Job 26

Job’s Ninth Speech: A Response to Bildad

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

2 “How you ^{▼▼Singular} have helped ⌞one who has no power⌟! ^{▼▼Literally “for not power”}
How you ^{▼▼Singular} have assisted the arm ⌞that has no strength⌟! ^{▼▼Literally “not strength”}
3 How you ^{▼▼Singular} have advised ⌞one who has no wisdom⌟! ^{▼▼Literally “for not wisdom”}
And what sound wisdom you ^{▼▼Singular} have made known ⌞in abundance⌟! ^{▼▼Literally “as far as the multitude,” or “for multitude”}
4 ⌞With whose help⌟ ^{▼▼Literally “With whom”} have you ^{▼▼Singular} uttered words,
and whose breath has come forth from you? ^{▼▼Singular}
5 “The spirits of the dead tremble
below the waters and their inhabitants.
6 Sheol is naked before him,
and there is no covering for Abaddon.
7 He stretches out the north over emptiness;
he hangs the earth ⌞over nothing⌟. ^{▼▼Literally “over not what”}
8 He ties up the water in its clouds,
and the cloud is not torn open beneath it. ^{▼▼Hebrew “them”; antecedent for “them” is “water” (literally “waters”)}
9 He covers the face of the full moon; ^{▼▼Text reads “throne”; “full moon” is based on a change of the vowels}
he spreads his cloud over it.
10 ⌞He has described a circle⌟ ^{▼▼NRSV; literally “a limit he has circled”} on the face of the water
⌞between light and darkness⌟. ^{▼▼Literally “at the end of light with darkness”}
11 “The pillars of heaven tremble,
and they are astounded at his rebuke.
12 By his power he stilled the sea,
and by his understanding he struck down Rahab.
13 By his breath ⌞the heavens were made clear⌟; ^{▼▼Literally “heavens clearness”}
his hand pierced the fleeing snake.
14 Look, these are the outer fringes of his ways,
and ⌞how faint is the word⌟ ^{▼▼Literally “how whisper of word”} that we hear of him!
But ^{▼▼Hebrew “And”} who can understand the thunder of his power?”