Good News Translation (GNT)

Job’s Final Statement of His Case

1 Job began speaking again.

2 If only my life could once again

be as it was when God watched over me.

3 God was always with me then

and gave me light as I walked through the darkness.

4 Those were the days when I was prosperous,

and the friendship of God protected my home.

5 Almighty God was with me then,

and I was surrounded by all my children.

6 My cows and goats gave plenty of milk,

and my olive trees grew in the rockiest soil.

7 Whenever the city elders met

and I took my place among them,

8 young men stepped aside as soon as they saw me,

and old men stood up to show me respect.

9 The leaders of the people would stop talking;

10 even the most important men kept silent.

11 Everyone who saw me or heard of me

had good things to say about what I had done.

12 When the poor cried out, I helped them;

I gave help to orphans who had nowhere to turn.

13 People who were in deepest misery praised me,

and I helped widows find security.

14 I have always acted justly and fairly.

15 I was eyes for the blind,

and feet for the lame.

16 I was like a father to the poor

and took the side of strangers in trouble.

17 I destroyed the power of cruel men

and rescued their victims.

18 I always expected to live a long life

and to die at home in comfort.

19 I was like a tree whose roots always have water

and whose branches are wet with dew.

20 Everyone was always praising me,

and my strength never failed me.

21 When I gave advice, people were silent

and listened carefully to what I said;

22 they had nothing to add when I had finished.

My words sank in like drops of rain;

23 everyone welcomed them

just as farmers welcome rain in spring.

24 I smiled on them when they had lost confidence;

my cheerful face encouraged them.

25 I took charge and made the decisions;

I led them as a king leads his troops,

and gave them comfort in their despair.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/JOB/29-cefc0d3ae0a189f5ba9a06b348a278d8.mp3?version_id=68—

1 But men younger than I am make fun of me now!

Their fathers have always been so worthless

that I wouldn’t let them help my dogs guard sheep.

2 They were a bunch of worn-out men,

too weak to do any work for me.

3 They were so poor and hungry

that they would gnaw dry roots—

at night, in wild, desolate places.

4 They pulled up the plants of the desert and ate them,

even the tasteless roots of the broom tree!

5 Everyone drove them away with shouts,

as if they were shouting at thieves.

6 They had to live in caves,

in holes dug in the sides of cliffs.

7 Out in the wilds they howled like animals

and huddled together under the bushes.

8 A worthless bunch of nameless nobodies!

They were driven out of the land.

9 Now they come and laugh at me;

I am nothing but a joke to them.

10 They treat me with disgust;

they think they are too good for me,

and even come and spit in my face.

11 Because God has made me weak and helpless,

they turn against me with all their fury.

12 This mob attacks me head-on;

they send me running; they prepare their final assault.

13 They cut off my escape and try to destroy me;

and there is no one to stopthem.

14 They pour through the holes in my defenses

and come crashing down on top of me;

15 I am overcome with terror;

my dignity is gone like a puff of wind,

and my prosperity like a cloud.

16 Now I am about to die;

there is no relief for my suffering.

17 At night my bones all ache;

the pain that gnaws me never stops.

18 God seizes me by my collar

and twists my clothes out of shape.

19 He throws me down in the mud;

I am no better than dirt.

20 I call to you, O God, but you never answer;

and when I pray, you pay no attention.

21 You are treating me cruelly;

you persecute me with all your power.

22 You let the wind blow me away;

you toss me about in a raging storm.

23 I know you are taking me off to my death,

to the fate in store for everyone.

24 Why do you attack a ruined man,

one who can do nothing but beg for pity?

25 Didn’t I weep with people in trouble

and feel sorry for those in need?

26 I hoped for happiness and light,

but trouble and darkness came instead.

27 I am torn apart by worry and pain;

I have had day after day of suffering.

28 I go about in gloom, without any sunshine;

I stand up in public and plead for help.

29 My voice is as sad and lonely

as the cries of a jackal or an ostrich.

30 My skin has turned dark; I am burning with fever.

31 Where once I heard joyful music,

now I hear only mourning and weeping.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/JOB/30-02b3198bd9d656e63d830fb1f4d4592d.mp3?version_id=68—

1 I have made a solemn promise

never to look with lust at a woman.

2 What does Almighty God do to us?

How does he repay human deeds?

3 He sends disaster and ruin

to those who do wrong.

4 God knows everything I do;

he sees every step I take.

5 I swear I have never acted wickedly

and never tried to deceive others.

6 Let God weigh me on honest scales,

and he will see how innocent I am.

7 If I have turned from the right path

or let myself be attracted to evil,

if my hands are stained with sin,

8 then let my crops be destroyed,

or let others eat the food I grow.

9 If I have been attracted to my neighbor’s wife,

and waited, hidden, outside her door,

10 then let my wife cook another man’s food

and sleep in another man’s bed.

11 Such wickedness should be punished by death.

12 It would be like a destructive, hellish fire,

consuming everything I have.

13 When any of my servants complained against me,

I would listen and treat them fairly.

14 If I did not, how could I then face God?

What could I say when God came to judge me?

15 The same God who created me

created my servants also.

16 I have never refused to help the poor;

never have I let widows live in despair

17 or let orphans go hungry while I ate.

18 All my life I have taken care of them.

19 When I found someone in need,

too poor to buy clothes,

20 I would give him clothing made of wool

that had come from my own flock of sheep.

Then he would praise me with all his heart.

21 If I have ever cheated an orphan,

knowing I could win in court,

22 then may my arms be broken;

may they be torn from my shoulders.

23 Because I fear God’s punishment,

I could never do such a thing.

24 I have never trusted in riches

25 or taken pride in my wealth.

26 I have never worshiped the sun in its brightness

or the moon in all its beauty.

27 I have not been led astray to honor them

by kissing my hand in reverence to them.

28 Such a sin should be punished by death;

it denies Almighty God.

29 I have never been glad when my enemies suffered,

or pleased when they met with disaster;

30 I never sinned by praying for their death.

31 All those who work for me know

that I have always welcomed strangers.

32 I invited travelers into my home

and never let them sleep in the streets.

33 Others try to hide their sins,

but I have never concealed mine.

34 I have never feared what people would say;

I have never kept quiet or stayed indoors

because I feared their scorn.

35 Will no one listen to what I am saying?

I swear that every word is true.

Let Almighty God answer me.

If the charges my opponent brings against me

were written down so that I could see them,

36 I would wear them proudly on my shoulder

and place them on my head like a crown.

37 I would tell God everything I have done,

and hold my head high in his presence.

38 If I have stolen the land I farm

and taken it from its rightful owners—

39 if I have eaten the food that grew there

but let the farmers that grew it starve—

40 then instead of wheat and barley,

may weeds and thistles grow.

The words of Job are ended.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/JOB/31-ce9a570cf9c4fab01d3538944ccccbfb.mp3?version_id=68—

The Speeches of Elihu

1 Because Job was convinced of his own innocence, the three men gave up trying to answer him.

2 But a bystander named Elihu could not control his anger any longer, because Job was justifying himself and blaming God. (Elihu was the son of Barakel, a descendant of Buz, and belonged to the clan of Ram.)

3 He was also angry with Job’s three friends. They could not find any way to answer Job, and this made it appear that God was in the wrong.

4 Because Elihu was the youngest one there, he had waited until everyone finished speaking.

5 When he saw that the three men could not answer Job, he was angry

6 and began to speak.

I am young, and you are old,

so I was afraid to tell you what I think.

7 I told myself that you ought to speak,

that you older men should share your wisdom.

8 But it is the spirit of Almighty God

that comes to us and gives us wisdom.

9 It is not growing old that makes us wise

or helps us to know what is right.

10 So now I want you to listen to me;

let me tell you what I think.

11 I listened patiently while you were speaking

and waited while you searched for wise phrases.

12 I paid close attention and heard you fail;

you have not disproved what Job has said.

13 How can you claim you have discovered wisdom?

God must answer Job, for you have failed.

14 Job was speaking to you, not to me,

but I would never answer the way you did.

15 Words have failed them, Job;

they have no answer for you.

16 Shall I go on waiting when they are silent?

They stand there with nothing more to say.

17 No, I will give my own answer now

and tell you what I think.

18 I can hardly wait to speak.

I can’t hold back the words.

19 If I don’t get a chance to speak,

I will burst like a wineskin full of new wine.

20 I can’t stand it; I have to speak.

21 I will not take sides in this debate;

I am not going to flatter anyone.

22 I don’t know how to flatter,

and God would quickly punish me if I did.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/JOB/32-0eb1aa812e83b622b238dbe55688ab8e.mp3?version_id=68—

1 And now, Job, listen carefully

to all that I have to say.

2 I am ready to say what’s on my mind.

3 All my words are sincere,

and I am speaking the truth.

4 God’s spirit made me and gave me life.

5 Answer me if you can. Prepare your arguments.

6 You and I are the same in God’s sight,

both of us were formed from clay.

7 So you have no reason to fear me;

I will not overpower you.

8 Now this is what I heard you say:

9 “I am not guilty; I have done nothing wrong.

I am innocent and free from sin.

10 But God finds excuses for attacking me

and treats me like an enemy.

11 He binds chains on my feet;

he watches every move I make.”

12 But I tell you, Job, you are wrong.

God is greater than any human being.

13 Why do you accuse God

of never answering our complaints?

14 Although God speaks again and again,

no one pays attention to what he says.

15 At night when people are asleep,

God speaks in dreams and visions.

16 He makes them listen to what he says,

and they are frightened at his warnings.

17 God speaks to make them stop their sinning

and to save them from becoming proud.

18 He will not let them be destroyed;

he saves them from death itself.

19 God corrects us by sending sickness

and filling our bodies with pain.

20 Those who are sick lose their appetites,

and even the finest food looks revolting.

21 Their bodies waste away to nothing;

you can see all their bones;

22 they are about to go to the world of the dead.

23 Perhaps an angel may come to their aid—

one of God’s thousands of angels,

who remind us of our duty.

24 In mercy the angel will say, “Release them!

They are not to go down to the world of the dead.

Here is the ransom to set them free.”

25 Their bodies will grow young and strong again;

26 when they pray, God will answer;

they will worship God with joy;

God will set things right for them again.

27 Each one will say in public, “I have sinned.

I have not done right, but God spared me.

28 He kept me from going to the world of the dead,

and I am still alive.”

29 God does all this again and again;

30 each one saves a person’s life,

and gives him the joy of living.

31 Now, Job, listen to what I am saying;

be quiet and let me speak.

32 But if you have something to say, let me hear it;

I would gladly admit you are in the right.

33 But if not, be quiet and listen to me,

and I will teach you how to be wise.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/JOB/33-14fa9e5efb41ab63e385f57c4f12ecdc.mp3?version_id=68—

1-2 You men are so wise, so clever;

listen now to what I am saying.

3 You know good food when you taste it,

but not wise words when you hear them.

4 It is up to us to decide the case.

5 Job claims that he is innocent,

that God refuses to give him justice.

6 He asks, “How could I lie and say I am wrong?

I am fatally wounded, but I am sinless.”

7 Have you ever seen anyone like this man Job?

He never shows respect for God.

8 He likes the company of evil people

and goes around with sinners.

9 He says that it never does any good

to try to follow God’s will.

10 Listen to me, you men who understand!

Will Almighty God do what is wrong?

11 He rewards people for what they do

and treats them as they deserve.

12 Almighty God does not do evil;

he is never unjust to anyone.

13 Did God get his power from someone else?

Did someone put him in charge of the world?

14 If God took back the breath of life,

15 then everyone living would die

and turn into dust again.

16 Now listen to me, if you are wise.

17 Are you condemning the righteous God?

Do you think thathehates justice?

18 God condemns kings and rulers

when they are worthless or wicked.

19 He does not take the side of rulers

nor favor the rich over the poor,

for he created everyone.

20 We may suddenly die at night.

God strikes us down and we perish;

he kills the mighty with no effort at all.

21 He watches every step we take.

22 There is no darkness dark enough

to hide a sinner from God.

23 God does not need to set a time

for us to go and be judged by him.

24 He does not need an investigation

to remove leaders and replace them with others.

25 Because he knows what they do;

he overthrows them and crushes them by night.

26 He punishes sinners where all can see it,

27 because they have stopped following him

and ignored all his commands.

28 They forced the poor to cry out to God,

and he heard their calls for help.

29 If God decided to do nothing at all,

no one could criticize him.

If he hid his face, we would be helpless.

30 There would be nothing that nations could do

to keep godless oppressors from ruling them.

31 Job, have you confessed your sins to God

and promised not to sin again?

32 Have you asked God to show you your faults,

and have you agreed to stop doing evil?

33 Since you object to what God does,

can you expect him to do what you want?

The decision is yours, not mine;

tell us now what you think.

34 Any sensible person will surely agree;

and the wise who hear me will say

35 that Job is speaking from ignorance

and that nothing he says makes sense.

36 Think through everything that Job says;

you will see that he talks like an evil man.

37 To his sins he adds rebellion;

in front of us all he mocks God.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/JOB/34-cff32a3d75791fcec0f4449362dd3111.mp3?version_id=68—

1-2 It is not right, Job, for you to say

that you are innocent in God’s sight,

3 or to ask God, “How does my sin affect you?

What have I gained by not sinning?”

4 I am going to answer you and your friends too.

5 Look at the sky! See how high the clouds are!

6 If you sin, that does no harm to God.

If you do wrong many times, does that affect him?

7 Do you help God by being so righteous?

There is nothing God needs from you.

8 Others suffer from your sins,

and the good you do helps them.

9 When people are oppressed, they groan;

they cry for someone to save them.

10 But they don’t turn to God, their Creator,

who gives them hope in their darkest hours.

11 They don’t turn to God, who makes us wise,

wiser than any animal or bird.

12 They cry for help, but God doesn’t answer,

for they are proud and evil.

13 It is useless for them to cry out;

Almighty God does not see or hear them.

14 Job, you say you can’t see God;

but wait patiently—your case is before him.

15 You think that God does not punish,

that he pays little attention to sin.

16 It is useless for you to go on talking;

it is clear you don’t know what you are saying.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/JOB/35-b132278c71cc2a0c151536408fd4c792.mp3?version_id=68—

1-2 Be patient and listen a little longer

to what I am saying on God’s behalf.

3 My knowledge is wide; I will use what I know

to show that God, my Creator, is just.

4 Nothing I say to you is false;

you see before you a truly wise man.

5 How strong God is! He despises no one;

there is nothing he doesn’t understand.

6 He does not let sinners live on,

and he always treats the poor with justice.

7 He protects those who are righteous;

he allows them to rule like kings

and lets them be honored forever.

8 But if people are bound in chains,

suffering for what they have done,

9 God shows them their sins and their pride.

10 He makes them listen to his warning

to turn away from evil.

11 If they obey God and serve him,

they live out their lives in peace and prosperity.

12 But if not, they will die in ignorance

and cross the stream into the world of the dead.

13 Those who are godless keep on being angry,

and even when punished, they don’t pray for help.

14 They die while they are still young,

worn out by a life of disgrace.

15 But God teaches people through suffering

and uses distress to open their eyes.

16 God brought you out of trouble,

and let you enjoy security;

your table was piled high with food.

17 But now you are being punished as you deserve.

18 Be careful not to let bribes deceive you,

or riches lead you astray.

19 It will do you no good to cry out for help;

all your strength can’t help you now.

20 Don’t wish for night to come,

the time when nations will perish.

21 Be careful not to turn to evil;

your suffering was sent to keep you from it.

22 Remember how great is God’s power;

he is the greatest teacher of all.

23 No one can tell God what to do

or accuse him of doing evil.

24 He has always been praised for what he does;

you also must praise him.

25 Everyone has seen what he has done;

but we can only watch from a distance.

26 We cannot fully know his greatness

or count the number of his years.

27 It is God who takes water from the earth

and turns it into drops of rain.

28 He lets the rain pour from the clouds

in showers for all human beings.

29 No one knows how the clouds move

or how the thunder roars

through the sky, where God dwells.

30 He sends lightning through all the sky,

but the depths of the sea remain dark.

31 This is how he feedsthe people

and provides an abundance of food.

32 He seizes the lightning with his hands

and commands it to hit the mark.

33 Thunder announces the approaching storm,

and the cattle know it is coming.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/JOB/36-c7f93766d0113de0fdfd9dfa482f4b44.mp3?version_id=68—

1 The storm makes my heart beat wildly.

2 Listen, all of you, to the voice of God,

to the thunder that comes from his mouth.

3 He sends the lightning across the sky,

from one end of the earth to the other.

4 Then the roar of his voice is heard,

the majestic sound of thunder,

and all the while the lightning flashes.

5 At God’s command amazing things happen,

wonderful things that we can’t understand.

6 He commands snow to fall on the earth,

and sends torrents of drenching rain.

7 He brings our work to a stop;

he shows us what he can do.

8 The wild animals go to their dens.

9 The storm winds come from the south,

and the biting cold from the north.

10 The breath of God freezes the waters,

and turns them to solid ice.

11 Lightning flashes from the clouds,

12 as they move at God’s will.

They do all that God commands,

everywhere throughout the world.

13 God sends rain to water the earth;

he may send it to punish us,

or to show us his favor.

14 Pause a moment, Job, and listen;

consider the wonderful things God does.

15 Do you know how God gives the command

and makes lightning flash from the clouds?

16 Do you know how clouds float in the sky,

the work of God’s amazing skill?

17 No, you can only suffer in the heat

when the south wind oppresses the land.

18 Can you help God stretch out the sky

and make it as hard as polished metal?

19 Teach us what to say to God;

our minds are blank; we have nothing to say.

20 I won’t ask to speak with God;

why should I give him a chance to destroy me?

21 And now the light in the sky is dazzling,

too bright for us to look at it;

and the sky has been swept clean by the wind.

22 A golden glow is seen in the north,

and the glory of God fills us with awe.

23 God’s power is so great that we cannot come near him;

he is righteous and just in his dealings with us.

24 No wonder, then, that everyone is awed by him,

and that he ignores those who claim to be wise.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/JOB/37-581ed75eb29eb61b713a5e8f0f7d3856.mp3?version_id=68—

The Lord Answers Job

1 Then out of the storm the Lord spoke to Job.

2 Who are you to question my wisdom

with your ignorant, empty words?

3 Now stand up straight

and answer the questions I ask you.

4 Were you there when I made the world?

If you know so much, tell me about it.

5 Who decided how large it would be?

Who stretched the measuring line over it?

Do you know all the answers?

6 What holds up the pillars that support the earth?

Who laid the cornerstone of the world?

7 In the dawn of that day the stars sang together,

and the heavenly beingsshouted for joy.

8 Who closed the gates to hold back the sea

when it burst from the womb of the earth?

9 It was I who covered the sea with clouds

and wrapped it in darkness.

10 I marked a boundary for the sea

and kept it behind bolted gates.

11 I told it, “So far and no farther!

Here your powerful waves must stop.”

12 Job, have you ever in all your life

commanded a day to dawn?

13 Have you ordered the dawn to seize the earth

and shake the wicked from their hiding places?

14 Daylight makes the hills and valleys stand out

like the folds of a garment,

clear as the imprint of a seal on clay.

15 The light of day is too bright for the wicked

and restrains them from doing violence.

16 Have you been to the springs in the depths of the sea?

Have you walked on the floor of the ocean?

17 Has anyone ever shown you the gates

that guard the dark world of the dead?

18 Have you any idea how big the world is?

Answer me if you know.

19 Do you know where the light comes from

or what the source of darkness is?

20 Can you show them how far to go,

or send them back again?

21 I am sure you can, because you’re so old

and were there when the world was made!

22 Have you ever visited the storerooms,

where I keep the snow and the hail?

23 I keep them ready for times of trouble,

for days of battle and war.

24 Have you been to the place where the sun comes up,

or the place from which the east wind blows?

25 Who dug a channel for the pouring rain

and cleared the way for the thunderstorm?

26 Who makes rain fall where no one lives?

27 Who waters the dry and thirsty land,

so that grass springs up?

28 Does either the rain or the dew have a father?

29 Who is the mother of the ice and the frost,

30 which turn the waters to stone

and freeze the face of the sea?

31 Can you tie the Pleiades together

or loosen the bonds that hold Orion?

32 Can you guide the stars season by season

and direct the Big and the Little Dipper?

33 Do you know the laws that govern the skies,

and can you make them apply to the earth?

34 Can you shout orders to the clouds

and make them drench you with rain?

35 And if you command the lightning to flash,

will it come to you and say, “At your service”?

36 Who tells the ibiswhen the Nile will flood,

or who tells the rooster that rain will fall?

37 Who is wise enough to count the clouds

and tilt them over to pour out the rain,

38 rain that hardens the dust into lumps?

39 Do you find food for lions to eat,

and satisfy hungry young lions

40 when they hide in their caves,

or lie in wait in their dens?

41 Who is it that feeds the ravens

when they wander about hungry,

when their young cry to me for food?

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/JOB/38-03240667156897d02ef521fe8e68d7e3.mp3?version_id=68—