May 18 - Job 11-14
Job
1But Zophar the Naamathite, responding, said2Will he who speaks much, not also listen? Or will a talkative man be justified3Will men be silent only for you? And when you have mocked others, will no one refute you4For you said: "My word is pure, and I am clean in your sight.5Yet I wish that God would speak with you, and would open his lips to you6so that he might reveal to you the secrets of wisdom, and how intricate his law is, and that you would understand how much less he requires of you than your iniquity deserves7By chance, will you comprehend the footsteps of God and reach all the way to the perfection of the Almighty8He is higher than heaven, and what will you do? He is deeper than hell, but how will you know9His measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea10If he overturns all things, or packs them together, who will contradict him11For he knows the vanity of men, and when he sees iniquity, does he not evaluate it12A vain man is lifted up in arrogance, and he thinks that he is born free like a wild ass’s colt13But you have fortified your heart and extended your hands to him14If you would send away from you the iniquity that is in your hand, and not let injustice remain in your tabernacle15then you would be able to lift up your face without blemish, and you would be steadfast and unafraid16Misery, likewise, you would forget, or would remember only like waters that have passed by17And brightness, like that of midday, will rise upon you until evening, and when you would think yourself consumed, you will rise up like the morning star18And, when hope has been set before you, you will have faith, and, when buried, you will sleep secure19You will rest, and there will be nothing to make you afraid, and many will make requests before your face20But the eyes of the impious will fade away, and the path to escape will perish before them, for the abomination of the soul is their hope
1Then Job, answering, said:2Are you, therefore, alone among men, and will wisdom die with you3And I have a heart just as you also do, and I am not inferior to you. For who is ignorant of these things, which you know4He who is mocked by his friends as I am, will call upon God, and he will listen to him because it is the sincerity of the just that is being mocked5The lamp that is despised in the thoughts of the rich is ready for the appointed time6The tabernacles of robbers are numerous, and they provoke God boldly; whereas, it is he who has given all things into their hands7In truth, ask the mules, and they will teach you, and the birds of the sky, and they will reveal to you8Speak with the earth, and it will respond to you, and the fish of the sea will explain9Who is ignorant that the hand of the Lord has made all these things10In his hand is the soul of all the living and the spirit of all the flesh of mankind11Does not the ear perceive words, and the palate, when eating, perceive flavor12In old age is wisdom, and in length of days is prudence13With him is wisdom and strength, he has counsel and understanding14If he tears down, there is no one who can build up; if he encloses a man, there is no one who can open15If he restrains the waters, everything will dry up; and if he sends them forth, they will subdue the land16With him is strength and wisdom; he knows both the deceiver and he who is deceived17He leads advisors to a foolish end and judges to stupidity18He removes the belt of kings and encircles their waist with a rope19He leads away priests in dishonor and displaces nobles20altering the lips of those who speak the truth and sweeping away the teaching of the aged21He pours disdain upon the leaders, relieving those who had been oppressed22He reveals the depths of the darkness, and he brings the shadow of death into the light23He multiplies peoples, and destroys them, and, having been overthrown, he restores them anew24He transforms the heart of the leaders of the people on earth, and misleads those who in vain advance upon the inviolable25They will grope as in the darkness, not the light, and he will make them stagger like drunkards
1Behold, my eye has seen all these things, and my ear has heard, and I have understood each one2In conformity with your knowledge, I also know. I am not inferior to you3Yet I speak this way to the Almighty, and I desire to argue with God4having first shown that you fabricate lies and cultivate perverse teachings5And I wish that you would remain silent, so that you would be counted among the wise6Therefore, listen to my correction, and pay attention to the judgment of my lips7Does God require your lie, so that you would speak deceitfully for him8Have you taken his place, and do you struggle to give judgment in favor of God9Or, will it please him, from whom nothing can be concealed? Or, will he be deceived, like a man, by your deceitfulness10He will accuse you because in secret you have preempted his presence11As soon as he moves himself, he will disturb you, and his dread will fall over you12Your remembrance will be compared to ashes, and your necks will be reduced to clay13Be silent for a little while, so that I may speak whatever my mind suggests to me14Why do I wound my flesh with my teeth, and carry my soul in my hands15And now, if he would kill me, I will hope in him; in this, truly, I will correct my ways in his sight16And he will be my savior, for no hypocrite at all will approach in his sight17Listen to my words, and perceive an enigma with your ears18If I will be judged, I know that I will be found to be just19Who is it that will go to judgment with me? Let him approach. Why should I be consumed in silence20Do not do such things to me twice, and then I will not hide from your face21Take your hand far away from me, and do not let your dread terrify me22Call me, and I will answer you, or else I will speak, and you can answer me23How many iniquities and sins do I have? Reveal my crimes and offenses to me24Why do you conceal your face and consider me to be your enemy25Against a leaf, which is carried away by the wind, you reveal your power, and you pursue dry straw26For you write bitter things against me, and you want to consume me for the sins of my youth27You have put my feet on a tether, and you have observed all my paths, and you have considered the steps of my feet28I will be left to decay like something rotten and like a garment that is being eaten by moths
1Man, born of woman, living for a short time, is filled with many miseries2He comes forth like a flower, and is crushed, and he flees, as if a shadow, and never remains in the same state3And do you consider it fitting to look down with your eyes on someone in this way and to lead him into judgment with you4Who can make him clean who is conceived of unclean seed? Are you not the only one who can5The days of man are short, and the number of his months is with you; you have determined his limits, which cannot be surpassed6Withdraw a little from him, so that he may rest, until his awaited day arrives, like that of the hired hand7A tree has hope: if it has been cut, it turns green again, and its branches spring forth8If its roots grow old in the earth, and its trunk passes into dust9at the scent of water, it will sprout and bring forth leaves, as when it had first been planted10Truly, when a man dies, and has been left unprotected, and has decayed, I ask you where is he11It is as if the waters had receded from the sea and an emptied river had dried up12just so, when a man is fallen asleep, he will not rise again, until the heavens are worn away; he will not awaken, nor rise from his sleep13Who will grant this to me, that you will protect me in the underworld, and hide me until your fury passes by, and establish a time for me, in which you will remember me14Do you suppose that a dead man will live again? On each of the days in which I now battle, I wait until my transformation occurs15You will call me and I will answer you; to the work of your hands, you will extend your right hand16Indeed, you have numbered my steps, but you have been lenient with my sins17You have sealed up my offenses, as if in a purse, but you have cured my iniquity18A falling mountain flows away, and a stone is transferred from its place19Waters wear away stones, and with a flood the land is reduced little by little; and similarly, you will destroy man20You have strengthened him for a little while, so that he may cross over into eternity. You will change his face and send him forth21Whether his sons have been noble or ignoble, he will not understand22And in this way his body, while he yet lives, will have grief, and his soul will mourn over himself