Study Desk

Because his face is covered with fat, and his body has become thick;

Truly, those who make sport of me are round about me, and my eyes become dark because of their bitter laughing.

My eyes have become dark because of my pain, and all my body is wasted to a shade.

The upright are surprised at this, and he who has done no wrong is troubled because of the evil-doers.

But come back, now, come: you who are wounding yourself in your passion, will the earth be given up because of you, or a rock be moved out of its place?

If you say, How cruel we will be to him! because the root of sin is clearly in him:

Because he has been cruel to the poor, turning away from them in their trouble; because he has taken a house by force which he did not put up;

Is it because you give him honour that he is sending punishment on you and is judging you?

Men make signs of joy because of him, driving him from his place with sounds of hissing.

For the fear of God kept me back, and because of his power I might not do such things.

If I was glad because my wealth was great, and because my hand had got together a great store;

So these three men gave no more answers to Job, because he seemed to himself to be right.

And Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was angry, burning with wrath against Job, because he seemed to himself more right than God;

And he was angry with his three friends, because they had been unable to give him an answer, and had not made Job's sin clear.

Now Elihu had kept quiet while Job was talking, because they were older than he;

Because they did not go after him, and took no note of his ways,

May Job be tested to the end, because his answers have been like those of evil men.

Because the hand of the cruel is hard on them, men are making sounds of grief; they are crying out for help because of the arm of the strong.

There they are crying out because of the pride of the evil-doers, but he gives them no answer.

You, whose clothing is warm, when the earth is quiet because of the south wind,