Bible in 90 Days
Bildad Speaks: You Are Unjustly Accusing God of Doing Evil, Job
8 Then Bildad from Shuah replied ⌞to Job⌟,
2 “How long will you say these things?
How long will your words be so windy?
3 Does God distort justice,
or does the Almighty distort righteousness?
4 If your children sinned against him,
he allowed them to suffer the consequences of their sinfulness.
5 If you search for God
and plead for mercy from the Almighty,
6 if you are moral and ethical,
then he will rise up on your behalf
and prove your righteousness by rebuilding your home.
7 Then what you had in the past will seem small
compared with the great prosperity you’ll have in the future.
Learn from Past Generations
8 “Ask the people of past generations.
Find out what their ancestors had learned.
9 We have only been around since yesterday, and we know nothing.
Our days on earth are only a fleeting shadow.
10 Won’t their words teach you?
Won’t they share their thoughts with you?
God Does Not Punish the Innocent Person
11 “Can papyrus grow up where there is no swamp?
Can rushes grow tall without water?
12 Even if they were fresh and not cut,
they would wither quicker than grass.
13 The same thing happens to all who forget God.
The hope of the godless dies.
14 His confidence is easily shattered.
His trust is a spider’s web.
15 If one leans on his house, it collapses.
If one holds on to it, it will not support his weight.
16 He is like a well-watered plant in the sunshine.
The shoots spread over his garden.
17 Its roots weave through a pile of stones.
They cling to a stone house.
18 But when it is uprooted from its place,
⌞the ground⌟ denies it ⌞and says⌟, ‘I never saw you!’
19 That is its joy in this life,
and others sprout from the same ground to ⌞take its place⌟.
20 “Certainly, God does not reject a person of integrity
or give a helping hand to wicked people.
21 He will fill your mouth with laughter
and your lips with happy shouting.
22 Those who hate you will be clothed with shame,
and the tent of the wicked will cease to exist.”
Job Speaks: the Futility of Arguing with God
9 Then Job replied ⌞to his friends⌟,
2 “Yes, I know that this is true.
But how can a mortal be declared righteous to God?
3 If he wished to debate with God,
he wouldn’t be able to answer one question in a thousand.
4 “God is wise in heart and mighty in power.
Who could oppose him and win?
5 He moves mountains without their knowing it,
and he topples them in his anger.
6 He shakes the earth from its place,
and its pillars tremble.
7 He commands the sun not to rise.
He doesn’t let the stars come out.
8 He stretches out the heavens by himself
and walks on the waves of the sea.
9 He made ⌞the constellations⌟ Ursa Major, Orion, and the Pleiades,
and the clusters of stars in the south.
10 He does great things that are unsearchable
and miracles that cannot be numbered.
11 He passes alongside of me, and I don’t even see him.
He goes past me, and I don’t even notice him.
12 He takes something away, ⌞but⌟ who can stop him?
Who is going to ask him, ‘What are you doing?’
13 God does not hold back his anger.
Even Rahab’s[a] helpers bow humbly in front of him.
14 “How can I possibly answer God?
How can I find the right words ⌞to speak⌟ with him?
15 Even if I were right, I could not answer ⌞him⌟.
I would have to plead for mercy from my judge.
16 If I cried out and he answered me,
I do not believe that he would listen to me.
17 He would knock me down with a storm
and bruise me without a reason.
18 He would not let me catch my breath.
He fills me with bitterness.
19 If it is a matter of strength,
then he is the mighty one.
If it is about justice,
who will charge me with a crime?
20 If I am righteous, my own mouth would condemn me.
It would declare that I am corrupt even if I am a man of integrity.
21 If I am a man of integrity, I have no way of knowing it.
I hate my life!
22 It is all the same.
That is why I say,
‘He destroys ⌞both⌟ the man of integrity and the wicked.’
23 When a sudden disaster brings death,
he makes fun of the despair of innocent people.
24 The earth is handed over to the wicked.
He covers the faces of its judges.
If he isn’t the one ⌞doing this⌟, who is?
25 “My days go by more quickly than a runner.
They sprint away.
They don’t see anything good.
26 They pass by quickly like boats made from reeds,
like an eagle swooping down on its prey.
27 ⌞Even⌟ if I say, ‘I will forget my complaining;
I will change my expression and smile,’
28 I ⌞still⌟ dread everything I must suffer.
I know that you won’t declare me innocent.
29 I’ve already been found guilty.
Why should I work so hard for nothing?
30 If I wash myself with lye soap[b]
and cleanse my hands with bleach,
31 then you would plunge me into a muddy pit,
and my own clothes would find me disgusting.
32 A human like me cannot answer God,
‘Let’s take our case to court.’
33 There is no mediator between us
to put his hand on both of us.
34 God should take his rod away from me,
and he should not terrify me.[c]
35 Then I would speak and not be afraid of him.
But I know that I am not like that.
Job Says to God: I Hate My Life
10 “I hate my life.
I will freely express my complaint.
I will speak as bitterly as I feel.
2 I will say to God,
‘Don’t condemn me.
Let me know why you are quarreling with me.
3 What do you gain by mistreating me,
by rejecting the work of your hands
while you favor the plans of the wicked?
4 Do you actually have human eyes?
Do you see as a mortal sees?
5 Are your days like a mortal’s days?
Are your years like a human’s years?
6 Is that why you look for guilt in me
and search for sin in me?
7 You know I’m not guilty,
but there is no one to rescue me from your hands.
8 “ ‘Your hands formed me and made every part of me,
then you turned to destroy me.
9 Please remember that you made me out of clay
and that you will return me to the dust again.
10 Didn’t you pour me out like milk
and curdle me like cheese?
11 Didn’t you dress me in skin and flesh
and weave me together with bones and tendons?
12 You gave me life and mercy.
Your watchfulness has preserved my spirit.
13 But in your heart you hid these things.
I know this is what you did.
14 “ ‘If I sin, you watch me
and will not free me from my guilt.
15 How terrible it will be for me if I’m guilty!
Even if I’m righteous, I dare not lift up my head.
I am filled with disgrace
while I look on my misery.
16 Like a proud, ferocious lion you hunt me down.
You keep working your miracles against me.
17 You keep finding new witnesses against me.
You keep increasing your anger toward me.
You keep bringing new armies against me.
18 “ ‘Why did you take me out of the womb?
I wish I had breathed my last breath
before anyone had laid eyes on me.
19 Then it would be as if I had never existed,
as if I had been carried from the womb to the tomb.
20 “ ‘Isn’t my life short enough?
So stop ⌞this⌟, and leave me alone.
Let me smile a little
21 before I go away
to a land of darkness and gloom,
22 to a dismal land of long shadows and confusion
where light is as bright as darkness.
I’ll never return.’ ”
Zophar Speaks: Your Words Call for an Answer, Job
11 Then Zophar from Naama replied ⌞to Job⌟,
2 “Shouldn’t someone answer this flood of words?
Should a good public speaker be acquitted?
3 Should your empty talk silence others
so that you can make fun of us without any shame?
4 You say, ‘My teaching is morally correct,’
and, ‘As you can see, I’m innocent.’
5 I only wish God would speak
and open his mouth ⌞to talk⌟ to you.
6 He would tell you the secrets of wisdom,
because ⌞true⌟ wisdom is twice ⌞as great as your wisdom⌟,
and you would know that God forgets your sin.
God Can Do as He Pleases
7 “Can you discover God’s hidden secrets,
or are you able to find the Almighty’s limits?
8 ⌞God’s wisdom is⌟ higher than heaven.
What can you do?
It is deeper than ⌞the depths⌟ of hell.
What can you know?
9 It is longer than the earth
and wider than the sea.
10 If God comes along and imprisons ⌞someone⌟
and then calls a court into session, who can stop him?
11 He knows who the scoundrels are.
And when he sees sin, doesn’t he pay attention to it?
12 But an empty-headed person will gain understanding
when a wild donkey is born tame.
Confess Your Sin and Be Forgiven
13 “If you want to set your heart right,
then pray to him.
14 If you’re holding on to sin, put it far away,
and don’t let injustice live in your tent.
15 Then you will be able to show your face without being ashamed,
and you will be secure and unafraid.
16 ⌞Then⌟ you will forget your misery
and remember it like water that has flowed downstream.
17 Then your life will be brighter than the noonday sun.
The darkness in your life will become like morning.
18 You will feel confident because there’s hope,
and you will look around and rest in safety.
19 You will lie down with no one to frighten you,
and many people will try to gain your favor.
20 But the wicked will lose their eyesight.
Their escape route will be closed.
Their only hope is to take their last breath.”
Job Speaks: My Friends Have No Wisdom
12 Then Job replied ⌞to his friends⌟,
2 “You certainly are ⌞wise⌟ people,
and when you die, wisdom will die.
3 Like you, I have a mind.
I am not inferior to you.
But who doesn’t know these things?
4 I am a laughingstock to my neighbors.
I am one who calls on God and expects an answer.
A man of integrity, a man who is righteous, has become a laughingstock.
5 “A person who has an easy life has no appreciation for misfortune.
He thinks it is the fate of those who slip up.
6 ⌞But⌟ robbers’ tents are prosperous,
and there is security for those who provoke God,
for those whose god is their power.
7 “Instead, ask the animals, and they will teach you.
Ask the birds, and they will tell you.
8 Or speak with the earth, and it will teach you.
Even the fish will relate ⌞the story⌟ to you.
9 What creature doesn’t know that the Lord’s hands made it?
10 The life of every living creature
and the spirit in every human body are in his hands.
11 Doesn’t the ear distinguish sounds
and the tongue taste food?
Wisdom Comes from God
12 “Wisdom is with the ancient one.
The one who has had many days has insight.[d]
13 God has wisdom and strength.
Advice and insight are his.
14 When he tears ⌞something⌟ down, it cannot be rebuilt.
When he puts someone in prison, that person cannot be freed.
15 When he holds back the waters, there is a drought.
When he releases them, they flood the earth.
16 “God has power and priceless wisdom.
He owns ⌞both⌟ the deceiver and the person who is deceived.
17 He leads counselors away barefoot
and makes fools out of judges.
18 He loosens kings’ belts
and strips them of their pants.
19 He leads priests away barefoot
and misleads those who serve in a temple.
20 He makes trusted advisers unable to speak
and takes away the good judgment of respected leaders.
21 He pours contempt on influential people
and unbuckles the belt of the mighty.
22 He uncovers mysteries ⌞hidden⌟ in the darkness
and brings gloom into the light.
23 He makes nations important and then destroys them.
He makes nations large and leads them away.
24 He takes away the common sense of a country’s leaders
and makes them stumble about in a pathless wilderness.
25 They grope in the dark with no light,
and he makes them stumble like drunks.
Job Continues: You Are Not Listening to Me
13 “My eye has certainly seen all of this!
My ear has heard and understood it.
2 After all, I know it as well as you do.
I am not inferior to you.
3 However, I want to speak to the Almighty,
and I wish to argue my case in front of God.
4 But you are smearing me with lies.
All of you are worthless physicians.
5 I wish you would keep silent.
For you, that would be wisdom.
6 Please listen to my argument,
and pay attention to my plea.
Your Wisdom Misrepresents God
7 “Will you talk wickedly for God
and talk deceitfully on his behalf?
8 Will you favor him
⌞as⌟ if you were arguing in court on God’s behalf?
9 Will it go well when he cross-examines you?
Will you try to trick him as one mortal tricks another?
10 Will he really defend you
if you secretly favor ⌞him⌟?
11 Doesn’t his majesty terrify you?
Doesn’t the fear of him fall upon you?
12 “Your recollections are worthless proverbs.[e]
Your answers are absolutely useless.[f]
13 Be quiet, because I want to speak.
Let whatever may happen to me ⌞happen⌟!
14 I am biting off more than I can chew
and taking my life in my own hands.
15 If God would kill me, I would have no hope ⌞left⌟.[g]
Nevertheless, I will defend my behavior to his face.
16 This also will be my salvation
because no godless person could face him.
Job Speaks to God
17 “Listen carefully to my words.
Hear my declaration.
18 I have prepared my case.
I know that I will be declared righteous.
19 Who can make a case against me?
If someone could, I’d be silent and die.
20 “Please don’t do two things to me
so that I won’t have to hide from you:
21 Stop oppressing me.
Don’t let your terror frighten me.
22 Then call, and I’ll answer.
Otherwise, I’ll speak, and you’ll answer me.
23 How many crimes and sins have I committed?
Make me aware of my disobedience and my sin.
24 Why do you hide your face ⌞from me⌟ and consider me your enemy?
25 Are you trying to make a fluttering leaf tremble
or trying to chase dry husks?
26 You write down bitter accusations against me.
You make me suffer for the sins of my youth.
27 You put my feet in shackles.
You follow my trail by engraving marks on the soles of my feet.
28 I am like worn-out wineskins,
like moth-eaten clothes.
Job Continues: Consider My Frail Human Nature, God
14 “A person who is born of a woman is short-lived and is full of trouble.
2 He comes up like a flower; then he withers.
He is like a fleeting shadow; he doesn’t stay long.
3 You observe this
and call me to account to you.
4 “If only an unclean person could become clean![h]
It’s not possible.
5 If the number of his days
and the number of his months are determined by you,
and you set his limit,
then he cannot go past it.
6 Look away from him, and he will cease to be.
Meanwhile, he loves life as a laborer loves work.
7 There is hope for a tree when it is cut down.
It will sprout again.
Its shoots will not stop sprouting.
8 If its roots grow old in the ground
and its stump dies in the soil,
9 merely a scent of water will make it sprout
and grow branches like a plant.
10 But a human dies and is powerless.
A person breathes his last breath, and where is he?
11 ⌞As⌟ water drains out of a lake,
or ⌞as⌟ a river dries up completely,
12 so each person lies down
and does not rise until the heavens cease to exist.
He does not wake up.
He is not awakened from his sleep.
13 I wish you would hide me in Sheol
and keep me hidden there until your anger cools.
Set a specific time for me when you will remember me.
14 “If a person dies, will he go on living?
I will wait for my relief to come
as long as my hard labor continues.
15 You will call, and I will answer you.
You will long for the person your hands have made.
16 Though now you count my steps,
you will not keep ⌞a record of⌟ my sins.
17 My disobedience will be closed up in a bag,
and you will cover over my sins.
18 As surely as a mountain falls
and rocks are dislodged,
19 ⌞so⌟ water wears away stone,
floods wash away soil from the land,
and you destroy a mortal’s hope.
20 You overpower him forever, and he passes away.
You change his appearance and send him away.
21 His sons are honored, and he doesn’t know it.
Or they become unimportant, and he doesn’t realize it.
22 He feels only his body’s pain.
He is only worried about himself.”
Eliphaz Speaks: You Are Speaking Sinfully, Job
15 Then Eliphaz from Teman replied ⌞to Job⌟,
2 “Should a wise person answer with endless details
and fill his stomach with the east wind?
3 Should he argue with words that don’t help,
with speeches that don’t help ⌞anyone⌟?
4 Yes, you destroy the fear ⌞of God⌟
and diminish devotion to God.
5 Your sin teaches you what to say.
You choose ⌞to talk with⌟ a sly tongue.
6 Your ⌞own⌟ mouth condemns you, not I.
Your lips testify against you.
You Are Not the Only Wise Person, Job
7 “Were you the first human to be born?
Were you delivered before the hills ⌞existed⌟?
8 Did you listen in on God’s council meeting
and receive a monopoly on wisdom?
9 What do you know that we don’t know?
What do you understand that we don’t?
10 Both the old and the gray-haired are among us.
They are older than your father.
11 Isn’t God’s comfort enough for you,
even when gently spoken to you?
12 Why have your emotions carried you away?
Why do your eyes flash
13 when you turn against God
and spit these words out of your mouth?
14 Why should a mortal be considered faultless
or someone born of a woman be considered righteous?
15 If God doesn’t trust his holy ones,
and the heavens are not pure in his sight,
16 how much less will he trust the one who is disgusting and corrupt,
the one who drinks wickedness like water.
I Want to Tell You What I Know
17 “I’ll tell you; listen to me!
I’ll relate what I have seen.
18 I’ll tell you what wise people have declared
and what was not kept secret from their ancestors.
19 (The land was given to them alone,
and no stranger passed through their land.)
The Tortured Life of the Wicked Person
20 “The wicked person is tortured all his days.
Only a few years are reserved for the ruthless person.
21 Terrifying sounds are in his ears.
While he enjoys peace, the destroyer comes to him.
22 He doesn’t believe he’ll return from the dark.
He is destined ⌞to be killed⌟ with a sword.
23 He wanders around for food and asks, ‘Where is it?’[i]
He knows that his ruin is close at hand.
24 “The day of darkness[j] troubles him.
Distress and anguish terrify him
like a king ready for battle.
25 He stretches out his hand against God
and attacks the Almighty like a warrior.
26 He stubbornly charges at him with a thick shield.
27 “His face is bloated with fat,
and he is fat around the waist.
28 He lives in ruined cities
where no one dwells,
in houses that are doomed to be piles of rubble.
29 He won’t get rich,
and his wealth won’t last.
His possessions won’t spread out over the land.
30 “He won’t escape the darkness.
A flame will shrivel his branches.
He will be blown away by his own breath.
31 He shouldn’t trust in worthless things and deceive himself
because he will get worthless things in return.
32 It will happen before his time has come,
and his branch will not become green.
33 He will drop his unripened grapes like a vine
and throw off his blossoms like an olive tree
34 because a mob of godless people produces nothing,
and fire burns up the tents of those who offer bribes.[k]
35 They conceive trouble and give birth to evil.
Their wombs produce deception.”
Job Speaks: My Friends Do Not Help Ease My Pain
16 Then Job replied ⌞to his friends⌟,
2 “I have heard many things like this before.
You are all pathetic at comforting me.
3 Will ⌞your⌟ long-winded speeches never end?
What disturbs you that you keep on answering ⌞me⌟?
4 I, too, could speak like you
if we could trade places.
I could string words together against you
and shake my head at you.
5 I could encourage you with my mouth,
and my quivering lips could ease ⌞your pain⌟.
6 If I speak, my pain is not eased.
If I stop talking, how much of it will go away?
7 “But now, God has worn me out.
You, ⌞God,⌟ have destroyed everyone who supports me.
8 You have shriveled me up, which itself is a witness ⌞against me⌟.
My frail body rises up and testifies against me.
Job Describes What God Has Done to Him
9 “God’s anger tore me ⌞apart⌟ and attacked me.
He gritted his teeth at me.
My opponent looked sharply at me.
10 People ridiculed me with their mouths.
They slapped my cheeks with contempt.
They united against me.
11 God handed me over to unjust people
and threw me into the hands of wicked people.
12 I was at ease, and he shattered me.
He grabbed me by the back of the neck and smashed ⌞my skull⌟.
He set me up as his target,
13 and his archers surrounded me.
He slashes open my kidneys without mercy
and spills my blood[l] on the ground.
14 He inflicts wound after wound on me.
He lunges at me like a warrior.
15 “I have sewn sackcloth over my skin,
and I have thrown my strength in the dust.
16 My face is red from crying,
and dark shadows encircle my eyes,
17 although my hands have done nothing violent,
and my prayer is sincere.
Job Appeals His Case to Heaven
18 “Earth, don’t cover my blood.
Don’t ever let my cry ⌞for justice⌟ be stopped.
19 Even now, look! My witness is in heaven,
and the one who testifies for me is above,
20 the spokesman for my thoughts.[m]
My eyes drip ⌞with tears⌟ to God
22 because in a few short years I will take the path of no return.[n]
21 But my witness will plead for a human in front of God.
The Son of Man will plead for his friend!
Job Pleads with God to Declare Him Honest
17 “My spirit is broken.
My days have been snuffed out.
The cemetery ⌞is waiting⌟ for me.
2 Certainly, mockers are around me.
My eyes are focused on their opposition.
3 Please guarantee my bail yourself.
Who else will guarantee it with a handshake?
4 You have closed their minds so that they cannot understand.
That is why you will not honor them.
5 (Whoever turns in friends to get their property
should have his children’s eyesight fail.)
Job Says to His Friends: I’m Still Wiser Than You
6 “Now he has made me a laughingstock for many people.
Now they spit in my face.
7 Now my eyes are blurred from grief.
Now all my limbs are like a shadow.
8 Decent people are shocked by this,
and it stirs up the innocent against godless people.
9 Yet, the righteous person clings to his way,
and the one with clean hands grows stronger.
10 “But now, all of you, come and try again!
I won’t find one wise man among you.
11 My days are passing by.
My plans are broken.
My dreams ⌞are shattered⌟.
12 You say that night is day.
Light has nearly become darkness.
13 If I look for the grave as my home
and make my bed in the darkness,
14 if I say to the pit, ‘You are my father,’
and to the worm, ‘You are my mother and sister,’
15 then where is my hope?
Can you see any hope left in me?
16 Will hope go down with me to the gates of the grave?
Will my hope rest with me in the dust?”
Bildad Speaks: Why Do You Think You Are So Great, Job?
18 Then Bildad from Shuah replied ⌞to Job⌟,
2 “How long before your words will end?
Think it through, and then we’ll talk.
3 Why do you think of us as cattle?
Why are we considered stupid in your eyes?
4 Why do you rip yourself apart in anger?
Should the earth be abandoned for your sake
or a boulder be dislodged?
What a Wicked Person Can Expect from Life
5 “Indeed, the light of the wicked is snuffed out.
The flame of his fire stops glowing.
6 The light in his tent becomes dark,
and the lamp above him is snuffed out.
7 “His healthy stride is shortened,
and his own planning trips him up.
8 His own feet get him tangled in a net
as he walks around on its webbing.
9 A trap catches his heel.
A snare holds him.
10 A rope is hidden on the ground for him.
A trap is on his path ⌞to catch⌟ him.
11 “Terrors suddenly pounce on him from every side
and chase him every step he takes.
12 Hunger undermines his strength.
Disaster is waiting beside him.
13 His skin is eaten away by disease.
Death’s firstborn son eats away at the limbs of his body.
14 He is dragged from the safety of his tent
and marched off to the king of terrors.
15 Fire lives in his tent.
Sulfur is scattered over his home.
16 His roots dry up under him.
His branches wither over him.
17 All memory about him will vanish from the earth,
and his reputation will not be known on the street corner.
18 He will be driven from the light into the dark
and chased out of the world.
19 He will not have any children or descendants among his people
or any survivor where he used to live.
20 People in the west are shocked by what happens to him.
People in the east are seized with horror.
21 This is what happens to the homes of wicked people
and to those who do not know God.”
Job Speaks: Admit That God Is Mistreating Me
19 Then Job replied ⌞to his friends⌟,
2 “How long will you torment me
and depress me with words?
3 You have insulted me ten times now.
You’re not even ashamed of mistreating me.
4 Even if it were true that I’ve made a mistake without realizing it,
my mistake would affect only me.
5 If you are trying to make yourselves look better than me
by using my disgrace as an argument against me,
6 then I want you to know that God has wronged me
and surrounded me with his net.
7 Indeed, I cry, ‘Help! I’m being attacked!’ but I get no response.
I call for help, but there is no justice.
What God Has Done to Me
8 “God has blocked my path so that I can’t go on.
He has made my paths dark.
9 He has stripped me of my honor.
He has taken the crown off my head.
10 He beats me down on every side until I’m gone.
He uproots my hope like a tree.
11 He is very angry at me.
He considers me to be his enemy.
12 His troops assemble against me.
They build a ramp to attack me
and camp around my tent.
13 “My brothers stay far away from me.
My friends are complete strangers to me.
14 My relatives and my closest friends have stopped coming.
My house guests have forgotten me.
15 My female slaves consider me to be a stranger.
I am like a foreigner to them.
16 I call my slave, but he doesn’t answer, though I beg him.
17 My breath offends my wife.
I stink to my own children.
18 Even young children despise me.
If I stand up, they make fun of me.
19 All my closest friends are disgusted with me.
Those I love have turned against me.
20 I am skin and bones,
and I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.
21 “Have pity on me, my friends!
Have pity on me because God’s hand has struck me down.
22 Why do you pursue me as God does?
Why are you never satisfied with my flesh?
Job’s Confidence in His Defender
23 “I wish now my words were written.
I wish they were inscribed on a scroll.
24 I wish they were forever engraved on a rock
with an iron stylus and lead.
25 But I know that my defender lives,
and afterwards, he will rise on the earth.
26 Even after my skin has been stripped off my body,
I will see God in my own flesh.
27 I will see him with my own eyes,
not with someone else’s.
My heart fails inside me!
Job Warns His Friends
28 “You say,
‘We will persecute him!
The root of the problem is found in him.’
29 Fear death,
because ⌞your anger⌟ is punishable by death.
Then you will know there is a judge.”
Zophar Speaks: Here Is My Answer
20 Then Zophar from Naama replied ⌞to Job⌟,
2 “My disturbing thoughts make me answer,
and because of them I am upset.
3 I have heard criticism that makes me ashamed,
but a spirit beyond my understanding gives me answers.
A Wicked Person’s Joy Is Short, His Pain Long
4 “Don’t you know
that from ancient times,
from the time humans were placed on earth,
5 the triumph of the wicked is short-lived,
and the joy of the godless person lasts only a moment?
6 If his height reaches to the sky
and his head touches the clouds,
7 he will certainly rot[o] like his own feces.
Those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’
8 He will fly away like a dream and not be found.
He will be chased away like a vision in the night.
9 Eyes that saw him will see him no more.
His home will not look at him again.
10 His children will have to ask the poor for help.
His own hands will have to give back his wealth.
11 His bones, once full of youthful vigor,
will lie down with him in the dust.
12 “Though evil is sweet in his mouth
and he hides it under his tongue….
13 Though he savors it and won’t let go of it
and he holds it on the roof of his mouth,
14 the food in his belly turns sour.
It becomes snake venom in his stomach.
15 He vomits up the riches that he swallowed.
God forces them out of his stomach.
16 The godless person sucks the poison of snakes.
A viper’s fang kills him.
17 He won’t be able to drink from the streams
or from the rivers of honey and buttermilk.
18 He will give back what he earned without enjoying it.
He will get no joy from the profits of his business
19 because he crushed and abandoned the poor.
He has taken by force a house that he didn’t build.
20 He will never know peace in his heart.
He will never allow anything he desires to escape ⌞his grasp⌟.
21 “Nothing is left for him to eat.
His prosperity won’t last.
22 ⌞Even⌟ with all his wealth
the full force of misery comes down on him.
23 Let that misery fill his belly.
⌞God⌟ throws his burning anger at the godless person and makes his wrath come down on him like rain.
24 If that person flees from an iron weapon,
a bronze bow will pierce him.
25 He pulls it out, and it comes out of his back.
The glittering point comes out of his gallbladder.
“Terrors come quickly to the godless person:
26 Total darkness waits in hiding for his treasure.
A fire that no one fans will burn him.
Whatever is left in his tent will be devoured.
27 Heaven exposes his sin.
Earth rises up against him.
28 A flood will sweep away his house,
a flash flood on the day of his anger.
29 This is the reward God gives to the wicked person,
the inheritance God has appointed for him.”
Job Speaks: Comfort Me by Listening to Me
21 Then Job replied ⌞to his friends⌟,
2 “Listen carefully to my words,
and let that be the comfort you offer me.
3 Bear with me while I speak.
Then after I’ve spoken, you may go on mocking.
4 Am I complaining about a person?
Why shouldn’t I be impatient?
5 Look at me, and be shocked,
and put ⌞your⌟ hand over ⌞your⌟ mouth.
6 When I remember it, I’m terrified,
and shuddering seizes my body.
Wicked People Do Not Suffer for Their Sins
7 “Why do the wicked go on living, grow old,
and even become more powerful?
8 They see their children firmly established with them,
and they get to see their descendants.
9 Their homes are free from fear,
and God doesn’t use his rod on them.
10 Their bulls are fertile when they breed.
Their cows give birth to calves and never miscarry.
11 They send their little children out ⌞to play⌟
like a flock of lambs,
and their children dance around.
12 They sing with the tambourine and lyre,
and they are happy with the music of the flute.
13 They spend their days in happiness,
and they go peacefully to the grave.
14 But they say to God,
‘Leave us alone.
We don’t want to know your ways.
15 Who is the Almighty that we should serve him?
What do we gain if we pray to him?’
16 Anyhow, isn’t their happiness in their own power?
(The plan of the wicked is foreign to my way of thinking.)
17 “How often is the lamp of the wicked snuffed out?
How often does disaster happen to them?
How often does an angry God give them pain?
18 How often are they like straw in the wind
or like husks that the storm sweeps away?
19 “⌞You say,⌟ ‘God saves a person’s punishment for his children.’
God should pay back that person
so that he would know that it is a punishment.
20 His eyes should see his own ruin.
He should drink from the wrath of the Almighty.
21 How can he be interested in his family after he’s gone,
when the number of his months is cut short?
No One Understands How God Deals with Humans
22 “Can anyone teach God knowledge?
Can anyone judge the Most High?
23 One person dies in his prime
and feels altogether happy and contented.
24 His stomach is full of milk,
and his bones are strong and healthy.
25 Another person, never having tasted happiness,
dies with a bitter soul.
26 Together they lie down in the dust,
and worms cover them.
My Friends Have Betrayed Me
27 “You see, I know your thoughts
and the schemes you plot against me
28 because you ask,
‘Where is the house of the influential person?
Where is the tent where wicked people live?’
29 Haven’t you asked travelers?
But you didn’t pay attention to their directions.
30 On the day of disaster the wicked person is spared.
On the day of ⌞God’s⌟ anger he is rescued.
31 Who will tell him to his face how he lived?
Who will pay him back for what he did?
32 He is carried to the cemetery,
and his grave is guarded.
33 The soil in the creekbed is sweet to him.
Everyone follows him.
Countless others went before him.
34 How can you comfort me with this nonsense
when your answers continue to betray me?”
Eliphaz Speaks: Admit You Are Wicked, Job
22 Then Eliphaz from Teman replied ⌞to Job⌟,
2 “Can a human be of any use to God
when even a wise person is only useful to himself?
3 Is the Almighty pleased when you are righteous?
Does he gain anything when you follow the path of integrity?
4 Does God correct you
and bring you into a court of law because you fear him?
5 “Aren’t you really very wicked?
Is there no end to your wrongdoing?
6 For no reason you take your brothers’ goods as security for a loan
and strip them of their clothes.[p]
7 You don’t even give a tired person a drink of water,
and you take food away from hungry people.
8 A strong person owns the land.
A privileged person lives in it.
9 You send widows away empty-handed,
and the arms of orphans are broken.
10 That is why traps are all around you
and great fear suddenly grips you.
11 ⌞That is why⌟ darkness surrounds you and you cannot see
and a flood of water covers you.
12 “Isn’t God high above in the heavens?
Look how high the highest stars are!
13 You ask, ‘What does God know?
Can he judge ⌞anything⌟ from behind a dark cloud?
14 Thick clouds surround him so that he cannot see.
He walks above the clouds.’
15 “Are you following the old path that wicked people have taken?
16 They are snatched up before their time.
A river washes their foundation away.
17 They told God, ‘Leave us alone!
What can the Almighty do for us?’
18 Yet, he filled their homes with good things.
(The plan of the wicked is foreign to my way of thinking.)
19 The righteous saw it and were glad,
and the innocent made fun of them by saying,
20 ‘Indeed, their wealth has been wiped out,
and a fire has burned up what ⌞little⌟ they had left.’
Make Peace with God
21 “Be in harmony and at peace with God.
In this way you will have prosperity.
22 Accept instruction from his mouth,
and keep his words in your heart.
23 If you return to the Almighty, you will prosper.
If you put wrongdoing out of your tent,
24 and lay your gold down in the dust,
and put your gold from Ophir among the pebbles in the rivers,
25 then the Almighty will become your gold
and your large supply of silver.
26 Then you will be happy with the Almighty
and look up toward God.
27 You will pray to him, and he will listen to you,
and you will keep your vow to him.
28 When you promise to do something, you will succeed,
and light will shine on your path.
29 When others are discouraged, you will say, ‘Cheer up!’
Then he will save the humble person.[q]
30 He will rescue one who is not innocent.
That person will be rescued by your purity.”
Job Speaks: Where Can I Find God?
23 Then Job replied ⌞to his friends⌟,
2 “My complaint is bitter again today.
I try hard to control my sighing.
3 “If only I knew where I could find God!
I would go where he lives.
4 I would present ⌞my⌟ case to him.
I would have a mouthful of arguments.
5 I want to know the words he would use to answer me.
I want to understand the things he would say to me.
6 Would he sue me and hide behind great legal maneuvers?
No, he certainly would press charges against me.
7 Then decent people could argue with him,
and I would escape my judgment forever.
8 However, if I go east, he isn’t there.
If I go west, I can’t find him.
9 If I go northward, where he is at work, I can’t observe him.
If I turn southward, I can’t see him.
10 ⌞I can’t find him⌟ because he knows the road I take.
When he tests me,
I’ll come out as pure as gold.
11 I have followed his footsteps closely.
I have stayed on his path and did not turn from it.
12 I have not left his commands behind.
I have treasured his words in my heart.
God Is Against Me
13 “But God is one of a kind.
Who can make him change his mind?
He does whatever he wants!
14 He will carry out ⌞his⌟ orders concerning me
as he does with so many other things.
15 That is why I’m terrified of him.
When I think of it, I’m afraid of him.
16 God has discouraged me.
The Almighty has filled me with terror.
17 But I am not silenced by the dark
or by the thick darkness that covers my face.
Job Continues: Why Doesn’t God Punish Those Who Do Evil?
24 “Why doesn’t the Almighty set aside times ⌞for punishment⌟?
Why don’t those who are close to him see his days ⌞of judgment⌟?
2 “⌞People⌟ move boundary markers.
They steal flocks and tend them as shepherds.
3 They drive away the orphan’s donkey.
They take the widow’s ox as security for a loan.
4 They force needy people off the road.
All the poor people of the country go into hiding.
5 Like wild donkeys in the desert,
poor people go out to do their work, looking for food.
The plains provide food for their children.
6 They harvest animal food in the field ⌞to feed themselves⌟.
They pick the leftover grapes in the wicked person’s vineyard.
7 All night they lie naked
without a covering from the cold.
8 They are drenched by the rainstorms in the mountains.
They hug the rocks because they can’t find shelter.
9 “⌞People⌟ snatch the ⌞nursing⌟ orphan from a breast
and take a poor woman’s baby as security for a loan.
10 ⌞That is why⌟ the poor go around naked.
They are hungry, yet they carry bundles of grain.
11 They press out olive oil between rows ⌞of olive trees⌟.
They stomp on grapes in wine vats, yet they are thirsty.
12 Those dying in the city groan.
Wounded people cry for help, but God pays no attention to their prayers.
13 “Such people are among those who rebel against the light.
They are not acquainted with its ways.
They do not stay on its paths.
14 At dawn murderers rise; they kill the poor and needy.
At night they become thieves.
15 Adulterers watch for twilight.
They say, ‘No one is watching us,’ as they cover their faces.
16 In the dark, they break into houses,
⌞but⌟ by day they lock themselves in.
They do not ⌞even⌟ know the light,
17 because morning and deep darkness are the same to them,
because they are familiar with the terrors of deep darkness.
18 Such people are like scum on the surface of the water.
Their property is cursed in the land.
People do not travel the road that goes to their vineyards.
19 ⌞Just as⌟ drought and heat steal water from snow,
so the grave steals people who sin.
20 The womb forgets them.
Worms feast on them.
No one remembers them anymore,
and wickedness is snapped like a twig.
21 These men take advantage of childless women.
These men show no kindness to widows.
22 ⌞God⌟ will drag away ⌞these⌟ mighty men by his power.
These people may prosper,
but they will never feel secure about life.
23 ⌞God⌟ may let them feel confident and self-reliant,
but his eyes are on their ways.
24 ⌞Such people⌟ may be prosperous for a little while,
but then they’re gone.
They are brought down low and disappear like everything else.
They wither like heads of grain.
25 “If it isn’t so, who can prove I’m a liar
and show that my words are worthless?”
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