| New King James Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Then Job answered and said: | 1Then Job answered: |
| 2“Listen carefully to my speech, And let this be your consolation. | 2Pay close attention to my words; let this be the consolation you offer. |
| 3Bear with me that I may speak, And after I have spoken, keep mocking. | 3Bear with me while I speak; then after I have spoken, you may continue mocking. |
| 4“As for me, is my complaint against man? And if it were, why should I not be impatient? | 4As for me, is my complaint against a man? Then why shouldn't I be impatient? |
| 5Look at me and be astonished; Put your hand over your mouth. | 5Look at me and shudder; put your hand over your mouth. |
| 6Even when I remember I am terrified, And trembling takes hold of my flesh. | 6When I think about it, I am terrified and my body trembles in horror. |
| 7Why do the wicked live and become old, Yes, become mighty in power? | 7Why do the wicked continue to live, growing old and becoming powerful? |
| 8Their descendants are established with them in their sight, And their offspring before their eyes. | 8Their children are established while they are still alive, and their descendants, before their eyes. |
| 9Their houses are safe from fear, Neither is the rod of God upon them. | 9Their homes are secure and free of fear; no rod from God strikes them. |
| 10Their bull breeds without failure; Their cow calves without miscarriage. | 10Their bulls breed without fail; their cows calve and do not miscarry. |
| 11They send forth their little ones like a flock, And their children dance. | 11They let their little ones run around like lambs; their children skip about, |
| 12They sing to the tambourine and harp, And rejoice to the sound of the flute. | 12singing to the tambourine and lyre and rejoicing at the sound of the flute. |
| 13They spend their days in wealth, And in a moment go down to the grave. | 13They spend their days in prosperity and go down to Sheol in peace. |
| 14Yet they say to God, ‘Depart from us, For we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways. | 14Yet they say to God: "Leave us alone! We don't want to know Your ways. |
| 15Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? And what profit do we have if we pray to Him?’ | 15Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him, and what will we gain by pleading with Him?" |
| 16Indeed their prosperity is not in their hand; The counsel of the wicked is far from me. | 16But their prosperity is not of their own doing. The counsel of the wicked is far from me! |
| 17“How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? How often does their destruction come upon them, The sorrows God distributes in His anger? | 17How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? Does disaster come on them? Does He apportion destruction in His anger? |
| 18They are like straw before the wind, And like chaff that a storm carries away. | 18Are they like straw before the wind, like chaff a storm sweeps away? |
| 19They say, ‘God lays up one’s iniquity for his children’; Let Him recompense him, that he may know it. | 19God reserves a person's punishment for his children. Let God repay the person himself, so that he may know it. |
| 20Let his eyes see his destruction, And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty. | 20Let his own eyes see his demise; let him drink from the Almighty's wrath! |
| 21For what does he care about his household after him, When the number of his months is cut in half? | 21For what does he care about his family once he is dead, when the number of his months has run out? |
| 22“Can anyone teach God knowledge, Since He judges those on high? | 22Can anyone teach God knowledge, since He judges the exalted ones? |
| 23One dies in his full strength, Being wholly at ease and secure; | 23One person dies in excellent health, completely secure and at ease. |
| 24His pails are full of milk, And the marrow of his bones is moist. | 24His body is well fed, and his bones are full of marrow. |
| 25Another man dies in the bitterness of his soul, Never having eaten with pleasure. | 25Yet another person dies with a bitter soul, having never tasted prosperity. |
| 26They lie down alike in the dust, And worms cover them. | 26But they both lie in the dust, and worms cover them. |
| 27“Look, I know your thoughts, And the schemes with which you would wrong me. | 27I know your thoughts very well, the schemes you would wrong me with. |
| 28For you say, ‘Where is the house of the prince? And where is the tent, The dwelling place of the wicked?’ | 28For you say, "Where now is the nobleman's house?" and "Where are the tents the wicked lived in?" |
| 29Have you not asked those who travel the road? And do you not know their signs? | 29Have you never consulted those who travel the roads? Don't you accept their reports? |
| 30For the wicked are reserved for the day of doom; They shall be brought out on the day of wrath. | 30Indeed, the evil man is spared from the day of disaster, rescued from the day of wrath. |
| 31Who condemns his way to his face? And who repays him for what he has done? | 31Who would denounce his behavior to his face? Who would repay him for what he has done? |
| 32Yet he shall be brought to the grave, And a vigil kept over the tomb. | 32He is carried to the grave, and someone keeps watch over his tomb. |
| 33The clods of the valley shall be sweet to him; Everyone shall follow him, As countless have gone before him. | 33The dirt on his grave is sweet to him. Everyone follows behind him, and those who go before him are without number. |
| 34How then can you comfort me with empty words, Since falsehood remains in your answers?” | 34So how can you offer me such futile comfort? Your answers are deceptive. |
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