Job’s Reply
1Job replied,
2“How long will you people make me suffer?
How long will you crush me with your words?
3You have already accused me many times.
You have attacked me without feeling any shame.
4Suppose it’s true that I’ve gone down the wrong path.
Then it’s my concern, not yours.
5Suppose you want to place yourselves above me.
Suppose you want to use my shame to prove I’m wrong.
6Then I want you to know that God hasn’t treated me right.
In fact, he has captured me in his net.
7“I cry out, ‘Someone harmed me!’
But I don’t get any reply.
I call out for help.
But I’m not treated fairly.
8God has blocked my way, and I can’t get through.
He has made my paths so dark I can’t see where I’m going.
9He has taken my wealth away from me.
He has stripped me of my honor.
10He tears me down on every side until I’m gone.
He pulls up the roots of my hope as if I were a tree.
11His anger burns against me.
He thinks I’m one of his enemies.
12His troops march toward me in force.
They come at me from every direction.
They camp around my tent.
13“God has caused my family to desert me.
The people I used to know are now strangers to me.
14My relatives have gone away.
My closest friends have forgotten me.
15My guests and my female servants think of me as a stranger.
They look at me as if I were an outsider.
16I send for my servant, but he doesn’t answer.
He doesn’t come, even though I beg him to.
17My wife can’t stand the way my breath smells.
My own family won’t have anything to do with me.
18Even little children mock me.
When I appear, they make fun of me.
19All my close friends hate me.
Those I love have turned against me.
20I’m nothing but skin and bones.
I’ve barely escaped death.
21“Have pity on me, my friends! Please have pity!
God has struck me down with his powerful hand.
22Why do you chase after me as he does?
Aren’t you satisfied with what you have done to me already?
23“I wish my words were written down!
I wish they were written in a book!
24I wish they were cut into lead with an iron tool!
I wish they were carved in rock forever!
25I know that my redeemer lives.
In the end he will stand on the earth.
26Though my skin will be destroyed,
in my body I’ll see God.
27I myself will see him with my own eyes.
I’ll see him, and he won’t be a stranger to me.
How my heart longs for that day!
28“You might say, ‘Let’s keep bothering Job.
After all, he’s the cause of all his suffering.’
29But you should be afraid when God comes to judge you.
He’ll be angry. He’ll punish you with his sword.
Then you will know that he is the Judge.”
約伯的回答
1約伯回答說：
2「你們要折磨我多久？
用言語壓碎我到何時？
3你們侮辱我已有十次之多，
苦待我也不以為恥。
4即使我真有過錯，
也由我獨自承擔。
5你們若真要妄自尊大，
利用我的恥辱來指責我，
6也該知道是上帝冤枉了我，
用網羅套住我。
7我喊冤，卻無人回應；
我呼救，卻不見公道。
8上帝築起牆壘，阻斷我的路，
祂使黑暗籠罩我的路途。
9祂剝去我的榮耀，
摘走我頭上的冠冕。
10祂從四面攻擊我，直到我消逝；
祂把我的希望像樹一樣連根拔除。
11祂向我發烈怒，
視我為仇敵。
12祂的大軍蜂擁而來，
在我帳篷四周紮營，
將我團團圍住。
13「祂使我的弟兄遠離我，
我的熟人完全背棄我。
14我的親屬離開我，
我的摯友忘記我。
15我的客人和婢女都視我如陌路，
把我當作外族人。
16我呼喚僕人，他卻不回應；
我哀求他，他也不理睬。
17我妻子厭惡我的氣息，
我的手足都嫌棄我。
18連小孩子都鄙視我；
我一出現，他們就嘲笑我。
19我的密友都憎惡我，
我愛的人也反對我。
20我瘦得只剩下皮包骨，
我離死亡僅一線之隔19·20 「我離死亡僅一線之隔」希伯來文是「我只剩牙皮逃脫」。。
21「我的朋友啊，可憐我吧！可憐我吧！
因為上帝的手擊打我。
22你們為何像上帝一樣逼我？
為何吃了我的肉還不滿足？
23但願把我的話寫下來，
記錄在書卷上，
24用鐵筆和鉛鐫刻在磐石上，
直存到永遠。
25我知道我的救贖主活著，
最後祂必站在地上。
26我的皮肉雖然要朽爛，
但我必活著19·26 「活著」或譯「在肉體之外」。見上帝。
27我要親自見祂，
我要親眼見祂。
我心中充滿渴望！
28你們說禍根在我身上，
還想繼續迫害我。
29你們自己應當畏懼刀劍，
因為烈怒會帶來刀劍的懲罰，
那時你們將知道有審判。」
