New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Job Feels Insulted

1 Then Job responded,

2 “How long will you torment me

And crush me with words?

3 “These ten times you have insulted me;

You are not ashamed to wrong me.

4 “Even if I have truly erred,

My error lodges with me.

5 “If indeed you vaunt yourselves against me

And prove my disgrace to me,

6 Know then that God has wronged me

And has closed His net around me.

Everything Is against Him

7 “Behold, I cry, ‘Violence!’ but I get no answer;

I shout for help, but there is no justice.

8 “He has walled up my way so that I cannot pass,

And He has put darkness on my paths.

9 “He has stripped my honor from me

And removed the crown from my head.

10 “He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone;

And He has uprooted my hope like a tree.

11 “He has also kindled His anger against me

And considered me as His enemy.

12 “His troops come together,

And build up their way against me

And camp around my tent.

13 “He has removed my brothers far from me,

And my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.

14 “My relatives have failed,

And my intimate friends have forgotten me.

15 “Those who live in my house and my maids consider me a stranger.

I am a foreigner in their sight.

16 “I call to my servant, but he does not answer;

I have to implore him with my mouth.

17 “My breath is offensive to my wife,

And I am loathsome to my own brothers.

18 “Even young children despise me;

I rise up and they speak against me.

19 “All my associates abhor me,

And those I love have turned against me.

20 “My bone clings to my skin and my flesh,

And I have escapedonlyby the skin of my teeth.

21 “Pity me, pity me, O you my friends,

For the hand of God has struck me.

22 “Why do you persecute me as Goddoes,

And are not satisfied with my flesh?

Job Says, “My Redeemer Lives”

23 “Oh that my words were written!

Oh that they were inscribed in a book!

24 “That with an iron stylus and lead

They were engraved in the rock forever!

25 “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,

And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.

26 “Even after my skin is destroyed,

Yet from my flesh I shall see God;

27 Whom I myself shall behold,

And whom my eyes will see and not another.

My heart faints within me!

28 “If you say, ‘How shall we persecute him?’

And ‘What pretext for a case against him can we find?’

29 “Thenbe afraid of the sword for yourselves,

For wrathbringsthe punishment of the sword,

So that you may know there is judgment.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/JOB/19-c556ee1c55b510e134f41d51cd6e6db1.mp3?version_id=100—

Zophar Says, “The Triumph of the Wicked Is Short”

1 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered,

2 “Therefore my disquieting thoughts make me respond,

Even because of my inward agitation.

3 “I listened to the reproof which insults me,

And the spirit of my understanding makes me answer.

4 “Do you know this from of old,

From the establishment of man on earth,

5 That the triumphing of the wicked is short,

And the joy of the godless momentary?

6 “Though his loftiness reaches the heavens,

And his head touches the clouds,

7 He perishes forever like his refuse;

Those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’

8 “He flies away like a dream, and they cannot find him;

Even like a vision of the night he is chased away.

9 “The eye which saw him sees him no longer,

And his place no longer beholds him.

10 “His sons favor the poor,

And his hands give back his wealth.

11 “His bones are full of his youthful vigor,

But it lies down with him in the dust.

12 “Though evil is sweet in his mouth

Andhe hides it under his tongue,

13 Thoughhe desires it and will not let it go,

But holds it in his mouth,

14 Yethis food in his stomach is changed

To the venom of cobras within him.

15 “He swallows riches,

But will vomit them up;

God will expel them from his belly.

16 “He sucks the poison of cobras;

The viper’s tongue slays him.

17 “He does not look at the streams,

The rivers flowing with honey and curds.

18 “He returns what he has attained

And cannot swallowit;

As to the riches of his trading,

He cannot even enjoythem.

19 “For he has oppressedandforsaken the poor;

He has seized a house which he has not built.

20 “Because he knew no quiet within him,

He does not retain anything he desires.

21 “Nothing remains for him to devour,

Therefore his prosperity does not endure.

22 “In the fullness of his plenty he will be cramped;

The hand of everyone who suffers will comeagainsthim.

23 “When he fills his belly,

Godwill send His fierce anger on him

And will rainiton him while he is eating.

24 “He may flee from the iron weapon,

Butthe bronze bow will pierce him.

25 “It is drawn forth and comes out of his back,

Even the glittering point from his gall.

Terrors come upon him,

26 Complete darkness is held in reserve for his treasures,

And unfanned fire will devour him;

It will consume the survivor in his tent.

27 “The heavens will reveal his iniquity,

And the earth will rise up against him.

28 “The increase of his house will depart;

His possessionswill flow away in the day of His anger.

29 “This is the wicked man’s portion from God,

Even the heritage decreed to him by God.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/JOB/20-86ed0787021126edfe2de02e797319b0.mp3?version_id=100—

Job Says God Will Deal with the Wicked

1 Then Job answered,

2 “Listen carefully to my speech,

And let this be yourway ofconsolation.

3 “Bear with me that I may speak;

Then after I have spoken, you may mock.

4 “As for me, is my complaint to man?

And why should I not be impatient?

5 “Look at me, and be astonished,

And putyourhand overyourmouth.

6 “Even when I remember, I am disturbed,

And horror takes hold of my flesh.

7 “Why do the wickedstilllive,

Continue on, also become very powerful?

8 “Their descendants are established with them in their sight,

And their offspring before their eyes,

9 Their houses are safe from fear,

And the rod of God is not on them.

10 “His ox mates without fail;

His cow calves and does not abort.

11 “They send forth their little ones like the flock,

And their children skip about.

12 “They sing to the timbrel and harp

And rejoice at the sound of the flute.

13 “They spend their days in prosperity,

And suddenly they go down to Sheol.

14 “They say to God, ‘Depart from us!

We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways.

15 ‘Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him,

And what would we gain if we entreat Him?’

16 “Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand;

The counsel of the wicked is far from me.

17 “How often is the lamp of the wicked put out,

Or does their calamity fall on them?

Does God apportion destruction in His anger?

18 “Are they as straw before the wind,

And like chaff which the storm carries away?

19 “You say,’God stores away a man’s iniquity for his sons.’

Let God repay him so that he may knowit.

20 “Let his own eyes see his decay,

And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.

21 “For what does he care for his householdafter him,

When the number of his months is cut off?

22 “Can anyone teach God knowledge,

In that He judges those on high?

23 “One dies in his full strength,

Being wholly at ease and satisfied;

24 His sides are filled out with fat,

And the marrow of his bones is moist,

25 While another dies with a bitter soul,

Never even tastinganythinggood.

26 “Together they lie down in the dust,

And worms cover them.

27 “Behold, I know your thoughts,

And the plans by which you would wrong me.

28 “For you say, ‘Where is the house of the nobleman,

And where is the tent, the dwelling places of the wicked?’

29 “Have you not asked wayfaring men,

And do you not recognize their witness?

30 “For the wicked is reserved for the day of calamity;

They will be led forth at the day of fury.

31 “Who will confront him with his actions,

And who will repay him for what he has done?

32 “While he is carried to the grave,

Menwill keep watch overhistomb.

33 “The clods of the valley will gently cover him;

Moreover, all men will follow after him,

While countless onesgobefore him.

34 “How then will you vainly comfort me,

For your answers remainfull offalsehood?”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/JOB/21-2438cf80d00986e71f67e7cb8ebb94ec.mp3?version_id=100—

Eliphaz Accuses and Exhorts Job

1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded,

2 “Can a vigorous man be of use to God,

Or a wise man be useful to himself?

3 “Is there any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous,

Or profit if you make your ways perfect?

4 “Is it because of your reverence that He reproves you,

That He enters into judgment against you?

5 “Is not your wickedness great,

And your iniquities without end?

6 “For you have taken pledges of your brothers without cause,

And stripped men naked.

7 “To the weary you have given no water to drink,

And from the hungry you have withheld bread.

8 “But the earth belongs to the mighty man,

And the honorable man dwells in it.

9 “You have sent widows away empty,

And the strength of the orphans has been crushed.

10 “Therefore snares surround you,

And sudden dread terrifies you,

11 Or darkness, so that you cannot see,

And an abundance of water covers you.

12 “Is not Godinthe height of heaven?

Look also at the distant stars, how high they are!

13 “You say, ‘What does God know?

Can He judge through the thick darkness?

14 ‘Clouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He cannot see;

And He walks on the vault of heaven.’

15 “Will you keep to the ancient path

Which wicked men have trod,

16 Who were snatched away before their time,

Whose foundations were washed away by a river?

17 “They said to God, ‘Depart from us!’

And ‘What can the Almighty do to them?’

18 “Yet He filled their houses with goodthings;

But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.

19 “The righteous see and are glad,

And the innocent mock them,

20 Saying,’Truly our adversaries are cut off,

And their abundance the fire has consumed.’

21 “Yield now and be at peace with Him;

Thereby good will come to you.

22 “Please receive instruction from His mouth

And establish His words in your heart.

23 “If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored;

If you remove unrighteousness far from your tent,

24 And placeyourgold in the dust,

Andthe gold ofOphir among the stones of the brooks,

25 Then the Almighty will be your gold

And choice silver to you.

26 “For then you will delight in the Almighty

And lift up your face to God.

27 “You will pray to Him, and He will hear you;

And you will pay your vows.

28 “You will also decree a thing, and it will be established for you;

And light will shine on your ways.

29 “When you are cast down, you will speak with confidence,

And the humble person He will save.

30 “He will deliver one who is not innocent,

And he will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/JOB/22-d3a946364743866e0f5e45accdc52fb8.mp3?version_id=100—

Job Says He Longs for God

1 Then Job replied,

2 “Even today my complaint is rebellion;

His hand is heavy despite my groaning.

3 “Oh that I knew where I might find Him,

That I might come to His seat!

4 “I would presentmycase before Him

And fill my mouth with arguments.

5 “I would learn the wordswhichHe would answer,

And perceive what He would say to me.

6 “Would He contend with me by the greatness ofHispower?

No, surely He would pay attention to me.

7 “There the upright would reason with Him;

And I would be delivered forever from my Judge.

8 “Behold, I go forward but He is notthere,

And backward, but I cannot perceive Him;

9 When He acts on the left, I cannot beholdHim;

He turns on the right, I cannot see Him.

10 “But He knows the way I take;

WhenHe has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

11 “My foot has held fast to His path;

I have kept His way and not turned aside.

12 “I have not departed from the command of His lips;

I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.

13 “But He is unique and who can turn Him?

AndwhatHis soul desires, that He does.

14 “For He performs what is appointed for me,

And many suchdecreesare with Him.

15 “Therefore, I would be dismayed at His presence;

WhenI consider, I am terrified of Him.

16 “It isGodwhohas made my heart faint,

And the Almightywhohas dismayed me,

17 But I am not silenced by the darkness,

Nor deep gloomwhichcovers me.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/JOB/23-f5948eb0469753689efebb31e7623fa0.mp3?version_id=100—

Job Says God Seems to Ignore Wrongs

1 “Why are times not stored up by the Almighty,

And why do those who know Him not see His days?

2 “Some remove the landmarks;

They seize and devour flocks.

3 “They drive away the donkeys of the orphans;

They take the widow’s ox for a pledge.

4 “They push the needy aside from the road;

The poor of the land are made to hide themselves altogether.

5 “Behold, as wild donkeys in the wilderness

They go forth seeking food in their activity,

As bread fortheirchildren in the desert.

6 “They harvest their fodder in the field

And glean the vineyard of the wicked.

7 “They spend the night naked, without clothing,

And have no covering against the cold.

8 “They are wet with the mountain rains

And hug the rock for want of a shelter.

9 “Others snatch the orphan from the breast,

And against the poor they take a pledge.

10 “They causethe poorto go about naked without clothing,

And they take away the sheaves from the hungry.

11 “Within the walls they produce oil;

They tread wine presses but thirst.

12 “From the city men groan,

And the souls of the wounded cry out;

Yet God does not pay attention to folly.

13 “Others have been with those who rebel against the light;

They do not want to know its ways

Nor abide in its paths.

14 “The murderer arises at dawn;

He kills the poor and the needy,

And at night he is as a thief.

15 “The eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight,

Saying, ‘No eye will see me.’

And he disguises his face.

16 “In the dark they dig into houses,

They shut themselves up by day;

They do not know the light.

17 “For the morning is the same to him as thick darkness,

For he is familiar with the terrors of thick darkness.

18 “They are insignificant on the surface of the water;

Their portion is cursed on the earth.

They do not turn toward the vineyards.

19 “Drought and heat consume the snow waters,

So doesSheolthose whohave sinned.

20 “A mother will forget him;

The worm feeds sweetly till he is no longer remembered.

And wickedness will be broken like a tree.

21 “He wrongs the barren woman

And does no good for the widow.

22 “But He drags off the valiant by His power;

He rises, but no one has assurance of life.

23 “He provides them with security, and they are supported;

And His eyes are on their ways.

24 “They are exalted a little while, then they are gone;

Moreover, they are brought low and like everything gathered up;

Even like the heads of grain they are cut off.

25 “Now if it is not so, who can prove me a liar,

And make my speech worthless?”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/JOB/24-458340acbc5cfefb9b01bdfd9c0e54cc.mp3?version_id=100—

Bildad Says Man Is Inferior

1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered,

2 “Dominion and awe belong to Him

Who establishes peace in His heights.

3 “Is there any number to His troops?

And upon whom does His light not rise?

4 “How then can a man be just with God?

Or how can he be clean who is born of woman?

5 “If even the moon has no brightness

And the stars are not pure in His sight,

6 How much less man,thatmaggot,

And the son of man,thatworm!”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/JOB/25-8ece31989772499bced5276e934a9bb2.mp3?version_id=100—

Job Rebukes Bildad

1 Then Job responded,

2 “What a help you are to the weak!

How you have saved the arm without strength!

3 “What counsel you have given toonewithout wisdom!

What helpful insight you have abundantly provided!

4 “To whom have you uttered words?

And whose spirit was expressed through you?

The Greatness of God

5 “The departed spirits tremble

Under the waters and their inhabitants.

6 “Naked is Sheol before Him,

# AndAbaddon has no covering.

7 “He stretches out the north over empty space

And hangs the earth on nothing.

8 “He wraps up the waters in His clouds,

And the cloud does not burst under them.

9 “He obscures the face of the full moon

And spreads His cloud over it.

10 “He has inscribed a circle on the surface of the waters

At the boundary of light and darkness.

11 “The pillars of heaven tremble

And are amazed at His rebuke.

12 “He quieted the sea with His power,

And by His understanding He shattered Rahab.

13 “By His breath the heavens are cleared;

His hand has pierced the fleeing serpent.

14 “Behold, these are the fringes of His ways;

And how faint a word we hear of Him!

But His mighty thunder, who can understand?”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/JOB/26-596972d77eb7b6931c01dbbadb63380a.mp3?version_id=100—

Job Affirms His Righteousness

1 Then Job continued his discourse and said,

2 “As God lives, who has taken away my right,

And the Almighty, who has embittered my soul,

3 For as long as life is in me,

And the breath of God is in my nostrils,

4 My lips certainly will not speak unjustly,

Nor will my tongue mutter deceit.

5 “Far be it from me that I should declare you right;

Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.

6 “I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go.

My heart does not reproach any of my days.

The State of the Godless

7 “May my enemy be as the wicked

And my opponent as the unjust.

8 “For what is the hope of the godless when he is cut off,

When God requires his life?

9 “Will God hear his cry

When distress comes upon him?

10 “Will he take delight in the Almighty?

Will he call on God at all times?

11 “I will instruct you in the power of God;

What is with the Almighty I will not conceal.

12 “Behold, all of you have seenit;

Why then do you act foolishly?

13 “This is the portion of a wicked man from God,

And the inheritancewhichtyrants receive from the Almighty.

14 “Though his sons are many, they are destined for the sword;

And his descendants will not be satisfied with bread.

15 “His survivors will be buried because of the plague,

And their widows will not be able to weep.

16 “Though he piles up silver like dust

And prepares garments asplentiful asthe clay,

17 He may prepareit,but the just will wearit

And the innocent will divide the silver.

18 “He has built his house like the spider’s web,

Or as a hutwhichthe watchman has made.

19 “He lies down rich, but never again;

He opens his eyes, and it is no longer.

20 “Terrors overtake him like a flood;

A tempest steals him away in the night.

21 “The east wind carries him away, and he is gone,

For it whirls him away from his place.

22 “For it will hurl at him without sparing;

He will surely try to flee from its power.

23 “Menwill clap their hands at him

And will hiss him from his place.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/JOB/27-1e5510038e99d6b2e2b7d23b48f96f22.mp3?version_id=100—

Job Tells of Earth’s Treasures

1 “Surely there is amine for silver

And a place where they refine gold.

2 “Iron is taken from the dust,

And copper is smelted from rock.

3 “Manputs an end to darkness,

And to the farthest limit he searches out

The rock in gloom and deep shadow.

4 “He sinks a shaft far from habitation,

Forgotten by the foot;

They hang and swing to and fro far from men.

5 “The earth, from it comes food,

And underneath it is turned up as fire.

6 “Its rocks are the source of sapphires,

And its dustcontainsgold.

7 “The path no bird of prey knows,

Nor has the falcon’s eye caught sight of it.

8 “The proud beasts have not trodden it,

Nor has thefiercelion passed over it.

9 “He puts his hand on the flint;

He overturns the mountains at the base.

10 “He hews out channels through the rocks,

And his eye sees anything precious.

11 “He dams up the streams from flowing,

And what is hidden he brings out to the light.

The Search for Wisdom Is Harder

12 “But where can wisdom be found?

And where is the place of understanding?

13 “Man does not know its value,

Nor is it found in the land of the living.

14 “The deep says, ‘It is not in me’;

And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’

15 “Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it,

Nor can silver be weighed as its price.

16 “It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,

In precious onyx, or sapphire.

17 “Gold or glass cannot equal it,

Nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold.

18 “Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned;

And the acquisition of wisdom is abovethat ofpearls.

19 “The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,

Nor can it be valued in pure gold.

20 “Where then does wisdom come from?

And where is the place of understanding?

21 “Thus it is hidden from the eyes of all living

And concealed from the birds of the sky.

22 “Abaddon and Death say,

‘With our ears we have heard a report of it.’

23 “God understands its way,

And He knows its place.

24 “For He looks to the ends of the earth

And sees everything under the heavens.

25 “When He imparted weight to the wind

And meted out the waters by measure,

26 When He set a limit for the rain

And a course for the thunderbolt,

27 Then He saw it and declared it;

He established it and also searched it out.

28 “And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;

And to depart from evil is understanding.'”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/JOB/28-92bb51c7a541eea147e54cb728b1c82c.mp3?version_id=100—