Job 19
1 But Job answered by saying:
And Job answereth and saith: —
2 How long will you afflict my soul and wear me down with words?
Till when do ye afflict my soul, And bruise me with words?
3 So, ten times you confound me and are not ashamed to oppress me.
These ten times ye put me to shame, ye blush not. Ye make yourselves strange to me —
4 Now, of course, if I have been ignorant, my ignorance will be with me.
And also — truly, I have erred, With me doth my error remain.
5 But you have risen up against me, and you accuse me to my disgrace.
If, truly, over me ye magnify yourselves, And decide against me my reproach;
6 At least now you should understand that God has not afflicted me with a balanced judgment, though he has encompassed me with his scourges.
Know now, that God turned me upside down, And His net against me hath set round,
7 Behold, I will cry out, enduring violence, and no one will hear. I will announce loudly, but there is no one who may judge.
Lo, I cry out — violence, and am not answered, I cry aloud, and there is no judgment.
8 He has hemmed in my path, and I cannot pass; he has added darkness to my difficult path.
My way He hedged up, and I pass not over, And on my paths darkness He placeth.
9 He has plundered me of my glory, and he has stolen the crown from my head.
Mine honour from off me He hath stripped, And He turneth the crown from my head.
10 He has destroyed me on every side, and I am lost, and, like an uprooted tree, he has taken away my hope.
He breaketh me down round about, and I go, And removeth like a tree my hope.
11 His fury has raged against me, and in this way he has treated me like his enemy.
And He kindleth against me His anger, And reckoneth me to Him as His adversaries.
12 His troops have gathered together, and they have made their way to me, and they have besieged my tabernacle all around.
Come in do His troops together, And they raise up against me their way, And encamp round about my tent.
13 He has put my brothers far from me, and my friends have withdrawn from me like strangers.
My brethren from me He hath put far off, And mine acquaintances surely Have been estranged from me.
14 My kinsmen have forsaken me, and those who knew me, have forgotten me.
Ceased have my neighbours And my familiar friends have forgotten me,
15 The inhabitants of my house and my maidservants treat me just as if I were a stranger, and I have been like a sojourner in their eyes.
Sojourners of my house and my maids, For a stranger reckon me: An alien I have been in their eyes.
16 I called my servant, and he did not respond; I pleaded with him with my own mouth.
To my servant I have called, And he doth not answer, With my mouth I make supplication to him.
17 My wife has shuddered at my breath, and I have begged the sons of my loins.
My spirit is strange to my wife, And my favours to the sons of my [mother's] womb.
18 Even the foolish have looked down on me, and, when I withdrew from them, they spoke ill of me.
Also sucklings have despised me, I rise, and they speak against me.
19 Those who were sometimes my counselors, treat me like an abomination; and he whom I valued the most has turned against me.
Abominate me do all the men of my counsel, And those I have loved, Have been turned against me.
20 Since my flesh has been consumed, my bone adheres to my skin, and only my lips have been left around my teeth.
To my skin and to my flesh Cleaved hath my bone, And I deliver myself with the skin of my teeth.
21 Have mercy on me, have compassion on me, at least you my friends, because the hand of the Lord has touched me.
Pity me, pity me, ye my friends, For the hand of God hath stricken against me.
22 Why do you pursue me just as God does, and satiate yourselves with my flesh?
Why do you pursue me as God? And with my flesh are not satisfied?
23 Who will grant to me that my words may be written down? Who will grant to me that they may be inscribed in a book,
Who doth grant now, That my words may be written? Who doth grant that in a book they may be graven?
24 with an iron pen and a plate of lead, or else be carved in stone?
With a pen of iron and lead — For ever in a rock they may be hewn.
25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and on the last day I will rise out of the earth.
That — I have known my Redeemer, The Living and the Last, For the dust he doth rise.
26 And I will be enveloped again with my skin, and in my flesh I will see my God.
And after my skin hath compassed this [body], Then from my flesh I see God:
27 It is he whom I myself will see, and he whom my eyes will behold, and no other. This, my hope, has taken rest in my bosom.
Whom I — I see on my side, And mine eyes have beheld, and not a stranger, Consumed have been my reins in my bosom.
28 Why then do you now say: “Let us pursue him, and let us find a basis to speak against him?”
But ye say, 'Why do we pursue after him?' And the root of the matter hath been found in me.
29 So then, flee from the face of the sword, for the sword is the avenger of iniquities; but know this: there is to be a judgment.
Be ye afraid because of the sword, For furious [are] the punishments of the sword, That ye may know that [there is] a judgment.
