Job 9
New American Standard Bible 1995
Job Says There Is No Arbitrator between God and Man
9 Then Job [a]answered,
2 “In truth I know that this is so;
But how can a (A)man be in the right [b]before God?
3 “If one wished to (B)dispute with Him,
He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.
4 “(C)Wise in heart and (D)mighty in strength,
Who has [c](E)defied Him [d]without harm?
5 “(F)It is God who removes the mountains, they know not how,
When He overturns them in His anger;
6 Who (G)shakes the earth out of its place,
And its (H)pillars tremble;
7 Who commands the (I)sun [e]not to shine,
And sets a seal upon the stars;
8 Who alone (J)stretches out the heavens
And [f](K)tramples down the waves of the sea;
9 Who makes the (L)Bear, Orion and the Pleiades,
And the (M)chambers of the south;
10 Who (N)does great things, [g]unfathomable,
And wondrous works without number.
11 “Were He to pass by me, (O)I would not see Him;
Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him.
12 “Were He to snatch away, who could (P)restrain Him?
Who could say to Him, ‘(Q)What are You doing?’
13 “God will not turn back His anger;
Beneath Him crouch the helpers of (R)Rahab.
14 “How then can (S)I [h]answer Him,
And choose my words [i]before Him?
15 “For (T)though I were right, I could not [j]answer;
I would have to (U)implore the mercy of my judge.
16 “If I called and He answered me,
I could not believe that He was listening to my voice.
17 “For He (V)bruises me with a tempest
And multiplies my wounds without cause.
18 “He will (W)not allow me to get my breath,
But saturates me with (X)bitterness.
19 “If it is a matter of power, (Y)behold, He is the strong one!
And if it is a matter of justice, who can summon [k]Him?
20 “(Z)Though I am righteous, my mouth will (AA)condemn me;
Though I am guiltless, He will declare me guilty.
21 “I am (AB)guiltless;
I do not take notice of myself;
I (AC)despise my life.
22 “It is all one; therefore I say,
‘He (AD)destroys the guiltless and the wicked.’
23 “If the scourge kills suddenly,
He (AE)mocks the despair of the innocent.
24 “The earth (AF)is given into the hand of the wicked;
He (AG)covers the faces of its judges.
If it is not He, then who is it?
25 “Now (AH)my days are swifter than a runner;
They flee away, (AI)they see no good.
26 “They slip by like (AJ)reed boats,
Like an (AK)eagle that swoops on [l]its prey.
27 “Though I say, ‘I will forget (AL)my complaint,
I will leave off my sad countenance and be cheerful,’
28 I am (AM)afraid of all my pains,
I know that (AN)You will not acquit me.
29 “I am accounted (AO)wicked,
Why then should I toil in vain?
30 “If I should (AP)wash myself with snow
And cleanse (AQ)my hands with lye,
31 Yet You would plunge me into the pit,
And my own clothes would abhor me.
32 “For (AR)He is not a man as I am that (AS)I may answer Him,
That we may go to [m]court together.
33 “There is no (AT)umpire between us,
Who may lay his hand upon us both.
34 “Let Him (AU)remove His rod from me,
And let not dread of Him terrify me.
35 “Then I (AV)would speak and not fear Him;
But I am not like that in myself.
Footnotes
- Job 9:1 Lit answered and said
- Job 9:2 Lit with
- Job 9:4 Lit stiffened his neck against
- Job 9:4 Lit and remained safe
- Job 9:7 Lit and it does not shine
- Job 9:8 Lit treads upon the heights of
- Job 9:10 Lit until there is no searching out
- Job 9:14 Or plead my case
- Job 9:14 Lit with
- Job 9:15 Or plead my case
- Job 9:19 So with Gr; Heb me
- Job 9:26 Lit food
- Job 9:32 Lit judgment
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
