Job 33

¹Howbeit, Job, I pray thee, hear my speech,

And hearken to all my words.

²Behold now, I have opened my mouth;

My tongue hath spoken in my mouth.

³My words shall utter the uprightness of my heart;

And that which my lips know they shall speak sincerely.

⁴The Spirit of God hath made me,

And the breath of the Almighty giveth me life.

⁵If thou canst, answer thou me;

Set thy words in order before me, stand forth.

⁶Behold, I am toward God even as thou art:

I also am formed out of the clay.

⁷Behold, my terror shall not make thee afraid,

Neither shall my pressure be heavy upon thee.

⁸Surely thou hast spoken in my hearing,

And I have heard the voice of thy words, saying,

⁹I am clean, without transgression;

I am innocent, neither is there iniquity in me:

¹⁰Behold, he findeth occasions against me,

He counteth me for his enemy;

¹¹He putteth my feet in the stocks,

He marketh all my paths.

¹²Behold, I will answer thee, in this thou art not just;

For God is greater than man.

¹³Why dost thou strive against him,

For that he giveth not account of any of his matters?

¹⁴For God speaketh once,

Yea twice, though man regardeth it not.

¹⁵In a dream, in a vision of the night,

When deep sleep falleth upon men,

In slumberings upon the bed;

¹⁶Then he openeth the ears of men,

And sealeth their instruction,

¹⁷That he may withdraw man from his purpose,

And hide pride from man;

¹⁸He keepeth back his soul from the pit,

And his life from perishing by the sword.

¹⁹He is chastened also with pain upon his bed,

And with continual strife in his bones;

²⁰So that his life abhorreth bread,

And his soul dainty food.

²¹His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen;

And his bones that were not seen stick out.

²²Yea, his soul draweth near unto the pit,

And his life to the destroyers.

²³If there be with him an angel,

An interpreter, one among a thousand,

To show unto man what is right for him;

²⁴Then God is gracious unto him, and saith,

Deliver him from going down to the pit,

I have found a ransom.

²⁵His flesh shall be fresher than a child’s;

He returneth to the days of his youth.

²⁶He prayeth unto God, and he is favorable unto him,

So that he seeth his face with joy:

And he restoreth unto man his righteousness.

²⁷He singeth before men, and saith,

I have sinned, and perverted that which was right,

And it profited me not:

²⁸He hath redeemed my soul from going into the pit,

And my life shall behold the light.

²⁹Lo, all these things doth God work,

Twice, yea thrice, with a man,

³⁰To bring back his soul from the pit,

That he may be enlightened with the light of the living.

³¹Mark well, O Job, hearken unto me:

Hold thy peace, and I will speak.

³²If thou hast anything to say, answer me:

Speak, for I desire to justify thee.

³³If not, hearken thou unto me:

Hold thy peace, and I will teach thee wisdom.