Job 33:8-30

Job 33:8-30 The Message (MSG)

“Here’s what you said. I heard you say it with my own ears. You said, ‘I’m pure—I’ve done nothing wrong. Believe me, I’m clean—my conscience is clear. But God keeps picking on me; he treats me like I’m his enemy. He’s thrown me in jail; he keeps me under constant surveillance.’ “But let me tell you, Job, you’re wrong, dead wrong! God is far greater than any human. So how dare you haul him into court, and then complain that he won’t answer your charges? God always answers, one way or another, even when people don’t recognize his presence. “In a dream, for instance, a vision at night, when men and women are deep in sleep, fast asleep in their beds— God opens their ears and impresses them with warnings To turn them back from something bad they’re planning, from some reckless choice, And keep them from an early grave, from the river of no return. “Or, God might get their attention through pain, by throwing them on a bed of suffering, So they can’t stand the sight of food, have no appetite for their favorite treats. They lose weight, wasting away to nothing, reduced to a bag of bones. They hang on the cliff-edge of death, knowing the next breath may be their last. “But even then an angel could come, a champion—there are thousands of them!— to take up your cause, A messenger who would mercifully intervene, canceling the death sentence with the words: ‘I’ve come up with the ransom!’ Before you know it, you’re healed, the very picture of health! “Or, you may fall on your knees and pray—to God’s delight! You’ll see God’s smile and celebrate, finding yourself set right with God. You’ll sing God’s praises to everyone you meet, testifying, ‘I messed up my life— and let me tell you, it wasn’t worth it. But God stepped in and saved me from certain death. I’m alive again! Once more I see the light!’ “This is the way God works. Over and over again He pulls our souls back from certain destruction so we’ll see the light—and live in the light!

Job 33:8-30 King James Version (KJV)

Surely thou hast spoken in mine hearing, And I have heard the voice of thy words, saying, I am clean without transgression, I am innocent; neither is there iniquity in me. Behold, he findeth occasions against me, He counteth me for his enemy, He putteth my feet in the stocks, He marketh all my paths. Behold, in this thou art not just: I will answer thee, that God is greater than man. Why dost thou strive against him? For he giveth not account of any of his matters. For God speaketh once, Yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, When deep sleep falleth upon men, In slumberings upon the bed; Then he openeth the ears of men, And sealeth their instruction, That he may withdraw man from his purpose, And hide pride from man. He keepeth back his soul from the pit, And his life from perishing by the sword. He is chastened also with pain upon his bed, And the multitude of his bones with strong pain: So that his life abhorreth bread, And his soul dainty meat. His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen; And his bones that were not seen stick out. Yea, his soul draweth near unto the grave, And his life to the destroyers. If there be a messenger with him, An interpreter, one among a thousand, To shew unto man his uprightness: Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom. His flesh shall be fresher than a child's: He shall return to the days of his youth: He shall pray unto God, and he will be favourable unto him: And he shall see his face with joy: For he will render unto man his righteousness. He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, And it profited me not; He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, And his life shall see the light. Lo, all these things worketh God Oftentimes with man, To bring back his soul from the pit, To be enlightened with the light of the living.

Job 33:8-30 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)

“Surely you have spoken in my hearing, And I have heard the sound of your words: ‘I am pure, without transgression; I am innocent and there is no guilt in me. Behold, He invents pretexts against me; He counts me as His enemy. He puts my feet in the stocks; He watches all my paths.’ Behold, let me tell you, you are not right in this, For God is greater than man. “Why do you complain against Him That He does not give an account of all His doings? Indeed God speaks once, Or twice, yet no one notices it. In a dream, a vision of the night, When sound sleep falls on men, While they slumber in their beds, Then He opens the ears of men, And seals their instruction, That He may turn man aside from his conduct, And keep man from pride; He keeps back his soul from the pit, And his life from passing over into Sheol. “Man is also chastened with pain on his bed, And with unceasing complaint in his bones; So that his life loathes bread, And his soul favorite food. His flesh wastes away from sight, And his bones which were not seen stick out. Then his soul draws near to the pit, And his life to those who bring death. “If there is an angel as mediator for him, One out of a thousand, To remind a man what is right for him, Then let him be gracious to him, and say, ‘Deliver him from going down to the pit, I have found a ransom’; Let his flesh become fresher than in youth, Let him return to the days of his youthful vigor; Then he will pray to God, and He will accept him, That he may see His face with joy, And He may restore His righteousness to man. He will sing to men and say, ‘I have sinned and perverted what is right, And it is not proper for me. He has redeemed my soul from going to the pit, And my life shall see the light.’ “Behold, God does all these oftentimes with men, To bring back his soul from the pit, That he may be enlightened with the light of life.

Job 33:8-30 New Century Version (NCV)

“But I heard what you have said; I heard every word. You said, ‘I am pure and without sin; I am innocent and free from guilt. But God has found fault with me; he considers me his enemy. He locks my feet in chains and closely watches everywhere I go.’ “But I tell you, you are not right in saying this, because God is greater than we are. Why do you accuse God of not answering anyone? God does speak—sometimes one way and sometimes another— even though people may not understand it. He speaks in a dream or a vision of the night when people are in a deep sleep, lying on their beds. He speaks in their ears and frightens them with warnings to turn them away from doing wrong and to keep them from being proud. God does this to save people from death, to keep them from dying. People may be corrected while in bed in great pain; they may have continual pain in their very bones. They may be in such pain that they even hate food, even the very best meal. Their body becomes so thin there is almost nothing left of it, and their bones that were hidden now stick out. They are near death, and their life is almost over. “But there may be an angel to speak for him, one out of a thousand, who will tell him what to do. The angel will beg for mercy and say: ‘Save him from death. I have found a way to pay for his life.’ Then his body is made new like a child’s. It will return to the way it was when he was young. That person will pray to God, and God will listen to him. He will see God’s face and will shout with happiness. And God will set things right for him again. Then he will say to others, ‘I sinned and twisted what was right, but I did not receive the punishment I should have received. God bought my life back from death, and I will continue to enjoy life.’ “God does all these things to a person two or even three times so he won’t die as punishment for his sins and so he may still enjoy life.

Job 33:8-30 American Standard Version (ASV)

Surely thou hast spoken in my hearing, And I have heard the voice of thy words, saying, I am clean, without transgression; I am innocent, neither is there iniquity in me: Behold, he findeth occasions against me, He counteth me for his enemy; He putteth my feet in the stocks, He marketh all my paths. Behold, I will answer thee, in this thou art not just; For God is greater than man. Why dost thou strive against him, For that he giveth not account of any of his matters? For God speaketh once, Yea twice, though man regardeth it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, When deep sleep falleth upon men, In slumberings upon the bed; Then he openeth the ears of men, And sealeth their instruction, That he may withdraw man from his purpose, And hide pride from man; He keepeth back his soul from the pit, And his life from perishing by the sword. He is chastened also with pain upon his bed, And with continual strife in his bones; So that his life abhorreth bread, And his soul dainty food. His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen; And his bones that were not seen stick out. Yea, his soul draweth near unto the pit, And his life to the destroyers. If there be with him an angel, An interpreter, one among a thousand, To show unto man what is right for him; Then God is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit, I have found a ransom. His flesh shall be fresher than a child’s; He returneth to the days of his youth. He prayeth unto God, and he is favorable unto him, So that he seeth his face with joy: And he restoreth unto man his righteousness. He singeth before men, and saith, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, And it profited me not: He hath redeemed my soul from going into the pit, And my life shall behold the light. Lo, all these things doth God work, Twice, yea thrice, with a man, To bring back his soul from the pit, That he may be enlightened with the light of the living.

Job 33:8-30 New International Version (NIV)

“But you have said in my hearing— I heard the very words— ‘I am pure, I have done no wrong; I am clean and free from sin. Yet God has found fault with me; he considers me his enemy. He fastens my feet in shackles; he keeps close watch on all my paths.’ “But I tell you, in this you are not right, for God is greater than any mortal. Why do you complain to him that he responds to no one’s words? For God does speak—now one way, now another— though no one perceives it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber in their beds, he may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings, to turn them from wrongdoing and keep them from pride, to preserve them from the pit, their lives from perishing by the sword. “Or someone may be chastened on a bed of pain with constant distress in their bones, so that their body finds food repulsive and their soul loathes the choicest meal. Their flesh wastes away to nothing, and their bones, once hidden, now stick out. They draw near to the pit, and their life to the messengers of death. Yet if there is an angel at their side, a messenger, one out of a thousand, sent to tell them how to be upright, and he is gracious to that person and says to God, ‘Spare them from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom for them— let their flesh be renewed like a child’s; let them be restored as in the days of their youth’— then that person can pray to God and find favor with him, they will see God’s face and shout for joy; he will restore them to full well-being. And they will go to others and say, ‘I have sinned, I have perverted what is right, but I did not get what I deserved. God has delivered me from going down to the pit, and I shall live to enjoy the light of life.’ “God does all these things to a person— twice, even three times— to turn them back from the pit, that the light of life may shine on them.

Job 33:8-30 New King James Version (NKJV)

“Surely you have spoken in my hearing, And I have heard the sound of your words, saying, ‘I am pure, without transgression; I am innocent, and there is no iniquity in me. Yet He finds occasions against me, He counts me as His enemy; He puts my feet in the stocks, He watches all my paths.’ “Look, in this you are not righteous. I will answer you, For God is greater than man. Why do you contend with Him? For He does not give an accounting of any of His words. For God may speak in one way, or in another, Yet man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, When deep sleep falls upon men, While slumbering on their beds, Then He opens the ears of men, And seals their instruction. In order to turn man from his deed, And conceal pride from man, He keeps back his soul from the Pit, And his life from perishing by the sword. “Man is also chastened with pain on his bed, And with strong pain in many of his bones, So that his life abhors bread, And his soul succulent food. His flesh wastes away from sight, And his bones stick out which once were not seen. Yes, his soul draws near the Pit, And his life to the executioners. “If there is a messenger for him, A mediator, one among a thousand, To show man His uprightness, Then He is gracious to him, and says, ‘Deliver him from going down to the Pit; I have found a ransom’; His flesh shall be young like a child’s, He shall return to the days of his youth. He shall pray to God, and He will delight in him, He shall see His face with joy, For He restores to man His righteousness. Then he looks at men and says, ‘I have sinned, and perverted what was right, And it did not profit me.’ He will redeem his soul from going down to the Pit, And his life shall see the light. “Behold, God works all these things, Twice, in fact, three times with a man, To bring back his soul from the Pit, That he may be enlightened with the light of life.

Job 33:8-30 Amplified Bible (AMP)

“Surely you have spoken in my hearing, And I have heard the sound of your words, saying: ‘I am pure, without transgression; I am innocent and there is no guilt in me. Behold, God finds pretexts against me; He counts me as His enemy. He puts my feet in the stocks [to hinder and humiliate me]; He [suspiciously] watches all my paths,’ [you say]. Look, let me answer you, in this you are not right or just; For God is greater and far superior to man. “Why do you complain against Him? That He does not answer [you with] all His doings. For God speaks once, And even twice, yet no one notices it [including you, Job]. In a dream, a vision of the night [one may hear God’s voice], When deep sleep falls on men While slumbering upon the bed, Then He opens the ears of men And seals their instruction, That He may turn man aside from his conduct, And keep him from pride; He holds back his soul from the pit [of destruction], And his life from passing over into Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead). “Man is also disciplined with pain on his bed, And with unceasing complaint in his bones, So that his life makes him loathe food, And his soul [loathe] even his favorite dishes. His flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen, And his bones which were not seen now stick out. Then his soul draws near to the pit [of destruction], And his life to those who bring death (the destroyers). “If there is an angel as a mediator for him, One out of a thousand, To explain to a man what is right for him [that is, how to be in right standing with God], Then the angel is gracious to him, and says, ‘Spare him from going down to the pit [of destruction]; I have found a ransom [a consideration, or reason for redemption, an atonement]!’ Let his flesh be restored and become fresher than in youth; Let him return to the days of his youthful strength. He will pray to God, and He shall be favorable to him, So that he looks at His face with joy; For God restores to man His righteousness [that is, his right standing with God—with its joys]. He sings out to other men, ‘I have sinned and perverted that which was right, And it was not proper for me! God has redeemed my life from going to the pit [of destruction], And my life shall see the light.’ ” [Elihu comments,] “Behold, God does all these things twice, yes, three times, with a man, To bring his life back from the pit [of destruction], That he may be enlightened with the light of the living.

Job 33:8-30 New Living Translation (NLT)

“You have spoken in my hearing, and I have heard your very words. You said, ‘I am pure; I am without sin; I am innocent; I have no guilt. God is picking a quarrel with me, and he considers me his enemy. He puts my feet in the stocks and watches my every move.’ “But you are wrong, and I will show you why. For God is greater than any human being. So why are you bringing a charge against him? Why say he does not respond to people’s complaints? For God speaks again and again, though people do not recognize it. He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in their beds. He whispers in their ears and terrifies them with warnings. He makes them turn from doing wrong; he keeps them from pride. He protects them from the grave, from crossing over the river of death. “Or God disciplines people with pain on their sickbeds, with ceaseless aching in their bones. They lose their appetite for even the most delicious food. Their flesh wastes away, and their bones stick out. They are at death’s door; the angels of death wait for them. “But if an angel from heaven appears— a special messenger to intercede for a person and declare that he is upright— he will be gracious and say, ‘Rescue him from the grave, for I have found a ransom for his life.’ Then his body will become as healthy as a child’s, firm and youthful again. When he prays to God, he will be accepted. And God will receive him with joy and restore him to good standing. He will declare to his friends, ‘I sinned and twisted the truth, but it was not worth it. God rescued me from the grave, and now my life is filled with light.’ “Yes, God does these things again and again for people. He rescues them from the grave so they may enjoy the light of life.

Job 33:8-30 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)

“Surely you have spoken in my ears, and I have heard the sound of your words. You say, ‘I am pure, without transgression; I am clean, and there is no iniquity in me. Behold, he finds occasions against me, he counts me as his enemy, he puts my feet in the stocks and watches all my paths.’ “Behold, in this you are not right. I will answer you, for God is greater than man. Why do you contend against him, saying, ‘He will answer none of man’s words’? For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, while they slumber on their beds, then he opens the ears of men and terrifies them with warnings, that he may turn man aside from his deed and conceal pride from a man; he keeps back his soul from the pit, his life from perishing by the sword. “Man is also rebuked with pain on his bed and with continual strife in his bones, so that his life loathes bread, and his appetite the choicest food. His flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen, and his bones that were not seen stick out. His soul draws near the pit, and his life to those who bring death. If there be for him an angel, a mediator, one of the thousand, to declare to man what is right for him, and he is merciful to him, and says, ‘Deliver him from going down into the pit; I have found a ransom; let his flesh become fresh with youth; let him return to the days of his youthful vigor’; then man prays to God, and he accepts him; he sees his face with a shout of joy, and he restores to man his righteousness. He sings before men and says: ‘I sinned and perverted what was right, and it was not repaid to me. He has redeemed my soul from going down into the pit, and my life shall look upon the light.’ “Behold, God does all these things, twice, three times, with a man, to bring back his soul from the pit, that he may be lighted with the light of life.