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Job 23-24
Christian Standard Bible
Job 23-24
Christian Standard Bible
Job’s Reply to Eliphaz
23 Then Job answered:
2 Today also my complaint is bitter.[a](A)
His[b] hand is heavy despite my groaning.
3 If only I knew how to find him,
so that I could go to his throne.
4 I would plead my case before him(B)
and fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would learn how[c] he would answer me;
and understand what he would say to me.
6 Would he prosecute(C) me forcefully?
No, he would certainly pay attention to me.
7 Then an upright man could reason(D) with him,
and I would escape from my Judge[d](E) forever.
8 If I go east, he is not there,
and if I go west, I cannot perceive him.(F)
9 When he is at work to the north, I cannot see him;
when he turns south, I cannot find him.
10 Yet he knows the way I have taken;[e]
when he has tested me,(G) I will emerge as pure gold.
11 My feet have followed in his tracks;
I have kept to his way(H) and not turned aside.
12 I have not departed from the commands from his lips;
I have treasured[f] the words(I) from his mouth
more than my daily food.
13 But he is unchangeable; who can oppose him?
He does what he desires.(J)
14 He will certainly accomplish what he has decreed for me,
and he has many more things like these in mind.[g]
15 Therefore I am terrified(K) in his presence;
when I consider this, I am afraid of him.
16 God has made my heart faint;(L)
the Almighty has terrified me.
17 Yet I am not destroyed[h] by the darkness,(M)
by the thick darkness that covers my face.
24 Why does the Almighty not reserve times for judgment?(N)
Why do those who know him never see his days?
2 The wicked displace boundary markers.
They steal a flock and provide pasture for it.
3 They drive away the donkeys owned by the fatherless(O)
and take the widow’s ox as collateral.
4 They push the needy off the road;
the poor of the land are forced into hiding.(P)
5 Like wild donkeys in the wilderness,
the poor go out to their task of foraging for food;
the desert provides nourishment for their children.
6 They gather their fodder in the field
and glean the vineyards of the wicked.
7 Without clothing, they spend the night naked,
having no covering against the cold.(Q)
8 Drenched by mountain rains,
they huddle against[i] the rocks, shelterless.
9 The fatherless infant is snatched from the breast;
the nursing child of the poor is seized as collateral.[j]
10 Without clothing, they wander about naked.
They carry sheaves but go hungry.(R)
11 They crush olives in their presses;[k]
they tread the winepresses, but go thirsty.
12 From the city, men[l] groan;
the mortally wounded cry for help,
yet God pays no attention to this crime.(S)
13 The wicked are those who rebel against the light.
They do not recognize its ways
or stay on its paths.
14 The murderer rises at dawn
to kill the poor and needy,
and by night he becomes a thief.
15 The adulterer’s eye watches for twilight,
thinking, “No eye will see me,”
and he covers his face.
16 In the dark they break[m] into houses;
by day they lock themselves in,[n]
never experiencing the light.
17 For the morning is like darkness to them.
Surely they are familiar with the terrors of darkness!
18 They float[o] on the surface of the water.
Their section of the land is cursed,
so that they never go to their vineyards.
19 As dry ground and heat snatch away the melted snow,
so Sheol(T) steals those who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets them;
worms feed on them;
they are remembered(U) no more.
So injustice is broken like a tree.
21 They prey on[p] the childless woman who is unable to conceive,
and do not deal kindly with the widow.
22 Yet God drags away[q] the mighty by his power;
when he rises up, they have no assurance of life.
23 He gives them a sense of security, so they can rely on it,(V)
but his eyes(W) watch over their ways.
24 They are exalted for a moment, then gone;
they are brought low and shrivel up like everything else.[r]
They wither like heads of grain.(X)
25 If this is not true, then who can prove me a liar(Y)
and show that my speech is worthless?
Footnotes
- 23:2 Syr, Tg, Vg; MT reads rebellion
- 23:2 LXX, Syr; MT reads My
- 23:5 Lit the words
- 23:7 Or judgment
- 23:10 Lit way with me
- 23:12 LXX, Vg read treasured in my bosom
- 23:14 Lit these with him
- 23:17 Or silenced
- 24:8 Lit they embrace
- 24:9 Text emended; MT reads breast; they seize collateral against the poor
- 24:11 Lit olives between their rows
- 24:12 One Hb ms, Syr read the dying
- 24:16 Lit dig
- 24:16 Lit they seal for themselves
- 24:18 Lit are insignificant
- 24:21 LXX, Tg read They harm
- 24:22 Or God prolongs the life of
- 24:24 LXX reads like a mallow plant in the heat
Job 23-24
New International Version
Job 23-24
New International Version
Job
23 Then Job replied:
2 “Even today my complaint(A) is bitter;(B)
his hand[a] is heavy in spite of[b] my groaning.(C)
3 If only I knew where to find him;
if only I could go to his dwelling!(D)
4 I would state my case(E) before him
and fill my mouth with arguments.(F)
5 I would find out what he would answer me,(G)
and consider what he would say to me.
6 Would he vigorously oppose me?(H)
No, he would not press charges against me.(I)
7 There the upright(J) can establish their innocence before him,(K)
and there I would be delivered forever from my judge.(L)
8 “But if I go to the east, he is not there;
if I go to the west, I do not find him.
9 When he is at work in the north, I do not see him;
when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.(M)
10 But he knows the way that I take;(N)
when he has tested me,(O) I will come forth as gold.(P)
11 My feet have closely followed his steps;(Q)
I have kept to his way without turning aside.(R)
12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips;(S)
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.(T)
13 “But he stands alone, and who can oppose him?(U)
He does whatever he pleases.(V)
14 He carries out his decree against me,
and many such plans he still has in store.(W)
15 That is why I am terrified before him;(X)
when I think of all this, I fear him.(Y)
16 God has made my heart faint;(Z)
the Almighty(AA) has terrified me.(AB)
17 Yet I am not silenced by the darkness,(AC)
by the thick darkness that covers my face.
24 “Why does the Almighty not set times(AD) for judgment?(AE)
Why must those who know him look in vain for such days?(AF)
2 There are those who move boundary stones;(AG)
they pasture flocks they have stolen.(AH)
3 They drive away the orphan’s donkey
and take the widow’s ox in pledge.(AI)
4 They thrust the needy(AJ) from the path
and force all the poor(AK) of the land into hiding.(AL)
5 Like wild donkeys(AM) in the desert,
the poor go about their labor(AN) of foraging food;
the wasteland(AO) provides food for their children.
6 They gather fodder(AP) in the fields
and glean in the vineyards(AQ) of the wicked.(AR)
7 Lacking clothes, they spend the night naked;
they have nothing to cover themselves in the cold.(AS)
8 They are drenched(AT) by mountain rains
and hug(AU) the rocks for lack of shelter.(AV)
9 The fatherless(AW) child is snatched(AX) from the breast;
the infant of the poor is seized(AY) for a debt.(AZ)
10 Lacking clothes, they go about naked;(BA)
they carry the sheaves,(BB) but still go hungry.
11 They crush olives among the terraces[c];
they tread the winepresses,(BC) yet suffer thirst.(BD)
12 The groans of the dying rise from the city,
and the souls of the wounded cry out for help.(BE)
But God charges no one with wrongdoing.(BF)
13 “There are those who rebel against the light,(BG)
who do not know its ways
or stay in its paths.(BH)
14 When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up,
kills(BI) the poor and needy,(BJ)
and in the night steals forth like a thief.(BK)
15 The eye of the adulterer(BL) watches for dusk;(BM)
he thinks, ‘No eye will see me,’(BN)
and he keeps his face concealed.
16 In the dark, thieves break into houses,(BO)
but by day they shut themselves in;
they want nothing to do with the light.(BP)
17 For all of them, midnight is their morning;
they make friends with the terrors(BQ) of darkness.(BR)
18 “Yet they are foam(BS) on the surface of the water;(BT)
their portion of the land is cursed,(BU)
so that no one goes to the vineyards.(BV)
19 As heat and drought snatch away the melted snow,(BW)
so the grave(BX) snatches away those who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets them,
the worm(BY) feasts on them;(BZ)
the wicked are no longer remembered(CA)
but are broken like a tree.(CB)
21 They prey on the barren and childless woman,
and to the widow they show no kindness.(CC)
22 But God drags away the mighty by his power;(CD)
though they become established,(CE) they have no assurance of life.(CF)
23 He may let them rest in a feeling of security,(CG)
but his eyes(CH) are on their ways.(CI)
24 For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone;(CJ)
they are brought low and gathered up like all others;(CK)
they are cut off like heads of grain.(CL)
25 “If this is not so, who can prove me false
and reduce my words to nothing?”(CM)
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