Job 16

1 And Job answers and says:

Job replied,

2 “I have heard many such things, Miserable comforters [are] you all.

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

3 Is there an end to words of wind? Or what emboldens you that you answer?

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

4 I also, like you, might speak, If your soul were in my soul’s stead. I might join against you with words, And nod at you with my head.

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 I might harden you with my mouth, And the moving of my lips might be sparing.

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

6 If I speak, my pain is not restrained, And I cease—what goes from me?

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

7 Only, now, it has wearied me; You have desolated all my company,

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

8 And You loathe me, For it has been a witness, And my failure rises up against me, It testifies in my face.

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

9 His anger has torn, and He hates me, He has gnashed at me with His teeth, My adversary sharpens His eyes for me.

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 have gaped on me with their mouth, In reproach they have struck my cheeks, Together they set themselves 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 shuts me up to the perverse, And turns me over to the hands of the wicked.

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

12 I have been at ease, and He breaks me, And He has laid hold on my neck, And He breaks me in pieces, And He raises me to Him for a mark.

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 go around against me. He split my reins, and does not spare, He pours out my gall to the earth.

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

14 He breaks me—breach on breach, He runs on me as a mighty one.

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

15 I have sewed sackcloth on my skin, And have rolled my horn in the dust.

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

16 My face is foul with weeping, And on my eyelids [is] death-shade.

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

17 Not for violence in my hands, And my prayer [is] pure.

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

18 O earth, do not cover my blood! And let there not be a place for my cry.

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

19 Also, now, behold, my witness [is] in the heavens, And my testifier in the high places.

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

20 My interpreter [is] my friend, My eye has dropped to God;

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

21 And He reasons for a man with God, As a son of man for his friend.

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

22 When a few years come, Then I go [on] the path of no return.”

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