American Standard Version of 1901
Versliste
So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.
Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram: against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God.
Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.
Now Elihu had {Hebrew: waited for Job with words.}waited to speak unto Job, because they were elder than he.
And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, his wrath was kindled.
There is no umpire betwixt us,That might lay his hand upon us both.
For there is one God, one mediator also between God and men, himself man, Christ Jesus,
And if they be bound in fetters,And be taken in the cords of afflictions;
Then he showeth them their work,And their transgressions, that they have behaved themselves proudly.
He openeth also their ear to instruction,And commandeth that they return from iniquity.
Surely thou hast spoken in my hearing,And I have heard the voice of thy words, saying,
I am clean, without transgression;I am innocent, neither is there iniquity in me:
Behold, he findeth {Or, causes of alienation}occasions against me,He counteth me for his enemy:
He putteth my feet in the stocks,He marketh all my paths.
For Job hath said, I am righteous,And God hath taken away my right:
{Or, Should I lie against my right?}Notwithstanding my right I am accounted a liar; {Hebrew: Mine arrow.}My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.
Moreover Elihu answered and said,
Thinkest thou this to be thy right,Or sayest thou, My righteousness is more than God's,
That thou sayest, What advantage will it be unto thee?And, What profit shall I have, more than if I had sinned?
So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.
Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram: against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God.
Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.
Now Elihu had {Hebrew: waited for Job with words.}waited to speak unto Job, because they were elder than he.
And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, his wrath was kindled.
And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said,I am young, and ye are very old;Wherefore I held back, and durst not show you mine opinion.
I said, Days should speak,And multitude of years should teach wisdom.
But there is a spirit in man,And the breath of the Almighty giveth them understanding.
It is not the great that are wise,Nor the aged that understand justice.
Therefore I {Or, say}said, Hearken to me;I also will show mine opinion.
Behold, I waited for your words,I listened for your reasonings,Whilst ye searched out what to say.
Yea, I attended unto you,And, behold, there was none that convinced Job,Or that answered his words, among you.
{Or, Lest ye should say, We have found out wisdom; God thrusteth him down, not man Now he &c.}Beware lest ye say, We have found wisdom;God may vanquish him, not man:
For he hath not directed his words against me;Neither will I answer him with your speeches.
They are amazed, they answer no more:They have not a word to say.
And shall I wait, because they speak not,Because they stand still, and answer no more?
I also will answer my part,I also will show mine opinion.
For I am full of words;The spirit within me constraineth me.
Behold, my breast is as wine which hath no vent;Like new wine-skins {Or, which are ready}it is ready to burst.
I will speak, that I may {Or, find relief}be refreshed;I will open my lips and answer.
Let me not, I pray you, respect any man's person;Neither will I give flattering titles unto any man.
For I know not to give flattering titles;Else would my Maker soon take me away.
Howbeit, Job, I pray thee, hear my speech,And hearken to all my words.
Behold now, I have opened my mouth;My tongue hath spoken in my {Hebrew: palate.}mouth.
My words shall utter the uprightness of my heart;And that which my lips know they shall speak sincerely.
The Spirit of God hath made me,And the breath of the Almighty giveth me life.
If thou canst, answer thou me;Set thy words in order before me, stand forth.
Behold, {Or, I am according to thy wish in God's stead}I am toward God even as thou art:I also am formed out of the clay.
Behold, my terror shall not make thee afraid,Neither shall my pressure be heavy upon thee.
Surely thou hast spoken in my hearing,And I have heard the voice of thy words, saying,
I am clean, without transgression;I am innocent, neither is there iniquity in me:
Behold, he findeth {Or, causes of alienation}occasions against me,He counteth me for his enemy:
He putteth my feet in the stocks,He marketh all my paths.
Behold, {Or, in this thou art not just: I will answer thee, For &c.}I will answer thee, in this thou art not just;For God is greater than man.
Why dost thou strive against him,For that he giveth not account of any of his matters?
For God speaketh {Or, in one way, yea, in two}once,Yea twice, though man regardeth it not.
In a dream, in a vision of the night,When deep sleep falleth upon men,In slumberings upon the bed;
Then he {Hebrew: uncovereth.}openeth the ears of men,And sealeth their instruction,
{Or, That man may put away his purpose. And that he may hide}That he may withdraw man from his purpose,And hide pride from man;
{Or, That he may keep back}He keepeth back his soul from the pit,And his life from perishing by the {Or, weapons}sword.
He is chastened also with pain upon his bed, {Another reading is, While all his bones are firm.}And with continual strife in his bones;
So that his life abhorreth bread,And his soul dainty food.
His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen;And his bones that were not seen stick out.
Yea, his soul draweth near unto the pit,And his life to the destroyers.
If there be with him {Or, a messenger}an angel,An interpreter, one {Or, of the thousand}among a thousand,To show unto man {Or, his uprightness}what is right for him;
{Or, And he be gracious and say ransom his flesh &c.}Then God is gracious unto him, and saith,Deliver him from going down to the pit,I have found a ransom.
His flesh shall be fresher than a child's;He returneth to the days of his youth.
He prayeth unto God, and he is favorable unto him,So that he seeth his face with joy:And he restoreth unto man his righteousness.
He {Or, looketh upon men}singeth before men, and saith,I have sinned, and perverted that which was right,And {Or, it was nor requited unto me Or, it was not meet for me}it profited me not:
He hath redeemed my soul from going into the pit,And my life shall behold the light.
Lo, all these things doth God work,Twice, yea thrice, with a man,
To bring back his soul from the pit,That he may be enlightened with the light of {Or, life}the living.
Mark well, O Job, hearken unto me:Hold thy peace, 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:Hold thy peace, 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 us that which is right:Let us know among ourselves what is good.
For Job hath said, I am righteous,And God hath taken away my right:
{Or, Should I lie against my right?}Notwithstanding my right I am accounted a liar; {Hebrew: Mine arrow.}My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.
What man is like Job,Who drinketh up scoffing like water,
Who goeth in company with the workers of iniquity,And walketh with wicked men?
For he hath said, It profiteth a man nothingThat he should {Or, consent with See Psalm 50:18}delight himself with God.
Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding:Far be it from God, that he should do wickedness,And from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.
For the work of a man will he render unto him,And cause every man to find according to his ways.
Yea, of a surety, God will not do wickedly,Neither will the Almighty pervert justice.
Who gave him a charge over the earth?Or who hath {Or, laid upon him}disposed the whole world?
{According to another reading, If he cause his heart to return unto himself.}If he set his heart upon {Or, man Hebrew: him.}himself,If he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath;
All flesh shall perish together,And man shall turn again unto dust.
{Or, Only understand}If now thou hast understanding, hear this:Hearken to the voice of my words.
Shall even one that hateth justice govern?And wilt thou condemn him that is righteous and mighty?—
{The Hebrew as pointed reads, Is it fit to say to a king, Thou art vile? Or, to nobles, Ye are wicked?}Him that saith to a king, Thou art vile,Or to nobles, Ye are wicked;
That respecteth not the persons of princes,Nor regardeth the rich more than the poor;For they all are the work of his hands.
In a moment they die, {Or, and at midnight the people &c.}even at midnight;The people are shaken and pass away,And the mighty are taken away without hand.
For his eyes are upon the ways of a man,And he seeth all his goings.
There is no darkness, nor thick gloom,Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
For he needeth not further to consider a man,That he should go before God in judgment.
He breaketh in pieces mighty men {Or, without inquisition}in ways past finding out,And setteth others in their stead.
Therefore he taketh knowledge of their works;And he overturneth them in the night, so that they are {Hebrew: crushed.}destroyed.
He striketh them as wicked men {Hebrew: In the place of beholders.}In the open sight of others;
Because they turned aside from following him,And would not have regard in any of his ways:
{Or, That they might cause…And that he might hear}So that they caused the cry of the poor to come unto him,And he heard the cry of the afflicted.
When he giveth quietness, who then can condemn?And when he hideth his face, who then can behold him?Alike whether it be done unto a nation, or unto a man:
That the godless man reign not,That there be none to ensnare the people.
For hath any said unto God,I have borne chastisement, {Or, though I offend not}I will not offend any more:
That which I see not teach thou me:If I have done iniquity, I will do it no more?
Shall his recompense be as thou wilt, that thou refusest it?For thou must choose, and not I:Therefore speak what thou knowest.
Men of understanding will say unto me,Yea, every wise man that heareth me:
Job speaketh without knowledge,And his words are without wisdom.
Would that Job were tried unto the end,Because of his answering like wicked 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 thy right,Or sayest thou, My righteousness is more than God's,
That thou sayest, What advantage will it be unto thee?And, What profit shall I have, more than if I had sinned?
I will answer thee,And thy companions with thee.
Look unto the heavens, and see;And behold the skies, which are higher than thou.
If thou hast sinned, what effectest thou against him?And if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him?
If thou be righteous, what givest thou him?Or what receiveth he of thy hand?
Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art;And thy righteousness may profit a son of man.
By reason of the multitude of oppressions they cry out;They cry for help 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 birds of the heavens?
There they cry, {Or, but he answereth not}but none giveth answer,Because of the pride of evil men.
Surely God will not hear an empty cry,Neither will the Almighty regard it.
How much less when thou sayest {Or, thou beholdest him not! The cause is before him, therefore wait thou for him}thou beholdest him not,The cause is before him, and thou waitest for him!
But now, because he hath not visited in his anger, {Or, Thou sayest, He doth not greatly regard arrogance. Thus doth &c.}Neither doth he greatly regard arrogance;
Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vanity;He multiplieth words without knowledge.
I will fetch my knowledge from afar,And will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
Elihu also proceeded, and said,
{Hebrew: Wait for.}Suffer me a little, and I will show thee;For {Hebrew: there are yet words for God.}I have yet somewhat to say on God's behalf.
I will fetch my knowledge from afar,And will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
For truly my words are not false:One that is perfect in knowledge is with thee.
Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any:He is mighty in strength of {Hebrew: heart.}understanding.
He preserveth not the life of the wicked,But giveth to the afflicted their right.
He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous:But with kings upon the throneHe setteth them for ever, and they are exalted.
And if they be bound in fetters,And be taken in the cords of afflictions;
Then he showeth them their work,And their transgressions, that they have behaved themselves proudly.
He openeth also their ear to instruction,And commandeth that they return from iniquity.
If they hearken and serve him,They shall spend their days in prosperity,And their years in {Or, pleasantness}pleasures.
But if they hearken not, they shall perish by {Or, weapons}the sword,And they shall die without knowledge.
But they that are godless in heart lay up anger:They cry not for help when he bindeth them.
{Hebrew: Their soul dieth.}They die in youth,And their life perisheth {Or, like}among the {Or, sodomites See Deuteronomy 23:17.}unclean.
He delivereth the afflicted {Or, in}by their affliction,And openeth their ear {Or, by adversity}in oppression.
Yea, he would have allured thee {Hebrew: out of the mouth of.}out of distressInto a broad place, where there is no straitness;And that which is set on thy table would be full of fatness.
But thou {Or, hast filled up}art full of the judgment of the wicked:Judgment and justice take hold on thee.
{Or, Because there is wrath, beware lest thou be led away by the sufficiency}For let not wrath stir thee up against chastisements;Neither let the greatness of the ransom turn thee aside.
Will thy cry avail, that thou be not in distress,Or all the forces of thy strength?
Desire not the night,When peoples {Hebrew: go up.}are cut off in their place.
Take heed, regard not iniquity:For this hast thou chosen rather than affliction.
Behold, God doeth loftily in his power:Who is a teacher like unto him?
Who hath enjoined him his way?Or who can say, Thou hast wrought unrighteousness?
Remember that thou magnify his work,Whereof men have sung.
All men have looked thereon;Man beholdeth it afar off.
Behold, God is great, and we know him not;The number of his years is unsearchable.
For he draweth up the drops of water,Which distil in rain {Hebrew: belonging to.}from {Or, the vapor thereof}his vapor,
Which the skies pour downAnd drop upon man abundantly.
Yea, can any understand the spreadings of the clouds,The thunderings of his pavilion?
Behold, he spreadeth his light {Or, thereon}around him;And he {Or, covereth it with the depths of the sea}covereth the bottom of the sea.
For by these he judgeth the peoples;He giveth food in abundance.
He covereth his hands with the {Hebrew: light.}lightning,And giveth it a charge {Or, against the assailant}that it strike the mark.
The noise thereof telleth concerning {Or, it}him,The cattle also concerning {Or, him}the storm that cometh up.
Yea, at this my heart trembleth,And is moved out of its place.
Hear, oh, hear the noise of his voice,And the {Or, muttering}sound that goeth out of his mouth.
He sendeth it forth under the whole heaven,And his {Hebrew: light.}lightning unto the {Hebrew: skirts.}ends of the earth.
After it a voice roareth;He thundereth with the voice of his majesty;And he restraineth not {Hebrew: them.}the lightnings when his voice is heard
God thundereth marvellously with his voice;Great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend.
For he saith to the snow, Fall thou on the earth;Likewise to the shower of rain,And to the showers of his mighty rain.
He sealeth up the hand of every man,That all men whom he hath made may know it.
Then the beasts go into coverts,And remain in their dens.
Out of the chamber of the south cometh the storm,And cold out of the {Hebrew: scattering winds.}north.
By the breath of God ice is given;And the breadth of the waters is {Or, congealed}straitened.
Yea, he ladeth the thick cloud with moisture;He spreadeth abroad the cloud of his {Hebrew: light.}lightning:
And it is turned round about by his guidance,That they may do whatsoever he commandeth themUpon the face of the habitable world,
Whether it be for correction, or for his {Or, earth}land,Or for lovingkindness, that he cause it to come.
Hearken unto this, O Job:Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.
Dost thou know how God layeth his charge upon them,And causeth the {Hebrew: light.}lightning of his cloud to shine?
Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds,The wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge?
{Or, Thou whose garments are &c.}How thy garments are warm, {Or, When he quieteth the earth by the south wind}When the earth is still by reason of the south wind?
Canst thou with him spread out the sky,Which is strong as a molten mirror?
Teach us what we shall say unto him;For we cannot set our speech in order by reason of darkness.
Shall it be told him that I would speak? {Or, If a man speak, surely he shall be shallowed up}Or should a man wish that he were swallowed up?
And now men {Or, cannot look on the light when it is bright in the skies, When the wind hath passed, and cleared them}see not the light which is bright in the skies;But the wind passeth, and cleareth them.
Out of the north cometh {Hebrew: gold.}golden splendor:God hath upon him terrible majesty.
Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out:He is excellent in power;And {Or, to justice…he doeth no violence}in justice and plenteous righteousness he will not afflict.
Men do therefore fear him:He regardeth not any that are wise of heart.
Let {Or, thorns}thistles grow instead of wheat,And {Or, noisome weeds}cockle instead of barley.The words of Job are ended.
Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, and they made an appointment together to come to bemoan him and to comfort him.
And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she also hath borne children unto thy brother Nahor:
Uz his first-born, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram,
He was despised, and {Or, forsaken}rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with {Hebrew: sickness.}grief: and {Or, he hid as it were his face from us}as one from whom men hide their face he was despised; and we esteemed him not.
Behold, my servant shall {Or, prosper}deal wisely, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high.
I made a covenant with mine eyes;How then should I look upon a virgin?
{Or, for what portion should I have of God…And what heritage &c? Is there not calamity &c.?}For what is the portion from God above,And the heritage from the Almighty on high?
Is it not calamity to the unrighteous,And disaster to 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,That God may know mine integrity);
If my step hath turned out of the way,And my heart walked after mine eyes,And if any spot hath cleaved to my hands:
Then let me sow, and let another eat;Yea, let {Or, my offspring Hebrew: my produce.}the produce of my field be rooted out.
If my heart hath been enticed unto a woman,And I have laid wait at my neighbor's door;
Then let my wife grind unto another,And let others bow down upon her.
For that were a heinous crime;Yea, it were an iniquity to be punished by the judges:
For it is a fire that consumeth unto {Hebrew: Abaddon. See chapter 26:6}Destruction,And would root out all mine increase.
If I have despised the cause of my man-servant or of my maid-servant,When they contended with me;
What then shall I do when God riseth up?And when he visiteth, what shall 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 {Or, aught that the poor desired}the poor from their desire,Or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
Or have eaten my morsel alone,And the fatherless hath not eaten thereof
(Nay, from my youth he grew up with me as with a father,And her have I guided from my mother's womb);
If I have seen any perish for want of clothing,Or that the needy had no covering;
If his loins have not blessed me,And if he hath not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep;
If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless,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 is a terror to me,And by reason of his majesty I can do nothing.
If I have made gold my hope,And have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence;
If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great,And because my hand had gotten much;
If I have beheld {Hebrew: the light.}the sun when it shined,Or the moon walking in brightness,
And my heart hath been secretly enticed,And {Hebrew: my hand hath kissed my mouth.}my mouth hath kissed my hand:
This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judges;For I should have denied the God that is above.
If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me,Or lifted up myself when evil found him
(Yea, I have not suffered by {Hebrew: palate.}mouth to sinBy asking his life with a curse);
If the men of my tent have not said,Who can find one that hath not been filled with his meat?
(The sojourner hath not lodged in the street;But I have opened my doors to {Hebrew: the way.}the traveller);
If {Or, after the manner of men}like Adam I have covered my transgressions,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!(Lo, here is my {Hebrew: mark.}signature, let the Almighty answer me)And that I had the {Hebrew: book.}indictment which mine adversary hath written!
Surely I would carry it upon my shoulder;I would bind it unto me as a crown:
I would declare unto him the number of my steps;As a prince would I {Or, present it to him}go near unto him.
If my land crieth out against me,And the furrows thereof weep together;
If I have eaten the {Hebrew: strength.}fruits thereof without money,Or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life:
Let {Or, thorns}thistles grow instead of wheat,And {Or, noisome weeds}cockle instead of barley.The words of Job are ended.
Judge not, that ye be not judged.
For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you.
Speak not one against another, brethren. He that speaketh against a brother, or judgeth his brother, speaketh against the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judgest the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
One only is the lawgiver and judge, even he who is able to save and to destroy: but who art thou that judgest thy neighbor?
And it was so, that, after Jehovah had spoken these words unto Job, Jehovah said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends; for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.
Now therefore, take unto you 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, that I deal not with you after your folly; for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.
Howbeit, Job, I pray thee, hear my speech,And hearken to all my words.
Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honor the face of the old man, and thou shalt fear thy God: I am Jehovah.
{Or, Likewise...elder; yea, all of you one to another. Gird yourselves with humility}Likewise, ye younger, be subject unto the elder. Yea, all of you gird yourselves with humility, to serve one another: for God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.
And it came to pass, after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the {Or, doctors See chapter 5:17; Acts 5:34.}teachers, both hearing them, and asking them questions:
But know this, that in the last days grievous times shall come.
For men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, railers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
without natural affection, implacable, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, no lovers of good,
traitors, headstrong, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God;
I understand more than the aged,Because I have kept thy precepts.