Job 33
1 Therefore do thou but hear, O Job, my speeches, and give ear to all my words.
“But now, Job, listen carefully to all that I am going to say [DOU].
2 Behold now, I have opened my mouth, my tongue speaketh in my mouth.
I am ready to tell you [MTY, DOU] [what I think].
3 Out of my straightforward heart [come] my sayings, and my lips utter knowledge clearly.
I know that I am speaking honestly and that I am speaking [MTY] sincerely.
4 The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty giveth me life.
Almighty God has created me [as well as you], and his breath has caused me to live.
5 If thou canst, answer me, array thyself before me, stand forward.
So, answer [what] I [say] if you can; think carefully [about how you will reply to me].
6 Behold, I am in the same relation as thyself toward God: I myself also am cut out of the clay.
“God considers that you, and I are both [equal]; he formed both of us from clay.
7 Behold, dread of me cannot terrify thee, and my pressure will not be too heavy upon thee.
So you do not need to be afraid of me; I will not crush/oppress you [by what I say] [MTY].
8 But thou hast said before my ears, and the sound of the words I still hear,
I have heard you [DOU] speaking, and this is what you have said:
9 “I am pure without transgression, I am quite clean; and there is no iniquity in me:
‘I am innocent; I have not committed any sins; I am pure; I have not done things that are wrong.
10 Yet, behold, he findeth hateful backsliding on me, he regardeth me as an enemy unto him;
But God finds reasons to accuse me, and he considers that I am his enemy.
11 He putteth my feet in the stocks, he watcheth all my paths.”
[It is as though] he has put my feet (in stocks/between wooden blocks to prevent me from walking away), and he watches everything that I do.’ [MTY]
12 Behold, In this thou art not just: I will answer thee; for God is far greater than a mortal.
But what you have said is wrong, and I will tell you [what you have said that is wrong]. God is much greater than any human.
13 Why dost thou contend against him? for with all his words will he not give an answer.
So, (why are you arguing against God, saying ‘He never answers my questions’?/you should not be arguing against God, saying ‘He never answers my questions.’) [RHQ]
14 For God speaketh once, yea twice: [yet man] regardeth it not.
God does speak [to us] in various ways, but we do not pay any attention to what he says.
15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumbers upon the couch:
[Sometimes he speaks to us] at night in dreams and visions, when we are on our beds, asleep [DOU].
16 Then doth he lay open the ear of men, and sealeth it with their warning;
He reveals things [MTY] to us and terrifies us by the things he warns us about.
17 To remove the son of earth [from his intended] deed and he covereth up pride from man;
He tell us those things in order that we stop doing [evil] things and to prevent us from becoming proud.
18 He withholdeth his soul from the pit, and his life from passing away by the sword.
He does not want us to be destroyed [MTY]; he wants to prevent us from dying [MTY] [while we are still young].
19 And so is he admonished by pain upon his couch, and all his bones with violent [aches].
God also [sometimes] corrects us by forcing us to lie on our beds suffering much pain and with fever/aching in our bones.
20 So that his inclination abhorreth bread, and his soul, the most agreeable food.
The result is that we do not desire any food, not even very special food.
21 His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen, and his bones that were not seen stick out.
Our bodies become very thin, with the result that we look like skeletons [HYP], and our bones stick out.
22 Yea, his soul draweth near unto the pit, and his life to those that slay.
[We know that] we will soon die and go to the place where dead people are.
23 If there be now about him one single angel, as defender, one out of a thousand, to tell for man his uprightness:
“But sometimes an angel [may come to one of us], one of the thousands of angels who come to intervene between us and God, to tell us what are the right things for us [to do].
24 Then is he gracious unto him, and saith, Release him from going down to the pit, I have found an atonement.
The angel is kind to us and says to God, ‘Release that person, so that he does not descend to the place where dead people are! Do that because I have found the money to pay so that he can be released!
25 His flesh becometh full again as in youth: he returneth to the days of his boyhood.
Allow his body to be strong again; allow him to be strong like he was when he was a youth!’
26 He will offer his entreaty unto God, and he will receive him in favor, that he may see his face with joy: so doth He recompense unto the mortal his righteousness.
When that happens, that person will pray to God, and God will accept/answer him; he will (enter God’s presence/worship God) joyfully, and then he will tell others how God saved him [from dying].
27 He then should assemble men around, and say, “I had sinned, and perverted what is right, yet have I not received a like return.”
He will sing as he tells everyone, ‘I sinned, and I did things that were not right, but God did not punish me in the way that I deserved.
28 Thus he redeemeth his soul from passing into the pit, and his life will look joyously on the light.
He has saved me from dying and going to the place where dead people are, and I will continue to enjoy being alive.’
29 Lo, all these things doth God two or three times with man;
God does all these things for us many times;
30 To bring back his soul from the pit, that she may shine in the light of life.
he keeps us [SYN] from [dying and] going to the place where the dead are, in order that we can continue to enjoy being alive [IDM].
31 Listen well, O Job, hearken unto me: keep silence, and I will truly speak.
So Job, listen to me; do not say anything more; just allow me to speak.
32 If thou hast any words, answer me: speak, for I wish to justify thee.
[After I speak], if you have something more that you want to say to me, say it, because I would like to find a way to declare that you (are innocent/have not done what is wrong).
33 If not, hearken thou unto me: keep silence, and I will teach thee wisdom.
But if you have nothing more that you want to say, then just listen to me, and I will teach you how to become wise.”
