Job 3-6
New Catholic Bible
First Cycle of Speeches
Job Curses the Day He Was Born
Chapter 3
Perish the Day on Which I Was Born. 1 After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. 2 He said:
3 “Perish the day on which I was born
and the night it was said, ‘A boy is born.’
4 May that day turn to darkness;[a]
may God not take note of it from above,
and may light not shine upon it.
5 May gloom and heavy darkness claim it;
let clouds spread over it
and blackness eclipse its light.
6 May thick darkness overpower it;
let it not be numbered among the days of the year
or reckoned in the cycle of the months.
7 “May that night be barren;
let no cry of joy be heard during it.
8 Let those curse it who curse the sea
and are prepared to rouse Leviathan.[b]
9 May the stars of its twilight be darkened;
let it wait in vain for daylight
and never behold the first rays of dawn,
10 because it refused to shut the doors
of the womb of my mother who bore me
and shield my eyes from sorrow.
Why Go On Living?[c]
11 “Why did I not die at birth,
perishing as I came forth from the womb?
12 Why were there knees to receive me
or breasts for me to feed on?
13 “For now I would be lying in tranquility,
asleep and resting peacefully
14 with kings and counselors of the earth
who built palaces for themselves that now lie in ruins,
15 or with princes who possessed gold in abundance
and filled their homes with silver.
16 Or why was I not laid in a grave like a stillborn child,
like an infant that had never seen the light?
17 “In death[d] the wicked are free from worldly troubles
and the weary find rest.
18 There the captives enjoy the solace of peace
without having to cringe at the voice of their masters.
19 The small and the great are there as equals,
and servants are free from their masters.
What Good Is Life?[e]
20 “Why is light given to those in misery
and life to those whose hearts are bitter,
21 who long for death that never comes
and seek for it more than for hidden treasure,
22 who would rejoice to see the grave
and exult on reaching the tomb,
23 who are unable to find their way
and whom God has hemmed in on every side?[f]
24 “Sighs are for me my only food,
and my groans pour forth like water.
25 Everything that I fear has afflicted me,
and whatever I dread befalls me.
26 I am unable to find peace of mind or tranquility;
troubles assail me, and I find no rest.”
Eliphaz’s First Speech[g]
Chapter 4
Can You Recall Even One Innocent Person Who Perished?[h] 1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded:
2 “If one of us attempts to reason with you, will you be offended?
Yet who can refrain from speaking?
3 Recall how you instructed many others
and strengthened their feeble hands.
4 Your words have supported those who were staggering,
and you have made firm their faltering knees.
5 “But now that adversity has befallen you, you have grown impatient;
you are dismayed because it has troubled you.
6 Does not your piety give you confidence
and the integrity of your life offer you hope?
7 Can you recall even one innocent person who perished?
Where have the upright ever been destroyed?
8 “My experience has been that those who plow iniquity and sow trouble
reap no other harvest.
9 At the breath of God they are destroyed;
at the blast of his anger they perish.
10 Even though they are as fierce as lions,
their fangs will be broken off.
11 The lion perishes for lack of prey,
and the whelps of the lioness are abandoned.
Can a Human Being Appear Upright in the Presence of God?[i]
12 “A word was quietly brought to me;
a whisper of it reached my ears.
13 It was made known to me in nighttime visions
when sleep comes upon all men.
14 I was seized with terror and trembling
that caused all my bones to shake violently.
15 A spirit brushed across my face,
causing the hairs on my body to bristle.
16 It then halted,
but I could not discern its shape.
An image was before my eyes,
and then I heard a voice whisper:
17 “ ‘Can a human being appear upright in the presence of God?
Can a mortal seem pure before its Maker?
18 God places no trust in his servants,
and he finds fault even with his angels.[j]
19 How much more will this be true of those who dwell in houses of clay,
whose foundation is in the dust
and who can be crushed as easily as a moth.
20 From morning to evening they are cut down;
they perish forever, with hardly a thought from anyone.
21 Their tent-pegs are plucked up,
and they die devoid of wisdom.’
Chapter 5
Resentment Slays the Fool[k]
1 “Call out now if you so wish.
Is there anyone who will reply?
To which of the holy ones[l] will you turn?
2 Resentment slays the fool,
and envy brings death to the simpleton.
3 I have seen a fool enjoy success for a time,
but suddenly his house was cursed.
4 “His children are cut off from safety,
slaughtered at the gate[m] without a defender.
5 The hungry devour their harvest,
even that growing amid the thorns,[n]
and the thirsty pant for their wealth.
6 For misery does not grow out of the earth,
nor does trouble spring from the soil.
7 Rather, man breeds trouble for himself,
as surely as sparks[o] fly upward.
I Would Appeal to God[p]
8 “If I were you, I would appeal to God
and present my case before him.
9 He performs deeds that are beyond understanding,
and wonders that cannot be counted.
10 He provides rain for the earth
and sends down water upon the fields.
11 He raises on high those who are lowly,
and those who mourn he lifts to safety.
12 “He thwarts the schemes of the crafty
so that they do not achieve any success.
13 He traps the cunning in their intrigues
and throws their plans into disarray.
14 They encounter darkness in the daytime
and grope their way at noon as if it were night.
15 But he saves the destitute from the sword
and rescues them from the hand of the mighty.
16 Therefore, the poor once again have hope,
and iniquity must shut its mouth.
Blessed Is the Man Whom God Reproves[q]
17 “Blessed is the man whom God[r] reproves.
Therefore, do not reject the discipline of the Almighty.
18 For even though he wounds, he also binds up;
he smites, but his hands also heal.
19 He will deliver you from trouble six times,
and on the seventh[s] no evil will touch you.
20 In time of famine he will rescue you from death,
and in wartime from the thrust of the sword.
21 “You will be shielded from the scourge of the tongue,
and you will not fear calamity when it looms.
22 You will laugh at destruction and famine
and not be terrified by the beasts of the earth.
23 For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field
and live in peace with wild animals.
24 You will know that your tent is secure,
and your household will be intact when you inspect it.
25 “You will know that your descendants will be numerous,
and your offspring like the grass of the earth.
26 You will go to the grave at a ripe old age,
like sheaves gathered at the right time.
27 All this we have researched, and it is true.
Heed it, and apply it to yourself.”
Job’s First Response[t]
Chapter 6
Impetuous Words.[u] 1 Job then answered with these words:
2 “If only my anguish could be weighed
and my misfortune placed with it on the scales.
3 They would then outweigh the sands of the sea—
hence, my words have been impetuous.
4 For the arrows of the Almighty[v] have pierced me,
and my spirit soaks in their poison;
God’s terrors are aligned against me.
5 “Does the wild donkey bray when it has grass?
Does an ox bellow when it has fodder?
6 Can tasteless food be eaten without salt?
Is there any flavor in the whites of eggs?
7 I refuse to even touch them;
they are like uncleanness in my food.
The Consolation of Death[w]
8 “Oh, that I might receive my request
and God would grant me what I hope for:
9 that it would please him to crush me,
cutting me off and ceasing to restrain his hand.
10 Such would be my consolation,
and I would exult in my unrelenting pain,
since I have never rebelled against the commands of the Holy One.
11 “Do I have the strength to continue to wait?
And what future awaits me should I decide to be patient?
12 Is my strength the strength of stone?
Is my flesh made of bronze?
13 How can I summon up the energy to survive?
All possible solutions to my plight are beyond my reach.
My Brethren Have Betrayed Me[x]
14 “One who despairs should have the support of his friends
even if he has forsaken the fear of the Almighty.
15 But my brethren have proved to be as treacherous as a torrent,
like watercourses that suddenly run dry;
16 they turn dark with ice
and swell with the thawing of the snow,
17 but they dry up in the hot season,
and in the heat vanish from their beds.
18 “Caravans wander off from their course;
they go into the wilderness and perish.
19 The caravans of Tema search for water;
the travelers from Sheba[y] move forward in hope.
20 But despite their confidence they are doomed to disappointment;
they arrive there, only to be frustrated.
21 In much the same way you have dealt with me;
you are stunned at my plight and are terrified.
Make Me Understand How I Have Been at Fault[z]
22 “Did I ever ask you to give me anything,
or to use your vast wealth to alleviate my travails,
23 or to rescue me from the hands of an oppressor,
or to ransom me from the power of ruthless men?
24 “Instruct me, and I will be silent;
make me understand how I have been at fault.
25 I can readily accept logical explanations,
but your arguments are without merit.
26 Do you think that your words should be embraced
whereas mine are so fragile that they can be borne away by a light breeze?
27 You would even cast lots for the fatherless
and sell your friend at a bargain price.
28 “Therefore, now I beg you to look at me,
for I will not lie to your face.
29 Consider what I have said,
and let no further injustice be inflicted upon me.
30 Does evil issue forth from my lips?
Would I not realize it if I spoke untruthfully?
Footnotes
- Job 3:4 May that day turn to darkness: in the beginning God had said: “Let there be light” (Gen 1:3). Now Job so to speak says: “Let there be darkness,” negating God’s creative act.
- Job 3:8 This is an allusion to those sorcerers who claimed to be able to make days unlucky and to upset the order of the world. The sea: another possible translation is: “days.” Leviathan: here it symbolizes the dark forces in the primitive chaos that God conquered and relegated to the depths of the ocean (see Pss 74:14; 104:26; Isa 27:1; 51:9; Am 9:3). Other creatures have also been put forth for the Leviathan, e.g., a killer whale.
- Job 3:11 In his suffering, Job regrets that he ever lived and longs for the hereafter: a kind of sleep in which there is no longer any place for suffering or for the unjust inequalities of the human condition. This hereafter is not the grave but the netherworld, which is a great pit within the earth in which the dead, now only shadows of themselves, are gathered together.
- Job 3:17 In death: literally, “there.”
- Job 3:20 The author expands the debate and raises the fundamental question: Does life still have value for someone whom Providence has left without children?
- Job 3:23 Earlier in the Book, Job is said to have been in God’s safekeeping (Job 1:10). Now Job feels that God has hemmed him in on every side, leaving him in turmoil (see v. 26).
- Job 4:1 Job’s friends, who have not experienced suffering, try to shed light on Job’s suffering by means of their teaching. Their arguments remain theoretical in the presence of Job’s cry.
- Job 4:1 Eliphaz is certain that experience shows one thing—virtue is always rewarded, and impiety is always punished. And if Job can take advantage of a virtuous life, he must remain confident.
- Job 4:12 Thanks to a personal revelation, Eliphaz has understood this important truth: man is only dust and impurity before his Creator. He echoes a major revelation of the entire Bible.
- Job 4:18 See Job 15:15. Taking his inspiration possibly from ancient beliefs (see Gen 6:2-4), the author already sets forth imprecise bits of a theory concerning the fall of the angels, which will be developed in the apocalypses (see Rev 12:7-12).
- Job 5:1 In time of trial, prayer is of no avail if it expresses obstinacy and vexation. Man is the cause of his own unhappiness.
- Job 5:1 The holy ones: after the Exile, this referred to the heavenly spirits (see Job 15:15; Dan 4:10, 14, 20; 8:13; Zec 14:5). They were beginning to be regarded as powerful intercessors with God (see Job 33:23-24; Zec 1:12).
- Job 5:4 At the gate: the place of the city where normal business was conducted and justice was administered.
- Job 5:5 Even . . . thorns: an alternative reading is: “God snatches it out of their mouths.”
- Job 5:7 Sparks: literally, “sons of Resheph.” Resheph was a god of the Canaanites whose name came to be used in the Old Testament as a symbol of fire (Song 8:6), lightning bolts (Ps 78:48), and pestilence (Deut 32:24; Hab 3:5).
- Job 5:8 Like an announcement of the Magnificat (Lk 1:49-53), this poem sings of the power and goodness of God. Eliphaz here presents a remarkable conception of prayer while excluding all discussion of human beings with God.
- Job 5:17 The traditional teaching on trials loves to describe the new earthly happiness that is in store for the faithful.
- Job 5:17 God: the Hebrew text has Shaddai, which means “the powerful one” or, literally, “God of the mountains.” It was a name given to God in the time of the Patriarchs (see Gen 17:1; 35:11; 48:3; Ex 6:3). The author uses this archaic name in order to situate Job in a distant past.
- Job 5:19 Six times . . . on the seventh: a literary device for indicating a very large number or even a totality (see Prov 6:16f; 30:15f; Am 1:3-13).
- Job 6:1 Eliphaz’s words, despite their spiritual beauty, have remained theoretical. Is there any recourse outside of God?
- Job 6:1 Anyone who is without affliction cannot measure another person’s suffering. Just as a bow reaches an adversary, God’s chastisements pierce hearts; they are as frightening as his poisonous arrows (Deut 32:23; Ps 38:3; Lam 3:12-15; Ezek 5:16).
- Job 6:4 The arrows of the Almighty: (the Hebrew has the archaic Shaddai); the trials sent by God (see note on Ps 38:3).
- Job 6:8 Job has reached the end of his strength and his patience, and now waits only for death. His only consolation is that he will have remained faithful to God to the end.
- Job 6:14 Friendship is a refreshing source, but for the sick it is as rare as a spring for a caravan in the wilderness.
- Job 6:19 Tema . . . Sheba: Arabian commercial centers.
- Job 6:22 Job has a deep sense of his innocence. Hence, the pious proposals of his friends seem to him to be inconsiderate.
