Job 36:5-33 - Compare All Versions

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“God is mighty, but despises no one; he is mighty, and firm in his purpose. He does not keep the wicked alive but gives the afflicted their rights. He does not take his eyes off the righteous; he enthrones them with kings and exalts them forever. But if people are bound in chains, held fast by cords of affliction, he tells them what they have done— that they have sinned arrogantly. He makes them listen to correction and commands them to repent of their evil. If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment. But if they do not listen, they will perish by the sword and die without knowledge. “The godless in heart harbor resentment; even when he fetters them, they do not cry for help. They die in their youth, among male prostitutes of the shrines. But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction. “He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food. But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked; judgment and justice have taken hold of you. Be careful that no one entices you by riches; do not let a large bribe turn you aside. Would your wealth or even all your mighty efforts sustain you so you would not be in distress? Do not long for the night, to drag people away from their homes. Beware of turning to evil, which you seem to prefer to affliction. “God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him? Who has prescribed his ways for him, or said to him, ‘You have done wrong’? Remember to extol his work, which people have praised in song. All humanity has seen it; mortals gaze on it from afar. How great is God—beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out. “He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams; the clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind. Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds, how he thunders from his pavilion? See how he scatters his lightning about him, bathing the depths of the sea. This is the way he governs the nations and provides food in abundance. He fills his hands with lightning and commands it to strike its mark. His thunder announces the coming storm; even the cattle make known its approach.

“Behold, God is mighty, and does not despise any; he is mighty in strength of understanding. He does not keep the wicked alive, but gives the afflicted their right. He does not withdraw his eyes from the righteous, but with kings on the throne he sets them forever, and they are exalted. And if they are bound in chains and caught in the cords of affliction, then he declares to them their work and their transgressions, that they are behaving arrogantly. He opens their ears to instruction and commands that they return from iniquity. If they listen and serve him, they complete their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasantness. But if they do not listen, they perish by the sword and die without knowledge. “The godless in heart cherish anger; they do not cry for help when he binds them. They die in youth, and their life ends among the cult prostitutes. He delivers the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ear by adversity. He also allured you out of distress into a broad place where there was no cramping, and what was set on your table was full of fatness. “But you are full of the judgment on the wicked; judgment and justice seize you. Beware lest wrath entice you into scoffing, and let not the greatness of the ransom turn you aside. Will your cry for help avail to keep you from distress, or all the force of your strength? Do not long for the night, when peoples vanish in their place. Take care; do not turn to iniquity, for this you have chosen rather than affliction. Behold, God is exalted in his power; who is a teacher like him? Who has prescribed for him his way, or who can say, ‘You have done wrong’? “Remember to extol his work, of which men have sung. All mankind has looked on it; man beholds it from afar. Behold, God is great, and we know him not; the number of his years is unsearchable. For he draws up the drops of water; they distill his mist in rain, which the skies pour down and drop on mankind abundantly. Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds, the thunderings of his pavilion? Behold, he scatters his lightning about him and covers the roots of the sea. For by these he judges peoples; he gives food in abundance. He covers his hands with the lightning and commands it to strike the mark. Its crashing declares his presence; the cattle also declare that he rises.

“God is mighty, but he does not despise anyone! He is mighty in both power and understanding. He does not let the wicked live but gives justice to the afflicted. He never takes his eyes off the innocent, but he sets them on thrones with kings and exalts them forever. If they are bound in chains and caught up in a web of trouble, he shows them the reason. He shows them their sins of pride. He gets their attention and commands that they turn from evil. “If they listen and obey God, they will be blessed with prosperity throughout their lives. All their years will be pleasant. But if they refuse to listen to him, they will cross over the river of death, dying from lack of understanding. For the godless are full of resentment. Even when he punishes them, they refuse to cry out to him for help. They die when they are young, after wasting their lives in immoral living. But by means of their suffering, he rescues those who suffer. For he gets their attention through adversity. “God is leading you away from danger, Job, to a place free from distress. He is setting your table with the best food. But you are obsessed with whether the godless will be judged. Don’t worry, judgment and justice will be upheld. But watch out, or you may be seduced by wealth. Don’t let yourself be bribed into sin. Could all your wealth or all your mighty efforts keep you from distress? Do not long for the cover of night, for that is when people will be destroyed. Be on guard! Turn back from evil, for God sent this suffering to keep you from a life of evil. “Look, God is all-powerful. Who is a teacher like him? No one can tell him what to do, or say to him, ‘You have done wrong.’ Instead, glorify his mighty works, singing songs of praise. Everyone has seen these things, though only from a distance. “Look, God is greater than we can understand. His years cannot be counted. He draws up the water vapor and then distills it into rain. The rain pours down from the clouds, and everyone benefits. Who can understand the spreading of the clouds and the thunder that rolls forth from heaven? See how he spreads the lightning around him and how it lights up the depths of the sea. By these mighty acts he nourishes the people, giving them food in abundance. He fills his hands with lightning bolts and hurls each at its target. The thunder announces his presence; the storm announces his indignant anger.

Yes, God is mighty, but he despises no one; he understands all things.  , He does not keep the wicked alive,  but he gives justice to the oppressed. He does not withdraw his gaze from the righteous, but he seats them forever with enthroned kings, and they are exalted. If people are bound with chains and trapped by the cords of affliction, God tells them what they have done and how arrogantly they have transgressed. He opens their ears  to correction and tells them to repent from iniquity. If they listen and serve him, they will end their days in prosperity and their years in happiness.  But if they do not listen, they will cross the river of death  and die without knowledge.  Those who have a godless heart harbor anger; even when God binds them, they do not cry for help. They die in their youth; their life ends among male cult prostitutes.  God rescues the afflicted by their affliction; he instructs them by their torment. Indeed, he lured you from the jaws  of distress to a spacious and unconfined place. Your table was spread with choice food. Yet now you are obsessed with the judgment due the wicked; judgment and justice have seized you. Be careful that no one lures you with riches;  do not let a large ransom  lead you astray.  Can your wealth  or all your physical exertion keep you from distress?  Do not long for the night when nations will disappear from their places. Be careful that you do not turn to iniquity, for that is why you have been tested by   affliction. Look, God shows himself exalted by his power. Who is a teacher like him? Who has appointed his way for him, and who has declared, “You have done wrong”?  Remember that you should praise his work, which people have sung about.  All mankind has seen it; people have looked at it from a distance.  Yes, God is exalted beyond our knowledge;  the number of his years cannot be counted.  For he makes waterdrops evaporate;  they distill the rain into its   mist,  which the clouds pour out and shower abundantly on mankind. Can anyone understand how the clouds spread out or how the thunder roars from God’s pavilion?  See how he spreads his lightning  around him and covers the depths of the sea. For he judges the nations with these; he gives food in abundance.  He covers his hands with lightning and commands it to hit its mark. The  thunder declares his presence;  the cattle also, the approaching storm.

Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: He is mighty in strength and wisdom. He preserveth not the life of the wicked: But giveth right to the poor. He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous: But with kings are they on the throne; Yea, he doth establish them for ever, and they are exalted. And if they be bound in fetters, And be holden in cords of affliction; Then he sheweth them their work, And their transgressions that they have exceeded. He openeth also their ear to discipline, And commandeth that they return from iniquity. If they obey and serve him, They shall spend their days in prosperity, And their years in pleasures. But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, And they shall die without knowledge. But the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath: They cry not when he bindeth them. They die in youth, And their life is among the unclean. He delivereth the poor in his affliction, And openeth their ears in oppression. Even so would he have removed thee out of the strait Into a broad place, where there is no straitness; And that which should be set on thy table should be full of fatness. But thou hast fulfilled the judgment of the wicked: Judgment and justice take hold on thee. Because there is wrath, beware lest he take thee away with his stroke: Then a great ransom cannot deliver thee. Will he esteem thy riches? no, not gold, Nor all the forces of strength. Desire not the night, When people are cut off in their place. Take heed, regard not iniquity: For this hast thou chosen rather than affliction. Behold, God exalteth by his power: Who teacheth like him? Who hath enjoined him his way? Or who can say, Thou hast wrought iniquity? Remember that thou magnify his work, Which men behold. Every man may see it; Man may behold it afar off. Behold, God is great, and we know him not, Neither can the number of his years be searched out. For he maketh small the drops of water: They pour down rain according to the vapour thereof: Which the clouds do drop And distil upon man abundantly. Also can any understand the spreadings of the clouds, Or the noise of his tabernacle? Behold, he spreadeth his light upon it, And covereth the bottom of the sea. For by them judgeth he the people; He giveth meat in abundance. With clouds he covereth the light; And commandeth it not to shine by the cloud that cometh betwixt. The noise thereof sheweth concerning it, The cattle also concerning the vapour.

“Behold, God is mighty, but despises no one; He is mighty in strength of understanding. He does not preserve the life of the wicked, But gives justice to the oppressed. He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous; But they are on the throne with kings, For He has seated them forever, And they are exalted. And if they are bound in fetters, Held in the cords of affliction, Then He tells them their work and their transgressions— That they have acted defiantly. He also opens their ear to instruction, And commands that they turn from iniquity. If they obey and serve Him, They shall spend their days in prosperity, And their years in pleasures. But if they do not obey, They shall perish by the sword, And they shall die without knowledge. “But the hypocrites in heart store up wrath; They do not cry for help when He binds them. They die in youth, And their life ends among the perverted persons. He delivers the poor in their affliction, And opens their ears in oppression. “Indeed He would have brought you out of dire distress, Into a broad place where there is no restraint; And what is set on your table would be full of richness. But you are filled with the judgment due the wicked; Judgment and justice take hold of you. Because there is wrath, beware lest He take you away with one blow; For a large ransom would not help you avoid it. Will your riches, Or all the mighty forces, Keep you from distress? Do not desire the night, When people are cut off in their place. Take heed, do not turn to iniquity, For you have chosen this rather than affliction. “Behold, God is exalted by His power; Who teaches like Him? Who has assigned Him His way, Or who has said, ‘You have done wrong’? “Remember to magnify His work, Of which men have sung. Everyone has seen it; Man looks on it from afar. “Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him; Nor can the number of His years be discovered. For He draws up drops of water, Which distill as rain from the mist, Which the clouds drop down And pour abundantly on man. Indeed, can anyone understand the spreading of clouds, The thunder from His canopy? Look, He scatters His light upon it, And covers the depths of the sea. For by these He judges the peoples; He gives food in abundance. He covers His hands with lightning, And commands it to strike. His thunder declares it, The cattle also, concerning the rising storm.

“It’s true that God is all-powerful, but he doesn’t bully innocent people. For the wicked, though, it’s a different story— he doesn’t give them the time of day, but champions the rights of their victims. He never takes his eyes off the righteous; he honors them lavishly, promotes them endlessly. When things go badly, when affliction and suffering descend, God tells them where they’ve gone wrong, shows them how their pride has caused their trouble. He forces them to heed his warning, tells them they must repent of their bad life. If they obey and serve him, they’ll have a good, long life on easy street. But if they disobey, they’ll be cut down in their prime and never know the first thing about life. Angry people without God pile grievance upon grievance, always blaming others for their troubles. Living it up in sexual excesses, virility wasted, they die young. But those who learn from their suffering, God delivers from their suffering. “Oh, Job, don’t you see how God’s wooing you from the jaws of danger? How he’s drawing you into wide-open places— inviting you to feast at a table laden with blessings? And here you are laden with the guilt of the wicked, obsessed with putting the blame on God! Don’t let your great riches mislead you; don’t think you can bribe your way out of this. Did you plan to buy your way out of this? Not on your life! And don’t think that night, when people sleep off their troubles, will bring you any relief. Above all, don’t make things worse with more evil— that’s what’s behind your suffering as it is! “Do you have any idea how powerful God is? Have you ever heard of a teacher like him? Has anyone ever had to tell him what to do, or correct him, saying, ‘You did that all wrong!’? Remember, then, to praise his workmanship, which is so often celebrated in song. Everybody sees it; nobody is too far away to see it. “Take a long, hard look. See how great he is—infinite, greater than anything you could ever imagine or figure out! “He pulls water up out of the sea, distills it, and fills up his rain-cloud cisterns. Then the skies open up and pour out soaking showers on everyone. Does anyone have the slightest idea how this happens? How he arranges the clouds, how he speaks in thunder? Just look at that lightning, his sky-filling light show illumining the dark depths of the sea! These are the symbols of his sovereignty, his generosity, his loving care. He hurls arrows of light, taking sure and accurate aim. The High God roars in the thunder, angry against evil.”

“Behold, God is mighty but does not reject anyone; He is mighty in strength of understanding. “He does not keep the wicked alive, But gives justice to the afflicted. “He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous, But with kings on the throne He has seated them forever, and they are exalted. “And if they are bound in shackles, And are caught in the snares of misery, Then He declares to them their work And their wrongdoings, that they have been arrogant. “He opens their ears to instruction, And commands that they return from injustice. “If they listen and serve Him, They will end their days in prosperity, And their years in happiness. “But if they do not listen, they will perish by the sword, And die without knowledge. “But the godless in heart nurture anger; They do not call for help when He binds them. “They die in youth, And their life perishes among the cult prostitutes. “He rescues the afflicted in their misery, And opens their ears in time of oppression. “Then indeed, He induced you away from the mouth of distress, And instead of it, a broad place with no constraint; And your table was full of rich food. ¶“But you were full of judgment on the wicked; Judgment and justice take hold of you. “Beware that wrath does not entice you to mockery; And do not let the greatness of the ransom turn you aside. “Will your cry for help keep you from distress, Or all the exertions of your strength? “Do not long for the night, When people vanish in their places. “Be careful, do not turn to evil, For you preferred this to misery. “Behold, God is exalted in His power; Who is a teacher like Him? “Who has appointed Him His way, And who has said, ‘You have done wrong’? ¶“Remember that you are to exalt His work, Of which people have sung. “All people have seen it; Mankind looks at it from afar. “Behold, God is exalted, and we do not know Him; The number of His years is unsearchable. “For He draws up the drops of water; They distill rain from its celestial stream, Which clouds pour down; They drip upon mankind abundantly. “Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds, The thundering of His pavilion? “Behold, He spreads His lightning about Him, And He covers the depths of the sea. “For by them He judges peoples; He gives food in abundance. “He covers His hands with the lightning, And commands it to strike the target. “Its thundering voice declares His presence; The livestock also, concerning what is coming up.

“Behold, God is mighty, and yet does not despise anyone [nor regard any as trivial]; He is mighty in the strength and power of understanding. “He does not prolong the life of the wicked, But gives the afflicted their justice. “He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous [those in right standing with Him]; But with kings upon the throne He has seated them forever, and they are exalted. “And if they are bound in bonds [of adversity], And held by cords of affliction, [Ps 107:10, 11] Then He declares to them [the true character of] their deeds And their transgressions, that they have acted arrogantly [with presumption and notions of self-sufficiency]. “He opens their ears to instruction and discipline, And commands that they return from evil. “If they hear and serve Him, They will end their days in prosperity And their years in pleasantness and joy. “But if they do not hear and obey, they will die by the sword [of God’s destructive judgments] And they will die [in ignorance] without [true] knowledge. “But the godless in heart store up anger [at the divine discipline]; They do not cry [to Him] for help when He binds them [with cords of affliction]. [Rom 2:5] “They die in youth, And their life ends among the cult prostitutes. [Deut 23:17] “He rescues the afflicted in their affliction, And opens their ears [so that they pay attention to His voice] in times of oppression. “Then indeed, He enticed you from the mouth of distress and confinement, Into a broad place where there is no constraint or distress; And that which was set on your table was full of fatness (rich food). ¶“But you [Job] were full of judgment on the wicked, Judgment and justice take hold of you. “Do not let wrath entice you into scoffing; And do not let the greatness and the extent of the ransom turn you aside. “Will your wealth [be sufficient to] keep you from [the confinement of] distress, Or will all the force of your strength do it? “Do not long for the night, When people vanish from their places. “Take heed and be careful, do not turn to wickedness, For you have chosen this [the vice of complaining against God] rather than [learning from] affliction. “Behold, God is exalted in His power; Who is a ruler or a teacher like Him? “Who has appointed God His way, And who can say [to Him], ‘You have done wrong’? ¶“Remember that you should magnify God’s work, Of which men have sung. “All men have seen God’s work; Man looks at it from a distance. “Behold, God is exalted, and we do not know Him; The number of His years is unsearchable. [1 Cor 13:12] “For He draws up the drops of water, They distill rain from the mist, Which the clouds pour down, They drop abundantly upon mankind.” “Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds Or the thundering of His pavilion? [Ps 18:11; Is 40:22] “Behold, He spreads His lightning around Him [against the dark clouds], And He covers the depths of the sea. “For by these [mighty acts] He judges the peoples; He gives food in abundance. “He covers His hands with the lightning, And commands it to strike the mark. “His thundering voice declares [awesomely] His presence; The cattle also are told of His coming storm.

Indeed, God is mighty; and he does not despise people, he is mighty, and firm in his intent. He does not allow the wicked to live, but he gives justice to the poor. He does not take his eyes off the righteous; but with kings on the throne he seats the righteous and exalts them forever. But if they are bound in chains, and held captive by the cords of affliction, then he reveals to them what they have done, and their transgressions, that they were behaving proudly. And he reveals this for correction, and says that they must turn from evil. If they obey and serve him, they live out their days in prosperity and their years in pleasantness. But if they refuse to listen, they pass over the river of death, and expire without knowledge. The godless at heart nourish anger, they do not cry out even when he binds them. They die in their youth, and their life ends among the male cultic prostitutes. He delivers the afflicted by their afflictions, he reveals himself to them by their suffering. And surely, he drew you from the mouth of distress, to a wide place, unrestricted, and to the comfort of your table filled with rich food. But now you are preoccupied with the judgment due the wicked, judgment and justice take hold of you. Be careful that no one entices you with riches; do not let a large bribe turn you aside. Would your wealth sustain you, so that you would not be in distress, even all your mighty efforts? Do not long for the cover of night to drag people away from their homes. Take heed, do not turn to evil, for because of this you have been tested by affliction. Indeed, God is exalted in his power; who is a teacher like him? Who has prescribed his ways for him? Or said to him, ‘You have done what is wicked’? Remember to extol his work, which people have praised in song. All humanity has seen it; people gaze on it from afar. “Yes, God is great – beyond our knowledge! The number of his years is unsearchable. He draws up drops of water; they distill the rain into its mist, which the clouds pour down and shower on humankind abundantly. Who can understand the spreading of the clouds, the thunderings of his pavilion? See how he scattered his lightning about him; he has covered the depths of the sea. It is by these that he judges the nations and supplies food in abundance. With his hands he covers the lightning, and directs it against its target. His thunder announces the coming storm, the cattle also, concerning the storm’s approach.