Job 38-42 The Righteous Reap Rewards
Bill Blurb: We're jumping to the end of Job, and will look at the intervening chapters as poetry when we finish Psalms. Below is an extended “theological” introduction to the Job chapters, as well as a more lengthy analysis of the text in 42:6, a notoriously difficult passage to translate in context. Don't get bogged down in the fog.
Psalm 70:1-5 The SOS Psalm
Ps 70:1 “Hurry, God, to deliver me. Come quickly to help me, Yahweh. 2 Let them be disappointed and confounded who seek my soul. Let those who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. 3 Let them be turned because of their shame who say, "Aha! Aha!" 4 Let all those who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. Let those who love your salvation continually say, "Let God be exalted!" 5 But I am poor and needy. Come to me quickly, God. You are my help and my deliverer. Yahweh, don’t delay.
Observations: 70:1 This is almost identical to the last verses of Psalm 40. In distress from enemies who wish him harm David prays for God to help, and quickly.
70:2-3 Two quick verses about turning the tables on the bad guys
70:4 A couplet asking God to answer the prayers of those who seek and trust Him.
70:5 A restatement of the first plea, adding that he is poor and needy and only has God as a helper (as if God didn't know).
Application: God answers the prayers of those who seek and love His salvation, so He can be exalted.
Prayer: God, I know Your timing is perfect, and I think it would be a perfect time to help me out of this difficulty; but You're God, and I'm not, so I trust that You will help me when it's best. May You be exalted in this trial. Amen.
Proverbs 18:10-13 Prosperity Doesn't Protect
Observations: 18:10-13 The righteous call out to God, and His name (expression of His character and power) protects them. The rich can sometimes deceive themselves into thinking that their wealth is their protection, and not depend upon God. They are just setting themselves up for destruction and dishonor, but those who are righteous, and trust in the power and might of Yahweh, rather than their own resources, will be protected and honored.
Application: Trusting in the almighty and infinite power of God is a far better bet than trusting in the declining dollar, or euro, or yen, or bitcoin, or...
Prayer:God, in You I trust; don't let me experience the dishonor of the proud, but please protect and prosper me. Thanks. Amen.
Job 38-42 Although Job deals with the question of “why the righteous suffer,” the majority of the book is not about that.
- The overriding purpose of the book is to help us understand our place in the cosmos, and God's purposes in our lives, thus serving as a great introduction to the Law. (Job is considered the oldest book in the Bible, pre-Moses since the Law isn't mentioned.)
- The secondary purpose, occupying the majority of the material in the book (and the Bible) addresses “why the unrighteous suffer” (since there's a much bigger market for it); the unrighteous suffer because they're reaping the consequences of their sin, which God promised. Job's counselors provide lots of truth about God's just retribution; it's just not directly applicable to Job's situation. But their counsel is indirectly applicable: if God is just, and Job is blameless, then what looks like cursing has to be turned to blessing (in this life or the next), otherwise, God would be unjust. Retribution is paying back reward or punishment.
- The third theme, is more about “the correct response to righteous suffering”: suffering is not always a result of sin, but designed to purify and reward, and glorify us (and God on that last one). Suffering is a vaccine against short-sightedness of the soul, and teaches us to not get too comfortable on earth, but look beyond the pain to the eternal gain (which is a major means of glorifying God). When God gives glory to His faithful saints, it displays more of His glory. The more He glorifies, the more He is glorified.
- A fourth theme to keep in mind is that Satan (transliteration of the Hebrew for “adversary”) is our adversary (1Pt 5:8), seeking to undermine God's rule in our lives, and prevent us from gaining the glory he grasped at and lost (hence his tempting of Eve and ensnaring of believers). He blinds people to the light of the good news of/about the glory (2Cor 4:4-5 NKJV). More on this in the future.
Job wanted to know why, but God wanted him to trust in His revealed character and promises. The problem is that Job was using a sundial, and God was using a calender. Being able to trust in the character of God, when circumstances are doubtful, requires faith in what God revealed about Himself. (It's not faith if you can see it.) That faith displays aspects of His character, i.e., His trustworthiness and goodness, thus glorifying Him. God is inherently glorious, all He has to do to display His glory is to show up, or be seen. (See How to Glorify God on Truthbase.net, and the last chapters of Job.)
Satan's lie is that God bribes people to obey Him, but the truth is that God justly rewards the loyalty of His blameless and upright servants, who fear Him and eschew evil. He also disciplines those who disobey. Contrast a paycheck with a bribe. A paycheck is not a bribe to get people to work, it is a just earned consequence of doing one's job, according to agreed upon terms (covenant). A bribe is an illicit inducement designed to get someone to do something unjust and which they otherwise would not do (against their will). Loyalty to God is a response of the will to what He has revealed, both regarding His person, and what He wants us to do. A believer with a transformed, Biblical value system, like Job, doesn't need a bribe to obey, but is motivated by what God has revealed and promised. Remember Nehemiah's motivation?
Job 38 Where Were You?
38:1 Then Yahweh answered Job out of the whirlwind, 2 "Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 3 Brace yourself like a man, for I will question you, then you answer me!
4 "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measures, if you know? Or who stretched the line on it? 6 Whereupon were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 8 "Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it broke forth from the womb, 9 when I made clouds its garment, and wrapped it in thick darkness, 10 marked out for it my bound, set bars and doors, 11 and said, ‘Here you may come, but no further. Here your proud waves shall be stayed?’
12 "Have you commanded the morning in your days, and caused the dawn to know its place; 17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you? 19 "What is the way to the dwelling of light? As for darkness, where is its place, 20 that you should take it to its bound, that you should discern the paths to its house? 21 Surely you know, for you were born then, and the number of your days is great!
25 Who has cut a channel for the flood water, or the path for the thunderstorm; 26 To cause it to rain on a land where no man is; on the wilderness, in which there is no man; 31 "Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, or loosen the cords of Orion? 32 Can you lead forth the constellations in their season? Or can you guide the Bear with her cubs? 33 Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you establish its dominion over the earth? 36 Who has put wisdom in the inward parts? Or who has given understanding to the mind? 39 "Can you hunt the prey for the lioness, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, 40 when they crouch in their dens, and lie in wait in the thicket? 41 Who provides for the raven his prey, when his young ones cry to God, and wander for lack of food?
Observations: 38:1-3 Job's been asking God “why?”, now God asks him “who?”, “where?”, and “how?”. Who are you to dim/diminish my designs/plans with unwise words?
38:4-40 God gives Job the world's toughest physical science exam, most of the answers to which most scientists and theologians are still scratching their heads about. Underlying the poetry are some fascinating facts about our world. God gives him an equally impossible biology exam in the next chapter, to help him learn that God knows what He's doing, and Job doesn't. God is both creator and sustainer of the world in which Job lives, so Job can trust Him to be in control of what's going on.
Application: Asking God why is OK, demanding an answer is going out of our league. He is God, we're not.
Prayer: Wondrous God of creation, I trust that You know what You're doing with my life, and that You will tell me everything I need to know to do Your will. Amen.
Job 40 Oops, No More Questions
40:1 Moreover Yahweh answered Job, 2 "Shall he who argues contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it." 3 Then Job answered Yahweh, 4 "Behold, I am of small account. What shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. 5 I have spoken once, and I will not answer; Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further."
6 Then Yahweh answered Job out of the whirlwind, 7 "Now brace yourself like a man. I will question you, and you will answer me. 8 Will you even annul my judgment? Will you condemn me, that you may be justified? 9 Or do you have an arm like God? Can you thunder with a voice like him? 11 Pour out the fury of your anger. Look at everyone who is proud, and bring him low. 12 Look at everyone who is proud, and humble him. Crush the wicked in their place. 13 Hide them in the dust together. Bind their faces in the hidden place. 14 Then I will also admit to you that your own right hand can save you. 5 “Look now at the behemoth, which I made along with you...19 He is the first of the ways of God; Only He who made him can bring near His sword.
Observations: 40:1-5 Job responds with “Whoops, small potatoes here, keeping silent.”
40:6-14 Having established that neither Job, nor any human understands the bigger picture apart from God revealing it, God then gets on Job's case for questioning His judgment for the purpose of justifying himself. Job didn't sin in his words, but edged towards doubt by saying the problem must be with God. Actually Job was right in that his affliction was from God, but not as an unjust consequence for his sin.
40:11-14 God says that if Job can perform one of God's key jobs of humbling the proud, then he would be in the position to deliver himself out of his distress. Although Job didn't step over the line into sin, he was tiptoeing pretty close to pride, in wanting to be in control of his life. God is the one who saves from trouble when we humbly depend upon Him and His grace (Js 4:6).
40:15-24 See notes on Behemoth in next chapter.
Application: The first response to suffering is to see if there is anything we've done to cause it, and then to repent, as illustrated in some of the Psalms. The correct response to undeserved suffering is to call out to God to save us, as many of the Psalms also instruct.
Prayer: God, I don't need to know the “why” of the events of my life, just “what” You want me to do. If there's nothing specific, then I will work on following Your revealed will, and trust You to send me a memo if I need to know or do something different. Amen.
Job 41 Looking for Leviathan
41:1 "Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook...10 None is so fierce that he dare stir him up. Who then is he who can stand before me?
11 Who has preceded me, that I should pay him? Everything under the heavens is mine. 33 On earth there is not his equal, that is made without fear. 34 He sees everything that is high. He is king over all the sons of pride."
Observations: 41:1-34 There's all kinds of speculation about what the Leviathan is (and the Behemoth in the last chapter). Both have characteristics of real animals, with which Job was familiar. Both also have aspects of demonic power in both the verses and extra-biblical literature. One thing to notice, apart from the details in the verses, is that Satan, who figured prominently in the beginning of the book, is absent at the end. Job's wife reappears obliquely in the mention of children in the next chapter. The point of mentioning these beasts is that they are beyond man's ability to control, but under God's control.
41:11 Establishes that God owns everything, and owes no one anything, including explanations.
Job 42 The Righteous Reap Reward
42:1 Then Job answered Yahweh, 2 "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be restrained. 3 You asked, ‘Who is this who hides/diminishes counsel without knowledge?’ therefore I have uttered that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I didn’t know. 4 You said, ‘Listen, now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you will answer me.’ 5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you. 6 Therefore I abhor/despise/reject, and comfort myself/grieve/repent over/above dust and ashes."
7 It was so, that after Yahweh had spoken these words to Job, Yahweh said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is kindled against you, and against your two friends; for you have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job has. 8 Now therefore, take to yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept him, that I not deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job has." 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did what Yahweh commanded them, and Yahweh accepted Job.
10 Yahweh turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends. Yahweh gave Job twice as much as he had before. 11 Then came there to him all his brothers, and all his sisters, and all those who had been of his acquaintance before, and ate bread with him in his house. They comforted him, and consoled him concerning all the evil that Yahweh had brought on him. Everyone also gave him a piece of money, and everyone a ring of gold. 12 So Yahweh blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand female donkeys. 13 He had also seven sons and three daughters. 14 He called the name of the first, Jemimah; and the name of the second, Keziah; and the name of the third, Keren Happuch. 15 In all the land were no women found so beautiful as the daughters of Job. Their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. 16 After this Job lived one hundred forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, to four generations. 17 So Job died, being old and full of days.
LXX "And it is written that he will rise again with those whom the Lord raises up."
Observations: 42:1-6 Job pays attention to what God has said (which is more than most commentators and translators do on this passage), and acknowledges that he has spoken beyond his understanding. Most commentators are worse then Job's counselors in their condemnation of Job as a proud sinner. God condemned the counselors for sinning by saying that. The key hinge is verse 42:6, which has multiple translation issues. After Job makes the statement in verse six, everything changes. Note that there is no seeking of pardon for himself, on Job's part, nor granting of forgiveness to Job on God's part, although those actions do occur for those wrongly accusing him of wrongdoing.
Taking the most common meanings of the words as used in the book of Job and Scripture, the text reads, (in light of Job hearing and seeing God at work and recognizing his own lack of understanding of the God's greater purposes, in other words, “getting it”):
“Therefore I despise/recant (my arguments), and comfort myself above dust and ashes (in God's revelation of Himself).”
In other words, Job now takes back his demands for God to answer him (remember, Job still doesn't know about God and Satan in the first two chapters, nor the reason why God has allowed him to be afflicted). Instead of comforting himself in mourning, Job takes comfort “above” ashes, in the revelation God has just given him, of Himself.
The root idea of the word translated “repent” is that of “comfort”, “pity”, “being sorry” and “having compassion.” It is not the word for repenting from sin (“turning back” in the OT, “change of mind” in the NT). In the Niphal (passive, reflective stem) it is to “grieve” or “comfort oneself,” and is used most frequently of God being grieved that He made Saul king, or grieved over Israel's sin. The other six times it is used in the book of Job, it is very obviously referring to “comfort”; a different word is used for repent. The word translated “in” ‘al referring to dirt and ashes, means “above,” having a root and connotation of “over, beyond, surpassing.” It is not the usual word for “in”, and is actually the first word of this verse as well, meaning “moreover” or therefore.
Verse 6 is an example of incorrect translator bias, because there was no sin of which Job needed to repent. God says that Job didn't sin, and in verse 7, that Job's spoken what's right; and in verse 8, again, that Job spoke what's right; and then in verse 9, God accepts Job's prayer on behalf of his “comforters” (2:11; 16:2). If any repenting needs to be done it is by those who read biases into the text and obscure its meaning.
Correctly understood, 42:6 is an affirmation of the trustworthiness of God, as Job discards his need to know, and finds comfort in the revealed truth of God, rather than dirt and ashes.
42:7-9 God rebukes those who were accusing Job of sin (except for Elihu), and affirms Job's innocence as noted above.
42:10-17 When Job, who also manages to remain free of bitterness towards his false accusers, prays for his friends/enemies, God gives Job back double what he had, blessing Him (it's what God does), even more than at the beginning. His gets replacement children (which effectively doubles his kids) and the daughters are total knock-outs. Their names mean something like “Radiant as the Day,” “Sweet and Spicy,” and “Mascara Make-up” which probably alludes to her eyes being gorgeous.
42:postscript in the Septuagint (Greek translation of the OT from the Hebrew, done around 250 BC), references the future resurrection of the righteous (see last post).
PS: Job still doesn't know about the bet between God and Satan (but we do).
Application: Instead of asking “why?” when we encounter suffering that isn't due to our sin/stupidity, we should ask “Who do I trust?” and then trust Him.
Prayer: Almighty Creator and Sustainer, infinitely good and just God, I know that You test Your servants and find pleasure in uprightness. May I have grace to pass the tests, for Your glory. Thanks. Amen.
Digging Deeper:
Most of the Biblical theology is in the introduction to the above chapters.
God in a nutshell: God is the sovereign Creator, who sustains His universe purposefully and for His glory. He uses His faithful servants to teach Satan that he should have obeyed, and richly rewards their service. In the process, He glorifies Himself, displaying His power and character.
Us in a nutshell: We are created to bring glory to God, which we do by obediently trusting Him, even in the most trying of circumstances. We can live a life that is pleasing to God, being blameless and upright, fearing Him and eschewing evil. We know that God is in control, infinitely just, and recompenses human behavior, gives us confidence to have faith in Him, when we can't see His reasons, purposes, or plans. We also know that Satan will seek to destroy God's servants, which should cause us to be daily dependent upon God.
Where to Go for More:
Truthbase.net
Job complete text
Job 38
38:1 Then Yahweh answered Job out of the whirlwind, 2 "Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 3 Brace yourself like a man, for I will question you, then you answer me!
4 "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measures, if you know? Or who stretched the line on it? 6 Whereupon were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 8 "Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it broke forth from the womb, 9 when I made clouds its garment, and wrapped it in thick darkness, 10 marked out for it my bound, set bars and doors, 11 and said, ‘Here you may come, but no further. Here your proud waves shall be stayed?’
12 "Have you commanded the morning in your days, and caused the dawn to know its place; 13 that it might take hold of the ends of the earth, and shake the wicked out of it? 14 It is changed as clay under the seal, and stands forth as a garment. 15 From the wicked, their light is withheld. The high arm is broken. 16 "Have you entered into the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in the recesses of the deep? 17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Or have you seen the gates of the shadow of death? 18 Have you comprehended the earth in its breadth? Declare, if you know it all. 19 "What is the way to the dwelling of light? As for darkness, where is its place, 20 that you should take it to its bound, that you should discern the paths to its house? 21 Surely you know, for you were born then, and the number of your days is great! 22 Have you entered the treasuries of the snow, or have you seen the treasures of the hail, 23 which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war? 24 By what way is the lightning distributed, or the east wind scattered on the earth?
25 Who has cut a channel for the flood water, or the path for the thunderstorm; 26 To cause it to rain on a land where no man is; on the wilderness, in which there is no man; 27 to satisfy the waste and desolate ground, to cause the tender grass to spring forth? 28 Does the rain have a father? Or who fathers the drops of dew? 29 Out of whose womb came the ice? The gray frost of the sky, who has given birth to it? 30 The waters become hard like stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen. 31 "Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, or loosen the cords of Orion? 32 Can you lead forth the constellations in their season? Or can you guide the Bear with her cubs? 33 Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you establish its dominion over the earth? 34 "Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, That abundance of waters may cover you? 35 Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go? Do they report to you, ‘Here we are?’ 36 Who has put wisdom in the inward parts? Or who has given understanding to the mind? 37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of the sky, 38 when the dust runs into a mass, and the clods of earth stick together? 39 "Can you hunt the prey for the lioness, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, 40 when they crouch in their dens, and lie in wait in the thicket? 41 Who provides for the raven his prey, when his young ones cry to God, and wander for lack of food?
Job 39
39:1 "Do you know the time when the mountain goats give birth? Do you watch when the doe bears fawns? 2 Can you number the months that they fulfil? Or do you know the time when they give birth? 3 They bow themselves, they bring forth their young, they end their labour pains. 4 Their young ones become strong. They grow up in the open field. They go forth, and don’t return again. 5 "Who has set the wild donkey free? Or who has loosened the bonds of the swift donkey, 6 Whose home I have made the wilderness, and the salt land his dwelling place? 7 He scorns the tumult of the city, neither does he hear the shouting of the driver. 8 The range of the mountains is his pasture, he searches after every green thing. 9 "Will the wild ox be content to serve you? Or will he stay by your feeding trough? 10 Can you hold the wild ox in the furrow with his harness? Or will he till the valleys after you? 11 Will you trust him, because his strength is great? Or will you leave to him your labour? 12 Will you confide in him, that he will bring home your seed, and gather the grain of your threshing floor?
13 "The wings of the ostrich wave proudly; but are they the feathers and plumage of love? 14 For she leaves her eggs on the earth, warms them in the dust, 15 and forgets that the foot may crush them, or that the wild animal may trample them. 16 She deals harshly with her young ones, as if they were not hers. Though her labour is in vain, she is without fear, 17 because God has deprived her of wisdom, neither has he imparted to her understanding. 18 When she lifts up herself on high, she scorns the horse and his rider.
19 "Have you given the horse might? Have you clothed his neck with a quivering mane? 20 Have you made him to leap as a locust? The glory of his snorting is awesome. 21 He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength. He goes out to meet the armed men. 22 He mocks at fear, and is not dismayed, neither does he turn back from the sword. 23 The quiver rattles against him, the flashing spear and the javelin. 24 He eats up the ground with fierceness and rage, neither does he stand still at the sound of the trumpet. 25 As often as the trumpet sounds he snorts, ‘Aha!’ He smells the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
26 "Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars, and stretches her wings toward the south? 27 Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up, and makes his nest on high? 28 On the cliff he dwells, and makes his home, on the point of the cliff, and the stronghold. 29 From there he spies out the prey. His eyes see it afar off. 30 His young ones also suck up blood. Where the slain are, there he is."
Job 40
40:1 Moreover Yahweh answered Job, 2 "Shall he who argues contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it." 3 Then Job answered Yahweh, 4 "Behold, I am of small account. What shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. 5 I have spoken once, and I will not answer; Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further."
6 Then Yahweh answered Job out of the whirlwind, 7 "Now brace yourself like a man. I will question you, and you will answer me. 8 Will you even annul my judgment? Will you condemn me, that you may be justified? 9 Or do you have an arm like God? Can you thunder with a voice like him? 10 "Now deck yourself with excellency and dignity. Array yourself with honour and majesty. 11 Pour out the fury of your anger. Look at everyone who is proud, and bring him low. 12 Look at everyone who is proud, and humble him. Crush the wicked in their place. 13 Hide them in the dust together. Bind their faces in the hidden place. 14 Then I will also admit to you that your own right hand can save you.
15 "See now, behemoth, which I made as well as you. He eats grass as an ox. 16 Look now, his strength is in his thighs. His force is in the muscles of his belly. 17 He moves his tail like a cedar. The sinews of his thighs are knit together. 18 His bones are like tubes of brass. His limbs are like bars of iron. 19 He is the chief of the ways of God. He who made him gives him his sword. 20 Surely the mountains produce food for him, where all the animals of the field play. 21 He lies under the lotus trees, in the covert of the reed, and the marsh. 22 The lotuses cover him with their shade. The willows of the brook surround him. 23 Behold, if a river overflows, he doesn’t tremble. He is confident, though the Jordan swells even to his mouth. 24 Shall any take him when he is on the watch, or pierce through his nose with a snare?
Job 41
41:1 "Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook, or press down his tongue with a cord? 2 Can you put a rope into his nose, or pierce his jaw through with a hook? 3 Will he make many petitions to you, or will he speak soft words to you? 4 Will he make a covenant with you, that you should take him for a servant forever? 5 Will you play with him as with a bird? Or will you bind him for your girls? 6 Will traders barter for him? Will they part him among the merchants? 7 Can you fill his skin with barbed irons, or his head with fish spears? 8 Lay your hand on him. Remember the battle, and do so no more. 9 Behold, the hope of him is in vain. Won’t one be cast down even at the sight of him? 10 None is so fierce that he dare stir him up. Who then is he who can stand before me?
11 Who has first given to me, that I should repay him? Everything under the heavens is mine. 12 "I will not keep silence concerning his limbs, nor his mighty strength, nor his goodly frame. 13 Who can strip off his outer garment? Who shall come within his jaws? 14 Who can open the doors of his face? Around his teeth is terror. 15 Strong scales are his pride, shut up together with a close seal. 16 One is so near to another, that no air can come between them. 17 They are joined one to another. They stick together, so that they can’t be pulled apart. 18 His sneezing flashes out light. His eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. 19 Out of his mouth go burning torches. Sparks of fire leap forth. 20 Out of his nostrils a smoke goes, as of a boiling pot over a fire of reeds. 21 His breath kindles coals. A flame goes forth from his mouth. 22 There is strength in his neck. Terror dances before him. 23 The flakes of his flesh are joined together. They are firm on him. They can’t be moved. 24 His heart is as firm as a stone, yes, firm as the lower millstone. 25 When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid. They retreat before his thrashing. 26 If one attacks him with the sword, it can’t prevail; nor the spear, the dart, nor the pointed shaft. 27 He counts iron as straw; and brass as rotten wood. 28 The arrow can’t make him flee. Sling stones are like chaff to him. 29 Clubs are counted as stubble. He laughs at the rushing of the javelin. 30 His undersides are like sharp potsherds, leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge. 31 He makes the deep to boil like a pot. He makes the sea like a pot of ointment. 32 He makes a path shine after him. One would think the deep had white hair. 33 On earth there is not his equal, that is made without fear. 34 He sees everything that is high. He is king over all the sons of pride."
Job 42
42:1 Then Job answered Yahweh, 2 "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be restrained. 3 You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ therefore I have uttered that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I didn’t know. 4 You said, ‘Listen, now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you will answer me.’ 5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you. 6 Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes."
7 It was so, that after Yahweh had spoken these words to Job, Yahweh said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is kindled against you, and against your two friends; for you have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job has. 8 Now therefore, take to yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept him, that I not deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job has." 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did what Yahweh commanded them, and Yahweh accepted Job.
10 Yahweh turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends. Yahweh gave Job twice as much as he had before. 11 Then came there to him all his brothers, and all his sisters, and all those who had been of his acquaintance before, and ate bread with him in his house. They comforted him, and consoled him concerning all the evil that Yahweh had brought on him. Everyone also gave him a piece of money, and everyone a ring of gold. 12 So Yahweh blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand female donkeys. 13 He had also seven sons and three daughters. 14 He called the name of the first, Jemimah; and the name of the second, Keziah; and the name of the third, Keren Happuch. 15 In all the land were no women found so beautiful as the daughters of Job. Their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. 16 After this Job lived one hundred forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, to four generations. 17 So Job died, being old and full of days.
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