| New King James Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Then Job answered and said: | 1Then Job answered: |
| 2“Truly I know it is so, But how can a man be righteous before God? | 2“Yes, I know that it is so, but how can a mortal be righteous before God? |
| 3If one wished to contend with Him, He could not answer Him one time out of a thousand. | 3If one wished to contend with God, he could not answer Him one time out of a thousand. |
| 4God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered? | 4God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has resisted Him and prospered? |
| 5He removes the mountains, and they do not know When He overturns them in His anger; | 5He moves mountains without their knowledge and overturns them in His anger. |
| 6He shakes the earth out of its place, And its pillars tremble; | 6He shakes the earth from its place, so that its foundations tremble. |
| 7He commands the sun, and it does not rise; He seals off the stars; | 7He commands the sun not to shine; He seals off the stars. |
| 8He alone spreads out the heavens, And treads on the waves of the sea; | 8He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea. |
| 9He made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, And the chambers of the south; | 9He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, of the Pleiades and the constellations of the south. |
| 10He does great things past finding out, Yes, wonders without number. | 10He does great things beyond searching out, and wonders without number. |
| 11If He goes by me, I do not see Him; If He moves past, I do not perceive Him; | 11Were He to pass by me, I would not see Him; were He to move, I would not recognize Him. |
| 12If He takes away, who can hinder Him? Who can say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’ | 12If He takes away, who can stop Him? Who dares to ask Him, ‘What are You doing?’ |
| 13God will not withdraw His anger, The allies of the proud lie prostrate beneath Him. | 13God does not restrain His anger; the helpers of Rahab cower beneath Him. |
| 14“How then can I answer Him, And choose my words to reason with Him? | 14How then can I answer Him or choose my arguments against Him? |
| 15For though I were righteous, I could not answer Him; I would beg mercy of my Judge. | 15For even if I were right, I could not answer. I could only beg my Judge for mercy. |
| 16If I called and He answered me, I would not believe that He was listening to my voice. | 16If I summoned Him and He answered me, I do not believe He would listen to my voice. |
| 17For He crushes me with a tempest, And multiplies my wounds without cause. | 17For He would crush me with a tempest and multiply my wounds without cause. |
| 18He will not allow me to catch my breath, But fills me with bitterness. | 18He does not let me catch my breath, but overwhelms 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? | 19If it is a matter of strength, He is indeed mighty! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon Him? |
| 20Though I were righteous, my own mouth would condemn me; Though I were blameless, it would prove me perverse. | 20Even if I were righteous, my mouth would condemn me; if I were blameless, it would declare me guilty. |
| 21“I am blameless, yet I do not know myself; I despise my life. | 21Though I am blameless, I have no concern for myself; I despise my own life. |
| 22It is all one thing; Therefore I say, ‘He destroys the blameless and the wicked.’ | 22It is all the same, and so I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’ |
| 23If the scourge slays suddenly, He laughs at the plight of the innocent. | 23When the scourge brings sudden death, He mocks 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? | 24The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; He blindfolds its judges. If it is not He, then who is it? |
| 25“Now my days are swifter than a runner; They flee away, they see no good. | 25My days are swifter than a runner; they flee without seeing good. |
| 26They pass by like swift ships, Like an eagle swooping on its prey. | 26They sweep by like boats of papyrus, 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, ‘I will forget my complaint and change my expression and smile,’ |
| 28I am afraid of all my sufferings; I know that You will not hold me innocent. | 28I would still dread all my sufferings; I know that You will not acquit me. |
| 29If I am condemned, Why then do I labor in vain? | 29Since I am already found guilty, why should I labor in vain? |
| 30If I wash myself with snow water, And cleanse my hands with soap, | 30If I should wash myself with snow and cleanse my hands with lye, |
| 31Yet You will plunge me into the pit, And my own clothes will abhor me. | 31then You would plunge me into the pit, and even my own clothes would 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. | 32For He is not a man like me, that I can answer Him, that we can take each other to court. |
| 33Nor is there any mediator between us, Who may lay his hand on us both. | 33Nor is there a mediator between us, to lay his hand upon us both. |
| 34Let Him take His rod away from me, And do not let dread of Him terrify me. | 34Let Him remove His rod from me, so that His terror will no longer frighten me. |
| 35Then I would speak and not fear Him, But it is not so with me. | 35Then I would speak without fear of Him. But as it is, I am on my own. |
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