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| Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth?
are not his days also like the days of an hireling? |
| As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow, and as
an hireling looketh for the reward of his work: |
| So am I made to possess months of vanity, and
wearisome nights are appointed to me. |
| When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the
night be gone? and I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of
the day. |
| My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my
skin is broken, and become loathsome. |
| My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are
spent without hope. |
| O remember that my life is wind: mine eye shall no
more see good. |
| The eye of him that hath seen me shall see me no
more: thine eyes are upon me, and I am not. |
| As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he
that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more. |
| He shall return no more to his house, neither shall
his place know him any more. |
| Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak
in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my
soul. |
| Am I a sea, or a whale, that thou settest a watch
over me? |
| When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall
ease my complaint; |
| Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me
through visions: |
| So that my soul chooseth strangling, and death
rather than my life. |
| I loathe it; I would not live alway: let me alone;
for my days are vanity. |
| What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and
that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him? |
| And that thou shouldest visit him every morning, and
try him every moment? |
| How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me
alone till I swallow down my spittle? |
| I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou
preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I
am a burden to myself? |
| And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and
take away mine iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou
shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be. |
| Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said, |
| How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long
shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind? |
| Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty
pervert justice? |
| If thy children have sinned against him, and he have
cast them away for their transgression; |
| If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy
supplication to the Almighty; |
| If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would
awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous. |
| Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end
should greatly increase. |
| For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and
prepare thyself to the search of their fathers: |
| (For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing,
because our days upon earth are a shadow:) |
| Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and utter
words out of their heart? |
| Can the rush grow up without mire? can the flag grow
without water? |
| Whilst it is yet in his greenness, and not cut down,
it withereth before any other herb. |
| So are the paths of all that forget God; and the
hypocrite's hope shall perish: |
| Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall
be a spider's web. |
| He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not
stand: he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure. |
| He is green before the sun, and his branch shooteth
forth in his garden. |
| His roots are wrapped about the heap, and seeth the
place of stones. |
| If he destroy him from his place, then it shall deny
him, saying, I have not seen thee. |
| Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the
earth shall others grow. |
| Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man,
neither will he help the evil doers: |
| Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips
with rejoicing. |
| They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and
the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought. |
| Then Job answered and said, |
| I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be
just with God? |
| If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him
one of a thousand. |
| He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who
hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered? |
| Which removeth the mountains, and they know not:
which overturneth them in his anger. |
| Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the
pillars thereof tremble. |
| Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and
sealeth up the stars. |
| Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth
upon the waves of the sea. |
| Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the
chambers of the south. |
| Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and
wonders without number. |
| Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: he passeth on
also, but I perceive him not. |
| Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him? who will
say unto him, What doest thou? |
| If God will not withdraw his anger, the proud
helpers do stoop under him. |
| How much less shall I answer him, and choose out my
words to reason with him? |
| Whom, though I were righteous, yet would I not
answer, but I would make supplication to my judge. |
| If I had called, and he had answered me; yet would I
not believe that he had hearkened unto my voice. |
| For he breaketh me with a tempest, and multiplieth
my wounds without cause. |
| He will not suffer me to take my breath, but filleth
me with bitterness. |
| If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong: and if of
judgment, who shall set me a time to plead? |
| If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn
me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse. |
| Though I were perfect, yet would I not know my soul:
I would despise my life. |
| This is one thing, therefore I said it, He
destroyeth the perfect and the wicked. |
| If the scourge slay suddenly, he will laugh at the
trial of the innocent. |
| The earth is given into the hand of the wicked: he
covereth the faces of the judges thereof; if not, where, and who is he? |
| Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away,
they see no good. |
| They are passed away as the swift ships: as the
eagle that hasteth to the prey. |
| If I say, I will forget my complaint, I will leave
off my heaviness, and comfort myself: |
| I am afraid of all my sorrows, I know that thou wilt
not hold me innocent. |
| If I be wicked, why then labour I in vain? |
| If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands
never so clean; |
| Yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own
clothes shall abhor me. |
| For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer
him, and we should come together in judgment. |
| Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might
lay his hand upon us both. |
| Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his
fear terrify me: |
| Then would I speak, and not fear him; but it is not
so with me. |
| My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my
complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. |
| I will say unto God, Do not condemn me; show me
wherefore thou contendest with me. |
| Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress,
that thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands, and shine upon the
counsel of the wicked? |
| Hast thou eyes of flesh? or seest thou as man seeth? |
| Are thy days as the days of man? are thy years as
man's days, |
| That thou inquirest after mine iniquity, and
searchest after my sin? |
| Thou knowest that I am not wicked; and there is none
that can deliver out of thine hand. |
| Thine hands have made me and fashioned me together
round about; yet thou dost destroy me. |
| Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as
the clay; and wilt thou bring me into dust again? |
| Hast thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me
like cheese? |
| Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast
fenced me with bones and sinews. |
| Thou hast granted me life and favour, and thy
visitation hath preserved my spirit. |
| And these things hast thou hid in thine heart: I
know that this is with thee. |
| If I sin, then thou markest me, and thou wilt not
acquit me from mine iniquity. |
| If I be wicked, woe unto me; and if I be righteous,
yet will I not lift up my head. I am full of confusion; therefore see
thou mine affliction; |
| For it increaseth. Thou huntest me as a fierce lion:
and again thou showest thyself marvellous upon me. |
| Thou renewest thy witnesses against me, and
increasest thine indignation upon me; changes and war are against me. |
| Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the
womb? Oh that I had given up the ghost, and no eye had seen me! |
| I should have been as though I had not been; I
should have been carried from the womb to the grave. |
| Are not my days few? cease then, and let me alone,
that I may take comfort a little, |
| Before I go whence I shall not return, even to the
land of darkness and the shadow of death; |
| A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the
shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness. |
| Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said, |
| Should not the multitude of words be answered? and
should a man full of talk be justified? |
| Should thy lies make men hold their peace? and when
thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed? |
| For thou hast said, My doctrine is pure, and I am
clean in thine eyes. |
| But oh that God would speak, and open his lips
against thee; |
| And that he would show thee the secrets of wisdom,
that they are double to that which is! Know therefore that God exacteth
of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth. |
| Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou
find out the Almighty unto perfection? |
| It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper
than hell; what canst thou know? |
| The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and
broader than the sea. |
| If he cut off, and shut up, or gather together, then
who can hinder him? |
| For he knoweth vain men: he seeth wickedness also;
will he not then consider it? |
| For vain man would be wise, though man be born like
a wild ass's colt. |
| If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine
hands toward him; |
| If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and
let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles. |
| For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot;
yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear: |
| Because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember
it as waters that pass away: |
| And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday;
thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning. |
| And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope;
yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety. |
| Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee
afraid; yea, many shall make suit unto thee. |
| But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they
shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost. |
| And Job answered and said, |
| No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die
with you. |
| But I have understanding as well as you; I am not
inferior to you: yea, who knoweth not such things as these? |
| I am as one mocked of his neighbour, who calleth
upon God, and he answereth him: the just upright man is laughed to
scorn. |
| He that is ready to slip with his feet is as a lamp
despised in the thought of him that is at ease. |
| The tabernacles of robbers prosper, and they that
provoke God are secure; into whose hand God bringeth abundantly. |
| But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee;
and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: |
| Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and
the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. |
| Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the
LORD hath wrought this? |
| In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and
the breath of all mankind. |
| Doth not the ear try words? and the mouth taste his
meat? |
| With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days
understanding. |
| With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and
understanding. |
| Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built
again: he shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening. |
| Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up:
also he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth. |
| With him is strength and wisdom: the deceived and
the deceiver are his. |
| He leadeth counsellors away spoiled, and maketh the
judges fools. |
| He looseth the bond of kings, and girdeth their
loins with a girdle. |
| He leadeth princes away spoiled, and overthroweth
the mighty. |
| He removeth away the speech of the trusty, and
taketh away the understanding of the aged. |
| He poureth contempt upon princes, and weakeneth the
strength of the mighty. |
| He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and
bringeth out to light the shadow of death. |
| He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: he
enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again. |
| He taketh away the heart of the chief of the people
of the earth, and causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is
no way. |
| They grope in the dark without light, and he maketh
them to stagger like a drunken man. |
| Lo, mine eye hath seen all this, mine ear hath heard
and understood it. |
| What ye know, the same do I know also: I am not
inferior unto you. |
| Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire
to reason with God. |
| But ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of
no value. |
| O that ye would altogether hold your peace! and it
should be your wisdom. |
| Hear now my reasoning, and hearken to the pleadings
of my lips. |
| Will ye speak wickedly for God? and talk deceitfully
for him? |
| Will ye accept his person? will ye contend for God? |
| Is it good that he should search you out? or as one
man mocketh another, do ye so mock him? |
| He will surely reprove you, if ye do secretly accept
persons. |
| Shall not his excellency make you afraid? and his
dread fall upon you? |
| Your remembrances are like unto ashes, your bodies
to bodies of clay. |
| Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and
let come on me what will. |
| Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my
life in mine hand? |
| Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I
will maintain mine own ways before him. |
| He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite
shall not come before him. |
| Hear diligently my speech, and my declaration with
your ears. |
| Behold now, I have ordered my cause; I know that I
shall be justified. |
| Who is he that will plead with me? for now, if I
hold my tongue, I shall give up the ghost. |
| Only do not two things unto me: then will I not hide
myself from thee. |
| Withdraw thine hand far from me: and let not thy
dread make me afraid. |
| Then call thou, and I will answer: or let me speak,
and answer thou me. |
| How many are mine iniquities and sins? make me to
know my transgression and my sin. |
| Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and holdest me for
thine enemy? |
| Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro? and wilt
thou pursue the dry stubble? |
| For thou writest bitter things against me, and
makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth. |
| Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks, and lookest
narrowly unto all my paths; thou settest a print upon the heels of my
feet. |
| And he, as a rotten thing, consumeth, as a garment
that is moth eaten. |
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