Job 33  American Standard Version

33 Howbeit, Job, I pray thee, hear my speech,
And hearken to all my words.
² Behold now, I have opened my mouth;
My tongue hath spoken in my ^[a]mouth.
³ My words shall utter the uprightness of my heart;
And that which my lips know they shall speak sincerely.
⁴ The Spirit of God hath made me,
And the breath of the Almighty giveth me life.
⁵ If thou canst, answer thou me;
Set thy words in order before me, stand forth.
⁶ Behold, ^[b]I am toward God even as thou art:
I also am formed out of the clay.
⁷ Behold, my terror shall not make thee afraid,
Neither shall my pressure be heavy upon thee.

⁸ Surely thou hast spoken in my hearing,
And I have heard the voice of thy words, saying,
⁹ I am clean, without transgression;
I am innocent, neither is there iniquity in me:
¹⁰ Behold, he findeth ^[c]occasions against me,
He counteth me for his enemy;
¹¹ He putteth my feet in the stocks,
He marketh all my paths.
¹² Behold, ^[d]I will answer thee, in this thou art not just;
For God is greater than man.

¹³ Why dost thou strive against him,
For that he giveth not account of any of his matters?
¹⁴ For God speaketh ^[e]once,
Yea twice, though man regardeth it not.
¹⁵ In a dream, in a vision of the night,
When deep sleep falleth upon men,
In slumberings upon the bed;
¹⁶ Then he ^[f]openeth the ears of men,
And sealeth their instruction,
^17 [g]That he may withdraw man from his purpose,
And hide pride from man;
^18 [h]He keepeth back his soul from the pit,
And his life from perishing by the ^[i]sword.

¹⁹ He is chastened also with pain upon his bed,
^[j]And with continual strife in his bones;
²⁰ So that his life abhorreth bread,
And his soul dainty food.
²¹ His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen;
And his bones that were not seen stick out.
²² Yea, his soul draweth near unto the pit,
And his life to the destroyers.

²³ If there be with him ^[k]an angel,
An interpreter, one ^[l]among a thousand,
To show unto man ^[m]what is right for him;
^24 [n]Then God is gracious unto him, and saith,
Deliver him from going down to the pit,
I have found a ransom.
²⁵ His flesh shall be fresher than a child’s;
He returneth to the days of his youth.
²⁶ He prayeth unto God, and he is favorable unto him,
So that he seeth his face with joy:
And he restoreth unto man his righteousness.
²⁷ He ^[o]singeth before men, and saith,
I have sinned, and perverted that which was right,
And ^[p]it profited me not:
²⁸ He hath redeemed my soul from going into the pit,
And my life shall behold the light.

²⁹ Lo, all these things doth God work,
Twice, yea thrice, with a man,
³⁰ To bring back his soul from the pit,
That he may be enlightened with the light of ^[q]the living.
³¹ Mark well, O Job, hearken unto me:
Hold thy peace, and I will speak.
³² If thou hast anything to say, answer me:
Speak, for I desire to justify thee.
³³ If not, hearken thou unto me:
Hold thy peace, and I will teach thee wisdom.