Through the Bible – Day 177

₁Job, call out for help

and see if an angel comes!

₂Envy and jealousy

will kill a stupid fool.

₃I have seen fools take root.

But God sends a curse,

suddenly uprooting them

₄and leaving their children

helpless in court.

₅Then hungry and greedy people

gobble up their crops

and grab their wealth.

₆Our suffering isn't caused

by the failure of crops;

₇it's all part of life,

like sparks shooting skyward.

₈Job, if I were you,

I would ask God for help.

₉His miracles are marvellous,

more than we can count.

₁₀God sends showers on earth

and waters the fields.

₁₁He protects the sorrowful

and lifts up those

who have been disgraced.

_12-13God swiftly traps the wicked

in their own evil schemes,

and their wisdom fails.

₁₄Darkness is their only companion,

hiding their path at midday.

₁₅God rescues the needy

from the words of the wicked

and the fist of the mighty.

₁₆The poor are filled with hope,

and injustice is silenced.

₁₇Consider yourself fortunate

if God All-Powerful

chooses to correct you.

₁₈He may cause injury and pain,

but he will bandage and heal

your cuts and bruises.

₁₉God will protect you from harm,

no matter how often

trouble may strike.

₂₀In times of war and famine,

God will keep you safe.

₂₁You will be sheltered,

without fear of hurtful words

or any other weapon.

₂₂You will laugh at the threat

of destruction and famine.

And you won't be afraid

of wild animals—

₂₃they will no longer be fierce,

and your rocky fields

will become friendly.

₂₄Your home will be secure,

and your sheep will be safe.

₂₅You will have more descendants

than there are blades of grass

on the face of the earth.

₂₆You will live a long life,

and your body will be strong

until the day you die.

₂₇Our experience has proved

these things to be true,

so listen and learn.

₁Job said:

₂It's impossible to weigh

my misery and grief!

₃They outweigh the sand

along the beach,

and that's why I have spoken

without thinking first.

₄The fearsome arrows

of God All-Powerful

have filled my soul

with their poison.

₅Do oxen and wild donkeys

cry out in distress

unless they are hungry?

₆What is food without salt?

What is more tasteless

than the white of an egg?

₇That's how my food tastes,

and my appetite is gone.

_8-9How I wish that God

would answer my prayer

and do away with me.

₁₀Then I would be comforted,

knowing that in all my pain

I have never disobeyed God.

₁₁Why should I patiently hope

when my strength is gone?

₁₂I am not strong as stone

or bronze,

₁₃and I have finally reached

the end of my rope.

₁₄My friends, I am desperate,

and you should help me,

even if I no longer respect

God All-Powerful.

_15-16But you are treacherous

as streams that swell

with melting snow,

₁₇then suddenly disappear

in the summer heat.

₁₈I am like a caravan,

lost in the desert

while searching for water.

₁₉Caravans from Tema and Sheba

₂₀thought they would find water.

But they were disappointed,

₂₁just as I am with you.

Only one look at my suffering,

and you run away scared.

₂₂Have I ever asked any of you

to give me a gift

₂₃or to purchase my freedom

from brutal enemies?

₂₄What have I done wrong?

Show me,

and I will keep quiet.

₂₅The truth is always painful,

but your arguments

prove nothing.

₂₆Here I am desperate,

and you consider my words

as worthless as wind.

₂₇Why, you would sell an orphan

or your own neighbour!

₂₈Look me straight in the eye;

I won't lie to you.

₂₉Stop accusing me falsely;

my reputation is at stake.

₃₀I know right from wrong,

and I am not telling lies.

₁Why is life so hard?

Why do we suffer?

₂We are slaves in search of shade;

we are labourers longing

for our wages.

₃God has made my days drag on

and my nights miserable.

₄I pray for night to end,

but it stretches out

while I toss and turn.

₅My parched skin is covered

with worms, dirt, and sores,

₆and my days are running out

quicker than the thread

of a fast-moving needle.

₇I beg you, God, don't forget!

My life is just a breath,

and trouble lies ahead.

₈I will vanish from sight,

and no one, including you,

will ever see me again.

₉I will disappear in the grave

or vanish from sight

like a passing cloud.

₁₀Never will I return home;

soon I will be forgotten.

₁₁And so, I cry out to you

in agony and distress.

₁₂Am I the sea or a sea monster?

Is that why you imprison me?

₁₃I go to bed, hoping for rest,

₁₄but you torture me

with terrible dreams.

_15-16I'd rather choke to death

than live in this body.

Leave me alone and let me die;

my life has no meaning.

₁₇What makes you so concerned

about us humans?

₁₈Why do you test us

from sunrise to sunset?

₁₉Won't you look away

just long enough

for me to swallow?

₂₀Why do you watch us so closely?

What's it to you, if I sin?

Why am I your target

and such a heavy burden?

₂₁Why do you refuse to forgive?

Soon you won't find me,

because I'll be dead.

₁Bildad from Shuah said:

₂How long will you talk

and keep saying nothing?

₃Does God All-Powerful

stand in the way of justice?

₄He made your children pay

for their sins.

₅So why don't you turn to him

₆and start living right?

Then he will decide

to rescue and restore you

to your place of honour.

₇Your future will be brighter

by far than your past.

₈Our ancestors were wise,

so learn from them.

₉Our own time has been short,

like a fading shadow,

and we know very little.

₁₀But they will instruct you

with great understanding.

₁₁Papyrus reeds grow healthy

only in a swamp,

₁₂and if the water dries up,

they die sooner than grass.

₁₃Such is the hopeless future

of all who turn from God

₁₄and trust in something as frail

as a spider's web—

₁₅they take hold and fall

because it's so flimsy.

₁₆Sinful people are like plants

with spreading roots and plenty

of sun and water.

₁₇They wrap their roots tightly

around rocks.

₁₈But once they are pulled up,

they have no more place;

₁₉their life slips away,

and other plants grow there.

₂₀We know God doesn't reject

an innocent person

or help a sinner.

₂₁And so, he will make you happy

and give you something

to smile about.

₂₂But your evil enemies

will be put to shame

and disappear for ever.

“He was led like a sheep

on its way to be killed.

He was silent as a lamb

whose wool

is being cut off,

and he did not say

a word.

₃₃He was treated like a nobody

and did not receive

a fair trial.

How can he have children,

if his life

is snatched away?”