eng_aiv Amundson Interpretive Version Job Job Job Job Job id=eng_aiv name=Amundson Interpretive Version (AIV) status=draft spec=USFM-USX 3.1.1 export=2026-11-02 char:add=translator-addition-italic char:wj=words-of-Jesus-as-received-unmapped note:f=footnotes para:r=parallel-passage-references para:d=psalm-superscriptions Job’s Character and Wealth (James 5:7–12) There was a man in the land of Uz—Job was his name—and that man was blameless and upright and fearing God and turning away from evil. And there were born to him seven sons and three daughters. And his possessions were seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred pair of oxen, and five hundred female donkeys, and a very large service. And that man was greater than all the sons of the East. And his sons would go and make a feast at the house of each man in his day, and they would send and call to their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. And it came to pass that the days of the feasting had gone around, and Job would send and would sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer up burnt offerings, the number of them all, for Job said, “Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did all the days. Satan’s First Attack And there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before YHWH, that Satan1.6 That is, the Accuser or the Adversary; here and throughout Job 1 also came into their midst. And YHWH said to Satan, “From where have you come?” And Satan answered YHWH and said, “From roaming on the earth, and walking back and forth on it.” And YHWH said to Satan, “Have you set your heart upon My servant Job, how there is no one like him on the earth, a man blameless and upright, fearing God and turning aside from evil?” And Satan answered YHWH and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not put a hedge around him and around his house, and around all that is unto him, surrounding on every side? The work of his hands You have blessed, and the animals of his possession have burst forth in the land. But now stretch out Your hand and touch against all that is unto him, if he will not curse you to your face!” And YHWH said to Satan, “Behold, all that is unto him is in your hand; only against him do not stretch out your hand.” And Satan went out from the face of YHWH. Job Loses His Children and Possessions And there came to be a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their brother, the firstborn. And a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing at their sides, when the Sabeans fell on them and took them, and they struck the servants with the mouth of the sword—and only I have escaped, by myself alone, to declare it to you.” Still this one was speaking, when this one came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and it consumed them—and only I have escaped, by myself alone, to declare it to you.” Still this one was speaking, when this one came and said, “The Chaldeans made three heads and rushed upon the camels and took them away, and they struck the servants with the mouth of the sword—and only I have escaped, by myself alone, to declare it to you.” Still this one was speaking, when this one came and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their brother, the firstborn, and behold, a great wind came from across the desert and struck against the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they died—and only I have escaped, by myself alone, to declare it to you.” And Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and bowed low, and he said, “Naked I came forth from the womb of my mother, and naked I shall return there. YHWH gave, and YHWH has taken away. Let the name of YHWH be blessed.” In all this Job did not sin, and he did not ascribe foolishness to God. Job Loses His Health And there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before YHWH, and Satan2.1 That is, the Accuser or the Adversary; here and throughout Job 2 also came into their midst to present himself before YHWH. And YHWH said to Satan, “From where have you come to here?” And Satan answered YHWH and said, “From roaming on the earth and walking back and forth on it.” And YHWH said to Satan, “Have you set your heart toward My servant Job, how there is no one like him on the earth, a man complete and upright, fearing God and turning aside from evil? And still he holds firmly to his integrity, although you incited Me against him to devour him without cause.” But Satan answered YHWH and said, “Skin for skin—and all that is unto the man, he will give for his life. But now stretch out Your hand and touch upon his bone and upon his flesh—if he will not curse You to Your face!” And YHWH said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, yet his life you must spare.” And Satan went forth from the face of YHWH, and he struck Job with severe boils from the sole of his foot even up to the crown of his head. And he took for himself a potsherd to scrape himself with it, and he was sitting in the midst of the ashes. And his wife said to him, “Are you still holding firmly onto your integrity? Curse2.9 Or Bless God and die!” And he said to her, “You speak like the speaking of one of the foolish women! Shall we receive the good from God, and not also receive the bad?” In all this, Job did not sin with his lips. Job’s Three Friends And three friends of Job heard of all this evil that had come upon him, and they came, each man from his place—Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite—and they met together to come to nod to him and to comfort him. And they lifted their eyes from afar, and they did not recognize him. And they lifted their voices and wept, and each man tore his robe, and they scattered dust upon their heads toward the heavens. Then they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and there was no speaking to him a word, for they saw that his pain was very great. Job Laments His Birth After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed his day. And Job spoke and said: “May the day perish on which I was born, and the night that one said, ‘A male child has been conceived.’ That day—may it be darkness; let not God seek it above, nor let light shine upon it. Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it; may a cloud dwell over it; let the blackness of the day terrify it. That night—let darkness take it! Let it not it rejoice among the days of the year; into the number of the months let it not come. Behold, that night—may it be barren, let no joyful shout come into it. May they curse it, those cursing the day,3.8 Or cursing the sea those ready to rouse Leviathan. May the stars of its morning light be dark; may it look for light and there be none, and do not let it see the eyelids of the dawn; for it did not shut the doors of my womb, and hide trouble from my eyes. Why did I not die from the womb? I should have come forth from the belly and expired! Why did the knees meet me, and why the breasts that I should suck? For now I would have lain down and been quiet; I would have slept—then there would be rest for me with the kings and counselors of the earth, who built up ruins for themselves; or with the princes with gold unto them, those filling their houses with silver. Or why was I not hidden like a stillborn child, like infants who had not seen the light? There the wicked cease from trouble, and there those weary of power are at rest— together the captives are at rest; they do not hear the voice oppressing them. The small and the great there the same, and the servant is free from his master. Why is light given to the one toiling, and life to the bitter of soul, those waiting for death and there is none, and those digging for it more than hidden treasures, those being glad unto joy; they rejoice that they should find the grave? To a man for whom his path is hidden, and God has hedged around him? For before my food my sighing comes, and my groanings pour out like the waters. For the dreadful thing I dreaded, and it has met me, and that which I had feared has come to me. I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; and I do not have rest, and turmoil has come.” Eliphaz: The Innocent Prosper And Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: “Should one try a word with you, will you be wearied? And who is able to be restrained from a word? Behold, you have instructed many, and you have strengthened hands that are weak. The one stumbling, your words, and bent knees you have strengthened. But now it has come to you, and you are weary; it touches unto you, and you are disturbed. Is not your fear your confidence, and the integrity of your ways your hope? Remember please: Who is he who has perished being innocent? And where have the upright been cut off? According to what I have seen, those plowing iniquity and sowing trouble— they shall reap it. By the breath of God they perish, and by the blast of his nose they are consumed. The roar of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions are broken. The lion perishes for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness are scattered. And to me a word was confided; and my ear took in a whisper of it. In disquieting thoughts from visions of the night, in the falling of deep sleep upon men, dread and trembling met me, and the multitude of my bones it frightened. And a spirit4.15 Or a wind was gliding over my face, the hair of my flesh bristled. It stood still, I could not discern its appearance. A likeness was in front of my eyes; there was silence, and I heard a voice: ‘Shall a human be righteous more than God? Can a man be pure more than his Maker? Behold, in His servants He does not trust, and His angels He charges with error; how much more those dwelling in houses of clay, for whom their foundation is in the dust, who are crushed before a moth? From morning to evening they are broken to pieces; without anyone noticing, they perish forever. Has not their tent cord been pulled up with them? They will die, and not in wisdom?’ Eliphaz Continues: God Blesses those Who Seek Him “ Call out, please. Is there one answering you? And to which of the holy ones will you turn? For indignation kills the foolish, and jealousy kills the simple. I have seen a fool taking root, and suddenly I cursed his abode. His sons are far from safety; indeed they are crushed in the gate, and there is none rescuing; whose harvest the hungry one devours, even from among the thorns he takes it, and the thirsty one pants after their wealth.5.5 Or and a snare snatches his wealth For trouble does not come forth from the dust, nor does toil spring up from the ground. For man is born into toil, and as the sons of the flame soar to fly. But as for me, I would seek for God, and unto God I would commit my cause— the One doing great things, and there is no searching out, wonders until there is no numbering. The One giving rain upon the face of the earth, and sending waters upon the face of the outside, to set the lowly ones on high, and those mourning are high in safety. He is breaking the plots of the crafty, and their hands cannot execute wisdom. He is catching the wise in their craftiness, and the counsel of those being deceptive is hurried. 5.13 Cited in 1 Corinthians 3:19 By day they encounter darkness, and they grope about at midday as at night. And He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty. And there is hope for the poor, and injustice shuts its mouth. Behold, blessed is the man whom God reproves, and the discipline of Shaddai5.17 Shaddai means the Almighty; here and throughout Job you should not despise. For He brings pain, and binds up; he wounds, and his hands heal. In six distresses he will rescue you, and in seven, evil shall not touch you. In famine he will redeem you from death, and in war from the hands of the sword. From the scourge of the tongue you will be hidden, and you shall not be afraid of destruction when it comes. At destruction and famine you will laugh, and of the beasts of the earth you shall not be afraid. For your covenant will be with the stones of the field, and the beasts of the field will be at peace with you. And you will know that your tent is at peace, and you shall visit your abode and not miss. And you will know that your seed is numerous, and your offspring like the grass of the earth. You shall come in strength to the grave, like the lifting of a sheaf in its time. Behold this—we have searched it out, and it is so; hear it, and you shall know it for yourself.” Job Replies: My Complaint Is Just And Job answered and said: “If only my grief and my calamity could be weighed thoroughly, lifting it up together in the scales! For now it is heavy, more than the sand of the sea; and upon thus my words have been rash. For the arrows of Shaddai6.4 Shaddai means the Almighty; also in verse 14 are within me, whose poison my spirit is drinking in; the terrors of God are arrayed against me. Does the wild donkey bray over its grass? Or the ox bellow over its fodder? Is the unsavory eaten without salt? Or is there flavor in the white of an egg?6.6 Or in the sap of the mallow plant My soul refuses to touch them; they are like disease in my food. Who shall grant that my request would come? That God may grant my hope! If God were willing to crush me, to let loose His hand and cut me off! And yet this would be my comfort, and I would leap for joy in my anguish—he does not spare, for I have not concealed the words of the Holy One. What is my strength, that I should hope? And what is my end, that I should prolong my life? Is my strength the strength of stones, or is my flesh made of bronze? Is there no help for me in me, when success has been taken away from me? To one despairing from his friends there should be kindness, and the fear of Shaddai he forsakes. My brothers are treacherous like a wadi, like a channel of wadis they pass away, those being darkened from the ice, upon which the snow hides itself. In the time of burning heat they are cut off; in the heat they are extinguished from their place. The caravans turn aside from their paths; they go up into the wasteland and perish. The caravans of Tema look on; the travelers of Sheba hope for them. They are ashamed that they had trusted; they come unto her and are confounded. For now you⁺ are nothing; you⁺ see terror, and you⁺ are afraid. Is it that I said, ‘Give to me, or from your⁺ strength offer a bribe on my behalf? Or Deliver me from the hand of the enemy, or ransom me from the hand of dreadful ones’? teach me, and I will be silent, and give understanding to me of how I have erred. How painful are upright words! Yet what does your⁺ argument prove? Do you⁺ think to correct my words? And are the sayings of one despairing for wind? Indeed, over the fatherless you⁺ make it fall, and you⁺ would trade away your⁺ friend. And now, may you be willing to turn toward me, or would I lie to your⁺ face? Turn, please, let there not be injustice; and turn even now—my righteousness is in it. Is there injustice on my tongue? Can my palate not discern malice? Job Continues: Life Seems Futile “ Is there not hard service for man on earth? Are his days like the days of a hireling? As a servant longs for shade, and as a hireling awaits his wages, so are allotted to me months of emptiness, and nights of toil are appointed to me. When I lie down, then I say, ‘When shall I arise?’ But the night is measured out, and I am full of tossings until dawn. My flesh is clothed with worm and clod of the dust; my skin breaks and festers. My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle; and they end without hope. Remember that my life is a breath; my eye shall not return to see good. The eye of the one seeing me shall not behold me; your eyes are on me, and I will be no more. As a cloud is consumed and goes away, so the one going down to Sheol does not ascend. He shall not return again to his house, nor shall his place recognize him anymore. So I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the distress of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. Am I a sea or the sea monster, that You would set a guard over me? When I say, My bed will comfort me, my couch will lift my complaint, then You shatter me with dreams and terrify me with visions, so that my soul would choose strangling and death rather than my bones. I loathe—I would not live forever! Cease from me, for my days are vapor. What is man that You should magnify him, and that You would set Your heart toward him, that You attend to him in the mornings; in the moments You will test him? How long will You not look away from me? Will You not leave me alone until I swallow my spittle? If I have sinned, what have I done to You, O watcher of mankind? Why have You set me to be a target for You and why should I be a burden to You?7.20 LXX; Hebrew to myself And why do You not lift my transgression and make my iniquity pass away? For now in the dust I shall lie down, and You will seek me, and I will not be there.” Bildad: Job Should Repent And Bildad the Shuhite answered and said: “Until when will you speak these things, and the words of your mouth be a mighty wind? Does God pervert judgment? Or does Shaddai pervert justice? If your sons have sinned against Him, then He has sent them into the hand of their transgression. If you seek diligently for God, and ask Shaddai for favor, if you are pure and upright, surely now He will rouse Himself over you and restore the abode of your righteousness. And your beginning was small, and your end will greatly increase. For inquire, please, of the former generation, and consider the finding of their fathers. For we are of yesterday, and we do not know; indeed, our days are a shadow upon the earth. Will they not instruct you and speak to you, and from their heart bring forth words? Can the papyrus rise up without a marsh? Can the reed grow without waters? It is still in its greenness—it is not cut down, and before all grass, it withers. So are the paths of all those forgetting God; and the hope of the godless will perish, for whom his confidence shall be cut off, and his trust the house of a spider. He leans upon his house, and it does not stand; he takes firm hold on it, and it does not arise. He is lush before the face of the sun, and over his garden, his shoot goes forth; over a rock-pile his roots are wrapped, he looks for a house of stones. If one destroys him from his place, then it will disown him: ‘I have not seen you.’ Behold, this is the joy of his way, and from the dust another sprouts up. Behold, God will not reject the blameless, and He will not strengthen the hand of those doing evil. Yet He will fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with a shout of joy. Those hating you will be clothed with shame, and the tent of the wicked will be no more.” Shaddai means the Almighty; also in verse 5 Job: How Can I Contend with God? And Job answered and said, “Truly I know that it is so. But how can a man be righteous with God? If one was delighted to contend with Him,9.3 Or If He wished to contend with someone he could not answer Him one time out of a thousand. He is wise of heart and firm of strength; who has hardened himself against Him and been whole? He moves the mountains, and they do not know when He overturns them in His anger. He shakes the earth from its place, and its pillars shudder. He speaks to the sun, and it does not rise,9.7 Or shine and He seals up the stars, stretching out the heavens by himself, and treading upon the heights of the sea. Making the Bear and Orion, and the Pleiades and the chambers of the south, doing great things until there is no searching out, and wonders until there is no numbering. Behold, He passes by over me, and I do not see Him; and He moves past, and I do not perceive Him. Behold, He snatches away,9.12 Or snatches someone in death and who will turn Him back? Who shall say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’ God will not turn aside His nose— beneath Him bowed the helpers of Rahab! How then can I answer Him and choose my words with Him, whom, if I were righteous, I could not answer; to my Judge I would plead for mercy. If I called and He answered me, I could not believe that He gives ear to my voice— He who crushes me with a tempest, and multiplies my wounds without cause. He does not allow me to return my breath, but He fills me with bitterness. If it is of power, behold, He is mighty; and if of justice, who can summon Him?9.19 See LXX; Hebrew summon me If I were righteous, my own mouth would declare me wicked; if I were blameless, then it would declare me perverse.9.20 Or He would declare me guilty I am blameless; I do not know my soul; I despise my life. It is one thing! And upon thus I say, ‘The blameless and the wicked He brings to an end.’ If the whip kills suddenly, He mocks the despair of the innocent. The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; He covers the faces of its judges— If not, then who is it? So my days are swifter than a runner; they flee, not seeing good. They pass by with ships of papyrus, like an eagle rushing upon its food. If I were to say, ‘I will forget my complaint, let me change my face and smile,’ I would fear all my sorrows, and I know that You will not clear me. I am wicked; why then should I labor in vain? If I wash myself with water of snow,9.30 Or soap and cleanse my hands with lye, yet into the pit You will plunge me, and my own garments will abhor me. For He is not a man like I am, that I may answer Him, that we would come together into judgment. There is not a mediator between us, to lay his hand upon the two of us, tu turn away from me His rod, and not let His terror frighten me. I would speak and not be afraid of Him; but I am not thus with me. Job’s Plea to God “ My soul Is weary of my life; I will leave upon myself my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. I will say to God: Do not condemn me! Let me know over what You contend with me. Is it good to You that You oppress, that You despise the work of Your hands, and upon the counsel of the wicked You shine? Are eyes of flesh unto You? Or do You see according to the seeing of a man? Are Your days like the days of a man? Or are Your years like the days of a man, that You would seek for my iniquity, and would search for my sin— upon Your knowledge that I am not wicked, and there is no delivering from Your hand? Your hands formed me and made me entirely round about, yet You swallowed me up! Remember, please, that You made me as from the clay. And will You return me to the dust? Was it not like milk that You poured me out, and like cheese You curdled me? With skin and flesh You clothed me, and with bones and sinews You knit me together. Life and loving devotion10.12 Forms of the Hebrew chesed are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as loving devotion; the range of meaning includes love, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, and mercy, as well as loyalty to a covenant. You have done with me, and Your care has guarded my spirit. And these You have hidden in Your heart; I know that this was with You. If I sin then You keep watch on me, and You will not clear me from my iniquity. If I am wicked, woe to me! And if I am righteous, I cannot lift up my head; I am full of shame, and seeing my affliction. And should it arise— as a lion You would hunt me, and turn back and work wonders against me. You renew Your witnesses against me and increase Your indignation with me; changes and warfare are with me. And why did You bring me forth from the womb? Would that I had expired, and an eye had not seen me, as though I had never come to be— that I came from the womb and was carried to the grave! Are not my days few? Then cease and withdraw from me, and let me smile a little, before I go—and I shall not return— to the land of darkness and the shadow of death, a land of obscurity like thick darkness of the shadow of death, and no order, and it shines like deep darkness.” Zophar Rebukes Job Then Zophar the Naamathite answered, and said: “Shall a multitude of words not be answered? And should a man of lips be justified? Shall your idle boasts cause men to be silent? And will you mock, and no one is ashamed? For you have said, ‘My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in Your eyes.’ But who will give God to speak, and open His lips against you, and declare to you the secrets of wisdom— for there are two sides to wisdom. And know that God forgets some of your iniquity. Can you find out the searching of God? Or can you find out unto the limit of Shaddai?11.7 Shaddai means the Almighty The heights of the heavens—what can you do? They are deeper than Sheol—what can you know? Longer than the earth is its measure, and wider than the sea. If He passes by and imprisons and assembles, then who can turn Him back? For He knows the men of vanity, and He sees iniquity—will He not then discern it? But a man who is hollow will become wise when the colt of a wild donkey is born as a man!11.12 Or is born tame If you would prepare your heart, and stretch out your hands to Him, if iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and do not let injustice dwell in your tents. Surely then you could lift up your face without blemish, and you could be established and not fear. For you would forget your toil, and remember it as waters pass by. And more than noon life will arise; darkness will become like the morning. And you will be secure, because there is hope, and you will search and lie down in safety. Then You will lie down, and there will be no one making you tremble, and many will seek favor from your face. But the eyes of the wicked will fail, and escape will perish from them, and their hope be a puff of the soul.” Job Presents His Case And Job answered and said, “Truly it is that you⁺ are the people, and wisdom will die with you⁺. Also unto me is a heart like you⁺; I am not falling below you⁺. And with whom are not things like these? I have become a laughingstock to his neighbor, one calling on God and He answered him, righteous and blameless—a laughingstock. There is contempt for disaster in the thought of the secure, prepared for those slipping of foot. The tents of robbers are at rest, and those disturbing God are secure— to the one who carries his god in his hand.12.6 Or though God keeps them in His hand But ask now the beasts, and they will instruct you, and the birds of the heavens, and one will declare to you. Or speak to the earth and it will instruct you, and the fish of the sea and they will recount to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of YHWH has done this— in whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all the flesh of man? Does not the ear examine words, and the mouth taste food for itself? With the aged is wisdom, and in length of days is understanding. With Him are wisdom and strength; unto Him are counsel and understanding. Behold, He tears down, and it cannot be rebuilt; He closes up upon a man, and it cannot be opened. Behold, He restrains the waters and they dry up, and He sends them forth and they overthrow the land. With Him are strength and wisdom and unto Him are the deceived and the deceiver. He leads away counselors barefoot, and judges He makes foolish. The bond of kings He loosens, and He binds a waistband around their loins. He leads away priests barefoot, and the established He overthrows. He deprives the lip of the trusted ones, and the discernment of the elders He takes away. He pours out contempt on nobles, and the mighty He makes feeble. He uncovers deep things out of darkness, and brings to light the shadow of death. He makes great nations, and destroys them; He enlarges nations and guides them away. He turns aside the understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth, and makes them wander in a wilderness without a path. They feel about in darkness without light, and He makes them stagger like a drunkard. Job Prepares His Case “ Behold, all this my eye has seen; my ear has heard and understood it. According to your⁺ knowledge, I also know; I am not falling below you⁺. But I wish to speak to Shaddai,13.3 Shaddai means the Almighty and to reason with God I desire. But you⁺, are plasterers of a lie, worthless physicians all of you⁺. Who will give that you will surely remain silent, and it will be for wisdom for you⁺. Hear now my reasoning, and be attentive to the quarreling of my lips. Will you⁺ speak injustice for God, and will you⁺ speak deceit for Him? Will you⁺ lift His face, or will you⁺ contend for God? Will it be good when He searches you⁺ out? Or as one mocks a man, can you⁺ mock Him? He will surely rebuke you⁺, if in secrecy you⁺ were lifting faces. Will not His excellence terrify you⁺ and the dread of Him fall upon you⁺? Your⁺ remembrances are proverbs of ashes; your⁺ defenses are defenses of clay. Keep silent from me, and I will speak, and let come upon me what may. For what do I take up my flesh in my teeth, and my soul do I set in my palm? Behold, He may slay me; unto Him I will hope.13.15 Or I have no other hope Indeed, my ways to His face I will defend. Even this may be unto me salvation, for the godless one shall not come in before His face. Listen with hearing to my speech, and may my declaration be in your⁺ ears. Behold, now, I have arranged my defense. I know that I am righteous. Who is he who will contend with me? For then I would be silent and die. Only two things may You not do with me; then from Your face I will not hide myself. Withdraw your hand from me, and do not let Your terror terrify me. And call, and I will answer; or let me speak, and You reply. How many are the iniquities and sins for me? Make me know my transgression and my sin. Why do You hide Your face and consider me as an enemy unto You? Would You make tremble a leaf driven away, and would You pursue dry stubble? For You write against me bitter things, and you make me inherit the iniquities of my youth. And You put my feet in the stock, and You watch all my paths; upon the soles of my feet You engrave. And he, like a rotten thing, is worn out, like a garment a moth has eaten. Job Laments the Finality of Death “ Man, born of a woman, is short of days and full of trouble. Like a flower he comes forth and withers, and he flees like a shadow, and does not stand. And upon this one do You open Your eyes; and bring me into judgment with You? Who will bring clean from unclean? Not one! Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with You; his limits You have made, and he cannot pass over them. Look away from him that he may rest, until he can enjoy his day like a hireling. For there is hope for a tree, if it is cut down, that again it will pass through, and its tender shoots will not cease. Though its root may grow old in the earth, and its stump may die in the dirt, from the scent of water it will sprout, and will make branches like a fresh planting. And a man dies and is laid low; and a man expires, and where is he? As waters disappear from the sea, and a river dries up and withers, so a man lies down and does not arise; until the heavens are no more, they will not awaken and they will not be roused from their sleep. Who will give that You would hide me in Sheol, that You would hide me until the turning back of Your anger, that You would set for me a limit, and then remember me! If a man dies, will he live? All the days of my hardship, I will wait, until the coming of my change.14.14 Or my renewal or my relief You will call, and I will answer You; You will desire the work of Your hands. For now, You count my steps; You do not watch over my sin. My transgression is sealed up in a bundle, and You plaster over my iniquity. But as a falling mountain wastes away, and as a rock moves from its place, as stones by the waters are worn away, and her torrents engulf the dust of the earth, so the hope of man You destroy. You prevail over him forever, and he goes away; You change his face and send him away. His sons gain honor, and he does not know it; and they are diminished, and he does not perceive it. Indeed his flesh upon him is in pain, and his soul mourns over him.” Eliphaz: Job Does Not Fear God Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: “Does a wise one answer with knowledge of wind, and fill his belly with the east wind? Should he reason with a word that does not benefit, and with words without profit in them? Indeed, you break apart fear, and diminish meditation before the face of God. For your iniquity teaches your mouth, and you choose the tongue of the crafty. Your own mouth declares you wicked, and not I; and your lips testify against you. Were you born as the first man? And were you formed before the face of the hills? Do you listen in the council of God, and reduce to yourself wisdom? What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that is not with us? Even the gray-haired and the aged are with us— greater than your father in days. Are the consolations of God too small for you, or a word in gentleness to you? Why does your heart carry you away, and why do your eyes flash,15.12 Or blink that you should turn your spirit against God, and bring out such words out of your mouth? What is man that he should be pure, or that he should be righteous, one born of woman? Behold, He does not trust in His holy ones, and the heavens are not pure in His eyes; also surely the abominable and corrupt one is a man drinking iniquity like water! I will tell you! Listen to me, and this that I have seen I will recount— what the wise have brought forward and have not concealed from their fathers, to whom alone the land was given, and a stranger did not pass over in their midst. All the days of the wicked, he is writhing, and the number of years is hidden for the ruthless. The voice of dread is in his ears; in prosperity, the destroyer comes upon him. He is not sure to return from darkness, and he is watched over unto the sword. He is wandering for bread for vultures, knowing that a day of darkness is ready at his hand. Distress and anguish terrify him; they prevail against him like a king ready for the attack. For he stretched out his hand against God, and against Shaddai15.25 Shaddai means the Almighty he sought to prevail, running against Him with the neck, with thickness of the bosses of his shields. For he has covered his face with his fat, and made thick fat upon his loin. And he dwells in desolate cities, houses in which they do not dwell, which are ready to be heaps. He will not be rich, and his wealth will not stand, nor will his possessions stretch out over the earth. He will not turn aside from darkness; the flame will dry out his shoot, and he will turn aside at the breath of His mouth. Do not let him trust in emptiness, deceiving himself, for emptiness will be his recompense. Not in his day will it be fulfilled, and his branch will not be green. He will shake off his unripe grape like a vine, and he will cast off his blossom like an olive tree. For the company of the godless is barren, and fire will consume the tents of bribery. They conceive trouble and give birth to inquity, and their belly prepares deceit.” Job Decries His Comforters And Job answered and said: “I have heard many such things, all of you⁺ comforters of trouble. Is an end to words of wind? Or what compels you that you answer? I also could speak as you⁺, if your⁺ soul were in place of my soul; I could join together words against you⁺, and shake at you⁺ with my head. I could strengthen you⁺ with my mouth, and the moving of my lips would bring relief. If I speak, my sorrow is not relieved; and if I cease, how will it go from me? Surely now He has worn me out; You have devastated all my company. You have bound me—it is a witness; and my leanness rises up against me; it testifies against my face. In His anger He tears me and hates me; He gnashes at me with His teeth; My adversary sharpens His eyes against me. They gape at me with their mouth, in scorn they strike my cheeks; as one they mass themselves against me. God shuts me up to the ungodly, and upon the hands of the wicked He wrings me out. I was at ease, and He broke me; and He seized me by my neck and shattered me, and stood me up for Him as a target. His archers circle round against me; He splits my kidneys and does not spare; He pours out my gall on the ground. He breaches me, breach upon face of the breach; He runs upon me like a warrior. I have sewn sackcloth over my skin, and I have thrust my horn into the dust. My face is red from weeping, and on my eyelids is the shadow of death, although violence is not in my hands, and my prayer is pure. O earth, may you not cover my blood, and let there not be a place for my cry! Even now, behold! My testimony is in the heavens, and my witness is in the heights. My friends are mocking me; my eye pours out to God. And he reasons for a man with God, and as a son of man for his friend. For the years of my number have come, and the path of no return I shall walk. Job Prepares for Death “ My spirit is destroyed, my days are extinguished— graves are for me. If not, mockers are with me, and in their provocation my eye lodges. Place, please, my pledge with You; who is he who will strike himself to my hand? For You have hidden their heart from understanding, and upon thus You will not exalt them. He reports his friends for a portion, and the eyes of his sons are consumed. And He has made me a byword among the peoples, and a spitting in the face I have become. And my eye is dim from sorrow, and my members are like a shadow, all of them. The upright are appalled at this, and the innocent rouses himself against the godless. Yet the righteous shall hold to his way, and the one clean of hands shall add strength. But all of them, you⁺ should return and come in, please! And I shall not find a wise one among you⁺. My days have passed by, my plans are pulled out— the possessions of my heart. They set the night into day: ‘Light is near in the face of darkness.’ If I await Sheol as my house, if in the darkness I spread out my bed, if to the Pit I call out, ‘You are My father,’ or to the worm, ‘My mother,’ or ‘My sister’— where, then, is my hope? And my hope, who can see it? Will it go down into the hands of Sheol, if we may rest together upon the dust?” Bildad: God Punishes the Wicked Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said: “Until when will you⁺ set snares for words? Consider, and afterward we will speak. Why are we regarded as cattle, as stopped up in your⁺ eyes? The one tearing himself in his anger— for your sake will the earth be forsaken and the rock moved from its place? Indeed, the light of the wicked goes out, and the flame of his fire does not shine. The light is dark in his tent, and his lamp above him goes out. The strides of his strength are narrowed, and his counsel casts him down. For he is cast into a net by his feet, and into a mesh he walks. A trap seizes him by the heel, and a snare shall prevail over him. A cord for him is hidden in the ground, and a trap for him upon the path. Terrors round about make him tremble and scatter him at his feet. His strength goes hungry, and destruction is ready at his side. It devours parts of his skin; the firstborn of death devours his parts. He is torn from his tent of his safety, and is marched off to the king of terrors. That not unto him dwells in his tent; brimstone is scattered on his abode. Below, his roots are dried out, and above his branch withers. His memory perishes from the earth, and no name for him is upon the face of the street. They drive him from light into darkness, and they chase him from the world. No offspring is unto him, and no successor among his people, and no survivor in his dwellings. Those in the west are devastated at his day, and those in the east are seized with horror. Surely these are the dwellings of a perverse one, and this is the place of one who does not know God.” Job: My Redeemer Lives And Job answered and said: “Until when will you⁺ afflict my soul, and crush me with words? These ten times you⁺ have reproached me; are you⁺ not ashamed that you⁺ have done wrong to me? And if I have truly gone astray, my straying lodges with me. If you⁺ would truly magnify yourselves over me and plead my reproach against me, then know that God has wronged me and has thrown His net over me. Behold, I cry out, ‘Violence!’ And I am not answered. I cry for help, and there is no justice. My way He has walled off, and I cannot pass over; and upon my paths He has set darkness. My honor He has stripped from me, and He has turned aside the crown from my head. He tears me down round about and I depart, and He pulls out my hope like a tree. And He has kindled against me His anger, and He reckons me for Himself among His adversaries. His troops come as one, and they build up their ramp against me, and they encamp all around my tent. My brothers He has put far from me, and my acquaintances surely are estranged from me. Those near to me have ceased, and those known to me have forgotten me. Those who sojourn in my house, and my maidservants, they reckon me as a stranger; I have become a foreigner in their eyes. I call to my servant, and he does not answer; with my mouth I seek favor from him. My breath is strange to my wife, and I am loathsome to the sons of my womb. Even little boys despise me; I arise, and they speak against me. All the men of my counsel abhor me; and those I love have turned against me. My bone clings to my skin and to my flesh, and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth. Pity me, pity me, you⁺ my friends, for the hand of God has touched me. Why do you⁺ pursue me as God does? Are you⁺ not even satisfied with my flesh? Who will grant now that my words should be written? Who will grant that they be inscribed in a book, with a pen of iron and with lead, they would be engraved forever in the rock! And I know that my Redeemer19.25 Or Vindicator lives, and in the end He will stand upon the dust.19.25 Or upon my grave And after they strike off my skin thus, yet in my flesh19.26 Or without my flesh I will see God. He whom I will see for myself, indeed my eyes will see, and not a stranger. My kidneys yearn in my bosom! If you⁺ should say, ‘How we will pursue after him,’ and ‘The root of the matter is found with him,’19.28 Many Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts with me be afraid for yourselves of the face of the sword, for from wrath is the punishment of the sword, so that you⁺ may know there is a judgment.” Zophar: Destruction Awaits the Wicked And Zophar the Naamathite answered and said: “So my anxious thoughts make me answer, because of my urgency within me. The rebuke of my shaming I have heard, and a spirit from my understanding answers for me. This do you know from long ago, from the placing of man upon the earth, that the triumph of the wicked is brief, and the rejoicing of the godless is for a moment? Though his loftiness should go up to the heavens, and his head should touch to the clouds, like his dung, forever he will perish; those having seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’ Like a dream he will fly away and they will not find him; indeed he will be made to wander like a vision of the night. The eye that saw him will not continue, and his place will not behold him again. His children will recompense the poor, and his hands will return his wealth. His bones are full of his vigor, and upon the dust it will lie down with him. Though evil is sweet in his mouth, and he hides it under his tongue, he has pity on it and does not forsake it, and he withholds it in the midst of his palate. His food is turned over in his belly, and the venom of cobras is within him. He swallows wealth and vomits it; from his belly God expels it. The poison of cobras he will suck, and the tongue of a viper will kill him. He shall not look on streams, or rivers with torrents of honey and cream. He will return his gain and not consume it; he will not rejoice from the wealth of his exchange. For he has crushed and forsaken the poor; he has seized a house, and he did not build it. For he has not known quiet in his belly, and with his desiring he will not deliver himself. There is no remnant for him to eat; and upon thus his prosperity will not endure. In the fullness of his sufficiency there will be distress for him; every hand of toil will come upon him. It will come to pass at the filling of his belly, that God will send forth against him the burning of His anger, and will rain upon him into his bowels. He will flee from a weapon of iron; a bow of bronze will pierce him through. It is drawn and comes out from his back, and the gleaming point from his gall;20.25 Or from his liver terrors shall come over him. Complete darkness is hidden for his treasuring; a fire that is not fanned will consume him, the remnant in his tent will be devoured. The heavens will uncover his iniquity, and the earth will rise up against him. The flood will roll away his house, flowing away on the day of His anger. This is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the heritage appointed to him from God.” Job: God Will Punish the Wicked And Job answered and said: “Listen carefully to my speech, and let this be your⁺ consolation. Bear with me, and I will speak; and after I have spoken, you may mock. As for me, is my complaint against man? And if so, why should not my spirit be short? Turn to me and be appalled, and put a hand over your mouth. Even when I remember, then I am terrified, and trembling seizes my flesh. Why do the wicked live on, growing old, even becoming mighty in power? Their seed is established with them before their face, and their offspring before their eyes. Their houses are safe from dread, and the rod of God is not upon them. His bull passes over, without fail; his cow brings forth, and does not miscarry. They send forth their little boys like a flock, and their children skip about. They lift up to the tambourine and harp, and they rejoice at the sound of the flute. They wear out their days in prosperity, and in peace21.13 Or in a moment go down to Sheol. And they said to God, ‘Turn away from us! For we do not delight to know Your ways. What is Shaddai21.15 Shaddai means the Almighty; also in verse 20 that we should serve Him? And what do we gain that we should meet with Him?’ Behold, their own good is not in their hand; the counsel of the wicked is far from me. How often is the lamp of the wicked put out, and their destruction comes upon them? The pains He apportions in His anger. They become like straw before the face of the wind, and like chaff that the storm carries him away. Does God store up for his sons his trouble? Let Him repay to him, and he will know. Let his eyes see his destruction, and let him drink from the wrath of Shaddai. For what is his delight in his house after him, when the number of his months is cut off? Can one teach knowledge to God, since He judges those being high? This one dies in the bone of his perfection, all of him at ease and at rest; his pails are full of milk, and the marrow of his bones is moist. And this one dies bitter in soul, and not having eaten of the good. Together upon the dust they lie down, and the worm covers them over. Behold, I know your⁺ thoughts, and the notions you⁺ wrest upon me. For you⁺ say, ‘Where is the house of the noble? And where is the tent of the habitation of the wicked?’ Have you⁺ not asked those passing along the way, and do you⁺ not recognize their signs, that from a day of calamity the evil one is held back, and in the day of wrath they are brought forth? Who shall declare his way to his face? And who will repay him for what he has done? When he is brought along to the graves, then one keeps watch over his tomb. The clods of the torrent are sweet to him; and after him every man will extend, and those before his face are without number. And how can you⁺ comfort me in vain, and in your⁺ answers remains falsehood?” Eliphaz: Can a Man Be of Use to God? And Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: “Can a man be useful to God? Can even a wise one benefit Him? Is it pleasure to Shaddai22.3 Shaddai means the Almighty; also in verses 17, 23, 25, and 26 that you are righteous, or gain that you perfect your ways? For your fear does He rebuke you and enter against you into judgment? Is not your evil great, and your iniquity without end? For you take a pledge from your brothers needlessly, and the garments the naked you strip off. You have not quenched with water the weary, and from the hungry you have withheld bread. But the man of arm, unto him is the land, and the uplifted of face, he dwells in it! You have sent away widows in emptiness, and the arms of the fatherless are crushed. Upon thus there are snares all around you, and dread suddenly terrifies you, or darkness you cannot see, and an abundance of waters covers you. Is not God in the height of the heavens? And behold, the head of the stars, how exalted they are! And you say, ‘What does God know? How can He judge through the dark cloud? Clouds are a covering for Him, so that He does not see, and the vault of the heavens22.14 Or heaven’s horizon or the circle of the sky He walks about.’ Will you keep the way of old, which men of iniquity have trod, who were seized, and it was not time, their foundation was poured out by a torrent? They said to God, ‘Turn away from us!’ And’What can Shaddai do to us?’ Yet He filled their houses with good— and the counsel of the wicked, may it be far from me! The righteous see it and are glad, and the innocent one mocks them: ‘Surely our adversaries cut off, and fire consumes their excess.’ Make yourself of use now, and be at peace with Him; with these things will come to you good. Receive, please, instruction from His mouth, and set His words in your heart. If you should return to Shaddai, you will be built up, if you put far away from your tent iniquity, and if you set your gold upon the dust, and Ophir among the stones of the torrents, then Shaddai will be your gold, and the silver of heights for you. For then you will take delight in Shaddai, and you will lift to God your face. You will pray to Him, and He will hear you, and your vows you will fulfill. Then you will decree a word, and it will stand for you, and upon your paths light will shine. When they have made low, and you say Lift up, then the lowly of eyes He will save. He will deliver the one not innocent, rescuing him by the purity of your hands.” Job Longs for God And Job answered and said: “Even this day my complaint is bitter; my hand is heavy upon my groaning. Who will grant that I might know and find Him, and come unto His seat! I would set forth to his face my case, and my mouth I would fill with arguments. I would know the words He would answer me, and I would understand what He would say to me. In the abundance of strength would He contend with me? No, surely He would set it upon me. There the upright could argue with Him, and I would escape forever from the One judging me. Behold, east I go, and He is not there, and west, and I do not perceive Him. In the north, in His working, I do not behold Him; He turns to the south, and I do not see Him. Yet He knows the way with me; He has tested me, and like gold I will come forth. My foot has held firm by His steps; His way I have kept, and I have not turned aside. And I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; more than my portion I have treasured the words of His mouth. And He is of one, and who can turn Him back? And His soul has desired, and He has done. For He carries out what is appointed for me, and many like these are with Him. Upon thus, I am terrified before His face; I consider this, and I am afraid of Him. And God has softened my heart, and Shaddai has terrified me. For I was not cut off from the face of darkness, and before my face He has covered the dark gloom. Shaddai means the Almighty Job: Judgment for the Wicked “ Why from Shaddai are the times not hidden away, and those knowing Him, they have not seen His days? They move boundary markers; they seize a flock and pasture it. They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; they take as a pledge the ox of the widow. They push the needy off the road; together are hidden the poor of the land. Behold, wild donkeys in the desert, they go forth in their work of searching for food; the Arabah gives food for them and for the young. In the field they gather his fodder, and in the vineyard of the wicked they glean. Naked they spend the night without a garment, and with no covering in the cold. From the showers of the mountains they are wet, and from being without a shelter, they have embraced the rock. They snatch from the breast the fatherless, and the suckling of the poor they bind with a pledge. Naked They go about, without clothing, and hungry—they carry a sheaf. Between their walls they press oil; they tread the winepresses and go thirsty. From the city men groan, and the souls of the wounded cry out; yet God does not ascribe impropriety. They are among those rebelling against the light; they do not recognize its ways, and they do not dwell in its paths. At light the murderer arises; he kills the poor and needy, and in the night he is like a thief. And the eye of the adulterer watches for twilight, saying, ‘No eye will see me,’ and he puts a cover over his face. In the darkness one digs into houses, by day they seal themselves in; they do not know the light. For the morning is for them together the shadow of death— for one regards the terrors of the shadow of death! He is swift on the face of the waters; cursed is their portion in the land. He does not turn to the way of the vineyards. As drought and heat tear away the waters of snow, so Sheol does to those who have sinned. The womb forgets him, the worm feeds sweetly on him; no more is he remembered, and injustice is broken like a tree. For he feeds on the barren woman who cannot give birth, and to the widow he does not do good. And he draws away the mighty with his power; he rises up, and he is not sure of life. He gives to him security, and he is supported; and his eyes are on their ways. They are exalted for a little while, then they are no more; and they are brought low like all and are gathered up, and like heads of grain they wither. And if not, then who will prove me a liar, and set to nought my speech?” Shaddai means the Almighty Bildad: Man Cannot Be Righteous And Bildad the Shuhite answered and said: “Dominion and dread are with Him, the One making peace in His high places. Is there a number to His troops? And upon whom does His light not arise? So how can a man be righteous with God? Or what can be pure that is born of a woman? Behold, even the moon does not shine, and the stars are not pure in His eyes. How much less a man—a maggot, and a son of man—a worm!” Job: Who Can Understand God’s Majesty? And Job answered and said: “How you have helped the one without power! You have saved the arm with no strength! How you have advised one without wisdom, and have made known insight in abundance! With whom have you declared these words? And whose breath has come forth from you? The dead are writhing, underneath the waters and those inhabiting them. Naked is Sheol before Him, and there is no covering to Abaddon.26.6 Abaddon means Destruction. He stretches out Zaphon over the void, hanging the earth on nothing whatsoever. Binding the waters in His thick clouds, and the clouds are not broken apart under them, He covers the face of the throne,26.9 Or of the full moon and spreads over it His cloud. He has circled a limit upon the face of the waters, to be the boundary of light with darkness. The pillars of the heavens tremble and are astonished at his rebuke. By His strength He stirred26.12 Or stilled the Sea, and by His understanding He shattered Rahab. By His breath the heavens were made clear; His hand pierced the fleeing serpent.26.13 Hebrew nachash; translated in most cases as snake Behold, these are the edges of His ways, and how faint of a word do we hear of Him! And the thundering of His might, who can understand?” Job Affirms His Integrity And Job proceeded again to take up his discourse, and he said, “As God lives, who has turned aside my justice, and Shaddai who has embittered my soul— that any of my breath still is in me, and the breath of God is in my nostrils, my lips will not speak wickedness, and my tongue will not utter deceit. Far be it from me that I justify you⁺; until I die, I will not turn aside my integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast, and I will not let go; my heart shall not reproach me in my days. The Wicked Man’s Portion May my enemy be like the wicked, and the one rising up against me like the unjust. For what is the hope of the godless when he is cut off, when God takes away his life? Will God hear his cry when distress comes upon him? Indeed will he delight himself upon Shaddai? Will he call upon God at any time? I will teach you⁺ about the hand of God; that which is with Shaddai I will not hide. Behold, you⁺—all of you⁺—you⁺ have seen this; why then do you⁺ vainly utter this vanity? This is the portion of the wicked man with God, and the inheritance of the ruthless which they receive from Shaddai. If his sons should increase, it is for the sword; and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread. His survivor will be buried in death, and his widows will not lament. Though he heaps up silver like the dust, and piles up clothing like the clay, he may pile it up, but the righteous will wear it, and the innocent will divide his silver. He builds his house like the moth, and like a booth made by a watchman. He lies down rich, but he shall not gather again; he opens his eyes, and he is not. Terrors overwhelm him like waters; in the night a tempest steals him away. The east wind carries him away, and he is gone; and it sweeps him from his place. And it hurls itself upon him, and does not spare; he urgently flees from its hand. It claps its hands at him, and hisses at him from his place. Shaddai means the Almighty; also in verses 10, 11, and 13 Where Can Wisdom Be Found? “ Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place for the gold that they refine. Iron is taken from the dust, and from rock copper is smelted. An end he has set for the darkness, yet to every limit he is searching out, a stone in darkness and the shadow of death. He opens a shaft away from habitation; those forgotten by the foot, they hang down away from man, and they sway. The earth, from which bread comes forth, and underneath is turned as by fire— a place of sapphire are its stones, and dust of gold is unto it. The path no bird of prey knows, and no eye of a falcon has seen it. The sons of pride have not trodden it, and the lion has not passed over it. Against the flinty rock he stretched out his hand; he overturns the hills from the root. In the rocks he cuts out channels, and his eye sees every precious thing. The rivers he has bound from weeping,28.11 Hebrew; LXX and Vulgate he has laid bare the depths of rivers and a hidden thing he brings to light. And wisdom—from where is it found? And where is this place of understanding? Man does not know its value, and it is not found in the land of the living. The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’ and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’ Gold cannot be given for it, nor can silver be weighed for its price. It is not valued with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or sapphire. Gold and crystal cannot equal it, or is its exchange a vessel of fine gold. Coral and quartz are not to be mentioned; and the acquisition of wisdom is more than rubies. The topaz of Cush28.19 That is, the upper Nile region cannot equal it, nor it is valued in pure gold. And the wisdom, from where does it come? And where is this place of understanding? And is it hidden from the eyes of every living thing; even from the birds of the heavens it is concealed. Abaddon28.22 Abaddon means Destruction. and Death say, ‘We have heard a report of it with our ears.’ God has understood its way, and He has known its place. For He looks to the ends of the earth, and He sees under all the heavens, to make for the wind a weight, and He portioned out the waters by measure, in His making a limit for the rain, and a path for the flash of the thunders— then He saw and recounted it; He established it and also searched it out. And He said to the man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and the turning aside from evil is understanding.’” Job’s Former Blessings And Job continued to lift up his discourse, and he said, “Who will make me as in months past, as the days when God was keeping me? In His lamp shining upon my head, by His light I walked through darkness, as I was in the days of my harvest time,29.4 That is, in my prime when the counsel of God was upon my tent, when yet Shaddai29.5 Shaddai means the Almighty was with me, my children around me, with the washing of my steps with cream, and the rock poured out for me streams of oil! Or in my going out to the gate upon the town, in the square I established my seat; the young men saw me and hid themselves, and old men arose and stood; the princes refrained from words, and they put a hand on their mouth; the voice of the nobles was hidden, and their tongue stuck to their palate. For the ear heard and declared me blessed, and the eye saw and testified for me, because I rescued the poor crying out, and the fatherless, and no one was helping him. The blessing of the one perishing came upon me, and the heart of the widow I caused to sing. I clothed myself with righteousness, and it clothed me; like a robe and a turban was my justice. I was eyes to the blind, and I was feet to the lame. I was a father to the poor, and the case I did not know, I searched it out. And I broke the fangs of the unjust, and I cast away the prey from his teeth. So I said, ‘In my nest I will die, I will multiply my days as the sand. My root is open to the waters, and the dew lodges on my branch. My glory is fresh within me, and my bow in my hand is renewed.’ They listened to me and waited, and they kept silent for my counsel. After my word, they did not speak again, and my speech dripped upon them. And they waited for me as for the rain, and their mouth they opened wide, as for the spring rain. I smiled at them, and they could not believe it, and the light of my face they did not let fall. I chose their path and sat as chief, and I dwelt as a king with his band, like one who comforts the mourners. Job’s Honor Turned to Contempt “ And now they laugh at me, the fewer in days than I, whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock. Indeed, the strength of their hands, what is it to me? Upon them vigor has perished, in poverty and in harsh hunger, ones gnawing the dry ground by night, in ruin and desolation. They are plucking mallow among the brush, and the root of the broom tree is their bread.30.4 Or their fuel From the midst of people they are driven out; they shout at them as at a thief. On the slope of wadis they are to dwell, in holes of the dust and rocks. Among the shrubs they bray; under the nettles they huddle together. Sons of a fool, even sons without a name, they were scourged from the land. And now I have become their song, and I have become a byword among them. They abhor me and keep far from me; and from my face they do not withhold spit. For my bowstring he has loosed and afflicted me, and they have cast off the bridle before me. On the right a brood arises; they push away my feet, and they build up against me the ways of destruction. They break up my path; they advance my calamity, with no one helping them.30.13 Or with no one restraining them As a wide breach they come; amid the ruin they roll on. Job’s Prosperity Becomes Calamity Terrors are turned over upon me; like the wind it pursues my honor, and like a cloud my deliverance has passed away. And now within me my soul is poured out; days of affliction seize me. Night pierces my bones from upon me, and my gnawing pains will not lie down. With abundance of strength He grasps my garment;30.18 LXX; Hebrew my garment is disfigured by the collar of my tunic He seizes me. He has cast me into the mire, and I have become like dust and ashes. I cry out to You, but You do not answer me; I stand up, and You gaze at me. You have turned to be cruel toward me; with the strength of Your hand You oppose me. You lift me up to the wind and make me ride it, You toss me about30.22 Or You dissolve me in the storm. For I know that You will bring me to death, and to the house of appointment to all the living. Surely one does not stretch out a hand against the oppressed, when in his ruin he cries out to him. If not did I weep for the harshness of day, while my soul grieved for the needy one? And, I hoped for good, and evil came; and I waited for light, and darkness came. My bowels have boiled and they do not rest; days of affliction confront me. I go about darkened, not by the sun; I rise up in the assembly and cry out. I have become a brother to jackals,30.29 Or serpents or dragons and a companion to the daughters of the ostrich.30.29 Or the daughters of the owl My skin turns black and falls from me, and my bone burns with heat. And my harp is changed to mourning, and my flute to the voice of weeping. Job’s Final Appeal “ I have made A covenant with my eyes; and how could I gaze upon a virgin? For what would be the portion of God from above, and the inheritance of Shaddai31.2 Shaddai means the Almighty; also in verse 35 in the heights? Is not disaster for the perverse one and calamity for the workers of iniquity? Does He not see my ways, and count all my steps? If I have walked with falsehood, and my foot has hurried toward deceit, let Him weigh me in the scales of justice, and let God know my integrity. If my step has turned aside from the way, and my heart has walked, following my eyes, and on my palms has stuck a spot, then let me sow, and another may eat, and may my crops be uprooted! If my heart has been enticed over a woman, or I have lain in wait at the door of my neighbor, then let my wife grind for another, and others bend down over her. For it is wickedness, and it is to be judged an iniquity. For it is a fire that devours unto Abaddon,31.12 Abaddon means Destruction. and it would uproot among all my produce. If I have rejected the justice of my manservant or my maidservant, in their dispute with me, then what shall I do when God arises? And when He inspects, how shall I answer him? Did not the One making me in the belly make them, and that One prepare us in the womb? If I have withheld the poor from pleasure and made to fail the eyes of the widow, and have eaten my morsel alone, and the fatherless could not eat from it— indeed from my youth I brought him up as a father, and from the womb of my mother I guided her— if I have seen one perishing from lack of clothing, or there being no covering for the needy, if his loins have not blessed me for warming him by the fleece of my sheep, if I have raised my hand against the fatherless, because I saw my help at the gate, then let my upper arm fall from its shoulder, and my arm be broken off from its socket. For a calamity from God is dread to me, and His majesty I cannot overpower. If I have set my confidence upon gold, or to fine gold I have said, “My trust;” if I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because my hand had acquired much; if I have seen the light31.26 Or the sun when it shines, or the moon moving in splendor, so that my heart has been enticed in secret, and my hand has kissed my mouth, then this also be judged an iniquity, for I would have lied to God above. If I have rejoiced in the destruction of one hating me, or raised myself up because evil found him— though I had not given my mouth to sin by asking with a curse for his life— if the men of my tent have not said, ‘Who will give from his flesh not having been satisfied?’— A sojourner does not lodge in the street, for I have opened my doors to the traveler— if I have covered my transgressions like Adam,31.33 Or like men by hiding my guilt in my bosom, because I feared the great multitude, and the contempt of the clans terrified me and I kept silent, not going out the door— (Who will give to me one listening to me? Behold, my mark and let Shaddai answer me! And the bill the man of my dispute that has written! If not, I would take it up upon my shoulder, and bind it as crowns to myself. The count of my steps I would declare to him; like a prince I would approach Him.)— If my land cries out against me, and together its furrows weep; if I have eaten its power without silver, and I have caused to breathe out the soul of its workers, then in place of the wheat let a thorn come forth, and weeds in place of barley.” The words of Job have ended. Elihu Rebukes Job’s Friends And these three men ceased from answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. But the anger of Elihu son of Barachel, the Buzite from the family of Ram, was kindled; his anger was kindled against Job, upon his justifying himself rather than God. And his anger was kindled against his three friends, upon that they had not found an answer, and they had declared Job wrong. And Elihu had waited with words to Job, because they were older than he in days. And Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men, and his anger was kindled. And Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said, “I am Young in days, and you⁺ are aged; upon thus I shrank back, and I was afraid of declaring my knowledge to you⁺. I said, “Days shall speak, and a multitude of years shall make known wisdom.’ Surely it is a spirit32.8 Or the Spirit; similarly in verse 18 in a man, and the breath of Shaddai32.8 Shaddai means the Almighty gives them understanding. Not only the great in years are wise, nor do only the aged understand justice. Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me; I will declare my knowledge, even I.’ Behold, I have waited for your⁺ words; I gave my ear to your⁺ reasonings, while you⁺ searched for the words. And to you⁺ I attended, and behold, there was no one proving Job wrong or answering his words among you⁺, lest you⁺ say, ‘We have found wisdom; let God drive him away, not man.’ And he has not arrayed his words toward me, and I will not answer him with your⁺ words. They are dismayed, and do not answer anymore; the words have gone away from them. And I have waited, because they do not speak, because they stand there and do not answer anymore? I will answer—even I—my portion; I will show my knowledge—even I. For I am full of words; the spirit in my belly presses me. Behold, my belly is like wine not opened; like new wineskins, it is bursting open. I will speak, and there is refreshment for me; I will open my lips and answer. Do not, please, let me lift up the face of a man; and do not let me give a title to man. For I do not know how to give a title; soon my Maker would take me away. Elihu Rebukes Job “ But, please, O Job, hear my speech, and give ear to all my words. Behold now, I open my mouth; my tongue speaks in my palate. From the straightness of my heart are my words, and my lips, being pure, speak knowledge. The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of Shaddai33.4 Shaddai means the Almighty gives me life. If you are able to refute me, arrange it before my face; station yourself. Behold, I am according to your mouth before God; from clay I also have been formed. Behold, my terror should not frighten you; and my hand on you shall not be heavy. Surely you have spoken in my ears, and the sound of the words I have heard. ‘I am pure, without transgression; I am clean, and no iniquity is in me. Behold, He finds occasions against me; He reckons me as an enemy to Him. He puts my feet into the shackles; He watches all my paths.’ Behold, in this you are not right; I will answer you, for God is greater than man. Why do you contend against Him, for all words He does not answer?33.13 Or that He answers for none of His actions For once God speaks, and twice—one does not perceive it. In a dream, a vision of the night, in the falling of deep sleep upon men, in slumbers upon a bed, then He uncovers the ear of men, and with correction He seals them, to turn aside a man from his doing, and to conceal pride from a man. He holds back his soul from the Pit, and his life from crossing over by a weapon. And he is chastened with pain on his bed, and strife in his bones is continual, and his life abhors bread, and his soul food of desire. His flesh is consumed from sight, and his bones that were not seen are laid bare. And his soul draws near to the pit, and his life to those causing death. If there is a messenger for him, a mediator, one among a thousand, to declare to man his uprightness, and shows him favor and says, ‘Spare him from going down into the Pit; I have found a ransom,’ then his flesh is refreshed like a child’s, and he returns to the days of his youth. He prays to God, and He shows him favor; and he sees His face with a shout of joy, and He restores to the man His righteousness. Then he shall sing before men33.27 Or Then he looks upon men and say, ‘I have sinned, and have twisted uprightness, and He did not requite it of me. He has ransomed my soul from going down to the Pit, and my life shall look on the light.’ Behold, all these things God does two or three times with a man, to bring back his soul from the Pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living. Pay attention, O Job; listen to me; be silent, and I will speak. If there are words, answer me; speak, for I delight to prove you right. If not, then you must listen to me; keep silent, and I will teach you wisdom.” Elihu Confirms God’s Justice And Elihu answered and said, “Hear, O wise men, my words, and give ear to me, knowing ones. For the ear shall test words, and the palate tastes to eat. Let us choose for ourselves what is just; let us know among ourselves what is good. For Job has said, ‘I am righteous, and God has turned aside my justice. And over my justice should I lie? Mortal is my arrow, without transgression.’ Who is a man like Job, drinking up derision like the water, and he travels in company with workers of iniquity, and in walking with men of wickedness? For he has said, ‘Nothing does it profit a man that he should delight in God.’ Therefore, O men of heart, listen to me. Far be it to God from wickedness, and Shaddai from injustice. For the work of man, he repays to him; and according to the way of a man, He causes him to find it. Yes, surely God does not act wickedly, and Shaddai does not pervert justice. Who gave charge to Him over the earth? And who has set Him over all of the world? If He should set His heart to it, gathering His Spirit and His breath to Himself, then all flesh would perish together, and man would return to the dust. And if there is understanding, hear this; give ear to the sound of my words. And shall one hating justice govern? Or will you declare wicked the just and mighty One? Who says to a king, ‘Worthless,’ or to nobles, ‘Wicked’? Who does not lift the faces of princes, and does not acknowledge the rich before the face of the poor, for they are all the work of His hands. In a moment they die, and in the middle of the night the people are shaken and pass away; and the mighty are taken away, not by a hand. For His eyes are upon the ways of man, and all of his steps He sees. There is no darkness and no shadow of death, for the workers of iniquity to be hidden there. For He does not set upon a man further, for his going before God in the judgment. He breaks the mighty without investigation, and makes others stand in their place. Therefore, He recognizes their works, and He overturns them in the night, and they are crushed. In exchange for their wickednesses, He strikes them in a place of seeing, which was upon thus: They turned aside from Him, and they had no regard for any of His ways, They caused the cry of the poor to cause to come before Him— and He heard the cry of the afflicted. And he is silent, and who can call Him wicked? And He hides His face, and who can see Him? And He is over a nation and over man alike, from the reigning of godless a man, from the snares of the people. If one says to God, ‘I have lifted it, and no more will I offend; besides what I see, You teach me; if I have done iniquity, I will not continue it’ will he repay it from with you, because you have rejected it? Then you must choose, and not I, and may you speak what you know. Men of understanding will say to me, and the wise man who is listening to me: ‘Job does not speak with knowledge, and His words are not with wisdom.’ If only Job were tested to the end, upon his answers among men of iniquity! For he adds rebellion upon his sin; among us he claps, and he multiplies his words against God.” Shaddai means the Almighty; also in verse 12 Elihu Recalls God’s Justice And Elihu answered and said: “This do you reckon to be justice? You say, ‘I am righteous above God.35.2 Or ‘I am righteous before God.’’ Indeed you say, ‘What does it benefit You? What do I gain from my sin?” I will return to you the words, and to your friends with you. Look to the heavens and see, and behold the clouds—they are higher than you. If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against Him? Or if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to Him? If you are righteous, what do you give to Him? Or what does He receive from your hand? Your wickedness is to a man such as you, and your righteousness to a son of man. From the multitude of oppressions they cry out; they cry for help from the arm of the mighty. Yet no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, the One giving songs in the night, teaching us more than the beasts of the earth, and making us wiser than the birds of the heavens?’ There they cry out, but He does not answer, from the face of the pride of evil ones. Surely God will not listen to vanity, and Shaddai35.13 Shaddai means the Almighty will not regard it. Indeed, though you say that you do not see Him, justice is before His face, and you must wait for Him. And now, because He does not visit His anger, and has not taken much note of transgression, and Job opens his mouth in vain; he multiplies words without knowledge.” Elihu Describes God’s Power And Elihu added and said: “Surround unto me a little, and I will show you, that there are words yet to God. I will lift up my knowledge from afar, and to my Maker I will ascribe righteousness. For truly, my words are not false; the one complete in knowledge is with you. Behold, God is mighty, and He does not despise; He is mighty in strength of heart. He does not keep the wicked alive, and He gives justice to the afflicted. He does not take away His eyes from the righteous, but they are with kings on the throne; and He has seated them forever, and they are exalted. And if they are bound in the fetters, caught in the cords of affliction, then he declares to them their work and their transgressions, because they magnified themselves. And He opens their ear to correction, and He says that they should turn back from iniquity. If they do hear and serve, they will complete their days in good, and their years in pleasantness. And if they do not obey, by a weapon they shall pass away,36.12 Or the river of death they shall cross and they shall die as without knowledge. And the godless of heart set the nose; they do not cry out when He binds them. Their soul dies in youth, and their life among the male shrine prostitutes. He rescues the afflicted one by his affliction, and uncovers their ear by oppression. And indeed He has drawn you from the mouth of distress, into a broad place without constraint under it, and the resting of your table is full of richness. And you are filled with the judgment of the wicked; judgment and justice take hold— for wrath, lest it entice you with mocking, and a large bribe not let it stretch you. Can your opulence36.19 Or your cry for help make arrangement in time of distress, or all the forces of strength? Do not long for the night, for the coming up of peoples in place of them. Take heed not to turn to iniquity, for upon this you have been chosen by affliction. Behold, God is exalted in His power; who is a teacher like Him? Who has appointed for Him His way? Or who has said, ‘You have done unrighteousness’? Remember that you should magnify His work, of which men have sung. Every man has gazed on it; mankind looks on it from afar. Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him, and there is no searching the number of His years. For He draws up drops of water; they distill as rain from the mist, which the clouds pour down; they drop upon man in abundance. Indeed, if one will understand the spreading out of a cloud, the noises from His pavilion? Behold, He scatters His lightning around Him, and covers the depths of the sea. For by these He judges36.31 Or governs or nourishes the peoples; He gives food in abundance. With His palms He covers the lightning, and He gives a charge upon it for its striking. By its shouting He declares concerning it, the cattle also concerning the arising. Elihu Proclaims God’s Majesty “ Indeed at this my heart trembles, and it leaps from its place. Listen closely to the quaking of His voice, and the rumbling from His mouth that comes forth. Beneath all the heaven He unleashes it, and His lightning is over the edges of the earth. After it, a voice roars; He thunders with the voice of His majesty, and He does not restrain them when His voice is heard. God thunders with His voice wondrously; He does great things that we cannot know. For to the snow He says, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the shower of rain, and to the shower, ‘Be the rains of His might.’ He seals up the hand of every man, for the knowing of His work by all men. And the beast comes into its lair, and in its dens it shall dwell. From its chamber the whirlwind comes, and the cold from the scattering winds. From the breath of God, ice is given, and the breadth of the waters is in constraint. Also with moisture He loads the thick cloud; His lightning scatters the cloud. And it turns around, being turned about by His guidance, to do all of what He commands them above the face of the habitation of the earth. If for the rod, if for His land, if in His loving devotion, He makes it find it. Give ear to this, O Job; stand and consider the wonders of God. Do you know how God does place upon them, and how He causes the light of His cloud to shine? Do you know about the balancing of the cloud, the wonders of the One perfect in knowledge, you whose garments are hot in the quieting of the earth from the south? Have you beaten the skies with him, strong as a mirror of cast metal? Make us know what we should say to Him; we cannot arrange from the face of the darkness. Should it be told to Him that I would speak, If a man spoke that he would be swallowed up?37.20 Or Would a man ask to be swallowed up? And now they cannot look at the light; it is bright in the clouds when the wind has passed over and cleansed them. Gold comes from the north; upon God is a fearsome majesty. Shaddai37.23 Shaddai means the Almighty—we cannot find Him out! He is great in power and judgment, and abundant in righteousness, He does not oppress. Therefore men fear Him; He does not regard any of the wise of heart.” Yahweh Challenges Job And YHWH answered Job out of the whirlwind, and He said: “Who is this darkening counsel with words lacking knowledge? 38.2 Cited in Job 42:3 Gird up your loins now like a man, and I will question you, and you shall answer Me. 38.3 Cited in Job 42:4 Where were you at my founding of the earth? Declare it if you know with understanding. Who set its measurements? Surely you must know! Or who stretched over it a line? On what were its bases made to sink in, or who cast the stone of its corner,38.6 Or who set its core in place at the singing together by the stars of the morning, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut in the sea with doors, at its coming forth in its bursting from the womb, in my setting for the cloud its garment, and for the dark cloud its swaddling band, when I broke forth over it My decree, and set in place a bar and doors, and I said, ‘Up to here you may come, and you shall not go further; and here shall be set the pride of your waves’? have you commanded the morning from your days, and made the dawn to know its place, for it to take hold of the edges of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it? It is turned over like clay under a seal, and they stand out like a garment. And their light is withheld from the wicked, and the arm upraised is broken. Have you come to the springs of the sea, or in search of the depths have you walked about? Have the gates of death been uncovered to you, or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death? Have you comprehended to the breadths of the earth? Declare it if you know all of it. Where is this way to the dwelling of light? And of darkness, where is this its place, that you may take it to its border, that you may know the paths to its home? You must know it, for you were born then, and the number of your days is great! Have you come to the treasury of snow, or have you seen the treasury of hail, that I have held back for a time of trouble, for a day of battle and war? Where is this, the way light is apportioned? The east wind is scattered over the earth. Who has divided out a channel for the flood, or a path for the lightning of the thunderings, to make rain come upon a land without man, a desert without man in it, to satisfy the waste and the desolation, and to make sprout the shoot of the grass? Is there a father for the rain? Or who has begotten the drops of dew? From whose womb comes forth the ice? And the frost of the heavens, who gives birth to it? Like stone, the waters hide themselves, and the face of the deep is seized. Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades, or can you open the cords of Orion? Can you bring forth Mazzaroth in its time?38.32 Or Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons Or can you lead out the Bear38.32 Or Leo or Arcturus with her cubs? Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Or can you set its rule over the earth? Can you raise to the cloud your voice, and an abundance of waters will cover you? Can you send out lightnings, that they may go and say to you, ‘Behold us’? Who has put wisdom in the inner parts?38.36 Or Who has given the ibis wisdom, that is, wisdom about the flooding of the Nile Or who has given to the heart understanding? Who can count the clouds by wisdom? Or the water skins of the heavens, who can tilt, in the pouring of the dust into a mass, and the clods clinging together? Can you hunt prey for a lion, or satisfy the life of young lions, when they crouch in the dens, dwelling in a thicket, lying in wait in it? Who provides to the raven its food when its children cry out to God and wander for lack of food? Yahweh Speaks of His Creation “ Do you know the time of the bearing of the goats of the rock? Can you observe the twisting of the does? Can you number the months they fulfill? Or do you know the time of their giving birth? They bend down and squeeze out their young; their labor pains they send forth. Their young ones are healthy; they increase in the field; they go forth and do not return to them. Who sent away the wild donkey free? And who opened the bonds of the swift donkey, whose I have made the Arabah house, the salt land as his dwelling? He laughs at the tumult of the city; the shouts of the driver he does not hear. He searches out the mountains for his pasture, and after every green thing he searches. Is the wild ox willing to serve you, or will he lodge by your manger? Can you bind the wild ox in the furrow with a cord, or will he harrow the valleys after you? Will you trust in him because his strength is great, and will you leave to him your labor? Will you trust in him that he will bring back your grain and gather it to your threshing floor? The wings of the ostrich rejoice, but are not the pinions39.13 Pinions are the outer parts of a bird’s wings, including the flight feathers. of a stork and its feathers. For she leaves her eggs on the ground, and upon the dust she warms them, and she forgets that a foot may crush it, or that a creature of the field might tread over it. Her young she treats harshly as though not unto her; her labor is in vain, without dread; for God made her forget wisdom, and He has not given a portion to her in understanding. At the time she lifts herself up on high, she laughs at the horse and at its rider. Have you given the horse strength? Did you clothe his neck with a mane? Can you cause him to rush like a locust? The majesty of his snorting is terror. They dig in the valley, and he rejoices in strength; he goes forth to meet the weaponry. He laughs at dread and is not dismayed; he does not turn back from the face of the sword. Upon him rattles the quiver, the flame of the spear and lance.39.23 Or javelin With quaking and raging he swallows the ground; he cannot stand still because of the voice of the shofar. In the abundance of the shofar, he says, ‘Aha!39.25 Or he snorts with fervor ’ And from afar He smells the battle, the thunder of captains and shouting. By your understanding does the hawk soar and spread his wings toward the south? Is it by your mouth that the eagle mounts up and makes his nest on high? In the rock he dwells and lodges and his stronghold is upon the tooth of the rock. From there he searches out food; from afar his eyes observe. And his young ones suck up blood; and where the slain are, there he is.” Job Humbles Himself before Yahweh And YHWH answered Job and said, “Is a reprover to contend with Shaddai?40.2 Shaddai means the Almighty One rebuking God, let him answer it.” And Job answered YHWH and said, “Behold, I am slight. How can I reply to You? My hand I place over my mouth. Once I have spoken, and I will not answer— and twice, and I will not add.” Yahweh Challenges Job Again And YHWH answered Job from the whirlwind, and He said, “Gird up now your loins like a man; I will question you, and you shall let Me know. 40.7 Cited in Job 42:4 Would you even break My judgment? Would you consider Me wicked so that you may be proved right? Is there an arm like God’s unto you? Or with a voice like His can you thunder? Adorn yourself, please, with majesty and loftiness, and with honor and glory clothe yourself. Scatter the fury of your nose, and look on every proud one, and bring him low. Look on every proud one, and humble him; and tread down the wicked in their place. Hide them in the dust together; bind their faces in the hidden place.40.13 Or in the grave And then I will confess to you that your right hand can bring salvation to you. Behold, please, Behemoth, which I made with you; he eats grass like the ox. Behold, please, his strength is in his loins, and his power is in the muscles of his belly. He bends his tail like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are tightly knit. His bones are tubes of bronze; his limbs are like bars of iron. He is the first of the ways40.19 Or works of God; his Maker can bring near His sword. For the mountains carry produce to him, and all the creatures of the field play there. Beneath the lotus trees40.21 Or bramble bushes; also in verse 22 he lies down, in the covering of reed and marsh. The lotus trees cover him with their shade; the willows40.22 Or poplars of the brook surround him. Though the river may press, he does not hurry off; he is secure, though the Jordan should burst forth toward his mouth. Can one take him by his eyes, or pierce his nose with snares? Yahweh’s Power Shown in Leviathan “ Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook, and press down his tongue with a rope? Can you put a cord in his nose, and with a hook pierce his jaw? Will he multiply to you supplications? Indeed, will he speak to you softly? Will he cut a covenant with you, to take him as a slave forever? Will you play with him like a bird, and leash him for your maidens? Will traders barter for him? Will they divide him among the merchants? Can you fill his skin with harpoons, or his head with spears of fishing? Put your hands on him; may you remember the battle, and not add. Behold, the hope of him is false. One is even cast down at the sight of him. None is so fierce that he would rouse him; and who is he who will stand before my face? Who has brought before Me that I should repay him? Under all the heavens it is unto Me. 41.11 Cited in Romans 11:35 I will not keep silent about his limbs, and the matter of his strength and the grace of his form. Who can uncover the face of his clothing? Who can enter into the double of his bridle?41.13 Or Who can come within his double mail? The doors of his face, who can open them? All around his teeth are terror. His rows of shields are his pride, shut up tight with a seal. One by one they draw near, and air cannot come between them. They are joined a man to his brother; they clasp together and cannot be separated. His sneezings flash forth light, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the dawn. From his mouth torches go forth; sparks of fire leap out. From his nostrils smoke comes forth, boiling like a pot and a reed. His breath will kindle the coals, and a flame goes forth from his mouth. In his neck lodges strength, and before him terror dances. The folds of his flesh are joined together, on him, and it cannot be shaken. His heart is as firm as a stone, even as firm as a lower millstone. From his rising up the mighty are afraid; before his thrashing they cleanse themselves from sin. The sword reaching him shall not stand— not spear, dart, or lance. He regards iron as straw, and bronze as rotten wood. The son of the bow cannot make him flee; the stones of the sling are turned over before him like stubble. A club is regarded as stubble, and he laughs at the rattle of a lance.41.29 Or javelin Beneath him are points of a shard; he spreads out like a threshing sledge upon the mud. He makes the deep boil like a pot; he makes the sea like an ointment pot. Behind him he makes a path shine; one would think the deep were white-haired. There is nothing on earth like him, the one made devoid of fear. He beholds every high thing; he is king over all the sons of pride.” Job Submits Himself to Yahweh And Job answered YHWH and said: “I know that You are able to do all things, and a plan from You cannot be thwarted. ‘Who is this, concealing counsel without knowledge?’ So I have declared, and did not understand— things too wonderful for me, and I did not know. 42.3 Job 38:2 ‘Listen now, and I will speak. I will question you, and you shall inform Me.’ 42.4 Job 38:3 and Job 40:7 By the hearing of the ear I had heard of You, and now my eye has seen You. Upon thus I despise it, and I repent in dust and ashes.” Yahweh Rebukes Job’s Friends And it came to pass, after YHWH had spoken these words to Job, that YHWH said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My anger is kindled against you, and against the two friends of yours, for you have⁺ not spoken of Me accurately as My servant Job has. And now, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And Job My servant shall pray for you⁺ (for surely I will lift his face), so as not to deal with your⁺ folly, for you⁺ have not spoken of Me accurately, as My servant Job has.” Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite went and did according to what YHWH had spoken to them; and YHWH lifted up the face of Job. Yahweh Blesses Job And YHWH turned back the captivity of Job, in his praying for his friends; and YHWH added to all that was unto Job—to double. All his brothers, and all his sisters, and all the faces of those knowing him came to him, and they ate bread with him in his house, and they nodded to him and comforted him over all the adversity that YHWH had brought upon him. And each man gave to him one kesitah,42.11 Or one piece of silver; the value or weight of the kesitah is no longer known. and each man one ring of gold. And YHWH blessed the latter of Job more than his first, and there were unto him fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand female donkeys. And there were unto him seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first Jemimah, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch. And there were not found women as beautiful as the daughters of Job in all the land; and their father gave to them an inheritance in the midst of their brothers. And Job lived after this a hundred and forty years, and he saw his sons and the sons of his sons, four generations. And Job died, old and full of days.