| English Standard Version | New International Version |
| 1Then Job answered and said: | 1Then Job replied: |
| 2“Oh that my vexation were weighed, and all my calamity laid in the balances! | 2"If only my anguish could be weighed and all my misery be placed on the scales! |
| 3For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea; therefore my words have been rash. | 3It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas-- no wonder my words have been impetuous. |
| 4For the arrows of the Almighty are in me; my spirit drinks their poison; the terrors of God are arrayed against me. | 4The arrows of the Almighty are in me, my spirit drinks in their poison; God's terrors are marshaled against me. |
| 5Does the wild donkey bray when he has grass, or the ox low over his fodder? | 5Does a wild donkey bray when it has grass, or an ox bellow when it has fodder? |
| 6Can that which is tasteless be eaten without salt, or is there any taste in the juice of the mallow? | 6Is tasteless food eaten without salt, or is there flavor in the sap of the mallow? |
| 7My appetite refuses to touch them; they are as food that is loathsome to me. | 7I refuse to touch it; such food makes me ill. |
| 8“Oh that I might have my request, and that God would fulfill my hope, | 8"Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant what I hope for, |
| 9that it would please God to crush me, that he would let loose his hand and cut me off! | 9that God would be willing to crush me, to let loose his hand and cut off my life! |
| 10This would be my comfort; I would even exult in pain unsparing, for I have not denied the words of the Holy One. | 10Then I would still have this consolation-- my joy in unrelenting pain-- that I had not denied the words of the Holy One. |
| 11What is my strength, that I should wait? And what is my end, that I should be patient? | 11"What strength do I have, that I should still hope? What prospects, that I should be patient? |
| 12Is my strength the strength of stones, or is my flesh bronze? | 12Do I have the strength of stone? Is my flesh bronze? |
| 13Have I any help in me, when resource is driven from me? | 13Do I have any power to help myself, now that success has been driven from me? |
| 14“He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty. | 14"Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty. |
| 15My brothers are treacherous as a torrent-bed, as torrential streams that pass away, | 15But my brothers are as undependable as intermittent streams, as the streams that overflow |
| 16which are dark with ice, and where the snow hides itself. | 16when darkened by thawing ice and swollen with melting snow, |
| 17When they melt, they disappear; when it is hot, they vanish from their place. | 17but that stop flowing in the dry season, and in the heat vanish from their channels. |
| 18The caravans turn aside from their course; they go up into the waste and perish. | 18Caravans turn aside from their routes; they go off into the wasteland and perish. |
| 19The caravans of Tema look, the travelers of Sheba hope. | 19The caravans of Tema look for water, the traveling merchants of Sheba look in hope. |
| 20They are ashamed because they were confident; they come there and are disappointed. | 20They are distressed, because they had been confident; they arrive there, only to be disappointed. |
| 21For you have now become nothing; you see my calamity and are afraid. | 21Now you too have proved to be of no help; you see something dreadful and are afraid. |
| 22Have I said, ‘Make me a gift’? Or, ‘From your wealth offer a bribe for me’? | 22Have I ever said, 'Give something on my behalf, pay a ransom for me from your wealth, |
| 23Or, ‘Deliver me from the adversary’s hand’? Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of the ruthless’? | 23deliver me from the hand of the enemy, rescue me from the clutches of the ruthless'? |
| 24“Teach me, and I will be silent; make me understand how I have gone astray. | 24"Teach me, and I will be quiet; show me where I have been wrong. |
| 25How forceful are upright words! But what does reproof from you reprove? | 25How painful are honest words! But what do your arguments prove? |
| 26Do you think that you can reprove words, when the speech of a despairing man is wind? | 26Do you mean to correct what I say, and treat my desperate words as wind? |
| 27You would even cast lots over the fatherless, and bargain over your friend. | 27You would even cast lots for the fatherless and barter away your friend. |
| 28“But now, be pleased to look at me, for I will not lie to your face. | 28"But now be so kind as to look at me. Would I lie to your face? |
| 29Please turn; let no injustice be done. Turn now; my vindication is at stake. | 29Relent, do not be unjust; reconsider, for my integrity is at stake. |
| 30Is there any injustice on my tongue? Cannot my palate discern the cause of calamity? | 30Is there any wickedness on my lips? Can my mouth not discern malice? |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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