Job 33
1 So now, Job, I beg you, hear my speech; listen to all my words.
Howbeit hear, Job, my words, and listen to my speech.
2 See now, I have opened my mouth; my tongue has spoken in my mouth.
For behold, I have opened my mouth, and my tongue has spoken.
3 My words come from the uprightness of my heart; my lips speak pure knowledge.
My heart [shall be found] pure by [my] words; and the understanding of my lips shall meditate purity.
4 The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty has given me life.
The Divine Spirit is that which formed me, and the breath of the Almighty that which teaches me.
5 If you can, answer me; set your words in order before me and stand up.
If you can, give me an answer: wait therefore; stand against me, and I [will stand] against you.
6 See, I am just as you are in God's sight; I also have been formed out of the clay.
You are formed out of the clay as also I: we have been formed out of the same [substance].
7 See, terror of me will not make you afraid; neither will my pressure be heavy upon you.
My fear shall not terrify you, neither shall my hand be heavy upon you.
8 You have certainly spoken in my hearing; I have heard the sound of your words saying,
But you have said in mine ears, (I have heard the voice of your words; ) because you say, I am pure, not having sinned;
9 'I am clean and without transgression; I am innocent, and there is no sin in me.
I am blameless, for I have not transgressed.
10 See, God finds opportunities to attack me; he regards me as his enemy.
Yet he has discovered a charge against me, and he has reckoned me as an adversary.
11 He puts my feet in stocks; he watches all my paths.'
And he has put my foot in the stocks, and has watched all my ways.
12 See, in this you are not right—I will answer you, for God is greater than man.
For how say you, I am righteous, yet he has not listened to me? for he that is above mortals is eternal.
13 Why do you struggle against him? He does not account for any of his doings.
But you say, Why has he not heard every word of my cause?
14 For God speaks once— yes, twice, though man does not notice it.
For when the Lord speaks once, or a second time,
15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, in slumber on the bed—
[sending] a dream, or in the meditation of the night; (as when a dreadful alarm happens to fall upon men, in slumberings on the bed: )
16 then God opens the ears of men, and frightens them with threats,
then opens he the understanding of men: he scares them with such fearful visions:
17 in order to pull man back from his sinful purposes, and keep pride from him.
to turn a man from unrighteousness, and he delivers his body from a fall.
18 God keeps man's life back from the pit, his life from crossing over to death.
He spares also his soul from death, and [suffers] him not to fall in war.
19 Man is punished also with pain on his bed, with constant agony in his bones,
And again, he chastens him with sickness on his bed, and the multitude of his bones is benumbed.
20 so that his life abhors food, and his soul abhors delicacies.
And he shall not be able to take any food, though his soul shall desire meat;
21 His flesh is consumed away so that it cannot be seen; his bones, once not seen, now stick out.
until his flesh shall be consumed, and he shall show his bones bare.
22 Indeed, his soul draws close to the pit, his life to those who wish to destroy it.
His soul also draws near to death, and his life is in Hades.
23 But if there is an angel who can be a mediator for him, a mediator, one from among the thousands of angels, to show him what is right to do,
Though there should be a thousand messengers of death, not one of them shall wound him: if he should purpose in his heart to turn to the Lord, and declare to man his fault, and show his folly;
24 and if the angel is kind to him and says to God, 'Save this person from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom for him,'
he will support him, that he should not perish, and will restore his body as [fresh] plaster upon a wall; and he will fill his bones with morrow.
25 then his flesh will become fresher than a child's; he will return to the days of his youthful strength.
And he will make his flesh tender as that of a babe, and he will restore him amongst men in [his] full strength.
26 He will pray to God, and God will be kind to him, so that he sees God's face with joy. God will give the person his triumph.
And he shall pray to the Lord, and his prayer shall be accepted of him; he shall enter with a cheerful countenance, with a full expression [of praise]: for he will render to men [their] due.
27 Then that person will sing in front of other people and say, 'I sinned and perverted that which was right, but my sin was not punished.
Even then a man shall blame himself, saying, What kind of things have I done? and he has not punished me according to the full amount of my sins.
28 God has rescued my soul from going down into the pit; my life will continue to see light.'
Deliver my soul, that it may not go to destruction, and my life shall see the light.
29 See, God does all these things with a person, twice, yes, even three times,
Behold, all these things, the Mighty One works in a threefold manner with a man.
30 to bring his soul back from the pit, so that he may be enlightened with the light of life.
And he has delivered my soul from death, that my life may praise him in the light.
31 Pay attention, Job, and listen to me; be silent and I will speak.
Listen, Job, and hear me: be silent, and I will speak.
32 If you have anything to say, answer me; speak, for I wish to prove that you are in the right.
If you have words, answer me: speak, for I desire you to be justified.
33 If not, then listen to me; remain silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”
If not, do you hear me: be silent, and I will teach you.
