Job 20-31
Skip Heitzig
Job 20 (NKJV™) | |
1 | Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said: |
2 | "Therefore my anxious thoughts make me answer, Because of the turmoil within me. |
3 | I have heard the rebuke that reproaches me, And the spirit of my understanding causes me to answer. |
4 | "Do you not know this of old, Since man was placed on earth, |
5 | That the triumphing of the wicked is short, And the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment? |
6 | Though his haughtiness mounts up to the heavens, And his head reaches to the clouds, |
7 | Yet he will perish forever like his own refuse; Those who have seen him will say, 'Where is he?' |
8 | He will fly away like a dream, and not be found; Yes, he will be chased away like a vision of the night. |
9 | The eye that saw him will see him no more, Nor will his place behold him anymore. |
10 | His children will seek the favor of the poor, And his hands will restore his wealth. |
11 | His bones are full of his youthful vigor, But it will lie down with him in the dust. |
12 | "Though evil is sweet in his mouth, And he hides it under his tongue, |
13 | Though he spares it and does not forsake it, But still keeps it in his mouth, |
14 | Yet his food in his stomach turns sour; It becomes cobra venom within him. |
15 | He swallows down riches And vomits them up again; God casts them out of his belly. |
16 | He will suck the poison of cobras; The viper's tongue will slay him. |
17 | He will not see the streams, The rivers flowing with honey and cream. |
18 | He will restore that for which he labored, And will not swallow it down; From the proceeds of business He will get no enjoyment. |
19 | For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor, He has violently seized a house which he did not build. |
20 | "Because he knows no quietness in his heart, He will not save anything he desires. |
21 | Nothing is left for him to eat; Therefore his well-being will not last. |
22 | In his self-sufficiency he will be in distress; Every hand of misery will come against him. |
23 | When he is about to fill his stomach, God will cast on him the fury of His wrath, And will rain it on him while he is eating. |
24 | He will flee from the iron weapon; A bronze bow will pierce him through. |
25 | It is drawn, and comes out of the body; Yes, the glittering point comes out of his gall. Terrors come upon him; |
26 | Total darkness is reserved for his treasures. An unfanned fire will consume him; It shall go ill with him who is left in his tent. |
27 | The heavens will reveal his iniquity, And the earth will rise up against him. |
28 | The increase of his house will depart, And his goods will flow away in the day of His wrath. |
29 | This is the portion from God for a wicked man, The heritage appointed to him by God." |
Job 21 (NKJV™) | |
1 | Then Job answered and said: |
2 | "Listen carefully to my speech, And let this be your consolation. |
3 | Bear with me that I may speak, And after I have spoken, keep mocking. |
4 | "As for me, is my complaint against man? And if it were, why should I not be impatient? |
5 | Look at me and be astonished; Put your hand over your mouth. |
6 | Even when I remember I am terrified, And trembling takes hold of my flesh. |
7 | Why do the wicked live and become old, Yes, become mighty in power? |
8 | Their descendants are established with them in their sight, And their offspring before their eyes. |
9 | Their houses are safe from fear, Neither is the rod of God upon them. |
10 | Their bull breeds without failure; Their cow calves without miscarriage. |
11 | They send forth their little ones like a flock, And their children dance. |
12 | They sing to the tambourine and harp, And rejoice to the sound of the flute. |
13 | They spend their days in wealth, And in a moment go down to the grave. |
14 | Yet they say to God, 'Depart from us, For we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways. |
15 | Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? And what profit do we have if we pray to Him?' |
16 | Indeed their prosperity is not in their hand; The counsel of the wicked is far from me. |
17 | "How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? How often does their destruction come upon them, The sorrows God distributes in His anger? |
18 | They are like straw before the wind, And like chaff that a storm carries away. |
19 | They say, 'God lays up one's iniquity for his children'; Let Him recompense him, that he may know it. |
20 | Let his eyes see his destruction, And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty. |
21 | For what does he care about his household after him, When the number of his months is cut in half? |
22 | "Can anyone teach God knowledge, Since He judges those on high? |
23 | One dies in his full strength, Being wholly at ease and secure; |
24 | His pails are full of milk, And the marrow of his bones is moist. |
25 | Another man dies in the bitterness of his soul, Never having eaten with pleasure. |
26 | They lie down alike in the dust, And worms cover them. |
27 | "Look, I know your thoughts, And the schemes with which you would wrong me. |
28 | For you say, 'Where is the house of the prince? And where is the tent, The dwelling place of the wicked?' |
29 | Have you not asked those who travel the road? And do you not know their signs? |
30 | For the wicked are reserved for the day of doom; They shall be brought out on the day of wrath. |
31 | Who condemns his way to his face? And who repays him for what he has done? |
32 | Yet he shall be brought to the grave, And a vigil kept over the tomb. |
33 | The clods of the valley shall be sweet to him; Everyone shall follow him, As countless have gone before him. |
34 | How then can you comfort me with empty words, Since falsehood remains in your answers?" |
Job 22 (NKJV™) | |
1 | Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: |
2 | "Can a man be profitable to God, Though he who is wise may be profitable to himself? |
3 | Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that you are righteous? Or is it gain to Him that you make your ways blameless? |
4 | "Is it because of your fear of Him that He corrects you, And enters into judgment with you? |
5 | Is not your wickedness great, And your iniquity without end? |
6 | For you have taken pledges from your brother for no reason, And stripped the naked of their clothing. |
7 | You have not given the weary water to drink, And you have withheld bread from the hungry. |
8 | But the mighty man possessed the land, And the honorable man dwelt in it. |
9 | You have sent widows away empty, And the strength of the fatherless was crushed. |
10 | Therefore snares are all around you, And sudden fear troubles you, |
11 | Or darkness so that you cannot see; And an abundance of water covers you. |
12 | "Is not God in the height of heaven? And see the highest stars, how lofty they are! |
13 | And you say, 'What does God know? Can He judge through the deep darkness? |
14 | Thick clouds cover Him, so that He cannot see, And He walks above the circle of heaven.' |
15 | Will you keep to the old way Which wicked men have trod, |
16 | Who were cut down before their time, Whose foundations were swept away by a flood? |
17 | They said to God, 'Depart from us! What can the Almighty do to them?' |
18 | Yet He filled their houses with good things; But the counsel of the wicked is far from me. |
19 | "The righteous see it and are glad, And the innocent laugh at them: |
20 | 'Surely our adversaries are cut down, And the fire consumes their remnant.' |
21 | "Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace; Thereby good will come to you. |
22 | Receive, please, instruction from His mouth, And lay up His words in your heart. |
23 | If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up; You will remove iniquity far from your tents. |
24 | Then you will lay your gold in the dust, And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks. |
25 | Yes, the Almighty will be your gold And your precious silver; |
26 | For then you will have your delight in the Almighty, And lift up your face to God. |
27 | You will make your prayer to Him, He will hear you, And you will pay your vows. |
28 | You will also declare a thing, And it will be established for you; So light will shine on your ways. |
29 | When they cast you down, and you say, 'Exaltation will come!' Then He will save the humble person. |
30 | He will even deliver one who is not innocent; Yes, he will be delivered by the purity of your hands." |
Job 23 (NKJV™) | |
1 | Then Job answered and said: |
2 | "Even today my complaint is bitter; My hand is listless because of my groaning. |
3 | Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, That I might come to His seat! |
4 | I would present my case before Him, And fill my mouth with arguments. |
5 | I would know the words which He would answer me, And understand what He would say to me. |
6 | Would He contend with me in His great power? No! But He would take note of me. |
7 | There the upright could reason with Him, And I would be delivered forever from my Judge. |
8 | "Look, I go forward, but He is not there, And backward, but I cannot perceive Him; |
9 | When He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him; When He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him. |
10 | But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. |
11 | My foot has held fast to His steps; I have kept His way and not turned aside. |
12 | I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food. |
13 | "But He is unique, and who can make Him change? And whatever His soul desires, that He does. |
14 | For He performs what is appointed for me, And many such things are with Him. |
15 | Therefore I am terrified at His presence; When I consider this, I am afraid of Him. |
16 | For God made my heart weak, And the Almighty terrifies me; |
17 | Because I was not cut off from the presence of darkness, And He did not hide deep darkness from my face. |
Job 24 (NKJV™) | |
1 | "Since times are not hidden from the Almighty, Why do those who know Him see not His days? |
2 | "Some remove landmarks; They seize flocks violently and feed on them; |
3 | They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; They take the widow's ox as a pledge. |
4 | They push the needy off the road; All the poor of the land are forced to hide. |
5 | Indeed, like wild donkeys in the desert, They go out to their work, searching for food. The wilderness yields food for them and for their children. |
6 | They gather their fodder in the field And glean in the vineyard of the wicked. |
7 | They spend the night naked, without clothing, And have no covering in the cold. |
8 | They are wet with the showers of the mountains, And huddle around the rock for want of shelter. |
9 | "Some snatch the fatherless from the breast, And take a pledge from the poor. |
10 | They cause the poor to go naked, without clothing; And they take away the sheaves from the hungry. |
11 | They press out oil within their walls, And tread winepresses, yet suffer thirst. |
12 | The dying groan in the city, And the souls of the wounded cry out; Yet God does not charge them with wrong. |
13 | "There are those who rebel against the light; They do not know its ways Nor abide in its paths. |
14 | The murderer rises with the light; He kills the poor and needy; And in the night he is like a thief. |
15 | The eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight, Saying, 'No eye will see me'; And he disguises his face. |
16 | In the dark they break into houses Which they marked for themselves in the daytime; They do not know the light. |
17 | For the morning is the same to them as the shadow of death; If someone recognizes them, They are in the terrors of the shadow of death. |
18 | "They should be swift on the face of the waters, Their portion should be cursed in the earth, So that no one would turn into the way of their vineyards. |
19 | As drought and heat consume the snow waters, So the grave consumes those who have sinned. |
20 | The womb should forget him, The worm should feed sweetly on him; He should be remembered no more, And wickedness should be broken like a tree. |
21 | For he preys on the barren who do not bear, And does no good for the widow. |
22 | "But God draws the mighty away with His power; He rises up, but no man is sure of life. |
23 | He gives them security, and they rely on it; Yet His eyes are on their ways. |
24 | They are exalted for a little while, Then they are gone. They are brought low; They are taken out of the way like all others; They dry out like the heads of grain. |
25 | "Now if it is not so, who will prove me a liar, And make my speech worth nothing?" |
Job 25 (NKJV™) | |
1 | Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said: |
2 | "Dominion and fear belong to Him; He makes peace in His high places. |
3 | Is there any number to His armies? Upon whom does His light not rise? |
4 | How then can man be righteous before God? Or how can he be pure who is born of a woman? |
5 | If even the moon does not shine, And the stars are not pure in His sight, |
6 | How much less man, who is a maggot, And a son of man, who is a worm?" |
Job 26 (NKJV™) | |
1 | But Job answered and said: |
2 | "How have you helped him who is without power? How have you saved the arm that has no strength? |
3 | How have you counseled one who has no wisdom? And how have you declared sound advice to many? |
4 | To whom have you uttered words? And whose spirit came from you? |
5 | "The dead tremble, Those under the waters and those inhabiting them. |
6 | Sheol is naked before Him, And Destruction has no covering. |
7 | He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth on nothing. |
8 | He binds up the water in His thick clouds, Yet the clouds are not broken under it. |
9 | He covers the face of His throne, And spreads His cloud over it. |
10 | He drew a circular horizon on the face of the waters, At the boundary of light and darkness. |
11 | The pillars of heaven tremble, And are astonished at His rebuke. |
12 | He stirs up the sea with His power, And by His understanding He breaks up the storm. |
13 | By His Spirit He adorned the heavens; His hand pierced the fleeing serpent. |
14 | Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways, And how small a whisper we hear of Him! But the thunder of His power who can understand?" |
Job 27 (NKJV™) | |
1 | Moreover Job continued his discourse, and said: |
2 | "As God lives, who has taken away my justice, And the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter, |
3 | As long as my breath is in me, And the breath of God in my nostrils, |
4 | My lips will not speak wickedness, Nor my tongue utter deceit. |
5 | Far be it from me That I should say you are right; Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. |
6 | My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go; My heart shall not reproach me as long as I live. |
7 | "May my enemy be like the wicked, And he who rises up against me like the unrighteous. |
8 | For what is the hope of the hypocrite, Though he may gain much, If God takes away his life? |
9 | Will God hear his cry When trouble comes upon him? |
10 | Will he delight himself in the Almighty? Will he always call on God? |
11 | "I will teach you about the hand of God; What is with the Almighty I will not conceal. |
12 | Surely all of you have seen it; Why then do you behave with complete nonsense? |
13 | "This is the portion of a wicked man with God, And the heritage of oppressors, received from the Almighty: |
14 | If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword; And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread. |
15 | Those who survive him shall be buried in death, And their widows shall not weep, |
16 | Though he heaps up silver like dust, And piles up clothing like clay-- |
17 | He may pile it up, but the just will wear it, And the innocent will divide the silver. |
18 | He builds his house like a moth, Like a booth which a watchman makes. |
19 | The rich man will lie down, But not be gathered up; He opens his eyes, And he is no more. |
20 | Terrors overtake him like a flood; A tempest steals him away in the night. |
21 | The east wind carries him away, and he is gone; It sweeps him out of his place. |
22 | It hurls against him and does not spare; He flees desperately from its power. |
23 | Men shall clap their hands at him, And shall hiss him out of his place. |
Job 28 (NKJV™) | |
1 | "Surely there is a mine for silver, And a place where gold is refined. |
2 | Iron is taken from the earth, And copper is smelted from ore. |
3 | Man puts an end to darkness, And searches every recess For ore in the darkness and the shadow of death. |
4 | He breaks open a shaft away from people; In places forgotten by feet They hang far away from men; They swing to and fro. |
5 | As for the earth, from it comes bread, But underneath it is turned up as by fire; |
6 | Its stones are the source of sapphires, And it contains gold dust. |
7 | That path no bird knows, Nor has the falcon's eye seen it. |
8 | The proud lions have not trodden it, Nor has the fierce lion passed over it. |
9 | He puts his hand on the flint; He overturns the mountains at the roots. |
10 | He cuts out channels in the rocks, And his eye sees every precious thing. |
11 | He dams up the streams from trickling; What is hidden he brings forth to light. |
12 | "But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? |
13 | Man does not know its value, Nor is it found in the land of the living. |
14 | The deep says, 'It is not in me'; And the sea says, 'It is not with me.' |
15 | It cannot be purchased for gold, Nor can silver be weighed for its price. |
16 | It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, In precious onyx or sapphire. |
17 | Neither gold nor crystal can equal it, Nor can it be exchanged for jewelry of fine gold. |
18 | No mention shall be made of coral or quartz, For the price of wisdom is above rubies. |
19 | The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, Nor can it be valued in pure gold. |
20 | "From where then does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? |
21 | It is hidden from the eyes of all living, And concealed from the birds of the air. |
22 | Destruction and Death say, 'We have heard a report about it with our ears.' |
23 | God understands its way, And He knows its place. |
24 | For He looks to the ends of the earth, And sees under the whole heavens, |
25 | To establish a weight for the wind, And apportion the waters by measure. |
26 | When He made a law for the rain, And a path for the thunderbolt, |
27 | Then He saw wisdom and declared it; He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out. |
28 | And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.'" |
Job 29 (NKJV™) | |
1 | Job further continued his discourse, and said: |
2 | Oh, that I were as in months past, As in the days when God watched over me; |
3 | When His lamp shone upon my head, And when by His light I walked through darkness; |
4 | Just as I was in the days of my prime, When the friendly counsel of God was over my tent; |
5 | When the Almighty was yet with me, When my children were around me; |
6 | When my steps were bathed with cream, And the rock poured out rivers of oil for me! |
7 | "When I went out to the gate by the city, When I took my seat in the open square, |
8 | The young men saw me and hid, And the aged arose and stood; |
9 | The princes refrained from talking, And put their hand on their mouth; |
10 | The voice of nobles was hushed, And their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth. |
11 | When the ear heard, then it blessed me, And when the eye saw, then it approved me; |
12 | Because I delivered the poor who cried out, The fatherless and the one who had no helper. |
13 | The blessing of a perishing man came upon me, And I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. |
14 | I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe and a turban. |
15 | I was eyes to the blind, And I was feet to the lame. |
16 | I was a father to the poor, And I searched out the case that I did not know. |
17 | I broke the fangs of the wicked, And plucked the victim from his teeth. |
18 | "Then I said, 'I shall die in my nest, And multiply my days as the sand. |
19 | My root is spread out to the waters, And the dew lies all night on my branch. |
20 | My glory is fresh within me, And my bow is renewed in my hand.' |
21 | "Men listened to me and waited, And kept silence for my counsel. |
22 | After my words they did not speak again, And my speech settled on them as dew. |
23 | They waited for me as for the rain, And they opened their mouth wide as for the spring rain. |
24 | If I mocked at them, they did not believe it, And the light of my countenance they did not cast down. |
25 | I chose the way for them, and sat as chief; So I dwelt as a king in the army, As one who comforts mourners. |
Job 30 (NKJV™) | |
1 | "But now they mock at me, men younger than I, Whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock. |
2 | Indeed, what profit is the strength of their hands to me? Their vigor has perished. |
3 | They are gaunt from want and famine, Fleeing late to the wilderness, desolate and waste, |
4 | Who pluck mallow by the bushes, And broom tree roots for their food. |
5 | They were driven out from among men, They shouted at them as at a thief. |
6 | They had to live in the clefts of the valleys, In caves of the earth and the rocks. |
7 | Among the bushes they brayed, Under the nettles they nestled. |
8 | They were sons of fools, Yes, sons of vile men; They were scourged from the land. |
9 | "And now I am their taunting song; Yes, I am their byword. |
10 | They abhor me, they keep far from me; They do not hesitate to spit in my face. |
11 | Because He has loosed my bowstring and afflicted me, They have cast off restraint before me. |
12 | At my right hand the rabble arises; They push away my feet, And they raise against me their ways of destruction. |
13 | They break up my path, They promote my calamity; They have no helper. |
14 | They come as broad breakers; Under the ruinous storm they roll along. |
15 | Terrors are turned upon me; They pursue my honor as the wind, And my prosperity has passed like a cloud. |
16 | "And now my soul is poured out because of my plight; The days of affliction take hold of me. |
17 | My bones are pierced in me at night, And my gnawing pains take no rest. |
18 | By great force my garment is disfigured; It binds me about as the collar of my coat. |
19 | He has cast me into the mire, And I have become like dust and ashes. |
20 | "I cry out to You, but You do not answer me; I stand up, and You regard me. |
21 | But You have become cruel to me; With the strength of Your hand You oppose me. |
22 | You lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride on it; You spoil my success. |
23 | For I know that You will bring me to death, And to the house appointed for all living. |
24 | "Surely He would not stretch out His hand against a heap of ruins, If they cry out when He destroys it. |
25 | Have I not wept for him who was in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor? |
26 | But when I looked for good, evil came to me; And when I waited for light, then came darkness. |
27 | My heart is in turmoil and cannot rest; Days of affliction confront me. |
28 | I go about mourning, but not in the sun; I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help. |
29 | I am a brother of jackals, And a companion of ostriches. |
30 | My skin grows black and falls from me; My bones burn with fever. |
31 | My harp is turned to mourning, And my flute to the voice of those who weep. |
Job 31 (NKJV™) | |
1 | "I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman? |
2 | For what is the allotment of God from above, And the inheritance of the Almighty from on high? |
3 | Is it not destruction for the wicked, And disaster for the workers of iniquity? |
4 | Does He not see my ways, And count all my steps? |
5 | "If I have walked with falsehood, Or if my foot has hastened to deceit, |
6 | Let me be weighed on honest scales, That God may know my integrity. |
7 | If my step has turned from the way, Or my heart walked after my eyes, Or if any spot adheres to my hands, |
8 | Then let me sow, and another eat; Yes, let my harvest be rooted out. |
9 | "If my heart has been enticed by a woman, Or if I have lurked at my neighbor's door, |
10 | Then let my wife grind for another, And let others bow down over her. |
11 | For that would be wickedness; Yes, it would be iniquity deserving of judgment. |
12 | For that would be a fire that consumes to destruction, And would root out all my increase. |
13 | "If I have despised the cause of my male or female servant When they complained against me, |
14 | What then shall I do when God rises up? When He punishes, how shall I answer Him? |
15 | Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same One fashion us in the womb? |
16 | "If I have kept the poor from their desire, Or caused the eyes of the widow to fail, |
17 | Or eaten my morsel by myself, So that the fatherless could not eat of it |
18 | (But from my youth I reared him as a father, And from my mother's womb I guided the widow); |
19 | If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, Or any poor man without covering; |
20 | If his heart has not blessed me, And if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep; |
21 | If I have raised my hand against the fatherless, When I saw I had help in the gate; |
22 | Then let my arm fall from my shoulder, Let my arm be torn from the socket. |
23 | For destruction from God is a terror to me, And because of His magnificence I cannot endure. |
24 | "If I have made gold my hope, Or said to fine gold, 'You are my confidence'; |
25 | If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, And because my hand had gained much; |
26 | If I have observed the sun when it shines, Or the moon moving in brightness, |
27 | So that my heart has been secretly enticed, And my mouth has kissed my hand; |
28 | This also would be an iniquity deserving of judgment, For I would have denied God who is above. |
29 | "If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, Or lifted myself up when evil found him |
30 | (Indeed I have not allowed my mouth to sin By asking for a curse on his soul); |
31 | If the men of my tent have not said, 'Who is there that has not been satisfied with his meat?' |
32 | (But no sojourner had to lodge in the street, For I have opened my doors to the traveler); |
33 | If I have covered my transgressions as Adam, By hiding my iniquity in my bosom, |
34 | Because I feared the great multitude, And dreaded the contempt of families, So that I kept silence And did not go out of the door-- |
35 | Oh, that I had one to hear me! Here is my mark. Oh, that the Almighty would answer me, That my Prosecutor had written a book! |
36 | Surely I would carry it on my shoulder, And bind it on me like a crown; |
37 | I would declare to Him the number of my steps; Like a prince I would approach Him. |
38 | "If my land cries out against me, And its furrows weep together; |
39 | If I have eaten its fruit without money, Or caused its owners to lose their lives; |
40 | Then let thistles grow instead of wheat, And weeds instead of barley." The words of Job are ended. |
New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved.
The book of Job asks the great questions of life: What is the reason for suffering? Where is God when I suffer? Skip Heitzig takes us through this timeless book on God's sovereignty.
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