Job 13 New American Standard Bible

Job Says His Friends’ Proverbs Are Ashes

13 “^(A)Behold, my eye has seen all this,
My ear has heard and understood it.
²^(B)What you know I also know;
I am not inferior to you.

³“But ^(C)I would speak to ^[a]the Almighty,
And I desire to ^(D)argue with God.
⁴But you ^(E)smear me with lies;
You are all ^(F)worthless physicians.
⁵Oh that you would ^(G)be completely silent,
And that it would become your wisdom!
⁶Please hear my argument,
And give your attention to the contentions of my lips.
⁷Will you ^(H)speak what is unjust for God,
And speak what is deceitful for Him?
⁸Will you ^(I)show partiality for Him?
Will you contend for God?
⁹Will it go well when He examines you?
Or ^(J)will you deceive Him as one deceives a man?
¹⁰He will certainly punish you
If you secretly ^(K)show partiality.
¹¹Will ^(L)His ^[b]majesty not terrify you,
And the dread of Him fall upon you?
¹²Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes,
Your defenses are defenses of clay.

Job Is Sure He Will Be Vindicated

¹³“^(M)Be silent before me so that I may speak;
Then let come upon me what may.
¹⁴Why should I take my flesh in my teeth,
And ^(N)put my life in my ^[c]hands?
¹⁵^(O)Though He slay me,
I will ^[d]hope in Him.
Nevertheless I ^(P)will argue my ways ^[e]before Him.
¹⁶This also will be my ^(Q)salvation,
For ^(R)a godless person cannot come before His presence.
¹⁷Listen carefully to my speech,
And let my declaration fill your ears.
¹⁸Behold now, I have ^(S)prepared my case;
I know that ^(T)I will be vindicated.
¹⁹^(U)Who could contend with me?
For then I would be silent and ^(V)die.

²⁰“Only two things I ask that You do not do to me,
Then I will not hide from Your face:
²¹^(W)Remove Your ^[f]hand from me,
And may the dread of You not terrify me.
²²Then call and ^(X)I will answer;
Or let me speak, then reply to me.
²³^(Y)How many are my guilty deeds and sins?
Make known to me my wrongdoing and my sin.
²⁴Why do You ^(Z)hide Your face
And consider me ^(AA)Your enemy?
²⁵Will You scare away a ^(AB)scattered leaf?
Or will You pursue the dry ^(AC)chaff?
²⁶For You write ^(AD)bitter things against me
And ^(AE)make me inherit the guilty deeds of my youth.
²⁷You ^(AF)put my feet in the stocks
And watch all my paths;
You ^[g]set a limit for the soles of my feet,
²⁸While ^[h]I am decaying like a ^(AG)rotten thing,
Like a garment that is moth-eaten.