Job's Seventh Speech: A Response To Zophar

1 Then Job answered and said,

1 Then Job (a)answered,

1 But Job answered and said,

1 Then Job answered:

1 In response, Job said:

2 “Listen carefully to my speech,And let this be the consolation.

2 “Listen carefully to my speech,And let this be your way of consolation.

2 Hear diligently my speech, and let this be your consolations.

2 Pay close attention to my words;let this be the consolation you offer.

2 "Listen carefully to my words; let this encourage all of you.

3 “Bear with me, and I also will speak;And after I have spoken, you may [continue to] mock [me].

3 “Bear with me that I may speak;Then after I have spoken, you may (A)mock.

3 Suffer me that I may speak; and after that I have spoken, mock on.

3 Bear with me while I speak;then after I have spoken, you may continue mocking.

3 Bear with me and let me speak! Then, after I've spoken, you'll be free to mock me.

4 “As for me, is my complaint to man or about him?And why should I not be impatient and my spirit troubled?

4 “As for me, is (B)my complaint (b)to man?And (C)why should (c)I not be impatient?

4 As for me, is my complaint to man? and if it were so, why should not my spirit be troubled?

4 As for me, is my complaint(A) against a man?Then why shouldn’t I be impatient?

4 After all, isn't my complaint against a human being? If so, why shouldn't I be impatient?

5 “Look at me and be astonished and appalled;And put your hand over your mouth.

5 “Look at me, and be astonished,And (D)put your hand over your mouth.

5 Mark me, and be astonished, and lay your hand upon your mouth.

5 Look at me and shudder;(B)put your hand over your mouth.(C)

5 Look at me, be appalled, and then shut up!

6 “Even when I remember, I am troubled and afraid;Horror and trembling take hold of my flesh.

6 “Even when I remember, I am disturbed,And (E)horror takes hold of my flesh.

6 Even when I remember I am afraid, and trembling taketh hold on my flesh.

6 When I think about it, I am terrifiedand my body trembles(D) in horror.

6 When I think about this, I'm petrified with terror and my body shudders uncontrollably."

Wicked People Do Not Suffer For Their Sins

7 “Why do the wicked still live,Become old, and become mighty in power?

7 “Why (F)do the wicked still live,Continue on, also become very (G)powerful?

7 Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power?

7 Why do the wicked continue to live,growing old and becoming powerful?

7 "Why do the wicked live to reach old age and increase in power and wealth, too?

8 “Their children and descendants are established with them in their sight,And their offspring before their eyes.

8 “Their (d)(H)descendants are established with them in their sight,And their offspring before their eyes,

8 Their seed is established in their sight with them, and their offspring before their eyes.

8 Their children are established while they are still alive,(a)and their descendants, before their eyes.

8 Their children grow up while they're alive, and they live to see their grandchildren.

9 “Their houses are safe from fear;And the rod of God is not on them.

9 Their houses (I)are safe from fear,And the rod of God is not on them.

9 Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them.

9 Their homes are secure and free of fear;(E)no rod from God strikes them.(F)

9 Their houses are safe from fear, and God's chastisement never visits them.

10 “His bull breeds and does not fail;His cow calves and does not miscarry.

10 “His ox mates (e)without fail;His cow calves and does not abort.

10 Their bull gendereth, and faileth not; their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf.

10 Their bulls breed without fail;their cows calve and do not miscarry.

10 Their bull breeds without fail, and their cows calve without miscarriages.

11 “They send forth their little ones like a flock,And their children skip about.

11 “They send forth their little ones like the flock,And their children skip about.

11 They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance.

11 They let their little ones run around like lambs;their children skip about,

11 They release their children to play like sheep; their young ones dance about,

12 “They lift up their voices and sing to the tambourine and the lyreAnd rejoice to the sound of the flute.

12 “They (f)sing to the timbrel and harpAnd rejoice at the sound of the flute.

12 They take the timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ.

12 singing to the tambourine and lyreand rejoicing at the sound of the flute.(G)

12 singing with tambourines and lyres as they rejoice to the sound of flutes.

13 “They fully enjoy their days in prosperity,And so go down to Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) in a [peaceful] moment.

13 “They (J)spend their days in prosperity,And (g)suddenly they go down to (h)Sheol.

13 They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave.

13 They spend(b) their days in prosperity(H)and go down to Sheol in peace.

13 They grow old in prosperity, as they descend peacefully into the afterlife.

14 “Yet they say to God, ‘Depart from us,For we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways.

14 “They say to God, ‘(K)Depart from us!We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways.

14 Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.

14 Yet they say to God: “Leave us alone!We don’t want to know Your ways.(I)

14 "They say to God, "Turn away from us! We have no desire to know your ways.

15 ‘Who [and what] is (a)the Almighty, that we should serve Him?And what would we gain if we plead with Him?’(A)

15 (i)Who is (j)the Almighty, that we should serve Him,And (L)what would we gain if we entreat Him?’

15 What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?

15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him,and what will we gain by pleading with Him?”(J)

15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him? Where's the profit in talking to him?'

16 “But notice, the prosperity of the wicked is not in their hand (in their power);The counsel of the wicked [and the mystery of God’s dealings with the ungodly] is far from my comprehension.

16 “Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand;The (M)counsel of the wicked is far from me.

16 Lo, their good is not in their hand: the counsel of the wicked is far from me.

16 But their prosperity is not of their own doing.The counsel of the wicked is far from me!(K)

16 Behold! Their prosperity isn't in their control! The counsel of the wicked will remain far from me."

17 “How often [then] is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out,And that their disaster falls on them?Does God distribute pain and destruction and sorrow [to them] in His anger?(B)

17 “How often is (N)the lamp of the wicked put out,Or does their (O)calamity fall on them?Does (k)God apportion destruction in His anger?

17 How oft is the candle of the wicked put out! and how oft cometh their destruction upon them! God distributeth sorrows in his anger.

17 How often is the lamp(L) of the wicked put out?Does disaster(c) come on them?Does He apportion destruction in His anger?

17 "How often do the wicked have their lights put out? Does calamity ever fall on them? Will God in his anger ever apportion their destruction?

18 “Are they like straw before the wind,And like chaff that the storm steals and carries away?

18 “Are they as (P)straw before the wind,And like (Q)chaff which the storm carries away?

18 They are as stubble before the wind, and as chaff that the storm carrieth away.

18 Are they like straw before the wind,like chaff(M) a storm sweeps away?

18 May they become like a straw, blown away before the wind; like a chaff that's swept off by a storm.

19 “You say, ‘God stores away [the punishment of] man’s wickedness for his children.’Let God repay him so that he may know and experience it.

19 “You say, ‘(R)God stores away (l)a man’s iniquity for his sons.’Let (m)God repay him so that he may know it.

19 God layeth up his iniquity for his children: he rewardeth him, and he shall know it.

19 God reserves a person’s punishment for his children.(N)Let God repay the person himself, so that he may know it.

19 God stores up their iniquity to repay their children; making them repay so that they may be aware.

20 “Let his own eyes see his destruction,And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.

20 “Let his (S)own eyes see his decay,And let him (T)drink of the wrath of (n)the Almighty.

20 His eyes shall see his destruction, and he shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty.

20 Let his own eyes see his demise;let him drink from the Almighty’s wrath!(O)

20 Their own eyes will see their destruction; and they'll drink the wrath of the Almighty.

21 “For what pleasure does he have in his house and family after he is dead,When the number of his months [of life] is cut off?

21 “For what does he care for his household (o)after him,When the number of his months is cut off?

21 For what pleasure hath he in his house after him, when the number of his months is cut off in the midst?

21 For what does he care about his family once he is dead,(P)when the number of his months has run out?(Q)

21 What will they care for their household after them, when the number of his months comes to an end?"

No One Understands How God Deals With Humans

22 “Can anyone teach God knowledge,Seeing that He judges those on high?(C)

22 “Can anyone (U)teach God knowledge,In that He (V)judges those on high?

22 Shall any teach God knowledge? seeing he judgeth those that are high.

22 Can anyone teach God knowledge,(R)since He judges the exalted ones?(d)

22 "Can God learn anything? After all, he will judge even the exalted ones.

23 “One dies in his full strength,Being wholly at ease and quiet and satisfied;

23 “One (W)dies in his full strength,Being wholly at ease and (p)satisfied;

23 One dieth in his full strength, being wholly at ease and quiet.

23 One person dies in excellent health,(e)completely secure(f) and at ease.

23 Such persons will die in their full vigor, completely prosperous and secure.

24 His pails are full of milk [his sides are filled out with fat],And the marrow of his bones is moist,

24 His (q)sides are filled out with fat,And the (X)marrow of his bones is moist,

24 His breasts are full of milk, and his bones are moistened with marrow.

24 His body is(g) well fed,(h)and his bones are full of marrow.(i)

24 His buckets are filled with milk, his bone marrow is healthy.

25 Whereas another dies with a bitter soul,Never even tasting pleasure or good fortune.

25 While another dies with a bitter soul,Never even (r)tasting anything good.

25 And another dieth in the bitterness of his soul, and never eateth with pleasure.

25 Yet another person dies with a bitter(S) soul,having never tasted prosperity.

25 Others die with a bitter soul, never having tasted the good life.

26 “Together they lie down in the dust,And the worms cover them.

26 “Together they (Y)lie down in the dust,And (Z)worms cover them.

26 They shall lie down alike in the dust, and the worms shall cover them.

26 But they both lie in the dust,and worms cover them.(T)

26 They both lie down in the dust; and worms cover them."

My Friends Have Betrayed Me

27 “Behold, I know your thoughts,And the plots by which you would wrong me.

27 “Behold, I know your thoughts,And the plans by which you would wrong me.

27 Behold, I know your thoughts, and the devices which ye wrongfully imagine against me.

27 I know your thoughts very well,the schemes you would wrong me with.

27 "Look! I know your thoughts, your plans are going to harm me.

28 “For you say, ‘Where is the house of the noble man?And where is the tent, the dwelling place of the wicked?’

28 “For you say, ‘Where is the house of (AA)the nobleman,And where is the (AB)tent, the dwelling places of the wicked?’

28 For ye say, Where is the house of the prince? and where are the dwelling places of the wicked?

28 For you say, “Where now is the nobleman’s house?”and “Where are the tents(U) the wicked lived in?”

28 You ask, "Where is the noble person's house?' and "Where are the tents where the wicked live?'

29 “Have you not asked those who travel this way,And do you not recognize their witness?

29 “Have you not asked wayfaring men,And do you not recognize their (s)witness?

29 Have ye not asked them that go by the way? and do ye not know their tokens,

29 Have you never consulted those who travel the roads?Don’t you accept their reports?(j)

29 Haven't you asked travelers on the highway? Don't you accept their word

30 “That evil men are [now] reserved for the day of disaster and destruction,They will be led away on the day of [God’s] wrath?

30 “For the (AC)wicked is reserved for the day of calamity;They will be led forth at (AD)the day of fury.

30 That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath.

30 Indeed, the evil man is spared from the day of disaster,rescued from the day of wrath.

30 that the wicked person is spared from times of calamity, that he is rescued on the day of wrath?

31 “But who will confront him with his actions and rebuke him face to face,And who will repay him for what he has done?

31 “Who will (t)confront him with his actions,And who will repay him for what he has done?

31 Who shall declare his way to his face? and who shall repay him what he hath done?

31 Who would denounce his behavior to his face?Who would repay(V) him for what he has done?

31 Who will expose his conduct to his face? Who will repay him for what he has done

32 “When he is carried to his grave,A guard will keep watch over his tomb.

32 “While he is carried to the grave,Men will keep watch over his tomb.

32 Yet shall he be brought to the grave, and shall remain in the tomb.

32 He is carried to the grave,and someone keeps watch over his tomb.

32 when he is carried away to the cemetery and guardians are placed to watch his tomb?

33 “The [dirt] clods of the valley are sweet to him [and gently cover him],Moreover, all men will follow after him [to a grave],While countless ones go before him.

33 “The (AE)clods of the valley will (u)gently cover him;Moreover, (AF)all men will (v)follow after him,While countless ones go before him.

33 The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him, and every man shall draw after him, as there are innumerable before him.

33 The dirt on his grave is(k) sweet to him.Everyone follows behind him,and those who go before him are without number.

33 The runoff from the streams will seem sweet to him; everyone will follow after him; countless crows march ahead of him.

34 “How then can you vainly comfort me with empty words,Since your answers remain untrue?”

34 “How then will you vainly (AG)comfort me,For your answers remain full of (w)falsehood?”

34 How then comfort ye me in vain, seeing in your answers there remaineth falsehood?

34 So how can you offer me such futile comfort?Your answers are deceptive.

34 How then, can you console me so worthlessly? What is left of your answers is treachery."

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