Job’s Ninth Speech: A Response to Bildad

26 Thena Job answered and said,

2 “How youb have helped ⌊one who has no power⌋!c

How youd have assisted the arm ⌊that has no strength⌋!e

3 How youf have advised ⌊one who has no wisdom⌋!g

And what sound wisdom youh have made known ⌊in abundance⌋!i

4 ⌊With whose help⌋j have youk uttered words,

and whose breath has come forth from you?l

5 “The spirits of the dead tremble

below the waters and their inhabitants.

6 Sheol is naked before him,

and there is no covering for Abaddon.

7 He stretches out the north over emptiness;

he hangs the earth ⌊over nothing⌋.m

8 He ties up the water in its clouds,

and the cloud is not torn open beneath it.n

9 He covers the face of the full moon;o

he spreads his cloud over it.

10 ⌊He has described a circle⌋p on the face of the water

⌊between light and darkness⌋.q

11 “The pillars of heaven tremble,

and they are astounded at his rebuke.

12 By his power he stilled the sea,

and by his understanding he struck down Rahab.

13 By his breath ⌊the heavens were made clear⌋;r

his hand pierced the fleeing snake.

14 Look, these are the outer fringes of his ways,

and ⌊how faint is the word⌋s that we hear of him!

Butt who can understand the thunder of his power?”

Job Continues His Final Speech

27 Thena Job again took up his discourse and said,

2 “⌊As God lives⌋,b he has removed my justice,

and Shaddai has made my inner selfc bitter.

3 For ⌊as long as⌋d my breath is in me,

and the spirit of God is in my nose,

4 my lips surely will not speak falseness,

and my tongue surely will not utter deceit.

5 Far be it from me that ⌊I would say that youe are right⌋;f

until I pass away, I will not put away from me my blamelessness.

6 I hold fast to my righteousness, and I will not let it go;

my heart will not blame any of my days.

7 “Let my enemy be like the wicked

and my opponent like the unrighteous,

8 for what is the hope of the godless when he cuts them off,

when God takes away his life?

9 Will God hear his cry of distress

when distress comes upon him?

10 Or, in Shaddai will he find delight?

Will he call upon God at all times?

11 “I will teach youg abouth God’s hand;

I will not conceal that which is with Shaddai.

12 Look, you all have seen,

and ⌊why in the world⌋i ⌊have you become altogether vain⌋?j

13 “This is the portion of the wicked human being with God,

and they receive from Shaddai the inheritance of the ruthless.

14 If their children multiply, it is for the sword,

and his offspring ⌊do not have enough to eat⌋.k

15 Theirl survivors are buried throughm the plague,

and theirn widows do not weep.

16 If he heaps up silver like the dust

and fashions clothing like the clay,

17 he makes it ready, and the righteous will wear it,

and the innocent will divide the silver.

18 “He builds his house like the moth,

and like a booth that a watchman has made.

19 He goes to bed with wealth, buto ⌊he will do so no more⌋;p

he opens his eyes, and ⌊it is gone⌋.q

20 Terrors overtake him like the water;

a storm wind carries him off in the night.

21 The east wind lifts him up, and he is gone,

and it sweeps him away from his place.

22 And it hurls at him, and it has no compassion;

he will quickly flee from its power.

23 It claps its hands over him,

and it hisses at him from its place.