Study Desk

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.

"^[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.