Episode 166: Job's parable

Job 26-37

26 ¹ Job said,

⁷ God hung the earth on nothing.

¹¹ The pillars that hold up the sky tremble when he speaks.

27 ¹ Job continued his parable, saying,

² God has refused to judge me fairly.

³ But while I still have breath in me,

⁵ I will not let you take away my integrity.

⁶ I will continue to proclaim my righteousness.

28 ²⁰ Wisdom is hidden from all living things, even birds.

29 ² I miss the good old days, when I lived a happy and carefree life.

¹¹ Everyone liked me and said nice things about me.

¹² I helped the poor and fatherless, and those who had no one else to help them.

¹³ People blessed me when they died.

I made widow's hearts sing for joy.

¹⁴ I was clothed in righteousness.

I wore justice like a robe.

¹⁵ I helped the blind see, and the lame walk.

¹⁶ I was a father to the poor and defended them in court.

¹⁷ I broke the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.

²⁰ I was glorious.

²¹ Everyone listened to me, and stopped talking when I told them to.

²⁴ I made people happy just by smiling at them.

²⁵ I was the king of my own world.

30 ¹ But now young people make fun of me.

¹⁰ They hate me and spit in my face.

²⁰ I cry out to you, God, but you don't hear me.

²¹ You are cruel to me and oppress me.

²³ I know you're going to kill me.

²⁷ My bowels boiled.

²⁹ I am a brother to dragons and a companion to owls.

31 ¹ Since I made an agreement with my eyes, why should I desire a woman?

⁹ If I've fallen for another woman,

¹⁰ Then let my wife grind to another, and let others bow down on her.

¹³ If I ignored the complaints of my servants, ¹⁶ or ignored the needs of the poor or blinded widows, ¹⁷ or not shared my food with the fatherless, ¹⁹ or didn't clothe the poor with the fleece of my sheep, ²² then let my arm be broken off from my shoulder.

²⁴ If I put my hope in gold, ²⁵ or rejoiced in my wealth,²⁶ or saw the sun when it shined, or the moon when it was bright, ²⁷ or kissed my hand, ²⁸ then I deserve to be punished by God.

²⁹ If I rejoiced when a person who hated me was destroyed, ³⁰ or wanted to curse his soul, ³¹ or didn't take in travelers, ³³ or hid my iniquity in my bosom, ³⁴ or stayed silent from fear of what others would say, ³⁹ or ate fruits without paying for them, or caused others to lose their life, ⁴⁰ Then let thistles grow instead of wheat, and cockle instead of barley.

And with that, Job stopped talking.

32 ¹ Job's three friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar) stopped speaking to him, since he considered himself righteous. Then Elihu arrived and was angry at Job for blaming God instead of himself. ³ And he was angry at Job's friends, because they couldn't prove that Job was wrong.

⁴ He waited until Job finished speaking, then he said,

¹⁹ My belly is ready to burst like a bottle of wine without a vent.

33 ¹ Hear my speeches and listen to me.

⁶ I'm speaking for God here.

¹⁴ God speaks in dreams while we sleep.

¹⁹ He punishes us with pain on our beds.

34 ³⁵ Job has spoken without knowledge or wisdom.

³⁶ I'd like to see him tried and punished for his wickedness.

³⁷ He added rebellion to sin, clapped his hands, and talked back to God.

35 ² Do you think you were right when you said that you were more righteous than God?

36 ² Be patient with me, and I'll speak to you on God's behalf.

³ I'll fetch knowledge from afar and talk about how great God is.

37 ² Hear the noise of God's voice and the sound that comes out of his mouth.

⁶ He tells the snow to go to the earth, and he does the same to rain.

¹⁰ He makes frost with his breath.

¹⁸ Were you with him when he spread out the sky, which is hard and strong like a mirror?

²⁴ People fear him, and he respects no one who is wise.