
THE TRADITIONAL FIGURE OF 
JOB{/}

{1}1{/}

{I}1_{/}Job, a blameless 
and upright man who 
feared God and shunned 
evil, once lived in the 
land of Uz. {I}2_{/}He 
had seven sons and three 
daughters. {I}3_{/}Owner 
of seven thousand sheep, 
three thousand camels, 
five hundred yoke of 
oxen, five hundred 
donkeys and a large 
number of servants, he 
was considered the 
greatest man among the 
people of the East.
{I}4_{/}His sons used to 
take turns holding 
banquets in their homes 
and they would invite 
their three sisters to 
dine and drink with them. 
{I}5_{/}After each series 
of banquets, Job would 
send for his sons and 
daughters and have them 
purified. He would rise 
early in the morning, 
offer a holocaust for 
each of his children, 
thinking, "Perhaps they 
have sinned and 
blasphemed God in their 
hearts." This had been 
quite a routine for Job.
{I}6_{/}One day the sons 
of God came to present 
themselves before Yahweh, 
and Satan came with them. 
{I}7_{/}Yahweh asked 
Satan, "Where have you 
been?"
Satan answered, "Going up 
and down the earth, 
roaming about."
{I}8_{/}Yahweh asked 
again, "Have you noticed 
my servant Job? No one on 
earth is as blameless and 
upright as he, a man who 
fears God and avoids 
evil."
{I}9_{/}But Satan 
returned the question, 
"Does Job fear God for 
nothing? {I}10_{/}Have 
you not built a 
protective wall around 
him and his family and 
all his possessions? You 
have blessed and 
prospered him, with his 
livestock all over the 
land. {I}11_{/}But 
stretch out your hand and 
strike where his riches 
are, and I bet he will 
curse you to your face."
{I}12_{/}Yahweh said to 
Satan, "Very well, all 
that he has is in your 
power. But do not lay a 
finger upon the man 
himself." So Satan left 
the presence of Yahweh.
{I}13_{/}One day, while 
his sons and daughters 
were feasting in the 
house of their eldest 
brother, {I}14_{/}a 
messenger came to Job and 
said, "Your oxen were 
plowing, and your donkeys 
were grazing nearby 
{I}15_{/}when the 
Sabaeans came and carried 
them off. They killed the 
herdsmen. I alone escaped 
to tell you."
{I}16_{/}While he was 
still speaking, another 
messenger came, "God's 
fire fell from the sky 
and burned all your sheep 
and the shepherds as 
well. I alone have 
escaped to tell you."
{I}17_{/}He had hardly 
finished speaking when 
another messenger 
arrived, "Three raiding 
teams of Chaldeans have 
killed your servants and 
carried off your camels. 
I alone have escaped to 
tell you."
{I}18_{/}He was still 
speaking when a third 
messenger came and said 
to Job, "Your sons and 
daughters were eating and 
drinking in the house of 
their eldest brother 
{I}19_{/}when suddenly a 
great wind blew across 
the desert and struck the 
house. It collapsed on 
the young people and they 
all died. I alone have 
escaped to tell you."
{I}20_{/}In grief Job 
tore his clothes and 
shaved his head. Then he 
fell to the ground and 
worshiped, 
{I}21_{/}saying,
"Naked I came from my 
mother's womb,
naked shall I return.
Yahweh gave, Yahweh has 
taken away.
Blessed be his name!"
{I}22_{/}In spite of this 
calamity, Job did not sin 
by blaspheming God.
{1}2{/}

{I}1_{/}Once more the 
sons of God came to 
present themselves before 
Yahweh, and again Satan 
was with them. 
{I}2_{/}Yahweh asked 
Satan, "Where have you 
been?"
Satan answered, "Going up 
and down the earth, 
roaming about."
{I}3_{/}Yahweh asked 
again, "Have you noticed 
my servant Job? No one on 
earth is as blameless and 
upright as he, a man who 
fears God and avoids 
evil. He still holds fast 
to his integrity even if 
you provoked me to ruin 
him without cause."
{I}4_{/}Satan replied, 
"Skin for skin! For his 
own life, anyone will 
give everything he owns. 
{I}5_{/}But lay your hand 
against his own flesh and 
bones and he will curse 
you to your face."
{I}6_{/}Yahweh said to 
Satan, "Very well, he is 
in your power. But spare 
his life."
{I}7_{/}So Satan left the 
presence of Yahweh and 
afflicted Job with 
festering sores from the 
soles of his feet to the 
top of his head. 
{I}8_{/}Job took a 
potsherd to scrape 
himself and sat among the 
ashes.
{I}9_{/}His wife said to 
him, "Do you still hold 
on to your integrity? 
Curse God and die!"
{I}10_{/}Job replied, 
"You talk foolishly. If 
we receive good things 
from God, why can't we 
accept evil from him?" In 
spite of this calamity, 
Job did not utter a 
sinful word.
HERE BEGIN THE POEMS OF 
JOB{/}

{I}11_{/}Three of Job's 
friends - Eliphaz the 
Temanite, Bildad the 
Shuhite, and Zophar the 
Naamathite - heard of the 
misfortune that came upon 
him. They set out from 
their own homes and 
journeyed together to 
offer their sympathy and 
consolation to Job. 
{I}12_{/}Failing to 
recognize him from the 
distance, they wept 
aloud, tore their 
garments and poured dust 
upon their heads. 
{I}13_{/}For seven days 
and seven nights, they 
sat on the ground beside 
him. They did not say a 
word to Job, for they saw 
how terribly he suffered.
MAY THAT DAY PERISH WHEN 
I WAS BORN{/}

{1}3{/}

{I}1_{/}At length it was 
Job who spoke, cursing 
the day of his birth. 
This is what he said:
{I}3_{/}Cursed be the day 
I was born,
and the night which 
whispered:
A boy has been conceived.
{I}4_{/}May that day be 
dark,
may God on high ignore 
it.
May no light shine upon 
it.
{I}5_{/}May the shadow of 
death claim it as its 
own.
May a cloud settle over 
it;
may blackness obstruct 
its light.
{I}6_{/}Let darkness 
swallow that night
let it not add to the 
rest of the year
let it not be included in 
the month.
{I}7_{/}That night - oh, 
let it be barren,
untouched by shouts of 
joy.
{I}8_{/}Let it be cursed 
by those who hate the 
light,
sorcerers who call on the 
Devil.
{I}9_{/}Let its morning 
stars no longer shine;
let it wait for light in 
vain
and never see the first 
rays of dawn,
{I}10_{/}since it did not 
close the womb
to keep my eyes from 
seeing doom.
{I}11_{/}Why didn't I die 
at birth,
or come from the womb 
without breath?
{I}12_{/}Why the knees 
that received me,
why the breasts that 
suckled me?
{I}13_{/}For then I 
should have lain down
asleep and been at rest
{I}14_{/}with kings and 
rulers of the earth
who built for themselves 
lonely tombs;
{I}15_{/}or with princes 
who had gold to spare
and houses stuffed with 
silver.
{I}16_{/}Why was I not 
stillborn,
like others who did not 
see the light of morn?
{I}17_{/}There the 
trouble of the wicked 
ceases,
there the weary find 
repose.
{I}18_{/}There the 
prisoners are at ease;
they no longer hear the 
taskmaster's voice.
{I}19_{/}Great and small 
fare equally there,
where the slave is free 
from his master.
{I}20_{/}Why is light 
given to the miserable,
and life to the 
embittered?
{I}21{/}To those who long 
for death
more than for hidden 
treasure?
{I}22_{/}They rejoice at 
the sight of their end,
they are happy upon 
reaching the grave.
{I}23_{/}Why give light 
to a man whose path has 
vanished,
whose ways God blocks at 
every side?
{I}24_{/}Instead of bread 
I feed on sighs.
My groans are like water 
poured out.
{I}25_{/}For what I fear 
has come upon me,
what I dread has befallen 
me.
{I}26_{/}I find no rest, 
I find no ease;
only turmoil, nothing of 
peace!
NO ONE IS JUST BEFORE 
GOD{/}

{1}4{/}

{I}1_{/}Eliphaz the 
Temanite spoke next:
{I}2_{/}Shall we speak? 
Do you mind?
For who could remain 
silent?
{I}3_{/}Remember how you 
have taught many others,
how you have strengthened 
their feeble hands.
{I}4_{/}Your words have 
supported those who 
wavered,
have steadied the knees 
that faltered.
{I}5_{/}But when your 
turn has come, you are 
discouraged;
as soon as you are 
struck, you are dismayed.
{I}6_{/}Should you not 
rely on your piety,
and find assurance in 
your integrity?
{I}7_{/}Have you seen a 
guiltless man perish,
or an upright man done 
away with?
{I}8_{/}As I see it, 
those who plow evil
or those who sow trouble 
reap the same.
{I}9_{/}By the breath of 
God they are swept away;
by the blast of his wrath 
they are destroyed.
{I}10_{/}The lion may 
roar and growl; it will 
fall,
the teeth of its cubs 
will be broken.
{I}11_{/}The lion will 
die for lack of prey,
and the whelps of its 
mate will stray.
{I}12_{/}I had a secret 
revelation;
a whisper of it reached 
my ear.
{I}13_{/}Amid thoughts 
from night visions,
when men are heavily 
wrapped in slumber,
{I}14_{/}I was seized 
with fear and trembling
that shook me to my very 
bones.
{I}15_{/}A spirit passed 
over my face,
and the hair of my body 
stood on end.
{I}16_{/}It stopped and 
stood before my eyes,
but I could not make out 
what it was.
Silence... and then - a 
voice was heard:
{I}17_{/}"Can a mortal be 
just in the eyes of God?
Can a man be pure before 
his Maker?
{I}18_{/}If God can put 
no trust in his servants,
if he can charge his 
angels with error,
{I}19_{/}how much more 
those who live in houses 
of clay,
whose foundation is in 
the dust,
who are crushed as easily 
as moths!
{I}20_{/}Between dawn and 
dusk they perish,
and unheeded, vanish 
forever,
{I}21_{/}Their tent has 
been unpegged
and they died without 
knowing why.
{1}5{/}

Ver [Job_5,3-7]{/}

{I}1_{/}Call then, but 
who will answer you?
Who of the Saints will 
you turn to?
{I}2_{/}Resentment kills 
the fool,
and anger slays the 
simple.
{I}3_{/}I have seen a 
fool taking root when 
suddenly his household 
collapsed.
{I}4_{/}His sons went 
about without security,
crushed in court without 
a defender.
{I}5_{/}The hungry 
consumed his harvest
and carried it to a 
hiding place;
his surplus was taken 
away,
the thirsty hankered 
after his wealth.
{I}6_{/}For affliction 
comes not from the earth,
nor does sorrow sprout 
from the ground;
{I}7_{/}but it is man who 
carries about trouble,
as an eagle in the 
heights brings down 
lightning flash.
{I}8_{/}If I were you, I 
would appeal to God
and lay before him my 
case,
{I}9_{/}for wonders are 
past all reckoning,
his miracles beyond all 
counting.
{I}10_{/}He pours rain 
down on the earth
and sends water upon the 
fields.
{I}11_{/}He sets the 
lowly on high,
turns grief into joy.
{I}12_{/}He wrecks the 
plans of the crafty,
so that their hands 
achieve no success.
{I}13_{/}He traps the 
clever in their devices
and puts an end to the 
schemes of the wily.
{I}14_{/}Darkness comes 
upon them in the daytime;
they grope at noon as in 
the night.
{I}15_{/}He rescues the 
despoiled from the 
despoiler,
the weak from the hands 
of the violent.
{I}16_{/}Thus hope comes 
to the lowly,
and injustice shuts its 
mouth.
{I}17_{/}Blessed is the 
man whom God corrects;
reject not, therefore, 
the lessons of the 
Almighty,
{I}18_{/}He cures the 
wounds he has inflicted;
he strikes but he also 
heals.
{I}19_{/}From six 
troubles he will rescue 
you;
at the seventh no harm 
will touch you.
{I}20_{/}In famine he 
saves you from death;
in war, from the threat 
of the sword.
{I}21_{/}You will be 
protected from the lash 
of the tongue,
and have no dread of 
marauding bands.
{I}22_{/}You will laugh 
at destruction and want;
and have no fear of the 
wild animals.
{I}23_{/}No more stones 
in your fields, the soil 
will serve you,
and wild animals be at 
peace with you.
{I}24_{/}You will find 
your tent secure,
your household untouched 
when you come home.
{I}25_{/}You will have 
children in plenty
and descendants like the 
grass of the hills.
{I}26_{/}You will come to 
the grave in a ripe age,
like a sheaf of grain 
gathered in season.
{I}27_{/}This we have 
examined and found true.
This we have heard, and 
you should know.
WHAT IS MAN THAT YOU KEEP 
HIM IN MIND{/}

{1}6{/}

{I}1_{/}Job replied:
{I}2_{/}If only my 
anguish could be measured
and my misery put on the 
scales;
{I}3_{/}they would 
outweigh the sands of the 
seashore!
It is for this that I 
speak impetuously.
{I}4_{/}Pierced by the 
arrows of the Almighty,
my spirit absorbs their 
poison;
my heart fails before the 
terrors of God.
{I}5_{/}Does a wild ass 
bray when it has fodder?
Does an ox bellow when it 
has grass?
{I}6_{/}What taste would 
food have without salt?
What flavor is there in 
the white of an egg?
{I}7_{/}So everything is 
tasteless for me,
I am bored with my bread.
{I}8_{/}Would that I get 
my request,
that God grant me what I 
want -
{I}9_{/}that he would 
decide to crush me,
let loose his hand and 
strike me down!
{I}10_{/}Then this at 
least would comfort me,
my only joy in merciless 
dread,
that I have not cursed 
the will of the Holy one.
{I}11_{/}Will I be able 
to go on hoping,
what expectation to keep 
on waiting?
{I}12_{/}Have I the 
strength of stone,
and is my flesh of 
bronze?
{I}13_{/}There is no one 
to help me,
all aid has departed from 
me.
{I}14_{/}Friends without 
compassion
made me lose the fear of 
the Almighty,

{I}15_{/}My brothers have 
been fickle,
like the flowing of 
seasonal waters.
{I}16_{/}They were but 
melted ice
running from under the 
snow.
{I}17_{/}But summer comes 
and the river dries,
under the blazing sun no 
water is left.
{I}18_{/}Because of this 
caravans get lost,
go to wastelands and 
perish.
{I}19_{/}The merchants of 
Tema search for the 
brooks,
the travelers of Sheba 
look for them.
{I}20_{/}In vain they 
expected,
they are frustrated on 
arriving there.
{I}21_{/}Now you too are 
unable to help me;
you see a horror and draw 
back in fear.
{I}22_{/}Have I asked you 
to give me anything?
Did I say, "Pay a ransom 
for me,
{I}23_{/}deliver me from 
the enemy
or rescue me from a 
tyrant?"
{I}24_{/}Teach me and I 
will keep silent;
show me where I have been 
wrong.
{I}25_{/}Honest words I 
must not resent,
but what have your 
arguments shown?
{I}26_{/}Do you mean to 
scorn my words,
or throw to the wind a 
cry of despair?
{I}27_{/}Would you cast 
lots for the orphan
and bargain over your 
friend?
{I}28_{/}But now, give me 
your attention;
surely I will not lie to 
your face.
{I}29_{/}Relent, and 
grant me justice;
reconsider, my case is 
not yet tried.
{I}30_{/}Is there 
insincerity on my tongue?
Have I misunderstood 
misery?
{1}7{/}

{I}1_{/}Man's life on 
earth is a thankless jo 
his days are those of a 
mercenary.
{I}2_{/}Like a slave he 
longs for the shade of 
evening,
like a hireling waiting 
for his wages.
{I}3_{/}Thus I am 
allotted months of 
boredom and nights of 
grief and misery.
{I}4_{/}In bed I say, 
"When shall the day 
break?"
On rising, I think, "When 
shall evening come?"
and I toss restless till 
dawn.
{I}5_{/}My body is full 
of worms and scabs;
my skin festers with its 
boils and cracks.
{I}6_{/}My days pass 
swifter than a weaver's 
shuttle,
heading without hope to 
their end.
{I}7_{/}My life is like 
wind, you well know it,
O God; never will I see 
happiness again.
{I}8_{/}The eye that saw 
me will see me no more;
when you look for me, I 
shall have gone.
{I}9_{/}As a cloud 
dissolves and vanishes,
so he who goes to the 
grave never returns.
{I}10_{/}He will never 
come back to his house;
or be seen by his 
household.
{I}11_{/}So I will not 
restrain my words,
I will speak out in 
anguish;
and complain with 
embittered soul,
{I}12_{/}"Am I the sea or 
a monster of the deep,
that you keep me under 
watch?"
{I}13_{/}When I think my 
bed will comfort me
and my couch will soothe 
my pain,
{I}14_{/}then you 
frighten me with dreams
and terrify me with 
visions,
{I}15_{/}I would prefer 
death by strangling
rather than such a trial.
{I}16_{/}See I am dying, 
never to live again.
Leave me alone; I am 
finished.
{I}17_{/}What is man that 
you make much of him,
that you give him so much 
attention,
{I}18_{/}that every 
morning you examine him
and check him all the 
time?
{I}19_{/}Will you never 
take your eyes off me
and give me respite to 
swallow my spittle?
{I}20_{/}Suppose I 
sinned, what has it done 
to you,
O keeper of mankind?
Why choose me as your 
target?
Have I become a burden to 
you?
{I}21_{/}Why not pardon 
my sin
and take away my guilt?
For in the dust I will 
soon lie down;
when you search for me, I 
shall have gone.
DOES GOD PERVERT 
JUDGMENT?{/}

{1}8{/}

{I}1_{/}Bildad the 
Shuhite spoke:
{I}2_{/}How long will you 
say such things?
Your words are long-
winded blusterings.
{I}3_{/}Does God pervert 
judgment?
Does the Almighty distort 
justice?
{I}4_{/}If your children 
did him wrong,
he has made them pay for 
their sins.
{I}5_{/}But if you will 
have recourse to God
and plead with the 
Almighty,
{I}6_{/}if you are 
faultless and righteous,
even now he will care for 
you
and restore you to your 
rightful place.
{I}7_{/}And your 
prosperity will be such
as to make you forget 
former times.
{I}8_{/}Inquire of the 
past generations
and learn from their 
fathers' experience;
{I}9_{/}for born but 
yesterday, we know 
nothing
and our days on earth are 
but a shadow.
{I}10_{/}They will 
correct and teach you
with words that come from 
the heart.
{I}11_{/}Can papyrus 
thrive without marsh?
Can reeds flourish 
without water?
{I}12_{/}Even if still 
growing and uncut,
they wither more quickly 
than any plant.
{I}13_{/}Such is the end 
of him who forgets God;
the hope of the godless 
man perishes.
{I}14_{/}His trust is 
hanging by a thread;
a spider's web is what he 
relies on.
{I}15_{/}He leans on his 
house, but it does not 
stand;
he clings to it, but it 
crumbles.
{I}16_{/}He is sturdy 
under the sun,
spreading its shoots in 
the garden,
{I}17_{/}its roots 
entwined around the 
rocks,
holding fast to each 
stone.
{I}18_{/}But when 
uprooted, the place 
rejects it:
"I have never known you."
{I}19_{/}And there it 
lies rotting by the road,
while other plants grow 
in its place.
{I}20_{/}Indeed God does 
not reject the blameless,
nor lend his hand to the 
evildoer.
{I}21_{/}He will again 
fill your mouth with 
laughter
and your lips with joyful 
shouts.
{I}22_{/}Your enemies 
will be confused,
and the tent of the 
wicked will disappear.
I CANNOT ARGUE WITH YOU, 
NEVERTHELESS...{/}

{1}9{/}

{I}1_{/}Then Job 
answered:
{I}2_{/}Very well I know 
that it is so.
But how can a mortal be 
just before God?
{I}3_{/}If one were to 
contend with him,
not once in a thousand 
times would he answer.
{I}4_{/}His power is 
vast, his wisdom 
profound.
Who has resisted him and 
come out unharmed?
{I}5_{/}He moves 
mountains before they are 
aware;
he overturns them in his 
rage.
{I}6_{/}He makes the 
earth tremble
and its pillars quake.
{I}7_{/}He commands the 
sun, and it does not 
shine;
he seals off the light of 
the stars.
{I}8_{/}He alone 
stretches out the skies
and treads on the waves 
of the seas.
{I}9_{/}He made the Bear 
and Orion,
the Pleiades and every 
constellation.
{I}10_{/}His wonders are 
past all reckoning,
his miracles beyond all 
counting.
{I}11_{/}He passes by, 
but I do not see him;
he moves on, but I do not 
notice him.
{I}12_{/}If he snatches 
away, who can stop him?
Who can say to him, "What 
are you doing?"
{I}13_{/}God does not 
turn back when angered;
before him Rahab's 
cohorts cowered.
{I}14_{/}How then can I 
answer him
and find words to argue 
with him?
{I}15_{/}If he does not 
answer when I am right,
shall I plead with my 
judge for mercy?
{I}16_{/}Even if I 
appealed and he answered,
I do not believe that he 
would have heard.
{I}17_{/}He who crushes 
me for a trifle
and multiplies my hurt 
for no reason.
{I}18_{/}He does not give 
me time to breathe,
but fills me with grief 
without pause.
{I}19_{/}If it is a 
contest of strength, he 
is mighty.
If a matter of justice, 
who will summon him?
{I}20_{/}If I were 
innocent, my own mouth 
would condemn me;
if blameless, it would 
pronounce me guilty.
{I}21_{/}But am I 
innocent, after all? I do 
not know,
and so I find my life 
despicable.
{I}22_{/}It is all the 
same! And this I dare 
say:
both blameless and wicked 
- he destroys.
{I}23_{/}When disaster 
brings sudden death,
he mocks the despair of 
the innocent.
{I}24_{/}When a nation 
falls into a tyrant's 
hand,
it is he who makes the 
judges blind.
But if it is not he - who 
else then?
{I}25_{/}Swifter than a 
runner are my days;
without a shred of joy 
they fly away.
{I}26_{/}They skim along 
like reed canoes
or like eagles swooping 
on their prey.
{I}27_{/}If I resolve to 
forget my affliction,
to smile and change my 
expression,
{I}28_{/}my trials make 
me fear
for I know I shall be 
held accountable.
{I}29_{/}In any case if I 
am to be condemned,
why should I bother in 
vain?
{I}30_{/}If I washed my 
body with snow
and cleansed my hands 
with soap,
{I}31_{/}you would plunge 
me into the dung pit,
and my very clothes would 
abhor me.
{I}32_{/}He is not a man 
like me that I might say,
"let  us go to court 
together."
{I}33_{/}Would that there 
were an arbiter between 
us,
who could lay his hand 
upon both of us.
{I}34_{/}He would remove 
from me the rod of God
and his terrors which 
frighten me.
{I}35_{/}But it is not 
so. Then I will speak
to myself alone without 
fear.

YOU HUNT ME LIKE A 
LION{/}

{1}10{/}

{I}1_{/}Since I loathe my 
life,
I shall pour forth my 
complaint;
I shall speak of my 
soul's torment.
{I}2_{/}I shall say to 
God: Do not condemn me,
but tell me what is your 
quarrel with me?
{I}3_{/}Would it be good 
for you to oppress me,
to spurn the work of your 
hands
and favor the designs of 
the wicked?
{I}4_{/}Have you human 
eyes?
Do you see as man sees?
{I}5_{/}Are your days as 
the days of man,
or your years as a 
mortal's lifetime?
{I}6_{/}Why do you seek 
guilt in me
and search for my faults?
{I}7_{/}You know I have 
not sinned,
but who can rescue me 
from your hand?
{I}8_{/}You have formed 
and made me.
Will you then turn and 
destroy me?
Will you then turn and 
destroy me?
{I}9_{/}Remember that you 
molded me from clay.
Will you turn me to dust 
again?
{I}10_{/}Did you not pour 
me out like milk
and curdle me like 
cheese?
{I}11_{/}You wrapped me 
up in skin and flesh,
knit me together with 
bones and sinews.
{I}12_{/}In your goodness 
you gave me life
and watched over my 
breathing with care.
{I}13_{/}Yet this is what 
you hid in your heart,
I know what was in your 
mind:
{I}14_{/}You wanted to 
see if I sinned,
and not let my fault be 
forgiven.
{I}15_{/}If I am guilty - 
alas for me!
If innocent - I dare not 
lift my head,
humbled and shamed in my 
affliction.
{I}16_{/}Exhausted, you 
hunt me like a lion,
you want to prove that 
you are stronger.
{I}17_{/}You renew your 
attack on me;
you intensify your rage,
wave upon wave, your 
forces assail me.
{I}18_{/}Why did you 
bring me out of the womb?
I wish I had died unseen,
{I}19_{/}a being that had 
not been -
carried from the womb 
direct to the tomb.
{I}20_{/}Are not my days 
almost over?
Turn away; leave me a 
while to recover
{I}21_{/}before I go to 
the place of no return,
to the land of gloom and 
shadow,
{I}22_{/}to the land of 
chaos and deepest night,
where darkness is the 
only light.
THE DISCOURSE OF 
ZOPHAR{/}

{1}11{/}

{I}1_{/}Zophar the 
Naamithite spoke: 
{I}2_{/}Must these words 
go unanswered?
Must you be right for 
talking so much?
{I}3_{/}Will your prattle 
keep us silent?
Will no one answer your 
mocking?
{I}4_{/}You say to God 
that your way is right,
that you are clean in his 
sight.
{I}5_{/}How I wish that 
God would speak
and open his lips against 
you,
{I}6_{/}to show you the 
secrets of wisdom
which put intelligence to 
shame,
then you would know
that God is recalling 
your sins.
{I}7_{/}Can you fathom 
the mysteries of God,
probe the extent of his 
perfection?
{I}8_{/}It is higher than 
heaven -
what can you do?
Deeper than the world of 
death -
what can you know?
{I}9_{/}Its measure is 
wider than the earth,
broader than the sea.
{I}10_{/}Who can stop him 
when he passes,
when he imprisons and 
calls to judgment?
{I}11_{/}He sees evil; he 
recognizes deceit.
Will he not then take 
note of it?
{I}12_{/}So stupid men 
learn to be wise
as wild donkeys become 
tame.
{I}13_{/}If you set your 
heart aright
and stretch out your 
hands to him,
{I}14_{/}if you wash your 
hand of sin
and allow no evil in your 
tent,
{I}15_{/}you will then 
raise your face in honor;
having no fear, you will 
feel secure.
{I}16_{/}You will forget 
your suffering
and recall it only as 
waters gone by.
{I}17_{/}Your life will 
be brighter than noonday
and its darkness like the 
morning.
{I}18_{/}You will be 
comforted, for there is 
hope;
you will be protected 
when you sleep.
{I}19_{/}You will lie 
down with no one to fear;
many will come to court 
your favor.
{I}20_{/}But the eyes of 
the wicked will fail;
they will lose all way of 
escape,
their one hope - that 
death will come.
WILL YOU DEFEND GOD WITH 
LIES?{/}

{1}12{/}

{I}1_{/}Then Job 
answered:
{I}2_{/}No doubt you are 
the people's voice;
when you die, wisdom dies 
with you!
{I}3_{/}But I have a mind 
as well as you,
I know all that you have 
said.
{I}4_{/}To my friends I 
am a laughingstock
when I call on God who 
does not answer;
the just and blameless 
man
is made fun of.
{I}5_{/}"Contempt for the 
unfortunate," so think 
the prosperous,
"a blow for those who are 
staggering."
{I}6_{/}Yet the robbers' 
tents are undisturbed,
those who provoke God are 
in peace,
those who make a god of 
their strength.
{I}7_{/}But ask the 
beasts to teach you,
the birds of the air to 
tell you,
{I}8_{/}the plants of the 
earth to instruct you,
the fish of the sea to 
inform you.
{I}9_{/}Who among them 
does not understand
that behind all this is 
God's hand?
{I}10_{/}He holds the 
life of every creature
and the breath of all 
mankind.
{I}11_{/}The ear surely 
can test the words
as the tongue tastes 
food;
{I}12_{/}wisdom is found 
in the old,
and understanding in 
great age;
{I}13_{/}in God however 
is wisdom and power;
his are counsel and 
understanding.
{I}14_{/}What he tears 
down, none can rebuild;
the one he imprisons, 
none can release.
{I}15_{/}If he withholds 
water, there is drought;
if he lets it loose, 
there is flood.
{I}16_{/}In him are 
strength and perception;
deceived and deceiver are 
in his power.
{I}17_{/}He leads 
counselors away stripped
and makes fools of 
judges.
{I}18_{/}He loosens the 
belt of kings
and ties a loincloth 
about their waist.
{I}19_{/}He leads priests 
away, barefoot,
and overthrows those in 
power.
{I}20_{/}He compels 
advisers to keep silent,
and strips elders of 
their discernment.
{I}21_{/}He puts princes 
to shame;
he unties the girdle of 
the strong.
{I}22_{/}(He uncovers the 
gloomy recesses
and brings the deep 
darkness to light.)
{I}23_{/}He makes a 
nation rise and fall,
a people to grow and to 
dwindle.
{I}24_{/}He deprives 
leaders of their 
judgment,
leaving them to roam in a 
trackless waste.
{I}25_{/}Without light, 
they grope in the dark
and stagger like 
drunkards.
{1}13{/}

{I}1_{/}My eyes have seen 
all this,
my ears have heard and 
understood.
{I}2_{/}What you know, I 
also know;
I am not inferior to you.
{I}3_{/}But I would like 
to speak to the Almighty,
I want to plead my case 
with God.
{I}4_{/}You are glossing 
over the problem
and offering false 
remedies.
{I}5_{/}If only you would 
keep silent,
that would at least be 
wisdom.
{I}6_{/}Hear now my 
argument;
listen to my defense.
{I}7_{/}Will you speak 
falsely for God?

Will you defend him with 
false inventions?
{I}8_{/}Will you side 
with him
and advocate on his 
behalf?
{I}9_{/}What if he 
examines you?
Could he be deceived as 
men are?
{I}10_{/}He will rebuke 
you for sure
if in secret you show 
partiality.
{I}11_{/}You will be 
terrified by his majesty,
and you will be in dread 
of him.
{I}12_{/}Heaps of ashes 
are your maxims;
mounds of clay are your 
defenses.
{I}13_{/}So keep silent 
and let me speak;
this will be at my own 
risk.
{I}14_{/}I am putting 
myself in jeopardy
and gambling for my life.
{I}15_{/}Though he may 
slay me,
I will still argue with 
him;
{I}16_{/}and this might 
even save me
for no godless man dares 
draw near him.
{I}17_{/}Carefully listen 
to my words,
give my case a hearing.
{I}18_{/}I will proceed 
in due form
believing that I am 
guiltless.
{I}19_{/}If anyone makes 
good his charges,
I am ready to be silenced 
and die.
{I}20_{/}Only grant me 
these two things, O God,
and from you I will not 
hide:
{I}21_{/}Withdraw your 
hand far from me,
and do not frighten me 
with your terrors.
{I}22_{/}Summon me and I 
will respond;
or let me speak and then 
have your reply.
{I}23_{/}What are my 
faults, what are my sins?
Make them all known to 
me.
{I}24_{/}Why hide your 
face from me
and consider me your 
enemy?
{I}25_{/}Why torment a 
wind-blown leaf
or pursue a withered 
straw?
{I}26_{/}But you search 
for accusations
and you recall the sins 
of my youth.
{I}27_{/}You shackle my 
feet,
keep watch on all my 
paths
and mark out my 
footsteps.

{I}28_{/}He falls apart 
like worm-eaten wood,
like cloth devoured by 
the moths.
MAN BORN OF WOMAN HAS A 
SHORT LIFE{/}

{1}14{/}

{I}1_{/}Man born of woman
has a short life full of 
sorrow.
{I}2_{/}Like a flower he 
blossoms and withers;
transient and fleeting as 
a shadow.
{I}3_{/}Is he the one you 
look on
and bring before you for 
judgment?
Ver [Job_13,28]{/}

{I}4_{/}Who can bring the 
clean from the unclean?
No one!
{I}5_{/}Since his days 
are measured
and you have decreed the 
number of his months,
set him bounds he cannot 
pass,
{I}6_{/}then leave him 
alone. Turn away from him
till he completes his day 
like a hireling.
{I}7_{/}There is hope for 
a tree:
if cut down it will 
sprout again,
its new shoots will still 
appear.
{I}8_{/}Though its roots 
grow old in the ground
and its stump withers in 
the soil,
{I}9_{/}at the scent of 
water it will bud
and put forth shoots like 
a young plant.
{I}10_{/}But when man is 
cut down, he comes 
undone;
he breathes his last - 
where will he be?
{I}11_{/}The waters of 
the sea may disappear,
rivers drain away,
{I}12_{/}but the one who 
lies down will not rise 
again;
the heavens will vanish 
before he wakes,
before he rises from his 
sleep.
{I}13_{/}If only you 
would hide me in the 
grave
and shelter me till your 
wrath is past!
If only you would set a 
time for me
and then remember me!
{I}14_{/}Will a man live 
again if he dies?
All the days of my 
service
I would wait for my 
release.
{I}15_{/}You would call 
and I would answer;
you would long for the 
work of your hands again.
{I}16_{/}Now you watch my 
every step,
but then you would stop 
counting my sins.
{I}17_{/}My offenses 
would be sealed in a bag,
and you would do away 
with my guilt.
{I}18_{/}But as mountains 
erode and crumble,
as rock is moved from its 
place,
{I}19_{/}as waters wear 
away stones
and floods wash away the 
soil,
so you destroy the hope 
of man.
{I}20_{/}You crush him 
once for all, and he is 
gone;
you change his appearance 
and send him away.
{I}21_{/}If his sons are 
honored, he does not know 
it;
if brought low, he does 
not see it.
{I}22_{/}Only the pain of 
his own body does he 
feel;
only for himself does he 
mourn.
ANOTHER DISCOURSE OF 
ELIPHAZ{/}

{1}15{/}

{I}1_{/}Eliphaz the 
Temanite spoke:
{I}2_{/}Should a wise man 
answer with airy notions,
puff himself up with 
senseless opinions?
{I}3_{/}Should he argue 
in empty talk,
in words that are 
meaningless?
{I}4_{/}You are 
undermining piety
and meditation in God's 
presence.
{I}5_{/}Your iniquity 
instructs your mouth,
and you talk like the 
crafty.
{I}6_{/}Your own mouth 
condemns you,
your own lips, not mine.
{I}7_{/}Are you mankind's 
firstborn?
Were you brought forth 
before the hills?
{I}8_{/}Are you privy to 
God's counsels?
Do you alone possess 
wisdom?
{I}9_{/}What knowledge 
have you that we do not 
have?
What do you understand 
that is obscure to us?
{I}10_{/}The gray-haired 
and the aged are among 
us,
men older than your 
father.
{I}11_{/}Are God's 
consolations too small 
for you,
and the words spoken 
gently to you?
{I}12_{/}Why does your 
heart carry you away,
why do your eyes flash
{I}13_{/}when you turn 
your wrath against God
and utter such words as 
these?
{I}14_{/}What is man to 
claim innocence,
the child of woman to be 
cleared of guilt?
{I}15_{/}If God puts no 
trust in his holy ones,
and (the) heavens are not 
clean in his eyes,
{I}16_{/}how much less 
man who is vile and 
corrupt,
who drinks evil as if it 
were water!
{I}17_{/}Listen and I 
will explain;
I will tell you of my 
experience
{I}18_{/}and of the 
sages' teachings
passed on to them by 
their fathers,
{I}19_{/}to whom alone 
the land was given
when no foreigner moved 
among them.
{I}20{/}The wicked are in 
torment all their days.
During the years allotted 
to the tyrant
{I}21_{/}his ears are 
filled with terrifying 
sounds,
his peace shattered by 
the attack of  marauders.
{I}22_{/}He despairs of 
escaping the darkness
and sees himself given to 
the sword,
{I}23_{/}then left as a 
prey for vultures,
he knows his destruction 
is at hand.
{I}24_{/}The hour of 
darkness fills him with 
dread,
as distress and anguish 
close in on him.
{I}25_{/}But look: he 
challenged God,
he raised his hand 
against the Almighty,
{I}26_{/}charging 
stubbornly against him
behind a thick, sturdy 
shield.
{I}27_{/}His face had 
grown full and fat,
his thighs bulged with 
flesh.
{I}28_{/}He would dwell 
in ruined cities,
in deserted and crumbling 
houses.
{I}29_{/}He will not 
prosper or take root;
he will not escape from 
darkness;
{I}30_{/}a flame will 
wither his shoots;
the wind will carry off 
his blossom.
{I}31_{/}Let him not 
trust in greatness
for he will get nothing 
in return.
{I}32_{/}He will be paid 
in full before his time,
and his branches will 
never again be green.
{I}33_{/}Like a vine he 
will be stripped of 
unripe grapes;
like the olive, he will 
shed his blossoms.
{I}34_{/}For the breed of 
the godless will be 
barren,
and fire will consume the 
tents of extortioners.

{I}35_{/}Who conceives 
mischief will bring forth 
evil,
deceit will spring from 
his own womb.
WHERE THEN CAN MY HOPE 
BE?{/}

{1}16{/}

{I}1_{/}Then Job 
answered:
{I}2_{/}I have heard many 
such things.
What miserable comforters 
you are!
{I}3_{/}When will your 
airy words end?
What ails you and keeps 
you arguing?
{I}4_{/}I too could talk 
as you do,
if you were in my place;
I could declaim over you
and shake my head at you.
{I}5_{/}I would give you 
strength,
and comfort you with 
words.
{I}6_{/}Yet if I talk, my 
suffering is not eased,
if I refrain, it does not 
go far from me.
{I}7_{/}I am upset with 
such ill will;
an evil band 
{I}8_{/}takes hold of me.
They stand to testify 
against me;
and answer me with 
slanders.
{I}9_{/}They assail me 
with fury
and gnash their teeth at 
me;
my enemies lord it over 
me.
{I}10_{/}With open mouths 
they jeer at me;
they strike my cheek, and 
together
they mass themselves 
against me.
{I}11_{/}God has given me 
over to evil men
and cast me into the 
clutches of the wicked.
{I}12_{/}All was well 
until he shattered me,
but he seized me and 
dashed me to pieces.
Having set me up for a 
target,
{I}13_{/}he had his 
arrows pointed at me,
striking from every 
direction,
piercing my sides without 
pity,
spilling my gall on the 
ground.
{I}14_{/}Like a warrior 
he bears down on me,
thrusting me unceasingly.
{I}15_{/}I have fastened 
sackcloth over my skin
and buried my brow in 
dust.
{I}16_{/}My face is red 
with weeping,
deep shadows ring my 
eyes;
{I}17_{/}yet my hands are 
free of violence,
and my prayer sincere.
{I}18_{/}O earth, do not 
cover my blood;
let not my cry come to 
rest!
{I}19_{/}Even now my 
witness is in heaven
and my defender is on 
high.
{I}20_{/}Now my prayer 
has gone up to God
as I poured out my tears 
before him.
{I}21_{/}Would that man 
could discuss with God
as he does with his 
fellows.
{I}22_{/}My years are 
numbered, and soon
I will take the road of 
no return.
{1}17{/}

{I}1_{/}My spirit is 
broken,
my days are over
and the grave awaits me.
{I}2_{/}Mockers surround 
me;
my eyes grow dim with 
nights of bitterness.
{I}3_{/}Sponsor me, O 
God,
since no one will support 
me.
{I}4_{/}You have closed 
their minds
so they will not dare.
{I}5_{/}Who will help a 
friend when his sons are 
in need?
{I}6_{/}I have been made 
everybody's byword,
a man in whose face 
people spit.
{I}7_{/}My eyes have 
grown dim with grief,
my frame shrunken to a 
shadow.
{I}8_{/}At this, upright 
men are appalled,
and the guiltless rail 
against the wicked.
{I}9_{/}The righteous 
feel at ease
and those with clean 
hands are strengthened.
{I}10_{/}But come on 
again, all of you;
I will not find a single 
sage among you.
{I}11_{/}My days are 
ended, my plans 
shattered,
and so my heart desires
{I}12_{/}the night  when 
it is day,
the coming of light as 
soon as it darkens.
{I}13_{/}Where is my 
hope? The grave is my 
home,
in the darkness I spread 
out my bed,
{I}14_{/}I must call 
corruption "my father,"
and the worm "my mother" 
or "my sister."
{I}15_{/}What can I wait 
for,
and who will see any hope 
for me?
{I}16_{/}Will it go down 
to the bars of death,
shall we descend together 
into the dust?
{1}18{/}

{I}1_{/}Bildad the 
Shuhite replied:
{I}2_{/}When will your 
empty words end?
Listen, and then we can 
talk.
{I}3_{/}Why do you regard 
us like beasts?
Are we stupid in your 
sight?
{I}4_{/}You who tear 
yourself in your wrath,
must the earth be lost on 
your account
the rocks be moved out of 
their place?
{I}5_{/}Surely the evil 
man's lamp is snuffed 
out;
his fire stops burning.
{I}6_{/}The light dims in 
his tent;
the lamp shining on him 
goes out.
{I}7_{/}His vigorous 
steps weaken;
his own schemes make him 
stumble.
{I}8_{/}His feet take him 
to a net
or lead him into a 
pitfall.
{I}9_{/}A trap seizes him 
by the heel;
a snare lays hold of him.
{I}10_{/}Hidden in the 
ground is a noose for 
him;
pitfalls await him along 
the way.
{I}11_{/}Terrors assail 
him on every side;
they harry him at every 
step.
{I}12_{/}Hungering among 
his goods,
doom awaits him if he 
falls.
{I}13_{/}Sickness eats 
his skin;
death's firstborn devours 
his limbs.
{I}14_{/}Torn from the 
security of his tent,
he is marched off to the 
king of terror.,
{I}15_{/}His tent is no 
longer his:
take it! Brimstone is 
scattered over his field.
{I}16_{/}Dried up below 
are his roots;
withered above are his 
branches.
{I}17_{/}His memory 
perishes in the land,
his name is forgotten on 
the earth.
{I}18_{/}From light he is 
driven into darkness;
he is banished from the 
world.
{I}19_{/}He has no 
descendants among his 
people,
no survivor where once he 
lived.
{I}20_{/}All in the west 
are appalled at his fate;
those of the east are 
seized with fright.
{I}21_{/}Such is the lot 
of the wicked;
such is the place of one 
who knows not God.
{1}19{/}

{I}1_{/}Job answered:
{I}2_{/}How long will you 
vex me,
crush me with your words?
{I}3_{/}Ten times now you 
have reviled me,
you have attacked me 
shamelessly.
{I}4_{/}If indeed I am at 
fault,
I alone am concerned with 
it.
{I}5_{/}If you want to 
gloat over me
and use my humiliation as 
argument,
{I}6_{/}know then that 
God has treated me 
unfairly
and surrounded me with 
torment.
{I}7_{/}Though I cry 
injustice I am not heard;
though I call for help it 
is in vain.
{I}8_{/}He has blocked my 
way to prevent me from 
passing;
he has shrouded my path 
and made it dark.
{I}9_{/}He has stripped 
me of honor,
and removed the crown 
from my head.
{I}10_{/}On every side he 
tears me down
and uproots my hope till 
it is gone.
{I}11_{/}He directs his 
anger against me
and counts me as his 
enemy.
{I}12_{/}Against me his 
troops build a siege 
ramp,
and around my tent they 
encamp.
IN MY FLESH I SHALL SEE 
GOD{/}

{I}13_{/}He has distanced 
me from my brothers,
completely estranged me 
from my friends.
{I}14_{/}My kinsfolk and 
companions have gone 
away;
my guests have forsaken 
me,
{I}15_{/}my maidservants 
count me as an alien
as if they had never 
known me
{I}16_{/}I summon my 
servant, but he does not 
answer,
even when I plead with 
him.
{I}17_{/}To my wife my 
breath is offensive;
to my own brothers I am 
loathsome.
{I}18_{/}Even little 
children ridicule me:
Come! let us make fun of 
him!
{I}19_{/}All my intimate 
friends detest me;
those I love have turned 
against me.
{I}20_{/}I have become 
skin and bone
and have escaped with 
only my gums.
{I}21_{/}Have pity my 
friends, have pity,
for God's hand has struck 
me!
{I}22_{/}Why do you hound 
me as God does?
Will you never have 
enough of my flesh?
{I}23_{/}Oh, that my 
words were written,
or recorded on bronze
{I}24_{/}with an iron 
tool, a chisel
or engraved forever on 
rock!
{I}25_{/}For I know that 
my Redeemer lives,
and he, the last, will 
take his stand on earth
{I}26_{/}I will be there 
behind my skin,
and in my flesh I shall 
see God.
{I}27_{/}With my own eyes 
I shall see him -
I and not another. How my 
heart yearns!
{I}28_{/}If you say, "We 
will pursue him!
let us find a charge 
against him",
{I}29_{/}be afraid of the 
sword yourselves;
when Wrath is enflamed 
against wrong,
you will know there is 
judgment.
ZOPHAR: EVIL WILL COME TO 
AN END{/}

{1}20{/}

{I}1_{/}Zophar of Naamath 
spoke next:
{I}2_{/}My troubled 
thoughts move me to reply
for I have been feeling 
impatient.
{I}3_{/}I hear a rebuke 
which puts me to shame,
and I am inspired to give 
an answer.
{I}4_{/}You know how it 
has been from of old,
since man was placed on 
earth,
{I}5_{/}that the triumph 
of the wicked is short
and the joy of the 
godless is but a moment.
{I}6_{/}Though his pride 
reach to the heavens
and his head touch the 
clouds,
{I}7_{/}he vanishes like 
a phantom;
those who have seen him 
ask where he is.
{I}8_{/}Like a dream he 
takes flight,
like a vision of the 
night.
{I}9_{/}The eye that met 
him sees him no more;
neither shall his 
dwelling shelter him 
again.
{I}11_{/}His youthful 
frame that was full of 
vigor
shall at last lie with 
him in the dust.
{I}12_{/}E vil was sweet 
in his mouth,
and he hid it under his 
tongue,
{I}13_{/}He liked it and 
did not let it go
and still kept it within 
his mouth,
{I}14_{/}yet his food 
turns sour
and becomes venom in his 
stomach.
{I}15_{/}He vomits the 
riches he swallowed;
God compels his belly to 
belch it out.
{I}16_{/}Because he 
sucked the poison of a 
viper,
he will be killed by the 
fangs of an adder.
{I}17_{/}He will no 
longer see the streams of 
oil,
no rivers of honey and 
milk.
{I}18_{/}He gives back 
the fruit of his toil: he 
could not swallow it.
{I}19_{/}For he has 
oppressed the poor
and seized houses instead 
of building them.
{I}10_{/}His children 
must make amends to his 
victims;
his own hands must pay 
back his riches.
{I}20_{/}For his greed 
had no limit,
and no one could escape 
his appetite;
{I}21_{/}he devoured 
them, one and all.
This is why his 
prosperity will not 
endure.
{I}22_{/}In the midst of 
plenty, distress seizes 
him,
the full force of misery 
falls upon him.
{I}23_{/}When his belly 
is filled God unloads his 
wrath upon him
and pelts him with his 
arrows.
{I}24_{/}While he flees 
from an iron weapon,
the bronze bow strikes 
him down.
{I}25_{/}A dart sticks in 
his back,
in his liver an arrow.
He is in the grip of a 
terrible fear;
{I}26_{/}total darkness 
has been stored for him,
a fire which he did not 
kindle devours him and 
consumes whatever was 
left in his tent.
{I}27_{/}The heavens will 
expose his guilt;
the earth will rise up 
against him.
{I}28_{/}A flood will 
sweep away his house,
the waters of God's 
wrath.
{I}29_{/}Such is the fate 
of the wicked -
their lot which comes 
from God.
{1}21{/}

{I}1_{/}Job replied:
{I}2_{/}Listen at least 
to my words,
enough of your 
consolation.
{I}3_{/}Bear with me 
while I speak;
and then you can mock.
{I}4_{/}Is my grudge 
against humans?
Why then should I not be 
impatient?
{I}5_{/}Look at me and be 
appalled;
cover your mouth for a 
moment.
{I}6_{/}When I think 
about this I am troubled
and trembling seizes my 
body.
JOB: IT'S WELL FOR THE 
WICKED!{/}

{I}7_{/}Why do the wicked 
live,
increase in age and in 
power?
{I}8_{/}Their descendants 
fluorish in their sight,
their kinsfolk and their 
offspring.
{I}9_{/}Their homes are 
safe, free from fear;
they do not feel the 
scourge of God.
{I}10_{/}Their bulls 
breed without fail;
their cows calve and do 
not miscarry.
{I}11_{/}They have 
children as they have 
lambs
their little ones dance 
like deer.
{I}12_{/}They sing to the 
rhythm of timbrel and 
harp;
make merry to the sound 
of the flute.
{I}13_{/}They live out 
their days in happiness
and go down to Sheol in 
peace.
{I}14_{/}Yet they said to 
God, "Go away!
We have no desire to 
learn your way.
{I}15_{/}Who is the 
Almighty that we should 
serve him?
What will it profit us if 
we pray to him?"
{I}16_{/}Though they 
planned everything far 
from God
prosperity is in their 
hands.
{I}17_{/}How often is 
their lamp put out?
How often does calamity 
befall them?
How often does God's 
anger wipe them out?
{I}18_{/}How often are 
they like straw before 
the wind,
like chaff which the 
storm sweeps away?
{I}19_{/}You say, "His 
children will pay for his 
sin."
Let the man himself pay 
for his iniquity;
{I}20_{/}let his own eyes 
see his misfortune;
let him drink the wrath 
of the Almighty!
{I}21_{/}What does he 
care about his family 
when he dies,
when his months have been 
cut off?
{I}22_{/}Can anyone teach 
God knowledge,
since he judges even the 
highest?
{I}23_{/}One man dies in 
full vigor,
at ease and completely 
secure;
{I}24_{/}full and 
nourished is his figure,
rich in marrow are his 
bones.
{I}25_{/}Another dies in 
bitterness,
never having enjoyed 
happiness.
{I}26_{/}But in the dust 
they lie down
side by side, covered 
with worms.
{I}27_{/}I know your 
thoughts fully
and your schemes about 
me.
{I}28_{/}For you say, 
"Where is the house of 
the great prince?
Where is the tent of the 
wicked?"
{I}29_{/}Have you never 
asked the travelers,
or have you misunderstood 
what they say -
{I}30_{/}that the evil 
man is spared from 
calamity,
delivered from the day of 
God's fury?
{I}31_{/}Who will 
denounce his conduct to 
his face
or pay him back for what 
he has done?
{I}32_{/}When people have 
carried him to the grave 
his image watches from 
his tomb.
{I}33_{/}The soft earth 
is sweet to him;
behind him you see 
everyone follow
and before him a 
countless horde.
{I}34_{/}How then can you 
console me with your 
nonsense?
Pure falsehood is all you 
have said.
ELIPHAZ: CAN MAN BE OF 
ANY USE TO GOD?{/}

{1}22{/}

{I}1_{/}Eliphaz the 
Temanite replied:
{I}2_{/}Can man be of any 
use to God?
Only himself a wise man 
benefits.
{I}3_{/}What would the 
Almighty gain if you were 
upright?
What profit if you were 
blameless in your ways?
{I}4_{/}Is it for your 
piety that he reproves
and brings you to 
judgment?
{I}5_{/}Is it not for 
your great wickedness,
for there is no end to 
your sins?
{I}6_{/}Without any need 
you kept your kinsmen's 
goods
and stripped them naked 
of their clothing.
{I}7_{/}You denied drink 
to the thirsty

and withheld bread from 
the hungry.
{I}8_{/}The powerful 
control the land
and allot it to their 
cronies.
{I}9_{/}You have sent 
widows away empty-handed
and crushed the arms of 
orphans.
{I}10_{/}No wonder snares 
are round about you
and sudden terror makes 
you dismayed,
{I}11_{/}you are blinded 
by darkness
and covered by flood.
{I}12_{/}Is not God above 
the heavens?
See how lofty are the 
highest stars.
{I}13_{/}Yet you say, 
"What does God know?
Can he see through deep 
shadows?
{I}14_{/}He cannot see 
for thick clouds veil him
as he walks upon the 
vault of the heavens."
{I}15_{/}Will you keep to 
the old path
that the wicked have 
trod?
{I}16_{/}In a moment they 
were carried off
and their foundation 
washed away.
{I}17_{/}They said to 
God, "Away from us!
What can the Almighty do 
to us?"
{I}18_{/}He had filled 
their houses with good 
things,
but the thoughts of the 
wicked were far from him.
{I}19_{/}The righteous 
see their ruin and are 
glad,
the innocent laugh at 
them and say,

{I}20_{/}"Now the great 
have come to nothing,
fire has devoured their 
heritage."
{I}21_{/}Come to terms 
with God and make peace;
in this way you will 
prosper.
{I}22_{/}Listen to his 
teaching
and keep his words in 
your heart.
{I}23_{/}If you return 
humbled to the Almighty,
if you drive injustice 
from your tent,
{I}24_{/}then you will 
look on gold as dust,
gold of Ophir as pebbles 
from a stream.
{I}25_{/}For the Almighty 
will be your gold
and your sparkling 
silver.
{I}26_{/}For then you 
will delight in the 
Almighty
and lift up your face to 
God.
{I}27_{/}You will pray to 
him and he will hear,
and you will fulfill your 
vows.
{I}28_{/}You will succeed 
in your decision,
and light will shine upon 
your way.
{I}29_{/}For God brings 
down the proud
and saves the downcast.
{I}30_{/}He who rescues 
the innocent man,
will rescue you too if 
your hands are clean.
{1}23{/}

{I}1_{/}Job answered and 
said:
{I}2_{/}Again today my 
complaint is rebellious;
I groan under his heavy 
hand.
{I}3_{/}If only I knew 
where to find him,
if only I could go to his 
dwelling,
{I}4_{/}I would bring my 
case before him
and lay out in full my 
arguments.
{I}5_{/}I would find out 
his answer
and understand what he 
would say.
{I}6_{/}Would he need 
great power to debate 
with me?
No! he needs only to 
listen!
{I}7_{/}He would know the 
complainant to be an 
upright man
and I would be free of my 
judge.
{I}8_{/}But if I go 
eastward, he is not 
there;
if I go westward, I still 
cannot see him.
{I}9_{/}Seeking him in 
the north, I do not find 
him;
looking for him in the 
south, he is not there.
{I}10_{/}But he knows my 
every step,
and I will come out as 
gold in his test.
{I}11_{/}I have always 
walked along his path;
I have kept his ways and 
not turned aside.
{I}12_{/}I have not 
departed from his 
commands,
instead I have treasured 
his words.
{I}13_{/}But who can 
oppose once he has 
decided?
He does what he desires.
{I}14_{/}He will carry 
out his decree
and other plans laid out 
for me.
{I}15_{/}That is why I am 
terrified
when I think of all this.
{I}16_{/}God has made me 
lose courage;
the Almighty has made me 
afraid,
{I}17_{/}but I am not 
silenced by darkness,
by the thick gloom that 
covers my face.
WHY DOES GOD NOT ASK?{/}

{1}24{/}

{I}1_{/}Why is what 
happens hidden from God?
Why do his faithful never 
see his justice?
{I}2_{/}The wicked remove 
landmarks
and steal both flocks and 
shepherds.
{I}3_{/}They seize the 
orphan's ass
and for a pledge take the 
widow's ox.
{I}4_{/}The needy stay 
far from the road,
the poor go into hiding.
{I}5_{/}Like wild asses 
in the wasteland,
they look for food;
the poor toil in the 
night,
there is no food for 
their children!
{I}6_{/}They gather 
fodder in the fields,

work in the vineyards of 
the wicked.
{I}7_{/}Destitute, they 
lie down naked,
shivering in the freezing 
cold.
{I}8_{/}Drenched with 
mountain rains,
they hug the rocks for 
lack of shelter.
{I}9_{/}The fatherless 
child is snatched from 
the breast,
the infant of the poor 
seized for a debt.
{I}10_{/}Without clothes, 
they go naked,
starving as they carry 
the sheaves.
{I}11_{/}Between the 
millstones they crush 
olives;
they tread the winepress 
but suffer thirst.
{I}12_{/}In the city the 
dying groan,
and the wounded cry out 
for help
but God pays no 
attention.
{I}13_{/}Many rebel 
against the light,
they do not know its way 
or stay in its path.
{I}14_{/}When dawn 
breaks, the murderer 
rises
to kill the poor and the 
helpless.
{I}15_{/}The adulterer 
waits for dusk,
thinking that no eye 
watches him.
At night the thief walks 
about
and puts a mask over his 
face,
{I}16_{/}ready to break 
into the houses
that he chose during the 
day.
{I}17_{/}Morning is their 
darkest hour
the time for them to 
fear.
{I}18_{/}The wicked are 
foam on the face of the 
waters;
their portion of the land 
is cursed,
and no one goes to their 
vineyards.
{I}19_{/}As drought and 
heat snap up the thawed 
snow,
so Sheol swallows up the 
sinner,
{I}20_{/}and the womb 
which formed him, forgets 
him.
Evil men are no longer 
remembered,
like a fallen tree they 
are broken.
{I}21_{/}They preyed on 
the barren, childless 
woman,
and showed no kindness to 
the widow.
{I}22_{/}But the Powerful 
stands against them and 
drags away the mighty.
{I}23_{/}He may let them 
feel secure,
but his eyes are upon 
their ways.
{I}24_{/}They are 
momentarily exalted, and 
then gone;
they wither and fade like 
a weed.
They are cut off like 
heads of grain.
{I}25_{/}If this is not 
so, who can prove me 
wrong
and reduce my words to 
nothing?
{1}25{/}

{I}1_{/}Then Bildad the 
Shuhite answered:
{I}2_{/}His is dominion 
and awesome power,
he who establishes peace 
in the heavens.
{I}3_{/}Can his armies be 
numbered?
Upon whom does his light 
not rise?
{I}4_{/}How can man be 
righteous before God?
How can one born of woman 
be pure?
{I}5_{/}Even the moon is 
not bright
nor are the stars pure in 
his sight -
{I}6_{/}how much less man 
- this insect,
the son of man - a worm?
{1}26{/}

Ver [Job_26,5-14]{/}

{I}1_{/}Job answered 
then:
{I}2_{/}What help have 
you given to the 
powerless,
what strength to the 
enfeebled arm?
{I}3_{/}What advice have 
you offered to the 
foolish,
and what great insight 
have you shown?
{I}4_{/}Who has inspired 
in you these words?
Whose spirit spoke from 
your mouth?
{I}5_{/}The shades of the 
deep are terrified,
the waters and their 
inhabitants tremble.
{I}6_{/}Sheol is naked 
before God;
destruction lies 
uncovered.
{I}7_{/}Over the void he 
spreads out the northern 
skies;
over emptiness he 
suspends the earth.
{I}8_{/}He wraps up the 
waters in his clouds,
yet the clouds do not 
burst their seams.
{I}9_{/}He covers the 
face of the moon
and spreads his clouds 
over it.
{I}10_{/}On the face of 
the waters he draws the 
horizon as a boundary 
between light and 
darkness.
{I}11_{/}The pillars of 
the heavens quake,
stunned at his thunderous 
rebuke.
{I}12_{/}By his power he 
stilled the sea;
by his wisdom he smote 
Rahab.
{I}13_{/}By his wind the 
skies were cleared;
his hand pierced the 
fleeing serpent.
{I}14_{/}These are but 
hints of his power;
a whisper is all that we 
hear of him.
But who can understand 
the thunder of his might?
{1}27{/}

{I}1_{/}Job continued his 
discourse:
{I}2_{/}As surely as God 
lives, who denies my 
right,
the Almighty, who has 
made me bitter,
{I}3_{/}as long as I have 
life within me
and God's breath in my 
nostrils,
{I}4_{/}my lips will not 
speak falsehood
nor my tongue utter 
deceit.
{I}5_{/}Never will I 
admit you are right,
nor deny my integrity 
till I die.
{I}6_{/}Never will I let 
go of my righteousness;
my conscience is not put 
to shame.
{I}7_{/}Let my enemy be 
as the wicked
and my adversary as the 
unrighteous.
{I}8_{/}For what hope has 
the godless
when God cuts him off,
when God takes away his 
life?
{I}9_{/}God will not 
listen to his call
when he is beset by 
trouble.
{I}10_{/}For he did not 
delight in the Almighty
or call upon him 
constantly.
{I}11_{/}See, I tell you 
the deeds of God
and do not conceal the 
ways of the Almighty.
{I}12_{/}You have 
witnessed this 
yourselves.
Why then these empty 
words?
Third discourse of Nahama
{I}13_{/}This is a wicked 
man's portion from God,
the heritage of an 
oppressor

which he receives from 
the Almighty.
{I}14_{/}Though his 
children be many,
the sword is their 
destiny.
His offspring will go 
hungry.
{I}15_{/}The plague will 
bury those who survive,
and their widows will not 
mourn for them.
{I}16_{/}He may heap up 
silver like dust
and pile up clothes like 
clay,
{I}17_{/}but what he 
stores, the just will 
wear,
and the innocent divide 
his silver.
{I}18_{/}He builds his 
house like a cobweb,
or like the hut a 
watchman makes.
{I}19_{/}Once more he 
lies down rich
and wakes to see his 
wealth all gone.
{I}20_{/}Terrors rush 
upon him by day;
at night a whirlwind 
carries him away.
{I}21_{/}The east wind 
lifts him up, and he 
disappears
as it sweeps him out of 
his place.
{I}22_{/}People strike at 
him without mercy
as he flees headlong from 
their hands.
{I}23_{/}They clap their 
hands in mockery
and hiss at him from 
where they are.
THE MINERS PRAISE THE 
WISDOM OF GOD{/}

{1}28{/}

{I}1_{/}There is a silver 
mine
and a place where gold is 
refined.
{I}2_{/}Iron is taken 
from earth
and copper is smelted 
from ore.
{I}3_{/}Man tries to 
conquer darkness,
piercing to the uttermost 
depths
in darkness for the 
gloomy stone.
{I}4_{/}Strange people 
cut a shaft
in places remote and long 
forgotten,
and there they labor, 
dangling and swaying.
{I}5_{/}The earth which 
produces food
is plowed up as if by 
fire.
{I}6_{/}Sapphires come 
from its rocks,
gold nuggets from its 
dust.
{I}7_{/}No bird of prey 
knows the hidden path,
no falcon's eye has seen 
it yet.
{I}8_{/}No proud beast 
has trodden it,
no prowling lion has 
passed over it.
{I}9_{/}Man attacks the 
flinty rocks,
upturns mountains by 
their roots.
{I}10_{/}Tunneling 
through earth's layers,
he sees all its 
treasures.
{I}11_{/}He searches the 
source of rivers,
and brings hidden things 
to light.
{I}12_{/}But where does 
wisdom come from?
Where does understanding 
dwell?
{I}13_{/}Man has known no 
way to wisdom;
it is not found in the 
land of the living.
{I}14_{/}The deep says, 
"It is not in me";
the sea says, "It is not 
with me."
{I}15_{/}It cannot be 
purchased with the finest 
gold,
nor can its price be 
weighed in silver.
{I}16_{/}It cannot be 
bought with the gold of 
Ophir,
nor with precious onyx or 
sapphire.
{I}17_{/}It is beyond 
comparison with gold or 
crystal;
its worth is unmatched by 
any golden vessel.
{I}18_{/}Not worth 
mentioning are coral and 
jasper;
the price of wisdom is 
above the biggest pearl.
{I}19_{/}The topaz of 
Cush cannot equal it;
it cannot be valued in 
pure gold.
{I}20_{/}Where then does 
wisdom come from?
Where does understanding 
dwell?
{I}21_{/}It is hidden 
from the eyes of all the 
living,
concealed from the birds 
in the sky.
{I}22_{/}Destruction and 
Death can only say,
"We have heard of it."
{I}23_{/}God alone knows 
the way to wisdom,
his eye enters its 
dwelling place.
{I}24_{/}When he looked 
to the ends of the earth,
and watched everything 
under the heavens,
{I}25_{/}when he gave the 
wind its force
and measured out the 
waters,
{I}26_{/}when he set a 
bound for the rain
and a way for the thunder 
and lightning,
{I}27_{/}then he looked 
at wisdom and appraised 
it;
he established it, 
knowing it in depth.
{I}28_{/}And to man he 
said:
The fear of the Lord is 
wisdom;
avoiding evil is 
understanding.
WHOEVER LISTENED TO ME, 
SPOKE WELL OF ME{/}

{1}29{/}

{I}1_{/}Job continued his 
discourse:
{I}2_{/}Oh, that I were 
in months gone by,
in the days when God 
watched over me,
{I}3_{/}when his light 
shone upon my head
and I walked with it 
through darkness.
{I}4_{/}Oh, that I were 
in my prime,
when God's friendship 
blessed my home,
{I}5_{/}when the Almighty 
was still with me
and my children were 
around me,
{I}6_{/}when milk bathed 
my footsteps
and olive oil flowed from 
the rock.
{I}7_{/}When I went to 
the city gate
and took up my seat in 
the square
{I}8_{/}the young men 
stepped aside
and the old men rose to 
their feet;
{I}9_{/}the chief men 
dared not speak
but laid their hands on 
their mouths;
{I}10_{/}the princes were 
silenced,
their tongues stuck to 
the palate.
{I}21_{/}They listened to 
me and waited in silence
for my counsel.
{I}22_{/}Once I spoke 
they said no more,
but drop by drop my words 
kept falling on them.
{I}23_{/}They waited for 
me as people wait for 
showers;
they drank in my words as 
spring rain.
{I}24_{/}If I smiled at 
them, they did not dare 
believe it;
not a glance of mine was 
lost.
{I}25_{/}I pointed out 
the way, as a leader
and took a king's place 
among the troops.
Wherever I led them, they 
went.
{I}11_{/}Whoever heard 
me, spoke well of me,
and those who saw me 
commended me,
{I}12_{/}for I rescued 
the poor who cried for 
help,
the fatherless and the 
unassisted.
{I}13_{/}I was blessed by 
the dying man;
I turned to peace the 
widow's pining.
{I}14_{/}I was wearing my 
honesty like a garment,
my integrity was my robe 
and turban.
{I}15_{/}I was eyes to 
the blind and feet to the 
lame,
{I}16_{/}father to the 
needy, the stranger's 
advocate.
{I}17_{/}I broke the jaws 
of the wicked,
and from his teeth forced 
out the prey.
{I}18_{/}I said to 
myself: "I will die old,
my days as many as the 
grains of sand.
{I}19_{/}My roots will 
reach to the water;
at night my branches will 
be wet with dew.
{I}20_{/}My glory will 
remain fresh,
the bow ever strong in my 
grip."
{1}30{/}

{I}1_{/}And now I am the 
laughing-stock
of people much younger
whose fathers I 
considered unfit
to put with the dogs of 
my flock.
{I}2_{/}Not even their 
arms were helpful to me 
for all their vigor had 
gone,
{I}3_{/}worn out by 
hunger and want.
They roamed the parched 
wasteland,
{I}4_{/}they gathered 
salt herbs from the 
brushwood,
their food was the roots 
of the broom plant.
{I}5_{/}They were 
banished by their 
fellowmen
who shouted at them as if 
they were thieves.
{I}6_{/}They were forced 
to seek a home in caves,
among the ravines and 
rock crevices.
{I}7_{/}They brayed among 
the bushes
and huddled in the 
underbrush.
{I}8_{/}They were driven 
from the land
for being base and 
senseless men.
{I}9_{/}And now their 
sons sing of my disgrace;
I have become a byword 
among them.
{I}10_{/}They do not 
hesitate to spit before 
me;
they abhor me and keep 
their distance.
{I}11_{/}Seeing that God 
has unstrung my bow,
they have cast off 
restraint in my presence.
{I}12_{/}On my right the 
rabble rise,
build siege ramps and lay 
snares.
{I}13_{/}They attack, 
with none to restrain 
them.
{I}14_{/}They advance, as 
through a wide breach;
they come in waves amid 
the uproar.
{I}15_{/}Terror grips me;
my dignity is blown by 
the wind
my safety has vanished 
like a passing cloud.
{I}16_{/}And now my soul 
is poured out
because of my days of 
grief and suffering.
{I}17_{/}At night gnawing 
pain pierces my bones.
My veins have no rest.
{I}18_{/}With power God 
has caught my garment,
binding me about as the 
collar of my coat;
{I}19_{/}throwing me into 
the mire,
where I am now like dust.
{I}20_{/}I cry to you, O 
God, but there's no 
answer;
I stand but you merely 
look on.
{I}21_{/}You have become 
cruel to me, you pursue 
me
mercilessly with your 
strong hand.
{I}22_{/}You lift me up 
and make me ride
till the storm tosses and 
throws me down like rain.
{I}23_{/}I know you will 
bring me down to death,
the destiny of all the 
living.
{I}24_{/}I did not raise 
my hand against the poor
when he cried for help in 
his disaster.
{I}25_{/}Have I not wept 
for those in trouble?
Has not my soul grieved 
for the poor?
{I}26_{/}But when I 
looked for good, I 
encountered evil;
when I waited for light, 
darkness came.
{I}27_{/}My heart in 
turmoil is never at 
peace,
for days of distress have 
come upon me...
{I}28_{/}I go about 
darkened, but not by the 
sun;
if I rise in council, it 
is to voice my grief.
{I}29_{/}I have become a 
brother of jackals,
a companion of owls.
{I}30_{/}My skin blackens 
and peels;
my bones burn with fever.
{I}31_{/}My harp is tuned 
to laments,
and my flute to sounds of 
weeping.
HAVE I EATEN MY FOOD 
ALONE?{/}

{1}31{/}

{I}1_{/}I have made a 
covenant with my eyes
not even to gaze at a 
virgin.
{I}2_{/}For what is man's 
lot from God on high,
his heritage from the 
Almighty above?
{I}3_{/}Is it not ruin 
for the wicked,
disaster for the 
wrongdoer?
{I}4_{/}Does he not see 
my ways
and number all my steps?
{I}5_{/}Have I walked in 
falsehood?
Have my feet hastened 
towards deceit?
{I}6_{/}Let me be weighed 
in honest scales,
that God may know I am 
guiltless.
{I}7_{/}If my steps have 
turned from the way
and my heart's desire has 
gone astray,
if my hands have been 
stained,
{I}8_{/}then may others 
eat what I have sown,
or may my crops be 
stricken down.
{I}9_{/}If I have been 
enticed by a woman,
if I have lurked at my 
neighbor's door,
{I}10_{/}then may my wife 
grind for another,
and may other men sleep 
with her.
{I}11_{/}(For that is 
enough to make one 
ashamed,
a crime that should be 
utterly condemned.)
{I}12_{/}For it is a fire 
that burns to 
destruction;
it would have consumed 
all my possessions.
{I}13_{/}If I have denied 
justice to my servants
when they had a grievance 
against me,
{I}14_{/}what would I do 
when confronted by God?
What would I answer when 
called to account?
{I}15_{/}No less than I, 
they too were formed in 
the womb
by the same God who 
formed us all within our 
mothers.
{I}16_{/}Have I denied 
anything to the poor,
or allowed the widow's 
eyes to languish?
{I}17_{/}Have I eaten my 
food alone,
not sharing it with the 
fatherless?
{I}18_{/}No! since youth 
I have fostered him,
and from my mother's 
womb, I have guided the 
widow.
{I}19_{/}Have I seen a 
man cold and shivering,
destitute, in need of 
clothing,
{I}20_{/}who did not 
bless me from his heart
for giving him the warmth 
of my fleece?
{I}21_{/}If I have raised 
my hand against the 
orphan,
trusting in my power and 
influence,
{I}22_{/}then let my 
shoulder fall from its 
socket,
let my arm be broken at 
the joint.
{I}23_{/}For I feared 
God-sent calamity,
and how could I stand in 
his presence?
{I}24_{/}If I have put my 
trust in gold
or have sought my 
security from it,
{I}25_{/}if I have 
gloated over my wealth,
my fortune and 
accomplishments,
{I}26_{/}if I have 
regarded the sun in its 
radiance
or the moon in its 
splendor,
{I}27_{/}and having been 
enticed offered them
a kiss of my hand in 
homage,
{I}28_{/}then these also 
would be sins to judge
for I would have been 
unfaithful to God.
{I}29_{/}Have I rejoiced 
at my enemy's misfortune
or gloated over disaster 
that came his way?
{I}30_{/}I have not even 
allowed my mouth to sin
by invoking a curse 
against him.
{I}31_{/}Those of my 
household used to say,
"Who has not been fed 
with Job's meat?"
{I}32_{/}No sojourner 
ever spent the night in 
the street,
for my door was always 
open to wayfarers.

Ver [Job_31,38-40]{/}

{I}33_{/}Have I, out of 
human weakness,
hidden my sins and 
concealed guilt in my 
heart,
{I}34_{/}keeping silent 
by myself,
because I feared the 
crowd and their contempt?
{I}35_{/}Oh, that I had 
someone to hear me!
Let the Almighty answer! 
This is my plea.
Let my accuser write his 
indictment
{I}36_{/}and I will wear 
it on my shoulder,
or bind it round my head 
like a turban.
{I}37_{/}I would give him 
an account of my every 
step,
and go as boldly as a 
prince to meet him.
This is the end of the 
words of Job.
{I}38_{/}If my land has 
cried against me
and its furrows wept
{I}39_{/}because I have 
eaten its fruits unjustly
after getting rid of its 
owners,
{I}40_{/}let thorns grow 
instead of wheat
and weeds in the place of 
barley.
SECOND PART: ELIHU 
INTERVENES{/}

{1}32{/}

{I}1_{/}The three men 
made no further reply to 
Job, because in their 
opinion, he was 
guiltless. {I}2_{/}But 
Elihu, son of Barachel 
the Buzite, of the family 
of Ram, became angry with 
Job for justifying 
himself before God. 
{I}3_{/}He was also angry 
with the three friends 
for their failure to 
refute Job, because they 
had allowed God to be 
condemned. 
{I}4_{/}Because they were 
older than he, Elihu had 
bided his time; 
{I}5_{/}but when the 
three gave up the 
argument, his anger burst 
out. {I}6_{/}Thus Elihu, 
son of Barachel the 
Buzite, spoke:
I am young and you are 
quite old;
therefore I was timid and 
afraid
and dared not tell you of 
what I know.
{I}7_{/}"Age should 
speak," I thought;
"advanced years should 
teach wisdom."
{I}8_{/}But it is the 
spirit in man,
the breath of the 
Almighty,
that makes him 
understand.
{I}9_{/}It is not the old 
alone who are wise,
nor the aged who 
understand what is right.
{I}10_{/}Therefore I 
said: "Listen,
let me also show my 
knowledge.
{I}11_{/}I waited for you 
to speak,
listening for your 
reasons,
as you searched for 
words.
{I}12_{/}I gave you my 
full attention
but none of you has 
proved Job wrong,
none has refuted his 
arguments.
{I}13_{/}Stop saying, "We 
have met wisdom;
God has instructed us, 
not man."
{I}14_{/}I will not 
resume your argument
or answer Job with your 
reasoning.
{I}15_{/}They keep quiet 
for they are dismayed
and have nothing more to 
say.
{I}16_{/}Must I wait, now 
that they are silent,
making no effort to 
reply?
{I}17_{/}I, too, will 
show my knowledge.
{I}18_{/}For I am full of 
words
and prodded on by the 
spirit.
{I}19_{/}I am like 
bottled-up wine,
or a wineskin bursting 
with wine.
{I}20_{/}I have to speak 
to find relief,
open my lips and make 
reply.
{I}21_{/}I will be 
partial to no one
and will not flatter any 
man.
{I}22_{/}For if I were 
skilled in flattery,
my Maker would soon do 
away with me.
HAVE YOU HEARD GOD'S 
WARNING?{/}

{1}33{/}

{I}1_{/}So now, O Job, 
hear my discourse,
listen to everything I 
say.
{I}2_{/}My words are on 
the tip of my tongue,
{I}3_{/}words from an 
upright heart,
words full of knowledge 
and sincerity.
{I}4_{/}The Spirit of God 
has made me;
the breath of the 
Almighty keeps me alive.
{I}5_{/}Answer me if you 
can;
draw up your arguments 
and take your stand.
{I}6_{/}Like yourself, I 
too have been taken
by God from the same 
clay.
{I}7_{/}Thus no fear of 
me need alarm you,
nor should my presence 
lie heavy on you.
{I}8_{/}But I heard what 
you said,
none of your words 
escaped my hearing:
{I}9_{/}"I am clean and 
without sin;
I am innocent, guiltless.
{I}10_{/}Yet God has 
found fault with me
and considers me his 
enemy;
{I}11_{/}he shackles my 
feet,
keeps watch of all my 
paths."
{I}12_{/}I tell you, you 
are wrong in this,
for greater than man is 
God.
{I}13_{/}Why then do you 
complain
that he will answer none 
of your words?
{I}14_{/}See God gives a 
warning

but does not repeat it a 
second time.
{I}15_{/}In a dream, in a 
night vision,
when deep sleep falls on 
men,
while they slumber in 
their beds,
{I}16_{/}it is then he 
opens the ears of men
and gives warning by 
terrifying them.
{I}17_{/}So he turns man 
from wrongdoing
and keeps him away from 
pride,
{I}18_{/}God preserves 
his soul from the pit,
his life from perishing 
by the sword.
{I}19_{/}Man is also 
chastened on his bed by 
pain
and constant distress 
upon his frame,
{I}20_{/}so that he finds 
food repulsive,
even the choicest meal 
loathsome.
{I}21_{/}His flesh wastes 
away to naught;
his bones, once unseen, 
now protrude.
{I}22_{/}His soul draws 
near to the pit,
and his life to the place 
of death.
{I}23_{/}Yet if there is 
an angel by his side -
a mediator, one in a 
thousand -
to show him what is right 
for man,
to give him justice once 
again,
{I}24_{/}God will have 
mercy on him and say,
"Deliver him from going 
down to the pit;
I have found for him a 
ransom."
{I}25_{/}Then his flesh 
will be renewed as a 
child's,
restored as in the days 
of his youth.
{I}26_{/}He will pray and 
find favor with God;
he will see God's face 
and rejoice.
{I}27_{/}He will witness 
to men and say,
"I sinned and perverted 
what was right,
but I was not punished as 
I deserved.
{I}28_{/}He rescued my 
soul from going down into 
the pit, and gave me life 
to enjoy the light."
{I}29_{/}God does all 
this to man -
twice, even thrice -
{I}30_{/}to turn him back 
from the pit,
to lead him with the 
light of life.
{I}31_{/}Pay attention, 
Job, listen to me;
be silent, and I will 
continue to speak.
{I}32_{/}But if you have 
anything to say, say it 
then;
speak up, for I wish to 
see you justified.
{I}33_{/}If not, then do 
listen;
be silent as I teach you 
wisdom.
{1}34{/}

{I}1_{/}Elihu continued 
speaking:
{I}2_{/}Hear my words, 
you wise men;
listen to me, you who 
know.
{I}3_{/}The ear tests the 
word,
as the palate tastes the 
food.
{I}4_{/}Let us discern 
what is right,
learn between us what is 
good.
{I}5_{/}Job has said, "I 
am innocent,
but God denies me justice
{I}6_{/}and disregards my 
right.
Though guiltless, my 
wound is hopeless."
{I}7_{/}What man is like 
Job,
who drinks in blasphemies 
like water?
{I}8_{/}He keeps company 
with evildoers
and follows the path of 
wicked men.
{I}9_{/}For has he not 
said, "It does not profit 
a man
if he tries to please 
God?"
{I}10_{/}So hear me, you 
men of understanding,
far be it from God to do 
evil,
far from the Almighty to 
do wrong!
{I}11_{/}Rather, he 
repays man for what he 
has done;
he gives him what his 
conduct deserves.
{I}12_{/}How unthinkable 
that God would do wrong,
that the Almighty would 
pervert justice!
{I}13_{/}Who gave him 
charge over the earth?
Who else laid out the 
whole world?
{I}14_{/}If he were to 
take back his spirit,
to withdraw his breath to 
himself,
{I}15_{/}all flesh would 
perish together
and man would return to 
dust.
{I}16_{/}If you have any 
intelligence,
listen, Job, hear what I 
say.
{I}17_{/}Can an enemy of 
justice govern?
Or do you condemn him who 
is mighty and just,
{I}18_{/}who says to 
kings, "You are 
worthless,"
and to nobles, "You are 
wicked,"
{I}19_{/}who is impartial 
to princes
and favors not the rich 
over the poor,
for they are all his 
handiwork?
{I}20_{/}They die in a 
moment, even at midnight;
people are shaken and 
pass away.
Without effort he removes 
a tyrant.
{I}21_{/}His eyes are 
upon the ways of men,
and he sees their every 
step.
{I}22_{/}For him there is 
no dense darkness
where evildoers can hide.
{I}23_{/}He forewarns no 
man of his time
to come before God in 
judgment.
{I}24_{/}He shatters the 
mighty without inquiry,
and sets in his place 
another strongman.
{I}25_{/}Because he knows 
their evil deeds,
he turns at night and 
crushes them.
{I}26_{/}He punishes them 
for their wickedness
in a judgment that men 
witness.
{I}27_{/}For they had 
turned away from him,
heeded none of his ways,
{I}28_{/}and oppressed 
the poor so much
that their cries of 
suffering reached him.
{I}29_{/}If he remains 
silent, who stirs him up?
If he hides his face, who 
can see him?
Yet he watches man and 
nation alike,
{I}30_{/}and restrains 
those who mislead the 
people.
{I}31_{/}If a wicked man 
says to God,
"I was misguided but will 
offend no more.
{I}32_{/}Teach me what I 
do not see;
if I have done wrong, I 
will do so no more."
{I}33_{/}In such a case, 
do you think God will 
punish?
Speak, you who reject his 
decisions
and think you know more 
than I do;
tell us what you know.
{I}34_{/}Men of 
understanding,
wise men who hear my 
views will say to me:
{I}35_{/}"Job speaks 
without knowledge;
his words are without 
insight.
{I}36_{/}Let Job be tried 
to the utmost
for answering as wicked 
men do!
{I}37_{/}To his sin he 
adds rebellion
by scornfully brushing 
off our arguments
and multiplying his words 
against God."
IT IS BECAUSE THEY DID 
NOT CALL ON GOD{/}

{1}35{/}

{I}1_{/}Elihu continued 
and said:
{I}2_{/}Do you presume 
you are right
and innocent before God,
{I}3_{/}when you say, 
"What is it to you,
am I doing you harm with 
my sins?"
{I}4_{/}I will answer you 
and your friends as well.
{I}5_{/}Look up to the 
sky and see,
gaze at the clouds above.
{I}6_{/}If you sin, what 
is that for God?
Do your many offenses 
hurt him?
{I}7_{/}If you are just, 
what do you give him?
or what does he receive 
from your hand?
{I}8_{/}It's a man like 
yourself that your sin 
touches,
a son of man that your 
justice affects.
{I}9_{/}Men cry out when 
greatly oppressed;
they plead for relief 
under the tyrant's reign.
{I}10_{/}But no one says, 
"Where is God, my Maker,
whose songs of jubilation 
are heard in the night,
{I}11_{/}who teaches us 
through the beasts of the 
earth,
who makes us wise through 
the birds of the air?"
{I}12_{/}This is why he 
does not answer when they 
cry out:
because of man's 
arrogance.
{I}13_{/}In vain! God 
does not listen,
the Almighty takes no 
heed of it.
{I}14_{/}How much less 
then will he listen
when you say you do not 
see him and wait,
for your case is before 
him!
{I}15_{/}And you say that 
though he is angry
he does not know how to 
punish
for he has taken no 
notice of wickedness.
{I}16_{/}So Job opens his 
mouth in empty talk,
without knowledge he 
multiplies words.
GOD TESTS MAN TO CORRECT 
HIM{/}

{1}36{/}

{I}1_{/}Elihu proceeded 
further:
{I}2_{/}Bear with me a 
little and I will 
explain,
for I have more to say on 
God's behalf.
{I}3_{/}I will spread my 
knowledge afar
to do justice to my 
Maker.
{I}4_{/}Be assured that 
my words are not false,
for you have before you 
an enlightened man.
{I}5_{/}God is mighty 
indeed
but he does not despise 
the pure of heart.
{I}6_{/}He cuts off the 
power of the sinner
and restores the right of 
the oppressed,
{I}7_{/}he does not 
forsake their claim.
He sets kings on their 
thrones
and makes them firm 
forever.
But if they raise 
themselves in pride,
{I}8_{/}he has them bound 
with fetters
and held fast by bonds of 
affliction.
{I}9_{/}Then he tells 
them what they have done,
all their sins and 
arrogance.
{I}10_{/}He opens their 
ears to correction
and exhorts them to 
repentance.
{I}11_{/}If they obey and 
serve him,
they spend their days in 
prosperity
and their years in 
contentment.
{I}12_{/}But if they do 
not listen, they go to 
the grave:
knowledge would have 
saved them.
{I}13_{/}These hypocrites 
harbor resentment:
they do not pray for help 
in their bonds,
{I}14_{/}therefore they 
die in their youth
and perish among the 
reprobate.
{I}15_{/}God saves the 
wretched through their 
suffering,
God instructs the 
unfortunate.
{I}16_{/}In like manner, 
he brings you from 
distress
to a free and broad 
space,
to a table filled with 
rich food.
{I}17_{/}Then you will 
judge the wicked;
justice and judgment will 
be yours.
{I}18_{/}Take care lest 
you be seduced by 
generosity;
do not yield to 
arrogance, bribery and 
corruption.
{I}19_{/}Your wealth and 
all your mighty efforts
will not bail you out of 
distress.
{I}20_{/}Do not long for 
the coming of night
to drag people away from 
their homes.
{I}21_{/}Beware of 
turning to iniquity;
because of it you have 
been tried by affliction.
A HYMN TO GOD'S 
GREATNESS{/}

{I}22_{/}God is exalted 
in his power.
What teacher is there 
like him?
{I}23_{/}Who has 
prescribed his ways for 
him,
or said to him that he 
has done wrong?
{I}24_{/}Remember to 
extol his work,
of which many men have 
sung.
{I}25_{/}All mankind has 
seen it;
men gaze on it from afar.
{I}26_{/}God is great 
beyond our understanding;
the number of his years 
is past reckoning.
{I}27_{/}He holds in 
check the waterdrops
which distill from the 
mist as rain,
{I}28_{/}then the clouds 
pour them down
and drop them upon the 
earth as showers.
{I}31_{/}This is the way 
he nourishes the land
that provides food in 
abundance.
{I}29_{/}Who can 
understand how he spreads 
the clouds,
how he thunders from his 
pavilion?
{I}30_{/}He unfurls his 
mists
and covers the expanse of 
the sea.
{I}32_{/}With both hands 
he lifts up lightning
and commands it to strike 
the target.
{I}33_{/}His thunder 
warns the shepherd
and the flock senses the 
tempest.
{1}37{/}

{I}1_{/}This is why my 
heart pounds
and leaps from its place.
{I}2_{/}Listen to the 
thunder of his voice
as it comes rumbling from 
his mouth.
{I}3_{/}Under the 
heavens, he hurls his 
lightning,
sending it to the ends of 
the earth.
{I}4_{/}Then comes the 
sound of God's roar-
the majestic peal of his 
thunder.
He does not check his 
thunderbolts
until his voice has fully 
resounded.
{I}5_{/}God thunders and 
his voice works marvels;
he does great things we 
cannot perceive.
{I}6_{/}He says to the 
snow, "Fall on the 
earth";
and to the rainshower, 
"Be a strong downpour."
{I}7_{/}So he keeps 
people under cover
to let them acknowledge 
his work.
{I}8_{/}Wild beasts go 
back into their lairs
and remain quietly in 
their dens.
{I}9_{/}The storm comes 
out from its chamber,
and the cold from the 
driving winds.
{I}10_{/}The breath of 
God forms ice,
and the broad waters 
become frozen.
{I}11_{/}With 
thunderbolts he loads the 
clouds,
and through them scatters 
his lightning.
{I}12_{/}At his direction 
they do their rounds,
upon the face of the 
habitable world.
{I}13_{/}He commands 
nature to punish men,
to water his land or to 
show his mercy.
{I}14_{/}Listen to this, 
O Job:
pause and consider God's 
marvels.
{I}15_{/}Do you know how 
he controls the clouds,
how he makes his 
lightning flash?
{I}16_{/}Do you know how 
the clouds hang poised,
all these wonders wrought 
by his perfect knowledge?
{I}17_{/}You who swelter 
in your clothes
when the earth lies still 
under the south wind,
{I}18_{/}can you, like 
him, spread out the 
skies,
hard as a mirror of 
molten bronze?
{I}19_{/}Teach us then 
what we shall say to him;
we cannot draw up our 
case because of darkness.
{I}20_{/}Does it take an 
angel
to bring this to God's 
attention?
{I}21_{/}A while ago we 
could not see the light
and the clouds darkened 
the sky,
but the storm has just 
cast them out.
{I}22_{/}A blaze comes 
from the north,
a dreadful glory around 
God.
{I}23_{/}The Almighty is 
beyond our reach;
exalted in power, great 
in judgment;
the Master of justice 
oppresses no one.
{I}24_{/}Therefore, 
people revere him;
wise men are nothing in 
his sight.
YAHWEH ANSWERS JOB{/}

{1}38{/}

{I}1_{/}Then Yahweh 
answered Job out of the 
storm:
{I}2_{/}Who is this that 
obscures divine plans
with ignorant words?
{I}3_{/}Gird up your 
loins like a man;
I will question you and 
you must answer.
{I}4_{/}Where were you 
when I founded the earth?
Answer, and show me your 
knowledge.
{I}5_{/}Do you know who 
determined its size,
who stretched out its 
measuring line?
{I}6_{/}On what were its 
bases set?
Who laid its cornerstone,
{I}7_{/}while the morning 
stars sang together
and the sons of God 
shouted for joy?
{I}8_{/}Who shut the sea 
behind closed doors
when it burst forth from 
the womb,
{I}9_{/}when I made the 
clouds its garment
and thick darkness its 
swaddling clothes;
{I}10_{/}when I set its 
limits
with doors and bars in 
place,
{I}11_{/}when I said, 
"You will not go beyond 
these bounds;
here is where your proud 
waves must halt?"
{I}12_{/}Have you ever 
commanded the morning,
or shown the dawn its 
place,
{I}13{/}that it might 
grasp the earth by its 
edges
and shake the wicked out 
of it,
{I}14_{/}when it takes a 
clay color
and changes its tint like 
a garment;
{I}15_{/}when the wicked 
are denied their own 
light,
and their proud arm is 
shattered?
{I}16_{/}Have you 
journeyed to where the 
sea begins
or walked in its deepest 
recesses?
{I}17_{/}Have the gates 
of death been shown to 
you?
Have you seen the gates 
of Shadow?
{I}18_{/}Have you an idea 
of the breadth of the 
earth?
Tell me, if you know all 
this.
{I}19_{/}Where is the way 
to the home of light,
and where does darkness 
dwell?
{I}20_{/}Can you take 
them to their own 
regions,
and set them on their 
homeward paths?
{I}21_{/}You know, for 
you were born before 
them,
and great is the number 
of your years!
{I}22_{/}Have you entered 
the storehouse of the 
snow
or seen the storehouse of 
the hail,
{I}23_{/}which I reserve 
for times of woe,
for days of war and 
battle?
{I}24_{/}What is the way 
to the place
where lightning is 
dispersed,
or the place whence the 
east wind
begins spreading over the 
earth?
{I}25_{/}Who has cut a 
channel for the torrents 
of rain,
and a path for the 
thunderstorm,
{I}26_{/}to bring rain to 
no-man's-land
and to the unpeopled 
wilderness,
{I}27_{/}to enrich the 
wasted and desolate 
ground,
to make the desert bloom 
with green?
{I}28_{/}Does the rain 
have a father?
Who fathers the drops of 
dew?
{I}29_{/}From whose womb 
comes the ice,
and who gives birth to 
the frost from the skies,
{I}30_{/}when the waters 
lie as hard as stone,
when the surface of the 
deep is frozen?
{I}31_{/}Can you bind the 
chains of the Pleiades,
or loosen the bonds of 
Orion?
{I}32_{/}Can you guide 
the morning star in its 
season,

or lead the Bear with its 
train?
{I}33_{/}Do you know the 
laws of the heavens,
and can you establish 
their rule on earth?
{I}34_{/}Can you raise 
your voice to the clouds
and order their waters to 
pour down?
{I}35_{/}Will lightnings 
flash at your command
and report to you, "Here 
we are?"
{I}36_{/}Who has given 
the ibis foresight
or endowed the cock with 
foreknowledge?
{I}37_{/}Who has the 
wisdom to count the 
clouds?
Who tilts the water jars 
of heaven
{I}38_{/}so that the dust 
cakes into a mass
and clods of earth stick 
together?
{I}39_{/}Can you hunt the 
woods to appease
the hunger of the lioness 
and her whelps,
{I}40_{/}as they crouch 
in their dens
or lie in wait in the 
thicket?
{I}41_{/}Who provides 
prey for the raven
when its young cry out to 
God
and roam about desperate 
for food?
{1}39{/}

{I}1_{/}Do you know how 
mountain goats breed?
Have you observed the 
hinds in labor,
{I}2_{/}numbered the 
months they must fulfill,
and fixed the time they 
must give birth?
{I}3_{/}Have you watched 
them end their labor
as they crouch and drop 
their young,
{I}4_{/}how they wait for 
them to grow,
until they leave never to 
return?
{I}5_{/}Who has given the 
wild ass his freedom,
and loosed the bonds of 
the wild donkey?
{I}6_{/}I have given him 
the desert for a home,
the salt plains for a 
shelter.
{I}7_{/}For he scorns the 
city's tumult,
and is free of the 
driver's shout and 
insult;
{I}8_{/}he prefers the 
hills for his pasture,
ranging for food in the 
rich verdure.
{I}9_{/}Is the wild ox 
willing to serve you,
to pass the night by your 
manger?
{I}10_{/}Can you make him 
work with a plow or 
harrow
if you provide him with 
the proper gear?
{I}11_{/}Can you rely on 
his great strength
and leave him to do your 
heavy work?
{I}12_{/}Can you depend 
on him to come home 
alone,
carrying your grain to 
your threshing floor?
{I}13_{/}Can the wing of 
the ostrich be compared
with the plumage of the 
stork or falcon?
{I}14_{/}She lays her 
eggs on the ground
and lets them warm in the 
sand,
{I}15_{/}not knowing that 
a foot may step on them
or some wild beast may 
crush them.
{I}16_{/}Cruel to her 
chicks as if they were 
not hers,
she cares not that her 
labor be in vain,
{I}17_{/}for God has 
given her no wisdom
nor a share of good 
sense.
{I}18_{/}Yet in the 
swiftness of foot,
she makes sport of horse 
and rider.
{I}19_{/}Is it you who 
give the horse strength
and clothe his neck with 
splendor,
{I}20_{/}who make him 
leap like a grasshopper
and his proud snorting 
strike terror?
{I}21_{/}Rejoicing in his 
strength, he fiercely 
paws
and charges into the 
fray,
{I}22_{/}afraid of 
nothing, laughing at 
fear,
not shying away from the 
sword.
{I}23_{/}Against his side 
rattles the quiver,
along with the lance and 
flashing spear.
{I}24_{/}In frenzied 
excitement he eats up the 
ground;
there is no holding him 
when the trumpets sound.
{I}25_{/}He cries 
"Hurrah!" at each trumpet 
blast.
He catches the scent of 
battle from afar,
the shout of commanders 
and the battle cry.
{I}26_{/}Is it by your 
wisdom that the hawk 
takes flight
and spreads his wings 
toward the south?
{I}27_{/}Is it at your 
command that eagles fly
and build their nests on 
high?
{I}28_{/}They dwell on 
cliffs and spend the 
night;
their stronghold is the 
rocky crag.
{I}29_{/}From there they 
look out for food,
which they detect even 
from afar.
{I}30_{/}They and their 
young feast on blood,
and where the slain lie, 
there they are.
{1}40{/}

{I}1_{/}Yahweh said to 
Job:
{I}2_{/}Must a 
faultfinder contend with 
the Almighty?
Let him who would correct 
God answer.
{I}3_{/}Job said:
{I}4_{/}How can I reply, 
unworthy as I am!
All I can do is put my 
hand over my mouth.
{I}5_{/}I have spoken 
once, now I will not 
answer;
oh, yes, twice, but I 
will do no further.
Yahweh's discourse 
continues
{I}6_{/}Then Yahweh 
addressed Job out of the 
storm:
{I}7_{/}Gird up your 
loins like a man;
I will question you, and 
you must answer.
{I}8_{/}Would you deny my 
right
and condemn me that you 
may be justified?
{I}9_{/}Have you an arm 
like that of God,
and can you thunder with 
a voice like this?
{I}10_{/}Then adorn 
yourself with glory and 
splendor,
array yourself with 
grandeur and majesty.
{I}11_{/}Unleash the fury 
of your wrath;
{I}12_{/}look for every 
proud man and abase him;
crush the wicked where 
they stand.
{I}13_{/}Bury them all in 
the dust,
lock them in the dungeon.
{I}14_{/}If you can do 
this, I myself will 
praise you,
admittting that your 
right hand can save you.
{I}15_{/}Just think about 
Behemoth,
who feeds on grass like 
the ox.
{I}16_{/}What strength he 
has in his loins,
what power in the muscles 
of his belly!
{I}17_{/}Like a cedar his 
tail sways,
the sinews of his thighs 
are like cables.
{I}18_{/}His bones like 
tubes of bronze,
his limbs like iron rods.
{I}19_{/}He is first 
among the works of God,
created to dominate his 
companions.
{I}20_{/}The mountains 
give him their produce,
as do all the wild beasts 
who play there.
{I}21_{/}Under the lotus 
trees he lies,
hidden among the reeds of 
the marsh.
{I}22_{/}The lotus trees 
cover him with their 
shade;
the poplar trees on the 
bank surround him.
{I}23{/}He is not alarmed 
though the river rages 
and torrents surge 
against his mouth.
{I}24_{/}Who can capture 
him by the eyes,
or trap him and pierce 
his nose?
{I}25_{/}Can you pull in 
Leviathan with a hook,
or curb his tongue with a 
bit?
{I}26_{/}Can you put a 
ring through his nose
or pierce his jaw with a 
hook?
{I}27_{/}Will he keep 
begging you for mercy,
or speak to you with 
tender words?
{I}28_{/}Will you make 
him your slave forever?
{I}29_{/}Will you make a 
pet of him like a bird,
or put him on a leash for 
your maids?
{I}30_{/}Will traders 
bargain for him?
Will merchants sell him 
retail?
{I}31_{/}Can you fill his 
hide with harpoons
or his head with fish 
spears?
{I}32_{/}Just try and lay 
a hand on him -
you will not forget the 
struggle,
and you will never do it 
again!
{1}41{/}

{I}1_{/}Any hope of 
subduing him is vain, for 
the mere sight of him is 
overpowering.
{I}2_{/}He grows so 
ferocious when aroused
that no one dares face 
him.
{I}3_{/}Who has attacked 
him and come off 
unharmed?
No one under the sky.
{I}4_{/}I need hardly 
mention his limbs, nor
describe his matchless 
strength.
{I}5_{/}Who can strip off 
his outer garment
and penetrate his double 
breastplate?
{I}6_{/}Who can dare open 
the gates of his mouth
to confront the terrors 
of his rows of teeth?
{I}7_{/}Rows of scales 
are on his back -
rows of shields that are 
tightly sealed.
{I}8_{/}So closely fitted 
are they
that no space intervenes;
{I}9_{/}so closely joined
that they hold fast and 
cannot be parted.
{I}10_{/}Light flashes 
forth when he sneezes;
like the light of dawn 
are his eyes.
{I}11_{/}Flaming torches 
and sparks of fire flash 
from his mouth
{I}12_{/}Smoke comes from 
his nostrils,
like hot steam from a 
boiling pot.
{I}13_{/}His mere breath 
sets coals afire,
with the flame pouring 
from his mouth.
{I}14_{/}Strength is in 
his neck,
and terror dances before 
him.
{I}15_{/}Tightly set are 
the folds of his flesh,
firmly cast and 
immovable.
{I}16_{/}His heart is 
hard as stone,
as hard as the lower 
millstone.
{I}17_{/}When he rises 
up, the mighty are 
terrified,
the waves of the sea fall 
back.
{I}18_{/}Should the sword 
reach him, it will not 
pierce him,
nor will the spear, the 
dart, or the javelin.
{I}19_{/}Iron is to him 
no more than straw;
and bronze, no more than 
rotten wood.
{I}20_{/}Arrows will not 
put him to flight;
slingstones will be as 
wisps of hay.
{I}21_{/}Clubs are as 
splinters to him;
he laughs at the whirring 
javelin.
{I}22_{/}His belly is as 
sharp as pottery sherds;
he moves across the mire 
like a harrow.
{I}23_{/}He churns the 
depths into a seething 
caldron;
he makes the sea fume 
like a burner.
{I}24_{/}Behind him he 
leaves a white gleaming 
wake,
making the deep appear a 
hoary head of age.
{I}25_{/}He has no equal 
on earth:
such a horrible creature 
he was made!
{I}26_{/}He makes all, 
however lofty, afraid;
he is king over all the 
sons of pride.
{1}42{/}

{I}1_{/}This was the 
answer{I}_{/}Job gave to 
Yahweh:
{I}2_{/}I know that you 
are all powerful;
no plan of yours can be 
thwarted.
{I}3b_{/}I spoke of 
things I did not 
understand,
too wonderful for me to 
know.
{I}5_{/}My ears had heard 
of you,
but now my eyes have seen 
you.
{I}6_{/}Therefore I 
retract all I have said,
and in dust and ashes I 
repent.
THE END OF JOB'S POEM{/}

{I}7_{/}After Yahweh had 
spoken to Job, he turned 
to Eliphaz the Temanite, 
"I am angry with you and 
your two friends because 
you have not spoken of me 
rightly, as has my 
servant Job. {I}8_{/}Now, 
take seven bulls and 
seven rams, go to my 
servant Job, offer a 
holocaust for yourselves 
and let him pray for you. 
I will accept his prayer 
and excuse your folly in 
not speaking of me 
properly as my servant 
Job has done."
{I}9_{/}Then Eliphaz the 
Temanite, Bildad the 
Shuhite, and Zophar the 
Naamathite went and did 
as Yahweh had ordered. 
Yahweh accepted Job's 
intercession.
HERE ENDS THE TRADITIONAL 
STORY OF JOB{/}

{I}10_{/}After Job had 
prayed for his friends, 
Yahweh restored his 
fortunes, giving him 
twice as much as he had 
before. {I}11_{/}All his 
brothers and sisters and 
his former friends came 
to his house and dined 
with him. They showed him 
sympathy and comforted 
him for all the evil that 
Yahweh had brought to 
him. Each of them gave 
him a silver coin and a 
gold ring.
{I}12_{/}Yahweh blessed 
Job's latter days much 
more than his earlier 
ones. He came to own 
fourteen thousand sheep, 
six thousand camels, a 
thousand yoke of oxen, 
and a thousand she-
donkeys. {I}13_{/}He was 
also blessed with seven 
sons and three daughters. 
{I}14_{/}The first 
daughter he named Dove, 
the second Cinnamon, and 
the third Bottle of 
Perfume. {I}15_{/}Nowhere 
in the land was there 
found any woman who could 
compare in beauty with 
Job's daughters. Their 
father granted them an 
inheritance along with 
their brothers.
{I}16_{/}Job lived a 
hundred and forty years; 
he saw his children and 
their children to the 
fourth generation. 
{I}17_{/}He died old and 
full of years.

