Job 33
1 “However, Job, please hear my speech, and listen to all my words.
“But now, Job, listen carefully to all that I am going to say [DOU].
2 See now, I have opened my mouth. My tongue has spoken in my mouth.
I am ready to tell you [MTY, DOU] [what I think].
3 My words will utter the uprightness of my heart. That which my lips know they will speak sincerely.
I know that I am speaking honestly and that I am speaking [MTY] sincerely.
4 The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
Almighty God has created me [as well as you], and his breath has caused me to live.
5 If you can, answer me. Set your words in order before me, and stand up.
So, answer [what] I [say] if you can; think carefully [about how you will reply to me].
6 Behold, I am toward God even as you are. I am also formed out of the clay.
“God considers that you, and I are both [equal]; he formed both of us from clay.
7 Behold, my terror will not make you afraid, neither will my pressure be heavy on you.
So you do not need to be afraid of me; I will not crush/oppress you [by what I say] [MTY].
8 “Surely you have spoken in my hearing, I have heard the voice of your words, saying,
I have heard you [DOU] speaking, and this is what you have said:
9 ‘I am clean, without disobedience. I am innocent, neither is there iniquity in me.
‘I am innocent; I have not committed any sins; I am pure; I have not done things that are wrong.
10 Behold, he finds occasions against me. He counts me for his enemy.
But God finds reasons to accuse me, and he considers that I am his enemy.
11 He puts my feet in the stocks. He marks 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, I will answer you. In this you are not just, for God is greater than man.
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 do you strive against him, because he doesn’t give account of any of his matters?
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 speaks once, yes twice, though man pays no attention.
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 falls on men, in slumbering on the bed,
[Sometimes he speaks to us] at night in dreams and visions, when we are on our beds, asleep [DOU].
16 then he opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction,
He reveals things [MTY] to us and terrifies us by the things he warns us about.
17 that he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide 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 keeps back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing 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 “He is chastened also with pain on his bed, with continual strife in his bones,
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 life abhors bread, and his soul dainty food.
The result is that we do not desire any food, not even very special food.
21 His flesh is so consumed away that it can’t be seen. 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 Yes, his soul draws near to the pit, and his life to the destroyers.
[We know that] we will soon die and go to the place where dead people are.
23 “If there is beside him an angel, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to show to man what is right for him,
“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 God is gracious to him, and says, ‘Deliver him from going down to the pit, I have found a ransom.’
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 will be fresher than a child’s. He returns to the days of his youth.
Allow his body to be strong again; allow him to be strong like he was when he was a youth!’
26 He prays to God, and he is favorable to him, so that he sees his face with joy. He restores to man 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 sings before men, and says, ‘I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it didn’t profit me.
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 He has redeemed my soul from going into the pit. My life will see 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 “Behold, God does all these things, twice, yes three times, with a man,
God does all these things for us many times;
30 to bring back his soul from the pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of the living.
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 Mark well, Job, and listen to me. Hold your peace, and I will speak.
So Job, listen to me; do not say anything more; just allow me to speak.
32 If you have anything to say, answer me. Speak, for I desire to justify you.
[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, listen to me. Hold your peace, and I will teach you 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.”
