Job 11
11
Zophar’s Counsel
How Wisdom Looks from the Inside
1-6Now it was the turn of Zophar from Naamath:
“What a flood of words! Shouldn’t we put a stop to it?
Should this kind of loose talk be permitted?
Job, do you think you can carry on like this and we’ll say nothing?
That we’ll let you rail and mock and not step in?
You claim, ‘My doctrine is sound
and my conduct impeccable.’
How I wish God would give you a piece of his mind,
tell you what’s what!
I wish he’d show you how wisdom looks from the inside,
for true wisdom is mostly ‘inside.’
But you can be sure of this,
you haven’t gotten half of what you deserve.
7-12“Do you think you can explain the mystery of God?
Do you think you can diagram God Almighty?
God is far higher than you can imagine,
far deeper than you can comprehend,
Stretching farther than earth’s horizons,
far wider than the endless ocean.
If he happens along, throws you in jail
then hauls you into court, can you do anything about it?
He sees through vain pretensions,
spots evil a long way off—
no one pulls the wool over his eyes!
Hollow men, hollow women, will wise up
about the same time mules learn to talk.
Reach Out to God
13-20“Still, if you set your heart on God
and reach out to him,
If you scrub your hands of sin
and refuse to entertain evil in your home,
You’ll be able to face the world unashamed
and keep a firm grip on life, guiltless and fearless.
You’ll forget your troubles;
they’ll be like old, faded photographs.
Your world will be washed in sunshine,
every shadow dispersed by dawn.
Full of hope, you’ll relax, confident again;
you’ll look around, sit back, and take it easy.
Expansive, without a care in the world,
you’ll be hunted out by many for your blessing.
But the wicked will see none of this.
They’re headed down a dead-end road
with nothing to look forward to—nothing.”
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Job 11: MSG
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.
Job 11
11
Zophar Urges Job to Repent
1Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:
2“Should not the multitude of words be answered?
And should a man full of talk be vindicated?
3Should your empty talk make men hold their peace?
And when you mock, should no one rebuke you?
4For you have said,
#Job 6:30‘My doctrine is pure,
And I am clean in your eyes.’
5But oh, that God would speak,
And open His lips against you,
6That He would show you the secrets of wisdom!
For they would double your prudence.
Know therefore that #(Ezra 9:13)God exacts from you
Less than your iniquity deserves.
7“Can#Job 33:12, 13; 36:26; (Eccl. 3:11; Rom. 11:33) you search out the deep things of God?
Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?
8They are higher than heaven— what can you do?
Deeper than Sheol— what can you know?
9Their measure is longer than the earth
And broader than the sea.
10“If#Job 9:12; (Rev. 3:7) He passes by, imprisons, and gathers to judgment,
Then who can hinder Him?
11For #(Ps. 10:14)He knows deceitful men;
He sees wickedness also.
Will He not then consider it?
12For an #(Ps. 39:5); Rom. 1:22empty-headed man will be wise,
When a wild donkey’s colt is born a man.
13“If you would #(1 Sam. 7:3)prepare your heart,
And #Ps. 88:9stretch out your hands toward Him;
14If iniquity were in your hand, and you put it far away,
And #Ps. 101:3would not let wickedness dwell in your tents;
15#Job 22:26; Ps. 119:6; (1 John 3:21)Then surely you could lift up your face without spot;
Yes, you could be steadfast, and not fear;
16Because you would #Is. 65:16forget your misery,
And remember it as waters that have passed away,
17And your life #Ps. 37:6; Prov. 4:18; Is. 58:8, 10would be brighter than noonday.
Though you were dark, you would be like the morning.
18And you would be secure, because there is hope;
Yes, you would dig around you, and #Lev. 26:5, 6; Ps. 3:5; Prov. 3:24take your rest in safety.
19You would also lie down, and no one would make you afraid;
Yes, many would court your favor.
20But #Lev. 26:16; Deut. 28:65; Job 17:5the eyes of the wicked will fail,
And they shall not escape,
And #Job 18:14; (Prov. 11:7)their hope—loss of life!”
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.