Job 9
9
Job's reply to Bildad
What you say is true
1Job said:
2What you say is true.#Job 4.17.
No human is innocent
in the sight of God.
3Not once in a thousand times
could we win our case
if we took him to court.
4God is wise and powerful—
who could possibly
oppose him and win?
5When God becomes angry,
he can move mountains
before they even know it.
6God can shake the earth loose
from its foundations
7or command the sun and stars
to hold back their light.
8God alone stretched out the sky,
stepped on the sea,#9.8 sea: Or “sea monster” (see verse 13 and the note there).
9and set the stars in place—#Job 38.31; Am 5.8.
the Great Bear and Orion,
the Pleiades and the stars
in the southern sky.
10Of all the miracles God works,
we cannot understand a single one.
11God walks right past me,
without making a sound.
12And if he grabs something,
who can stop him
or raise a question?
13When God showed his anger,
the servants of the sea monster#9.13 the sea monster: The Hebrew text has “Rahab”, which was some kind of sea monster with supernatural powers (see the notes at 3.8 and 26.12).
fell at his feet.
14How, then, could I possibly
argue my case with God?
Though I am innocent
15Even though I am innocent,
I can only beg for mercy.
16And if God came into court
when I called him,
he would not hear my case.
17He would strike me with a storm#9.17 strike…storm: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
and increase my injuries
for no reason at all.
18Before I could get my breath,
my miseries would multiply.
19God is much stronger than I am,
and who would call me into court
to give me justice?
20Even if I were innocent,
God would prove me wrong.#9.20 God…wrong: Or “my own words would prove me wrong.”
21I am not guilty,
but I no longer care
what happens to me.
22What difference does it make?
God destroys the innocent
along with the guilty.
23When a good person dies
a sudden death,
God sits back and laughs.
24And who else but God
blindfolds the judges,
then lets the wicked
take over the earth?
My life is speeding by
25My life is speeding by,
without a hope of happiness.
26Each day passes swifter
than a sailing ship
or an eagle swooping down.
27Sometimes I try to be cheerful
and to stop complaining,
28but my sufferings frighten me,
because I know that God
still considers me guilty.
29So what's the use of trying
to prove my innocence?
30Even if I washed myself
with the strongest soap,
31God would throw me into a pit
of stinking slime, leaving me
disgusting to my clothes.
32God isn't a mere human like me.
I can't put him on trial.
33Who could possibly judge
between the two of us?
34Can someone snatch away
the stick God carries
to frighten me?
35Then I could speak up
without fear of him,
but for now, I cannot speak.#9.35 but…speak: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012
Job 9
9
Job Answers Bildad
1Then Job answered:
2“Yes, I know that this is true,
but how can anyone be right in the presence of God?
3Someone might want to argue with God,
but no one could answer God,
not one time out of a thousand.
4God’s wisdom is deep, and his power is great;
no one can fight him without getting hurt.
5God moves mountains without anyone knowing it
and turns them over when he is angry.
6He shakes the earth out of its place
and makes its foundations tremble.
7He commands the sun not to shine
and shuts off the light of the stars.
8He alone stretches out the skies
and walks on the waves of the sea.
9It is God who made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades
and the groups of stars in the southern sky.
10He does wonders that cannot be understood;
he does so many miracles they cannot be counted.
11When he passes me, I cannot see him;
when he goes by me, I do not recognize him.
12If he snatches something away, no one can stop him
or say to him, ‘What are you doing?’
13God will not hold back his anger.
Even the helpers of the monster Rahab lie at his feet in fear.
14So how can I argue with God,
or even find words to argue with him?
15Even if I were right, I could not answer him;
I could only beg God, my Judge, for mercy.
16If I called to him and he answered,
I still don’t believe he would listen to me.
17He would crush me with a storm
and multiply my wounds for no reason.
18He would not let me catch my breath
but would overwhelm me with misery.
19When it comes to strength, God is stronger than I;
when it comes to justice, no one can accuse him.
20Even if I were right, my own mouth would say I was wrong;
if I were innocent, my mouth would say I was guilty.
21“I am innocent,
but I don’t care about myself.
I hate my own life.
22It is all the same. That is why I say,
‘God destroys both the innocent and the guilty.’
23If the whip brings sudden death,
God will laugh at the suffering of the innocent.
24When the land falls into the hands of evil people,
he covers the judges’ faces so they can’t see it.
If it is not God who does this, then who is it?
25“My days go by faster than a runner;
they fly away without my seeing any joy.
26They glide past like paper boats.
They attack like eagles swooping down to feed.
27Even though I say, ‘I will forget my complaint;
I will change the look on my face and smile,’
28I still dread all my suffering.
I know you will hold me guilty.
29I have already been found guilty,
so why should I struggle for no reason?
30I might wash myself with soap
and scrub my hands with strong soap,
31but you would push me into a dirty pit,
and even my clothes would hate me.
32“God is not human like me, so I cannot answer him.
We cannot meet each other in court.
33I wish there were someone to make peace between us,
someone to decide our case.
34Maybe he could remove God’s punishment
so his terror would no longer frighten me.
35Then I could speak without being afraid,
but I am not able to do that.
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.