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19 Forsooth Job answered, and said,

How long torment ye my soul, and all-break me with words?

Lo! ten times ye have shamed me, and ye (still) be not ashamed, (for) oppressing me.

Forsooth and if I know not [Forsooth if I am unknowing], mine unknowing shall be with me.

And ye be raised (up) against me, and reprove me with my shames (and rebuke me with my shame).

Namely now understand ye, that God hath tormented me not by even doom, and hath (en)compassed me with his beatings. (Now then understand ye, that God hath tormented me with unfair judgement, and hath surrounded me with his beatings.)

Lo! I suffering violence shall cry, and no man shall hear me; I shall cry loud, and there is none that deemeth me worthy to be heard. (Lo! I suffering violence shall cry out, but no one shall hear me; I shall cry aloud, but there is no one who judgeth me worthy to be heard.)

The Lord hath beset about my path, and I may not go (The Lord hath hedged about my path, so that I cannot go forth); and he hath set darknesses in my way.

He hath spoiled me of my glory (He hath taken away my glory), and hath taken away the crown from mine head.

10 He hath destroyed me on each side, and I (have) perished; and he hath taken away mine hope, as from a tree pulled up by the root (and he hath taken away my hope, like a tree pulled up by its roots).

11 His strong vengeance was wroth against me; and he had me so as his enemy.

12 His thieves came together, and made to them a way by me; and besieged my tabernacle in compass. (His forces came together, and made a way for themselves against me, and they besieged me on all sides of my tent.)

13 He made [a]far my brethren from me; and my known as aliens went away from me. (He made my brothers to go far away from me; and my acquaintances, or my friends, went away from me like strangers.)

14 My neighbours have forsaken me; and they that knew me have forgotten me. (My friends have deserted me; and they who knew me have forgotten me.)

15 The tenants of mine house, and mine handmaids (and my slave-girls), had me as a stranger; and I was as a pilgrim before their eyes.

16 I called my servant, and he answered not to me; with mine own mouth I prayed him (I begged him with my own mouth).

17 My wife loathed my breath; and I prayed (for) the sons of my womb. (My wife loathed my very breath; even though I prayed for the sons of my womb.)

18 Also fools despised me; and when I was gone away from them, they backbited me.

19 They, that were my counsellors sometime, had abomination of me (They, who were sometimes my counsellors, loathed me); and he, whom I loved most, was (an) adversary to me.

20 When my fleshes were wasted, my bone(s) cleaved to my skin; and only [the] lips be left about my teeth (and I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth).

21 Have ye mercy on me, have ye mercy on me, namely, ye my friends; for the hand of the Lord hath touched me.

22 Why pursue ye me, as God pursueth (me); and ye be fulfilled with my fleshes? (be ye not yet filled full with my flesh?)

23 Who giveth, or granteth, to me, that my words be written? Who giveth to me, that those be written in a book,

24 with an iron pointel, either with a piece of lead; either with a chisel those be graven in a flint? (or on a piece of lead, with an iron stylus? or be engraved on a stone, with a chisel?)

25 For I know, that mine again-buyer liveth, and in the last day I shall rise from the earth; (For I know, that my redeemer liveth, and on the last day he shall rise to my defense;)

26 and again I shall be (en)compassed with my skin, and in my flesh I shall see God, my saviour.

27 Whom I myself shall see, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another man. This mine hope is kept in my bosom, that is, in mine heart (This hope of mine is kept in my bosom, that is, in my heart).

28 Why therefore say ye now, Pursue we him, and find we the root of a word against him? (And so why now say ye, Let us pursue him, and find we the root of the matter against him?)

29 Therefore flee ye from the face of the sword; for the sword is the venger of wickednesses, and know ye, that doom shall be. (And so flee ye from the face of the sword; for the sword is the avenger of wickedness, and know ye, that there shall be a judgement/that there is a Judge.)

Job

19 Then Job replied:

“How long will you torment(A) me
    and crush(B) me with words?
Ten times(C) now you have reproached(D) me;
    shamelessly you attack me.
If it is true that I have gone astray,
    my error(E) remains my concern alone.
If indeed you would exalt yourselves above me(F)
    and use my humiliation against me,
then know that God has wronged me(G)
    and drawn his net(H) around me.(I)

“Though I cry, ‘Violence!’ I get no response;(J)
    though I call for help,(K) there is no justice.(L)
He has blocked my way so I cannot pass;(M)
    he has shrouded my paths in darkness.(N)
He has stripped(O) me of my honor(P)
    and removed the crown from my head.(Q)
10 He tears me down(R) on every side till I am gone;
    he uproots my hope(S) like a tree.(T)
11 His anger(U) burns against me;
    he counts me among his enemies.(V)
12 His troops advance in force;(W)
    they build a siege ramp(X) against me
    and encamp around my tent.(Y)

13 “He has alienated my family(Z) from me;
    my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.(AA)
14 My relatives have gone away;
    my closest friends(AB) have forgotten me.
15 My guests(AC) and my female servants(AD) count me a foreigner;
    they look on me as on a stranger.
16 I summon my servant, but he does not answer,
    though I beg him with my own mouth.
17 My breath is offensive to my wife;
    I am loathsome(AE) to my own family.
18 Even the little boys(AF) scorn me;
    when I appear, they ridicule me.(AG)
19 All my intimate friends(AH) detest me;(AI)
    those I love have turned against me.(AJ)
20 I am nothing but skin and bones;(AK)
    I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.[a]

21 “Have pity on me, my friends,(AL) have pity,
    for the hand of God has struck(AM) me.
22 Why do you pursue(AN) me as God does?(AO)
    Will you never get enough of my flesh?(AP)

23 “Oh, that my words were recorded,
    that they were written on a scroll,(AQ)
24 that they were inscribed with an iron tool(AR) on[b] lead,
    or engraved in rock forever!(AS)
25 I know that my redeemer[c](AT) lives,(AU)
    and that in the end he will stand on the earth.[d]
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
    yet[e] in[f] my flesh I will see God;(AV)
27 I myself will see him
    with my own eyes(AW)—I, and not another.
    How my heart yearns(AX) within me!

28 “If you say, ‘How we will hound(AY) him,
    since the root of the trouble lies in him,[g]
29 you should fear the sword yourselves;
    for wrath will bring punishment by the sword,(AZ)
    and then you will know that there is judgment.[h](BA)

Footnotes

  1. Job 19:20 Or only by my gums
  2. Job 19:24 Or and
  3. Job 19:25 Or vindicator
  4. Job 19:25 Or on my grave
  5. Job 19:26 Or And after I awake, / though this body has been destroyed, / then
  6. Job 19:26 Or destroyed, / apart from
  7. Job 19:28 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts me
  8. Job 19:29 Or sword, / that you may come to know the Almighty

19 Then Job answered and said,

How long will ye vex my soul, and break me in pieces with words?

These ten times have ye reproached me: ye are not ashamed that ye make yourselves strange to me.

And be it indeed that I have erred, mine error remaineth with myself.

If indeed ye will magnify yourselves against me, and plead against me my reproach:

Know now that God hath overthrown me, and hath compassed me with his net.

Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard: I cry aloud, but there is no judgment.

He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and he hath set darkness in my paths.

He hath stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head.

10 He hath destroyed me on every side, and I am gone: and mine hope hath he removed like a tree.

11 He hath also kindled his wrath against me, and he counteth me unto him as one of his enemies.

12 His troops come together, and raise up their way against me, and encamp round about my tabernacle.

13 He hath put my brethren far from me, and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me.

14 My kinsfolk have failed, and my familiar friends have forgotten me.

15 They that dwell in mine house, and my maids, count me for a stranger: I am an alien in their sight.

16 I called my servant, and he gave me no answer; I intreated him with my mouth.

17 My breath is strange to my wife, though I intreated for the children's sake of mine own body.

18 Yea, young children despised me; I arose, and they spake against me.

19 All my inward friends abhorred me: and they whom I loved are turned against me.

20 My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.

21 Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me.

22 Why do ye persecute me as God, and are not satisfied with my flesh?

23 Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book!

24 That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever!

25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:

26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:

27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.

28 But ye should say, Why persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter is found in me?

29 Be ye afraid of the sword: for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that ye may know there is a judgment.