Job · Literal Standard Version
Job 9 Literal Standard Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 And Job answers and says:
1 Then Job answered,
2 “Truly I have known that [it is] so, || But how is man righteous with God?
2 “Truly I know that it is so, but how can man be just with God?
3 If he delights to strive with Him—He does not answer him one of a thousand.
3 If he is pleased to contend with him, he can’t answer him one time in a thousand.
4 Wise in heart and strong in power—Who has hardened toward Him and is at peace?
4 God is wise in heart, and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against him and prospered?
5 Who is removing mountains, || And they have not known, || Who has overturned them in His anger.
5 He removes the mountains, and they don’t know it, when he overturns them in his anger.
6 Who is shaking earth from its place, || And its pillars move themselves.
6 He shakes the earth out of its place. Its pillars tremble.
7 Who is commanding to the sun, and it does not rise, || And the stars He seals up.
7 He commands the sun and it doesn’t rise, and seals up the stars.
8 Stretching out the heavens by Himself, || And treading on the heights of the sea,
8 He alone stretches out the heavens, and treads on the waves of the sea.
9 Making the Great Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, || And the inner chambers of the south.
9 He makes the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, and the rooms of the south.
10 Doing great things until there is no searching, || And wonderful, until there is no numbering.
10 He does great things past finding out; yes, marvelous things without number.
11 Behold, He goes over by me, and I do not see, || And He passes on, and I do not attend to it.
11 Behold, he goes by me, and I don’t see him. He passes on also, but I don’t perceive him.
12 Behold, He snatches away, who brings it back? Who says to Him, What [are] You doing?
12 Behold, he snatches away. Who can hinder him? Who will ask him, ‘What are you doing?’
13 God does not turn back His anger, || Proud helpers have bowed under Him.
13 “God will not withdraw his anger. The helpers of Rahab stoop under him.
14 How much less do I answer Him? Choose out my words with Him?
14 How much less will I answer him, and choose my words to argue with him?
15 Whom, though I were righteous, I do not answer, || For my judgment I make supplication.
15 Though I were righteous, yet I wouldn’t answer him. I would make supplication to my judge.
16 Though I had called and He answers me, I do not believe that He gives ear [to] my voice.
16 If I had called, and he had answered me, yet I wouldn’t believe that he listened to my voice.
17 Because He bruises me with a storm, || And has multiplied my wounds for nothing.
17 For he breaks me with a storm, and multiplies my wounds without cause.
18 He does not permit me to refresh my spirit, || But fills me with bitter things.
18 He will not allow me to catch my breath, but fills me with bitterness.
19 If of power, behold, the Strong One; And if of judgment—who convenes me?
19 If it is a matter of strength, behold, he is mighty! If of justice, ‘Who,’ says he, ‘will summon me?’
20 If I am righteous, my mouth declares me wicked; [If] I am perfect, it declares me perverse.
20 Though I am righteous, my own mouth will condemn me. Though I am blameless, it will prove me perverse.
21 I am perfect; I do not know my soul, I despise my life.
21 I am blameless. I don’t respect myself. I despise my life.
22 It is the same thing, therefore I said, || He is consuming the perfect and the wicked.
22 “It is all the same. Therefore I say he destroys the blameless and the wicked.
23 If a scourge puts to death suddenly, He laughs at the trial of the innocent.
23 If the scourge kills suddenly, he will mock at the trial of the innocent.
24 Earth has been given || Into the hand of the wicked. He covers the faces of her judges, || If not—where, who [is] he?
24 The earth is given into the hand of the wicked. He covers the faces of its judges. If not he, then who is it?
25 My days have been swifter than a runner, || They have fled, they have not seen good,
25 “Now my days are swifter than a runner. They flee away. They see no good.
26 They have passed on with ships of reed, || As an eagle darts on food.
26 They have passed away as the swift ships, as the eagle that swoops on the prey.
27 Though I say, I forget my talking, || I forsake my corner, and I brighten up!
27 If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint, I will put off my sad face, and cheer up,’
28 I have been afraid of all my griefs, || I have known that You do not acquit me.
28 I am afraid of all my sorrows. I know that you will not hold me innocent.
29 I become wicked; why [is] this? I labor [in] vain.
29 I will be condemned. Why then do I labor in vain?
30 If I have washed myself with snow-water, || And purified my hands with soap,
30 If I wash myself with snow, and cleanse my hands with lye,
31 Then You dip me in corruption, || And my garments have detested me.
31 yet you will plunge me in the ditch. My own clothes will abhor me.
32 But if a man like myself—I answer Him, || We come together into judgment.
32 For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, that we should come together in judgment.
33 If there were a mediator between us, || He places his hand on us both.
33 There is no umpire between us, that might lay his hand on us both.
34 He turns aside His rod from off me, || And His terror does not make me afraid,
34 Let him take his rod away from me. Let his terror not make me afraid;
35 I speak, and do not fear Him, but I am not right with myself.”
35 then I would speak, and not fear him, for I am not so in myself.
Cross references (33)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 2 Job 4:17; Romans 3:20; Psalm 143:2; Job 25:4; 1 Kings 8:46
- 3 Job 10:2; Job 40:2; 1 John 3:20; 1 John 1:8; Psalm 19:12
- 4 Job 36:5; Ephesians 3:20; Romans 11:33; Exodus 14:17–18; Job 9:19
- 5 Luke 21:11; Matthew 27:51; Habakkuk 3:10; Revelation 11:13; Revelation 16:18–20
- 6 Haggai 2:6; Psalm 75:3; Hebrews 12:26; Job 26:11; Isaiah 2:21
- 7 Isaiah 13:10; Amos 8:9; Luke 21:25–26; Job 37:7; Matthew 24:29
- 8 Isaiah 44:24; Isaiah 40:22; Psalm 104:2–3; Job 37:18; Zechariah 12:1
- 9 Amos 5:8; Genesis 1:16; Job 38:31–41; Psalm 147:4; Acts 28:13
- 10 Job 5:9; Psalm 72:18; Ephesians 3:20; Romans 11:33; Daniel 4:2–3
- 11 Job 23:8–9; Job 35:14; Psalm 77:19; 1 Timothy 6:16
- 12 Job 11:10; Isaiah 45:9; Job 23:13; Romans 11:34; Daniel 4:35
- 13 Psalm 89:10; Job 26:12; Isaiah 51:9; Isaiah 30:7; James 4:6–7
- 14 Job 11:4–5; Job 4:19; Job 9:3; Job 23:7; Job 23:4
- 15 Job 10:15; Job 8:5; Job 22:27; Job 10:2; 1 Peter 2:23
- 16 Exodus 6:9; Psalm 66:18–20; Luke 24:41; Job 29:24; Psalm 18:6
- 17 Job 16:14; Job 2:3; Job 34:6; Job 2:13; Ezekiel 13:13
- 18 Job 7:19; Lamentations 3:15; Hebrews 12:11; Job 3:20; Job 27:2
- 19 Job 9:32–33; Job 9:4; 1 Corinthians 1:25; Job 40:9–10; Matthew 6:13
- 20 Psalm 143:2; Job 34:35; Job 9:2; Psalm 130:3; Philippians 3:12–15
- 21 Job 1:1; Psalm 139:23–24; 1 Corinthians 4:4; Job 7:21; Proverbs 28:26
- 22 Ecclesiastes 9:1–3; Job 10:8; Ezekiel 21:3–4; Luke 13:2–4
- 23 Job 24:12; Hebrews 11:36–37; Ezekiel 14:19–21; Job 8:20; Job 2:7
- 24 Job 10:3; Psalm 73:3–7; Jeremiah 12:1–2; Job 21:7–15; 2 Samuel 15:30
- 25 Job 7:6–7; James 4:14; Psalm 90:9–10; Psalm 39:5; Esther 8:14
- 26 Habakkuk 1:8; Isaiah 18:2; Lamentations 4:19; Jeremiah 4:13; 2 Samuel 1:23
- 27 Job 7:13; Psalm 77:2–3; Job 7:11; Jeremiah 8:18
- 28 Psalm 119:120; Psalm 88:15–16; Job 9:20–21; Job 14:16; Job 10:14
- 29 Job 10:7; Job 10:2; Job 10:14–17; Job 21:16–17; Jeremiah 2:35
- 30 Jeremiah 2:22; Psalm 26:6; 1 John 1:8; Isaiah 1:16–18; Jeremiah 4:14
- 31 Job 15:6; Philippians 3:8–9; Job 9:20; Isaiah 59:6; Isaiah 64:6
- 32 Romans 9:20; Ecclesiastes 6:10; Psalm 143:2; Isaiah 45:9; Numbers 23:19
- 33 1 Samuel 2:25; 1 John 2:1–2; Job 9:19; Psalm 106:23; 1 Kings 3:16–28
- 34 Psalm 39:10; Job 33:7; Job 13:11; Psalm 90:11; Job 13:20–22
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
That which a certain scripture says: "The earth was delivered into the hands of the ungodly." The flesh was given into the power of the Jews; and this that thereby the bag, as it were, might be rent asunder, whence our purchase-price might run out.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 7 (1888)
And this Job said mystically, Which alone spread out the heaven, and walketh upon the sea as on firm ground; signifying to those who understand that He who when present here walked upon the sea is also He who aforetime made the heavens.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
"The earth is given into the hands of the wicked." What is meant by "earth" being "given into the hands of the ungodly"?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)
"I slept," because "I have power to lay down My life, and I have power to take it again." "I laid Me down and slept, and rose up again." Rage then the Jews; be "the earth given into the hands of the wicked," be the flesh left to the hands of persecutors, let them on wood suspend it, with nails …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)