Job 9
1 Then Job replied,
| וַיַּ֥עַן אִיֹּ֗וב וַיֹּאמַֽר׃ |
2 “Yes, I certainly know that [much of] what you said is true. But (how can anyone say to God, ‘I (am innocent/have not done what is wrong) and prove it?’/no one can say to God ‘I (am innocent/have not done what is wrong) and prove it.’) [RHQ]
| אָ֭מְנָם יָדַ֣עְתִּי כִי־כֵ֑ן וּמַה־יִּצְדַּ֖ק אֱנֹ֣ושׁ עִם־אֵֽל׃ |
3 If someone wanted to argue with God [about that], God could ask him 1,000 questions, and that person would not be able to answer any of them!
| אִם־יַ֭חְפֹּץ לָרִ֣יב עִמֹּ֑ו לֹֽא־יַ֝עֲנֶ֗נּוּ אַחַ֥ת מִנִּי־אָֽלֶף׃ |
4 God is very wise [IDM] and very powerful; no one who has tried to challenge God has been able to win.
| חֲכַ֣ם לֵ֭בָב וְאַמִּ֣יץ כֹּ֑חַ מִֽי־הִקְשָׁ֥ה אֵ֝לָ֗יו וַיִּשְׁלָֽם׃ |
5 He even moves mountains, without them (OR, anyone) knowing about it. When he is angry, he turns them upside down.
| הַמַּעְתִּ֣יק הָ֭רִים וְלֹ֣א יָדָ֑עוּ אֲשֶׁ֖ר הֲפָכָ֣ם בְּאַפֹּֽו׃ |
6 He sends earthquakes that shake the ground; he causes the pillars that support the earth to tremble.
| הַמַּרְגִּ֣יז אֶ֭רֶץ מִמְּקֹומָ֑הּ וְ֝עַמּוּדֶ֗יהָ יִתְפַלָּצֽוּן׃ |
7 [Some days] he speaks to the sun, and it does not rise, and [some nights] he prevents the stars from shining.
| הָאֹמֵ֣ר לַ֭חֶרֶס וְלֹ֣א יִזְרָ֑ח וּבְעַ֖ד כֹּוכָבִ֣ים יַחְתֹּֽם׃ |
8 He alone (stretched out/put in place) the sky; he alone puts his feet on the waves (OR, on the huge sea monster).
| נֹטֶ֣ה שָׁמַ֣יִם לְבַדֹּ֑ו וְ֝דֹורֵ֗ךְ עַל־בָּ֥מֳתֵי יָֽם׃ |
9 He put in their places [the clusters/groups of stars that are called] The Dipper/Bear, Orion, the Pleiades, and the stars in the southern sky.
| עֹֽשֶׂה־עָ֭שׁ כְּסִ֥יל וְכִימָ֗ה וְחַדְרֵ֥י תֵמָֽן׃ |
10 Only he does great things that we cannot understand; he does more marvelous things than we are able to count.
| עֹשֶׂ֣ה גְ֭דֹלֹות עַד־אֵ֣ין חֵ֑קֶר וְנִפְלָאֹ֗ות עַד־אֵ֥ין מִסְפָּֽר׃ |
11 He passes by where I am, but I do not see him; he moves further on, but I do not see him go.
| הֵ֤ן יַעֲבֹ֣ר עָ֭לַי וְלֹ֣א אֶרְאֶ֑ה וְ֝יַחֲלֹ֗ף וְֽלֹא־אָבִ֥ין לֹֽו׃ |
12 If he [wants to] snatch something away, no one [RHQ] can hinder him; no one dares to ask him, ‘Why are you doing that?’ [RHQ]
| הֵ֣ן יַ֭חְתֹּף מִ֣י יְשִׁיבֶ֑נּוּ מִֽי־יֹאמַ֥ר אֵ֝לָ֗יו מַֽה־תַּעֲשֶֽׂה׃ |
13 God will not very easily stop being angry; he defeated [MTY] those who [tried to] help Rahab, [the great sea monster].
| אֱ֭לֹוהַּ לֹא־יָשִׁ֣יב אַפֹּ֑ו תַּחַתֹו (תַּחְתָּ֥יו) שָׁ֝חֲח֗וּ עֹ֣זְרֵי רָֽהַב׃ |
14 “So, [if God took me to court], what could I say [MTY] to answer him?
| אַ֭ף כִּֽי־אָנֹכִ֣י אֶֽעֱנֶ֑נּוּ אֶבְחֲרָ֖ה דְבָרַ֣י עִמֹּֽו׃ |
15 Even though I (would be innocent/would not have done what is wrong), I would not be able to answer him. All I could do would be to request God, my judge/accuser, to act mercifully toward me.
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר אִם־צָ֭דַקְתִּי לֹ֣א אֶעֱנֶ֑ה לִ֝מְשֹׁפְטִ֗י אֶתְחַנָּֽן׃ |
16 If I summoned him to [come to the courtroom] and he said that he would come, I would not believe that he would pay attention to what I would say.
| אִם־קָרָ֥אתִי וַֽיַּעֲנֵ֑נִי לֹֽא־אַ֝אֲמִ֗ין כִּֽי־יַאֲזִ֥ין קֹולִֽי׃ |
17 He sends storms to batter me, and he bruises me many times (without any reason to do that/even though I am innocent).
| אֲשֶׁר־בִּשְׂעָרָ֥ה יְשׁוּפֵ֑נִי וְהִרְבָּ֖ה פְצָעַ֣י חִנָּֽם׃ |
18 [It is as though] he will not let me get/catch my breath, because he causes me to suffer all the time.
| לֹֽא־יִ֭תְּנֵנִי הָשֵׁ֣ב רוּחִ֑י כִּ֥י יַ֝שְׂבִּעַ֗נִי מַמְּרֹרִֽים׃ |
19 If I would try to (wrestle with/fight against) him, [there is no way that I could defeat him, ] [because] he is stronger than I am. If I would request him to appear in court, there is no one who could [RHQ] force him to go there.
| אִם־לְכֹ֣חַ אַמִּ֣יץ הִנֵּ֑ה וְאִם־לְ֝מִשְׁפָּ֗ט מִ֣י יֹועִידֵֽנִי׃ |
20 Even though I was innocent, what I would say would cause him to say that I must be punished [MTY]; even though I had not done anything wrong, he would prove that I am guilty.
| אִם־אֶ֭צְדָּק פִּ֣י יַרְשִׁיעֵ֑נִי תָּֽם־אָ֝֗נִי וַֽיַּעְקְשֵֽׁנִי׃ |
21 “I have not done what is wrong, but that is not important. I despise continuing to remain alive.
| תָּֽם־אָ֭נִי לֹֽא־אֵדַ֥ע נַפְשִׁ֗י אֶמְאַ֥ס חַיָּֽי׃ |
22 But it doesn’t matter, because God will get rid of [all of us, ] both those who are innocent and those who are wicked.
| אַחַ֗ת הִ֥יא עַל־כֵּ֥ן אָמַ֑רְתִּי תָּ֥ם וְ֝רָשָׁ֗ע ה֣וּא מְכַלֶּֽה׃ |
23 When people experience disaster and it causes them to suddenly die, God laughs at it, even if they are innocent.
| אִם־שֹׁ֭וט יָמִ֣ית פִּתְאֹ֑ם לְמַסַּ֖ת נְקִיִּ֣ם יִלְעָֽג׃ |
24 God has allowed wicked people to control [what happens in] the world. [It is as though] he has caused judges to be blindfolded, [with the result that they cannot judge fairly]. If it is not God who has put wicked people in control, who has done it?
| אֶ֤רֶץ ׀ נִתְּנָ֬ה בְֽיַד־רָשָׁ֗ע פְּנֵֽי־שֹׁפְטֶ֥יהָ יְכַסֶּ֑ה אִם־לֹ֖א אֵפֹ֣וא מִי־הֽוּא׃ |
25 “My days go by very quickly, like a fast runner; [it is as though] they run away, and nothing good happens to me on those days.
| וְיָמַ֣י קַ֭לּוּ מִנִּי־רָ֑ץ בָּֽ֝רְח֗וּ לֹא־רָא֥וּ טֹובָֽה׃ |
26 My life goes by very rapidly, like a boat made from reeds sailing swiftly, or like an eagle that swoops down to seize a small animal.
| חָ֭לְפוּ עִם־אֳנִיֹּ֣ות אֵבֶ֑ה כְּ֝נֶ֗שֶׁר יָט֥וּשׂ עֲלֵי־אֹֽכֶל׃ |
27 If I smile and say [to God], ‘I will forget what I am complaining about; I will stop looking sad and try to be cheerful/happy,’
| אִם־אָ֭מְרִי אֶשְׁכְּחָ֣ה שִׂיחִ֑י אֶעֶזְבָ֖ה פָנַ֣י וְאַבְלִֽיגָה׃ |
28 then I become afraid because of all that I am suffering, because I know that God does not consider that I am innocent.
| יָגֹ֥רְתִּי כָל־עַצְּבֹתָ֑י יָ֝דַ֗עְתִּי כִּי־לֹ֥א תְנַקֵּֽנִי׃ |
29 He will (condemn me/declare that I should be punished), so why should I keep trying in vain [to defend myself]?
| אָנֹכִ֥י אֶרְשָׁ֑ע לָמָּה־זֶּ֝֗ה הֶ֣בֶל אִיגָֽע׃ |
30 If I washed myself with snow or cleansed my hands with lye/soap [to get rid of my guilt],
| אִם־הִתְרָחַ֥צְתִּי בְמֹו (בְמֵי)־שָׁ֑לֶג וַ֝הֲזִכֹּ֗ותִי בְּבֹ֣ר כַּפָּֽי׃ |
31 he would still throw me into a filthy pit; as a result [it would be as though] even my clothes would detest me.
| אָ֭ז בַּשַּׁ֣חַת תִּטְבְּלֵ֑נִי וְ֝תִֽעֲב֗וּנִי שַׂלְמֹותָֽי׃ |
32 “God is not a human, as I am, so there is no way that I could answer him [to prove that I am innocent] if we went together to have a trial [in a courtroom].
| כִּי־לֹא־אִ֣ישׁ כָּמֹ֣נִי אֶֽעֱנֶ֑נּוּ נָבֹ֥וא יַ֝חְדָּ֗ו בַּמִּשְׁפָּֽט׃ |
33 There is no one to (mediate/hear us and decide who is right), no one who has authority over both of us [IDM].
| לֹ֣א יֵשׁ־בֵּינֵ֣ינוּ מֹוכִ֑יחַ יָשֵׁ֖ת יָדֹ֣ו עַל־שְׁנֵֽינוּ׃ |
34 I wish/desire that he would stop punishing [MTY] me, and that he would not continue to terrify me.
| יָסֵ֣ר מֵעָלַ֣י שִׁבְטֹ֑ו וְ֝אֵמָתֹ֗ו אַֽל־תְּבַעֲתַֽנִּי׃ |
35 If he did that, I would declare [that I am innocent] without being afraid of him, because I know that I really have not [done what is wrong like God thinks that I have].”
| אַֽ֭דַבְּרָה וְלֹ֣א אִירָאֶ֑נּוּ כִּ֥י לֹא־כֵ֥ן אָ֝נֹכִ֗י עִמָּדִֽי׃ |
