Job 17

Job Continues to Defend His Innocence ¹“My spirit is crushed, and my life is nearly snuffed out. The grave is ready to receive me. ² I am surrounded by mockers. I watch how bitterly they taunt me.

³“You must defend my innocence, O God, since no one else will stand up for me. ⁴ You have closed their minds to understanding, but do not let them triumph. ⁵ They betray their friends for their own advantage, so let their children faint with hunger.

⁶“God has made a mockery of me among the people; they spit in my face. ⁷ My eyes are swollen with weeping, and I am but a shadow of my former self. ⁸ The virtuous are horrified when they see me. The innocent rise up against the ungodly. ⁹ The righteous keep moving forward, and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.

¹⁰“As for all of you, come back with a better argument, though I still won’t find a wise man among you. ¹¹ My days are over. My hopes have disappeared. My heart’s desires are broken. ¹² These men say that night is day; they claim that the darkness is light. ¹³ What if I go to the grave Hebrew to Sheol; also in 17:16. and make my bed in darkness? ¹⁴ What if I call the grave my father, and the maggot my mother or my sister? ¹⁵ Where then is my hope? Can anyone find it? ¹⁶ No, my hope will go down with me to the grave. We will rest together in the dust!”