Job 26

New International Reader's Version

² “Bildad, you haven’t helped people who aren’t strong!
    You haven’t saved people who are weak!
³ You haven’t offered advice to those who aren’t wise!
    In fact, you haven’t understood anything at all!
⁴ Who helped you say these things?
    Whose spirit was speaking through you?

⁵ “The spirits of the dead are suffering greatly.
    So are those that are under the waters.
    And so are all those that live in them.
⁶ The place of the dead is naked in the sight of God.
    The grave lies open in front of him.
⁷ He spreads out the northern skies over empty space.
    He hangs the earth over nothing.
⁸ He wraps up water in his clouds.
    They are heavy, but they don’t burst.
⁹ He covers the face of the full moon.
    He spreads his clouds over it.
¹⁰ He marks out the place where the sky meets the sea.
    He marks out the boundary between light and darkness.
¹¹ The pillars of the heavens shake.
    They are terrified when his anger blazes out.
¹² With his power he stirred up the oceans.
    In his wisdom he cut the sea monster Rahab to pieces.
¹³ His breath made the skies bright and clear.
    His hand wounded the serpent that glides through the sea.
¹⁴ Those are only on the edges of what he does.
    They are only the soft whispers that we hear from him.
    So who can understand how very powerful he is?”