Job's Second Speech: A Response To Eliphaz

1 And Job will answer and say,

1 Then Job (a)answered,

1 But Job answered and said,

1 Then Job answered:

1 In rebuttal, Job replied:

2 I would weighing, my anger shall be weighed, and my falls shall be lifted up in the balances together.

2 (A)Oh that my grief were actually weighedAnd laid in the balances together with my calamity!

2 Oh that my grief were throughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together!

2 If only my grief could be weighedand my devastation(A) placed with it in the scales.(B)

2 "If only my grief could be weighed; or my calamity piled together on a balance scale!

3 For now it will be heavy above the sand of the seas: for this my words were rash.

3 “For then it would be (B)heavier than the sand of the seas;Therefore my words have been rash.

3 For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea: therefore my words are swallowed up.

3 For then it would outweigh the sand of the seas!That is why my words are rash.

3 It would weigh more than the sand on the seashore! Here's why I've talked so rashly:

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.

4 “For the (C)arrows of the Almighty are within me,(b)Their (D)poison my spirit drinks;The (E)terrors of God are arrayed against me.

4 For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.

4 Surely the arrows of the Almighty have pierced(a) me;my spirit drinks their poison.God’s terrors are arrayed against me.(C)

4 "The arrows of the Almighty have pierced me; my spirit absorbs their poison; God's terrors have been arranged just for me!

5 Shall the wild ass bray at grass? if the ox will low over his provender?

5 “Does the (F)wild donkey bray over his grass,Or does the ox low over his fodder?

5 Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass? or loweth the ox over his fodder?

5 Does a wild donkey bray over fresh grassor an ox low over its fodder?

5 "Will the wild donkey bray from hunger if fresh grass is beside him? Will the ox low from distress if it is near its feed?

6 Shall that unseasoned be eaten without salt? if there is taste in purslain slime?

6 “Can something tasteless be eaten without salt,Or is there any taste in the (c)white of an egg?

6 Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

6 Is bland food eaten without salt?Is there flavor in an egg white?(b)

6 Tasteless food isn't eaten without salt, is it? Is there any taste in an egg white?

7 My soul refused to touch these as the loathsomeness of my bread.

7 “My soul (G)refuses to touch them;They are like loathsome food to me.

7 The things that my soul refused to touch are as my sorrowful meat.

7 I refuse to touch them;they are like contaminated food.(D)

7 I cannot bring myself to touch them; food like this makes me sick."

8 Who will give my asking shall come? and will God give my expectation?

8 “Oh that my request might come to pass,And that God would grant my longing!

8 Oh that I might have my request; and that God would grant me the thing that I long for!

8 If only my request would be grantedand God would provide what I hope for:

8 "Who will grant my wish? I wish God would grant what I'm hoping for:

9 And God will, and he will crush me; will he let his hand remain, and will he cut me off?

9 “Would that God were (H)willing to crush me,That He would loose His hand and cut me off!

9 Even that it would please God to destroy me; that he would let loose his hand, and cut me off!

9 that He would decide to crush me,to unleash His power and cut me off!

9 that God would just be willing to crush me; that he would let loose and eliminate me!

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.

10 “But it is still my consolation,And I rejoice in unsparing pain,That I (I)have not (d)denied the words of the Holy One.

10 Then should I yet have comfort; yea, I would harden myself in sorrow: let him not spare; for I have not concealed the words of the Holy One.

10 It would still bring me comfort,and I would leap for joy in unrelenting painthat I have not denied(c) the words of the Holy One.(E)

10 At least I could still take comfort and rejoice in unceasing anguish, for I didn't conceal what the Holy One has to say.

11 For what my strength that I shall wait and what my end, that I shall prolong my soul?

11 “What is my strength, that I should wait?And what is my end, that I should (e)(J)endure?

11 What is my strength, that I should hope? and what is mine end, that I should prolong my life?

11 What strength do I have that I should continue to hope?What is my future, that I should be patient?

11 "Do I have the strength to wait? And why should I be patient?

12 If my strength the strength of stones? if my flesh of brass?

12 “Is my strength the strength of stones,Or is my flesh bronze?

12 Is my strength the strength of stones? or is my flesh of brass?

12 Is my strength that of stone,or my flesh made of bronze?

12 Am I as strong as a rock? Am I some kind of iron man?

13 And if not my help in me? and deliverance fled from me?

13 “Is it that my (K)help is not within me,And that (f)(L)deliverance is driven from me?

13 Is not my help in me? and is wisdom driven quite from me?

13 Since I cannot help myself,the hope for success has been banished from me.

13 There is no help within me, is there? My resources have been driven away from me, haven't they?

You Have Not Treated Me Like True Friends

14 To him melting, mercy from his friend; and he will forsake the fear of the Almighty.

14 “For the (M)despairing man there should be kindness from his friend;So that he does not (N)forsake the (g)fear of the Almighty.

14 To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend; but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.

14 A despairing man should receive loyalty from his friends,(d)(F)even if he abandons the fear of the Almighty.

14 The friend shows gracious love for his friend, even if he has forsaken the fear of the Almighty.

15 My brethren dealt faithlessly as a torrent; as a channel of torrents they shall pass away;

15 “My brothers have acted (O)deceitfully like a (h)wadi,Like the torrents of (i)wadis which vanish,

15 My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, and as the stream of brooks they pass away;

15 My brothers are as treacherous as a wadi,as seasonal streams that overflow

15 But my brothers have acted treacherously like a cascading river, like torrential rivers that overflow.

16 Being darkened because of ice, upon them the snow will be hid:

16 Which are turbid because of iceAnd into which the snow (j)melts.

16 Which are blackish by reason of the ice, and wherein the snow is hid:

16 and become darkened(e) because of ice,and the snow melts into them.

16 Filled with waters made cold by ice, they are where the snow goes to hide.

17 In the time they will flow of they became extinct: in its heat they were extinguished from their place.

17 “When (P)they become waterless, they (k)are silent,When it is hot, they vanish from their place.

17 What time they wax warm, they vanish: when it is hot, they are consumed out of their place.

17 The wadis evaporate in warm weather;they disappear from their channels in hot weather.

17 But then the snow melts, and they disappear; when warmed, they evaporate from their stream beds.

18 The paths of their way will turn aside; they will go up into desolation and perish.

18 “The (l)paths of their course wind along,They go up into nothing and perish.

18 The paths of their way are turned aside; they go to nothing, and perish.

18 Caravans turn away from their routes,go up into the desert, and perish.

18 Travelers divert in their route; they go into a wasteland and die.

19 Behold the paths of Tema; the goings of Sheba, wait ye for them.

19 “The caravans of (Q)Tema looked,The travelers of (R)Sheba hoped for them.

19 The troops of Tema looked, the companies of Sheba waited for them.

19 The caravans of Tema look for these streams.The traveling merchants of Sheba hope for them.

19 Travelers from Tema search intently; caravans from Sheba hope to find them.

20 They were ashamed for trusting; they came even to it, they will be put to shame.

20 “They (S)were (m)disappointed for they had trusted,They came there and were confounded.

20 They were confounded because they had hoped; they came thither, and were ashamed.

20 They are ashamed because they had been confident of finding water.When they arrive there, they are frustrated.(G)

20 For all their expectations, they are doomed to disappointment; even though they have come and searched this far.

21 For now ye were not: ye shall see the terror and be afraid.

21 “Indeed, you have now become such,(T)You see a terror and are afraid.

21 For now ye are nothing; ye see my casting down, and are afraid.

21 So this is what you have now become to me.(f)When you see something dreadful, you are afraid.

21 "And now you're all just like them, aren't you? You see my terror and are terrified.

What Have I Done Wrong?

22 For did I say, Give to me? and from your strength make ye a present for me?

22 “Have I said, ‘Give me something,’Or, ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth,’

22 Did I say, Bring unto me? or, Give a reward for me of your substance?

22 Have I ever said: “Give me something”or “Pay a bribe for me from your wealth”

22 When did I ever ask you for anything, say "Offer a bribe for me from your wealth?'

23 And deliver me from the hand of the enemy? and from the hand of the strong ye shall redeem me?

23 Or, ‘Deliver me from the hand of the adversary,’Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of the tyrants’?

23 Or, Deliver me from the enemy's hand? or, Redeem me from the hand of the mighty?

23 or “Deliver me from the enemy’s power”or “Redeem me from the grasp of the ruthless”?

23 or say "Deliver me from my enemy's control,' or "Redeem me from the domination of ruthless people'?"

24 each ye me, and I will be silent: and what I erred in, cause me to understand.

24 “Teach me, and (U)I will be silent;And show me how I have erred.

24 Teach me, and I will hold my tongue: and cause me to understand wherein I have erred.

24 Teach me, and I will be silent.Help me understand what I did wrong.

24 "Instruct me, and I'll remain silent. Help me understand where I've gone astray.

25 How forcible were words of uprightness! and what will reproving from you prove?

25 “How painful are honest words!But what does your argument prove?

25 How forcible are right words! but what doth your arguing reprove?

25 How painful honest words can be!But what does your rebuke prove?

25 The truth can be painful, but what has your argument proven?

26 Will ye purpose to reprove words, and for the spirit of the words of him despairing?

26 “Do you intend to reprove my words,When the (V)words of one in despair belong to the wind?

26 Do ye imagine to reprove words, and the speeches of one that is desperate, which are as wind?

26 Do you think that you can disprove my wordsor that a despairing man’s words are mere wind?(H)

26 Did you intend your words to reprove, even though the speech of a desperate person is just wind?

27 But ye will cause the orphans to fall, and ye will dig for your friend.

27 “You would even (W)cast lots for (X)the orphansAnd (Y)barter over your friend.

27 Yea, ye overwhelm the fatherless, and ye dig a pit for your friend.

27 No doubt you would cast lots for a fatherless childand negotiate a price to sell your friend.(I)

27 Indeed, you would gamble to buy an orphan; and barter to buy your friend!

28 And now be content, look upon me; and before your face if I shall lie;

28 “Now please look at me,And see if I (Z)lie to your face.

28 Now therefore be content, look upon me; for it is evident unto you if I lie.

28 But now, please look at me;would I lie to your face?(J)

28 Now be willing to face me, and I won't lie to your face.

29 Turn ye back now, it shall not be iniquity; and turn back yet, my justice is in it

29 “Desist now, let there be no injustice;Even desist, (AA)my righteousness is yet in it.

29 Return, I pray you, let it not be iniquity; yea, return again, my righteousness is in it.

29 Reconsider; don’t be unjust.Reconsider; my righteousness(K) is still the issue.

29 Repent! Let there be no injustice; Change your ways! My vindication is at stake.

30 Is there iniquity in my tongue? if my palate shall not understand calamities.

30 “Is there injustice on my tongue?Cannot (AB)my palate discern (n)calamities?

30 Is there iniquity in my tongue? cannot my taste discern perverse things?

30 Is there injustice on my tongueor can my palate not taste disaster?(L) >

30 Have I said anything that's unjust? I can discern evil, can't I?"

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