Job 30:26
New International Version
Yet when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, then came darkness.

New Living Translation
So I looked for good, but evil came instead. I waited for the light, but darkness fell.

English Standard Version
But when I hoped for good, evil came, and when I waited for light, darkness came.

Berean Standard Bible
But when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, darkness fell.

King James Bible
When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness.

New King James Version
But when I looked for good, evil came to me; And when I waited for light, then came darkness.

New American Standard Bible
“When I expected good, evil came; When I waited for light, darkness came.

NASB 1995
“When I expected good, then evil came; When I waited for light, then darkness came.

NASB 1977
“When I expected good, then evil came; When I waited for light, then darkness came.

Legacy Standard Bible
When I hoped for good, then evil came; When I waited for light, then thick darkness came.

Amplified Bible
“When I expected good, then came evil [to me]; And when I waited for light, then came darkness.

Christian Standard Bible
But when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, darkness came.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, darkness came.

American Standard Version
When I looked for good, then evil came; And when I waited for light, there came darkness.

Contemporary English Version
But when I beg for relief and light, all I receive are disaster and darkness.

English Revised Version
When I looked for good, then evil came; and when I waited for light, there came darkness.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When I waited for good, evil came. When I looked for light, darkness came.

Good News Translation
I hoped for happiness and light, but trouble and darkness came instead.

International Standard Version
I have hoped for good, but evil came instead; I have hoped for light, but darkness came.

Majority Standard Bible
But when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, darkness fell.

NET Bible
But when I hoped for good, trouble came; when I expected light, then darkness came.

New Heart English Bible
When I looked for good, then evil came; When I waited for light, there came darkness.

Webster's Bible Translation
When I looked for good, then evil came: and when I waited for light, there came darkness.

World English Bible
When I looked for good, then evil came. When I waited for light, darkness came.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
When I expected good, then comes evil, "" And I wait for light, and darkness comes.

Young's Literal Translation
When good I expected, then cometh evil, And I wait for light, and darkness cometh.

Smith's Literal Translation
For I hoped for good and evil will come: and I shall wait for light and darkness will come.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
I expected good things, and evils are come upon me: I waited for light, and darkness broke out.

Catholic Public Domain Version
I expected good things, but evil things have come to me. I stood ready for light, yet darkness burst forth.

New American Bible
Yet when I looked for good, evil came; when I expected light, darkness came.

New Revised Standard Version
But when I looked for good, evil came; and when I waited for light, darkness came.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
But when I looked for good, evil came; and when I waited for light, there came darkness.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
I have waited for good and evil came; I have waited for the light, and blackness came
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Yet, when I looked for good, there came evil; And when I waited for light, there came darkness.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
But I, when I waited for good things, behold, days of evils came the more upon me.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job's Prosperity Becomes Calamity
25Have I not wept for those in trouble? Has my soul not grieved for the needy? 26But when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, darkness fell. 27I am churning within and cannot rest; days of affliction confront me.…

Cross References
Psalm 22:1-2
For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Doe of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my words of groaning? / I cry out by day, O my God, but You do not answer, and by night, but I have no rest.

Lamentations 3:17-20
My soul has been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. / So I say, “My strength has perished, along with my hope from the LORD.” / Remember my affliction and wandering, the wormwood and the gall. ...

Isaiah 59:9-11
Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We hope for light, but there is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in gloom. / Like the blind, we feel our way along the wall, groping like those without eyes. We stumble at midday as in the twilight; among the vigorous we are like the dead. / We all growl like bears and moan like doves. We hope for justice, but find none, for salvation, but it is far from us.

Jeremiah 8:15
We hoped for peace, but no good has come, for a time of healing, but there was only terror.

Micah 1:12
For the dwellers of Maroth pined for good, but calamity came down from the LORD, even to the gate of Jerusalem.

Habakkuk 1:2-4
How long, O LORD, must I call for help but You do not hear, or cry out to You, “Violence!” but You do not save? / Why do You make me see iniquity? Why do You tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict abounds. / Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.

Psalm 69:20
Insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair. I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found no one.

Psalm 42:9-11
I say to God my Rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why must I walk in sorrow because of the enemy’s oppression?” / Like the crushing of my bones, my enemies taunt me, while they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” / Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.

Psalm 88:15-18
From my youth I was afflicted and near death. I have borne Your terrors; I am in despair. / Your wrath has swept over me; Your terrors have destroyed me. / All day long they engulf me like water; they enclose me on every side. ...

Ecclesiastes 2:22-23
For what does a man get for all the toil and striving with which he labors under the sun? / Indeed, all his days are filled with grief, and his task is sorrowful; even at night, his mind does not rest. This too is futile.

Romans 8:24-25
For in this hope we were saved; but hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he can already see? / But if we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it patiently.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9
We are hard pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; / persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.

2 Corinthians 1:8-9
We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the hardships we encountered in the province of Asia. We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. / Indeed, we felt we were under the sentence of death, in order that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead.

1 Peter 1:6-7
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in various trials / so that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds, / because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. / Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.


Treasury of Scripture

When I looked for good, then evil came to me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness.

When I looked

Job 3:25,26
For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me…

Job 29:18
Then I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand.

Jeremiah 8:15
We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble!

light

Job 18:6,18
The light shall be dark in his tabernacle, and his candle shall be put out with him…

Job 23:17
Because I was not cut off before the darkness, neither hath he covered the darkness from my face.

Psalm 97:11
Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.

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Job 30
1. Job's honor is turned into extreme contempt
15. and his prosperity into calamity














Yet when I hoped for good
The Hebrew word for "hoped" is "יָחַל" (yachal), which conveys a sense of waiting with expectation. Job's hope was not a passive wish but an active, patient anticipation of God's goodness. In the context of Job's life, this hope was rooted in his understanding of God's character as just and benevolent. Historically, hope in the ancient Near Eastern context was often tied to the expectation of divine intervention or blessing. Job's experience challenges the simplistic retribution theology of his time, where good was expected to follow righteousness.

evil came
The term "evil" here is translated from the Hebrew word "רָעָה" (ra'ah), which can mean distress, calamity, or adversity. This is not necessarily moral evil but rather the experience of suffering and misfortune. Job's lament highlights the dissonance between his expectations of divine justice and the harsh reality he faces. This reflects the broader biblical theme of the righteous suffering, which is explored throughout the wisdom literature and finds its ultimate resolution in the New Testament through the suffering of Christ.

when I looked for light
"Light" in Hebrew is "אוֹר" (or), symbolizing clarity, understanding, and divine presence. In biblical literature, light often represents God's favor and guidance. Job's search for light is a quest for understanding and relief from his suffering. Theologically, this reflects humanity's innate desire for God's truth and presence, especially in times of darkness. The historical context of Job, set in a patriarchal era, underscores the universal human struggle to find meaning amidst suffering.

darkness fell
The word "darkness" is "חֹשֶׁךְ" (choshech) in Hebrew, often used to describe chaos, confusion, and the absence of God's presence. In Job's experience, darkness represents the overwhelming nature of his trials and the seeming silence of God. This phrase captures the essence of Job's despair, as the anticipated relief and understanding are replaced by deeper confusion and suffering. Scripturally, darkness is often juxtaposed with light to illustrate the battle between good and evil, knowledge and ignorance, hope and despair.

(26) When I looked for good.--Before, in Job 3:25-26, he had spoken as one who did not wish to be the fool of prosperity, and so overtaken unawares by calamity, and who therefore looked at things on the darker side; now he speaks as one who hoped for the best, and yet, notwithstanding that hope, was disappointed and deceived.

Verse 26. - When I looked for flood, then evil came unto me. Job was "looking for good," expecting fully the continuance of his great wealth and prosperity, when the sudden shock of calamity fell upon him It was wholly unexpected, and therefore the harder to bear. And when I waited for light, there came darkness. This may refer to periods, after his calamities began, when he had hopes that his prayers would be answered, and a rest or pause, an interval of repose, be granted him (Job 9:34; Job 10:20), but when his hopes were disappointed, and the darkness closed in upon him thicker and murkier than ever.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But when
כִּ֤י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

I hoped for
קִ֭וִּיתִי (qiw·wî·ṯî)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 6960: To bind together, collect, to expect

good,
ט֣וֹב (ṭō·wḇ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2896: Pleasant, agreeable, good

evil
רָ֑ע (rā‘)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7451: Bad, evil

came;
וַיָּ֣בֹא (way·yā·ḇō)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

when I looked
וַֽאֲיַחֲלָ֥ה (wa·’ă·ya·ḥă·lāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative - first person common singular
Strong's 3176: To wait, to be patient, hope

for light,
לְ֝א֗וֹר (lə·’ō·wr)
Preposition | Noun - common singular
Strong's 216: Illumination, luminary

darkness
אֹֽפֶל׃ (’ō·p̄el)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 652: Darkness, gloom

came.
וַיָּ֥בֹא (way·yā·ḇō)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go


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OT Poetry: Job 30:26 When I looked for good then evil (Jb)
Job 30:25
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