Job 16

Job’s Fifth Speech

1 Then ^{▼▼Hebrew “And”} Job answered and said,

2 “I have heard many things like these;
all of you are ⌞miserable comforters⌟. ^{▼▼Literally “comforters of trouble”}
3 Is there a limit to windy words?
What provokes you that you answer?
4 I myself ^{▼▼Emphatic personal pronoun;} also could talk as you,
if ⌞you were in my place⌟; ^{▼▼Literally “there is your soul in place of my soul”}
I could join against you with words,
and I could shake at you with my head.
5 I could ^{▼▼Or “would”} encourage you with my mouth,
and the solace of my lips would ^{▼▼Or “should”} ease the pain.
6 If I speak, my pain is not relieved;
and if I cease, how much will leave me?
7 “Surely now he has worn me out;
you ^{▼▼Singular} have devastated all my company.
8 Thus ^{▼▼Hebrew “And”} you shriveled me up; ^{▼▼Or “you have seized me”}
it became a witness.
And my leanness has risen up against me;
it testifies to my face.
9 His wrath has torn, and he has been hostile toward me;
he gnashed at me with his teeth.
My foe sharpens his eyes against me.
10 They gaped at me with their mouth;
they struck my cheeks with disgrace;
they have massed themselves together against me.
11 God delivers me to an evil one,
and he casts me into the hands of the wicked.
12 “I was at ease, then ^{▼▼Hebrew “and”} he broke me in two,
and he seized me by my neck;
then ^{▼▼Hebrew “and”} he shattered me
and set me up as a target for him.
13 His archers surround me;
he slashes open my kidneys, and he does not have compassion;
he pours out my gall on the ground.
14 He breached me ⌞breach upon breach⌟; ^{▼▼Literally “breach upon the faces of breach”}
he rushes at me like a warrior.
15 “I have sewed sackcloth on my skin,
and I have inserted ⌞my pride⌟ ^{▼▼Literally “my horn”} in the dust.
16 My face is red because of weeping,
and deep shadows are on my eyelids,
17 ⌞although⌟ ^{▼▼Literally “upon,” or “because”} violence is not on my hands,
and my prayer is pure.
18 “O earth, you should not cover my blood,
and let there be no place ^{▼▼Or “do not let it become a place”} for my cry for help.
19 So now look, my witness is in the heavens,
and he who vouches for me is in the heights.
20 My friends scorn me;
my eye pours out tears to God,
21 and it argues ^{▼▼Or “but may someone argue”} for a mortal with God,
and as ⌞a human⌟ ^{▼▼Literally “a son of man”} for his friend.
22 Indeed, after ⌞a few years⌟ ^{▼▼Literally “years of number”} have come,
then ^{▼▼Hebrew “and”} I will go the way from which I will not return.