Job 16

1 Job replied,

Then Job, answering, said:

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

I have often heard such things; you are all aggravating comforters.

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

Will there be no end to windy words? Or is it at all a burden to you, if you speak?

4 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.

I, too, can speak like you; and I also wish that your soul favored my soul. I would also comfort you with speeches and would wag my head over you.

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

I would strengthen you with my mouth, and would move my lips, as if being lenient to you.

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

But what can I do? When I am speaking, my grief will not be quiet; and if I am quiet, it will not withdraw from me.

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

But now my grief has crushed me, and all my limbs have been reduced to nothing.

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

My wrinkles bear witness against me, and a liar rises up against my face, contradicting me.

9 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.

He has gathered together his fury towards me, and, threatening me, he has roared against me with his teeth; my enemy has beheld me with terrible eyes.

10 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.

They have opened their mouths against me, and, reproaching me, they have struck me on the cheek; they are nourished by my sufferings.

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

God has confined me with the immoral, and he has delivered me into the hands of the impious.

12 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.

I, who once was wealthy, am now crushed. He has grabbed me by my neck; he has broken me and has placed me before him as a sign.

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

He has surrounded me with his lances. He has severely wounded my lower back, he has not been lenient, and he has poured out my organs upon the earth.

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

He has cut me with wound after wound. He has rushed upon me like a giant.

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

I have sewn sackcloth over my skin, and I have covered my body with ashes.

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

My face is swollen from weeping, and my eyelids have dimmed my vision.

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

These things I have endured without iniquity in my hand, while I held pure prayers before God.

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

O earth, do not conceal my blood, nor let my outcry find a hiding place in you.

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

For behold, my witness is in heaven, and my confidante is on high.

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

My friends are full of words; my eye rains tears upon God.

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

And I wish that a man might be so judged before God, just as the son of man is judged with his assistant!

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

For behold, a few years pass by, and I am walking a path by which I will not return.