NAS - Job Chapter 4 to 6

4 Eliphaz: Innocent Do Not Suffer

¹Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered, ² "If one ventures a word with you, will you become impatient? But who can refrain from speaking? ³ "Behold you have admonished many, And you have strengthened weak hands. ⁴ "Your words have helped the tottering to stand, And you have strengthened feeble knees. ⁵ "But now it has come to you, and you are impatient; It touches you, and you are dismayed. ⁶ "Is not your fear of God your confidence, And the integrity of your ways your hope?

⁷"Remember now, who ever perished being innocent? Or where were the upright destroyed? ⁸ "According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity And those who sow trouble harvest it. ⁹ "By the breath of God they perish, And by the blast of His anger they come to an end. ¹⁰ "The roaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion, And the teeth of the young lions are broken. ¹¹ "The lion perishes for lack of prey, And the whelps of the lioness are scattered.

¹²"Now a word was brought to me stealthily, And my ear received a whisper of it. ¹³ "Amid disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night, When deep sleep falls on men, ¹⁴ Dread came upon me, and trembling, And made all my bones shake. ¹⁵"Then a spirit passed by my face; The hair of my flesh bristled up. ¹⁶"It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance; A form was before my eyes; There was silence, then I heard a voice: ¹⁷ `Can mankind be just before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker? ¹⁸ `He puts no trust even in His servants; And against His angels He charges error. ¹⁹ `How much more those who dwell in houses of clay, Whose foundation is in the dust, Who are crushed before the moth! ²⁰ `Between morning and evening they are broken in pieces; Unobserved, they perish forever. ²¹ `Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them? They die, yet without wisdom.'

5 God Is Just

¹"Call now, is there anyone who will answer you? And to which of the holy ones will you turn? ² "For anger slays the foolish man, And jealousy kills the simple. ³"I have seen the foolish taking root, And I cursed his abode immediately. ⁴ "His sons are far from safety, They are even oppressed in the gate, And there is no deliverer. ⁵"His harvest the hungry devour And take it to a place of thorns, And the schemer is eager for their wealth. ⁶"For affliction does not come from the dust, Nor does trouble sprout from the ground, ⁷ For man is born for trouble, As sparks fly upward.

⁸"But as for me, I would seek God, And I would place my cause before God; ⁹Who does great and unsearchable things, Wonders without number. ¹⁰"He gives rain on the earth And sends water on the fields, ¹¹So that He sets on high those who are lowly, And those who mourn are lifted to safety. ¹² "He frustrates the plotting of the shrewd, So that their hands cannot attain success. ¹³ "He captures the wise by their own shrewdness, And the advice of the cunning is quickly thwarted. ¹⁴ "By day they meet with darkness, And grope at noon as in the night. ¹⁵ "But He saves from the sword of their mouth, And the poor from the hand of the mighty. ¹⁶ "So the helpless has hope, And unrighteousness must shut its mouth.

¹⁷"Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves, So do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. ¹⁸ "For He inflicts pain, and gives relief; He wounds, and His hands also heal. ¹⁹ "From six troubles He will deliver you, Even in seven evil will not touch you. ²⁰ "In famine He will redeem you from death, And in war from the power of the sword. ²¹ "You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, And you will not be afraid of violence when it comes. ²² "You will laugh at violence and famine, And you will not be afraid of wild beasts. ²³ "For you will be in league with the stones of the field, And the beasts of the field will be at peace with you. ²⁴ "You will know that your tent is secure, For you will visit your abode and fear no loss. ²⁵ "You will know also that your descendants will be many, And your offspring as the grass of the earth. ²⁶ "You will come to the grave in full vigor, Like the stacking of grain in its season. ²⁷ "Behold this; we have investigated it, and so it is. Hear it, and know for yourself."

6 Job's Friends Are No Help

¹Then Job answered, ² "Oh that my grief were actually weighed And laid in the balances together with my calamity! ³ "For then it would be heavier than the sand of the seas; Therefore my words have been rash. ⁴ "For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, Their poison my spirit drinks; The terrors of God are arrayed against me. ⁵ "Does the wild donkey bray over his grass, Or does the ox low over his fodder? ⁶ "Can something tasteless be eaten without salt, Or is there any taste in the white of an egg? ⁷ "My soul refuses to touch them; They are like loathsome food to me.

⁸"Oh that my request might come to pass, And that God would grant my longing! ⁹"Would that God were willing to crush me, That He would loose His hand and cut me off! ¹⁰ "But it is still my consolation, And I rejoice in unsparing pain, That I have not denied the words of the Holy One. ¹¹ "What is my strength, that I should wait? And what is my end, that I should endure? ¹² "Is my strength the strength of stones, Or is my flesh bronze? ¹³ "Is it that my help is not within me, And that deliverance is driven from me?

¹⁴"For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend; So that he does not forsake the fear of the Almighty. ¹⁵ "My brothers have acted deceitfully like a wadi, Like the torrents of wadis which vanish, ¹⁶ Which are turbid because of ice And into which the snow melts. ¹⁷ "When they become waterless, they are silent, When it is hot, they vanish from their place. ¹⁸ "The paths of their course wind along, They go up into nothing and perish. ¹⁹ "The caravans of Tema looked, The travelers of Sheba hoped for them. ²⁰ "They were disappointed for they had trusted, They came there and were confounded. ²¹ "Indeed, you have now become such, You see a terror and are afraid. ²² "Have I said, `Give me something,' Or, `Offer a bribe for me from your wealth,' ²³ Or, `Deliver me from the hand of the adversary,' Or, `Redeem me from the hand of the tyrants'?

²⁴"Teach me, and I will be silent; And show me how I have erred. ²⁵"How painful are honest words! But what does your argument prove? ²⁶"Do you intend to reprove my words, When the words of one in despair belong to the wind? ²⁷ "You would even cast lots for the orphans And barter over your friend. ²⁸ "Now please look at me, And see if I lie to your face. ²⁹ "Desist now, let there be no injustice; Even desist, my righteousness is yet in it. ³⁰ "Is there injustice on my tongue? Cannot my palate discern calamities?