Study Desk

Then Job responded,

"^(C1)Oh if only my grief were actually weighed And laid in the balances together with my disaster!

-"For then it would be ^(C1)heavier than the sand of the seas; For that reason my words have been rash.

-"For the ^(C1)arrows of the Almighty are within me, ^(F1)My spirit drinks their ^(C2)poison; The ^(C3)terrors of God line up against me.

-"Does the ^(C1)wild donkey bray over his grass, Or does the ox low over his feed?

-"Can something tasteless be eaten without salt, Or is there any taste in the ^(F1)juice of an alkanet plant?

-"My soul ^(C1)refuses to touch them; They are like loathsome food to me.

"Oh, that my request might come to pass, And that God would grant my hope!

-"Oh, that God would ^(C1)decide to crush me, That He would let loose His hand and cut me off!

-"But it is still my comfort, And I rejoice in unsparing pain, That I ^(C1)have not ^(F1)denied the words of the Holy One.

-"What is my strength, that I should wait? And what is my end, that I should ^(F1)(C1)endure?

-"Is my strength the strength of stones, Or is my flesh bronze?

-"Is it that my ^(C1)help is not within me, And that a ^(C2)good outcome is driven away from me?

"For the ^(C1)despairing man there should be kindness from his friend; So that he does not ^(C2)abandon the ^(F1)fear of the Almighty.

-"My brothers have acted ^(C1)deceitfully like a ^(F1)wadi, Like the torrents of ^(F1)wadis which drain away,

Which are darkened because of ice, And into which the snow ^(F1)melts.

-"When ^(C1)they dry up, they vanish; When it is hot, they disappear from their place.

-"The ^(F1)paths of their course wind along, They go up into wasteland and perish.

-"The caravans of ^(C1)Tema looked, The travelers of ^(C2)Sheba hoped for them.

-"They ^(C1)were put to shame, for they had trusted, They came there and were humiliated.

-"Indeed, you have now become such, ^(C1)You see terrors and are afraid.

-"Have I said, 'Give me something,' Or, 'Offer a bribe for me from your wealth,'

Or, 'Save me from the hand of the enemy,' Or, 'Redeem me from the hand of the tyrants'?

"Teach me, and ^(C1)I will be silent; And show me how I have done wrong.

-"How painful are honest words! But what does your argument prove?

-"Do you intend to rebuke my words, When the ^(C1)words of one in despair belong to the wind?

-"You would even ^(C1)cast lots for ^(C2)the orphans, And ^(C3)barter over your friend.

-"Now please look at me, And see if I am ^(C1)lying to your face.

-"Please turn away, let there be no injustice; Turn away, ^(C1)my righteousness is still in it.

-"Is there injustice on my tongue? Does ^(C1)my palate not discern disasters?

"^(F1)Is a person not ^(C1)forced to labor on earth, And are his days not like the days of ^(C2)a hired worker?

-"As a slave pants for the shade, And as a hired worker who eagerly waits for his wages,

So I am allotted worthless months, And ^(C1)nights of trouble are apportioned to me.

-"When I ^(C1)lie down, I say, 'When shall I arise?' But the night continues, And I am continually tossing until dawn.

-"My ^(C1)flesh is clothed with maggots and a crust of dirt, My skin hardens and ^(F1)oozes.

-"My days are ^(C1)swifter than a weaver's shuttle, And they come to an end ^(C2)without hope.

"Remember that my life ^(C1)is a mere breath; My eye will ^(C2)not see goodness again.

-"The ^(C1)eye of him who sees me will no longer look at me; Your eyes will be on me, but ^(C2)I will not exist.

-"When a ^(C1)cloud vanishes, it is gone; In the same way ^(C2)one who goes down to ^(F1)(C3)Sheol does not come up.

-"He will not return to his house again, Nor will ^(C1)his place know about him anymore.

"Therefore ^(C1)I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

-"Am I the sea, or ^(C1)the sea monster, That You set a guard over me?

-"If I say, '^(C1)My couch will comfort me, My bed will ^(F1)ease my complaint,'

Then You frighten me with dreams, And terrify me by visions,

So that my soul would choose suffocation, Death rather than my ^(F1)pains.

-"I ^(F1)(C1)waste away; I will not live forever. Leave me alone, ^(C2)for my days are only a breath.

-"^(C1)What is man that You exalt him, And that You ^(F1)are concerned about him,

That ^(C1)You examine him every morning And put him to the test every moment?

-"^(F1)(C1)Will You never turn Your gaze away from me, Nor leave me alone until I swallow my spittle?

-"^(C1)Have I sinned? What have I done to You, ^(C2)Watcher of mankind? Why have You made me Your target, So that I am a burden to myself?

-"Why then ^(C1)do You not forgive my wrongdoing And take away my ^(F1)guilt? For now I will ^(C2)lie down in the dust; And You will search for me, ^(C3)but I will no longer exist."

Then Bildad the Shuhite responded,

"How long will you say these things, And the ^(C1)words of your mouth be a mighty wind?

-"Does ^(C1)God pervert justice? Or does ^(F1)the Almighty pervert what is right?

-"^(C1)If your sons sinned against Him, Then He turned them over to the ^(F1)power of their wrongdoing.

-"If you will ^(C1)search for God And implore the compassion of ^(F1)the Almighty,

If you are pure and upright, Surely now ^(C1)He will stir Himself for you And restore your righteous ^(F1)(C2)estate.

-"Though your beginning was insignificant, Yet your ^(C1)end will increase greatly.

"Please ^(C1)inquire of past generations, And consider the things searched out by their fathers.

-"For we are only of yesterday and know nothing, Because ^(C1)our days on earth are as a shadow.

-"Will they not teach you and tell you, And bring forth words from their minds?

"Can papyrus grow tall without a marsh? Can the rushes grow without water?

-"While it is still green and not cut down, Yet it withers before any other ^(F1)plant.

-"So are the paths of ^(C1)all who forget God; And the ^(C2)hope of the godless will perish,

His confidence is fragile, And his trust is a ^(C1)spider's ^(F1)web.

-"He depends on his ^(C1)house, but it does not stand; He holds on to it, but it does not endure.

-"He ^(C1)flourishes before the sun, And his ^(C2)shoots spread out over his garden.

-"His roots wrap around a rock pile, He ^(F1)grasps a house of stones.

-"If he is ^(F1)removed from ^(C1)his place, Then it will deny him, saying, '^(C2)I never saw you.'

-"Behold, ^(C1)this is the joy of His way; And out of the dust others will spring.

-"Behold, ^(C1)God will not reject a person of integrity, Nor ^(C2)will He ^(F1)help evildoers.

-"He will yet fill ^(C1)your mouth with laughter, And your lips with joyful shouting.

-"Those who hate you will be ^(C1)clothed with shame, And the ^(C2)tent of the wicked will no longer exist."

Then Job responded,

"In truth I know that this is so; But how can a ^(C1)person be in the right with God?

-"If one wished to ^(C1)dispute with Him, He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.

-"^(C1)Wise in heart and ^(C2)mighty in strength, Who has ^(F1)(C3)defied Him ^(F2)without harm?

-"^(C1)It is God who removes the mountains, and they do not know how, When He overturns them in His anger.

-"It is He who ^(C1)shakes the earth from its place, And its ^(C2)pillars tremble;

Who commands the ^(C1)sun ^(F1)not to shine, And puts a seal on the stars;

Who alone ^(C1)stretches out the heavens, And ^(F1)(C2)tramples down the waves of the sea;

Who makes the ^(C1)Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, And the ^(F1)(C2)constellations of the south.

-"It is He who ^(C1)does great things, ^(F1)the unfathomable, And wondrous works without number.

-"If He were to pass by me, ^(C1)I would not see Him; Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him.

-"If He were to snatch away, who could ^(C1)restrain Him? Who could say to Him, '^(C2)What are You doing?'

"God will not turn back His anger; Beneath Him the helpers of ^(F1)(C1)Rahab cower.

-"How then can ^(C1)I ^(F1)answer Him, And choose my words ^(F2)before Him?

-"For ^(C1)though I were right, I could not ^(F1)answer; I would have to ^(C2)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 ^(C1)bruises me with a storm And multiplies my wounds without cause.

-"He will ^(C1)not allow me to get my breath, But He saturates me with ^(C2)bitterness.

-"If it is a matter of power, ^(C1)behold, He is the strong one! And if it is a matter of justice, who can summon ^(F1)Him?

-"^(C1)Though I am righteous, my mouth will ^(C2)condemn me; Though I am guiltless, He will declare me guilty.

-"I am ^(C1)guiltless; I do not take notice of myself; I ^(C2)reject my life.

-"It is all one; therefore I say, 'He ^(C1)destroys the guiltless and the wicked.'

-"If the whip kills suddenly, He ^(C1)mocks the despair of the innocent.

-"The earth ^(C1)is handed over to the wicked; He ^(C2)covers the faces of its judges. If it is not He, then who is it?

"Now ^(C1)my days are swifter than a runner; They flee away, ^(C2)they see no good.

-"They slip by like ^(C1)reed boats, Like an ^(C2)eagle that swoops on ^(F1)its prey.

-"Though I say, 'I will forget ^(C1)my complaint, I will ^(F1)put my face in order and be cheerful,'

I am ^(C1)afraid of all my pains, I know that ^(C2)You will not acquit me.

-"I am ^(C1)guilty, Why then should I struggle in vain?

-"If I ^(C1)washed myself with snow, And cleansed ^(C2)my hands with lye,

Then You would plunge me into the pit, And my own clothes would loathe me.

-"For ^(C1)He is not a man, as I am, that ^(C2)I may answer Him— That we may go to ^(F1)court together!

-"There is no ^(C1)arbitrator between us, Who can place his hand upon us both.

-"Let Him ^(C1)remove His rod from me, And let not the dread of Him terrify me.

-"Then I ^(C1)would speak and not fear Him; But I am not like that in myself.