< Job 19 >

1 And Job answereth and saith: —
Then Job answered and said:
2 Till when do ye afflict my soul, And bruise me with words?
How long will ye vex my soul, and crush me with words?
3 These ten times ye put me to shame, ye blush not. Ye make yourselves strange to me —
These ten times have ye reproached me; ye are not ashamed that ye deal harshly with me.
4 And also — truly, I have erred, With me doth my error remain.
And be it indeed that I have erred, mine error remaineth with myself.
5 If, truly, over me ye magnify yourselves, And decide against me my reproach;
If indeed ye will magnify yourselves against me, and plead against me my reproach;
6 Know now, that God turned me upside down, And His net against me hath set round,
Know now that God hath subverted my cause, and hath compassed me with His net.
7 Lo, I cry out — violence, and am not answered, I cry aloud, and there is no judgment.
Behold, I cry out: 'Violence!' but I am not heard; I cry aloud, but there is no justice.
8 My way He hedged up, and I pass not over, And on my paths darkness He placeth.
He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and hath set darkness in my paths.
9 Mine honour from off me He hath stripped, And He turneth the crown from my head.
He hath stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head.
10 He breaketh me down round about, and I go, And removeth like a tree my hope.
He hath broken me down on every side, and I am gone; and my hope hath He plucked up like a tree.
11 And He kindleth against me His anger, And reckoneth me to Him as His adversaries.
He hath also kindled His wrath against me, and He counteth me unto Him as one of His adversaries.
12 Come in do His troops together, And they raise up against me their way, And encamp round about my tent.
His troops come on together, and cast up their way against me, and encamp round about my tent.
13 My brethren from me He hath put far off, And mine acquaintances surely Have been estranged from me.
He hath put my brethren far from me, and mine acquaintance are wholly estranged from me.
14 Ceased have my neighbours And my familiar friends have forgotten me,
My kinsfolk have failed, and my familiar friends have forgotten me.
15 Sojourners of my house and my maids, For a stranger reckon me: An alien I have been in their eyes.
They that dwell in my house, and my maids, count me for a stranger; I am become an alien in their sight.
16 To my servant I have called, And he doth not answer, With my mouth I make supplication to him.
I call unto my servant, and he giveth me no answer, though I entreat him with my mouth.
17 My spirit is strange to my wife, And my favours to the sons of my [mother's] womb.
My breath is abhorred of my wife, and I am loathsome to the children of my tribe.
18 Also sucklings have despised me, I rise, and they speak against me.
Even urchins despised me; if I arise, they speak against me.
19 Abominate me do all the men of my counsel, And those I have loved, Have been turned against me.
All my intimate friends abhor me; and they whom I loved are turned against me.
20 To my skin and to my flesh Cleaved hath my bone, And I deliver myself with the skin of my teeth.
My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.
21 Pity me, pity me, ye my friends, For the hand of God hath stricken against me.
Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me.
22 Why do you pursue me as God? And with my flesh are not satisfied?
Why do ye persecute me as God, and are not satisfied with my flesh?
23 Who doth grant now, That my words may be written? Who doth grant that in a book they may be graven?
Oh that my words were now written! Oh that they were inscribed in a book!
24 With a pen of iron and lead — For ever in a rock they may be hewn.
That with an iron pen and lead they were graven in the rock for ever!
25 That — I have known my Redeemer, The Living and the Last, For the dust he doth rise.
But as for me, I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He will witness at the last upon the dust;
26 And after my skin hath compassed this [body], Then from my flesh I see God:
And when after my skin this is destroyed, then without my flesh shall I see God;
27 Whom I — I see on my side, And mine eyes have beheld, and not a stranger, Consumed have been my reins in my bosom.
Whom I, even I, shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another's. My reins are consumed within me.
28 But ye say, 'Why do we pursue after him?' And the root of the matter hath been found in me.
If ye say: 'How we will persecute him!' seeing that the root of the matter is found in me;
29 Be ye afraid because of the sword, For furious [are] the punishments of the sword, That ye may know that [there is] a judgment.
Be ye afraid of the sword; for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that ye may know there is a judgment.

< Job 19 >