| International Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1"Now please listen to what I have to say, Job. Listen to every word! | 1"But now, O Job, listen to my words, and hear everything I have to say! |
| 2Look! I've begun to speak, and I'm fashioning my words. | 2See now, I have opened my mouth; my tongue in my mouth has spoken. |
| 3I speak from the innocence of my heart; and my lips will utter what I sincerely know. | 3My words come from the uprightness of my heart, and my lips will utter knowledge sincerely. |
| 4"The spirit of God fashioned me; and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. | 4The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. |
| 5Answer me, if you can! Present your case! Take your stand in my presence! | 5Reply to me, if you can; set your arguments in order before me and take your stand! |
| 6Look! As far as God is concerned, I'm just like you are— I, too, have been pinched off from a piece of clay. | 6Look, I am just like you in relation to God; I too have been molded from clay. |
| 7Don't be afraid of me; I'll go easy on you." | 7Therefore no fear of me should terrify you, nor should my pressure be heavy on you. |
| 8"You spoke clearly so I could hear; I've heard what you've said: | 8"Indeed, you have said in my hearing (I heard the sound of the words!): |
| 9I'm pure. I'm without sin; I'm innocent. I'm harboring no iniquity inside of me. | 9I am pure, without transgression; I am clean and have no iniquity. |
| 10Nevertheless, God has found a pretext to attack me; he considers me his enemy. | 10Yet God finds occasions with me; he regards me as his enemy! |
| 11He has bound my feet in shackles, and keeps watching everything I do.'" | 11He puts my feet in shackles; he watches closely all my paths.' |
| 12"You aren't right about this; My response is that God is greater than human beings. | 12Now in this, you are not right--I answer you, for God is greater than a human being. |
| 13Why are you arguing with him? He doesn't have to give explanations for what he does to you! | 13Why do you contend against him, that he does not answer all a person's words? |
| 14"God speaks time and time again — but nobody notices— | 14"For God speaks, the first time in one way, the second time in another, though a person does not perceive it. |
| 15in a dream or night vision, when a deep sleep falls on mankind while they sleep on their beds. | 15In a dream, a night vision, when deep sleep falls on people as they sleep in their beds. |
| 16That's when he opens the ear of mankind, authenticating his messages to them, | 16Then he gives a revelation to people, and terrifies them with warnings, |
| 17turning a person from his actions, keeping him from pride, | 17to turn a person from his sin, and to cover a person's pride. |
| 18sparing his soul from the Pit and his life from violent death. | 18He spares a person's life from corruption, his very life from crossing over the river. |
| 19"He is being reproved by painful bed rest, with continual aching in his bones. | 19Or a person is chastened by pain on his bed, and with the continual strife of his bones, |
| 20He cannot stand his food, and he has no desire for appetizing food. | 20so that his life loathes food, and his soul rejects appetizing fare. |
| 21His flesh wastes away; his bones, which once couldn't be seen, are visible. | 21His flesh wastes away from sight, and his bones, which were not seen, are easily visible. |
| 22His soul is getting close to the Pit; his life is approaching its executioner." | 22He draws near to the place of corruption, and his life to the messengers of death. |
| 23"If there's a messenger appointed to mediate for Job —one out of a thousand— to represent the man's integrity on his behalf, | 23If there is an angel beside him, one mediator out of a thousand, to tell a person what constitutes his uprightness; |
| 24to show favor to him and to plead, 'Deliver him from having to go down to the Pit — I know where his ransom is!' | 24and if God is gracious to him and says, 'Spare him from going down to the place of corruption, I have found a ransom for him,' |
| 25Let his flesh be rejuvenated as he was in his youth! Let him recover the strength of his youth. | 25then his flesh is restored like a youth's; he returns to the days of his youthful vigor. |
| 26Let him pray to God and he will accept him; he will appear before him with joyful shouts!" | 26He entreats God, and God delights in him, he sees God's face with rejoicing, and God restores to him his righteousness. |
| 27"He'll sing to mankind with these words: 'I've sinned. I have twisted what is right. Yet he has not repaid me like I deserve. | 27That person sings to others, saying: 'I have sinned and falsified what is right, but I was not punished according to what I deserved. |
| 28He has redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit; my life will see the light.' | 28He redeemed my life from going down to the place of corruption, and my life sees the light!' |
| 29Indeed God does all these things again and again with a person | 29"Indeed, God does all these things, twice, three times, in his dealings with a person, |
| 30to bring back his soul from the Pit; to light him with the light of life." | 30to turn back his life from the place of corruption, that he may be enlightened with the light of life. |
| 31"Job, pay attention! Listen to me! Be silent and let me speak. | 31Pay attention, Job--listen to me; be silent, and I will speak. |
| 32If you have anything to say, answer me; speak up, because I'd be happy to vindicate you. | 32If you have any words, reply to me; speak, for I want to justify you. |
| 33But if you have nothing to say, then at least listen to me! Be quiet and learn some wisdom from me." | 33If not, you listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom." |
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