Job 11–13

11Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,

²Should not the multitude of words be answered?

And should a man full of talk be justified?

³Should thy boastings make men hold their peace?

And when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed?

⁴For thou sayest, My doctrine is pure,

And I am clean in thine eyes.

⁵But oh that God would speak,

And open his lips against thee,

⁶And that he would show thee the secrets of wisdom!

For he is manifold in understanding.

Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.

⁷Canst thou by searching find out God?

Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?

⁸It is high as heaven; what canst thou do?

Deeper than Sheol; what canst thou know?

⁹The measure thereof is longer than the earth,

And broader than the sea.

¹⁰If he pass through, and shut up,

And call unto judgment, then who can hinder him?

¹¹For he knoweth false men:

He seeth iniquity also, even though he consider it not.

¹²But vain man is void of understanding,

Yea, man is born as a wild ass’s colt.

¹³If thou set thy heart aright,

And stretch out thy hands toward him;

¹⁴If iniquity be in thy hand, put it far away,

And let not unrighteousness dwell in thy tents.

¹⁵Surely then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot;

Yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear:

¹⁶For thou shalt forget thy misery;

Thou shalt remember it as waters that are passed away,

¹⁷And thy life shall be clearer than the noonday;

Though there be darkness, it shall be as the morning.

¹⁸And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope;

Yea, thou shalt search about thee, and shalt take thy rest in safety.

¹⁹Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid;

Yea, many shall make suit unto thee.

²⁰But the eyes of the wicked shall fail,

And they shall have no way to flee;

And their hope shall be the giving up of the ghost.

12Then Job answered and said,

²No doubt but ye are the people,

And wisdom shall die with you.

³But I have understanding as well as you;

I am not inferior to you:

Yea, who knoweth not such things as these?

⁴I am as one that is a laughing-stock to his neighbor,

I who called upon God, and he answered:

The just, the perfect man is a laughing-stock.

⁵In the thought of him that is at ease there is contempt for misfortune;

It is ready for them whose foot slippeth.

⁶The tents of robbers prosper,

And they that provoke God are secure;

Into whose hand God bringeth abundantly.

⁷But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee;

And the birds of the heavens, and they shall tell thee:

⁸Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee;

And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.

⁹Who knoweth not in all these,

That the hand of Jehovah hath wrought this,

¹⁰In whose hand is the soul of every living thing,

And the breath of all mankind?

¹¹Doth not the ear try words,

Even as the palate tasteth its food?

¹²With aged men is wisdom,

And in length of days understanding.

¹³With God is wisdom and might;

He hath counsel and understanding.

¹⁴Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again;

He shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening.

¹⁵Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up;

Again, he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.

¹⁶With him is strength and wisdom;

The deceived and the deceiver are his.

¹⁷He leadeth counsellors away stripped,

And judges maketh he fools.

¹⁸He looseth the bond of kings,

And he bindeth their loins with a girdle.

¹⁹He leadeth priests away stripped,

And overthroweth the mighty.

²⁰He removeth the speech of the trusty,

And taketh away the understanding of the elders.

²¹He poureth contempt upon princes,

And looseth the belt of the strong.

²²He uncovereth deep things out of darkness,

And bringeth out to light the shadow of death.

²³He increaseth the nations, and he destroyeth them:

He enlargeth the nations, and he leadeth them captive.

²⁴He taketh away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth,

And causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way.

²⁵They grope in the dark without light;

And he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.

13Lo, mine eye hath seen all this,

Mine ear hath heard and understood it.

²What ye know, the same do I know also:

I am not inferior unto you.

³Surely I would speak to the Almighty,

And I desire to reason with God.

⁴But ye are forgers of lies;

Ye are all physicians of no value.

⁵Oh that ye would altogether hold your peace!

And it would be your wisdom.

⁶Hear now my reasoning,

And hearken to the pleadings of my lips.

⁷Will ye speak unrighteously for God,

And talk deceitfully for him?

⁸Will ye show partiality to him?

Will ye contend for God?

⁹Is it good that he should search you out?

Or as one deceiveth a man, will ye deceive him?

¹⁰He will surely reprove you,

If ye do secretly show partiality.

¹¹Shall not his majesty make you afraid,

And his dread fall upon you?

¹²Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes,

Your defences are defences of clay.

¹³Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak;

And let come on me what will.

¹⁴Wherefore should I take my flesh in my teeth,

And put my life in my hand?

¹⁵Behold, he will slay me; I have no hope:

Nevertheless I will maintain my ways before him.

¹⁶This also shall be my salvation,

That a godless man shall not come before him.

¹⁷Hear diligently my speech,

And let my declaration be in your ears.

¹⁸Behold now, I have set my cause in order;

I know that I am righteous.

¹⁹Who is he that will contend with me?

For then would I hold my peace and give up the ghost.

²⁰Only do not two things unto me;

Then will I not hide myself from thy face:

²¹Withdraw thy hand far from me;

And let not thy terror make me afraid.

²²Then call thou, and I will answer;

Or let me speak, and answer thou me.

²³How many are mine iniquities and sins?

Make me to know my transgression and my sin.

²⁴Wherefore hidest thou thy face,

And holdest me for thine enemy?

²⁵Wilt thou harass a driven leaf?

And wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?

²⁶For thou writest bitter things against me,

And makest me to inherit the iniquities of my youth:

²⁷Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks,

And markest all my paths;

Thou settest a bound to the soles of my feet:

²⁸Though I am like a rotten thing that consumeth,

Like a garment that is moth-eaten.