Job 21
21
Job
1Then Job replied:
2“Listen carefully to my words;
let this be the consolation you give me.
3Bear with me while I speak,
and after I have spoken, mock on.
4“Is my complaint directed to a human being?
Why should I not be impatient?
5Look at me and be appalled;
clap your hand over your mouth.
6When I think about this, I am terrified;
trembling seizes my body.
7Why do the wicked live on,
growing old and increasing in power?
8They see their children established around them,
their offspring before their eyes.
9Their homes are safe and free from fear;
the rod of God is not on them.
10Their bulls never fail to breed;
their cows calve and do not miscarry.
11They send forth their children as a flock;
their little ones dance about.
12They sing to the music of timbrel and lyre;
they make merry to the sound of the pipe.
13They spend their years in prosperity
and go down to the grave in peace.#21:13 Or in an instant
14Yet they say to God, ‘Leave us alone!
We have no desire to know your ways.
15Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
What would we gain by praying to him?’
16But their prosperity is not in their own hands,
so I stand aloof from the plans of the wicked.
17“Yet how often is the lamp of the wicked snuffed out?
How often does calamity come upon them,
the fate God allots in his anger?
18How often are they like straw before the wind,
like chaff swept away by a gale?
19It is said, ‘God stores up the punishment of the wicked for their children.’
Let him repay the wicked, so that they themselves will experience it!
20Let their own eyes see their destruction;
let them drink the cup of the wrath of the Almighty.
21For what do they care about the families they leave behind
when their allotted months come to an end?
22“Can anyone teach knowledge to God,
since he judges even the highest?
23One person dies in full vigor,
completely secure and at ease,
24well nourished in body,#21:24 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
bones rich with marrow.
25Another dies in bitterness of soul,
never having enjoyed anything good.
26Side by side they lie in the dust,
and worms cover them both.
27“I know full well what you are thinking,
the schemes by which you would wrong me.
28You say, ‘Where now is the house of the great,
the tents where the wicked lived?’
29Have you never questioned those who travel?
Have you paid no regard to their accounts—
30that the wicked are spared from the day of calamity,
that they are delivered from#21:30 Or wicked are reserved for the day of calamity, / that they are brought forth to the day of wrath?
31Who denounces their conduct to their face?
Who repays them for what they have done?
32They are carried to the grave,
and watch is kept over their tombs.
33The soil in the valley is sweet to them;
everyone follows after them,
and a countless throng goes#21:33 Or them, / as a countless throng went before them.
34“So how can you console me with your nonsense?
Nothing is left of your answers but falsehood!”
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Job 21: NIV
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The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.
Job 21
21
Grant me a hearing
1Then Job answered:
2Listen carefully to my remarks
and let that comfort you.
3Bear with me so I can speak, I myself;
and after my reply you can mock.
4Are my complaints against another human;
why is my patience short?
5Turn to me and be appalled;
lay your hand over your mouth.
6If I recall it, I’m scared;
shaking seizes my body.
The success of the wicked
7Why do the wicked live,
grow old, and even become strong?
8Their children are always with them,
their offspring in their sight,
9their houses safe from dread,
God’s punishing stick not upon them.
10Their bull always breeds successfully;
their cows give birth and never miscarry.
11They send forth their little ones like sheep;
their infants bounce around.
12They raise drum and lyre,
rejoice at the sound of a flute.
13They spend their days contentedly,
go down to the grave#21.13 Heb Sheol peacefully.
14They say to God, “Turn away from us;
we take no pleasure in knowing your ways;
15who is the Almighty#21.15 Heb Shaddai or Mountain One that we should serve him,
and what can we gain if we meet him?”
16Look, isn’t their well-being the work of their own hands?
A sinner’s logic is beyond me.
Desired vindication
17How often does the lamp of the wicked flicker
or disaster come upon them,
with its fury inflicting pain on them?
18Let them be like straw in the wind,
like dry grass stolen by a storm.
19God stores up his punishment for his children.
Let him destroy them so they know.
20Let their own eyes witness their doom.
Let them drink from the Almighty’s wrath.
21What do they care about their household after they die,
when their numbered days are cut off?
A common fate
22Will they instruct God—
he who judges the most powerful?
23Someone dies in wonderful health,
completely comfortable and well,
24their buckets full of milk,
their bones marrow-filled and sound.
25Another dies in bitter spirit,
never having tasted the good things.
26They lie together in the dust
and worms cover them.
Further disagreement
27Look, I know your thoughts;
your plans harm me.
28You say, “Where is the official’s house?
Where is the tent, the dwelling of the wicked?”
29Haven’t you asked travelers
or paid attention to their reports?
30On the day of disaster the wicked are spared;
on the day of fury they are rescued.
31Who can criticize their behavior to their faces;
they act, and who can avenge them?
32They are carried to their graves;
someone keeps guard over their tombs.
33The soil near the desert streambed is sweet to them;
everyone marches after them—
those before them, beyond counting.
34How empty is your comfort to me;
only deceit remains in your responses.
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