Chronological Plan

¹“Man who is born of woman Is of few days and full of trouble.

²He comes forth like a flower and fades away; He flees like a shadow and does not continue.

³And do You open Your eyes on such a one, And bring me to judgment with Yourself?

⁴Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one!

⁵Since his days are determined, The number of his months is with You; You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass.

⁶Look away from him that he may rest, Till like a hired man he finishes his day.

⁷“For there is hope for a tree, If it is cut down, that it will sprout again, And that its tender shoots will not cease.

⁸Though its root may grow old in the earth, And its stump may die in the ground,

⁹Yet at the scent of water it will bud And bring forth branches like a plant.

¹⁰But man dies and is laid away; Indeed he breathes his last And where is he?

¹¹As water disappears from the sea, And a river becomes parched and dries up,

¹²So man lies down and does not rise. Till the heavens are no more, They will not awake Nor be roused from their sleep.

¹³“Oh, that You would hide me in the grave, That You would conceal me until Your wrath is past, That You would appoint me a set time, and remember me!

¹⁴If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, Till my change comes.

¹⁵You shall call, and I will answer You; You shall desire the work of Your hands.

¹⁶For now You number my steps, But do not watch over my sin.

¹⁷My transgression is sealed up in a bag, And You cover my iniquity.

¹⁸“But as a mountain falls and crumbles away, And as a rock is moved from its place;

¹⁹As water wears away stones, And as torrents wash away the soil of the earth; So You destroy the hope of man.

²⁰You prevail forever against him, and he passes on; You change his countenance and send him away.

²¹His sons come to honor, and he does not know it; They are brought low, and he does not perceive it.

²²But his flesh will be in pain over it, And his soul will mourn over it.”

¹Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:

²“Should a wise man answer with empty knowledge, And fill himself with the east wind?

³Should he reason with unprofitable talk, Or by speeches with which he can do no good?

⁴Yes, you cast off fear, And restrain prayer before God.

⁵For your iniquity teaches your mouth, And you choose the tongue of the crafty.

⁶Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; Yes, your own lips testify against you.

⁷“Are you the first man who was born? Or were you made before the hills?

⁸Have you heard the counsel of God? Do you limit wisdom to yourself?

⁹What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that is not in us?

¹⁰Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us, Much older than your father.

¹¹Are the consolations of God too small for you, And the word spoken gently with you?

¹²Why does your heart carry you away, And what do your eyes wink at,

¹³That you turn your spirit against God, And let such words go out of your mouth?

¹⁴“What is man, that he could be pure? And he who is born of a woman, that he could be righteous?

¹⁵If God puts no trust in His saints, And the heavens are not pure in His sight,

¹⁶How much less man, who is abominable and filthy, Who drinks iniquity like water!

¹⁷“I will tell you, hear me; What I have seen I will declare,

¹⁸What wise men have told, Not hiding anything received from their fathers,

¹⁹To whom alone the land was given, And no alien passed among them:

²⁰The wicked man writhes with pain all his days, And the number of years is hidden from the oppressor.

²¹Dreadful sounds are in his ears; In prosperity the destroyer comes upon him.

²²He does not believe that he will return from darkness, For a sword is waiting for him.

²³He wanders about for bread, saying, ‘Where is it?’ He knows that a day of darkness is ready at his hand.

²⁴Trouble and anguish make him afraid; They overpower him, like a king ready for battle.

²⁵For he stretches out his hand against God, And acts defiantly against the Almighty,

²⁶Running stubbornly against Him With his strong, embossed shield.

²⁷“Though he has covered his face with his fatness, And made his waist heavy with fat,

²⁸He dwells in desolate cities, In houses which no one inhabits, Which are destined to become ruins.

²⁹He will not be rich, Nor will his wealth continue, Nor will his possessions overspread the earth.

³⁰He will not depart from darkness; The flame will dry out his branches, And by the breath of His mouth he will go away.

³¹Let him not trust in futile things, deceiving himself, For futility will be his reward.

³²It will be accomplished before his time, And his branch will not be green.

³³He will shake off his unripe grape like a vine, And cast off his blossom like an olive tree.

³⁴For the company of hypocrites will be barren, And fire will consume the tents of bribery.

³⁵They conceive trouble and bring forth futility; Their womb prepares deceit.”

¹Then Job answered and said:

²“I have heard many such things; Miserable comforters are you all!

³Shall words of wind have an end? Or what provokes you that you answer?

⁴I also could speak as you do, If your soul were in my soul’s place. I could heap up words against you, And shake my head at you;

⁵But I would strengthen you with my mouth, And the comfort of my lips would relieve your grief.

⁶“Though I speak, my grief is not relieved; And if I remain silent, how am I eased?

⁷But now He has worn me out; You have made desolate all my company.

⁸You have shriveled me up, And it is a witness against me; My leanness rises up against me And bears witness to my face.

⁹He tears me in His wrath, and hates me; He gnashes at me with His teeth; My adversary sharpens His gaze on me.

¹⁰They gape at me with their mouth, They strike me reproachfully on the cheek, They gather together against me.

¹¹God has delivered me to the ungodly, And turned me over to the hands of the wicked.

¹²I was at ease, but He has shattered me; He also has taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces; He has set me up for His target,

¹³His archers surround me. He pierces my heart and does not pity; He pours out my gall on the ground.

¹⁴He breaks me with wound upon wound; He runs at me like a warrior.

¹⁵“I have sewn sackcloth over my skin, And laid my head in the dust.

¹⁶My face is flushed from weeping, And on my eyelids is the shadow of death;

¹⁷Although no violence is in my hands, And my prayer is pure.

¹⁸“O earth, do not cover my blood, And let my cry have no resting place!

¹⁹Surely even now my witness is in heaven, And my evidence is on high.

²⁰My friends scorn me; My eyes pour out tears to God.

²¹Oh, that one might plead for a man with God, As a man pleads for his neighbor!

²²For when a few years are finished, I shall go the way of no return.