The Readable Bible: Job

The Readable Bible

Job

From Iron Stream Media

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The Readable Bible Job

God Speaks Through Trials

Translated and Edited by Rodney S. Laughlin Brendan I. Kennedy, PhD

Birmingham, Alabama

The Readable Bible: Job Iron Stream

An imprint of Iron Stream Media 100 Missionary Ridge Birmingham, AL 35242 www.ironstreammedia.com

Copyright © 2022 by Rodney S. Laughlin

The Readable Bible text may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic, or audio) up to and inclusive of five hundred verses without express written permission of the publisher provided that (a) the verses quoted do not account for more than 25 percent of the total work in which they are quoted, (b) no more than 25 percent of a book of the Bible is quoted, (c) all quotations conform accurately to The Readable Bible text, and (d) one of the following credit lines appears on the copyright page or title page of the work:

Scripture quotations marked TRB are taken from The Readable Bible®. Copyright © 2022 by Rodney S. Laughlin, Leawood, Kansas. Used by permission of Iron Stream Media.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from The Readable Bible®. Copyright © 2022 by Rodney S. Laughlin, Leawood, Kansas. Used by permission of Iron Stream Media.

When quotations from The Readable Bible text are used in not-for-sale media (e.g., church bulletins, orders of service, newsletters, digital presentations), a copyright notice is not required, but the initials “TRB” must appear at the end of each quotation. Websites and blogs may quote up to five hundred verses without express written permission provided they include the initials “TRB” at the end of each quotation and provided that the verses quoted account for not more than 25 percent of any web page upon which they appear and that no more than 25 percent of a book of the Bible is quoted.

Quotations not covered by the above guidelines must be approved in writing by Iron Stream Media. Send requests to info@ironstreammedia.com or to the address above.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022938636

Cover design: twoline | | Studio

Interior designer/illustrator: Clyde Adams (www.clydeadams.com)

Map geographic features courtesy of Bible Mapper (www.biblemapper.com).

Typeface: Veritas AE from Altered Ego Fonts, a division of Aespire

Part 1. Job’s

The Book of Job

and Troubles

Attack

Part 2. Job and His Friends Debate

Job 5 Job 6

Job: You’re No Help 7 Job 7 Job 8

Bildad: If You Were Righteous, You Would Not Be Suffering 9 Job 9

Job: But Who Can Be Righteous Before God? He Won’t Listen 10 Job 10 Job 11

Zophar: You Have No Wisdom 13 Job 12

Job: You Call That Wisdom? 14 Job 13

Job Calls Out to God

16 Job 14

Dialogue Round 2: God Is Against Me Job 15

Eliphaz: You’re Not So Smart

Job: You and God Are Against Me

Bildad: Why Don’t You Listen?

Job: Listen, God Is Against Me

18 Job 16

20 Job 17 Job 18

22 Job 19

23 Job 20

Zophar: The Triumph of the Wicked Is Brief 24 Job 21

Job: My Complaint Is Against God 26

Dialogue Round 3: Is God Just? Job 22

Eliphaz: Return to God with Humility and Be Restored 27 Job 23

Job: I Am Not Rebelling; God Is Against Me

Note: The Plight of the Needy

29 Job 24

30

Am Righteous

Part 3. Job’s Summary

Part 4. Job’s Lament

Yearn

One

Part 5.Elihu Objects

Jumps into the Fray

Is Greater Than Man; You Cannot Bring a Case Against Him

Does Not Act Wickedly

Fault Must Be Yours

the Wonders of God

Part 6. God’s Response, Job’s Response

Do You Know?

You

To the Reader

One day I was standing in an airport bookstore looking for a book to read. I asked myself, “Why am I looking for something to read when I have a Bible in my briefcase?” I answered, “The Bible is hard to read. I want to read something easier.” Then I asked myself, “Why is it so hard to read? You’re a seminary graduate, a former pastor, a Bible teacher!” Thus began a quest that has led to The Readable Bible—the Bible as it would look if Moses, Joshua, Matthew, Mark, Paul, and the other writers had been sitting in front of a computer when God spoke through them.

It seems to me that the Bible is hard to read because all material is presented in sentence format. Today we use tables to present census information and charts for genealogies. When we want something built, we draw up a specification document. Law codes are organized in outline form. We use bullet points, bold text, and other aids to help us grasp information. Yet in today’s Bibles, all the information is still presented in sentence format in plain text. Surely those men of old would have used modern formats if they had known about them when God spoke through them. Modern formatting does not change the information; it simply presents it in a way that makes it easier to grasp. The Readable Bible brings you the biblical text in modern formats.

You may struggle with the idea of Scripture in modern formats. Actually, all of today’s Bibles present the text in a form much different from that of the original manuscripts. Consider how many format changes that were developed over the past two thousand years led to the format considered normal today. Each change was radical in its time:

• Vowels: The earliest Hebrew manuscripts have no vowels; they were added hundreds of years later.

• Capital Letters: The Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament manuscripts have no uppercase and lowercase letters.

• Punctuation: The original manuscripts have no punctuation (no commas or periods!).

• Chapter Numbers: These were not common in Bibles until the thirteenth century AD.

• Verse Numbers: The first verse-numbering system was developed over a thousand years after the last Bible book was written. It had one-third of today’s verse numbers, making verses three or four times longer. Today’s Christian Bible numbering system was not developed until the sixteenth century.

• Paragraphs: The first paragraphed King James Bible was published in the mid-1800s.

So presenting the words of Scripture in tables, cascading the text of long, complex sentences, and using other modern formatting techniques is simply continuing the long-term trend of making the Bible easier to understand.

Our hope is that people who have never read the Bible will decide to read this version because it is so approachable. Please give a copy to someone who struggles to understand the Bible and, especially, to those who do not read the Bible.

Acknowledgments

My thanks to all the members of our editing team, our volunteer development team, and the many others who have donated funds and worked to bring The Readable Bible to completion.

A big “thank you” to my designer and partner in this project, Clyde Adams, for joining me in this faith venture. He has turned the translation into well-laid-out text and my formatting concepts into reality. The maps, tables, charts, book layout, and cover are all his work.

Most of all, I thank my wife, Rebecca, for her ideas, her love, and her strong support of this endeavor over the past twelve years.

Dedication

And now I dedicate to our Lord this translation of his holy Word, humbly asking him to grant that it may bring forth fruit to his glory and the building up of his people.

L

Spring 2022

Introduction to Job

Job and His Times

Dating the book of Job is difficult because it does not refer to any kings or events whose time we know. No Israelites are in the story, and there are no references to Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob. This has led many scholars to believe Job is one of the oldest books of the Bible, perhaps dating back to the time of Abraham. However, current scholarship suggests that Job is one of the most recent books of the Bible and that it was written by an Israelite. It may be a true story, or it may be a case study in which the Israelite author was guided by God to present a story of God’s ways. Regardless of its origin, it is part of God’s Word, and for more than two thousand years it has provided guidance and hope to believers, especially those who suffer and/or have loved ones who suffer.

The location of the story, “the land of Uz,”a is uncertain. The men who try to counsel Job include a Temanite, a Shuhite, a Naamathite, and a Buzite.b

As many people believed in Jesus’ time, and many still believe today, Job’s friends believed that the righteous would not suffer. Wealth was seen as a sign of both righteousness and God’s blessing—a well-deserved blessing. So when Job lost everything—his household, his wealth, and his health—everyone assumed it was because he had sinned.

The Form of Job

The book of Job is unique. God does not have anything to say to Job until the end of the text. The book is written in sometimes obscure Hebrew poetic language and is full of metaphors, Hebrew rhythm, and wordplay. Virtually all of this is lost in any English translation. So we present part of the text as prose and part in cascading form. This makes it easier to follow Job’s debate with his friends and calls attention to the parallel structure of the text.

Since the demonstrative particle hinneh (behold) appears over fifty times and is used in an emotional way many times, we interpret it loosely based on the context to help the reader experience the feelings of Job and his friends. See Translation Notes for more information.

The Message of Job

The book of Job is filled with passion. Job had strong feelings about his beliefs, and his friends had strong feelings about theirs. Job was convinced of his righteousness; his friends were convinced he would not have suffered if he were righteous. So they ran a verbal battle, on and on, holding their ground, not one yielding an inch to another. Eventually God showed up to reveal who was right. In the end, we see repentance, gratitude, and sacrifice. And Job prayed for those who had argued with him so vehemently.

a See Job 1:1.

b For information on these four terms, see footnotes for 2:11 and 32:2.

Right from the beginning we see that Job’s problems were not the result of bad behavior, and had nothing to do with anything on earth.a Rather, it was due to what was happening in heaven! God wanted to teach Satan a lesson, and in doing so, he was going to teach a lesson to Job and his friends. And, equally important, God was going to provide his people with a story that would be memorialized in Scripture and teach truth. Who knew? Nobody in Job’s time. Only God. But today, thousands of years later, hundreds of millions of people have learned from Job’s suffering.

So when you suffer, or when others suffer, do not jump to judgment. The cause of a person’s suffering may or may not be directly related to their actions.

There is a great lesson for all of us in this book. Let yourself be carried along by the text. Let it flow over you. Try to get inside it. Try to imagine, even experience, the emotions of Job and his friends.

Do not read it as just the story of Job. Rather, search to find yourself in the text. Read it not only as a historical biography but as a lesson book. Let the words challenge you and lead you to repentance, friendship, understanding of others, and prayer.

Before You Read

Words in italics are additions to the biblical text. In the context of commands, rules, and regulations, “shall,” “must,” and “are/is to” are equal terms, all the same strength.

We encourage you to read “Translation Notes” and “Format and Presentation Notes” in the back of the book. They are easy reading and will increase your understanding of the text.

Please browse the glossary before you begin reading. You will find helpful information about words that appear frequently in this book, as well as important explanations of the words “L” and “Yahweh.”

Part 1. Job’s Character, Wealth, and Troubles

Job’s Character and Wealth

1 There was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. This man had integrity, was upright, and feared God, turning away from evil. 2 He had seven sons and three daughters. 3 His property included seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred female donkeys. He had a large number of servants and was the greatest man in the East. 4 His sons would go and hold feasts at each man’s house on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 Whenever the feast days came around, Job would send for his children and consecrate them. Also, he’d get up early in the morning and offer a burnt offering b for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Job did this repeatedly.c

Satan’s First Attack and Job’s Response

6 One day the heavenly court d presented themselves before the L, and Satan also joined them. 7 The L said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the L, “From roving about on the earth, wandering on it.”

8 The L said to Satan, “Have you considered e my servant Job? There’s no one like him on earth: a man of integrity, upright, fearing God, and turning away from evil.”

9 Satan answered the L, “Does Job fear God without expecting reward? f 10 Aren’t you a hedge g around him, his family, and everything he owns? You have blessed the works of his hands, and his possessions have spread throughout the land.h 11 But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has. Surely he will curse you to your face.”

12 The L said to Satan, “We’ll see; everything he has is in your hands, but don’t touch his body.”i Then Satan went out from the L’s presence.

13 One day Job’s sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine at the eldest brother’s house. 14 A messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing beside them 15 when the Sabeans j attacked them and took

a “Job” is the English form of a Greek word derived from, but not very close to, the Hebrew word um. It can mean either “No Father” or “Where Is My Father?”

b “Burnt offering”: an offering to God presented by burning it. It was offered to express appreciation to God for what he had done or to appease God for the sin of the offerer or another person.

c Literally, “did this regularly continually.”

d Literally, “the sons of God.”

e Literally, “you put your heart on.”

f Literally, “fear God for nothing.”

g “Hedge”: a row of tall, densely planted thornbushes.

h Literally, “have increased in the land.”

i Literally, “don’t stretch out your hand against him.”

j “Sabeans”: a Semitic people, descendants of Sheba (see Genesis 25:3) who lived in the southern Arabian Peninsula, the area of today’s Yemen.

them away. They killed the servants with the edge of the sword, and only I alone have escaped to tell you!”

16 While this one was still speaking, another servant came and said, “A huge firea fell from the sky; it consumed the sheep and devoured the servants. I alone have escaped to tell you!”

17 While this one was still speaking, a third servant came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding partiesb and took your camels. They killed the servants with the edge of the sword, and only I escaped to tell you!”

18 While this one was still speaking, a fourth servant came and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine at the eldest brother’s house. 19 Suddenly a mighty wind came from across the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on the young people, and they died. Only I have escaped to tell you!”

20 Job got up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped, 21 saying, “I came out of my mother’s womb naked, and I will be buried naked.c The L gives and the L takes away. May the L’s name be blessed.”

22 Job didn’t sin in any of this, nor did he blame God.

2 Job Satan’s Second Attack and Job’s Response

1 On another day the heavenly courtd came to present themselves before the L Satan also joined them and presented himself before the L 2 The L said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the L, “From roving about on the earth, wandering on it.”

3 The L said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There’s no one like him on earth: a man of integrity, upright, fearing God, and turning away from evil. He’s still holding on to his integrity, although you incited me against him to ruin him for no reason.”

4 Satan replied to the L, “Skin for skin! A man will give everything he has to save his life. 5 But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones. Surely he will curse you to your face.”

6 The L said to Satan, “We’ll see. He’s in your hands; just preserve his life.”

7 Satan went out from the presence of the L and afflicted Job with painful boils from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. 8 Job took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself, and he sat in an ash heap. 9 His wife said to him, “Are you still clinging to your integrity? Curse God and die!”

10 Job replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Should we accept good from God and not misfortune?” Through all this, Job didn’t sin with his words.e

a Literally, “A fire of God.”

b Literally, “three heads.” Chaldea is a part of Southern Babylonia. The term “Chaldeans” is sometimes applied to residents of Babylonia led by Chaldean kings.

c Literally, “and naked I will return there.” The womb was a common euphemism for death or the grave.

d Literally, “the sons of God.”

e Literally, “with his lips.”

Job’s Three Friends

11 Job’s three friends heard about all the misfortune that had come upon him. Each one came from his place: Eliphaz the Temanite,a Bildad the Shuhite,b and Zophar the Naamathite.c They agreed to go together and sympathize with Job and comfort him.

12 When they saw d him from a distance and didn’t recognize him, they raised their voices and wept. Each one tore his robe and sprinkled dust on his head.e 13 They sat with him on the ground for seven days and seven nights. None of them said a word to him, because they saw that his suffering was very great.

Part 2. Job and His Friends Debate Dialogue Round 1. Is Suffering Due to Sin?

Job 3

Job: I Regret Being Born

1 After all this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day he was born, 2 saying,

3 “May the day I was born perish and also the night when someone said, ‘A boy is conceived!’

4 May that day be darkness; God above not care for it; light not shine upon it;

5 darkness and dreadful darkness claim it; a cloud settle on it, and blackness overwhelm it!

6 May that night be seized by gloom; it not be included in the days of the year; and it not appear on the calendar.f

7 Yes! May that night be barren; no shout of joy enter it;

8 those who curse days—who are ready to rouse Leviathan g—curse it;

9 the stars at its twilight be darkened. May it wait for light but have none—not even see the first rays of dawn,h 10 for it didn’t shut the doors of the womb on me to hide trouble from my eyes.

a “Temanite”: The term’s meaning is uncertain; perhaps an Edomite, a descendant of Esau’s grandson Teman. See Genesis 36:11, 34.

b “Shuhite”: The term’s meaning is uncertain; perhaps a descendant of Abraham and Keturah’s son Shuah. See Genesis 25:2.

c “Naamathite”: a resident of Naamah (which is generally thought to have been in northwest Arabia).

d Literally, “they raised their eye.”

e Literally, “and threw dust over his head to the sky.”

f Literally, “not come into the account of the months.”

g “Leviathan”: an unidentified large sea creature, perhaps a whale.

h Literally, “the eyelids of dawn.”

17

11

Why didn’t I die at birth?

Why didn’t I come out from the womb and die?

12 Why did knees receive me and breasts nurse me?

13 For then I would be lying down and quiet—sleeping. Then I would have been at rest

14 with kings and counselors of the earth who built places for themselves (now ruinsa) 15 or with princes who had gold, those who filled their houses with silver.

16 Why was I not like a stillborn child, hidden in the ground, like babies who never saw the light?

“In deathb the wicked cease to rage.

There the weary are at rest.

18 Prisoners are at ease together; they don’t hear the shout of the slave driver.

19 The small and the great are both there, and the slave is free of his master.

20 “Why is light given to one who toils?

Why is life given to one whose existence is bitter:c

21 who longs for death but doesn’t have it; who searches for it more than hidden treasures;

22 who exalts—rejoices to the point of shouting—when they find the grave?

23

Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?

24 I groan when my food comes; my moaning pours out like water.

25 What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has come to me.

26

“I have no peace, no quiet, no rest—only turmoil comes.”

4 Job Eliphaz: No One Who Suffers Is Innocent

1 Eliphaz the Temanite answered, 2 “Will you be impatient if someone ventures a word with you? But who can hold back from speaking?

3 “We’ve seen that you have instructed many, strengthened weak hands, 4 steadied the tottering with your words, and strengthened those with weak knees.

a Or “who rebuilt ruins for themselves.”

b Literally, “There.”

c Literally, “to the bitter in spirit.”

5 “But now trouble comes to you, and you are discouraged. It strikes you, and you are dismayed. 6 Isn’t your fear of God your confidence and the integrity of your ways your hope? 7 Can you remember anyone who has ever perished for being innocent? Where were the righteous ever wiped out?

8 “It’s just like I’ve seen: Those who plow wickedness and those who sow trouble reap the same. 9 They are destroyed by the breath of God, finished by the blast of his anger. 10 One lion may roar, and another lion may growl, but God can break the teeth of young lions.a 11 Then they perish for lack of prey, and the lion cubs are scattered.

12 “A word was secretly brought to me, and my ear caught a whisper of it. 13 It happened among the disturbing dreams of the night, when deep sleep falls on people. 14 Terror and trembling found me and made all my bones shake. 15 A spirit flitted past my face, and all the hair on my body stood on end. 16 It stopped, but I didn’t recognize its appearance. A form was before me— silent—then I heard a voice ask:

17 ‘Can humans be more righteous than God? Can a person be more pure than their Creator? ’

18 Think about it: God doesn’t trust even his servants, and he charges his angels with error. 19 How much more we who live in houses of clay, whose originsb are in the dust, who are crushed more easily than a moth,c 20 who from morning to evening are crushed to pieces, gone forever, and no one notices!

21 Isn’t their life thread snappedd so that they die without wisdom?

1 “Call out, but will anyone answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn?

2 Resentment kills the fool, and envy slays the ignorant.

3 I’ve seen fools looking secure,e yet

I was able to f curse their home immediately.

4 Their children are far from safety, crushed at the gate g without anyone to defend them.h

5 The hungry devour their harvest, even if behind a hedge of thorns. The thirsty panti after their wealth.

a Literally, “but the teeth of young lions are broken.”

b Literally, “whose foundations.”

c Literally, “crushed before a moth.”

d Literally, “their tent rope pulled up.”

e Literally, “taking root.”

f Literally, “and I.”

g “At the gate”: the gate of the city was where one pursued justice.

h Literally, “without a defender.”

i The Hebrew rendered “even if behind a hedge of thorns. The thirsty pant” is uncertain.

6 “Affliction doesn’t simply come out of the dust.

Trouble doesn’t just sprout from the ground.

7 Indeed, humans are born for trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.

8 On the other hand, I would seek God and put my case before him.

9 He does great things that cannot be understood; performs wonders without number; 10 provides rain on the face of the earth, sending water onto the fields;

11 sets the lowly on high, lifting mourners to safety; 12 disrupts the plans of the crafty so that their hands cannot achieve lasting success; and 13 catches the shrewd in their craftiness so that the counsel of the twisted is swept away.

14 In daytime they encounter darkness, groping at noon the same as at night.

15 He saves the needy from the sword of their speecha and from the power b of the strong.

16 The poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth.

17 “Think about it:

The man whom God corrects is blessed. Don’t reject the discipline of the Almighty. 18 He causes pain, but he also gives relief.c He wounds, but his hands also heal.

19 From six troubles he will save you; in seven no evil will touch you. 20 He will redeem you from death during famine and from the power of the sword in war.

21 You will be hidden from the lash of the tongue, not fear when destruction comes, 22 laugh at violence and famine, not fear the wild beasts of the country, 23 be at peace d with the stones of the field, and the wild beasts will be at peace with you. 24 You will know that your tent is secure, take inventory of your property and find nothing missing, and 25 know that your descendants will be numerous.

(Those who come from you will be like grass on the earth.)

26 You will go to the grave at full maturity, like a sheaf of grain in its season.

27 “Look, we have investigated it, and it’s so. Listen to it, and apply it for yourself.”

a Literally, “the sword in their mouth.”

b Literally, “the hand.”

c Literally, “binds up.”

d Literally, “make a covenant.”

Job: You’re No Help

1 Job answered,

2 “Oh, that my anguish could be weighed and put on the scales together with my calamity!a 3 It would be heavier than the sand of the seas.

Therefore my words have been rash, 4 for the arrows of the Almighty are in me; my spirit drinks their poison, and God’s terrors are arrayed against me.

5 “Does the wild donkey bray over his grass or an ox bellow when it has food?

6 Can something tasteless be eaten without salt?

Is there any taste in the white of an egg? b

7 My soul refuses to touch it. Such food makes me ill.

8 “Oh, that my request might come to pass and God would grant my hope. 9 I wish that God would crush me, unleash his hand, and cut me off! 10 But this is still my comfort, and I rejoice, though in constant anguish, that I haven’t denied the words of the Holy One.

11 “Am I strong enoughc to be able to wait?

And what’s my end that I should prolong my life?

12 “Is my strength like that of stones?

Is my flesh strong as bronze?

13 “Do I have power to help myself, since success has been torn away from me?

14 “Whoever withholds kindness from a friend abandons the fear of the Almighty.

15 My brothers are treacherous like a seasonal stream,d like torrents, like streams that overflow their banks e and then disappear, 16 darkened from melting ice and melted snow.f

17 In the season they are scorched, their water disappears. They vanish from their place when it’s hot. 18 Their ways meander, evaporate,g and perish.

a The Hebrew is uncertain.

b “White of an egg”: literally, “sap of a challamuth,” an edible but tasteless, white unappetizing, squishy sap from a plant. The exact plant is uncertain; either alkanet or marshmallow.

c Literally, “What is my strength?”

d Literally, “like a wadi,” a dry streambed that oftentimes brings flash floods when it rains.

e Literally, “like wadies.”

f Literally, “and hidden snow.”

g Literally, “go up into nothing.”

19 “Caravans from Tema searched for the streams; travelers from Shebaa expected them. 20 They are put to shame because they trusted that they would find water. They came there and were disappointed. 21 Now you have become like that. You see something terrible and are afraid.

22 “Have I said, ‘Give me something?’ Or, ‘Offer a bribe on my behalf from your wealth?’ 23 Or, ‘Rescue me from the power of my oppressor?’ Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of tyrants?’

24 Teach me, and I will be silent. How have I gone astray? Help me understand.

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

26 Do you intend to correct my words? Or do the words of one in despair get heard only by the wind? b

27 “You would even cast lots for an orphan and trade away your friend! 28 But now be willing to turn to me. Would I lie to your face? 29 Relent; let there be no injustice. Reconsider, for my righteousness is at stake in this.

30 Is there injustice on my tongue? Cannot my mouth discern malice? c

7 Job

1 “Aren’t people forced to labor on earth, and aren’t their days like those of a day laborer, 2 like a slave longing for shade or a hired worker waiting for wages?

3 Likewise, I’ve been assigned months of futility, and nights of trouble have been appointed for me.

4 If I lie down, I say, ‘When can I get up? ’

The night drags on, and I’m continually d tossing about until dawn.

5 My body is clad in worms and a dirty crust. My skin has cracked sores and seeps.

6 My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle and come to an end without hope.

7 “Remember, my life is only a breath! My eyes will never see anything good again.

8 The eye that sees me will see me no longer; your eyes will be on me, but I will be no more.

a “Sheba”: a place whose location is unknown. One popular theory identifies it with Ethiopia, another with Yemen.

b Literally, “only belong to the wind.”

c Literally, “discern destruction.”

d Literally, “I have my fill of.”

9 Like smoke vanishes and departs, whoever goes down to the grave doesn’t ascend, 10 doesn’t return to their house again, and their place won’t recognize them again.

11 “Therefore

I won’t shuta my mouth;

I will speak out in my troubled spirit, and I will complain in my bitter soul.

12 “Lord,

Am I the sea or a sea monster that you set a guard over me? 13 If I say, ‘My bed will comfort me, and my couch will lightenb my complaint,’ 14 then you frighten me with dreams and terrify me with visions 15 so that I would choose death by strangling rather than life in this body of mine! c 16 I hate my life! I wouldn’t choose to live forever! Leave me alone, because my days are but breath.

17 “What are humans to you, that you should make so much of themd or think much about theme — 18 examining them every morning and testing them every moment? 19 Will you never look away from me even long enough for me to swallow my saliva? f

20 “You think I have sinned?

What have I done to you, O watcher of people?

Why have you made me your target so that I’ve become a burden to myself?

21 Why don’t you forgive my transgression and remove my guilt?

For now I’m lying down in the dust to die.

You will seek me, but I will be gone.”

Bildad: If You Were Righteous, You Would Not Be Suffering

1 Then Bildad the Shuhite said,

2 “How long will you say these things and the words from your mouth be a blustering wind?

3 “Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty twist righteousness? 4 If your children sinned against him, he repaid them according to their transgression. 5 If you would seek God and implore the favor of the Almighty, 6 if you are pure and upright, even now he’d rouse himself on your behalf and restore you to the prosperity your righteousness deserves g 7 Your former wealth would be insignificant because your latter wealth would be so great.

a Literally, “not restrain.”

b Literally, “will lift.”

c Literally, “rather than bones.”

d Literally, “should magnify them.”

e Literally, “or set your heart on them.”

f Literally, “Will you not slacken from looking at me until I swallow my saliva?”

g Literally, “and repay the abode of your righteousness.”

8

“Ask then, people from a former generation and determine what their ancestors discovered. 9 We are born only yesterday and know nothing. Our livesa are only a shadow on the earth. 10 Won’t they teach you and speak to you? Won’t words come out of their hearts?

11 “Can papyrus grow up without a marsh? Do reeds grow without water?

12 Though they are still green and uncut, they wither before any other plant.

13 Such are the paths of all who forget God. The hope of the godless will perish.

14 Their confidence is brittle; their trust is in a spider’s web.

15 They lean on the spider’s house, but it gives way;b they grab it, but it doesn’t endure.

16 Each one is like a well-watered plant before the sun. Its shoots spread over the garden. 17 They twist around a rock pile, looking for a place among the stones, 18 but when they’re pulled upc from their place, then the ground will deny knowing them, saying, ‘I never saw you.’

19 Look, this (i.e., nothing) is the joy of their way, yet from the soil others keep coming up!

20 “Listen, God doesn’t reject a person with integrity, nor does he strengthen evildoers.

21 If you repent, he will fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with a joyful shout; 22 those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the tents of the wicked will be no more.”

9 Job Job: But Who Can Be Righteous Before God? He Won’t Listen

1 Job answered,

2 “Truly, I know that it’s so, but what person can be righteous before God?

3 If one wants to contend with him, not once out of a thousand times can one answer him.

4 He’s wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has resisted him and been unharmed?

5 He’s the one who removes mountains, but they don’t realize it when he overturns them in his anger;

6 shakes the earth from its place, and its supports tremble;

a Literally, “Our days.”

b Literally, “it doesn’t stand.”

c Literally, “is swallowed up.”