Job 6
Job Replies to Eliphaz
6:1 Then Job responded:1
6:2 “Oh,2 if only my grief3 could be weighed,4
and my misfortune laid5 on the scales too!6
6:3 But because it is heavier7 than the sand8 of the sea,
that is why my words have been wild.9
6:4 For the arrows10 of the Almighty11 are within me;
my spirit12 drinks their poison;13
God’s sudden terrors14 are arrayed15 against me.
Complaints Reflect Suffering
6:5 “Does the wild donkey16 bray17 when it is near grass?18
Or19 does the ox low near its fodder?20
6:6 Can food that is tasteless21 be eaten without salt?
Or is there any taste in the white22 of an egg?
6:7 I23 have refused24 to touch such things;25
they are like loathsome food to me.26
A Cry for Death
6:8 “Oh that27 my request would be realized,28
and that God would grant me what I long for!29
6:9 And that God would be willing30 to crush me,
that he would let loose31 his hand
6:10 Then I would yet have my comfort,34
in spite of pitiless pain,37
for38 I have not concealed the words39 of the Holy One.40
6:11 What is my strength, that I should wait?41
and what is my end,42
that I should prolong my life?
6:12 Is my strength like that of stones?43
or is my flesh made of bronze?
6:13 Is44 not my power to help myself nothing,
and has not every resource45 been driven from me?
Disappointing Friends
6:14 “To the one in despair, kindness46 should come from his friend47
even if48 he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
6:15 My brothers49 have been as treacherous50 as a seasonal stream,51
and as the riverbeds of the intermittent streams52
that flow away.53
6:16 They54 are dark55 because of ice;
snow is piled56 up over them.57
6:17 When they are scorched,58 they dry up,
when it is hot, they vanish59 from their place.
6:18 Caravans60 turn aside from their routes;
they go61 into the wasteland62 and perish.63
6:19 The caravans of Tema64 looked intently65 for these streams;66
the traveling merchants67 of Sheba hoped for them.
6:20 They were distressed,68
because each one had been69 so confident;
they arrived there,70 but were disappointed.
6:21 For now71 you have become like these streams that are no help;72
you see a terror,73 and are afraid.
Friends’ Fears
6:22 “Have I74 ever said,75 ‘Give me something,
and from your fortune76 make gifts77 in my favor’?
6:23 Or ‘Deliver me78 from the enemy’s power,79
and from the hand of tyrants80 ransom81 me’?
No Sin Discovered
6:24 “Teach82 me and I, for my part,83 will be silent;
explain to me84 how I have been mistaken.85
6:25 How painful86 are honest words!
But87 what does your reproof88 prove?89
6:26 Do you intend to criticize mere words,
and treat90 the words of a despairing man as wind?
6:27 Yes, you would gamble91 for the fatherless,
and auction off92 your friend.
Other Explanation
6:28 “Now then, be good enough to look93 at me;94
and I will not95 lie to your face!
6:29 Relent,96 let there be no falsehood;97
reconsider,98 for my righteousness is intact!99
6:30 Is there any falsehood100 on my lips?