Job 6:1-30 - Job's Second Speech: A Response To Eliphaz

¹ And Job will answer and say, ² I would weighing, my anger shall be weighed, and my falls shall be lifted up in the balances together. ³ For now it will be heavy above the sand of the seas: for this my words were rash. ⁴ For the arrows of the Almighty are with me, which their anger drank up my spirit: the terrors of God will be prepared for me. ⁵ Shall the wild ass bray at grass? if the ox will low over his provender? ⁶ Shall that unseasoned be eaten without salt? if there is taste in purslain slime? ⁷ My soul refused to touch these as the loathsomeness of my bread.

⁸ Who will give my asking shall come? and will God give my expectation? ⁹ And God will, and he will crush me; will he let his hand remain, and will he cut me off? ¹⁰ And it will yet be my consolation, and I shall exult in pain: he will not spare; for I hid not the words of of the Holy One.

¹¹ For what my strength that I shall wait and what my end, that I shall prolong my soul? ¹² If my strength the strength of stones? if my flesh of brass? ¹³ And if not my help in me? and deliverance fled from me?

¹⁴ To him melting, mercy from his friend; and he will forsake the fear of the Almighty. ¹⁵ My brethren dealt faithlessly as a torrent; as a channel of torrents they shall pass away; ¹⁶ Being darkened because of ice, upon them the snow will be hid: ¹⁷ In the time they will flow of they became extinct: in its heat they were extinguished from their place. ¹⁸ The paths of their way will turn aside; they will go up into desolation and perish. ¹⁹ Behold the paths of Tema; the goings of Sheba, wait ye for them. ²⁰ They were ashamed for trusting; they came even to it, they will be put to shame. ²¹ For now ye were not: ye shall see the terror and be afraid. ²² For did I say, Give to me? and from your strength make ye a present for me? ²³ And deliver me from the hand of the enemy? and from the hand of the strong ye shall redeem me?

²⁴ each ye me, and I will be silent: and what I erred in, cause me to understand. ²⁵ How forcible were words of uprightness! and what will reproving from you prove? ²⁶ Will ye purpose to reprove words, and for the spirit of the words of him despairing? ²⁷ But ye will cause the orphans to fall, and ye will dig for your friend.

²⁸ And now be content, look upon me; and before your face if I shall lie; ²⁹ Turn ye back now, it shall not be iniquity; and turn back yet, my justice is in it ³⁰ Is there iniquity in my tongue? if my palate shall not understand calamities.

¹ Is there not warfare to man upon the earth, and his days as the days of a hireling? ² As the servant will gape for the shadow, and as the hireling will wait for his work: ³ So was I caused to possess to me months of vanity, and nights of toil were allotted to me. ⁴ If I lay down, and I said, When shall I arise, and the evening be measured? And I was filled with tossings even to the twilight ⁵ And my flesh was clothed with worms, and a clod of dust; my akin was contracted and melted away.

⁶ My days were swift above a weaver's shuttle, and will finish with no more of hope. ⁷ Remember that my life is wind: mine eyes shall not turn back to see good ⁸ The eye of him seeing me shall not look after me: thine eyes are upon me, and I am not ⁹ The cloud will end and will go away: thus he shall go down to hades and shall not come up. ¹⁰ He shall turn back no more to his house, and his place shall know him no more.

¹¹ Also I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the straitness of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. ¹² Am I the sea, or a dragon, that thou wilt set a watch over me? ¹³ For I said, My bed shall comfort me; my couch shall lift up in my complaint; ¹⁴ And thou didst terrify me with dreams, and thou wilt make me afraid with visions: ¹⁵ And my soul will choose strangling; death rather than my bones. ¹⁶ I melted away; I shall not live forever: desist from me, for my days are vanity.

¹⁷ What is man that thou wilt magnify him? and that thou wilt set thy heart to him? ¹⁸ And thou wilt review him for the mornings, and thou wilt try him for the moments. ¹⁹ How long wilt thou not look away from me? wilt thou not desist from me even to my swallowing down my spittle? ²⁰ I sinned; what shall I do to thee, guarding men? wherefore didst thou set me for an assault to thee, and I shall be upon myself for a burden? ²¹ And why wilt thou not lift up my transgression and pass over mine iniquity? for now I shall lie down to the dust; and thou soughtest me and I was not