Bible in 90 Days
Bildad: Justified With God?
25 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered:
2 “Dominion and awe are with Him;
He establishes shalom in His heights.
3 Can His armies be counted?
On whom does His light not rise?
4 How then can a man be righteous with God?
How can one born of a woman be pure?
5 If even the moon is not bright
and the stars are not pure in His eyes,
6 how much less man who is but a maggot—
a son of man who is a worm!”
Job: God is Awesome
26 Then Job responded and said:
2 “How you have helped the powerless!
How you have saved the arm without strength!
3 How you have counseled the one without wisdom
and revealed your abundant insights!
4 To whom have you uttered words?
Whose spirit has come from your mouth?
5 “The dead tremble—those beneath the water
and all that live in them.
6 Sheol is naked before Him;
Abaddon has no covering.[a]
7 He stretches out the north over the void;
He suspendsthe earth over nothing.
8 He wraps up the waters in His clouds,
yet the clouds do not burst under them.
9 He covers the face of the full moon,
spreading His clouds over it.
10 He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters,
for a boundary between light and dark.
11 The pillars of heaven tremble,
astounded at His rebuke!
12 By His power He churns up the sea;
by His understanding He smashed Rahab.
13 By His Ruach the heavens are clear;
His hand pierced the fleeing serpent.
14 Indeed, these are but glimpses of His ways; how faint the whisper, we hear of Him!
Who then can understand the thunder of His might?”
What Hope has the Godless?
27 And Job took up his discourse again, saying:
2 “As God lives, who has deprived me of justice,
Shaddai who has made my soul bitter,
3 as long as my breath is still in me,
the Ruach of God in my nostrils,
4 my lips will speak no injustice,
nor will my tongue mutter deceit.
5 Far be it from me to say that you are just;
until I die, I will not set aside my integrity!
6 I will maintain my righteousness, and not let it go;
my conscience will not reproach me for any of my days.
7 “May my enemy be like the wicked
my enemy like the unrighteous.
8 For what hope has the godless,
when he is cut off,
when God takes his soul?[b]
9 Will God hear his cry
when trouble comes upon him?
10 Will he delight in Shaddai?
Will he call upon God at all times?
11 I will teach you about the hand of God;
I will not conceal the ways of Shaddai.
12 Look, you have all seen this yourselves.
Why then this meaningless talk?
13 “This is the portion of a wicked man with God,
the inheritance that ruthless men receive from Shaddai.
14 If his children increase—
it is for the sword.
His offspring will never
have enough to eat.
15 Those who survive him will be buried by the plague,
and their widows will not weep.
16 Though he piles up silver like dust,
and clothing like heaps of mortar,
17 what he lays up, the righteous will wear,
and the upright will divide the silver.
18 The house he built is like a moth’s cocoon,
like a hut made for a watchman.
19 “He lies down wealthy,
but will gather no more.
When he opens his eyes,
all is gone!
20 Terrors overtake him like a flood;
a storm sweeps him away at night.
21 The east wind picks him up and he is gone;
it sweeps him out of his place.
22 It hurls itself at him without pity
as he flees headlong from its hand.
23 It claps its hands at him in derision,
and hisses him out of his place.”
Where Can Wisdom be Found?
28 “Surely there is a mine for silver,
and a place where gold is refined.
2 Iron is taken from the earth,
and copper is smelted from ore.
3 Man puts an end to darkness;
he searches to the farthest reaches
for ore in gloom and blackest darkness.
4 He cuts open a shaft far from dwellings,
in places forgotten by feet.
Far from other people,
they dangle back and forth.
5 The earth, from which food comes,
is transformed as by fire;
6 a place whose rocks are sapphires,
its dust contains gold.
7 No bird of prey knows the path;
nor falcon’s eye has seen it.
8 Proud beasts have not set foot on it,
and no lion has passed there.
9 Man sets his hand against the flinty rock
and overturns mountains by the roots.
10 He carves out tunnels through the rocks;
his eye sees every precious thing.
11 He dams up streams from flowing.
And brings hidden things to light.
12 “But where can wisdom be found?
Where is the place of understanding?
13 No mortal comprehends its worth;
it cannot be found in the land of the living.
14 The deep says, ‘It is not in me’—
The sea says, ‘It’s not with me.’
15 Pure gold cannot be given for it,
nor can its price be weighed in silver.
16 It cannot be weighed in gold from Ophir,
in precious onyx, or sapphire.
17 Neither gold or crystal can compare with it,
nor vessels of fine gold exchanged for it.
18 No mention will be made of coral or jasper;
the price of wisdom is more than pearls.
19 The topaz of Ethiopia cannot compare to it;
nor can it be valued in pure gold.
20 Where then does wisdom come from?
Where is the place of understanding?
21 It has been hidden from the eyes of all living things,
concealed from the birds of the sky.
22 Abaddon and Death say,
‘With our ears we have heard a rumor of it.’
23 “God understands its way
and He knows its place.
24 He looks to the ends of the earth,
and sees everything under the heavens.
25 When He made the force of the wind,
and measured out the waters,
26 when He set a limit for the rain
and a path for the thunderstorm,
27 then He looked at it and assessed it
established it and examined it.
28 And He said to mankind,
‘The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
and to turn away from evil is understanding.”’
Job Remembers Better Days
29 Again Job took up his discourse saying:
2 “O that I could be as in the months gone by,
as in the days when God watched over me,
3 when His lamp shone above my head,
when by His light I walked through darkness;
4 as I was in the days of my prime,
when God’s intimate friendship was upon my tent,
5 when Shaddai was still with me,
and my children surrounded me;
6 when my steps were bathed with butter,
and the rock poured out for me streams of oil.
7 When I went out to the city gate,
and secured my seat in the public square,
8 young men would see me and hide,
old men would rise and stand;
9 princes refrained from talking
and put their hand over their mouths;
10 the voice of the nobles was hushed
and their tongue stuck to their palate.
11 “When the ear heard,
it called me blessed,
and when the eye saw me,
it commended me;
12 for I saved the poor who cried for help,
and the orphan who had no one to help him;
13 the blessing of the dying man came on me,
and I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.
14 I put on righteousness as my clothing;
justice was as my robe and turban.
15 I was eyes for the blind
and feet for the lame;
16 I was a father to the needy,
and I investigated the case of one I did not know.
17 I broke the jaws of the unjust,
and snatched the prey out of his teeth.
18 “Then I thought, ‘I will die in my nest,
and multiply my days like the sand.
19 My roots reach the water,
and dew lies on my branches all night.
20 My glory is fresh within me,
and my bow is renewed in my hand.’
21 “People listened to me and waited,
and kept silent for my advice.
22 After I had spoken, they spoke no more;
my words fell on them drop by drop.
23 They waited for me as for the rain,
and opened their mouths as for spring rain.
24 When I joked with them, they hardly believed it;
they did not cause the light of my face to fall.
25 I chose their way and sat as their chief;
I lived as a king among the troops;
I was like one who comforts mourners.
Cry of Great Agony
30 “But now they mock me—those younger than me,
whose fathers I would have disdained to put with my sheep dogs.
2 Moreover, what use was the strength of their hands to me,
since their vigor has gone from them.
3 Haggard from want and hunger,
they gnaw the parched land,
in former time desolate and waste.
4 In the brush they pluck salt herbs,
and their food was from the root of the broom tree.
5 They were banished from society,
shouted at as if they were thieves,
6 so they were forced to dwell in wadis,
in holes of the earth and among the rocks.
7 They brayed among the bushes
and huddled under the nettles.
8 A senseless and nameless brood,
they were cast out from the land.
9 “So now I have become their taunt song;
I have become a byword to them.
10 They despise me;
they keep their distance from me;
they do not hesitate to spit in my face.
11 Because He has loosened my cord and afflicted me,
they have cast off restraint in my presence
12 On my right the rabble rise up;
they entangle my feet
and build up their destructive paths against me.
13 They break up my path;
they succeed in destroying me without anyone helping them.
14 As through a wide breach they come;
amid the ruins they come rolling in.
15 Terrors are turned on me;
they chase away my honor like the wind,
and like a cloud my deliverance vanishes.
16 “And now my soul is poured out within me;
days of suffering have taken hold of me.
17 Night pierces my bones within me;
my gnawing pains never rest.
18 By great power He seizes my garment;
He binds me like the collar of my tunic.
19 He has cast me into the mud,
and I have become like dust and ashes.
20 “I cry out to You, but You do not answer me;
I stand up, but You only look at me.
21 You have turned on me cruelly;
You attack me with the might of Your hand.
22 You lift me up on the wind
and make me ride on it;
You toss me about in the storm.
23 For I know that you will bring me to death,
to the house appointed for all the living.
24 Yet does not one in a heap of ruins stretch out His hand,
and in his distress cry for help?
25 Have I not wept for the unfortunate?
Was not my soul grieved for the poor?
26 Yet, when I hoped for good, evil came;
when I waited for light, then darkness came.
27 “My heart[c] seethes and never stops;
days of suffering confront me.
28 I walk about blackened, but not by the sun;
I stand in the assembly and cry for help.
29 I have become a brother to jackals,
and a companion to ostriches.
30 My skin has turned black on me;
my bones burn with heat.
31 My harp is for mourning
and my flute for the sound of weeping.
Job Asks for Judgment
31 “I made a covenant with my eyes
not to pay attention to a virgin.
2 For what is one’s lot from God above,
one’s heritage from Shaddai on high?
3 Is it not calamity for the unjust,
and disaster for workers of iniquity?
4 Does He not see my ways
and count all my steps?
5 “If I have walked in falsehood
or my foot has hurried to deceit,
6 then let Him weigh me with honest scales,
then God will know my integrity.
7 If my step has strayed from the way,
if my heart has walked after my eyes,
or if any defilement has stuck to my hands,
8 then let me sow and another eat,
and let my crops be uprooted.
9 If my heart has been enticed by a woman,
or I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,
10 then let my wife grind for another
and let others sleep with her.
11 For that would be a shameful act,
an iniquity to be judged.
12 For it is a fire that devours to destruction,
and uproots all my harvest.
13 “If I have denied justice to my male or female servant
when they disputed with me,
14 then what could I do when God rises up;
when He visits, how will I answer Him?
15 Did not He who made me in the womb, make him?
Did not the same one form us in the womb?
16 “If I withheld the desires of the poor
or let the eyes of the widow to fail,
17 if I ate my morsel of bread myself,
without letting an orphan eat of it
18 (but from my youth I reared him as a father,
and from my mother’s womb I guided her),
19 if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing
or the needy without a covering,
20 if his heart did not bless me
as he warmed himself with the fleece of my sheep,
21 if I have raised my hand against the orphan,
when I saw my support in the gate,
22 then let my shoulder blade fall from my shoulder,
and let my arm be broken off at the joint.
23 For calamity from God was a terror to me,
and because of His majesty, I could do nothing.
24 “If I have put my confidence in gold
or said to fine gold, ‘You are my security,’
25 if I rejoiced because of my great wealth
or because of the abundance my hand acquired,
26 if I looked at the sun when it shines
or the moon moving in splendor,
27 so that my heart was secretly enticed,
and my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,
28 then this also would be iniquity to be judged,
for I would have denied God above.
29 “If I rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune
or gloated because calamity found him—
30 I have not allowed my mouth to sin,
by asking for his life with a curse—
31 if anyone in my household has ever said,
‘Who has not been filled with his meat?’
32 —but no stranger had to spend the night outside
for my door was open to the traveler—
33 if I have I covered my transgressions like Adam,
by hiding my guilt in my bosom
34 because I feared a great multitude,
and the contempt of clans terrified me,
so that I kept silent
and would not go outside.
35 O, that I had someone to hear me!
Look, here is my signature,
let Shaddai answer me,
let the accuser write the indictment!
36 Surely I would carry it on my shoulder;
I would bind it on me as a crown.
37 I would give Him an account of my steps;
like a prince I would approach Him.
38 “If my land cries out against me,
and its furrows weep together,
39 if I have eaten its fruits without money,
or caused the death of its owners,
40 then let briars come up instead of wheat,
and stinkweed instead of barley.”
The words of Job are ended.
Young Elihu Speaks
32 So these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2 Then Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite of the clan of Ram became very angry. He was angry with Job for justifying himself rather than God. 3 He was also angry with his three friends because they had not found an answer, and yet had condemned Job. 4 Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were older. 5 When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, his anger was aroused.
6 Then Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite responded and said:
“I am young in days and you are old;
that is why I was timid
and dared not to tell what I know.
7 I thought, ‘Let days speak,
and many years teach wisdom.’[d]
8 But there is a spirit in people,
the breath of Shaddai that gives them understanding.
9 It is not only the aged who are wise
or old men who understand justice.
10 “Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me!
I, even I, will explain what I know.’
11 Look, I waited for your words,
I listened to your reasoning;
while you were searching for words
12 I gave you my full attention.
But behold, no one proved Job wrong;
none among you, answered his statements.
13 Lest you should say, ‘We have found wisdom;
let God refute him, not man!’
14 Job has not directed his words to me
and I will not respond to him with your arguments.
15 “They are dismayed and no longer reply;
words have failed them.
16 Must I wait, since they no longer speak
since they stand there with no reply?
17 I too will answer my part;
I too will declare what I know.
18 For I am full of words,
and the spirit within me compels me;
19 inside I am like wine that has no opening,
like new wineskins ready to burst.
20 I must speak that I may find relief;
I will open my lips that I may answer.
21 I will show partiality to no one,
nor will I flatter anyone;
22 for I do not know how to flatter
else my Maker would quickly carry me away!
33 “But now, Job, listen to my words
and give ear to everything I say.
2 See now, I open my mouth;
my tongue in my mouth speaks.
3 My words are from my upright heart;
my lips speak sincerely what they know.
4 “The Ruach of God has made me;
the breath of Shaddai gives me life.
5 Answer me, if you can;
array yourselves before me;
take your stand!
6 Look, I am the same as you before God;
I too am formed from clay.
7 See, no fear of me should terrify you,
nor should my pressure be heavy on you.
8 “Indeed, you have said in my hearing,
—I heard the sound of the words:
9 ‘I am pure, without transgression;
I am innocent, without iniquity.
10 Yet, He has found fault with me;
He considers me His enemy.
11 He puts my feet in the shackles;
He watches closely all my paths.’
12 “But in this, you are not right—
I answer you, for God is greater than a mortal.
13 Why do you contend against Him
that He does not answer all His words.
14 Indeed, God speaks once, even twice,
yet no one perceives it.
15 “In a dream, in a vision of the night,
when deep sleep falls on men, as they slumber in bed,
16 Then He opens the ears of men
and seals their instruction,
17 in order to turn a man from his conduct
and to cover a person’s pride.
18 He spares his soul from the Pit
and his life from perishing by the sword.
19 Or a person is chastened with pain on his bed,
with continual strife in his bones,
20 so that his life loathes bread,
and his soul, desirable food.
21 His flesh wastes away from sight,
and his bones, once unseen, now stick out.
22 His soul draws near to the Pit
and his life to the messengers of death.
23 “If there is an angel beside him, a messenger, one out of a thousand,
to declare to a man his uprightness,
24 then He is gracious to him, and says
‘Deliver him from going down to the Pit—
I have found a ransom;’
25 let his flesh be restored like a child’s;
let him return to the days of his youth.’
26 He entreats God and is accepted by Him;
he sees His face with a shout of joy;
He restores to the man his righteousness.
27 He sings to others, saying,
‘I have sinned and perverted what is right,
but I did not get what I deserved.
28 He redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit,
and my life sees the light.’
29 “Indeed, God does all these things,
twice, even three times with a man,
30 to bring his soul back from the Pit,
that he may be illuminated with the light of life.
31 Pay attention, Job, listen to me;
Be silent, and I will speak.
32 If you have anything to say, answer me.
Speak, for I want to justify you.
33 If not, then listen to me.
Be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”
Testing Job’s Claims
34 Then Elihu answered:
2 “Hear my words, you wise men;
give ear to me, you men of learning.
3 For the ear tests words
as the mouth tastes food.
4 Let us choose for ourselves what is right;
Let us learn together what is good.
5 “For Job says, ‘I am righteous,
but God has deprived me of justice.
6 Concerning my right, should I lie?
My wound is incurable, although I am without transgression.’
7 What man is like Job,
who drinks mockery like water,
8 who keeps company with evildoers,
and walks with wicked men?
9 For he says, ‘It does not profit a man
when he makes his delight with God.’
10 “Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding:
Wickedness is far from God, injustice from Shaddai
11 For He repays a person for what he has done,
and brings on the person what he deserves.
12 “Truly God does not act wickedly,
and Shaddai does not pervert justice.
13 Who appointed Him over the earth?
Who put Him over the whole world?
14 “If He were to set His heart on it,
and gather to Himself His Ruach and breath,
15 all flesh would perish together
and mankind would return to dust.[e]
16 “Now if you have understanding, hear this;
give ear to the sound of my words.
17 Can someone who hates justice govern?
Will you condemn the mighty, righteous One?
18 Who says to a king, ‘Worthless man’
and to nobles, ‘Wicked men’!
19 Who shows no partiality before princes,
and does not favor the rich over the poor,
for they are all the work of His hands.
20 They die in a moment, at midnight,
people are shaken and they pass away.
The mighty are removed without a hand.
21 “For His eyes are on the ways of man;
He sees all his steps.
22 There is no gloom and no deep darkness,
where evildoers can hide themselves.
23 For He does not consider a man further
that he should go before God in judgment.
24 He shatters the mighty without inquiry,
and sets others in their place.
25 Thus He recognizes their deeds,
He overturns them in the night and they are crushed.
26 He strikes them for their wickedness
in a place where people can see,
27 because they turned from following Him,
and have not understood any of His ways.
28 They caused the cry of the poor to come before Him,
so that He hears the cry of the afflicted.
29 “But if He is quiet, who can condemn Him?
If He hides His face, who can see Him?
Yet He is over a nation and an individual alike,
30 so that godless men should not rule,
nor lay snares for people.
31 “Suppose someone says to God, ‘I have born chastisement,
but I will not act wickedly any more.
32 Teach me what I cannot see.
If I have done evil, I will not do it again.’
33 Should He requite it on your terms,
because you reject it?
But you must choose and not I;
now declare what you know.
34 “Men of understanding declare,
wise men who hear me say to me,
35 ‘Job speaks without knowledge,
and his words lack understanding.’
36 Oh, that Job might be tested to the end,
for answering like wicked men.
37 For he adds rebellion to his sin;
in our midst he claps his hands
and multiplies his words against God.”
35 Then Elihu answered, saying:
2 “Do you think this is just?
Do you say,
‘My righteousness is greater than God’s?’
3 For you ask, ‘What will it profit you?’
and ‘What do I gain by not sinning?’
4 I will answer you,
and your friends with you.
5 Look up at the heavens and see;
consider the clouds so high above you.
6 If you sin, how does it affect Him?
If your transgressions are many, what do you do to Him?
7 If you are righteous, what do you give Him,
or what does He receive from your hand?[f]
8 Your wickedness is for a man like yourself,
and your righteousness for a son of man.
9 “Because of a multitude of oppressions, they cry out;
they cry for help because of the power of the mighty.
10 But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker,
who gives songs in the night,
11 who teaches us more than the animals of the earth,
who makes us wiser than the birds of the sky?’
12 There they cry out, but He does not answer,
because of the pride of the wicked.
13 Indeed God does not hear an empty cry;
Shaddai pays no attention to it.
14 How much less when you say that you do not perceive Him
that the case is before Him and you must wait for Him.
15 And further, that His anger does not punish
and that He does not know transgression?
16 So Job opens his mouth with nonsense,
without knowledge he multiplies words.”
Elihu Magnifies the Almighty
36 Then Elihu said further:
2 “Be patient with me a bit longer and I will show you
that there is more to say on God’s behalf.
3 I get my knowledge from afar;
I ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
4 For truly, my words are not false;
One who is perfect in knowledge is with you.
5 “Indeed, God is mighty, but despises none,
He is mighty in strength of understanding.
6 He does not keep the wicked alive,
but gives justice to the afflicted.
7 He does not take His eyes from the righteous,
but enthrones them with kings and exalts them forever.
8 But if they are bound in chains,
and held captive by cords of affliction,
9 then He declares to them their deed
that they have transgressed arrogantly.
10 And He opens their ear to instruction,
and commands that they turn from evil.
11 If they obey and serve, they will end their days in prosperity,
and their years in happiness.
12 But if they do not listen, they will perish by the sword,
and die without knowledge.
13 “The godless in heart harbor anger,
they do not cry for help even when He binds them.
14 Their souls die in youth,
their life ends among cult prostitutes.
15 He delivers the afflicted by his affliction
and opens their ear in oppression.
16 “And indeed, He will draw you from the mouth of distress,
to a spacious place without constraint, and the comfort of a table full of rich food.
17 But you are full of judgment on the wicked,
judgment and justice take hold of you!
18 Beware lest wrath entice you with riches;
or a large bribe turn you aside.
19 Will your wealth sustain you to keep you from distress,
or even all your mighty efforts?
20 Do not long for the night,
when people vanish from their places.
21 Be careful, do not turn to iniquity;
for you have chosen this rather than affliction.
22 “Indeed, God is exalted in His power.
Who is a teacher like Him?
23 Who has prescribed His way for Him?
Or said ‘You have done wrong’?
24 Remember to magnify His work,
of which people have sung.
25 All mankind has seen it;
people gaze on it from afar.
26 Behold, God is exalted—beyond our knowledge!
The number of His years is unsearchable.
27 For He draws up the drops of water;
they distill rain into its mist,
28 which the clouds pour down
and shower mankind abundantly.
29 Indeed, who can understand the spreading of the clouds,
and the thunder from His pavilion?
30 “See how He scatters His lightning about Him,
covering the depths of the sea.
31 For by these, He judges peoples
and supplies food in abundance.
32 He covers His hands with lightning
and commands it to strike its target.
33 His thunder declares His presence,
the cattle also, about what is coming.
37 “At this my heart trembles
and leaps from its place.
2 Listen carefully to the roar of His voice,
the rumbling that comes from His mouth.
3 Under the whole heaven He lets it loose,
and His light to the ends of the earth.
4 After that a voice roars;
He thunders with His majestic voice.
He does not hold them back when His voice is heard.
5 God thunders wondrously with His voice;
He does great things beyond our comprehension.
6 “For to the snow He says, ‘Fall to the earth,’
and to the torrential rain—be a mighty downpour of rain.
7 He seals the hand of every man,
so that all men will know His work.
8 The animals go into their lairs;
they remain in their dens.
9 Out of its chamber comes the storm,
and icy cold from the driving wind.
10 From the breath of God frost is made,
and the watery expanse freezes.
11 He loads the cloud with moisture;
He scatters His cloud of lightning.
12 It swirls around by His guidance,
to do whatever He commands
on the face of the inhabited world.
13 Whether it is a rod of punishment
or for His land or for lovingkindness,
He causes it to happen.
14 “Listen to this, Job:
stand and consider God’s wonders.
15 Do you know how God orders them,
and makes the lightning flash in His cloud?
16 Do you know the balancing of clouds,
the wonders of Him who has perfect knowledge?
17 “You, whose clothes are hot,
when the earth is still, because of the south wind,
18 can you, with Him, stretch out the skies,
strong as a mirror of molten metal?
19 Teach us what to say to Him;
we cannot prepare a case because of the darkness.
20 Should He be informed that I want to speak?
If a man speaks, would he be swallowed up?
21 But now, they do not see the light,
bright as it is in the skies,
until the wind has passed
and cleared the clouds away.
22 Out of the north comes in golden splendor;
around God is awesome majesty.
23 Shaddai, we cannot find Him!
He is great in power and justice,
and abundant righteousness He does not oppress.
24 Therefore people fear Him;
He does not regard all the wise of heart.”
Word out of the Whirlwind
38 Then Adonai answered Job out of the whirlwind.
He said:
2 “Who is this, who darkens counsel
with words without knowledge?
3 Now gird up your loins like a man;
I will question you,
and you will inform Me!
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding.
5 Who set its dimensions—if you know—
or who stretched a line over it?
6 On what were its foundations set,
or who laid its cornerstone—
7 when the morning stars sang together,
and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
8 “And who shut up the sea behind doors
when it burst forth from the womb,
9 when I made a cloud its garment
and thick darkness its swaddling cloth,
10 when I prescribed my boundary for it,
and set bars and gates,
11 when I said, ‘This far you may come, but no further;
here your majestic waves will stop.’
12 “Have you ever in your life commanded the morning,
or caused dawn to know its place;
13 that it would take hold of the corners of the earth
and shake the wicked out of it?
14 It changes shape like clay under a seal—
they stand out like those of a garment.
15 And from the wicked their light is withheld,
and the upraised arm is broken.
16 “Have you gone to the springs of the sea,
or walked in the recesses of the deep?
17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you?
Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?
18 Have you comprehended the expanses of the earth?
If you know it all, declare it!
19 In what direction does light dwell,
and darkness, where is its place—
20 that you can take it to its borders,
and discern the paths to its home?
21 Surely you know, for you were born then;
and the number of your days is great!
22 “Have you entered the storehouses of snow
or seen the storehouses of hail,
23 which I reserved for a time of distress,
for a day of battle and war?
24 In what direction is light distributed,
or the east wind scattered over the earth?
25 Who cuts a channel for the flood,
and a path for the thunderstorm,
26 to cause it to rain on an uninhabited land,
a desert with no one in it,
27 to satisfy a devastated and desolate land,
and cause it to sprout grass?
28 Does the rain have a father,
or who has birthed the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb comes the ice?
Who gives birth to the frost of heaven,
30 when the waters hide like stone,
and the surface of the deep is frozen?
31 “Can you bind the chains of Pleiades
or loosen the belt of Orion?
32 Do you bring out the constellations in their season
or guide the Bear with her cubs?
33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?
Can you set up dominion over the earth?
34 “Can you raise your voice to the clouds
and cover yourself with an abundance of water?
35 Can you send out lightning bolts, so they go?
Will they say to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who put wisdom in the secret place
or gave understanding to the mind?
37 Who can count the clouds by wisdom,
or tip over the water jars of heaven,
38 when dust hardens into a mass
and clods of earth stick together?
39 “Do you hunt prey for the lioness
or satisfy the hunger of young lions,
40 when they crouch in their dens
or lie in wait in the thicket?
41 Who arranges provision for the raven,
when its young cry out to God,
and wander about for lack of food?
39 “Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?
Do you observe the calving doe?
2 Do you count the months they fulfill
and do you know the time when they give birth
3 when they kneel, bring forth their young,
and their labor pains end?
4 Their young thrive and grow strong in the open field;
They leaveand never return to them.
5 “Who sent the wild donkey free?
Who released the bonds of the wild ass,
6 to whom I gave the Arabah as its home,
the salt land as its dwelling place?
7 It scorns the commotion in the town;
it does not hear the taskmaster’s shouts.
8 It explores the mountains as its pasture
and searches after every green thing.
9 “Is the wild ox willing to serve you?
Will it spend the night at your manger?
10 Will you bind a wild ox to a furrow with his rope?
Will it plow valleys behind you?
11 Will you rely on it for its great strength?
Will you leave your labor to it?
12 Can you trust it to bring in your seed
and gather it to your threshing floor?
13 “The wings of the ostrich flap joyously,
but are they the pinions and plumage of a stork?
14 For she leaves her eggs on the ground
and lets them warm in the soil,
15 and forgets that a foot may crush them,
that a wild beast may trample them.
16 She treats her young ones harshly, as if they were not hers;
She is not concerned that her labor was in vain,
17 for God did not endow her with wisdom
or give her a share of understanding.
18 When she lifts herself to flee
she laughs at the horse and its rider.
19 “Do you give the horse its strength?
Do you clothe his neck with a mane?
20 Do you cause him to leap like locust?
His majestic snorting is terrifying!
21 He paws in the valley
and exalting in his strength he charges into the fray.
22 He laughs at fear and is not dismayed;
he does not recoil from the sword.
23 On him the quiver rattles;
the spear and javelin flash.
24 With quaking and excitement, he swallows up the ground.
He cannot stand still when the shofar sounds.
25 At the blast of the shofar, he says, ‘Aha!’
From a distance he smells battle,
the shout of the captains and the battle cry.
26 “Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars,
spreading its wings toward the south?
27 Is it by your command that an eagle soars
and builds its nest high?
28 It dwells on a cliff
and spends the night there, on a rocky crag and stronghold.
29 From there it searches for food;
its eyes detect it from afar.
30 Its young ones suck up blood,
and where the slain are, there it is.”
Insignificant Before God
40 Then Adonai answered Job, saying:
2 “Will the one who contends with Shaddai correct him?
Let him who accuses God answer!”
3 Then Job answered Adonai. He said:
4 “Indeed, I am unworthy—what can I reply to You?
I put my hand over my mouth.
5 I spoke once, but I have no answer—
twice, but I will say no more.”
6 Then Adonai answered Job from the whirlwind:
7 “Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you will inform Me!
8 “Would you really annul My judgment?
Would you condemn Me to justify yourself?
9 Do you have an arm like God’s
and can you thunder with a voice like His?
10 Then adorn yourself in majesty and dignity;
clothe yourself in splendor and honor.
11 Scatter the fury of your anger.
Look at every proud personand bring him low;
12 look at everyone who is proud and humble him;
tread down the wicked where they stand.
13 Hide them together in the dust
bind their faces in the hidden place.
14 Then I—even I will acknowledge to you,
that your own right hand can save you!
Behemoth and Leviathan
15 “Look now at Behemoth, which I made along with you.
He eats grass like an ox.
16 Now look at his strength in his loins,
and his power in the muscles of his belly.
17 He stiffens his tail like a cedar;
the sinews of his thighs are knit together.
18 His bones are tubes of bronze;
His limbs like rods of iron.
19 He is first among the ways of God,
Let his Maker draw near with His sword!
20 For the mountains bring him food,
and all the wild animals play there.
21 Under the lotus plants he lies down,
in the secrecy of the reeds and marsh.
22 The lotuses conceal him in their shade;
the willows of the brook surround him.
23 If the river rages, he is not alarmed.
He is secure, even though the Jordan surges against his mouth.
24 Can anyone capture it by its eyes,
or pierce his nose with hooks?
25 “Can you pull in Leviathan with a hook,[g]
or tie down his tongue with a cord?
26 Can you put a reed rope in his nose
or pierce his jaw with a hook?
27 Will he make many supplications to you,
or speak softly to you?
28 Will he make a covenant with you,
so you can take him as a slave forever?
29 Can you play with him like a bird,
or put him on a leash for your girls?
30 Will traders barter for him?
Will they divide him among the merchants?
31 Can you fill his hide with harpoons
or his head with fishing spears?
32 If you lay your hands on him—
you will remember the battle and never do it again!
41 “See, his hope is wrong,
he is laid low, even the sight of him.
2 Is he not fierce when he is roused?
Who then is able to stand before Me?
3 Who has confronted Me that I should repay?[h]
Everything under heaven belongs to Me.
4 “I will not keep silent about his limbs,
or his might or the grace of his arrangement.
5 Who can strip off his outer garment?
Who can penetrate his double armor?
6 Who can open the doors of his face,
ringed with fearsome teeth?
7 His rows of shields are his pride,
shut up closely as with tight seal;
8 each so close to the next,
that no air can pass between.
9 They are joined one to another;
they clasp each other and cannot be separated.
10 “He sneezes out flashes of light;
his eyes are like the eyelids of dawn.
11 Out of his mouth go flames,
sparks of fire shoot out.
12 Smoke pours from his nostrils,
as a boiling pot over burning reeds.
13 His breath sets coals ablaze
and flames dart from his mouth.
14 “Strength resides in his neck;
dismay runs before him.
15 The folds of his flesh are tightly joined;
they are firm on him, immovable.
16 His heart is hard as rock,
hard as a lower millstone.
17 “When he rises up, the mighty are afraid;
at his crashing they retreat.
18 A sword that reaches him has no effect—
nor with a spear, dart, or javelin.
19 He regards iron as straw,
bronze as rotten wood.
20 Arrows do not make him flee;
sling stones become like chaff to him.
21 A club is regarded as stubble;
he laughs at the rattling of a lance.
22 “His undersides are jagged potsherds,
leaving a trail like a threshing sledge in mud.
23 He makes the deep boil like a cauldron
and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment.
24 He leaves a shining wake behind him;
one would think the deep had white hair.
25 Nothing on dry land is his equal—
a creature without fear.
26 He sees every haughty thing;
he is king over all who are proud.”
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.