Job – ASV

1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and turned away from evil.

2 And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.

3 His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the children of the east.

4 And his sons went and held a feast in the house of each one upon his day; and they sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.

5 And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt-offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and renounced God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.

6 Now it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan also came among them.

7 And Jehovah said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered Jehovah, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

8 And Jehovah said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and turneth away from evil.

9 Then Satan answered Jehovah, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?

10 Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath, on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

11 But put forth thy hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will renounce thee to thy face.

12 And Jehovah said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thy hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah.

13 And it fell on a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house,

14 that there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them;

15 and the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away: yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

16 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

17 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have taken them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

18 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house;

19 and, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

20 Then Job arose, and rent his robe, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped;

21 and he said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: Jehovah gave, and Jehovah hath taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah.

22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

V20 Worshiping GOD despite of what happens

1 Again it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan came also among them to present himself before Jehovah.

2 And Jehovah said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered Jehovah, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

3 And Jehovah said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and turneth away from evil: and he still holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

4 And Satan answered Jehovah, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.

5 But put forth thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce thee to thy face.

6 And Jehovah said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thy hand; only spare his life.

7 So Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

8 And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself therewith; and he sat among the ashes.

9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still hold fast thine integrity? renounce God, and die.

10 But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

11 Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to bemoan him and to comfort him.

12 And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his robe, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.

13 So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.

1 After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.

2 And Job answered and said:

3 Let the day perish wherein I was born,

4 Let that day be darkness;

5 Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it for their own;

6 As for that night, let thick darkness seize upon it:

7 Lo, let that night be barren;

8 Let them curse it that curse the day,

9 Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark:

10 Because it shut not up the doors of my mother’s womb,

11 Why died I not from the womb?

12 Why did the knees receive me?

13 For now should I have lain down and been quiet;

14 With kings and counsellors of the earth,

15 Or with princes that had gold,

16 Or as a hidden untimely birth I had not been,

17 There the wicked cease from troubling;

18 There the prisoners are at ease together;

19 The small and the great are there:

20 Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery,

21 Who long for death, but it cometh not,

22 Who rejoice exceedingly,

23 Why is light given to a man whose way is hid,

24 For my sighing cometh before I eat,

25 For the thing which I fear cometh upon me,

26 I am not at ease, neither am I quiet, neither have I rest;

V25 When things we fear happen

1 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,

2 If one assay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved?

3 Behold, thou hast instructed many,

4 Thy words have upholden him that was falling,

5 But now it is come unto thee, and thou faintest;

6 Is not thy fear of God thy confidence,

7 Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent?

8 According as I have seen, they that plow iniquity,

9 By the breath of God they perish,

10 The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion,

11 The old lion perisheth for lack of prey,

12 Now a thing was secretly brought to me,

13 In thoughts from the visions of the night,

14 Fear came upon me, and trembling,

15 Then a spirit passed before my face;

16 It stood still, but I could not discern the appearance thereof;

17 Shall mortal man be more just than God?

18 Behold, he putteth no trust in his servants;

19 How much more them that dwell in houses of clay,

20 Betwixt morning and evening they are destroyed:

21 Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them?

1 Call now; is there any that will answer thee?

2 For vexation killeth the foolish man,

3 I have seen the foolish taking root:

4 His children are far from safety,

5 Whose harvest the hungry eateth up,

6 For affliction cometh not forth from the dust,

7 But man is born unto trouble,

8 But as for me, I would seek unto God,

9 Who doeth great things and unsearchable,

10 Who giveth rain upon the earth,

11 So that he setteth up on high those that are low,

12 He frustrateth the devices of the crafty,

13 He taketh the wise in their own craftiness;

14 They meet with darkness in the day-time,

15 But he saveth from the sword of their mouth,

16 So the poor hath hope,

17 Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth:

18 For he maketh sore, and bindeth up;

19 He will deliver thee in six troubles;

20 In famine he will redeem thee from death;

21 Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue;

22 At destruction and dearth thou shalt laugh;

23 For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field;

24 And thou shalt know that thy tent is in peace;

25 Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great,

26 Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age,

27 Lo this, we have searched it, so it is;

1 Then Job answered and said,

2 Oh that my vexation were but weighed,

3 For now it would be heavier than the sand of the seas:

4 For the arrows of the Almighty are within me,

5 Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass?

6 Can that which hath no savor be eaten without salt?

7 My soul refuseth to touch them;

8 Oh that I might have my request;

9 Even that it would please God to crush me;

10 And be it still my consolation,

11 What is my strength, that I should wait?

12 Is my strength the strength of stones?

13 Is it not that I have no help in me,

14 To him that is ready to faint kindness should be showed from his friend;

15 My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook,

16 Which are black by reason of the ice,

17 What time they wax warm, they vanish;

18 The caravans that travel by the way of them turn aside;

19 The caravans of Tema looked,

20 They were put to shame because they had hoped;

21 For now ye are nothing;

22 Did I say, Give unto me?

23 Or, Deliver me from the adversary’s hand?

24 Teach me, and I will hold my peace;

25 How forcible are words of uprightness!

26 Do ye think to reprove words,

27 Yea, ye would cast lots upon the fatherless,

28 Now therefore be pleased to look upon me;

29 Return, I pray you, let there be no injustice;

30 Is there injustice on my tongue?

1 Is there not a warfare to man upon earth?

2 As a servant that earnestly desireth the shadow,

3 So am I made to possess months of misery,

4 When I lie down, I say,

5 My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust;

6 My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,

7 Oh remember that my life is a breath:

8 The eye of him that seeth me shall behold me no more;

9 As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away,

10 He shall return no more to his house,

11 Therefore I will not refrain my mouth;

12 Am I a sea, or a sea-monster,

13 When I say, My bed shall comfort me,

14 Then thou scarest me with dreams,

15 So that my soul chooseth strangling,

16 I loathe my life; I would not live alway:

17 What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him,

18 And that thou shouldest visit him every morning,

19 How long wilt thou not look away from me,

20 If I have sinned, what do I unto thee, O thou watcher of men?

21 And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity?

1 Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,

2 How long wilt thou speak these things?

3 Doth God pervert justice?

4 If thy children have sinned against him,

5 If thou wouldest seek diligently unto God,

6 If thou wert pure and upright:

7 And though thy beginning was small,

8 For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age,

9 (For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing,

10 Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee,

11 Can the rush grow up without mire?

12 Whilst it is yet in its greenness, and not cut down,

13 So are the paths of all that forget God;

14 Whose confidence shall break in sunder,

15 He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand:

16 He is green before the sun,

17 His roots are wrapped about the stone-heap,

18 If he be destroyed from his place,

19 Behold, this is the joy of his way;

20 Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man,

21 He will yet fill thy mouth with laughter,

22 They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame;

1 Then Job answered and said,

2 Of a truth I know that it is so:

3 If he be pleased to contend with him,

4 He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength:

5 Him that removeth the mountains, and they know it not,

6 That shaketh the earth out of its place,

7 That commandeth the sun, and it riseth not,

8 That alone stretcheth out the heavens,

9 That maketh the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades,

10 That doeth great things past finding out,

11 Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not:

12 Behold, he seizeth the prey, who can hinder him?

13 God will not withdraw his anger;

14 How much less shall I answer him,

15 Whom, though I were righteous, yet would I not answer;

16 If I had called, and he had answered me,

17 For he breaketh me with a tempest,

18 He will not suffer me to take my breath,

19 If we speak of strength, lo, he is mighty!

20 Though I be righteous, mine own mouth shall condemn me:

21 I am perfect; I regard not myself;

22 It is all one; therefore I say,

23 If the scourge slay suddenly,

24 The earth is given into the hand of the wicked;

25 Now my days are swifter than a post:

26 They are passed away as the swift ships;

27 If I say, I will forget my complaint,

28 I am afraid of all my sorrows,

29 I shall be condemned;

30 If I wash myself with snow water,

31 Yet wilt thou plunge me in the ditch,

32 For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him,

33 There is no umpire betwixt us,

34 Let him take his rod away from me,

35 Then would I speak, and not fear him;

1 My soul is weary of my life;

2 I will say unto God, Do not condemn me;

3 Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress,

4 Hast thou eyes of flesh?

5 Are thy days as the days of man,

6 That thou inquirest after mine iniquity,

7 Although thou knowest that I am not wicked,

8 Thy hands have framed me and fashioned me

9 Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast fashioned me as clay;

10 Hast thou not poured me out as milk,

11 Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh,

12 Thou hast granted me life and lovingkindness;

13 Yet these things thou didst hide in thy heart;

14 If I sin, then thou markest me,

15 If I be wicked, woe unto me;

16 And if my head exalt itself, thou huntest me as a lion;

17 Thou renewest thy witnesses against me,

18 Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb?

19 I should have been as though I had not been;

20 Are not my days few? cease then,

21 Before I go whence I shall not return,

22 The land dark as midnight,

1 Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,

2 Should not the multitude of words be answered?

3 Should thy boastings make men hold their peace?

4 For thou sayest, My doctrine is pure,

5 But oh that God would speak,

6 And that he would show thee the secrets of wisdom!

7 Canst thou by searching find out God?

8 It is high as heaven; what canst thou do?

9 The measure thereof is longer than the earth,

10 If he pass through, and shut up,

11 For he knoweth false men:

12 But vain man is void of understanding,

13 If thou set thy heart aright,

14 If iniquity be in thy hand, put it far away,

15 Surely then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot;

16 For thou shalt forget thy misery;

17 And thy life shall be clearer than the noonday;

18 And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope;

19 Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid;

20 But the eyes of the wicked shall fail,

1 Then Job answered and said,

2 No doubt but ye are the people,

3 But I have understanding as well as you;

4 I am as one that is a laughing-stock to his neighbor,

5 In the thought of him that is at ease there is contempt for misfortune;

6 The tents of robbers prosper,

7 But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee;

8 Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee;

9 Who knoweth not in all these,

10 In whose hand is the soul of every living thing,

11 Doth not the ear try words,

12 With aged men is wisdom,

13 With God is wisdom and might;

14 Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again;

15 Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up;

16 With him is strength and wisdom;

17 He leadeth counsellors away stripped,

18 He looseth the bond of kings,

19 He leadeth priests away stripped,

20 He removeth the speech of the trusty,

21 He poureth contempt upon princes,

22 He uncovereth deep things out of darkness,

23 He increaseth the nations, and he destroyeth them:

24 He taketh away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth,

25 They grope in the dark without light;

1 Lo, mine eye hath seen all this,

2 What ye know, the same do I know also:

3 Surely I would speak to the Almighty,

4 But ye are forgers of lies;

5 Oh that ye would altogether hold your peace!

6 Hear now my reasoning,

7 Will ye speak unrighteously for God,

8 Will ye show partiality to him?

9 Is it good that he should search you out?

10 He will surely reprove you,

11 Shall not his majesty make you afraid,

12 Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes,

13 Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak;

14 Wherefore should I take my flesh in my teeth,

15 Behold, he will slay me; I have no hope:

16 This also shall be my salvation,

17 Hear diligently my speech,

18 Behold now, I have set my cause in order;

19 Who is he that will contend with me?

20 Only do not two things unto me;

21 Withdraw thy hand far from me;

22 Then call thou, and I will answer;

23 How many are mine iniquities and sins?

24 Wherefore hidest thou thy face,

25 Wilt thou harass a driven leaf?

26 For thou writest bitter things against me,

27 Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks,

28 Though I am like a rotten thing that consumeth,

1 Man, that is born of a woman,

2 He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down:

3 And dost thou open thine eyes upon such a one,

4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

5 Seeing his days are determined,

6 Look away from him, that he may rest,

7 For there is hope of a tree,

8 Though the root thereof wax old in the earth,

9 Yet through the scent of water it will bud,

10 But man dieth, and is laid low:

11 As the waters fail from the sea,

12 So man lieth down and riseth not:

13 Oh that thou wouldest hide me in Sheol,

14 If a man die, shall he live again?

15 Thou wouldest call, and I would answer thee:

16 But now thou numberest my steps:

17 My transgression is sealed up in a bag,

18 But the mountain falling cometh to nought;

19 The waters wear the stones;

20 Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth;

21 His sons come to honor, and he knoweth it not;

22 But his flesh upon him hath pain,

1 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,

2 Should a wise man make answer with vain knowledge,

3 Should he reason with unprofitable talk,

4 Yea, thou doest away with fear,

5 For thine iniquity teacheth thy mouth,

6 Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I;

7 Art thou the first man that was born?

8 Hast thou heard the secret counsel of God?

9 What knowest thou, that we know not?

10 With us are both the grayheaded and the very aged men,

11 Are the consolations of God too small for thee,

12 Why doth thy heart carry thee away?

13 That against God thou turnest thy spirit,

14 What is man, that he should be clean?

15 Behold, he putteth no trust in his holy ones;

16 How much less one that is abominable and corrupt,

17 I will show thee, hear thou me;

18 (Which wise men have told

19 Unto whom alone the land was given,

20 The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days,

21 A sound of terrors is in his ears;

22 He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness,

23 He wandereth abroad for bread, saying, Where is it?

24 Distress and anguish make him afraid;

25 Because he hath stretched out his hand against God,

26 He runneth upon him with a stiff neck,

27 Because he hath covered his face with his fatness,

28 And he hath dwelt in desolate cities,

29 He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue,

30 He shall not depart out of darkness;

31 Let him not trust in vanity, deceiving himself;

32 It shall be accomplished before his time,

33 He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine,

34 For the company of the godless shall be barren,

35 They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity,

1 Then Job answered and said,

2 I have heard many such things:

3 Shall vain words have an end?

4 I also could speak as ye do;

5 But I would strengthen you with my mouth,

6 Though I speak, my grief is not assuaged;

7 But now he hath made me weary:

8 And thou hast laid fast hold on me, which is a witness against me:

9 He hath torn me in his wrath, and persecuted me;

10 They have gaped upon me with their mouth;

11 God delivereth me to the ungodly,

12 I was at ease, and he brake me asunder;

13 His archers compass me round about;

14 He breaketh me with breach upon breach;

15 I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin,

16 My face is red with weeping,

17 Although there is no violence in my hands,

18 O earth, cover not thou my blood,

19 Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven,

20 My friends scoff at me:

21 That he would maintain the right of a man with God,

22 For when a few years are come,

1 My spirit is consumed, my days are extinct,

2 Surely there are mockers with me,

3 Give now a pledge, be surety for me with thyself;

4 For thou hast hid their heart from understanding:

5 He that denounceth his friends for a prey,

6 But he hath made me a byword of the people;

7 Mine eye also is dim by reason of sorrow,

8 Upright men shall be astonished at this,

9 Yet shall the righteous hold on his way,

10 But as for you all, come on now again;

11 My days are past, my purposes are broken off,

12 They change the night into day:

13 If I look for Sheol as my house;

14 If I have said to corruption, Thou art my father;

15 Where then is my hope?

16 It shall go down to the bars of Sheol,

1 Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,

2 How long will ye hunt for words?

3 Wherefore are we counted as beasts,

4 Thou that tearest thyself in thine anger,

5 Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out,

6 The light shall be dark in his tent,

7 The steps of his strength shall be straitened,

8 For he is cast into a net by his own feet,

9 A gin shall take him by the heel,

10 A noose is hid for him in the ground,

11 Terrors shall make him afraid on every side,

12 His strength shall be hunger-bitten,

13 The members of his body shall be devoured,

14 He shall be rooted out of his tent wherein he trusteth;

15 There shall dwell in his tent that which is none of his:

16 His roots shall be dried up beneath,

17 His remembrance shall perish from the earth,

18 He shall be driven from light into darkness,

19 He shall have neither son nor son’s son among his people,

20 They that come after shall be astonished at his day,

21 Surely such are the dwellings of the unrighteous,

1 Then Job answered and said,

2 How long will ye vex my soul,

3 These ten times have ye reproached me:

4 And be it indeed that I have erred,

5 If indeed ye will magnify yourselves against me,

6 Know now that God hath subverted me in my cause,

7 Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard:

8 He hath walled up my way that I cannot pass,

9 He hath stripped me of my glory,

10 He hath broken me down on every side, and I am gone;

11 He hath also kindled his wrath against me,

12 His troops come on together,

13 He hath put my brethren far from me,

14 My kinsfolk have failed,

15 They that dwell in my house, and my maids, count me for a stranger:

16 I call unto my servant, and he giveth me no answer,

17 My breath is strange to my wife,

18 Even young children despise me;

19 All my familiar friends abhor me,

20 My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh,

21 Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends;

22 Why do ye persecute me as God,

23 Oh that my words were now written!

24 That with an iron pen and lead

25 But as for me I know that my Redeemer liveth,

26 And after my skin, even this body, is destroyed,

27 Whom I, even I, shall see, on my side,

28 If ye say, How we will persecute him!

29 Be ye afraid of the sword:

1 Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,

2 Therefore do my thoughts give answer to me,

3 I have heard the reproof which putteth me to shame;

4 Knowest thou not this of old time,

5 That the triumphing of the wicked is short,

6 Though his height mount up to the heavens,

7 Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung:

8 He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found:

9 The eye which saw him shall see him no more;

10 His children shall seek the favor of the poor,

11 His bones are full of his youth,

12 Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth,

13 Though he spare it, and will not let it go,

14 Yet his food in his bowels is turned,

15 He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again;

16 He shall suck the poison of asps:

17 He shall not look upon the rivers,

18 That which he labored for shall he restore, and shall not swallow it down;

19 For he hath oppressed and forsaken the poor;

20 Because he knew no quietness within him,

21 There was nothing left that he devoured not;

22 In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits:

23 When he is about to fill his belly, God will cast the fierceness of his wrath upon him,

24 He shall flee from the iron weapon,

25 He draweth it forth, and it cometh out of his body;

26 All darkness is laid up for his treasures:

27 The heavens shall reveal his iniquity,

28 The increase of his house shall depart;

29 This is the portion of a wicked man from God,

1 Then Job answered and said,

2 Hear diligently my speech;

3 Suffer me, and I also will speak;

4 As for me, is my complaint to man?

5 Mark me, and be astonished,

6 Even when I remember I am troubled,

7 Wherefore do the wicked live,

8 Their seed is established with them in their sight,

9 Their houses are safe from fear,

10 Their bull gendereth, and faileth not;

11 They send forth their little ones like a flock,

12 They sing to the timbrel and harp,

13 They spend their days in prosperity,

14 And they say unto God, Depart from us;

15 What is the Almighty, that we should serve him?

16 Lo, their prosperity is not in their hand:

17 How oft is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out?

18 That they are as stubble before the wind,

19 Ye say, God layeth up his iniquity for his children.

20 Let his own eyes see his destruction,

21 For what careth he for his house after him,

22 Shall any teach God knowledge,

23 One dieth in his full strength,

24 His pails are full of milk,

25 And another dieth in bitterness of soul,

26 They lie down alike in the dust,

27 Behold, I know your thoughts,

28 For ye say, Where is the house of the prince?

29 Have ye not asked wayfaring men?

30 That the evil man is reserved to the day of calamity?

31 Who shall declare his way to his face?

32 Yet shall he be borne to the grave,

33 The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him,

34 How then comfort ye me in vain,

1 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,

2 Can a man be profitable unto God?

3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous?

4 Is it for thy fear of him that he reproveth thee,

5 Is not thy wickedness great?

6 For thou hast taken pledges of thy brother for nought,

7 Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink,

8 But as for the mighty man, he had the earth;

9 Thou hast sent widows away empty,

10 Therefore snares are round about thee,

11 Or darkness, so that thou canst not see,

12 Is not God in the height of heaven?

13 And thou sayest, What doth God know?

14 Thick clouds are a covering to him, so that he seeth not;

15 Wilt thou keep the old way

16 Who were snatched away before their time,

17 Who said unto God, Depart from us;

18 Yet he filled their houses with good things:

19 The righteous see it, and are glad;

20 Saying, Surely they that did rise up against us are cut off,

21 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace:

22 Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth,

23 If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up,

24 And lay thou thy treasure in the dust,

25 And the Almighty will be thy treasure,

26 For then shalt thou delight thyself in the Almighty,

27 Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he will hear thee;

28 Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee;

29 When they cast thee down, thou shalt say, There is lifting up;

30 He will deliver even him that is not innocent:

1 Then Job answered and said,

2 Even to-day is my complaint rebellious:

3 Oh that I knew where I might find him!

4 I would set my cause in order before him,

5 I would know the words which he would answer me,

6 Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power?

7 There the upright might reason with him;

8 Behold, I go forward, but he is not there;

9 On the left hand, when he doth work, but I cannot behold him;

10 But he knoweth the way that I take;

11 My foot hath held fast to his steps;

12 I have not gone back from the commandment of his lips;

13 But he is in one mind, and who can turn him?

14 For he performeth that which is appointed for me:

15 Therefore am I terrified at his presence;

16 For God hath made my heart faint,

17 Because I was not cut off before the darkness,

1 Why are times not laid up by the Almighty?

2 There are that remove the landmarks;

3 They drive away the ass of the fatherless;

4 They turn the needy out of the way:

5 Behold, as wild asses in the desert

6 They cut their provender in the field;

7 They lie all night naked without clothing,

8 They are wet with the showers of the mountains,

9 There are that pluck the fatherless from the breast,

10 So that they go about naked without clothing,

11 They make oil within the walls of these men;

12 From out of the populous city men groan,

13 These are of them that rebel against the light;

14 The murderer riseth with the light;

15 The eye also of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight,

16 In the dark they dig through houses:

17 For the morning is to all of them as thick darkness;

18 Swiftly they pass away upon the face of the waters;

19 Drought and heat consume the snow waters:

20 The womb shall forget him;

21 He devoureth the barren that beareth not,

22 Yet God preserveth the mighty by his power:

23 God giveth them to be in security, and they rest thereon;

24 They are exalted; yet a little while, and they are gone;

25 And if it be not so now, who will prove me a liar,

1 Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,

2 Dominion and fear are with him;

3 Is there any number of his armies?

4 How then can man be just with God?

5 Behold, even the moon hath no brightness,

6 How much less man, that is a worm!

1 Then Job answered and said,

2 How hast thou helped him that is without power!

3 How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom,

4 To whom hast thou uttered words?

5 They that are deceased tremble

6 Sheol is naked before God,

7 He stretcheth out the north over empty space,

8 He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds;

9 He incloseth the face of his throne,

10 He hath described a boundary upon the face of the waters,

11 The pillars of heaven tremble

12 He stirreth up the sea with his power,

13 By his Spirit the heavens are garnished;

14 Lo, these are but the outskirts of his ways:

1 And Job again took up his parable, and said,

2 As God liveth, who hath taken away my right,

3 (For my life is yet whole in me,

4 Surely my lips shall not speak unrighteousness,

5 Far be it from me that I should justify you:

6 My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go:

7 Let mine enemy be as the wicked,

8 For what is the hope of the godless, though he get him gain,

9 Will God hear his cry,

10 Will he delight himself in the Almighty,

11 I will teach you concerning the hand of God;

12 Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it;

13 This is the portion of a wicked man with God,

14 If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword;

15 Those that remain of him shall be buried in death,

16 Though he heap up silver as the dust,

17 He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on,

18 He buildeth his house as the moth,

19 He lieth down rich, but he shall not be gathered to his fathers;

20 Terrors overtake him like waters;

21 The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth;

22 For God shall hurl at him, and not spare:

23 Men shall clap their hands at him,

1 Surely there is a mine for silver,

2 Iron is taken out of the earth,

3 Man setteth an end to darkness,

4 He breaketh open a shaft away from where men sojourn;

5 As for the earth, out of it cometh bread;

6 The stones thereof are the place of sapphires,

7 That path no bird of prey knoweth,

8 The proud beasts have not trodden it,

9 He putteth forth his hand upon the flinty rock;

10 He cutteth out channels among the rocks;

11 He bindeth the streams that they trickle not;

12 But where shall wisdom be found?

13 Man knoweth not the price thereof;

14 The deep saith, It is not in me;

15 It cannot be gotten for gold,

16 It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir,

17 Gold and glass cannot equal it,

18 No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal:

19 The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it,

20 Whence then cometh wisdom?

21 Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living,

22 Destruction and Death say,

23 God understandeth the way thereof,

24 For he looketh to the ends of the earth,

25 To make a weight for the wind:

26 When he made a decree for the rain,

27 Then did he see it, and declare it;

28 And unto man he said,

1 And Job again took up his parable, and said,

2 Oh that I were as in the months of old,

3 When his lamp shined upon my head,

4 As I was in the ripeness of my days,

5 When the Almighty was yet with me,

6 When my steps were washed with butter,

7 When I went forth to the gate unto the city,

8 The young men saw me and hid themselves,

9 The princes refrained from talking,

10 The voice of the nobles was hushed,

11 For when the ear heard me, then it blessed me;

12 Because I delivered the poor that cried,

13 The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me;

14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me:

15 I was eyes to the blind,

16 I was a father to the needy:

17 And I brake the jaws of the unrighteous,

18 Then I said, I shall die in my nest,

19 My root is spread out to the waters,

20 My glory is fresh in me,

21 Unto me men gave ear, and waited,

22 After my words they spake not again;

23 And they waited for me as for the rain;

24 I smiled on them, when they had no confidence;

25 I chose out their way, and sat as chief,

1 But now they that are younger than I have me in derision,

2 Yea, the strength of their hands, whereto should it profit me?

3 They are gaunt with want and famine;

4 They pluck salt-wort by the bushes;

5 They are driven forth from the midst of men;

6 So that they dwell in frightful valleys,

7 Among the bushes they bray;

8 They are children of fools, yea, children of base men;

9 And now I am become their song,

10 They abhor me, they stand aloof from me,

11 For he hath loosed his cord, and afflicted me;

12 Upon my right hand rise the rabble;

13 They mar my path,

14 As through a wide breach they come:

15 Terrors are turned upon me;

16 And now my soul is poured out within me;

17 In the night season my bones are pierced in me,

18 By God’s great force is my garment disfigured;

19 He hath cast me into the mire,

20 I cry unto thee, and thou dost not answer me:

21 Thou art turned to be cruel to me;

22 Thou liftest me up to the wind, thou causest me to ride upon it;

23 For I know that thou wilt bring me to death,

24 Howbeit doth not one stretch out the hand in his fall?

25 Did not I weep for him that was in trouble?

26 When I looked for good, then evil came;

27 My heart is troubled, and resteth not;

28 I go mourning without the sun:

29 I am a brother to jackals,

30 My skin is black, and falleth from me,

31 Therefore is my harp turned to mourning,

1 I made a covenant with mine eyes;

2 For what is the portion from God above,

3 Is it not calamity to the unrighteous,

4 Doth not he see my ways,

5 If I have walked with falsehood,

6 (Let me be weighed in an even balance,

7 If my step hath turned out of the way,

8 Then let me sow, and let another eat;

9 If my heart hath been enticed unto a woman,

10 Then let my wife grind unto another,

11 For that were a heinous crime;

12 For it is a fire that consumeth unto Destruction,

13 If I have despised the cause of my man-servant or of my maid-servant,

14 What then shall I do when God riseth up?

15 Did not he that made me in the womb make him?

16 If I have withheld the poor from their desire,

17 Or have eaten my morsel alone,

18 (Nay, from my youth he grew up with me as with a father,

19 If I have seen any perish for want of clothing,

20 If his loins have not blessed me,

21 If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless,

22 Then let my shoulder fall from the shoulder-blade,

23 For calamity from God is a terror to me,

24 If I have made gold my hope,

25 If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great,

26 If I have beheld the sun when it shined,

27 And my heart hath been secretly enticed,

28 This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judges;

29 If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me,

30 (Yea, I have not suffered my mouth to sin

31 If the men of my tent have not said,

32 (The sojourner hath not lodged in the street;

33 If like Adam I have covered my transgressions,

34 Because I feared the great multitude,

35 Oh that I had one to hear me!

36 Surely I would carry it upon my shoulder;

37 I would declare unto him the number of my steps;

38 If my land crieth out against me,

39 If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money,

40 Let thistles grow instead of wheat,

1 So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.

2 Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram: against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God.

3 Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.

4 Now Elihu had waited to speak unto Job, because they were elder than he.

5 And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, his wrath was kindled.

6 And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said,

7 I said, Days should speak,

8 But there is a spirit in man,

9 It is not the great that are wise,

10 Therefore I said, Hearken to me;

11 Behold, I waited for your words,

12 Yea, I attended unto you,

13 Beware lest ye say, We have found wisdom;

14 For he hath not directed his words against me;

15 They are amazed, they answer no more:

16 And shall I wait, because they speak not,

17 I also will answer my part,

18 For I am full of words;

19 Behold, my breast is as wine which hath no vent;

20 I will speak, that I may be refreshed;

21 Let me not, I pray you, respect any man’s person;

22 For I know not to give flattering titles;

1 Howbeit, Job, I pray thee, hear my speech,

2 Behold now, I have opened my mouth;

3 My words shall utter the uprightness of my heart;

4 The Spirit of God hath made me,

5 If thou canst, answer thou me;

6 Behold, I am toward God even as thou art:

7 Behold, my terror shall not make thee afraid,

8 Surely thou hast spoken in my hearing,

9 I am clean, without transgression;

10 Behold, he findeth occasions against me,

11 He putteth my feet in the stocks,

12 Behold, I will answer thee, in this thou art not just;

13 Why dost thou strive against him,

14 For God speaketh once,

15 In a dream, in a vision of the night,

16 Then he openeth the ears of men,

17 That he may withdraw man from his purpose,

18 He keepeth back his soul from the pit,

19 He is chastened also with pain upon his bed,

20 So that his life abhorreth bread,

21 His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen;

22 Yea, his soul draweth near unto the pit,

23 If there be with him an angel,

24 Then God is gracious unto him, and saith,

25 His flesh shall be fresher than a child’s;

26 He prayeth unto God, and he is favorable unto him,

27 He singeth before men, and saith,

28 He hath redeemed my soul from going into the pit,

29 Lo, all these things doth God work,

30 To bring back his soul from the pit,

31 Mark well, O Job, hearken unto me:

32 If thou hast anything to say, answer me:

33 If not, hearken thou unto me:

1 Moreover Elihu answered and said,

2 Hear my words, ye wise men;

3 For the ear trieth words,

4 Let us choose for us that which is right:

5 For Job hath said, I am righteous,

6 Notwithstanding my right I am accounted a liar;

7 What man is like Job,

8 Who goeth in company with the workers of iniquity,

9 For he hath said, It profiteth a man nothing

10 Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding:

11 For the work of a man will he render unto him,

12 Yea, of a surety, God will not do wickedly,

13 Who gave him a charge over the earth?

14 If he set his heart upon himself,

15 All flesh shall perish together,

16 If now thou hast understanding, hear this:

17 Shall even one that hateth justice govern?

18 Him that saith to a king, Thou art vile,

19 That respecteth not the persons of princes,

20 In a moment they die, even at midnight;

21 For his eyes are upon the ways of a man,

22 There is no darkness, nor thick gloom,

23 For he needeth not further to consider a man,

24 He breaketh in pieces mighty men in ways past finding out,

25 Therefore he taketh knowledge of their works;

26 He striketh them as wicked men

27 Because they turned aside from following him,

28 So that they caused the cry of the poor to come unto him,

29 When he giveth quietness, who then can condemn?

30 That the godless man reign not,

31 For hath any said unto God,

32 That which I see not teach thou me:

33 Shall his recompense be as thou wilt, that thou refusest it?

34 Men of understanding will say unto me,

35 Job speaketh without knowledge,

36 Would that Job were tried unto the end,

37 For he addeth rebellion unto his sin;

1 Moreover Elihu answered and said,

2 Thinkest thou this to be thy right,

3 That thou sayest, What advantage will it be unto thee?

4 I will answer thee,

5 Look unto the heavens, and see;

6 If thou hast sinned, what effectest thou against him?

7 If thou be righteous, what givest thou him?

8 Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art;

9 By reason of the multitude of oppressions they cry out;

10 But none saith, Where is God my Maker,

11 Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth,

12 There they cry, but none giveth answer,

13 Surely God will not hear an empty cry,

14 How much less when thou sayest thou beholdest him not,

15 But now, because he hath not visited in his anger,

16 Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vanity;

1 Elihu also proceeded, and said,

2 Suffer me a little, and I will show thee;

3 I will fetch my knowledge from afar,

4 For truly my words are not false:

5 Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any:

6 He preserveth not the life of the wicked,

7 He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous:

8 And if they be bound in fetters,

9 Then he showeth them their work,

10 He openeth also their ear to instruction,

11 If they hearken and serve him,

12 But if they hearken not, they shall perish by the sword,

13 But they that are godless in heart lay up anger:

14 They die in youth,

15 He delivereth the afflicted by their affliction,

16 Yea, he would have allured thee out of distress

17 But thou art full of the judgment of the wicked:

18 For let not wrath stir thee up against chastisements;

19 Will thy cry avail, that thou be not in distress,

20 Desire not the night,

21 Take heed, regard not iniquity:

22 Behold, God doeth loftily in his power:

23 Who hath enjoined him his way?

24 Remember that thou magnify his work,

25 All men have looked thereon;

26 Behold, God is great, and we know him not;

27 For he draweth up the drops of water,

28 Which the skies pour down

29 Yea, can any understand the spreadings of the clouds,

30 Behold, he spreadeth his light around him;

31 For by these he judgeth the peoples;

32 He covereth his hands with the lightning,

33 The noise thereof telleth concerning him,

1 Yea, at this my heart trembleth,

2 Hear, oh, hear the noise of his voice,

3 He sendeth it forth under the whole heaven,

4 After it a voice roareth;

5 God thundereth marvellously with his voice;

6 For he saith to the snow, Fall thou on the earth;

7 He sealeth up the hand of every man,

8 Then the beasts go into coverts,

9 Out of the chamber of the south cometh the storm,

10 By the breath of God ice is given;

11 Yea, he ladeth the thick cloud with moisture;

12 And it is turned round about by his guidance,

13 Whether it be for correction, or for his land,

14 Hearken unto this, O Job:

15 Dost thou know how God layeth his charge upon them,

16 Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds,

17 How thy garments are warm,

18 Canst thou with him spread out the sky,

19 Teach us what we shall say unto him;

20 Shall it be told him that I would speak?

21 And now men see not the light which is bright in the skies;

22 Out of the north cometh golden splendor:

23 Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out:

24 Men do therefore fear him:

1 Then Jehovah answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

2 Who is this that darkeneth counsel

3 Gird up now thy loins like a man;

4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?

5 Who determined the measures thereof, if thou knowest?

6 Whereupon were the foundations thereof fastened?

7 When the morning stars sang together,

8 Or who shut up the sea with doors,

9 When I made clouds the garment thereof,

10 And marked out for it my bound,

11 And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further;

12 Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days began,

13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth,

14 It is changed as clay under the seal;

15 And from the wicked their light is withholden,

16 Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea?

17 Have the gates of death been revealed unto thee?

18 Hast thou comprehended the earth in its breadth?

19 Where is the way to the dwelling of light?

20 That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof,

21 Doubtless, thou knowest, for thou wast then born,

22 Hast thou entered the treasuries of the snow,

23 Which I have reserved against the time of trouble,

24 By what way is the light parted,

25 Who hath cleft a channel for the waterflood,

26 To cause it to rain on a land where no man is;

27 To satisfy the waste and desolate ground,

28 Hath the rain a father?

29 Out of whose womb came the ice?

30 The waters hide themselves and become like stone,

31 Canst thou bind the cluster of the Pleiades,

32 Canst thou lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season?

33 Knowest thou the ordinances of the heavens?

34 Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds,

35 Canst thou send forth lightnings, that they may go,

36 Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts?

37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom?

38 When the dust runneth into a mass,

39 Canst thou hunt the prey for the lioness,

40 When they couch in their dens,

41 Who provideth for the raven his prey,

1 Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth?

2 Canst thou number the months that they fulfil?

3 They bow themselves, they bring forth their young,

4 Their young ones become strong, they grow up in the open field;

5 Who hath sent out the wild ass free?

6 Whose home I have made the wilderness,

7 He scorneth the tumult of the city,

8 The range of the mountains is his pasture,

9 Will the wild-ox be content to serve thee?

10 Canst thou bind the wild-ox with his band in the furrow?

11 Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great?

12 Wilt thou confide in him, that he will bring home thy seed,

13 The wings of the ostrich wave proudly;

14 For she leaveth her eggs on the earth,

15 And forgetteth that the foot may crush them,

16 She dealeth hardly with her young ones, as if they were not hers:

17 Because God hath deprived her of wisdom,

18 What time she lifteth up herself on high,

19 Hast thou given the horse his might?

20 Hast thou made him to leap as a locust?

21 He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength:

22 He mocketh at fear, and is not dismayed;

23 The quiver rattleth against him,

24 He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage;

25 As oft as the trumpet soundeth he saith, Aha!

26 Is it by thy wisdom that the hawk soareth,

27 Is it at thy command that the eagle mounteth up,

28 On the cliff she dwelleth, and maketh her home,

29 From thence she spieth out the prey;

30 Her young ones also suck up blood:

1 Moreover Jehovah answered Job, and said,

2 Shall he that cavilleth contend with the Almighty?

3 Then Job answered Jehovah, and said,

4 Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer thee?

5 Once have I spoken, and I will not answer;

6 Then Jehovah answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

7 Gird up thy loins now like a man:

8 Wilt thou even annul my judgment?

9 Or hast thou an arm like God?

10 Deck thyself now with excellency and dignity;

11 Pour forth the overflowings of thine anger;

12 Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low;

13 Hide them in the dust together;

14 Then will I also confess of thee

15 Behold now, behemoth, which I made as well as thee;

16 Lo now, his strength is in his loins,

17 He moveth his tail like a cedar:

18 His bones are as tubes of brass;

19 He is the chief of the ways of God:

20 Surely the mountains bring him forth food,

21 He lieth under the lotus-trees,

22 The lotus-trees cover him with their shade;

23 Behold, if a river overflow, he trembleth not;

24 Shall any take him when he is on the watch,

1 Canst thou draw out leviathan with a fishhook?

2 Canst thou put a rope into his nose?

3 Will he make many supplications unto thee?

4 Will he make a covenant with thee,

5 Wilt thou play with him as with a bird?

6 Will the bands of fishermen make traffic of him?

7 Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons,

8 Lay thy hand upon him;

9 Behold, the hope of him is in vain:

10 None is so fierce that he dare stir him up;

11 Who hath first given unto me, that I should repay him?

12 I will not keep silence concerning his limbs,

13 Who can strip off his outer garment?

14 Who can open the doors of his face?

15 His strong scales are his pride,

16 One is so near to another,

17 They are joined one to another;

18 His sneezings flash forth light,

19 Out of his mouth go burning torches,

20 Out of his nostrils a smoke goeth,

21 His breath kindleth coals,

22 In his neck abideth strength,

23 The flakes of his flesh are joined together:

24 His heart is as firm as a stone;

25 When he raiseth himself up, the mighty are afraid:

26 If one lay at him with the sword, it cannot avail;

27 He counteth iron as straw,

28 The arrow cannot make him flee:

29 Clubs are counted as stubble:

30 His underparts are like sharp potsherds:

31 He maketh the deep to boil like a pot:

32 He maketh a path to shine after him;

33 Upon earth there is not his like,

34 He beholdeth everything that is high:

1 Then Job answered Jehovah, and said,

2 I know that thou canst do all things,

3 Who is this that hideth counsel without knowledge?

4 Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak;

5 I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear;

6 Wherefore I abhor myself,

7 And it was so, that, after Jehovah had spoken these words unto Job, Jehovah said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends; for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.

8 Now therefore, take unto you seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt-offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you; for him will I accept, that I deal not with you after your folly; for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.

9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according as Jehovah commanded them: and Jehovah accepted Job.

10 And Jehovah turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: and Jehovah gave Job twice as much as he had before.

11 Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him concerning all the evil that Jehovah had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one a ring of gold.

12 So Jehovah blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: and he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she-asses.

13 He had also seven sons and three daughters.

14 And he called the name of the first, Jemimah; and the name of the second, Keziah; and the name of the third, Keren-happuch.

15 And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.

16 And after this Job lived a hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, even four generations.

17 So Job died, being old and full of days.