Job Says God Seems to Ignore Wrongs
“aWhy are times not stored up by the Almighty,
And why do those who know Him not see bHis days?
2 “Some aremove the landmarks;
They seize and devour flocks.
3 “They drive away the donkeys of the aorphans;
They take the bwidow’s ox for a pledge.
4 “They push athe needy aside from the road;
The bpoor of the land are made to hide themselves altogether.
5 “Behold, as awild donkeys in the wilderness
They bgo forth seeking food in their activity,
As bread for their children in the desert.
6 “They harvest their fodder in the field
And glean the vineyard of the wicked.
7 “aThey spend the night naked, without clothing,
And have no covering against the cold.
8 “They are wet with the mountain rains
And hug the rock for want of a shelter.
9 “Others snatch the aorphan from the breast,
And against the poor they take a pledge.
10 “They cause the poor to go about naked without clothing,
And they take away the sheaves from the hungry.
11 “Within the walls they produce oil;
They tread wine presses but thirst.
12 “From the city men groan,
And the souls of the wounded cry out;
Yet God adoes not pay attention to folly.
13 “Others have been with those who rebel against the light;
They do not want to know its ways
Nor abide in its paths.
14 “The murderer aarises at dawn;
He bkills the poor and the needy,
And at night he is as a thief.
15 “The eye of the aadulterer waits for the twilight,
Saying, ‘No eye will see me.’
And he disguises his face.
16 “In the dark they adig into houses,
They bshut themselves up by day;
They do not know the light.
17 “For the morning is the same to him as thick darkness,
For he is familiar with the aterrors of thick darkness.
18 “They are ainsignificant on the surface of the water;
Their portion is bcursed on the earth.
They do not turn toward the cvineyards.
19 “Drought and heat aconsume the snow waters,
So does bSheol those who have sinned.
20 “A amother will forget him;
The bworm feeds sweetly till he is cno longer remembered.
And wickedness will be broken dlike a tree.
21 “He wrongs the barren woman
And does no good for athe widow.
22 “But He drags off the valiant by aHis power;
He rises, but bno one has assurance of life.
23 “He provides them awith security, and they are supported;
And His beyes are on their ways.
24 “They are exalted a alittle while, then they are gone;
Moreover, they are bbrought low and like everything gathered up;
Even like the heads of grain they are cut off.
25 “Now if it is not so, awho can prove me a liar,
And make my speech worthless?”
Bildad Says Man Is Inferior
Then Bildad the Shuhite answered,
2 “aDominion and awe belong to Him
Who establishes peace in bHis heights.
3 “Is there any number to aHis troops?
And upon whom does His light not rise?
4 “How then can a man be ajust with God?
Or how can he be bclean who is born of woman?
5 “If even athe moon has no brightness
And the bstars are not pure in His sight,
6 How much less aman, that bmaggot,
And the son of man, that worm!”
Job Rebukes Bildad
Then Job responded,
2 “What a help you are to athe weak!
How you have saved the arm bwithout strength!
3 “What counsel you have given to one without wisdom!
What helpful insight you have abundantly provided!
4 “To whom have you uttered words?
And whose spirit was expressed through you?
The Greatness of God
5 “The adeparted spirits tremble
Under the waters and their inhabitants.
6 “Naked is aSheol before Him,
And bAbaddon has no covering.
7 “He astretches out the north over empty space
And hangs the earth on nothing.
8 “He awraps up the waters in His clouds,
And the cloud does not burst under them.
9 “He aobscures the face of the full moon
And spreads His cloud over it.
10 “He has inscribed a acircle on the surface of the waters
At the bboundary of light and darkness.
11 “The pillars of heaven tremble
And are amazed at His rebuke.
12 “He aquieted the sea with His power,
And by His bunderstanding He shattered cRahab.
13 “By His breath the aheavens are cleared;
His hand has pierced bthe fleeing serpent.
14 “Behold, these are the fringes of His ways;
And how faint aa word we hear of Him!
But His mighty bthunder, who can understand?”
Job Affirms His Righteousness
Then Job continued his adiscourse and said,
2 “As God lives, awho has taken away my right,
And the Almighty, bwho has embittered my soul,
3 For as long as life is in me,
And the abreath of God is in my nostrils,
4 My lips certainly will not speak unjustly,
Nor will amy tongue mutter deceit.
5 “Far be it from me that I should declare you right;
Till I die aI will not put away my integrity from me.
6 “I ahold fast my righteousness and will not let it go.
My heart does not reproach any of my days.
The State of the Godless
7 “May my enemy be as the wicked
And my opponent as the unjust.
8 “For what is athe hope of the godless when he is cut off,
When God requires bhis life?
9 “Will God ahear his cry
When bdistress comes upon him?
10 “Will he take adelight in the Almighty?
Will he call on God at all times?
11 “I will instruct you in the power of God;
What is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
12 “Behold, all of you have seen it;
Why then do you act foolishly?
13 “This is athe portion of a wicked man from God,
And the inheritance which btyrants receive from the Almighty.
14 “Though his sons are many, they are destined afor the sword;
And his bdescendants will not be satisfied with bread.
15 “His survivors will be buried because of the plague,
And their awidows will not be able to weep.
16 “Though he piles up silver like dust
And prepares garments as plentiful as the clay,
17 He may prepare it, abut the just will wear it
And the innocent will divide the silver.
18 “He has built his ahouse like the spider’s web,
Or as a hut which the watchman has made.
19 “He lies down rich, but never again;
He opens his eyes, and ait is no longer.
20 “aTerrors overtake him like a flood;
A tempest steals him away bin the night.
21 “The east awind carries him away, and he is gone,
For it whirls him baway from his place.
22 “For it will hurl at him awithout sparing;
He will surely try to bflee from its power.
23 “Men will clap their hands at him
And will ahiss him from his place.