The Bible for Children

shall we not receive evil? In all this The small and great are there; did not Job sin with his lips.

CHAPTER 134

JOB'S COMFORTERS

OW when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him. and to comfort him. And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.

After this opened Job his mouth, and said,

Let the day perish wherein I was born.

Why died I not from my birth?

For now should I have lain still and been quiet,

And the servant is free from his master.

For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me,

And that which I was afraid of is come unto me.

I was not in safety, neither had I rest, Neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.

Then Eliphaz answered and said, Behold, thou hast instructed many, And thou hast strengthened the weak hands.

Thy words have upholden him that was falling,

And thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.

But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest;

It toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.

Is not this thy fear, thy confidence, Thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways?

Remember, I pray thee, who ever per

ished, being innocent?

Or where were the righteous cut off? Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity,

And sow wickedness, reap the same.
By the blast of God they perish,
And by the breath of his nostrils are
they consumed.

I should have slept: then had I been Although affliction cometh not forth at rest,

of the dust,

With kings and counsellors of the Neither doth trouble spring out of earth,

Which built desolate places for themselves.

There the wicked cease from troubling;

And there the weary be at rest.
There the prisoners rest together;
They hear not the voice of the op-
pressor.

the ground;

Yet man is born unto trouble,

As the sparks fly upward.

I would seek unto God,

And unto God would I commit my

cause:

Which doeth great things and unsearchable;

Marvellous things without number:

Who giveth rain upon the earth,
And sendeth waters upon the fields:
To set up on high those that be low;
That those which mourn may be ex-
alted to safety.

So the poor hath hope,

And iniquity stoppeth her mouth. Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth:

Therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:

For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: He woundeth, and his hands make whole.

He shall deliver thee in six troubles: Yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.

Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; Hear it, and know thou it for thy good.

But Job answered and said, Oh that my grief were throughly weighed,

And my calamity laid in the balances together!

For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea:

Therefore my words are swallowed

up.

Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass?

Or loweth the ox over his fodder? Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt?

In famine he shall redeem thee from Or is there any taste in the white of
death:
an egg?
And in war from the power of the The things that my soul refused to
sword.
touch

Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of Are as my sorrowful meat.
Oh that I might have my request;

the tongue: Neither shalt thou be afraid of de- And that God would grant me the struction when it cometh. thing that I long for! At destruction and famine thou shalt Even that it would please God to delaugh: stroy me; Neither shalt thou be afraid of the That he would let loose his hand, and beasts of the earth. cut me off!

For thou shalt be in league with the Then should I yet have comfort; stones of the field:

And the beasts of the field shall be at
peace with thee.

And thou shalt know that thy taber-
nacle shall be in peace;
And thou shalt visit thy habitation,
and shalt not sin.

Thou shalt know also that thy seed
shall be great,

And thine offspring as the grass of the earth.

Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age,

Yea, I would harden myself in sorrow: let him not spare;

For I have not concealed the words of the Holy One.

What is my strength, that I should hope?

And what is mine end, that I should prolong my life?

To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend;

But he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.

Teach me, and I will hold my tongue: Like as a shock of corn cometh in in And cause me to understand wherein

his season.

I have erred.

O remember that my life is wind:
Mine eye shall no more see good.
The eye of him that hath seen me
shall see me no more:

Thine eyes are upon me, and I am
not.

As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away:

If thy children have sinned against him,

And he have cast them away for their transgression;

If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes,

And make thy supplication to the Almighty;

So he that goeth down to the grave If thou wert pure and upright;

shall come up no more.

He shall return no more to his house,
Neither shall his place know him any

more.

Surely now he would awake for thee, And make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.

Though thy beginning was small,

Therefore I will not refrain my Yet thy latter end should greatly inmouth;

I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;

I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

crease.

Can the rush grow up without mire?
Can the flag grow without water?
Whilst it is yet in his greenness, and
not cut down,

What is man, that thou shouldest It withereth before any other herb.

magnify him?

And that thou shouldest set thine

heart upon him?

And that thou shouldest visit him every morning,

And try him every moment?

I have sinned; what shall I do unto
thee, O thou preserver of men?
Why hast thou set me as a mark
against thee,

So that I am a burden to myself?
And why dost thou not pardon my
transgression,

And take away mine iniquity?
For now shall I sleep in the dust;
And thou shalt seek me in the morn-
ing, but I shall not be.

Then answered Bildad, and said, How long wilt thou speak these things?

So are the paths of all that forget.
God;

And the hypocrite's hope shall per

ish:

Whose hope shall be cut off,

And whose trust shall be a spider's web.

He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand:

He shall hold it fast, but it shall not
endure.

He is green before the sun,
And his branch shooteth forth in his.
garden.

His roots are wrapped about the heap,
And seeth the place of stones.

If he destroy him from his place,
Then it shall deny him, saying, I have
not seen thee.

Behold, this is the joy of his way,

And how long shall the words of thy And out of the earth shall others

mouth be like a strong wind?

Doth God pervert judgment?

Or doth the Almighty pervert justice?

grow.

Behold, God will not cast away a per

fect man,

Neither will he help the evil doers,

Then Job answered and said,

I know it is so of a truth:

But how should man be just with
God?

If he will contend with him,

For he breaketh me with a tempest,
And multiplieth my wounds without

cause.

He will not suffer me to take my breath,

He cannot answer him one of a thou- But filleth me with bitterness.

sand.

If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong:

He is wise in heart, and mighty in And if of judgment, who shall set me strength:

Who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?

a time to plead?

If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me:

Which removeth the mountains, and If I say, I am perfect, it shall also

they know not:

Which overturneth them in his anger. Which shaketh the earth out of her place,

And the pillars thereof tremble.

prove me perverse.

This is one thing, therefore I said it, He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.

Then answered Zophar, and said,

Which commandeth the sun, and it Should not the multitude of words

Who will say unto him, What doest That they are double to that which is! thou?

How much less shall I answer him,

And choose out my words to reason with him?

Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.

Canst thou by searching find out God? Whom, though I were righteous, yet Canst thou find out the Almighty would I not answer, unto perfection?

But I would make supplication to my It is as high as heaven; what canst judge.

thou do?

If I had called, and he had answered Deeper than hell; what canst thou

the earth,

Yet would I not believe that he had The measure thereof is longer than hearkened unto my voice.

And broader than the sea.
For he knoweth vain men:

He seeth wickedness also; will he not
then consider it?

For vain man would be wise,

Though man be born like a wild ass's colt.

If thou prepare thine heart,

But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee;

And the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:

Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee:

And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.

And stretch out thine hands toward Who knoweth not in all these him;

If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far

away,

And let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles.

That the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?

In whose hand is the soul of every living thing,

And the breath of all mankind.

For then shalt thou lift up thy face Doth not the ear try words?
without spot;
And the mouth taste his meat?
Yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt With the ancient is wisdom;

not fear:

Because thou shalt forget thy misery,
And remember it as waters that pass

away:

And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday;

Thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be

as the morning.

And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope;

Yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and

thou shalt take thy rest in safety. Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid; Yea, many shall make suit unto thee. And Job answered and said, No doubt but ye are the people, And wisdom shall die with you. But I have understanding as well as you;

I am not inferior to you:

Yea, who knoweth not such things as these?

I am as one mocked of his neighbour, Who calleth upon God, and he answereth him:

The just upright man is laughed to

scorn.

And in length of days understanding.
With him is wisdom and strength,
He hath counsel and understanding.
Behold, he breaketh down, and it can-
not be built again:

He shutteth up a man, and there can
be no opening.

Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up:

Also he sendeth them out, and they
overturn the earth.

With him is strength and wisdom:
The deceived and the deceiver are his.
He leadeth counsellors away spoiled,
And maketh the judges fools.
He looseth the bond of kings,
And girdeth their loins with a girdle.
He leadeth princes away spoiled,
And overthroweth the mighty.
He removeth away the speech of the
trusty,

And taketh away the understanding
of the aged.

He poureth contempt upon princes, And weakeneth the strength of the mighty.

He discovereth deep things out of darkness,

« Predošlá Pokračovať »

Knihy