is come &c.

25

1 Or, the thing For 'the thing which I fear cometh upon me, which I feared And that which I am afraid of cometh unto me. I am not at ease, neither am I quiet, neither 26 have I rest;

2 Or, I was not

at ease... yet trouble

came

But trouble cometh.

Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and 1 4 said,

If one assay to commune with thee, wilt thou 2
be grieved?

But who can withhold himself from speaking?
Behold, thou hast instructed many,

And thou hast strengthened the weak hands.

3

Thy words have upholden him that was falling, 4

3 Heb. bowing. And thou hast confirmed the 'feeble knees. 4 Or, art But now it is come unto thee, and thou 'faintest ; 5 It toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.

grieved

6

Is not thy fear of God thy confidence,
And thy hope the integrity of thy ways?
Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, 7
being innocent?

Or where were the upright cut off?

According as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, 8

5 Or, mischief And sow trouble, reap the same.

by stealth.

By the breath of God they perish,

And by the blast of his anger are they con-
sumed.

9

The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the 10 fierce lion,

prey,

And the teeth of the young lions, are broken.
The old lion perisheth for lack of
And the whelps of the lioness are scattered
abroad.

Heb. brought Now a thing was 'secretly brought to me,
And mine ear received a whisper thereof.
In thoughts from the visions of the night,
When deep sleep falleth on men,
Fear came upon me, and trembling,

II

12

13

14

16 It stood still, but I could not discern the ance thereof;

A form was before mine eyes:

1 Or, a breath passed over

appear

There was silence, and I heard a voice, saying, Or, I heard

17 Shall mortal man 'be more just than God? Shall a man 'be more pure than his Maker?

18 Behold, he putteth no trust in his servants; And his angels he chargeth with folly :

19

How much more them that dwell in houses of
clay,

Whose foundation is in the dust,

Which are crushed before the moth!

6

20 Betwixt morning and evening they are 'destroyed:

8

They perish for ever without any regarding it.

a still voice 3 Or, be just before God

4 Or, be pure before his Maker

5 Or, like

Or, From morning to evening

7 Heb. broken

21 Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them? in pieces. They die, and that without wisdom.

5

I Call now; is there any that will answer thee?

8 Or, Is not their excellency which is in them removed?

And to which of the 'holy ones wilt thou turn? See ch. xv.

2 For vexation killeth the foolish man,

3

And "jealousy slayeth the silly one.

I have seen the foolish taking root: But suddenly I cursed his habitation. 4 His children are far from safety, And they are crushed in the gate, Neither is there any to deliver them. 5 Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, And taketh it even out of the thorns,

And "the snare gapeth for their substance. 6 For "affliction cometh not forth of the dust,

9

15.

10 Or,

indignation

11 According to many ancient versions,

Neither doth trouble spring out of the ground; the thirsty

7 But man is born unto trouble, As the sparks fly upward.

8 But as for me, I would seek unto God, And unto God would I commit my cause:

swallow up.
12 Or, iniquity
See ch. iv. 8.

13 Heb. the sons
of flame or of
lightning.

1 Or, can perform nothing of worth

their mouth.

9

Which doeth great things and unsearchable;
Marvellous things without number:

Who giveth rain upon the earth,

And sendeth waters upon the fields:

ΙΟ

So that he setteth up on high those that be low; 11
And those which mourn are exalted to safety.
He frustrateth the devices of the crafty,

So that their hands 'cannot perform their enter-
prise.

He taketh the wise in their own craftiness:
And the counsel of the froward is carried head-
long.

They meet with darkness in the day-time,
And grope at noonday as in the night.

2 Heb. out of But he saveth from the sword of their mouth,
Even the needy from the hand of the mighty.
So the poor hath hope,

3 Or, reproveth

And iniquity stoppeth her mouth.

12

13

14

15

16

Behold, happy is the man whom God 'correcteth: 17
Therefore despise not thou the chastening of the
Almighty.

For he maketh sore, and bindeth up;

He woundeth, and his hands make whole.
He shall deliver thee in six troubles;

18

19

20

Yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.
In famine he shall redeem thee from death;
And in war from the power of the sword.
Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the 21
tongue;

Neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when
it cometh.

At destruction and dearth thou shalt laugh; Neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.

22

For thou shalt be in league with the stones of 23 the field;

And the beasts of the field shall be at peace

with thee.

24 And thou shalt know that thy tent is in peace; And thou shalt visit thy 'fold, and shalt miss 10r, habitation nothing.

2 Or,

25 Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be shalt not err great,

And thine offspring as the grass of the earth.

26 Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full

age,

Like as a shock of corn cometh in in its season.

27 Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; Hear it, and know thou it for thy good.

6 I

Then Job answered and said,

2 Oh that my vexation were but weighed,

And my calamity laid in the balances together!

3 For now it would be heavier than the sand of

the seas:

Therefore have my words been rash.

4 For the arrows of the Almighty are within me,
The poison whereof my spirit drinketh up:

The terrors of God do set themselves in array
against me.

5 Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass?

Or loweth the ox over his fodder?

6 Can that which hath no savour be eaten without salt?

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

7 "My soul refuseth to touch them;

They are as loathsome meat to me.

8 Oh that I might have my request;

3 Heb.

for thyself

4 Or, the juice
of purslain
5 Or, What
things my soul
refused to
touch, these are

And that God would grant me the thing that I as my loathlong for!

9 Even that it would please God to crush me;

some meat

That he would let loose his hand, and cut me off! Or, Though

10 Then should I yet have comfort;

I shrink back

7 Or, harden

myself

"Yea, I would 'exult in pain that spareth not:
"For I have not "denied the words of the Holy Or, though

One.

11 What is my strength, that I should wait?

8

9 Or, That

10 Or, concealed

And what is mine end, that I should be patient?
Is my strength the strength of stones?

Or is my flesh of brass?

Is it not that I have no help in me,

And that 'effectual working is driven quite from me?

12

13

To him that is ready to faint kindness should be 14
shewed from his friend;

Even to him that forsaketh the fear of the
Almighty.

My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, 15
As the channel of brooks that pass away;
Which are black by reason of the ice,

And wherein the snow hideth itself:

What time they wax warm, they vanish:

16

17

4 Or, The

paths of their way are turned aside

Another

like thereto.

When it is hot, they are consumed out of their place.

'The caravans that travel by the way of them 18
turn aside;

They go up into the waste, and perish.
The caravans of Tema looked,

The companies of Sheba waited for them.
They were ashamed because they had hoped;
They came thither, and were confounded.
For now ye are nothing;

reading is, are Ye see a terror, and are afraid.
Did I say, Give unto me?

19

20

21

22

Or, Offer a present for me of your substance?
Or, Deliver me from the adversary's hand?
Or, Redeem me from the hand of the oppressors?
Teach me, and I will hold my peace:
And cause me to understand wherein I have
erred.

23

24

6 Or, for the wind

How forcible are words of uprightness!
But what doth your arguing reprove?
Do ye imagine to reprove words?

Seeing that the speeches of one that is desperate
are 'as wind.

25

26