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Job 9

Job Says There Is No Arbitrator between God and Mankind

¹Then Job responded,

²“In truth I know that this is so; But how can a person be in the right with God?

³“If one wished to dispute with Him, He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.

⁴“Wise in heart and mighty in strength, Who has defied Him without harm?

⁵“It is God who removes the mountains, and they do not know how, When He overturns them in His anger.

⁶“It is He who shakes the earth from its place, And its pillars tremble;

⁷Who commands the sun not to shine, And puts a seal on the stars;

⁸Who alone stretches out the heavens, And tramples down the waves of the sea;

⁹Who makes the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, And the constellations of the south.

¹⁰“It is He who does great things, the unfathomable, And wondrous works without number.

¹¹“If He were to pass by me, I would not see Him; Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him.

¹²“If He were to snatch away, who could restrain Him? Who could say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’

¹³¶“God will not turn back His anger; Beneath Him the helpers of Rahab cower.

¹⁴“How then can I answer Him, And choose my words before Him?

¹⁵“For though I were right, I could not answer; I would have to implore the mercy of my Judge.

¹⁶“If I called and He answered me, I could not believe that He was listening to my voice.

¹⁷“For He bruises me with a storm And multiplies my wounds without cause.

¹⁸“He will not allow me to get my breath, But He saturates me with bitterness.

¹⁹“If it is a matter of power, behold, He is the strong one! And if it is a matter of justice, who can summon Him?

²⁰“Though I am righteous, my mouth will condemn me; Though I am guiltless, He will declare me guilty.

²¹“I am guiltless; I do not take notice of myself; I reject my life.

²²“It is all one; therefore I say, ‘He destroys the guiltless and the wicked.’

²³“If the whip kills suddenly, He mocks the despair of the innocent.

²⁴“The earth is handed over to the wicked; He covers the faces of its judges. If it is not He, then who is it?

²⁵¶“Now my days are swifter than a runner; They flee away, they see no good.

²⁶“They slip by like reed boats, Like an eagle that swoops on its prey.

²⁷“Though I say, ‘I will forget my complaint, I will put my face in order and be cheerful,’

²⁸I am afraid of all my pains, I know that You will not acquit me.

²⁹“I am guilty, Why then should I struggle in vain?

³⁰“If I washed myself with snow, And cleansed my hands with lye,

³¹Then You would plunge me into the pit, And my own clothes would loathe me.

³²“For He is not a man, as I am, that I may answer Him— That we may go to court together!

³³“There is no arbitrator between us, Who can place his hand upon us both.

³⁴“Let Him remove His rod from me, And let not the dread of Him terrify me.

³⁵“Then I would speak and not fear Him; But I am not like that in myself.

Job 9 (NASB)

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Job

Chapter 9

9 of 42