Iyov 2-22
Orthodox Jewish Bible
2 Again there was a day when the Bnei HaElohim came to present themselves before Hashem, and Hasatan came also among them to present himself before Hashem.
2 And Hashem said unto Hasatan, From where comest thou? And Hasatan answered Hashem, and said, From going to and fro through ha’aretz, and from walking up and down in it.
3 And Hashem said unto Hasatan, Hast thou considered in your meditation Avdi (My Servant) Iyov, that there is none like him in ha’aretz, ish tam and yashar, yire Elohim, and shunning rah? And still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou inciteth Me against him, to ruin him for no reason.
4 And Hasatan answered Hashem, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that an ish hath will he give for his nefesh.
5 But stretch forth Thine yad now, and touch his etzem and his basar, and he will curse Thee to Thy face.
6 And Hashem said unto Hasatan, Hinei, he is in thine yad; but spare his nefesh.
7 So went Hasatan out from the presence of Hashem, and afflicted Iyov with shekhin rah (foul boils) from the sole of his regel unto the top of his head.
8 And he took him a cheres (potsherd, piece of broken pottery) to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.
9 Then said his isha unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse Elohim, and die.
10 But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the nevalot (foolish women) speaketh. What? Shall we receive hatov from Elohim, and shall we not accept harah? In all this did not Iyov sin in what he said.
11 Now when the three friends of Iyov heard of all this ra’ah that had come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temani, and Bildad the Shuchi, and Tzophar the Na’amati; for they had made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and to comfort him.
12 And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and recognized him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they made the keri’ah every one on his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward Shomayim.
13 So they sat [shiva] with him upon the ground shivat yamim and shivat lailah, and none spoke a word unto him; for they saw that his suffering was very great.
3 After this opened Iyov his mouth, and cursed his yom.
2 And Iyov spoke, and said,
3 Let the yom perish wherein I was born, and halailah in which it was said, There is a gever born.
4 Let that yom be choshech; let not Elohim regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.
5 Let choshech and the tzalmavet (shadow of death) claim it; let an anan dwell upon it; let the blackness of the yom terrify it.
6 As for that lailah, let darkness seize upon it; let it not be joined unto the yamim of the shanah, let it not come into the number of the months.
7 Hinei, let that lailah be barren; let no joyful shout come therein.
8 Let them curse it that curse the yam, who are ready to rouse Leviathan.
9 Let the kokhavim of the dawn thereof be dark; let it look for ohr, but have none; neither let it see the dawning of the shachar,
10 Because it shut not up the dalatot of my mother’s womb, nor hid amal (tzoros) from mine eyes.
11 Why did I not come to mot at birth? Why did I not perish when I came out of the beten (belly, womb)?
12 Madua (why) were there birkayim to receive me? Or why the shadayim that from them I should nurse?
13 For atah (now) I would be lying still and quiet, have slept and been at rest,
14 With melachim and yo’atzim of ha’aretz, which build ruins for themselves;
15 Or with sarim (princes) that had zahav, who filled their batim (houses) with kesef;
16 Or as a hidden stillborn—I had not been!—as olelim which never saw ohr.
17 There the resha’im cease from troubling; and there the weary are at rest.
18 There the asirim (prisoners, captives) rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor.
19 The katon and gadol are there; and the eved is free from his adon.
20 Why is ohr given to him that is in misery, and chayyim unto the bitter in nefesh;
21 Which long for mavet, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hidden treasures;
22 Which rejoice exceedingly, and are glad, when they can find the kever?
23 Why is ohr given to a gever whose derech is hidden, and whom Elohim hath hedged in?
24 For my sighing cometh instead of lechem, and my groanings are poured out like the mayim.
25 For the pachad (terror) which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I dreaded is come unto me.
26 I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; and rogez (tzoros, turmoil) came.
4 Then Eliphaz the Temani answered and said,
2 If we attempt a davar with thee, wilt thou be offended? But who can withhold himself from speaking?
3 Hinei, thou hast instructed rabbim (many), and thou hast strengthened the weak hands.
4 Thy words have upheld him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble birkayim (knees).
5 But atah (now) it is come upon thee, and thou art impatient; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.
6 Is not this thy fear, thy confidence, thy tikveh, and the blamelessness of thy ways?
7 Consider now, who ever perished, being naki (innocent)? Or where were the yesharim (upright ones) cut off?
8 Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow amal (trouble), reap the same.
9 By the neshamah (breath) of Eloah they perish, and by the ruach of His nostrils are they consumed.
10 The roaring of the aryeh, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken.
11 The old lion perisheth for lack of teref (prey), and the stout lion’s cubs are scattered.
12 Now a davar was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a whisper thereof.
13 In thoughts from the chezyonot lailah, when tardemah (deep sleep) falleth on anashim,
14 Pachad came upon me, and trembling, which made all my atzmot to shake.
15 Then a ruach passed before my face; the hair of my basar stood up;
16 It stood still, but I could not discern the appearance thereof; a temunah (form) was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying,
17 Shall enosh (mortal man) be more righteous than Eloah? Shall a man be more tahor than his Maker?
18 Behold, He puts no trust in His avadim, and His malachim (angels) He charged with toholah (error).
19 How much more them that dwell in batim (houses) of clay, whose yesod (foundation, origin) is in the dust, which are crushed like the moth?
20 They are destroyed from boker to erev; they perish forever without any regarding it.
21 Is not the cord of their tent which is in them pulled up? They die, even without chochmah (wisdom).
5 Call now, if there be any that will answer thee, and to which of the kadoshim (holy ones) wilt thou turn?
2 For ka’as (anger) killeth the foolish man, and kinah (envy) slayeth the simple one.
3 I have seen the fool taking shoresh (root), but suddenly I cursed his habitation.
4 His banim are far from yesha (safety, salvation), and they are crushed in the sha’ar (gate, before the public), neither is there any to deliver them.
5 Whose katzir (harvest) the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even from among of the tzinnim (thorns), and the intriguer pants after their wealth.
6 Although affliction springeth not forth of the aphar (dust), neither doth amal (trouble, tzoros) sprout out of the adamah;
7 Yet adam is born unto amal (trouble, tzoros), even as sparks fly upward.
8 I would seek El (G-d), and before Elohim would I lay my cause;
9 Who doeth gedolot unsearchable, marvellous things without mispar;
10 Who giveth matar upon eretz, and sendeth mayim upon the fields;
11 To set up on high those that be the shefalim (the lowly ones); that those which mourn may be exalted to safety,
12 Thwarting the machshevot of the arumim (crafty ones), so that their hands cannot accomplish tushiyyah (success).
13 He taketh the chachamim in their own arum (craftiness), and the etzah of the wily is swiftly swept away.
14 They meet with choshech in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the lailah,
15 But He saveth the needy from the cherev of their mouth, and from the yad chazak.
16 So the poor hath tikveh, and olatah (perversity, wickedness) stoppeth her mouth.
17 Hinei, ashrei is the enosh whom Eloah correcteth; therefore despise not thou the musar (chastening) of Shaddai;
18 For He woundeth, and bindeth up; He injureth, and His yadayim (hands) heal.
19 He shall deliver thee in shesh tzoros; yea, in shivah there shall no rah touch thee.
20 In ra’av (famine) He shall redeem thee from mavet; and in milchamah from the power of the cherev.
21 Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the leshon, neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh.
22 At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh; neither shalt thou be afraid of the chayyat ha’aretz.
23 For thou shalt be in league with the avanim of the sadeh, and the chayyat sadeh shall be hashelemah (at peace) with thee.
24 And thou shalt know that shalom shall be thy ohel; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and find nothing wanting.
25 Thou shalt know also that thy zera shall be rav, and thine offspring as the esev ha’aretz.
26 Thou shalt come to thy kever in a ripe age, like a shock of grain cometh in its season.
27 Hinei zot, this we have searched out, so it is; hear it, and apply thou it for thy good.
6 But Iyov answered and said,
2 Oh that my ka’as (vexation) were throughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the scales together!
3 For now it would be heavier than the chol of the seas; therefore my words are impetuous.
4 For the khitzim (arrows) of Shaddai are in me, the poison whereof drinketh my ruach; the terrors of Eloah do set themselves in array against me.
5 Doth the pereh (wild donkey) bray when he hath desheh? Or loweth the ox over his fodder?
6 Can that which is tasteless be eaten without melach? Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?
7 The things that my nefesh refused to touch are like my loathsome lechem.
8 Who will grant that I might have my she’elah (request); oh that Eloah would grant me my tikveh!
9 Even that it would please Eloah to crush me; that He would let loose His yad, and cut me off!
10 Then should I yet have nechamah (consolation); yea, I would exult in chilah (pain); let him not spare; for I have not concealed the imrei Kadosh (words of the Holy One).
11 What is my koach, that I should wait? And what is mine end, that I should make patient my nefesh?
12 Is my koach the koach of avanim? Or is my basar bronze?
13 Is it that my help is not within me? And is tushiyyah (success) driven from me?
14 To him that is afflicted, chesed should be shown from his friend; otherwise, he forsaketh the fear of Shaddai.
15 Achai (my brethren) have dealt deceitfully as a wadi, and as the torrents of wadis they vanish away;
16 Which are blackish muddy by reason of the kerakh (ice), and wherein the sheleg (snow) is melted.
17 What season they become warm, they vanish; when it is hot, they disappear from their makom.
18 The paths of their derech wind about; they go up to tohu [Gn 1:2], and perish.
19 The caravans of Tema looked for them; the halichot (traveling companies) of Sheva hoped for them.
20 They were disappointed because of their bitachon; they come there and are confounded.
21 For now ye are become such; ye see my chatat (casting down), and are afraid.
22 Did I say, Bring unto me? Or, Give a present for me of your ko’ach (power, wealth)?
23 Or, Deliver me from the yad tzar (hand of the enemy, oppressor)? Or, Redeem me with a ransom from the yad of the tyrants?
24 Teach me, and I will hold my tongue, and cause me to have binah wherein I have erred.
25 How forcible are the imrei yosher (words of rectitude)! But what doth your hokhiach (reproof) reprove?
26 Do ye think to reprove words? The words of one in despair, which are as ruach?
27 Yea, ye cast lots for the yatom, and over your friend ye barter.
28 Now therefore be pleased to look upon me; for it is evident unto you if in me there is kazav (falsity).
29 Turn, now, let there be no iniquity; yea, turn again; at issue is my tzedek (righteousness).
30 Is there iniquity on my leshon? Cannot my palate discern havvot (perverse things)?
7 Is there not a tzava (forced hard service in the army) to enosh (man) upon earth? Are not his days also like the yamim of a sachir (hired laborer)?
2 As an eved earnestly longeth for tzel (shade), and as a sachir waiteth for the wage of his work,
3 So am I made to possess months of shav (vanity, futility), and lailot amal (nights of weariness) are appointed to me.
4 When I lie down, I say, Mosai (how long) till I arise? But the erev drags on, and I am full of tossings to and fro unto dawn.
5 My basar is clothed with worm and clod of aphar; my ohr (skin) is broken, and become loathsome.
6 My yamim are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without tikveh.
7 O remember that my life is ruach (wind); mine eye shall no more see tov.
8 The ayin (eye) of him that hath seen me shall see me no longer; thine eyes are upon me, and I am no more.
9 Like the anan that fades and vanisheth away, so he that goeth down to Sheol shall come up no more.
10 He shall return no more to his bais, neither shall his makom know him any more.
11 Therefore I will not curb my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my ruach; I will complain in the mar (bitterness) of my nefesh.
12 Am I a yam, or a tannin (monster of the yam [sea]), that Thou settest a mishmar (guard watch) over me?
13 When I say, My bed shall give me nachamah (comfort), my couch shall ease my complaint,
14 Then Thou frightenest me with chalomot (dreams), and terrifiest me through chezyonot (visions),
15 So that my nefesh chooseth machanak (strangling) and mavet (death) rather than this skeleton.
16 I loathe it; I would not live l’olam, let me alone; for my yamim are hevel (vanity, meaningless).
17 What is enosh (man), that Thou shouldest make much of him? And that Thou shouldest set Thine lev upon him?
18 And that Thou shouldest visit him every boker, and try him every moment?
19 How long dost Thou not look away from me? Nor let me alone till I swallow down my rok (spittle)?
20 Chatati (I have sinned); what shall I do unto Thee, O Thou Notzer HaAdam (Observer of men)? Why hast Thou set me as a mifgah (mark, target, something to be hit) to Thee, so that I am a massa (burden) to Thee?
21 And why dost Thou not pardon my peysha (transgression), and take away my avon (iniquity)? For now shall I sleep in the aphar; and Thou shalt search for me, but I shall be no more.
8 Then answered Bildad the Shuchi, and said,
2 How long wilt thou speak these things? And how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a raging ruach (wind)?
3 Doth El pervert mishpat (justice)? Or doth Shaddai pervert tzedek?
4 If thy banim have sinned against Him, and He have cast them away for their peysha (transgression);
5 If thou wouldest seek El (G-d) earnestly, and make thy techinnah (supplication) to Shaddai;
6 If thou wert pure and yashar; surely now He would rouse Himself for thee, and restore the habitation of thy tzedek.
7 Though thy reshit (beginning) was small, yet thy acharit (end) shall be exceedingly great.
8 For inquire, now, of the dor rishon (former age), and consider the research of their avot;
9 —For we are but of temol (yesterday, etmol) and know nothing, because yameinu (our days) upon earth are a tzel (shadow)—
10 Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and bring forth words out of their lev?
11 Can the papyrus grow up without marsh? Can the reed grow without mayim?
12 Whilst it is yet in its greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before kol khatzir (all grass).
13 So are the paths of all that forget El (G-d), and the tikvat chanef (hope of the hypocrite, the irreligious, the secretly wicked profane person) shall perish,
14 Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose reliance shall be a bais akavish (spider’s web).
15 He shall lean upon his bais, but it shall not stand, he shall cling to it, but it shall not hold.
16 He is like a green plant before the shemesh, and its branch shooteth forth in its gan (garden).
17 Its shorashim (roots) are wrapped about the rock heap, and it looks on the bais avanim (place of stones).
18 But when cast away from its makom, then its place shall deny it, saying, Loh re’iticha (I never saw thee).
19 Behold, thus was the joy of its derech, and others spring forth from the aphar (dust).
20 Surely El (G-d) will not cast away a blameless man, neither will He help the resha’im (evil-doers);
21 Till He fill thy mouth with sechok (laughter), and thy lips with teruah (shouts of joy).
22 They that hate thee shall be clothed with bushah (shame), and the ohel resha’im shall be no more.
9 Then Iyov answered and said,
2 I know it is indeed thus, but how should yitzdak Enosh im El (Man be in the right, justified, before G-d)?
3 If he will contend with Him, once of a thousand can Man not answer G-d back.
4 G-d is chochom in lev, and mighty in ko’ach; who hath hardened himself to defy Him and remained unhurt?
5 Which removeth the harim (mountains), and they know not; which overturneth them in His anger;
6 Which shaketh eretz out of its place, and the ammudim thereof tremble;
7 Which commandeth the cheres (sun), and it riseth not; and sealeth up the kokhavim;
8 Which spreadeth out Shomayim by Himself alone, and treadeth upon the waves of the yam;
9 Which maketh the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, and the chambers of the constellations on the south side of the heavens;
10 Which doeth gedolot past finding out; yea, and nifla’ot (wonders) without number.
11 Hen (lo), He passeth by me, and I see Him not; He goeth on also, but I perceive Him not.
12 Hinei, He taketh away, who can stop Him? Who will say unto Him, Mah ta’aseh (what are You doing)?
13 If Eloah restraineth not His anger, the helpers of Rahab must bow themselves under Him.
14 How much less shall I dispute with Him, and choose my dvarim with Him?
15 Whom, though I were tzaddik (righteous, innocent, in the right), yet would I not answer, but I would make techinnah (supplication, plea for mercy) for my mishpat (right).
16 If I had summoned, and He had responded to me, yet would I not believe that He had paid heed unto my kol (voice);
17 For He breaketh me in a sa’arah (tempest, storm), and multiplieth my wounds without cause.
18 He will not allow me to take my ruach (breath), but filleth me with bitterness.
19 If I speak of ko’ach, hinei, He is mighty, and if of mishpat, who can give Him a court summons?
20 If etzdak (I am justified, in the right), mine own mouth would condemn me; if I say, I am blameless, He would prove me perverse.
21 Though I were blameless, yet would I not know my nefesh; I would despise my life.
22 This is one thing; therefore I said it, He destroyeth the tam (blameless) and the rasha (wicked).
23 If the shot (scourge) slay suddenly, He laugheth at the melting away [in anguish] of the nekiyim (innocent ones, the guiltless ones).
24 Eretz is given into the yad of the resha; He blindfoldeth the faces of the shofetim (judges) thereof; if not, then, who doeth it?
25 Now my yamim are swifter than a runner; they flee away, they see no tovah.
26 They slip by like oniyyot (boats) of reed; as the nesher that swoopeth down on the prey.
27 If I say, I will forget my si’akh (complaint), I will leave off my heaviness, and comfort myself,
28 I am afraid of all my sorrows; I have da’as that Thou wilt not hold me innocent.
29 If I be wicked, why then labor I in hevel (vain)?
30 If I wash myself with sheleg (snow), and make my hands clean with lye,
31 Yet shalt Thou plunge me in the shachat (slime pit), and mine own clothes shall abhor me.
32 For He is not an ish, as I am, that I should answer Him, and we should come together in mishpat (in the court).
33 Neither is there any mochiach (arbitrator) between us, that might lay his yad upon us both.
34 Let Him take His shevet (rod) away from me, and let not His fear terrify me.
35 Then would I speak, and not fear Him; but it is not ken (so) with me.
10 My nefesh is sick of my life; I will give free rein to my si’akh (complaint); I will speak in the mar (bitterness) of my nefesh.
2 I will say unto Eloah, Do not condemn me; show me what charge Thou dost contend with me.
3 Is it hatov (pleasing) unto Thee that Thou shouldest oppress, that Thou shouldest reject the work of Thine hands, and shine [favor] upon the etzah (scheme) of the resha’im?
4 Hast Thou eyes of basar? Or seest Thou as enosh seeth?
5 Are Thy yamim like the yamim of enosh? Are Thy years like the days of gever (man),
6 That Thou seekest after mine avon, and searchest after my chattat?
7 Though Thou has da’as that I am not a resha, and there is none that can deliver out of Thine yad,
8 Thine yadayim have formed me and altogether round about have fashioned me; yet Thou hast now swallowed me.
9 Remember, now, that Thou hast molded me like the chomer (clay), and wilt Thou turn me into aphar again?
10 Hast Thou not poured me out like cholov, and curdled me like gvinah (cheese)?
11 Thou hast clothed me with ohr and basar, and hast knitted me together with atzmot and sinews.
12 Thou hast granted me chayyim and chesed, and Thy visitation hath been shomer over my ruach.
13 And these things hast Thou hid in Thine lev; I have da’as that this was in Thy mind.
14 If I sin, then Thou art shomer over me, and Thou wilt not let my avon go unpunished.
15 If I am guilty, woe unto me; even if I be tzaddik (innocent), yet will I not lift up my head, being full of kalon (shame) and conscious of my oni (misery),
16 For if my head is held high, Thou stalkest me like a fierce lion, and ever Thou displayest Thy awesome power against me.
17 Thou bringest Thy fresh edim (witnesses) against me, and increasest Thine hot indignation toward me; in waves Thy tzava troop against me.
18 Why then hast Thou brought me forth out of the rechem (womb)? Oh that I had expired, and no eye had seen me!
19 I should have been as though I had never been; I should have been carried from the beten straight to the kever.
20 Are not my yamim few? Then cease, and let me alone, that I may take a little cheer
21 Before I go from where I shall not return, even to the Eretz Choshech V’Tzalmavet,
22 An eretz of darkness, like darkness itself; and of tzalmavet, no sedarim (order), where the light is like darkness.
11 Then answered Tzophar the Na’amati, and said,
2 Should not the multitude of dvarim be answered? And should an ish full of talk yitzdak (be justified)?
3 Should thy vain talk silence men, so that thou mockest, v’ein machlim (without anyone putting thee to shame)?
4 For thou hast said, My lekach (doctrine, teaching, belief) is pure, and I am clean in Thine eyes.
5 But oh that Eloah would speak, and open His lips against thee,
6 And that He would show thee the secrets of chochmah, that tushiyyah (true wisdom) has two sides! Have da’as therefore that Eloah forgetteth much of thy avon.
7 Canst thou search out the cheker Eloah (depths of G-d)? Canst thou probe to the tachlis Shaddai (the end, completeness of Almighty)?
8 It is like the heights of Shomayim; what canst thou do? Deeper than Sheol; of what canst thou have da’as?
9 The measure thereof is longer than ha’aretz, and broader than the yam (sea).
10 When Eloah passes by and arrests and convenes for judgment, who then can constrain Him?
11 For He has da’as of deceitful men; He seeth wickedness also; will He not then take note of it?
12 But before a witless ish can become wise, a colt of a pereh (wild donkey) would be born an adam!
13 If thou direct thine lev, and stretch out thine hands to Him,
14 If iniquity be in thine yad, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy ohalim.
15 For then shalt thou lift up thy face without mum; yea, thou shalt be firm, and shalt not fear,
16 Because thou shalt forget thy amal (grief), and remember it as waters that flow by,
17 And thine cheled (duration of life) shall be brighter than the tzohorayim (noonday); thou shalt shine forth; thou shalt be as the boker.
18 And thou shalt be secure, because now there is tikveh; yea, thou shalt search, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.
19 Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid; yea, rabbim (many) shall court thy favor.
20 But the eyes of the resha’im faileth, and they shall not escape, and their tikveh shall be as the last gasp of the nefesh.
12 And Iyov answered and said,
2 Doubtless then ye are the people, and chochmah shall die with you.
3 But I have levav (understanding) as well as you; I am not inferior to you; yea, who knoweth not such things as these?
4 I am as a laughingstock to his neighbor: The man who calleth upon Eloah [they say of me], and He answereth him! [To them I am] a laughingstock, the tzaddik, the tamim (blameless one)!
5 Those at ease have buz (contempt) for a downfall which awaits the one whose regel is slipping.
6 The ohalim of shodedim (robbers) remain in peace; they that defy El are secure, who Eloah brought forth by His yad.
7 But ask now the behemot, and they shall teach thee, and the oph haShomayim (birds of the air), and they shall tell thee;
8 Or speak to ha’aretz, and it shall teach thee; and the dagim of the yam shall declare unto thee.
9 Of all of these, who lacketh da’as that the yad Hashem hath wrought this?
10 In whose yad is the nefesh of every living thing, and the ruach of kol basar ish.
11 Doth not the ozen (ear) test words? And the mouth tastes its ochel?
12 With the ancient ones is chochmah; and in orech yamim (length of days) is binah (understanding).
13 With Him is chochmah and gevurah; He hath etzah and understanding.
14 See, what He tears down cannot be reconstructed; He shutteth up an ish, and there can be no prison release.
15 See, He withholdeth the waters, and they dry up; also He sendeth them out, and they overturn eretz.
16 With Him is oz (strength) and tushiyyah (true wisdom); the deceived and the deceiver are His.
17 He leadeth yoatzim (counsellors) away stripped, and maketh the shofetim (judges) fools.
18 He looseth the shackle of melachim (kings), and girdeth their loins with loincloth.
19 He leadeth kohanim away stripped, and overthroweth the mighty.
20 He removeth the speech of the ne’emanim (trusted ones), and taketh away the understanding of the zekenim.
21 He poureth buz (contempt) upon nobles, and loosens the belt of the mighty.
22 He uncovers the depths of choshech, and bringeth tzalmavet to light.
23 He giveth prosperity to the Goyim, and then destroyeth them; He enlargeth them, and then carrieth the Goyim away.
24 He taketh away the lev (understanding) of the Rashei Am HaAretz, and sendeth them to tohu lo derech (trackless wilderness).
25 They grope in the choshech without ohr, and He maketh them to stagger like a shikkor (drunken man).
13 See, mine eye hath seen all this, mine ozen hath heard and understood it.
2 What ye know, of the same I have da’as also; I am not inferior unto you.
3 Surely I would speak to Shaddai, and I desire to reason with El (G-d).
4 But ye are forgers of sheker, ye are all rofim (physicians) of no value.
5 O that ye would altogether hold your peace! And it should be your chochmah.
6 Hear now my tokhachat (protest, public argumentation), and pay heed to the pleadings of my lips.
7 Will ye talk wickedly on behalf of El (G-d) and speak deceitfully for Him?
8 Will ye be partial to Him? Will ye play the part of the defense attorney for El?
9 Is it hatov that He should search you out? Or do you play the jester with Him, as one plays the jester with enosh?
10 He will surely reprove you, if ye do act with partiality beseter (secretly).
11 Shall not His majesty make you afraid? And the pachad of Him fall upon you?
12 Your zichron meshalim (memorable sayings) are like unto ashes, your defenses are strongholds of chomer (clay).
13 Hold your peace, let me alone, that Ani (I) may speak, and let come on me what will.
14 Why do I take my basar in my teeth, and take my nefesh in mine yad?
15 Though He slay me, yet will I wait for and trust in Him; but I will maintain my derech before Him.
16 He also shall be my Yeshuah (salvation); for a chanef (irreligious man, hypocrite) shall not come before Him.
17 Hear diligently my confession, and my declaration with your oznayim.
18 Hinei now, I have prepared my mishpat (cause, case); I know that I shall be acquitted.
19 Who is he that can contend against me? For atah (now), if I hold my tongue, I shall expire.
20 Only do not shtayim (two things) unto me; then will I not hide myself from Thee.
21 Withdraw Thine hand far from me, and let not Thy eimah (dread, terror) make me afraid.
22 Then kerah (summon), and I will answer; or let me speak, and answer me.
23 How many are mine avonot and chatta’ot? Make me to know my peysha and my chattat.
24 Lammah (why) hidest Thou Thy face, and holdest me for Thine enemy?
25 Wilt Thou frighten away a leaf driven to and fro? And wilt Thou pursue the dry kash (straw, chaff)?
26 For Thou writest down merorot (bitter things) against me, and makest me to inherit the avonot of my neurim (youth).
27 Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks, and observest kol orkhot (paths, ways) of me; Thou settest a mark upon the soles of my raglayim,
28 Around one who wastes away as a rotten thing, as a beged (garment) that is moth eaten.
14 Adam that is born of isha is of few yamim and full of rogez (unrest).
2 He cometh forth like a tzitz (flower), and is cut down; he fleeth also as a tzel, and continueth not.
3 And doth Thou open Thine eyes upon such a one, and bringest me into mishpat with Thee?
4 Who can bring a tahor (clean thing) out of a tameh (an unclean, cf Ro 5:12)? Loh echad (No one).
5 Seeing his yamim are determined, the number of his chodashim (months) are with Thee, Thou hast appointed his limits that he cannot exceed.
6 Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as a sachir (a hired man), his day.
7 For there is tikveh of an etz, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.
8 Though the shoresh (root) thereof grow old in ha’aretz, and the stump thereof die in the aphar (dust),
9 Yet through the scent of mayim it will bud, and bring forth branches like a young plant.
10 But gever dieth, and wasteth away; yea, adam breathes his last, and where is he?
11 As the mayim flow away from the yam, and the nahar (stream) becomes parched and drieth up,
12 So ish lieth down, and riseth not, till Shomayim be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.
13 O that Thou wouldest hide me in Sheol, that Thou wouldest conceal me until Thy wrath has passed, that Thou wouldest appoint me a chok (set time), and remember me!
14 If a gever die, shall he live again? All the days of my tzava (hard army service) will I wait, till my chalifah (changing, renewal) come.
15 Thou shalt call, and I will answer Thee; Thou wilt have a desire for the ma’aseh (work) of Thine hands.
16 For now Thou countest my steps. Dost Thou not watch over my chattat?
17 My peysha is sealed up in a bag, and Thou would cover over mine avon.
18 And surely the har (mountain) falling crumbles, and the tzur (rock) is moved out of its place.
19 The mayim wear away the avanim; Thou washest away the things which grow out of the aphar aretz; and Thou destroyest the tikvat enosh.
20 Thou prevailest lanetzach (forever) against him, and he passeth away; Thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away.
21 His banim come to honor, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.
22 Only his basar shall have pain upon him, and his nefesh within him shall mourn.
15 Then answered Eliphaz the Temani, and said,
2 Should a chacham (wise man) utter vain knowledge, and fill his inner being with the east wind?
3 Should he reason with unprofitable davar (talk)? Or with speeches wherewith no good is done?
4 Yea, thou makest void yireh [Elohim], and doth diminish si’akh (meditation) before El.
5 For thy mouth uttereth thine avon, and thou choosest the leshon arumim (tongue of the crafty).
6 Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and loh Ani (not I); yea, thine own lips testify against thee.
7 Art thou harishon adam (the first man) that was born? Or wast thou made before the hills?
8 Hast thou attended to the sod Eloah (counsel of G-d)? And dost thou limit chochmah to thyself?
9 Of what dost thou have da’as, that we know not? What understandest thou, which is not in us?
10 Both the grayheaded and very aged men are among us, much elder than avicha.
11 Are the tanechumot El (consolations of G-d) not enough for thee? Or the davar that deals gently with thee?
12 Why doth thine lev carry thee away? And why do thy eyes flash,
13 That thou ventest thy ruach against El (G-d), and lettest such words pour out of thy mouth?
14 What is enosh, that he should be pure [in the sight of Hashem]? And he which is born of an isha, that yitzdak (he should be in the right)?
15 If He trusteth not His Kadoshim; yea, Shomayim is not pure in His eyes.
16 How much more vile and corrupt is ish, which drinketh iniquity like mayim?
17 I will show thee, shema to me; and that which I have seen I will declare;
18 Things which chachamim declare from their avot without concealment;
19 Unto whom alone ha’aretz was given, and no zar passed among them.
20 The reshah travaileth with pain all his yamim, and numbered shanim are reserved for the oppressor.
21 A dreadful sound is in his oznayim; during shalom the shoded (destroyer) shall come upon him.
22 He believeth not in a return from choshech, and he is marked for the cherev.
23 He wandereth about after lechem, saying, Where is it? He has da’as the Yom Choshech is near at hand for him.
24 Distress and anguish shall make him afraid; they shall seize him as a melech poised for battle.
25 For he stretcheth out his yad against El (G-d), and with insolence vaunts himself against Shaddai.
26 He charges against Him, with a stiff neck, with the thick bosses of his mogen (shield);
27 Though he covereth his panim with his fatness, and addeth fat on his flanks;
28 And he dwelleth in desolate towns, and in batim (houses) which no man inhabiteth, which are ready to crumble to rubble.
29 He shall not be osher, neither shall his substance continue; neither shall their possessions spread over ha’aretz.
30 He shall not escape from choshech; the flame shall wither his branches, and in the ruach of his mouth shall he perish.
31 Let not him that is deceived trust in shav (vanity); for shav shall be his recompense.
32 His Yom is not yet; then it is accomplished, and his branch shall not flourish.
33 He shall shake off his unripe grape like the gefen, and shall cast off his blossom like the zayit (olive tree).
34 For the Adat Chanef (congregation of hypocrites) shall be barren, and eish shall consume the ohalim of bribery.
35 They conceive amal (trouble), and give birth to evil, and their belly worketh mirmar (deceit).
16 Then Iyov answered and said,
2 I have heard many such things; menachamei amal (miserable comforters) are ye all.
3 Shall divrei ruach (vain words) have an end? Or what provoketh thee that thou answerest?
4 I also could speak as ye do; if your nefesh were in place of my nefesh, I could heap up words against you, and shake mine head at you.
5 But I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the moving of my shfatayim (lips) should relieve your grief.
6 Though I speak, my grief is not relieved, and though I forbear, mah (what) alleviation is it for me?
7 But now He hath worn me out; Thou hast made desolate kol adat (whole household) of me.
8 And Thou hast filled me with wrinkles, which is an ed (witness) against me; and my leanness rising up in me beareth witness to my face.
9 He teareth me in his wrath, who warreth against me; He gnasheth upon me with His shinayim (teeth); mine adversary sharpeneth His eyes against me.
10 They have struck at me with their mouth; they have struck me upon the lekhi (cheek) reproachfully; [Isa 50:6; Lam 3:30] they have conspired themselves together against me.
11 El hath delivered me to evil men, and turned me over into the hands of the resha’im.
12 I was at ease, but He hath shattered me; He hath also taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces, and set me up for His mattarah (object of attack, target).
13 His archers surround me, He pierces my klayot (kidneys), and doth not show mercy; He poureth out my gall upon the ground.
14 He bursteth upon me again and again; He runneth upon me like a gibbor (warrior).
15 I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, and laid my keren (horn, strength) in the aphar (dust).
16 My face is red with weeping, and on my eyelids is the tzalmavet;
17 Not for any chamas in mine hands; also my tefillah is pure.
18 O earth, cover not thou my dahm, and let my outcry have no makom (place of rest).
19 Also now, hinei, my Ed is in Shomayim, and my Sahed (witness, one who vouches for me) is on high [MJ 4:15].
20 My friends scorn me; but mine eye poureth out tears unto Eloah.
21 O that one might plead for a man with Eloah, as a man pleadeth for his neighbor!
22 When a few shanot are come, then I shall go the way whence I shall not return.
17 My ruach is broken, my yamim are extinct, the kevarim are ready for me.
2 Does not hatulim (mockery) surround me? And doth not mine eye continue in their provocation?
3 Lay down an eravon (pledge) with Thee; who is he that will put up security for me?
4 For Thou hast hid their lev from seichel; therefore shalt Thou not exalt them.
5 He that informs on re’im for chelek, even the eyes of his banim shall fail.
6 He hath made me also a mashal (byword) of the peoples; and I am one in whose face they spit.
7 Mine eye also is dim by reason of ka’as, and all my members are like a tzel (shadow).
8 Yesharim shall be appalled at this and the naki (pure, innocent) shall stir up himself against the chanef (profane, irreligious).
9 The tzaddik also shall hold to his derech, and he whose yadayim are tahor shall grow stronger and stronger.
10 But as for all you, do ye return, and come back now; for I cannot find one chacham among you.
11 My yamim are past, my plans are broken, even the morashot (possessions, desires) of my lev.
12 They change the lailah into yom; the ohr is near to choshech, say they.
13 If I wait, Sheol is mine bais; I have made my bed in the choshech.
14 I have said to Shachat, thou art avi; to the worm, thou art immi, and achoti.
15 And where is now my tikveh? As for my tikveh, who regards it?
16 Will it go down to the gates of Sheol? Shall we go down together into the dust?
18 Then answered Bildad the Shuchi, and said,
2 Ad anah (Until when, how long) will it be ere ye make an end of words? Gain binah, and afterwards we will speak.
3 Why are we counted as behemah (cattle), and reputed stupid in your sight?
4 Thou art he who teareth his nefesh in his anger; shall eretz (earth) be forsaken for thee? And shall the tzur be removed out of its place?
5 Yea, the ohr of the resha’im shall be put out, and the flame of his eish shall not burn.
6 The ohr shall be choshech in his ohel, and his ner (lamp) above him is extinguished.
7 The steps of his vigor shall be shortened, and his own etzah (counsel, scheme) shall cast him down.
8 For he is cast into a reshet by his own raglayim, and he walketh into a pitfall.
9 The pach (trap) shall take him by the akev (heel), and the snare shall prevail against him.
10 The noose is laid for him ba’aretz (on the ground), and a trap for him in the path.
11 Ballahot (terrors, terrible thoughts) shall make him afraid on every side, and shall dog him behind his feet.
12 Calamity is ra’ev (hungry) for him, and destruction shall be ready for his fall.
13 It shall devour the limbs of his ohr (skin); even the bechor mavet (plague) shall devour his members.
14 That in which he trusted is rooted out of his ohel, and it shall march him to Melech Ballahot (King of Terrors).
15 In his ohel nothing dwells; gofrit (brimstone) is scattered upon his habitation.
16 His shorashim shall be dried up beneath, and above his branch shall wither.
17 His memory shall perish from the earth, and he shall have no shem in the land.
18 He shall be driven from ohr into choshech, and chased out of the tevel.
19 He shall neither have offspring nor descendent among his am (people), nor is there a sarid in his dwellings.
20 The acharonim shall be astonished at his yom, as the kadmonim were affrighted.
21 Surely such are the mishkenot (dwellings) of the resha’im, and this is the place of him that has no da’as of El.
19 Then Iyov answered and said,
2 How long will ye torment my nefesh, and crush me with words?
3 These ten times have ye reproached me; ye have no bushah that ye cause me astonishment.
4 And be it indeed that I have erred, mine meshugah (error) remaineth with myself.
5 If indeed ye will magnify yourselves above me, and use against me my cherpah (reproach, humiliation),
6 Have da’as now that Eloah hath put me in the wrong, and hath encompassed me with his matzud (net).
7 Behold, when I cry chamas, I am not heard; I cry for help, but there is no mishpat.
8 He hath fenced around my way that I cannot pass, and set choshech in my paths.
9 He hath stripped me of my kavod, and taken the ateret from my rosh.
10 He breaks me down on every side till I am gone, and mine tikveh hath He uprooted like an etz.
11 He hath also kindled His wrath against me, and He counteth me unto Him as His tzar (enemy).
12 His forces come together, and raise up their seige ramp against me, and encamp around my ohel.
13 He hath put achai (my brethren) far from me, and mine acquaintances are verily estranged from me.
14 My kerov (near and dear) have failed, and my familiar friends have forgotten me.
15 They that dwell in mine bais, and my maidservants, count me for a zar; I am a nokhri in their sight.
16 I summoned avdi, and he gave me no answer; I entreated him with my mouth.
17 My ruach is repulsive to my isha, loathsome to bnei beten of mine.
18 Even avilim (little children) treat me with contempt; I appear, and they ridicule me.
19 All my metei sod (confidants) detest me, and they whom I loved are turned against me.
20 My etzem cleaveth to my ohr (skin) and to my basar, and I am escaped only by the skin of my teeth.
21 Chanuni, chanuni, O ye my friends; for the yad Eloah hath touched me.
22 Why do ye persecute me like El, not satisfied with my basar?
23 Oh that my words were but written! O that they were recorded in a sefer!
24 That they were engraved with a pen of barzel and with oferet (lead) in the tzur forever!
25 For Ani yadati Goeli chai (I know that my Redeemer liveth), and that he shall stand up at Acharon (at the Last) upon aphar (dust, the earth);
26 And though after my ohr (skin) has been thus destroyed, yet from my basar I shall see Eloah;
27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold and no other; my heart faints within me.
28 But ye think, How we will persecute him, seeing the shoresh (root) of the matter is found in me?
29 Be ye afraid of the cherev; for wrath bringeth the avonot (punishments) of the cherev, that ye may know there is a judgment.
20 Then answered Tzophar the Na’amati, and said,
2 Therefore do my thoughts cause me to answer, and ba’avur (because of [this]) I make haste.
3 I hear the musar that insults me, and the ruach of my understanding causeth me to answer.
4 Knowest thou not this of old, since adam was placed upon earth,
5 That the triumphing of the resha’im is short, and the simchat chanef (joy of the hypocrite) but for a moment?
6 Though his excellency mount up to Shomayim, and his rosh reach unto the clouds;
7 Yet he shall perish lanetzach (forever) like his own dung; they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?
8 He shall fly away as a chalom, and shall not be found; yea, he shall be chased away as a chezyon lailah.
9 The ayin also which saw him shall see him no more; neither shall his makom any more behold him.
10 His banim shall seek the favor of the poor, and his hands shall restore their goods.
11 His atzmot are full of youthful vigor, which shall lie down with him in the aphar.
12 Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his leshon;
13 Though he savor it, and forsake it not, but keep it still betoch (within) his mouth;
14 Yet his lechem in his stomach is turned sour; it is the venom of vipers within him.
15 He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again; El shall drive them out of his beten.
16 He shall suck the venom of asps; the viper’s leshon shall slay him.
17 He shall not see the rivers, the floods, the brooks of devash and khemah (butter, curds).
18 That which he labored for shall he give back, and shall not swallow it down; he shall not rejoice according to his chayil temurah (business profit).
19 Because he hath oppressed and hath forsaken the destitute; because he hath violently seized a bais which he built not;
20 Surely he knew no quiet in his beten; he shall not save anything which he desired.
21 There shall none of his ochel be left; therefore his posterity will not endure.
22 In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in distress; kol yad of misery shall come upon him.
23 When he is about to fill his beten, He shall cast the charon af (fury of His wrath) upon him, and shall rain it upon him while he is eating.
24 He shall flee from the weapon of barzel (iron), and the keshet of bronze shall strike him through.
25 It is drawn, and cometh out of their body; yea, the glittering point cometh out of his gall; emim (terrors [of death]) are upon them.
26 Kol choshech is reserved for his treasures; an eish not fanned shall consume him; it shall go ill with him that is left in his ohel.
27 Shomayim shall reveal his iniquity; and eretz shall rise up against him.
28 The increase of his bais shall depart, and his goods shall flow away in [G-d’s] Yom Af.
29 This is the chelek of an adam rasha from Elohim, and the nachalah decreed unto him by El (G-d).
21 But Iyov answered and said,
2 Hear diligently my speech, and let this be your tanechumot (consolations).
3 Bear with me that I may speak; and achar (after) that I have spoken, mock on.
4 As for me, is my complaint to adam (mortals)? Or why should my ruach not become impatient?
5 Look at me, and be astonished, and lay your yad upon your peh (mouth).
6 Even when I remember I am afraid, and trembling taketh hold on my basar.
7 Madu’a (why) do the resha’im live, become old, yea, are mighty in power?
8 Their zera is established in their sight with them, and their offspring before their eyes.
9 Their batim (houses) are shalom from pachad; neither is the shevet Eloah upon them.
10 Their shor (bull) breeds, and faileth not; their cow calveth, and doth not miscarry her calf.
11 They send forth their little ones like a tzon, and their yeladim jump about.
12 They sing to the tambourine and kinnor, and rejoice at the sound of the flute.
13 They spend their yamim in tov, and in a moment go down to Sheol.
14 Therefore they say unto El, Depart from us; for we desire not the da’as of Thy ways.
15 What is Shaddai, that we should serve Him? And what profit should we have, if we importune Him?
16 Lo, their tov is not in their yad; the etzah (counsel, scheme) of the resha’im is far from me.
17 How oft is the ner (light) of the resha’im put out! And how oft cometh their destruction upon them and He distributeth pains in His anger.
18 They are as straw before the ruach, and as chaff that the storm carrieth away.
19 Eloah layeth up his iniquity for his banim; He payeth him back, and he shall know it.
20 His eyes shall see his destruction, and he shall drink of the wrath of Shaddai.
21 For what pleasure hath he in his bais after him, when the mispar (number) of his months is cut off?
22 Shall any teach El da’as, seeing He judgeth those that are on high?
23 Zeh (this one) dieth in his full prosperity, being wholly at ease and secure.
24 His troughs are full of cholov, and his atzmot are moistened with marrow.
25 And another dieth in the marah (bitterness) of his nefesh, and never eateth with pleasure.
26 They shall lie down alike in the aphar, and the worms shall cover them.
27 Behold, I know your machshevot, and the stratagems which ye wrongfully imagine against me.
28 For ye say, Where is the bais of the tyrant? And where are the ohel mishkenot of the resha’im?
29 Have ye not asked them that travel the derech? And do ye not accept their testimony,
30 That the rah is spared in the yom eid (day of calamity)? They shall be rescued in the yom avarot (day of wrath).
31 Who shall declare his derech to his face? And who shall repay him what he hath done?
32 Yet shall he be brought to the grave, and shall remain in the gadish (gravemound).
33 The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him, and kol adam shall draw after him, as there are innumerable before him.
34 How then comfort ye me with hevel (empty nothings), seeing in your answers there is nothing left but falsehood?
22 Then Eliphaz of Teman answered and said,
2 Can a gever be profitable unto El, as he that has seichel may be profitable unto himself?
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