ASV - Job Chapter 14 to 16

14 Job 14

¹Man, that is born of a woman, Is of few days, and full of trouble. ²He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. ³And dost thou open thine eyes upon such a one, And bringest me into judgment with thee? ⁴Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one. ⁵Seeing his days are determined, The number of his months is with thee, And thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass; ⁶Look away from him, that he may rest, Till he shall accomplish, as a hireling, his day. ⁷For there is hope of a tree, If it be cut down, that it will sprout again, And that the tender branch thereof will not cease. ⁸Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, And the stock thereof die in the ground; ⁹Yet through the scent of water it will bud, And put forth boughs like a plant. ¹⁰But man dieth, and is laid low: Yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? ¹¹As the waters fail from the sea, And the river wasteth and drieth up; ¹²So man lieth down and riseth not: Till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, Nor be roused out of their sleep. ¹³Oh that thou wouldest hide me in Sheol, That thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, That thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me! ¹⁴If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my warfare would I wait, Till my release should come. ¹⁵Thou wouldest call, and I would answer thee: Thou wouldest have a desire to the work of thy hands. ¹⁶But now thou numberest my steps: Dost thou not watch over my sin? ¹⁷My transgression is sealed up in a bag, And thou fastenest up mine iniquity. ¹⁸But the mountain falling cometh to nought; And the rock is removed out of its place; ¹⁹The waters wear the stones; The overflowings thereof wash away the dust of the earth: So thou destroyest the hope of man. ²⁰Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth; Thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away. ²¹His sons come to honor, and he knoweth it not; And they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them. ²²But his flesh upon him hath pain, And his soul within him mourneth.

15 Job 15

¹Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said, ²Should a wise man make answer with vain knowledge, And fill himself with the east wind? ³Should he reason with unprofitable talk, Or with speeches wherewith he can do no good? ⁴Yea, thou doest away with fear, And hinderest devotion before God. ⁵For thine iniquity teacheth thy mouth, And thou choosest the tongue of the crafty. ⁶Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I; Yea, thine own lips testify against thee. ⁷Art thou the first man that was born? Or wast thou brought forth before the hills? ⁸Hast thou heard the secret counsel of God? And dost thou limit wisdom to thyself? ⁹What knowest thou, that we know not? What understandest thou, which is not in us? ¹⁰With us are both the gray-headed and the very aged men, Much elder than thy father. ¹¹Are the consolations of God too small for thee, Even the word that is gentle toward thee? ¹²Why doth thy heart carry thee away? And why do thine eyes flash, ¹³That against God thou turnest thy spirit, And lettest words go out of thy mouth? ¹⁴What is man, that he should be clean? And he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous? ¹⁵Behold, he putteth no trust in his holy ones; Yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight: ¹⁶How much less one that is abominable and corrupt, A man that drinketh iniquity like water! ¹⁷I will show thee, hear thou me; And that which I have seen I will declare: ¹⁸(Which wise men have told From their fathers, and have not hid it; ¹⁹Unto whom alone the land was given, And no stranger passed among them): ²⁰The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, Even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor. ²¹A sound of terrors is in his ears; In prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him. ²²He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, And he is waited for of the sword. ²³He wandereth abroad for bread, saying, Where is it? He knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand. ²⁴Distress and anguish make him afraid; They prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle. ²⁵Because he hath stretched out his hand against God, And behaveth himself proudly against the Almighty; ²⁶He runneth upon him with a stiff neck, With the thick bosses of his bucklers; ²⁷Because he hath covered his face with his fatness, And gathered fat upon his loins; ²⁸And he hath dwelt in desolate cities, In houses which no man inhabited, Which were ready to become heaps; ²⁹He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, Neither shall their possessions be extended on the earth. ³⁰He shall not depart out of darkness; The flame shall dry up his branches, And by the breath of God's mouth shall he go away. ³¹Let him not trust in vanity, deceiving himself; For vanity shall be his recompense. ³²It shall be accomplished before his time, And his branch shall not be green. ³³He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, And shall cast off his flower as the olive-tree. ³⁴For the company of the godless shall be barren, And fire shall consume the tents of bribery. ³⁵They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity, And their heart prepareth deceit.

16 Job 16

¹Then Job answered and said, ²I have heard many such things: Miserable comforters are ye all. ³Shall vain words have an end? Or what provoketh thee that thou answerest? ⁴I also could speak as ye do; If your soul were in my soul's stead, I could join words together against you, And shake my head at you. ⁵But I would strengthen you with my mouth, And the solace of my lips would assuage your grief. ⁶Though I speak, my grief is not assuaged; And though I forbear, what am I eased? ⁷But now he hath made me weary: Thou hast made desolate all my company. ⁸And thou hast laid fast hold on me, which is a witness against me: And my leanness riseth up against me, It testifieth to my face. ⁹He hath torn me in his wrath, and persecuted me; He hath gnashed upon me with his teeth: Mine adversary sharpeneth his eyes upon me. ¹⁰They have gaped upon me with their mouth; They have smitten me upon the cheek reproachfully: They gather themselves together against me. ¹¹God delivereth me to the ungodly, And casteth me into the hands of the wicked. ¹²I was at ease, and he brake me asunder; Yea, he hath taken me by the neck, and dashed me to pieces: He hath also set me up for his mark. ¹³His archers compass me round about; He cleaveth my reins asunder, and doth not spare; He poureth out my gall upon the ground. ¹⁴He breaketh me with breach upon breach; He runneth upon me like a giant. ¹⁵I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, And have laid my horn in the dust. ¹⁶My face is red with weeping, And on my eyelids is the shadow of death; ¹⁷Although there is no violence in my hands, And my prayer is pure. ¹⁸O earth, cover not thou my blood, And let my cry have no resting -place. ¹⁹Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, And he that voucheth for me is on high. ²⁰My friends scoff at me: But mine eye poureth out tears unto God, ²¹That he would maintain the right of a man with God, And of a son of man with his neighbor! ²²For when a few years are come, I shall go the way whence I shall not return.