Job 33

“However now, Job, please hear my speech,
And listen to all my words.

‘But now, Job, listen to my words;
    pay attention to everything I say.

“Behold now, I open my mouth,
My tongue in my ^[a]mouth speaks.

I am about to open my mouth;
    my words are on the tip of my tongue.

“My words are from the uprightness of my heart,
And my lips speak knowledge sincerely.

My words come from an upright heart;
    my lips sincerely speak what I know.

“The Spirit of God has made me,
And the breath of ^[b]the Almighty gives me life.

The Spirit of God has made me;
    the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

“Refute me if you can;
Array yourselves before me, take your stand.

Answer me then, if you can;
    stand up and argue your case before me.

“Behold, I belong to God like you;
I too have been ^[c]formed out of the clay.

I am the same as you; in God’s sight;
    I too am a piece of clay.

“Behold, no fear of me should terrify you,
Nor should my pressure weigh heavily on you.

No fear of me should alarm you,
    nor should my hand be heavy on you.

“Surely you have spoken in my hearing,
And I have heard the sound of your words:

‘But you have said in my hearing –
    I heard the very words –

‘I am pure, without transgression;
I am innocent and there is no guilt in me.

“I am pure, I have done no wrong;
    I am clean and free from sin.

‘Behold, He ^[d]invents pretexts against me;
He counts me as His enemy.

Yet God has found fault with me;
    he considers me his enemy.

‘He puts my feet in the stocks;
He watches all my paths.’

He fastens my feet in shackles;
    he keeps close watch on all my paths.”

“Behold, let me ^[e]tell you, you are not right in this,
For God is greater than man.

‘But I tell you, in this you are not right,
    for God is greater than any mortal.

“Why do you complain against Him
That He does not give an account of all His doings?

Why do you complain to him
    that he responds to no one’s words^[a]?

“Indeed God speaks once,
Or twice, yet no one notices it.

For God does speak – now one way, now another –
    though no one perceives it.

“In a dream, a vision of the night,
When sound sleep falls on men,
While they slumber in their beds,

In a dream, in a vision of the night,
    when deep sleep falls on people
    as they slumber in their beds,

Then He opens the ears of men,
And seals their instruction,

he may speak in their ears
    and terrify them with warnings,

That He may turn man aside from his conduct,
And ^[f]keep man from pride;

to turn them from wrongdoing
    and keep them from pride,

He keeps back his soul from the pit,
And his life from ^[g]passing over into Sheol.

to preserve them from the pit,
    their lives from perishing by the sword.^[b]

“^[h]Man is also chastened with pain on his bed,
And with unceasing complaint in his bones;

‘Or someone may be chastened on a bed of pain
    with constant distress in their bones,

So that his life loathes bread,
And his soul favorite food.

so that their body finds food repulsive
    and their soul loathes the choicest meal.

“His flesh wastes away from sight,
And his bones which were not seen stick out.

Their flesh wastes away to nothing,
    and their bones, once hidden, now stick out.

“Then his soul draws near to the pit,
And his life to those who bring death.

They draw near to the pit,
    and their life to the messengers of death.^[c]

“If there is an angel as mediator for him,
One out of a thousand,
To remind a man what is ^[i]right for him,

Yet if there is an angel at their side,
    a messenger, one out of a thousand,
    sent to tell them how to be upright,

Then let him be gracious to him, and say,
‘Deliver him from going down to the pit,
I have found a ransom’;

and he is gracious to that person and says to God,
    “Spare them from going down to the pit;
    I have found a ransom for them –

Let his flesh become fresher than in youth,
Let him return to the days of his youthful vigor;

let their flesh be renewed like a child’s;
    let them be restored as in the days of their youth”–

Then he will pray to God, and He will accept him,
That he may see His face with joy,
And He may restore His righteousness to man.

then that person can pray to God and find favour with him,
    they will see God’s face and shout for joy;
    he will restore them to full well-being.

“He will sing to men and say,
‘I have sinned and perverted what is right,
And it is not proper for me.

And they will go to others and say,
    “I have sinned, and I have perverted what is right,
    but I did not get what I deserved.

‘He has redeemed my soul from going to the pit,
And my life shall see the light.’

God has delivered me from going down to the pit,
    and I shall live to enjoy the light of life.”

“Behold, God does all these ^[j]oftentimes with men,

‘God does all these things to a person –
    twice, even three times –

To bring back his soul from the pit,
That he may be enlightened with the light of life.

to turn them back from the pit,
    that the light of life may shine on them.

“Pay attention, O Job, listen to me;
Keep silent, and let me speak.

‘Pay attention, Job, and listen to me;
    be silent, and I will speak.

“Then if ^[k]you have anything to say, answer me;
Speak, for I desire to justify you.

If you have anything to say, answer me;
    speak up, for I want to vindicate you.

“If not, listen to me;
Keep silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”