Job 21
21
1And Job answereth and saith: —
2Hear ye diligently my word, And this is your consolation.
3Bear with me, and I speak, And after my speaking — ye may deride.
4I — to man [is] my complaint? and if [so], wherefore May not my temper become short?
5Turn unto me, and be astonished, And put hand to mouth.
6Yea, if I have remembered, then I have been troubled. And my flesh hath taken fright.
7Wherefore do the wicked live? They have become old, Yea, they have been mighty in wealth.
8Their seed is established, Before their face with them, And their offspring before their eyes.
9Their houses [are] peace without fear, Nor [is] a rod of God upon them.
10His bullock hath eaten corn, and doth not loath. His cow bringeth forth safely, And doth not miscarry.
11They send forth as a flock their sucklings, And their children skip,
12They lift [themselves] up at timbrel and harp, And rejoice at the sound of an organ.
13They wear out in good their days, And in a moment [to] Sheol go down.
14And they say to God, ‘Turn aside from us, And the knowledge of Thy ways We have not desired.
15What [is] the Mighty One that we serve Him? And what do we profit when we meet with Him?’
16Lo, not in their hand [is] their good, (The counsel of the wicked Hath been far from me.)
17How oft is the lamp of the wicked extinguished, And come on them doth their calamity? Pangs He apportioneth in His anger.
18They are as straw before wind, And as chaff a hurricane hath stolen away,
19God layeth up for his sons his sorrow, He giveth recompense unto him — and he knoweth.
20His own eyes see his destruction, And of the wrath of the Mighty he drinketh.
21For what [is] his delight in his house after him, And the number of his months cut off?
22To God doth [one] teach knowledge, And He the high doth judge?
23This [one] dieth in his perfect strength, Wholly at ease and quiet.
24His breasts have been full of milk, And marrow his bones doth moisten.
25And this [one] dieth with a bitter soul, And have not eaten with gladness.
26Together — on the dust they lie down, And the worm doth cover them over.
27Lo, I have known your thoughts, And the devices against me ye do wrongfully.
28For ye say, ‘Where [is] the house of the noble? And where the tent — The tabernacles of the wicked?’
29Have ye not asked those passing by the way? And their signs do ye not know?
30That to a day of calamity is the wicked spared. To a day of wrath they are brought.
31Who doth declare to his face his way? And [for] that which he hath done, Who doth give recompence to him?
32And he — to the graves he is brought. And over the heap a watch is kept.
33Sweet to him have been the clods of the valley, And after him every man he draweth, And before him there is no numbering.
34And how do ye comfort me [with] vanity, And in your answers hath been left trespass?
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Job 21: YLT98
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maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society
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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