Job 25–26

The Third Speech of Bildad

25Then Bildad the Shuhite replied,

²“God is King. He should be feared.

He establishes peace in the highest parts of heaven.

³Can anyone count his troops?

Is there anyone his light doesn’t shine on?

⁴How can human beings be right with God?

How can mere people really be pure?

⁵Even the moon isn’t bright

and the stars aren’t pure in God’s eyes.

⁶So how about human beings? They are like maggots.

How about mere people? They are like worms.”

Job’s Reply

26Job replied,

²“Bildad, you haven’t helped people who aren’t strong!

You haven’t saved people who are weak!

³You haven’t offered advice to those who aren’t wise!

In fact, you haven’t understood anything at all!

⁴Who helped you say those things?

Whose spirit was speaking through you?

⁵“The spirits of the dead are suffering greatly.

So are those that are under the waters.

And so are all those that live in them.

⁶Death is naked in the sight of God.

The Grave lies open in front of him.

⁷He spreads out the northern skies over empty space.

He hangs the earth over nothing.

⁸He wraps up water in his clouds.

They are heavy, but they don’t burst.

⁹He covers the face of the full moon.

He spreads his clouds over it.

¹⁰He marks out the place where the sky meets the sea.

He marks out the boundary between light and darkness.

¹¹The pillars of the heavens shake.

They are terrified when his anger blazes out.

¹²With his power he stirred up the oceans.

In his wisdom he cut the sea monster Rahab to pieces.

¹³His breath made the skies bright and clear.

His hand wounded the serpent that glides through the sea.

¹⁴Those are only on the edges of what he does.

They are only the soft whispers that we hear from him.

So who can understand how very powerful he is?”