The Bible in Basic English BBE
Good News Translation GNT
1 ...
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Job, you challenged Almighty God; will you give up now, or will you answer?
2 Will he who is protesting give teaching to the Ruler of all? Let him who has arguments to put forward against God give an answer.
3 And Job said in answer to the Lord,
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I spoke foolishly, Lord. What can I answer? I will not try to say anything else.
4 Truly, I am of no value; what answer may I give to you? I will put my hand on my mouth.
5 I have said once, and even twice, what was in my mind, but I will not do so again.
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I have already said more than I should.
6 Then the Lord made answer to Job out of the storm-wind, and said,
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Then out of the storm the Lord spoke to Job once again.
7 Get your strength together like a man of war: I will put questions to you, and you will give me the answers.
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Now stand up straight and answer my questions.
8 Will you even make my right of no value? will you say that I am wrong in order to make clear that you are right?
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Are you trying to prove that I am unjust - to put me in the wrong and yourself in the right?
9 Have you an arm like God? have you a voice of thunder like his?
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Are you as strong as I am? Can your voice thunder as loud as mine?
10 Put on the ornaments of your pride; be clothed with glory and power:
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If so, stand up in your honor and pride; clothe yourself with majesty and glory.
11 Let your wrath be overflowing; let your eyes see all the sons of pride, and make them low.
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Look at those who are proud; pour out your anger and humble them.
12 Send destruction on all who are lifted up, pulling down the sinners from their places.
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Yes, look at them and bring them down; crush the wicked where they stand.
13 Let them be covered together in the dust; let their faces be dark in the secret place of the underworld.
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Bury them all in the ground; bind them in the world of the dead.
14 Then I will give praise to you, saying that your right hand is able to give you salvation.
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Then I will be the first to praise you and admit that you won the victory yourself.
15 See now the Great Beast, whom I made, even as I made you; he takes grass for food, like the ox.
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Look at the monster Behemoth; I created him and I created you. He eats grass like a cow,
16 His strength is in his body, and his force in the muscles of his stomach.
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but what strength there is in his body, and what power there is in his muscles!
17 His tail is curving like a cedar; the muscles of his legs are joined together.
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His tail stands up like a cedar, and the muscles in his legs are strong.
18 His bones are pipes of brass, his legs are like rods of iron.
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His bones are as strong as bronze, and his legs are like iron bars.
19 He is the chief of the ways of God, made by him for his pleasure.
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The most amazing of all my creatures! Only his Creator can defeat him.
20 He takes the produce of the mountains, where all the beasts of the field are at play.
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Grass to feed him grows on the hills where wild beasts play.
21 He takes his rest under the trees of the river, and in the pool, under the shade of the water-plants.
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He lies down under the thorn bushes, and hides among the reeds in the swamp.
22 He is covered by the branches of the trees; the grasses of the stream are round him.
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The thorn bushes and the willows by the stream give him shelter in their shade.
23 Truly, if the river is overflowing, it gives him no cause for fear; he has no sense of danger, even if Jordan is rushing against his mouth.
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He is not afraid of a rushing river; he is calm when the Jordan dashes in his face.
24 Will anyone take him when he is on the watch, or put metal teeth through his nose?
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Who can blind his eyes and capture him? Or who can catch his snout in a trap?
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.