Job:25-30

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* Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said : * "Dominion and fear belong to Him ; He makes peace in His high places . * Is there any number to His armies ? Upon whom does His light not rise ? * How then can man be righteous before God ? Or how can he be pure who is born of a woman ? * If even the moon does not shine , And the stars are not pure in His sight , * How much less man , who is a maggot , And a son of man , who is a worm ?" * But Job answered and said : * "How have you helped him who is without power ? How have you saved the arm that has no strength ? * How have you counseled one who has no wisdom ? And how have you declared sound advice to many ? * To whom have you uttered words ? And whose spirit came from you ? * "The dead tremble , Those under the waters and those inhabiting them . * Sheol is naked before Him , And Destruction has no covering . * He stretches out the north over empty space ; He hangs the earth on nothing . * He binds up the water in His thick clouds , Yet the clouds are not broken under it . * He covers the face of His throne , And spreads His cloud over it . * He drew a circular horizon on the face of the waters , At the boundary of light and darkness . * The pillars of heaven tremble , And are astonished at His rebuke . * He stirs up the sea with His power , And by His understanding He breaks up the storm . * By His Spirit He adorned the heavens ; His hand pierced the fleeing serpent . * Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways , And how small a whisper we hear of Him ! But the thunder of His power who can understand ?" * Moreover Job continued his discourse , and said : * "As God lives , who has taken away my justice , And the Almighty , who has made my soul bitter , * As long as my breath is in me , And the breath of God in my nostrils , * My lips will not speak wickedness , Nor my tongue utter deceit . * Far be it from me That I should say you are right ; Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me . * My righteousness I hold fast , and will not let it go ; My heart shall not reproach me as long as I live . * "May my enemy be like the wicked , And he who rises up against me like the unrighteous . * For what is the hope of the hypocrite , Though he may gain much , If God takes away his life ? * Will God hear his cry When trouble comes upon him ? * Will he delight himself in the Almighty ? Will he always call on God ? * "I will teach you about the hand of God ; What is with the Almighty I will not conceal . * Surely all of you have seen it ; Why then do you behave with complete nonsense ? * "This is the portion of a wicked man with God , And the heritage of oppressors , received from the Almighty : * If his children are multiplied , it is for the sword ; And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread . * Those who survive him shall be buried in death , And their widows shall not weep , * Though he heaps up silver like dust , And piles up clothing like clay -- * He may pile it up , but the just will wear it , And the innocent will divide the silver . * He builds his house like a moth , Like a booth which a watchman makes . * The rich man will lie down , But not be gathered up ; He opens his eyes , And he is no more . * Terrors overtake him like a flood ; A tempest steals him away in the night . * The east wind carries him away , and he is gone ; It sweeps him out of his place . * It hurls against him and does not spare ; He flees desperately from its power . * Men shall clap their hands at him , And shall hiss him out of his place . * "Surely there is a mine for silver , And a place where gold is refined . * Iron is taken from the earth , And copper is smelted from ore . * Man puts an end to darkness , And searches every recess For ore in the darkness and the shadow of death . * He breaks open a shaft away from people ; In places forgotten by feet They hang far away from men ; They swing to and fro . * As for the earth , from it comes bread , But underneath it is turned up as by fire ; * Its stones are the source of sapphires , And it contains gold dust . * That path no bird knows , Nor has the falcon 's eye seen it . * The proud lions have not trodden it , Nor has the fierce lion passed over it . * He puts his hand on the flint ; He overturns the mountains at the roots . * He cuts out channels in the rocks , And his eye sees every precious thing . * He dams up the streams from trickling ; What is hidden he brings forth to light . * "But where can wisdom be found ? And where is the place of understanding ? * Man does not know its value , Nor is it found in the land of the living . * The deep says , "It is not in me '; And the sea says , "It is not with me .' * It cannot be purchased for gold , Nor can silver be weighed for its price . * It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir , In precious onyx or sapphire . * Neither gold nor crystal can equal it , Nor can it be exchanged for jewelry of fine gold . * No mention shall be made of coral or quartz , For the price of wisdom is above rubies . * The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it , Nor can it be valued in pure gold . * "From where then does wisdom come ? And where is the place of understanding ? * It is hidden from the eyes of all living , And concealed from the birds of the air . * Destruction and Death say , "We have heard a report about it with our ears .' * God understands its way , And He knows its place . * For He looks to the ends of the earth , And sees under the whole heavens , * To establish a weight for the wind , And apportion the waters by measure . * When He made a law for the rain , And a path for the thunderbolt , * Then He saw wisdom and declared it ; He prepared it , indeed , He searched it out . * And to man He said , "Behold , the fear of the Lord , that is wisdom , And to depart from evil is understanding ."' * Job further continued his discourse , and said : * "Oh , that I were as in months past , As in the days when God watched over me ; * When His lamp shone upon my head , And when by His light I walked through darkness ; * Just as I was in the days of my prime , When the friendly counsel of God was over my tent ; * When the Almighty was yet with me , When my children were around me ; * When my steps were bathed with cream , And the rock poured out rivers of oil for me ! * "When I went out to the gate by the city , When I took my seat in the open square , * The young men saw me and hid , And the aged arose and stood ; * The princes refrained from talking , And put their hand on their mouth ; * The voice of nobles was hushed , And their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth . * When the ear heard , then it blessed me , And when the eye saw , then it approved me ; * Because I delivered the poor who cried out , The fatherless and the one who had no helper . * The blessing of a perishing man came upon me , And I caused the widow 's heart to sing for joy . * I put on righteousness , and it clothed me ; My justice was like a robe and a turban . * I was eyes to the blind , And I was feet to the lame . * I was a father to the poor , And I searched out the case that I did not know . * I broke the fangs of the wicked , And plucked the victim from his teeth . * "Then I said , "I shall die in my nest , And multiply my days as the sand . * My root is spread out to the waters , And the dew lies all night on my branch . * My glory is fresh within me , And my bow is renewed in my hand .' * "Men listened to me and waited , And kept silence for my counsel . * After my words they did not speak again , And my speech settled on them as dew . * They waited for me as for the rain , And they opened their mouth wide as for the spring rain . * If I mocked at them , they did not believe it , And the light of my countenance they did not cast down . * I chose the way for them , and sat as chief ; So I dwelt as a king in the army , As one who comforts mourners . * "But now they mock at me , men younger than I , Whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock . * Indeed , what profit is the strength of their hands to me ? Their vigor has perished . * They are gaunt from want and famine , Fleeing late to the wilderness , desolate and waste , * Who pluck mallow by the bushes , And broom tree roots for their food . * They were driven out from among men , They shouted at them as at a thief . * They had to live in the clefts of the valleys , In caves of the earth and the rocks . * Among the bushes they brayed , Under the nettles they nestled . * They were sons of fools , Yes , sons of vile men ; They were scourged from the land . * "And now I am their taunting song ; Yes , I am their byword . * They abhor me , they keep far from me ; They do not hesitate to spit in my face . * Because He has loosed my bowstring and afflicted me , They have cast off restraint before me . * At my right hand the rabble arises ; They push away my feet , And they raise against me their ways of destruction . * They break up my path , They promote my calamity ; They have no helper . * They come as broad breakers ; Under the ruinous storm they roll along . * Terrors are turned upon me ; They pursue my honor as the wind , And my prosperity has passed like a cloud . * "And now my soul is poured out because of my plight ; The days of affliction take hold of me . * My bones are pierced in me at night , And my gnawing pains take no rest . * By great force my garment is disfigured ; It binds me about as the collar of my coat . * He has cast me into the mire , And I have become like dust and ashes . * "I cry out to You , but You do not answer me ; I stand up , and You regard me . * But You have become cruel to me ; With the strength of Your hand You oppose me . * You lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride on it ; You spoil my success . * For I know that You will bring me to death , And to the house appointed for all living . * "Surely He would not stretch out His hand against a heap of ruins , If they cry out when He destroys it . * Have I not wept for him who was in trouble ? Has not my soul grieved for the poor ? * But when I looked for good , evil came to me ; And when I waited for light , then came darkness . * My heart is in turmoil and cannot rest ; Days of affliction confront me . * I go about mourning , but not in the sun ; I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help . * I am a brother of jackals , And a companion of ostriches . * My skin grows black and falls from me ; My bones burn with fever . * My harp is turned to mourning , And my flute to the voice of those who weep . * "I have made a covenant with my eyes ; Why then should I look upon a young woman ?

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