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21 Job replied,
2 “Listen carefully to what I’m saying.
Let that be the comfort you people give me.
3 Put up with me while I speak.
After I’ve spoken, you can make fun of me!
4 “I’m not arguing with mere human beings.
So why shouldn’t I be angry and uneasy?
Put your hand over your mouth and stop talking!
6 When I think about these things, I’m terrified.
My whole body trembles.
7 Why do sinful people keep on living?
The older they grow, the richer they get.
8 They see their children grow up around them.
They watch their family increase in number.
They don’t have to be afraid.
God isn’t punishing them.
10 Every time their bulls mate, their cows become pregnant.
And the calves don’t die before they are born.
11 Sinful people send their children out like a flock of lambs.
Their little ones dance around.
12 They sing to the music of tambourines and harps.
They have a good time while flutes are being played.
13 Those who are evil spend their years living well.
They go down to their graves in peace.
14 But they say to God, ‘Leave us alone!
We don’t want to know how you want us to live.
15 Who is the Mighty One? Why should we serve him?
What would we get if we prayed to him?’
16 But they aren’t in control of their own success.
So I don’t pay any attention to the advice they give.
17 “How often are their lamps blown out?
How often does trouble come on them?
How often does God punish them when he’s angry?
18 How often are they like dried-up seed coverings blowing in the wind?
How often are they like straw swept away by a storm?
19 People say, ‘God punishes a man’s children for his sins.’
But let him punish the man himself.
Then he’ll learn a lesson from it.
20 Let his own eyes see how he is destroyed.
Let him drink the wine of the Mighty One’s anger.
21 What does he care about the family he leaves behind?
What does he care about them
when his life comes to an end?
22 “Can anyone teach God anything?
After all, he judges even the angels in heaven.
23 Some people die while they are still very strong.
They are completely secure. They have an easy life.
Their bodies are healthy.
25 Others die while their spirits are bitter.
They’ve never enjoyed anything good.
26 Side by side they lie in the dust of death.
The worms in their graves cover all of them.
27 “I know exactly what you people are thinking.
I know you are planning to do bad things to me.
28 You are saying to yourselves,
‘Where is the great man’s house now?
Where are the tents where his evil family lived?’
29 Haven’t you ever asked questions of those who travel?
Haven’t you paid any attention to their stories?
30 They’ll tell you that sinful people
are spared from the day of trouble.
They’ll say that those people
are saved from the day when God will judge.
31 Who speaks against them for the way they act?
Who pays them back for what they’ve done?
32 Their bodies will be carried to their graves.
Guards will watch over their tombs.
33 The soil in the valley will be pleasant
to those who have died.
Many people will walk along behind their bodies.
Many others will walk in front of them.
34 “So how can you comfort me with your speeches?
They don’t make any sense at all.
Your answers are nothing but lies!”
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About New International Reader’s Version (1998)The New International Reader’s Version (NIrV) was developed to help early readers understand the Bible. Begun in 1992, the NIrV is a simplification of the New International Version (NIV). The NIrV uses shorter words and sentences so that those with a typical fourth grade reading level can comprehend what they are reading. The chapters have been separated into shorter sections and most have titles that clearly indicate what the section is all about. The NIrV will be a valuable translation to those for whom English is a second language. The NIrV still relies on the best and oldest copies of the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts for its translation, guaranteeing that those who read it are getting the actual Word of God. |
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Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved. The NIrV text may be quoted for non-commercial usage in any form (written, visual, electronic or audio) up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without the express written permission of the publisher, providing the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible nor do the verses quoted account for twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted. Notice of copyright must appear on the title or copyright page of the work as follows: Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL READER’S VERSION™. Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. When quotations from the NIrV text are used in non-saleable media, such as church bulletins, orders of service, posters, transparencies or similar media, a complete copyright notice is not required, but the initials (NIrV) must appear at the end of each quotation. Any commentary or other Biblical reference work produced for commercial sale that uses the New International Reader’s Version must obtain written permission for use of the NIrV text. Permission requests for commercial use within the U.S. and Canada that exceed the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by, Zondervan, 5300 Patterson Ave. S.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49530. Permission requests for commercial use within the U.K., EEC, and EFTA countries that exceed the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by, Hodder Headline Plc., 338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH, England. Permission requests for non-commercial usage that exceed the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by, International Bible Society, 1820 Jet Stream Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80921. |
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