Job 21:13
New International Version
They spend their years in prosperity and go down to the grave in peace.

New Living Translation
They spend their days in prosperity, then go down to the grave in peace.

English Standard Version
They spend their days in prosperity, and in peace they go down to Sheol.

Berean Standard Bible
They spend their days in prosperity and go down to Sheol in peace.

King James Bible
They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave.

New King James Version
They spend their days in wealth, And in a moment go down to the grave.

New American Standard Bible
“They spend their days in prosperity, And suddenly they go down to Sheol.

NASB 1995
“They spend their days in prosperity, And suddenly they go down to Sheol.

NASB 1977
“They spend their days in prosperity, And suddenly they go down to Sheol.

Legacy Standard Bible
They spend their days in prosperity, And suddenly they go down to Sheol.

Amplified Bible
“They fully enjoy their days in prosperity, And so go down to Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) in a [peaceful] moment.

Christian Standard Bible
They spend their days in prosperity and go down to Sheol in peace.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They spend their days in prosperity and go down to Sheol in peace.

American Standard Version
They spend their days in prosperity, And in a moment they go down to Sheol.

Contemporary English Version
and they are successful, without a worry, until the day they die.

English Revised Version
They spend their days in prosperity, and in a moment they go down to Sheol.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They spend their days in happiness, and they go peacefully to the grave.

Good News Translation
They live out their lives in peace and quietly die without suffering.

International Standard Version
They grow old in prosperity, as they descend peacefully into the afterlife.

Majority Standard Bible
They spend their days in prosperity and go down to Sheol in peace.

NET Bible
They live out their years in prosperity and go down to the grave in peace.

New Heart English Bible
They spend their days in prosperity. In an instant they go down to Sheol.

Webster's Bible Translation
They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave.

World English Bible
They spend their days in prosperity. In an instant they go down to Sheol.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
They wear out their days in good, "" And in a moment go down [to] Sheol.

Young's Literal Translation
They wear out in good their days, And in a moment to Sheol go down.

Smith's Literal Translation
Their days glided on in good, and in a moment they will lay hold of hades.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment they go down to hell.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Their days are prolonged in wealth, yet, in an instant, they descend into hell.

New American Bible
They live out their days in prosperity, and tranquilly go down to Sheol.

New Revised Standard Version
They spend their days in prosperity, and in peace they go down to Sheol.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
They spend their days in prosperity, and then suddenly go down to Sheol.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
They spend their days in prosperity, and quickly to Sheol they descend
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
They spend their days in prosperity, And peacefully they go down to the grave.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And they spend their days in wealth, and fall asleep in the rest of the grave.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job: God will Punish the Wicked
12singing to the tambourine and lyre and making merry at the sound of the flute. 13They spend their days in prosperity and go down to Sheol in peace. 14Yet they say to God: ‘Leave us alone! For we have no desire to know Your ways.…

Cross References
Psalm 73:3-12
For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. / They have no struggle in their death; their bodies are well-fed. / They are free of the burdens others carry; they are not afflicted like other men. ...

Luke 12:19-20
Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ / But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’

Ecclesiastes 8:12-13
Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and still lives long, yet I also know that it will go well with those who fear God, who are reverent in His presence. / Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.

Psalm 49:6-14
They trust in their wealth and boast in their great riches. / No man can possibly redeem his brother or pay his ransom to God. / For the redemption of his soul is costly, and never can payment suffice, ...

Jeremiah 12:1-2
Righteous are You, O LORD, when I plead before You. Yet about Your judgments I wish to contend with You: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease? / You planted them, and they have taken root. They have grown and produced fruit. You are ever on their lips, but far from their hearts.

Proverbs 1:32
For the waywardness of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them.

Ecclesiastes 7:15
In my futile life I have seen both of these: A righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and a wicked man living long in his wickedness.

Psalm 17:14
from such men, O LORD, by Your hand—from men of the world whose portion is in this life. May You fill the bellies of Your treasured ones and satisfy their sons, so they leave their abundance to their children.

Matthew 24:38-39
For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. / And they were oblivious until the flood came and swept them all away. So will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.

Ecclesiastes 9:2-3
It is the same for all: There is a common fate for the righteous and the wicked, for the good and the bad, for the clean and the unclean, for the one who sacrifices and the one who does not. As it is for the good, so it is for the sinner; as it is for the one who makes a vow, so it is for the one who refuses to take a vow. / This is an evil in everything that is done under the sun: There is one fate for everyone. Furthermore, the hearts of men are full of evil and madness while they are alive, and afterward they join the dead.

Luke 16:19-25
Now there was a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen, who lived each day in joyous splendor. / And a beggar named Lazarus lay at his gate, covered with sores / and longing to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. ...

Psalm 37:35-36
I have seen a wicked, ruthless man flourishing like a well-rooted native tree, / yet he passed away and was no more; though I searched, he could not be found.

1 Thessalonians 5:3
While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

Ecclesiastes 2:16
For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise, just as with the fool, seeing that both will be forgotten in the days to come. Alas, the wise man will die just like the fool!

James 5:5
You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter.


Treasury of Scripture

They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave.

They

Job 36:11
If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.

Psalm 73:4
For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm.

Matthew 24:38,39
For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, …

wealth.

Jump to Previous
End Good Grave Instant Moment Peace Peacefully Prosperity Sheol Spend Suddenly Trouble Underworld Wealth Wear
Jump to Next
End Good Grave Instant Moment Peace Peacefully Prosperity Sheol Spend Suddenly Trouble Underworld Wealth Wear
Job 21
1. Job shows that even in the judgment of man he has reason to be grieved
7. Sometimes the wicked prosper, though they despise God
16. Sometimes their destruction is manifest
21. The happy and unhappy are alike in death
27. The judgment of the wicked is in another world














They spend their days in prosperity
This phrase reflects the observation that the wicked often live in comfort and wealth. In the context of the Book of Job, Job is responding to his friends who argue that suffering is a direct result of sin. Job counters by pointing out that many who reject God still enjoy prosperity. This challenges the retribution theology prevalent in ancient Near Eastern culture, which held that good is rewarded and evil is punished in this life. The prosperity of the wicked is also addressed in Psalm 73, where the psalmist struggles with the same issue, ultimately finding solace in God's ultimate justice.

and go down to Sheol in peace.
Sheol is the Hebrew term for the realm of the dead, often depicted as a shadowy place where all the dead reside, regardless of their moral standing. The phrase suggests that the wicked die without experiencing the turmoil or punishment one might expect. This challenges the simplistic view of divine justice and raises questions about the afterlife and God's timing in executing justice. The peace in death for the wicked contrasts with the suffering of the righteous, a theme that is explored throughout the wisdom literature. This tension is resolved in the New Testament, where eternal destinies are clarified, and ultimate justice is promised through Christ's return and the final judgment.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Job
The central figure in the Book of Job, a man of great faith and integrity who undergoes severe trials and suffering.

2. Sheol
In Hebrew thought, Sheol is the realm of the dead, a place where both the righteous and the wicked go after death.

3. Job's Friends
Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, who engage in dialogues with Job, often suggesting that his suffering is due to sin.

4. God
The ultimate authority and sovereign over all events, who later speaks to Job and his friends.

5. Prosperity
A state of success and wealth, often seen as a blessing from God in the Old Testament context.
Teaching Points
The Illusion of Earthly Prosperity
Earthly wealth and success can be deceptive, leading individuals to a false sense of security. True peace is found in a relationship with God, not in material abundance.

The Reality of Death
Regardless of one's earthly status, death is a universal experience. It is crucial to consider one's spiritual state and relationship with God.

God's Sovereignty and Justice
While the wicked may prosper temporarily, God's justice will ultimately prevail. Trust in God's timing and justice, even when circumstances seem unfair.

Eternal Perspective
Focus on storing treasures in heaven rather than on earth. Earthly prosperity is temporary, but spiritual riches are eternal.

Compassion and Witness
Use the observation of the prosperity of the wicked as an opportunity to witness to them about the true peace found in Christ.(13) In a moment.--They go down to death without being made to feel the lingering tortures that Job had to undergo.

Verse 13. - They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave. They die, i.e. without suffering from any prolonged or severe illness, such as that grievous affliction from which Job himself was suffering. Probably Job does not mean to maintain all this absolutely, or as universally the case, but he wishes to force his friends to acknowledge that there are many exceptions to their universal law, that wickedness is always visited in this world with condign punishment, and he wants them to account for them exceptions (see ver. 7).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
They spend
יְכַלּ֣וּ (yə·ḵal·lū)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1086: To fail, to wear out, decay

their days
יְמֵיהֶ֑ם (yə·mê·hem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 3117: A day

in prosperity
בַטּ֣וֹב (ḇaṭ·ṭō·wḇ)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2896: Pleasant, agreeable, good

and go down
יֵחָֽתּוּ׃ (yê·ḥāt·tū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 5181: To sink, descend, to press, lead down

to Sheol
שְׁא֣וֹל (šə·’ō·wl)
Noun - common singular
Strong's 7585: Underworld (place to which people descend at death)

in peace.
וּ֝בְרֶ֗גַע (ū·ḇə·re·ḡa‘)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7281: A wink, a very short space of time


Links
Job 21:13 NIV
Job 21:13 NLT
Job 21:13 ESV
Job 21:13 NASB
Job 21:13 KJV

Job 21:13 BibleApps.com
Job 21:13 Biblia Paralela
Job 21:13 Chinese Bible
Job 21:13 French Bible
Job 21:13 Catholic Bible

OT Poetry: Job 21:13 They spend their days in prosperity (Jb)
Job 21:12
Top of Page
Top of Page