NAS - Job Chapter 9 to 11

9 Job Says There Is No Arbitrator between God and Man

¹Then Job answered, ² "In truth I know that this is so; But how can a man be in the right before God? ³ "If one wished to dispute with Him, He could not answer Him once in a thousand times. ⁴ "Wise in heart and mighty in strength, Who has defied Him without harm? ⁵ "It is God who removes the mountains, they know not how, When He overturns them in His anger; ⁶ Who shakes the earth out of its place, And its pillars tremble; ⁷ Who commands the sun not to shine, And sets a seal upon the stars; ⁸ Who alone stretches out the heavens And tramples down the waves of the sea; ⁹ Who makes the Bear, Orion and the Pleiades, And the chambers of the south; ¹⁰ Who does great things, unfathomable, And wondrous works without number. ¹¹ "Were He to pass by me, I would not see Him; Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him. ¹² "Were He to snatch away, who could restrain Him? Who could say to Him, `What are You doing?'

¹³"God will not turn back His anger; Beneath Him crouch the helpers of Rahab. ¹⁴"How then can I answer Him, And choose my words before Him? ¹⁵"For though I were right, I could not answer; I would have to implore the mercy of my judge. ¹⁶ "If I called and He answered me, I could not believe that He was listening to my voice. ¹⁷ "For He bruises me with a tempest And multiplies my wounds without cause. ¹⁸ "He will not allow me to get my breath, But saturates me with bitterness. ¹⁹ "If it is a matter of power, behold, He is the strong one! And if it is a matter of justice, who can summon Him? ²⁰"Though I am righteous, my mouth will condemn me; Though I am guiltless, He will declare me guilty. ²¹ "I am guiltless; I do not take notice of myself; I despise my life. ²² "It is all one; therefore I say, `He destroys the guiltless and the wicked.' ²³ "If the scourge kills suddenly, He mocks the despair of the innocent. ²⁴ "The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; He covers the faces of its judges. If it is not He, then who is it?

²⁵"Now my days are swifter than a runner; They flee away, they see no good. ²⁶"They slip by like reed boats, Like an eagle that swoops on its prey. ²⁷"Though I say, `I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my sad countenance and be cheerful,' ²⁸ I am afraid of all my pains, I know that You will not acquit me. ²⁹"I am accounted wicked, Why then should I toil in vain? ³⁰"If I should wash myself with snow And cleanse my hands with lye, ³¹Yet You would plunge me into the pit, And my own clothes would abhor me. ³²"For He is not a man as I am that I may answer Him, That we may go to court together. ³³ "There is no umpire between us, Who may lay his hand upon us both. ³⁴ "Let Him remove His rod from me, And let not dread of Him terrify me. ³⁵ "Then I would speak and not fear Him; But I am not like that in myself.

10 Job Despairs of God's Dealings

¹"I loathe my own life; I will give full vent to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. ² "I will say to God, `Do not condemn me; Let me know why You contend with me. ³ `Is it right for You indeed to oppress, To reject the labor of Your hands, And to look favorably on the schemes of the wicked? ⁴ `Have You eyes of flesh? Or do You see as a man sees? ⁵`Are Your days as the days of a mortal, Or Your years as man's years, ⁶That You should seek for my guilt And search after my sin? ⁷`According to Your knowledge I am indeed not guilty, Yet there is no deliverance from Your hand.

⁸`Your hands fashioned and made me altogether, And would You destroy me? ⁹ `Remember now, that You have made me as clay; And would You turn me into dust again? ¹⁰ `Did You not pour me out like milk And curdle me like cheese; ¹¹Clothe me with skin and flesh, And knit me together with bones and sinews? ¹² `You have granted me life and lovingkindness; And Your care has preserved my spirit. ¹³ `Yet these things You have concealed in Your heart; I know that this is within You: ¹⁴ If I sin, then You would take note of me, And would not acquit me of my guilt. ¹⁵ `If I am wicked, woe to me! And if I am righteous, I dare not lift up my head. I am sated with disgrace and conscious of my misery. ¹⁶ `Should my head be lifted up, You would hunt me like a lion; And again You would show Your power against me. ¹⁷ `You renew Your witnesses against me And increase Your anger toward me; Hardship after hardship is with me.

¹⁸`Why then have You brought me out of the womb? Would that I had died and no eye had seen me! ¹⁹ `I should have been as though I had not been, Carried from womb to tomb.' ²⁰ "Would He not let my few days alone? Withdraw from me that I may have a little cheer ²¹ Before I go--and I shall not return-- To the land of darkness and deep shadow, ²² The land of utter gloom as darkness itself, Of deep shadow without order, And which shines as the darkness."

11 Zophar Rebukes Job

¹Then Zophar the Naamathite answered, ² "Shall a multitude of words go unanswered, And a talkative man be acquitted? ³ "Shall your boasts silence men? And shall you scoff and none rebuke? ⁴ "For you have said, `My teaching is pure, And I am innocent in your eyes.' ⁵ "But would that God might speak, And open His lips against you, ⁶And show you the secrets of wisdom! For sound wisdom has two sides. Know then that God forgets a part of your iniquity.

⁷"Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty? ⁸ "They are high as the heavens, what can you do? Deeper than Sheol, what can you know? ⁹ "Its measure is longer than the earth And broader than the sea. ¹⁰ "If He passes by or shuts up, Or calls an assembly, who can restrain Him? ¹¹ "For He knows false men, And He sees iniquity without investigating. ¹² "An idiot will become intelligent When the foal of a wild donkey is born a man.

¹³"If you would direct your heart right And spread out your hand to Him, ¹⁴If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, And do not let wickedness dwell in your tents; ¹⁵ "Then, indeed, you could lift up your face without moral defect, And you would be steadfast and not fear. ¹⁶ "For you would forget your trouble, As waters that have passed by, you would remember it. ¹⁷ "Your life would be brighter than noonday; Darkness would be like the morning. ¹⁸ "Then you would trust, because there is hope; And you would look around and rest securely. ¹⁹ "You would lie down and none would disturb you, And many would entreat your favor. ²⁰ "But the eyes of the wicked will fail, And there will be no escape for them; And their hope is to breathe their last."