Job 16

1 Then Job answered:

Job replied,

2 “I have heard many things like these; miserable comforters are you all.

“I've heard all this before. You are comforters who just cause trouble!

3 Is there no end to your long-winded speeches? What provokes you to continue testifying?

Will your windy speeches never cease? What's bothering you that you have to answer me?

4 I could also speak like you if you were in my place; I could heap up words against you and shake my head at you.

I could talk like you do if you were in my place, stringing words together to criticize you, ridiculing you with a toss of my head.

5 But I would encourage you with my mouth, and the consolation of my lips would bring relief.

I could build you up by my mouth speaking words; the movement of my lips would ease your pain.

6 Even if I speak, my pain is not relieved, and if I hold back, how will it go away?

For me, if I speak it doesn't ease my pain, and if I don't speak the pain is still there.

7 Surely He has now exhausted me; You have devastated all my family.

God, you have worn me out. You have destroyed my whole family.

8 You have bound me, and it has become a witness; my frailty rises up and testifies against me.

You have made me shrivel up, which is a witness against me; my thin body testifies against me.

9 His anger has torn me and opposed me; He gnashes His teeth at me. My adversary pierces me with His eyes.

He has torn me apart in his anger; in his hostility he has gnashed his teeth at me; my enemy pierces me with his fierce look.

10 They open their mouths against me and strike my cheeks with contempt; they join together against me.

People stare at me with their mouths wide open, they slap me on my cheeks to mock me, they crowd around me to attack me.

11 God has delivered me to unjust men; He has thrown me to the clutches of the wicked.

God has handed me over to evil people; he has thrown me into their hands.

12 I was at ease, but He shattered me; He seized me by the neck and crushed me. He has set me up as His target;

I was living in peace and he smashed me to pieces. He grabbed me by the neck and dashed me to pieces. He set me up as his target.

13 His archers surround me. He pierces my kidneys without mercy and spills my gall on the ground.

His archers surround me. His arrows pierce my kidneys without mercy. He pours out my gall on the ground.

14 He breaks me with wound upon wound; He rushes me like a mighty warrior.

Like a wall he breaks me down, breach upon breach, rushing at me like a warrior.

15 I have sewn sackcloth over my skin; I have buried my horn in the dust.

I have sown sackcloth to cover my skin; my strength lies broken in the dust.

16 My face is red with weeping, and deep shadows ring my eyes;

My face is red from crying and dark shadows surround my eyes,

17 yet my hands are free of violence and my prayer is pure.

although I have done nothing wrong and my prayer is pure.

18 O earth, do not cover my blood; may my cry for help never be laid to rest.

Earth, do not cover up my blood. May my cry find no place to hide.

19 Even now my witness is in heaven, and my advocate is on high.

Look, right now my witness is in heaven; the one who speaks for me is on high.

20 My friends are my scoffers as my eyes pour out tears to God.

My friends scorn me, but my eyes pour out tears to God.

21 Oh, that a man might plead with God as he pleads with his neighbor!

I want my witness to speak for me with God as someone does for their friend.

22 For when only a few years are past I will go the way of no return.

For in a few short years I shall go down that road from which I shall not return.