| New American Standard Bible 1995 | New International Version |
| 1Then Job answered, | 1Then Job replied: |
| 2"Oh that my grief were actually weighed And laid in the balances together with my calamity! | 2"If only my anguish could be weighed and all my misery be placed on the scales! |
| 3"For then it would be heavier than the sand of the seas; Therefore my words have been rash. | 3It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas-- no wonder my words have been impetuous. |
| 4"For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, Their poison my spirit drinks; The terrors of God are arrayed against me. | 4The arrows of the Almighty are in me, my spirit drinks in their poison; God's terrors are marshaled against me. |
| 5"Does the wild donkey bray over his grass, Or does the ox low over his fodder? | 5Does a wild donkey bray when it has grass, or an ox bellow when it has fodder? |
| 6"Can something tasteless be eaten without salt, Or is there any taste in the white of an egg? | 6Is tasteless food eaten without salt, or is there flavor in the sap of the mallow? |
| 7"My soul refuses to touch them; They are like loathsome food to me. | 7I refuse to touch it; such food makes me ill. |
| 8"Oh that my request might come to pass, And that God would grant my longing! | 8"Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant what I hope for, |
| 9"Would that God were willing to crush me, That He would loose His hand and cut me off! | 9that God would be willing to crush me, to let loose his hand and cut off my life! |
| 10"But it is still my consolation, And I rejoice in unsparing pain, That I have not denied the words of the Holy One. | 10Then I would still have this consolation-- my joy in unrelenting pain-- that I had not denied the words of the Holy One. |
| 11"What is my strength, that I should wait? And what is my end, that I should endure? | 11"What strength do I have, that I should still hope? What prospects, that I should be patient? |
| 12"Is my strength the strength of stones, Or is my flesh bronze? | 12Do I have the strength of stone? Is my flesh bronze? |
| 13"Is it that my help is not within me, And that deliverance is driven from me? | 13Do I have any power to help myself, now that success has been driven from me? |
| 14"For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend; So that he does not forsake the fear of the Almighty. | 14"Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty. |
| 15"My brothers have acted deceitfully like a wadi, Like the torrents of wadis which vanish, | 15But my brothers are as undependable as intermittent streams, as the streams that overflow |
| 16Which are turbid because of ice And into which the snow melts. | 16when darkened by thawing ice and swollen with melting snow, |
| 17"When they become waterless, they are silent, When it is hot, they vanish from their place. | 17but that stop flowing in the dry season, and in the heat vanish from their channels. |
| 18"The paths of their course wind along, They go up into nothing and perish. | 18Caravans turn aside from their routes; they go off into the wasteland and perish. |
| 19"The caravans of Tema looked, The travelers of Sheba hoped for them. | 19The caravans of Tema look for water, the traveling merchants of Sheba look in hope. |
| 20"They were disappointed for they had trusted, They came there and were confounded. | 20They are distressed, because they had been confident; they arrive there, only to be disappointed. |
| 21"Indeed, you have now become such, You see a terror and are afraid. | 21Now you too have proved to be of no help; you see something dreadful and are afraid. |
| 22"Have I said, 'Give me something,' Or, 'Offer a bribe for me from your wealth,' | 22Have I ever said, 'Give something on my behalf, pay a ransom for me from your wealth, |
| 23Or, 'Deliver me from the hand of the adversary,' Or, 'Redeem me from the hand of the tyrants '? | 23deliver me from the hand of the enemy, rescue me from the clutches of the ruthless'? |
| 24"Teach me, and I will be silent; And show me how I have erred. | 24"Teach me, and I will be quiet; show me where I have been wrong. |
| 25"How painful are honest words! But what does your argument prove? | 25How painful are honest words! But what do your arguments prove? |
| 26"Do you intend to reprove my words, When the words of one in despair belong to the wind? | 26Do you mean to correct what I say, and treat my desperate words as wind? |
| 27"You would even cast lots for the orphans And barter over your friend. | 27You would even cast lots for the fatherless and barter away your friend. |
| 28"Now please look at me, And see if I lie to your face. | 28"But now be so kind as to look at me. Would I lie to your face? |
| 29"Desist now, let there be no injustice; Even desist, my righteousness is yet in it. | 29Relent, do not be unjust; reconsider, for my integrity is at stake. |
| 30"Is there injustice on my tongue? Cannot my palate discern calamities? | 30Is there any wickedness on my lips? Can my mouth not discern malice? |
| 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 | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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