Job Chapter 4
King James Version (KJV)
Other Translations
asv (asv) - eBible.org engASV USFM
1
Why did the knees receive me?
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Or why the breasts, that I should suck?
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For now should I have lain down and been quiet;
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I should have slept; then had I been at rest,
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With kings and counsellors of the earth,
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Who built up waste places for themselves;
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Or with princes that had gold,
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Who filled their houses with silver:
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Or as a hidden untimely birth I had not been,
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As infants that never saw light.
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There the wicked cease from troubling;
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And there the weary are at rest.
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There the prisoners are at ease together;
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They hear not the voice of the taskmaster.
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The small and the great are there:
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And the servant is free from his master.
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Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery,
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And life unto the bitter in soul;
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Who long for death, but it cometh not,
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And dig for it more than for hid treasures;
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Who rejoice exceedingly,
darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext
1
And Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
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If a word were essayed to thee, wouldest thou be grieved? But who can refrain from speaking?
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Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands;
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Thy words have upholden him that was stumbling, and thou hast braced up the bending knees:
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But now it is come upon thee, and thou grievest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.
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Hath not thy piety been thy confidence, and the perfection of thy ways thy hope?
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Remember, I pray thee, who that was innocent has perished? and where were the upright cut off?
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Even as I have seen, they that plough iniquity and sow mischief, reap the same.
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By the breath ofGod they perish, and by the blast of his nostrils are they consumed.
10
The roar of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken;
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The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the whelps of the lioness are scattered.
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Now to me a word was secretly brought, and mine ear received a whisper thereof.
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In thoughts from visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men: —
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Fear came on me, and trembling, and made all my bones to shake;
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And a spirit passed before my face — the hair of my flesh stood up —
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It stood still; I could not discern the appearance thereof: a form was before mine eyes; I heard a slight murmur and a voice:
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Shall [mortal] man be more just thanGod? Shall a man be purer than his Maker?
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Lo, he trusteth not his servants, and his angels he chargeth with folly:
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How much more them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed as the moth!
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From morning to evening are they smitten: without any heeding it, they perish for ever.
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Is not their tent-cord torn away in them? they die, and without wisdom.
lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM
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Then Eliphaz the Thæmanite answered and said,
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Hast thou been often spoken to in distress? but who shall endure the force of thy words?
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For whereas thou hast instructed many, and hast strengthened the hands of the weak one,
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and hast supported the failing with words, and hast imparted courage to feeble knees.
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Yet now [that] pain has come upon thee, and touched thee, thou art troubled.
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Is not thy fear [founded] in folly, thy hope also, and the mischief of thy way?
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Remember then who has perished, being pure? or when were the true-hearted utterly destroyed?
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Accordingly as I have seen men ploughing barren places, and they that sow them will reap sorrows for themselves.
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They shall perish by the command of the Lord, and shall be utterly consumed by the breath of his wrath.
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The strength of the lion, and the voice of the lioness, and the exulting cry of serpents are quenched.
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The old lion has perished for want of food, and the lions' whelps have forsaken one another.
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But if there had been any truth in thy words, none of these evils would have befallen thee. Shall not mine ear receive excellent [revelations] from him?
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But [as when] terror falls upon men, with dread and a sound in the night,
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horror and trembling seized me, and caused all my bones greatly to shake.
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And a spirit came before my face; and my hair and flesh quivered.
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I arose and perceived it not: I looked, and there was no form before my eyes: but I only heard a breath and a voice, [saying],
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What, shall a mortal be pure before the Lord? or a man be blameless in regard to his works?
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Whereas he trusts not in his servants, and perceives perverseness in his angels.
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But [as for] them that dwell in houses of clay, of whom we also are formed of the same clay, he smites them like a moth.
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And from morning to evening they no longer exist: they have perished, because they cannot help themselves.
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For he blows upon them, and they are withered: they have perished for lack of wisdom.
vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)
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Respondens autem Eliphaz Themanites, dixit:
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Si cœperimus loqui tibi, forsitan moleste accipies, sed conceptum sermonem tenere quis poterit?
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Ecce docuisti multos, et manus lassas roborasti:
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Vacillantes confirmaverunt sermones tui, et genua trementia confortasti:
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Nunc autem venit super te plaga, et defecisti: tetigit te, et conturbatus es.
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Ubi est timor tuus, fortitudo tua, patientia tua, et perfectio viarum tuarum?
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Recordare obsecro te, quis umquam innocens periit? aut quando recti deleti sunt?
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Quin potius vidi eos, qui operantur iniquitatem, et seminant dolores, et metunt eos,
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Flante Deo perisse, et spiritu iræ eius esse consumptos:
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Rugitus leonis, et vox leænæ, et dentes catulorum leonum contriti sunt.
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Tigris periit, eo quod non haberet prædam, et catuli leonis dissipati sunt.
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Porro ad me dictum est verbum absconditum, et quasi furtive suscepit auris mea venas susurri eius.
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In horrore visionis nocturnæ, quando solet sopor occupare homines,
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Pavor tenuit me, et tremor, et omnia ossa mea perterrita sunt:
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Et cum spiritus me præsente transiret, inhorruerunt pili carnis meæ.
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Stetit quidam, cuius non agnoscebam vultum, imago coram oculis meis, et vocem quasi auræ lenis audivi.
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Numquid homo, Dei comparatione iustificabitur, aut factore suo purior erit vir?
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Ecce qui serviunt ei, non sunt stabiles, et in angelis suis reperit pravitatem:
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Quanto magis hi qui habitant domos luteas, qui terrenum habent fundamentum, consumentur velut a tinea?
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De mane usque ad vesperam succidentur: et quia nullus intelligit, in æternum peribunt.
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Qui autem reliqui fuerint, auferentur ex eis: morientur, et non in sapientia.
web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV
1
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered,
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“If someone ventures to talk with you, will you be grieved? But who can withhold himself from speaking?
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Behold, you have instructed many, you have strengthened the weak hands.
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Your words have supported him who was falling, you have made the feeble knees firm.
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But now it has come to you, and you faint. It touches you, and you are troubled.
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Isn’t your piety your confidence? Isn’t the integrity of your ways your hope?
7
“Remember, now, who ever perished, being innocent? Or where were the upright cut off?
8
According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble, reap the same.
9
By the breath of God they perish. By the blast of his anger are they consumed.
10
The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, the teeth of the young lions, are broken.
11
The old lion perishes for lack of prey. The cubs of the lioness are scattered abroad.
12
“Now a thing was secretly brought to me. My ear received a whisper of it.
13
In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men,
14
fear came on me, and trembling, which made all my bones shake.
15
Then a spirit passed before my face. The hair of my flesh stood up.
16
It stood still, but I couldn’t discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes. Silence, then I heard a voice, saying,
17
‘Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his Maker?
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Behold, he puts no trust in his servants. He charges his angels with error.
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How much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed before the moth!
20
Between morning and evening they are destroyed. They perish forever without any regarding it.
21
Isn’t their tent cord plucked up within them? They die, and that without wisdom.’
ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8
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And Eliphaz the Temanite answereth and saith: --
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Hath one tried a word with thee? --Thou art weary! And to keep in words who is able?
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Lo, thou hast instructed many, And feeble hands thou makest strong.
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The stumbling one do thy words raise up, And bowing knees thou dost strengthen.
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But now, it cometh in unto thee, And thou art weary; It striketh unto thee, and thou art troubled.
6
Is not thy reverence thy confidence? Thy hope--the perfection of thy ways?
7
Remember, I pray thee, Who, being innocent, hath perished? And where have the upright been cut off?
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As I have seen--ploughers of iniquity, And sowers of misery, reap it!
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From the breath of God they perish, And from the spirit of His anger consumed.
10
The roaring of a lion, And the voice of a fierce lion, And teeth of young lions have been broken.
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An old lion is perishing without prey, And the whelps of the lioness do separate.
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And unto me a thing is secretly brought, And receive doth mine ear a little of it.
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In thoughts from visions of the night, In the falling of deep sleep on men,
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Fear hath met me, and trembling, And the multitude of my bones caused to fear.
15
And a spirit before my face doth pass, Stand up doth the hair of my flesh;
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It standeth, and I discern not its aspect, A similitude <FI>is<Fi> over-against mine eyes, Silence! and a voice I hear:
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`Is mortal man than God more righteous? Than his Maker is a man cleaner?
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Lo, in His servants He putteth no credence, Nor in His messengers setteth praise.'
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Also--the inhabitants of houses of clay, (Whose foundation <FI>is<Fi> in the dust, They bruise them before a moth.)
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From morning to evening are beaten down, Without any regarding, for ever they perish.
21
Hath not their excellency been removed with them? They die, and not in wisdom!
Explanations by Age Level
Explain Like I'm 5
A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!
Explain Like I'm 10
Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.
Explain Like I'm 15
Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).