May 23 - Job 30-32
Job
1But now, those younger in years scorn me, whose fathers I would not have seen fit to place with the dogs of my flock2the strength of whose hands was nothing to me, and they were considered unworthy of life itself3They were barren from poverty and hunger; they gnawed in solitude, layered with misfortune and misery4And they chewed grass and the bark from trees, and the root of junipers was their food5They took these things from the steep valleys, and when they discovered one of these things, they rushed to the others with a cry6They lived in the parched desert and in caves underground or above the rocks7They rejoiced among these kinds of things, and they considered it delightful to be under thorns8These are the sons of foolish and base men, not even paying any attention to the land9Now I become their song, and I have been made into their proverb10They loathe me, and so they flee far from me, and they are not reluctant to spit in my face11For he has opened his quiver and has afflicted me, and he has placed a bridle in my mouth12Immediately, upon rising, my calamities rise up to the right. They have overturned my feet and have pressed me down along their way like waves13They have diverted my journeys; they have waited to ambush me, and they have prevailed, and there was no one who might bring help14They have rushed upon me, as when a wall is broken or a gate opened, and they have been pulled down into my miseries15I have been reduced to nothing. You have taken away my desire like a wind, and my health has passed by like a cloud16But now my soul withers within myself, and the days of affliction take hold of me17At night, my bone is pierced with sorrows, and those who feed on me, do not sleep18By the sheer number of them my clothing is worn away, and they have closed in on me like the collar of my coat19I have been treated like dirt, and I have been turned into embers and ashes20I cry to you, and you do not heed me. I stand up, and you do not look back at me21You have changed me into hardness, and, with the hardness of your hand, you oppose me22You have lifted me up, and, placing me as if on the wind, you have thrown me down powerfully23I know that you will hand me over to death, where a home has been established for all the living24Truly, then, you do not extend your hand in order to consume them, and if they fall down, you will save them25Once, I wept over him who was afflicted, and my soul had compassion on the poor26I expected good things, but evil things have come to me. I stood ready for light, yet darkness burst forth27My insides have seethed, without any rest, for the days of affliction have prevented it28I went forth mourning, without anger, and rising up, I cried out in confusion29I was the brother of snakes, and the companion of ostriches30My skin has become blackened over me, and my bones have dried up because of the heat31My harp has been turned into mourning, and my pipes have been turned into a voice of weeping
1I reached an agreement with my eyes, that I would not so much as think about a virgin2For what portion should God from above hold for me, and what inheritance should the Almighty from on high keep3Is not destruction held for the wicked and repudiation kept for those who work injustice4Does he not examine my ways and number all my steps5If I have walked in vanity, or if my foot has hurried towards deceitfulness6let him weigh me in a just balance, and let God know my simplicity7If my steps have turned aside from the way, or if my heart has followed my eyes, or if a blemish has clung to my hands8then may I sow, and let another consume, and let my offspring be eradicated9If my heart has been deceived over a woman, or if I have waited in ambush at my friend’s door10then let my wife be the harlot of another, and let other men lean over her11For this is a crime and a very great injustice12It is a fire devouring all the way to perdition, and it roots out all that springs forth13If I have despised being subject to judgment with my servant or my maid, when they had any complaint against me14then what will I do when God rises to judge, and, when he inquires, how will I respond to him15Is not he who created me in the womb, also he who labored to make him? And did not one and the same form me in the womb16If I have denied the poor what they wanted and have made the eyes of the widow wait17if I have eaten my morsel of food alone, while orphans have not eaten from it18(for from my infancy mercy grew with me, and it came out with me from my mother’s womb;19if I have looked down on him who was perishing because he had no clothing and the poor without any covering20if his sides have not blessed me, and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep21if I have lifted up my hand over an orphan, even when it might seem to me that I have the advantage over him at the gate22then may my shoulder fall from its joint, and may my arm, with all its bones, be broken23For I have always feared God, like waves flowing over me, whose weight I was unable to bear24If I have considered gold to be my strength, or if I have called purified gold ‘my Trust;25if I have rejoiced over my great success, and over the many things my hand has obtained26if I gazed upon the sun when it shined and the moon advancing brightly27so that my heart rejoiced in secret and I kissed my hand with my mouth28which is a very great iniquity and a denial against the most high God29if I have been glad at the ruin of him who hated me and have exulted that evil found him30for I have not been given my throat to sin by asking for a curse on his soul31if the men around my tabernacle have not said: "He might give us some of his food, so that we will be filled,32for the foreigner did not remain at the door, my door was open to the traveler33if, as man does, I have hidden my sin and have concealed my iniquity in my bosom34if I became frightened by an excessive crowd, and the disrespect of close relatives alarmed me, so that I would much rather have remained silent or have gone out the door35then, would he grant me a hearing, so that the Almighty would listen to my desire, and he who judges would himself write a book36which I would then carry on my shoulder and wrap around me like a crown37With each of my steps, I would pronounce and offer it, as if to a prince38So, if my land cries out against me, and if its furrows weep with it39if I have used its fruits for nothing but money and have afflicted the souls of its tillers40then, may thistles spring forth for me instead of grain, and thorns instead of barley. (This ended the words of Job.
1But these three men ceased to answer Job, because he considered himself justified2And Eliu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram, was angry and indignant. But he was angry against Job because he described himself to be just in the presence of God3Moreover, he was indignant with his friends because they had not found a reasonable response, except in so far as they condemned Job4Therefore, Eliu waited while Job was talking, for these were his elders that were speaking5But when he saw that these three were not able to respond, he was extremely angry6And so Eliu the son of Barachel the Buzite responded by saying: I am younger in years, and you are more ancient; therefore, I kept my head low, for I was afraid to reveal to you my opinion7For I had hoped that greater age would speak, and that a multitude of years would teach wisdom8But I see now that there is only breath in men, and that it is the inspiration of the Almighty that gives understanding9The wise are not the aged, nor do the elders understand judgment10Therefore, I will speak. Listen to me, and so I will show you my wisdom11For I have endured your words; I have paid attention to your deliberations, while you were being argumentative with words12And as long as I supposed that you were saying something, I considered; but now I see that there is none of you that is able to argue with Job and to respond to his words13So that you will not say, "We have found wisdom," God has thrown him down, not man14He has said nothing to me, and I will not respond to him according to your words15Then they were filled with dread, and so they no longer responded, and they withdrew from their speechmaking16Therefore, because I have waited and they have not been speaking, for they stood firm and did not respond at all17I also will answer in my turn, and I will reveal my knowledge18For I am full of words, and the feeling in my gut inspires me19Yes, my stomach is like fermenting wine without a vent, which bursts the new containers20I should speak, but I will also breathe a little; I will open my lips, and I will answer21I will not esteem the reputation of a man, and I will not equate God with man22For I do not know how long I will continue, and whether, after a while, my Maker might take me away