| New American Standard Bible 1995 | New International Version |
| 1Then Job answered, | 1Then Job replied: |
| 2"In truth I know that this is so; But how can a man be in the right before God? | 2"Indeed, I know that this is true. But how can mere mortals prove their innocence before God? |
| 3"If one wished to dispute with Him, He could not answer Him once in a thousand times. | 3Though they wished to dispute with him, they could not answer him one time out of a thousand. |
| 4"Wise in heart and mighty in strength, Who has defied Him without harm? | 4His wisdom is profound, his power is vast. Who has resisted him and come out unscathed? |
| 5"It is God who removes the mountains, they know not how, When He overturns them in His anger; | 5He moves mountains without their knowing it and overturns them in his anger. |
| 6Who shakes the earth out of its place, And its pillars tremble; | 6He shakes the earth from its place and makes its pillars tremble. |
| 7Who commands the sun not to shine, And sets a seal upon the stars; | 7He speaks to the sun and it does not shine; he seals off the light of the stars. |
| 8Who alone stretches out the heavens And tramples down the waves of the sea; | 8He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea. |
| 9Who makes the Bear, Orion and the Pleiades, And the chambers of the south; | 9He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south. |
| 10Who does great things, unfathomable, And wondrous works without number. | 10He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. |
| 11"Were He to pass by me, I would not see Him; Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him. | 11When he passes me, I cannot see him; when he goes by, I cannot perceive him. |
| 12"Were He to snatch away, who could restrain Him? Who could say to Him, 'What are You doing?' | 12If he snatches away, who can stop him? Who can say to him, 'What are you doing?' |
| 13"God will not turn back His anger; Beneath Him crouch the helpers of Rahab. | 13God does not restrain his anger; even the cohorts of Rahab cowered at his feet. |
| 14"How then can I answer Him, And choose my words before Him? | 14"How then can I dispute with him? How can I find words to argue with him? |
| 15"For though I were right, I could not answer; I would have to implore the mercy of my judge. | 15Though I were innocent, I could not answer him; I could only plead with my Judge for mercy. |
| 16"If I called and He answered me, I could not believe that He was listening to my voice. | 16Even if I summoned him and he responded, I do not believe he would give me a hearing. |
| 17"For He bruises me with a tempest And multiplies my wounds without cause. | 17He would crush me with a storm and multiply my wounds for no reason. |
| 18"He will not allow me to get my breath, But saturates me with bitterness. | 18He would not let me catch my breath but would overwhelm me with misery. |
| 19"If it is a matter of power, behold, He is the strong one! And if it is a matter of justice, who can summon Him? | 19If it is a matter of strength, he is mighty! And if it is a matter of justice, who can challenge him? |
| 20"Though I am righteous, my mouth will condemn me; Though I am guiltless, He will declare me guilty. | 20Even if I were innocent, my mouth would condemn me; if I were blameless, it would pronounce me guilty. |
| 21"I am guiltless; I do not take notice of myself; I despise my life. | 21"Although I am blameless, I have no concern for myself; I despise my own life. |
| 22"It is all one; therefore I say, 'He destroys the guiltless and the wicked.' | 22It is all the same; that is why I say, 'He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.' |
| 23"If the scourge kills suddenly, He mocks the despair of the innocent. | 23When a scourge brings sudden death, he mocks the despair of the innocent. |
| 24"The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; He covers the faces of its judges. If it is not He, then who is it? | 24When a land falls into the hands of the wicked, he blindfolds its judges. If it is not he, then who is it? |
| 25"Now my days are swifter than a runner; They flee away, they see no good. | 25"My days are swifter than a runner; they fly away without a glimpse of joy. |
| 26"They slip by like reed boats, Like an eagle that swoops on its prey. | 26They skim past like boats of papyrus, like eagles swooping down on their prey. |
| 27"Though I say, 'I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my sad countenance and be cheerful,' | 27If I say, 'I will forget my complaint, I will change my expression, and smile,' |
| 28I am afraid of all my pains, I know that You will not acquit me. | 28I still dread all my sufferings, for I know you will not hold me innocent. |
| 29"I am accounted wicked, Why then should I toil in vain? | 29Since I am already found guilty, why should I struggle in vain? |
| 30"If I should wash myself with snow And cleanse my hands with lye, | 30Even if I washed myself with soap and my hands with cleansing powder, |
| 31Yet You would plunge me into the pit, And my own clothes would abhor me. | 31you would plunge me into a slime pit so that even my clothes would detest me. |
| 32"For He is not a man as I am that I may answer Him, That we may go to court together. | 32"He is not a mere mortal like me that I might answer him, that we might confront each other in court. |
| 33"There is no umpire between us, Who may lay his hand upon us both. | 33If only there were someone to mediate between us, someone to bring us together, |
| 34"Let Him remove His rod from me, And let not dread of Him terrify me. | 34someone to remove God's rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more. |
| 35"Then I would speak and not fear Him; But I am not like that in myself. | 35Then I would speak up without fear of him, but as it now stands with me, I cannot. |
| New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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