Job's Final Defense Continued

1 "But now they mock me, those who are younger than I, whose fathers I disdained too much to put with my sheep dogs.

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 Moreover, the strength of their hands -- what use was it to me? Men whose strength had perished;

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 gaunt with want and hunger, they would gnaw the parched land, in former time desolate and waste.

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 By the brush they would gather herbs from the salt marshes, and the root of the broom tree was 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 They were banished from the community -- people shouted at them like they would shout at thieves --

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 so that they had to live in the dry stream beds, in the holes of the ground, and among the rocks.

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 They brayed like animals among the bushes and were huddled together under the nettles.

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 senseless and nameless people, they were driven out of the land with whips.

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 "And now I have become their taunt song; I have become a byword among them.

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 detest me and maintain their distance; they do not hesitate to spit in my face.

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 God has untied my tent cord and afflicted me, people throw off all restraint in my presence.

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 the young rabble rise up; they drive me from place to place, and build up siege ramps against me.

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 destroy my path; they succeed in destroying me without anyone assisting them.

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 They come in as through a wide breach; amid the crash they come rolling in.

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 Terrors are turned loose on me; they drive away my honor like the wind, and like a cloud my deliverance has passed away.

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 "And now my soul pours itself out within me; days of suffering take hold of me.

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 pierces my bones; my gnawing pains never cease.

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 With great power God grasps my clothing; he binds me like the collar of my tunic.

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 has flung me into the mud, and I have come to resemble 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 to you, but you do not answer me; I stand up, and you only look 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 You have become cruel to me; with the strength of your hand you attack 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 You pick me up on the wind and make me ride on it; you toss me about in the storm.

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 I know that you are bringing me to death, to the meeting place for all the 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 "Surely one does not stretch out his hand against a broken man when he cries for help in his distress.

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 Have I not wept for the unfortunate? Was not my soul grieved for the poor?

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 But when I hoped for good, trouble came; when I expected light, then darkness came.

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 My heart is in turmoil unceasingly; the days of my affliction confront me.

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 I go about blackened, but not by the sun; in the assembly I stand up and cry 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 I have become a brother to jackals and a companion of ostriches.

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 has turned dark on me; my body is hot with fever.

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 My harp is used for mourning and my flute for the sound of weeping.

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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