| New International Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Then Job replied: | 1Then Job answered: |
| 2"If only my anguish could be weighed and all my misery be placed on the scales! | 2If only my grief could be weighed and my devastation placed with it in the scales. |
| 3It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas-- no wonder my words have been impetuous. | 3For then it would outweigh the sand of the seas! That is why my words are rash. |
| 4The arrows of the Almighty are in me, my spirit drinks in their poison; God's terrors are marshaled against me. | 4Surely the arrows of the Almighty have pierced me; my spirit drinks their poison. God's terrors are arrayed against me. |
| 5Does a wild donkey bray when it has grass, or an ox bellow when it has fodder? | 5Does a wild donkey bray over fresh grass or an ox low over its fodder? |
| 6Is tasteless food eaten without salt, or is there flavor in the sap of the mallow? | 6Is bland food eaten without salt? Is there flavor in an egg white? |
| 7I refuse to touch it; such food makes me ill. | 7I refuse to touch them; they are like contaminated food. |
| 8"Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant what I hope for, | 8If only my request would be granted and God would provide what I hope for: |
| 9that God would be willing to crush me, to let loose his hand and cut off my life! | 9that He would decide to crush me, to unleash His power and cut me off! |
| 10Then I would still have this consolation-- my joy in unrelenting pain-- that I had not denied the words of the Holy One. | 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. |
| 11"What strength do I have, that I should still hope? What prospects, that I should be patient? | 11What strength do I have that I should continue to hope? What is my future, that I should be patient? |
| 12Do I have the strength of stone? Is my flesh bronze? | 12Is my strength that of stone, or my flesh made of bronze? |
| 13Do I have any power to help myself, now that success has been driven from me? | 13Since I cannot help myself, the hope for success has been banished from me. |
| 14"Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty. | 14A despairing man should receive loyalty from his friends, even if he abandons the fear of the Almighty. |
| 15But my brothers are as undependable as intermittent streams, as the streams that overflow | 15My brothers are as treacherous as a wadi, as seasonal streams that overflow |
| 16when darkened by thawing ice and swollen with melting snow, | 16and become darkened because of ice, and the snow melts into them. |
| 17but that stop flowing in the dry season, and in the heat vanish from their channels. | 17The wadis evaporate in warm weather; they disappear from their channels in hot weather. |
| 18Caravans turn aside from their routes; they go off into the wasteland and perish. | 18Caravans turn away from their routes, go up into the desert, and perish. |
| 19The caravans of Tema look for water, the traveling merchants of Sheba look in hope. | 19The caravans of Tema look for these streams. The traveling merchants of Sheba hope for them. |
| 20They are distressed, because they had been confident; they arrive there, only to be disappointed. | 20They are ashamed because they had been confident of finding water. When they arrive there, they are frustrated. |
| 21Now you too have proved to be of no help; you see something dreadful and are afraid. | 21So this is what you have now become to me. When you see something dreadful, you are afraid. |
| 22Have I ever said, 'Give something on my behalf, pay a ransom for me from your wealth, | 22Have I ever said: "Give me something" or "Pay a bribe for me from your wealth" |
| 23deliver me from the hand of the enemy, rescue me from the clutches of the ruthless'? | 23or "Deliver me from the enemy's power" or "Redeem me from the grasp of the ruthless"? |
| 24"Teach me, and I will be quiet; show me where I have been wrong. | 24Teach me, and I will be silent. Help me understand what I did wrong. |
| 25How painful are honest words! But what do your arguments prove? | 25How painful honest words can be! But what does your rebuke prove? |
| 26Do you mean to correct what I say, and treat my desperate words as wind? | 26Do you think that you can disprove my words or that a despairing man's words are mere wind? |
| 27You would even cast lots for the fatherless and barter away your friend. | 27No doubt you would cast lots for a fatherless child and negotiate a price to sell your friend. |
| 28"But now be so kind as to look at me. Would I lie to your face? | 28But now, please look at me; would I lie to your face? |
| 29Relent, do not be unjust; reconsider, for my integrity is at stake. | 29Reconsider; don't be unjust. Reconsider; my righteousness is still the issue. |
| 30Is there any wickedness on my lips? Can my mouth not discern malice? | 30Is there injustice on my tongue or can my palate not taste disaster? |
| 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. | Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
|
