Job Prepares His Case 1 UST “I can assure you, my friends, that I already know everything that you have been telling me. Yes, I have heard and understood all that you have said. BSB BSB: “Indeed, my eyes have seen all this; my ears have heard and understood.
2 UST I know everything that you know. I do not know less than you do. BSB BSB: What you know, I also know; I am not inferior to you.
3 UST But I would like to speak with Almighty God{, not with you}. I would like to convince him{ that I am innocent}. BSB BSB: Yet I desire to speak to the Almighty and argue my case before God.
4 UST As for you, you are telling so many lies about me that other people can hardly recognize what I am really like. Your advice is so worthless that you are all like doctors who sell people useless medicine. BSB BSB: You, however, smear with lies; you are all worthless physicians.
5 UST I wish that you would just stop talking. Then you would really seem to be wise! BSB BSB: If only you would remain silent; for that would be your wisdom!
6 UST Please pay attention to what I am telling you! BSB BSB: Hear now my argument, and listen to the plea of my lips.
7 UST You are speaking on God’ s behalf, but you are not telling the truth! You are speaking deceptively, but you think that you are helping God! BSB BSB: Will you speak wickedly on God’s behalf or speak deceitfully for Him?
8 UST You are not being fair to me. Instead, you are acting as if you are God’ s lawyers defending him in court! BSB BSB: Would you show Him partiality or argue in His defense?
9 UST If God investigates what you are doing, he will find that you are doing wrong. No, you can not deceive him as you might deceive a human being! BSB BSB: Would it be well when He examined you? Could you deceive Him as you would deceive a man?
10 UST God would certainly rebuke you when he discovered that you were pretending to be fair but were actually being unfair. BSB BSB: Surely He would rebuke you if you secretly showed partiality.
11 UST He would certainly bring the full force of his power against you. That would make you very afraid of him! BSB BSB: Would His majesty not terrify you? Would the dread of Him not fall upon you?
12 UST You are quoting traditional sayings, but they have no value in my situation. Your arguments in support of your position are very easy for someone to refute. BSB BSB: Your maxims are proverbs of ashes; your defenses are defenses of clay.
13 UST So stop talking to me. Allow me to speak. I do not care what God does to me as a result of what I say. BSB BSB: Be silent, and I will speak. Then let come to me what may.
14 UST I will be risking my life. I will be taking the chance that God will execute me for what I say. But I have good reason to do that. BSB BSB: Why do I put myself at risk and take my life in my own hands?
15 UST Indeed, God might kill me{ for starting to argue a case against him}, but I hope that he{ would still judge me fairly after I die}. So I am going to defend my behavior to him in person. BSB BSB: Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. I will still defend my ways to His face.
16 UST I believe that arguing a case against God will actually help convince God that I am innocent. After all, no wicked person would dare to approach God personally.” BSB BSB: Moreover, this will be my salvation, for no godless man can appear before Him.
17 UST “God, listen very carefully to what I say. Pay attention to me as I speak. BSB BSB: Listen carefully to my words; let my declaration ring in your ears.
18 UST Please pay careful attention because I will be defending myself by telling you things I have thought carefully about. I have examined myself, and I am convinced that I am innocent. BSB BSB: See now, I have prepared my case; I know that I will be vindicated.
19 UST I do not believe that anyone could prove that what I am going to say is false. If I knew that it was false, I would not argue this case. I would accept dying{ as my fair punishment}. BSB BSB: Can anyone indict me? If so, I will be silent and die.
20 UST However, I must ask you to stop doing two things to me. Then I will be able to speak with you in person. BSB BSB: Only grant these two things to me, so that I need not hide from You:
21 UST The first thing I ask is that you stop punishing me. The second thing I ask is that you stop scaring me. BSB BSB: Withdraw Your hand from me, and do not let Your terror frighten me.
22 UST { If you agree to stop punishing me and stop scaring me, then} go ahead and start questioning me, and I will respond. Or allow me to question you first, and then you respond to my questions. BSB BSB: Then call me, and I will answer, or let me speak, and You can reply.
23 UST Tell me what I have done that is wrong. Tell me what sins I have committed. Show me how I have disobeyed you. BSB BSB: How many are my iniquities and sins? Reveal to me my transgression and sin.
24 UST I do not understand why you are avoiding me. I do not understand why you are treating me like your enemy. BSB BSB: Why do You hide Your face and consider me as Your enemy?
25 UST I am as insignificant as a leaf that the wind blows, so you do not need to punish me{ as if I were a dangerous criminal}. I am as unimportant as a bit of dry chaff, so you do not need to chase me. BSB BSB: Would You frighten a windblown leaf? Would You chase after dry chaff?
26 UST { From the way I am suffering, it appears that you are punishing me because} you consider that I have done terrible things. It seems that you are punishing me even for the wrong things I did when I was young{ and I did not know any better}. BSB BSB: For You record bitter accusations against me and bequeath to me the iniquities of my youth.
27 UST It seems as if{ you are judging me too strictly, as if} you had put chains on my feet{ to keep me from going anywhere}. It feels as if you are watching everything that I do very closely. It is as if you will only let me do a few specific things. BSB BSB: You put my feet in the stocks and stand watch over all my paths; You set a limit for the soles of my feet.
28 UST { But you do not need to watch me so closely.} I am a mere human being with a body that is as fragile as rotten wood that is falling apart, as fragile a piece of cloth that the larvae of moths are eating. BSB BSB: So man wastes away like something rotten, like a moth-eaten garment.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.