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Job Says His Friends' Proverbs Are Ashes

¹ Job continued: "^(C1)Behold, my eye has seen all this,
My ear has heard and understood it.

² "^(C1)What you know I also know;
I am not inferior to you.

³ "But ^(C1)I wish to speak to ^(F1)the Almighty,
And I desire to ^(C2)argue with God.

⁴ "But you ^(C1)smear me with lies you defame my character most untruthfully;
You are all ^(C2)worthless physicians and have no remedy to offer.

⁵ "Oh, that you would ^(C1)be completely silent,
And that silence would be your wisdom!

⁶ "Please hear my argument
And listen to the pleadings of my lips.

⁷ "Will you ^(C1)speak what is unjust for God,
And speak what is deceitful for Him?

⁸ "Will you ^(C1)show partiality for Him and be unjust to me so that you may gain favor with Him?
Will you contend and plead for God?

⁹ "Will it be well for you when He investigates you and your tactics against me?
Or will you deceive Him as ^(C1)one deceives a man?

¹⁰ "He will surely reprimand you
If you secretly ^(C1)show partiality.

¹¹ "Will not ^(C1)His majesty terrify you,
And will not the dread of Him fall upon you?

¹² "Your memorable sayings are worthless, merely proverbs of ashes;
Your defenses are defenses of crumbling clay.

Job Is Sure He Will Be Vindicated

¹³ "^(C1)Be silent before me so that I may speak;
And let happen to me what may.

¹⁴ "Why should I take my flesh in my teeth
And ^(C1)put my life in my hands incurring the wrath of God?

¹⁵ "^(C1)Even though He kills me;
I will hope in Him.
Nevertheless, I ^(C2)will argue my ways to His face.

¹⁶ "This also will be my ^(C1)salvation,
For ^(C2)a godless man may not come before Him.

¹⁷ "Listen diligently to my speech,
And let my declaration fill your ears.

¹⁸ "Behold now, I have ^(C1)prepared my case;
I know that ^(C2)I will be vindicated.

¹⁹ "^(C1)Who will argue and contend with me?
For then I would be silent and ^(C2)die.

²⁰ "Only O Lord, do not do two things to me,
And then I will not hide myself from Your face:

^21 (C1)Withdraw Your hand from me and remove this bodily suffering,
And let not the dread of You terrify me.

²² "Then Lord, call, and ^(C1)I will answer;
Or let me speak, and then reply to me.

²³ "^(C1)How many are my iniquities and sins that so much sorrow should come to me?
Make me recognize and understand my transgression and my sin. ^(VR1)

²⁴ "Why do You ^(C1)hide Your face as if offended
And consider me ^(C2)Your enemy?

²⁵ "Will You cause a windblown leaf ^(C1)to tremble?
Will You pursue the ^(C2)chaff of the dry stubble?

²⁶ "For You write ^(C1)bitter things against me in Your indictment
And ^(C2)make me inherit and suffer for the iniquities of my youth.

²⁷ "You also ^(C1)put my feet in the stocks as punishment
And critically observe all my paths;
You set a circle and limit around the soles of my feet which I must not overstep,

²⁸ While I waste away like a ^(C1)rotten thing,
Like a garment that is moth-eaten.