New King James Version | Christian Standard Bible |
1Then Job answered and said: | 1Then Job answered: |
2“Truly I know it is so, But how can a man be righteous before God? | 2Yes, I know what you've said is true, but how can a person be justified before God? |
3If one wished to contend with Him, He could not answer Him one time out of a thousand. | 3If one wanted to take him to court, he could not answer God once in a thousand times. |
4God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered? | 4God is wise and all-powerful. Who has opposed him and come out unharmed? |
5He removes the mountains, and they do not know When He overturns them in His anger; | 5He removes mountains without their knowledge, overturning them in his anger. |
6He shakes the earth out of its place, And its pillars tremble; | 6He shakes the earth from its place so that its pillars tremble. |
7He commands the sun, and it does not rise; He seals off the stars; | 7He commands the sun not to shine and seals off the stars. |
8He alone spreads out the heavens, And treads on the waves of the sea; | 8He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea. |
9He made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, And the chambers of the south; | 9He makes the stars: the Bear, Orion, the Pleiades, and the constellations of the southern sky. |
10He does great things past finding out, Yes, wonders without number. | 10He does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number. |
11If He goes by me, I do not see Him; If He moves past, I do not perceive Him; | 11If he passed by me, I wouldn't see him; if he went by, I wouldn't recognize him. |
12If He takes away, who can hinder Him? Who can say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’ | 12If he snatches something, who can stop him? Who can ask him, "What are you doing?" |
13God will not withdraw His anger, The allies of the proud lie prostrate beneath Him. | 13God does not hold back his anger; Rahab's assistants cringe in fear beneath him! |
14“How then can I answer Him, And choose my words to reason with Him? | 14How then can I answer him or choose my arguments against him? |
15For though I were righteous, I could not answer Him; I would beg mercy of my Judge. | 15Even if I were in the right, I could not answer. I could only beg my Judge for mercy. |
16If I called and He answered me, I would not believe that He was listening to my voice. | 16If I summoned him and he answered me, I do not believe he would pay attention to what I said. |
17For He crushes me with a tempest, And multiplies my wounds without cause. | 17He batters me with a whirlwind and multiplies my wounds without cause. |
18He will not allow me to catch my breath, But fills me with bitterness. | 18He doesn't let me catch my breath but fills me with bitter experiences. |
19If it is a matter of strength, indeed He is strong; And if of justice, who will appoint my day in court? | 19If it is a matter of strength, look, he is the powerful one! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon him? |
20Though I were righteous, my own mouth would condemn me; Though I were blameless, it would prove me perverse. | 20Even if I were in the right, my own mouth would condemn me; if I were blameless, my mouth would declare me guilty. |
21“I am blameless, yet I do not know myself; I despise my life. | 21Though I am blameless, I no longer care about myself; I renounce my life. |
22It is all one thing; Therefore I say, ‘He destroys the blameless and the wicked.’ | 22It is all the same. Therefore I say, "He destroys both the blameless and the wicked." |
23If the scourge slays suddenly, He laughs at the plight of the innocent. | 23When catastrophe brings sudden death, he mocks the despair of the innocent. |
24The earth is given into the hand of the wicked. He covers the faces of its judges. If it is not He, who else could it be? | 24The earth is handed over to the wicked; he blindfolds its judges. If it isn't he, then who is it? |
25“Now my days are swifter than a runner; They flee away, they see no good. | 25My days fly by faster than a runner; they flee without seeing any good. |
26They pass by like swift ships, Like an eagle swooping on its prey. | 26They sweep by like boats made of papyrus, like an eagle swooping down on its prey. |
27If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint, I will put off my sad face and wear a smile,’ | 27If I said, "I will forget my complaint, change my expression, and smile," |
28I am afraid of all my sufferings; I know that You will not hold me innocent. | 28I would still live in terror of all my pains. I know you will not acquit me. |
29If I am condemned, Why then do I labor in vain? | 29Since I will be found guilty, why should I struggle in vain? |
30If I wash myself with snow water, And cleanse my hands with soap, | 30If I wash myself with snow, and cleanse my hands with lye, |
31Yet You will plunge me into the pit, And my own clothes will abhor me. | 31then you dip me in a pit of mud, and my own clothes despise me! |
32“For He is not a man, as I am, That I may answer Him, And that we should go to court together. | 32For he is not a man like me, that I can answer him, that we can take each other to court. |
33Nor is there any mediator between us, Who may lay his hand on us both. | 33There is no mediator between us, to lay his hand on both of us. |
34Let Him take His rod away from me, And do not let dread of Him terrify me. | 34Let him take his rod away from me so his terror will no longer frighten me. |
35Then I would speak and not fear Him, But it is not so with me. | 35Then I would speak and not fear him. But that is not the case; I am on my own. |
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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