New Living Translation

New American Standard Bible 1995

1Then Job spoke again:

1Then Job answered,

2“If my misery could be weighed and my troubles be put on the scales,

2"Oh that my grief were actually weighed And laid in the balances together with my calamity!

3they would outweigh all the sands of the sea. That is why I spoke impulsively.

3"For then it would be heavier than the sand of the seas; Therefore my words have been rash.

4For the Almighty has struck me down with his arrows. Their poison infects my spirit. God’s terrors are lined up against me.

4"For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, Their poison my spirit drinks; The terrors of God are arrayed against me.

5Don’t I have a right to complain? Don’t wild donkeys bray when they find no grass, and oxen bellow when they have no food?

5"Does the wild donkey bray over his grass, Or does the ox low over his fodder?

6Don’t people complain about unsalted food? Does anyone want the tasteless white of an egg?

6"Can something tasteless be eaten without salt, Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

7My appetite disappears when I look at it; I gag at the thought of eating it!

7"My soul refuses to touch them; They are like loathsome food to me.

8“Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant my desire.

8"Oh that my request might come to pass, And that God would grant my longing!

9I wish he would crush me. I wish he would reach out his hand and kill me.

9"Would that God were willing to crush me, That He would loose His hand and cut me off!

10At least I can take comfort in this: Despite the pain, I have not denied the words of the Holy One.

10"But it is still my consolation, And I rejoice in unsparing pain, That I have not denied the words of the Holy One.

11But I don’t have the strength to endure. I have nothing to live for.

11"What is my strength, that I should wait? And what is my end, that I should endure?

12Do I have the strength of a stone? Is my body made of bronze?

12"Is my strength the strength of stones, Or is my flesh bronze?

13No, I am utterly helpless, without any chance of success.

13"Is it that my help is not within me, And that deliverance is driven from me?

14“One should be kind to a fainting friend, but you accuse me without any fear of the Almighty.

14"For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend; So that he does not forsake the fear of the Almighty.

15My brothers, you have proved as unreliable as a seasonal brook that overflows its banks in the spring

15"My brothers have acted deceitfully like a wadi, Like the torrents of wadis which vanish,

16when it is swollen with ice and melting snow.

16Which are turbid because of ice And into which the snow melts.

17But when the hot weather arrives, the water disappears. The brook vanishes in the heat.

17"When they become waterless, they are silent, When it is hot, they vanish from their place.

18The caravans turn aside to be refreshed, but there is nothing to drink, so they die.

18"The paths of their course wind along, They go up into nothing and perish.

19The caravans from Tema search for this water; the travelers from Sheba hope to find it.

19"The caravans of Tema looked, The travelers of Sheba hoped for them.

20They count on it but are disappointed. When they arrive, their hopes are dashed.

20"They were disappointed for they had trusted, They came there and were confounded.

21You, too, have given no help. You have seen my calamity, and you are afraid.

21"Indeed, you have now become such, You see a terror and are afraid.

22But why? Have I ever asked you for a gift? Have I begged for anything of yours for myself?

22"Have I said, 'Give me something,' Or, 'Offer a bribe for me from your wealth,'

23Have I asked you to rescue me from my enemies, or to save me from ruthless people?

23Or, 'Deliver me from the hand of the adversary,' Or, 'Redeem me from the hand of the tyrants '?

24Teach me, and I will keep quiet. Show me what I have done wrong.

24"Teach me, and I will be silent; And show me how I have erred.

25Honest words can be painful, but what do your criticisms amount to?

25"How painful are honest words! But what does your argument prove?

26Do you think your words are convincing when you disregard my cry of desperation?

26"Do you intend to reprove my words, When the words of one in despair belong to the wind?

27You would even send an orphan into slavery or sell a friend.

27"You would even cast lots for the orphans And barter over your friend.

28Look at me! Would I lie to your face?

28"Now please look at me, And see if I lie to your face.

29Stop assuming my guilt, for I have done no wrong.

29"Desist now, let there be no injustice; Even desist, my righteousness is yet in it.

30Do you think I am lying? Don’t I know the difference between right and wrong?

30"Is there injustice on my tongue? Cannot my palate discern calamities?

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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