1 T hen Job answered and said:

And Job answered and said,

2 “ How long will you torment my soul, And break me in pieces with words?

How long will ye vex my soul, and crush me with words?

3 T hese ten times you have reproached me; You are not ashamed that you have wronged me.

These ten times have ye reproached me; ye are not ashamed to stupefy me.

4 A nd if indeed I have erred, My error remains with me.

And be it I have erred, mine error remaineth with myself.

5 I f indeed you exalt yourselves against me, And plead my disgrace against me,

If indeed ye will magnify yourselves against me, and prove against me my reproach,

6 K now then that God has wronged me, And has surrounded me with His net.

Know now that +God hath overthrown me, and hath surrounded me with his net.

7 “ If I cry out concerning wrong, I am not heard. If I cry aloud, there is no justice.

Behold, I cry out of wrong, and I am not heard; I cry aloud, but there is no judgment.

8 H e has fenced up my way, so that I cannot pass; And He has set darkness in my paths.

He hath hedged up my way that I cannot pass, and he hath set darkness in my paths.

9 H e has stripped me of my glory, And taken the crown from my head.

He hath stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head.

10 H e breaks me down on every side, And I am gone; My hope He has uprooted like a tree.

He breaketh me down on every side, and I am gone; and my hope hath he torn up as a tree.

11 H e has also kindled His wrath against me, And He counts me as one of His enemies.

And he hath kindled his anger against me, and hath counted me unto him as one of his enemies.

12 H is troops come together And build up their road against me; They encamp all around my tent.

His troops have come together and cast up their way against me, and have encamped round about my tent.

13 “ He has removed my brothers far from me, And my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.

He hath put my brethren far from me, and mine acquaintance are quite estranged from me.

14 M y relatives have failed, And my close friends have forgotten me.

My kinsfolk have failed, and my known friends have forgotten me.

15 T hose who dwell in my house, and my maidservants, Count me as a stranger; I am an alien in their sight.

The sojourners in my house and my maids count me as a stranger; I am an alien in their sight.

16 I call my servant, but he gives no answer; I beg him with my mouth.

I called my servant, and he answered not; I entreated him with my mouth.

17 M y breath is offensive to my wife, And I am repulsive to the children of my own body.

My breath is strange to my wife, and my entreaties to the children of my womb.

18 E ven young children despise me; I arise, and they speak against me.

Even young children despise me; I rise up, and they speak against me.

19 A ll my close friends abhor me, And those whom I love have turned against me.

All my intimate friends abhor me, and they whom I loved are turned against me.

20 M y bone clings to my skin and to my flesh, And I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.

My bones cleave to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.

21 “ Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends, For the hand of God has struck me!

Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, ye my friends; for the hand of +God hath touched me.

22 W hy do you persecute me as God does, And are not satisfied with my flesh?

Why do ye persecute me as God, and are not satisfied with my flesh?

23 “ Oh, that my words were written! Oh, that they were inscribed in a book!

Oh would that my words were written! oh that they were inscribed in a book!

24 T hat they were engraved on a rock With an iron pen and lead, forever!

That with an iron style and lead they were graven in the rock for ever!

25 F or I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth;

And me, I know that my Redeemer liveth, and the Last, he shall stand upon the earth;

26 A nd after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God,

And after my skin this shall be destroyed, yet from out of my flesh shall I see +God;

27 W hom I shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!

Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another:—my reins are consumed within me.

28 I f you should say, ‘How shall we persecute him?’— Since the root of the matter is found in me,

If ye say, How shall we persecute him? when the root of the matter is found in me,

29 B e afraid of the sword for yourselves; For wrath brings the punishment of the sword, That you may know there is a judgment.”

Be ye yourselves afraid of the sword! for the sword is fury against misdeeds, that ye may know there is a judgment.