| New International Version | NET Bible |
| 1"But now, Job, listen to my words; pay attention to everything I say. | 1"But now, O Job, listen to my words, and hear everything I have to say! |
| 2I am about to open my mouth; my words are on the tip of my tongue. | 2See now, I have opened my mouth; my tongue in my mouth has spoken. |
| 3My words come from an upright heart; my lips sincerely speak what I know. | 3My words come from the uprightness of my heart, and my lips will utter knowledge sincerely. |
| 4The Spirit of God has made me; 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 then, if you can; stand up and argue your case before me. | 5Reply to me, if you can; set your arguments in order before me and take your stand! |
| 6I am the same as you in God's sight; I too am a piece of clay. | 6Look, I am just like you in relation to God; I too have been molded from clay. |
| 7No fear of me should alarm you, nor should my hand be heavy on you. | 7Therefore no fear of me should terrify you, nor should my pressure be heavy on you. |
| 8"But you have said in my hearing-- I heard the very words-- | 8"Indeed, you have said in my hearing (I heard the sound of the words!): |
| 9I am pure, I have done no wrong; I am clean and free from sin. | 9I am pure, without transgression; I am clean and have no iniquity. |
| 10Yet God has found fault with me; he considers me his enemy. | 10Yet God finds occasions with me; he regards me as his enemy! |
| 11He fastens my feet in shackles; he keeps close watch on all my paths.' | 11He puts my feet in shackles; he watches closely all my paths.' |
| 12"But I tell you, in this you are not right, for God is greater than any mortal. | 12Now in this, you are not right--I answer you, for God is greater than a human being. |
| 13Why do you complain to him that he responds to no one's words? | 13Why do you contend against him, that he does not answer all a person's words? |
| 14For God does speak--now one way, now another-- though no one perceives it. | 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, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber in their beds, | 15In a dream, a night vision, when deep sleep falls on people as they sleep in their beds. |
| 16he may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings, | 16Then he gives a revelation to people, and terrifies them with warnings, |
| 17to turn them from wrongdoing and keep them from pride, | 17to turn a person from his sin, and to cover a person's pride. |
| 18to preserve them from the pit, their lives from perishing by the sword. | 18He spares a person's life from corruption, his very life from crossing over the river. |
| 19"Or someone may be chastened on a bed of pain with constant distress in their bones, | 19Or a person is chastened by pain on his bed, and with the continual strife of his bones, |
| 20so that their body finds food repulsive and their soul loathes the choicest meal. | 20so that his life loathes food, and his soul rejects appetizing fare. |
| 21Their flesh wastes away to nothing, and their bones, once hidden, now stick out. | 21His flesh wastes away from sight, and his bones, which were not seen, are easily visible. |
| 22They draw near to the pit, and their life to the messengers of death. | 22He draws near to the place of corruption, and his life to the messengers of death. |
| 23Yet if there is an angel at their side, a messenger, one out of a thousand, sent to tell them how to be upright, | 23If there is an angel beside him, one mediator out of a thousand, to tell a person what constitutes his uprightness; |
| 24and he is gracious to that person and says to God, 'Spare them from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom for them-- | 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 their flesh be renewed like a child's; let them be restored as in the days of their youth'-- | 25then his flesh is restored like a youth's; he returns to the days of his youthful vigor. |
| 26then that person can pray to God and find favor with him, they will see God's face and shout for joy; he will restore them to full well-being. | 26He entreats God, and God delights in him, he sees God's face with rejoicing, and God restores to him his righteousness. |
| 27And they will go to others and say, 'I have sinned, I have perverted what is right, but I did not get what I deserved. | 27That person sings to others, saying: 'I have sinned and falsified what is right, but I was not punished according to what I deserved. |
| 28God has delivered me from going down to the pit, and I shall live to enjoy the light of life.' | 28He redeemed my life from going down to the place of corruption, and my life sees the light!' |
| 29"God does all these things to a person-- twice, even three times-- | 29"Indeed, God does all these things, twice, three times, in his dealings with a person, |
| 30to turn them back from the pit, that the light of life may shine on them. | 30to turn back his life from the place of corruption, that he may be enlightened with the light of life. |
| 31"Pay attention, Job, and listen to me; be silent, and I will speak. | 31Pay attention, Job--listen to me; be silent, and I will speak. |
| 32If you have anything to say, answer me; speak up, for I want to vindicate you. | 32If you have any words, reply to me; speak, for I want to justify you. |
| 33But if not, then listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom." | 33If not, you listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom." |
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