New King James Version | International Standard Version |
1Then Job answered and said: | 1This was Job's response: |
2“Truly I know it is so, But how can a man be righteous before God? | 2"Indeed, I'm fully aware that this is so, but how can a person become right with God? |
3If one wished to contend with Him, He could not answer Him one time out of a thousand. | 3If one were to seek to argue with him, he won't be able to answer him even once in a thousand times. |
4God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered? | 4He is wise in heart and strong in will— who can be stubborn against him and succeed? |
5He removes the mountains, and they do not know When He overturns them in His anger; | 5"He removes mountains without their knowledge, overthrowing them in his anger. |
6He shakes the earth out of its place, And its pillars tremble; | 6He shakes the earth from its orbit, so that its foundations shudder. |
7He commands the sun, and it does not rise; He seals off the stars; | 7He commands the sun so that it doesn't shine and seals up the stars. |
8He alone spreads out the heavens, And treads on the waves of the sea; | 8He alone spreads out the heavens, he walks on the waves of the sea. |
9He made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, And the chambers of the south; | 9He created Bear, Orion, the Pleiades, and the southern constellations. |
10He does great things past finding out, Yes, wonders without number. | 10He does great things that cannot be explained, and awesome deeds that cannot be counted. |
11If He goes by me, I do not see Him; If He moves past, I do not perceive Him; | 11"If he were to pass near me, I wouldn't notice; if he moves by, I wouldn't perceive him. |
12If He takes away, who can hinder Him? Who can say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’ | 12Indeed, if he snatches someone away, who could restrain him? Who can say to him, 'What are you doing?' |
13God will not withdraw His anger, The allies of the proud lie prostrate beneath Him. | 13"God doesn't restrain his anger. Rahab's assistants are humiliated under him. |
14“How then can I answer Him, And choose my words to reason with Him? | 14So how am I to answer him, choosing what I am to say to him? |
15For though I were righteous, I could not answer Him; I would beg mercy of my Judge. | 15Even if I'm in the right, I cannot answer him. I can only appeal for mercy. |
16If I called and He answered me, I would not believe that He was listening to my voice. | 16"Were I to be summoned, and he were to answer me, I wouldn't even believe that he was listening to what I have to say. |
17For He crushes me with a tempest, And multiplies my wounds without cause. | 17For he crushes me with a storm, and keeps on wounding me for no reason. |
18He will not allow me to catch my breath, But fills me with bitterness. | 18He won't let me catch my breath; instead, he fills me with bitterness. |
19If it is a matter of strength, indeed He is strong; And if of justice, who will appoint my day in court? | 19"Is this a contest of strength? He is obviously stronger! Is this a matter of justice? Who can sue him? |
20Though I were righteous, my own mouth would condemn me; Though I were blameless, it would prove me perverse. | 20Though I'm in the right, my own mouth will condemn me; though I'm blameless, he'll pronounce me as guilty. |
21“I am blameless, yet I do not know myself; I despise my life. | 21"I'm blameless; I don't know myself; I despise my life. |
22It is all one thing; Therefore I say, ‘He destroys the blameless and the wicked.’ | 22I say it's all the same— he destroys both the blameless and the guilty. |
23If the scourge slays suddenly, He laughs at the plight of the innocent. | 23If a calamity causes sudden death, he'll mock at 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? | 24A land is given into the hands of a wicked person; he covers the faces of its judges. If it is not God, then who is it?" |
25“Now my days are swifter than a runner; They flee away, they see no good. | 25"My days pass faster than a runner; but they pass quickly without seeing anything good. |
26They pass by like swift ships, Like an eagle swooping on its prey. | 26They pass by like a ship made of reeds, 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 were to say, 'Let me forget my complaint,' change the expression on my face, and look cheerful, |
28I am afraid of all my sufferings; I know that You will not hold me innocent. | 28then I still dread all of my suffering; I know you still won't acquit me. |
29If I am condemned, Why then do I labor in vain? | 29I will be condemned, so why should I wear myself out with this futility? |
30If I wash myself with snow water, And cleanse my hands with soap, | 30"If I wash myself with water from snow, and cleanse my hands with lye, |
31Yet You will plunge me into the pit, And my own clothes will abhor me. | 31you'll still drop me into the Pit, and my own clothes will 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. | 32He's not a man like me, so that I can answer him, or that we can enter into litigation with one another. |
33Nor is there any mediator between us, Who may lay his hand on us both. | 33There is not yet a mediator between us, who would set his hand on the two of us, |
34Let Him take His rod away from me, And do not let dread of Him terrify me. | 34removing his rod from me, and not letting terror of him overwhelm me. |
35Then I would speak and not fear Him, But it is not so with me. | 35Otherwise, I would speak without being terrified of him, because I'm not like that inside myself." |
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. |
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