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Job 16-19
Contemporary English Version
Job 16-19
Contemporary English Version
Job's Reply to Eliphaz
I Have Often Heard This
16 Job said:
2 I have often heard this,
and it offers no comfort.
3 So why don't you keep quiet?
What's bothering you?
4 If I were in your place,
it would be easy to criticize
or to give advice.
5 But I would offer hope
and comfort instead.
6 If I speak, or if I don't,
I hurt all the same.
My torment continues.
7 God has worn me down
and destroyed my family;
8 my shriveled up skin proves
that I am his prisoner.
9 God is my hateful enemy,
glaring at me and attacking
with his sharp teeth.
10 Everyone is against me;
they sneer and slap my face.
11 And God is the one
who handed me over
to this merciless mob.
Everything Was Going Well
12 Everything was going well,
until God grabbed my neck
and shook me to pieces.
God set me up as the target
13 for his arrows,
and without showing mercy,
he slashed my stomach open,
spilling out my insides.
14 God never stops attacking,
15 and so, in my sorrow
I dress in sackcloth[a]
and sit in the dust.
16 My face is red with tears,
and dark shadows
circle my eyes,
17 though I am not violent,
and my prayers are sincere.
18 If I should die,
I beg the earth not to cover
my cry for justice.
19 (A) Even now, God in heaven
is both my witness
and my protector.
20 My friends have rejected me,
but God is the one I beg[b]
21 to show that I am right,
just as a friend should.
22 Because in only a few years,
I will be dead and gone.
Job Complains to God
My Hopes Have Died
17 My hopes have died,
my time is up,
and the grave is ready.
2 All I can see are angry crowds,
making fun of me.
3 If you, Lord, don't help,
who will pay the price
for my release?
4 My friends won't really listen,
all because of you,
and so you must be the one
to prove them wrong.
5 They have condemned me,
just to benefit themselves;
now blind their children.
6 You, God, are the reason
I am insulted and spit on.
7 I am almost blind with grief;
my body is a mere shadow.
8 People who are truly good
would feel so alarmed,
that they would become angry
with my worthless friends.
9 They would do the right thing
and because they did,
they would grow stronger.[c]
10 But none of my friends
show any sense.
11 My life is drawing to an end;
hope has disappeared.
12 But all my friends can do
is offer empty hopes.[d]
13 I could tell the world below
to prepare me a bed.
14 Then I could greet the grave
as my father
and say to the worms,
“Hello, mother and sisters!”
15 But what kind of hope is that?
16 Will it keep me company
in the world of the dead?
Bildad's Second Speech
How Long Will You Talk?
18 Bildad from Shuah[e] said:
2 How long will you talk?
Be sensible! Let us speak.
3 Or do you think that we
are dumb animals?
4 You cut yourself in anger.
Will that shake the earth
or even move the rocks?
* 5 (B) The lamps of sinful people
soon are snuffed out,
6 leaving their tents dark.
7 Their powerful legs become weak,
and they stumble on schemes
of their own doing.
* 8 Before they know it,
9 they are trapped in a net,
10 hidden along the path.
11 Terror strikes and pursues
from every side.
12 Starving, they run,
only to meet disaster,
13 then afterwards to be eaten alive
by death itself.
14 Those sinners are dragged
from the safety of their tents
to die a gruesome death.
15 Then their tents and possessions
are burned to ashes,
16 and they are left like trees,
dried up from the roots.
17 They are gone and forgotten,
18 thrown far from the light
into a world of darkness,
19 without any children
to carry on their name.
20 Everyone, from east to west,
is overwhelmed with horror.
21 Such is the fate of sinners
and their families
who don't know God.
Job's Reply to Bildad
How Long Will You Torture Me?
19 Job said:
2 How long will you torture me
with your words?
3 Isn't ten times enough
for you to accuse me?
Aren't you ashamed?
4 Even if I have sinned,
you haven't been harmed.
5 You boast of your goodness,
claiming I am suffering
because I am guilty.
6 But God is the one at fault
for finding fault with me.
7 Though I pray to be rescued
from this torment,
no whisper of justice
answers me.
8 God has me trapped
with a wall of darkness
9 and stripped of respect.
10 God rips me apart,
uproots my hopes,
11 and attacks with fierce anger,
as though I were his enemy.
12 His entire army advances,
then surrounds my tent.
I Am Forgotten
* 13 God has turned relatives
and friends against me,
14 and I am forgotten.
15 My guests and my servants
consider me a stranger,
16 and when I call my servants,
they pay no attention.
17 My breath disgusts my wife;
everyone in my family
turns away.
18 Young children can't stand me,
and when I come near,
they make fun.
19 (C) My best friends and loved ones
have turned from me.
20 I am skin and bones—
just barely alive.
21 My friends, I beg you for pity!
God has made me his target.
22 Hasn't he already done enough?
Why do you join the attack?
23 I wish that my words
could be written down
24 or chiseled into rock.
25 I know that my Protector[f] lives,
and at the end
he will stand on this earth.
26 My flesh may be destroyed,
yet from this body
I will see God.[g]
27 Yes, I will see him for myself,
and I long for that moment.
28 My friends, you think up ways
to blame and torment me, saying
I brought it on myself.
29 But watch out for the judgment,
when God will punish you!
Footnotes
- 16.15 sackcloth: A rough, dark-colored cloth made from goat hair and used to make grain sacks. It was worn in times of trouble or sorrow.
- 16.20 My friends … beg: Or “God is my friend, and he is the one I beg.”
- 17.9 stronger: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verses 8,9.
- 17.12 hopes: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 12.
- 18.1 Shuah: See the note at 2.11.
- 19.25 Protector: Or “Defender” or “Savior.”
- 19.26 God: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verses 25,26.
Job 16-19
New International Version
Job 16-19
New International Version
Job
16 Then Job replied:
2 “I have heard many things like these;
you are miserable comforters,(A) all of you!(B)
3 Will your long-winded speeches never end?(C)
What ails you that you keep on arguing?(D)
4 I also could speak like you,
if you were in my place;
I could make fine speeches against you
and shake my head(E) at you.
5 But my mouth would encourage you;
comfort(F) from my lips would bring you relief.(G)
6 “Yet if I speak, my pain is not relieved;
and if I refrain, it does not go away.(H)
7 Surely, God, you have worn me out;(I)
you have devastated my entire household.(J)
8 You have shriveled me up—and it has become a witness;
my gauntness(K) rises up and testifies against me.(L)
9 God assails me and tears(M) me in his anger(N)
and gnashes his teeth at me;(O)
my opponent fastens on me his piercing eyes.(P)
10 People open their mouths(Q) to jeer at me;(R)
they strike my cheek(S) in scorn
and unite together against me.(T)
11 God has turned me over to the ungodly
and thrown me into the clutches of the wicked.(U)
12 All was well with me, but he shattered me;
he seized me by the neck and crushed me.(V)
He has made me his target;(W)
13 his archers surround me.(X)
Without pity, he pierces(Y) my kidneys
and spills my gall on the ground.
14 Again and again(Z) he bursts upon me;
he rushes at me like a warrior.(AA)
15 “I have sewed sackcloth(AB) over my skin
and buried my brow in the dust.(AC)
16 My face is red with weeping,(AD)
dark shadows ring my eyes;(AE)
17 yet my hands have been free of violence(AF)
and my prayer is pure.(AG)
18 “Earth, do not cover my blood;(AH)
may my cry(AI) never be laid to rest!(AJ)
19 Even now my witness(AK) is in heaven;(AL)
my advocate is on high.(AM)
20 My intercessor(AN) is my friend[a](AO)
as my eyes pour out(AP) tears(AQ) to God;
21 on behalf of a man he pleads(AR) with God
as one pleads for a friend.
22 “Only a few years will pass
before I take the path of no return.(AS)
17 1 My spirit(AT) is broken,
my days are cut short,(AU)
the grave awaits me.(AV)
2 Surely mockers(AW) surround me;(AX)
my eyes must dwell on their hostility.
3 “Give me, O God, the pledge you demand.(AY)
Who else will put up security(AZ) for me?(BA)
4 You have closed their minds to understanding;(BB)
therefore you will not let them triumph.
5 If anyone denounces their friends for reward,(BC)
the eyes of their children will fail.(BD)
6 “God has made me a byword(BE) to everyone,(BF)
a man in whose face people spit.(BG)
7 My eyes have grown dim with grief;(BH)
my whole frame is but a shadow.(BI)
8 The upright are appalled at this;
the innocent are aroused(BJ) against the ungodly.
9 Nevertheless, the righteous(BK) will hold to their ways,
and those with clean hands(BL) will grow stronger.(BM)
10 “But come on, all of you, try again!
I will not find a wise man among you.(BN)
11 My days have passed,(BO) my plans are shattered.
Yet the desires of my heart(BP)
12 turn night into day;(BQ)
in the face of the darkness light is near.(BR)
13 If the only home I hope for is the grave,(BS)
if I spread out my bed(BT) in the realm of darkness,(BU)
14 if I say to corruption,(BV) ‘You are my father,’
and to the worm,(BW) ‘My mother’ or ‘My sister,’
15 where then is my hope—(BX)
who can see any hope for me?(BY)
16 Will it go down to the gates of death?(BZ)
Will we descend together into the dust?”(CA)
Bildad
18 Then Bildad the Shuhite(CB) replied:
2 “When will you end these speeches?(CC)
Be sensible, and then we can talk.
3 Why are we regarded as cattle(CD)
and considered stupid in your sight?(CE)
4 You who tear yourself(CF) to pieces in your anger,(CG)
is the earth to be abandoned for your sake?
Or must the rocks be moved from their place?(CH)
5 “The lamp of a wicked man is snuffed out;(CI)
the flame of his fire stops burning.(CJ)
6 The light in his tent(CK) becomes dark;(CL)
the lamp beside him goes out.(CM)
7 The vigor(CN) of his step is weakened;(CO)
his own schemes(CP) throw him down.(CQ)
8 His feet thrust him into a net;(CR)
he wanders into its mesh.
9 A trap seizes him by the heel;
a snare(CS) holds him fast.(CT)
10 A noose(CU) is hidden for him on the ground;
a trap(CV) lies in his path.(CW)
11 Terrors(CX) startle him on every side(CY)
and dog(CZ) his every step.
12 Calamity(DA) is hungry(DB) for him;
disaster(DC) is ready for him when he falls.(DD)
13 It eats away parts of his skin;(DE)
death’s firstborn devours his limbs.(DF)
14 He is torn from the security of his tent(DG)
and marched off to the king(DH) of terrors.(DI)
15 Fire resides[b] in his tent;(DJ)
burning sulfur(DK) is scattered over his dwelling.
16 His roots dry up below(DL)
and his branches wither above.(DM)
17 The memory of him perishes from the earth;(DN)
he has no name(DO) in the land.(DP)
18 He is driven from light into the realm of darkness(DQ)
and is banished(DR) from the world.(DS)
19 He has no offspring(DT) or descendants(DU) among his people,
no survivor(DV) where once he lived.(DW)
20 People of the west are appalled(DX) at his fate;(DY)
those of the east are seized with horror.
21 Surely such is the dwelling(DZ) of an evil man;(EA)
such is the place(EB) of one who does not know God.”(EC)
Job
19 Then Job replied:
2 “How long will you torment(ED) me
and crush(EE) me with words?
3 Ten times(EF) now you have reproached(EG) me;
shamelessly you attack me.
4 If it is true that I have gone astray,
my error(EH) remains my concern alone.
5 If indeed you would exalt yourselves above me(EI)
and use my humiliation against me,
6 then know that God has wronged me(EJ)
and drawn his net(EK) around me.(EL)
7 “Though I cry, ‘Violence!’ I get no response;(EM)
though I call for help,(EN) there is no justice.(EO)
8 He has blocked my way so I cannot pass;(EP)
he has shrouded my paths in darkness.(EQ)
9 He has stripped(ER) me of my honor(ES)
and removed the crown from my head.(ET)
10 He tears me down(EU) on every side till I am gone;
he uproots my hope(EV) like a tree.(EW)
11 His anger(EX) burns against me;
he counts me among his enemies.(EY)
12 His troops advance in force;(EZ)
they build a siege ramp(FA) against me
and encamp around my tent.(FB)
13 “He has alienated my family(FC) from me;
my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.(FD)
14 My relatives have gone away;
my closest friends(FE) have forgotten me.
15 My guests(FF) and my female servants(FG) count me a foreigner;
they look on me as on a stranger.
16 I summon my servant, but he does not answer,
though I beg him with my own mouth.
17 My breath is offensive to my wife;
I am loathsome(FH) to my own family.
18 Even the little boys(FI) scorn me;
when I appear, they ridicule me.(FJ)
19 All my intimate friends(FK) detest me;(FL)
those I love have turned against me.(FM)
20 I am nothing but skin and bones;(FN)
I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.[c]
21 “Have pity on me, my friends,(FO) have pity,
for the hand of God has struck(FP) me.
22 Why do you pursue(FQ) me as God does?(FR)
Will you never get enough of my flesh?(FS)
23 “Oh, that my words were recorded,
that they were written on a scroll,(FT)
24 that they were inscribed with an iron tool(FU) on[d] lead,
or engraved in rock forever!(FV)
25 I know that my redeemer[e](FW) lives,(FX)
and that in the end he will stand on the earth.[f]
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet[g] in[h] my flesh I will see God;(FY)
27 I myself will see him
with my own eyes(FZ)—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns(GA) within me!
Footnotes
- Job 16:20 Or My friends treat me with scorn
- Job 18:15 Or Nothing he had remains
- Job 19:20 Or only by my gums
- Job 19:24 Or and
- Job 19:25 Or vindicator
- Job 19:25 Or on my grave
- Job 19:26 Or And after I awake, / though this body has been destroyed, / then
- Job 19:26 Or destroyed, / apart from
- Job 19:28 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts me
- Job 19:29 Or sword, / that you may come to know the Almighty
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 
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New International Version (NIV) 
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