| Holman Christian Standard Bible | English Standard Version |
| 1Then Job answered: | 1Then Job answered and said: |
| 2If only my grief could be weighed and my devastation placed with it in the scales. | 2“Oh that my vexation were weighed, and all my calamity laid in the balances! |
| 3For then it would outweigh the sand of the seas! That is why my words are rash. | 3For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea; therefore my words have been rash. |
| 4Surely the arrows of the Almighty have pierced me; my spirit drinks their poison. God's terrors are arrayed against me. | 4For the arrows of the Almighty are in me; my spirit drinks their poison; the terrors of God are arrayed against me. |
| 5Does a wild donkey bray over fresh grass or an ox low over its fodder? | 5Does the wild donkey bray when he has grass, or the ox low over his fodder? |
| 6Is bland food eaten without salt? Is there flavor in an egg white? | 6Can that which is tasteless be eaten without salt, or is there any taste in the juice of the mallow? |
| 7I refuse to touch them; they are like contaminated food. | 7My appetite refuses to touch them; they are as food that is loathsome to me. |
| 8If only my request would be granted and God would provide what I hope for: | 8“Oh that I might have my request, and that God would fulfill my hope, |
| 9that He would decide to crush me, to unleash His power and cut me off! | 9that it would please God to crush me, that he would let loose his hand and cut me off! |
| 10It would still bring me comfort, and I would leap for joy in unrelenting pain that I have not denied the words of the Holy One. | 10This would be my comfort; I would even exult in pain unsparing, for I have not denied the words of the Holy One. |
| 11What strength do I have that I should continue to hope? What is my future, that I should be patient? | 11What is my strength, that I should wait? And what is my end, that I should be patient? |
| 12Is my strength that of stone, or my flesh made of bronze? | 12Is my strength the strength of stones, or is my flesh bronze? |
| 13Since I cannot help myself, the hope for success has been banished from me. | 13Have I any help in me, when resource is driven from me? |
| 14A despairing man should receive loyalty from his friends, even if he abandons the fear of the Almighty. | 14“He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty. |
| 15My brothers are as treacherous as a wadi, as seasonal streams that overflow | 15My brothers are treacherous as a torrent-bed, as torrential streams that pass away, |
| 16and become darkened because of ice, and the snow melts into them. | 16which are dark with ice, and where the snow hides itself. |
| 17The wadis evaporate in warm weather; they disappear from their channels in hot weather. | 17When they melt, they disappear; when it is hot, they vanish from their place. |
| 18Caravans turn away from their routes, go up into the desert, and perish. | 18The caravans turn aside from their course; they go up into the waste and perish. |
| 19The caravans of Tema look for these streams. The traveling merchants of Sheba hope for them. | 19The caravans of Tema look, the travelers of Sheba hope. |
| 20They are ashamed because they had been confident of finding water. When they arrive there, they are frustrated. | 20They are ashamed because they were confident; they come there and are disappointed. |
| 21So this is what you have now become to me. When you see something dreadful, you are afraid. | 21For you have now become nothing; you see my calamity and are afraid. |
| 22Have I ever said: "Give me something" or "Pay a bribe for me from your wealth" | 22Have I said, ‘Make me a gift’? Or, ‘From your wealth offer a bribe for me’? |
| 23or "Deliver me from the enemy's power" or "Redeem me from the grasp of the ruthless"? | 23Or, ‘Deliver me from the adversary’s hand’? Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of the ruthless’? |
| 24Teach me, and I will be silent. Help me understand what I did wrong. | 24“Teach me, and I will be silent; make me understand how I have gone astray. |
| 25How painful honest words can be! But what does your rebuke prove? | 25How forceful are upright words! But what does reproof from you reprove? |
| 26Do you think that you can disprove my words or that a despairing man's words are mere wind? | 26Do you think that you can reprove words, when the speech of a despairing man is wind? |
| 27No doubt you would cast lots for a fatherless child and negotiate a price to sell your friend. | 27You would even cast lots over the fatherless, and bargain over your friend. |
| 28But now, please look at me; would I lie to your face? | 28“But now, be pleased to look at me, for I will not lie to your face. |
| 29Reconsider; don't be unjust. Reconsider; my righteousness is still the issue. | 29Please turn; let no injustice be done. Turn now; my vindication is at stake. |
| 30Is there injustice on my tongue or can my palate not taste disaster? | 30Is there any injustice on my tongue? Cannot my palate discern the cause of calamity? |
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