23 Then Job answered and said,

Even to day is my complaint bitter: my stroke is heavier than my groaning.

Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat!

I would order my cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments.

I would know the words which he would answer me, and understand what he would say unto me.

Will he plead against me with his great power? No; but he would put strength in me.

There the righteous might dispute with him; so should I be delivered for ever from my judge.

Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him:

On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him:

10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

11 My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.

12 Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

13 But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth.

14 For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him.

15 Therefore am I troubled at his presence: when I consider, I am afraid of him.

16 For God maketh my heart soft, and the Almighty troubleth me:

17 Because I was not cut off before the darkness, neither hath he covered the darkness from my face.

24 Why, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, do they that know him not see his days?

Some remove the landmarks; they violently take away flocks, and feed thereof.

They drive away the ass of the fatherless, they take the widow's ox for a pledge.

They turn the needy out of the way: the poor of the earth hide themselves together.

Behold, as wild asses in the desert, go they forth to their work; rising betimes for a prey: the wilderness yieldeth food for them and for their children.

They reap every one his corn in the field: and they gather the vintage of the wicked.

They cause the naked to lodge without clothing, that they have no covering in the cold.

They are wet with the showers of the mountains, and embrace the rock for want of a shelter.

They pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge of the poor.

10 They cause him to go naked without clothing, and they take away the sheaf from the hungry;

11 Which make oil within their walls, and tread their winepresses, and suffer thirst.

12 Men groan from out of the city, and the soul of the wounded crieth out: yet God layeth not folly to them.

13 They are of those that rebel against the light; they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof.

14 The murderer rising with the light killeth the poor and needy, and in the night is as a thief.

15 The eye also of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight, saying, No eye shall see me: and disguiseth his face.

16 In the dark they dig through houses, which they had marked for themselves in the daytime: they know not the light.

17 For the morning is to them even as the shadow of death: if one know them, they are in the terrors of the shadow of death.

18 He is swift as the waters; their portion is cursed in the earth: he beholdeth not the way of the vineyards.

19 Drought and heat consume the snow waters: so doth the grave those which have sinned.

20 The womb shall forget him; the worm shall feed sweetly on him; he shall be no more remembered; and wickedness shall be broken as a tree.

21 He evil entreateth the barren that beareth not: and doeth not good to the widow.

22 He draweth also the mighty with his power: he riseth up, and no man is sure of life.

23 Though it be given him to be in safety, whereon he resteth; yet his eyes are upon their ways.

24 They are exalted for a little while, but are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all other, and cut off as the tops of the ears of corn.

25 And if it be not so now, who will make me a liar, and make my speech nothing worth?

23 Job affirmeth that he both knoweth and feareth the power and sentence of the Judge,  10 And that he is not punished only for his sins.

But Job answered, and said,

Though my talk be this day in [a]bitterness, and my plague greater than my groaning,

Would God yet I knew how to find him, I would enter unto his place.

I would plead the cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments.

I would know the words, that he would answer me, and would understand what he would say unto me.

Would he [b]plead against me with his great power? No, but he would [c]put strength in me.

[d]There the righteous might reason with him, so I should be delivered forever from my Judge.

[e]Behold, if I go to the East, he is not there: if to the West, yet I cannot perceive him:

If to the North where he worketh, yet I cannot see him: he will hide himself in the South, and I cannot behold him.

10 But he knoweth my [f]way, and trieth me, and I shall come forth like gold.

11 My foot hath followed his steps: his way have I kept, and have not declined:

12 Neither have I departed from the commandment of his lips, and I have [g]esteemed the words of his mouth more than mine appointed food.

13 Yet he is in one mind, and who can [h]turn him? yea, he doeth what his mind desireth.

14 For he will perform that which is decreed of me, and [i]many such things are with him.

15 Therefore I am troubled at his presence, and in considering it, I am afraid of him.

16 For [j]God hath softened mine heart, and the Almighty hath troubled me.

17 For I am not cut off in [k]darkness, but he hath hid the darkness from my face.

24 2 Job describeth the wickedness of men, and showeth what curse belongeth to the wicked. 12 How all things are governed by God’s providence. 17 And the destruction of the wicked.

How should not the times [l]be hid from the Almighty, seeing that they which know him, see not his [m]days?

Some remove the landmarks, that rob the flocks and feed thereof.

They lead away the ass of the fatherless, and take the widow’s ox to pledge.

They make the poor to turn out of the way, so that the poor of the earth hide themselves [n]together.

Behold, others as wild asses in the wilderness, go forth to their business, and [o]rise early for a prey: the wilderness [p]giveth him and his children food.

They reap [q]his provision in the field, but they gather the late [r]vintage of the wicked.

They cause the naked to lodge without garment, and without covering in the cold.

They are wet with the showers of the mountains, [s]and they embrace the rock for want of a covering.

They pluck the fatherless [t]from the breast, and take the pledge of [u]the poor.

10 They cause him to go naked without clothing, and take the gleaning from the hungry.

11 They that make oil [v]between their walls, and tread their winepresses, suffer thirst.

12 Men [w]cry out of the city, and the souls of the slain [x]cry out: yet God [y]doth not charge them with folly.

13 These are they that abhor the [z]light: they know not the ways thereof, nor continue in the paths thereof.

14 The murderer riseth early, and killeth the poor and the needy: and in the night he is as a thief.

15 The eye also of the [aa]adulterer waiteth for the twilight, and saith, None eye shall see me, and disguiseth his face.

16 They dig through houses in the dark, which they marked for themselves in the day: they know not the light.

17 But the morning is even to them as the shadow of death: if one know them, they are in the terrors of the shadow of death.

18 He is swift upon the [ab]waters: their [ac]portion shall be cursed in the earth: he will not behold the way of the vineyards.

19 As the dry ground and heat consume the snow waters, so shall the grave [ad]the sinners.

20 [ae]The pitiful man shall forget him: the worm shall feel his sweetness: he shall be no more remembered, and the wicked shall be broken like a tree.

21 He [af]doth evil entreat the barren that doth not bear, neither doeth he good to the widow.

22 He draweth also the [ag]mighty by his power, and when he riseth up, none is sure of life.

23 Though men give him assurance to be in safety, yet his eyes are upon their ways.

24 They are exalted for a little, but they are gone, and are brought low as all others: they are destroyed, and cut off as the top of an ear of corn.

25 But if it be not [ah]so, where is he? or who will prove me a liar, and make my words of no value?

Footnotes

  1. Job 23:2 He showeth the just cause of his complaining, and as touching that Eliphaz had exhorteth him to return to God, Job 22:21, he declareth that he desireth nothing more, but it seemed that God would not be found of him.
  2. Job 23:6 Using his absolute power, and saying, because I am God, I may do what I will.
  3. Job 23:6 Of his mercy he would give me power to answer him.
  4. Job 23:7 When he of his mercy hath given strength to maintain their cause.
  5. Job 23:8 Meaning, that if he consider God’s justice, he is not able to comprehend his judgments on what side or what part soever he turneth himself.
  6. Job 23:10 God hath this preeminence about me, that he knoweth my way: to wit, that I am innocent, and I am not able to judge of his works: he showeth also his confidence, that God doth use him for his profit.
  7. Job 23:12 His word is more precious unto me, than the meat wherewith the body is sustained.
  8. Job 23:13 Job confesseth that at this present he felt not God’s favor, and yet was assured that he had appointed him to a good end.
  9. Job 23:14 In many points man is not able to attain to God’s judgments.
  10. Job 23:16 That I should not be without fear.
  11. Job 23:17 He showeth the cause of his fear, which is, that he being in trouble seeth none end, neither yet knoweth the cause.
  12. Job 24:1 Thus Job speaketh in his passions, and after the judgment of the flesh: that is, that he seeth not the things that are done at times, neither yet hath a peculiar care over all, because he punisheth not the wicked, nor revengeth the godly.
  13. Job 24:1 When he punisheth the wicked, and rewardeth the good.
  14. Job 24:4 And for cruelty and oppression dare not show their faces.
  15. Job 24:5 That is, spareth diligence.
  16. Job 24:5 He and his live by robbing and murdering.
  17. Job 24:6 Meaning, the poor man’s.
  18. Job 24:6 Signifying, that one wicked man will not spoil another, but for necessity.
  19. Job 24:8 The poor are driven by the wicked into the rocks and holes where they cannot lie dry for the rain.
  20. Job 24:9 That is, they so powle and pill the poor widow, that she cannot have to sustain herself that she may be able to give her child suck.
  21. Job 24:9 That is, his garment, wherewith he should be covered or clad.
  22. Job 24:11 In such places which are appointed for that purpose: meaning, that those that labor for the wicked, are pined for hunger.
  23. Job 24:12 For the great oppression and extortion.
  24. Job 24:12 Cry out and call for vengeance.
  25. Job 24:12 God doth not condemn the wicked, but seemeth to pass over it by his long silence.
  26. Job 24:13 That is, God’s word, because they are reproved thereby.
  27. Job 24:15 By these particular vices and the licence thereunto, he would prove that God punished not the wicked, and rewardeth the just.
  28. Job 24:18 He fleeth to the waters for his succor.
  29. Job 24:18 They think that all the world is bent against them, and dare not go by the high way.
  30. Job 24:19 As the dry ground is never full with waters, so will they never cease sinning till they come to the grave.
  31. Job 24:20 Though God suffer the wicked for a time, yet their end shall be most vile destruction, and in this point Job commiteth to himself, and showeth his confidence.
  32. Job 24:21 He showeth why the wicked shall not be lamented, because he did not pity others.
  33. Job 24:22 He declareth that after that the wicked have destroyed the weakest, they will do like to the stranger, and therefore are justly punished by God’s judgments.
  34. Job 24:25 That is, that contrary to your reasoning no man can give perfect reasons of God’s judgments, let me be reproved.