(6.) Tlie last days of a good man are nut unfrequently his best and happiest days. The early part of his life may be harassed with cares; the middle may be filled up with trials; but returning prosperity niay smile upon his old age, and his sun go down without a cloud. His heart may be weaned from the world by his trials; his true friends may have been ascertained by their adhering to him in reverses of fortune, and the favor of God may so crown the evening of his life, that to him, and to all, it shall be evident that he is ripening for glory. God is often pleased also to impart unexpected comforts to his friends in their old age; and though they have suffered much and lost much, and thought that they should never "again see good," yet he often disappoints the expectations of his people, and the most prosperous times come when they thought all their comforts were dead. In the trials through which we pass in life, it is not improper to look forward to brighter and better days, as to be yet possibly our portion in this world; at all events, if we are the friends of God, we may look forward to certain and enduring happiness in the world that is to come.
(7.) The book, through whose exposition we have now passed, is a most beautiful and invaluable argument. It relates to the most important subject that can come before our minds — the government of God, and the principles on which his administrat'on is conducted. It shows how this appeared to the reflecting men of the earliest times. It shows how their minds were perplexed with it, and what difficulties attended the subject after the most careful observation. In shows how little can be accomplished in removing those difhculties by human reasoning, and how little light the most careful observation, and the most sagacious reflections, can throw on this perplexing subject. Arguments more beautiful, illustrations more happy, sentiments more terse and profound, and views of God more large and comprehensive, than those which occur in thig book, can be found in no works ol philosophy; nor has the human mind in its own eflorts ever gone beyond the reasonings of these sages in casting light on the mysterious ways ol God. They brought to the investigation the wisdom collected by their fathers and preserved in proverbs; they brought the results of the long reflection and observation of their own minds; and yet they threw scarce a ray of light on the mysterious subject before them, and at the close of their discussions we feel that the whole question is just as much involved in mystery as ever. So we feel at the end of all the arguments of man without the aid of revelation, on the great subjects pertaining to tiie divine government over this world. The reasonings of pliilosophy now are no more satisfactory than were those of Eliphaz, Zophar, and Bildad, and it may be doubted whether, since this book was written, the slightest advance has been made in removing the perplexities on the subject of the divine administration, so beautifully stated in the book of Job.
(8.) The reasonings in this book show the desirableness and the value of revelation. It is to be remembered that the place which the reasonings in this book should be regarded as occupying, is properly before any revelation had been given to n)en, or before any was recorded. If it is the most ancient book in the world, this is clear; and in the volume of re-
Ancient Vessel and Probe.
Tealed truth it should be regarded as occupying the first place in the order in whicii the books of revelation were given to man. As introductory to the whole volume of revelation — tor so it should be considered — the book of Job is of inestimable worth and iuij)ortance. It shows how little advance the human mind can make in questions of the deepest im])ortance, and what painfLil perplexity is loft ailer all the investigations that man can make. It shows what clouds of obscurity rest on the mind whenever man by himself undertakes to explain and unfold the purposes of Deity. It shows how little philosoj)hy and careful observation can ac- (■om])lish to explain the m}steries of the divine dealings, and to give tlie mind solid peace in the contemplation of the various subjects that so much perplex man. There was no better way of showing this than that adopted here. A great and good man falls. His comforts all depart. He sinks to the lowest degree of wretchedness. To explain this, and all kindred subjects, his own mind is taxed to the utmost, and four men of distinguished sagacity and extent of observation are introduced — tlie representatives of the wisdom of the world— to explain the fact. They
As a specimen of early poetry, and an illustration of the early views of science and the state of the arts, of incomparable beauty and Bul)limity, also, this book is invaluable. Almost four thousand years have passed away since this patriarch lived, and since the arguments recorded in the book were made and recorded. Men have made great advances since in science and the arts. The highest efforts, probably, of which the human mind is capable, liave since been made in the department of poetry, and works have been produced destined certainly to live on to the consummation of all things. But the sublimity and beauty of tiie poetry in this book stand still unsurpassed', unrivalled. As a mere specimen of composition, apart from all the questions of its theological bearing; as the oldest book in the world; as reflecting the manners, habits, and opinions ot an ancient generation; as illustrating more than any other book extant the state of the sciences, the ancient views of astronomy, geology, geography, natural history, and the advances made in the arts, this book has a higher value than can be attaclied to any other record of the past, and demands the profound attention of tliose who would make themselves familiar tradition, and all that their own observation had suggested, and all the considerations which reason would suggest to them; but all in vain.
theologian should study it as an invaluable introduction to the volume of inspired truth; the humble Christian, to obtain elevated views of God;
nation, and the subject at the close is left as dark as when they began. Such an effect, and such a train of discussion, is admirably fitted to prepare the mind to welcome the teachings of revelation, and to be grateful for that volume of reveabd truth which casts such abundant light on the questions that so perplexed these ancient sages. Before the book of revelation was given, it was well to have on record the result of the best efforts which man could make to explain the mysteries of the divine administration.
human mind can accomplisli on the most important of all subjects without the aid of revelation; the child of sorrow, to learn the lessons of patient submission; the man of science, to know what was understood in the far distant periods of the past; the man of taste, as an incomparable specimen of poetic beauty and' sublimity. It will teach invaluable lessons to each advancing generation; and to the end of time true piety and taste will find consolation and pleasure in the study of the BOOK OF Job. God grant that this effort to explain it may con who inclined my heart to engage in the attempt to explain this ancient book, and who has given me health, and strength, and the means tage, I now devote this exposition. I trust it may do good to others: it has been profitable and pleasant to my own soul.
1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job.
2 And that man was sincere and upright; and one that feared
3 God and avoided evil. And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. His possessions were seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of cattle, and five hundred she-asses, and a very numerous household; so that this man was the greatest of all the sons of the East.
4 And his sons went and made a feast in their houses, each in his day, and they sent and invited their three sisters to eat
5 and drink with them. And when the days of feasting had gone round. Job sent for them and sanctified them, and he rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt-offerings according to ihe number of them all; for Job said. It may be that my sons have sinned, and have cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job constantly.
6 And there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, and Satan came also among them.
7 And Jehovah said to Satan, From whence dost thou come? And Satan answered Jehovah and said. From rapidly going to and fro in the earth, and walking up and down in it.
8 And Jehovah said to Satan, Hast thou attentively observed my servant Job? For there is none like him upon the earth, a
9 man sincere and upright, fearing God, and avoiding evil. And Satan answered Jehovah and said, Is it for nothing that Job
10 fears God? Hast thou not made a hedge around him, and around his house, and around all his possessions? The work of his hands thou hast blessed, and his possessions spread over
H the land. 'But now only put forth thine hand and smite all 12 that he possesses, and he will curse thee to thy face. And
Jehovah said to Satan, Lo, all which he has is in thy power; but upon himself lay not thy hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah. 1.3 And the day came when his sons and his daughters were eat-
14 ing and drinking wine in the house of their elder brother; and a messenger came to Job, and said, The cattle were plough-
15 ing, and the she-asses feeding beside them, and the Sabeans rushed upon them, and took them away, and slew the young men with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped by
16 myself to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said. The fire of God hath fallen from heaven, and burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed
17 them; and I only have escaped by myself to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said. The Chaldeans made out three bands, and rushed upon the camels, and took them, and slew the young men with the edge of the
18 sword; and I only am escaped by myself to tell thee. And while he was yet speaking, there came also another and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating, and drinking wine
19 in the house of their elder brother, and lo! there came a great wind from across the desert, and smote upon the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are
20 dead; and I only am escaped by myself to tell thee. Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell
21 upon the ground, and worshipped, and said. Naked came I forth from the womb of my mother, and naked I shall return there! Jehovah gave, and Jehovah hath taken away; bless-
22 ed be the name of Jehovah. In all this Job did not sin, and he attributed no wrong to God.
1 And there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, and Satan came also among them,
2 to present himself also before Jehovah. And Jehovah said to Satan, Whence dost thou come? And Satan answered Jehovah and said, From rapidly going to and fro in the earth,
3 and walking up and down in it. And Jehovah said to Satan, Hast thou attentively observed my servant Job, that there is none like him upon the earth, a man sincere and upright, fearing God and avoiding evil, and still holding fast his integrity, although thou didst excite me against him to destroy
4 him without cause? And Satan answered Jehovah and said. Skin for skin; and all which pertains to a man will he give
5 for his life. But put forth now thine hand, and smite his bone G and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. And Jehovah said unto Satan, Behold he is in thy hand. Only spare his life.
7 And Satan went out from the presence of Jehovah, and smote
8 Job with a painful ulcer from the sole of his foot unto his crown. And he took a piece of broken earthen ware to scrape himself with, and he sat down among the ashes.
9 Then said his wife unto him. Dost thou still retain thine in-
10 tegrity? Curse God, and die. But he said unto her. Thou talkest as one of the foolish women talk. Shall we then receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this. Job sinned not with his lips.
11 Now three friends of Job heard of all the evil which had befallen him, and they came every man from his home: Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. for they had agreed to come together to condole
12 with him, and to comfort him. And ihey lifted up their eyes afar off, and they did not know him. Then they lifted up their voices and wept, and they rent each one his mantle, and they
13 threw dust upon their heads towards heaven. And they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spake a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.
1 At length Job opened his mouth, and cursed his day.
2 And Job exclaimed and said,
3 O that the day had perished in which I was born;
4 That day — let it be darkness!
THE COMPLAINT OF JOB. Ch.
Let not God inquire after it from on high! Yea, let not the light shine upon it!
5 Let darkness and the shadow of death pollute it; Let a cloud dwell upon it;
6 That night — let darkness seize upon it!
Let it not rejoice among the days of the year! Let it not come into the number of the months •
7 O that night! let it be desolate!
8 Let them who curse the day curse it; They who are skilful to rouse up Leviathan!
9 Let the stars of its twUight be darkened; Let it long for the light, and there be none; Neither let it see the eye-lids of the morning!
IC Because it closed not the doors of the womb to me, And caused not trouble to be hid from mine eyes!
11 Why did I not expire from my birth?
12 Why did the knees anticipate me? And why the breasts that I should suck?
13 For now should I lie down and be quiet; I should sleep; then should I be at rest
14 With kings and counsellors of the earth, Who build lonely places for themselves;
And who filled their houses with silver; IG Or as a hidden abortion I had not been, As infants which never saw the light.
17 There the wicked cease from troubling: And there the weary are at rest.
18 There the prisoners rest together; They hear not the voice of the oppressor.
19 The small and the great are there; And the servant is free from his master.
20 Why doth He give light to him that is in misery, And life to the bitter in spirit;
21 Who long for death, and it is not;
And dig for it more than for hid treasures;
22 Who rejoice exceedingly —
23 Why to the man whose path is hid, And whom God hath hedged up 1
24 For my sighing comes before I eat.
25 For I had a great dread, and it came upon me; And what I shuddered at overlook me.
26 I have no peace, and I have no quiet, and I have no respite. And such misery as makes me tremble comes.
1 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite and said:
2 If one attempt a word with thee, wilt thou take it ill t Yet who can refrain from speaking?
4 The stumbling thy words have upheld,
5 But now [affliction] has come upon thee, and thou faintest; It toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.
7 Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished being innocent? Or where were the righteous cut off?
8 According to what I have seen, they who plough iniquity, And sow mischief, reap the same.
9 By the blast of God they perish,
And by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed.
10 The roaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion [are
silenced], And the teeth of the young lions are broken out.
11 The old lion perishes for want of prey,
12 Unto me an oracle was secretly imparted. And mine ear caught a gentle whisper of it.
13 In distracted thoughts among the visions of the night, When profound sleep falleth upon men,
14 Fear came upon me, and trembling, Which made all my bones to quake.
15 Then a spirit glided along before my face. The hair of my flesh stood on end:
16 It stood — but its form I could not discern; A spectre was before mine eyes;
17 Shall feeble man be more just than God? Shall man be more pure than his Maker?
18 Behold, in his servants he putteth no confidence; And his angels he chargeth with frailty;
19 How much more true is this of those who dwell in houses of clay,
20 Between morning and evening they are destroyed; Without any one regarding it they perish forever.
f) NEW TRANSLATION.
21 Is not the excellency that is in them torn away? They die before they have become wise.
1 Call now! Is there any one who will respond to thee? And to which of the holy ones wilt thou look?
3 I have seen the fool taking root;
4 His children are far from safety;
5 His harvest the hungry man devours, And even to the thorns he seizes it, And the thirsty swallow up their wealth.
6 For though affliction cometh not from the dust, And trouble does not sprout up from the ground;
7 For though man is born unto trouble As the sparks fly upward;
8 Nevertheless I would seek unto God, And to God would I commit my cause,
9 Who doeth great things and unsearchable. Marvellous things without number;
10 Who giveth rain upon the face of the [cultivated] earth. And sendeth waters upon the ont-places;
11 Who advances the lowly to high places. And the dejected are elevated to prosperity;
12 Who disappointeth the purposes of the crafty. And their hands cannot accomplish their design;
13 Who taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And precipitateth the counsels of intriguers.
14 They meet with darkness in the day-time,
15 And he-saveth from the sword, from their mouth, And from the hand of the mighty, the poor.
16 So the poor hath hope.
17 Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth, And the chastening of the Almighty do not despise,
18 For he bruiseth, and he bindeth up; He woundeth, and his hands heal.
19 In six troubles he will deliver thee. Yea, in seven evil shall not touch thee.
20 In famine he will redeem thee from death, And in war from the power of the sword.
21 From the scourge of the tongue shalt thou be hid. Nor be afraid of devastation when it cometh.
22 At devastation, and at famine thou shalt laugh. Nor shalt thou dread the wild beasts of the land.
23 For thou shalt form an alliance with the stones of the field. And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.
24 Thou shalt know that thy tent is secure,
25 And thou shalt know that thy posterity shall be numerous, And thine offspring like plants upon the earth.
26 Thou shalt come in full age to the grave.
2 O that my grief were weighed thoroughly!
3 For now would they be heavier than the sands of the sea* Therefore are my words swallowed up.
4 For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, Their poison drinketh up my spirit:
The terrors of God set themselves in array against rae.
5 Doth the wild ass bray in the midst of grass? Or loweth the ox over his fodder?
6 Can that which is insipid be eaten without salt? Is there any taste in the white of an egg?
7 The things which my soul abhors to touch Are become my sorrowful food.
8 O that I might have my request, And that God would grant my desire,
9 That it would please God to crush me.
That he would let loose his hand and cut me oflF!
10 Then there would be yet comfort to me; Yea, I would exult in my anguish — Let him spare not —
For I have not concealed the words of the Holy One.
11 What is my strength, that J should hope 1 And what is my end, that I should be patient?
12 Is my strength the strength of stones? Is my flesh brass?
15 My brethren are faithless as a brook,
16 Which are turbid by means of the [melted] ice, In which the snow is hid [by being dissolved].
17 In the time when they become warm, they evaporate.. Whea the heat cometh they are dried up from their place*
18 The channels of their way wind round about; They go into nothing — and are lost.
19 The caravans of Tema look;
20 They are ashamed that they have relied on them; They come even to the place, and are cohfounded.
21 For now ye also are nothing:
23 Or, deliver me from the hand of an enemy? Or, from the hand of the violent rescue me
25 How powerful are words of truth!
27 Truly against the fatherless ye would spring [a net]. And ye dig a pitfall for your neighbor.
2S Now, therefore, if you please, look closely upon me. For if I speak falsehood it will be manifest to you.
2 As the servant pants for the evening shadow, And as the hireling anxiously expects his wages,
3 Thus am I made to inherit comfortless months, And nights of anguish are appointed to me.
When shall I arise, and the night flee away? And I am full of restlessness until the dawn.
5 My flesh is clothed with worms, and clods of dust; My skin becomes rigid, and is loathsome.
6 My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle; They are consumed without hope.
7 O remember that my life is wind; Mine eye shall not return to see good!
8 The eye of him that hath seen me shall see me no more; Thine eyes are upon me — and I am not!
So he that goes down to the grave cometh up again no more.
10 He shall not return again to his house,
11 Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit,
12 Am I a sea, or a sea monster. That thou settest a watch over me?
13 When I say my couch shall console me, My bed shall lighten my complaint,
14 Then dost thou scare me with dreams. And with visions dost thou terrify me;
15 So that my soul chooseth strangling — Death — rather than these bones.
Let me alone, for my days are vanity
17 What is man that thou shouldst make him of so great importance. And that thou shouldst set thy heart towards him?
18 That thou shouldst visit him every morning, And prove him every moment?
19 How long ere thou wilt look away from me,
Why dost thou set me up before thyself for a mark, So that I am a burden to myself?
21 And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, And suffer my guilt to pass away?
1 Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said:
2 How long wilt thou speak these things?
5 Yet if thou wouldst seek early unto God, And make thy supplication to the Almighty,
6 If thou wert pure and upright,
7 Although thy beginning should be small, Yet thy latter end would greatly increase
8 For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age.
9 (For we are but of yesterday, and we know nothing, For our days upon earth are a shadow;)
10 Shall they not teach thee, and tell thee, And utter words from their hearts?
11 " Can the paper reed grow up without mire? " Can the bulrush grow up without water?
12 "Even yet in its greenness, and uncut, " It withereth before any other herb.
CHAPTER Vni.
13 " Such are the ways of all who forget God; " So perishes the hope of the hypocrite.
14 " His hope shall rot,
15 " He shall lean upon his building and it shall not stand; " He shall grasp it, but it shall not endure.
16 " He is green before the sun rises,
17 " Over the heap [of stones] his roots are entwined, " They look to the pile of stones [for a support].
20 Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man; Nor will he lend his aid to the wicked.
21 While he filleth thy mouth with laughter. And thy lips with triumph.
22 They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame. And the tent of the wicked shall not be!
1 Then Job answered, and said:
3 If he chooses to enter into a litigation with him,
5 He removeth the mountains, and they know it not; He overturneth them in his wrath.
6 He shaketh the earth out of her place; And the pillars thereof tremble.
7 He commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; And he sealeth up the stars.
8 He alone stretches out the heavens;
10 He doeth great things which there is no searching out; Yea, marvellous things beyond number.
11 Lo! He passeth by me — and I see him not; He goeth on — but I do not perceive him.
THE REPLY OF JOB TO BILDAD. Ch. ix.
12 Lo! He taketh away, and who can compel him to restore? Who can say to him, What doest thou?
15 Whom, though I were innocent I would not answer; I would cast myself on the mercy of my Judge.
17 He who is overwhelming me with a tempest, And who multiplies my wounds without cause —
IS He that will not suffer me to take my breath, But who fills me with bitterness.
19 If the contest had respect to strength, lo I how strong is He I If it relates to justice, who would summon for me the witnesses
20 Should I justify myself, my own mouth would condemn me. I perfect! It would prove me perverse.
21 I perfect! 1 should not know my own soul! I should disown my very being!
22 There is but one result; therefore I maintained it — The perfect and the wicked he destroyeth alike.
23 If the scourge slayeth suddenly
24 The earth is given into the hands of the wicked; The face of its judges he covereth;
25 And my days are swifter than a runner; They flee away, and they see no good.
26 They pass on like the reed-skiffs; As the eagle darting upon his prey.
27 If I say I will forget my complaining,
I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent.
29 I am held to be guilty;
30 Should I wash myself in snow-water, And cleanse my hands in soap,
31 Still thou wilt plunge me into the mire. So that my own clothes will abhor me.
32 For he is not a man as I am that I should contend with him. And that we should come together to trial.
33 Neither is there between us any umpire Who may lay his hand upon both..
34 Let him remove from me his rod, And let not his terror dismay me,
35 And I will speak and not be afraid of him — But not thus can I as I am now.
1 My soul is weary of my life,
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
2 I will say unto God,
3 Is it a pleasure for thee to oppress 1 To despise the work of thy hands,
4 Are thine eyes of flesh? Dost thou see as man seeth 1
5 Are thy days as the days of man? And thy years as the years of man?
6 That thou seekest after my iniquity. And searchest after my sin,
7 With thy knowledge that I am not a wicked man, And that none can deliver out of thy handl.
8 Thy hands have laboriously formed me, And have made me compact on every part, And wilt thou destroy me 1
9 Remember, 1 beseech thee, that thou hast made me as clay; And wilt thou bring me again to dust?
10 Thou didst pour me out as milk, And curdle me as cheese.
12 Life and favor thou hast granted me, And thy care hath preserved my spirit.
13 And these things thou didst hide in thine heart; I know that this was thy purpose.
14 If I sin, thou dost carefully observe me;
15 If I am wicked, wo is unto me;
And if I am righteous, I cannot lift up my head. I am full of confusion: — And see my affliction,
16 For it magnifies itself.
17 Thou niakest new thy proofs against me, And increasest thine anger against me: — The whole army of afflictions is upon me.
18 And why didst thou bring me forth from the womb?
19 I should have been as though I had not been;
O spare me, and let me alone, that I may take a little ease,
21 Before I go whence I shall not return,
To the land of darkness and the shadow of death — SS The land of darkness like the blackness of the shadow of death; Where there is no order, and where its shining is like blacknes*
1 And Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:
2 Shall not the multitude of words be answered 1 Shall the man of mere talk be justified?
4 For thou hast said, My doctrine is pure, And I am clean in thine eyes.
^ 5 But O that God would speak, And open his lips with thee;
6 And would declare to thee the secrets of wisdom, For they are double what we can understand!
8 The heights of heaven! What canst thou do? The depths below Sheol! What canst thou know t
10 If he arrest, and imprison, and bring to trial, Who then can prevent him 1
1 1 For he knoweth men of falsehood,
12 For deceitful man would seem to have a heart. Though man be born like the colt of a wild ass.
13 If thou prepare thine heart.
14 If the iniquity which is in thine hands thou wilt put far away, And wilt not suffer evil to dwell in thy habitation;
15 Then shalt thou lift up thy countenance without spot, And thou shalt be firm, and shalt not fear.
16 For thou shalt forget thy misery;
17 And thy life shall be bright above the noon-day:
18 And thou shalt be confident, for there will be hope:
19 Yea, thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid; And many shall make suit unto thee.
20 But the eyes of the wicked shall be wearied out; And they shall find no refuge;
1 And Job answered and said:
2 No doubt ye are the people! Ana wisdom will die with you!
3 Yet I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you;
The man calling upon God, and whom he answers- Derided is the just, the perfect man.
5 He that is ready to slip with his feet, In the eyes of him that is at ease,
6 The tents of robbers are secure,
They are secure to those who provoke God, To whose hand God brings in abundance.
7 But now ask the beasts, and they shall teach thee, And the fowls of heaven, and they shall tell thee.
8 Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee. And the fishes of the sea will declare to thee.
9 Who among all these doth not know That the hand of Jehovah doeth this?
10 In whose hand is the life of every thing that liveth. And the breath of all human flesh.
11 Doth not the ear prove words? And the palate taste its food?
15 Lo! he restraineth the waters, and they are dried up; He sendeth them forth, and they desolate the earth.
16 With him are strength and sufficiency; The deceived and the deceiver are his.
17 He leadeth counsellors away captive, And judges he maketh fools.
18 The authority of kings he loosens, And with a cord he bindeth their loins.
19 He leadeth priests away captive, And the mighty he prostrates.
20 He removeth eloquence from the trusty, And taketh away discernment from the aged.
21 He poureth contempt upon princes; And looseth the girdle of the mighty.
22 He revealeth deep things from the midst of darkness; And bringeth the shadow of death to light.
23 He increaseth nations, and destroyeth them; He enlargeth nations, and leadeth them back.
24 He taketh away understanding from the chiefs of the people of
the earth; And causeth them to wander in a solitude where there is no path.
25 They grope in darkness, and there is no light; He maketh them to reel like a drunken man.
2 What ye know, I know also; I do not fall below you.
3 But O that I might speak to the Almighty;
4 For truly ye are forgers of sophisms: Physicians of no value all of you!
5 O that ye would be entirely silent, And it would be your wisdom I
9 Would it be well for you if he should thoroughly search you? Can you deceive him as man may be deceived 1
10 Surely he will rebuke you
11 Shall not his majesty fill you with reverence? And his dread fall upon you?
14 In regard to this, I will take my flesh in my teeth, And my life in my hand.
15 Lo! Let him slay me; I will trust in him; I will vindicate my ways before him,
16 He also shall be to me for salvation j
For an hypocrite shall not come before him.
18 Lo! now I have set in order my cause; I know that I shall be declared just.
19 Who is there that will contend with me? For then would I be silent — and die.
And let not thy dread make me afraid!
23 How many are my iniquities and my sins? Make me to know my transgression and my sins.
24 Why dost thou hide thy face. And regard me as thine enemy?
25 Wilt thou break the driven leaf? Wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?
26 For thou writest bitter things against me, And makest me to inherit the sins of my youth.
27 Thou placest my feet in the stocks, And thou watchest all my paths:
28 Thus man like rottenness decays,
2 He Cometh forth as a flower, and is cut down; And he fleeth as a shadow, and doth not stay.
3 And dost thou indeed open thine eyes upon such an one, And bring me to trial with thee?
4 Who can produce a clean thing from an unclean 1 Not one.
The number of his months is with thee.
6 O turn from him, and leave him,
7 For there is hope of a tree.
If it be cut down that it will flourish again, And that its tender branch will not fail.
8 Though its root grow old in the earth, And its trunk die on tlie ground,
9 From the vapor of water it will spring up again. And put forth boughs as a young plant.
10 But man dieth, and he is gone — Yea, man expires — and where is he?
1 1 The waters from the lake fail,
12 So man lieth down, and riseth not;
Till the heavens be no more they shall not be aroused,, And they shall not be awaked out of their sleep.
13 O that thou wouldst hide me in Sheol!
That thou wouldst conceal me till thine anger be past! That thou wouldst appoint for me a set time and then remember me!
14 If a man die, shall he live again?
16 For now thou dost number my steps; Dost thou not watch over my sins?
17 My transgression is sealed up in a bag, And thou sewest up mine iniquity.
18 And surely the mountain falling comes to nought. And the rock is removed from its place;
19 The waters wear away the stones.
The floods wash away the dust of the earth, And the hope of man thou dost destroy.
20 Thou dost overpower him forever, and he passes off; Thou dost change his countenance, and sendest him away
21 His sons are honored, but he knoweth it not;
Or they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not.
22 But his flesh shall have pain upon him; And his soul within him shall mourn.
1 And Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
2 Should a wise man answer with arguments of wind, And fill himself with the east wind?
THE SECOND SPEECH OF ELIPHAZ. Ch.
3 Should he reason with words which do not profit, And in discourses in which there is no benefit?
5 Yea, thine own mouth proclaimeth thine iniquity, And thou hast chosen the tongue of the crafty.
6 Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I, And thy lips testify against thee.
7 Art thou the first man that was born?
8 In the council of God hast thou listened? And hast thou reserved all wisdom to thyself?
9 What dost thou know that we know not also? What dost thou understand that is not with us?
10 For the old and the hoary-headed are with us — More venerable in age than thy father.
11 Wilt thou disregard the consolations which God furnishes, And the words which have been so very gently addressed to
12 Why does thy heart bear thee away?
13 For against God hath thy spirit replied,
14 What is man that he should be pure?
And he that is born of a woman that he should be just?
15 Behold he does not confide in his Holy Ones, And the heavens are not pure in his eyes.
16 How much more abominable and polluted is man Who drinketh iniquity as water!
That which I have seen I will declare,
18 Which wise men have related,
19 When the land was entirely in their possession, And a foreigner had not passed among them:
20 ' All his days the wicked man is tormented with pain;
22 ' He has not confidence that he shall return from darkness; ' And his expectation is the sword.
23 ' He wandereth abroad for bread — where is it? ' He knows that a day of darkness is at hand.
25 ' For he stretches out his hand against God;
26 ' He runneth upon him with outstretched neck, ' With the thick bosses of his shields,
27 ' Because he covered his face with fatness, ' And gathered flesh upon his loins;
28 ' Therefore shall he dwell in desolate cities, ' In houses which are not inhabited,
29 ' He shall not be rich;
30 * He shall not escape out of darkness; ' His branches shall the flame dry up;
' By the breath of his mouth shall he be taken away.
31 ' Let him not trust in vanity. He is deceived,
32 * He shall not complete his time;
33 * He shall cast his unripe fruit as the vine, ' And shed his blossoms like the olive.
34 ' For the community of hypocrites shall be desolate; ' And fire shall consume the tents of bribery.
1 But Job answered, and said.
4 I also could speak as ye do; If ye were now in my place
5 But I would strengthen you with my mouth, And the moving of my lips should sustain you
6 If I speak, my grief is not staid;
7 For now He hath quite exhausted me; Thou hast made desolate all my house.
8 For thou hast compressed me, and this is a witness against me; And my leanness rises up against me, and accuses me to my face.
9 In his anger he teareth me, and is become my adversary; He gnashes upon me with his teeth;
Mine enemy sharpeneth his eyes upon me. 10 They gape upon me with their mouth; In scorn they smite my cheek;
13 His archers came around me;
He transfixed my reins, and did not spare; My gall hath he poured out upon the ground.
14 He breaketh me with breach upon breach; He rusheth upon me like a mighty man.
15 I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin; And degraded my horn in the dust.
16 My face is swollen with grief;
And on my eyelids is the shadow of death.
17 Not because there has been injustice in my hands; And my prayer hath been pure.
19 Also now behold my evidence is in heaven; My witness is on high.
20 My friends are but mockers;
Mine eye looketh with tears unto God. 210 that a man might be permitted to contend with God
As the offspring of man does with his neighbor. 22 For the numbered years pass away.
1 My spirit is exhausted; My days are at an end; The grave waits for me.