Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, August 27th, 2025
the Week of Proper 16 / Ordinary 21
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Job 21:2

"Listen to what I say. Let this be your way of comforting me.

Bible Study Resources

Dictionaries:

- Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Greatness of God;   Hypocrisy;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Job, the Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Wealth;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Hid;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for January 25;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Pay close attention to my words;let this be the consolation you offer.
Hebrew Names Version
"Listen diligently to my speech. Let this be your consolation.
King James Version
Hear diligently my speech, and let this be your consolations.
English Standard Version
"Keep listening to my words, and let this be your comfort.
New Century Version
"Listen carefully to my words, and let this be the way you comfort me.
New English Translation
"Listen carefully to my words; let this be the consolation you offer me.
Amplified Bible
"Listen carefully to my speech, And let this be the consolation.
New American Standard Bible
"Listen carefully to my speech, And let this be your way of consolation.
World English Bible
"Listen diligently to my speech. Let this be your consolation.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Heare diligently my wordes, and this shalbe in stead of your consolations.
Legacy Standard Bible
"Listen carefully to my speech,And let this be your way of consolation.
Berean Standard Bible
"Listen carefully to my words; let this be your consolation to me.
Contemporary English Version
If you want to offer comfort, then listen to me.
Complete Jewish Bible
"Listen carefully to my words; let this be the comfort you give me.
Darby Translation
Hear attentively my speech, and let this replace your consolations.
George Lamsa Translation
Listen diligently to my speech, and let this be your consolation.
Lexham English Bible
"Listen carefully to my words, and let this be your consolation.
Literal Translation
Listen carefully to my speech, and let this be your comfort.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
O heare my wordes, and amende yor selues.
American Standard Version
Hear diligently my speech; And let this be your consolations.
Bible in Basic English
Give attention with care to my words; and let this be your comfort.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Hear diligently my speech; and let this be your consolations.
King James Version (1611)
Heare diligently my speech, and let this be your consolations.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
O heare diligently my wordes, and that shalbe in steede of your consolations,
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Hear ye, hear ye my words, that I may not have this consolation from you.
English Revised Version
Hear diligently my speech; and let this be your consolations.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Y preye, here ye my wordis, and do ye penaunce.
Update Bible Version
Hear diligently my speech; And let this be your consolations.
Webster's Bible Translation
Hear diligently my speech, and let this be your consolations.
New King James Version
"Listen carefully to my speech, And let this be your consolation.
New Living Translation
"Listen closely to what I am saying. That's one consolation you can give me.
New Life Bible
"Be careful to listen to my words. Let this be the comfort you give me.
New Revised Standard
"Listen carefully to my words, and let this be your consolation.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Hear ye patiently my words, and let this be your consolation:
Douay-Rheims Bible
Hear, I beseech you, my words, and do penance.
Revised Standard Version
"Listen carefully to my words, and let this be your consolation.
Young's Literal Translation
Hear ye diligently my word, And this is your consolation.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Listen carefully to my speech, And let this be your way of consolation.

Contextual Overview

1 Then Job answered: 2 "Listen to what I say. Let this be your way of comforting me. 3 Be patient while I speak. Then after I have finished speaking, you may make fun of me. 4 "My complaint is not against people. There is a good reason why I am not patient. 5 Look at me and be shocked. Put your hand over your mouth, and stare at me in shock! 6 When I think about what happened to me, I feel afraid and my body shakes!

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Hear: Job 13:3, Job 13:4, Job 18:2, Job 33:1, Job 33:31-33, Job 34:2, Judges 9:7, Isaiah 55:2, Hebrews 2:1

let this be: Job 15:11, Job 16:2

Reciprocal: Job 10:1 - I will leave Job 13:5 - General Job 13:6 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 17:19
God said, "No, I said that your wife Sarah will have a son. You will name him Isaac. I will make my agreement with him that will continue forever with all his descendants.
Genesis 17:21
But I will make my agreement with Isaac, the son who Sarah will have. He will be born at this same time next year."
Genesis 18:10
Then one of them said, "I will come again in the spring. At that time your wife Sarah will have a son." Sarah was listening in the tent and heard these things.
Genesis 18:14
But is anything too hard for the Lord ? I will come again in the spring, just as I said I would, and your wife Sarah will have a son."
Genesis 21:16
Then she walked a short distance away and sat down. She thought her son would die because there was no water. She did not want to watch him die. She sat there and began to cry.
Genesis 21:17
God heard the boy crying, and God's angel called to Hagar from heaven. He said, "What is wrong, Hagar? Don't be afraid! God has heard the boy crying there.
Genesis 21:24
And Abraham said, "I promise to treat you the same way you have treated me."
Genesis 21:25
Then Abraham complained to Abimelech because Abimelech's servants had captured a well of water.
Luke 1:36
And here's something else: Your relative Elizabeth is pregnant. She is very old, but she is going to have a son. Everyone thought she could not have a baby, but she has been pregnant now for six months.
Acts 7:8
"God made an agreement with Abraham; the sign for this agreement was circumcision. And so when Abraham had a son, he circumcised him when he was eight days old. His son's name was Isaac. Isaac also circumcised his son Jacob. And Jacob did the same for his sons, who became the twelve great ancestors of our people.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Hear diligently my speech,.... The following oration or discourse he was about to deliver concerning the prosperity of wicked men; to which he desires their closest attention, that they might the better understand the force of his reasoning, the evidences and proof of fasts he should give; whereby, if their minds were open to conviction, they would clearly see their mistake, and that truth lay on his side:

and let this be your consolations; or "this shall be your consolations" k; meaning, either that they would receive instruction and benefit by his discourse, which would yield them pleasure and comfort; and to an ingenuous mind, to be convinced of an error, to have mistakes rectified, and to get knowledge of the truth, it is a real satisfaction, and affords pleasure; or else, that whereas their end in paying him a visit was to comfort him, and they had taken methods, as they thought, in order to it, but in Job's opinion to very little purpose, yea, they were, as he says, miserable comforters; now he observes, that if they would but be silent, and attentively listen to what he had to say, that would be in the room of all comforts they could give unto him; it would be a consolation to him, and be reckoned by him, instead of all they could give, or could propose to him, if he might have but this favour, to be heard with candour, diligence, and attention.

k ותהי זאת "et hoc erit consolationes vestrae", Beza, Mercerus; so Jarchi; "idque pro consolatione vobis", Tigurine version; "pro consolationibus vestris", Schultens.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Hear diligently - Hebrew “Hearing hear” - that is, hear attentively. What he was about to say was worthy of their solemn consideration.

And let this be your consolations - That is, “You came to me for the professed purpose of giving “me” consolation. In that you have wholly failed. You have done nothing to sustain or comfort me; but all that you have said has only tended to exasperate me, and to increase my sorrow. If you will now hear me attentively, I will take that as a consolation, and it shall be in the place of what I had a right to expect from you. It will be “some” comfort if I am permitted to express my sentiments without interruption, and I will accept it as a proof of kindness on your part.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 21:2. Let this be your consolations. — ותהי זאת תנחומתיכם uthehi zoth tanchumotheychem may be translated, "And let this be your retractations." Let what I am about to say induce you to retract what you have said, and to recall your false judgments.

נחם nacham signifies, not only to comfort, but to change one's mind, to repent; hence the Vulgate translates et agite paenitentiam, "and repent," which Coverdale follows in his version, and amende yourselves. Some suppose the verse to be understood ironically: I am now about to give you consolations for those you have given me. When I have done, then turn them into mockery if you please.


 
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