Sexto discurso de Job
1A esto Job respondió:
2«¿Hasta cuándo van a estar atormentándome
y aplastándome con sus palabras?
3Diez veces me hacen reproches;
descaradamente me atacan.
4Aun si fuera verdad que me he desviado,
mis errores son asunto mío.
5Si en verdad ustedes quieren exaltarse sobre mí,
y valerse de mi humillación para atacarme,
6sepan que es Dios quien me ha hecho daño,
quien me ha atrapado en su red.
7»Aunque grito: “¡Violencia!”, no hallo respuesta;
aunque pido ayuda, no se me hace justicia.
8Dios me ha cerrado el camino y no puedo pasar;
ha cubierto de oscuridad mis senderos.
9Me ha despojado de toda honra;
de la cabeza me ha quitado la corona.
10Por todos lados me destroza, como a un árbol;
me aniquila y arranca de raíz mi esperanza.
11Su enojo se ha encendido contra mí;
me cuenta entre sus enemigos.
12Sus tropas avanzan en tropel;
levantan una rampa para asediarme;
acampan alrededor de mi tienda de campaña.
13»Hizo que mis hermanos me abandonaran;
hasta mis amigos se han alejado de mí.
14Mis parientes y conocidos se distanciaron;
me echaron al olvido.
15Mis huéspedes y mis criadas me ven como a un extraño,
me miran como a un desconocido.
16Llamo a mi criado y no me responde,
aunque yo mismo se lo ruego.
17A mi esposa le da asco mi aliento;
a mis hermanos les resulto repugnante.
18Hasta los niños me desprecian;
en cuanto me ven, se burlan de mí.
19A todos mis amigos les resulto abominable;
mis seres queridos se han vuelto contra mí.
20La piel y la carne se me pegan a los huesos;
¡a duras penas he salvado el pellejo!19:20 ¡a duras … el pellejo! Lit. he escapado con la piel de mis dientes.
21»¡Compadézcanse de mí, amigos míos;
compadézcanse, que la mano de Dios me ha golpeado!
22¿Por qué me acosan como Dios?
¿No les basta con desollarme vivo?19:22 con desollarme vivo. Lit. con mi carne.
23»¡Ah, si fueran grabadas mis palabras,
si quedaran escritas en un libro!
24¡Si para siempre quedaran grabadas con cincel de hierro y plomo,
esculpidas en la roca!
25Yo sé que mi Redentor19:25 Redentor. Alt. defensor. vive
y que al final se levantará sobre el polvo.
26Y, cuando mi piel haya sido destruida,
todavía veré a Dios con mis propios ojos.19:26 con mis propios ojos. Lit. en mi carne.
27Yo mismo lo veré con mis propios ojos;
yo lo veré, no otro.
¡Este anhelo me consume las entrañas!
28»Ustedes dicen: “Vamos a acosarlo,
porque en él está la raíz del mal”.
29Pero cuídense de la espada,
pues con ella viene la ira justiciera,
para que sepan que hay un juicio».
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.”
