| 1 | Then Job answered, |
| 2 | Oh, that my impatience
and
vexation might be [thoroughly] weighed and all my calamity be laid up over against them in the balances, one against the other [to see if my grief is unmanly]! |
| 3 | For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea; therefore my words have been rash
and
wild, |
| 4 | [But it is] because the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison which my spirit drinks up; the terrors of God set themselves in array against me. |
| 5 | Does the wild ass bray when it has grass? Or does the ox low over its fodder? |
| 6 | Can that which has no taste to it be eaten without salt? Or is there any flavor in the white of an egg? |
| 7 | [These afflictions] my soul refuses to touch! Such things are like diseased food to me [sickening and repugnant]! |
| 8 | Oh, that I might have my request, and that God would grant me the thing that I long for! |
| 9 | I even wish that it would please God to crush me, that He would let loose His hand and cut me off! |
| 10 | Then would I still have consolation—yes, I would leap [for joy] amid unsparing pain [though I shrink from it]—that I have not concealed
or
denied the words of the Holy One! |
| 11 | What strength have I left, that I should wait
and
hope? And what is ahead of me, that I should be patient? |
| 12 | Is my strength
and
endurance that of stones? Or is my flesh made of bronze? |
| 13 | Is it not that I have no help in myself, and that wisdom is quite driven from me? |
| 14 | To him who is about to faint
and
despair, kindness is due from his friend, lest he forsake the fear of the Almighty. |
| 15 | [You] my brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, as the channel of brooks that pass away, |
| 16 | Which are black
and
turbid by reason of the ice,
and
in which the snows hides itself; |
| 17 | When they get warm, they shrink
and
disappear; when it is hot, they vanish out of their place. |
| 18 | The caravans which travel by way of them turn aside; they go into the waste places and perish. [Such is my disappointment in you, the friends I fully trusted.] |
| 19 | The caravans of Tema looked [for water], the companies of Sheba waited for them [in vain]. |
| 20 | They were confounded because they had hoped [to find water]; they came there and were bitterly disappointed. |
| 21 | Now to me you are [like a dried-up brook]; you see my dismay
and
terror, and [believing me to be a victim of God’s anger] you are afraid [to sympathize with me]. |
| 22 | Did I ever say, Bring me a gift, or Pay a bribe on my account from your wealth |
| 23 | To deliver me from the adversary’s hand, or Redeem me from the hand of the oppressors? |
| 24 | Teach me, and I will hold my peace; and cause me to understand wherein I have erred. |
| 25 | How forcible are words of straightforward speech! But what does your arguing argue
and
prove
or
your reproof reprove? |
| 26 | Do you imagine your words to be an argument, but the speeches of one who is desperate to be as wind? |
| 27 | Yes, you would cast lots over the fatherless and bargain away your friend. |
| 28 | Now be pleased to look upon me, that it may be evident to you if I lie [for surely I would not lie to your face]. |
| 29 | Return [from your suspicion], I pray you, let there be no injustice; yes, return again [to confidence in me], my vindication is in it. |
| 30 | Is there wrong on my tongue? Cannot my taste discern what is destructive? |