Job 17:1–19:29
17 My spirite is broken,
my days are cut short,f
the grave awaits me.g
2 Surely mockersh surround me;i
my eyes must dwell on their hostility.
3 “Give me, O God, the pledge you demand.j
Who else will put up securityk for me?l
4 You have closed their minds to understanding;m
therefore you will not let them triumph.
5 If anyone denounces their friends for reward,n
the eyes of their children will fail.o
6 “God has made me a bywordp to everyone,q
a man in whose face people spit.r
7 My eyes have grown dim with grief;s
my whole frame is but a shadow.t
8 The upright are appalled at this;
the innocent are arousedu against the ungodly.
9 Nevertheless, the righteousv will hold to their ways,
and those with clean handsw will grow stronger.x
10 “But come on, all of you, try again!
I will not find a wise man among you.y
11 My days have passed,z my plans are shattered.
Yet the desires of my hearta
12 turn night into day;b
in the face of the darkness light is near.c
13 If the only home I hope for is the grave,d
if I spread out my bede in the realm of darkness,f
14 if I say to corruption,g ‘You are my father,’
and to the worm,h ‘My mother’ or ‘My sister,’
15 where then is my hope—i
who can see any hope for me?j
16 Will it go down to the gates of death?k
Will we descend together into the dust?”l
18 Then Bildad the Shuhitem replied:
2 “When will you end these speeches?n
Be sensible, and then we can talk.
3 Why are we regarded as cattleo
and considered stupid in your sight?p
4 You who tear yourselfq to pieces in your anger,r
is the earth to be abandoned for your sake?
Or must the rocks be moved from their place?s
5 “The lamp of a wicked man is snuffed out;t
the flame of his fire stops burning.u
6 The light in his tentv becomes dark;w
the lamp beside him goes out.x
7 The vigory of his step is weakened;z
his own schemesa throw him down.b
8 His feet thrust him into a net;c
he wanders into its mesh.
9 A trap seizes him by the heel;
10 A noosef is hidden for him on the ground;
11 Terrorsi startle him on every sidej
and dogk his every step.
12 Calamityl is hungrym for him;
disastern is ready for him when he falls.o
13 It eats away parts of his skin;p
death’s firstborn devours his limbs.q
14 He is torn from the security of his tentr
and marched off to the kings of terrors.t
15 Fire residesa in his tent;u
burning sulfurv is scattered over his dwelling.
16 His roots dry up beloww
and his branches wither above.x
17 The memory of him perishes from the earth;y
18 He is driven from light into the realm of darknessb
and is banishedc from the world.d
19 He has no offspringe or descendantsf among his people,
no survivorg where once he lived.h
20 People of the west are appalledi at his fate;j
those of the east are seized with horror.
21 Surely such is the dwellingk of an evil man;l
such is the placem of one who does not know God.”n
19 Then Job replied:
2 “How long will you tormento me
and crushp me with words?
3 Ten timesq now you have reproachedr me;
shamelessly you attack me.
4 If it is true that I have gone astray,
my errors remains my concern alone.
5 If indeed you would exalt yourselves above met
and use my humiliation against me,
6 then know that God has wronged meu
and drawn his netv around me.w
7 “Though I cry, ‘Violence!’ I get no response;x
though I call for help,y there is no justice.z
8 He has blocked my way so I cannot pass;a
he has shrouded my paths in darkness.b
9 He has strippedc me of my honord
and removed the crown from my head.e
10 He tears me downf on every side till I am gone;
he uproots my hopeg like a tree.h
11 His angeri burns against me;
he counts me among his enemies.j
12 His troops advance in force;k
they build a siege rampl against me
and encamp around my tent.m
13 “He has alienated my familyn from me;
my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.o
14 My relatives have gone away;
my closest friendsp have forgotten me.
15 My guestsq and my female servantsr count me a foreigner;
they look on me as on a stranger.
16 I summon my servant, but he does not answer,
though I beg him with my own mouth.
17 My breath is offensive to my wife;
I am loathsomes to my own family.
18 Even the little boyst scorn me;
when I appear, they ridicule me.u
19 All my intimate friendsv detest me;w
those I love have turned against me.x
20 I am nothing but skin and bones;y
I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.a
21 “Have pity on me, my friends,z have pity,
for the hand of God has strucka me.
22 Why do you pursueb me as God does?c
Will you never get enough of my flesh?d
23 “Oh, that my words were recorded,
that they were written on a scroll,e
24 that they were inscribed with an iron toolf onb lead,
or engraved in rock forever!g
25 I know that my redeemerc h lives,i
and that in the end he will stand on the earth.d
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
yete inf my flesh I will see God;j
with my own eyesk—I, and not another.
How my heart yearnsl within me!
28 “If you say, ‘How we will houndm him,
since the root of the trouble lies in him,g’
29 you should fear the sword yourselves;
for wrath will bring punishment by the sword,n