Job 19
Job Continues: Admit That God Is Mistreating Me
1 Then Job replied to his friends,2 “How long will you torment meand depress me with words?3 You have insulted me ten times now.You’re not even ashamed of mistreating me.4 Even if it were true that I’ve made a mistake without realizing it,my mistake would affect only me.5 If you are trying to make yourselves look better than meby using my disgrace as an argument against me,6 then I want you to know that God has wronged meand surrounded me with his net.7 Indeed, I cry, ‘Help! I’m being attacked!’ but I get no response.I call for help, but there is no justice.
What God Has Done to Me
8 “God has blocked my path so that I can’t go on.He has made my paths dark.9 He has stripped me of my honor.He has taken the crown off my head.10 He beats me down on every side until I’m gone.He uproots my hope like a tree.11 He is very angry at me.He considers me to be his enemy.12 His troops assemble against me.They build a ramp to attack meand camp around my tent.13 “My brothers stay far away from me.My friends are complete strangers to me.14 My relatives and my closest friends have stopped coming.My house guests have forgotten me.15 My female slaves consider me to be a stranger.I am like a foreigner to them.16 I call my slave, but he doesn’t answer, though I beg him.17 My breath offends my wife.I stink to my own children.18 Even young children despise me.If I stand up, they make fun of me.19 All my closest friends are disgusted with me.Those I love have turned against me.20 I am skin and bones,and I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.21 “Have pity on me, my friends!Have pity on me because God’s hand has struck me down.22 Why do you pursue me as God does?Why are you never satisfied with my flesh?
Job’s Confidence in His Defender
23 “I wish now my words were written.I wish they were inscribed on a scroll.24 I wish they were forever engraved on a rockwith an iron stylus and lead.t25 But I know that my defender lives,and afterwards, he will rise on the earth.26 Even after my skin has been stripped off my body,I will see God in my own flesh.27 I will see him with my own eyes,not with someone else’s.My heart fails inside me!
Job Warns His Friends
28 “You say,‘We will persecute him!The root of the problem is found in him.’29 Fear death,because your anger is punishable by death.Then you will know there is a judge.”
Job 19
Job’s Reply to Bildad
1 Then Job answered:
2 “How long will you torment met
and crusht me with your words?t
3 These ten timess you have been reproaching me;t
you are not ashamed to attack me!t
4 But even if it weret true that I have erred,t
my errort remains solely my concern!
5 If indeedt you would exalt yourselvest above me
and plead my disgrace against me,s
6 knowt then that God has wronged met
and encircledt me with his net.t
Job’s Abandonment and Affliction
7 “Ift I cry out,s ‘Violence!’t
I receive no answer;t
I cry for help,
but there is no justice.
8 He has blockedt my way so I cannot pass,
and has set darknesst over my paths.
9 He has stripped me of my honor
and has taken the crown off my head.s
10 He tears me downt on every side until I perish;t
he uprootst my hopet like one uprootst a tree.
11 Thust his anger burns against me,
and he considers me among his enemies.t
12 His troopss advance together;
they throw upt a siege ramp against me,
and they camp around my tent.
Job’s Forsaken State
13 “He has put my relativest far from me;
my acquaintances onlyt turn away from me.
14 My kinsmen have failed me;
my friendst have forgotten me.t
15 My guestst and my servant girls
considert me a stranger;
I am a foreignert in their eyes.
16 I summont my servant, but he does not respond,
even though I imploret him with my own mouth.
17 My breath is repulsivet to my wife;
I am loathsomet to my brothers.t
18 Even youngsters have scorned me;
when I get up,s they scoff at me.t
19 All my closest friendst detest me;
and those whomt I love have turned against me.t
20 My bones stick to my skin and my flesh;t
I have escapedt alivet with only the skin of my teeth.
21 Have pity on me, my friends, have pity on me,
for the hand of God has struck me.
22 Why do you pursue me like God does?s
Will you never be satiated with my flesh?s
Job’s Assurance of Vindication
23 “O thatt my words were written down,
O that they were written on a scroll,t
24 that with an iron chisel and with leads
they were engraved in a rock forever!
25 As for me, I know that my Redeemert lives,
and that as the lastt
he will stand upon the earth.t
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,t
yet in my flesht I will see God,t
27 whom I will see for myself,t
and whom my own eyes will behold,
and not another.t
My heartt grows faint within me.t
28 If you say, ‘How we will pursue him,
since the root of the trouble is found in him!’s
29 Fear the sword yourselves,
for wratht brings the punishmentt by the sword,
so that you may know
that there is judgment.”s