Job Says God Will Deal with the Wicked
Then Job answered,
2 “Listen carefully to my speech,
And let this be your way of consolation.
3 “Bear with me that I may speak;
Then after I have spoken, you may amock.
4 “As for me, is amy complaint to man?
And bwhy should I not be impatient?
5 “Look at me, and be astonished,
And aput your hand over your mouth.
6 “Even when I remember, I am disturbed,
And ahorror takes hold of my flesh.
7 “Why ado the wicked still live,
Continue on, also become very bpowerful?
8 “Their adescendants are established with them in their sight,
And their offspring before their eyes,
9 Their houses aare safe from fear,
And the rod of God is not on them.
10 “His ox mates without fail;
His cow calves and does not abort.
11 “They send forth their little ones like the flock,
And their children skip about.
12 “They sing to the timbrel and harp
And rejoice at the sound of the flute.
13 “They aspend their days in prosperity,
And suddenly they go down to Sheol.
14 “They say to God, ‘aDepart from us!
We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways.
15 ‘Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him,
And awhat would we gain if we entreat Him?’
16 “Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand;
The acounsel of the wicked is far from me.
17 “How often is athe lamp of the wicked put out,
Or does their bcalamity fall on them?
Does God apportion destruction in His anger?
18 “Are they as astraw before the wind,
And like bchaff which the storm carries away?
19 “You say, ‘aGod stores away a man’s iniquity for his sons.’
Let God repay him so that he may know it.
20 “Let his aown eyes see his decay,
And let him bdrink of the wrath of the Almighty.
21 “For what does he care for his household after him,
When the number of his months is cut off?
22 “Can anyone ateach God knowledge,
In that He bjudges those on high?
23 “One adies in his full strength,
Being wholly at ease and satisfied;
24 His sides are filled out with fat,
And the amarrow of his bones is moist,
25 While another dies with a bitter soul,
Never even tasting anything good.
26 “Together they alie down in the dust,
And bworms cover them.
27 “Behold, I know your thoughts,
And the plans by which you would wrong me.
28 “For you say, ‘Where is the house of athe nobleman,
And where is the btent, the dwelling places of the wicked?’
29 “Have you not asked wayfaring men,
And do you not recognize their witness?
30 “For the awicked is reserved for the day of calamity;
They will be led forth at bthe day of fury.
31 “Who will confront him with his actions,
And who will repay him for what he has done?
32 “While he is carried to the grave,
Men will keep watch over his tomb.
33 “The aclods of the valley will gently cover him;
Moreover, ball men will follow after him,
While countless ones go before him.
34 “How then will you vainly acomfort me,
For your answers remain full of falsehood?”
Eliphaz Accuses and Exhorts Job
Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded,
2 “Can a vigorous aman be of use to God,
Or a wise man be useful to himself?
3 “Is there any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous,
Or profit if you make your ways perfect?
4 “Is it because of your reverence that He reproves you,
That He aenters into judgment against you?
5 “Is not ayour wickedness great,
And your iniquities without end?
6 “For you have ataken pledges of your brothers without cause,
And bstripped men naked.
7 “To the weary you have agiven no water to drink,
And from the hungry you have bwithheld bread.
8 “But the earth abelongs to the bmighty man,
And cthe honorable man dwells in it.
9 “You have sent awidows away empty,
And the strength of the borphans has been crushed.
10 “Therefore asnares surround you,
And sudden bdread terrifies you,
11 Or adarkness, so that you cannot see,
And an babundance of water covers you.
12 “Is not God ain the height of heaven?
Look also at the distant stars, how high they are!
13 “You say, ‘aWhat does God know?
Can He judge through the thick darkness?
14 ‘aClouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He cannot see;
And He walks on the vault of heaven.’
15 “Will you keep to the ancient path
Which awicked men have trod,
16 Who were snatched away abefore their time,
Whose bfoundations were washed away by a river?
17 “They asaid to God, ‘Depart from us!’
And ‘What can the Almighty do to them?’
18 “Yet He afilled their houses with good things;
But bthe counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19 “The arighteous see and are glad,
And the innocent mock them,
20 Saying, ‘Truly our adversaries are cut off,
And their abundance athe fire has consumed.’
21 “aYield now and be at peace with Him;
Thereby good will come to you.
22 “Please receive ainstruction from His mouth
And establish His words in your heart.
23 “If you areturn to the Almighty, you will be restored;
If you bremove unrighteousness far from your tent,
24 And aplace your gold in the dust,
And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks,
25 Then the Almighty will be your gold
And choice silver to you.
26 “For then you will adelight in the Almighty
And lift up your face to God.
27 “You will apray to Him, and bHe will hear you;
And you will pay your vows.
28 “You will also decree a thing, and it will be established for you;
And alight will shine on your ways.
29 “When you are cast down, you will speak with confidence,
And the ahumble person He will save.
30 “He will deliver one who is not innocent,
And he will be adelivered through the cleanness of your hands.”
Job Says He Longs for God
Then Job replied,
2 “Even today my acomplaint is rebellion;
His hand is bheavy despite my groaning.
3 “Oh that I knew where I might find Him,
That I might come to His seat!
4 “I would apresent my case before Him
And fill my mouth with arguments.
5 “I would learn the words which He would answer,
And perceive what He would say to me.
6 “Would He contend with me by athe greatness of His power?
No, surely He would pay attention to me.
7 “There the upright would areason with Him;
And I would be bdelivered forever from my Judge.
8 “Behold, I go forward but He is not there,
And backward, but I acannot perceive Him;
9 When He acts on the left, I cannot behold Him;
He turns on the right, I cannot see Him.
10 “But He knows the way I take;
When He has atried me, I shall come forth as gold.
11 “My foot has aheld fast to His path;
I have kept His way and not turned aside.
12 “I have not departed from the command of His lips;
I have treasured the awords of His mouth more than my necessary food.
13 “But He is unique and who can turn Him?
And what His soul desires, that He does.
14 “For He performs what is appointed for me,
And many such decrees are with Him.
15 “Therefore, I would be dismayed at His presence;
When I consider, I am terrified of Him.
16 “It is God who has made my aheart faint,
And the Almighty who has dismayed me,
17 But I aam not silenced by the darkness,
Nor bdeep gloom which covers me.