Job 21
1 And Job answereth and saith: —
Job replied,
2 Hear ye diligently my word, And this is your consolation.
“Please listen carefully to what I say—that would be one comfort you could give me.
3 Bear with me, and I speak, And after my speaking — ye may deride.
Bear with me; let me speak. After I've spoken you can resume mocking me.
4 I — to man [is] my complaint? and if [so], wherefore May not my temper become short?
Am I complaining against people? Of course not. Why shouldn't I be impatient?
5 Turn unto me, and be astonished, And put hand to mouth.
Just take a look at me. Aren't you appalled? Cover your mouth with your hand in shock!
6 Yea, if I have remembered, then I have been troubled. And my flesh hath taken fright.
Every time I think of what's happened to me I am horrified and I shake all over with fear.
7 Wherefore do the wicked live? They have become old, Yea, they have been mighty in wealth.
Why do the wicked continue to live, to grow old and increasingly powerful?
8 Their seed is established, Before their face with them, And their offspring before their eyes.
Their children are with them; they watch their grandchildren grow up.
9 Their houses [are] peace without fear, Nor [is] a rod of God upon them.
They live in their homes in safety—they are not afraid. God does not use his rod to beat them.
10 His bullock hath eaten corn, and doth not loath. His cow bringeth forth safely, And doth not miscarry.
Their bulls always breed successfully; their cows give birth to calves and do not miscarry.
11 They send forth as a flock their sucklings, And their children skip,
They send out their little ones like lambs to play; their children dance around.
12 They lift [themselves] up at timbrel and harp, And rejoice at the sound of an organ.
They sing accompanied by the tambourine and lyre; they celebrate with the music of the flute.
They live out their lives contentedly, and go down to Sheol in peace. (Sheol h7585)
14 And they say to God, 'Turn aside from us, And the knowledge of Thy ways We have not desired.
Yet they tell God, ‘Get lost! We don't want anything to do with you.
15 What [is] the Mighty One that we serve Him? And what do we profit when we meet with Him?'
Who does the Almighty think he is for us to serve him as slaves? What benefit is there for us if we pray to him?’
16 Lo, not in their hand [is] their good, (The counsel of the wicked Hath been far from me.)
Such people believe they make their own fortune, but I don't accept their way of thinking.
17 How oft is the lamp of the wicked extinguished, And come on them doth their calamity? Pangs He apportioneth in His anger.
How often is the lamp of the wicked snuffed out? How often does disaster come upon them? How often does God punish the wicked in his anger?
18 They are as straw before wind, And as chaff a hurricane hath stolen away,
Are they blown along like straw in the wind? Does a tornado come in and carry them away?
19 God layeth up for his sons his sorrow, He giveth recompense unto him — and he knoweth.
Some say, ‘God saves up people's punishment for their children.’ But I say, ‘God should punish those people themselves so that they can learn from it.’
20 His own eyes see his destruction, And of the wrath of the Mighty he drinketh.
Let them see their destruction themselves, and drink deeply from God's anger.
21 For what [is] his delight in his house after him, And the number of his months cut off?
For they don't care what happens to their families once they're dead.
22 To God doth [one] teach knowledge, And He the high doth judge?
Can anyone teach God anything he doesn't already know, since he is the one who judges even heavenly beings?
23 This [one] dieth in his perfect strength, Wholly at ease and quiet.
One person dies in good health, totally comfortable and secure.
24 His breasts have been full of milk, And marrow his bones doth moisten.
Their body is fat from eating well; their bones still strong.
25 And this [one] dieth with a bitter soul, And have not eaten with gladness.
Another dies after a miserable life without every experiencing happiness.
26 Together — on the dust they lie down, And the worm doth cover them over.
Yet they are both buried in the same dust; they are treated alike in death, eaten by maggots.
27 Lo, I have known your thoughts, And the devices against me ye do wrongfully.
Look, I know what you're thinking, and your schemes to do me wrong.
28 For ye say, 'Where [is] the house of the noble? And where the tent — The tabernacles of the wicked?'
You may ask me, ‘Where is the home of the great man? Where is the place where the wicked live?’
29 Have ye not asked those passing by the way? And their signs do ye not know?
Haven't you asked people who travel? Don't you pay attention to what they tell you?
30 That to a day of calamity is the wicked spared. To a day of wrath they are brought.
Wicked people are spared in times of disaster; they are rescued from the day of judgment.
31 Who doth declare to his face his way? And [for] that which he hath done, Who doth give recompence to him?
Who confronts them with their actions? Who pays them back for what they have done?
32 And he — to the graves he is brought. And over the heap a watch is kept.
When they eventually die and are carried to the graveyard, their tomb is guarded. The earth of the grave softly covers them.
33 Sweet to him have been the clods of the valley, And after him every man he draweth, And before him there is no numbering.
Everyone attends their funeral service; a huge procession of people comes to pay their last respects.
34 And how do ye comfort me [with] vanity, And in your answers hath been left trespass?
Why do you try to comfort me with worthless nonsense? Your answers are just a pack of lies!”
