Job 9 Parallel Bible Translations

Job 9 ▼
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1 Then Job answered and said, Then Job answered and said: Then Job replied:
2 “Yes, I know it is true. But how can a mortal man be right before God? “Truly I know that it is so: But how can a man be in the right before God? “Indeed, I know that this is true. But how can mere mortals prove their innocence before God?
3 “If one should want to contend or dispute with Him, He could not answer Him once in a thousand times. If one wished to contend with him, one could not answer him once in a thousand times. Though they wished to dispute with him, they could not answer him one time out of a thousand.
4 “God is wise in heart and mighty in strength; Who has [ever] defied or challenged Him and remained unharmed? He is wise in heart and mighty in strength—who has hardened himself against him, and succeeded?— His wisdom is profound, his power is vast. Who has resisted him and come out unscathed?
5 “It is God who removes the mountains, and they do not know it, When He overturns them in His anger; he who removes mountains, and they know it not, when he overturns them in his anger, He moves mountains without their knowing it and overturns them in his anger.
6 Who shakes the earth out of its place, And its pillars tremble; who shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble; He shakes the earth from its place and makes its pillars tremble.
7 Who commands the sun, and it does not shine; Who seals up the stars [from view]; who commands the sun, and it does not rise; who seals up the stars; He speaks to the sun and it does not shine; he seals off the light of the stars.
8 Who alone stretches out the heavens And tramples down the waves of the sea; who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea; He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.
9 Who made [the constellations] the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, And the [vast starry] spaces of the south; who made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the chambers of the south; He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.
10 Who does great things, [beyond understanding,] unfathomable, Yes, marvelous and wondrous things without number. who does great things beyond searching out, and marvelous things beyond number. He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.
11 “Behold, He passes by me, and I do not see Him; He moves past me, but I do not perceive Him. Behold, he passes by me, and I see him not; he moves on, but I do not perceive him. When he passes me, I cannot see him; when he goes by, I cannot perceive him.
12 “Behold, He snatches away; who can restrain or turn Him back? Who will say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’ Behold, he snatches away; who can turn him back? Who will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’ If he snatches away, who can stop him? Who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’
13 “God will not turn back His anger; The [proud] helpers of Rahab [the arrogant monster of the sea] bow under Him. “God will not turn back his anger; beneath him bowed the helpers of Rahab. God does not restrain his anger; even the cohorts of Rahab cowered at his feet.
14 “How can I answer Him [and plead my case], Choosing my words [to reason] with Him? How then can I answer him, choosing my words with him? “How then can I dispute with him? How can I find words to argue with him?
15 “For though I were righteous, I could not answer. I must appeal for mercy to my Opponent and Judge. Though I am in the right, I cannot answer him; I must appeal for mercy to my accuser. Though 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. If I summoned him and he answered me, I would not believe that he was listening to my voice. Even 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. For he crushes me with a tempest and multiplies my wounds without cause; He would crush me with a storm and multiply my wounds for no reason.
18 “He will not allow me to catch my breath, But fills and saturates me with bitterness. he will not let me get my breath, but fills me with bitterness. He would not let me catch my breath but would overwhelm me with misery.
19 “If it is a matter of strength and power, behold, He is mighty! And if of justice, who can summon and challenge Him? If it is a contest of strength, behold, he is mighty! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon him? If 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 innocent and in the right, my own mouth would pronounce me guilty; Though I am blameless, He would denounce me as guilty. Though I am in the right, my own mouth would condemn me; though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse. Even if I were innocent, my mouth would condemn me; if I were blameless, it would pronounce me guilty.
21 “[Though] I am blameless, I do not care about myself; I despise my life. I am blameless; I regard not myself; I loathe my life. “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 [both] the blameless and the wicked.’ It is all one; therefore I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’ It is all the same; that is why I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’
23 “When [His] scourge kills suddenly, He mocks at the despair of the innocent. When disaster brings sudden death, he mocks at the calamity of the innocent. When a scourge brings sudden death, he mocks the despair of the innocent.
24 “The earth is given into the hands of the wicked; He covers the faces of its judges [so that they are blind to justice]. If it is not He, then who is it [that is responsible for all this injustice]? The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; he covers the faces of its judges— if it is not he, who then is it? When 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 vanish, they see no good. “My days are swifter than a runner; they flee away; they see no good. “My days are swifter than a runner; they fly away without a glimpse of joy.
26 “They pass by like the [swift] boats made of reeds, Like an eagle that swoops down on its prey. They go by like skiffs of reed, like an eagle swooping on the prey. They skim past like boats of papyrus, like eagles swooping down on their prey.
27 “If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my sad appearance, and be cheerful and brighten up,’ If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint, I will put off my sad face, and be of good cheer,’ If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint, I will change my expression, and smile,’
28 I am afraid of all my pains and worries [yet to come]; I know that You will not acquit me and leave me unpunished. I become afraid of all my suffering, for I know you will not hold me innocent. I still dread all my sufferings, for I know you will not hold me innocent.
29 “I am accounted wicked and held guilty; Why then should I labor in vain [to appear innocent]? I shall be condemned; why then do I labor in vain? Since I am already found guilty, why should I struggle in vain?
30 “If I were to wash myself with snow And cleanse my hands with lye, If I wash myself with snow and cleanse my hands with lye, Even if I washed myself with soap and my hands with cleansing powder,
31 You would still plunge me into the pit, And my own clothes would hate me [and refuse to cover my foul body]. yet you will plunge me into a pit, and my own clothes will abhor me. you would plunge me into a slime pit so that even my clothes would detest me.
32 “For God is not a [mere] man, as I am, that I may answer Him, That we may go to court and judgment together. For he is not a man, as I am, that I might answer him, that we should come to trial together. “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 arbitrator between us, Who could lay his hand upon us both [would that there were]. There is no arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both. If only there were someone to mediate between us, someone to bring us together,
34 “Let Him take His rod away from me, And let not the dread and fear of Him terrify me. Let him take his rod away from me, and let not dread of him terrify me. someone to remove God’s rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more.
35 “Then I would speak [my defense] and not fear Him; But I am not like that in myself. Then I would speak without fear of him, for I am not so in myself. Then I would speak up without fear of him, but as it now stands with me, I cannot.
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