| New American Standard Bible 1995 | Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Then Zophar the Naamathite answered, | 1Then Zophar the Naamathite replied: |
| 2"Shall a multitude of words go unanswered, And a talkative man be acquitted? | 2Should this abundance of words go unanswered and such a talker be acquitted? |
| 3"Shall your boasts silence men? And shall you scoff and none rebuke? | 3Should your babbling put others to silence, so that you can keep on ridiculing with no one to humiliate you? |
| 4"For you have said, 'My teaching is pure, And I am innocent in your eyes.' | 4You have said, "My teaching is sound, and I am pure in your sight." |
| 5"But would that God might speak, And open His lips against you, | 5But if only God would speak and open his lips against you! |
| 6And show you the secrets of wisdom! For sound wisdom has two sides. Know then that God forgets a part of your iniquity. | 6He would show you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides. Know then that God has chosen to overlook some of your iniquity. |
| 7"Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty? | 7Can you fathom the depths of God or discover the limits of the Almighty? |
| 8"They are high as the heavens, what can you do? Deeper than Sheol, what can you know? | 8They are higher than the heavens--what can you do? They are deeper than Sheol--what can you know? |
| 9"Its measure is longer than the earth And broader than the sea. | 9Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea. |
| 10"If He passes by or shuts up, Or calls an assembly, who can restrain Him? | 10If he passes by and throws someone in prison or convenes a court, who can stop him? |
| 11"For He knows false men, And He sees iniquity without investigating. | 11Surely he knows which people are worthless. If he sees iniquity, will he not take note of it? |
| 12"An idiot will become intelligent When the foal of a wild donkey is born a man. | 12But a stupid person will gain understanding as soon as a wild donkey is born a human! |
| 13"If you would direct your heart right And spread out your hand to Him, | 13As for you, if you redirect your heart and spread out your hands to him in prayer-- |
| 14If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, And do not let wickedness dwell in your tents; | 14if there is iniquity in your hand, remove it, and don't allow injustice to dwell in your tents-- |
| 15"Then, indeed, you could lift up your face without moral defect, And you would be steadfast and not fear. | 15then you will hold your head high, free from fault. You will be firmly established and unafraid. |
| 16"For you would forget your trouble, As waters that have passed by, you would remember it. | 16For you will forget your suffering, recalling it only as water that has flowed by. |
| 17"Your life would be brighter than noonday; Darkness would be like the morning. | 17Your life will be brighter than noonday; its darkness will be like the morning. |
| 18"Then you would trust, because there is hope; And you would look around and rest securely. | 18You will be confident, because there is hope. You will look carefully about and lie down in safety. |
| 19"You would lie down and none would disturb you, And many would entreat your favor. | 19You will lie down with no one to frighten you, and many will seek your favor. |
| 20"But the eyes of the wicked will fail, And there will be no escape for them; And their hope is to breathe their last." | 20But the sight of the wicked will fail. Their way of escape will be cut off, and their only hope is their last breath. |
| New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org | The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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