Job 16
1 And Job made answer and said,
But Job answered and said:
2 Such things have frequently come to my ears: you are comforters who only give trouble.
Of such things as these I have heard enough! Miserable comforters are ye all!
3 May words which are like the wind be stopped? or what is troubling you to make answer to them?
Will there ever be an end to words of wind? What stirreth thee up, that thou answerest?
4 It would not be hard for me to say such things if your souls were in my soul's place; joining words together against you, and shaking my head at you:
I also might speak like you, If ye were now in my place; I might string together words against you, And shake my head at you.
5 I might give you strength with my mouth, and not keep back the comfort of my lips.
I would strengthen you with my mouth, And the consolation of my lips should sustain you.
6 If I say what is in my mind, my pain becomes no less: and if I keep quiet, how much of it goes from me?
If I speak, my grief is not assuaged; And if I forbear, it doth not leave me.
7 But now he has overcome me with weariness and fear, and I am in the grip of all my trouble.
For now He hath quite exhausted me; Thou hast desolated all my house!
8 It has come up as a witness against me, and the wasting of my flesh makes answer to my face.
Thou hast seized hold of me, and this is a witness against me; My leanness riseth up and testifieth against me to my face.
9 I am broken by his wrath, and his hate has gone after me; he has made his teeth sharp against me: my haters are looking on me with cruel eyes;
His anger teareth my flesh, and pursueth me; He gnasheth upon me with his teeth; My adversary sharpeneth his eyes upon me.
10 Their mouths are open wide against me; the blows of his bitter words are falling on my face; all of them come together in a mass against me.
They gape for me with their mouths; In scorn they smite me on the cheek; With one consent they assemble against me.
11 God gives me over to the power of sinners, sending me violently into the hands of evil-doers.
God hath given me a prey to the unrighteous, And delivered me into the hands of the wicked.
12 I was in comfort, but I have been broken up by his hands; he has taken me by the neck, shaking me to bits; he has put me up as a mark for his arrows.
I was at ease, but he hath crushed me; He hath seized me by the neck, and dashed me in pieces; He hath set me up for his mark.
13 His bowmen come round about me; their arrows go through my body without mercy; my life is drained out on the earth.
His archers encompass me around; He pierceth my reins, and doth not spare; He poureth out my gall upon the ground.
14 I am broken with wound after wound; he comes rushing on me like a man of war.
He breaketh me with breach upon breach; He rusheth upon me like a warrior.
15 I have made haircloth the clothing of my skin, and my horn is rolled in the dust.
I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, And thrust my horn into the dust.
16 My face is red with weeping, and my eyes are becoming dark;
My face is red with weeping, And upon my eyelids is deathlike darkness.
17 Though my hands have done no violent acts, and my prayer is clean.
Yet is there no injustice in my bands. And my prayer hath been pure.
18 O earth, let not my blood be covered, and let my cry have no resting-place!
O earth! cover not thou my blood, And let there be no hiding-place for my cry!
19 Even now my witness is in heaven, and the supporter of my cause is on high.
Yet even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, And he who knoweth me is on high.
20 My friends make sport of me; to God my eyes are weeping,
My friends have me in derision, But my eye poureth out tears unto God.
21 So that he may give decision for a man in his cause with God, and between a son of man and his neighbour.
O that one might contend for a man with God, As a man contendeth with his neighbor!
22 For in a short time I will take the journey from which I will not come back.
For when a few years shall have passed, I shall go the way whence I shall not return.
