| New King James Version | New International Version |
| 1“But please, Job, hear my speech, And listen to all my words. | 1"But now, Job, listen to my words; pay attention to everything I say. |
| 2Now, I open my mouth; My tongue speaks in my mouth. | 2I am about to open my mouth; my words are on the tip of my tongue. |
| 3My words come from my upright heart; My lips utter pure knowledge. | 3My words come from an upright heart; my lips sincerely speak what I know. |
| 4The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life. | 4The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life. |
| 5If you can answer me, Set your words in order before me; Take your stand. | 5Answer me then, if you can; stand up and argue your case before me. |
| 6Truly I am as your spokesman before God; I also have been formed out of clay. | 6I am the same as you in God's sight; I too am a piece of clay. |
| 7Surely no fear of me will terrify you, Nor will my hand be heavy on you. | 7No fear of me should alarm you, nor should my hand be heavy on you. |
| 8“Surely you have spoken in my hearing, And I have heard the sound of your words, saying, | 8"But you have said in my hearing-- I heard the very words-- |
| 9‘I am pure, without transgression; I am innocent, and there is no iniquity in me. | 9I am pure, I have done no wrong; I am clean and free from sin. |
| 10Yet He finds occasions against me, He counts me as His enemy; | 10Yet God has found fault with me; he considers me his enemy. |
| 11He puts my feet in the stocks, He watches all my paths.’ | 11He fastens my feet in shackles; he keeps close watch on all my paths.' |
| 12“Look, in this you are not righteous. I will answer you, For God is greater than man. | 12"But I tell you, in this you are not right, for God is greater than any mortal. |
| 13Why do you contend with Him? For He does not give an accounting of any of His words. | 13Why do you complain to him that he responds to no one's words? |
| 14For God may speak in one way, or in another, Yet man does not perceive it. | 14For God does speak--now one way, now another-- though no one perceives it. |
| 15In a dream, in a vision of the night, When deep sleep falls upon men, While slumbering on their beds, | 15In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber in their beds, |
| 16Then He opens the ears of men, And seals their instruction. | 16he may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings, |
| 17In order to turn man from his deed, And conceal pride from man, | 17to turn them from wrongdoing and keep them from pride, |
| 18He keeps back his soul from the Pit, And his life from perishing by the sword. | 18to preserve them from the pit, their lives from perishing by the sword. |
| 19“Man is also chastened with pain on his bed, And with strong pain in many of his bones, | 19"Or someone may be chastened on a bed of pain with constant distress in their bones, |
| 20So that his life abhors bread, And his soul succulent food. | 20so that their body finds food repulsive and their soul loathes the choicest meal. |
| 21His flesh wastes away from sight, And his bones stick out which once were not seen. | 21Their flesh wastes away to nothing, and their bones, once hidden, now stick out. |
| 22Yes, his soul draws near the Pit, And his life to the executioners. | 22They draw near to the pit, and their life to the messengers of death. |
| 23“If there is a messenger for him, A mediator, one among a thousand, To show man His uprightness, | 23Yet if there is an angel at their side, a messenger, one out of a thousand, sent to tell them how to be upright, |
| 24Then He is gracious to him, and says, ‘Deliver him from going down to the Pit; I have found a ransom’; | 24and he is gracious to that person and says to God, 'Spare them from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom for them-- |
| 25His flesh shall be young like a child’s, He shall return to the days of his youth. | 25let their flesh be renewed like a child's; let them be restored as in the days of their youth'-- |
| 26He shall pray to God, and He will delight in him, He shall see His face with joy, For He restores to man His righteousness. | 26then that person can pray to God and find favor with him, they will see God's face and shout for joy; he will restore them to full well-being. |
| 27Then he looks at men and says, ‘I have sinned, and perverted what was right, And it did not profit me.’ | 27And they will go to others and say, 'I have sinned, I have perverted what is right, but I did not get what I deserved. |
| 28He will redeem his soul from going down to the Pit, And his life shall see the light. | 28God has delivered me from going down to the pit, and I shall live to enjoy the light of life.' |
| 29“Behold, God works all these things, Twice, in fact, three times with a man, | 29"God does all these things to a person-- twice, even three times-- |
| 30To bring back his soul from the Pit, That he may be enlightened with the light of life. | 30to turn them back from the pit, that the light of life may shine on them. |
| 31“Give ear, Job, listen to me; Hold your peace, and I will speak. | 31"Pay attention, Job, and listen to me; be silent, and I will speak. |
| 32If you have anything to say, answer me; Speak, for I desire to justify you. | 32If you have anything to say, answer me; speak up, for I want to vindicate you. |
| 33If not, listen to me; Hold your peace, and I will teach you wisdom.” | 33But if not, then listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom." |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | 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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