New American Standard Bible 1995

International Standard Version

1Then Job answered,

1This was Job's response:

2"In truth I know that this is so; But how can a man be in the right before God?

2"Indeed, I'm fully aware that this is so, but how can a person become right with God?

3"If one wished to dispute with Him, He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.

3If one were to seek to argue with him, he won't be able to answer him even once in a thousand times.

4"Wise in heart and mighty in strength, Who has defied Him without harm?

4He is wise in heart and strong in will— who can be stubborn against him and succeed?

5"It is God who removes the mountains, they know not how, When He overturns them in His anger;

5"He removes mountains without their knowledge, overthrowing them in his anger.

6Who shakes the earth out of its place, And its pillars tremble;

6He shakes the earth from its orbit, so that its foundations shudder.

7Who commands the sun not to shine, And sets a seal upon the stars;

7He commands the sun so that it doesn't shine and seals up the stars.

8Who alone stretches out the heavens And tramples down the waves of the sea;

8He alone spreads out the heavens, he walks on the waves of the sea.

9Who makes the Bear, Orion and the Pleiades, And the chambers of the south;

9He created Bear, Orion, the Pleiades, and the southern constellations.

10Who does great things, unfathomable, And wondrous works without number.

10He does great things that cannot be explained, and awesome deeds that cannot be counted.

11"Were He to pass by me, I would not see Him; Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him.

11"If he were to pass near me, I wouldn't notice; if he moves by, I wouldn't perceive him.

12"Were He to snatch away, who could restrain Him? Who could 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?'

13"God will not turn back His anger; Beneath Him crouch the helpers of Rahab.

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 before Him?

14So how am I to answer him, choosing what I am to say to him?

15"For though I were right, I could not answer; I would have to implore the mercy of my judge.

15Even if I'm in the right, I cannot answer him. I can only appeal for mercy.

16"If I called and He answered me, I could 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.

17"For He bruises 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.

18"He will not allow me to get my breath, But saturates me with bitterness.

18He won't let me catch my breath; instead, he fills me with bitterness.

19"If it is a matter of power, behold, He is the strong one! And if it is a matter of justice, who can summon Him?

19"Is this a contest of strength? He is obviously stronger! Is this a matter of justice? Who can sue him?

20"Though I am righteous, my mouth will condemn me; Though I am guiltless, He will declare me guilty.

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 guiltless; I do not take notice of myself; I despise my life.

21"I'm blameless; I don't know myself; I despise my life.

22"It is all one; therefore I say, 'He destroys the guiltless and the wicked.'

22I say it's all the same— he destroys both the blameless and the guilty.

23"If the scourge kills suddenly, He mocks the despair of the innocent.

23If a calamity causes sudden death, he'll mock at the despair of the innocent.

24"The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; He covers the faces of its judges. If it is not He, then who is it?

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.

26"They slip by like reed boats, Like an eagle that swoops on its prey.

26They pass by like a ship made of reeds, like an eagle swooping down on its prey.

27"Though I say, 'I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my sad countenance and be cheerful,'

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 pains, I know that You will not acquit me.

28then I still dread all of my suffering; I know you still won't acquit me.

29"I am accounted wicked, Why then should I toil in vain?

29I will be condemned, so why should I wear myself out with this futility?

30"If I should wash myself with snow And cleanse my hands with lye,

30"If I wash myself with water from snow, and cleanse my hands with lye,

31Yet You would plunge me into the pit, And my own clothes would 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, That we may 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.

33"There is no umpire between us, Who may lay his hand upon us both.

33There is not yet a mediator between us, who would set his hand on the two of us,

34"Let Him remove His rod from me, And let not dread of Him terrify me.

34removing his rod from me, and not letting terror of him overwhelm me.

35"Then I would speak and not fear Him; But I am not like that in myself.

35Otherwise, I would speak without being terrified of him, because I'm not like that inside myself."

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org

The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.