Job 9:20
New International Version
Even if I were innocent, my mouth would condemn me; if I were blameless, it would pronounce me guilty.

New Living Translation
Though I am innocent, my own mouth would pronounce me guilty. Though I am blameless, it would prove me wicked.

English Standard Version
Though I am in the right, my own mouth would condemn me; though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse.

Berean Standard Bible
Even if I were righteous, my mouth would condemn me; if I were blameless, it would declare me guilty.

King James Bible
If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.

New King James Version
Though I were righteous, my own mouth would condemn me; Though I were blameless, it would prove me perverse.

New American Standard Bible
“Though I am righteous, my mouth will condemn me; Though I am guiltless, He will declare me guilty.

NASB 1995
“Though I am righteous, my mouth will condemn me; Though I am guiltless, He will declare me guilty.

NASB 1977
“Though I am righteous, my mouth will condemn me; Though I am guiltless, He will declare me guilty.

Legacy Standard Bible
Though I am righteous, my mouth will condemn me; Though I am blameless, He will declare me perverse.

Amplified Bible
“Though I am innocent and in the right, my own mouth would pronounce me guilty; Though I am blameless, He would denounce me as guilty.

Christian Standard Bible
Even if I were in the right, my own mouth would condemn me; if I were blameless, my mouth would declare me guilty.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Even if I were in the right, my own mouth would condemn me; if I were blameless, my mouth would declare me guilty.

American Standard Version
Though I be righteous, mine own mouth shall condemn me: Though I be perfect, it shall prove me perverse.

Contemporary English Version
Even if I were innocent, God would prove me wrong.

English Revised Version
Though I be righteous, mine own mouth shall condemn me: though I be perfect, it shall prove me perverse.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
If I am righteous, my own mouth would condemn me. It would declare that I am corrupt even if I am a man of integrity.

Good News Translation
I am innocent and faithful, but my words sound guilty, and everything I say seems to condemn me.

International Standard Version
Though I'm in the right, my own mouth will condemn me; though I'm blameless, he'll pronounce me as guilty.

Majority Standard Bible
Even if I were righteous, my mouth would condemn me; if I were blameless, it would declare me guilty.

NET Bible
Although I am innocent, my mouth would condemn me; although I am blameless, it would declare me perverse.

New Heart English Bible
Though I am righteous, my own mouth shall condemn me. Though I am blameless, it shall prove me perverse.

Webster's Bible Translation
If I justify myself, my own mouth will condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, that also will prove me perverse.

World English Bible
Though I am righteous, my own mouth will condemn me. Though I am blameless, it will prove me perverse.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
If I am righteous, my mouth declares me wicked; [If] I am perfect, it declares me perverse.

Young's Literal Translation
If I be righteous, Mine mouth doth declare me wicked, Perfect I am! -- it declareth me perverse.

Smith's Literal Translation
If I shall be just, my mouth shall condemn me: I am blameless, and he will declare me perverse.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
If I would justify myself, my own mouth shall condemn me: if I would shew myself innocent, he shall prove me wicked.

Catholic Public Domain Version
If I wanted to justify myself, my own mouth will condemn me; if I would reveal my innocence, he would prove me depraved.

New American Bible
Though I were right, my own mouth might condemn me; were I innocent, it might put me in the wrong.

New Revised Standard Version
Though I am innocent, my own mouth would condemn me; though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
If I justify myself, my own mouth shall condemn me; though I say I am pure, he shall also prove me perverse.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
If I shall claim innocence, my mouth will condemn me. I am perfect and I am perverted
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Though I be righteous, mine own mouth shall condemn me; Though I be innocent, He shall prove me perverse.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For though I should seem righteous, my mouth will be profane: and though I should seem blameless, I shall be proved perverse.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job: How Can I Argue with God?
19If it is a matter of strength, He is indeed mighty! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon Him? 20Even if I were righteous, my mouth would condemn me; if I were blameless, it would declare me guilty. 21Though I am blameless, I have no concern for myself; I despise my own life.…

Cross References
Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Isaiah 64:6
Each of us has become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.

Psalm 143:2
Do not bring Your servant into judgment, for no one alive is righteous before You.

1 John 1:8-10
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. / If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. / If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us.

Ecclesiastes 7:20
Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.

Romans 3:10-12
As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. / There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. / All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

James 3:2
We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to control his whole body.

Proverbs 20:9
Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am cleansed from my sin”?

1 Corinthians 4:4
My conscience is clear, but that does not vindicate me. It is the Lord who judges me.

Luke 18:19
“Why do you call Me good?” Jesus replied. “No one is good except God alone.

Romans 7:18-19
I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh; for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. / For I do not do the good I want to do. Instead, I keep on doing the evil I do not want to do.

Philippians 3:9
and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith.

Matthew 12:37
For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Psalm 130:3
If You, O LORD, kept track of iniquities, then who, O Lord, could stand?

Romans 2:1
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on another. For on whatever grounds you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.


Treasury of Scripture

If I justify myself, my own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.

justify

Job 9:2
I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God?

Job 4:17
Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?

Job 32:1,2
So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes…

mine

Job 15:5,6
For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty…

Job 34:35
Job hath spoken without knowledge, and his words were without wisdom.

Job 35:16
Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vain; he multiplieth words without knowledge.

I am perfect

Job 1:1
There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.

Philippians 3:12-15
Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus…

it shall

Job 33:8-13
Surely thou hast spoken in mine hearing, and I have heard the voice of thy words, saying, …

Proverbs 17:20
He that hath a froward heart findeth no good: and he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief.

1 Timothy 6:5
Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

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Job 9
1. Job acknowledges God's justice
22. Man's innocence is not to be condemned by afflictions














Even if I were righteous
The Hebrew word for "righteous" is "צַדִּיק" (tsaddiq), which denotes someone who is just, lawful, or morally upright. In the context of Job, this phrase highlights the futility Job feels in trying to justify himself before God. Despite his integrity, Job acknowledges that human righteousness is insufficient when compared to God's perfect holiness. This reflects the broader biblical theme that true righteousness is not self-derived but is a gift from God, as seen in the New Testament teachings of grace and justification through faith.

my mouth would condemn me
The word "condemn" comes from the Hebrew "רָשַׁע" (rasha), meaning to declare guilty or wicked. Job is expressing a profound truth about human nature: our own words can betray us. This echoes the wisdom found in Proverbs and the teachings of Jesus, who emphasized the power of words and the heart's condition. Job's statement is a humbling reminder of the limitations of human wisdom and the need for divine grace.

if I were blameless
The term "blameless" is translated from the Hebrew "תָּם" (tam), which means complete, perfect, or without fault. In the ancient Near Eastern context, being blameless was associated with fulfilling one's duties to God and others. Job's assertion that even his blamelessness would not suffice underscores the biblical understanding that no human can claim perfection before God. This anticipates the New Testament revelation of Jesus Christ as the only truly blameless one, whose sacrifice covers our imperfections.

it would declare me guilty
The phrase "declare me guilty" uses the Hebrew "עָוָה" (avah), which means to pervert or make crooked. Job is acknowledging that even his best efforts fall short of God's standards. This reflects the biblical narrative of humanity's fallen state and the need for redemption. Theologically, it points to the doctrine of original sin and the necessity of a savior, as articulated in the Pauline epistles, where the law reveals sin but grace provides salvation.

Verse 20. - If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me. Since he could not wholly justify himself. "All men have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Job has already admitted the utterance of "rash words" (Job 6:3), and, at least hypothetically, that he "has sinned" (Job 7:20), and needs "pardon" for his "transgression" (Job 7:24). Job, if he tried to "justify himself," would have to acknowledge such shortcomings, such imperfections, such sins - at any rate, of infirmity - as would make his attempted justification a real self-condemnation. If I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse; rather, even were I perfect it (i.e. my mouth) would prove me perverse; i.e. supposing I were actually perfect, and tried to prove it, my speech would be so hesitating and confused, that I should only seem to be perverse.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Even if
אִם־ (’im-)
Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

I were righteous,
אֶ֭צְדָּק (’eṣ·dāq)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 6663: To be just or righteous

my mouth
פִּ֣י (pî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 6310: The mouth, edge, portion, side, according to

would condemn me;
יַרְשִׁיעֵ֑נִי (yar·šî·‘ê·nî)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | first person common singular
Strong's 7561: To be, wrong, to disturb, violate

if I
אָ֝֗נִי (’ā·nî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 589: I

were blameless,
תָּֽם־ (tām-)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 8535: Complete, pious, gentle, dear

it would declare me guilty.
וַֽיַּעְקְשֵֽׁנִי׃ (way·ya‘·qə·šê·nî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | first person common singular
Strong's 6140: To knot, distort, to pervert


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OT Poetry: Job 9:20 Though I am righteous my own mouth (Jb)
Job 9:19
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