Job 25–26

Bildad: How Can Man Be Righteous?

25Then ^aBildad the Shuhite answered and said:

²“Dominion and fear belong to Him;

He makes peace in His high places.

³¹Is there any number to His armies?

Upon whom does ^bHis light not rise?

^4cHow then can man be righteous before God?

Or how can he be ^dpure who is born of a woman?

⁵If even the moon does not shine,

And the stars are not pure in His ^esight,

⁶How much less man, who is ^fa maggot,

And a son of man, who is a worm?”

Job: Man’s Frailty and God’s Majesty

26But Job answered and said:

²“How have you helped him who is without power?

How have you saved the arm that has no strength?

³How have you counseled one who has no wisdom?

And how have you declared sound advice to many?

⁴To whom have you uttered words?

And whose spirit came from you?

⁵“The dead tremble,

Those under the waters and those inhabiting them.

^6aSheol is naked before Him,

And Destruction has no covering.

^7bHe stretches out the north over empty space;

He hangs the earth on nothing.

^8cHe binds up the water in His thick clouds,

Yet the clouds ¹are not broken under it.

⁹He covers the face of His throne,

And spreads His cloud over it.

^10dHe drew a circular horizon on the face of the waters,

At the boundary of light and darkness.

¹¹The pillars of heaven tremble,

And are ²astonished at His rebuke.

^12eHe stirs up the sea with His power,

And by His understanding He breaks up ³the storm.

^13fBy His Spirit He adorned the heavens;

His hand pierced ^gthe fleeing serpent.

¹⁴Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,

And how small a whisper we hear of Him!

But the thunder of His power who can understand?”