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New International Version (NIV) |
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1 "Call for help, Job, if you think anyone will answer! To which of the holy angels will you turn?
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1 "Call if you will, but who will answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn?
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2 The hot temper of a fool eventually kills him, the jealous anger of a simpleton does her in.
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2 Resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple.
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3 I've seen it myself - seen fools putting down roots, and then, suddenly, their houses are cursed.
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3 I myself have seen a fool taking root, but suddenly his house was cursed.
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4 Their children out in the cold, abused and exploited, with no one to stick up for them.
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4 His children are far from safety, crushed in court without a defender.
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5 Hungry people off the street plunder their harvests, cleaning them out completely, taking thorns and all, insatiable for everything they have.
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5 The hungry consume his harvest, taking it even from among thorns, and the thirsty pant after his wealth.
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6 Don't blame fate when things go wrong - trouble doesn't come from nowhere.
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6 For hardship does not spring from the soil, nor does trouble sprout from the ground.
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7 It's human! Mortals are born and bred for trouble, as certainly as sparks fly upward. What a Blessing When God Corrects You!
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7 Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.
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8 "If I were in your shoes, I'd go straight to God, I'd throw myself on the mercy of God.
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8 "But if it were I, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him.
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9 After all, he's famous for great and unexpected acts; there's no end to his surprises.
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9 He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.
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10 He gives rain, for instance, across the wide earth, sends water to irrigate the fields.
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10 He bestows rain on the earth; he sends water upon the countryside.
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11 He raises up the down-and-out, gives firm footing to those sinking in grief.
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11 The lowly he sets on high, and those who mourn are lifted to safety.
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12 He aborts the schemes of conniving crooks, so that none of their plots come to term.
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12 He thwarts the plans of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success.
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13 He catches the know-it-alls in their conspiracies - all that intricate intrigue swept out with the trash!
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13 He catches the wise in their craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are swept away.
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14 Suddenly they're disoriented, plunged into darkness; they can't see to put one foot in front of the other.
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14 Darkness comes upon them in the daytime; at noon they grope as in the night.
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15 But the downtrodden are saved by God, saved from the murderous plots, saved from the iron fist.
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15 He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth; he saves them from the clutches of the powerful.
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16 And so the poor continue to hope, while injustice is bound and gagged.
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16 So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth.
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17 "So, what a blessing when God steps in and corrects you! Mind you, don't despise the discipline of Almighty God!
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17 "Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.
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18 True, he wounds, but he also dresses the wound; the same hand that hurts you, heals you.
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18 For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal.
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19 From one disaster after another he delivers you; no matter what the calamity, the evil can't touch you -
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19 From six calamities he will rescue you; in seven no harm will befall you.
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20 "In famine, he'll keep you from starving, in war, from being gutted by the sword.
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20 In famine he will ransom you from death, and in battle from the stroke of the sword.
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21 You'll be protected from vicious gossip and live fearless through any catastrophe.
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21 You will be protected from the lash of the tongue, and need not fear when destruction comes.
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22 You'll shrug off disaster and famine, and stroll fearlessly among wild animals.
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22 You will laugh at destruction and famine, and need not fear the beasts of the earth.
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23 You'll be on good terms with rocks and mountains; wild animals will become your good friends.
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23 For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field, and the wild animals will be at peace with you.
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24 You'll know that your place on earth is safe, you'll look over your goods and find nothing amiss.
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24 You will know that your tent is secure; you will take stock of your property and find nothing missing.
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25 You'll see your children grow up, your family lovely and lissome as orchard grass.
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25 You will know that your children will be many, and your descendants like the grass of the earth.
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26 You'll arrive at your grave ripe with many good years, like sheaves of golden grain at harvest.
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26 You will come to the grave in full vigor, like sheaves gathered in season.
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27 "Yes, this is the way things are - my word of honor! Take it to heart and you won't go wrong." Job Replies to Eliphaz
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27 "We have examined this, and it is true. So hear it and apply it to yourself."
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| Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved. (The Message Bible Online) |
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. (New International Version Bible Online) |
