Job 13-14

Job 13

¹Truly, my eye has seen all this, word of it has come to my ear, and I have knowledge of it.

²The same things are in my mind as in yours; I am equal to you.

³But I would have talk with the Ruler of all, and my desire is to have an argument with God.

⁴But you put a false face on things; all your attempts to put things right are of no value.

⁵If only you would keep quiet, it would be a sign of wisdom!

⁶Give ear to the argument of my mouth, and take note of the words of my lips.

⁷Will you say in God's name what is not right, and put false words into his mouth?

⁸Will you have respect for God's person in this cause, and put yourselves forward as his supporters?

⁹Will it be good for you to be searched out by him, or have you the thought that he may be guided into error like a man?

¹⁰He will certainly put you right, if you have respect for persons in secret.

¹¹Will not his glory put you in fear, so that your hearts will be overcome before him?

¹²Your wise sayings are only dust, and your strong places are only earth.

¹³Keep quiet, and let me say what is in my mind, whatever may come to me.

¹⁴I will take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in my hand.

¹⁵Truly, he will put an end to me; I have no hope; but I will not give way in argument before him;

¹⁶And that will be my salvation, for an evil-doer would not come before him,

¹⁷Give ear with care to my words, and keep what I say in your minds.

¹⁸See now, I have put my cause in order, and I am certain that I will be seen to be right.

¹⁹Is any one able to take up the argument against me? If so, I would keep quiet and give up my breath.

²⁰Only two things do not do to me, then I will come before your face:

²¹Take your hand far away from me; and let me not be overcome by fear of you.

²²Then at the sound of your voice I will give answer; or let me put forward my cause for you to give me an answer.

²³What is the number of my evil-doings and my sins? give me knowledge of them.

²⁴Why is your face veiled from me, as if I was numbered among your haters?

²⁵Will you be hard on a leaf in flight before the wind? will you make a dry stem go more quickly on its way?

²⁶For you put bitter things on record against me, and send punishment on me for the sins of my early years;

²⁷And you put chains on my feet, watching all my ways, and making a limit for my steps;

²⁸Though a man comes to nothing like a bit of dead wood, or like a robe which has become food for the worm.

Job 14

¹As for man, the son of woman, his days are short and full of trouble.

²He comes out like a flower, and is cut down: he goes in flight like a shade, and is never seen again.

³Is it on such a one as this that your eyes are fixed, with the purpose of judging him?

⁴If only a clean thing might come out of an unclean! But it is not possible.

⁵If his days are ordered, and you have knowledge of the number of his months, having given him a fixed limit past which he may not go;

⁶Let your eyes be turned away from him, and take your hand from him, so that he may have pleasure at the end of his day, like a servant working for payment.

⁷For there is hope of a tree; if it is cut down, it will come to life again, and its branches will not come to an end.

⁸Though its root may be old in the earth, and its cut-off end may be dead in the dust;

⁹Still, at the smell of water, it will make buds, and put out branches like a young plant.

¹⁰But man comes to his death and is gone: he gives up his spirit, and where is he?

¹¹The waters go from a pool, and a river becomes waste and dry;

¹²So man goes down to his last resting-place and comes not again: till the heavens come to an end, they will not be awake or come out of their sleep.

¹³If only you would keep me safe in the underworld, putting me in a secret place till your wrath is past, giving me a fixed time when I might come to your memory again!

¹⁴If death takes a man, will he come to life again? All the days of my trouble I would be waiting, till the time came for me to be free.

¹⁵At the sound of your voice I would give an answer, and you would have a desire for the work of your hands.

¹⁶For now my steps are numbered by you, and my sin is not overlooked.

¹⁷My wrongdoing is corded up in a bag, and my sin is shut up safe.

¹⁸But truly a mountain falling comes to dust, and a rock is moved from its place;

¹⁹The stones are crushed small by the force of the waters; the dust of the earth is washed away by their overflowing: and so you put an end to the hope of man.

²⁰You overcome him for ever, and he is gone; his face is changed in death, and you send him away.

²¹His sons come to honour, and he has no knowledge of it; they are made low, but he is not conscious of it.

²²Only his flesh still has pain, and his soul is sad.