Job 19
1 And Job answereth and saith: —
Then answered Job, and said,
2 Till when do ye afflict my soul, And bruise me with words?
How long will ye grieve 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 when ye show yourselves as strangers to me.
4 And also — truly, I have erred, With me doth my error remain.
Yea, if it be indeed that I have erred, let my error remain with myself.
5 If, truly, over me ye magnify yourselves, And decide against me my reproach;
But if indeed ye wish to magnify yourselves above me, and to prove against me my disgrace:
6 Know now, that God turned me upside down, And His net against me hath set round,
Then know for certain that God hath bent me down, and hath laid his net all around me.
7 Lo, I cry out — violence, and am not answered, I cry aloud, and there is no judgment.
Behold, I cry out concerning the violence [done me], but I am not answered: I entreat aloud, but there is no justice.
8 My way He hedged up, and I pass not over, And on my paths darkness He placeth.
My road hath he fenced up, so that I cannot pass out; and on my paths he placeth darkness.
9 Mine honour from off me He hath stripped, And He turneth the crown from my head.
My glory hath he stripped from me, and removed the crown of my head.
10 He breaketh me down round about, and I go, And removeth like a tree my hope.
He hath pulled me down on every side, and I am going hence; and he hath rooted up like a tree my hope.
11 And He kindleth against me His anger, And reckoneth me to Him as His adversaries.
He hath also kindled against me his wrath, and he counteth me with himself 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.
Altogether come on his troops, and make level against me their way, 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.
My brothers hath he removed far from me, and my acquaintance are entirely estranged from me.
14 Ceased have my neighbours And my familiar friends have forgotten me,
My near of kin have withdrawn, and those befriended by me have forgotten me.
15 Sojourners of my house and my maids, For a stranger reckon me: An alien I have been in their eyes.
Ye that sojourn in my house, and my maid-servants, regard me as a stranger: an alien am I become in their eyes.
16 To my servant I have called, And he doth not answer, With my mouth I make supplication to him.
I call for my servant, but he will not answer, though I were to 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 become nauseous to my wife, and my caressing, to the children of my own body.
18 Also sucklings have despised me, I rise, and they speak against me.
Yea, children even despise me: I rise up, but 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 that have had my confidence abominate me; and those whom I have 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.
To my skin and to my flesh my bones do cleave, and I must sustain myself with the gums of my teeth.
21 Pity me, pity me, ye my friends, For the hand of God hath stricken against me.
Spare me, spare 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 will ye persecute me as God [hath done], and will never be 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 who would but grant, that my words might be written down! oh who would grant that they were entered in a book!
24 With a pen of iron and lead — For ever in a rock they may be hewn.
That they were hewn with an iron pen and [blackened with] lead for eternity in the hard rock!
25 That — I have known my Redeemer, The Living and the Last, For the dust he doth rise.
And well I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he will remain as the last after the creatures of the dust [are passed away];
26 And after my skin hath compassed this [body], Then from my flesh I see God:
And after my skin is cut to pieces will this be: and then freed from my body shall I behold 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 shall myself behold to my happiness, and whom my eyes will see, and not as a stranger, [when even] my reins are consumed within my bosom.
28 But ye say, 'Why do we pursue after him?' And the root of the matter hath been found in me.
But if ye should say, How will we pursue him? seeing 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.
Then have dread for yourselves of the sword; for the wrath [which ye excite] is an iniquity that bringeth the sword; in order that ye may know there is one that judgeth [in the world].
