Job 3:9-5
English Standard Version Anglicised
9 Let the stars of its dawn be dark;
let it hope for light, but have none,
nor see (A)the eyelids of the morning,
10 because it did not shut the doors of my mother's womb,
nor hide trouble from my eyes.
11 “Why (B)did I not die at birth,
come out from the womb and expire?
12 Why did (C)the knees receive me?
Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?
13 For then I would have lain down and been quiet;
I would have slept; then I would have been at rest,
14 with kings and counsellors of the earth
who (D)rebuilt ruins for themselves,
15 or with princes who had gold,
who filled their houses with silver.
16 Or why was I not as a hidden (E)stillborn child,
as infants who never see the light?
17 There the wicked cease from troubling,
and there the weary are at (F)rest.
18 There the prisoners are at ease together;
they hear not the voice of (G)the taskmaster.
19 The small and the great are there,
and the slave is free from his master.
20 “Why is light given to him who is in misery,
and life to (H)the bitter in soul,
21 who (I)long for death, but it comes not,
and dig for it more than for (J)hidden treasures,
22 who rejoice exceedingly
and are glad when they find the grave?
23 Why is light given to a man whose (K)way is hidden,
whom God has (L)hedged in?
24 For my sighing comes (M)instead of[a] my bread,
and my (N)groanings are poured out like water.
25 (O)For the thing that I fear comes upon me,
and what I dread befalls me.
26 I am not at ease, nor am I quiet;
I have no rest, but trouble comes.”
Eliphaz Speaks: The Innocent Prosper
4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
2 “If one ventures a word with you, will you be impatient?
Yet who can keep from speaking?
3 Behold, you have instructed many,
and you have (P)strengthened the weak hands.
4 Your words have upheld him who was stumbling,
and you have (Q)made firm the feeble knees.
5 But now it has come to you, and you are impatient;
it touches you, and you are dismayed.
6 (R)Is not your fear of God[b] your (S)confidence,
and the integrity of your ways your hope?
7 “Remember: (T)who that was innocent ever perished?
Or where were the upright cut off?
8 As I have seen, those who (U)plough iniquity
and sow trouble reap the same.
9 By (V)the breath of God they perish,
and by (W)the blast of his anger they are consumed.
10 The roar of the lion, the voice of the fierce lion,
(X)the teeth of the young lions are broken.
11 The strong lion perishes for lack of prey,
and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.
12 “Now a word was brought to me stealthily;
my ear received (Y)the whisper of it.
13 Amid (Z)thoughts from (AA)visions of the night,
when (AB)deep sleep falls on men,
14 dread came upon me, and trembling,
which made all my bones shake.
15 A spirit glided past my face;
the hair of my flesh stood up.
16 It stood still,
but I could not discern its appearance.
(AC)A form was before my eyes;
there was silence, then I heard (AD)a voice:
17 (AE)‘Can mortal man be in the right before[c] God?
Can a man be pure before his Maker?
18 Even in his servants (AF)he puts no trust,
and his angels he charges with error;
19 how much more those who dwell in houses of (AG)clay,
whose foundation is in (AH)the dust,
who are crushed like (AI)the moth.
20 Between (AJ)morning and evening they are beaten to pieces;
they perish for ever (AK)without anyone regarding it.
21 Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them,
(AL)do they not die, and that without wisdom?’
5 “Call now; is there anyone who will answer you?
To which of (AM)the holy ones will you turn?
2 Surely vexation kills the fool,
and jealousy slays the simple.
3 (AN)I have seen the fool taking root,
but suddenly I cursed his dwelling.
4 His children are (AO)far from safety;
they are crushed in (AP)the gate,
and there is no one to deliver them.
5 The hungry eat his harvest,
and he takes it even out of thorns,[d]
and the thirsty pant[e] after his[f] wealth.
6 For affliction does not come from the dust,
nor does trouble sprout from the ground,
7 but man is (AQ)born to trouble
as the sparks fly upwards.
8 “As for me, I would seek God,
and to God would I commit my cause,
9 who (AR)does great things and (AS)unsearchable,
(AT)marvellous things without number:
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.