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Job 25-30
New International Version
Job 25-30
New International Version
Bildad
25 Then Bildad the Shuhite(A) replied:
2 “Dominion and awe belong to God;(B)
he establishes order in the heights of heaven.(C)
3 Can his forces be numbered?
On whom does his light not rise?(D)
4 How then can a mortal be righteous before God?
How can one born of woman be pure?(E)
5 If even the moon(F) is not bright
and the stars are not pure in his eyes,(G)
6 how much less a mortal, who is but a maggot—
a human being,(H) who is only a worm!”(I)
Job
26 Then Job replied:
2 “How you have helped the powerless!(J)
How you have saved the arm that is feeble!(K)
3 What advice you have offered to one without wisdom!
And what great insight(L) you have displayed!
4 Who has helped you utter these words?
And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?(M)
5 “The dead are in deep anguish,(N)
those beneath the waters and all that live in them.
6 The realm of the dead(O) is naked before God;
Destruction[a](P) lies uncovered.(Q)
7 He spreads out the northern skies(R) over empty space;
he suspends the earth over nothing.(S)
8 He wraps up the waters(T) in his clouds,(U)
yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
9 He covers the face of the full moon,
spreading his clouds(V) over it.
10 He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters(W)
for a boundary between light and darkness.(X)
11 The pillars of the heavens quake,(Y)
aghast at his rebuke.
12 By his power he churned up the sea;(Z)
by his wisdom(AA) he cut Rahab(AB) to pieces.
13 By his breath the skies(AC) became fair;
his hand pierced the gliding serpent.(AD)
14 And these are but the outer fringe of his works;
how faint the whisper(AE) we hear of him!(AF)
Who then can understand the thunder of his power?”(AG)
Job’s Final Word to His Friends
27 And Job continued his discourse:(AH)
2 “As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,(AI)
the Almighty,(AJ) who has made my life bitter,(AK)
3 as long as I have life within me,
the breath of God(AL) in my nostrils,
4 my lips will not say anything wicked,
and my tongue will not utter lies.(AM)
5 I will never admit you are in the right;
till I die, I will not deny my integrity.(AN)
6 I will maintain my innocence(AO) and never let go of it;
my conscience(AP) will not reproach me as long as I live.(AQ)
7 “May my enemy be like the wicked,(AR)
my adversary(AS) like the unjust!
8 For what hope have the godless(AT) when they are cut off,
when God takes away their life?(AU)
9 Does God listen to their cry
when distress comes upon them?(AV)
10 Will they find delight in the Almighty?(AW)
Will they call on God at all times?
11 “I will teach you about the power of God;
the ways(AX) of the Almighty I will not conceal.(AY)
12 You have all seen this yourselves.
Why then this meaningless talk?
13 “Here is the fate God allots to the wicked,
the heritage a ruthless man receives from the Almighty:(AZ)
14 However many his children,(BA) their fate is the sword;(BB)
his offspring will never have enough to eat.(BC)
15 The plague will bury those who survive him,
and their widows will not weep for them.(BD)
16 Though he heaps up silver like dust(BE)
and clothes like piles of clay,(BF)
17 what he lays up(BG) the righteous will wear,(BH)
and the innocent will divide his silver.(BI)
18 The house(BJ) he builds is like a moth’s cocoon,(BK)
like a hut(BL) made by a watchman.
19 He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;(BM)
when he opens his eyes, all is gone.(BN)
20 Terrors(BO) overtake him like a flood;(BP)
a tempest snatches him away in the night.(BQ)
21 The east wind(BR) carries him off, and he is gone;(BS)
it sweeps him out of his place.(BT)
22 It hurls itself against him without mercy(BU)
as he flees headlong(BV) from its power.(BW)
23 It claps its hands(BX) in derision
and hisses him out of his place.”(BY)
Interlude: Where Wisdom Is Found
28 There is a mine for silver
and a place where gold is refined.(BZ)
2 Iron is taken from the earth,
and copper is smelted from ore.(CA)
3 Mortals put an end to the darkness;(CB)
they search out the farthest recesses
for ore in the blackest darkness.(CC)
4 Far from human dwellings they cut a shaft,(CD)
in places untouched by human feet;
far from other people they dangle and sway.
5 The earth, from which food comes,(CE)
is transformed below as by fire;
6 lapis lazuli(CF) comes from its rocks,
and its dust contains nuggets of gold.(CG)
7 No bird of prey knows that hidden path,
no falcon’s eye has seen it.(CH)
8 Proud beasts(CI) do not set foot on it,
and no lion prowls there.(CJ)
9 People assault the flinty rock(CK) with their hands
and lay bare the roots of the mountains.(CL)
10 They tunnel through the rock;(CM)
their eyes see all its treasures.(CN)
11 They search[b] the sources of the rivers(CO)
and bring hidden things(CP) to light.
12 But where can wisdom be found?(CQ)
Where does understanding dwell?(CR)
13 No mortal comprehends its worth;(CS)
it cannot be found in the land of the living.(CT)
14 The deep(CU) says, “It is not in me”;
the sea(CV) says, “It is not with me.”
15 It cannot be bought with the finest gold,
nor can its price be weighed out in silver.(CW)
16 It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir,(CX)
with precious onyx or lapis lazuli.(CY)
17 Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it,(CZ)
nor can it be had for jewels of gold.(DA)
18 Coral(DB) and jasper(DC) are not worthy of mention;
the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.(DD)
19 The topaz(DE) of Cush(DF) cannot compare with it;
it cannot be bought with pure gold.(DG)
20 Where then does wisdom come from?
Where does understanding dwell?(DH)
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
concealed even from the birds in the sky.(DI)
22 Destruction[c](DJ) and Death(DK) say,
“Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.”
23 God understands the way to it
and he alone(DL) knows where it dwells,(DM)
24 for he views the ends of the earth(DN)
and sees everything under the heavens.(DO)
25 When he established the force of the wind
and measured out the waters,(DP)
26 when he made a decree for the rain(DQ)
and a path for the thunderstorm,(DR)
27 then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;
he confirmed it and tested it.(DS)
28 And he said to the human race,
“The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
and to shun evil(DT) is understanding.”(DU)
Job’s Final Defense
29 Job continued his discourse:(DV)
2 “How I long for the months gone by,(DW)
for the days when God watched over me,(DX)
3 when his lamp shone on my head
and by his light I walked through darkness!(DY)
4 Oh, for the days when I was in my prime,
when God’s intimate friendship(DZ) blessed my house,(EA)
5 when the Almighty was still with me
and my children(EB) were around me,(EC)
6 when my path was drenched with cream(ED)
and the rock(EE) poured out for me streams of olive oil.(EF)
7 “When I went to the gate(EG) of the city
and took my seat in the public square,
8 the young men saw me and stepped aside(EH)
and the old men rose to their feet;(EI)
9 the chief men refrained from speaking(EJ)
and covered their mouths with their hands;(EK)
10 the voices of the nobles were hushed,(EL)
and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.(EM)
11 Whoever heard me spoke well of me,
and those who saw me commended me,(EN)
12 because I rescued the poor(EO) who cried for help,
and the fatherless(EP) who had none to assist them.(EQ)
13 The one who was dying blessed me;(ER)
I made the widow’s(ES) heart sing.
14 I put on righteousness(ET) as my clothing;
justice was my robe and my turban.(EU)
15 I was eyes(EV) to the blind
and feet to the lame.(EW)
16 I was a father to the needy;(EX)
I took up the case(EY) of the stranger.(EZ)
17 I broke the fangs of the wicked
and snatched the victims(FA) from their teeth.(FB)
18 “I thought, ‘I will die in my own house,
my days as numerous as the grains of sand.(FC)
19 My roots will reach to the water,(FD)
and the dew will lie all night on my branches.(FE)
20 My glory will not fade;(FF)
the bow(FG) will be ever new in my hand.’(FH)
21 “People listened to me expectantly,
waiting in silence for my counsel.(FI)
22 After I had spoken, they spoke no more;(FJ)
my words fell gently on their ears.(FK)
23 They waited for me as for showers
and drank in my words as the spring rain.(FL)
24 When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it;
the light of my face(FM) was precious to them.[d](FN)
25 I chose the way for them and sat as their chief;(FO)
I dwelt as a king(FP) among his troops;
I was like one who comforts mourners.(FQ)
30 “But now they mock me,(FR)
men younger than I,
whose fathers I would have disdained
to put with my sheep dogs.(FS)
2 Of what use was the strength of their hands to me,
since their vigor had gone from them?
3 Haggard from want and hunger,
they roamed[e] the parched land(FT)
in desolate wastelands(FU) at night.(FV)
4 In the brush they gathered salt herbs,(FW)
and their food[f] was the root of the broom bush.(FX)
5 They were banished from human society,
shouted at as if they were thieves.
6 They were forced to live in the dry stream beds,
among the rocks and in holes in the ground.(FY)
7 They brayed(FZ) among the bushes(GA)
and huddled in the undergrowth.
8 A base and nameless brood,(GB)
they were driven out of the land.(GC)
9 “And now those young men mock me(GD) in song;(GE)
I have become a byword(GF) among them.
10 They detest me(GG) and keep their distance;
they do not hesitate to spit in my face.(GH)
11 Now that God has unstrung my bow(GI) and afflicted me,(GJ)
they throw off restraint(GK) in my presence.
12 On my right(GL) the tribe[g] attacks;
they lay snares(GM) for my feet,(GN)
they build their siege ramps against me.(GO)
13 They break up my road;(GP)
they succeed in destroying me.(GQ)
‘No one can help him,’ they say.
14 They advance as through a gaping breach;(GR)
amid the ruins they come rolling in.
15 Terrors(GS) overwhelm me;(GT)
my dignity is driven away as by the wind,
my safety vanishes like a cloud.(GU)
16 “And now my life ebbs away;(GV)
days of suffering grip me.(GW)
17 Night pierces my bones;
my gnawing pains never rest.(GX)
18 In his great power(GY) God becomes like clothing to me[h];
he binds me like the neck of my garment.
19 He throws me into the mud,(GZ)
and I am reduced to dust and ashes.(HA)
20 “I cry out to you,(HB) God, but you do not answer;(HC)
I stand up, but you merely look at me.
21 You turn on me ruthlessly;(HD)
with the might of your hand(HE) you attack me.(HF)
22 You snatch me up and drive me before the wind;(HG)
you toss me about in the storm.(HH)
23 I know you will bring me down to death,(HI)
to the place appointed for all the living.(HJ)
24 “Surely no one lays a hand on a broken man(HK)
when he cries for help in his distress.(HL)
25 Have I not wept for those in trouble?(HM)
Has not my soul grieved for the poor?(HN)
26 Yet when I hoped for good, evil came;
when I looked for light, then came darkness.(HO)
27 The churning inside me never stops;(HP)
days of suffering confront me.(HQ)
28 I go about blackened,(HR) but not by the sun;
I stand up in the assembly and cry for help.(HS)
29 I have become a brother of jackals,(HT)
a companion of owls.(HU)
30 My skin grows black(HV) and peels;(HW)
my body burns with fever.(HX)
31 My lyre is tuned to mourning,(HY)
and my pipe(HZ) to the sound of wailing.
Footnotes
- Job 26:6 Hebrew Abaddon
- Job 28:11 Septuagint, Aquila and Vulgate; Hebrew They dam up
- Job 28:22 Hebrew Abaddon
- Job 29:24 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
- Job 30:3 Or gnawed
- Job 30:4 Or fuel
- Job 30:12 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Job 30:18 Hebrew; Septuagint power he grasps my clothing
Job 25-30
King James Version
Job 25-30
King James Version
25 Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,
2 Dominion and fear are with him, he maketh peace in his high places.
3 Is there any number of his armies? and upon whom doth not his light arise?
4 How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?
5 Behold even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight.
6 How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?
26 But Job answered and said,
2 How hast thou helped him that is without power? how savest thou the arm that hath no strength?
3 How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom? and how hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is?
4 To whom hast thou uttered words? and whose spirit came from thee?
5 Dead things are formed from under the waters, and the inhabitants thereof.
6 Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering.
7 He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.
8 He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds; and the cloud is not rent under them.
9 He holdeth back the face of his throne, and spreadeth his cloud upon it.
10 He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end.
11 The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproof.
12 He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud.
13 By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.
14 Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?
27 Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,
2 As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul;
3 All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;
4 My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.
5 God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.
6 My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.
7 Let mine enemy be as the wicked, and he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous.
8 For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?
9 Will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him?
10 Will he delight himself in the Almighty? will he always call upon God?
11 I will teach you by the hand of God: that which is with the Almighty will I not conceal.
12 Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it; why then are ye thus altogether vain?
13 This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage of oppressors, which they shall receive of the Almighty.
14 If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword: and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.
15 Those that remain of him shall be buried in death: and his widows shall not weep.
16 Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay;
17 He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver.
18 He buildeth his house as a moth, and as a booth that the keeper maketh.
19 The rich man shall lie down, but he shall not be gathered: he openeth his eyes, and he is not.
20 Terrors take hold on him as waters, a tempest stealeth him away in the night.
21 The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth: and as a storm hurleth him out of his place.
22 For God shall cast upon him, and not spare: he would fain flee out of his hand.
23 Men shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his place.
28 Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it.
2 Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone.
3 He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death.
4 The flood breaketh out from the inhabitant; even the waters forgotten of the foot: they are dried up, they are gone away from men.
5 As for the earth, out of it cometh bread: and under it is turned up as it were fire.
6 The stones of it are the place of sapphires: and it hath dust of gold.
7 There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen:
8 The lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it.
9 He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots.
10 He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing.
11 He bindeth the floods from overflowing; and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light.
12 But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?
13 Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.
14 The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me.
15 It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.
16 It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
17 The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold.
18 No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies.
19 The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
20 Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?
21 Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.
22 Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.
23 God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.
24 For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;
25 To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.
26 When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder:
27 Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out.
28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
29 Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,
2 Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me;
3 When his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness;
4 As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle;
5 When the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were about me;
6 When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil;
7 When I went out to the gate through the city, when I prepared my seat in the street!
8 The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and the aged arose, and stood up.
9 The princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on their mouth.
10 The nobles held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.
11 When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me:
12 Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him.
13 The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.
14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.
15 I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame.
16 I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out.
17 And I brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.
18 Then I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand.
19 My root was spread out by the waters, and the dew lay all night upon my branch.
20 My glory was fresh in me, and my bow was renewed in my hand.
21 Unto me men gave ear, and waited, and kept silence at my counsel.
22 After my words they spake not again; and my speech dropped upon them.
23 And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.
24 If I laughed on them, they believed it not; and the light of my countenance they cast not down.
25 I chose out their way, and sat chief, and dwelt as a king in the army, as one that comforteth the mourners.
30 But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock.
2 Yea, whereto might the strength of their hands profit me, in whom old age was perished?
3 For want and famine they were solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste.
4 Who cut up mallows by the bushes, and juniper roots for their meat.
5 They were driven forth from among men, (they cried after them as after a thief;)
6 To dwell in the cliffs of the valleys, in caves of the earth, and in the rocks.
7 Among the bushes they brayed; under the nettles they were gathered together.
8 They were children of fools, yea, children of base men: they were viler than the earth.
9 And now am I their song, yea, I am their byword.
10 They abhor me, they flee far from me, and spare not to spit in my face.
11 Because he hath loosed my cord, and afflicted me, they have also let loose the bridle before me.
12 Upon my right hand rise the youth; they push away my feet, and they raise up against me the ways of their destruction.
13 They mar my path, they set forward my calamity, they have no helper.
14 They came upon me as a wide breaking in of waters: in the desolation they rolled themselves upon me.
15 Terrors are turned upon me: they pursue my soul as the wind: and my welfare passeth away as a cloud.
16 And now my soul is poured out upon me; the days of affliction have taken hold upon me.
17 My bones are pierced in me in the night season: and my sinews take no rest.
18 By the great force of my disease is my garment changed: it bindeth me about as the collar of my coat.
19 He hath cast me into the mire, and I am become like dust and ashes.
20 I cry unto thee, and thou dost not hear me: I stand up, and thou regardest me not.
21 Thou art become cruel to me: with thy strong hand thou opposest thyself against me.
22 Thou liftest me up to the wind; thou causest me to ride upon it, and dissolvest my substance.
23 For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living.
24 Howbeit he will not stretch out his hand to the grave, though they cry in his destruction.
25 Did not I weep for him that was in trouble? was not my soul grieved for the poor?
26 When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness.
27 My bowels boiled, and rested not: the days of affliction prevented me.
28 I went mourning without the sun: I stood up, and I cried in the congregation.
29 I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls.
30 My skin is black upon me, and my bones are burned with heat.
31 My harp also is turned to mourning, and my organ into the voice of them that weep.
Job 25-30
New King James Version
Job 25-30
New King James Version
Bildad: How Can Man Be Righteous?
25 Then (A)Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:
2 “Dominion and fear belong to Him;
He makes peace in His high places.
3 [a]Is there any number to His armies?
Upon whom does (B)His light not rise?
4 (C)How then can man be righteous before God?
Or how can he be (D)pure who is born of a woman?
5 If even the moon does not shine,
And the stars are not pure in His (E)sight,
6 How much less man, who is (F)a maggot,
And a son of man, who is a worm?”
Job: Man’s Frailty and God’s Majesty
26 But Job answered and said:
2 “How have you helped him who is without power?
How have you saved the arm that has no strength?
3 How have you counseled one who has no wisdom?
And how have you declared sound advice to many?
4 To whom have you uttered words?
And whose spirit came from you?
5 “The dead tremble,
Those under the waters and those inhabiting them.
6 (G)Sheol is naked before Him,
And Destruction has no covering.
7 (H)He stretches out the north over empty space;
He hangs the earth on nothing.
8 (I)He binds up the water in His thick clouds,
Yet the clouds [b]are not broken under it.
9 He covers the face of His throne,
And spreads His cloud over it.
10 (J)He drew a circular horizon on the face of the waters,
At the boundary of light and darkness.
11 The pillars of heaven tremble,
And are [c]astonished at His rebuke.
12 (K)He stirs up the sea with His power,
And by His understanding He breaks up [d]the storm.
13 (L)By His Spirit He adorned the heavens;
His hand pierced (M)the fleeing serpent.
14 Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?”
Job Maintains His Integrity
27 Moreover Job continued his discourse, and said:
2 “As God lives, (N)who has taken away my justice,
And the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,
3 As long as my breath is in me,
And the breath of God in my nostrils,
4 My lips will not speak wickedness,
Nor my tongue utter deceit.
5 Far be it from me
That I should say you are right;
Till I die (O)I will not put away my integrity from me.
6 My righteousness I (P)hold fast, and will not let it go;
(Q)My heart shall not [e]reproach me as long as I live.
7 “May my enemy be like the wicked,
And he who rises up against me like the unrighteous.
8 (R)For what is the hope of the hypocrite,
Though he may gain much,
If God takes away his life?
9 (S)Will God hear his cry
When trouble comes upon him?
10 (T)Will he delight himself in the Almighty?
Will he always call on God?
11 “I will teach you [f]about the hand of God;
What is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
12 Surely all of you have seen it;
Why then do you behave with complete nonsense?
13 “This(U) is the portion of a wicked man with God,
And the heritage of oppressors, received from the Almighty:
14 (V)If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword;
And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.
15 Those who survive him shall be buried in death,
And (W)their[g] widows shall not weep,
16 Though he heaps up silver like dust,
And piles up clothing like clay—
17 He may pile it up, but (X)the just will wear it,
And the innocent will divide the silver.
18 He builds his house like a [h]moth,
(Y)Like a [i]booth which a watchman makes.
19 The rich man will lie down,
[j]But not be gathered up;
He opens his eyes,
And he is (Z)no more.
20 (AA)Terrors overtake him like a flood;
A tempest steals him away in the night.
21 The east wind carries him away, and he is gone;
It sweeps him out of his place.
22 It hurls against him and does not (AB)spare;
He flees desperately from its [k]power.
23 Men shall clap their hands at him,
And shall hiss him out of his place.
Job’s Discourse on Wisdom
28 “Surely there is a mine for silver,
And a place where gold is refined.
2 Iron is taken from the [l]earth,
And copper is smelted from ore.
3 Man puts an end to darkness,
And searches every recess
For ore in the darkness and the shadow of death.
4 He breaks open a shaft away from people;
In places forgotten by feet
They hang far away from men;
They swing to and fro.
5 As for the earth, from it comes bread,
But underneath it is turned up as by fire;
6 Its stones are the source of sapphires,
And it contains gold dust.
7 That path no bird knows,
Nor has the falcon’s eye seen it.
8 The [m]proud lions have not trodden it,
Nor has the fierce lion passed over it.
9 He puts his hand on the flint;
He overturns the mountains [n]at the roots.
10 He cuts out channels in the rocks,
And his eye sees every precious thing.
11 He dams up the streams from trickling;
What is hidden he brings forth to light.
12 “But(AC) where can wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
13 Man does not know its (AD)value,
Nor is it found in the land of the living.
14 (AE)The deep says, ‘It is not in me’;
And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
15 It (AF)cannot be purchased for gold,
Nor can silver be weighed for its price.
16 It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
In precious onyx or sapphire.
17 Neither (AG)gold nor crystal can equal it,
Nor can it be exchanged for [o]jewelry of fine gold.
18 No mention shall be made of [p]coral or quartz,
For the price of wisdom is above (AH)rubies.
19 The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,
Nor can it be valued in pure (AI)gold.
20 “From(AJ) where then does wisdom come?
And where is the place of understanding?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of all living,
And concealed from the birds of the [q]air.
22 (AK)Destruction[r] and Death say,
‘We have heard a report about it with our ears.’
23 God understands its way,
And He knows its place.
24 For He looks to the ends of the earth,
And (AL)sees under the whole heavens,
25 (AM)To establish a weight for the wind,
And apportion the waters by measure.
26 When He (AN)made a law for the rain,
And a path for the thunderbolt,
27 Then He saw [s]wisdom and declared it;
He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out.
28 And to man He said,
‘Behold, (AO)the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
And to depart from evil is understanding.’ ”
Job’s Summary Defense
29 Job further continued his discourse, and said:
2 “Oh, that I were as in months (AP)past,
As in the days when God (AQ)watched over me;
3 (AR)When His lamp shone upon my head,
And when by His light I walked through darkness;
4 Just as I was in the days of my prime,
When (AS)the friendly counsel of God was over my tent;
5 When the Almighty was yet with me,
When my children were around me;
6 When (AT)my steps were bathed with [t]cream,
And (AU)the rock poured out rivers of oil for me!
7 “When I went out to the gate by the city,
When I took my seat in the open square,
8 The young men saw me and hid,
And the aged arose and stood;
9 The princes refrained from talking,
And (AV)put their hand on their mouth;
10 The voice of nobles was hushed,
And their (AW)tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.
11 When the ear heard, then it blessed me,
And when the eye saw, then it approved me;
12 Because (AX)I delivered the poor who cried out,
The fatherless and the one who had no helper.
13 The blessing of a perishing man came upon me,
And I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.
14 (AY)I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
My justice was like a robe and a turban.
15 I was (AZ)eyes to the blind,
And I was feet to the lame.
16 I was a father to the poor,
And (BA)I searched out the case that I did not know.
17 I broke (BB)the fangs of the wicked,
And plucked the victim from his teeth.
18 “Then I said, (BC)‘I shall die in my nest,
And multiply my days as the sand.
19 (BD)My root is spread out (BE)to the waters,
And the dew lies all night on my branch.
20 My glory is fresh within me,
And my (BF)bow is renewed in my hand.’
21 “Men listened to me and waited,
And kept silence for my counsel.
22 After my words they did not speak again,
And my speech settled on them as dew.
23 They waited for me as for the rain,
And they opened their mouth wide as for (BG)the spring rain.
24 If I mocked at them, they did not believe it,
And the light of my countenance they did not cast down.
25 I chose the way for them, and sat as chief;
So I dwelt as a king in the army,
As one who comforts mourners.
Job’s Wealth Now Poverty
30 “But now they mock at me, men [u]younger than I,
Whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock.
2 Indeed, what profit is the strength of their hands to me?
Their vigor has perished.
3 They are gaunt from want and famine,
Fleeing late to the wilderness, desolate and waste,
4 Who pluck [v]mallow by the bushes,
And broom tree roots for their food.
5 They were driven out from among men,
They shouted at them as at a thief.
6 They had to live in the clefts of the [w]valleys,
In [x]caves of the earth and the rocks.
7 Among the bushes they brayed,
Under the nettles they nestled.
8 They were sons of fools,
Yes, sons of vile men;
They were scourged from the land.
9 “And(BH) now I am their taunting song;
Yes, I am their byword.
10 They abhor me, they keep far from me;
They do not hesitate (BI)to spit in my face.
11 Because (BJ)He has loosed [y]my bowstring and afflicted me,
They have cast off restraint before me.
12 At my right hand the rabble arises;
They push away my feet,
And (BK)they raise against me their ways of destruction.
13 They break up my path,
They promote my calamity;
They have no helper.
14 They come as broad breakers;
Under the ruinous storm they roll along.
15 Terrors are turned upon me;
They pursue my honor as the wind,
And my prosperity has passed like a cloud.
16 “And(BL) now my soul is (BM)poured out because of my plight;
The days of affliction take hold of me.
17 My bones are pierced in me at night,
And my gnawing pains take no rest.
18 By great force my garment is disfigured;
It binds me about as the collar of my coat.
19 He has cast me into the mire,
And I have become like dust and ashes.
20 “I (BN)cry out to You, but You do not answer me;
I stand up, and You regard me.
21 But You have become cruel to me;
With the strength of Your hand You (BO)oppose me.
22 You lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride on it;
You spoil my success.
23 For I know that You will bring me to death,
And to the house (BP)appointed for all living.
24 “Surely He would not stretch out His hand against a heap of ruins,
If they cry out when He destroys it.
25 (BQ)Have I not wept for him who was in trouble?
Has not my soul grieved for the poor?
26 (BR)But when I looked for good, evil came to me;
And when I waited for light, then came darkness.
27 [z]My heart is in turmoil and cannot rest;
Days of affliction confront me.
28 (BS)I go about mourning, but not in the sun;
I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help.
29 (BT)I am a brother of jackals,
And a companion of ostriches.
30 (BU)My skin grows black and falls from me;
(BV)My bones burn with fever.
31 My harp is turned to mourning,
And my flute to the voice of those who weep.
Footnotes
- Job 25:3 Can His armies be counted?
- Job 26:8 do not break
- Job 26:11 amazed
- Job 26:12 Heb. rahab
- Job 27:6 reprove
- Job 27:11 Or by
- Job 27:15 Lit. his
- Job 27:18 So with MT, Vg.; LXX, Syr. spider (cf. 8:14); Tg. decay
- Job 27:18 Temporary shelter
- Job 27:19 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Syr. But shall not add (i.e., do it again); Vg. But take away nothing
- Job 27:22 Lit. hand
- Job 28:2 Lit. dust
- Job 28:8 Lit. sons of pride, figurative of the great lions
- Job 28:9 At the base
- Job 28:17 vessels
- Job 28:18 Heb. ramoth
- Job 28:21 heaven
- Job 28:22 Heb. Abaddon
- Job 28:27 Lit. it
- Job 29:6 So with ancient vss. and a few Heb. mss. (cf. Job 20:17); MT wrath
- Job 30:1 Lit. of fewer days
- Job 30:4 A plant of the salty marshes
- Job 30:6 wadis
- Job 30:6 Lit. holes
- Job 30:11 So with MT, Syr., Tg.; LXX, Vg. His
- Job 30:27 I seethe inside
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.