Job 9 Comparison: American Standard Version vs Berean Study Bible

Job 9

¹Then Job answered and said,

²Of a truth I know that it is so: But how can man be just with God?

³If he be pleased to contend with him, He cannot answer him one of a thousand.

⁴He iswise in heart, and mighty in strength: Who hath hardened himself against him, and prospered?—

⁵Himthat removeth the mountains, and they know it not, When he overturneth them in his anger;

⁶That shaketh the earth out of its place, And the pillars thereof tremble;

⁷That commandeth the sun, and it riseth not, And sealeth up the stars;

⁸That alone stretcheth out the heavens, And treadeth upon the waves of the sea;

⁹That maketh the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, And the chambers of the south;

¹⁰That doeth great things past finding out, Yea, marvellous things without number.

¹¹Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: He passeth on also, but I perceive him not.

¹²Behold, he seizeth the prey, who can hinder him? Who will say unto him, What doest thou?

¹³God will not withdraw his anger; The helpers of Rahab do stoop under him.

¹⁴How much less shall I answer him, And choose out my words to reason with him?

¹⁵Whom, though I were righteous, yet would I not answer; I would make supplication to my judge.

¹⁶If I had called, and he had answered me, Yet would I not believe that he hearkened unto my voice.

¹⁷For he breaketh me with a tempest, And multiplieth my wounds without cause.

¹⁸He will not suffer me to take my breath, But filleth me with bitterness.

¹⁹Ifwe speakof strength, lo, he ismighty! And if of justice, Who, saith he, will summon me?

²⁰Though I be righteous, mine own mouth shall condemn me: Though I be perfect, it shall prove me perverse.

²¹I am perfect; I regard not myself; I despise my life.

²²It is all one; therefore I say, He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.

²³If the scourge slay suddenly, He will mock at the trial of the innocent.

²⁴The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; He covereth the faces of the judges thereof: Ifit benothe, who then is it?

²⁵Now my days are swifter than a post: They flee away, they see no good.

²⁶They are passed away as the swift ships; As the eagle that swoopeth on the prey.

²⁷If I say, I will forget my complaint, I will put off my sad countenance, and be of good cheer;

²⁸I am afraid of all my sorrows, I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent.

²⁹I shall be condemned; Why then do I labor in vain?

³⁰If I wash myself with snow water, And make my hands never so clean;

³¹Yet wilt thou plunge me in the ditch, And mine own clothes shall abhor me.

³²For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, That we should come together in judgment.

³³There is no umpire betwixt us, That might lay his hand upon us both.

³⁴Let him take his rod away from me, And let not his terror make me afraid:

³⁵Then would I speak, and not fear him; For I am not so in myself.

Job 9

¹Then Job answered:

²“Yes, I know that it is so, but how can a mortal be righteous before God?

³If one wished to contend with God, he could not answer Him one time out of a thousand.

⁴God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has resisted Him and prospered?

⁵He moves mountains without their knowledge and overturns them in His anger.

⁶He shakes the earth from its place, so that its foundations tremble.

⁷He commands the sun not to shine; He seals off the stars.

⁸He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.

⁹He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, of the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.

¹⁰He does great things beyond searching out, and wonders without number.

¹¹Were He to pass by me, I would not see Him; were He to move, I would not recognize Him.

¹²If He takes away, who can stop Him? Who dares to ask Him, ‘What are You doing?’

¹³God does not restrain His anger; the helpers of Rahab cower beneath Him.

¹⁴How then can I answer Him or choose my arguments against Him?

¹⁵For even if I were right, I could not answer. I could only beg my Judge for mercy.

¹⁶If I summoned Him and He answered me, I do not believe He would listen to my voice.

¹⁷For He would crush me with a tempest and multiply my wounds without cause.

¹⁸He does not let me catch my breath, but overwhelms me with bitterness.

¹⁹If it is a matter of strength, He is indeed mighty! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon Him?

²⁰Even if I were righteous, my mouth would condemn me; if I were blameless, it would declare me guilty.

²¹Though I am blameless, I have no concern for myself; I despise my own life.

²²It is all the same, and so I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’

²³When the scourge brings sudden death, He mocks the despair of the innocent.

²⁴The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; He blindfolds its judges. If it is not He, then who is it?

²⁵My days are swifter than a runner; they flee without seeing good.

²⁶They sweep by like boats of papyrus, like an eagle swooping down on its prey.

²⁷If I were to say, ‘I will forget my complaint and change my expression and smile,’

²⁸I would still dread all my sufferings; I know that You will not acquit me.

²⁹Since I am already found guilty, why should I labor in vain?

³⁰If I should wash myself with snow and cleanse my hands with lye,

³¹then You would plunge me into the pit, and even my own clothes would despise me.

³²For He is not a man like me, that I can answer Him, that we can take each other to court.

³³Nor is there a mediator between us, to lay his hand upon us both.

³⁴Let Him remove His rod from me, so that His terror will no longer frighten me.

³⁵Then I would speak without fear of Him. But as it is, I am on my own.