Job 18:1–24:25
Bildad: The Wicked are Punished
18 Then aBildad the Shuhite answered and said:
2 “How long till you put an end to words?
Gain understanding, and afterward we will speak.
3 Why are we counted bas beasts,
And regarded as stupid in your sight?
4 cYou 1who tear yourself in anger,
Shall the earth be forsaken for you?
Or shall the rock be removed from its place?
5 “The dlight of the wicked indeed goes out,
And the flame of his fire does not shine.
6 The light is dark in his tent,
eAnd his lamp beside him is put out.
7 The steps of his strength are shortened,
And fhis own counsel casts him down.
8 For ghe is cast into a net by his own feet,
And he walks into a snare.
9 The net takes him by the heel,
And ha snare lays hold of him.
10 A noose is hidden for him on the ground,
And a trap for him in the road.
11 iTerrors frighten him on every side,
And drive him to his feet.
And jdestruction is ready at his side.
13 It devours patches of his skin;
The firstborn of death devours his 2limbs.
14 He is uprooted from kthe shelter of his tent,
And they parade him before the king of terrors.
15 They dwell in his tent who are none of his;
Brimstone is scattered on his dwelling.
16 lHis roots are dried out below,
And his branch withers above.
17 mThe memory of him perishes from the earth,
And he has no name 3among the renowned.
18 4He is driven from light into darkness,
And chased out of the world.
19 nHe has neither son nor posterity among his people,
Nor any remaining in his dwellings.
20 Those 5in the west are astonished oat his day,
As those 6in the east are frightened.
21 Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked,
And this is the place of him who pdoes not know God.”
19 Then Job answered and said:
2 “How long will you torment my soul,
And break me in pieces with words?
3 These ten times you have 1reproached me;
You are not ashamed that you 2have wronged me.
My error remains with me.
5 If indeed you aexalt yourselves against me,
And plead my disgrace against me,
6 Know then that bGod has wronged me,
And has surrounded me with His net.
7 “If I cry out concerning 3wrong, I am not heard.
If I cry aloud, there is no justice.
8 cHe has 4fenced up my way, so that I cannot pass;
And He has set darkness in my paths.
9 dHe has stripped me of my glory,
And taken the crown from my head.
10 He breaks me down on every side,
And I am gone;
My ehope He has uprooted like a tree.
11 He has also kindled His wrath against me,
And fHe counts me as one of His enemies.
And build up their road against me;
They encamp all around my tent.
13 “He ghas removed my brothers far from me,
And my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.
And my close friends have forgotten me.
15 Those who dwell in my house, and my maidservants,
Count me as a stranger;
I am an alien in their sight.
16 I call my servant, but he gives no answer;
I beg him with my mouth.
17 My breath is offensive to my wife,
And I am 5repulsive to the children of my own body.
18 Even hyoung children despise me;
I arise, and they speak against me.
19 iAll my close friends abhor me,
And those whom I love have turned against me.
20 jMy bone clings to my skin and to my flesh,
And I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.
21 “Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends,
For the hand of God has struck me!
22 Why do you kpersecute me as God does,
And are not satisfied with my flesh?
23 “Oh, that my words were written!
Oh, that they were inscribed in a book!
24 That they were engraved on a rock
With an iron pen and lead, forever!
25 For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth;
26 And after my skin is 6destroyed, this I know,
That lin my flesh I shall see God,
27 Whom I shall see for myself,
And my eyes shall behold, and not another.
How my 7heart yearns within me!
28 If you should say, ‘How shall we persecute him?’—
Since the root of the matter is found in me,
29 Be afraid of the sword for yourselves;
For wrath brings the punishment of the sword,
That you may know there is a judgment.”
Zophar’s Sermon on the Wicked Man
20 Then aZophar the Naamathite answered and said:
2 “Therefore my anxious thoughts make me answer,
Because of the turmoil within me.
3 I have heard the rebuke 1that reproaches me,
And the spirit of my understanding causes me to answer.
4 “Do you not know this of bold,
Since man was placed on earth,
5 cThat the triumphing of the wicked is short,
And the joy of the hypocrite is but for a dmoment?
6 eThough his haughtiness mounts up to the heavens,
And his head reaches to the clouds,
7 Yet he will perish forever like his own refuse;
Those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’
8 He will fly away flike a dream, and not be found;
Yes, he gwill be chased away like a vision of the night.
9 The eye that saw him will see him no more,
Nor will his place behold him anymore.
10 His children will seek the favor of the poor,
And his hands will restore his wealth.
11 His bones are full of hhis youthful vigor,
iBut it will lie down with him in the dust.
12 “Though evil is sweet in his mouth,
And he hides it under his tongue,
13 Though he spares it and does not forsake it,
But still keeps it in his 2mouth,
14 Yet his food in his stomach turns sour;
It becomes cobra venom within him.
And vomits them up again;
God casts them out of his belly.
16 He will suck the poison of cobras;
The viper’s tongue will slay him.
17 He will not see jthe streams,
The rivers flowing with honey and cream.
18 He will restore that for which he labored,
And will not swallow it down;
From the proceeds of business
He will get no enjoyment.
19 For he has 3oppressed and forsaken the poor,
He has violently seized a house which he did not build.
20 “Because khe knows no quietness in his 4heart,
He will not save anything he desires.
21 Nothing is left for him to eat;
Therefore his well-being will not last.
22 In his self-sufficiency he will be in distress;
Every hand of 5misery will come against him.
23 When he is about to fill his stomach,
God will cast on him the fury of His wrath,
And will rain it on him while he is eating.
24 lHe will flee from the iron weapon;
A bronze bow will pierce him through.
25 It is drawn, and comes out of the body;
Yes, mthe glittering point comes out of his 6gall.
nTerrors come upon him;
26 Total darkness is reserved for his treasures.
oAn unfanned fire will consume him;
It shall go ill with him who is left in his tent.
27 The heavens will reveal his iniquity,
And the earth will rise up against him.
28 The increase of his house will depart,
And his goods will flow away in the day of His pwrath.
29 qThis is the portion from God for a wicked man,
The heritage appointed to him by God.”
21 Then Job answered and said:
2 “Listen carefully to my speech,
And let this be your 1consolation.
3 Bear with me that I may speak,
And after I have spoken, keep amocking.
4 “As for me, is my complaint against man?
And if it were, why should I not be impatient?
5 Look at me and be astonished;
bPut your hand over your mouth.
6 Even when I remember I am terrified,
And trembling takes hold of my flesh.
7 cWhy do the wicked live and become old,
Yes, become mighty in power?
8 Their descendants are established with them in their sight,
And their offspring before their eyes.
9 Their houses are safe from fear,
dNeither is 2the rod of God upon them.
10 Their bull breeds without failure;
Their cow calves ewithout miscarriage.
11 They send forth their little ones like a flock,
And their children dance.
12 They sing to the tambourine and harp,
And rejoice to the sound of the flute.
13 They fspend their days in wealth,
And 3in a moment go down to the 4grave.
14 gYet they say to God, ‘Depart from us,
For we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways.
15 hWho is the Almighty, that we should serve Him?
And iwhat profit do we have if we pray to Him?’
16 Indeed 5their prosperity is not in their hand;
jThe counsel of the wicked is far from me.
17 “How often is the lamp of the wicked put out?
How often does their destruction come upon them,
The sorrows God kdistributes in His anger?
18 lThey are like straw before the wind,
And like chaff that a storm 6carries away.
19 They say, ‘God 7lays up 8one’s iniquity mfor his children’;
Let Him recompense him, that he may know it.
20 Let his eyes see his destruction,
And nlet him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
21 For what does he care about his household after him,
When the number of his months is cut in half?
22 “Can oanyone teach God knowledge,
Since He judges those on high?
23 One dies in his full strength,
Being wholly at ease and secure;
24 His 9pails are full of milk,
And the marrow of his bones is moist.
25 Another man dies in the bitterness of his soul,
Never having eaten with pleasure.
26 They plie down alike in the dust,
And worms cover them.
27 “Look, I know your thoughts,
And the schemes with which you would wrong me.
‘Where is the house of the prince?
And where is 1the tent,
The dwelling place of the wicked?’
29 Have you not asked those who travel the road?
And do you not know their signs?
30 qFor the wicked are reserved for the day of doom;
They shall be brought out on the day of wrath.
31 Who condemns his way to his face?
And who repays him for what he has done?
32 Yet he shall be brought to the grave,
And a vigil kept over the tomb.
33 The clods of the valley shall be sweet to him;
rEveryone shall follow him,
As countless have gone before him.
34 How then can you comfort me with empty words,
Since 2falsehood remains in your answers?”
Eliphaz Accuses Job of Wickedness
22 Then aEliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
2 “Can ba man be profitable to God,
Though he who is wise may be profitable to himself?
3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that you are righteous?
Or is it gain to Him that you make your ways blameless?
4 “Is it because of your fear of Him that He corrects you,
And enters into judgment with you?
5 Is not your wickedness great,
And your iniquity without end?
6 For you have ctaken pledges from your brother for no reason,
And stripped the naked of their clothing.
7 You have not given the weary water to drink,
And you dhave withheld bread from the hungry.
8 But the 1mighty man …