Job 11 — The Holy Bible

Job Rebuked by Zophar

Job 11, verse 1. Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:

“He who speaks much should also listen in turn,

Or does the fluent speaker think himself to be righteous?

Blessed is the short-lived offspring of a woman.

Do not be wordy in your speech,

For there is no one to reply to you.

Do not say, ‘I am pure in my works

And blameless before Him.’

But how does the Lord speak to you?

He will open His lips against you.

Then He will declare to you the power of wisdom,

For it shall be double in your case.

At that time you will know a worthy recompense

Has come to you from the Lord because of your sins.

Will you find the traces of the Lord?

Have you reached the outer extremities

Of what the Almighty has made?

Heaven is high, and what will you do?

And what do you know,

For there are even deeper things in Hades?

Do you know those dimensions

That are longer than the earth and broader than the sea?

If He should overthrow everything,

Who then will say to Him, ‘What have You done?’

For He knows the works of the lawless;

And when He sees wrongs, He shall not overlook them.

But man vainly swims in words,

And a mortal born of a woman is equal to a donkey in the desert.

If you have made your heart pure

And stretch out your hands toward Him,

If something lawless is done by your hands,

Put it far away from you;

And do not let any wrongdoing lodge in your dwelling.

For in this way, your face will shine forth like pure water,

For you will cleanse away the filth. You will not fear.

Then you will forget this hardship

Like a wave that has passed away;

And you will not be terrified.

Your prayer will be like the morning star.

At midday, life will rise to you.

You will be confident because you have hope;

And peace shall bring light to you out of anxiety and care.

You will also be at rest,

And there will be no one to fight against you.

Many will change their mind about you and supplicate you.

But salvation will forsake them, for their hope will be lost,

And the eyes of the ungodly will melt away.”