Job 36:5-26

Job 36:5-26 The Message (MSG)

“It’s true that God is all-powerful, but he doesn’t bully innocent people. For the wicked, though, it’s a different story— he doesn’t give them the time of day, but champions the rights of their victims. He never takes his eyes off the righteous; he honors them lavishly, promotes them endlessly. When things go badly, when affliction and suffering descend, God tells them where they’ve gone wrong, shows them how their pride has caused their trouble. He forces them to heed his warning, tells them they must repent of their bad life. If they obey and serve him, they’ll have a good, long life on easy street. But if they disobey, they’ll be cut down in their prime and never know the first thing about life. Angry people without God pile grievance upon grievance, always blaming others for their troubles. Living it up in sexual excesses, virility wasted, they die young. But those who learn from their suffering, God delivers from their suffering. “Oh, Job, don’t you see how God’s wooing you from the jaws of danger? How he’s drawing you into wide-open places— inviting you to feast at a table laden with blessings? And here you are laden with the guilt of the wicked, obsessed with putting the blame on God! Don’t let your great riches mislead you; don’t think you can bribe your way out of this. Did you plan to buy your way out of this? Not on your life! And don’t think that night, when people sleep off their troubles, will bring you any relief. Above all, don’t make things worse with more evil— that’s what’s behind your suffering as it is! “Do you have any idea how powerful God is? Have you ever heard of a teacher like him? Has anyone ever had to tell him what to do, or correct him, saying, ‘You did that all wrong!’? Remember, then, to praise his workmanship, which is so often celebrated in song. Everybody sees it; nobody is too far away to see it. “Take a long, hard look. See how great he is—infinite, greater than anything you could ever imagine or figure out!

Job 36:5-26 King James Version (KJV)

Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: He is mighty in strength and wisdom. He preserveth not the life of the wicked: But giveth right to the poor. He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous: But with kings are they on the throne; Yea, he doth establish them for ever, and they are exalted. And if they be bound in fetters, And be holden in cords of affliction; Then he sheweth them their work, And their transgressions that they have exceeded. He openeth also their ear to discipline, And commandeth that they return from iniquity. If they obey and serve him, They shall spend their days in prosperity, And their years in pleasures. But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, And they shall die without knowledge. But the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath: They cry not when he bindeth them. They die in youth, And their life is among the unclean. He delivereth the poor in his affliction, And openeth their ears in oppression. Even so would he have removed thee out of the strait Into a broad place, where there is no straitness; And that which should be set on thy table should be full of fatness. But thou hast fulfilled the judgment of the wicked: Judgment and justice take hold on thee. Because there is wrath, beware lest he take thee away with his stroke: Then a great ransom cannot deliver thee. Will he esteem thy riches? no, not gold, Nor all the forces of strength. Desire not the night, When people are cut off in their place. Take heed, regard not iniquity: For this hast thou chosen rather than affliction. Behold, God exalteth by his power: Who teacheth like him? Who hath enjoined him his way? Or who can say, Thou hast wrought iniquity? Remember that thou magnify his work, Which men behold. Every man may see it; Man may behold it afar off. Behold, God is great, and we know him not, Neither can the number of his years be searched out.

Job 36:5-26 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)

Behold, God is mighty but does not despise any; He is mighty in strength of understanding. He does not keep the wicked alive, But gives justice to the afflicted. He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous; But with kings on the throne He has seated them forever, and they are exalted. And if they are bound in fetters, And are caught in the cords of affliction, Then He declares to them their work And their transgressions, that they have magnified themselves. He opens their ear to instruction, And commands that they return from evil. If they hear and serve Him, They will end their days in prosperity And their years in pleasures. But if they do not hear, they shall perish by the sword And they will die without knowledge. But the godless in heart lay up anger; They do not cry for help when He binds them. They die in youth, And their life perishes among the cult prostitutes. He delivers the afflicted in their affliction, And opens their ear in time of oppression. Then indeed, He enticed you from the mouth of distress, Instead of it, a broad place with no constraint; And that which was set on your table was full of fatness. “But you were full of judgment on the wicked; Judgment and justice take hold of you. Beware that wrath does not entice you to scoffing; And do not let the greatness of the ransom turn you aside. Will your riches keep you from distress, Or all the forces of your strength? Do not long for the night, When people vanish in their place. Be careful, do not turn to evil, For you have preferred this to affliction. Behold, God is exalted in His power; Who is a teacher like Him? Who has appointed Him His way, And who has said, ‘You have done wrong’? “Remember that you should exalt His work, Of which men have sung. All men have seen it; Man beholds from afar. Behold, God is exalted, and we do not know Him; The number of His years is unsearchable.

Job 36:5-26 New Century Version (NCV)

“God is powerful, but he does not hate people; he is powerful and sure of what he wants to do. He will not keep evil people alive, but he gives the poor their rights. He always watches over those who do right; he sets them on thrones with kings and they are honored forever. If people are bound in chains, or if trouble, like ropes, ties them up, God tells them what they have done, that they have sinned in their pride. God makes them listen to his warning and commands them to change from doing evil. If they obey and serve him, the rest of their lives will be successful, and the rest of their years will be happy. But if they do not listen, they will die by the sword, and they will die without knowing why. “Those who have wicked hearts hold on to anger. Even when God punishes them, they do not cry for help. They die while they are still young, and their lives end in disgrace. But God saves those who suffer through their suffering; he gets them to listen through their pain. “God is gently calling you from the jaws of trouble to an open place of freedom where he has set your table full of the best food. But now you are being punished like the wicked; you are getting justice. Be careful! Don’t be led away from God by riches; don’t let much money turn you away. Neither your wealth nor all your great strength will keep you out of trouble. Don’t wish for the night when people are taken from their homes. Be careful not to turn to evil, which you seem to want more than suffering. “God is great and powerful; no other teacher is like him. No one has planned his ways for him; no one can say to God, ‘You have done wrong.’ Remember to praise his work, about which people have sung. Everybody has seen it; people look at it from far off. God is so great, greater than we can understand! No one knows how old he is.

Job 36:5-26 American Standard Version (ASV)

Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: He is mighty in strength of understanding. He preserveth not the life of the wicked, But giveth to the afflicted their right. He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous: But with kings upon the throne He setteth them for ever, and they are exalted. And if they be bound in fetters, And be taken in the cords of affliction; Then he showeth them their work, And their transgressions, that they have behaved themselves proudly. He openeth also their ear to instruction, And commandeth that they return from iniquity. If they hearken and serve him, They shall spend their days in prosperity, And their years in pleasures. But if they hearken not, they shall perish by the sword, And they shall die without knowledge. But they that are godless in heart lay up anger: They cry not for help when he bindeth them. They die in youth, And their life perisheth among the unclean. He delivereth the afflicted by their affliction, And openeth their ear in oppression. Yea, he would have allured thee out of distress Into a broad place, where there is no straitness; And that which is set on thy table would be full of fatness. But thou art full of the judgment of the wicked: Judgment and justice take hold on thee. For let not wrath stir thee up against chastisements; Neither let the greatness of the ransom turn thee aside. Will thy cry avail, that thou be not in distress, Or all the forces of thy strength? Desire not the night, When peoples are cut off in their place. Take heed, regard not iniquity: For this hast thou chosen rather than affliction. Behold, God doeth loftily in his power: Who is a teacher like unto him? Who hath enjoined him his way? Or who can say, Thou hast wrought unrighteousness? Remember that thou magnify his work, Whereof men have sung. All men have looked thereon; Man beholdeth it afar off. Behold, God is great, and we know him not; The number of his years is unsearchable.

Job 36:5-26 New International Version (NIV)

“God is mighty, but despises no one; he is mighty, and firm in his purpose. He does not keep the wicked alive but gives the afflicted their rights. He does not take his eyes off the righteous; he enthrones them with kings and exalts them forever. But if people are bound in chains, held fast by cords of affliction, he tells them what they have done— that they have sinned arrogantly. He makes them listen to correction and commands them to repent of their evil. If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment. But if they do not listen, they will perish by the sword and die without knowledge. “The godless in heart harbor resentment; even when he fetters them, they do not cry for help. They die in their youth, among male prostitutes of the shrines. But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction. “He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food. But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked; judgment and justice have taken hold of you. Be careful that no one entices you by riches; do not let a large bribe turn you aside. Would your wealth or even all your mighty efforts sustain you so you would not be in distress? Do not long for the night, to drag people away from their homes. Beware of turning to evil, which you seem to prefer to affliction. “God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him? Who has prescribed his ways for him, or said to him, ‘You have done wrong’? Remember to extol his work, which people have praised in song. All humanity has seen it; mortals gaze on it from afar. How great is God—beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out.

Job 36:5-26 New King James Version (NKJV)

“Behold, God is mighty, but despises no one; He is mighty in strength of understanding. He does not preserve the life of the wicked, But gives justice to the oppressed. He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous; But they are on the throne with kings, For He has seated them forever, And they are exalted. And if they are bound in fetters, Held in the cords of affliction, Then He tells them their work and their transgressions— That they have acted defiantly. He also opens their ear to instruction, And commands that they turn from iniquity. If they obey and serve Him, They shall spend their days in prosperity, And their years in pleasures. But if they do not obey, They shall perish by the sword, And they shall die without knowledge. “But the hypocrites in heart store up wrath; They do not cry for help when He binds them. They die in youth, And their life ends among the perverted persons. He delivers the poor in their affliction, And opens their ears in oppression. “Indeed He would have brought you out of dire distress, Into a broad place where there is no restraint; And what is set on your table would be full of richness. But you are filled with the judgment due the wicked; Judgment and justice take hold of you. Because there is wrath, beware lest He take you away with one blow; For a large ransom would not help you avoid it. Will your riches, Or all the mighty forces, Keep you from distress? Do not desire the night, When people are cut off in their place. Take heed, do not turn to iniquity, For you have chosen this rather than affliction. “Behold, God is exalted by His power; Who teaches like Him? Who has assigned Him His way, Or who has said, ‘You have done wrong’? “Remember to magnify His work, Of which men have sung. Everyone has seen it; Man looks on it from afar. “Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him; Nor can the number of His years be discovered.

Job 36:5-26 Amplified Bible (AMP)

“Behold, God is mighty, and yet does not despise anyone [nor regard any as trivial]; He is mighty in the strength and power of understanding. “He does not prolong the life of the wicked, But gives the afflicted their justice. “He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous [those in right standing with Him]; But with kings upon the throne He has seated them forever, and they are exalted. “And if they are bound in bonds [of adversity], And held by cords of affliction, [Ps 107:10, 11] Then He declares to them [the true character of] their deeds And their transgressions, that they have acted arrogantly [with presumption and notions of self-sufficiency]. “He opens their ears to instruction and discipline, And commands that they return from evil. “If they hear and serve Him, They will end their days in prosperity And their years in pleasantness and joy. “But if they do not hear and obey, they will die by the sword [of God’s destructive judgments] And they will die [in ignorance] without [true] knowledge. “But the godless in heart store up anger [at the divine discipline]; They do not cry [to Him] for help when He binds them [with cords of affliction]. [Rom 2:5] “They die in youth, And their life ends among the cult prostitutes. [Deut 23:17] “He rescues the afflicted in their affliction, And opens their ears [so that they pay attention to His voice] in times of oppression. “Then indeed, He enticed you from the mouth of distress and confinement, Into a broad place where there is no constraint or distress; And that which was set on your table was full of fatness (rich food). ¶“But you [Job] were full of judgment on the wicked, Judgment and justice take hold of you. “Do not let wrath entice you into scoffing; And do not let the greatness and the extent of the ransom turn you aside. “Will your wealth [be sufficient to] keep you from [the confinement of] distress, Or will all the force of your strength do it? “Do not long for the night, When people vanish from their places. “Take heed and be careful, do not turn to wickedness, For you have chosen this [the vice of complaining against God] rather than [learning from] affliction. “Behold, God is exalted in His power; Who is a ruler or a teacher like Him? “Who has appointed God His way, And who can say [to Him], ‘You have done wrong’? ¶“Remember that you should magnify God’s work, Of which men have sung. “All men have seen God’s work; Man looks at it from a distance. “Behold, God is exalted, and we do not know Him; The number of His years is unsearchable. [1 Cor 13:12]

Job 36:5-26 New Living Translation (NLT)

“God is mighty, but he does not despise anyone! He is mighty in both power and understanding. He does not let the wicked live but gives justice to the afflicted. He never takes his eyes off the innocent, but he sets them on thrones with kings and exalts them forever. If they are bound in chains and caught up in a web of trouble, he shows them the reason. He shows them their sins of pride. He gets their attention and commands that they turn from evil. “If they listen and obey God, they will be blessed with prosperity throughout their lives. All their years will be pleasant. But if they refuse to listen to him, they will cross over the river of death, dying from lack of understanding. For the godless are full of resentment. Even when he punishes them, they refuse to cry out to him for help. They die when they are young, after wasting their lives in immoral living. But by means of their suffering, he rescues those who suffer. For he gets their attention through adversity. “God is leading you away from danger, Job, to a place free from distress. He is setting your table with the best food. But you are obsessed with whether the godless will be judged. Don’t worry, judgment and justice will be upheld. But watch out, or you may be seduced by wealth. Don’t let yourself be bribed into sin. Could all your wealth or all your mighty efforts keep you from distress? Do not long for the cover of night, for that is when people will be destroyed. Be on guard! Turn back from evil, for God sent this suffering to keep you from a life of evil. “Look, God is all-powerful. Who is a teacher like him? No one can tell him what to do, or say to him, ‘You have done wrong.’ Instead, glorify his mighty works, singing songs of praise. Everyone has seen these things, though only from a distance. “Look, God is greater than we can understand. His years cannot be counted.

Job 36:5-26 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)

“Behold, God is mighty, and does not despise any; he is mighty in strength of understanding. He does not keep the wicked alive, but gives the afflicted their right. He does not withdraw his eyes from the righteous, but with kings on the throne he sets them forever, and they are exalted. And if they are bound in chains and caught in the cords of affliction, then he declares to them their work and their transgressions, that they are behaving arrogantly. He opens their ears to instruction and commands that they return from iniquity. If they listen and serve him, they complete their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasantness. But if they do not listen, they perish by the sword and die without knowledge. “The godless in heart cherish anger; they do not cry for help when he binds them. They die in youth, and their life ends among the cult prostitutes. He delivers the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ear by adversity. He also allured you out of distress into a broad place where there was no cramping, and what was set on your table was full of fatness. “But you are full of the judgment on the wicked; judgment and justice seize you. Beware lest wrath entice you into scoffing, and let not the greatness of the ransom turn you aside. Will your cry for help avail to keep you from distress, or all the force of your strength? Do not long for the night, when peoples vanish in their place. Take care; do not turn to iniquity, for this you have chosen rather than affliction. Behold, God is exalted in his power; who is a teacher like him? Who has prescribed for him his way, or who can say, ‘You have done wrong’? “Remember to extol his work, of which men have sung. All mankind has looked on it; man beholds it from afar. Behold, God is great, and we know him not; the number of his years is unsearchable.