate you will be clothed with shame,

and the home of the wicked will be destroyed.”

Job 9

Job’s Third Speech: A Response to Bildad

1Then Job spoke again:

2“Yes, I know all this is true in principle.

But how can a person be declared innocent in God’s sight?

3If someone wanted to take God to court,*9:3 Or If God wanted to take someone to court.

would it be possible to answer him even once in a thousand times?

4For God is so wise and so mighty.

Who has ever challenged him successfully?

5“Without warning, he moves the mountains,

overturning them in his anger.

6He shakes the earth from its place,

and its foundations tremble.

7If he commands it, the sun won’t rise

and the stars won’t shine.

8He alone has spread out the heavens

and marches on the waves of the sea.

9He made all the stars—the Bear and Orion,

the Pleiades and the constellations of the southern sky.

10He does great things too marvelous to understand.

He performs countless miracles.

11“Yet when he comes near, I cannot see him.

When he moves by, I do not see him go.

12If he snatches someone in death, who can stop him?

Who dares to ask, ‘What are you doing?’

13And God does not restrain his anger.

Even the monsters of the sea*9:13 Hebrew the helpers of Rahab, the name of a mythical sea monster that represents chaos in ancient literature. are crushed beneath his feet.

14“So who am I, that I should try to answer God

or even reason with him?

15Even if I were right, I would have no defense.

I could only plead for mercy.

16And even if I summoned him and he responded,

I’m not sure he would listen to me.

17For he attacks me with a storm

and repeatedly wounds me without cause.

18He will not let me catch my breath,

but fills me instead with bitter sorrows.

19If it’s a question of strength, he’s the strong one.

If it’s a matter of justice, who dares to summon him*9:19 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads me. to court?

20Though I am innocent, my own mouth would pronounce me guilty.

Though I am blameless, it*9:20 Or he. would prove me wicked.

21“I am innocent,

but it makes no difference to me—

I despise my life.

22Innocent or wicked, it is all the same to God.

That’s why I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’

23When a plague*9:23 Or disaster. sweeps through,

he laughs at the death of the innocent.

24The whole earth is in the hands of the wicked,

and God blinds the eyes of the judges.

If he’s not the one who does it, who is?

25“My life passes more swiftly than a runner.

It flees away without a glimpse of happiness.

26It disappears like a swift papyrus boat,

like an eagle swooping down on its prey.

27If I decided to forget my complaints,

to put away my sad face and be cheerful,

28I would still dread all the pain,

for I know you will not find me innocent, O God.

29Whatever happens, I will be found guilty.

So what’s the use of trying?

30Even if I were to wash myself with soap

and clean my hands with lye,

31you would plunge me into a muddy ditch,

and my own filthy clothing would hate me.

32“God is not a mortal like me,

so I cannot argue with him or take him to trial.

33If only there were a mediator between us,

someone who could bring us together.

34The mediator could make God stop beating me,

and I would no longer live in terror of his punishment.

35Then I could speak to him without fear,

but I cannot do that in my own strength.

Job 10

Job Frames His Plea to God

1“I am disgusted with my life.

Let me complain freely.

My bitter soul must complain.

2I will say to God, ‘Don’t simply condemn me—

tell me the charge you are bringing against me.

3What do you gain by oppressing me?

Why do you reject me, the work of your own hands,

while smiling on the schemes of the wicked?

4Are your eyes like those of a human?

Do you see things only as people see them?

5Is your lifetime only as long as ours?

Is your life so short

6that you must quickly probe for my guilt

and search for my sin?

7Although you know I am not guilty,

no one can rescue me from your hands.

8“‘You formed me with your hands; you made me,

yet now you completely destroy me.

9Remember that you made me from dust—

will you turn me back to dust so soon?

10You guided my conception

and formed me in the womb.*10:10 Hebrew You poured me out like milk / and curdled me like cheese.

11You clothed me with skin and flesh,

and you knit my bones and sinews together.

12You gave me life and showed me your unfailing love.

My life was preserved by your care.

13“‘Yet your real motive—

your true intent—

14was to watch me, and if I sinned,

you would not forgive my guilt.

15If I am guilty, too bad for me;

and even if I’m innocent, I can’t hold my head high,

because I am filled with shame and misery.

16And if I hold my head high, you hunt me like a lion

and display your awesome power against me.

17Again and again you witness against me.

You pour out your growing anger on me

and bring fresh armies against me.

18“‘Why, then, did you deliver me from my mother’s womb?

Why didn’t you let me die at birth?

19It would be as though I had never existed,

going directly from the womb to the grave.

20I have only a few days left, so leave me alone,

that I may have a moment of comfort

21before I leave—never to return—

for the land of darkness and utter gloom.

22It is a land as dark as midnight,

a land of gloom and confusion,

where even the light is dark as midnight.’”

Job 11

Zophar’s First Response to Job

1Then Zophar the Naamathite replied to Job:

2“Shouldn’t someone answer this torrent of words?

Is a person proved innocent just by a lot of talking?

3Should I remain silent while you babble on?

When you mock God, shouldn’t someone make you ashamed?

4You claim, ‘My beliefs are pure,’

and ‘I am clean in the sight of God.’

5If only God would speak;

if only he would tell you what he thinks!

6If only he would tell you the secrets of wisdom,

for true wisdom is not a simple matter.

Listen! God is doubtless punishing you

far less than you deserve!

7“Can you solve the mysteries of God?

Can you discover everything about the Almighty?

8Such knowledge is higher than the heavens—

and who are you?

It is deeper than the underworld*11:8 Hebrew than Sheol.—

what do you know?

9It is broader than the earth

and wider than the sea.

10If God comes and puts a person in prison

or calls the court to order, who can stop him?

11For he knows those who are false,

and he takes note of all their sins.

12An empty-headed person won’t become wise

any more than a wild donkey can bear a human child.*11:12 Or than a wild male donkey can bear a tame colt.

13“If only you would prepare your heart

and lift up your hands to him in prayer!

14Get rid of your sins,

and leave all iniquity behind you.

15Then your face will brighten with innocence.

You will be strong and free of fear.

16You will forget your misery;

it will be like water flowing away.

17Your life will be brighter than the noonday.

Even darkness will be as bright as morning.

18Having hope will give you courage.

You will be protected and will rest in safety.

19You will lie down unafraid,

and many will look to you for help.

20But the wicked will be blinded.

They will have no escape.

Their only hope is death.”

Job 12

Job’s Fourth Speech: A Response to Zophar

1Then Job spoke again:

2“You people really know everything, don’t you?

And when you die, wisdom will die with you!

3Well, I know a few things myself—

and you’re no better than I am.

Who doesn’t know these things you’ve been saying?

4Yet my friends laugh at me,

for I call on God and expect an answer.

I am a just and blameless man,

yet they laugh at me.

5People who are at ease mock those in trouble.

They give a push to people who are stumbling.

6But robbers are left in peace,

and those who provoke God live in safety—

though God keeps them in his power.*12:6 Or safety—those who try to manipulate God. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.

7“Just ask the animals, and they will teach you.

Ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you.

8Speak to the earth, and it will instruct you.

Let the fish in the sea speak to you.

9For they all know

that my disaster*12:9 Hebrew that this. has come from the hand of the Lord.

10For the life of every living thing is in his hand,

and the breath of every human being.

11The ear tests the words it hears

just as the mouth distinguishes between foods.

12Wisdom belongs to the aged,

and understanding to the old.

13“But true wisdom and power are found in God;

counsel and understanding are his.

14What he destroys cannot be rebuilt.

When he puts someone in prison, there is no escape.

15If he holds back the rain, the earth becomes a desert.

If he releases the waters, they flood the earth.

16Yes, strength and wisdom are his;

deceivers and deceived are both in his power.

17He leads counselors away, stripped of good judgment;

wise judges become fools.

18He removes the royal robe of kings.

They are led away with ropes around their waist.

19He leads priests away, stripped of status;

he overthrows those with long years in power.

20He silences the trusted adviser

and removes the insight of the elders.

21He pours disgrace upon princes

and disarms the strong.

22“He uncovers mysteries hidden in darkness;

he brings light to the deepest gloom.

23He builds up nations, and he destroys them.

He expands nations, and he abandons them.

24He strips kings of understanding

and leaves them wandering in a pathless wasteland.

25They grope in the darkness without a light.

He makes them stagger like drunkards.

Job 13

Job Wants to Argue His Case with God

1“Look, I have seen all this with my own eyes

and heard it with my own ears, and now I understand.

2I know as much as you do.

You are no better than I am.

3As for me, I would speak directly to the Almighty.

I want to argue my case with God himself.

4As for you, you smear me with lies.

As physicians, you are worthless quacks.

5If only you could be silent!

That’s the wisest thing you could do.

6Listen to my charge;

pay attention to my arguments.

7“Are you defending God with lies?

Do you make your dishonest arguments for his sake?

8Will you slant your testimony in his favor?

Will you argue God’s case for him?

9What will happen when he finds out what you are doing?

Can you fool him as easily as you fool people?

10No, you will be in trouble with him

if you secretly slant your testimony in his favor.

11Doesn’t his majesty terrify you?

Doesn’t your fear of him overwhelm you?

12Your platitudes are as valuable as ashes.

Your defense is as fragile as a clay pot.

13“Be silent now and leave me alone.

Let me speak, and I will face the consequences.

14Why should I put myself in mortal danger*13:14 Hebrew Why should I take my flesh in my teeth.

and take my life in my own hands?

15God might kill me, but I have no other hope.*13:15 An alternate reading in the Masoretic Text reads God might kill me, but I hope in him.

I am going to argue my case with him.

16But this is what will save me—I am not godless.

If I were, I could not stand before him.

17“Listen closely to what I am about to say.

Hear me out.

18I have prepared my case;

I will be proved innocent.

19Who can argue with me over this?

And if you prove me wrong, I will remain silent and die.

Job Asks How He Has Sinned

20“O God, grant me these two things,

and then I will be able to face you.

21Remove your heavy hand from me,

and don’t terrify me with your awesome presence.

22Now summon me, and I will answer!

Or let me speak to you, and you reply.

23Tell me, what have I done wrong?

Show me my rebellion and my sin.

24Why do you turn away from me?

Why do you treat me as your enemy?

25Would you terrify a leaf blown by the wind?

Would you chase dry straw?

26“You write bitter accusations against me

and bring up all the sins of my youth.

27You put my feet in stocks.

You examine all my paths.

You trace all my footprints.

28I waste away like rotting wood,

like a moth-eaten coat.

Job 14

1“How frail is humanity!

How short is life, how full of trouble!

2We blossom like a flower and then wither.

Like a passing shadow, we quickly disappear.

3Must you keep an eye on such a frail creature

and demand an accounting from me?

4Who can bring purity out of an impure person?

No one!

5You have decided the length of our lives.

You know how many months we will live,

and we are not given a minute longer.

6So leave us alone and let us rest!

We are like hired hands, so let us finish our work in peace.

7“Even a tree has more hope!

If it is cut down, it will sprout again

and grow new branches.

8Though its roots have grown old in the earth

and its stump decays,

9at the scent of water it will bud

and sprout again like a new seedling.

10“But when people die, their strength is gone.

They breathe their last, and then where are they?

11As water evaporates from a lake

and a river disappears in drought,

12people are laid to rest and do not rise again.

Until the heavens are no more, they will not wake up

nor be roused from their sleep.

13“I wish you would hide me in the grave*14:13 Hebrew in Sheol.

and forget me there until your anger has passed.

But mark your calendar to think of me again!

14Can the dead live again?

If so, this would give me hope through all my years of struggle,

and I would eagerly await the release of death.

15You would call and I would answer,

and you would yearn for me, your handiwork.

16For then you would guard my steps,

instead of watching for my sins.

17My sins would be sealed in a pouch,

and you would cover my guilt.

18“But instead, as mountains fall and crumble

and as rocks fall from a cliff,

19as water wears away the stones

and floods wash away the soil,

so you destroy people’s hope.

20You always overpower them, and they pass from the scene.

You disfigure them in death and send them away.

21They never know if their children grow up in honor

or sink to insignificance.

22They suffer painfully;

their life is full of trouble.”

Job 15

Eliphaz’s Second Response to Job

1Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:

2“A wise man wouldn’t answer with such empty talk!

You are nothing but a windbag.

3The wise don’t engage in empty chatter.

What good are such words?

4Have you no fear of God,

no reverence for him?

5Your sins are telling your mouth what to say.

Your words are based on clever deception.

6Your own mouth condemns you, not I.

Your own lips testify against you.

7“Were you the first person ever born?

Were you born before the hills were made?

8Were you listening at God’s secret council?

Do you have a monopoly on wisdom?

9What do you know that we don’t?

What do you understand that we do not?

10On our side are aged, gray-haired men

much older than your father!

11“Is God’s comfort too little for you?

Is his gentle word not enough?

12What has taken away your reason?

What has weakened your vision,*15:12 Or Why do your eyes flash with anger; Hebrew reads Why do your eyes blink.

13that you turn against God

and say all these evil things?

14Can any mortal be pure?

Can anyone born of a woman be just?

15Look, God does not even trust the angels.*15:15 Hebrew the holy ones.

Even the heavens are not absolutely pure in his sight.

16How much less pure is a corrupt and sinful person

with a thirst for wickedness!

17“If you will listen, I will show you.

I will answer you from my own experience.

18And it is confirmed by the reports of wise men

who have heard the same thing from their fathers—

19from those to whom the land was given

long before any foreigners arrived.

20“The wicked writhe in pain throughout their lives.

Years of trouble are stored up for the ruthless.

21The sound of terror rings in their ears,

and even on good days they fear the attack of the destroyer.

22They dare not go out into the darkness

for fear they will be murdered.

23They wander around, saying, ‘Where can I find bread?’*15:23 Greek version reads He is appointed to be food for a vulture.

They know their day of destruction is near.

24That dark day terrifies them.

They live in distress and anguish,

like a king preparing for battle.

25For they shake their fists at God,

defying the Almighty.

26Holding their strong shields,

they defiantly charge against him.

27“These wicked people are heavy and prosperous;

their waists bulge with fat.

28But their cities will be ruined.

They will live in abandoned houses

that are ready to tumble down.

29Their riches will not last,

and their wealth will not endure.

Their possessions will no longer spread across the horizon.

30“They will not escape the darkness.

The burning sun will wither their shoots,

and the breath of God will destroy them.

31Let them no longer fool themselves by trusting in empty riches,

for emptiness will be their only reward.

32They will be cut down in the prime of life;

their branches will never again be green.

33They will be like a vine whose grapes are harvested too early,

like an olive tree that loses its blossoms before the fruit can form.

34For the godless are barren.

Their homes, enriched through bribery, will burn.

35They conceive trouble and give birth to evil.

Their womb produces deceit.”

Job 16

Job’s Fifth Speech: A Response to Eliphaz

1Then Job spoke again:

2“I have heard all this before.

What miserable comforters you are!

3Won’t you ever stop blowing hot air?

What makes you keep on talking?

4I could say the same things if you were in my place.

I could spout off criticism and shake my head at you.

5But if it were me, I would encourage you.

I would try to take away your grief.

6Instead, I suffer if I defend myself,

and I suffer no less if I refuse to speak.

7“O God, you have ground me down

and devastated my family.

8As if to prove I have sinned, you’ve reduced me to skin and bones.

My gaunt flesh testifies against me.

9God hates me and angrily tears me apart.

He snaps his teeth at me

and pierces me with his eyes.

10People jeer and laugh at me.

They slap my cheek in contempt.

A mob gathers against me.

11God has handed me over to sinners.

He has tossed me into the hands of the wicked.

12“I was living quietly until he shattered me.

He took me by the neck and broke me in pieces.

Then he set me up as his target,

13and now his archers surround me.

His arrows pierce me without mercy.

The ground is wet with my blood.*16:13 Hebrew my gall.

14Again and again he smashes against me,

charging at me like a warrior.

15I wear burlap to show my grief.

My pride lies in the dust.

16My eyes are red with weeping;

dark shadows circle my eyes.

17Yet I have done no wrong,

and my prayer is pure.

18“O earth, do not conceal my blood.

Let it cry out on my behalf.

19Even now my witness is in heaven.

My advocate is there on high.

20My friends scorn me,

but I pour out my tears to God.

21I need someone to mediate between God and me,

as a person mediates between friends.

22For soon I must go down that road

from which I will never return.

Job 17

Job Continues to Defend His Innocence

1“My spirit is crushed,

and my life is nearly snuffed out.

The grave is ready to receive me.

2I am surrounded by mockers.

I watch how bitterly they taunt me.

3“You must defend my innocence, O God,

since no one else will stand up for me.

4You have closed their minds to understanding,

but do not let them triumph.

5They betray their friends for their own advantage,

so let their children faint with hunger.

6“God has made a mockery of me among the people;

they spit in my face.

7My eyes are swollen with weeping,

and I am but a shadow of my former self.

8The virtuous are horrified when they see me.

The innocent rise up against the ungodly.

9The righteous keep moving forward,

and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.

10“As for all of you, come back with a better argument,

though I still won’t find a wise man among you.

11My days are over.

My hopes have disappeared.

My heart’s desires are broken.

12These men say that night is day;

they claim that the darkness is light.

13What if I go to the grave*17:13 Hebrew to Sheol; also in 17:16.

and make my bed in darkness?

14What if I call the grave my father,

and the maggot my mother or my sister?

15Where then is my hope?

Can anyone find it?

16No, my hope will go down with me to the grave.

We will rest together in the dust!”

Job 18

Bildad’s Second Response to Job

1Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:

2“How long before you stop talking?

Speak sense if you want us to answer!

3Do you think we are mere animals?

Do you think we are stupid?

4You may tear out your hair in anger,

but will that destroy the earth?

Will it make the rocks tremble?

5“Surely the light of the wicked will be snuffed out.

The sparks of their fire will not glow.

6The light in their tent will grow dark.

The lamp hanging above them will be quenched.

7The confident stride of the wicked will be shortened.

Their own schemes will be their downfall.

8The wicked walk into a net.

They fall into a pit.

9A trap grabs them by the heel.

A snare holds them tight.

10A noose lies hidden on the ground.

A rope is stretched across their path.

11“Terrors surround the wicked

and trouble them at every step.

12Hunger depletes their strength,

and calamity waits for them to stumble.

13Disease eats their skin;

death devours their limbs.

14They are torn from the security of their homes

and are brought down to the king of terrors.

15The homes of the wicked will burn down;

burning sulfur rains on their houses.

16Their roots will dry up,

and their branches will wither.

17All memory of their existence will fade from the earth;

no one will remember their names.

18They will be thrust from light into darkness,

driven from the world.

19They will have neither children nor grandchildren,

nor any survivor in the place where they lived.

20People in the west are appalled at their fate;

people in the east are horrified.

21They will say, ‘This was the home of a wicked person,

the place of one who rejected God.’”

Job 19

Job’s Sixth Speech: A Response to Bildad

1Then Job spoke again:

2“How long will you torture me?

How long will you try to crush me with your words?

3You have already insulted me ten times.

You should be ashamed of treating me so badly.

4Even if I have sinned,

that is my concern, not yours.

5You think you’re better than I am,

using my humiliation as evidence of my sin.

6But it is God who has wronged me,

capturing me in his net.*19:6 Or for I am like a city under siege.

7“I cry out, ‘Help!’ but no one answers me.

I protest, but there is no justice.

8God has blocked my way so I cannot move.

He has plunged my path into darkness.

9He has stripped me of my honor

and removed the crown from my head.

10He has demolished me on every side, and I am finished.

He has uprooted my hope like a fallen tree.

11His fury burns against me;

he counts me as an enemy.

12His troops advance.

They build up roads to attack me.

They camp all around my tent.

13“My relatives stay far away,

and my friends have turned against me.

14My family is gone,

and my close friends have forgotten me.

15My servants and maids consider me a stranger.

I am like a foreigner to them.

16When I call my servant, he doesn’t come;

I have to plead with him!

17My breath is repulsive to my wife.

I am rejected by my own family.

18Even young children despise me.

When I stand to speak, they turn their backs on me.

19My close friends detest me.

Those I loved have turned against me.

20I have been reduced to skin and bones

and have escaped death by the skin of my teeth.

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

for the hand of God has struck me.

22Must you also persecute me, like God does?

Haven’t you chewed me up enough?

23“Oh, that my words could be recorded.

Oh, that they could be inscribed on a monument,

24carved with an iron chisel and filled with lead,

engraved forever in the rock.

25“But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,

and he will stand upon the earth at last.

26And after my body has decayed,

yet in my body I will see God!*19:26 Or without my body I will see God. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.

27I will see him for myself.

Yes, I will see him with my own eyes.

I am overwhelmed at the thought!

28“How dare you go on persecuting me,

saying, ‘It’s his own fault’?

29You should fear punishment yourselves,

for your attitude deserves punishment.

Then you will know that there is indeed a judgment.”

Job 20

Zophar’s Second Response to Job

1Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:

2“I must reply

because I am greatly disturbed.

3I’ve had to endure your insults,

but now my spirit prompts me to reply.

4“Don’t you realize that from the beginning of time,

ever since people were first placed on the earth,

5the triumph of the wicked has been short lived

and the joy of the godless has been only temporary?

6Though the pride of the godless reaches to the heavens

and their heads touch the clouds,

7yet they will vanish forever,

thrown away like their own dung.

Those who knew them will ask,

‘Where are they?’

8They will fade like a dream and not be found.

They will vanish like a vision in the night.

9Those who once saw them will see them no more.

Their families will never see them again.

10Their children will beg from the poor,

for they must give back their stolen riches.

11Though they are young,

their bones will lie in the dust.

12“They enjoyed the sweet taste of wickedness,

letting it melt under their tongue.

13They savored it,

holding it long in their mouths.

14But suddenly the food in their bellies turns sour,

a poisonous venom in their stomach.

15They will vomit the wealth they swallowed.

God won’t let them keep it down.

16They will suck the poison of cobras.

The viper will kill them.

17They will never again enjoy streams of olive oil

or rivers of milk and honey.

18They will give back everything they worked for.

Their wealth will bring them no joy.

19For they oppressed the poor and left them destitute.

They foreclosed on their homes.

20They were always greedy and never satisfied.

Nothing remains of all the things they dreamed about.

21Nothing is left after they finish gorging themselves.

Therefore, their prosperity will not endure.

22“In the midst of plenty, they will run into trouble

and be overcome by misery.

23May God give them a bellyful of trouble.

May God rain down his anger upon them.

24When they try to escape an iron weapon,

a bronze-tipped arrow will pierce them.

25The arrow is pulled from their back,

and the arrowhead glistens with blood.*20:25 Hebrew with gall.

The terrors of death are upon them.

26Their treasures will be thrown into deepest darkness.

A wildfire will devour their goods,

consuming all they have left.

27The heavens will reveal their guilt,

and the earth will testify against them.

28A flood will sweep away their house.

God’s anger will descend on them in torrents.

29This is the reward that God gives the wicked.

It is the inheritance decreed by God.”

Job 21

Job’s Seventh Speech: A Response to Zophar

1Then Job spoke again:

2“Listen closely to what I am saying.

That’s one consolation you can give me.

3Bear with me, and let me speak.

After I have spoken, you may resume mocking me.

4“My complaint is with God, not with people.

I have good reason to be so impatient.

5Look at me and be stunned.

Put your hand over your mouth in shock.

6When I think about what I am saying, I shudder.

My body trembles.

7“Why do the wicked prosper,

growing old and powerful?

8They live to see their children grow up and settle down,

and they enjoy their grandchildren.

9Their homes are safe from every fear,

and God does not punish them.

10Their bulls never fail to breed.

Their cows bear calves and never miscarry.

11They let their children frisk about like lambs.

Their little ones skip and dance.

12They sing with tambourine and harp.

They celebrate to the sound of the flute.

13They spend their days in prosperity,

then go down to the grave*21:13 Hebrew to Sheol. in peace.

14And yet they say to God, ‘Go away.

We want no part of you and your ways.

15Who is the Almighty, and why should we obey him?

What good will it do us to pray?’

16(They think their prosperity is of their own doing,

but I will have nothing to do with that kind of thinking.)

17“Yet the light of the wicked never seems to be extinguished.

Do they ever have trouble?

Does God distribute sorrows to them in anger?

18Are they driven before the wind like straw?

Are they carried away by the storm like chaff?

Not at all!

19“‘Well,’ you say, ‘at least God will punish their children!’

But I say he should punish the ones who sin,

so that they understand his judgment.

20Let them see their destruction with their own eyes.

Let them drink deeply of the anger of the Almighty.

21For they will not care what happens to their family

after they are dead.

22“But who can teach a lesson to God,

since he judges even the most powerful?

23One person dies in prosperity,

completely comfortable and secure,

24the picture of good health,

vigorous and fit.

25Another person dies in bitter poverty,

never having tasted the good life.

26But both are buried in the same dust,

both eaten by the same maggots.

27“Look, I know what you’re thinking.

I know the schemes you plot against me.

28You will tell me of rich and wicked people

whose houses have vanished because of their sins.

29But ask those who have been around,

and they will tell you the truth.

30Evil people are spared in times of calamity

and are allowed to escape disaster.

31No one criticizes them openly

or pays them back for what they have done.

32When they are carried to the grave,

an honor guard keeps watch at their tomb.

33A great funeral procession goes to the cemetery.

Many pay their respects as the body is laid to rest,

and the earth gives sweet repose.

34“How can your empty clichés comfort me?

All your explanations are lies!”

Job 22

Eliphaz’s Third Response to Job

1Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:

2“Can a person do anything to help God?

Can even a wise person be helpful to him?

3Is it any advantage to the Almighty if you are righteous?

Would it be any gain to him if you were perfect?

4Is it because you’re so pious that he accuses you

and brings judgment against you?

5No, it’s because of your wickedness!

There’s no limit to your sins.

6“For example, you must have lent money to your friend

and demanded clothing as security.

Yes, you stripped him to the bone.

7You must have refused water for the thirsty

and food for the hungry.

8You probably think the land belongs to the powerful

and only the privileged have a right to it!

9You must have sent widows away empty-handed

and crushed the hopes of orphans.

10That is why you are surrounded by traps

and tremble from sudden fears.

11That is why you cannot see in the darkness,

and waves of water cover you.

12“God is so great—higher than the heavens,

higher than the farthest stars.

13But you reply, ‘That’s why God can’t see what I am doing!

How can he judge through the thick darkness?

14For thick clouds swirl about him, and he cannot see us.

He is way up there, walking on the vault of heaven.’

15“Will you continue on the old paths

where evil people have walked?

16They were snatched away in the prime of life,

the foundations of their lives washed away.

17For they said to God, ‘Leave us alone!

What can the Almighty do to us?’

18Yet he was the one who filled their homes with good things,

so I will have nothing to do with that kind of thinking.

19“The righteous will be happy to see the wicked destroyed,

and the innocent will laugh in contempt.

20They will say, ‘See how our enemies have been destroyed.

The last of them have been consumed in the fire.’

21“Submit to God, and you will have peace;

then things will go well for you.

22Listen to his instructions,

and store them in your heart.

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

so clean up your life.

24If you give up your lust for money

and throw your precious gold into the river,

25the Almighty himself will be your treasure.

He will be your precious silver!

26“Then you will take delight in the Almighty

and look up to God.

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

and you will fulfill your vows to him.

28You will succeed in whatever you choose to do,

and light will shine on the road ahead of you.

29If people are in trouble and you say, ‘Help them,’

God will save them.

30Even sinners will be rescued;

they will be rescued because your hands are pure.”

Job 23

Job’s Eighth Speech: A Response to Eliphaz

1Then Job spoke again:

2“My complaint today is still a bitter one,

and I try hard not to groan aloud.

3If only I knew where to find God,

I would go to his court.

4I would lay out my case

and present my arguments.

5Then I would listen to his reply

and understand what he says to me.

6Would he use his great power to argue with me?

No, he would give me a fair hearing.

7Honest people can reason with him,

so I would be forever acquitted by my judge.

8I go east, but he is not there.

I go west, but I cannot find him.

9I do not see him in the north, for he is hidden.

I look to the south, but he is concealed.

10“But he knows where I am going.

And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.

11For I have stayed on God’s paths;

I have followed his ways and not turned aside.