Job

1Then Job answered his friends.

And Job answered and said,

NoteJob is very sick and has lost almost everything. Three friends came to sit with him. They keep telling him his troubles are his own fault.

2You act like you are the only wise people alive. You seem to think wisdom will die when you die.

No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you.

NoteJob does not really mean this. He is saying the opposite on purpose because he is hurt. It is like saying, "Oh, you two know everything."

3But I can think too. I am not less than you. Everyone knows things like this.

But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: yea, who knoweth not such things as these?

4My friends laugh at me. I called to God, and God answered me. Now a good, honest man is something people laugh at.

I am as one mocked of his neighbour, who calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the just upright man is laughed to scorn.

5People who are comfortable make fun of trouble. They look down on anyone whose feet are already slipping.

He that is ready to slip with his feet is as a lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease.

NoteFeet that are slipping is a word picture. It means a person whose life is going wrong.

6Robbers live in their tents and stay safe. People who make God angry live without any worry. Their hands are full of good things.

The tabernacles of robbers prosper, and they that provoke God are secure; into whose hand God bringeth abundantly.

NoteLong ago many people lived in tents instead of houses. Saying their tents are safe means nothing bad happens to their homes.

7Go ask the animals, and they will teach you. Ask the birds in the sky, and they will tell you.

But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:

8Or talk to the earth, and it will teach you. The fish in the sea will tell you too.

Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.

9Every one of them knows this. The LORD's own hand did all of it.

Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?

NoteWhen LORD is printed in big letters, it stands for God's own name. It was a special name the people of Israel used for God.

10He holds the life of every living thing in his hand. He holds the breath of every person too.

In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.

NoteHolding something in your hand meant taking care of it and being in charge of it.

11The ear tests words, doesn't it? The mouth tastes its food the same way.

Doth not the ear try words? and the mouth taste his meat?

NoteThe King James Bible says "meat" here. In 1611 that word meant any food at all, not just meat from animals.

12Older people have wisdom. A long life brings understanding.

With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding.

NoteThe King James Bible says "the ancient." That means people who are very old, not times long ago.

13God has wisdom and strength. He has good advice and understanding.

With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.

14When God tears something down, no one can build it again. When he shuts a man in, no one can let him out.

Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again: he shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening.

NoteShutting a man in means locking him up in prison so he cannot get out.

15If God holds the waters back, everything dries up. If he lets them go, they flood the land.

Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up: also he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.

NoteIn that hot, dry land, rain and rivers were everything. With no water, plants died and people had no food.

16Strength and wisdom belong to God. The person who is fooled and the person who fools him both belong to him.

With him is strength and wisdom: the deceived and the deceiver are his.

17He leads wise advisers away with nothing left. He makes judges look foolish.

He leadeth counsellors away spoiled, and maketh the judges fools.

NoteAdvisers were wise people who helped a king decide what to do. When an army won a war, it marched such people away with their shoes and nice clothes taken from them.

18He unties the ropes that kings use to hold people. Then he ties a plain belt around the kings themselves.

He looseth the bond of kings, and girdeth their loins with a girdle.

NoteKings tied up people they wanted to keep as prisoners. A plain belt was what a worker or a servant wore. So God makes the king into a servant instead.

19He leads priests away with nothing left. He brings down people who look too strong to fall.

He leadeth princes away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty.

NoteAn altar was a special table made of stone. People burned gifts to God on it. Priests were the men who served God at his altar.

20He takes the words away from people everyone trusts. He takes the good sense away from old people.

He removeth away the speech of the trusty, and taketh away the understanding of the aged.

NoteTaking away someone's words means they cannot think what to say. People who used to give good advice go quiet.

21He pours shame on rulers. He makes strong men weak.

He poureth contempt upon princes, and weakeneth the strength of the mighty.

22He shows what is hidden deep in the dark. He brings deep shadows out into the light.

He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death.

NoteThe King James Bible says "the shadow of death." It means the deepest, blackest dark, the kind you cannot see through.

23He makes nations big, and then he destroys them. He spreads nations out, and then he scatters them.

He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: he enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again.

NoteA nation is a big group of people who live together in one land and share one ruler.

24He takes the good sense away from the leaders of the earth. He makes them wander in an empty land with no roads.

He taketh away the heart of the chief of the people of the earth, and causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way.

NoteIn this old way of talking, the heart meant your thinking, not just your feelings. Taking the heart away means a person cannot think clearly.

25They feel around in the dark with no light. He makes them stumble like a man who has had too much to drink.

They grope in the dark without light, and he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.

1Then Job answered his friends.

Then Job answered and said,

NoteJob has lost his children, his animals, and his health. Three friends came to sit with him. They keep telling him his troubles are his own fault. This chapter is Job answering them back.

2"I have heard talk like this many times. Not one of you makes me feel better."

I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye all.

3"Will your long speeches ever end? What makes you keep on talking at me?"

Shall vain words have an end? or what emboldeneth thee that thou answerest?

4"If you were hurting like me, I could talk the same way. I could pile up words against you and shake my head at you."

I also could speak as ye do: if your soul were in my soul’s stead, I could heap up words against you, and shake mine head at you.

NoteShaking your head at someone was a way of making fun of them. It said, "Look how bad things are for you."

5"But I would use my words to make you strong. What I said would ease your sadness."

But I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the moving of my lips should asswage your grief.

6"When I speak, my pain does not stop. When I stay quiet, it still does not leave."

Though I speak, my grief is not asswaged: and though I forbear, what am I eased?

7"God has worn me out. He has taken away everyone who belonged with me."

But now he hath made me weary: thou hast made desolate all my company.

NoteJob's children all died earlier in the story. So did his servants and his herds.

8"He has tied me down, and people point at that as proof. My thin, worn body seems to speak against me."

And thou hast filled me with wrinkles, which is a witness against me: and my leanness rising up in me beareth witness to my face.

NoteA witness is a person who tells a judge what they saw. Job's friends look at his sick body. They act like it proves he did something wrong.

9"God's anger tears at me. He grinds his teeth at me. He stares at me with hard eyes, like an enemy."

He teareth me in his wrath, who hateth me: he gnasheth upon me with his teeth; mine enemy sharpeneth his eyes upon me.

NoteGrinding your teeth together shows very strong anger. Job says it feels like even God is angry at him.

10"People open their mouths wide at me. They slap my face to shame me. They crowd together against me."

They have gaped upon me with their mouth; they have smitten me upon the cheek reproachfully; they have gathered themselves together against me.

NoteOpening the mouth wide at someone was a way of jeering. Slapping a person's face was a great insult back then.

11"God has handed me over to unfair people. He has dropped me into the grip of those who do wrong."

God hath delivered me to the ungodly, and turned me over into the hands of the wicked.

12"My life was calm, and then he broke me apart. He grabbed my neck and shook me to pieces. He stood me up like a target to shoot at."

I was at ease, but he hath broken me asunder: he hath also taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces, and set me up for his mark.

NoteA target is the thing archers aim their arrows at. Job feels like God set him up to be shot at.

13"His archers stand all around me. He cuts deep inside me and shows no pity. What is inside me spills onto the ground."

His archers compass me round about, he cleaveth my reins asunder, and doth not spare; he poureth out my gall upon the ground.

NoteArchers are soldiers who shoot arrows from a bow. The King James says God "cleaveth my reins." Reins was an old word for the kidneys, deep inside the body. "Gall" is a bitter liquid your body makes to help you eat.

14"He breaks me again and again. He runs at me like a huge, strong soldier."

He breaketh me with breach upon breach, he runneth upon me like a giant.

15"I have sewn rough cloth to wear against my skin. My strength lies down in the dust."

I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, and defiled my horn in the dust.

NoteSackcloth was rough, scratchy cloth made from goat hair. People wore it when they were very sad. It felt bad on purpose, so others could see the sadness. The King James says Job put his "horn" in the dust. An animal's horn stood for its strength. So this means Job's strength is gone.

16"My face is red from crying. Dark shadows ring my eyes."

My face is foul with weeping, and on my eyelids is the shadow of death;

NoteThe King James says "the shadow of death" is on his eyelids. It means dark rings around his eyes from crying so much.

17"Yet my hands have hurt no one. And my prayers are honest."

Not for any injustice in mine hands: also my prayer is pure.

18"Earth, do not cover up my blood. Let my cry for help never be quiet."

O earth, cover not thou my blood, and let my cry have no place.

NoteLong ago people said that the blood of someone hurt unfairly kept crying out. Covering it with dirt would quiet the cry. Job wants his cry to keep being heard.

19"Even now, someone in heaven will speak for me. The one who knows the truth about me is high above."

Also now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high.

NoteA witness is someone who stands up and tells the truth about you. Job hopes for one in heaven, since his friends will not do it.

20"My friends laugh at me. My eyes pour out tears to God."

My friends scorn me: but mine eye poureth out tears unto God.

21"I wish someone could argue my case with God. I wish it were like a friend speaking up for a friend."

O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbour!

NoteJob is talking about a court, where people argue about what is fair. He wishes he could talk things out with God that way.

22"In a few years I will die. I will go where no one ever comes back from."

When a few years are come, then I shall go the way whence I shall not return.

1Then Job answered his friends and said,

Then Job answered and said,

NoteJob was a rich, happy man who lost everything. His children died and his body got covered in sores. Three friends came to sit with him. But they keep telling him it is all his own fault.

2"How long will you hurt me? Your words crush me into pieces.

How long will ye vex my soul, and break me in pieces with words?

3You have blamed me ten times now. You are not even ashamed of how badly you treat me.

These ten times have ye reproached me: ye are not ashamed that ye make yourselves strange to me.

Note"Ten times" does not mean exactly ten. It is a way of saying "again and again."

4Even if I really have done wrong, that is my own problem, not yours.

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

5Maybe you want to make yourselves look better than me. Maybe you point at my troubles and say they prove I am bad.

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

6Then know this: God is the one who has wronged me. He has caught me like an animal in a net.

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

NoteLong ago, hunters threw big nets over animals to catch them. The animal could not get out. Job feels caught like that.

7I shout, 'This is not fair!' But no one answers me. I call for help, but no one helps.

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

8He has blocked my road so I cannot get through. He has covered my paths with darkness.

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

9He has taken away my good name. He has taken the crown off my head.

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

NoteA crown showed that someone was important and respected. Job means people used to look up to him. Now they do not.

10He tears me down on every side until I am gone. He pulls up my hope like pulling up a tree.

He hath destroyed me on every side, and I am gone: and mine hope hath he removed like a tree.

11His anger burns against me. He treats me like one of his enemies.

He hath also kindled his wrath against me, and he counteth me unto him as one of his enemies.

12His soldiers march against me together. They pile up dirt to attack my tent. They set up camp all around me.

His troops come together, and raise up their way against me, and encamp round about my tabernacle.

NoteArmies attacked a city by piling dirt into a ramp. Then soldiers could climb up over the wall. Job says God is attacking him the way an army attacks a town. Job lived in a tent, so his tent was his home.

13He has pushed my brothers away from me. The people I knew have all left me.

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

14My family has let me down. My close friends have forgotten me.

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

15My guests and my servant girls look at me like a stranger. To them I am someone from far away.

They that dwell in mine house, and my maids, count me for a stranger: I am an alien in their sight.

NoteServant girls were women who worked in Job's house. Job is saying even the people in his own home act like they never met him.

16I call my servant, but he does not answer. I have to beg him with my own mouth.

I called my servant, and he gave me no answer; I intreated him with my mouth.

17My breath smells bad to my wife. My own family cannot stand to be near me.

My breath is strange to my wife, though I intreated for the children’s sake of mine own body.

NoteJob's whole body was covered in painful sores. He was so sick that even his breath smelled bad. His wife did not want to come near him.

18Even little children make fun of me. When I stand up, they laugh and say mean things.

Yea, young children despised me; I arose, and they spake against me.

19All my best friends hate to look at me. The ones I loved have turned against me.

All my inward friends abhorred me: and they whom I loved are turned against me.

20I am so thin that my skin hangs on my bones. I have barely escaped alive.

My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.

Note"The skin of my teeth" is an old saying. It means he barely got away alive. People still say it today.

21Have pity on me, my friends. Please have pity on me. God's hand has struck me.

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

Note"God's hand has struck me" does not mean a real hand. A hand can mean someone's power. Job means God has let this happen to him.

22Why do you chase me the way God does? Have you not hurt me enough already?

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

23I wish someone would write my words down. I wish they were put in a book.

Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book!

NoteBooks then were long rolls of paper called scrolls. People wrote on them by hand. Job wants his words saved so nobody forgets them.

24I wish they were cut into rock with an iron tool. Then they would last forever.

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

NoteWords cut into rock stay there for hundreds of years. Paper rips and rots, but stone lasts. Job wants his words to last that long.

25But I know that my Redeemer, the one who saves me, is alive. In the end he will stand upon the earth.

For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:

NoteA redeemer was a family member who helped you when you were in big trouble. He would pay your debts or stand up for you in front of a judge. Job says he has someone like that, and that person is alive.

26Even after my skin is destroyed, I will still see God in my body.

And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:

27I will see him with my own eyes. I will see him myself, not someone else. My heart aches inside me.

Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.

28Maybe you say, 'Let's keep after him. The trouble must start with him.'

But ye should say, Why persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter is found in me?

29Then you should be afraid yourselves. Anger brings punishment by the sword. Then you will know there is a judge.

Be ye afraid of the sword: for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that ye may know there is a judgment.

NoteSoldiers and judges carried swords to punish people who did wrong. Job is warning his friends that they could get in trouble too. A judge is someone who decides who is right and who is wrong.

1Then Job answered them.

But Job answered and said,

NoteJob has lost his children, his animals, and his health. Three friends came to sit with him. They keep saying his troubles must be a punishment.

2"Listen carefully to what I say. Let that be your comfort to me."

Hear diligently my speech, and let this be your consolations.

3"Let me talk. When I am done, you can laugh at me again."

Suffer me that I may speak; and after that I have spoken, mock on.

4"Am I complaining about a person? No. So of course I am upset."

As for me, is my complaint to man? and if it were so, why should not my spirit be troubled?

5"Look at me and be shocked. Put your hand over your mouth."

Mark me, and be astonished, and lay your hand upon your mouth.

NotePutting a hand over your mouth meant being too surprised to speak.

6"When I think about it, I feel afraid. My whole body shakes."

Even when I remember I am afraid, and trembling taketh hold on my flesh.

7"Why do bad people keep on living? They grow old and strong."

Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power?

NoteJob's friends kept saying bad people always suffer soon. Job says to look at real life instead.

8"Their children are settled safe right beside them. Those who come after them are there before their eyes."

Their seed is established in their sight with them, and their offspring before their eyes.

9"Their homes are safe. Nothing scares them. God does not punish them."

Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them.

10"Their bulls always father calves. Their cows have calves, and none are lost."

Their bull gendereth, and faileth not; their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf.

NoteLong ago, healthy cows and bulls meant a family was rich. More calves meant more food and more money.

11"Their little children run outside like a flock of sheep. They jump and play."

They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance.

12"They sing with drums and harps. They have fun listening to the pipes."

They take the timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ.

NoteThese were old instruments. The drum was shaken and tapped like a tambourine. The harp had strings, and the pipe was like a flute.

13"They have good things all their lives. Then they die quietly and go to the place of the dead."

They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave.

NotePeople long ago called it the place where everyone goes after dying. They pictured it deep down under the ground.

14"But they say to God, 'Go away. We do not want to know your ways.'"

Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.

15"'Who is God, that we should serve him? What good would praying do us?'"

What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?

16"But their good things did not come from their own hands. I stay far away from thinking like them."

Lo, their good is not in their hand: the counsel of the wicked is far from me.

NoteThis means their good things did not come from their own work. Job says they did not earn it.

17"How often does the lamp of a bad person really go out? How often does trouble come to them? How often does God, being angry, hand out pain?"

How oft is the candle of the wicked put out! and how oft cometh their destruction upon them! God distributeth sorrows in his anger.

NoteA lamp going out was a way of saying a family died out. Job asks how often that really happens.

18"Are they really like dry straw in the wind? Like husks blown away in a storm?"

They are as stubble before the wind, and as chaff that the storm carrieth away.

NoteFarmers beat grain to knock the seeds loose. The dry husks left over blew away in the wind. Calling someone chaff meant they blow away easily.

19"People say God saves up the punishment for a man's children. But God should punish the man himself, so he feels it."

God layeth up his iniquity for his children: he rewardeth him, and he shall know it.

NoteSome people back then thought children got punished for what a parent did. Job says the man himself should feel it.

20"Let him see his own ruin with his own eyes. Let him drink God's anger himself."

His eyes shall see his destruction, and he shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty.

NoteDrinking a cup was a picture for taking whatever comes to you. Here the cup is full of God's anger.

21"Why would he care about his family after he dies? His life is already over."

For what pleasure hath he in his house after him, when the number of his months is cut off in the midst?

22"Can anyone teach God something new? God judges even the highest ones."

Shall any teach God knowledge? seeing he judgeth those that are high.

NoteThe highest ones means the most powerful rulers and beings anywhere.

23"One man dies while he is still strong. He is calm and comfortable."

One dieth in his full strength, being wholly at ease and quiet.

24"His body is well fed. His bones are strong and healthy."

His breasts are full of milk, and his bones are moistened with marrow.

25"Another man dies feeling bitter and sad. He never had one good day."

And another dieth in the bitterness of his soul, and never eateth with pleasure.

26"Both men lie down in the dirt. Worms cover them both the same."

They shall lie down alike in the dust, and the worms shall cover them.

NoteLying down in the dirt means being buried. Job says rich and poor end up the same way.

27"Look, I know what you are thinking. I know your plans to blame me."

Behold, I know your thoughts, and the devices which ye wrongfully imagine against me.

28"You ask, 'Where is the rich man's house now? Where do bad people live?'"

For ye say, Where is the house of the prince? and where are the dwelling places of the wicked?

NoteJob's friends kept saying that bad people lose their homes. Now he repeats their words back to them.

29"Have you asked people who travel the roads? Do you believe what they tell you?"

Have ye not asked them that go by the way? and do ye not know their tokens,

NoteThere were no newspapers or phones then. Travelers carried news from faraway places.

30"They will tell you that bad people are spared when trouble comes. They are kept safe on the day of anger."

That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath.

NoteThe day of anger means a day when God punishes people for wrong.

31"Nobody tells such a man to his face that he is wrong. Nobody pays him back."

Who shall declare his way to his face? and who shall repay him what he hath done?

32"He is carried to his grave. People watch over his tomb."

Yet shall he be brought to the grave, and shall remain in the tomb.

NoteA tomb was a small room cut into rock. The body was laid inside. Family or guards kept watch over it.

33"The soft dirt of the valley rests gently on him. Crowds walk behind him. Countless people went before him."

The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him, and every man shall draw after him, as there are innumerable before him.

NoteAt a funeral, many people walked behind the body to the grave. A big crowd showed the man was important.

34"So how can your words comfort me? Your answers are simply not true."

How then comfort ye me in vain, seeing in your answers there remaineth falsehood?

1Then Job answered. He said:

Then Job answered and said,

NoteJob was a good man who lost his family, his money, and his health. Three friends came and kept saying it was all his own fault. Job is answering them here.

2Even today my complaint is bitter. God's hand presses hard on me while I groan.

Even to day is my complaint bitter: my stroke is heavier than my groaning.

NoteA bitter complaint is not about taste. It means words full of hurt and sadness.

3I wish I knew where to find God. Then I could go to where he sits.

Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat!

NoteLong ago a king or a judge sat on a special chair to hear people. Job wishes he could stand in front of God's chair like that.

4I would lay out my case in front of him. I would give all my reasons.

I would order my cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments.

NoteJob is talking like someone in a courtroom. A case is your side of the story, told to a judge.

5I would hear the answer he gave me. I would understand what he said.

I would know the words which he would answer me, and understand what he would say unto me.

6Would he use his great power to argue me down? No. He would give me strength.

Will he plead against me with his great power? No; but he would put strength in me.

7There an honest person could reason with God. My judge would set me free for good.

There the righteous might dispute with him; so should I be delivered for ever from my judge.

NoteA judge is the person who listens to both sides and decides what is fair.

8Look, I go forward, but God is not there. I go back, but I cannot find him.

Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him:

NoteForward and back, left and right, meant east, west, north and south. Job is saying he looked everywhere.

9He is working off to the left, but I cannot see him. He turns to the right, and I still cannot see him.

On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him:

10But God knows the way I have walked. When he has tested me, I will come out like gold.

But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

NotePeople heated gold in a hot fire. The dirt burned away and only the pure gold was left. Job means hard days are testing him that way.

11My feet have stayed in his tracks. I kept to his way and did not turn aside.

My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.

NoteTracks are footprints. Job means he walked where God told him to walk.

12I have not turned away from what he commands. I love his words more than my daily food.

Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

NoteDaily food means the bread a person needs each day to live. Job says God's words matter even more to him than that.

13But God does not change his mind. Who can turn him? He does what he wants.

But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth.

14He is doing what he decided for me. He has many more plans like that.

For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him.

15So I am shaken when he is near. When I think about it, I am afraid of him.

Therefore am I troubled at his presence: when I consider, I am afraid of him.

16God has made my heart weak. The Almighty, the all-powerful God, has filled me with fear.

For God maketh my heart soft, and the Almighty troubleth me:

NoteIn this book, the heart means the brave feeling inside you. A weak heart means that brave feeling is gone.

17Still, the darkness has not cut me off. He has not hidden the thick dark from my face.

Because I was not cut off before the darkness, neither hath he covered the darkness from my face.

NoteDarkness here means the dark, sad time Job is living in. He is saying the dark has not made him stop speaking.

1Job kept on speaking. He said:

Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,

NoteJob is answering three friends who came to visit him. They kept saying his troubles were his own fault.

2I promise this by the living God. He has not given me justice. The Almighty, a name for God that means he is stronger than anything, has made me feel bitter.

As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul;

Note"As God liveth" was a way to make a promise very strong. It was like saying, "This is as true as God is real."

3As long as I can still breathe, and God's breath is in my nose,

All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;

NoteBreath in your nose meant you were still alive. Job means, "For as long as I live."

4my lips will not say evil things. My tongue will not tell any lies.

My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.

5I will never say that you three are right. I will stay honest until the day I die.

God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.

NoteThe King James says "God forbid." That was an old way of saying "Never!"

6I will hold on to doing what is right. I will not let go of it. My own heart will not accuse me as long as I live.

My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.

NoteHere the heart means the quiet voice inside you. It tells you when you have done wrong.

7Let my enemy be treated like a wicked man. Let the one who fights me be treated like a man who does wrong.

Let mine enemy be as the wicked, and he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous.

8Think about a man who does not care about God. He may gain a great deal. What hope does he have when God takes his life away?

For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?

NoteThe King James word here is "hypocrite." In this book it means a person who lives as if God does not matter.

9Will God listen to him when he cries out in trouble?

Will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him?

10Will he be glad about the Almighty? Will he pray to God all the time?

Will he delight himself in the Almighty? will he always call upon God?

11I will teach you about God's power. I will not hide what the Almighty does.

I will teach you by the hand of God: that which is with the Almighty will I not conceal.

12You have all seen this yourselves. So why do you keep saying such empty things?

Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it; why then are ye thus altogether vain?

13This is what God hands out to a wicked man. This is what cruel people get from the Almighty.

This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage of oppressors, which they shall receive of the Almighty.

NoteA portion is the share you get when something is handed out. Job is saying what a cruel person ends up with.

14He may have many children, but they will die in war. His children will never have enough food.

If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword: and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.

15The ones who are left will die of sickness and be buried. Their wives will not even cry for them.

Those that remain of him shall be buried in death: and his widows shall not weep.

NoteLong ago, families cried out loud when someone died. Nobody crying meant nobody was left to be sad.

16He may pile up silver like dust. He may stack up clothes like heaps of clay.

Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay;

NoteNice clothes were worth a lot back then. People stored them up like treasure, the way we save money.

17He may pile them up, but good people will wear those clothes. Honest people will share out his silver.

He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver.

18The house he builds is thin like a moth's cocoon. It is flimsy like a little hut a guard puts up.

He buildeth his house as a moth, and as a booth that the keeper maketh.

NoteA moth's cocoon is a thin little bag. It tears easily.

19He goes to bed rich, but it will not happen again. He opens his eyes, and everything is gone.

The rich man shall lie down, but he shall not be gathered: he openeth his eyes, and he is not.

20Fears rush over him like a flood. A big storm carries him off in the night.

Terrors take hold on him as waters, a tempest stealeth him away in the night.

21The east wind picks him up, and he is gone. It sweeps him away from his home.

The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth: and as a storm hurleth him out of his place.

NoteThe east wind blew in hot and dry from the desert. It dried up plants and wrecked things.

22It hits him hard and shows him no mercy. He tries hard to escape from its power.

For God shall cast upon him, and not spare: he would fain flee out of his hand.

23It claps its hands at him. It hisses at him and drives him out of his place.

Men shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his place.

NoteClapping and hissing here are not cheering. They were ways of laughing at someone who had lost everything.

1Job kept on speaking. He said:

Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,

NoteThe King James says Job "continued his parable." Here that just means a long speech. Job had lost his children, his animals and his health. Now he remembers when life was good.

2I wish I could have back the months that are gone. God took care of me then.

Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me;

3His lamp shone above my head. His light helped me walk through the dark.

When his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness;

NoteLamps then were small clay bowls of oil with a burning wick. A lamp was the only light people had at night.

4Those were my best years. God was my friend. He watched over my tent.

As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle;

NoteJob lived in a tent made of cloth, not a house. His whole family lived in tents together.

5God, the All-Powerful One, was still with me. My children were all around me.

When the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were about me;

6My steps were washed with cream. The rock poured out streams of oil for me.

When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil;

NoteCream comes from milk, and the oil came from olives. Olive trees grow in rocky ground, so the rock "poured" oil. Job means he had far more food than he needed.

7I would walk out to the city gate. I took my seat in the open square.

When I went out to the gate through the city, when I prepared my seat in the street!

NoteThe city gate was the big doorway in the town wall. People met there to talk and to settle arguments. Important men sat there like judges.

8The young men saw me and stepped back. The old men stood up.

The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and the aged arose, and stood up.

NoteStanding up was how people showed respect to someone important. The young men stepped aside to let Job pass.

9The leaders stopped talking. They put their hands over their mouths.

The princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on their mouth.

NoteA hand over the mouth meant, I will not say a word. It showed they wanted to hear Job instead.

10Important men went quiet. Their tongues stuck to the roofs of their mouths.

The nobles held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.

11Everyone who heard me said good things about me. Everyone who saw me spoke well of me.

When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me:

12I did this because I saved poor people who cried for help. I helped children with no father and no one to help them.

Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him.

NoteA child with no father had no one to protect him. Nobody would speak up for him when he was treated badly.

13Dying men thanked me. I made the heart of a widow sing.

The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.

NoteA widow is a woman whose husband has died. Widows often had no money and no one to help.

14I put on doing what is right, and it covered me like clothes. Being fair was my robe and my turban.

I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.

NoteA robe is long, fine clothing that important people wore. A turban is cloth wrapped around the head. Job means being fair was like the clothes he wore every day.

15I was eyes for people who could not see. I was feet for people who could not walk.

I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame.

16I was like a father to people in need. I looked into the troubles of people I did not know.

I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out.

NoteRespected men like Job listened when people argued. Job would find out the truth and say who was right.

17I broke the teeth of cruel people. I pulled what they had grabbed out of their mouths.

And I brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.

NoteJob talks about cruel people as if they were wild animals. He pulled what they had stolen out of their jaws.

18So I thought, I will die safe at home. My days will be as many as grains of sand.

Then I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand.

NoteNobody can count all the grains of sand on a beach. Job thought he would live a very long time.

19My roots will spread down to the water. Dew will rest on my branches all night.

My root was spread out by the waters, and the dew lay all night upon my branch.

NoteDew is tiny drops of water that appear overnight. Job pictures himself as a tree growing next to water.

20My good name will always feel new. My bow will stay strong in my hand.

My glory was fresh in me, and my bow was renewed in my hand.

NoteA bow shoots arrows. A strong bow was a picture of a strong man.

21People listened to me and waited. They stayed quiet to hear my advice.

Unto me men gave ear, and waited, and kept silence at my counsel.

22When I finished, no one had more to say. My words settled on them gently, like dew.

After my words they spake not again; and my speech dropped upon them.

23They waited for me the way people wait for rain. They drank in my words like spring showers.

And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.

NoteIn Job's land rain only fell in certain months. The spring rain made the crops grow. Everyone waited and hoped for it.

24If I smiled at them, they could hardly believe it. A kind look from me meant a lot.

If I laughed on them, they believed it not; and the light of my countenance they cast not down.

NoteThe King James says "the light of my countenance." Countenance means face. A smiling face was a gift to the people around him.

25I chose the path they should take. I sat as their leader. I lived like a king among his soldiers. I comforted people who were sad.

I chose out their way, and sat chief, and dwelt as a king in the army, as one that comforteth the mourners.

NoteMourners are people who are sad because someone they loved has died.

24Have I trusted my gold to keep me safe? Did I call fine gold my security?

If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence;

NoteThere were no banks back then. Rich people kept gold and hid it somewhere safe.

25Have I been proud because I was so rich? Was I proud of all my hands had gained?

If I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because mine hand had gotten much;

26Have I looked at the sun shining bright? Have I watched the moon move in its glow?

If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness;

NoteSome people back then prayed to the sun and the moon. They believed the sun and moon were gods.

27Did my heart get pulled toward them in secret? Did my hand throw them a kiss?

And my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand:

NoteBlowing a kiss with your hand was a way to worship. People did it toward something they were praying to.

28That too is a sin that judges must punish. It would mean saying no to God above.

This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above.

29Have I been glad when someone who hated me was ruined? Did I cheer when trouble found him?

If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him:

30No. I never let my mouth sin that way. I never asked for my enemy to die.

Neither have I suffered my mouth to sin by wishing a curse to his soul.

NoteA curse means asking God to send harm to someone. Job says he never asked for that.

31Every man in my house could say the same thing. Everyone at my table ate until he was full.

If the men of my tabernacle said not, Oh that we had of his flesh! we cannot be satisfied.

NoteJob fed many people at his house every day. Feeding guests well was a great honor back then.

32No stranger ever had to sleep out in the street. My door was always open to travelers.

The stranger did not lodge in the street: but I opened my doors to the traveller.

NoteThere were no hotels for travelers. A stranger had to hope someone would open a door. Sleeping outside in the street was not safe.

33Have I covered up my sins the way Adam did? Did I keep my wrongs hidden in my heart?

If I covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom:

NoteAdam was the very first man. After he did wrong, he tried to hide from God.

34Was I so afraid of the crowd? Did families laughing at me scare me into staying quiet indoors?

Did I fear a great multitude, or did the contempt of families terrify me, that I kept silence, and went not out of the door?

35I wish someone would listen to me! Here is my name signed to it. Let the Almighty answer me. Let the one who blames me write down the charge.

Oh that one would hear me! behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me, and that mine adversary had written a book.

NoteSigning your name means writing it to show you really mean it. In a court, the person blaming you wrote the charge on a scroll. Job wants to see that list.

36I would carry that paper on my shoulder. I would wear it like a crown.

Surely I would take it upon my shoulder, and bind it as a crown to me.

NoteCarrying the paper on his shoulder means he would not hide it. He is saying he is not ashamed.

37I would tell God about every step I took. I would walk up to him like a prince.

I would declare unto him the number of my steps; as a prince would I go near unto him.

NoteA prince is a king's son. He could walk right up to the king without being afraid.

38Does my own land cry out against me? Do its plowed rows weep about how I treated them?

If my land cry against me, or that the furrows likewise thereof complain;

39Have I eaten its food without paying for it? Have I broken the hearts of the farmers there?

If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money, or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life:

NoteFarmers often worked on land that a rich man owned. They paid him with part of the food they grew.

40If I did, let thorny weeds grow where wheat should be. Let stinkweed grow instead of barley. These are the last words of Job.

Let thistles grow instead of wheat, and cockle instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.

NoteWheat and barley are grains that people grind to make bread. Thistles and stinkweed are weeds that nobody wants. This is the last thing Job says in the whole book.