| English Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1“But now, hear my speech, O Job, and listen to all my words. | 1"But now, O Job, listen to my words, and hear everything I have to say! |
| 2Behold, I open my mouth; the tongue in my mouth speaks. | 2See now, I have opened my mouth; my tongue in my mouth has spoken. |
| 3My words declare the uprightness of my heart, and what my lips know they speak sincerely. | 3My words come from the uprightness of my heart, and my lips will utter knowledge sincerely. |
| 4The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. | 4The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. |
| 5Answer me, if you can; set your words in order before me; take your stand. | 5Reply to me, if you can; set your arguments in order before me and take your stand! |
| 6Behold, I am toward God as you are; I too was pinched off from a piece of clay. | 6Look, I am just like you in relation to God; I too have been molded from clay. |
| 7Behold, no fear of me need terrify you; my pressure will not be heavy upon you. | 7Therefore no fear of me should terrify you, nor should my pressure be heavy on you. |
| 8“Surely you have spoken in my ears, and I have heard the sound of your words. | 8"Indeed, you have said in my hearing (I heard the sound of the words!): |
| 9You say, ‘I am pure, without transgression; I am clean, and there is no iniquity in me. | 9I am pure, without transgression; I am clean and have no iniquity. |
| 10Behold, he finds occasions against me, he counts me as his enemy, | 10Yet God finds occasions with me; he regards me as his enemy! |
| 11he puts my feet in the stocks and watches all my paths.’ | 11He puts my feet in shackles; he watches closely all my paths.' |
| 12“Behold, in this you are not right. I will answer you, for God is greater than man. | 12Now in this, you are not right--I answer you, for God is greater than a human being. |
| 13Why do you contend against him, saying, ‘He will answer none of man’s words’? | 13Why do you contend against him, that he does not answer all a person's words? |
| 14For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it. | 14"For God speaks, the first time in one way, the second time in another, though a person does not perceive it. |
| 15In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, while they slumber on their beds, | 15In a dream, a night vision, when deep sleep falls on people as they sleep in their beds. |
| 16then he opens the ears of men and terrifies them with warnings, | 16Then he gives a revelation to people, and terrifies them with warnings, |
| 17that he may turn man aside from his deed and conceal pride from a man; | 17to turn a person from his sin, and to cover a person's pride. |
| 18he keeps back his soul from the pit, his life from perishing by the sword. | 18He spares a person's life from corruption, his very life from crossing over the river. |
| 19“Man is also rebuked with pain on his bed and with continual strife in his bones, | 19Or a person is chastened by pain on his bed, and with the continual strife of his bones, |
| 20so that his life loathes bread, and his appetite the choicest food. | 20so that his life loathes food, and his soul rejects appetizing fare. |
| 21His flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen, and his bones that were not seen stick out. | 21His flesh wastes away from sight, and his bones, which were not seen, are easily visible. |
| 22His soul draws near the pit, and his life to those who bring death. | 22He draws near to the place of corruption, and his life to the messengers of death. |
| 23If there be for him an angel, a mediator, one of the thousand, to declare to man what is right for him, | 23If there is an angel beside him, one mediator out of a thousand, to tell a person what constitutes his uprightness; |
| 24and he is merciful to him, and says, ‘Deliver him from going down into the pit; I have found a ransom; | 24and if God is gracious to him and says, 'Spare him from going down to the place of corruption, I have found a ransom for him,' |
| 25let his flesh become fresh with youth; let him return to the days of his youthful vigor’; | 25then his flesh is restored like a youth's; he returns to the days of his youthful vigor. |
| 26then man prays to God, and he accepts him; he sees his face with a shout of joy, and he restores to man his righteousness. | 26He entreats God, and God delights in him, he sees God's face with rejoicing, and God restores to him his righteousness. |
| 27He sings before men and says: ‘I sinned and perverted what was right, and it was not repaid to me. | 27That person sings to others, saying: 'I have sinned and falsified what is right, but I was not punished according to what I deserved. |
| 28He has redeemed my soul from going down into the pit, and my life shall look upon the light.’ | 28He redeemed my life from going down to the place of corruption, and my life sees the light!' |
| 29“Behold, God does all these things, twice, three times, with a man, | 29"Indeed, God does all these things, twice, three times, in his dealings with a person, |
| 30to bring back his soul from the pit, that he may be lighted with the light of life. | 30to turn back his life from the place of corruption, that he may be enlightened with the light of life. |
| 31Pay attention, O Job, listen to me; be silent, and I will speak. | 31Pay attention, Job--listen to me; be silent, and I will speak. |
| 32If you have any words, answer me; speak, for I desire to justify you. | 32If you have any words, reply to me; speak, for I want to justify you. |
| 33If not, listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.” | 33If not, you listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom." |
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