To The Word – Day 167

₁There are mines where silver is dug;

There are places where gold is refined.

₂Miners dig iron out of the ground

And melt copper out of the stones.

₃They explore the deepest darkness.

They search the depths of the earth

And dig for rocks in the darkness.

₄Far from where anyone lives

Or human feet ever travel,

They dig the shafts of mines.

There they work in loneliness,

Clinging to ropes in the pits.

₅Food grows out of the earth,

But underneath the same earth

All is torn up and crushed.

₆The stones of the earth contain sapphires,

And its dust contains gold.

₇No hawk sees the roads to the mines,

And no vulture ever flies over them.

₈No lion or other fierce beast

Ever travels those lonely roads.

₉Miners dig the hardest rocks,

Dig mountains away at their base.

₁₀As they tunnel through the rocks,

They discover precious stones.

₁₁They dig to the sources of rivers

And bring to light what is hidden.

₁₂But where can wisdom be found?

Where can we learn to understand?

₁₃Wisdom is not to be found among mortals;

No one knows its true value.

₁₄The depths of the oceans and seas

Say that wisdom is not found there.

₁₅It cannot be bought with silver or gold.

₁₆The finest gold and jewels

Cannot equal its value.

₁₇It is worth more than gold,

Than a gold vase or finest glass.

₁₈The value of wisdom is more

Than coral or crystal or rubies.

₁₉The finest topaz and the purest gold

Cannot compare with the value of wisdom.

₂₀Where, then, is the source of wisdom?

Where can we learn to understand?

₂₁No living creature can see it,

Not even a bird in flight.

₂₂Even death and destruction

Admit they have heard only rumours.

₂₃God alone knows the way,

Knows the place where wisdom is found,

₂₄Because he sees the ends of the earth,

Sees everything under the sky.

₂₅When God gave the wind its power

And determined the size of the sea;

₂₆When God decided where the rain would fall,

And the path that the thunderclouds travel;

₂₇It was then he saw wisdom and tested its worth —

He gave it his approval.

₂₈God said to human beings,

“To be wise, you must have reverence for the Lord.

To understand, you must turn from evil.”

₂If only my life could once again

be as it was when God watched over me.

₃God was always with me then

and gave me light as I walked through the darkness.

₄Those were the days when I was prosperous,

and the friendship of God protected my home.

₅Almighty God was with me then,

and I was surrounded by all my children.

₆My cows and goats gave plenty of milk,

and my olive trees grew in the rockiest soil.

₇Whenever the city elders met

and I took my place among them,

₈young men stepped aside as soon as they saw me,

and old men stood up to show me respect.

₉The leaders of the people would stop talking;

₁₀even the most important men kept silent.

₁₁Everyone who saw me or heard of me

had good things to say about what I had done.

₁₂When the poor cried out, I helped them;

I gave help to orphans who had nowhere to turn.

₁₃Those who were in deepest misery praised me,

and I helped widows find security.

₁₄I have always acted justly and fairly.

₁₅I was eyes for the blind,

and feet for the lame.

₁₆I was like a father to the poor

and took the side of strangers in trouble.

₁₇I destroyed the power of cruel men

and rescued their victims.

₁₈I always expected to live a long life

and to die at home in comfort.

₁₉I was like a tree whose roots always have water

and whose branches are wet with dew.

₂₀Everyone was always praising me,

and my strength never failed me.

₂₁When I gave advice, people were silent

and listened carefully to what I said;

₂₂they had nothing to add when I had finished.

My words sank in like drops of rain;

₂₃everyone welcomed them

just as farmers welcome rain in spring.

₂₄I smiled on them when they had lost confidence;

my cheerful face encouraged them.

₂₅I took charge and made the decisions;

I led them as a king leads his troops,

and gave them comfort in their despair.

₁But men younger than I am make fun of me now!

Their fathers have always been so worthless

that I wouldn't let them help my dogs guard sheep.

₂They were a bunch of worn-out men,

too weak to do any work for me.

₃They were so poor and hungry

that they would gnaw dry roots —

at night, in wild, desolate places.

₄They pulled up the plants of the desert and ate them,

even the tasteless roots of the broom tree!

₅Everyone drove them away with shouts,

as if they were shouting at thieves.

₆They had to live in caves,

in holes dug in the sides of cliffs.

₇Out in the wilds they howled like animals

and huddled together under the bushes.

₈A worthless bunch of nameless nobodies!

They were driven out of the land.

₉Now they come and laugh at me;

I am nothing but a joke to them.

₁₀They treat me with disgust;

they think they are too good for me,

and even come and spit in my face.

₁₁Because God has made me weak and helpless,

they turn against me with all their fury.

₁₂This mob attacks me head-on;

they send me running; they prepare their final assault.

₁₃They cut off my escape and try to destroy me;

and there is no one to stop them.

₁₄They pour through the holes in my defences

and come crashing down on top of me;

₁₅I am overcome with terror;

my dignity is gone like a puff of wind,

and my prosperity like a cloud.

₁₆Now I am about to die;

there is no relief for my suffering.

₁₇At night my bones all ache;

the pain that gnaws me never stops.

₁₈God seizes me by my collar

and twists my clothes out of shape.

₁₉He throws me down in the mud;

I am no better than dirt.

₂₀I call to you, O God, but you never answer;

and when I pray, you pay no attention.

₂₁You are treating me cruelly;

you persecute me with all your power.

₂₂You let the wind blow me away;

you toss me about in a raging storm.

₂₃I know you are taking me off to my death,

to the fate in store for everyone.

₂₄Why do you attack a ruined man,

one who can do nothing but beg for pity?

₂₅Didn't I weep with people in trouble

and feel sorry for those in need?

₂₆I hoped for happiness and light,

but trouble and darkness came instead.

₂₇I am torn apart by worry and pain;

I have had day after day of suffering.

₂₈I go about in gloom, without any sunshine;

I stand up in public and plead for help.

₂₉My voice is as sad and lonely

as the cries of a jackal or an ostrich.

₃₀My skin has turned dark; I am burning with fever.

₃₁Where once I heard joyful music,

now I hear only mourning and weeping.

₁I have made a solemn promise

never to look with lust at a woman.

₂What does Almighty God do to us?

How does he repay human deeds?

₃He sends disaster and ruin

to those who do wrong.

₄God knows everything I do;

he sees every step I take.

₅I swear I have never acted wickedly

and never tried to deceive others.

₆Let God weigh me on honest scales,

and he will see how innocent I am.

₇If I have turned from the right path

or let myself be attracted to evil,

if my hands are stained with sin,

₈then let my crops be destroyed,

or let others eat the food I grow.

₉If I have been attracted to my neighbour's wife,

and waited, hidden, outside her door,

₁₀then let my wife cook another man's food

and sleep in another man's bed.

₁₁Such wickedness should be punished by death.

₁₂It would be like a destructive, hellish fire,

consuming everything I have.

₁₃When any of my servants complained against me,

I would listen and treat them fairly.

₁₄If I did not, how could I then face God?

What could I say when God came to judge me?

₁₅The same God who created me

created my servants also.

₁₆I have never refused to help the poor;

never have I let widows live in despair

₁₇or let orphans go hungry while I ate.

₁₈All my life I have taken care of them.

₁₉When I found someone in need,

too poor to buy clothes,

₂₀I would give him clothing made of wool

that had come from my own flock of sheep.

Then he would praise me with all his heart.

₂₁If I have ever cheated an orphan,

knowing I could win in court,

₂₂then may my arms be broken;

may they be torn from my shoulders.

₂₃Because I fear God's punishment,

I could never do such a thing.

₂₄I have never trusted in riches

₂₅or taken pride in my wealth.

₂₆I have never worshipped the sun in its brightness

or the moon in all its beauty.

₂₇I have not been led astray to honour them

by kissing my hand in reverence to them.

₂₈Such a sin should be punished by death;

it denies Almighty God.

₂₉I have never been glad when my enemies suffered,

or pleased when they met with disaster;

₃₀I never sinned by praying for their death.

₃₁All those who work for me know

that I have always welcomed strangers.

₃₂I invited travellers into my home

and never let them sleep in the streets.

₃₃Others try to hide their sins,

but I have never concealed mine.

₃₄I have never feared what people would say;

I have never kept quiet or stayed indoors

because I feared their scorn.

₃₅Will no one listen to what I am saying?

I swear that every word is true.

Let Almighty God answer me.

If the charges my opponent brings against me

were written down so that I could see them,

₃₆I would wear them proudly on my shoulder

and place them on my head like a crown.

₃₇I would tell God everything I have done,

and hold my head high in his presence.

₃₈If I have stolen the land I farm

and taken it from its rightful owners —

₃₉if I have eaten the food that grew there

but let the farmers that grew it starve —

₄₀then instead of wheat and barley,

may weeds and thistles grow.

I am young, and you are old,

so I was afraid to tell you what I think.

₇I told myself that you ought to speak,

that you older men should share your wisdom.

₈But it is the Spirit of Almighty God

that comes to human beings and gives them wisdom.

₉It is not growing old that makes people wise

or helps them to know what is right.

₁₀So now I want you to listen to me;

let me tell you what I think.

₁₁I listened patiently while you were speaking

and waited while you searched for wise phrases.

₁₂I paid close attention and heard you fail;

you have not disproved what Job has said.

₁₃How can you claim you have discovered wisdom?

God must answer Job, for you have failed.

₁₄Job was speaking to you, not to me,

but I would never answer as you did.

₁₅Words have failed them, Job;

they have no answer for you.

₁₆Shall I go on waiting when they are silent?

They stand there with nothing more to say.

₁₇No, I will give my own answer now

and tell you what I think.

₁₈I can hardly wait to speak.

I can't hold back the words.

₁₉If I don't get a chance to speak,

I will burst like a wineskin full of new wine.

₂₀I can't stand it; I have to speak.

₂₁I will not take sides in this debate;

I am not going to flatter anyone.

₂₂I don't know how to flatter,

and God would quickly punish me if I did.

₁And now, Job, listen carefully

to all that I have to say.

₂I am ready to say what's on my mind.

₃All my words are sincere,

and I am speaking the truth.

₄God's Spirit made me and gave me life.

₅Answer me if you can. Prepare your arguments.

₆You and I are the same in God's sight,

both of us were formed from clay.

₇So you have no reason to fear me;

I will not overpower you.

₈Now this is what I heard you say:

₉“I am not guilty; I have done nothing wrong.

I am innocent and free from sin.

₁₀But God finds excuses for attacking me

and treats me like an enemy.

₁₁He binds chains on my feet;

he watches every move I make.”

₁₂But I tell you, Job, you are wrong.

God is greater than any human being.

₁₃Why do you accuse God

of never answering our complaints?

₁₄Although God speaks again and again,

no one pays attention to what he says.

₁₅At night when people are asleep,

God speaks in dreams and visions.

₁₆He makes them listen to what he says,

and they are frightened at his warnings.

₁₇God speaks to make them stop their sinning

and to save them from becoming proud.

₁₈He will not let them be destroyed;

he saves them from death itself.

₁₉God corrects people by sending sickness

and filling their bodies with pain.

₂₀Those who are sick lose their appetites,

and even the finest food looks revolting.

₂₁Their bodies waste away to nothing;

you can see all their bones;

₂₂they are about to go to the world of the dead.

₂₃Perhaps an angel may come to their aid —

one of God's thousands of angels,

who remind us of our duty.

₂₄In mercy the angel will say, “Release them!

They are not to go down to the world of the dead.

Here is the ransom to set them free.”

₂₅Their bodies will grow young and strong again;

₂₆when they pray, God will answer;

they will worship God with joy;

God will set things right for them again.

₂₇Each one will say in public, “I have sinned.

I have not done right, but God spared me.

₂₈He kept me from going to the world of the dead,

and I am still alive.”

₂₉God does all this again and again;

₃₀he saves a person's life,

and gives him the joy of living.

₃₁Now, Job, listen to what I am saying;

be quiet and let me speak.

₃₂But if you have something to say, let me hear it;

I would gladly admit you are in the right.

₃₃But if not, be quiet and listen to me,

and I will teach you how to be wise.