New American Standard Bible (NASB)

God Is Just

1 “Call now, is there anyone who will answer you?

And to which of the holy ones will you turn?

2 For anger slays the foolish man,

And jealousy kills the simple.

3 I have seen the foolish taking root,

And I cursed his abode immediately.

4 His sons are far from safety,

They are evenoppressed in the gate,

And there is no deliverer.

5 His harvest the hungry devour

And take it to aplace ofthorns,

And the schemer is eager for their wealth.

6 For affliction does not come from the dust,

Nor does trouble sprout from the ground,

7 For man is born for trouble,

As sparks fly upward.

8 “But as for me, I would seek God,

And I would place my cause before God;

9 Who does great and unsearchable things,

Wonders without number.

10 He gives rain on the earth

And sends water on the fields,

11 So that He sets on high those who are lowly,

And those who mourn are lifted to safety.

12 He frustrates the plotting of the shrewd,

So that their hands cannot attain success.

13 He captures the wise by their own shrewdness,

And the advice of the cunning is quickly thwarted.

14 By day they meet with darkness,

And grope at noon as in the night.

15 But He saves from the sword of their mouth,

And the poor from the hand of the mighty.

16 So the helpless has hope,

And unrighteousness must shut its mouth.

17 “Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves,

So do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.

18 For He inflicts pain, and gives relief;

He wounds, and His handsalsoheal.

19 From six troubles He will deliver you,

Even in seven evil will not touch you.

20 In famine He will redeem you from death,

And in war from the power of the sword.

21 You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue,

And you will not be afraid of violence when it comes.

22 You will laugh at violence and famine,

And you will not be afraid of wild beasts.

23 For you will be in league with the stones of the field,

And the beasts of the field will be at peace with you.

24 You will know that your tent is secure,

For you will visit your abode and fear no loss.

25 You will know also that your descendants will be many,

And your offspring as the grass of the earth.

26 You will come to the grave in full vigor,

Like the stacking of grain in its season.

27 Behold this; we have investigated it,andso it is.

Hear it, and know for yourself.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/80/32k/JOB/5-111934987d077c608c8d91e9e90f7358.mp3?version_id=100—

Job’s Friends Are No Help

1 Then Job answered,

2 “Oh that my grief were actually weighed

And laid in the balances together with my calamity!

3 For then it would be heavier than the sand of the seas;

Therefore my words have been rash.

4 For the arrows of the Almighty are within me,

Their poison my spirit drinks;

The terrors of God are arrayed against me.

5 Does the wild donkey bray overhisgrass,

Or does the ox low over his fodder?

6 Can something tasteless be eaten without salt,

Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

7 My soul refuses to touchthem;

They are like loathsome food to me.

8 “Oh that my request might come to pass,

And that God would grant my longing!

9 Would that God were willing to crush me,

That He would loose His hand and cut me off!

10 But it is still my consolation,

And I rejoice in unsparing pain,

That I have not denied the words of the Holy One.

11 What is my strength, that I should wait?

And what is my end, that I should endure?

12 Is my strength the strength of stones,

Or is my flesh bronze?

13 Is it that my help is not within me,

And that deliverance is driven from me?

14 “For the despairing manthere should bekindness from his friend;

So that he does not forsake the fear of the Almighty.

15 My brothers have acted deceitfully like a wadi,

Like the torrents of wadis which vanish,

16 Which are turbid because of ice

Andinto which the snow melts.

17 When they become waterless, they are silent,

When it is hot, they vanish from their place.

18 The paths of their course wind along,

They go up into nothing and perish.

19 The caravans of Tema looked,

The travelers of Sheba hoped for them.

20 They were disappointed for they had trusted,

They came there and were confounded.

21 Indeed, you have now become such,

You see a terror and are afraid.

22 Have I said, ‘Give mesomething,’

Or, ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth,’

23 Or, ‘Deliver me from the hand of the adversary,’

Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of the tyrants’?

24 “Teach me, and I will be silent;

And show me how I have erred.

25 How painful are honest words!

But what does your argument prove?

26 Do you intend to reprovemywords,

When the words of one in despair belong to the wind?

27 You would even castlotsfor the orphans

And barter over your friend.

28 Now please look at me,

Andseeif I lie to your face.

29 Desist now, let there be no injustice;

Even desist, my righteousness is yet in it.

30 Is there injustice on my tongue?

Cannot my palate discern calamities?

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/80/32k/JOB/6-42046ec7fb017fb2ffec3852e3c2cedd.mp3?version_id=100—

Job’s Life Seems Futile

1 “Is not man forced to labor on earth,

Andare nothis days like the days of a hired man?

2 As a slave who pants for the shade,

And as a hired man who eagerly waits for his wages,

3 So am I allotted months of vanity,

And nights of trouble are appointed me.

4 When I lie down I say,

‘When shall I arise?’

But the night continues,

And I am continually tossing until dawn.

5 My flesh is clothed with worms and a crust of dirt,

My skin hardens and runs.

6 My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,

And come to an end without hope.

7 “Remember that my life isbutbreath;

My eye will not again see good.

8 The eye of him who sees me will behold me no longer;

Your eyeswill beon me, but I will not be.

9 When a cloud vanishes, it is gone,

So he who goes down to Sheol does not come up.

10 He will not return again to his house,

Nor will his place know him anymore.

11 “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.

12 Am I the sea, or the sea monster,

That You set a guard over me?

13 If I say, ‘My bed will comfort me,

My couch will ease my complaint,’

14 Then You frighten me with dreams

And terrify me by visions;

15 So that my soul would choose suffocation,

Death rather than my pains.

16 I waste away; I will not live forever.

Leave me alone, for my days arebuta breath.

17 What is man that You magnify him,

And that You are concerned about him,

18 That You examine him every morning

And try him every moment?

19 Will You never turn Your gaze away from me,

Nor let me alone until I swallow my spittle?

20 Have I sinned? What have I done to You,

O watcher of men?

Why have You set me as Your target,

So that I am a burden to myself?

21 Why then do You not pardon my transgression

And take away my iniquity?

For now I will lie down in the dust;

And You will seek me, but I will not be.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/80/32k/JOB/7-ed9f56d67c1a14efba52e3e77c534911.mp3?version_id=100—

Bildad Says God Rewards the Good

1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered,

2 “How long will you say these things,

And the words of your mouth be a mighty wind?

3 Does God pervert justice?

Or does the Almighty pervert what is right?

4 If your sons sinned against Him,

Then He delivered them into the power of their transgression.

5 If you would seek God

And implore the compassion of the Almighty,

6 If you are pure and upright,

Surely now He would rouse Himself for you

And restore your righteous estate.

7 Though your beginning was insignificant,

Yet your end will increase greatly.

8 “Please inquire of past generations,

And consider the things searched out by their fathers.

9 For we areonlyof yesterday and know nothing,

Because our days on earth are as a shadow.

10 Will they not teach youandtell you,

And bring forth words from their minds?

11 “Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh?

Can the rushes grow without water?

12 While it is still greenandnot cut down,

Yet it withers before anyotherplant.

13 So are the paths of all who forget God;

And the hope of the godless will perish,

14 Whose confidence is fragile,

And whose trust a spider’s web.

15 He trusts in his house, but it does not stand;

He holds fast to it, but it does not endure.

16 He thrives before the sun,

And his shoots spread out over his garden.

17 His roots wrap around a rock pile,

He grasps a house of stones.

18 If he is removed from his place,

Then it will deny him,saying,‘I never saw you.’

19 Behold, this is the joy of His way;

And out of the dust others will spring.

20 Lo, God will not rejecta man ofintegrity,

Nor will He support the evildoers.

21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter

And your lips with shouting.

22 Those who hate you will be clothed with shame,

And the tent of the wicked will be no longer.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/80/32k/JOB/8-0e18dfe78bc42307a8c0416089675c9c.mp3?version_id=100—

Job Says There Is No Arbitrator between God and Man

1 Then Job answered,

2 “In truth I know that this is so;

But how can a man be in the right before God?

3 If one wished to dispute with Him,

He could not answer Him once in a thousandtimes.

4 Wise in heart and mighty in strength,

Who has defied Him without harm?

5 It is Godwho removes the mountains, they know nothow,

When He overturns them in His anger;

6 Who shakes the earth out of its place,

And its pillars tremble;

7 Who commands the sun not to shine,

And sets a seal upon the stars;

8 Who alone stretches out the heavens

And tramples down the waves of the sea;

9 Who makes the Bear, Orion and the Pleiades,

And the chambers of the south;

10 Who does great things, unfathomable,

And wondrous works without number.

11 Were He to pass by me, I would not see Him;

Were He to move pastme,I would not perceive Him.

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

Who could say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’

13 “God will not turn back His anger;

Beneath Him crouch the helpers of Rahab.

14 How then can I answer Him,

Andchoose my words before Him?

15 For though I were right, I could not answer;

I would have to implore the mercy of my judge.

16 If I called and He answered me,

I could not believe that He was listening to my voice.

17 For He bruises me with a tempest

And multiplies my wounds without cause.

18 He will not allow me to get my breath,

But saturates me with bitterness.

19 Ifit is a matterof power, behold,He isthe strong one!

And ifit is a matterof justice, who can summon Him?

20 Though I am righteous, my mouth will condemn me;

Though I am guiltless, He will declare me guilty.

21 I am guiltless;

I do not take notice of myself;

I despise my life.

22 It isallone; therefore I say,

‘He destroys the guiltless and the wicked.’

23 If the scourge kills suddenly,

He mocks the despair of the innocent.

24 The earth is given into the hand of the wicked;

He covers the faces of its judges.

Ifit isnotHe,then who is it?

25 “Now my days are swifter than a runner;

They flee away, they see no good.

26 They slip by like reed boats,

Like an eagle that swoops on its prey.

27 Though I say, ‘I will forget my complaint,

I will leave off mysadcountenance and be cheerful,’

28 I am afraid of all my pains,

I know that You will not acquit me.

29 I am accounted wicked,

Why then should I toil in vain?

30 If I should wash myself with snow

And cleanse my hands with lye,

31 Yet You would plunge me into the pit,

And my own clothes would abhor me.

32 ForHe isnot a man as I am that I may answer Him,

That we may go to court together.

33 There is no umpire between us,

Who may lay his hand upon us both.

34 Let Him remove His rod from me,

And let not dread of Him terrify me.

35 ThenI would speak and not fear Him;

But I am not like that in myself.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/80/32k/JOB/9-d1e524d27342eebdde2d76b29d164f4b.mp3?version_id=100—

Job Despairs of God’s Dealings

1 “I loathe my own life;

I will give full vent to my complaint;

I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.

2 I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me;

Let me know why You contend with me.

3 Is it right for You indeed to oppress,

To reject the labor of Your hands,

And to look favorably on the schemes of the wicked?

4 Have You eyes of flesh?

Or do You see as a man sees?

5 Are Your days as the days of a mortal,

Or Your years as man’s years,

6 That You should seek for my guilt

And search after my sin?

7 According to Your knowledge I am indeed not guilty,

Yet there is no deliverance from Your hand.

8 ‘Your hands fashioned and made me altogether,

And would You destroy me?

9 Remember now, that You have made me as clay;

And would You turn me into dust again?

10 Did You not pour me out like milk

And curdle me like cheese;

11 Clothe me with skin and flesh,

And knit me together with bones and sinews?

12 You have granted me life and lovingkindness;

And Your care has preserved my spirit.

13 Yet these things You have concealed in Your heart;

I know that this is within You:

14 If I sin, then You would take note of me,

And would not acquit me of my guilt.

15 If I am wicked, woe to me!

And if I am righteous, I dare not lift up my head.

I amsated with disgrace and conscious of my misery.

16 Shouldmy headbe lifted up, You would hunt me like a lion;

And again You would show Your power against me.

17 You renew Your witnesses against me

And increase Your anger toward me;

Hardship after hardship is with me.

18 ‘Why then have You brought me out of the womb?

Would that I had died and no eye had seen me!

19 I should have been as though I had not been,

Carried from womb to tomb.’

20 Would He not let my few days alone?

Withdraw from me that I may have a little cheer

21 Before I go—and I shall not return—

To the land of darkness and deep shadow,

22 The land of utter gloom as darknessitself,

Of deep shadow without order,

And which shines as the darkness.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/80/32k/JOB/10-832a20c942b62c8fb3f8ad098805ea67.mp3?version_id=100—

Zophar Rebukes Job

1 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered,

2 “Shall a multitude of words go unanswered,

And a talkative man be acquitted?

3 Shall your boasts silence men?

And shall you scoff and none rebuke?

4 For you have said, ‘My teaching is pure,

And I am innocent in your eyes.’

5 But would that God might speak,

And open His lips against you,

6 And show you the secrets of wisdom!

For sound wisdom has two sides.

Know then that God forgets a part of your iniquity.

7 “Can you discover the depths of God?

Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?

8 They arehigh as the heavens, what can you do?

Deeper than Sheol, what can you know?

9 Its measure is longer than the earth

And broader than the sea.

10 If He passes by or shuts up,

Or calls an assembly, who can restrain Him?

11 For He knows false men,

And He sees iniquity without investigating.

12 An idiot will become intelligent

When the foal of a wild donkey is born a man.

13 “If you would direct your heart right

And spread out your hand to Him,

14 If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away,

And do not let wickedness dwell in your tents;

15 Then, indeed, you could lift up your face withoutmoraldefect,

And you would be steadfast and not fear.

16 For you would forgetyourtrouble,

As waters that have passed by, you would rememberit.

17 Your life would be brighter than noonday;

Darkness would be like the morning.

18 Then you would trust, because there is hope;

And you would look around and rest securely.

19 You would lie down and none would disturbyou,

And many would entreat your favor.

20 But the eyes of the wicked will fail,

And there will be no escape for them;

And their hope is to breathe their last.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/80/32k/JOB/11-bb42a48af8c675580120cd9fb52d2a7c.mp3?version_id=100—

Job Chides His Accusers

1 Then Job responded,

2 “Truly then you are the people,

And with you wisdom will die!

3 But I have intelligence as well as you;

I am not inferior to you.

And who does not know such things as these?

4 I am a joke to my friends,

The one who called on God and He answered him;

The justandblamelessmanis a joke.

5 He who is at ease holds calamity in contempt,

As prepared for those whose feet slip.

6 The tents of the destroyers prosper,

And those who provoke God are secure,

Whom God brings into their power.

7 “But now ask the beasts, and let them teach you;

And the birds of the heavens, and let them tell you.

8 Or speak to the earth, and let it teach you;

And let the fish of the sea declare to you.

9 Who among all these does not know

That the hand of the Lordhas done this,

10 In whose hand is the life of every living thing,

And the breath of all mankind?

11 Does not the ear test words,

As the palate tastes its food?

12 Wisdom is with aged men,

Withlong life is understanding.

Job Speaks of the Power of God

13 “With Him are wisdom and might;

To Him belong counsel and understanding.

14 Behold, He tears down, and it cannot be rebuilt;

He imprisons a man, and there can be no release.

15 Behold, He restrains the waters, and they dry up;

And He sends them out, and they inundate the earth.

16 With Him are strength and sound wisdom,

The misled and the misleader belong to Him.

17 He makes counselors walk barefoot

And makes fools of judges.

18 He loosens the bond of kings

And binds their loins with a girdle.

19 He makes priests walk barefoot

And overthrows the secure ones.

20 He deprives the trusted ones of speech

And takes away the discernment of the elders.

21 He pours contempt on nobles

And loosens the belt of the strong.

22 He reveals mysteries from the darkness

And brings the deep darkness into light.

23 He makes the nations great, then destroys them;

He enlarges the nations, then leads them away.

24 He deprives of intelligence the chiefs of the earth’s people

And makes them wander in a pathless waste.

25 They grope in darkness with no light,

And He makes them stagger like a drunken man.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/80/32k/JOB/12-7b67b89d6bc83190c505c7e0bf595761.mp3?version_id=100—

Job Says His Friends’ Proverbs Are Ashes

1 “Behold, my eye has seen allthis,

My ear has heard and understood it.

2 What you know I also know;

I am not inferior to you.

3 “But I would speak to the Almighty,

And I desire to argue with God.

4 But you smear with lies;

You are all worthless physicians.

5 O that you would be completely silent,

And that it would become your wisdom!

6 Please hear my argument

And listen to the contentions of my lips.

7 Will you speak what is unjust for God,

And speak what is deceitful for Him?

8 Will you show partiality for Him?

Will you contend for God?

9 Will it be well when He examines you?

Or will you deceive Him as one deceives a man?

10 He will surely reprove you

If you secretly show partiality.

11 Will not His majesty terrify you,

And the dread of Him fall on you?

12 Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes,

Your defenses are defenses of clay.

Job Is Sure He Will Be Vindicated

13 “Be silent before me so that I may speak;

Then let come on me what may.

14 Why should I take my flesh in my teeth

And put my life in my hands?

15 Though He slay me,

I will hope in Him.

Nevertheless I will argue my ways before Him.

16 This also will be my salvation,

For a godless man may not come before His presence.

17 Listen carefully to my speech,

And let my declarationfillyour ears.

18 Behold now, I have prepared my case;

I know that I will be vindicated.

19 Who will contend with me?

For then I would be silent and die.

20 “Only two things do not do to me,

Then I will not hide from Your face:

21 Remove Your hand from me,

And let not the dread of You terrify me.

22 Then call, and I will answer;

Or let me speak, then reply to me.

23 How many are my iniquities and sins?

Make known to me my rebellion and my sin.

24 Why do You hide Your face

And consider me Your enemy?

25 Will You cause a driven leaf to tremble?

Or will You pursue the dry chaff?

26 For You write bitter things against me

And make me to inherit the iniquities of my youth.

27 You put my feet in the stocks

And watch all my paths;

You set a limit for the soles of my feet,

28 While I am decaying like a rotten thing,

Like a garment that is moth-eaten.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/80/32k/JOB/13-44cad941287cb50a893f86d0c7cf4c63.mp3?version_id=100—

Job Speaks of the Finality of Death

1 “Man, who is born of woman,

Is short-lived and full of turmoil.

2 Like a flower he comes forth and withers.

He also flees like a shadow and does not remain.

3 You also open Your eyes on him

And bring him into judgment with Yourself.

4 Who can make the clean out of the unclean?

No one!

5 Since his days are determined,

The number of his months is with You;

And his limits You have set so that he cannot pass.

6 Turn Your gaze from him that he may rest,

Until he fulfills his day like a hired man.

7 “For there is hope for a tree,

When it is cut down, that it will sprout again,

And its shoots will not fail.

8 Though its roots grow old in the ground

And its stump dies in the dry soil,

9 At the scent of water it will flourish

And put forth sprigs like a plant.

10 But man dies and lies prostrate.

Man expires, and where is he?

11 Aswater evaporates from the sea,

And a river becomes parched and dried up,

12 So man lies down and does not rise.

Until the heavens are no longer,

He will not awake nor be aroused out of his sleep.

13 “Oh that You would hide me in Sheol,

That You would conceal me until Your wrath returnsto You,

That You would set a limit for me and remember me!

14 If a man dies, will he liveagain?

All the days of my struggle I will wait

Until my change comes.

15 You will call, and I will answer You;

You will long for the work of Your hands.

16 For now You number my steps,

You do not observe my sin.

17 My transgression is sealed up in a bag,

And You wrap up my iniquity.

18 “But the falling mountain crumbles away,

And the rock moves from its place;

19 Water wears away stones,

Its torrents wash away the dust of the earth;

So You destroy man’s hope.

20 You forever overpower him and he departs;

Youchange his appearance and send him away.

21 His sons achieve honor, but he does not knowit;

Or they become insignificant, but he does not perceive it.

22 But his body pains him,

And he mourns only for himself.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/80/32k/JOB/14-54a873a532a7cba59faa2607945be93c.mp3?version_id=100—