en_t4t/18-JOB.usfm

\id JOB - Translation 4 Translators 1
\ide 65001 - Unicode (UTF-8)
\h JOB
\toc1 Job
\toc2 Job
\toc3 Job
\mt1 JOB
\c 1
\s1 Job and his family
\p
\v 1 In the land named Uz, there was a man named Job. He was a very godly/righteous [DOU] man, who greatly respected/revered God and always avoided doing evil things.
\v 2 He had seven sons and three daughters.
\v 3 He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 1,000 oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He also had many servants. He was the richest man in all the area east  \add of the Jordan River\add*.
\p
\v 4 Each year, Job's sons made feasts  \add in their houses\add* to celebrate their birthdays. Whenever each one made a feast, he would invite  \add all his brothers\add* and his three sisters to come and eat together.
\v 5 When each celebration ended, Job would summon them. He would get up early in the morning and kill animals and burn them on the altar as sacrifices, one for each of his children. He said to himself, “Perhaps  \add one of\add* my sons has sinned and said something evil about God in his heart.”
\s1 Satan wanted to test Job
\p
\v 6 One day, the angels came and gathered together in front of Yahweh, and Satan came too.
\v 7 Yahweh asked Satan, “Where have you come from?”
\p Satan replied, “I have come from the earth, where I been traveling back and forth, seeing what is happening.”
\p
\v 8 Yahweh said to Satan, “Have you ◄noticed/thought about► my  \add faithful\add* servant Job? He is very godly/righteous [DOU], he greatly respects/reveres me, and he always avoids doing evil things. There is no one else on the earth like him.”
\v 9 Satan replied to Yahweh, “\add What you say is true\add*, but Job greatly respects you  \add only\add* because of what  \add you have done for him\add* [RHQ].
\v 10 You have always [RHQ] protected [MET] him and his family and everything that he owns. You have made him very prosperous/rich. He has very many livestock all over this land.
\v 11 But if you take away [MTY] everything that he has, he will curse you openly. [IDI]”
\p
\v 12 Yahweh replied to Satan, “◄All right/Okay►, I will permit you to take away everything that he has. But do not harm him.”
\p Then Satan left, \add and he prepared to cause many disastrous things to happen to Job\add*.
\p
\v 13 One day  \add after that\add*, Job's sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the home of their oldest brother.
\v 14 While they were doing that, a messenger arrived at Job's home and said to him, “While your oxen were plowing  \add the fields\add* and the donkeys were grazing nearby,
\v 15 a group of men from the Sheba  \add area\add* came and attacked us. They killed all your servants  \add who were working in the fields\add* and took away all the oxen and donkeys! I am the only one who escaped to  \add come and\add* tell you what happened.”
\p
\v 16 While he was still talking to Job, another messenger arrived. He said to Job, “Lightning from the sky [MTY] struck and killed all the sheep and all the men who were taking care of the sheep! I am the only one who escaped to  \add come and\add* tell you  \add what happened\add*.”
\p
\v 17 While he was still talking to Job, another messenger arrived. He said to Job, “Three groups of  \add robbers/bandits\add* from Chaldea  \add land\add* came and attacked us. They stole all the camels and killed all the men who were taking care of them. I am the only one who escaped to  \add come and\add* tell you  \add what happened\add*.”
\p
\v 18 While he was still talking to Job, another messenger arrived and reported this to Job: “Your sons and daughters were feasting in the home of their oldest brother.
\v 19 Suddenly a ◄very strong wind/tornado► came from the desert and struck the house. The house collapsed on your sons and daughters and killed them all! I am the only one who escaped to  \add come and\add* tell you  \add what happened\add*.”
\p
\v 20 Job stood up, and tore his robe and shaved his head  \add because he was very sad/grieved\add*. Then he prostrated himself on the ground  \add to worship God\add*.
\v 21 He said,
\q1 “When I was born, I had no clothes.
\q1 When I die, I will not take any clothes with me.
\q1 Yahweh gave me  \add everything that I possessed\add*, 
\q1 and  \add now\add* he has taken it all away.
\q1 But ◄we should/I will► always praise Yahweh! [MTY]”
\p
\v 22 In spite of all these  \add things that happened to Job\add*, he did not sin by saying that what God had done was wrong.
\c 2
\s1 Satan wanted to test Job again
\p
\v 1 On another day, the angels came again and gathered together in front of Yahweh, and Satan came too.
\v 2 Yahweh asked Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan replied, “I have come from the earth, where I have been traveling back and forth, seeing what is happening.”
\p
\v 3 Yahweh asked Satan, “Have you ◄noticed/thought about► my  \add faithful\add* servant Job?
\p He is very godly/righteous [DOU], he greatly respects/reveres me, and he  \add always\add* avoids doing evil things. And he still acts in a very godly/righteous manner, even though you persuaded me to  \add let you\add* cause disastrous things to happen to him for no reason.”
\p
\v 4 Satan replied to Yahweh, “He praises you only because you bless him [IDI]. People will give up everything they have to save their own lives.
\v 5 But if you harm his body [MTY], he will surely curse you openly [IDI]!”
\p
\v 6 Yahweh replied to Satan, “◄All right/Okay►, you may do to him whatever you want to do, but do not cause him to die.”
\p
\v 7 So Satan left, and he caused Job to be afflicted with very painful boils, from the top of his head to the soles of his feet.
\v 8 Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped the boils on his skin, and he sat in ashes  \add as people did when they were mourning for those who had died\add*.
\p
\v 9 His wife said to him, “Are you still trying to ◄be loyal to/faithfully trust in► God? You should curse God, and then you will die.”
\p
\v 10 But Job replied, “You talk like people who do not know God talk. ◄Should we accept only the good things that God  \add does for us\add*?/We should not accept only the good things that God  \add does for us\add*. ► [RHQ] We should also accept bad things.” So in spite of all these  \add things that happened to Job\add*, he did not say anything against God.
\s1 Job's three friends came to comfort him
\p
\v 11 Among Job's friends were Eliphaz from Teman  \add town\add*, Bildad from Shuah  \add land\add* and Zophar from Naamah  \add land\add*. When they heard about all the terrible things that had happened to Job, they left their home areas and went together to Job to console/comfort him [DOU].
\v 12 When they saw Job from a distance, they almost did not recognize him. They wailed loudly, they tore their robes, and they threw dust over their heads  \add to show how sorry they were because of what had happened to Job\add*.
\v 13 Then they sat on the ground with Job for seven days. None of them said anything to Job, because they saw that he was suffering greatly, \add and they did not think that anything that they said would lessen his pain\add*.
\c 3
\s1 Job spoke
\p
\v 1 Finally, Job spoke, and he cursed the day that he was born.
\v 2 He said,
\q1
\v 3 “I wish that the day when I was born could be eradicated,
\q2 and also the night when I was conceived.
\q1
\v 4 I wish that the day when I was born would have become darkness.
\q2 I wish that God who is in heaven [MTY] would have forgotten about that day,
\q2 and that the sun would not have shined on it.
\q1
\v 5 I wish that thick/intense darkness would have filled that day,
\q1 and that a black cloud would have come over it
\q2 and blotted out all light
\q2 and caused the people to be terrified.
\q1
\v 6 I wish that the night when I was conceived would be erased from the calendar,
\q2 with the result that it would never again appear as one night in any month,
\q2 and that it would not be included in any calendar.
\q1
\v 7 I wish that no child would again be conceived on that night of the month [MET],
\q2 and that no one would again be happy on that night.
\q1
\v 8 I want those people who ◄curse/put evil spells on► days—those who know how to arouse/awaken the great sea monster—to curse that day.
\q1
\v 9 I wish that the stars that shone early in the morning on that day  \add after I was conceived\add* will not shine again.
\q2 I want those stars to have wished in vain for light to shine;
\q2 and that they would not have shone on that day.
\q1
\v 10 \add That was an evil day\add* because my mother's womb was not closed;
\q2 instead, I was born, and I have now experienced all these terrible things.
\b
\q1
\v 11 I wish that I had died [RHQ] when I was born,
\q2 at the time I emerged from my mother's womb.
\q1
\v 12 I wish that my mother had not [RHQ] allowed me to live.
\q2 I wish that she had not nursed me at her breasts.
\q1
\v 13 If I had died at the time when I was born,
\q2 I would be asleep, resting peacefully.
\q1
\v 14 I would be resting with kings who built  \add beautiful palaces\add* which are now in ruins (OR, who rebuilt  \add palaces\add* that had previously been destroyed),
\q2 and I would be resting with their officials  \add who have also died\add*.
\q1
\v 15 I would be resting with princes who were wealthy,
\q2 whose palaces were filled with gold and silver.
\q1
\v 16 I wish that I had been buried like a child who died in its mother's womb
\q2 and never lived to see the light.
\q1
\v 17 After wicked people die, they do not cause any more troubles;
\q2 those who are very tired now will rest.
\q1
\v 18 Those who were in prison rest peacefully  \add after they die\add*; 
\q2 they no longer have slave-drivers who curse them.
\q1
\v 19 Rich people and poor people are alike after they die,
\q2 and those who were slaves are no longer controlled by their masters.
\b
\q1
\v 20 ◄Why does God allow those who are suffering greatly  \add like me\add* to continue to remain alive?/I do not understand why God allows those who are suffering greatly  \add like me\add* to continue to remain alive.► [RHQ]
\q2 Why does he allow those who are very miserable/distressed to keep living [RHQ]?
\q1
\v 21 They long/want to die, but they do not die.
\q2 They desire to die more than people desire to find a hidden treasure.
\q1
\v 22 When they finally die and are buried, they are very happy.
\q1
\v 23 Those who do not know where they are  \add eventually\add* going [RHQ],
\q2 people whom God has forced [MET] to continue to live in misery,
\q2 ◄it is not right that they continue to live./why do they continue to live?► [RHQ]
\q1
\v 24 I cry very much; as a result, I cannot eat;
\q2 my groaning continually pours out of me like water.
\q1
\v 25 Things that I always worried might happen to me, have happened to me;
\q2 things that I always dreaded have come upon me.
\q1
\v 26 Now I have no peace  \add in my inner being\add*, 
\q2 I have no quietness;
\q1 I cannot rest;
\q2 instead, I have only troubles.”
\c 4
\s1 Eliphaz replied to Job
\p
\v 1 Then Eliphaz replied to Job. He said,
\q1
\v 2 “Will you please allow me to say something to you?
\q2 I am not [RHQ] able to remain silent \add any longer\add*.
\q1
\v 3 In the past, you have instructed/taught many people,
\q2 and you have encouraged those who were weak.
\q1
\v 4 By what you said, you have helped those who ◄needed spiritual help/almost quit trusting in God► [MET],
\q2 and you have enabled them to become spiritually strong again [MET].
\q1
\v 5 But now, when you experience disasters, you become discouraged.
\q2 The disasters hit you, and you are stunned.
\q1
\v 6 You revere God; ◄does that not cause you to trust \add in him\add*?/that should cause you to trust \add in him\add*. ► [RHQ]
\q2 If you were guiltless, you would [RHQ] be confident that \add God\add* would not \add have allowed\add* these disasters to happen to you!
\b
\q1
\v 7 Think about this: Do innocent people die \add while they are still young\add* [RHQ]?
\q2 Does God get rid of godly people [RHQ]? \add No\add*
\q1
\v 8 What I have experienced is this: \add Just as\add* [MET] farmers who plant bad \add seeds\add* do not harvest \add good crops\add*,
\q2 \add those who start\add* trouble for others later bring trouble on themselves.
\q1
\v 9 They die when God blows his breath on them,
\q2 when he is very angry with them.
\q1
\v 10 \add Even though wicked people may be very powerful like\add* young lions,
\q2 \add God\add* will get rid of them [MET].
\q1
\v 11 \add They will die like older\add* lions that starve to death when there are no animals that they can kill and eat,
\q2 and \add their children will be separated from each other like\add* the young lions separate from each other \add to find food\add*.
\s1 Eliphaz says that he learned a secret
\q1
\v 12 I heard a message that someone came
\q2 and whispered to me.
\q1
\v 13 He spoke to me at night when I was having a bad dream that disturbed/frightened me
\q2 while I was fast asleep.
\q1
\v 14 It caused me to be afraid and tremble;
\q2 it caused all my bones to shake.
\q1
\v 15 A ghost glided past my face
\q2 and caused the skin \add on the back of my neck\add* to stand straight up.
\q1
\v 16 It stopped, but I could not see what form it had.
\q2 But \add I could sense that\add* there was some being in front of me,
\q1 and it said in a quiet voice,
\q1
\v 17 ‘◄Can human beings be righteous in God's sight?/No human beings can be righteous in God's sight!► [RHQ]
\q1 ◄Their creator cannot consider them to be pure./Can their creator consider them to be pure?► [RHQ]
\q1
\v 18 God cannot be sure that his own angels \add will always do what is right\add*;
\q2 he declares that some of them have done what is wrong.
\q1
\v 19 So he certainly cannot trust human beings who were made from dust and clay,
\q2 who are crushed as easily as moths are crushed!
\q1
\v 20 People are sometimes well in the morning, but in the evening they are dead.
\q2 They are gone forever and do not even know it (OR, and no one pays any attention to it).
\q1
\v 21 They are like [MET] tents that collapse \add suddenly\add*:
\q2 They die \add suddenly\add* without becoming wise.’”
\c 5
\s1 Eliphaz continued replying to Job
\q1
\v 1 “Job, \add it is okay that you\add* continue to cry out for someone to help you,
\q2 but  \add I am certain that\add* [RHQ] no angel will come to help you!
\q1
\v 2 Foolish people die because of being ◄resentful/very angry at someone►;
\q2 people who are easily deceived are destroyed by their being jealous  \add of others\add*.
\q1
\v 3 I have seen foolish people who seemed to be successful/prosperous,
\q2 but suddenly  \add they experienced disaster/trouble because\add* someone cursed their home.
\q1
\v 4 Their sons are never safe;
\q2 they ◄lose their case/are condemned► when someone ◄takes them to court/sues them►
\q2 because there is no one to defend them.
\q1
\v 5 Hungry people  \add steal\add* the crops that foolish people harvest, and eat those crops;
\q2 they even steal the crops that grow among thorns,
\q2 and greedy people take away the wealth of foolish people.
\q1
\v 6 But evil circumstances/sufferings are not produced by the soil;
\q2 troubles do not grow up from the ground.
\q1
\v 7 People have troubles from the time that they are born
\q2 just as surely as sparks shoot up  \add from a fire\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 8 If I were  \add suffering like\add* you are, I would ask God  \add for help\add* 
\q2 and tell him ◄what I am complaining about/about my suffering►.
\q1
\v 9 He does great things, things that we cannot understand;
\q2 we cannot even count the marvelous things that he does.
\q1
\v 10 He sends rain on the ground;
\q2 he sends water on our fields.
\q1
\v 11 He exalts those who are humble,
\q2 and causes those who mourn to be joyful (OR, safe, prosperous).
\q1
\v 12 He causes crafty/cunning people to not be able to do what they plan to do,
\q2 with the result that they achieve nothing.
\q1
\v 13 He causes people who  \add think that they are\add* [IRO] wise to be trapped by the cunning things they try to do,
\q2 with the result that they do not succeed.
\q1
\v 14 \add It is as though\add* even in the daytime they are covered by darkness,
\q2 and grope around  \add trying to find the road\add* at noontime like people do at night.
\q1
\v 15 But God saves helpless people from being harmed by what  \add wicked people\add* say [MTY],
\q2 he saves needy people from being injured by [MTY] powerful people.
\q1
\v 16 So, poor people confidently expect  \add that good things will happen to them\add* 
\q2 but God shuts the mouths of  \add wicked people\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 17 But those whom God corrects/rebukes are happy;
\q2 so do not despise/dislike it when  \add God\add* who is all-powerful disciplines you.
\q1
\v 18 He wounds people, but then he puts bandages on those wounds;
\q2 he hurts people, but he [SYN] also heals them.
\q1
\v 19 He will rescue you many times from your troubles,
\q2 with the result that nothing evil will happen to you.
\q1
\v 20 When there is a famine, he will not allow you to die,
\q2 and when there is a war, you will not be killed [MTY].
\q1
\v 21 God will protect you when people slander [MTY] you;
\q2 you will not be afraid when many things  \add around you\add* are destroyed.
\q1
\v 22 You will  \add be able to\add* laugh/scoff when things are destroyed and when there is famine,
\q2 and you will not be afraid of wild animals.
\q1
\v 23 You will not worry about  \add having big\add* rocks in your fields  \add that will make plowing difficult\add*, 
\q2 and you will not worry about  \add being attacked by\add* wild animals there.
\q1
\v 24 In your tent, you will know that things will go well for you,
\q2 and when you look at your livestock, you will see that ◄they are all there/none of them is missing►.
\q1
\v 25 You will be sure that you will have many descendants,
\q2 who will be as numerous as blades of grass.
\q1
\v 26 You will become very old before you die,
\q2 like sheaves of grain continue to grow until it is time to harvest them.
\b
\q1
\v 27 \add My friends and I\add* have thought carefully about these things, and  \add we know that\add* they are true,
\q2 so pay attention to what I have said!”
\c 6
\s1 Job refuted Eliphaz' claim
\p
\v 1 Then Job spoke again, saying \add to Eliphaz\add*,
\q1
\v 2 “If all my troubles and misery could be put on a scale and weighed,
\q1
\v 3 they would be heavier than all the sands \add on the shores\add* of the oceans.
\q2 That is why I spoke ◄very rashly/without thinking clearly► \add about the day that I was born\add*.
\q1
\v 4 \add It is as though\add* Almighty \add God\add* has shot me with arrows.
\q2 \add It is as though\add* those arrows had poison on their tips, and that poison has gone into my spirit.
\q1 The things that God \add has done to me\add* have terrified me.
\q1
\v 5 Just like a wild donkey does not \add complain by\add* braying when it has plenty of grass to eat,
\q2 and an ox does not \add complain by\add* bellowing when it has food to eat [MET],
\q1 \add I would not complain if you were really helping/comforting me\add*.
\q1
\v 6 People complain [RHQ] when they must eat food which has no salt
\q2 or other slimy tasteless food [MET],
\q1 \add and that is what your words are like, Eliphaz\add*.
\q1
\v 7 Just like I have I do not want to eat food \add like that\add*,
\q2 and my palate loathes/detests that kind of food [MET],
\q1 \add I do not appreciate what you have said to me\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 8 I wish that God would do for me what I have requested from him [DOU].
\q1
\v 9 I wish that he would crush me \add and let me die\add*.
\q2 I wish that he would reach out his hand and take away my life.
\q1
\v 10 If he would do that, I would be comforted by knowing that in spite of the great pain that I have suffered,
\q2 I have always obeyed what \add God\add*, the Holy One, has commanded.
\b
\q1
\v 11 But now I do not have [RHQ] enough strength to endure all these things.
\q2 And since I have nothing \add to hope for\add* in ◄the future/this life►,
\q2 it is difficult for me to be patient now [RHQ].
\q1
\v 12 I am not [RHQ] strong like rocks are,
\q2 and my body is not made of bronze.
\q1
\v 13 So I am not able to help myself,
\q2 and \add it seems that\add* there is no one to rescue me.
\b
\s1 Job's friends were not helping him
\q1
\v 14 When a man has many troubles, his friends should be kind to him,
\q2 even if he stops revering Almighty \add God\add*.
\q1
\v 15 But \add you\add*, my friends, are not dependable.
\q2 You are like streams: They spill over their banks \add in the spring\add*
\q1
\v 16 when \add the melting\add* ice and snow make those streams overflow,
\q1
\v 17 but when the dry season comes, there is no water flowing \add in those streams\add*,
\q2 and the channels dry up.
\q1
\v 18 \add The caravans of merchants\add* turn off the path \add to search for some water\add*,
\q2 but there is no water,
\q2 so they die \add in the desert\add*.
\q1
\v 19 The men in those caravans searched \add for some water\add*
\q2 because they were sure that they would find some.
\q1
\v 20 But they did not find any,
\q2 so they were very disappointed.
\q1
\v 21 Similarly, you friends have not helped me at all!
\q1 You have seen that terrible things have happened to me,
\q2 and you are afraid \add that God might do similar things to you\add*.
\q1
\v 22 \add After I lost all my wealth\add*, ◄did I ask any of you for money?/I did not ask any of you for money.► [RHQ]
\q2 Did I plead with any of you to spend some of your money to help me [RHQ]?
\q1
\v 23 Have I asked any of you to rescue me from my enemies [RHQ]?
\q2 Have I asked you to save me from those who ◄oppressed me/treated me badly► [RHQ]? \add No!\add*
\s1 Job insisted he had done no wrong
\q1
\v 24 Answer me \add now, and then\add* I will be quiet;
\q2 tell me what wrong things I have done!
\q1
\v 25 When people speak what is true, that will not hurt the person who hears it,
\q2 but what you say, criticizing me, \add is not true, so your saying it\add* proves nothing [RHQ]!
\q1
\v 26 I am a man who has nothing to hope for,
\q2 but you try to correct me, and you think what I say is nothing but wind [RHQ]!
\q1
\v 27 You do not sympathize with me at all \add for all that I am suffering\add*.
\q2 \add You will do anything to get things for yourselves\add* You would even play a game to see who gets an orphan \add as a prize!\add*
\b
\q1
\v 28 Please look at me! I will not [RHQ] lie while I am looking at your faces.
\q1
\v 29 Stop \add saying that I have sinned\add*, and stop criticizing me unjustly!
\q2 You should realize that I have not done things that are wrong.
\q1
\v 30 Do you think that I am lying?
\q2 No, I am not lying, because I know what is right and what is wrong [RHQ].”
\c 7
\s1 Job complains to God
\q1
\v 1 “People need to work hard on this earth, like soldiers do;
\q1 all during the time that we are alive, we work hard [RHQ], like laborers/servants do.
\q1
\v 2 We are like [SIM] slaves who keep wanting to be in the cool shade,
\q2 and we are like [SIM] workers who are waiting to be paid.
\q1
\v 3 God has given me many months  \add in which I think\add* that it is useless  \add to remain alive\add*; 
\q1 he has allotted/given to me many nights during which I feel miserable.
\q1
\v 4 When I lie down  \add at night\add* I say, ‘How long will it be until I get up?’
\q2 But the nights are long, and I ◄toss/turn over and over► \add on my bed\add* until the dawn.
\q1
\v 5 My body is covered with maggots and scabs;
\q2 pus oozes out of my open sores.
\b
\q1
\v 6 My days pass as quickly as a weaver's ◄shuttle/stick that takes the thread back and forth►,
\q2 and they end without my confidently expecting  \add that things will be better the next day\add*.
\q1
\v 7 God, do not forget that my life is  \add as empty as\add* a breath [MET];
\q2 I  \add think that\add* I [SYN] will never again experience being happy.
\q1
\v 8 God, you [SYN] see me now,
\q2 but  \add some day\add* you will not see me anymore.
\q2 You will search for me, but I will be gone  \add because I will be dead\add*.
\q1
\v 9 Like [SIM] clouds ◄disperse/break up► and then disappear,
\q2 people  \add die and\add* descend to the place where dead people are, and they do not return;
\q1
\v 10 they never return to their houses,
\q2 and people among whom they lived do not remember them anymore.
\b
\q1
\v 11 So, I will not be silent;
\q2 while I am suffering I will speak;
\q1 I will complain  \add to God about what has happened to me\add* 
\q2 because I [SYN] am very angry.
\q1
\v 12 \add God\add*, why do you watch closely what I am doing?
\q2  \add Do you think that\add* I am a  \add dangerous\add* sea monster?
\q1
\v 13 When I  \add lie down at night\add*, I say  \add to myself\add*, ‘I will be comforted here on my bed;
\q2 my pain will be less while I am sleeping.’
\q1
\v 14 But then you give me dreams that cause me to be afraid;
\q2 you give me visions that terrify me,
\q1
\v 15 with the result that I would prefer to die because of being strangled
\q2 than to continue to  \add be alive\add* being only a bunch of bones.
\q1
\v 16 I detest continuing to be alive; I do not want to live for many years [HYP].
\q2 Allow me to be alone, \add because I will be alive\add* for only a very short time [HYP].
\b
\q1
\v 17 We human beings are not  \add very important\add*; 
\q2 so, why do you pay a lot of attention to us [DOU]?
\q1
\v 18 You look at us every morning  \add to see what we are doing\add*, 
\q2 and examine us every moment  \add to see if we are doing what is right\add*.
\q1
\v 19 ◄When will you stop looking at me and leave me alone  \add for a little time\add*, long enough to swallow my spit?/Please stop looking at me and leave me alone  \add for a little time\add*, long enough to swallow my spit.► [RHQ]
\q1
\v 20 \add Why do\add* you watch me constantly?
\q2 If I sin, that certainly does not harm you!
\q1 Why have you set me up like a target to shoot at?
\q2 Do you consider me to be a heavy load that you are forced to carry?
\q1
\v 21 \add If I have sinned\add*, are you not able to forgive me for my sins
\q2 and the things that I have done that are wrong?
\q1 Soon I will lie in my grave;
\q2 you will search for me, but  \add you will not find me because\add* I will be  \add dead and\add* gone.”
\c 8
\s1 Bildad's first speech to Job
\p
\v 1 Then Bildad, from the Shuah  \add area\add*, spoke to Job. He said,
\q1
\v 2 “Job, how much longer will you talk like this?
\q2 What you say is  \add only\add* a big wind.
\q1
\v 3 Almighty God certainly never does [RHQ] what is unfair/unjust.
\q2 He always does [LIT] what is right/fair.
\q1
\v 4 So, it is evident that your children have sinned against him,
\q2 therefore he has caused them to be punished for evil things that they have done.
\q1
\v 5 But, if you will  \add now\add* earnestly request [DOU] Almighty  \add God\add* to help you,
\q1
\v 6 and if you are pure and honest/righteous,
\q2 he will surely do something good for you
\q2 and reward you by giving your family back to you and enabling you to prosper.
\q1
\v 7 And even though you  \add think that you\add* were not very prosperous/wealthy before,
\q2 during the last part of your life you will become very wealthy.
\b
\q1
\v 8 I request you to think about what happened long ago
\q2 and consider what our ancestors found out.
\q1
\v 9 \add It seems as though\add* we were born only yesterday
\q2 and we know very little [HYP];
\q1 our time here on the earth  \add disappears quickly, like\add* a shadow [MET].
\q1
\v 10 So, ◄why do you not/you should► allow your ancestors to teach you and tell you something.
\q2 Allow them to tell you from what they learned!
\q1
\v 11 Papyrus can certainly not [RHQ] grow in places where there is no marsh/swamp;
\q2 reeds certainly cannot [RHQ] flourish/grow where there is no water.
\q1
\v 12 \add If they do not have enough water\add*, while they are still blossoming,
\q2 they wither more quickly than other plants wither.
\q1
\v 13 Those who do not pay attention to what God says are like  \add those reeds\add*; 
\q2 godless people stop confidently expecting  \add that good things will happen to them\add*.
\q1
\v 14 The things they confidently expect to happen do not happen;
\q2 things they trust  \add will help them\add* are  \add as fragile as\add* [MET] a spider's web.
\q1
\v 15 If they lean against a house (OR, trust in their wealth; OR, lean on a spider web), it does not ◄endure/protect them► [LIT];
\q2 they cling to things  \add to be protected\add*, but those things do not remain firm.
\q1
\v 16 Godless people  \add are like plants\add* [MET] that are watered before the sun rises;
\q2 their shoots spread all over the gardens.
\q1
\v 17 The roots of those plants twist around the piles of stones
\q2 and cling tightly to the rocks.
\q1
\v 18 But if those plants are pulled out,
\q2  \add it is as though\add* the place where they were planted says ‘They were never here!’
\q2  \add And that is what happens to wicked people who do not heed what God says\add*.
\q1
\v 19 Truly, evil people [MET] are not joyful [IRO] for a long time;
\q2 other people come and take their places.
\b
\q1
\v 20 So, \add I tell you, Job\add*, God will not reject you if you are very godly/righteous,
\q2 but he does not help [IDI] evil people.
\q1
\v 21 He will enable you [MTY] to continually laugh
\q2 and to always shout  \add joyfully\add*.
\q1
\v 22 But those who hate you will be very ashamed,
\q2 and the homes of wicked people will disappear.”
\c 9
\s1 Job replied to Bildad
\p
\v 1 Then Job replied,
\q1
\v 2 “Yes, I certainly know that  \add much of\add* what you said is true.
\q2 But ◄how can anyone say to God, ‘I <am innocent/have not done what is wrong> and prove it?’/no one can say to God ‘I <am innocent/have not done what is wrong> and prove it.’► [RHQ]
\q1
\v 3 If someone wanted to argue with God  \add about that\add*, 
\q2 God could ask him a thousand questions
\q2 and that person would not be able to answer any of them!
\q1
\v 4 God is very wise [IDI] and very powerful;
\q2 no one who has tried to argue against God has been able to win.
\q1
\v 5 He even moves mountains, without them (OR, anyone) knowing about it.
\q2 When he is angry, he turns them upside down.
\q1
\v 6 He sends earthquakes that shake the ground;
\q2 he causes the pillars that support the earth to tremble.
\q1
\v 7 \add Some days\add* he speaks to the sun, and it does not rise,
\q2 and  \add some nights\add* he prevents the stars from shining.
\q1
\v 8 He alone ◄stretched out/put in place► the sky;
\q2 he alone puts his feet on the waves (OR, on the huge sea monster).
\q1
\v 9 He put in their places  \add the clusters/groups of stars that are called\add* The Dipper/Bear, Orion, the Pleiades, and the stars in the southern sky.
\q1
\v 10 Only he does great things that we cannot understand;
\q2 he does more marvelous things than we are able to count.
\q1
\v 11 He passes by where I am, but I do not see him;
\q2 he moves further on, but I do not see him go.
\q1
\v 12 If he  \add wants to\add* snatch something away, no one [RHQ] can hinder him;
\q2 no one dares to ask him, ‘Why are you doing that?’ [RHQ]
\q1
\v 13 God will not very easily stop being angry;
\q2 he defeated [MTY] those who  \add tried to\add* help Rahab, \add the great sea monster\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 14 So, \add if God took me to court\add*, 
\q2 what could I say [MTY] to answer him?
\q1
\v 15 Even though I ◄would be innocent/would not have done what is wrong►, I would not be able to answer him.
\q2 All I could do would be to request God, my judge/accuser, to act mercifully toward me.
\q1
\v 16 If I summoned him to  \add come to the courtroom\add* and he said that he would come,
\q2 I would not believe that he would pay attention to what I would say.
\q1
\v 17 He sends storms to batter me,
\q2 and he bruises me many times ◄without any reason to do that/even though I am innocent►.
\q1
\v 18 \add It is as though\add* he will not let me get/catch my breath,
\q2 because he causes me to suffer all the time.
\q1
\v 19 If I would try to ◄wrestle with/fight against► him, \add there is no way that I could defeat\add* him,
\q2 because he is stronger than I am.
\q1 If I would request him to appear in court,
\q2 there is no one who could [RHQ] force him to go there.
\q1
\v 20 Even though I was innocent, what I would say would cause him to say that I must be punished [MTY];
\q2 even though I had not done anything wrong, he would prove that I am guilty.
\b
\q1
\v 21 I have not done what is wrong, but that is not important.
\q2 I despise continuing to remain alive.
\q1
\v 22 Nothing is important to me,
\q2 because God will get rid of  \add all of us\add*, both those who are innocent and those who are wicked.
\q1
\v 23 When people experience disaster and it causes them to suddenly die,
\q2 God laughs at it, even if they are innocent.
\q1
\v 24 God has allowed wicked people to control  \add what happens in\add* the world.
\q2  \add It is as though\add* he has caused judges to be blind, \add with the result that they cannot judge fairly\add*.
\q1 If it is not God who has done that,
\q2 who has done it?
\b
\q1
\v 25 My days pass very quickly, like a fast runner;
\q2  \add it is as though\add* they run away, and nothing good happens to me on those days.
\q1
\v 26 My life goes by very rapidly, like a boat made from reeds sailing swiftly,
\q2 or like an eagle that swoops down to seize a small animal.
\q1
\v 27 If I smile and say  \add to God\add*, ‘I will forget what I am complaining about;
\q2 I will stop looking sad and try to be cheerful/happy,’
\q1
\v 28 then I become afraid because of all that I am suffering
\q2 because I know that God does not consider that I am innocent.
\q1
\v 29 He will ◄condemn me/declare that I should be punished►,
\q2 so why should I keep trying in vain  \add to defend myself\add*? 
\q1
\v 30 If I washed myself with snow
\q2 or cleansed my hands with lye/soap
\q2  \add to get rid of my guilt\add*, 
\q1
\v 31 he would still throw me into a filthy pit;
\q2 as a result  \add it would be as though\add* even my clothes would detest me.
\b
\q1
\v 32 God is not a human, as I am,
\q2 so there is no way that I could answer him  \add to prove that I am innocent\add* 
\q2 if we went together to have a trial  \add in a courtroom\add*.
\q1
\v 33 There is no one to ◄mediate/hear us and decide who is right►,
\q2 no one who has authority over both of us [IDI].
\q1
\v 34 I wish/desire that he would stop punishing [MTY] me,
\q2 and that he would not continue to terrify me.
\q1
\v 35 If he did that, I would declare  \add that I am innocent\add* without being afraid of him,
\q2 because I know within myself that I really have not  \add done what is wrong like God thinks that I have\add*.”
\c 10
\s1 Job again complained to God
\q1
\v 1 “I detest continuing to live.
\q1 And I will not be silent and stop saying what I am complaining about.
\q2 Instead, being very unhappy, I will speak [IDI].
\q1
\v 2 I will say to God, ‘Do not say that I must be punished;
\q2 instead, tell me what wrong you are saying that I have done.
\q1
\v 3 Does it seem to be good for you to oppress me,
\q2 to abandon me, whom you created,
\q2 and instead, to help wicked people to do the things that they plan to do?
\q1
\v 4 Do you understand things the way that we humans do?
\q1
\v 5 ◄Do you live for only a few years, like we do?/You certainly do not live for only a few years, like we do.► [RHQ]
\q1
\v 6 So, why do you [RHQ] continue to search for my faults
\q2 and to hunt for my sins?
\q1
\v 7 You know that I am not guilty,
\q2 and that no one can rescue me from your power [MTY].
\b
\q1
\v 8 With your hands you created me and shaped/formed my body;
\q2 but now you are  \add deciding\add* that you should not have done that, and you are destroying me.
\q1
\v 9 Do not forget that you made me from  \add a piece of\add* clay;
\q2 are you going to cause me to become dirt again [RHQ]?
\q1
\v 10 You certainly [RHQ] directed/controlled it when I was conceived,
\q2 and you formed me inside my mother's womb [MET].
\q1
\v 11 You fastened my bones together with sinews,
\q2 and  \add then\add* you covered them with flesh inside my skin.
\q1
\v 12 You have caused me to be alive, and you have faithfully loved me,
\q2 and you have carefully ◄preserved me/kept me alive►.
\b
\q1
\v 13 But you ◄kept secret/did not reveal► \add what you were planning to do to me\add*; 
\q2 I am certain that you were planning to  \add do these things to me\add*.
\q1
\v 14 You were watching to see if I would sin,
\q2 in order that  \add if I sinned\add*, you would refuse to forgive me.
\q1
\v 15 If I am a wicked man, I hope/wish that terrible things will happen to me.
\q1 But even if I am righteous, I still must bow my head  \add and feel ashamed\add*, 
\q2 because I am very disgraced and feel miserable.
\q1
\v 16 And if I am proud, you hunt me like [SIM] a lion hunts  \add for some animal to kill\add*, 
\q2 and you act powerfully to injure me.
\q1
\v 17 You constantly find more witnesses  \add to testify that I have done what is wrong\add*, 
\q2 and you continually become more angry/perturbed with me.
\q2  \add It is as though\add* you are always bringing new troops to attack me.
\b
\q1
\v 18 God, why did you allow me to be born?
\q2 I wish/desire that I had died before anyone [SYN] saw me.
\q1
\v 19 \add I consider that\add* it would have been better if I had been carried directly from my mother's womb to the grave
\q2 than for me to live.
\q1
\v 20 \add I think that\add* [RHQ] there are only a few days for me to remain alive;
\q2 so ◄allow me to be alone/stop attacking me►, in order that I may be a little cheerful
\q1
\v 21 before I go to the place from which I will never return,
\q2 where it is always gloomy and very dark [DOU],
\q1
\v 22 a place of darkness and dark shadows, where  \add everything\add* is confused/disordered,
\q2 where  \add even the small\add* light there is like darkness (OR, there is no light, only darkness).’”
\c 11
\s1 Zophar's first speech to Job
\p
\v 1 Then Zophar, from the Naamah  \add area\add*, said this to Job:
\q1
\v 2 “◄Should no one answer all that you have said?/Someone should certainly answer all that you have said.► [RHQ]
\q2 Just because you talk a lot, ◄should that cause us to declare that you <are innocent/have done nothing wrong>?/that should not cause us to declare that you <are innocent/have done nothing wrong>.► [RHQ]
\q1
\v 3 Job, ◄should your babbling cause us to be silent?/your babbling should certainly not cause us to be silent.► [RHQ]
\q2 When you make fun of us, shall no one  \add rebuke you and\add* cause you to be ashamed?
\q1
\v 4 You say, ‘What I say is true;
\q2 God knows that I am ◄innocent/without guilt►.’
\q1
\v 5 But I wish/desire that God would talk
\q2 and say something [MTY] to answer you!
\q1
\v 6 God knows everything about everything,
\q2 so I wish/desire that he would tell you the secrets that he knows because he is wise.
\q1 But you need to know that God is punishing you less than you deserve!
\b
\q1
\v 7 \add Tell me\add*, will you ever be able to find out the things about God that are very difficult to understand?
\q2 Will you be able to find out everything that there is to know about Almighty God?
\q1
\v 8 \add What there is to know about God\add* is greater than  \add the distance from earth to\add* heaven;
\q2 so there is no way [RHQ] that you can  \add understand it all\add*.
\q1 It is greater than  \add the distance from here to\add* the place of the dead;
\q2 so it is impossible for you [RHQ] to know it all.
\q1
\v 9 What there is to know about God is wider than the earth
\q2 and wider than the ocean.
\b
\q1
\v 10 If God comes to you and puts you in prison and then brings you to a court,
\q2 ◄who can stop him?/no one can stop him.► [RHQ]
\q1
\v 11 He knows which people are worthless;
\q2 and when he sees people doing wicked things, ◄will he ignore it?/he will certainly not ignore it!► [RHQ]
\q1
\v 12 Stupid people  \add like you\add* will start to become wise [SAR]
\q2 when wild donkeys  \add stop giving birth to wild donkeys and\add* start giving birth to tame donkeys.
\b
\q1
\v 13 Job, repent [IDI];
\q2 reach out your hands toward God.
\q1
\v 14 If you have done evil things, stop doing them;
\q2 and do not allow any people in your house to do wicked deeds.
\q1
\v 15 If you do what I have said, surely you will lift up your head because you will not be ashamed;
\q2 you will be strong, and not afraid  \add of anything\add*.
\q1
\v 16 You will forget all your troubles;
\q2 they will be like the water  \add of a flood\add* that has all disappeared.
\q1
\v 17 \add Your troubles will be ended, like the darkness ends\add* at the dawn;
\q2  \add it will be as though\add* [MET] the sun is shining brightly on you, like  \add it shines\add* at noon.
\q1
\v 18 You will feel safe/secure, because you will confidently expect  \add that good things will happen to you\add*; 
\q2 God will protect you and enable you to rest safely  \add each night\add*.
\q1
\v 19 You will lie down, and no one will cause you to be afraid.
\q2 And many people will come and request you to do things for them.
\q1
\v 20 But wicked people [SYN] will not be able to understand  \add why bad things are happening to them\add*; 
\q2 they will not have any way to escape  \add from their troubles\add*.
\q2 The only thing that they will want to do is to die. [EUP]”
\c 12
\s1 Job replied to his three friends
\p
\v 1 Then Job said  \add to his three friends\add*, 
\q1
\v 2 “◄There is no doubt/You think► [SAR] that you are the people  \add whom everyone should listen to\add*, 
\q2 and that when you die, there will be no more wise people.
\q1
\v 3 But I have as much good sense as you do;
\q2 I am ◄not less wise than/certainly as wise as [LIT]► you.
\q2 Certainly everyone  \add knows\add* [RHQ] all that you have said.
\b
\q1
\v 4 My friends all laugh at me now.
\q2 Previously I habitually requested God to help me, and he answered/helped me.
\q1 I am righteous and very godly [DOU], but everyone laughs at me.
\q1
\v 5 Those  \add like you\add* who have no troubles make fun of me;
\q2 they cause those  \add like me\add* who are already suffering to have more troubles.
\q1
\v 6 Bandits live peacefully,
\q2 and no one threatens those who cause God to become angry;
\q2 the god  \add whom they worship\add* is their own strength.
\b
\q1
\v 7 But ask the wild animals  \add what they know about God\add*, 
\q2 and  \add if they could speak\add* they would teach you.
\q1  \add If you could\add* ask the birds,
\q2 they would tell you.
\q1
\v 8 \add If you could\add* ask the creatures  \add that crawl\add* on the ground, or the fish in the sea,
\q2 they would tell you  \add about God\add*.
\q1
\v 9 All of them certainly know [RHQ] that it is Yahweh who has made them by his hands.
\q1
\v 10 He directs the lives of all living creatures;
\q2 he gives breath to all  \add us\add* humans  \add to enable us to remain alive\add*.
\q1
\v 11 And when we [SYN] hear what other people  \add like you\add* say,
\q2 we [RHQ] think carefully about what they say  \add to determine what is good and what is bad\add*, 
\q2 like we [SYN] taste food  \add to determine what is good and what is bad\add*.
\q1
\v 12 Old people are  \add often\add* very wise,
\q2 and because of having lived many years, they understand much,
\q1
\v 13 but God is wise and very powerful;
\q2 he has good sense and understands  \add everything\add*.
\q1
\v 14 If he tears  \add something\add* down, no one can rebuild it;
\q2 if he puts someone in prison, no one can open  \add the prison doors to allow that person to escape\add*.
\q1
\v 15 When he prevents rain from falling, everything dries up.
\q2 When he causes a lot of rain to fall, \add the result is that\add* there are floods.
\q1
\v 16 He is the one who is truly strong and wise;
\q2 he rules over those who deceive others and those whom they deceive.
\q1
\v 17 He  \add sometimes\add* causes  \add the king's\add* officials to no longer be wise,
\q2 and he causes judges to become foolish.
\q1
\v 18 He takes from kings the robes that they wear
\q2 and puts loincloths around their waists, \add causing them to become slaves\add*.
\q1
\v 19 He takes from priests the sacred clothes that they wear, \add with the result that they no longer can do their work\add*, 
\q2 and takes power from those who rule others.
\q1
\v 20 He  \add sometimes\add* causes those whom others trust to be unable to speak,
\q2 and he causes old men to no longer have good sense.
\q1
\v 21 He causes those who have authority to be despised,
\q2 and he causes those who are powerful to no longer have any power/strength.
\q1
\v 22 He causes things that are hidden in the darkness to be revealed.
\q1
\v 23 He causes some nations to become very great,
\q2 and  \add later\add* he destroys them;
\q1 he causes the territory of some nations to become much larger,
\q2 and  \add later\add* he causes them to be defeated and their people to be scattered.
\q1
\v 24 He causes  \add some\add* rulers to become foolish/stupid,
\q2 and then he causes them to wander around, lost, in an empty desert.
\q1
\v 25 They grope around in the darkness, without any light,
\q2 and he causes them to stagger like [SIM] people who are drunk.”
\c 13
\s1 Job continued his reply
\q1
\v 1 “Hey, I [SYN] have seen everything  \add that you have seen\add*, 
\q2 and I have heard and understood all  \add that you have said\add*.
\q1
\v 2 What you know, I also know;
\q2 I do ◄not know less than/know as much as► you.
\q1
\v 3 But I would like to speak to Almighty God, \add not to you\add*; 
\q2 I would like to argue with him  \add and prove that I ◄am innocent/have not done things that are wrong\add*►.
\q1
\v 4 As for you, you tell lies  \add and do not allow people to know what is the truth\add*, 
\q2 like someone covers  \add up a bad surface of a wall\add* with whitewash [MET].
\q1 You are all like doctors [MET] that  \add give people\add* useless  \add medicines\add*.
\q1
\v 5 I wish/desire that you would be silent;
\q2 that would be the wisest thing that you  \add could do\add*.
\q1
\v 6 Listen to what I will say to you now;
\q2 listen while I am saying  \add what is true about myself\add*.
\q1
\v 7 Are you telling lies to help God,
\q2 and saying what is deceitful in order to benefit him?
\q1
\v 8 Are you trying to defend him?
\q2 Are you trying to prove in a court that he is innocent?
\q1
\v 9 If he looks closely, will he find that everything that you have done is good?
\q2 Or can you deceive him, like you deceive other people?
\q1
\v 10 If you secretly say/do things to cause God to act favorably toward you,
\q2 he will surely rebuke you.
\q1
\v 11 He will certainly [RHQ] cause you to be terrified by his power/greatness,
\q2 you will become extremely afraid.
\q1
\v 12 The things that you say  \add that you think are\add* wise are  \add as useless as\add* [MET] as ashes;
\q2 what you say to defend yourselves is no better than [MET] clay  \add that quickly crumbles\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 13 So, be quiet and allow me to speak,
\q2 and then it will not matter what happens to me.
\q1
\v 14 I am ready to endure anything;
\q2 I am  \add even\add* willing to risk being executed [IDI, DOU] \add for what I will say\add*.
\q1
\v 15 If God kills me, then I will not have anyone else whom I can confidently expect to help me,
\q2 but I am going to defend my behavior in his presence  \add anyway\add*.
\q1
\v 16 No wicked/godless person would dare to stand in the presence of God,
\q1  \add but because I say that I have not done things that are wrong\add*, 
\q2 perhaps, if I can prove that to God, he will save me.”
\s1 Job asks God to tell him what his charges are
\q1
\v 17 “God, listen very carefully to what I say [DOU].
\q1
\v 18 I am ready to prove that I am innocent,
\q2 and I know that you also will declare that I am not guilty.
\q1
\v 19 I certainly do not think [RHQ] that  \add you or anyone else\add* will say that what I say is not true;
\q2 if anyone did that, I would ◄be silent/stop talking► and die.
\b
\q1
\v 20 I am requesting you to do two things for me;
\q2 if you do them, I will ◄not hide from you/come and stand in front of you► [LIT].
\q1
\v 21 \add The first thing that I request is that\add* you stop punishing [IDI] me;
\q2 and  \add the second thing that I request is that\add* you stop causing me to be very terrified.
\q1
\v 22 You speak  \add first\add*, and then I will reply;
\q2 or allow me to speak first, and  \add then\add* you reply.
\q1
\v 23 What have I done that is wrong? What sins have I committed?
\q2 Show me how I have disobeyed you.
\q1
\v 24 Why ◄do you refuse to be friendly with/have you abandoned► me [IDI]?
\q2 Why do you ◄act toward me as though I am/consider me to be► your enemy?
\q1
\v 25 I am  \add as insignificant as\add* [MET] a leaf that the wind blows;
\q2 why are you trying to cause me to be afraid [RHQ]?
\q1 Why are you pursuing me?
\q2 Am I  \add useless, nothing more than a bit of\add* dry chaff [RHQ]?
\q1
\v 26 \add It seems that\add* you are writing things to accuse me  \add of doing things that are wrong\add*, 
\q2 even recalling bad things that I did when I was young.
\q1
\v 27 \add It is as though\add* you have put my feet ◄in stocks/between wooden blocks to prevent me from walking►,
\q2 and you watch me wherever I walk;
\q2  \add It is as though\add* you even look closely at my footprints  \add to see where I have gone\add*.
\q1
\v 28 \add As a result\add*, my body is decaying like [SIM] rotten wood,
\q2 like a piece of cloth that is eaten by  \add larvae of\add* moths.”
\c 14
\s1 Job prayed to God
\q1
\v 1 “We humans are very frail.
\q2 We live only a short time, and we experience a lot of trouble.
\q1
\v 2 We disappear quickly, like flowers that grow from the ground quickly and then wither and die [SIM].
\q2 We are like shadows that disappear  \add when the sun stops shining\add*.
\q1
\v 3 \add Yahweh\add*, why do you keep watching me  \add to see if I am doing something that is wrong\add* [RHQ]?
\q2 Are you wanting to take me to court to judge me?
\q1
\v 4 People are sinners from the time when they are born;
\q2 who can cause them to be sinless? No one [RHQ]!
\q1
\v 5 You have decided how long our lives will be.
\q2 You have decided how many months we will live,
\q2 and we cannot live more months than the ◄limit/number of months► that you have decided.
\q1
\v 6 So please stop examining us, and allow us to be alone,
\q2 until/while we finish our time  \add here on earth\add*, like a man finishes his work  \add at the end of the day\add*.
\s1 Job said that we all die
\q1
\v 7 If we cut a tree down,
\q2  \add sometimes\add* we hope that it will sprout again and grow new branches.
\q1
\v 8 Its roots in the ground may be very old,
\q2 and its stump may decay,
\q1
\v 9 but if some water falls on it,
\q2 it may bud/sprout and send up shoots like a young plant.
\q1
\v 10 But when we people lose all our strength and die,
\q2 we stop breathing and then we are gone  \add forever\add*.
\q1
\v 11 Just like water evaporates from the ocean,
\q2 or like a riverbed dries up,
\q1
\v 12 people sometimes  \add lie down and die\add* and do not get up again.
\q1 Until the heavens disappear,
\q2 people who die [EUP] do not wake up,
\q2 and no one can wake them up.
\b
\q1
\v 13 \add Yahweh\add*, I wish that you would put me safely in the place of the dead and forget about me
\q2 until you are no longer angry with me.
\q1 I wish that you would decide how much time I would spend there,
\q2 and then remember that I  \add am there\add*.
\q1
\v 14 When we humans die, we will certainly not live again [RHQ].
\q2 If  \add I knew that\add* we would live again, I would wait patiently,
\q2 and I would wait for you to release me  \add from my sufferings\add*.
\q1
\v 15 You would call me, and I would answer.
\q2 You would be eager to see me, one of the creatures that you had made.
\q1
\v 16 You would take care of [MET] me,
\q2 instead of watching me to see if I would sin.
\q1
\v 17 \add The record of\add* my sins would be sealed in a small bag,
\q2 and you would cover them up.
\b
\q1
\v 18 But, just like mountains crumble and rocks fall down from a cliff,
\q1
\v 19 and just like water slowly wears away the stones, and just like floods wash away soil,
\q2 you  \add eventually destroy us\add*; you do not allow us to continue to ◄hope/confidently expect► \add that we will keep on living\add*.
\q1
\v 20 You always defeat us, and then we die [EUP].
\q2 You cause our faces to look ugly after we die,
\q2 and you send us away.
\q1
\v 21 \add When we die\add* we do not know if our sons will grow up and  \add do things that will cause\add* them to be honored.
\q2 And if they become disgraced, we do not see that, \add either\add*.
\q1
\v 22 We will feel our own pains; we will not feel anything else;
\q2 we will be sorry for ourselves, not for anyone else.”
\c 15
\s1 Eliphaz rebuked Job again
\p
\v 1 Then Eliphaz replied to Job:
\q1
\v 2 “If you were truly wise [RHQ], you would not have replied to us by claiming that you know a lot;
\q2 what you are saying is just a lot of hot air [MET].
\q1
\v 3 You should not [RHQ] be saying things that do not benefit anyone,
\q2 using words that do no one any good.
\q1
\v 4 You are showing that you do not have a reverential respect for God,
\q2 and you are hindering people from meditating/thinking about God.
\q1
\v 5 What you say [MTY] shows that you are very wicked;
\q2 you talk like deceptive/crafty people talk.
\q1
\v 6 Everything that you say [MTY] shows that you should be punished;
\q2 so, it is not necessary for me to show that.
\b
\q1
\v 7 \add Tell me\add*, do you  \add know more than everyone else because\add* you are the first person who was ever born? [SAR, RHQ]
\q2 Were you born before the hills  \add were created\add*? 
\q1
\v 8 Were you listening when God made all his plans? [SAR, RHQ]
\q2 Or do you think that you are the only person who is wise?
\q1
\v 9 ◄What do you know that we do not know?/You do not know anything that we do not know.► [RHQ]
\q2 You do not understand [RHQ] anything that is not also clear to us.
\q1
\v 10 My friends and I are also wise;
\q2  \add we acquired wisdom\add* from old gray-haired people,
\q2 from people who were born before your father was.
\q1
\v 11 God wants to comfort you,
\q1 and to speak gently/kindly to you;
\q2 ◄is that not enough for you/do you need more than that►?
\q1
\v 12 Why do you allow yourself to be excited by your emotions?
\q2 Why are  \add you very angry, with the result that\add* your eyes flash?
\q1
\v 13 You are angry [IDI] with God,
\q2 and so you [MTY] are criticizing/denouncing him.
\b
\q1
\v 14 ◄How can any person, \add including you\add*, be sinless?/No person, \add including you\add*, can be sinless.► [RHQ]
\q2 ◄How can anyone on the earth be  \add completely\add* righteous?/No one on the earth can be  \add completely\add* righteous.► [RHQ]
\q1
\v 15 Hey, God does not even trust his angels;
\q2 he does not consider even them to be  \add completely\add* pure.
\q1
\v 16 So, he certainly does not  \add trust\add* abominable/disgusting and depraved/corrupt people
\q2 who commit evil deeds  \add as easily as\add* they drink water [MET].
\b
\q1
\v 17 Job, listen to what I will tell you.
\q2 I will declare to you what I know,
\q1
\v 18 things that wise men have told me,
\q2 truths that their ancestors did not keep hidden.
\q1
\v 19 God gave this land to those ancestors, who were truly wise;
\q2 no one from another country caused them to think wrongly [IDI].
\q1
\v 20 It is wicked people who suffer with great pain all the time that they are alive;
\q2 that is what happens to those who ◄oppress/act violently toward► others.
\q1
\v 21 They constantly hear sounds that terrify them;
\q2 while they are prospering, bandits attack them.
\q1
\v 22 Wicked people surely know that they will not escape from darkness/death,
\q2 because  \add they are sure that someone\add* is waiting to kill them with a sword.
\q1
\v 23 They wander around, searching for food, saying ‘Where can I find some?’
\q2 And they know that they will soon experience disasters.
\q1
\v 24 Because they are afraid of those things happening to them, they are afraid and worry
\q2 that these things will attack them like  \add the army of\add* a king waits to attack  \add their enemies and cause them to suffer\add* [SIM].
\q1
\v 25 \add Those things happen to them\add* because they ◄shook their fists/dared to fight► against Almighty God
\q2 and thought that they were strong enough to defeat him.
\q1
\v 26 They stubbornly [IDI] rush to attack God
\q2  \add thinking that they were carrying\add* a strong shield  \add to protect themselves\add*.
\q1
\v 27 They are so fat  \add that they are unable to fight\add*.
\q1
\v 28 They have lived in cities that have been abandoned,
\q2 cities which  \add God\add* declared would become a heap of ruins.
\q1
\v 29 But they will not remain rich very long;
\q2 everything that they own will be taken from them,
\q2 and even their shadow will disappear  \add from the earth\add*.
\q1
\v 30 They will not escape from the darkness  \add of death\add*; 
\q2 they will be like trees whose branches are burned by fire
\q2 and whose blossoms are blown away by the wind.
\q1
\v 31 If they are very foolish, with the result that they trust in things that are really worthless,
\q2 then things that are worthless will be all that they get.
\q1
\v 32 While they are still young, they will disappear;
\q2 they will be like [MET] branches that wither and never become green again.
\q1
\v 33 They will be like [SIM] vines whose grapes fall off before they are ripe,
\q2 like olive trees whose blossoms fall off before they produce any fruit.
\q1
\v 34 Groups of wicked/godless people will not have any descendants,
\q2 and fires will completely burn up the homes  \add of those who built those homes using\add* money they received from bribes.
\q1
\v 35 They plan to cause trouble and to do evil things,
\q2 and in their inner beings they are always preparing to deceive people.”
\c 16
\s1 Job replied to the three friends again
\p
\v 1 Job replied  \add to Eliphaz and the others:\add*
\q1
\v 2 “I have heard things like that before;
\q2 all of you, \add instead of helping me\add*, are only causing me to feel more miserable.
\q1
\v 3 Will your speeches, which are only wind, never end [RHQ]?
\q2 Eliphaz, what bothers/irritates you very much with the result that you continue replying to me?
\q1
\v 4 \add If it were you three and not I who were suffering\add*, 
\q2 I could say the things that you are saying;
\q1 I could make great speeches  \add to criticize/condemn you\add*, 
\q2 and I could shake my head at you  \add to ridicule you\add*.
\q1
\v 5 But, \add unlike all of you\add*, with what I said [MTY] I would encourage you
\q2 and try to cause your pain to be less.
\b
\q1
\v 6 But now, if I talk, my pain does not decrease,
\q2 and if I am silent, my pain still certainly does not [RHQ] go away.
\q1
\v 7 God has now taken away all my strength,
\q2 and he has destroyed all my family.
\q1
\v 8 He has shriveled me up,
\q2 and people think that shows that I  \add am a sinner\add*.
\q1 And people see that I am only skin and bones,
\q2 and they think that proves that I  \add am guilty\add*.
\q1
\v 9 Because God is very angry with me and hates me,
\q2  \add it is as though he is a wild animal that\add* [MET] has gnashed his teeth at me
\q2 because he is my enemy.
\q1
\v 10 People gape/stare at me with their mouths open  \add to sneer at me\add*; 
\q2 they have struck me on the face/cheek to ridicule me,
\q2 and they crowd around me to  \add threaten\add* me.
\q1
\v 11 \add It is as though\add* God has handed me over to ungodly people
\q2 and put me into the hands of the wicked [DOU].
\q1
\v 12 Previously, I was living peacefully,
\q2 but he crushed me;
\q1  \add it is as though\add* he grabbed my neck and smashed me to pieces.
\q2  \add It is as though\add* [MET] he set me up like a target
\q1
\v 13 and people are surrounding me  \add and shooting arrows at me\add*.
\q1 His arrows pierce my kidneys
\q2 and cause the bile  \add from my liver\add* to spill onto the ground,
\q2 and God does not pity me at all.
\q1
\v 14 \add It is as though\add* [MET] I am a wall that he is breaking through;
\q2 he rushes at me like [SIM] a soldier  \add attacking his enemies\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 15 \add Because I am mourning\add*, I wear pieces of rough cloth that I have sewed together,
\q2 and I sit  \add here\add* in the dirt, very depressed/discouraged.
\q1
\v 16 My face is red because I have cried very much,
\q2 and there are dark circles around my eyes.
\q1
\v 17 \add All this has happened to me\add* even though I have not acted violently  \add toward anyone\add*, 
\q2 and I  \add always\add* pray sincerely/honestly  \add to God\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 18 \add When I die\add*, I want the ground [APO] to  \add act as though I had been murdered and\add* cry out against those who killed me,
\q2 and I do not want anyone to stop me while I am demanding  \add that God act justly toward\add* me.
\q1
\v 19 But even now, \add I know that\add* there is someone in heaven who will testify for me,
\q2 and he will say that what I have done is right.
\q1
\v 20 My  \add three\add* friends scorn/ridicule me,
\q2 but my eyes are full of tears  \add while I cry out\add* to God.
\q1
\v 21 I pray that the one  \add who knows what I have done\add* would come to plead with God for me
\q2 like people plead for their friends.
\b
\q1
\v 22 \add I say this\add* because within a few years  \add I will die\add*; 
\q2 I will walk along the road from which I will never return.”
\c 17
\s1 Job continued his reply
\q1
\v 1 “My time to live is almost ended; I have no strength left;
\q2 my grave is waiting for me.
\q1
\v 2 Those who are around me are making fun of me;
\q2 I [SYN] watch them while they ◄taunt/make fun of► me.”
\s1 Job pleads with God
\q1
\v 3 “God, \add it is as though I am in prison\add*; 
\q1 please pay the money in order that I may be released,
\q2 because there is certainly no one else who will help me.
\q1
\v 4 You have prevented my friends from understanding  \add what is true about me\add*; 
\q2 do not allow them to triumph over me, \add saying that I have done things that are wrong\add*.
\q1
\v 5 \add Our ancestors often said, ‘It often happens that\add* when someone betrays his friends in order to get some of their property,
\q2 it is that person's children who will be punished for it;’
\q1  \add so I desire/hope that will be true of these friends of mine who are lying about me\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 6 But now people use that saying of our ancestors when they talk about me;
\q2 they spit in my face  \add to insult me\add*.
\q1
\v 7 ◄My eyes have become dim/I cannot see well► because I am extremely sad,
\q2 and my arms and legs are  \add very thin, with the result that they almost do not cast\add* [MET] a shadow.
\q1
\v 8 Those who  \add say that they\add* are good/righteous are shocked  \add when they see what has happened to me\add*, 
\q2 and people who  \add say that they\add* ◄are innocent/have not done anything that is wrong► say that I am wicked/godless and should be punished.
\q1
\v 9 Those who  \add claim that they\add* are righteous will continue to do what  \add they think\add* is right,
\q2 and those who  \add say that it is as though their\add* hands are clean  \add because they have not sinned\add* will continue to become stronger.
\b
\q1
\v 10 But even if all of those people came  \add and stood in front of me\add*, 
\q2 I would not find one among them who is wise.
\q1
\v 11 My time to live is almost ended; I have not been able to do the things that I planned to do;
\q2  \add I have not been able to accomplish anything that\add* I [SYN] desired.
\q1
\v 12 My friends do not know when it is night and when it is day;
\q2 when it is night, they claim that it is daylight;
\q2 when it is becoming dark, they claim it is becoming light.
\q1
\v 13 I may say that my home will be the place where dead people are,
\q2 where I will sleep in the darkness.
\q1
\v 14 I may say to the grave, ‘Where I am buried will be  \add like\add* a father to me.’
\q2 I may say to the maggots, ‘You will be  \add like\add* a mother or younger sisters to me  \add because that is where I will always be\add*.’
\q1
\v 15 But if I say those things, ◄will there be anything good that I can confidently expect to happen to me?/there will be nothing good that I can confidently expect to happen to me.► [RHQ]
\q2 ◄Is there anyone who knows anything good that I can expect when I am there?/No one knows anything good that I can expect when I am there.► [RHQ]
\q1
\v 16 After I descend to the place where the dead are, ◄will I be able to confidently expect anything good there?/I certainly will not be able to confidently expect anything good there.► [RHQ]
\q2  \add It will be as though\add* [RHQ] I and the things I hope for will descend with me into the dust.”
\c 18
\s1 Bildad's second reply
\p
\v 1 Then Bildad replied \add again\add*:
\q1
\v 2 “When are you going to stop talking [RHQ]?
\q2 If you would stop talking and listen, we could tell you something.
\q1
\v 3 Why do you think that we are \add as stupid\add* as cattle? [DOU, RHQ]
\q1
\v 4 By being \add very\add* angry, you are only hurting yourself.
\q2 Do you think that everyone on the earth must leave to prove that you \add are right\add*,
\q2 or do you think that God must move the rocks in the mountains \add to please you\add* [RHQ]?
\b
\q1
\v 5 What will happen is that the lives of wicked people \add like you\add* end
\q2 \add as quickly as we can\add* put out a light or extinguish the flame of a fire.
\q1
\v 6 And when the lamps above them \add in their tents\add* are extinguished,
\q2 there will be no light in those tents.
\q1
\v 7 \add While they were alive\add* they walked confidently,
\q2 but later \add it was as though\add* they stumbled and fell,
\q1 \add because they themselves did not heed\add* the advice \add that they gave to others\add*.
\q1
\v 8 \add It was as though\add* they walked into their own net
\q2 or fell into a pit that they themselves have dug.
\q1
\v 9 \add It was as though\add* a trap grabbed their heels and held them fast [DOU],
\q1
\v 10 \add as though the noose of\add* a rope that was hidden on the ground, \add whose other end was fastened to the limb of a tree\add*,
\q2 sprung up and seized them when they walked on it.
\q1
\v 11 Everywhere they went, there were things that caused them to be terrified;
\q2 \add it was as though\add* they were pursuing them and biting at their heels.
\q1
\v 12 They became hungry, with the result that they had no strength.
\q2 They experienced disasters [PRS] constantly.
\q1
\v 13 Diseases spread all over their skin/bodies;
\q2 diseases that ◄caused their bodies to decay/destroyed their arms and legs►.
\q1
\v 14 \add When they died\add*, they were snatched away from their tents
\q2 and brought to the one who rules over the dead.
\q1
\v 15 Now other people live in their tents/houses,
\q2 but only after they sprinkle sulfur on those tents/houses \add to ◄disinfect them/get rid of the diseases►\add*
\q1
\v 16 \add Because those who died had no descendants\add*,
\q2 they were \add like trees whose\add* roots have dried up and whose branches have all withered [MET].
\q1
\v 17 No one on the earth remembers them anymore;
\q2 no \add one on any\add* street \add even remembers\add* their names [MTY].
\q1
\v 18 They were expelled from the earth where there is light,
\q2 and they were sent into the place where it is dark.
\q1
\v 19 They have no children or grandchildren,
\q2 no descendants where they previously lived.
\q1
\v 20 People from the east to the west \add who hear about what happened to them\add*,
\q2 are shocked and horrified.
\q1
\v 21 And that is what happens to ungodly/sinful people \add like you\add*,
\q2 to people who ◄have no interest in/have rejected► God.”
\c 19
\s1 Job replied again
\p
\v 1 Then Job replied \add saying this\add*:
\q1
\v 2 “How long will you \add three\add* torment me
\q2 and crush my spirit by saying to me \add that I am wicked\add*?
\q1
\v 3 You have already insulted me many [HYP] times;
\q2 ◄are you not ashamed for saying these things to me?/you should be ashamed for saying these things to me.► [RHQ]
\q1
\v 4 Even if it were true that I have done things that are wrong,
\q2 I have not injured you!
\q1
\v 5 If you truly think that you are better than I am,
\q2 and you think that my being miserable now proves that I ◄am guilty/have committed many sins►,
\q1
\v 6 you need to realize that it is God who has caused me to suffer.
\q2 \add It is as though\add* he has trapped me with his net.
\b
\q1
\v 7 I cry out, ‘People are murdering me!’,
\q2 but no one answers me.
\q1 I call out loudly, but there is no one, \add not even God\add*, who acts fairly toward me.
\q1
\v 8 \add It is as though\add* [MET] God has blocked my road,
\q2 with the result that I cannot go through;
\q2 \add it is as though\add* he has forced me to try to find the road in the darkness.
\q1
\v 9 He has ◄taken away my good reputation/caused people not to honor me anymore►;
\q2 \add it is as though\add* he removed [MET] a crown from my head.
\q1
\v 10 He batters me from every side, and I will soon die.
\q2 He has caused me to no longer confidently expect \add him to do good things for me\add*.
\q1
\v 11 He attacks me because he is extremely angry with me [MET],
\q2 and he considers that I am his enemy.
\q1
\v 12 \add It is as though\add* he sends his army to attack me;
\q2 they surround my tent,
\q2 preparing to attack me.
\b
\q1
\v 13 God has caused my brothers to abandon me,
\q2 and all those who know me act like strangers to me.
\q1
\v 14 All my relatives and good friends have left me.
\q1
\v 15 The people who were guests in my house have forgotten me,
\q2 and my female servants consider that I am a stranger or that I am a foreigner.
\q1
\v 16 When I summon my servants, they do not answer;
\q2 I plead with them to come \add to help me, but they do not come\add*.
\q1
\v 17 My wife does not want to come close to me because my breath \add smells very bad\add*,
\q2 and even my brothers detest me.
\q1
\v 18 Even young children despise me;
\q2 when I stand up \add to talk to them\add*, they laugh at me.
\q1
\v 19 My dearest friends detest me,
\q2 and those whom I love \add very much\add* have turned against me.
\q1
\v 20 My body is \add only\add* skin and bones;
\q2 I am barely alive [IDI].
\b
\q1
\v 21 \add I plead with\add* you, my \add three\add* friends, pity me,
\q2 because God has ◄struck [EUP] me with his hand/caused me to suffer greatly►.
\q1
\v 22 Why do you cause me to suffer like God does?
\q2 Why do you continue to slander [MET] me?
\b
\q1
\v 23 I wish/desire that someone would take these words of mine
\q2 and write them permanently in a book \add in order that people can read them\add*.
\q1
\v 24 Or else, I wish that he would carve them on a rock with ◄a chisel/an iron tool►
\q2 in order that they would last forever.
\q1
\v 25 But I know that the one who vindicates/defends me in court is alive,
\q2 and that some day he will stand \add here\add* on the earth and make the final \add decision about whether I deserve to be punished\add*.
\q1
\v 26 And even after diseases have eaten away my skin,
\q2 while I still have my body, I will see God.
\q1
\v 27 I will see him myself;
\q2 I will see him with my own eyes!
\q2 My emotions are overwhelmed \add as I think about that!\add*
\b
\q1
\v 28 If you three men say, ‘What more can we do to cause him to suffer?’
\q2 and if you say, ‘He is the one who has caused his own \add troubles\add*,’
\q1
\v 29 you should be afraid that God will punish [MTY] you;
\q1 he punishes those \add like you\add* with whom he is angry;
\q2 and when that happens, you will know that there is \add someone who\add* judges \add people\add*.”
\c 20
\s1 Zophar replied again
\p
\v 1 Then Zophar replied  \add again, saying this\add*: 
\q1
\v 2 “I am very perturbed about what you have said,
\q2 so I want to reply very quickly.
\q1
\v 3 By saying these things you have insulted me,
\q2 but I know how (OR, because I understand very much) I can reply to you.
\b
\q1
\v 4 Do you not know that from long ago,
\q2 ever since people were first put on the earth,
\q1
\v 5 that wicked people  \add like you\add* do not continue to rejoice for a long time,
\q2 that ungodly people are happy only for a ◄moment/very short time► [HYP]?
\q1
\v 6 \add Even though their reputation/pride\add* reaches up to the sky
\q2 and their fame goes up as high as the clouds,
\q1
\v 7 they will disappear forever, like their own dung,
\q2 and those who knew them will ask, ‘◄Where did they go/What happened to them►?’
\q1
\v 8 They will disappear like [SIM] a dream does,
\q2 and they will exist no more.
\q1 They will vanish, like visions  \add that people see during\add* the night.
\q1
\v 9 Those who saw those people previously will never see them again,
\q2 even  \add the people who lived in\add* their houses [MTY] will not see them anymore.
\q1
\v 10 Their children will be forced to return the valuable things that they stole from poor people [DOU].
\q1
\v 11 Previously their bodies were young and strong,
\q2 but they will die and  \add their bodies will\add* be buried in the ground.
\b
\q1
\v 12 Although doing wicked things was like having sweet food in their mouths,
\q2 and they wanted to continue to taste it,
\q1
\v 13 and  \add even\add* though they did not want to stop doing those things,
\q1
\v 14 \add some day\add* the evil things that they enjoyed doing will become like food  \add that they swallow\add* 
\q2  \add and become\add* as bitter as snake poison.
\q1
\v 15 Wicked people do not continue to keep the money they have accumulated
\q2 like people do not keep the food that they vomit.
\q1 God takes their wealth from them.
\q1
\v 16 What wicked people do is  \add like\add* [MET] swallowing snake poison;
\q2 it will kill them like [MET] the bite of a poisonous snake kills people.
\q1
\v 17 They will not remain alive to see the abundant blessings [IDI] \add from God\add* 
\q2 that are like [MET] a stream that flows by.
\q1
\v 18 They will be forced to give back the things that they stole from the poor;
\q2 they will not be able to continue to enjoy those things.
\q1 They will not remain happy because of what they got from their businesses,
\q1
\v 19 because they oppressed poor people and refused to help them,
\q2 and they took other people's houses  \add by cheating them\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 20 They were always greedy and never satisfied.
\q2 And when they ate, they ate so much that they never saved anything that they enjoyed.
\q1
\v 21 When they finished eating their food, there was never anything left over  \add because they had greedily eaten it all\add*; 
\q2 but now their prosperity will end.
\q1
\v 22 When they are extremely prosperous/wealthy,
\q2 they will suddenly experience a lot of trouble.
\q2 ◄Misery will strike them and crush them [PRS]/They will suffer very greatly►.
\q1
\v 23 When the wicked people are filling their stomachs,
\q2 God will show that he is very angry with them and punish them;
\q2 the punishment that he  \add gives them\add* will fall on them like [MET] rain.
\q1
\v 24 They will try to escape from  \add being killed by\add* iron weapons,
\q2 but arrows with bronze points will pierce them.
\q1
\v 25 The arrows will  \add go completely through their bodies and\add* stick out of their backs;
\q2 the shiny points of the arrows will have blood dripping from them,
\q2 and those wicked people will be terrified.
\q1
\v 26 Their valuable possessions will all be destroyed;
\q2 a fire that is not lit by humans, \add but from God\add*, will burn them up
\q2 and also destroy the things that are left in their tents.
\q1
\v 27 The  \add angels in\add* heaven [MTY] will reveal the sins that those wicked people have committed,
\q2 and  \add people on\add* earth will stand up and testify against them.
\q1
\v 28 On the day when God punishes [MTY] \add people\add*, 
\q2 all the possessions in the wicked people's houses will be carried away by a flood.
\q1
\v 29 That is what will happen to wicked people  \add like you\add*; 
\q2 that is what God has decreed/assigned for them.”
\c 21
\s1 Job replied again
\p
\v 1 Then Job replied this:
\q1
\v 2 “Listen to what I say, all \add three\add* of you;
\q2 that is the only thing that you can do that will comfort me.
\q1
\v 3 Be patient with me, and allow me to speak.
\q2 Then, after I am finished speaking, you can continue to make fun of me.
\b
\q1
\v 4 It is certainly not [RHQ] people against whom I am complaining, \add but God\add*
\q2 And it is certainly [RHQ] right for me to be impatient!
\q1
\v 5 Look at me! Does what you see not cause you to be appalled
\q2 and to put your hands over your mouths \add and say no more\add*?
\q1
\v 6 When I think about \add what has happened to me\add*,
\q2 I am frightened and my entire body shakes.
\b
\q1
\v 7 \add But allow me to ask this:\add* ‘Why do wicked people continue to live,
\q2 and become prosperous, and not die until they are very old?’
\q1
\v 8 They see their children around them,
\q2 and they watch them while they \add grow up and\add* start to live in their own houses.
\q1
\v 9 Wicked people live in their own houses without being afraid,
\q2 and God does not punish [MTY] them.
\q1
\v 10 Their bulls always mate with the cows successfully,
\q2 and the cows give birth to calves and never miscarry.
\q1
\v 11 Wicked people send their young children outside \add to play\add*,
\q2 and the children play \add happily\add* like [SIM] lambs \add in a pasture\add*.
\q1
\v 12 Some children dance and sing, while others shake tambourines and play lyres,
\q2 and they are happy when they hear people playing flutes.
\q1
\v 13 Wicked people enjoy having good things all the time that they are alive,
\q2 and they die quietly/peacefully and go down to the place of the dead.
\q1
\v 14 While they are alive, they say to God, ‘◄Allow us to be alone/Do not bother us►;
\q2 we do not want to know how you desire us to conduct our lives!
\q1
\v 15 Why do you, Almighty God, think that we should serve you?
\q2 ◄What advantage do we get if we pray to you?/It is useless for us to pray to you.► [RHQ]’
\q1
\v 16 Think about it: Wicked people think that it is because of what they have done that they have become prosperous,
\q2 but I do not understand why they think like that.
\b
\q1
\v 17 ◄How often does it happen that wicked people die [MET] before they are old?/Very seldom do wicked people die [MET] before they are old.► [RHQ]
\q2 ◄Do they ever experience disasters?/They seldom experience disasters.► [RHQ]
\q2 ◄Does God ever punish them because of being very angry with them?/God never punishes them because of being very angry with them.► [RHQ]
\q1
\v 18 \add He does not blow\add* them away like wind blows away straw;
\q2 they are never carried off by a whirlwind.
\q1
\v 19 You say, ‘When people have committed sins,
\q2 God waits and punishes their children because of those sins;’
\q1 but \add I say that\add* God should punish those who sin, \add not their children\add*,
\q2 in order that the sinners will know \add that it is because of their own sins that they are being punished\add*.
\q1
\v 20 I hope/wish that wicked people will experience themselves being destroyed,
\q2 that they will experience being punished by an angry Almighty God.
\q1
\v 21 After wicked people are dead,
\q2 they are not at all concerned [RHQ] about what happens to their families [MTY].
\b
\q1
\v 22 Since God judges \add everyone\add*, even those that are in heaven,
\q2 ◄who can teach God anything?/certainly no one can teach God anything.► [RHQ]
\q1
\v 23 Some people die while they are very healthy,
\q2 while they are peaceful, when they are not afraid of anything.
\q1
\v 24 Their bodies are fat;
\q2 their bones are strong.
\q1
\v 25 Other people die being very miserable;
\q2 they have never experienced good things happening to them.
\q1
\v 26 They die and are buried,
\q2 and maggots cover their bodies.
\q1 \add Everyone dies, so it is clear that dying is not always the punishment for being wicked\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 27 Listen, I know what you \add three\add* are thinking.
\q2 I know the evil things that you plan to do to me.
\q1
\v 28 You say, ‘What happened to the tents in which wicked people were living?
\q2 The houses of evil rulers have been destroyed!’
\q1
\v 29 But have you never inquired of people who travel much?
\q2 Do you not believe their reports about what they have seen,
\q1
\v 30 that wicked people usually do not suffer at the time when there are great disasters;
\q2 that wicked people are the ones who are rescued when God is angry \add and punishes people\add* [MTY]?
\q1
\v 31 There is no one [RHQ] who accuses wicked people,
\q2 and there in no one who ◄pays them back/gives them the punishment that they deserve► for all the evil things that they have done.
\q1
\v 32 When the corpses of wicked people are carried to their graves,
\q2 and people are put there to guard those graves,
\q1
\v 33 a huge number [HYP] of people go to the grave site;
\q2 some go in front of the procession and some come behind,
\q2 and those wicked people who have died surely feel good when people throw clods of dirt on their graves.
\b
\q1
\v 34 So how can you console me by talking nonsense?
\q2 Every reply that you give me is full of lies!”
\c 22
\s1 Eliphaz replied again
\p
\v 1 Then Eliphaz replied, saying this:
\q1
\v 2 “◄Can anyone be useful to God?/Certainly no one can be useful to God.► [RHQ]
\q2 People who are wise can be useful to themselves, \add but not to God\add*.
\q1
\v 3 If you were righteous, ◄would that benefit Almighty  \add God\add*?/that certainly would not benefit Almighty  \add God\add*. ► [RHQ]
\q2 If you had ◄lived a perfect life/never done anything that is wrong►, would that help him?
\b
\q1
\v 4 Is it because you have an awesome respect for God that he punishes you?
\q2 Is that the reason that he puts you on trial?
\q1
\v 5 No, it certainly must be [RHQ] because you are extremely wicked.
\q2 It must be that no one can count the evil things that you have done!
\q1
\v 6 You must have lent money to others and wrongly forced them to give you things to guarantee that they would pay that money back to you;
\q2 you must have taken all their clothes and left them with nothing to wear.
\q1
\v 7 You must not have given water to those who were tired,
\q2 and you must have refused to give food to those who were hungry.
\q1
\v 8 Because you were very powerful, you  \add must have\add* taken over all the people's land,
\q2 and then, being very respected, you have begun to live on that land.
\q1
\v 9 When widows  \add came to you for help\add*, you  \add must have\add* sent them away without giving them anything,
\q2 and you must have oppressed orphans.
\q1
\v 10 Because of all that, now there are pits around you for you to fall into,
\q2 and suddenly there are things that terrify you and cause you to tremble.
\q1
\v 11 \add It is as though\add* it has become very dark, with the result that you cannot see anything,
\q2 and  \add it is as though\add* [MET] a flood covers you.
\b
\q1
\v 12 \add But consider this, Job:\add* God lives [RHQ] high up in the heavens.
\q2 From there he [RHQ] looks down on the highest stars.
\q1
\v 13 So why do you say, ‘What does God know  \add about what we are doing\add*? 
\q2  \add He is hidden from us by\add* dark clouds, so ◄how can he judge us?/he certainly cannot judge us.► [RHQ]’
\q1
\v 14 \add Do you think that\add* while he walks on the dome that covers the sky,
\q2 there are thick clouds around him, with the result that he cannot see  \add what we do\add*? 
\q1
\v 15 Will you continue to conduct your life the old way
\q2 that evil people have done  \add for many years\add*? 
\q1
\v 16 They suddenly died while they were still young;
\q2 they disappeared  \add like everything disappears when there is\add* a flood [MET].
\q1
\v 17 They kept saying to God, ‘◄Allow us to be alone/Do not bother us►,’
\q2 and they also said  \add defiantly\add*, ‘Almighty  \add God\add* can do nothing [RHQ] to  \add harm\add* us!’
\q1
\v 18 But it was God who filled their houses with good things,
\q2 so I cannot at all understand why wicked people think like they do.
\b
\q1
\v 19 But when God punishes wicked people, and righteous people see that, they are glad,
\q2 and they laugh, ridiculing the wicked people.
\q1
\v 20 They say, ‘Now our enemies have been destroyed,
\q2 and all  \add their possessions\add* that were left have been burned in a fire.’
\b
\q1
\v 21 So, \add Job\add*, be reconciled to God and make peace with him;
\q2 if you do that, good things will happen to you.
\q1
\v 22 Allow him to teach you,
\q2 and put his words into your ◄mind/inner being►.
\q1
\v 23 If you humble yourself and return to God,
\q2 if you stop doing all the evil things that you have been doing in your house,
\q1
\v 24 if you throw away your gold,
\q2 even the fine gold from the dry stream beds in Ophir  \add land\add*, 
\q1
\v 25 and if you allow Almighty  \add God\add* to be  \add as precious to you as\add* your gold and your silver have been,
\q1
\v 26 you will be happy because of your close relationship with God,
\q2 and you will be able to approach him [IDI] \add confidently\add*.
\q1
\v 27 You will pray to him, and he will do what you request him to do;
\q2 you will do the things that you promised him that you would do.
\q1
\v 28 Everything that you decide to do will be successful;
\q2  \add it will be as though\add* a light is shining on the road in front of you.
\q1
\v 29 God humbles those who are proud,
\q2 but he saves those who are downcast/discouraged.
\q1
\v 30 God rescues those who ◄are innocent/have not done things that are wrong►,
\q2 so he will rescue you if you ◄start doing things that are right/are not guilty [IDI] of doing things that are wrong►.”
\c 23
\s1 Job replied again
\p
\v 1 Then Job replied again, saying this:
\q1
\v 2 “Today I am again complaining bitterly/strongly  \add to God\add*; 
\q2 I  \add continue\add* groaning, but he [SYN] \add continues to\add* ◄punish me/cause me to suffer►.
\q1
\v 3 I ◄wish that I knew/want to know► where I could meet/talk with him,
\q2 so that I could go to the place where he lives.
\q1
\v 4 If I could do that, I would tell him why  \add I know that\add* I am innocent;
\q2 I would tell [MTY] to him all my ◄arguments/evidence  \add to show that I have not done what is evil\add*►.
\q1
\v 5 Then I would find out and understand what he would reply to me [DOU].
\q1
\v 6 Would he use his great power to argue with me?
\q2 No, he would listen to me carefully.
\q1
\v 7 I am ◄an honest/a righteous► man; so I would be able to discuss things with him  \add fairly\add*, 
\q2 and then he would declare that I am innocent, \add and that decision would endure\add* forever.
\b
\q1
\v 8 But, I have gone to the east, and he is not there;
\q2 I have gone to the west, but I have not found him there.
\q1
\v 9 I have gone north and I have gone south,
\q2 but I have not seen him anywhere.
\q1
\v 10 But he knows how I have conducted my life;
\q2 and when he has finished testing me, \add he will see that\add* I am as pure as [SIM] gold  \add whose impurities have all been burned out\add*.
\q1
\v 11 I [SYN] have faithfully walked on the road that he showed me;
\q2 I have not turned away from  \add obeying\add* him.
\q1
\v 12 I have always obeyed what he [SYN] commanded;
\q2 I have hidden away in my inner being the words that he has spoken.
\b
\q1
\v 13 He never changes. There is no one who can [RHQ] stop him  \add from doing what he desires\add*.
\q2 Whatever he wants to do, he does.
\q1
\v 14 And he will finish doing the things that he has planned for me;
\q2  \add and I am sure that\add* he has thought about doing many things for me.
\q1
\v 15 So I am terrified in his presence;
\q2 when I think  \add about what he can do\add*, I am very afraid [DOU].
\q1
\v 16 Almighty God has caused me [SYN] to feel timid and terrified [DOU].
\q1
\v 17 \add It is as though\add* there is only thick darkness in front of me,
\q2 but it is God that I am afraid of, not the darkness.”
\c 24
\s1 Job continued his reply
\q1
\v 1 “◄Why does Almighty  \add God\add* not set a time when he will judge  \add evil people\add*?/I do not understand why Almighty  \add God does\add* not set a time when he will judge  \add evil people\add*. ► [RHQ]
\q2 Those who know him never [RHQ] see him do that!
\q1
\v 2 \add Some evil people\add* remove the markers of  \add boundaries of other people's land, in order to steal their land\add*; 
\q2 they seize/steal  \add other people's\add* sheep and put them in their own pastures.
\q1
\v 3 \add Some\add* ◄take away/steal► the donkeys that belong to orphans,
\q2 and they take widow's oxen to guarantee that the widows will pay back the money that they loaned to those widows.
\q1
\v 4 \add Some\add* shove poor people off the road (OR, prevent poor people from ◄obtaining their rights/being treated justly►),
\q2 and they force poor people to find places to hide from them.
\q1
\v 5 The result is that poor people have to search for food in the desert
\q2 like wild donkeys do.
\q1
\v 6 The poor people harvest left-over grain in other people's fields,
\q2 and gather grapes from vineyards that belong to wicked men.
\q1
\v 7 During the night they have nothing to cover their bodies,
\q2 nothing to keep them warm.
\q1
\v 8 When it rains on the mountains, they become very wet,
\q2 so they huddle under the rock ledges to be protected  \add from the rain\add*.
\q1
\v 9 \add Some evil men\add* snatch infants away from their mothers [SYN],
\q2 and they say ‘I will return your babies to you when you repay the money that I lent to you.’
\q1
\v 10 But the poor people walk around with no clothes on;
\q2 they are hungry while they are working to carry  \add other people's\add* bundles of grain  \add to the places where their grain will be threshed\add*.
\q1
\v 11 Poor people press olives to make  \add olive\add* oil;
\q2 they tread on grapes to make  \add juice for wine\add*, 
\q2 but  \add they are not allowed to drink any of it when\add* they become thirsty.
\q1
\v 12 In the cities, people who are wounded and dying cry out  \add to God for help\add*, 
\q2 but God does not heed their prayers.
\b
\q1
\v 13 Some wicked people avoid the light  \add because they do evil things in the dark\add*; 
\q2 they do not walk on roads that are lighted.
\q1
\v 14 Murderers steal things during the night,
\q2 and then they arise before dawn in order that they may  \add go out again and\add* kill poor and needy [DOU] people.
\q1
\v 15 Those who want to commit adultery wait for twilight/evening;
\q2 they say ‘I do not want anyone to see me,’ so they keep their faces covered.
\q1
\v 16 It is during the night that robbers break into houses  \add to steal things\add*, 
\q2 but during the day they hide because they want to avoid  \add being seen\add* in the light.
\q1
\v 17 All of those  \add people\add* want to do their evil deeds at night, not in the morning  \add when it is light\add*, 
\q2 because they are not afraid of  \add the things that happen during the\add* night that terrify others.”
\s1 (Final speech by Zophar)
\q1
\v 18 “\add But it is wicked people who\add* are swept/carried away by floods,
\q2 and God curses the land that they own,
\q2 and no one goes to work in their vineyards.
\q1
\v 19 Just like the snow melts away when it is hot and there is no rain,
\q2 those who have sinned disappear into the place where the dead people are.
\q1
\v 20 Not even their mothers remember them now;
\q2 wicked people are destroyed like trees that are cut down,
\q2 and maggots eat their corpses.
\q1
\v 21 They mistreat women who have been unable to give birth to children and women who no longer have children  \add to take care of them\add*, 
\q2 and they never do good things for widows.
\q1
\v 22 But God, by his power, gets rid of mighty/influential people.
\q2 God acts and causes the wicked people to die.
\q1
\v 23 God allows them to think that they are secure and safe,
\q2 but he is watching [MTY] them all the time.
\q1
\v 24 They prosper for a little while,
\q2 and then  \add suddenly\add* they are gone;
\q2 they disappear like weeds wither and die;
\q2 they are like [SIM] stalks of grain that have been cut off.
\q1
\v 25 If this is not true, is there [RHQ] anyone who will show that I am a liar
\q2 and prove that what I have said is not true?”
\c 25
\s1 Bildad's final reply
\p
\v 1 Then Bildad  \add also\add* replied, saying this:
\q1
\v 2 “God is very powerful; everyone should have an awesome respect for him;
\q2 he causes everything to be peaceful high up in heaven.
\q1
\v 3 ◄Can anyone count the angels who are in his army  \add in heaven\add*?/No one can count the angels who are in his army  \add in heaven\add*. ► [RHQ]
\q2 ◄Is there any place where his light does not shine?/There is no place where his light does not shine.► [RHQ]
\q1
\v 4 So, ◄how can God consider any person to be righteous?/God certainly cannot consider any person to be righteous.► [RHQ]
\q2 ◄How can any human being be truly pure?/No human being can be truly pure.► [RHQ]
\q1
\v 5 Consider this: God does not even consider the full moon to be bright,
\q2 and he does not consider the stars to be spotless.
\q1
\v 6 So, ◄what about humans?/he does not consider humans  \add to be important\add*. ► [RHQ]
\q2 They are  \add as insignificant as\add* [MET] maggots.
\q2  \add God does not think more highly of\add* people  \add than he thinks of\add* worms.”
\c 26
\s1 Job replied to Bildad again
\p
\v 1 Job replied  \add to Bildad\add*, saying this  \add sarcastically:\add*
\q1
\v 2 “I am a very weak and helpless man;
\q2 and ◄\add you certainly have\add* not helped me [SAR] very much!/\add do you think that you have\add* helped me [SAR] very much?► [RHQ]
\q1
\v 3 ◄You certainly have counseled me well—me, who am not wise at all./\add Do you think that\add* you have counseled me well—me, who am not wise at all?► [RHQ]
\q1 ◄\add I'm sure you think that\add* you have given a lot of very good advice to me./\add Do you think that\add* you have given a lot of very good advice to me?► [RHQ]
\q1
\v 4 Who helped you to say all those  \add great/wise\add* things?
\q2 Who inspired you to speak like you did?”
\s1 Bildad replied
\q1
\v 5 “Because the spirits of dead people  \add are afraid\add*, 
\q2 they tremble in the waters that are deep under the earth.
\q1
\v 6 God knows all about  \add those who are in\add* the place of the dead;
\q2 there is nothing down there that prevents God from seeing what is there.
\q1
\v 7 God stretched out the earth over the huge empty space
\q2 and caused the earth to have nothing  \add to support it\add*.
\q1
\v 8 He fills the thick/dense clouds with water
\q2 and prevents that water from bursting the clouds.
\q1
\v 9 He causes clouds to ◄obscure/prevent us from seeing► the moon.
\q1
\v 10 He separated the light from the darkness
\q2 and put the horizon to mark the place where the night ends and the daytime begins.
\q1
\v 11 When he  \add is angry, it is as though\add* he rebukes the pillars that hold up the sky.
\q2 They are ◄shocked/very fearful►, and they tremble.
\q1
\v 12 By his power he calmed the sea;
\q2 by his skill/wisdom he destroyed Rahab, the huge sea monster.
\q1
\v 13 By his breath he caused the sky to be bright/clear;
\q2 by his hand he killed the great dragon in the sea.
\q1
\v 14 But those events show only a small amount of his power;
\q2  \add it is as though\add* we are hearing only whispers of his powerful voice.
\q2 When we hear thunder, \add we say\add*, ‘◄Who can really understand  \add how great\add* his power is?/No one can  \add really\add* understand  \add how great\add* his power is!► [RHQ]’”
\c 27
\s1 Job replied one more time
\p
\v 1 Job replied again \add to his three friends\add*, by saying this:
\q1
\v 2 “Almighty God has refused to treat me justly/fairly.
\q2 He has caused me to feel bitter/resentful.
\q2 But \add just as surely\add* as he lives,
\q1
\v 3 as long as God's Spirit enables me to breathe,
\q1
\v 4 I will not lie;
\q2 I [SYN] will not say anything to deceive anyone.
\q1
\v 5 I will never admit that what you \add three\add* have said is true;
\q2 until the day that I die, I will insist that I have not done things that are wrong.
\q1
\v 6 I will say that I am innocent, and never ◄say anything different/change what I say►;
\q2 my inner being will never reproach me as long as I live.
\b
\q1
\v 7 I want my enemies to be \add punished\add* like all the wicked people are punished;
\q2 I want/hope that \add God will punish\add* those who oppose me like \add he punishes all\add* unrighteous people.
\q1
\v 8 When \add it is time for God to\add* get rid of godless/wicked people and to cause them to die,
\q2 there is absolutely nothing good [RHQ] that they can confidently expect \add to happen to them\add*.
\q1
\v 9 When they experience troubles, ◄will God hear them call out \add to him for help\add*?/God certainly will not hear them call out \add to him for help\add*. ► [RHQ]
\q1
\v 10 ◄Will they be happy about what Almighty \add God\add* does?/They certainly will not be happy about what Almighty \add God\add* does.► [RHQ]
\q2 ◄Will they \add begin to\add* pray to him frequently?/They certainly will not \add begin to\add* pray to him frequently.► [RHQ]
\q2 \add Certainly not!\add*
\b
\q1
\v 11 I will teach you \add three\add* something about the power [MTY] of Almighty God [MTY];
\q2 I will reveal what he is thinking.
\q1
\v 12 But you \add three\add* have seen for yourselves \add what God has done\add*;
\q2 so ◄why are you saying such nonsense?/you should not be saying such nonsense.► [RHQ]
\b
\q1
\v 13 \add I will tell you\add* what Almighty God does to wicked people,
\q2 the things that people who oppress others receive from him.
\q1
\v 14 \add Even\add* if they have many children, \add many of\add* those children will die in wars [MTY],
\q2 and their \add other\add* children will \add die because they do\add* not have enough food to eat.
\q1
\v 15 Their children who are still alive will die from diseases,
\q2 and their widows will not \add even\add* mourn for them.
\q1
\v 16 Sometimes \add wicked people\add* accumulate a huge amount [SIM] of silver
\q2 and pile up clothes like [SIM] those clothes were a pile of clay,
\q1
\v 17 but \add those wicked people will die, and then\add* righteous people will wear those clothes,
\q2 and honest/innocent people will get their silver and divide it \add among themselves\add*.
\q1
\v 18 The houses that they build are \add as frail/fragile\add* as [SIM] spider webs,
\q2 or they are like flimsy huts that watchmen live in \add while they guard people's fields\add*.
\q1
\v 19 The wicked people are rich when they lie down \add at night\add*,
\q2 but when they wake up \add in the morning, they find out that\add* their money has disappeared.
\b
\q1
\v 20 Things that terrify them [PRS] strike them like a flood [SIM];
\q2 during the night a whirlwind carries them away.
\q1
\v 21 \add It is as though\add* the wind from the east picks them up and carries them away from their homes,
\q2 and they disappear.
\q1
\v 22 That wind strikes them without pitying them
\q2 while they are running away, trying to escape from its force/power [MTY].
\q1
\v 23 That wind \add is like someone\add* clapping his hands [MET] at them \add to ridicule them\add*,
\q2 howling at them wherever they run to.”
\c 28
\s1 Job states some general truths about God's wisdom
\q1
\v 1 “It is true that there are places where men dig to find silver,
\q2 and there are places where people refine/purify gold  \add that they have dug\add*.
\q1
\v 2 People dig iron  \add ore\add* out of the ground,
\q2 and they ◄smelt copper/heat copper ore to get the copper from it►.
\q1
\v 3 Men use lamps while they work far down under the ground
\q2 to search for the ore inside the mines
\q2 where it is very dark.
\q1
\v 4 They dig ◄shafts/narrow holes very deep down into the ground► in places that are far from where people live,
\q2 where travelers do not go.
\q1 They work far away from  \add other\add* people,
\q2 swinging back and forth on ropes  \add as they descend into the mine shafts\add*.
\q1
\v 5 Food grows on the surface of the ground,
\q2 but down under the ground, \add where there is no food\add*, the miners make fires to break apart the rocks.
\q1
\v 6 The stones  \add that are dug from under the ground\add* contain ◄sapphires/very valuable blue stones►,
\q2 and the dirt contains bits of gold.
\q1
\v 7 \add Some birds have very good eyes\add*, 
\q1 but even hawks do not know  \add where the mines are\add*, 
\q2 and falcons/vultures have not seen those places.
\q1
\v 8 Lions or  \add other\add* proud wild animals have not walked on the roads near those mines.
\q1
\v 9 Miners dig [MTY] very hard rock;
\q2  \add it is as though\add* they turn the mountains upside down  \add to get the ore\add*.
\q1
\v 10 They cut tunnels through the rocks,
\q2 and they find ◄precious/very valuable► things.
\q1
\v 11 They dam up small streams in order that water does not flow,
\q2 and they bring up into the light things that are hidden  \add in the ground and in the streams\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 12 But wisdom: Where can people find that?
\q2 Where can we find out how to truly understand things?
\q1
\v 13 Humans do not know where to find it;
\q2 no one can find it  \add here on this earth\add* where they are living.
\q1
\v 14 \add It is as though\add* water that is deep  \add inside the earth\add* and  \add water that is in\add* the seas say [PRS],
\q2 ‘Wisdom is not here!’
\q1
\v 15 \add People\add* cannot buy wisdom
\q2 by paying for it with silver or gold.
\q1
\v 16 Wisdom is worth much more than fine gold from Ophir  \add land\add* 
\q2 or other very valuable stones.
\q1
\v 17 It is worth much more than gold or beautiful glass,
\q2 worth more than vases made from fine gold.
\q1
\v 18 Wisdom is worth more than coral or crystal/pure quartz;
\q2 the price of wisdom is higher/more than the price of pearls.
\q1
\v 19 The prices of ◄topaz/very valuable yellow stones► from Ethiopia and of pure gold
\q2 are lower/less than the price of wisdom.
\b
\q1
\v 20 So, where does wisdom come from?
\q2 Where can we find out how to truly understand things?
\q1
\v 21 No living humans can see it [MTY];
\q2 and birds cannot see it while they are flying [MTY].
\q1
\v 22 \add It is as though\add* the places where people go after they die say [PRS],
\q2 ‘We have only heard rumors about  \add where to find wisdom\add*.’
\q1
\v 23 God is  \add the only one who\add* knows how to find wisdom;
\q2 he knows where it is,
\q1
\v 24 because he can see things even in the most remote/distant places on the earth;
\q2 he can see everything that is below the sky.
\q1
\v 25 When he decided how strongly the winds should blow,
\q2 and how much rain would be in the clouds,
\q1
\v 26 and when he decided where rain  \add should fall\add*, 
\q2 and what path lightning should take  \add from the clouds down to the ground\add*, 
\q1
\v 27 at that time he saw wisdom and decided that it is extremely valuable.
\q2 He examined it and ◄approved it/said that it was very good►.
\q1
\v 28 And  \add then\add* he said to humans, ‘Listen! To have an awesome respect for me is  \add what will enable you to become\add* wise;
\q2 and to truly understand everything, you must first turn away from doing what is evil.’”
\c 29
\s1 Job's final speech
\p
\v 1 Job spoke again and said this:
\q1
\v 2 “I wish/desire that I could be like I was previously,
\q2 during the years when God took care of me.
\q1
\v 3 During those years, \add it was as though\add* God's lamp [MET] shone on me
\q2 and gave me light while I walked in the darkness.
\q1
\v 4 At that time I was young and strong,
\q2 and because God was my friend, \add he protected\add* [PRS] my tent.
\q1
\v 5 Almighty  \add God\add* was with me during those years
\q2 when all my children were around me.
\q1
\v 6 \add My herds\add* provided me with plenty of milk,
\q2 and streams of oil  \add flowed from\add* the rock where my olives were pressed.
\b
\q1
\v 7 Whenever I went to  \add the place where the elders gathered\add* at the city gate,
\q2 I sat down with them,
\q1
\v 8 and when the young men saw me, they stepped aside  \add respectfully\add*, 
\q2 and the old men  \add also\add* stood  \add respectfully\add*.
\q1
\v 9 The leaders of the people stopped talking [DOU],
\q1
\v 10 and even the most important men became quiet
\q2 and ceased talking [MTY] \add in order to hear me speak to them\add*.
\q1
\v 11 When they [SYN] all heard  \add what I told them\add*, 
\q2 they said good things about me.
\q1 When they [SYN] saw me (OR, what I had done), they commended me,
\q1
\v 12 because I had helped the poor people when they cried out for help
\q2 and I aided/helped orphans who had no one else to help them.
\q1
\v 13 Those who were suffering and about to die praised [PRS] me,
\q2 and I caused widows [SYN] to sing joyfully, \add because of my helping them\add*.
\q1
\v 14 I always acted justly;
\q2 my continually doing that was like [MET] a robe that I wore and a turban  \add that was wrapped around my head\add*.
\q1
\v 15 \add It was as though\add* [MET] I was eyes for blind people
\q2 and feet for people who were lame.
\q1
\v 16 I was  \add like\add* [MET] a father to the poor people,
\q2 and in the courts I defended those who were strangers.
\q1
\v 17 My causing wicked people  \add to be unable to continue oppressing others was like\add* [MET] breaking the fangs  \add of fierce wild animals\add* 
\q2 and forcing them to drop from their teeth/mouths the animals that they had caught/seized.
\b
\q1
\v 18 At that time I thought, ‘Surely I will live securely, until I am very old [SIM],
\q2 and I will die at home  \add with my family\add*.’
\q1
\v 19 I was  \add like a tree\add* [MET] whose roots reach down into the water
\q2 and whose branches become wet with dew each night.
\q1
\v 20 People always honored me,
\q2 and I was always  \add strong like\add* [MET] a new bow.
\b
\q1
\v 21 When I spoke, people waited to hear  \add what I would say\add* 
\q2 and remained silent until I advised them  \add what they should do\add*.
\q1
\v 22 After I finished speaking, they did not say anymore;
\q2  \add it was as though\add* [MET] my words fell on their ears  \add like drops of rain\add*.
\q1
\v 23 They waited for me  \add to speak\add* like they wait for rain;
\q2 they  \add appreciated what I said\add* like [MET] \add farmers appreciate\add* the final rain in the spring  \add before the dry season\add*.
\q1
\v 24 When they were discouraged, I smiled at them  \add to encourage them\add*; 
\q2 they became encouraged when they saw my cheerful face.
\q1
\v 25 I was their leader, and I decided what things  \add would be good for them to do\add*; 
\q2 I was among them like [SIM] a king who is among his troops;
\q2 I was like someone who comforts  \add others\add* who are mourning.”
\c 30
\s1 Job ridicules the fathers of young men
\q1
\v 1 “But now men who are younger than I am make fun of me—
\q2 men whose fathers I greatly despised,
\q2 with the result that I would not even have allowed them to help my dogs guard my sheep.
\q1
\v 2 They were men who were old and ◄weak/worn out►;
\q2 so ◄what could I gain from them working for me?/I would have gained nothing from them working for me.► [RHQ]
\q1
\v 3 They were very poor and hungry,
\q2 with the result that they chewed on roots  \add at night\add* 
\q2 in dry and desolate places.
\q1
\v 4 They pulled up plants in the desert  \add and ate them\add* 
\q2 and warmed themselves  \add by burning\add* the roots of broom trees.
\q1
\v 5 Everyone shouted at them as though they were thieves
\q2 and expelled them  \add from their areas\add*.
\q1
\v 6 They were forced to live in caves in the hills,
\q2 in holes in the ground, and in the sides of cliffs.
\q1
\v 7 In the bushes they howled  \add like animals because they were hungry\add*, 
\q2 and they huddled together under thornbushes.
\q1
\v 8 They were people without good sense,
\q2 whose names no one knows;
\q1 they have been expelled from the land  \add where they were born\add*.
\s1 Job stated how he was despised
\q1
\v 9 And now their  \add children\add* sing songs to make fun of me.
\q2 They tell jokes about me.
\q1
\v 10 They are disgusted with me, and they  \add usually\add* stay away from me,
\q2  \add but when they see me\add*, they are happy to spit in my face.
\q1
\v 11 Because  \add it is as though\add* [MET] God has cut my bowstring, \add he has caused me to be unable to defend myself\add*, and he has humbled me,
\q2 and my enemies have done to me whatever they wanted.
\q1
\v 12 ◄Gangs/Groups of violent youths► attack me and force me to run away;
\q2 they prepare to destroy me.
\q1
\v 13 They prevent me from escaping,
\q2 and  \add they do not need\add* anyone to help them (OR, there is no one to help me).
\q1
\v 14 \add It is as though I am a city wall and\add* [SIM] they have broken through the wall,
\q2 and they have come crashing down on me.
\q1
\v 15 I am very terrified;
\q2 My dignity/honor has been taken away as though [SIM] \add it has been\add* blown away by the wind,
\q2 and my prosperity has disappeared like [SIM] clouds disappear.
\s1 Job stated that God also mistreated him
\q1
\v 16 And now I [SYN] am about to die [IDI];
\q2 I suffer every day.
\q1
\v 17 My bones ache during the nights,
\q2 and the pain that torments me never stops.
\q1
\v 18 \add It is as though God\add* seizes my clothes
\q2 and chokes me with the collar of my coat.
\q1
\v 19 He has thrown me into the mud;
\q2 I am  \add not worth anything more than\add* dust and ashes.
\b
\q1
\v 20 I cry out to God, but he does not answer/help me;
\q2 I stand up  \add and pray\add*, but he does not pay any attention.
\q1
\v 21 He acts very cruelly toward me;
\q2 with all of his power [MTY] he causes me to suffer.
\q1
\v 22 He  \add allows\add* the wind to lift me up and blow me away,
\q2 and he tosses me up and down in a violent storm.
\q1
\v 23 I know that he will cause me to die,
\q2 which is what happens to everyone [MTY] who is alive.
\b
\q1
\v 24 When people experience disasters,
\q2 and they sit on a pile of ruins and cry out for help,
\q2 others surely [RHQ] reach out their hand to help them.
\q1
\v 25 \add That is what I did previously\add*. I wept for people who were experiencing troubles,
\q2 and I felt sorry for poor/needy people.
\q1
\v 26 But when I expected good things  \add to happen to me\add*, evil things happened;
\q2 when I waited for light/happiness, all I received was darkness/unhappiness [MET].
\q1
\v 27 I am very distressed [IDI], all the time;
\q2 I suffer every day.
\q1
\v 28 I go about very discouraged;
\q2 I stand up and plead for people to help me.
\q1
\v 29 My wailing is as sad as [MET] the cries of jackals/foxes and ostriches.
\q1
\v 30 My skin has become dark/black and is peeling off,
\q2 and I have a fever  \add which causes my body to feel like it is\add* burning.
\q1
\v 31 Previously, I played joyful music on my harp and with my flute,
\q2 but now I play only the sad music of those who mourn.”
\c 31
\s1 Job stated his innocence
\q1
\v 1 “I made to myself a solemn promise
\q2 that I would not look at a young woman with a desire  \add to have sex with her\add*.
\q1
\v 2 \add If I did not do what I promised\add*, 
\q2 what would God who is in heaven [MTY] do to me [RHQ]?
\q2 Almighty  \add God\add* would certainly not [RHQ] give me any reward!
\q1
\v 3 \add Previously I thought that\add* surely [RHQ] it was unrighteous people who would experience calamities,
\q2 and that it was those who do what is wrong who would experience disasters.
\q1
\v 4 God certainly sees [RHQ] everything that I do,
\q2  \add so why is he causing me to suffer\add*? 
\q2  \add It is as though\add* he counts every step that I take.
\b
\q1
\v 5 \add I solemnly declare that\add* I have never acted wickedly
\q2 and have never tried to deceive people.
\q1
\v 6 I request only that God judge me fairly [MET],
\q2 and if he does that, he will know that I ◄am innocent/have not done what is wrong►.
\q1
\v 7 If  \add it were true that\add* I have turned away from  \add walking on\add* the right paths,
\q2 or that I [SYN] have desired the things that I look at [MTY],
\q2 or that my hands have been stained  \add because of my committing sins\add*, 
\q1
\v 8 then I hope/wish that when I plant  \add seeds\add*, someone else will  \add harvest the crops and\add* eat them
\q2 and that others will uproot the  \add fruit trees\add* that I planted.
\b
\q1
\v 9 If  \add it were true that\add* I [SYN] have been attracted by some other man's wife,
\q2 or that I have hidden myself and waited outside the door to her  \add house\add*, 
\q1
\v 10 I hope/desire that my wife will become the servant/slave of another man
\q2 and have sex [EUP] with him.
\q1
\v 11 \add For me to do\add* that would be a terrible sin,
\q2 and the judges would decide that I should be punished.
\q1
\v 12 My  \add committing adultery\add* would  \add produce in me a fire like\add* [MET] the fire that burns people in hell,
\q2 and it would burn up everything that I own.
\b
\q1
\v 13 And, if  \add it were true that\add* I have ever refused to listen to one of my male or female servants
\q2 when they complained to me about something,
\q1
\v 14 God would arise  \add and declare that he would punish me\add*; 
\q2 and when he would do that, what would I do?
\q2 If he would ask me  \add about what I have done\add*, ◄what would I answer?/I would not be able to answer.► [RHQ]
\q1
\v 15 God, who created me, certainly also created my servants [RHQ];
\q2 surely he is the one who formed them and me in our mothers' wombs [RHQ];
\q2  \add so we all should behave toward each other equally\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 16-18 I have guided orphans from the time that they were born;
\q2 I have taken care of them since they were young.
\q1 So, if  \add it were true that\add* I ate all my food myself and did not share some of it with orphans,
\q2 or that I refused to give poor people the things that they wanted,
\q2 or that I caused widows to live ◄in despair/without hope  \add that they would receive any help from anyone\add*►,
\q1
\v 19 or that I had seen people die  \add from cold\add* because they had no clothes,
\q2 or that I had seen poor people who did not have clothes  \add to keep them warm\add*, 
\q1
\v 20 and they were not able to become warm  \add from clothes made from\add* the wool of my sheep
\q2 with the result that they thanked me for it,
\q1
\v 21 or if  \add it were true that\add* I threatened to strike any orphan
\q2 because I knew that the elders at the city gates would ◄enable me to win/be on my side►;
\q1
\v 22 \add if those things were true about me\add*, I hope/desire that my shoulder blade would be torn out
\q2 and my arm be torn from my shoulder.
\q1
\v 23 I always feared that God would cause me to experience a great disaster  \add if I did any of those evil things\add*, 
\q2 and I would not have been able to endure the powerful  \add things that he would do to punish me\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 24 If  \add it were true that\add* I trusted in my gold/money [DOU],
\q1
\v 25 or that I rejoiced because I had acquired many things
\q2 and had become very rich,
\q1
\v 26 or that I looked at the sun when it was shining
\q2 or looked at the beautiful moon
\q1
\v 27 and I [SYN] had been tempted  \add to worship them\add* 
\q2 by kissing my hand to revere them,
\q1
\v 28 those things also would be sins for which the judges would say that I must be punished,
\q2 because I would have been rejecting God  \add by doing those things\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 29-30 \add It is not true that\add* I [SYN] sinned by requesting God to curse people who hated me
\q2 and to cause them to die;
\q1 or that I was glad when they were ruined
\q2 and rejoiced when they experienced disasters [DOU];
\q1
\v 31-32 \add or that\add* I never welcomed travelers to stay in my tent
\q2 and did not open my doors to them, but  \add forced them to\add* sleep in the streets.
\q2  \add All\add* the men who work for me certainly know that [RHQ]!
\q1
\v 33 Some people try to hide their sins,
\q2 but I have never done that;
\q1
\v 34 and I never remained silent and refused to go outside
\q2 because I was very ◄afraid of/worried about► what people would say  \add about me\add*, 
\q2 and that they would hate/scorn me.
\b
\q1
\v 35 I wish/desire that there was someone who would hear what I am saying!
\q2 I solemnly declare  \add that all that I have said is true\add*.
\q1 I wish that those who oppose me would write down  \add on a scroll\add* the evil things that they say that I did.
\q1
\v 36 \add If they did that\add*, I would wear that scroll on my shoulder, or wear it on top of my head, \add in order that everyone could see it\add*.
\q1
\v 37 I would tell  \add God\add* everything that I have done,
\q2 and I would approach him like a ruler would, \add without being afraid\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 38 If  \add it were true that\add* I have stolen land,
\q2 with the result that  \add it was as though\add* its furrows cried out to accuse me;
\q1
\v 39 or that I have eaten the crops that grew in someone else's fields
\q2 without paying  \add for those crops\add*, 
\q2 with the result that those farmers who grew those crops died  \add from hunger\add*; 
\q1
\v 40 then I wish/desire that thorns would grow  \add in my fields\add* instead of wheat,
\q2 and that bad weeds would grow instead of barley!”
\b
\q1 That is the end of what Job said  \add to his three friends\add*.
\c 32
\s1 Elihu replied to Job and his three friends
\p
\v 1 Then those three men stopped replying to Job, because  \add they could not convince Job that he was wrong in claiming that\add* he had not done anything that was wrong.
\v 2 Then Elihu, the son of Barachel, a descendant of Buz, from the clan of Ram, became very angry at Job. He was angry because Job continued to claim that he was righteous/innocent, and that God was wrong  \add to punish him\add*.
\v 3 He was also angry with Job's three friends, because they had declared that Job must have done many things that were wrong, but they were unable to convince Job  \add that what they said was true\add*. As a result, \add it seemed that\add* God did what was wrong by punishing Job.
\v 4 Elihu was younger than the others, so he waited  \add until they had finished speaking\add* before he replied to Job.
\v 5 But when Elihu realized that the three men had no more to say [MTY] to Job, he became angry.
\p
\v 6 And this is what he said:
\q1 “I am young, and you all are much older than I am.
\q2 So, I was timid, and I was afraid to tell you what I was thinking.
\q1
\v 7 I said  \add to myself\add*, ‘Let those [PRS] who are much older speak,
\q2 because older people  \add should be able to\add* say things that are wise.’
\q1
\v 8 But the Spirit of Almighty  \add God\add* is within people, and it is he that enables them to be wise.
\q1
\v 9 It is not people becoming old that enables them to be wise;
\q2 not  \add all\add* old people understand what is right.
\b
\q1
\v 10 So, I say, ‘Listen to me,
\q2 and allow me to declare what I think.’
\q1
\v 11 I waited for you all to speak;
\q2 I wanted to hear the wise things that you would say.
\q2 I waited while you thought carefully about  \add what would be the right things\add* to say.
\q1
\v 12 I paid attention carefully,
\q2 but surprisingly, none of you were able to prove that what Job said was wrong.
\q1
\v 13 So, do not say  \add to yourselves\add*, ‘We have discovered what is wise!’
\q2 It is God who must ◄refute Job/show that what Job said was wrong►, because you three have not been able to do that.
\q1
\v 14 Job was replying to you, \add not to me\add*, 
\q2 but I will not reply to him by saying what you three said.
\b
\q1
\v 15 You three are dismayed  \add because you have not been able to convince him that he was wrong\add*, 
\q2 so you are not saying anymore to him [DOU].
\q1
\v 16 But because you do not speak, I certainly will not wait any longer [RHQ];
\q2 you merely stand there and do not reply anymore.
\q1
\v 17 So  \add now\add* I also will reply  \add to Job\add* 
\q2 and say what I think.
\q1
\v 18 I have plenty to say,
\q2 and my spirit compels me to say it.
\q1
\v 19 My inner being is like [SIM] a ◄wineskin/bag that has <new/fermenting> wine in it►,
\q2 and it will soon burst.
\q1
\v 20 I must speak [MTY], in order that I do not have to keep holding what I want to say;
\q2 I must say something [MTY] to reply  \add to you all\add*.
\q1
\v 21 I will speak  \add fairly\add*, not favoring any of you,
\q2 and I will not try to flatter anyone.
\q1
\v 22 I  \add really\add* do not know how to flatter people;
\q2 and if I did that, God would soon get rid of me.”
\c 33
\s1 Elihu challenged Job
\q1
\v 1 “But now, Job, listen carefully
\q2 to all that I am going to say [DOU].
\q1
\v 2 I am ready to tell you [MTY, DOU] \add what I think\add*.
\q1
\v 3 In my inner being I know that I am speaking honestly
\q2 and that I am speaking [MTY] sincerely.
\q1
\v 4 Almighty God has created me  \add as well as you\add*, 
\q2 and with his breath he has caused me to live.
\q1
\v 5 So, answer what I  \add say\add* if you can;
\q2 think carefully  \add what you will reply to me\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 6 God considers that you and I are both  \add the same\add*; 
\q2 he formed both of us from clay.
\q1
\v 7 So you do not need to be afraid of me;
\q2 I will not crush/oppress you  \add by what I say\add* [MTY].
\q1
\v 8 I have heard you [DOU] speaking,
\q2 and this is what you have said:
\q1
\v 9 ‘I am innocent; I have not committed any sins;
\q2 I am pure; I have not done things that are wrong.
\q1
\v 10 But God finds reasons to accuse me,
\q2 and he considers that I am his enemy.
\q1
\v 11 \add It is as though\add* he has put my feet ◄in stocks/between wooden blocks to prevent me from walking►,
\q2 and he watches everything that I do.’ [MTY]
\b
\q1
\v 12 But what you  \add have said\add* is wrong,
\q2 and I will tell you  \add what you have said that is wrong\add*.
\q2 God is much greater than any human.
\q1
\v 13 So, ◄why are you arguing against God, saying ‘He never answers my questions’?/you should not be arguing against God, saying ‘He never answers my questions.’► [RHQ]
\q1
\v 14 God does speak  \add to us\add* in various ways,
\q2 but we do not pay any attention to what he says.
\q1
\v 15 \add Sometimes he speaks to us\add* at night in dreams and visions,
\q2 when we are on our beds, asleep [DOU].
\q1
\v 16 He reveals things [MTY] to us
\q2 and terrifies us by the things he warns us about.
\q1
\v 17 He tell us those things in order that we stop doing  \add evil\add* deeds
\q2 and to prevent us from becoming proud.
\q1
\v 18 He does not want us to be destroyed [MTY];
\q2 he wants to prevent us from dying [MTY] \add while we are still young\add*.
\q1
\v 19 God also  \add sometimes\add* corrects us by forcing us to lie on our beds suffering much pain
\q2 and with fever/aching in our bones.
\q1
\v 20 The result is that we do not desire any food,
\q2 not even very special food.
\q1
\v 21 Our bodies become very thin, with the result that we look like a skeleton [HYP],
\q2 and our bones stick out.
\q1
\v 22 \add We know that\add* we will soon die
\q2 and go to the place where dead people are.
\b
\q1
\v 23 But sometimes an angel  \add may come to one of us\add*, 
\q2 one of the thousands of angels who come to intervene between us and God,
\q2 to tell us what are the right things for us  \add to do\add*.
\q1
\v 24 The angel is kind to us and says to God,
\q2 ‘Release that person,
\q1 so that he does not descend to the place where dead people are!
\q2 Do that because I have found the money to pay so that he can be released!
\q1
\v 25 Allow his body to be strong again;
\q2 allow him to be strong like he was when he was a youth!’
\q1
\v 26 When that happens, that person will pray to God, and God will accept/answer him;
\q2 he will ◄enter God's presence/worship God► joyfully,
\q2 and then he will tell others how God saved him  \add from dying\add*.
\q1
\v 27 He will sing as he tells everyone,
\q1 ‘I sinned, and I did things that were not right,
\q2 but God did not punish me in the way that I deserved.
\q1
\v 28 He has saved me from dying and going to the place where dead people are,
\q2 and I will continue to enjoy being alive.’
\b
\q1
\v 29 God does all these things for us many times;
\q1
\v 30 he preserves us [SYN] from  \add dying and\add* going to the place where the dead are,
\q2 in order that we can continue to enjoy being alive [IDI].
\b
\q1
\v 31 So Job, listen to me;
\q2 do not say anything more; just allow me to speak.
\q1
\v 32 \add After I speak\add*, if you have something more that you want to say to me,
\q2 say it, because I would like to find a way to declare that you ◄are innocent/have not done what is wrong►.
\q1
\v 33 But if you have nothing more that you want to say, then just listen to me,
\q2 and I will teach you how to become wise.”
\c 34
\s1 Elihu continued his challenge
\p
\v 1 Then Elihu  \add continued by\add* saying  \add this\add*: 
\q1
\v 2 “You  \add three\add* men who  \add think that you\add* [SAR] are very wise, hear me;
\q2 listen to what I am saying, you men who  \add say that\add* you know so much.
\q1
\v 3 When we [SYN] hear what other people  \add like you\add* say,
\q2 we [RHQ] think carefully about what they say  \add to determine what is good and what is bad\add*, 
\q2 like we [SYN] taste food  \add to determine what is good\add*.
\q1
\v 4 We need to decide  \add who is saying\add* what is right
\q2 and to determine among ourselves what is good/best.
\q1
\v 5 Job has said, ‘I am innocent,
\q2 but God has refused to judge me fairly/justly.
\q1
\v 6 Even though I have always done what is right,
\q2 he is lying about me.
\q1 Even though I have not done what is wrong,
\q2 he has caused me to suffer, and I will certainly die.’
\q1
\v 7 ◄Is there any person like Job, who insults others as easily as people accept a drink of water?/There is no person like Job, who insults others as easily as people accept a drink of water.► [RHQ]
\q1
\v 8 He habitually associates with people who do what is evil
\q2 and spends time with wicked people.
\q1
\v 9 He has said, ‘It is useless for people to try to please God.’
\b
\q1
\v 10 So, you men who  \add claim that you\add* understand everything, listen to me!
\q1 Almighty God would never consider doing anything that is wicked or wrong [DOU]!
\q1
\v 11 He ◄pays back/punishes► people for what they have done;
\q2 he gives them what they deserve for the way that they have conducted their lives.
\q1
\v 12 Truly, Almighty God never does what is wicked;
\q2 he always [LIT] does what is fair/just.
\q1
\v 13 The authority that he has to rule everything on the earth, no one [RHQ] gave it to him;
\q2 no one [RHQ] put him in control of the whole world.
\q2  \add He has always had that authority\add*.
\q1
\v 14 If he would take his spirit back to himself,
\q1
\v 15 everyone would die  \add immediately\add*, 
\q2 and their corpses would soon become dirt again.
\b
\q1
\v 16 So, \add Job\add*, if  \add you say that you\add* understand everything,
\q2 listen to what I am saying.
\q1
\v 17 God could certainly not [RHQ] govern the world if he hated doing what is fair/just.
\q2 So, will you condemn God, who is righteous and powerful, \add saying that what he has done is wrong\add*? 
\q1
\v 18 He tells  \add some\add* kings that they are worthless,
\q2 and he says to  \add some\add* officials that they are wicked.
\q1
\v 19 He does not favor rulers  \add more than he favors others\add*; 
\q2 he does not favor rich people more than poor people,
\q2 because he created all of them.
\q1
\v 20 They  \add often\add* die suddenly;
\q2 he strikes them at midnight and they die;
\q2 he gets rid of mighty people without the help of any humans [SYN].
\b
\q1
\v 21 He sees [MTY] everything that people do;
\q2  \add when we walk\add*, he watches every step that we take.
\q1
\v 22 There is no gloom or darkness [DOU] that is very dark,
\q2 with the result that sinners can hide  \add from God\add* in that darkness.
\q1
\v 23 God does not  \add need to\add* set a time
\q2 when we will stand in front of him in order that he may judge us.
\q2  \add He can judge us whenever he wants to\add*.
\q1
\v 24 He destroys mighty people without  \add needing to\add* investigate  \add what they have done\add*, 
\q2 and he appoints others to take their places.
\q1
\v 25 Because he  \add already\add* knows what they have done,
\q2 he removes them at night and gets rid of them.
\q1
\v 26 Where  \add many\add* people can see it,
\q2 he strikes/punishes them because of the wicked things that they have done;
\q1
\v 27 he strikes them because they turned away from doing what he wanted them to do
\q2 and did not pay attention to any of his commands.
\q1
\v 28 They  \add mistreated\add* the poor people,
\q2 with the result that those poor people cried out to God  \add for help\add*, 
\q2 and he heard those afflicted people when they cried out  \add to him\add*.
\q1
\v 29 But if God decides to do nothing  \add to punish wicked people\add*, 
\q2 no one can criticize/condemn him.
\q1 If a godless/wicked man rules a nation,
\q2 a man who tricks/deceives the people,
\q1
\v 30 and if  \add God\add* hides his face  \add with the result that he does not see and punish that ruler\add*, 
\q2 no one will be able to prevent that ruler  \add doing those things\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 31 Job, have you or anyone else ever said to God, ‘I have been punished  \add for my sins\add*, 
\q2 and I will not sin anymore;
\q1
\v 32 so teach/show me what  \add sins I have committed\add*; 
\q1 if I have done anything that is evil,
\q2 I will not do it anymore.’?
\q1
\v 33 \add Job\add*, you object to what God has done to you,
\q2 but do you think that he will do what you want him to do?
\q1 It is you who must choose  \add what you say to God\add*, not I;
\q2 so tell me what you are thinking about this.
\b
\q1
\v 34 People who have good sense, those who are wise and who listen to what I say,
\q2 will say to me,
\q1
\v 35 ‘Job is speaking ignorantly;
\q2 what he says is nonsense.’
\q1
\v 36 I think that Job should be taken to a court and ◄put on trial/judged►,
\q2 because he answers  \add us his friends\add* like wicked men would answer.
\q1
\v 37 To add to the  \add other\add* sins that he has committed, he is rebelling  \add against God\add*; 
\q2 he shows us that he does not respect God [IDI],
\q2 making long speeches  \add saying that God has punished him unjustly\add*.”
\c 35
\s1 Elihu continued his challenge
\p
\v 1 Then Elihu also said this:
\q1
\v 2 “\add Job\add*, do you think that what you said is right/correct?
\q1 You say, ‘God knows that I am innocent,’
\q1
\v 3 and you say  \add to God\add*, ‘What good have I received for not sinning?
\q2 What benefit have I received from that?’ [DOU, RHQ]
\q1
\v 4 \add Well\add*, I will answer you,
\q2 and I will answer your three friends, too.
\b
\q1
\v 5 \add Job\add*, look up at the sky;
\q2 look at the clouds that are high above you
\q2 and realize  \add that God is far above everything\add*.
\q1
\v 6 If you have sinned, that does not [RHQ] harm God at all.
\q2 If many times you do things that are wrong, that certainly does not [RHQ] affect him [DOU].
\q1
\v 7 And if you are righteous, does that help God?
\q2 No, he is not benefited by anything that you do [DOU].
\q1
\v 8 It is other people who suffer because of the wicked things that you do,
\q2 but by doing good deeds for people, you help them.
\b
\q1
\v 9 People cry out because of the many things that people do to ◄oppress them/treat them cruelly►;
\q2 they call for help because of the things that powerful people do [MTY] to them.
\q1
\v 10 But ◄no one/none of them► calls out  \add to God\add*, 
\q2 saying ‘Why does God, my creator, \add not help me\add*? 
\q2 He should enable me to sing  \add joyful\add* songs, \add instead of very sad songs\add*, during the night.
\q1
\v 11 He  \add should be able to\add* teach us more than all the wild animals do;
\q2 he should enable us to become wiser than  \add all\add* the birds are!’
\q1
\v 12 People cry out  \add for help\add*, 
\q2 but God does not answer them,
\q2 because those who cry out are proud and evil people.
\q1
\v 13 It is useless for them to cry out,
\q2 because God, the Almighty One, does not pay any attention to what they say.
\q1
\v 14 So, when you complain that you cannot see God,
\q2 and you tell him that you are waiting for him  \add to decide whether or not you should be punished for what you have done\add*, 
\q2 God will not listen to you, either!
\q1
\v 15 Furthermore, \add you say that\add* because he does not pay attention when people commit sins,
\q2 he does not become angry and punish them.
\q1
\v 16 You say things that are useless;
\q2 you say a lot of things without knowing  \add what you are talking about\add*.”
\c 36
\s1 Elihu's final speech
\p
\v 1 Elihu  \add finished speaking by\add* saying this:
\q1
\v 2 “\add Job\add*, be patient with me a little longer,
\q2 because I have something else to teach you.
\q2 I have something else to say that God  \add wants you to know\add*.
\q1
\v 3 I will tell you what I have learned from many sources,
\q2 in order to show that God, my creator, is just/fair.
\q1
\v 4 I am not saying anything to you that is false;
\q2 I, who am standing in front of you, am someone who understands things ◄very well/perfectly► [HYP].
\b
\q1
\v 5 Hey, God is  \add very\add* powerful, and he does not despise anyone,
\q2 and he understands everything.
\q1
\v 6 He does not allow wicked people to remain alive,
\q2 and he always acts justly toward those who are poor.
\q1
\v 7 He always watches over [MTY] those who are righteous;
\q2 he allows them to sit on thrones  \add and rule\add* with kings,
\q2 and they are honored forever.
\q1
\v 8 But if people  \add who commit crimes\add* are caught,
\q2 they are  \add thrown into prison and\add* are caused to suffer by being fastened with chains.
\q1
\v 9 When that happens, God shows them what they have done;
\q2 he shows them the sins that they have committed,
\q2 and he shows them that they have been proud/arrogant.
\q1
\v 10 He causes them to listen [MTY] to what he is warning them,
\q2 and he commands them to turn away from  \add doing what is\add* evil.
\q1
\v 11 If they ◄listen to/heed► him and serve him, \add after they get out of prison\add* 
\q2 they will prosper for all the years that they are alive and be peaceful/happy.
\q1
\v 12 But if they do not ◄listen/pay attention► to him,
\q2 they will die violently,
\q2 not knowing  \add why God is causing them to die\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 13 Godless/Wicked people continue being angry,
\q2 and they do not cry out for help,
\q2  \add even\add* when God is punishing them.
\q1
\v 14 They die while they are still young,
\q2 disgraced because of their very immoral behavior [EUP].
\q1
\v 15 But God teaches people by causing them to suffer;
\q2 by afflicting them, he causes them to listen to [MTY] what he is telling them.
\b
\q1
\v 16 And Job, \add I think that\add* God  \add wants to\add* bring you out of your troubles
\q2 and allow you to live without distress;
\q2 he wants your table to be full of very nice food.
\q1
\v 17 But now, you are being punished [MTY] as wicked people are punished;
\q2  \add God\add* [PRS] has been punishing you ◄justly/as you deserve►.
\q1
\v 18 So be careful that you are not deceived by  \add desiring to acquire\add* money
\q2 or that you are not ruined by  \add accepting\add* large bribes.
\q1
\v 19 \add If you are deceived by those things\add*, it certainly will not [RHQ] help you to cry out when you are distressed;
\q2 all of your strength will not help you.
\q1
\v 20 Do not wish that it would be nighttime  \add in order that God will not see you and punish you\add*, 
\q2 because night is the time when  \add even\add* people-groups are destroyed!
\q1
\v 21 Be careful not to turn to  \add begin doing\add* evil deeds,
\q2 because  \add God\add* has caused you to suffer to prevent you from doing evil.
\b
\q1
\v 22 Hey, God is extremely powerful;
\q2 there is certainly [RHQ] no teacher who teaches like he does.
\q1
\v 23 No one has [RHQ] told him what he should do,
\q2 and no one has [RHQ] said to him, ‘You have done what is wrong!’
\q1
\v 24 People have  \add always\add* sung to praise him,
\q2 so you also should never forget to praise him for what he has done.
\q1
\v 25 All people have seen  \add what he has done\add*, 
\q2 but  \add sometimes\add* we can see it only from far away.
\b
\q1
\v 26 Hey, God is very great, and we are not able to know how great he is,
\q2 and we do not know how old he is.
\q1
\v 27 He draws water up  \add from the earth and puts it in clouds\add* 
\q2 and causes it to become rain;
\q1
\v 28 the rain pours down from the sky/clouds
\q2 and causes abundant showers to fall on everyone.
\q1
\v 29 No one can [RHQ] understand how the clouds move  \add across the sky\add* 
\q2 or how it thunders in the sky where God lives.
\q1
\v 30 Hey, he causes lightning to flash all around him,
\q2 but he causes the bottom of the oceans to remain dark.
\q1
\v 31 By providing plenty of rain for us,
\q2 he gives us abundant food.
\q1
\v 32 \add It is as though\add* he holds the lightning in his hands,
\q2 and  \add then\add* he commands it to strike where he wants it to.
\q1
\v 33 When we hear his thunder, we know that there will be a storm,
\q2 and the cattle know it, too.”
\c 37
\s1 Elihu continued his final speech
\q1
\v 1 “My heart thumps wildly [DOU] when  \add I think about\add* that.
\q1
\v 2 Listen, all of you, to the thunder,
\q2 which is like God's voice [DOU].
\q1
\v 3 He sends thunder all across the sky,
\q2 and he sends lighting to the most distant places on the earth.
\q1
\v 4 After  \add the lightning flashes\add*, we hear the thunder
\q2 which is like [MET] God's majestic voice;
\q2 he does not restrain the lightning when he speaks.
\q1
\v 5 When God speaks, it is awesome, like thunder;
\q2 he does amazing things which we cannot  \add fully\add* understand.
\q1
\v 6 He commands the snow to fall on the ground,
\q2 and  \add sometimes\add* he causes it to rain very hard.
\q1
\v 7 And  \add when God does that\add*, it prevents people [SYN] from working,
\q2 in order that all people may know that he is the one who has done that (OR, what he can do).
\q1
\v 8 \add When it rains\add*, the animals go into their hiding places,
\q2 and they remain there  \add until the rain stops\add*.
\q1
\v 9 The storms/hurricanes come from the place  \add in the south where they start\add*, 
\q2 and the cold wind comes from the north.
\q1
\v 10 \add In the ◄winter/cold season►, the cold north wind is like\add* God's breath that causes [MET] water to freeze
\q2 and the lakes/streams to become ice.
\q1
\v 11 God fills the clouds with moisture/hail,
\q2 and lightning flashes from the clouds.
\q1
\v 12 He guides the clouds and causes them to move back and forth
\q2 in order that they may accomplish all that he commands them to do, all over the world.
\q1
\v 13 Sometimes God sends rain to punish us,
\q2 and sometimes he sends rain to show us that he acts kindly toward us.
\b
\q1
\v 14 Job, listen to this;
\q2 stop and think about the wonderful things that God does.
\q1
\v 15 ◄Do you know how God commands the lightning to flash down from his clouds?/We do not know how God commands the lightning to flash down from his clouds.► [RHQ]
\q1
\v 16 Only God knows everything perfectly;
\q2 so ◄do you know how he causes the clouds to <move/float> <amazingly/wonderfully> across the sky?/you certainly do not know how he causes the clouds to <move/float> <amazingly/wonderfully> across the sky!► [RHQ]
\q1
\v 17 No, you just sweat there in your clothes;
\q2  \add it is very oppressive\add* when the  \add hot\add* wind stops blowing from the south and  \add all the leaves on the trees\add* ◄become still/do not move►.
\q1
\v 18 ◄Can you stretch out the skies like God does and make them as hard as [SIM] a sheet of polished brass?/You certainly cannot stretch out the skies like God does and make them as hard as [SIM] a sheet of polished brass!► [RHQ]
\b
\q1
\v 19 Job, tell us(exc) what we should say to God;
\q2 we do not know anything [IDI].
\q2 As a result, we do not know what to say to him to defend ourselves.
\q1
\v 20 Should I tell God that I want to speak to him?
\q2 No, because  \add if I did that\add*, he might destroy me.
\q1
\v 21 Now, people cannot look  \add directly\add* at the sun
\q2 when it shines brightly in the sky after the wind has blown the clouds away;
\q2  \add so, we certainly cannot look at the brightness of God\add*.
\q1
\v 22 God comes out of the north with a light  \add that shines like\add* gold;
\q2 his glory causes us to be afraid.
\q1
\v 23 Almighty God has very great power,
\q2 and we cannot come near to him.
\q1 He always acts righteously,
\q2 and he will never oppress us.
\q1
\v 24 That is the reason that we have an awesome respect for him;
\q2 he does not pay attention to those who proudly, \add but wrongly\add*, think that they are wise.”
\c 38
\s1 Yahweh replied to Job
\p
\v 1 Then Yahweh spoke to Job from inside a great windstorm. He said to him,
\q1
\v 2 “◄Who are you to question what I plan to do?/You have no right/authority to question what I plan to do.► [RHQ]
\q2 You are speaking ignorantly!
\q1
\v 3 I want to ask you  \add some\add* questions,
\q2 so, just like men prepare themselves for a difficult task [MET],
\q2 prepare to answer my questions.
\b
\q1
\v 4 ◄Where were you/Were you there with me► \add long ago\add* when I ◄laid the foundations of/created► the earth?
\q2 Since you know so much, tell me  \add where you were at that time\add*.
\q1
\v 5 Do you know how I decided how large the earth would be?
\q2 Do you know who stretched a measuring tape around the earth?
\q2 Surely  \add since you think that you know so much\add*, you should know that!
\q1
\v 6-7 What supports the pillars on which the earth rests?
\q1 When the stars  \add that shine early in\add* the morning sang together,
\q2 and someone put in place the stone that causes the earth to stay in its place,
\q2 and all the angels shouted joyfully  \add when they saw that happening\add*, 
\q1 who laid that cornerstone? \add Did you?\add* 
\b
\q1
\v 8 When the seas poured forth from inside the earth,
\q2 who prevented the water from flooding over the land?
\q1
\v 9 It was I,  \add not you\add*, who caused clouds to come over the seas
\q2 and caused it to become very dark  \add under those clouds\add*.
\q1
\v 10 I set limits for the seas,
\q2 and I put barriers  \add so that the water would not come over the land\add*.
\q1
\v 11  \add I pointed to the shore\add* and said to the water,
\q2 ‘I permit you to come up to here, but I do not permit you to come any farther.
\q2 Your powerful waves must stop there!’
\b
\q1
\v 12 Job, have you  \add ever\add* commanded the morning  \add to begin\add*? 
\q2 Have you  \add ever\add* told the dawn to start a new day?
\q1
\v 13 Have you  \add ever\add* told the dawn to spread out over the whole earth,
\q2 with the result that wicked people run away from the light?
\q1
\v 14 When it becomes light after the dawn,
\q2 the hills and the valleys become clear like the folds in a cloth.
\q1
\v 15 When it becomes daylight, the wicked do not have the darkness  \add that they like\add*; 
\q2  \add in the daylight\add* they no longer are able to raise up their arms, ready to hurt people.
\b
\q1
\v 16 Job, have you traveled to the springs  \add in the bottom of the ocean\add* from which the water in the seas comes?
\q2 Have you investigated/explored the very bottom of the oceans?
\q1
\v 17 Has someone shown you the gates to the place where dead people are,
\q2 the gates to the place where it is very dark?
\q1
\v 18 Do you know how big the earth is?
\q2 Tell me, if you know all these things!
\b
\q1
\v 19 Where is the road to the place where light comes from?
\q2 And  \add can you tell me\add* where darkness lives?
\q1
\v 20 Can take me to its home?
\q2 Do you know where the road is that goes there?
\q1
\v 21 I am sure that you know these things,
\q2 because you  \add talk as though you\add* were born before the time when all things were created;
\q2 you  \add must\add* be very old!
\b
\q1
\v 22 Have you entered the place where I store the snow
\q2 and the place where I keep the hail?
\q1
\v 23 I store the snow and the hail  \add in order that I can use them to help my people\add* when they have troubles,
\q2 in times when they are fighting wars [DOU].
\q1
\v 24 And where is the road to the place from which I cause the lightning to flash?
\q2 Where is the place from where the east wind begins to blow over all the earth?
\q1
\v 25 Who created the channels in which the rain comes down from the sky?
\q2 Who makes the roads for the thunder/lightning?
\q1
\v 26 Who causes rain to fall in the desert,
\q2 in places where no one lives?
\q1
\v 27 Who sends the rain that gives moisture/water to areas where nothing has grown,
\q2 with the result that grass begins to grow again?
\q1
\v 28 Does the rain have a father?
\q2 Does the dew  \add also\add* have a father?
\q1
\v 29 And from whose womb does ice come  \add in the ◄winter/cold season►\add*? 
\q2 Who gives birth to the frost that comes down from the sky?
\q1
\v 30  \add In the winter\add*, the water  \add freezes and\add* becomes hard, like a rock,
\q2 and the surface of lakes becomes frozen.
\b
\q1
\v 31  \add Job\add*, can you fasten the chains that hold the stars together in clusters/groups in the sky?
\q1
\v 32 Can you tell the stars and planets when they should shine?
\q2 Can you guide the  \add stars in the groups in the northern sky whose names are\add* the Big Bear and the Little Bear?
\q1
\v 33 Do you know the laws that the stars must obey?
\q2 Can you cause those same laws to rule  \add everything here\add* on the earth?
\b
\q1
\v 34 Can you shout to the clouds and cause rain to pour down on you?
\q1
\v 35 Can you cause flashes of lightning to come down and strike where you want it to strike?
\q2 Do those flashes say to you, ‘Where do you want us to strike next?’
\q1
\v 36 Who enables the clouds to know when they should cause rain to fall?
\q1
\v 37 And who is skilled/wise enough to be able to count the clouds?
\q2 Who can tilt the jugs of water in the sky  \add to cause the rain to fall\add*, 
\q1
\v 38 with the result that the dry ground becomes hard
\q2 as the dry ◄clods/lumps of soil► \add become wet and\add* stick together?
\b
\q1
\v 39-40 When a lioness and her cubs crouch in their dens or hide in a thicket, \add waiting for some animal to pass by that they can kill\add*, 
\q1 can you find animals for a lioness to kill
\q2 so that  \add she and\add* her cubs can  \add eat the meat and\add* not be hungry anymore?
\q1
\v 41 Who provides dead animals for crows,
\q2 when the baby crows are calling out to me  \add for food\add*, 
\q2  \add when they are so weak\add* because of their lack of food that they ◄stagger around/can hardly stand up► \add in their nests\add*?” 
\c 39
\s1 Yahweh continued his reply to Job
\q1
\v 1 “\add Job\add*, do you know at what time/season \add of the year\add* the female mountain goats give birth?
\q2 Have you watched the wild deer while their calves were being born?
\q1
\v 2 Do you know how many months pass from the time they become pregnant until their calves are born?
\q1
\v 3 \add When they give birth\add*, they crouch down
\q2 so that the calves do not \add get hurt by\add* falling to the ground when they are born.
\q1
\v 4 The young calves grow up in the open fields,
\q2 and then they leave their mothers and do not return to them again.
\b
\q1
\v 5 Who allows the wild donkeys to go wherever they want [DOU]?
\q1
\v 6 I am the one who put them in the desert,
\q2 in places where grass does not grow.
\q1
\v 7 They do not like the noise in the cities;
\q2 \add in the desert\add* they do not have to listen to the shouts of those who force donkeys to work.
\q1
\v 8 They go to the hills to find food;
\q2 there they search for grass to eat.
\b
\q1
\v 9 Will a wild ox agree to work for you?
\q2 Will it allow you to keep it penned up at night in the place where you put feed for your animals?
\q1
\v 10 And can you fasten a rope on it
\q2 so that it will plow furrows/trenches in your fields?
\q1
\v 11 Since it is very strong, can you trust it to work for you?
\q2 Can you go away after you tell it what work it should do \add and assume that it will do that work\add*?
\q1
\v 12 Can you rely on it to come back \add from the field\add*,
\q2 bringing your grain to the place where you thresh it?
\b
\q1
\v 13 \add Think also about\add* the ostriches. They joyfully flap their wings,
\q2 but they do not have wing feathers \add that enable them to fly\add* like storks do.
\q1
\v 14 Ostriches lay their eggs on top of the ground \add and then walk away\add*,
\q2 leaving the eggs to be warmed in the sand.
\q1
\v 15 Ostriches do not worry that some wild animal may step on the eggs and crush them [DOU].
\q1
\v 16 Ostriches act cruelly towards their chicks;
\q2 they act as though the chicks belonged to some other ostrich.
\q1 They are not concerned \add if their chicks die\add*,
\q2 and so the laying of the eggs was in vain.
\q1
\v 17 That is because I did not allow ostriches to be wise.
\q2 I did not enable them to be intelligent.
\q1
\v 18 But, when they get up and begin to run,
\q2 they scornfully laugh at horses with their riders
\q2 \add because the horses cannot run as fast as the ostriches!\add*
\b
\q1
\v 19 And \add think about\add* horses. \add Job\add*, are you the one who caused horses to be strong?
\q2 Are you the one who put flowing ◄manes/long hair► on their necks?
\q1
\v 20 Are you the one who enabled them to leap forward like locusts?
\q2 When they ◄snort/blow loudly through their noses►, they cause people to be afraid.
\q1
\v 21 They paw the ground, rejoicing about being very strong,
\q2 as they prepare to rush into a battle.
\q1
\v 22 \add It is as if\add* they laugh at the thought of being afraid. They are not afraid of anything!
\q2 They do not run away when \add the soldiers in the battle are fighting each other with\add* swords.
\q1
\v 23 The quivers containing the riders' arrows rattle against the horses' sides,
\q2 and the spears and javelins flash \add in the light of the sun\add*.
\q1
\v 24 The horses paw the ground fiercely/excitedly \add wanting the battle to begin\add*,
\q2 and they rush into the battle when the trumpet is blown.
\q1
\v 25 They neigh \add joyfully\add* when they hear someone blowing the trumpet.
\q2 They can smell a battle even when they are far away,
\q2 and they understand what it means when the commanders shout their commands \add to their soldiers\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 26 And \add think about\add* big birds. Are you the one who enabled hawks to spread their wings
\q2 and fly to the south \add for the winter\add*?
\q1
\v 27 Do eagles fly high up \add into the cliffs\add* to make their nests
\q2 because you commanded them to do that?
\q1
\v 28 They live in \add holes in\add* those cliffs.
\q2 They are safe in those high pointed rocks \add because no animals can reach them there\add*.
\q1
\v 29 As they watch carefully from there,
\q2 they see far away the animals that they can kill (OR, dead bodies of animals).
\q1
\v 30 After an eagle kills an animal,
\q2 the baby eagles drink the blood of that animal.”
\c 40
\s1 Yahweh continued his reply to Job
\p
\v 1 Then Yahweh said to Job,
\q1
\v 2 “Do you still want to argue with me, the Almighty One?
\q2 Since you criticize me, ◄you should be able to answer my questions!/why are you not able to answer my questions?► [RHQ]”
\s1 Job replied to Yahweh
\p
\v 3 Then Job replied to Yahweh,
\q1
\v 4 “\add Now I realize that\add* I am completely worthless. So ◄how could I answer \add those questions\add*?/I could not possibly answer \add those questions\add*!► [RHQ]
\q2 I will put my hand over my mouth \add and not say anything\add*.
\q1
\v 5 I have already said more than I should have said,
\q2 so now I will say nothing more.”
\s1 Yahweh challenged Job
\p
\v 6 Then Yahweh \add again\add* spoke to Job from inside the great windstorm. He said,
\q1
\v 7 “I want to ask you some \add more\add* questions.
\q2 So as men prepare themselves for a difficult task [MET],
\q2 prepare yourself again to answer some \add more\add* questions.
\b
\q1
\v 8 Are you going to accuse me and say that I am unjust?
\q2 Are you going to say that what I have done is wrong, in order that you can say that what you have done is right?
\q1
\v 9 Do you have the same amount of power [MTY] as I do?
\q2 Can your voice sound \add as loud\add* as thunder, as mine can?
\q1
\v 10 \add If you can do that\add*, put on the robes
\q2 that show that you are glorious and are greatly honored!
\q1
\v 11 Show that you are very angry;
\q2 show that you have the right/authority to humble people who are \add very\add* proud!
\q1
\v 12 Humble those proud people \add just\add* by looking at them \add angrily\add*
\q2 Crush wicked people quickly!
\q1
\v 13 Bury them in the ground!
\q2 Send them to the place where dead people are,
\q2 where they will not be able to get out!
\q1
\v 14 After you do that, I will congratulate/praise you
\q2 and say that \add truly\add* you can save yourself by your own ability/power.
\b
\q1
\v 15 Think \add also\add* about hippopotamuses/behemoths.
\q2 I made you, and I made them also.
\q2 They eat grass, like oxen do.
\q1
\v 16 Their legs/thighs are \add very\add* strong,
\q2 and the muscles of their bellies are \add very\add* powerful.
\q1
\v 17 Their tails are stiff (OR, bend down) like the branches of a cedar tree.
\q2 The sinews/muscles of their thighs are close together.
\q1
\v 18 Their \add thigh\add* bones are \add like\add* tubes \add made\add* of bronze,
\q2 and the bones of their legs are like bars \add made\add* of iron.
\q1
\v 19 Hippopotamuses/Behemoths are among the strongest of the animals that I made,
\q2 and I, who created them, am the only one who can kill them.
\q1
\v 20 On the hills grows food [PRS] for them to eat
\q2 while many [HYP] other wild animals play nearby.
\q1
\v 21 They lie down \add in the water\add* under the lotus plants;
\q2 they hide in \add tall\add* reeds in the swamps.
\q1
\v 22 The hippopotamuses/behemoths find shade under the lotus plants,
\q2 and they are surrounded by poplar trees.
\q1
\v 23 They are not disturbed by raging/swiftly-flowing rivers;
\q2 they are not even disturbed/frightened when \add rivers like the\add* Jordan \add River\add* rush over them.
\q1
\v 24 No one can [RHQ] catch them by blinding their eyes
\q2 or by piercing their noses with \add the teeth of\add* a trap!”
\c 41
\s1 Yahweh challenged Job to try to capture a crocodile
\q1
\v 1 “\add Think also about\add* ◄crocodiles/great sea dragons►.
\q2 Can you catch them with a fishhook
\q2 or fasten their jaws with a rope?
\q1
\v 2 Can you put ropes through their noses  \add to control them\add* 
\q2 or thrust hooks through their jaws?
\q1
\v 3 Will they plead with you to act mercifully toward them
\q2 or ◄use sweet talk/speak to you nicely► \add in order that you will not harm them\add*? 
\q1
\v 4 Will they make an agreement with you to work for you,
\q2 to be your slaves as long as they live?
\q1
\v 5 Can you cause them to become pets like you cause birds to become your pets?
\q2 Can you put a leash/rope  \add around their necks\add* so that your servant girls  \add can play with them\add*? 
\q1
\v 6 Will merchants try to buy them  \add in the market\add*? 
\q2 Will they cut them up into pieces and sell the meat?
\q1
\v 7 Can you pierce their skins by throwing fishing spears at them?
\q2 Can you pierce their heads with a harpoon?
\q1
\v 8 If you grab one of them with your hands, \add it will give you\add* a battle that you will never forget,
\q2 and you will never try to do it again!
\q1
\v 9 It is useless to try to subdue them.
\q2 Anyone who tries to subdue one of them will lose his courage.
\q1
\v 10 No one dares/tries to ◄arouse them/cause them to be angry►.
\q2 So, \add since I am much more powerful than they are\add*, ◄who would dare to cause me to be angry?/no one would dare to cause me to be angry!► [RHQ]
\q1
\v 11 Also, everything on the earth is mine.
\q2 Therefore, no one [RHQ] is able to give anything to me and require me to pay  \add money\add* for it!
\b
\q1
\v 12 I will tell you about  \add how strong ◄crocodiles'/great sea dragons'►\add* legs are
\q2 and how strong their well-formed bodies are.
\q1
\v 13 ◄Can anyone strip off their hides?/No one is able to strip off their hides.► [RHQ]
\q2 ◄Can anyone try to put bridles on them?/No one can try to put bridles on them.► [RHQ] (OR, Can anyone pierce their very thick hides?)
\q1
\v 14 ◄Can anyone pry open their jaws, which have terrible teeth in them?/No one can pry open their jaws, which have terrible teeth in them!► [RHQ]
\q1
\v 15 They have rows of scales on their back
\q2 which are as hard as a rock (OR, tightly fastened together).
\q1
\v 16 The scales are very close together,
\q2 with the result that not even air can get between them.
\q1
\v 17 The scales are joined very closely to each other,
\q2 and they cannot be separated.
\q1
\v 18 When ◄crocodiles/great sea dragons► sneeze, \add the tiny drops of water that come out of their noses\add* sparkle in the sunlight.
\q2 Their eyes are red like the rising sun.
\q1
\v 19 \add It is as though\add* sparks of fire pour out of their mouths [DOU].
\q1
\v 20 Smoke pours out of their nostrils/noses
\q2 like steam comes out of a pot that is put over a fire made from dry reeds.
\q1
\v 21 Their breath can cause coals to blaze,
\q2 and flames shoot out from their mouths.
\q1
\v 22 Their necks are very strong;
\q2 wherever they go, they cause people to be very afraid.
\q1
\v 23 The folds in their flesh are very close together
\q2 and are very hard/firm.
\q1
\v 24 \add They are fearless\add*, 
\q2 because the inner parts of their bodies are as hard as a rock,
\q2 as hard as the lower millstone  \add on which grain is ground\add*.
\q1
\v 25 When they rise up, they cause  \add even\add* very strong people to be terrified.
\q2 As a result, people ◄fall back/run away► when ◄crocodiles/great sea dragons► thrash around.
\q1
\v 26 \add People\add* [PRS] cannot injure them with swords,
\q2 and spears or darts or javelins cannot injure them, either.
\q1
\v 27 They  \add certainly are not afraid of weapons made of\add* straw or rotten wood,
\q2 but  \add they are not even afraid of weapons made of\add* iron or bronze!
\q1
\v 28 \add Shooting\add* arrows  \add at them\add* does not cause them to run away.
\q2  \add Hurling\add* stones at them from a sling is like  \add hurling\add* bits of chaff at them.
\q1
\v 29 They are not afraid of clubs  \add anymore than they would be afraid of men throwing\add* bits of straw at them,
\q2 and they laugh when they hear the whirl/sound of javelins  \add being thrown at them\add*.
\q1
\v 30 Their bellies are covered with scales that are as sharp as broken pieces of pottery.
\q2 When they drag themselves through the mud,
\q2 their bellies tear up the ground like a plow.
\q1
\v 31 They stir up the water and cause it to foam
\q2  \add as they churn/swim through it\add*.
\q1
\v 32 As they go through the water, their ◄wakes/trails in the water behind them► glisten.
\q2 People  \add who see it\add* would think that the foam had become white hair.
\q1
\v 33 There are no creatures on earth that are as fearless as ◄crocodiles/great sea dragons►.
\q1
\v 34 They are the proudest of all the creatures;
\q2 they are  \add like\add* kings over all the other wild animals.”
\c 42
\s1 Job replied to Yahweh
\p
\v 1 Then Job replied to Yahweh. \add He said\add*, 
\q1
\v 2 “I know that you can do everything
\q2 and that no one can stop you from doing what you want to do.
\q1
\v 3 \add You asked me\add*, ‘◄Who are you, who by speaking ignorantly, question what I plan to do?/You have no right to question what I plan to do by speaking ignorantly.►’ [RHQ]
\q2 It is true that I spoke about things that I did not understand,
\q2 things that are very wonderful/marvelous,
\q2 and therefore I am not able to know them.
\q1
\v 4 You said to me, ‘Listen while I talk to you.
\q2 I want to ask you some questions,
\q2 so prepare yourself to answer them.’
\q1
\v 5 I had heard about you previously,
\q2 but now  \add it is as though\add* I have seen you with my own eyes.
\q1
\v 6 Therefore I ◄am ashamed of/withdraw► what I said,
\q2 and I sit in dust and ashes to show that I am sorry  \add for what I said\add*.”
\s1 Yahweh said he disapproved of what Job's three friends said
\p
\v 7 After Yahweh said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz, “I am angry with you and your two friends, \add Bildad and Zophar\add*, because what my servant Job said about me was right/true, but what you have spoken about me was not right/true.
\v 8 So now you must take to Job seven young bulls and seven rams and  \add kill them and\add* burn them on the altar as a sacrifice for yourselves. Then Job will pray for you, and I will do what he requests me to do, \add and I will forgive you for speaking wrongly about me\add*. I will not punish you, even though you deserve to be punished, because what you said about me was not right/true, but what Job said about me was right/true.”
\p
\v 9 So Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar did what Yahweh commanded them to do, and Yahweh did what Job requested him to do  \add for the three of them\add*.
\s1 Yahweh blessed Job again
\p
\v 10 After Job prayed for his three friends, Yahweh  \add healed him and\add* caused him to become rich again. Yahweh gave him twice as many things as he had before.
\v 11 Then all his brothers and sisters, and all the people who had known him before, came to his house, and they ate a meal together. They consoled/comforted [DOU] him because of all the troubles that Yahweh had allowed to happen to him. Each of them gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring.
\p
\v 12 Then Yahweh blessed Job in the second half of his life more than he had blessed him in the first half of his life. He now acquired/owned 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 2,000 oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys.
\v 13 And he also had seven  \add more\add* sons and three  \add more\add* daughters.
\v 14 He named the first daughter Jemimah, he named the second daughter Keziah, and he named the third daughter Keren-Happuch.
\v 15 In all of  \add Uz\add* land there were no young women who were as beautiful as the daughters of Job, and Job declared that they would inherit some of his possessions, just like their brothers would inherit some.
\p
\v 16 After that, Job lived 140 more years. Before he died, he ◄saw/enjoyed being with► his great-great-grandchildren.
\v 17 He was very old [DOU] when he died.