Job 21

CHAPTER 21

God Does Not Punish the Wicked

¹Then Job answered and said,

²“Listen carefully to my speech,

And let this be your way of consolation.

³“Bear with me that I may speak;

Then after I have spoken, you may ^amock.

⁴“As for me, is ^amy musing ¹to man?

And ^bwhy should ²I not be impatient?

⁵“Look at me, and be appalled,

And ^aput your hand over your mouth.

⁶“Even when I remember, I am dismayed,

And ^ahorror seizes my flesh.

⁷“Why ^ado the wicked still live,

Continue on, also become very ^bpowerful?

⁸“Their ^aseed is established with them in their presence,

And their offspring before their eyes,

⁹Their houses ^aare safe from dread,

And the rod of God is not on them.

¹⁰“His ox mates and does not fail;

His cow calves and does not miscarry.

¹¹“They send forth their little ones like the flock,

And their children skip about.

¹²“They lift up the tambourine and harp

And are glad at the sound of the pipe.

¹³“They ^aspend their days in prosperity,

And ¹suddenly they go down to Sheol.

¹⁴“They say to God, ‘^aDepart from us!

We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways.

¹⁵‘¹Who is ²the Almighty, that we should serve Him,

And ^awhat would we profit if we entreat Him?’

¹⁶“Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand;

The ^acounsel of the wicked is far from me.

¹⁷“How often is ^athe lamp of the wicked put out,

Or does their ^bdisaster fall on them?

Does ¹God apportion destruction in His anger?

¹⁸“Are they as ^astraw before the wind,

And like ^bchaff which the storm steals away?

¹⁹“You say, ‘^aGod stores away ¹a man’s wickedness for his sons.’

Let ²God repay him so that he may know it.

²⁰“Let his ^aown eyes see his decay,

And let him ^bdrink of the wrath of ¹the Almighty.

²¹“For what desire does he have for his household ¹after him,

When the number of his months is cut off?

²²“Can anyone ^ateach God knowledge,

In that He ^bjudges those on high?

²³“One ^adies in his full strength,

Being wholly carefree and at ease;

²⁴His ¹sides are filled out with fat,

And the ^amarrow of his bones is moist,

²⁵But another dies with a bitter soul,

Never even eats anything good.

²⁶“Together they ^alie down in the dust,

And ^bworms cover them.

²⁷“Behold, I know your thoughts,

And the plans by which you do violence against me.

²⁸“For you say, ‘Where is the house of ^athe nobleman,

And where is the ^btent, the dwelling places of the wicked?’

²⁹“Have you not asked those who pass by along the way,

And do you not recognize their ¹witness?

³⁰“That the ^awicked is reserved for the day of disaster;

They will be led forth at ^bthe day of fury.

³¹“Who will declare to his face about his actions,

And who will repay him for what he has done?

³²“While he is led forth to the grave,

Men will keep watch over his tomb.

³³“The ^aclods of the valley will ¹gently cover him;

Moreover, ^ball men will draw up after him,

While countless ones go before him.

³⁴“How then will you vainly ^acomfort me,

Indeed when your answers remain full of ¹falsehood?”