Job 33-34

English Standard Version

⁸ “Surely you have spoken in my ears,
    and I have heard the sound of your words.
⁹ You say, ‘I am ^(I)pure, without ^(J)transgression;
    I am clean, and there is no iniquity in me.
¹⁰ Behold, he finds occasions against me,
    he ^(K)counts me as his enemy,
¹¹ he ^(L)puts my feet in the stocks
    and ^(M)watches all my paths.’

¹² “Behold, in this you are not right. I will answer you,
    for God is greater than man.
¹³ Why do you ^(N)contend against him,
    saying, ‘He ^(O)will answer none of man's^[a] words’?^[b]
14 For God ^(P)speaks in one way,
    ^(Q)and in two, though man ^(R)does not perceive it.
¹⁵ In ^(S)a dream, in ^(T)a vision of ^(U)the night,
    when ^(V)deep sleep falls on men,
    while they slumber on their beds,
¹⁶ then he ^(W)opens the ears of men
    and terrifies^[c] them with warnings,
¹⁷ that he may turn man aside from his ^(X)deed
    and conceal pride from a man;
¹⁸ he keeps back his soul from the pit,
    his life from ^(Y)perishing by the sword.

¹⁹ “Man is also rebuked with pain on his bed
    and with continual strife in his ^(Z)bones,
²⁰ so that his ^(AA)life loathes bread,
    and his appetite ^(AB)the choicest food.
²¹ His flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen,
    and his bones that were not seen ^(AC)stick out.
²² His soul draws near ^(AD)the pit,
    and his life to ^(AE)those who bring death.
²³ If there be for him ^(AF)an angel,
    ^(AG)a mediator, ^(AH)one of the thousand,
    to declare to man what is ^(AI)right for him,
²⁴ and he is merciful to him, and says,
    ‘Deliver him from going down into the pit;
    I have found ^(AJ)a ransom;
²⁵ let his flesh ^(AK)become fresh with youth;
    let him return to the days of his youthful vigor’;
²⁶ then man^{[d] (AL)}prays to God, and he accepts him;
    he ^(AM)sees his face with a shout of joy,
and he ^(AN)restores to man his righteousness.
²⁷     He sings before men and says:
‘I ^(AO)sinned and perverted what was right,
    and it was not repaid to me.
²⁸ He has redeemed my ^(AP)soul from going down ^(AQ)into the pit,
    and my life shall ^(AR)look upon the light.’

²⁹ “Behold, God does all these things,
    twice, ^(AS)three times, with a man,
³⁰ to bring back his soul from the pit,
    that he may be lighted with ^(AT)the light of life.
³¹ Pay attention, O Job, listen to me;
    be silent, and I will speak.
³² If you have any words, ^(AU)answer me;
    ^(AV)speak, for I desire to justify you.
³³ If not, ^(AW)listen to me;
    be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

² “Hear my words, you wise men,
    and give ear to me, you who know;
³ for ^(AX)the ear tests words
    as the palate tastes food.
⁴ Let us choose ^(AY)what is right;
    let us know among ourselves what is good.
⁵ For Job has said, ‘I am ^(AZ)in the right,
    and ^(BA)God has taken away my right;
⁶ in spite of my right I am counted a liar;
    my wound is incurable, though I am ^(BB)without transgression.’
⁷ What man is like Job,
    who ^(BC)drinks up scoffing like water,
⁸ who travels in company with evildoers
    and walks ^(BD)with wicked men?
⁹ For ^(BE)he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing
    that he should take delight in God.’

¹⁰ “Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding:
    far be it from God that he should ^(BF)do wickedness,
    and from the Almighty that he should do wrong.
¹¹ For according to ^(BG)the work of a man he will repay him,
    and ^(BH)according to his ways he will make it befall him.
¹² Of a truth, God will not do wickedly,
    and ^(BI)the Almighty will not pervert justice.
¹³ Who gave him charge over the earth,
    and who ^(BJ)laid on him^[e] the whole world?
¹⁴ If he should ^(BK)set his heart to it
    and ^(BL)gather to himself his ^(BM)spirit and his breath,
¹⁵ all flesh would perish together,
    and man would ^(BN)return to dust.

¹⁶ “If you have understanding, hear this;
    listen to what I say.
^17 (BO)Shall one who hates justice govern?
    Will you condemn him who is righteous and mighty,
¹⁸ who ^(BP)says to a king, ‘Worthless one,’
    and to nobles, ‘Wicked man,’
¹⁹ who ^(BQ)shows no partiality to princes,
    nor regards the rich ^(BR)more than the poor,
    for ^(BS)they are all the work of his hands?
²⁰ In a moment ^(BT)they die;
    at ^(BU)midnight the people are shaken and pass away,
    and the mighty are taken away by ^(BV)no human hand.

²¹ “For his eyes are on ^(BW)the ways of a man,
    and he sees all his ^(BX)steps.
²² There is no ^(BY)gloom or ^(BZ)deep darkness
    where evildoers may hide themselves.
²³ For God^[f] has no need to consider a man further,
    that he should go before God in ^(CA)judgment.
²⁴ He ^(CB)shatters the mighty without investigation
    and sets ^(CC)others in their place.
²⁵ Thus, knowing their works,
    he ^(CD)overturns them in the night, and they are crushed.
²⁶ He strikes them for their wickedness
    in a place for all to see,
²⁷ because they turned aside from ^(CE)following him
    and had no regard for any of his ways,
²⁸ so that they ^(CF)caused the cry of the poor to come to him,
    and he ^(CG)heard the cry of the afflicted—
²⁹ When he is quiet, who can condemn?
    When he hides his face, who can behold him,
    whether it be a nation or a man?—
³⁰ that a godless man should not reign,
    that he should not ensnare the people.

³¹ “For has anyone said to God,
    ‘I have borne punishment; I will not offend any more;
^32 (CH)teach me what I do not see;
    if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more’?
³³ Will he then make repayment to suit you,
    because you reject it?
For you must choose, and not I;
    therefore ^(CI)declare what you know.^[g]
34 Men of understanding will say to me,
    and the wise man who hears me will say:
³⁵ ‘Job ^(CJ)speaks without knowledge;
    his words are without insight.’
³⁶ Would that Job were tried to the end,
    because he answers like wicked men.
³⁷ For he adds rebellion to his sin;
    he ^(CK)claps his hands among us
    and multiplies his words against God.”