Job's Final Defense Continued

1 But, now, they who are of fewer days than I, have poured derision upon me; whose fathers I refused - to set with the dogs of my flock.

1 But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock.

1 “But now those younger than I (A)mock me,Whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock.

1 But now they mock(A) me,men younger than I am,whose fathers I would have refused to putwith my sheep dogs.

1 "But now they mock me; men who are far younger than I, whose fathers I would have hated to entrust with my own sheep dogs.

2 Even the strength of their hands, wherefore was it mine? Upon them, vigour was lost;

2 Yea, whereto might the strength of their hands profit me, in whom old age was perished?

2 “Indeed, what good was the strength of their hands to me?Vigor had perished from them.

2 What use to me was the strength of their hands?Their vigor had left them.

2 Furthermore, what could I have gained from men whose strength is gone?

3 In want and hunger, they were lean, - who used to gnaw the dry ground, a dark night of desolation!

3 For want and famine they were solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste.

3 “From want and famine they are gauntWho gnaw the dry ground by night in waste and desolation,

3 Emaciated from poverty and hunger,they gnawed the dry land,the desolate wasteland by night.

3 Unproductive due to poverty and hunger, they could only scratch in parched soil, devastated and desolated.

4 Who used to pluck off the mallow by the bushes, with the root of the broom for their food;

4 Who cut up mallows by the bushes, and juniper roots for their meat.

4 Who pluck (a)mallow by the bushes,And whose food is the root of the broom shrub.

4 They plucked mallow(a)(B) among the shrubs,and the roots of the broom tree were their food.

4 "They would pluck off herbs from salt marshes to eat; and roots of the broom shrub for food.

5 Out of the midst, were they driven, men shouted after them, as after a thief;

5 They were driven forth from among men, (they cried after them as after a thief;)

5 “They are driven from the community;They shout against them as against a thief,

5 They were expelled from human society;people shouted at them as if they were thieves.

5 Driven away from human company, they were shouted at as though they were thieves.

6 In the fissures, of the ravines had they to dwell, in holes of dust and crags;

6 To dwell in the clifts of the valleys, in caves of the earth, and in the rocks.

6 So that they dwell in dreadful (b)valleys,In holes of the earth and of the rocks.

6 They are living on the slopes of the wadis,among the rocks and in holes in the ground.

6 They lived in the most dangerous of ravines, in holes in the ground, and among rocks.

7 Among the bushes, used they to shriek, Under the bramble, were they huddled together:

7 Among the bushes they brayed; under the nettles they were gathered together.

7 “Among the bushes they (c)cry out;Under the nettles they are gathered together.

7 They bray among the shrubs;they huddle beneath the thistles.

7 They bray like donkeys among the bushes and huddle together under the desert weeds.

8 Sons of the base, yea sons of the nameless, they were scourged out of the land.

8 They were children of fools, yea, children of base men: they were viler than the earth.

8 (d)Fools, even (e)those without a name,They were scourged from the land.

8 Foolish(C) men, without even a name.They were forced to leave the land.

8 Sons of fools and of uncertain reputation, they have been driven from the land by scourging."

9 But, now, their song, have I become, Yea I serve them for a byword;

9 And now am I their song, yea, I am their byword.

9 “And now I have become their (f)(B)taunt,I have even become a (C)byword to them.

9 Now I am mocked by their songs;(D)I have become an object of scorn to them.

9 "Now, I've become the object of their mocking melodies; I'm nothing but a fool's proverb to them!

10 They abhor me - have put themselves far from me, and, from my face, have not withheld - spittle!

10 They abhor me, they flee far from me, and spare not to spit in my face.

10 “They abhor me and stand aloof from me,And they do not (g)refrain from (D)spitting at my face.

10 They despise me and keep their distance from me;(E)they do not hesitate to spit(F) in my face.

10 They abhor me they keep their distance from me; but they don't refrain from spitting at the sight of me.

11 Because, my girdle, he had loosened and had humbled me, therefore, the bridle - in my presence, cast they off;

11 Because he hath loosed my cord, and afflicted me, they have also let loose the bridle before me.

11 “Because (h)He has loosed (i)His (j)bowstring and (E)afflicted me,They have cast off (F)the bridle before me.

11 Because God has loosened my(b) bowstring and oppressed me,they have cast off restraint in my presence.(G)

11 But God has loosened his cord and afflicted me; so they've cast off all restraints in my presence.

12 On my right hand, the young brood rose up, - My feet, they thrust aside, and cast up against me their earthworks of destruction;

12 Upon my right hand rise the youth; they push away my feet, and they raise up against me the ways of their destruction.

12 “On the right hand their (k)brood arises;They (G)thrust aside my feet (H)and build up against me their ways of destruction.

12 The rabble(c) rise up at my right;they trap(d) my feetand construct their siege ramp(e) against me.(H)

12 "A wretched crowd ambushes me to my right; they trip my feet; they build up their path of calamity for me.

13 They brake up my path, - My engulfing ruin, they helped forward, unaided;

13 They mar my path, they set forward my calamity, they have no helper.

13 “They (I)break up my path,They profit (l)from my destruction;No one restrains them.

13 They tear up my path;they contribute to my destruction,(I)without anyone to help them.

13 They tear up my pathways; they profit from my destruction, and they need no help to do this!

14 As through a wide breach, came they on, with a crashing noise, they rolled themselves along.

14 They came upon me as a wide breaking in of waters: in the desolation they rolled themselves upon me.

14 “As through a wide breach they come,(m)Amid the tempest they roll on.

14 They advance as through a gaping breach;they keep rolling in through the ruins.(J)

14 They come like those who breach through a wall; as everything crashes around me they'll roll on and on!

15 There are turned upon me terrors, - Chased away as with a wind, is mine abundance, and, as a cloud, hath passed away my prosperity.

15 Terrors are turned upon me: they pursue my soul as the wind: and my welfare passeth away as a cloud.

15 (J)Terrors are turned against me;They pursue my (n)honor as the wind,And my (o)prosperity has passed away (K)like a cloud.

15 Terrors(K) are turned loose against me;they chase my dignity away like the wind,and my prosperity has passed by like a cloud.

15 My greatest fears have overcome me; my honor is assaulted as though by a wind storm; my prosperity evaporates like a morning cloud."

16 Now, therefore, over myself, my soul poureth itself out, There seize me days of affliction:

16 And now my soul is poured out upon me; the days of affliction have taken hold upon me.

16 “And now (L)my soul is poured out (p)within me;Days of affliction have seized me.

16 Now my life is poured out before my eyes,and days of suffering(L) have seized me.

16 "Now, my soul pours itself out; the time of my affliction has taken control of me.

17 Night, boreth, my bones, all over me, - and, my sinews, find no rest;

17 My bones are pierced in me in the night season: and my sinews take no rest.

17 “At night it pierces (M)my bones (q)within me,And my gnawing pains take no rest.

17 Night pierces my bones,but my gnawing pains never rest.(M)

17 The night racks my bones; and the pain that gnaws on me will not rest.

18 Most effectually, is my skin disfigured, - Like the collar of my tunic, it girdeth me about:

18 By the great force of my disease is my garment changed: it bindeth me about as the collar of my coat.

18 “By a great force my garment is (N)distorted;It binds me about as the collar of my coat.

18 My clothing is distorted with great force;He chokes me by the neck of my garment.(f)

18 My clothes are disheveled by his forceful treatment of me; he restricts my movement like the collar of my cloak.

19 He hath cast me into the mire, and I have become like dust and ashes.

19 He hath cast me into the mire, and I am become like dust and ashes.

19 “He has cast me into the (O)mire,And I have become like dust and ashes.

19 He throws me into the mud,and I have become like dust and ashes.(N)

19 "He tossed me into the mire; I've become like dust and ashes.

Job Calls On God For Help

20 I cry out for help unto thee, and thou dost not answer, I stand still, and thou dost gaze at me;

20 I cry unto thee, and thou dost not hear me: I stand up, and thou regardest me not.

20 “I (P)cry out to You for help, but You do not answer me;I stand up, and You turn Your attention against me.

20 I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer me;(O)when I stand up, You merely look at me.

20 I cry for help to you, but you won't answer me; I stand still, but you only look at me.

21 Thou art turned to become a cruel one unto me, With the might of thy hand, thou assailest me;

21 Thou art become cruel to me: with thy strong hand thou opposest thyself against me.

21 “You have (r)become cruel to me;With the might of Your hand You (Q)persecute me.

21 You have turned against me with cruelty;You harass(P) me with Your strong hand.

21 You changed toward me, and now you're cruel to me; with your mighty hand you are persecuting me;

22 Thou liftest up me to the wind, thou carriest me away, and the storm maketh me faint;

22 Thou liftest me up to the wind; thou causest me to ride upon it, and dissolvest my substance.

22 “You (R)lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride;And You dissolve me in a storm.

22 You lift me up on the wind and make me ride it;You scatter me in the storm.(Q)

22 you carried me off in a wind storm, making me ride on it while you toss me about as the storm roars around me.

23 For I know that, unto death, thou wilt bring me back, even unto the house of meeting for every one living.

23 For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living.

23 “For I know that You (S)will bring me to deathAnd to the (T)house of meeting for all living.

23 Yes, I know that You will lead me to death—the place(R) appointed for all who live.

23 I know that you're about to kill me, so I'm about to go to the house that's appointed for all the living."

Job Says: I Am Being Punished By God

24 Only, against a heap of ruins, will one not thrust a hand! Surely, when one is in calamity - for that very reason, is there an outcry for help.

24 Howbeit he will not stretch out his hand to the grave, though they cry in his destruction.

24 “Yet does not one in a heap of ruins stretch out his hand,Or in his disaster therefore (U)cry out for help?

24 Yet no one would stretch out his handagainst a ruined man(g)when he cries out to him for helpbecause of his distress.(S)

24 "Surely he won't stretch his hand against the needy, will he, especially if they cry to him in their calamity?

25 Verily I wept, for him whose lot was hard, Grieved was my soul, for the needy.

25 Did not I weep for him that was in trouble? was not my soul grieved for the poor?

25 “Have I not (V)wept for the (s)one whose life is hard?Was not my soul grieved for (W)the needy?

25 Have I not wept for those who have fallen on hard times?Has my soul not grieved for the needy?(T)

25 Haven't I wept for the one who is going through hard times? Haven't I grieved for the needy?

26 Surely, for good, I looked, but there came in evil, And I waited for light, but there came in darkness;

26 When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness.

26 “When I (X)expected good, then evil came;When I waited for light, (Y)then darkness came.

26 But when I hoped for good, evil came;when I looked for light, darkness(U) came.

26 I have hoped for good, but evil came instead; I have hoped for light, but darkness came.

27 I boiled within me, and rested not, There confronted me - days of affliction;

27 My bowels boiled, and rested not: the days of affliction prevented me.

27 (t)I am seething (Z)within and cannot relax;Days of affliction confront me.

27 I am churning within(h) and cannot rest;days of suffering confront me.

27 I'm boiling mad inside, and I won't remain silent; the time for my affliction to confront me has arrived.

28 In gloom, I walked along, without sun, I arose - in the convocation, I cried out for help;

28 I went mourning without the sun: I stood up, and I cried in the congregation.

28 “I go about (u)(AA)mourning without comfort;I stand up in the assembly and (AB)cry out for help.

28 I walk about blackened, but not by the sun.(i)I stood in the assembly and cried out for help.

28 "In growing darkness, I walked without sunlight; I stood in the congregation to cry for help.

29 A brother, became I to the brutes that howl, and a companion to the birds that screech:

29 I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls.

29 “I have become a brother to (AC)jackalsAnd a companion of ostriches.

29 I have become a brother to jackalsand a companion of ostriches.

29 I've become a brother to jackals, and a friend to ostriches.

30 My skin, turned black, and peeled off me, and, my bones, burned with heat:

30 My skin is black upon me, and my bones are burned with heat.

30 “My (AD)skin turns black (v)on me,And my (AE)bones burn with (w)fever.

30 My skin blackens and flakes off,(j)and my bones burn with fever.(V)

30 My skin turns black all over me; and my bones seem burned from the heat.

31 Thus is attuned to mourning - my lyre, and my flute, to the noise of them who weep.

31 My harp also is turned to mourning, and my organ into the voice of them that weep.

31 “Therefore my (AF)harp (x)is turned to mourning,And my flute to the sound of those who weep.

31 My lyre is used for mourningand my flute for the sound of weeping.(W) >

31 But my harp is in mourning; my flute plays only songs for those who are weeping."

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