Study Desk

Then Zophar the Naamathite responded,

"Shall a multitude of words go unanswered, And a ^(C1)talkative man be acquitted?

-"Shall your boasts silence people? And will you ^(C1)scoff, and no one rebuke?

-"For ^(C1)you have said, 'My teaching is pure, And ^(C2)I am innocent in your eyes.'

-"But if only God would speak, And open His lips against you,

And show you the secrets of wisdom! For sound wisdom ^(F1)(C1)has two sides. Know then that God ^(F2)forgets part of ^(C2)your guilt.

"^(C1)Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?

-"They are as ^(C1)high as ^(F1)the heavens; what can you do? Deeper than ^(F2)(C2)Sheol; what can you know?

-"Its measurement is longer than the earth And broader than the sea.

-"If He passes by or apprehends people, Or calls an assembly, ^(C1)who can restrain Him?

-"For ^(C1)He knows false people, And He ^(C2)sees injustice ^(F1)without investigating.

-"^(F1)(C1)An idiot will become intelligent When a ^(C2)wild donkey is born a human.

"^(C1)If you would ^(C2)direct your heart rightly And ^(C3)spread out your hands to Him,

If wrongdoing is in your hand, ^(C1)put it far away, And do not let malice dwell in your tents;

Then, indeed, you could ^(C1)lift up your face without moral blemish, And you would be firmly established and ^(C2)not fear.

-"For you would ^(C1)forget your trouble; Like ^(C2)waters that have passed by, you would remember it.

-"Your ^(F1)life would ^(F2)be ^(C1)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 ^(C1)lie down and none would disturb you, And many would ^(F1)(C2)flatter you.

-"But the ^(C1)eyes of the wicked will fail, And ^(F1)there will ^(C2)be no escape for them; And their ^(C3)hope is ^(F2)(C4)to breathe their last."

Then Job responded,

"Truly then ^(C1)you are the people, And with you wisdom will die!

-"But ^(C1)I have intelligence as well as you; I am not inferior to you. And ^(F1)who does not know such things as these?

-"I am a ^(C1)joke to ^(F1)my friends, The one who called on God and He answered him; The just and ^(C2)blameless man is a joke.

-"^(F1)He who is at ease holds disaster in contempt, As prepared for those whose feet slip.

-"The ^(C1)tents of the destroyers prosper, And those who provoke God ^(C2)are secure, ^(F1)Whom God brings ^(C3)into their power.

"But just ask the animals, and have them teach you; And the birds of the sky, and have them tell you.

-"Or speak to the earth, and have it teach you; And have the fish of the sea tell you.

-"Who among all these does not know That ^(C1)the hand of the LORD has done this,

^(C1)In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And ^(C2)the breath of all mankind?

-"Does ^(C1)the ear not put words to the test, As the palate ^(F1)tastes its food?

-"Wisdom is with the ^(C1)aged, And with ^(F1)long life comes understanding.

"^(C1)Wisdom and ^(C1)might are with Him; Advice and ^(C2)understanding belong to Him.

-"Behold, He ^(C1)tears down, and it cannot be rebuilt; He ^(F1)(C2)imprisons a person, and ^(F2)there is no release.

-"Behold, He ^(C1)restrains the waters, and they dry up; And He ^(C2)sends them out, and they ^(F1)inundate the earth.

-"Strength and sound wisdom are with Him. One who ^(C1)goes astray and one who leads astray belong to Him.

-"He makes ^(C1)advisers walk ^(F1)barefoot And makes fools of ^(C2)judges.

-"He ^(C1)undoes the binding of kings, And ties a loincloth around their waist.

-"He makes priests walk ^(F1)barefoot, And overthrows ^(C1)the secure ones.

-"He deprives the trusted ones of speech, And ^(C1)takes away the discernment of the elders.

-"He ^(C1)pours contempt on nobles, And ^(C2)loosens the belt of the strong.

-"He ^(C1)reveals mysteries from the darkness, And brings the deep darkness into light.

-"He ^(C1)makes the nations great, then destroys them; He ^(F1)enlarges the nations, then leads them away.

-"He ^(C1)deprives the leaders of the earth's people of ^(F1)intelligence And makes them wander in a pathless wasteland.

-"They ^(C1)grope in darkness with no light, And He makes them ^(C2)stagger like a drunken person.

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

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

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

-"But you ^(C1)smear me with lies; You are all ^(C2)worthless physicians.

-"Oh that you would ^(C1)be completely silent, And that it would become your wisdom!

-"Please hear my argument, And give your attention to the contentions of my lips.

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

-"Will you ^(C1)show partiality for Him? Will you contend for God?

-"Will it go well when He examines you? Or ^(C1)will you deceive Him as one deceives a man?

-"He will certainly punish you If you secretly ^(C1)show partiality.

-"Will ^(C1)His ^(F1)majesty not terrify you, And the dread of Him fall upon you?

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

"^(C1)Be silent before me so that I may speak; Then let come upon me what may.

-"Why should I take my flesh in my teeth, And ^(C1)put my life in my ^(F1)hands?

-"^(C1)Though He slay me, I will ^(F1)hope in Him. Nevertheless I ^(C2)will argue my ways ^(F2)before Him.

-"This also will be my ^(C1)salvation, For ^(C2)a godless person cannot come before His presence.

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

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

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

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

^(C1)Remove Your ^(F1)hand from me, And may the dread of You not terrify me.

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

-"^(C1)How many are my guilty deeds and sins? Make known to me my wrongdoing and my sin.

-"Why do You ^(C1)hide Your face And consider me ^(C2)Your enemy?

-"Will You scare away a ^(C1)scattered leaf? Or will You pursue the dry ^(C2)chaff?

-"For You write ^(C1)bitter things against me And ^(C2)make me inherit the guilty deeds of my youth.

-"You ^(C1)put my feet in the stocks And watch all my paths; You ^(F1)set a limit for the soles of my feet,

While ^(F1)I am decaying like a ^(C1)rotten thing, Like a garment that is moth-eaten.