Job 33
1 Hear, therefore, my discourse, I pray thee, O Job! And attend unto all my words!
Hear therefore, O Job, my speeches, and hearken to all my words.
2 Behold, I am opening my mouth; My tongue is now speaking in my palate.
Behold now I have opened my mouth, let my tongue speak within my jaws.
3 My words shall be in the uprightness of my heart; My lips shall utter knowledge purely.
My words are from my upright heart, and my lips shall speak a pure sentence.
4 The spirit of God made me, And the breath of the Almighty gave me life.
The spirit of God made me, and the breath of the Almighty gave me life.
5 If thou art able, answer me; Set thyself in array against me; stand up!
If thou canst, answer me, and stand up against my face.
6 Behold, I, like thee, am a creature of God; I also was formed of clay.
Behold God hath made me as well as thee, and of the same clay I also was formed.
7 Behold, my terror cannot dismay thee, Nor can my greatness be heavy upon thee.
But yet let not my wonder terrify thee, and let not my eloquence be burdensome to thee.
8 Surely thou hast said in my hearing, I have heard the sound of thy words:
Now thou has said in my hearing, and I have heard the voice of thy words:
9 “I am pure, and without transgression; I am clean, and there is no iniquity in me.
I am clean, and without sin: I am unspotted, and there is no iniquity in me.
10 Behold, He seeketh causes of hostility against me; He regardeth me as his enemy.
Because he hath found complaints against me, therefore he hath counted me for his enemy.
11 He putteth my feet in the stocks; He watcheth all my paths.”
He hath put my feet in the stocks, he hath observed all my paths.
12 Behold, in this thou art not right; I will answer thee; For God is greater than man.
Now this is the thing in which thou art not justified: I will answer thee, that God is greater than man.
13 Why dost thou contend with Him? For he giveth no account of any of his doings.
Dost thou strive against him, because he hath not answered thee to all words?
14 For God speaketh once, Yea, twice, when man regardeth it not.
God speaketh once, and repeateth not the selfsame thing the second time.
15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, When deep sleep falleth upon men, In slumber upon the bed;
By a dream in a vision by night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, and they are sleeping in their beds:
16 Then openeth he the ears of men, And sealeth up for them admonition;
Then he openeth the ears of men, and teaching instructeth them in what they are to learn.
17 That he may turn man from his purpose, And hide pride from man.
That he may withdraw a man from the things he is doing, and may deliver him from pride.
18 Thus he saveth him from the pit, Yea, his life from perishing by the sword.
Rescuing his soul from corruption: and his life from passing to the sword.
19 He is chastened also with pain upon his bed, And with a continual agitation of his bones,
He rebuketh also by sorrow in the bed, and he maketh all his bones to wither.
20 So that his mouth abhorreth bread, And his taste the choicest food;
Bread becometh abominable to him in his life, and to his soul the meat which before he desired.
21 His flesh is consumed, that it cannot be seen, And his bones, that were invisible, are naked;
His flesh shall be consumed away, and his bones that were covered shall be made bare.
22 Yea, his soul draweth near to the pit, And his life to the destroyers.
His soul hath drawn near to corruption, and his life to the destroyers.
23 But if there be with him a messenger, An interpreter, one of a thousand, Who may show unto man his duty,
If there shall be an angel speaking for him, one among thousands, to declare man’s uprightness,
24 Then will God be gracious to him, and say, “Save him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.”
He shall have mercy on him, and shall say: Deliver him, that he may not go down to corruption: I have found wherein I may be merciful to him.
25 His flesh shall became fresher than a child's; He shall return to the days of his youth.
His flesh is consumed with punishment, let him return to the days of his youth.
26 He shall pray to God, and he will be favorable to him, And permit him to see his face with joy, And restore unto man his righteousness.
He shall pray to God, and he will be gracious to him: and he shall see his face with joy, and he will render to man his justice.
27 He shall sing among men, and say, “I sinned; I acted perversely; Yet hath he not requited me for it:
He shall look upon men, and shall say: I have sinned, and indeed I have offended, and I have not received what I have deserved.
28 He hath delivered me from going down to the pit, And my life beholdeth the light.”
He hath delivered his soul from going into destruction, that it may live and see the light.
29 Lo! all these things doeth God Time after time with man,
Behold, all these things God worketh three times within every one.
30 That he may bring him back from the pit, That he may enjoy the light of the living.
That he may withdraw their souls from corruption, and enlighten them with the light of the living.
31 Mark well, O Job! hearken to me! Keep silence, and I will speak.
Attend, Job, and hearken to me: and hold thy peace, whilst I speak.
32 Yet if thou hast any thing to say, answer me! Speak! for I desire to pronounce thee innocent.
But if thou hast any thing to say, answer me, speak: for I would have thee to appear just.
33 But if not, do thou listen to me! Keep silence, and I will teach thee wisdom!
And if thou have not, hear me: hold thy peace, and I will teach thee wisdom.
