Job 16
1 And Job answereth and saith: —
Job replied,
2 I have heard many such things, Miserable comforters [are] ye 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 doth embolden thee that thou answerest?
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 goeth 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 hath wearied me; Thou hast desolated all my company,
God, you have worn me out. You have destroyed my whole family.
8 And Thou dost loathe me, For a witness it hath been, And rise up against me doth my failure, In my face it testifieth.
You have made me shrivel up, which is a witness against me; my thin body testifies against me.
9 His anger hath torn, and he hateth me, He hath gnashed at me with his teeth, My adversary sharpeneth 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 smitten my cheeks, Together against me they set themselves.
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 shutteth me up unto the perverse, And to the hands of the wicked turneth me over.
God has handed me over to evil people; he has thrown me into their hands.
12 At ease I have been, and he breaketh me, And he hath laid hold on my neck, And he breaketh me in pieces, And he raiseth 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 Go round against me do his archers. He splitteth my reins, and spareth not, He poureth out to the earth my gall.
His archers surround me. His arrows pierce my kidneys without mercy. He pours out my gall on the ground.
14 He breaketh me — breach upon breach, He runneth upon me as a mighty one.
Like a wall he breaks me down, breach upon breach, rushing at me like a warrior.
15 Sackcloth I have sewed on my skin, And have rolled in the dust my horn.
I have sown sackcloth to cover my skin; my strength lies broken in the dust.
16 My face is foul with weeping, And on mine 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 thou 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, lo, in the heavens [is] my witness, 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, Unto God hath mine eye dropped:
My friends scorn me, but my eyes pour out tears to God.
21 And he reasoneth for a man with God, And 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 do come, Then a path I return not do I go.
For in a few short years I shall go down that road from which I shall not return.
