It bindeth me about as the collar of my coat. And I am become like dust and ashes. I cry unto thee, and thou dost not hear me: Thou art become cruel to me: With thy strong hand thou opposest thyself against me. Thou liftest me up to the wind; thou causest me to ride upon it, And dissolvest my substance. For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, And to the house appointed for all living. Howbeit he will not stretch out his hand to the grave, Did not I weep for him that was in trouble? When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: The days of affliction prevented me. I stood up, and I cried in the congregation. And a companion to owls. My skin is black upon me, And my bones are burned with heat. My harp also is turned to mourning, And my organ into the voice of them that weep. I Made a covenant with mine eyes; Why then should I think upon a maid? For what portion of God is there from above? And a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity? Doth not he see my ways, If I have walked with vanity, Yea, let my offspring be rooted out. If mine heart have been deceived by a woman, And let others bow down upon her. For this is an heinous crime; Yea, it is an iniquity to be punished by the judges. For it is a fire that consumeth to destruction, And would root out all mine increase. If I did despise the cause of my manservant or of my maidservant, When they contended with me; What then shall I do when God riseth up? And I have guided her from my mother's womb;) If his loins have not blessed me, And if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep; If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, When I saw my help in the gate: Then let mine arm fall from my shoulder blade, And mine arm be broken from the bone. For destruction from God was a terror to me, And by reason of his highness I could not endure. If I have made gold my hope, Or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confi dence; If I rejoiced because my wealth was great, This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, If the men of my tabernacle said not, Oh that we had of his flesh! we cannot be satisfied. Or did the contempt of families terrify me, That I kept silence, and went not out of the door? Oh that one would hear me! Behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would an swer me, And that mine adversary had written a book. Surely I would take it upon my shoulder, I would declare unto him the number of my steps; If my land cry against me, Or that the furrows likewise thereof complain; The words of Job are ended. So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram: against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God. Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job. Now Elihu had waited till Job had ken, because they were elder than he. When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, then his wrath was kindled. And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said, I Am young, and ye are very old; spo Wherefore I was afraid, and durst not shew you mine opinion. |