62 lines
2.5 KiB
Markdown
62 lines
2.5 KiB
Markdown
# Chapter 6
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1 Then Job spoke again:
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2 “If my misery could be weighed
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and my troubles be put on the scales,
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3 they would outweigh all the sands of the sea.
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That is why I spoke impulsively.
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4 For the Almighty has struck me down with his arrows.
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Their poison infects my spirit.
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God’s terrors are lined up against me.
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5 Don’t I have a right to complain?
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Don’t wild donkeys bray when they find no grass,
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and oxen bellow when they have no food?
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6 Don’t people complain about unsalted food?
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Does anyone want the tasteless white of an egg?
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7 My appetite disappears when I look at it;
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I gag at the thought of eating it!
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8 “Oh, that I might have my request,
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that God would grant my desire.
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9 I wish he would crush me.
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I wish he would reach out his hand and kill me.
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10 At least I can take comfort in this:
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Despite the pain,
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I have not denied the words of the Holy One.
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11 But I don’t have the strength to endure.
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I have nothing to live for.
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12 Do I have the strength of a stone?
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Is my body made of bronze?
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13 No, I am utterly helpless,
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without any chance of success.
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14 “One should be kind to a fainting friend,
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but you accuse me without any fear of the Almighty.
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15 My brothers, you have proved as unreliable as a seasonal brook
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that overflows its banks in the spring
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16 when it is swollen with ice and melting snow.
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17 But when the hot weather arrives, the water disappears.
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The brook vanishes in the heat.
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18 The caravans turn aside to be refreshed,
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but there is nothing to drink, so they die.
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19 The caravans from Tema search for this water;
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the travelers from Sheba hope to find it.
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20 They count on it but are disappointed.
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When they arrive, their hopes are dashed.
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21 You, too, have given no help.
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You have seen my calamity, and you are afraid.
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22 But why? Have I ever asked you for a gift?
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Have I begged for anything of yours for myself?
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23 Have I asked you to rescue me from my enemies,
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or to save me from ruthless people?
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24 Teach me, and I will keep quiet.
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Show me what I have done wrong.
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25 Honest words can be painful,
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but what do your criticisms amount to?
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26 Do you think your words are convincing
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when you disregard my cry of desperation?
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27 You would even send an orphan into slavery
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or sell a friend.
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28 Look at me!
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Would I lie to your face?
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29 Stop assuming my guilt,
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for I have done no wrong.
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30 Do you think I am lying?
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Don’t I know the difference between right and wrong? |