American Standard Version of 1901
Versliste
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.
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he cleanseth it, that it may bear more fruit.
but I made supplication for thee, that thy faith fail not; and do thou, when once thou hast turned again, establish thy brethren.
What advantage then hath the Jew? or what is the profit of circumcision?
Much every way: first of all, that they were intrusted with the oracles of God.
For what if some were without faith? shall their want of faith make of none effect the faithfulness of God?
{Greek: Be it not so: and so elsewhere.}God forbid: yea, let God be found true, but every man a liar; as it is written, {Psalm 51:4}That thou mightest be justified in thy words,And mightest prevail when thou comest into judgment.
But if our unrighteousness commendeth the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who visiteth with wrath? (I speak after the manner of men.)
{Greek: Be it not so: and so elsewhere.}God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?
{Many ancient authorities read For.}But if the truth of God through my lie abounded unto his glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner?
and why not (as we are slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say), Let us do evil, that good may come? whose condemnation is just.
What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we before laid to the charge both of Jews and Greeks, that they are all under sin;
as it is written, {Psalm 14:1 ff.; 53:1 ff}There is none righteous, no, not one;
There is none that understandeth,There is none that seeketh after God;
They have all turned aside, they are together become unprofitable;There is none that doeth good, no, not so much as one:
{Psalm 5:9}Their throat is an open sepulchre;With their tongues they have used deceit: {Psalm 140:3}The poison of asps is under their lips:
{Psalm 10:7}Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
{Isaiah 59:7 f.}Their feet are swift to shed blood;
Destruction and misery are in their ways;
And the way of peace have they not known:
{Psalm 36:1}There is no fear of God before their eyes.
Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it speaketh to them that are under the law; that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God:
because {Greek: out of.}by {Or, works of law}the works of the law shall no flesh be {Or, accounted righteous}justified in his sight; for {Or, through law}through the law cometh the knowledge of sin.
But now apart from the law a righteousness of God hath been manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
even the righteousness of God through faith {Or, of}in Jesus Christ unto all {Some ancient authorities add and upon all.}them that believe; for there is no distinction;
for all {Greek: sinned.}have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;
being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
whom God set forth {Or, to be propitiatory}to be a propitiation, through faith, in his blood, to show his righteousness because of the passing over of the sins done aforetime, in the forbearance of God;
for the showing, I say, of his righteousness at this present season: that he might himself be {See chapter 2:13 margin.}just, and the {See chapter 2:13 margin.}justifier of him that {Greek: is of faith.}hath faith in Jesus.
Where then is the glorying? It is excluded. By what manner of law? of works? Nay: but by a law of faith.
{Many ancient authorities read For we reckon.}We reckon therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from {Or, works of law}the works of the law.
Or is God the God of Jews only? is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yea, of Gentiles also:
if so be that God is one, and he shall justify the circumcision {Greek: out of. Galatians 3:8.}by faith, and the uncircumcision {Or, through the faith Galatians 2:16.}through faith.
Do we then make {Or, law}the law of none effect {Or, through the faith Galatians 2:16.}through faith? God forbid: nay, we establish {Or, law}the law.
for all {Greek: sinned.}have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;