Job 21
1 Respondens autem Iob, dixit:
Job replied,
2 Audite quaeso sermones meos, et agite poenitentiam.
“Please listen carefully to what I say—that would be one comfort you could give me.
3 Sustinete me, et ego loquar, et post mea, si videbitur, verba ridete.
Bear with me; let me speak. After I've spoken you can resume mocking me.
4 Numquid contra hominem disputatio mea est, ut merito non debeam contristari?
Am I complaining against people? Of course not. Why shouldn't I be impatient?
5 Attendite me, et obstupescite, et superponite digitum ori vestro:
Just take a look at me. Aren't you appalled? Cover your mouth with your hand in shock!
6 Et ego quando recordatus fuero, pertimesco, et concutit carnem meam tremor.
Every time I think of what's happened to me I am horrified and I shake all over with fear.
7 Quare ergo impii vivunt, sublevati sunt, confortatique divitiis?
Why do the wicked continue to live, to grow old and increasingly powerful?
8 Semen eorum permanet coram eis, propinquorum turba, et nepotum in conspectu eorum.
Their children are with them; they watch their grandchildren grow up.
9 Domus eorum securae sunt et pacatae, et non est virga Dei super illos.
They live in their homes in safety—they are not afraid. God does not use his rod to beat them.
10 Bos eorum concepit, et non abortivit: vacca peperit, et non est privata foetu suo.
Their bulls always breed successfully; their cows give birth to calves and do not miscarry.
11 Egrediuntur quasi greges parvuli eorum, et infantes eorum exultant lusibus.
They send out their little ones like lambs to play; their children dance around.
12 Tenent tympanum, et citharam, et gaudent ad sonitum organi.
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 Qui dixerunt Deo: Recede a nobis, et scientiam viarum tuarum nolumus.
Yet they tell God, ‘Get lost! We don't want anything to do with you.
15 Quis est Omnipotens, ut serviamus ei? et quid nobis prodest si oraverimus illum?
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 Verumtamen quia non sunt in manu eorum bona sua, consilium impiorum longe sit a me.
Such people believe they make their own fortune, but I don't accept their way of thinking.
17 Quoties lucerna impiorum extinguetur, et superveniet eis inundatio, et dolores dividet furoris sui?
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 Erunt sicut paleae ante faciem venti, et sicut favilla quam turbo dispergit.
Are they blown along like straw in the wind? Does a tornado come in and carry them away?
19 Deus servabit filiis illius dolorem patris: et cum reddiderit, tunc sciet.
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 Videbunt oculi eius interfectionem suam, et de furore Omnipotentis bibet.
Let them see their destruction themselves, and drink deeply from God's anger.
21 Quid enim ad eum pertinet de domo sua post se? et si numerus mensium eius dimidietur?
For they don't care what happens to their families once they're dead.
22 Numquid Deus docebit quispiam scientiam, qui excelsos iudicat?
Can anyone teach God anything he doesn't already know, since he is the one who judges even heavenly beings?
23 Iste moritur robustus et sanus, dives et felix.
One person dies in good health, totally comfortable and secure.
24 Viscera eius plena sunt adipe, et medullis ossa illius irrigantur:
Their body is fat from eating well; their bones still strong.
25 Alius vero moritur in amaritudine animae absque ullis opibus:
Another dies after a miserable life without every experiencing happiness.
26 Et tamen simul in pulvere dormient, et vermes operient eos.
Yet they are both buried in the same dust; they are treated alike in death, eaten by maggots.
27 Certe novi cogitationes vestras, et sententias contra me iniquas.
Look, I know what you're thinking, and your schemes to do me wrong.
28 Dicitis enim: Ubi est domus principis? et ubi tabernacula impiorum?
You may ask me, ‘Where is the home of the great man? Where is the place where the wicked live?’
29 Interrogate quemlibet de viatoribus, et haec eadem illum intelligere cognoscetis:
Haven't you asked people who travel? Don't you pay attention to what they tell you?
30 Quia in diem perditionis servatur malus, et ad diem furoris ducetur.
Wicked people are spared in times of disaster; they are rescued from the day of judgment.
31 Quis arguet coram eo viam eius? et quae fecit, quis reddet illi?
Who confronts them with their actions? Who pays them back for what they have done?
32 Ipse ad sepulchra ducetur, et in congerie mortuorum vigilabit.
When they eventually die and are carried to the graveyard, their tomb is guarded. The earth of the grave softly covers them.
33 Dulcis fuit glareis Cocyti, et post se omnem hominem trahet, et ante se innumerabiles.
Everyone attends their funeral service; a huge procession of people comes to pay their last respects.
34 Quomodo igitur consolamini me frustra, cum responsio vestra repugnare ostensa sit veritati?
Why do you try to comfort me with worthless nonsense? Your answers are just a pack of lies!”
