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21 And Job answereth and saith: --

Hear ye diligently my word, And this is your consolation.

Bear with me, and I speak, And after my speaking -- ye may deride.

I -- to man [is] my complaint? and if [so], wherefore May not my temper become short?

Turn unto me, and be astonished, And put hand to mouth.

Yea, if I have remembered, then I have been troubled. And my flesh hath taken fright.

Wherefore do the wicked live? They have become old, Yea, they have been mighty in wealth.

Their seed is established, Before their face with them, And their offspring before their eyes.

Their houses [are] peace without fear, Nor [is] a rod of God upon them.

10 His bullock hath eaten corn, and doth not loath. His cow bringeth forth safely, And doth not miscarry.

11 They send forth as a flock their sucklings, And their children skip,

12 They lift [themselves] up at timbrel and harp, And rejoice at the sound of an organ.

13 They wear out in good their days, And in a moment [to] Sheol go down.

14 And they say to God, `Turn aside from us, And the knowledge of Thy ways We have not desired.

15 What [is] the Mighty One that we serve Him? And what do we profit when we meet with Him?'

16 Lo, not in their hand [is] their good, (The counsel of the wicked Hath been far from me.)

17 How oft is the lamp of the wicked extinguished, And come on them doth their calamity? Pangs He apportioneth in His anger.

18 They are as straw before wind, And as chaff a hurricane hath stolen away,

19 God layeth up for his sons his sorrow, He giveth recompense unto him -- and he knoweth.

20 His own eyes see his destruction, And of the wrath of the Mighty he drinketh.

21 For what [is] his delight in his house after him, And the number of his months cut off?

22 To God doth [one] teach knowledge, And He the high doth judge?

23 This [one] dieth in his perfect strength, Wholly at ease and quiet.

24 His breasts have been full of milk, And marrow his bones doth moisten.

25 And this [one] dieth with a bitter soul, And have not eaten with gladness.

26 Together -- on the dust they lie down, And the worm doth cover them over.

27 Lo, I have known your thoughts, And the devices against me ye do wrongfully.

28 For ye say, `Where [is] the house of the noble? And where the tent -- The tabernacles of the wicked?'

29 Have ye not asked those passing by the way? And their signs do ye not know?

30 That to a day of calamity is the wicked spared. To a day of wrath they are brought.

31 Who doth declare to his face his way? And [for] that which he hath done, Who doth give recompence to him?

32 And he -- to the graves he is brought. And over the heap a watch is kept.

33 Sweet to him have been the clods of the valley, And after him every man he draweth, And before him there is no numbering.

34 And how do ye comfort me [with] vanity, And in your answers hath been left trespass?

Job

21 Then Job replied:

“Listen carefully to my words;(A)
    let this be the consolation you give me.(B)
Bear with me while I speak,
    and after I have spoken, mock on.(C)

“Is my complaint(D) directed to a human being?
    Why should I not be impatient?(E)
Look at me and be appalled;
    clap your hand over your mouth.(F)
When I think about this, I am terrified;(G)
    trembling seizes my body.(H)
Why do the wicked live on,
    growing old and increasing in power?(I)
They see their children established around them,
    their offspring before their eyes.(J)
Their homes are safe and free from fear;(K)
    the rod of God is not on them.(L)
10 Their bulls never fail to breed;
    their cows calve and do not miscarry.(M)
11 They send forth their children as a flock;(N)
    their little ones dance about.
12 They sing to the music of timbrel and lyre;(O)
    they make merry to the sound of the pipe.(P)
13 They spend their years in prosperity(Q)
    and go down to the grave(R) in peace.[a](S)
14 Yet they say to God, ‘Leave us alone!(T)
    We have no desire to know your ways.(U)
15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
    What would we gain by praying to him?’(V)
16 But their prosperity is not in their own hands,
    so I stand aloof from the plans of the wicked.(W)

17 “Yet how often is the lamp of the wicked snuffed out?(X)
    How often does calamity(Y) come upon them,
    the fate God allots in his anger?(Z)
18 How often are they like straw before the wind,
    like chaff(AA) swept away(AB) by a gale?(AC)
19 It is said, ‘God stores up the punishment of the wicked for their children.’(AD)
    Let him repay the wicked, so that they themselves will experience it!(AE)
20 Let their own eyes see their destruction;(AF)
    let them drink(AG) the cup of the wrath of the Almighty.(AH)
21 For what do they care about the families they leave behind(AI)
    when their allotted months(AJ) come to an end?(AK)

22 “Can anyone teach knowledge to God,(AL)
    since he judges even the highest?(AM)
23 One person dies in full vigor,(AN)
    completely secure and at ease,(AO)
24 well nourished(AP) in body,[b]
    bones(AQ) rich with marrow.(AR)
25 Another dies in bitterness of soul,(AS)
    never having enjoyed anything good.
26 Side by side they lie in the dust,(AT)
    and worms(AU) cover them both.(AV)

27 “I know full well what you are thinking,
    the schemes by which you would wrong me.
28 You say, ‘Where now is the house of the great,(AW)
    the tents where the wicked lived?’(AX)
29 Have you never questioned those who travel?
    Have you paid no regard to their accounts—
30 that the wicked are spared from the day of calamity,(AY)
    that they are delivered from[c] the day of wrath?(AZ)
31 Who denounces their conduct to their face?
    Who repays them for what they have done?(BA)
32 They are carried to the grave,
    and watch is kept over their tombs.(BB)
33 The soil in the valley is sweet to them;(BC)
    everyone follows after them,
    and a countless throng goes[d] before them.(BD)

34 “So how can you console me(BE) with your nonsense?
    Nothing is left of your answers but falsehood!”(BF)

Footnotes

  1. Job 21:13 Or in an instant
  2. Job 21:24 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  3. Job 21:30 Or wicked are reserved for the day of calamity, / that they are brought forth to
  4. Job 21:33 Or them, / as a countless throng went