Lectionary Calendar
Thursday, July 10th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Read the Bible

Bible in Basic English

Job 42:4

Give ear to me, and I will say what is in my mind; I will put questions to you, and you will give me the answers.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - God;   Humility;   Job;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Job;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Providence;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Job, the Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Prayer;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Demand;   Job, Book of;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
You said, “Listen now, and I will speak.When I question you, you will inform me.”
Hebrew Names Version
You said, 'Listen, now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you will answer me.'
King James Version
Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
English Standard Version
‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.'
New Century Version
You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak. I will ask you questions, and you must answer me.'
New English Translation
You said, ‘Pay attention, and I will speak; I will question you, and you will answer me.'
Amplified Bible
'Hear, please, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct [and answer] me.'
New American Standard Bible
'Please listen, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.'
World English Bible
You said, 'Listen, now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you will answer me.'
Geneva Bible (1587)
Heare, I beseech thee, and I will speake: I will demaunde of thee, & declare thou vnto me.
Legacy Standard Bible
‘Hear, now, and I will speak;I will ask You, and You make me know.'
Berean Standard Bible
You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak. I will question you, and you shall answer Me.'
Contemporary English Version
You told me to listen and answer your questions.
Complete Jewish Bible
"Please listen, and I will speak. [You said,] ‘I will ask questions; and you, give me answers' —
Darby Translation
Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and inform me.
Easy-to-Read Version
"You said to me, ‘Listen, and I will speak. I will ask you questions, and you will answer me.'
George Lamsa Translation
Hear me, I pray thee, and I will speak; I will ask thee, and declare thou to me;
Good News Translation
You told me to listen while you spoke and to try to answer your questions.
Lexham English Bible
‘Hear and I will speak; I will question you, then inform me.'
Literal Translation
I pray, Listen, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You will make me know.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
O herken thou vnto me also, and let me speake: answere me vnto the thinge that I will axe the.
American Standard Version
Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak; I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Hear, I beseech Thee, and I will speak; I will demand of Thee, and declare Thou unto me.
King James Version (1611)
Heare, I beseech thee, and I will speake: I will demand of thee, and declare thou vnto me.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
O hearken thou vnto me also, and let me speake: aunswere vnto the thing that I wyll aske thee.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
But hear me, O Lord, that I also may speak: and I will ask thee, and do thou teach me.
English Revised Version
Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak; I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Here thou, and Y schal speke; Y schal axe thee, and answere thou to me.
Update Bible Version
Hear, I urge you, and I will speak; I will demand of you, and declare you to me.
Webster's Bible Translation
Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will ask of thee, and declare thou to me.
New King James Version
Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, "I will question you, and you shall answer Me.'
New Living Translation
You said, ‘Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.'
New Life Bible
‘Hear now, and I will speak. I will ask you, and you answer Me.'
New Revised Standard
‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you declare to me.'
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Hear thou, I pray thee, and, I, will speak, I will ask thee, and inform thou me.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Hear, and I will speak: I will ask thee, and do thou tell me.
Revised Standard Version
'Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you declare to me.'
Young's Literal Translation
`Hear, I pray thee, and I -- I do speak, I ask thee, and cause thou me to know.'
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Praise Him with timbrel and dancing; Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe.

Contextual Overview

1 And Job said in answer to the Lord, 2 I see that you are able to do every thing, and to give effect to all your designs. 3 Who is this who makes dark the purpose of God by words without knowledge? For I have been talking without knowledge about wonders not to be searched out. 4 Give ear to me, and I will say what is in my mind; I will put questions to you, and you will give me the answers. 5 Word of you had come to my ears, but now my eye has seen you. 6 For this cause I give witness that what I said is false, and in sorrow I take my seat in the dust.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Hear: Genesis 18:27, Genesis 18:30-32

I will: Job 38:3, Job 40:7

Reciprocal: Ezekiel 18:25 - way

Cross-References

Genesis 3:22
And the Lord God said, Now the man has become like one of us, having knowledge of good and evil; and now if he puts out his hand and takes of the fruit of the tree of life, he will go on living for ever.
Genesis 11:4
And they said, Come, let us make a town, and a tower whose top will go up as high as heaven; and let us make a great name for ourselves, so that we may not be wanderers over the face of the earth.
Genesis 42:1
Now Jacob, hearing that there was grain in Egypt, said to his sons, Why are you looking at one another?
Genesis 42:2
And he said, I have had news that there is grain in Egypt: go down there and get grain for us, so that life and not death may be ours.
Genesis 42:16
Send one of your number to get your brother, and the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are true; if not, by the life of Pharaoh, your purpose is certainly secret.
Genesis 42:19
If you are true men, let one of you be kept in prison, while you go and take grain for the needs of your families;
Genesis 42:20
And come back to me with your youngest brother, so that your words may be seen to be true, and you will not be put to death. This is what you are to do.
Genesis 42:22
And Reuben said to them, Did I not say to you, Do the child no wrong? but you gave no attention; so now, punishment has come on us for his blood.
Genesis 42:27
Now at their night's resting-place one of them, opening his bag to give his ass some food, saw his money in the mouth of the bag.
Genesis 42:34
And come back to me with your youngest brother: then I will be certain that you are true men, and I will give your brother back to you and let you do trade in the land.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak,.... Not in the manner he had before, complaining of God and justifying himself, but in a way of humble entreaty of favours of him, of confession of sin before him, and of acknowledgment of his wisdom, goodness, and justice in all his dealings with him, which before he arraigned;

I will demand of thee; or rather "I will make petition to thee", as Mr. Broughton renders it; humbly ask a favour, and entreat a gracious answer; for to demand is not so agreeable to the frame and temper of soul Job was now in;

and declare thou unto me; or make him know what he knew not; he now in ignorance applies to God, as a God of knowledge, to inform him in things he was in the dark about, and to increase what knowledge he had. He was now willing to take the advice of Elihu, and pursue it,

Job 34:31.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak - This is the language of humble, docile submission. On former occasions he had spoken confidently and boldly of God; he had called in question the equity of his dealings with him; he had demanded that he might be permitted to carry his cause before him, and argue it there himself; Notes, Job 13:3, and notes Job 13:20-22. Now he is wholly changed. His is the submissive language of a docile child, and he begs to be permitted to sit down before God, and humbly to inquire of him what was truth. “This is true religion.”

I will demand of thee - Or rather, “I will ask of thee.” The word “demand” implies more than there is of necessity in the original word (שׁאל shâ'al). That means simply “to ask,” and it may be done with the deepest humility and desire of instruction. That was now the temper of Job.

And declare thou unto me - Job was not now disposed to debate the matter, or to enter into a controversy with God. He was willing to sit down and receive instruction from God, and earnestly desired that he would “teach” him of his ways. It should be added, that very respectable critics suppose that in this verse Job designs to make confession of the impropriety of his language on former occasions, in the presumptuous and irreverent manner in which he had demanded a trial of argument with God. It would then require to be rendered as a quotation from his own words formerly.

“I have indeed uttered what I understood not,

Things too wonderful for me, which I know not,

(When I said) Hear now, I will speak,

I will demand of thee, and do thou teach me”

This is adopted by Umbreit, and has much in its favor that is plausible; but on the whole the usual interpretation seems to be most simple and proper.


 
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