Study Desk

Then Job ^[a]answered,

"^(a)Oh that my grief were actually weighed And laid in the balances together with my calamity!

"For then it would be ^(b)heavier than the sand of the seas; Therefore my words have been rash.

"For the ^(c)arrows of the Almighty are within me, ^[b]Their ^(d)poison my spirit drinks; The ^(e)terrors of God are arrayed against me.

"Does the ^(f)wild donkey bray over his grass, Or does the ox low over his fodder?

"Can something tasteless be eaten without salt, Or is there any taste in the ^[c]white of an egg?

"My soul ^(g)refuses to touch them; They are like loathsome food to me.

"Oh that my request might come to pass, And that God would grant my longing!

"Would that God were ^(h)willing to crush me, That He would loose His hand and cut me off!

"But it is still my consolation, And I rejoice in unsparing pain, That I ⁽ⁱ⁾have not ^[d]denied the words of the Holy One.

"What is my strength, that I should wait? And what is my end, that I should ^[e](j)endure?

"Is my strength the strength of stones, Or is my flesh bronze?

"Is it that my ^(k)help is not within me, And that ^[f](l)deliverance is driven from me?

"For the ^(m)despairing man there should be kindness from his friend; So that he does not ⁽ⁿ⁾forsake the ^[g]fear of the Almighty.

"My brothers have acted ^(o)deceitfully like a ^[h]wadi, Like the torrents of ^[i]wadis which vanish,

Which are turbid because of ice And into which the snow ^[j]melts.

"When ^(p)they become waterless, they ^[k]are silent, When it is hot, they vanish from their place.

"The ^[l]paths of their course wind along, They go up into nothing and perish.

"The caravans of ^(q)Tema looked, The travelers of ^(r)Sheba hoped for them.

"They ^(s)were ^[m]disappointed for they had trusted, They came there and were confounded.

"Indeed, you have now become such, ^(t)You see a terror and are afraid.

"Have I said, ‘Give me something,' Or, ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth,'

Or, ‘Deliver me from the hand of the adversary,' Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of the tyrants'?

"Teach me, and ^(u)I will be silent; And show me how I have erred.

"How painful are honest words! But what does your argument prove?

"Do you intend to reprove my words, When the ^(v)words of one in despair belong to the wind?

"You would even ^(w)cast lots for ^(x)the orphans And ^(y)barter over your friend.

"Now please look at me, And see if I ^(z)lie to your face.

"Desist now, let there be no injustice; Even desist, ^(aa)my righteousness is yet in it.

"Is there injustice on my tongue? Cannot ^(ab)my palate discern ^[n]calamities?

"^[a]Is not man ^(a)forced to labor on earth, And are not his days like the days of ^(b)a hired man?

"As a slave who pants for the shade, And as a hired man who eagerly waits for his wages,

So am I allotted months of vanity, And ^(c)nights of trouble are appointed me.

"When I ^(d)lie down I say, ‘When shall I arise?' But the night continues, And I am ^[b]continually tossing until dawn.

"My ^(e)flesh is clothed with worms and a crust of dirt, My skin hardens and runs.

"My days are ^(f)swifter than a weaver's shuttle, And come to an end ^(g)without hope.

"Remember that my life ^(h)is but breath; My eye will ⁽ⁱ⁾not again see good.

"The ^(j)eye of him who sees me will behold me no longer; Your eyes will be on me, but ^(k)I will not be.

"When a ^(l)cloud vanishes, it is gone, So ^(m)he who goes down to ⁽ⁿ⁾Sheol does not come up.

"He will not return again to his house, Nor will ^(o)his place know him anymore.

"Therefore ^(p)I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

"Am I the sea, or ^(q)the sea monster, That You set a guard over me?

"If I say, ‘^(r)My bed will comfort me, My couch will ^[c]ease my complaint,'

Then You frighten me with dreams And terrify me by visions;

So that my soul would choose suffocation, Death rather than my ^[d]pains.

"I ^[e](s)waste away; I will not live forever. Leave me alone, ^(t)for my days are but a breath.

"^(u)What is man that You magnify him, And that You ^[f]are concerned about him,

That ^(v)You examine him every morning And try him every moment?

"^[g](w)Will You never turn Your gaze away from me, Nor let me alone until I swallow my spittle?

"^(x)Have I sinned? What have I done to You, O ^(y)watcher of men? Why have You set me as Your target, So that I am a burden to myself?

"Why then ^(z)do You not pardon my transgression And take away my iniquity? For now I will ^(aa)lie down in the dust; And You will seek me, ^(ab)but I will not be."

Then Bildad the Shuhite ^[a]answered,

"How long will you say these things, And the ^(a)words of your mouth be a mighty wind?

"Does ^(b)God pervert justice? Or does ^[b]the Almighty pervert what is right?

"^(c)If your sons sinned against Him, Then He delivered them into the ^[c]power of their transgression.

"If you would ^(d)seek God And implore the compassion of ^[d]the Almighty,

If you are pure and upright, Surely now ^(e)He would rouse Himself for you And restore your righteous ^[e](f)estate.

"Though your beginning was insignificant, Yet your ^(g)end will increase greatly.

"Please ^(h)inquire of past generations, And consider the things searched out by their fathers.

"For we are only of yesterday and know nothing, Because ⁽ⁱ⁾our days on earth are as a shadow.

"Will they not teach you and tell you, And bring forth words from their minds?

"Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh? Can the rushes grow without water?

"While it is still green and not cut down, Yet it withers before any other ^[f]plant.

"So are the paths of ^(j)all who forget God; And the ^(k)hope of the godless will perish,

Whose confidence is fragile, And whose trust a ^(l)spider's ^[g]web.

"He ^[h]trusts in his ^(m)house, but it does not stand; He holds fast to it, but it does not endure.

"He ^[i](n)thrives before the sun, And his ^(o)shoots spread out over his garden.

"His roots wrap around a rock pile, He ^[j]grasps a house of stones.

"If he is ^[k]removed from ^(p)his place, Then it will deny him, saying, ‘^(q)I never saw you.'

"Behold, ^(r)this is the joy of His way; And out of the dust others will spring.

"Lo, ^(s)God will not reject a man of integrity, Nor ^(t)will He ^[l]support the evildoers.

"He will yet fill ^(u)your mouth with laughter And your lips with shouting.

"Those who hate you will be ^(v)clothed with shame, And the ^(w)tent of the wicked will be no longer."

Then Job ^[a]answered,

"In truth I know that this is so; But how can a ^(a)man be in the right ^[b]before God?

"If one wished to ^(b)dispute with Him, He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.

"^(c)Wise in heart and ^(d)mighty in strength, Who has ^[c](e)defied Him ^[d]without harm?

"^(f)It is God who removes the mountains, they know not how, When He overturns them in His anger;

Who ^(g)shakes the earth out of its place, And its ^(h)pillars tremble;

Who commands the ⁽ⁱ⁾sun ^[e]not to shine, And sets a seal upon the stars;

Who alone ^(j)stretches out the heavens And ^[f](k)tramples down the waves of the sea;

Who makes the ^(l)Bear, Orion and the Pleiades, And the ^(m)chambers of the south;

Who ⁽ⁿ⁾does great things, ^[g]unfathomable, And wondrous works without number.

"Were He to pass by me, ^(o)I would not see Him; Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him.

"Were He to snatch away, who could ^(p)restrain Him? Who could say to Him, ‘^(q)What are You doing?'

"God will not turn back His anger; Beneath Him crouch the helpers of ^(r)Rahab.

"How then can ^(s)I ^[h]answer Him, And choose my words ^[i]before Him?

"For ^(t)though I were right, I could not ^[j]answer; I would have to ^(u)implore the mercy of my judge.

"If I called and He answered me, I could not believe that He was listening to my voice.

"For He ^(v)bruises me with a tempest And multiplies my wounds without cause.

"He will ^(w)not allow me to get my breath, But saturates me with ^(x)bitterness.

"If it is a matter of power, ^(y)behold, He is the strong one! And if it is a matter of justice, who can summon ^[k]Him?

"^(z)Though I am righteous, my mouth will ^(aa)condemn me; Though I am guiltless, He will declare me guilty.

"I am ^(ab)guiltless; I do not take notice of myself; I ^(ac)despise my life.

"It is all one; therefore I say, ‘He ^(ad)destroys the guiltless and the wicked.'

"If the scourge kills suddenly, He ^(ae)mocks the despair of the innocent.

"The earth ^(af)is given into the hand of the wicked; He ^(ag)covers the faces of its judges. If it is not He, then who is it?

"Now ^(ah)my days are swifter than a runner; They flee away, ^(ai)they see no good.

"They slip by like ^(aj)reed boats, Like an ^(ak)eagle that swoops on ^[l]its prey.

"Though I say, ‘I will forget ^(al)my complaint, I will leave off my sad countenance and be cheerful,'

I am ^(am)afraid of all my pains, I know that ^(an)You will not acquit me.

"I am accounted ^(ao)wicked, Why then should I toil in vain?

"If I should ^(ap)wash myself with snow And cleanse ^(aq)my hands with lye,

Yet You would plunge me into the pit, And my own clothes would abhor me.

"For ^(ar)He is not a man as I am that ^(as)I may answer Him, That we may go to ^[m]court together.

"There is no ^(at)umpire between us, Who may lay his hand upon us both.

"Let Him ^(au)remove His rod from me, And let not dread of Him terrify me.

"Then I ^(av)would speak and not fear Him; But I am not like that in myself.