Study Desk

"^[a](a)I loathe my own life; I will give full vent to ^(b)my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.

"I will say to God, ‘^(c)Do not condemn me; Let me know why You contend with me.

‘Is it ^[b]right for You indeed to ^(d)oppress, To reject ^(e)the labor of Your hands, And ^[c]to look favorably on ^(f)the schemes of the wicked?

‘Have You eyes of flesh? Or do You ^(g)see as a man sees?

‘Are Your days as the days of a mortal, Or ^(h)Your years as man's years,

That ⁽ⁱ⁾You should seek for my guilt And search after my sin?

‘According to Your knowledge ^(j)I am indeed not guilty, Yet there is ^(k)no deliverance from Your hand.

‘^(l)Your hands fashioned and made me ^[d]altogether, ^(m)And would You destroy me?

‘Remember now, that You have made me as ⁽ⁿ⁾clay; And would You ^(o)turn me into dust again?

‘Did You not pour me out like milk And curdle me like cheese;

Clothe me with skin and flesh, And knit me together with bones and sinews?

‘You have ^(p)granted me life and lovingkindness; And Your care has preserved my spirit.

‘Yet ^(q)these things You have concealed in Your heart; I know that this is within You:

If I sin, then You would ^(r)take note of me, And ^(s)would not acquit me of my guilt.

‘If ^(t)I am wicked, woe to me! And ^(u)if I am righteous, I dare not lift up my head. I am sated with disgrace and ^[e]conscious of my misery.

‘Should my head be lifted up, ^(v)You would hunt me like a lion; And again You would show Your ^(w)power against me.

‘You renew ^(x)Your witnesses against me And increase Your anger toward me; ^[f](y)Hardship after hardship is with me.

‘^(z)Why then have You brought me out of the womb? Would that I had died and no eye had seen me!

‘I should have been as though I had not been, Carried from womb to tomb.'

"Would He not let ^(aa)my few days alone? ^[g](ab)Withdraw from me that I may have a little cheer

Before I go—^(ac)and I shall not return— ^(ad)To the land of darkness and ^(ae)deep shadow,

The land of utter gloom as darkness itself, Of deep shadow without order, And which shines as the darkness."

Then Zophar the Naamathite ^[a]answered,

"Shall a multitude of words go unanswered, And a ^(a)talkative man be acquitted?

"Shall your boasts silence men? And shall you ^(b)scoff and none rebuke?

"For ^(c)you have said, ‘My teaching is pure, And ^(d)I am innocent in your eyes.'

"But would that God might speak, And open His lips against you,

And show you the secrets of wisdom! For sound wisdom ^[b](e)has two sides. Know then that God ^[c]forgets a part of ^(f)your iniquity.

"^(g)Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?

"They are ^(h)high as ^[d]the heavens, what can you do? Deeper than ^[e](i)Sheol, what can you know?

"Its measure is longer than the earth And broader than the sea.

"If He passes by or shuts up, Or calls an assembly, ^(j)who can restrain Him?

"For ^(k)He knows false men, And He ^(l)sees iniquity ^[f]without investigating.

"^[g](m)An idiot will become intelligent When the ^[h]foal of a ⁽ⁿ⁾wild donkey is born a man.

"^(o)If you would ^(p)direct your heart right And ^(q)spread out your hand to Him,

If iniquity is in your hand, ^(r)put it far away, And do not let wickedness dwell in your tents;

"Then, indeed, you could ^(s)lift up your face without moral defect, And you would be steadfast and ^(t)not fear.

"For you would ^(u)forget your trouble, As ^(v)waters that have passed by, you would remember it.

"Your ^[i]life would be ^[j](w)brighter than noonday; Darkness would be like the morning.

"Then you would trust, because there is hope; And you would look around and rest securely.

"You would ^(x)lie down and none would disturb you, And many would ^(y)entreat your ^[k]favor.

"But the ^(z)eyes of the wicked will fail, And ^[l]there will ^(aa)be no escape for them; And their ^(ab)hope is ^[m](ac)to breathe their last."

Then Job ^[a]responded,

"Truly then ^(a)you are the people, And with you wisdom will die!

"But ^(b)I have intelligence as well as you; I am not inferior to you. And ^[b]who does not know such things as these?

"I am a ^(c)joke to ^[c]my friends, The one who called on God and He answered him; The just and ^(d)blameless man is a joke.

"^[d]He who is at ease holds calamity in contempt, As prepared for those whose feet slip.

"The ^(e)tents of the destroyers prosper, And those who provoke God ^(f)are secure, ^[e]Whom God brings ^(g)into their power.

"But now ask the beasts, and let them teach you; And the birds of the heavens, and let them tell you.

"Or speak to the earth, and let it teach you; And let the fish of the sea declare to you.

"Who among all these does not know That ^(h)the hand of the Lord has done this,

⁽ⁱ⁾In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And ^(j)the breath of all mankind?

"Does not ^(k)the ear test words, As the palate ^[f]tastes its food?

"Wisdom is with ^(l)aged men, With ^[g]long life is understanding.

"With Him are ^(m)wisdom and ⁽ⁿ⁾might; To Him belong counsel and ^(o)understanding.

"Behold, He ^(p)tears down, and it cannot be rebuilt; He ^[h](q)imprisons a man, and ^[i]there can be no release.

"Behold, He ^(r)restrains the waters, and they dry up; And He ^(s)sends them out, and they ^[j]inundate the earth.

"With Him are strength and sound wisdom, The ^(t)misled and the misleader belong to Him.

"He makes ^(u)counselors walk ^[k]barefoot And makes fools of ^(v)judges.

"He ^(w)loosens the ^[l]bond of kings And binds their loins with a girdle.

"He makes priests walk ^[m]barefoot And overthrows ^(x)the secure ones.

"He deprives the trusted ones of speech And ^(y)takes away the discernment of the elders.

"He ^(z)pours contempt on nobles And ^(aa)loosens the belt of the strong.

"He ^(ab)reveals mysteries from the darkness And brings the deep darkness into light.

"He ^(ac)makes the nations great, then destroys them; He ^[n]enlarges the nations, then leads them away.

"He ^(ad)deprives of intelligence the chiefs of the earth's people And makes them wander in a pathless waste.

"They ^(ae)grope in darkness with no light, And He makes them ^(af)stagger like a drunken man.

"^(a)Behold, my eye has seen all this, My ear has heard and understood it.

"^(b)What you know I also know; I am not inferior to you.

"But ^(c)I would speak to ^[a]the Almighty, And I desire to ^(d)argue with God.

"But you ^(e)smear with lies; You are all ^(f)worthless physicians.

"O that you would ^(g)be completely silent, And that it would become your wisdom!

"Please hear my argument And listen to the contentions of my lips.

"Will you ^(h)speak what is unjust for God, And speak what is deceitful for Him?

"Will you ⁽ⁱ⁾show partiality for Him? Will you contend for God?

"Will it be well when He examines you? Or ^(j)will you deceive Him as one deceives a man?

"He will surely reprove you If you secretly ^(k)show partiality.

"Will not ^(l)His ^[b]majesty terrify you, And the dread of Him fall on you?

"Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes, Your defenses are defenses of clay.

"^(m)Be silent before me so that I may speak; Then let come on me what may.

"Why should I take my flesh in my teeth And ⁽ⁿ⁾put my life in my ^[c]hands?

"^(o)Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. Nevertheless I ^(p)will argue my ways ^[d]before Him.

"This also will be my ^(q)salvation, For ^(r)a godless man may not come before His presence.

"Listen carefully to my speech, And let my declaration fill your ears.

"Behold now, I have ^(s)prepared my case; I know that ^(t)I will be vindicated.

"^(u)Who will contend with me? For then I would be silent and ^(v)die.

"Only two things do not do to me, Then I will not hide from Your face:

^(w)Remove Your ^[e]hand from me, And let not the dread of You terrify me.

"Then call, and ^(x)I will answer; Or let me speak, then reply to me.

"^(y)How many are my iniquities and sins? Make known to me my ^[f]rebellion and my sin.

"Why do You ^(z)hide Your face And consider me ^(aa)Your enemy?

"Will You cause a ^(ab)driven leaf to tremble? Or will You pursue the dry ^(ac)chaff?

"For You write ^(ad)bitter things against me And ^(ae)make me to inherit the iniquities of my youth.

"You ^(af)put my feet in the stocks And watch all my paths; You ^[g]set a limit for the soles of my feet,

While ^[h]I am decaying like a ^(ag)rotten thing, Like a garment that is moth-eaten.