Study Desk

"However, please ^(C1)hear my speech, Job, And listen to all my words.

-"Behold now, I open my mouth, My tongue in my ^(F1)mouth speaks.

-"My words are from the integrity of my heart, And my lips speak ^(C1)knowledge sincerely.

-"The ^(C1)Spirit of God has made me, And the ^(C2)breath of ^(F1)the Almighty gives me life.

-"^(C1)Refute me if you can; Line up against me, take your stand.

-"Behold, I belong to God, like you; I too have been ^(F1)formed out of the ^(C1)clay.

-"Behold, ^(C1)no fear of me should terrify you, Nor should my pressure weigh heavily on you.

"You have in fact spoken ^(F1)while I listened, And I heard the sound of your words:

'I am ^(C1)pure, ^(C2)without wrongdoing; I am innocent and there ^(C3)is no guilt in me.

-'Behold, He ^(F1)invents ^(F2)criticisms against me; He ^(C1)counts me as His enemy.

-'He ^(C1)puts my feet in the stocks; He watches all my paths.'

-"Behold, let me respond to you, ^(C1)you are not right in this, For God is greater than mankind.

"Why do you ^(C1)complain to Him That He does not give an account of all His doings?

-"Indeed ^(C1)God speaks once, Or twice, yet no one notices it.

-"In a ^(C1)dream, a vision of the night, When deep sleep falls on people, While they slumber in their beds,

Then ^(C1)He opens the ears of people, And horrifies them with warnings,

So that He may turn a person away from bad conduct, And ^(F1)keep a man from pride;

He ^(C1)keeps his soul back from the pit, And his life from perishing by the ^(C2)spear.

"A person is also rebuked by ^(C1)pain in his bed, And with constant complaint in his bones,

So that his life ^(C1)loathes bread, And his soul, food ^(F1)that he should crave.

-"His ^(C1)flesh wastes away from sight, And his ^(C2)bones, which were not seen, stick out.

-"Then ^(C1)his soul comes near to the pit, And his life to those who bring death.

"If there is an ^(C1)interceding angel for him, One out of a thousand, To remind a person of what is ^(F1)right for him,

And he is gracious to him, and says, 'Free him from ^(C1)going down to the pit, I have found a ^(C2)ransom';

Let his flesh become fresher than in youth, Let him return to the days of his youthful vigor;

Then he will ^(C1)pray to God, and He will accept him, So that ^(C2)he may see His face with joy, And He will restore His righteousness to that person.

-"He will sing to people and say, 'I ^(C1)have sinned and perverted what is right, And it is not ^(C2)proper for me.

-'He has redeemed my soul from going to the pit, And my life will ^(C1)see the light.'

"Behold, God does ^(C1)all these things for a man two or three times,

To ^(C1)bring back his soul from the pit, So that he may be enlightened with the light of life.

-"Pay attention, Job, listen to me; Keep silent, and let me speak.

-"Then if ^(F1)you have anything to say, answer me; Speak, for I would take pleasure in justifying you.

-"If not, ^(C1)listen to me; Keep silent, and I will teach you wisdom."