Job 33

¹“But now, hear my speech, O Job,

and listen to all my words.

²Behold, I open my mouth;

the tongue in my mouth speaks.

³My words declare the uprightness of my heart,

and what my lips know they speak sincerely.

⁴The spirit of God has made me,

and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

⁵Answer me, if you can;

set your words in order before me; take your stand.

⁶Behold, I am toward God as you are;

I too was formed from a piece of clay.

⁷Behold, no fear of me need terrify you;

my pressure will not be heavy upon you.

⁸“Surely, you have spoken in my hearing,

and I have heard the sound of your words.

⁹You say, ‘I am clean, without transgression;

I am pure, and there is no iniquity in me.

¹⁰Behold, he finds occasions against me,

he counts me as his enemy;

¹¹he puts my feet in the stocks,

and watches all my paths.’

¹²“Behold, in this you are not right. I will answer you.

God is greater than man.

¹³Why do you contend against him,

saying, ‘He will answer none of my words’?

¹⁴For God speaks in one way,

and in two, though man does not perceive it.

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

when deep sleep falls upon men,

while they slumber on their beds,

¹⁶then he opens the ears of men,

and terrifies them with warnings,

¹⁷that he may turn man aside from his deed,

and cut off pride from man;

¹⁸he keeps back his soul from the Pit,

his life from perishing by the sword.

¹⁹“Man is also chastened with pain upon his bed,

and with continual strife in his bones;

²⁰so that his life loathes bread,

and his appetite dainty food.

²¹His flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen;

and his bones which were not seen stick out.

²²His soul draws near the Pit,

and his life to those who bring death.

²³If there be for him an angel,

a mediator, one of the thousand,

to declare to man what is right for him;

²⁴and he is gracious to him, and says,

‘Deliver him from going down into the Pit,

I have found a ransom;

²⁵let his flesh become fresh with youth;

let him return to the days of his youthful vigor’;

²⁶then man prays to God, and he accepts him,

he comes into his presence with joy.

He recounts to men his salvation,

²⁷and he sings before men, and says:

‘I sinned, and perverted what was right,

and it was not requited to me.

²⁸He has redeemed my soul from going down into the Pit,

and my life shall see the light.’

²⁹“Behold, God does all these things,

twice, three times, with a man,

³⁰to bring back his soul from the Pit,

that he may see the light of life.

³¹Give heed, O Job, listen to me;

be silent, and I will speak.

³²If you have anything to say, answer me;

speak, for I desire to justify you.

³³If not, listen to me;

be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”