You need to upgrade your Flash Player

You must be signed in

Don't have an eBible.com account? It is FREE!

14But Job has not marshaled his words against me,
and I will not answer him with your arguments.

15“They are dismayed and have no more to say;
words have failed them.

16Must I wait, now that they are silent,
now that they stand there with no reply?

17I too will have my say;
I too will tell what I know.

18For I am full of words,
and the spirit within me compels me;

19inside I am like bottled-up wine,
like new wineskins ready to burst.

20I must speak and find relief;
I must open my lips and reply.

21I will show partiality to no one,
nor will I flatter any man;

22for if I were skilled in flattery,
my Maker would soon take me away.

2I am about to open my mouth;
my words are on the tip of my tongue.

3My words come from an upright heart;
my lips sincerely speak what I know.

4The Spirit of God has made me;
the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

5Answer me then, if you can;
prepare yourself and confront me.

6I am just like you before God;
I too have been taken from clay.

7No fear of me should alarm you,
nor should my hand be heavy upon you.

8“But you have said in my hearing—
I heard the very words—

9‘I am pure and without sin;
I am clean and free from guilt.

10Yet God has found fault with me;
he considers me his enemy.

11He fastens my feet in shackles;
he keeps close watch on all my paths.’

12“But I tell you, in this you are not right,
for God is greater than man.

13Why do you complain to him
that he answers none of man's wordsOr that he does not answer for any of his actions?

14For God does speak—now one way, now another—
though man may not perceive it.

15In a dream, in a vision of the night,
when deep sleep falls on men
as they slumber in their beds,

16he may speak in their ears
and terrify them with warnings,

17to turn man from wrongdoing
and keep him from pride,

18to preserve his soul from the pit,Or preserve him from the grave
his life from perishing by the sword.Or from crossing the River

19Or a man may be chastened on a bed of pain
with constant distress in his bones,

20so that his very being finds food repulsive
and his soul loathes the choicest meal.

21His flesh wastes away to nothing,
and his bones, once hidden, now stick out.

22His soul draws near to the pit,Or He draws near to the grave
and his life to the messengers of death.Or to the dead

23“Yet if there is an angel on his side
as a mediator, one out of a thousand,
to tell a man what is right for him,

24to be gracious to him and say,
‘Spare him from going down to the pitOr grave;
I have found a ransom for him’—

25then his flesh is renewed like a child's;
it is restored as in the days of his youth.

26He prays to God and finds favor with him,
he sees God's face and shouts for joy;
he is restored by God to his righteous state.

27Then he comes to men and says,
‘I sinned, and perverted what was right,
but I did not get what I deserved.

28He redeemed my soul from going down to the pit,Or redeemed me from going down to the grave
and I will live to enjoy the light.’

29“God does all these things to a man—
twice, even three times—

30to turn back his soul from the pit,Or turn him back from the grave
that the light of life may shine on him.

31“Pay attention, Job, and listen to me;
be silent, and I will speak.

32If you have anything to say, answer me;
speak up, for I want you to be cleared.

33But if not, then listen to me;
be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

2“Hear my words, you wise men;
listen to me, you men of learning.

3For the ear tests words
as the tongue tastes food.

4Let us discern for ourselves what is right;
let us learn together what is good.

5“Job says, ‘I am innocent,
but God denies me justice.

6Although I am right,
I am considered a liar;
although I am guiltless,
his arrow inflicts an incurable wound.’

7What man is like Job,
who drinks scorn like water?

8He keeps company with evildoers;
he associates with wicked men.

9For he says, ‘It profits a man nothing
when he tries to please God.’

10“So listen to me, you men of understanding.
Far be it from God to do evil,
from the Almighty to do wrong.

11He repays a man for what he has done;
he brings upon him what his conduct deserves.

12It is unthinkable that God would do wrong,
that the Almighty would pervert justice.

13Who appointed him over the earth?
Who put him in charge of the whole world?

14If it were his intention
and he withdrew his spiritOr Spirit and breath,

15all mankind would perish together
and man would return to the dust.

16“If you have understanding, hear this;
listen to what I say.

17Can he who hates justice govern?
Will you condemn the just and mighty One?

18Is he not the One who says to kings, ‘You are worthless,’
and to nobles, ‘You are wicked,’

19who shows no partiality to princes
and does not favor the rich over the poor,
for they are all the work of his hands?

20They die in an instant, in the middle of the night;
the people are shaken and they pass away;
the mighty are removed without human hand.

21“His eyes are on the ways of men;
he sees their every step.

22There is no dark place, no deep shadow,
where evildoers can hide.

23God has no need to examine men further,
that they should come before him for judgment.

24Without inquiry he shatters the mighty
and sets up others in their place.

25Because he takes note of their deeds,
he overthrows them in the night and they are crushed.

26He punishes them for their wickedness
where everyone can see them,

27because they turned from following him
and had no regard for any of his ways.

28They caused the cry of the poor to come before him,
so that he heard the cry of the needy.

29But if he remains silent, who can condemn him?
If he hides his face, who can see him?
Yet he is over man and nation alike,

30to keep a godless man from ruling,
from laying snares for the people.

31“Suppose a man says to God,
‘I am guilty but will offend no more.

32Teach me what I cannot see;
if I have done wrong, I will not do so again.’

33Should God then reward you on your terms,
when you refuse to repent?
You must decide, not I;
so tell me what you know.

34“Men of understanding declare,
wise men who hear me say to me,

35‘Job speaks without knowledge;
his words lack insight.’

36Oh, that Job might be tested to the utmost
for answering like a wicked man!

37To his sin he adds rebellion;
scornfully he claps his hands among us
and multiplies his words against God.”

2“Do you think this is just?
You say, ‘I will be cleared by God.Or My righteousness is more than God's’

3Yet you ask him, ‘What profit is it to me,Or you
and what do I gain by not sinning?’

4“I would like to reply to you
and to your friends with you.

5Look up at the heavens and see;
gaze at the clouds so high above you.

6If you sin, how does that affect him?
If your sins are many, what does that do to him?

7If you are righteous, what do you give to him,
or what does he receive from your hand?

8Your wickedness affects only a man like yourself,
and your righteousness only the sons of men.

9“Men cry out under a load of oppression;
they plead for relief from the arm of the powerful.

10But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker,
who gives songs in the night,

11who teaches more to us than toOr teaches us by the beasts of the earth
and makes us wiser thanOr us wise by the birds of the air?’

12He does not answer when men cry out
because of the arrogance of the wicked.

13Indeed, God does not listen to their empty plea;
the Almighty pays no attention to it.

14How much less, then, will he listen
when you say that you do not see him,
that your case is before him
and you must wait for him,

15and further, that his anger never punishes
and he does not take the least notice of wickedness.Symmachus, Theodotion and Vulgate; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

16So Job opens his mouth with empty talk;
without knowledge he multiplies words.”

2“Bear with me a little longer and I will show you
that there is more to be said in God's behalf.

3I get my knowledge from afar;
I will ascribe justice to my Maker.

4Be assured that my words are not false;
one perfect in knowledge is with you.

5“God is mighty, but does not despise men;
he is mighty, and firm in his purpose.

6He does not keep the wicked alive
but gives the afflicted their rights.

7He does not take his eyes off the righteous;
he enthrones them with kings
and exalts them forever.

8But if men are bound in chains,
held fast by cords of affliction,

9he tells them what they have done—
that they have sinned arrogantly.

10He makes them listen to correction
and commands them to repent of their evil.

11If they obey and serve him,
they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity
and their years in contentment.

12But if they do not listen,
they will perish by the swordOr will cross the River
and die without knowledge.

13“The godless in heart harbor resentment;
even when he fetters them, they do not cry for help.

14They die in their youth,
among male prostitutes of the shrines.

15But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering;
he speaks to them in their affliction.

16“He is wooing you from the jaws of distress
to a spacious place free from restriction,
to the comfort of your table laden with choice food.

17But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked;
judgment and justice have taken hold of you.

18Be careful that no one entices you by riches;
do not let a large bribe turn you aside.

19Would your wealth
or even all your mighty efforts
sustain you so you would not be in distress?

20Do not long for the night,
to drag people away from their homes.The meaning of the Hebrew for verses 18-20 is uncertain.

21Beware of turning to evil,
which you seem to prefer to affliction.

22“God is exalted in his power.
Who is a teacher like him?

23Who has prescribed his ways for him,
or said to him, ‘You have done wrong’?

24Remember to extol his work,
which men have praised in song.

25All mankind has seen it;
men gaze on it from afar.

26How great is God—beyond our understanding!
The number of his years is past finding out.

27“He draws up the drops of water,
which distill as rain to the streamsOr distill from the mist as rain;

28the clouds pour down their moisture
and abundant showers fall on mankind.

29Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds,
how he thunders from his pavilion?

30See how he scatters his lightning about him,
bathing the depths of the sea.

31This is the way he governsOr nourishes the nations
and provides food in abundance.

32He fills his hands with lightning
and commands it to strike its mark.

33His thunder announces the coming storm;
even the cattle make known its approach.Or announces his coming— / the One zealous against evil

2Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice,
to the rumbling that comes from his mouth.

3He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven
and sends it to the ends of the earth.

4After that comes the sound of his roar;
he thunders with his majestic voice.
When his voice resounds,
he holds nothing back.

5God's voice thunders in marvelous ways;
he does great things beyond our understanding.

6He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’
and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’

7So that all men he has made may know his work,
he stops every man from his labor.Or / he fills all men with fear by his power

8The animals take cover;
they remain in their dens.

9The tempest comes out from its chamber,
the cold from the driving winds.

10The breath of God produces ice,
and the broad waters become frozen.

11He loads the clouds with moisture;
he scatters his lightning through them.

12At his direction they swirl around
over the face of the whole earth
to do whatever he commands them.

13He brings the clouds to punish men,
or to water his earthOr to favor them and show his love.

14“Listen to this, Job;
stop and consider God's wonders.

15Do you know how God controls the clouds
and makes his lightning flash?

16Do you know how the clouds hang poised,
those wonders of him who is perfect in knowledge?

17You who swelter in your clothes
when the land lies hushed under the south wind,

18can you join him in spreading out the skies,
hard as a mirror of cast bronze?

19“Tell us what we should say to him;
we cannot draw up our case because of our darkness.

20Should he be told that I want to speak?
Would any man ask to be swallowed up?

21Now no one can look at the sun,
bright as it is in the skies
after the wind has swept them clean.

22Out of the north he comes in golden splendor;
God comes in awesome majesty.

23The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power;
in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.

24Therefore, men revere him,
for does he not have regard for all the wise in heart?Or for he does not have regard for any who think they are wise.”