Job 9 Parallel Bible Translations

Job 9 ▼
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SEP
Brenton Septuagint Translation
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English Standard Version
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New International Version
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1 Then Job answered and said, Then Job answered and said: Then Job replied:
2 I know of a truth that it is so: for how shall a mortal man be just before the Lord? “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 For if he would enter into judgment with him, God would not hearken to him, so that he should answer to one of his charges of a thousand. 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 For he is wise in mind, and mighty, and great: who has hardened himself against him and endured? 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 Who wears out the mountains, and men know it not: who overturns them in 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 under heaven from its foundations, and its pillars totter. 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 rises not; and he seals up the stars. 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 has stretched out the heavens, and walks on the sea as on firm ground. 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 makes Pleias, and Hesperus, and Arcturus, and the chambers 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 and unsearchable things; glorious also and excellent things, innumerable. 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 If ever he should go beyond me, I shall not see him: if he should pass by me, neither thus have I known it . 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 If he would take away, who shall turn him back? or who shall say to him, What hast thou done? 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 For if he has turned away his anger, the whales under heaven have stooped 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 Oh then that he would hearken to me, or judge my cause. 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 be righteous, he will not hearken to me: I will intreat his judgment. 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 And if I should call and he should not hearken, I cannot believe that he has listened 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 Let him not crush me with a dark storm: but he has made by bruises many 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 For he suffers me not to take breath, but he has filled 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 For indeed he is strong in power: who then shall resist his judgment? 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 For though I should seem righteous, my mouth will be profane: and though I should seem blameless, I shall be proved perverse. 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 For even if I have sinned, I know it not in my soul: but my life is taken away. 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 Wherefore I said, Wrath slays the great and mighty man. 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 For the worthless die, but the righteous are laughed to scorn. 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 For they are delivered into the hands of the unrighteous man : he covers the faces of the judges of the earth : but if it be not he, who is it? 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 But my life is swifter than a post: my days have fled away, and they knew it not. “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 Or again, is there a trace of their path left by ships? or is there one of the flying eagle as it seeks 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 And if I should say, I will forget to speak, I will bow down my face and groan; 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 quake in all my limbs, for I know that thou wilt not leave me alone as innocent. 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 But since I am ungodly, why have I not died? I shall be condemned; why then do I labor in vain? Since I am already found guilty, why should I struggle in vain?
30 For if I should wash myself with snow, and purge myself with pure hands, 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 thou hadst thoroughly plunged me in filth, and my garment had abhorred me. 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 thou art not man like me, with whom I could contend, that we might come together to judgment. 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 Would that he our mediator were present , and a reprover, and one who should hear the cause between both. 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 remove his rod from me, and let not his fear 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 so shall I not be afraid, but I will speak: for I am not thus conscious of guilt . 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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