Job 6:24–26

²For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

⁹Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.

²I will say unto God, Do not condemn me; shew me wherefore thou contendest with me.

³²That which I see not teach thou me: if I have done iniquity, I will do no more.

¹²Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.

¹I SAID, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.

²I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred.

¹WHEREFORE, Job, I pray thee, hear my speeches, and hearken to all my words.

²⁷Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thy good.

⁸I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.

¹¹Behold, I waited for your words; I gave ear to your reasons, whilst ye searched out what to say.

¹⁵They were amazed, they answered no more: they left off speaking.

¹⁶When I had waited, (for they spake not, but stood still, and answered no more;)

³¹Mark well, O Job, hearken unto me: hold thy peace, and I will speak.

³²If thou hast any thing to say, answer me: speak, for I desire to justify thee.

³³If not, hearken unto me: hold thy peace, and I shall teach thee wisdom.

¹²As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.

¹⁹Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

¹⁰The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.

¹¹The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.

⁵O that ye would altogether hold your peace! and it should be your wisdom.

³Shall vain words have an end? or what emboldeneth thee that thou answerest?

⁴I also could speak as ye do: if your soul were in my soul’s stead, I could heap up words against you, and shake mine head at you.

⁵But I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the moving of my lips should asswage your grief.

³⁴How then comfort ye me in vain, seeing in your answers there remaineth falsehood?

²⁵And if it be not so now, who will make me a liar, and make my speech nothing worth?

³Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.

⁴Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.

¹⁸There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.

²¹The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning.

²²Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it: but the instruction of fools is folly.

²³The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips.

²⁴Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

²¹Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

¹¹A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.

²How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?

¹⁴That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

³⁷For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

¹EPHRAIM feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind: he daily increaseth lies and desolation; and they do make a covenant with the Assyrians, and oil is carried into Egypt.

¹MY soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.

¹⁰But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

³Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived.

⁴Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.

⁵Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it.

⁶As for that night, let darkness seize upon it; let it not be joined unto the days of the year, let it not come into the number of the months.

⁷Lo, let that night be solitary, let no joyful voice come therein.

⁸Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to raise up their mourning.

⁹Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark; let it look for light, but have none; neither let it see the dawning of the day:

¹⁰Because it shut not up the doors of my mother’s womb, nor hid sorrow from mine eyes.

¹¹Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?

¹²Why did the knees prevent me? or why the breasts that I should suck?

¹³For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest,

¹⁴With kings and counsellers of the earth, which built desolate places for themselves;

¹⁵Or with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver:

¹⁶Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants which never saw light.

¹⁷There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest.

¹⁸There the prisoners rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor.

¹⁹The small and great are there; and the servant is free from his master.

²⁰Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul;

²¹Which long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures;

²²Which rejoice exceedingly, and are glad, when they can find the grave?

²³Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in?

²⁴For my sighing cometh before I eat, and my roarings are poured out like the waters.

²⁵For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.

²⁶I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.

³For the ear trieth words, as the mouth tasteth meat.

⁴Let us choose to us judgment: let us know among ourselves what is good.

⁵For Job hath said, I am righteous: and God hath taken away my judgment.

⁶Should I lie against my right? my wound is incurable without transgression.

⁷What man is like Job, who drinketh up scorning like water?

⁸Which goeth in company with the workers of iniquity, and walketh with wicked men.

⁹For he hath said, It profiteth a man nothing that he should delight himself with God.

²Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

³Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands.

⁴Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.

⁵Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further.

⁸Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?

³Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.

⁷¶ And it was so, that after the Lord had spoken these words unto Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.

⁴For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.

⁹Even that it would please God to destroy me; that he would let loose his hand, and cut me off!