GetPassageurn:cts:pbc:bible.parallel.eng.darby:18urn:cts:pbc:bible.parallel.eng.darby:18There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job ; and this man was perfect and upright , and one that feared God and abstained from evil . And there were born to him seven sons and three daughters . And his substance was seven thousand sheep , and three thousand camels , and five hundred yoke of oxen , and five hundred she-asses , and very many servants ; and this man was greater than all the children of the east . And his sons went and made a feast in the house of each one on his day ; and they sent and invited their three sisters to eat and to drink with them . And it was so , when the days of the feasting were gone about , that Job sent and hallowed them ; and he rose up early in the morning , and offered up burnt-offerings [ according to ] the number of them all ; for Job said , It may be that my children have sinned , and cursed God in their hearts . Thus did Job continually . And there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah ; and Satan came also among them . And Jehovah said to Satan , Whence comest thou ? And Satan answered Jehovah and said , From going to and fro in the earth , and from walking up and down in it . And Jehovah said to Satan , Hast thou considered my servant Job , that there is none like him on the earth , a perfect and an upright man , one that feareth God and abstaineth from evil ? And Satan answered Jehovah and said , Doth Job fear God for nought ? Hast not thou made a hedge about him , and about his house , and about all that he hath on every side ? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands , and his substance is spread abroad in the land . But put forth thy hand now and touch all that he hath , [ and see ] if he will not curse thee to thy face ! And Jehovah said to Satan , Behold , all that he hath is in thy hand ; only upon himself put not forth thy hand . So Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah . And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their brother , the firstborn . And there came a messenger to Job and said , The oxen were ploughing , and the asses feeding beside them ; and [ they of ] Sheba fell [ upon them ] and took them , and the servants have they smitten with the edge of the sword ; and I only am escaped , alone , to tell thee . While he was yet speaking , there came another and said , The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants , and consumed them ; and I only am escaped , alone , to tell thee . While he was yet speaking , there came another and said , The Chaldeans made three bands , and fell upon the camels and took them , and the servants have they smitten with the edge of the sword ; and I only am escaped , alone , to tell thee . While he was yet speaking , there came another and said , Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their brother , the firstborn ; and behold , there came a great wind from over the wilderness , and smote the four corners of the house , and it fell upon the young men , and they died ; and I only am escaped , alone , to tell thee . And Job rose up , and rent his mantle , and shaved his head , and fell down on the ground , and worshipped ; and he said , Naked came I out of my mother's womb , and naked shall I return thither : Jehovah gave , and Jehovah hath taken away ; blessed be the name of Jehovah ! In all this Job sinned not , nor ascribed anything unseemly to God . And there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah , and Satan also came among them to present himself before Jehovah . And Jehovah said to Satan , From whence comest thou ? And Satan answered Jehovah and said , From going to and fro in the earth , and from walking up and down in it . And Jehovah said to Satan , Hast thou considered my servant Job , that there is none like him on the earth , a perfect and an upright man , one that feareth God and abstaineth from evil ? and still he remaineth firm in his integrity , though thou movedst me against him , to swallow him up without cause . And Satan answered Jehovah and said , Skin for skin , yea , all that a man hath will he give for his life ; but put forth thy hand now , and touch his bone and his flesh , [ and see ] if he will not curse thee to thy face ! And Jehovah said to Satan , Behold , he is in thy hand ; only spare his life . And Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah ; and he smote Job with a grievous botch from the sole of his foot unto his crown . And he took a potsherd to scrape himself with ; and he sat among the ashes . And his wife said to him , Dost thou still remain firm in thine integrity ? curse God and die . But he said to her , Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh . We have also received good from God , and should we not receive evil ? In all this Job did not sin with his lips . And three friends of Job heard of all this evil that was come upon him . And they came each one from his place : Eliphaz the Temanite , and Bildad the Shuhite , and Zophar the Naamathite ; and they made an appointment together to come to condole with him and to comfort him . And when they lifted up their eyes afar off , and knew him not , they lifted up their voice and wept . And they rent every one his mantle , and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward the heavens . And they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights ; and none spoke a word to him ; for they saw that [ his ] anguish was very great . After this , Job opened his mouth and cursed his day . And Job answered and said , Let the day perish in which I was born , and the night that said , There is a man child conceived . That day -- let it be darkness , let not God care for it from above , neither let light shine upon it : Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it ; let clouds dwell upon it ; let darkeners of the day terrify it . That night -- let gloom seize upon it ; let it not rejoice among the days of the year ; let it not come into the number of the months . Behold , let that night be barren ; let no joyful sound come therein ; Let them curse it that curse the day , who are ready to rouse Leviathan ; Let the stars of its twilight be dark ; let it wait for light , and have none , neither let it see the eyelids of the dawn : Because it shut not up the doors of the womb that bore me , and hid not trouble from mine eyes . Wherefore did I not die from the womb , -- come forth from the belly and expire ? Why did the knees meet me ? and wherefore the breasts , that I should suck ? For now should I have lain down and been quiet ; I should have slept : then had I been at rest , With kings and counsellors of the earth , who build desolate places for themselves , Or with princes who had gold , who filled their houses with silver ; Or as a hidden untimely birth I had not been ; as infants that have not seen the light . There the wicked cease from troubling ; and there the wearied are at rest . The prisoners together are at ease ; they hear not the voice of the taskmaster . The small and great are there , and the bondman freed from his master . Wherefore is light given to him that is in trouble , and life to those bitter of soul , Who long for death , and it [ cometh ] not , and dig for it more than for hidden treasures ; Who rejoice even exultingly and are glad when they find the grave ? -- To the man whose way is hidden , and whom God hath hedged in ? For my sighing cometh before my bread , and my groanings are poured out like the waters . For I feared a fear , and it hath come upon me , and that which I dreaded hath come to me . I was not in safety , neither had I quietness , neither was I at rest , and trouble came . And Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said , If a word were essayed to thee , wouldest thou be grieved ? But who can refrain from speaking ? Behold , thou hast instructed many , and thou hast strengthened the weak hands ; Thy words have upholden him that was stumbling , and thou hast braced up the bending knees : But now it is come upon thee , and thou grievest ; it toucheth thee , and thou art troubled . Hath not thy piety been thy confidence , and the perfection of thy ways thy hope ? Remember , I pray thee , who that was innocent has perished ? and where were the upright cut off ? Even as I have seen , they that plough iniquity and sow mischief , reap the same . By the breath of God they perish , and by the blast of his nostrils are they consumed . The roar of the lion , and the voice of the fierce lion , and the teeth of the young lions , are broken ; The old lion perisheth for lack of prey , and the whelps of the lioness are scattered . Now to me a word was secretly brought , and mine ear received a whisper thereof . In thoughts from visions of the night , when deep sleep falleth on men : -- Fear came on me , and trembling , and made all my bones to shake ; And a spirit passed before my face -- the hair of my flesh stood up -- It stood still ; I could not discern the appearance thereof : a form was before mine eyes ; I heard a slight murmur and a voice : Shall [ mortal ] man be more just than God ? Shall a man be purer than his Maker ? Lo , he trusteth not his servants , and his angels he chargeth with folly : How much more them that dwell in houses of clay , whose foundation is in the dust , who are crushed as the moth ! From morning to evening are they smitten : without any heeding it , they perish for ever . Is not their tent-cord torn away in them ? they die , and without wisdom . Call , I pray thee ! Is there any that answereth thee ? and to which of the holy ones wilt thou turn ? For vexation killeth the foolish man , and envy slayeth the simple . I myself saw the foolish taking root , but suddenly I cursed his habitation . His children are far from safety , and they are crushed in the gate , and there is no deliverer : Whose harvest the hungry eateth up , and taketh even out of the thorns ; and the snare gapeth for his substance . For evil cometh not forth from the dust , neither doth trouble spring out of the ground ; For man is born to trouble , as the sparks fly upwards . But as for me I will seek unto God , and unto God commit my cause ; Who doeth great things and unsearchable , marvellous things without number ; Who giveth rain on the face of the earth , and sendeth waters on the face of the fields ; Setting up on high those that are low ; and mourners are exalted to prosperity . He disappointeth the devices of the crafty , and their hands carry not out the enterprise . He taketh the wise in their own craftiness ; and the counsel of the wily is carried headlong : They meet with darkness in a the daytime , and grope at midday as in the night . And he saveth the needy from the sword , from their mouth , and from the hand of the mighty . So the poor hath what he hopeth for , and unrighteousness stoppeth her mouth . Behold , happy is the man whom God correcteth ; therefore despise not the chastening of the Almighty . For he maketh sore , and bindeth up ; he woundeth , and his hands make whole . He will deliver thee in six troubles , and in seven there shall no evil touch thee . In famine he will redeem thee from death , and in war from the power of the sword . Thou shalt be hidden from the scourge of the tongue ; and thou shalt not be afraid of destruction when it cometh . At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh , and of the beasts of the earth thou shalt not be afraid . For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field , and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee . And thou shalt know that thy tent is in peace ; and thou wilt survey thy fold , and miss nothing . And thou shalt know that thy seed is numerous , and thine offspring as the herb of the earth . Thou shalt come to the grave in a ripe age , as a shock of corn is brought in in its season . Behold this , we have searched it out , so it is ; hear it , and know thou it for thyself . And Job answered and said , Oh that my grief were thoroughly weighed , and all my calamity laid in the balances ! For now it would be heavier than the sand of the seas ; therefore my words are vehement . For the arrows of the Almighty are within me , their poison drinketh up my spirit : the terrors of God are arrayed against me . Doth the wild ass bray by the grass ? loweth an ox over his fodder ? Shall that which is insipid be eaten without salt ? Is there any taste in the white of an egg ? What my soul refuseth to touch , that is as my loathsome food . Oh that I might have my request , and that God would grant my desire ! And that it would please God to crush me , that he would let loose his hand and cut me off ! Then should I yet have comfort ; and in the pain which spareth not I would rejoice that I have not denied the words of the Holy One . What is my strength , that I should hope ? and what is mine end , that I should have patience ? Is my strength the strength of stones ? is my flesh of brass ? Is it not that there is no help in me , and soundness is driven away from me ? For him that is fainting kindness [ is meet ] from his friend ; or he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty . My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a stream , as the channel of streams which pass away , Which are turbid by reason of the ice , in which the snow hideth itself : At the time they diminish , they are dried up ; when heat affecteth them , they vanish from their place : They wind about in the paths of their course , they go off into the waste and perish . The caravans of Tema looked , the companies of Sheba counted on them : They are ashamed at their hope ; they come thither , and are confounded . So now ye are nothing ; ye see a terrible object and are afraid . Did I say , Bring unto me , and make me a present from your substance ? Or , rescue me from the hand of the oppressor , and redeem me from the hand of the violent ? Teach me , and I will hold my tongue ; and cause me to understand wherein I have erred . How forcible are right words ! but what doth your upbraiding reprove ? Do ye imagine to reprove words ? The speeches of one that is desperate are indeed for the wind . Yea , ye overwhelm the fatherless , and dig [ a pit ] for your friend . Now therefore if ye will , look upon me ; and it shall be to your face if I lie . Return , I pray you , let there be no wrong ; yea , return again , my righteousness shall be in it . Is there wrong in my tongue ? cannot my taste discern mischievous things ? Hath not man a life of labour upon earth ? and are not his days like the days of a hireling ? As a bondman earnestly desireth the shadow , and a hireling expecteth his wages , So am I made to possess months of vanity , and wearisome nights are appointed to me . If I lie down , I say , When shall I rise up , and the darkness be gone ? and I am full of tossings until the dawn . My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust ; my skin is broken , and suppurates . My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle , and are spent without hope . Remember thou that my life is wind ; mine eye shall no more see good . The eye of him that hath seen me shall behold me no [ more ] : thine eyes are upon me , and I am not . The cloud consumeth and vanisheth away ; so he that goeth down to Sheol shall not come up . He shall return no more to his house , neither shall his place know him again . Therefore I will not restrain my mouth : I will speak in the anguish of my spirit ; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul . Am I a sea , or a sea-monster , that thou settest a watch over me ? When I say , My bed shall comfort me , my couch shall ease my complaint ; Then thou scarest me with dreams , and terrifiest me through visions ; So that my soul chooseth strangling , death , rather than my bones . I loathe it ; I shall not live always : let me alone , for my days are a breath . What is man , that thou makest much of him ? and that thou settest thy heart upon him ? And that thou visitest him every morning , triest him every moment ? How long wilt thou not look away from me , nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle ? Have I sinned , what do I unto thee , thou Observer of men ? Why hast thou set me as an object of assault for thee , so that I am become a burden to myself ? And why dost not thou forgive my transgression and take away mine iniquity ? for now shall I lie down in the dust , and thou shalt seek me early , and I shall not be . And Bildad the Shuhite answered and said , How long wilt thou speak these things ? and the words of thy mouth be a strong wind ? Doth God pervert judgment , and the Almighty pervert justice ? If thy children have sinned against him , he hath also given them over into the hand of their transgression . If thou seek earnestly unto God , and make thy supplication to the Almighty , If thou be pure and upright , surely now he will awake for thee , and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous ; And though thy beginning was small , yet thine end shall be very great . For inquire , I pray thee , of the former generation , and attend to the researches of their fathers ; For we are [ but ] of yesterday , and know nothing , for our days upon earth are a shadow . Shall not they teach thee , [ and ] tell thee , and utter words out of their heart ? Doth the papyrus shoot up without mire ? doth the reed-grass grow without water ? Whilst it is yet in its greenness [ and ] not cut down , it withereth before any [ other ] grass . So are the paths of all that forget God ; and the profane man's hope shall perish , Whose confidence shall be cut off , and his reliance is a spider's web . He shall lean upon his house , and it shall not stand ; he shall lay hold on it , but it shall not endure . He is full of sap before the sun , and his sprout shooteth forth over his garden ; His roots are entwined about the stoneheap ; he seeth the place of stones . If he destroy him from his place , then it shall deny him : I have not seen thee ! Behold , this is the joy of his way , and out of the dust shall others grow . Behold , God will not cast off a perfect man , neither will he take evil-doers by the hand . Whilst he would fill thy mouth with laughing and thy lips with shouting , They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame , and the tent of the wicked be no more . And Job answered and said , Of a truth I know it is so ; but how can man be just with God ? If he shall choose to strive with him , he cannot answer him one thing of a thousand . He is wise in heart and mighty in strength : who hath hardened himself against him , and had peace ? Who removeth mountains , and they know it not , when he overturneth them in his anger ; Who shaketh the earth out of its place , and the pillars thereof tremble ; Who commandeth the sun , and it riseth not , and he sealeth up the stars ; Who alone spreadeth out the heavens , and treadeth upon the high waves of the sea ; Who maketh the Bear , Orion , and the Pleiades , and the chambers of the south ; Who doeth great things past finding out , and wonders without number . Lo , he goeth by me , and I see [ him ] not ; and he passeth along , and I perceive him not . Behold , he taketh away : who will hinder him ? Who will say unto him , What doest thou ? God withdraweth not his anger ; the proud helpers stoop under him : How much less shall I answer him , choose out my words [ to strive ] with him ? Whom , though I were righteous , [ yet ] would I not answer ; I would make supplication to my judge . If I had called , and he had answered me , I would not believe that he hearkened to my voice , -- He , who crusheth me with a tempest , and multiplieth my wounds without cause . He suffereth me not to take my breath , for he filleth me with bitternesses . Be it a question of strength , lo , [ he is ] strong ; and be it of judgment , who will set me a time ? If I justified myself , mine own mouth would condemn me ; were I perfect , he would prove me perverse . Were I perfect , [ yet ] would I not know my soul : I would despise my life . It is all one ; therefore I said , he destroyeth the perfect and the wicked . If the scourge kill suddenly , he mocketh at the trial of the innocent . The earth is given over into the hand of the wicked [ man ] ; he covereth the faces of its judges . If not , who then is it ? And my days are swifter than a runner : they flee away , they see no good . They pass by like skiffs of reed ; as an eagle that swoops upon the prey . If I say , I will forget my complaint , I will leave off my [ sad ] countenance , and brighten up , I am afraid of all my sorrows ; I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent . Be it that I am wicked , why then do I labour in vain ? If I washed myself with snow-water , and cleansed my hands in purity , Then wouldest thou plunge me in the ditch , and mine own clothes would abhor me . For he is not a man , as I am , that I should answer him ; that we should come together in judgment . There is not an umpire between us , who should lay his hand upon us both . Let him take his rod away from me , and let not his terror make me afraid , [ Then ] I will speak , and not fear him ; but it is not so with me . My soul is weary of my life : I will give free course to my complaint ; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul . I will say unto God , Do not condemn me ; shew me wherefore thou strivest with me . Doth it please thee to oppress , that thou shouldest despise the work of thy hands , and shine upon the counsel of the wicked ? Hast thou eyes of flesh ? or seest thou as man seeth ? Are thy days as the days of a mortal ? are thy years as a man's days , That thou searchest after mine iniquity , and inquirest into my sin ; Since thou knowest that I am not wicked , and that there is none that delivereth out of thy hand ? Thy hands have bound me together and made me as one , round about ; yet dost thou swallow me up ! Remember , I beseech thee , that thou hast made me as clay , and wilt bring me into dust again . Hast thou not poured me out as milk , and curdled me like cheese ? Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh , and knit me together with bones and sinews ; Thou hast granted me life and favour , and thy care hath preserved my spirit ; And these things didst thou hide in thy heart ; I know that this was with thee . If I sinned , thou wouldest mark me , and thou wouldest not acquit me of mine iniquity . If I were wicked , woe unto me ! and righteous , I will not lift up my head , being [ so ] full of shame , and beholding mine affliction ; -- And it increaseth : thou huntest me as a fierce lion ; and ever again thou shewest thy marvellous power upon me . Thou renewest thy witnesses before me and increasest thy displeasure against me ; successions [ of evil ] and a time of toil are with me . And wherefore didst thou bring me forth out of the womb ? I had expired , and no eye had seen me . I should be as though I had not been ; I should have been carried from the womb to the grave . Are not my days few ? cease then and let me alone , that I may revive a little , Before I go , and never to return , -- to the land of darkness and the shadow of death ; A land of gloom , as darkness itself ; of the shadow of death , without any order , where the light is as thick darkness . And Zophar the Naamathite answered and said , Should not the multitude of words be answered ? and should a man of much talk be justified ? Should thy fictions make men hold their peace ? and shouldest thou mock , and no one make [ thee ] ashamed ? For thou sayest , My doctrine is pure , and I am clean in thine eyes . But oh that God would speak , and open his lips against thee ; And that he would shew thee the secrets of wisdom , how that they are the double of what is realised ; and know that God passeth by [ much ] of thine iniquity ! Canst thou by searching find out God ? canst thou find out the Almighty to perfection ? [ It is as ] the heights of heaven ; what wilt thou do ? deeper than Sheol ; what canst thou know ? The measure thereof is longer than the earth , and broader than the sea . If he pass by , and shut up , and call to judgment , who can hinder him ? For he knoweth vain men , and seeth wickedness when [ man ] doth not consider it ; Yet a senseless man will make bold , though man be born [ like ] the foal of a wild ass . If thou prepare thy heart and stretch out thy hands toward him , If thou put far away the iniquity which is in thy hand , and let not wrong dwell in thy tents ; Surely then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot , and thou shalt be stedfast and shalt not fear : For thou shalt forget misery ; as waters that are passed away shalt thou remember it ; And life shall arise brighter than noonday ; though thou be enshrouded in darkness , thou shalt be as the morning , And thou shalt have confidence , because there shall be hope ; and having searched about [ thee ] , thou shalt take rest in safety . Yea , thou shalt lie down , and none shall make thee afraid ; and many shall seek thy favour . But the eyes of the wicked shall fail , and [ all ] refuge shall vanish from them , and their hope [ shall be ] the breathing out of life . And Job answered and said , Truly ye are the people , and wisdom shall die with you ! I also have understanding as well as you ; I am not inferior to you ; and who knoweth not such things as these ? I am to be one that is a derision to his friend , I who call upon God , and whom he will answer : a derision is the just upright [ man ] . He that is ready to stumble with the foot is a lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease . The tents of desolators are in peace , and they that provoke God are secure ; into whose hand God bringeth . But ask now the beasts , and they shall teach thee ; and the fowl of the heavens , and they shall tell thee ; Or speak to the earth , and it shall teach thee ; and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee . Who knoweth not in all these , that the hand of Jehovah hath wrought this ? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing , and the spirit of all flesh of man . Doth not the ear try words , as the palate tasteth food ? With the aged is wisdom , and in length of days understanding . With him is wisdom and might ; he hath counsel and understanding . Behold , he breaketh down , and it is not built again ; he shutteth up a man , and there is no opening . Behold , he withholdeth the waters , and they dry up ; and he sendeth them out , and they overturn the earth . With him is strength and effectual knowledge ; the deceived and the deceiver are his . He leadeth counsellors away spoiled , and judges maketh he fools ; He weakeneth the government of kings , and bindeth their loins with a fetter ; He leadeth priests away spoiled , and overthroweth the mighty ; He depriveth of speech the trusty , and taketh away the judgment of the elders ; He poureth contempt upon nobles , and slackeneth the girdle of the mighty ; He discovereth deep things out of darkness , and bringeth out into light the shadow of death ; He increaseth the nations , and destroyeth them ; he spreadeth out the nations , and bringeth them in ; He taketh away the understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth , and causeth them to wander in a pathless waste . They grope in the dark without light , and he maketh them to stagger like a drunkard . Lo , mine eye hath seen all [ this ] , mine ear hath heard and understood it . What ye know , I know also : I am not inferior to you . But I will speak to the Almighty , and will find pleasure in reasoning with God ; For ye indeed are forgers of lies , ye are all physicians of no value . Oh that ye would be altogether silent ! and it would be your wisdom . Hear now my defence , and hearken to the pleadings of my lips . Will ye speak unrighteously for God ? and for him speak deceit ? Will ye accept his person ? will ye contend for God ? Will it be well if he should search you out ? or as one mocketh at a man , will ye mock at him ? He will certainly reprove you , if ye do secretly accept persons . Shall not his excellency terrify you ? and his dread fall upon you ? Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes , your bulwarks are bulwarks of mire . Hold your peace from me , and I will speak , and let come on me what [ will ] ! Wherefore should I take my flesh in my teeth , and put my life in my hand ? Behold , if he slay me , yet would I trust in him ; but I will defend mine own ways before him . This also shall be my salvation , that a profane man shall not come before his face . Hear attentively my speech and my declaration with your ears . Behold now , I have ordered the cause ; I know that I shall be justified . Who is he that contendeth with me ? For if I were silent now , I should expire . Only do not two things unto me ; then will I not hide myself from thee . Withdraw thy hand far from me ; and let not thy terror make me afraid : Then call , and I will answer ; or I will speak , and answer thou me . How many are mine iniquities and sins ? Make me to know my transgression and my sin . Wherefore dost thou hide thy face , and countest me for thine enemy ? Wilt thou terrify a driven leaf ? and wilt thou pursue dry stubble ? For thou writest bitter things against me , and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth ; And thou puttest my feet in the stocks , and markest all my paths ; thou settest a bound about the soles of my feet ; -- One who , as a rotten thing consumeth , as a garment that the moth eateth . Man , born of woman , is of few days , and full of trouble . He cometh forth like a flower , and is cut down ; and he fleeth as a shadow , and continueth not . Yet dost thou open thine eyes upon such a one , and bringest me into judgment with thee ? Who can bring a clean [ man ] out of the unclean ? Not one ! If his days are determined , if the number of his months is with thee , [ and ] thou hast appointed his bounds which he must not pass , Look away from him ; and let him rest , till he accomplish , as a hireling , his day . For there is hope for a tree : if it be cut down , it will sprout again , and its tender branch will not cease ; Though its root grow old in the earth , and its stock die in the ground , Yet through the scent of water it will bud , and put forth boughs like a young plant . But a man dieth , and is prostrate ; yea , man expireth , and where is he ? The waters recede from the lake , and the river wasteth and drieth up : So man lieth down , and riseth not again ; till the heavens be no more , they do not awake , nor are raised out of their sleep . Oh that thou wouldest hide me in Sheol , that thou wouldest keep me secret until thine anger be past , that thou wouldest appoint me a set time , and remember me , -- ( If a man die , shall he live [ again ] ? ) all the days of my time of toil would I wait , till my change should come : Thou wouldest call , and I would answer thee ; thou wouldest have a desire after the work of thy hands . For now thou numberest my steps : dost thou not watch over my sin ? My transgression is sealed up in a bag , and thou heapest up mine iniquity . And indeed a mountain falling cometh to nought , and the rock is removed out of its place ; The waters wear the stones , the floods thereof wash away the dust of the earth ; and thou destroyest the hope of man . Thou prevailest for ever against him , and he passeth away ; thou changest his countenance , and dismissest him . His sons come to honour , and he knoweth it not ; and they are brought low , and he perceiveth it not . But his flesh hath pain for himself alone , and his soul mourneth for himself . And Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said , Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge , and fill his belly with the east wind , Reasoning with unprofitable talk , and with speeches which do no good ? Yea , thou makest piety of none effect , and restrainest meditation before God . For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity , and thou hast chosen the tongue of the crafty . Thine own mouth condemneth thee , and not I ; and thy lips testify against thee . Art thou the first man that was born ? and wast thou brought forth before the hills ? Hast thou listened in the secret council of God ? And hast thou absorbed wisdom for thyself ? What knowest thou that we know not ? [ what ] understandest thou which is not in us ? Both the greyheaded and the aged are with us , older than thy father . Are the consolations of God too small for thee ? and the word gently spoken to thee ? Why doth thy heart carry thee away ? and why do thine eyes wink ? That thou turnest thy spirit against God , and lettest words go out of thy mouth ? What is man , that he should be pure ? and he that is born of a woman , that he should be righteous ? Behold , he putteth no trust in his holy ones , and the heavens are not pure in his sight : How much less the abominable and corrupt , -- man , that drinketh unrighteousness like water ! I will shew thee , listen to me ; and what I have seen I will declare ; Which wise men have told from their fathers , and have not hidden ; Unto whom alone the earth was given , and no stranger passed among them . All his days the wicked man is tormented , and numbered years are allotted to the violent . The sound of terrors is in his ears : in prosperity the destroyer cometh upon him . He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness , and he is singled out for the sword . He wandereth abroad for bread , -- where may it be ? He knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand . Distress and anguish make him afraid ; they prevail against him , as a king ready for the battle . For he hath stretched out his hand against God , and strengthened himself against the Almighty : He runneth against him , with [ outstretched ] neck , with the thick bosses of his bucklers ; For he hath covered his face with his fatness , and gathered fat upon [ his ] flanks . And he dwelleth in desolate cities , in houses that no man inhabiteth , which are destined to become heaps . He shall not become rich , neither shall his substance continue , and their possessions shall not extend upon the earth . He shall not depart out of darkness ; the flame shall dry up his branches ; and by the breath of his mouth shall he go away . Let him not trust in vanity : he is deceived , for vanity shall be his recompense ; It shall be complete before his day , and his branch shall not be green . He shall shake off his unripe grapes as a vine , and shall cast his flower as an olive . For the family of the ungodly shall be barren , and fire shall consume the tents of bribery . They conceive mischief , and bring forth iniquity , and their belly prepareth deceit . And Job answered and said , I have heard many such things : grievous comforters are ye all . Shall words of wind have an end ? or what provoketh thee that thou answerest ? I also could speak as ye : if your soul were in my soul's stead , I could join together words against you , and shake my head at you ; [ But ] I would encourage you with my mouth , and the solace of my lips should assuage [ your pain ] . If I speak , my pain is not assuaged ; and if I forbear , what am I eased ? But now he hath made me weary ; . . . thou hast made desolate all my family ; Thou hast shrivelled me up ! it is become a witness ; and my leanness riseth up against me , it beareth witness to my face . His anger teareth and pursueth me ; he gnasheth with his teeth against me ; [ as ] mine adversary he sharpeneth his eyes at me . They gape upon me with their mouth ; they smite my cheeks reproachfully ; they range themselves together against me . God hath delivered me over to the iniquitous man , and hurled me into the hands of the wicked . I was at rest , but he hath shattered me ; he hath taken me by the neck and shaken me to pieces , and set me up for his mark . His arrows encompass me round about , he cleaveth my reins asunder and doth not spare ; he poureth out my gall upon the ground . He breaketh me with breach upon breach ; he runneth upon me like a mighty man . I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin , and rolled my horn in the dust . My face is red with weeping , and on my eyelids is the shadow of death ; Although there is no violence in my hands , and my prayer is pure . O earth , cover not my blood , and let there be no place for my cry ! Even now , behold , my Witness is in the heavens , and he that voucheth for me is in the heights . My friends are my mockers ; mine eye poureth out tears unto God . Oh that there were arbitration for a man with God , as a son of man for his friend ! For years [ few ] in number shall pass , -- and I shall go the way [ whence ] I shall not return . My breath is corrupt , my days are extinct , the graves are mine . Are there not mockers around me ? and doth [ not ] mine eye abide in their provocation ? Lay down now [ a pledge ] , be thou surety for me with thyself : who is he that striketh hands with me ? For thou hast hidden their heart from understanding ; therefore thou wilt not exalt [ them ] . He that betrayeth friends for a prey -- even the eyes of his children shall fail . And he hath made me a proverb of the peoples ; and I am become one to be spit on in the face . And mine eye is dim by reason of grief , and all my members are as a shadow . Upright men [ shall be ] astonished at this , and the innocent shall be stirred up against the ungodly ; But the righteous shall hold on his way , and he that hath clean hands shall increase in strength . But as for you all , pray come on again ; and I shall not find one wise man among you . My days are past , my purposes are broken off , the cherished thoughts of my heart . They change the night into day ; the light [ they imagine ] near in presence of the darkness . If I wait , Sheol is my house ; I spread my bed in the darkness : I cry to the grave , Thou art my father ! to the worm , My mother , and my sister ! And where is then my hope ? yea , my hope , who shall see it ? It shall go down to the bars of Sheol , when [ our ] rest shall be together in the dust . And Bildad the Shuhite answered and said , How long will ye hunt for words ? Be intelligent , and then we will speak . Wherefore are we counted as beasts , and reputed stupid in your sight ? Thou that tearest thyself in thine anger , shall the earth be forsaken for thee ? and shall the rock be removed out of its place ? Yea , the light of the wicked shall be put out , and the flame of his fire shall not shine . The light shall become dark in his tent , and his lamp over him shall be put out . The steps of his strength shall be straitened , and his own counsel shall cast him down . For he is sent into the net by his own feet , and he walketh on the meshes ; The gin taketh [ him ] by the heel , the snare layeth hold on him ; A cord is hidden for him in the ground , and his trap in the way . Terrors make him afraid on every side , and chase him at his footsteps . His strength is hunger-bitten , and calamity is ready at his side . The firstborn of death devoureth the members of his body ; it will devour his members . His confidence shall be rooted out of his tent , and it shall lead him away to the king of terrors : They who are none of his shall dwell in his tent ; brimstone shall be showered upon his habitation : His roots shall be dried up beneath , and above shall his branch be cut off ; His remembrance shall perish from the earth , and he shall have no name on the pasture-grounds . He is driven from light into darkness , and chased out of the world . He hath neither son nor grandson among his people , nor any remaining in the places of his sojourn . They that come after shall be astonished at his day , as they that went before [ them ] were affrighted . Surely , such are the dwellings of the unrighteous man , and such the place of him that knoweth not God . And Job answered and said , How long will ye vex my soul , and crush me with words ? These ten times have ye reproached me ; ye are not ashamed to stupefy me . And be it [ that ] I have erred , mine error remaineth with myself . If indeed ye will magnify yourselves against me , and prove against me my reproach , Know now that God hath overthrown me , and hath surrounded me with his net . Behold , I cry out of wrong , and I am not heard ; I cry aloud , but there is no judgment . He hath hedged up my way that I cannot pass , and he hath set darkness in my paths . He hath stripped me of my glory , and taken the crown from my head . He breaketh me down on every side , and I am gone ; and my hope hath he torn up as a tree . And he hath kindled his anger against me , and hath counted me unto him as one of his enemies . His troops have come together and cast up their way against me , and have encamped round about my tent . He hath put my brethren far from me , and mine acquaintance are quite estranged from me . My kinsfolk have failed , and my known friends have forgotten me . The sojourners in my house and my maids count me as a stranger ; I am an alien in their sight . I called my servant , and he answered not ; I entreated him with my mouth . My breath is strange to my wife , and my entreaties to the children of my [ mother's ] womb . Even young children despise me ; I rise up , and they speak against me . All my intimate friends abhor me , and they whom I loved are turned against me . My bones cleave to my skin and to my flesh , and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth . Have pity upon me , have pity upon me , ye my friends ; for the hand of God hath touched me . Why do ye persecute me as God , and are not satisfied with my flesh ? Oh would that my words were written ! oh that they were inscribed in a book ! That with an iron style and lead they were graven in the rock for ever ! And [ as for ] me , I know that my Redeemer liveth , and the Last , he shall stand upon the earth ; And [ if ] after my skin this shall be destroyed , yet from out of my flesh shall I see God ; Whom I shall see for myself , and mine eyes shall behold , and not another : -- my reins are consumed within me . If ye say , How shall we persecute him ? when the root of the matter is found in me , Be ye yourselves afraid of the sword ! for the sword is fury against misdeeds , that ye may know there is a judgment . And Zophar the Naamathite answered and said , Therefore do my thoughts give me an answer , and for this is my haste within me . I hear a reproof putting me to shame ; and [ my ] spirit answereth me by mine understanding . Knowest thou [ not ] this , that of old , since man was placed upon earth , The exultation of the wicked is short , and the joy of the ungodly man but for a moment ? Though his height mount up to the heavens , and his head reach unto the clouds , Like his own dung doth he perish for ever ; they which have seen him shall say , Where is he ? He flieth away as a dream , and is not found ; and is chased away as a vision of the night . The eye which saw him shall [ see him ] not again ; and his place beholdeth him no more . His children shall seek the favour of the poor , and his hands restore his wealth . His bones were full of his youthful strength ; but it shall lie down with him in the dust . Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth [ and ] he hide it under his tongue , [ Though ] he spare it , and forsake it not , but keep it within his mouth , His food is turned in his bowels ; it is the gall of asps within him . He hath swallowed down riches , but he shall vomit them up again : God shall cast them out of his belly . He shall suck the poison of asps ; the viper's tongue shall kill him . He shall not see streams , rivers , brooks of honey and butter . That which he laboured for shall he restore , and not swallow down ; its restitution shall be according to the value , and he shall not rejoice [ therein ] . For he hath oppressed , hath forsaken the poor ; he hath violently taken away a house that he did not build . Because he knew no rest in his craving , he shall save nought of what he most desired . Nothing escaped his greediness ; therefore his prosperity shall not endure . In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits ; every hand of the wretched shall come upon him . It shall be that , to fill his belly , he will cast his fierce anger upon him , and will rain it upon him into his flesh . If he have fled from the iron weapon , the bow of brass shall strike him through . He draweth it forth ; it cometh out of his body , and the glittering point out of his gall : terrors are upon him . All darkness is laid up for his treasures : a fire not blown shall devour him ; it shall feed upon what is left in his tent . The heavens shall reveal his iniquity , and the earth shall rise up against him . The increase of his house shall depart , flowing away in the day of his anger . This is the portion of the wicked man from God , and the heritage appointed to him by God . And Job answered and said , Hear attentively my speech , and let this replace your consolations . Suffer me and I will speak ; and after I have spoken , mock on ! As for me , is my complaint to a man ? or wherefore should not my spirit be impatient ? Mark me , and be astonished , and lay the hand upon the mouth . Even when I think [ thereon ] , I am affrighted , and trembling taketh hold of my flesh . Wherefore do the wicked live , grow old , yea , become mighty in power ? Their seed is established with them in their sight , and their offspring before their eyes . Their houses are safe from fear , neither is the rod of God upon them . Their bull gendereth , and faileth not ; their cow calveth , and casteth not her calf . They send forth their little ones like a flock , and their children dance . They shout to the tambour and harp , and rejoice at the sound of the pipe . They spend their days in prosperity , and in a moment go down to Sheol . And they say unto God , Depart from us , for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways ! What is the Almighty that we should serve him ? and what are we profited if we pray unto him ? Behold , their prosperity is not in their hand . The counsel of the wicked be far from me ! How often is the lamp of the wicked put out , and cometh their calamity upon them ? Doth he distribute sorrows [ to them ] in his anger ? Do they become as stubble before the wind , and as chaff that the storm carrieth away ? God layeth up [ the punishment of ] his iniquity for his children ; he rewardeth him , and he shall know [ it ] : His eyes shall see his destruction , and he shall drink of the fury of the Almighty . For what pleasure should he have in his house after him , when the number of his months is cut off ? Can any teach God knowledge ? And he it is that judgeth those that are high . One dieth in his full strength , being wholly at ease and quiet ; His sides are full of fat , and the marrow of his bones is moistened ; And another dieth in bitterness of soul , and hath not tasted good : Together they lie down in the dust , and the worms cover them . Lo , I know your thoughts , and the devices ye wrongfully imagine against me . For ye say , Where is the house of the noble ? and where the tent of the dwellings of the wicked ? Have ye not asked the wayfarers ? and do ye not regard their tokens : That the wicked is reserved for the day of calamity ? They are led forth to the day of wrath . Who shall declare his way to his face ? and who shall repay him what he hath done ? Yet is he carried to the graves , and watch is kept over the tomb . The clods of the valley are sweet unto him ; and every man followeth suit after him , as there were innumerable before him . How then comfort ye me in vain ? Your answers remain perfidious . And Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said , Can a man be profitable to God ? surely it is unto himself that the wise man is profitable . Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if thou art righteous ? And is it gain [ to him ] that thou makest thy ways perfect ? Will he reason with thee for fear of thee ? Will he enter with thee into judgment ? Is not thy wickedness great ? and thine iniquities without end ? For thou hast taken a pledge of thy brother for nought , and stripped off the clothing of the naked . Thou hast not given water to the fainting to drink , and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry . But the powerful man , he had the land ; and the man of high rank dwelt in it . Widows hast thou sent empty away , and the arms of the fatherless have been broken . Therefore snares are round about thee , and sudden fear troubleth thee ; Or darkness , that thou canst not see , and floods of waters cover thee . Is not God in the height of the heavens ? And behold the summit of the stars : how exalted are they ! And thou sayest , What doth God know ? will he judge through the dark cloud ? Thick clouds are a covering to him , that he seeth not ; and he walketh on the vault of the heavens . Dost thou mark the ancient path which wicked men have trodden ? Who were carried off before the time , whose foundation was overflowed with a flood ; Who said unto God , Depart from us ! and what could the Almighty do to them ? Yet he filled their houses with good . But the counsel of the wicked is far from me . The righteous see it , and are glad ; and the innocent laugh them to scorn : Is not he who rose against us destroyed , and doth not the fire consume his residue ? Reconcile thyself now with him , and be at peace : thereby good shall come unto thee . Receive , I pray thee , instruction from his mouth , and lay up his words in thy heart . If thou return to the Almighty , thou shalt be built up . If thou remove unrighteousness far from thy tents , And put the precious ore with the dust , and [ the gold of ] Ophir among the stones of the torrents , Then the Almighty will be thy precious ore , and silver heaped up unto thee ; Yea , then shalt thou delight thyself in the Almighty , and shalt lift up thy face unto God : Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him , and he will hear thee , and thou shalt pay thy vows ; And thou shalt decree a thing , and it shall be established unto thee ; and light shall shine upon thy ways . When they are made low , then thou shalt say , Rise up ! and he shall save him that is of downcast eyes . [ Even ] him that is not innocent shall he deliver ; yea , he shall be delivered by the pureness of thy hands . And Job answered and said , Even to-day is my complaint bitter : my stroke is heavier than my groaning . Oh that I knew where I might find him , that I might come to his seat ! I would order the cause before him , and fill my mouth with arguments ; I would know the words he would answer me , and understand what he would say unto me . Would he plead against me with [ his ] great power ? Nay ; but he would give heed unto me . There would an upright man reason with him ; and I should be delivered for ever from my judge . Lo , I go forward , but he is not there ; and backward , but I do not perceive him ; On the left hand , where he doth work , but I behold [ him ] not ; he hideth himself on the right hand , and I see [ him ] not . But he knoweth the way that I take ; he trieth me , I shall come forth as gold . My foot hath held to his steps ; his way have I kept , and not turned aside . Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips ; I have laid up the words of his mouth more than the purpose of my own heart . But he is in one [ mind ] , and who can turn him ? And what his soul desireth , that will he do . For he will perform [ what ] is appointed for me ; and many such things are with him . Therefore am I troubled at his presence ; I consider , and I am afraid of him . For God hath made my heart soft , and the Almighty troubleth me ; Because I was not cut off before the darkness , neither hath he hidden the gloom from me . Why are not times treasured up with the Almighty ? why do not they that know him see his days ? They remove the landmarks ; they violently take away the flocks and pasture them ; They drive away the ass of the fatherless , they take the widow's ox for a pledge ; They turn the needy out of the way : the afflicted of the land all hide themselves . Lo , [ as ] wild asses in the desert , they go forth to their work , seeking early for the prey : the wilderness [ yieldeth ] them food for [ their ] children . They reap in the field the fodder thereof , and they gather the vintage of the wicked ; They pass the night naked without clothing , and have no covering in the cold ; They are wet with the showers of the mountains , and for want of a shelter embrace the rock . . . They pluck the fatherless from the breast , and take a pledge of the poor : These go naked without clothing , and , hungry , they bear the sheaf ; They press out oil within their walls , they tread their winepresses , and suffer thirst . Men groan from out of the city , and the soul of the wounded crieth out ; and God imputeth not the impiety . There are those that rebel against the light ; they know not the ways thereof , nor abide in the paths thereof . The murderer riseth with the light , killeth the afflicted and needy , and in the night is as a thief . And the eye of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight , saying , No eye shall see me ; and he putteth a covering on [ his ] face . In the dark they dig through houses ; by day they shut themselves in ; they know not the light : For the morning is to them all [ as ] the shadow of death ; for they are familiar with the terrors of the shadow of death . He is swift on the face of the waters ; their portion is cursed on the earth : he turneth not unto the way of the vineyards . Drought and heat consume snow waters ; so doth Sheol those that have sinned . The womb forgetteth him ; the worm feedeth sweetly on him : he shall be no more remembered ; and unrighteousness is broken as a tree , -- He that despoileth the barren that beareth not , and doeth not good to the widow : He draweth also the mighty with his power ; he riseth up , and no [ man ] is sure of life . [ God ] setteth him in safety , and he resteth thereon ; but his eyes are upon their ways . They are exalted for a little , and are no more ; they are laid low ; like all [ other ] are they gathered , and are cut off as the tops of the ears of corn . If it be not so now , who will make me a liar , and make my speech nothing worth ? And Bildad the Shuhite answered and said , Dominion and fear are with him ; he maketh peace in his high places . Is there any number of his troops ? and upon whom doth not his light arise ? And how should man be just with God ? Or how should he be clean that is born of a woman ? Lo , even the moon is not bright ; and the stars are not pure in his sight : How much less man , a worm , and the son of man , a worm ! And Job answered and said , How hast thou helped the powerless ; how saved the arm that is without strength ! How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom , and abundantly declared the thing as it is ! For whom hast thou uttered words ? and whose spirit came from thee ? The shades tremble beneath the waters and the inhabitants thereof ; Sheol is naked before him , and destruction hath no covering . He stretcheth out the north over empty space , he hangeth the earth upon nothing ; He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds , and the cloud is not rent under them . He covereth the face of his throne , he spreadeth his cloud upon it . He hath traced a fixed circle over the waters , unto the confines of light and darkness . The pillars of the heavens tremble and are astonished at his rebuke . He stirreth up the sea by his power , and by his understanding he smiteth through Rahab . By his Spirit the heavens are adorned ; his hand hath formed the fleeing serpent . Lo , these are the borders of his ways ; but what a whisper of a word do we hear of him ! And the thunder of his power , who can understand ? And Job continued his parable and said , [ As ] God liveth , who hath taken away my right , and the Almighty , who hath embittered my soul , All the while my breath is in me , and the spirit of God is in my nostrils , My lips shall not speak unrighteousness , nor my tongue utter deceit ! Be it far from me that I should justify you ; till I die I will not remove my blamelessness from me . My righteousness I hold fast , and will not let it go : my heart reproacheth [ me ] not one of my days . Let mine enemy be as the wicked , and he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous . For what is the hope of the ungodly , when [ God ] cutteth him off , when God taketh away his soul ? Will God hear his cry when distress cometh upon him ? Doth he delight himself in the Almighty ? will he at all times call upon God ? I will teach you concerning the hand of God ; what is with the Almighty will I not conceal . Behold , ye yourselves have all seen [ it ] ; and why are ye thus altogether vain ? This is the portion of the wicked man with God , and the heritage of the violent , which they receive from the Almighty : -- If his children be multiplied , it is for the sword , and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread ; Those that remain of him shall be buried by death , and his widows shall not weep . Though he heap up silver as the dust , and prepare clothing as the clay ; He may prepare it , but the just shall put it on ; and the innocent shall divide the silver . He buildeth his house as the moth , and as a booth that a keeper maketh . He lieth down rich , but will do so no more ; he openeth his eyes , and he is not . Terrors overtake him like waters ; a whirlwind stealeth him away in the night . The east wind carrieth him away and he is gone ; and as a storm it hurleth him out of his place . And [ God ] shall cast upon him and not spare : he would fain flee out of his hand . [ Men ] shall clap their hands at him , and shall hiss him out of his place . Surely there is a vein for the silver , and a place for gold which they refine ; Iron is taken out of the dust , and copper is molten out of the stone . [ Man ] putteth an end to the darkness , and exploreth to the utmost limit , the stones of darkness and of the shadow of death . He openeth a shaft far from the inhabitants [ of the earth ] : forgotten of the foot , they hang suspended ; away below men they hover . As for the earth , out of it cometh bread , and underneath it is turned up as by fire ; The stones of it are the place of sapphires , and it hath dust of gold . It is a path no bird of prey knoweth , and the vulture's eye hath not seen it ; The proud beasts have not trodden it , nor the fierce lion passed over it . [ Man ] putteth forth his hand upon the flinty rock , he overturneth the mountains by the root . He cutteth out channels in the rocks , and his eye seeth every precious thing . He bindeth the streams that they drip not , and what is hidden he bringeth forth to light . But wisdom , where shall it be found ? and where is the place of understanding ? Man knoweth not the value thereof ; and it is not found in the land of the living . The deep saith , It is not in me ; and the sea saith , It is not with me . Choice gold cannot be given for it , nor silver be weighed for its price . It is not set in the balance with gold of Ophir , with the precious onyx , and the sapphire . Gold and glass cannot be compared to it , nor vessels of fine gold be its exchange . Corals and crystal are no more remembered ; yea , the acquisition of wisdom is above rubies . The topaz of Ethiopia shall not be compared to it , neither shall it be set in the balance with pure gold . Whence then cometh wisdom ? and where is the place of understanding ? For it is hidden from the eyes of all living , and concealed from the fowl of the heavens . Destruction and death say , We have heard its report with our ears . God understandeth the way thereof , and he knoweth its place : For he looketh to the ends of the earth , he seeth under the whole heaven . In making a weight for the wind , and meting out the waters by measure , In appointing a statute for the rain , and a way for the thunder's flash : Then did he see it , and declare it ; he established it , yea , and searched it out ; And unto man he said , Lo , the fear of the Lord , that is wisdom ; and to depart from evil is understanding . And Job continued his parable and said , Oh that I were as in months past , as in the days when God preserved me ; When his lamp shone over my head , [ and ] by his light I walked through darkness ; As I was in the days of my youth , when the secret counsel of God was over my tent , When the Almighty was yet with me , my young men round about me ; When my steps were bathed in milk , and the rock poured out beside me rivers of oil ! . . . When I went out to the gate by the city , when I prepared my seat on the broadway , The young men saw me , and hid themselves ; and the aged arose [ and ] stood up ; Princes refrained from talking , and laid the hand on their mouth ; The voice of the nobles was hushed , and their tongue cleaved to their palate . When the ear heard [ me ] , then it blessed me , and when the eye saw [ me ] , it gave witness to me ; For I delivered the afflicted that cried , and the fatherless who had no helper . The blessing of him that was perishing came upon me , and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy . I put on righteousness , and it clothed me ; my justice was as a mantle and a turban . I was eyes to the blind , and feet was I to the lame ; I was a father to the needy , and the cause which I knew not I searched out ; And I broke the jaws of the unrighteous , and plucked the spoil out of his teeth . And I said , I shall die in my nest , and multiply my days as the sand ; My root shall be spread out to the waters , and the dew will lie all night on my branch ; My glory shall be fresh in me , and my bow be renewed in my hand . Unto me they listened , and waited , and kept silence for my counsel : After my words they spoke not again , and my speech dropped upon them ; And they waited for me as for the rain , and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain . [ If ] I laughed on them , they believed [ it ] not ; and they troubled not the serenity of my countenance . I chose their way , and sat as chief , and dwelt as a king in the army , as one that comforteth mourners . But now they that are younger than I have me in derision , whose fathers I would have disdained to set with the dogs of my flock . Yea , whereto [ should ] the strength of their hands [ profit ] me , [ men ] in whom vigour hath perished ? Withered up through want and hunger , they flee into waste places long since desolate and desert : They gather the salt-wort among the bushes , and the roots of the broom for their food . They are driven forth from among [ men ] -- they cry after them as after a thief -- To dwell in gloomy gorges , in caves of the earth and the rocks : They bray among the bushes ; under the brambles they are gathered together : Sons of fools , and sons of nameless sires , they are driven out of the land . And now I am their song , yea , I am their byword . They abhor me , they stand aloof from me , yea , they spare not to spit in my face . For he hath loosed my cord and afflicted me ; so they cast off the bridle before me . At [ my ] right hand rise the young brood ; they push away my feet , and raise up against me their pernicious ways ; They mar my path , they set forward my calamity , without any to help them ; They come in as through a wide breach : amid the confusion they roll themselves onward . Terrors are turned against me ; they pursue mine honour as the wind ; and my welfare is passed away like a cloud . And now my soul is poured out in me ; days of affliction have taken hold upon me . The night pierceth through my bones [ and detacheth them ] from me , and my gnawing pains take no rest : By their great force they have become my raiment ; they bind me about as the collar of my coat . He hath cast me into the mire , and I have become like dust and ashes . I cry unto thee , and thou answerest me not ; I stand up , and thou lookest at me . Thou art changed to a cruel one to me ; with the strength of thy hand thou pursuest me . Thou liftest me up to the wind ; thou causest me to be borne away , and dissolvest my substance . For I know that thou wilt bring me to death , and into the house of assemblage for all living . Indeed , no prayer [ availeth ] when he stretcheth out [ his ] hand : though they cry when he destroyeth . Did not I weep for him whose days were hard ? was not my soul grieved for the needy ? For I expected good , and there came evil ; and I waited for light , but there came darkness . My bowels well up , and rest not ; days of affliction have confronted me . I go about blackened , but not by the sun ; I stand up , I cry in the congregation . I am become a brother to jackals , and a companion of ostriches . My skin is become black [ and falleth ] off me , and my bones are parched with heat . My harp also is [ turned ] to mourning , and my pipe into the voice of weepers . I made a covenant with mine eyes ; and how should I fix my regard upon a maid ? For what would have been [ my ] portion of God from above , and what the heritage of the Almighty from on high ? Is not calamity for the unrighteous ? and misfortune for the workers of iniquity ? Doth not he see my ways , and number all my steps ? If I have walked with falsehood , and my foot hath hasted to deceit , ( Let me be weighed in an even balance , and God will take knowledge of my blamelessness ; ) If my step have turned out of the way , and my heart followed mine eyes , and if any blot cleaveth to my hands ; Let me sow , and another eat ; and let mine offspring be rooted out . If my heart have been enticed unto a woman , so that I laid wait at my neighbour's door , Let my wife grind for another , and let others bow down upon her . For this is an infamy ; yea , it is an iniquity [ to be judged by ] the judges : For it is a fire that consumeth to destruction , and would root out all mine increase . If I have despised the cause of my bondman or of my bondmaid , when they contended with me , What then should I do when God riseth up ? and if he visited , what should I answer him ? Did not he that made me in the womb make him ? and did not One fashion us in the womb ? If I have withheld the poor from [ their ] desire , or caused the eyes of the widow to fail ; Or have eaten my morsel alone , so that the fatherless ate not thereof , ( For from my youth he grew up with me as with a father , and I have guided the [ widow ] from my mother's womb ; ) If I have seen any perishing for want of clothing , or any needy without covering ; If his loins have not blessed me , and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my lambs ; If I have lifted up my hand against an orphan , because I saw my help in the gate : [ Then ] let my shoulder fall from the shoulder-blade , and mine arm be broken from the bone ! For calamity from God was a terror to me , and by reason of his excellency I was powerless . If I have made gold my hope , or said to the fine gold , My confidence ! If I rejoiced because my wealth was great , and because my hand had gotten much ; If I beheld the sun when it shone , or the moon walking in brightness , And my heart have been secretly enticed , so that my mouth kissed my hand : This also would be an iniquity for the judge , for I should have denied the God who is above . If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me , and exulted when evil befell him ; ( Neither have I suffered my mouth to sin by asking his life with a curse ; ) If the men of my tent said not , Who shall find one that hath not been satisfied with his meat ? -- The stranger did not lodge without ; I opened my doors to the pathway . If I covered my transgressions as Adam , by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom , Because I feared the great multitude , and the contempt of families terrified me , so that I kept silence , and went not out of the door , . . . Oh that I had one to hear me ! Behold my signature : let the Almighty answer me ! And let mine opponent write an accusation ! Would I not take it upon my shoulder ? I would bind it on to me [ as ] a crown ; I would declare unto him the number of my steps ; as a prince would I come near to him . If my land cry out against me , and its furrows weep together ; If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money , and have tormented to death the souls of its owners : Let thistles grow instead of wheat , and tares instead of barley . The words of Job are ended . And these three men ceased to answer Job , because he was righteous in his own eyes . Then was kindled the anger of Elihu the son of Barachel , the Buzite , of the family of Ram : against Job was his anger kindled , because he justified himself rather than God ; and against his three friends was his anger kindled , because they found no answer , and [ yet ] condemned Job . But Elihu had waited till Job had finished speaking , because they were older than he . And Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men , and his anger was kindled . And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said , I am young , and ye are aged ; wherefore I was timid , and feared to shew you what I know . I said , Let days speak , and multitude of years teach wisdom . But there is a spirit which is in man ; and the breath of the Almighty giveth them understanding . It is not the great that are wise ; neither do the aged understand judgment . Therefore I say , Hearken to me ; I also will shew what I know . Lo , I waited for your words ; I gave ear to your reasonings , until ye searched out what to say . Yea , I gave you mine attention , and behold , there was none of you that confuted Job , that answered his words ; That ye may not say , We have found out wisdom ; God will make him yield , not man . Now he hath not directed [ his ] words against me ; and I will not answer him with your speeches . . . . They were amazed , they answered no more ; words failed them . And I waited , for they spoke not , but stood still , and answered no more ; -- I will answer , I also in my turn , I also will shew what I know : For I am full of matter , the spirit within me constraineth me . Behold , my belly is as wine which hath no vent ; like new flasks , it is ready to burst . I will speak , that I may find relief ; I will open my lips and answer . Let me not , I pray you , accept any man's person ; neither will I give flattery to man . For I know not how to flatter ; my Maker would soon take me away . Howbeit , Job , I pray thee , hear mine utterances , and hearken to all my words . Behold now , I have opened my mouth , my tongue speaketh in my palate , My words shall be of the uprightness of my heart , and my lips shall utter knowledge purely . The Spirit of God hath made me , and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life . If thou canst , answer me ; array [ thy words ] before me : take thy stand . Behold , before God I am as thou ; I also am formed out of the clay . Behold , my terror shall not make thee afraid , nor my burden be heavy upon thee . Surely thou hast spoken in my hearing , and I have heard the voice of [ thy ] words : -- I am clean without transgression ; I am pure , and there is no iniquity in me ; Lo , he findeth occasions of hostility against me , he counteth me for his enemy ; He putteth my feet in the stocks , he marketh all my paths . Behold , I will answer thee in this , thou art not right ; for God is greater than man . Why dost thou strive against him ? for he giveth not account of any of his matters . For God speaketh once , and twice , -- [ and man ] perceiveth it not -- In a dream , in a vision of the night , when deep sleep falleth upon men , in slumberings upon the bed ; Then he openeth men's ears , and sealeth their instruction , That he may withdraw man [ from his ] work , and hide pride from man . He keepeth back his soul from the pit , and his life from passing away by the sword . He is chastened also with pain upon his bed , and with constant strife in his bones ; And his life abhorreth bread , and his soul dainty food ; His flesh is consumed away from view , and his bones that were not seen stick out ; And his soul draweth near to the pit , and his life to the destroyers . If there be a messenger with him , an interpreter , one among a thousand , to shew unto man his duty ; Then he will be gracious unto him , and say , Deliver him from going down to the pit : I have found a ransom . His flesh shall be fresher than in childhood ; he shall return to the days of his youth . He shall pray unto God , and he will receive him with favour ; and he shall see his face with shoutings , and he will render unto man his righteousness . He will sing before men , and say , I have sinned , and perverted what was right , and it hath not been requited to me ; He hath delivered my soul from going into the pit , and my life shall see the light . Lo , all these [ things ] worketh God twice , thrice , with man , To bring back his soul from the pit , that he may be enlightened with the light of the living . Mark well , Job , hearken unto me ; be silent , and I will speak . If thou hast anything to say , answer me ; speak , for I desire to justify thee . If not , hearken thou unto me ; be silent , and I will teach thee wisdom . Moreover Elihu answered and said , Hear my words , ye wise [ men ] ; and give ear unto me , ye that have knowledge . For the ear trieth words , as the palate tasteth food . Let us choose for ourselves what is right ; let us know among ourselves what is good ! For Job hath said , I am righteous , and God hath taken away my judgment : Should I lie against my right ? My wound is incurable without transgression . What man is like Job ? he drinketh up scorning like water , And goeth in company with workers of iniquity , and walketh with wicked men . For he hath said , It profiteth not a man if he delight himself in God . Therefore hearken unto me , ye men of understanding : Far be wickedness from God , and wrong from the Almighty ! For a man's work will he render to him , and cause every one to find according to [ his ] way . Yea , surely , God acteth not wickedly , and the Almighty perverteth not judgment . Who hath entrusted to him the earth ? and who hath disposed the whole world ? If he only thought of himself , [ and ] gathered unto him his spirit and his breath , All flesh would expire together , and man would return to the dust . If now [ thou hast ] understanding , hear this : give ear to the voice of my words ! Should he that hateth right indeed govern ? and wilt thou condemn the All-just ? Shall one say to a king , Belial ? to nobles , Wicked ? [ How then to him ] that accepteth not the persons of princes , nor regardeth the rich man more than the poor ? for they are all the work of his hands . In a moment they die , even at midnight the people are convulsed and pass away ; and the strong are taken away without hand . For his eyes are upon the ways of man , and he seeth all his steps . There is no darkness , nor shadow of death , where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves . For he doth not long consider a man , to bring him before God in judgment . He breaketh in pieces mighty men without inquiry , and setteth others in their stead ; Since he knoweth their actions ; and he overthroweth [ them ] in the night , and they are crushed . He striketh them as wicked men in the open sight of others , Because they have turned back from him , and would consider none of his ways ; So that they cause the cry of the poor to come unto him , and he heareth the cry of the afflicted . When he giveth quietness , who then will disturb ? and when he hideth [ his ] face , who shall behold him ? and this towards a nation , or towards a man alike ; That the ungodly man reign not , that the people be not ensnared . For hath he said unto God , I bear [ chastisement ] , I will not offend ; What I see not , teach thou me ; if I have done wrong , I will do so no more ? Shall he recompense according to thy mind ? for thou hast refused [ his judgment ] ; for thou so choosest , and not I ; speak then what thou knowest . Men of understanding will say to me , and a wise man who heareth me : Job hath spoken without knowledge , and his words were not with intelligence . Would that Job may be tried unto the end , because of [ his ] answers after the manner of evil men ! For he addeth rebellion unto his sin , he clappeth [ his hands ] among us , and multiplieth his words against God . Moreover Elihu answered and said , Thinkest thou this to be right , that thou saidst , My righteousness is more than God's ? For thou hast asked of what profit it is unto thee : what do I gain more than if I had sinned ? I will reply to thee in words , and to thy companions with thee . Look unto the heavens and see ; and survey the skies : they are higher than thou . If thou sinnest , what doest thou against him ? If thy transgressions be multiplied , what doest thou unto him ? If thou be righteous , what givest thou to him ? or what doth he receive of thy hand ? Thy wickedness [ may affect ] a man as thou [ art ] , and thy righteousness a son of man . By reason of the multitude of oppressions they cry ; they cry out by reason of the arm of the mighty : But none saith , Where is God my Maker , who giveth songs in the night , Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth , and maketh us wiser than the fowl of the heavens ? There they cry , and he answereth not , because of the pride of evil men . Surely God will not hear vanity , neither will the Almighty regard it . Although thou sayest thou dost not see him , judgment is before him , therefore wait for him . But now , because he hath not visited in his anger , doth not [ Job ] know [ his ] great arrogancy ? For Job hath opened his mouth in vanity , and made words abundant without knowledge . And Elihu proceeded and said , Suffer me a little , and I will shew thee that I have yet words for God . I will fetch my knowledge from afar , and will ascribe righteousness to my Creator . For truly my words shall be no falsehood : one perfect in knowledge is with thee . Lo , God is mighty , but despiseth not [ any ] ; mighty in strength of understanding : He saveth not the wicked alive ; but he doeth justice to the afflicted . He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous , but with kings on the throne doth he even set them for ever ; and they are exalted . And if , bound in fetters , they be held in cords of affliction , Then he sheweth them their work , and their transgressions , because they have increased . And he openeth their ear to discipline , and commandeth that they return from iniquity . If they hearken and serve [ him ] , they shall accomplish their days in prosperity , and their years in pleasures . But if they hearken not , they shall pass away by the sword , and expire without knowledge . But the godless in heart heap up anger ; they cry not when he bindeth them : Their soul dieth in youth , and their life is among the unclean . But he delivereth the afflicted in his affliction , and openeth their ear in [ their ] oppression . Even so would he have allured thee out of the jaws of distress into a broad place , where there is no straitness ; and the supply of thy table [ would be ] full of fatness . But thou art full of the judgments of the wicked : judgment and justice take hold [ on thee ] . Because there is wrath , [ beware ] lest it take thee away through chastisement : then a great ransom could not avail thee . Will he esteem thy riches ? Not gold , nor all the resources of strength ! Desire not the night , when peoples are cut off from their place . Take heed , turn not to iniquity ; for this hast thou chosen rather than affliction . Lo , God is exalted in his power : who teacheth as he ? Who hath appointed him his way ? or who hath said , Thou hast wrought unrighteousness ? Remember that thou magnify his work , which men celebrate . All men look at it ; man beholdeth [ it ] afar off . Lo , God is great , and we comprehend [ him ] not , neither can the number of his years be searched out . For he draweth up the drops of water : they distil in rain from the vapour which he formeth , Which the skies pour down [ and ] drop upon man abundantly . But can any understand the spreadings of the clouds , [ or ] the crashing of his pavilion ? Lo , he spreadeth his light around him , and covereth the bottom of the sea . For with them he judgeth the peoples ; he giveth food in abundance . [ His ] hands he covereth with lightning , and commandeth it where it is to strike . His thundering declareth concerning him ; the cattle even , concerning its coming . Aye , my heart trembleth at this also , and leapeth up out of its place : Hear attentively the roar of his voice , and the murmur going forth from his mouth . He sendeth it forth under the whole heaven , and his lightning unto the ends of the earth . After it a voice roareth : he thundereth with the voice of his excellency , and holdeth not back the flashes when his voice is heard . God thundereth marvellously with his voice , doing great things which we do not comprehend . For he saith to the snow , Fall on the earth ! and to the pouring rain , even the pouring rains of his might . He sealeth up the hand of every man ; that all men may know his work . And the wild beast goeth into its lair , and they remain in their dens . From the chamber [ of the south ] cometh the whirlwind ; and cold from the winds of the north . By the breath of God ice is given ; and the breadth of the waters is straitened . Also with plentiful moisture he loadeth the thick clouds , his light dispels the cloud ; And they are turned every way by his guidance , that they may do whatsoever he commandeth them upon the face of the circuit of the earth , Whether he cause it to come as a rod , or for his land , or in mercy . Hearken unto this , Job ; stand still and discern the wondrous works of God . Dost thou know how God hath disposed them , and how he causeth the lightning of his cloud to flash ? Dost thou know about the balancings of the clouds , the wondrous works of him that is perfect in knowledge ? How thy garments become warm when he quieteth the earth by the south wind ? Hast thou with him spread out the sky , firm , like a molten mirror ? Teach us what we shall say unto him ! We cannot order [ our words ] by reason of darkness . Shall it be told him if I would speak ? if a man [ so ] say , surely he shall be swallowed up . And now [ men ] see not the light as it gleameth , it is [ hidden ] in the skies . But the wind passeth by and cleareth them . From the north cometh gold ; with God is terrible majesty . The Almighty , we cannot find him out : excellent in power , and in judgment , and in abundance of justice , he doth not afflict . Men do therefore fear him : he respecteth not any that are wise of heart . And Jehovah answered Job out of the whirlwind and said , Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge ? Gird up now thy loins like a man ; and I will demand of thee , and inform thou me . Where wast thou when I founded the earth ? Declare , if thou hast understanding . Who set the measures thereof -- if thou knowest ? or who stretched a line upon it ? Whereupon were the foundations thereof sunken ? or who laid its corner-stone , When the morning stars sang together , and all the sons of God shouted for joy ? And who shut up the sea with doors , when it burst forth , issuing out of the womb ? When I made the cloud its garment , and thick darkness a swaddling band for it ; When I cut out for it my boundary , and set bars and doors , And said , Hitherto shalt thou come and no further , and here shall thy proud waves be stayed ? Hast thou since thy days commanded the morning ? hast thou caused the dawn to know its place , That it might take hold of the ends of the earth , and the wicked might be shaken out of it ? It is changed like the signet-clay ; and [ all things ] stand forth as in a garment : And from the wicked their light is withholden , and the uplifted arm is broken . Hast thou entered as far as the springs of the sea ? and hast thou walked in the recesses of the deep ? Have the gates of death been revealed unto thee ? and hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death ? Hath thine understanding compassed the breadths of the earth ? Declare if thou knowest it all . Where is the way to where light dwelleth ? and the darkness , where is its place , That thou shouldest take it to its bound , and that thou shouldest know the paths to its house ? Thou knowest , for thou wast then born , and the number of thy days is great ! Hast thou entered into the storehouses of the snow , and hast thou seen the treasuries of the hail , Which I have reserved for the time of distress , for the day of battle and war ? By what way is the light parted , [ and ] the east wind scattered upon the earth ? Who hath divided a channel for the rain-flood , and a way for the thunder's flash ; To cause it to rain on the earth , where no one is ; on the wilderness wherein there is not a man ; To satisfy the desolate and waste [ ground ] , and to cause the sprout of the grass to spring forth ? Hath the rain a father ? or who begetteth the drops of dew ? Out of whose womb cometh the ice ? and the hoary frost of heaven , who bringeth it forth ? When the waters lie hidden as in stone , and the face of the deep holdeth fast together . Canst thou fasten the bands of the Pleiades , or loosen the cords of Orion ? Dost thou bring forth the constellations each in its season ? or dost thou guide the Bear with her sons ? Knowest thou the ordinances of the heavens ? dost thou determine their rule over the earth ? Dost thou lift up thy voice to the clouds , that floods of waters may cover thee ? Dost thou send forth lightnings that they may go , and say unto thee , Here we are ? Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts ? or who hath given understanding to the mind ? Who numbereth the clouds with wisdom ? or who poureth out the bottles of the heavens , When the dust runneth as into a molten mass , and the clods cleave fast together ? Dost thou hunt the prey for the lioness , and dost thou satisfy the appetite of the young lions , When they crouch in [ their ] dens , [ and ] abide in the thicket to lie in wait ? Who provideth for the raven his food , when his young ones cry unto God , [ and ] they wander for lack of meat ? Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth ? dost thou mark the calving of the hinds ? Dost thou number the months that they fulfil ? and knowest thou the time when they bring forth ? They bow themselves , they give birth to their young ones , they cast out their pains ; Their young ones become strong , they grow up in the open field , they go forth , and return not unto them . Who hath sent out the wild ass free ? and who hath loosed the bands of the onager , Whose house I made the wilderness , and the salt plain his dwellings ? He laugheth at the tumult of the city , and heareth not the shouts of the driver ; The range of the mountains is his pasture , and he searcheth after every green thing . Will the buffalo be willing to serve thee , or will he lodge by thy crib ? Canst thou bind the buffalo with his cord in the furrow ? or will he harrow the valleys after thee ? Wilt thou put confidence in him , because his strength is great ? and wilt thou leave thy labour to him ? Wilt thou trust him to bring home thy seed , and gather it into thy threshing-floor ? The wing of the ostrich beats joyously -- But is it the stork's pinion and plumage ? For she leaveth her eggs to the earth , and warmeth them in the dust , And forgetteth that the foot may crush them , or that the beast of the field may trample them . She is hardened against her young ones , as though they were not hers ; her labour is in vain , without her concern . For God hath deprived her of wisdom , and hath not furnished her with understanding . What time she lasheth herself on high , she scorneth the horse and his rider . Hast thou given strength to the horse ? hast thou clothed his neck with the quivering mane ? Dost thou make him to leap as a locust ? His majestic snorting is terrible . He paweth in the valley , and rejoiceth in [ his ] strength ; he goeth forth to meet the armed host . He laugheth at fear , and is not affrighted ; neither turneth he back from before the sword . The quiver rattleth upon him , the glittering spear and the javelin . He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage , and cannot contain himself at the sound of the trumpet : At the noise of the trumpets he saith , Aha ! and he smelleth the battle afar off , the thunder of the captains , and the shouting . Doth the hawk fly by thine intelligence , [ and ] stretch his wings toward the south ? Doth the eagle mount up at thy command , and make his nest on high ? He inhabiteth the rock and maketh his dwelling on the point of the cliff , and the fastness : From thence he spieth out the prey , his eyes look into the distance ; And his young ones suck up blood ; and where the slain are , there is he . And Jehovah answered Job and said , Shall he that will contend with the Almighty instruct [ him ] ? he that reproveth God , let him answer it . And Job answered Jehovah and said , Behold , I am nought : what shall I answer thee ? I will lay my hand upon my mouth . Once have I spoken , and I will not answer ; yea twice , but I will proceed no further . And Jehovah answered Job out of the whirlwind and said , Gird up now thy loins like a man : I will demand of thee , and inform thou me . Wilt thou also annul my judgment ? wilt thou condemn me that thou mayest be righteous ? Hast thou an arm like God ? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him ? Deck thyself now with glory and excellency , and clothe thyself with majesty and splendour . Cast abroad the ragings of thine anger , and look on every one that is proud , and abase him : Look on every one that is proud , bring him low , and tread down the wicked in their place : Hide them in the dust together ; bind their faces in secret . Then will I also praise thee , because thy right hand saveth thee . See now the behemoth , which I made with thee : he eateth grass as an ox . Behold now , his strength is in his loins , and his force is in the muscles of his belly . He bendeth his tail like a cedar ; the sinews of his thighs are woven together . His bones are tubes of bronze , his members are like bars of iron . He is the chief of God's ways : he that made him gave him his sword . For the mountains bring him forth food , where all the beasts of the field play . He lieth under lotus-bushes , in the covert of the reed and fen : Lotus-bushes cover him with their shade ; the willows of the brook surround him . Lo , the river overfloweth -- he startleth not : he is confident though a Jordan break forth against his mouth . Shall he be taken in front ? will they pierce through [ his ] nose in the trap ? Wilt thou draw out the leviathan with the hook , and press down his tongue with a cord ? Wilt thou put a rush-rope into his nose , and pierce his jaw with a spike ? Will he make many supplications unto thee ? or will he speak softly unto thee ? Will he make a covenant with thee ? wilt thou take him as a bondman for ever ? Wilt thou play with him as with a bird , and wilt thou bind him for thy maidens ? Shall partners make traffic of him , will they divide him among merchants ? Wilt thou fill his skin with darts , and his head with fish-spears ? Lay thy hand upon him ; remember the battle , -- do no more ! Lo , hope as to him is belied : is not one cast down even at the sight of him ? None is so bold as to stir him up ; and who is he that will stand before me ? Who hath first given to me , that I should repay [ him ] ? [ Whatsoever is ] under the whole heaven is mine . I will not be silent as to his parts , the story of his power , and the beauty of his structure . Who can uncover the surface of his garment ? who can come within his double jaws ? Who can open the doors of his face ? Round about his teeth is terror . The rows of his shields are a pride , shut up together [ as with ] a close seal . One is so near to another that no air can come between them ; They are joined each to its fellow ; they stick together , and cannot be sundered . His sneezings flash light , and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning . Out of his mouth go forth flames ; sparks of fire leap out : Out of his nostrils goeth smoke , as out of a boiling pot and cauldron . His breath kindleth coals , and a flame goeth out of his mouth . In his neck lodgeth strength , and terror danceth before him . The flakes of his flesh are joined together : they are fused upon him , they cannot be moved . His heart is firm as a stone , yea , firm as the nether [ millstone ] . When he raiseth himself up , the mighty are afraid : they are beside themselves with consternation . If any reach him with a sword , it cannot hold ; neither spear , nor dart , nor harpoon . He esteemeth iron as straw , bronze as rotten wood . The arrow will not make him flee ; slingstones are turned with him into stubble . Clubs are counted as stubble ; he laugheth at the shaking of a javelin . His under parts are sharp potsherds : he spreadeth a threshing-sledge upon the mire . He maketh the deep to boil like a pot ; he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment ; He maketh the path to shine after him : one would think the deep to be hoary . Upon earth there is not his like , who is made without fear . He beholdeth all high things ; he is king over all the proud beasts . And Job answered Jehovah and said , I know that thou canst do everything , and that thou canst be hindered in no thought of thine . Who is he that obscureth counsel without knowledge ? therefore have I uttered what I did not understand ; things too wonderful for me , which I knew not . Hear , I beseech thee , and I will speak : I will demand of thee , and inform me . I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear , but now mine eye seeth thee : Wherefore I abhor [ myself ] , and repent in dust and ashes . And it came to pass after Jehovah had spoken these words to Job , that Jehovah said to Eliphaz the Temanite , Mine anger is kindled against thee , and against thy two friends ; for ye have not spoken rightly of me , like my servant Job . And now , take for yourselves seven bullocks and seven rams , and go to my servant Job , and offer up for yourselves a burnt-offering ; and my servant Job shall pray for you , for him will I accept : lest I deal with you [ after your ] folly , for ye have not spoken of me rightly , like my servant Job . Then Eliphaz the Temanite , and Bildad the Shuhite , and Zophar the Naamathite , went and did according as Jehovah had said unto them ; and Jehovah accepted Job . And Jehovah turned the captivity of Job , when he had prayed for his friends ; and Jehovah gave Job twice as much as he had before . And all his brethren , and all his sisters , and all they that had been of his acquaintance before , came to him , and they ate bread with him in his house , and they condoled with him , and comforted him concerning all the evil that Jehovah had brought upon him ; and every one gave him a piece of money , and every one a golden ring . And Jehovah blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning ; and he had fourteen thousand sheep , and six thousand camels , and a thousand yoke of oxen , and a thousand she-asses . And he had seven sons and three daughters . And he called the name of the first , Jemimah ; and the name of the second , Keziah ; and the name of the third , Keren-happuch . And in all the land were no women found [ so ] fair as the daughters of Job ; and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren . And Job lived after this a hundred and forty years , and saw his sons , and his sons' sons , four generations . And Job died , old and full of days .