Common English Bible CEB
The Message Bible MSG
1 The LORD continued to respond to Job:
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God then confronted Job directly:
2 Will the one who disputes with the Almighty correct him? God's instructor must answer him.
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"Now what do you have to say for yourself? Are you going to haul me, the Mighty One, into court and press charges?" Job Answers God I'm Ready to Shut Up and Listen
3 Job responded to the LORD:
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Job answered:
4 Look, I'm of little worth. What can I answer you? I'll put my hand over my mouth.
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"I'm speechless, in awe - words fail me. I should never have opened my mouth!
5 I have spoken once, I won't answer; twice, I won't do it again.
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I've talked too much, way too much. I'm ready to shut up and listen." God's Second Set of Questions I Want Straight Answers
6 The LORD answered Job from the whirlwind:
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God addressed Job next from the eye of the storm, and this is what he said:
7 Prepare yourself like a man; I will interrogate you, and you will respond to me.
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"I have some more questions for you, and I want straight answers.
8 Would you question my justice, deem me guilty so you can be innocent?
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"Do you presume to tell me what I'm doing wrong? Are you calling me a sinner so you can be a saint?
9 Or do you have an arm like God; can you thunder with a voice like him?
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Do you have an arm like my arm? Can you shout in thunder the way I can?
10 Adorn yourself with splendor and majesty; clothe yourself with honor and esteem.
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Go ahead, show your stuff. Let's see what you're made of, what you can do.
11 Unleash your raging anger; look on all the proud and humble them.
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Unleash your outrage. Target the arrogant and lay them flat.
12 Look on all the proud and debase them; trample the wicked in their place.
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Target the arrogant and bring them to their knees. Stop the wicked in their tracks - make mincemeat of them!
13 Hide them together in the dust; bind their faces in a hidden place.
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Dig a mass grave and dump them in it - faceless corpses in an unmarked grave.
14 Then I, even I, will praise you, for your strong hand has delivered you.
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I'll gladly step aside and hand things over to you - you can surely save yourself with no help from me!
15 Look at Behemoth, whom I made along with you; he eats grass like cattle.
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"Look at the land beast, Behemoth. I created him as well as you. Grazing on grass, docile as a cow -
16 Look, his strength is in his thighs, his power in stomach muscles.
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Just look at the strength of his back, the powerful muscles of his belly.
17 He stiffens his tail like a cedar; the tendons in his thighs are tightly woven.
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His tail sways like a cedar in the wind; his huge legs are like beech trees.
18 His bones are like bronze tubes, his limbs like iron bars.
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His skeleton is made of steel, every bone in his body hard as steel.
19 He is the first of God's acts; only his maker can come near him with a sword.
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Most magnificent of all my creatures, but I still lead him around like a lamb!
20 Indeed, the hills bring him tribute, places where all the wild animals play.
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The grass-covered hills serve him meals, while field mice frolic in his shadow.
21 He lies under the lotuses, under the cover of reed and marsh.
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He takes afternoon naps under shade trees, cools himself in the reedy swamps,
22 The lotuses screen him with shade; poplars of the stream surround him.
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Lazily cool in the leafy shadows as the breeze moves through the willows.
23 If the river surges, he doesn't hurry; he is confident even though the Jordan gushes into his mouth.
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And when the river rages he doesn't budge, stolid and unperturbed even when the Jordan goes wild.
24 Can he be seized by his eyes? Can anyone pierce his nose by hooks?
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But you'd never want him for a pet - you'd never be able to housebreak him!
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible
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.