10:10. And he commanded that there should be two lots, one of the people of God, and the other of all the nations.
10:11. And both lots came to the day appointed already from that time before God to all nations:
10:12. And the Lord remembered his people, and had mercy on his inheritance.
10:13. And these days shall be observed in the month of Adar on the fourteenth, and fifteenth day of the same month, with all diligence, and joy of the people gathered into one assembly, throughout all the generations hereafter of the people of Israel.
Esther Chapter 11
The dream of Mardochai, which in the ancient Greek and Latin Bibles was into the beginning of the book, but was detached by St. Jerome, and put in this place.
11:1. In the fourth year of the reign of Ptolemy and Cleopatra, Dositheus, who said he was a priest, and of the Levitical race, and Ptolemy his son brought this epistle of Phurim, which they said Lysimachus the son of Ptolemy had interpreted in Jerusalem.
11:2. In the second year of the reign of Artaxerxes the great, in the first day of the month Nisan, Mardochai the son of Jair, the son of Semei, the son of Cis, of the tribe of Benjamin:
11:3. A Jew who dwelt in the city of Susan, a great man and among the first of the king's court, had a dream.
11:4. Now he was of the number of the captives, whom Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon had carried away from Jerusalem with Jechonias king of Juda:
11:5. And this was his dream: Behold there were voices, and tumults, and thunders, and earthquakes, and a disturbance upon the earth.
11:6. And behold two great dragons came forth ready to fight one against another.
11:7. And at their cry all nations were stirred up to fight against the nation of the just.
11:8. And that was a day of darkness and danger, of tribulation and distress, and great fear upon the earth.
11:9. And the nation of the just was troubled fearing their own evils, and was prepared for death.
11:10. And they cried to God: and as they were crying, a little fountain grew into a very great river, and abounded into many waters.
11:11. The light and the sun rose up, and the humble were exalted, and they devoured the glorious.
11:12. And when Mardochai had seen this, and arose out of his bed, he was thinking what God would do: and he kept it fixed in his mind, desirous to know what the dream should signify.
Esther Chapter 12
Mardochai detects the conspiracy of the two eunuchs.
12:1. And he abode at that time in the king's court with Bagatha and Thara the king's eunuchs, who were porters of the palace.
12:2. And when he understood their designs, and had diligently searched into their projects, he learned that they went about to lay violent hands on king Artaxerxes, and he told the king thereof.
12:3. Then the king had them both examined, and after they had confessed, commanded them to be put to death.
12:4. But the king made a record of what was done: and Mardochai also committed the memory of the thing to writing.
12:5. And the king commanded him, to abide in the court of the palace, and gave him presents for the information.
12:6. But Aman the son of Amadathi the Bugite was in great honour with the king, and sought to hurt Mardochai and his people, because of the two eunuchs of the king who were put to death.
Esther Chapter 13
A copy of a letter sent by Aman to destroy the Jews. Mardochai's prayer for the people.
13:1. And this was the copy of the letter: Artaxerxes the great king who reigneth from India to Ethiopia, to the princes and governors of the hundred and twenty-seven provinces, that are subject to his empire, greeting.
13:2. Whereas I reigned over many nations, and had brought all the world under my dominion, I was not willing to abuse the greatness of my power, but to govern my subjects with clemency and that they might live quietly without any terror, and might enjoy peace, which is desired by all men,
13:3. But when I asked my counsellors how this might be accomplished, one that excelled the rest in wisdom and fidelity, and was second after the king, Aman by name,
13:4. Told me that there was a people scattered through the whole world, which used new laws, and acted against the customs of all nations, despised the commandments of kings, and violated by their opposition the concord of all nations.
13:5. Wherefore having learned this, and seeing one nation in opposition to all mankind using perverse laws, and going against our commandments, and disturbing the peace and concord of the provinces subject to us,
13:6. We have commanded that all whom Aman shall mark out, who is chief over all the provinces, and second after the king, and whom we honour as a father, shall be utterly destroyed by their enemies, with their wives and children, and that none shall have pity on them, on the fourteenth day of the twelfth month Adar of this present year:
13:7. That these wicked men going down to hell in one day, may restore to our empire the peace which they had disturbed.
13:8. But Mardochai besought the Lord, remembering all his works,
13:9. And said: O Lord, Lord, almighty king, for all things are in thy power, and there is none that can resist thy will, if thou determine to save Israel.
13:10. Thou hast made heaven and earth and all things that are under the cope of heaven.
13:11. Thou art Lord of all, and there is none that can resist thy majesty.
13:12. Thou knowest all things, and thou knowest that it was not out of pride and or any desire of glory, that I refused to worship the proud Aman,
13:13. (For I would willingly and readily for the salvation of Israel have kissed even the steps of his feet,)
13:14. But I feared lest I should transfer the honour of my God to a man, and lest I should adore any one except my God.
13:15. And now, O Lord, O king, O God of Abraham, have mercy on thy people, because our enemies resolve to destroy us, and extinguish thy inheritance.
13:16. Despise not thy portion, which thou hast redeemed for thyself out of Egypt.
13:17. Hear my supplication, and be merciful to thy lot and inheritance, and turn our mourning into joy, that we may live and praise thy name, O Lord, and shut not the mouths of them that sing to thee.
13:18. And all Israel with like mind and supplication cried to the Lord, because they saw certain death hanging over their heads.
Esther Chapter 14
The prayer of Esther for herself and her people.
14:1. Queen Esther also, fearing the danger that was at hand, had recourse to the Lord.
14:2. And when she had laid away her royal apparel, she put on garments suitable for weeping and mourning: instead of divers precious ointments, she covered her head with ashes and dung, and she humbled her body with fasts: and all the places in which before she was accustomed to rejoice, she filled with her torn hair.
14:3. And she prayed to the Lord the God of Israel, saying: O my Lord, who alone art our king, help me a desolate woman, and who have no other helper but thee.
14:4. My danger is in my hands.
14:5. I have heard of my father that thou, O Lord, didst take Israel from among all nations, and our fathers from all their predecessors, to possess them as an everlasting inheritance, and thou hast done to them as thou hast promised.
14:6. We have sinned in thy sight, and therefore thou hast delivered us into the hands of our enemies:
14:7. For we have worshipped their gods. Thou art just, O Lord.
14:8. And now they are not content to oppress us with most hard bondage, but attributing the strength of their hands to the power of their idols.
14:9. They design to change thy promises, and destroy thy inheritance, and shut the mouths of them that praise thee, and extinguish the glory of thy temple and altar,
14:10. That they may open the mouths of Gentiles, and praise the strength of idols, and magnify for ever a carnal king.
14:11. Give not, O Lord, thy sceptre to them that are not, lest they laugh at our ruin: but turn their counsel upon themselves, and destroy him that hath begun to rage against us.
14:12. Remember, O Lord, and shew thyself to us in the time of our tribulation, and give me boldness, O Lord, king of gods, and of all power:
14:13. Give me a well ordered speech in my mouth in the presence of the lion, and turn his heart to the hatred of our enemy, that both he himself may perish, and the rest that consent to him.
14:14. But deliver us by thy hand, and help me, who have no other helper, but thee, O Lord, who hast the knowledge of all things.
14:15. And thou knowest that I hate the glory of the wicked, and abhor the bed of the uncircumcised, and of every stranger.
14:16. Thou knowest my necessity, that I abominate the sign of my pride and glory, which is upon my head in the days of my public appearance, and detest it as a menstruous rag, and wear it not in the days of my silence,
14:17. And that I have not eaten at Aman's table, nor hath the king's banquet pleased me, and that I have not drunk the wine of the drink offerings:
14:18. And that thy handmaid hath never rejoiced, since I was brought hither unto this day but in thee, O Lord, the God of Abraham.
14:19. O God, who art mighty above all, hear the voice of them, that have no other hope, and deliver us from the hand of the wicked, and deliver me from my fear.
Esther Chapter 15
Esther comes into the king's presence: she is terrified, but God turns his heart.
15:1. And he commanded her (no doubt but he was Mardochai) to go to the king, and petition for her people, and for her country.
15:2. Remember, (said he,) the days of thy low estate, how thou wast brought up by my hand, because Aman the second after the king hath spoken against us unto death.
15:3. And do thou call upon the Lord, and speak to the king for us, and deliver us from death.
15:4. And on the third day she laid away the garments she wore, and put on her glorious apparel.
15:5. And glittering in royal robes, after she had called upon God the ruler and Saviour of all, she took two maids with her,
15:6. And upon one of them she leaned, as if for delicateness and overmuch tenderness she were not able to bear up her own body.
15:7. And the other maid followed her lady, bearing up her train flowing on the ground.
15:8. But she with a rosy colour in her face, and with gracious and bright eyes hid a mind full of anguish, and exceeding great fear.
15:9. So going in she passed through all doors in order, and stood before the king, where he sat upon his royal throne, clothed with his royal robes, and glittering with gold, and precious stones, and he was terrible to behold.
15:10. And when he had lifted up his countenance, and with burning eyes had shewn the wrath of his heart, the queen sunk down, and her colour turned pale, and she rested her weary head upon her handmaid.
15:11. And God changed the king's spirit into mildness, and all in haste and in fear he leaped from his throne, and holding her up in his arms, till she came to herself, caressed her with these words:
15:12. What is the matter, Esther? I am thy brother, fear not.
15:13. Thou shalt not die: for this law is not made for thee, but for all others.
15:14. Come near then, and touch the sceptre.
15:15. And as she held her peace, he took the golden sceptre, and laid it upon her neck, and kissed her, and said: Why dost thou not speak to me?
15:16. She answered: I saw thee, my lord, as an angel of God, and my heart was troubled for fear of thy majesty.
15:17. For thou, my lord, art very admirable, and thy face is full of graces.
15:18. And while she was speaking, she fell down again, and was almost in a swoon.
15:19. But the king was troubled, and all his servants comforted her.
Esther Chapter 16
A copy of the king's letter in favour of the Jews.
16:1. The great king Artaxerxes, from India to Ethiopia, to the governors and princes of a hundred and twenty-seven provinces, which obey our command, sendeth greeting.
From India to Ethiopia... That is, who reigneth from India to Ethiopia.
16:2. Many have abused unto pride the goodness of princes, and the honour that hath been bestowed upon them:
16:3. And not only endeavour to oppress the king's subjects, but not bearing the glory that is given them, take in hand, to practise also against them that gave it.
16:4. Neither are they content not to return thanks for benefits received, and to violate in themselves the laws of humanity, but they think they can also escape the justice of God who seeth all things.
16:5. And they break out into so great madness, as to endeavour to undermine by lies such as observe diligently the offices committed to them, and do all things in such manner as to be worthy of all men's praise,
16:6. While with crafty fraud they deceive the ears of princes that are well meaning, and judge of others by their own nature.
16:7. Now this is proved both from ancient histories, and by the things which are done daily, how the good designs of kings are depraved by the evil suggestions of certain men.
16:8. Wherefore we must provide for the peace of all provinces.
16:9. Neither must you think, if we command different things, that it cometh of the levity of our mind, but that we give sentence according to the quality and necessity of times, as the profit of the commonwealth requireth.
16:10. Now that you may more plainly understand what we say, Aman the son of Amadathi, a Macedonian both in mind and country, and having nothing of the Persian blood, but with his cruelty staining our goodness, was received being a stranger by us:
16:11. And found our humanity so great towards him, that he was called our father, and was worshipped by all as the next man after the king:
16:12. But he was so far puffed up with arrogancy, as to go about to deprive us of our kingdom and life.
16:13. For with certain new and unheard of devices he hath sought the destruction of Mardochai, by whose fidelity and good services our life was saved, and of Esther the partner of our kingdom with all their nation:
16:14. Thinking that after they were slain, he might work treason against us left alone without friends, and might transfer the kingdom of the Persians to the Macedonians.
16:15. But we have found that the Jews, who were by that most wicked man appointed to be slain, are in no fault at all, but contrariwise, use just laws,
16:16. And are the children of the highest and the greatest, and the ever living God, by whose benefit the kingdom was given both to our fathers and to us, and is kept unto this day.
16:17. Wherefore know ye that those letters which he sent in our name, are void and of no effect.
16:18. For which crime both he himself that devised it, and all his kindred hang on gibbets, before the gates of this city Susan: not we, but God repaying him as he deserved.
16:19. But this edict, which we now send, shall be published in all cities, that the Jews may freely follow their own laws.
16:20. And you shall aid them that they may kill those who had prepared themselves to kill them, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is called Adar.
16:21. For the almighty God hath turned this day of sadness and mourning into joy to them.
16:22. Wherefore you shall also count this day among other festival days, and celebrate it with all joy, that it may be known also in times to come,
16:23. That all they who faithfully obey the Persians, receive a worthy reward for their fidelity: but they that are traitors to their kingdom, are destroyed for their wickedness.
16:24. And let every province and city, that will not be partaker of this solemnity, perish by the sword and by fire, and be destroyed in such manner as to be made unpassable, both to men and beasts, for an example of contempt, and disobedience.
This Book takes its name from the holy man of whom it treats: who, according to the more probable opinion, was of the race of Esau; and the same as Jobab, king of Edom, mentioned Gen. 36.33. It is uncertain who was the writer of it. Some attribute it to Job himself; others to Moses, or some one of the prophets. In the Hebrew it is written in verse, from the beginning of the third chapter to the forty-second chapter.
Job Chapter 1
1:1. There was a man in the land of Hus, whose name was Job, and that man was simple and upright, and fearing God, and avoiding evil.
Hus... The land of Hus was a part of Edom; as appears from Lam. 4.21. Ibid. Simple... That is, innocent, sincere, and without guile.
1:2. And there were born to him seven sons and three daughters.
1:3. And his possession was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a family exceedingly great: and this man was great among all the people of the east.
1:4. And his sons went, and made a feast by houses, every one in his day. And sending, they called their three sisters, to eat and drink with them.
And made a feast by houses... That is, each made a feast in his own house and had his day, inviting the others, and their sisters.
1:5. And when the days of their feasting were gone about, Job sent to them, and sanctified them: and rising up early, offered holocausts for every one of them. For he said: Lest perhaps my sons have sinned, and have blessed God in their hearts. So did Job all days.
Blessed... For greater horror of the very thought of blasphemy, the scripture both here and ver. 11, and in the following chapter, ver. 5 and 9, uses the word bless to signify its contrary.
1:6. Now on a certain day, when the sons of God came to stand before the Lord, Satan also was present among them.
The sons of God... The angels.-Ibid. Satan also, etc.. This passage represents to us in a figure, accommodated to the ways and understandings of men, 1. The restless endeavours of Satan against the servants of God; 2. That he can do nothing without God's permission; 3. That God doth not permit him to tempt them above their strength: but assists them by his divine grace in such manner, that the vain efforts of the enemy only serve to illustrate their virtue and increase their merit.
1:7. And the Lord said to him: Whence comest thou? And he answered and said: I have gone round about the earth, and walked through it.
1:8. And the Lord said to him: Hast thou considered my servant, Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a simple and upright man, and fearing God, and avoiding evil?
1:9. And Satan answering, said: Doth Job fear God in vain?
1:10. Hast thou not made a fence for him, and his house, and all his substance round about, blessed the works of his hands, and his possession hath increased on the earth?
1:11. But stretch forth thy hand a little, and touch all that he hath, and see if he bless thee not to thy face.
1:12. Then the Lord said to Satan: Behold, all that he hath is in thy hand: only put not forth thy hand upon his person. And Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.
1:13. Now upon a certain day, when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine, in the house of their eldest brother,
1:14. There came a messenger to Job, and said: The oxen were ploughing, and the asses feeding beside them,
1:15. And the Sabeans rushed in, and took all away, and slew the servants with the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell thee.
1:16. And while he was yet speaking, another came, and said: The fire of God fell from heaven, and striking the sheep and the servants, hath consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell thee.
1:17. And while he also was yet speaking, there came another, and said: The Chaldeans made three troops, and have fallen upon the camels, and taken them; moreover, they have slain the servants with the sword: and I alone have escaped to tell thee.
1:18. He was yet speaking, and behold another came in, and said: Thy sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their eldest brother,
1:19. A violent wind came on a sudden from the side of the desert, and shook the four corners of the house, and it fell upon thy children, and they are dead: and I alone have escaped to tell thee.
1:20. Then Job rose up, and rent his garments, and having shaven his head, fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,
1:21. And said: Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: as it hath pleased the Lord, so is it done: blessed be the name of the Lord.
1:22. In all these things Job sinned not by his lips, nor spoke he any foolish thing against God.
Job Chapter 2
2:1. And it came to pass, when on a certain day the sons of God came, and stood before the Lord, and Satan came amongst them, and stood in his sight,
2:2. That the Lord said to Satan: Whence comest thou? And he answered, and said: I have gone round about the earth, and walked through it.
2:3. And the Lord said to Satan: Hast thou considered my servant, Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a man simple and upright, and fearing God, and avoiding evil, and still keeping his innocence? But thou hast moved me against him, that I should afflict him without cause.
2:4. And Satan answered, and said: Skin for skin; and all that a man hath, he will give for his life:
2:5. But put forth thy hand, and touch his bone and his flesh, and then thou shalt see that he will bless thee to thy face.
2:6. And the Lord said to Satan: Behold, he is in thy hand, but yet save his life.
2:7. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord, and struck Job with a very grievous ulcer, from the sole of the foot even to the top of his head:
2:8. And he took a potsherd and scraped the corrupt matter, sitting on a dunghill.
2:9. And his wife said to him: Dost thou still continue in thy simplicity? bless God and die.
2:10. And he said to her: Thou hast spoken like one of the foolish women: If we have received good things at the hand of God, why should we not receive evil? In all these things Job did not sin with his lips.
2:11. Now when Job's three friends heard all the evil that had befallen him, they came every one from his own place, Eliphaz, the Themanite, and Baldad, the Suhite, and Sophar, the Naamathite. For they had made an appointment to come together and visit him, and comfort him.
2:12. And when they had lifted up their eyes afar off, they knew him not, and crying out, they wept, and rending their garments, they sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.
2:13. And they sat with him on the ground seven day and seven nights and no man spoke to him a word: for they saw that his grief was very great.
Job Chapter 3
3:1. After this, Job opened his mouth, and cursed his day,
Cursed his day... Job cursed the day of his birth, not by way of wishing evil to any thing of God's creation; but only to express in a stronger manner his sense of human miseries in general, and of his own calamities in particular.
3:2. And he said:
3:3. Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said: A man child is conceived.
3:4. Let that day be turned into darkness, let not God regard it from above, and let not the light shine upon it.
3:5. Let darkness, and the shadow of death, cover it, let a mist overspread it, and let it be wrapped up in bitterness.
3:6. Let a darksome whirlwind seize upon that night, let it not be counted in the days of the year, nor numbered in the months.
3:7. Let that night be solitary, and not worthy of praise.
3:8. Let them curse it who curse the day, who are ready to raise up a leviathan:
3:9. Let the stars be darkened with the mist thereof: let it expect light, and not see it, nor the rising of the dawning of the day:
3:10. Because it shut not up the doors of the womb that bore me, nor took away evils from my eyes.
3:11. Why did I not die in the womb? why did I not perish when I came out of the belly?
3:12. Why received upon the knees? why suckled at the breasts?
3:13. For now I should have been asleep and still, and should have rest in my sleep:
3:14. With kings and consuls of the earth, who build themselves solitudes:
3:15. Or with princes, that possess gold, and fill their houses with silver:
3:16. Or as a hidden untimely birth, I should not be; or as they that, being conceived, have not seen the light.
3:17. There the wicked cease from tumult, and there the wearied in strength are at rest.
3:18. And they sometime bound together without disquiet, have not heard the voice of the oppressor.
3:19. The small and great are there, and the servant is free from his master.
3:20. Why is light given to him that is in misery, and life to them that are in bitterness of soul?
3:21. That look for death, and it cometh not, as they that dig for a treasure:
3:22. And they rejoice exceedingly when they have found the grave?
3:23. To a man whose way is hidden, and God hath surrounded him with darkness?
3:24. Before I eat I sigh: and as overflowing waters, so is my roaring:
3:25. For the fear which I feared, hath come upon me: and that which I was afraid of, hath befallen me.
3:26. Have I not dissembled? have I not kept silence? have I not been quiet? and indignation is come upon me.
Job Chapter 4
4:1. Then Eliphaz, the Themanite, answered, and said:
4:2. If we begin to speak to thee, perhaps thou wilt take it ill; but who can withhold the words he hath conceived?
4:3. Behold thou hast taught many, and thou hast strengthened the weary hands:
4:4. Thy words have confirmed them that were staggering, and thou hast strengthened the trembling knees:
4:5. But now the scourge is come upon thee, and thou faintest: It hath touched thee, and thou art troubled.
4:6. Where is thy fear, thy fortitude, thy patience, and the perfection of thy ways?
4:7. Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished being innocent? or when were the just destroyed?
4:8. On the contrary, I have seen those who work iniquity, and sow sorrows, and reap them,
4:9. Perishing by the blast of God, and consumed by the spirit of his wrath.
4:10. The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the lioness, and the teeth of the whelps of lions, are broken:
4:11. The tiger hath perished for want of prey, and the young lions are scattered abroad.
4:12. Now there was a word spoken to me in private, and my ears by stealth, as it were, received the veins of its whisper.
4:13. In the horror of a vision by night, when deep sleep is wont to hold men,
4:14. Fear seized upon me, and trembling, and all my bones were affrighted:
4:15. And when a spirit passed before me, the hair of my flesh stood up.
4:16. There stood one whose countenance I knew not, an image before my eyes, and I heard the voice, as it were, of a gentle wind.
4:17. Shall man be justified in comparison of God, or shall a man be more pure than his maker?
Shall man be justified in comparison of God, etc... These are the words which Eliphaz had heard from an angel, which, ver. 15, he calls a spirit.
4:18. Behold, they that serve him are not steadfast, and in his angels he found wickedness:
4:19. How much more shall they that dwell in houses of clay, who have an earthly foundation, be consumed as with the moth?
4:20. From morning till evening they shall be cut down: and because no one understandeth, they shall perish for ever.
4:21. And they that shall be left, shall be taken away from them: they shall die, and not in wisdom.
Job Chapter 5
5:1. Call now, if there be any that will answer thee, and turn to some of the saints.
5:2. Anger indeed killeth the foolish, and envy slayeth the little one.
5:3. I have seen a fool with a strong root, and I cursed his beauty immediately.
5:4. His children shall be far from safety, and shall be destroyed in the gate, and there shall be none to deliver them.
5:5. Whose harvest the hungry shall eat, and the armed man shall take him by violence, and the thirsty shall drink up his riches.
5:6. Nothing upon earth is done without a cause, and sorrow doth not spring out of the ground.
5:7. Man is born to labour, and the bird to fly.
5:8. Wherefore I will pray to the Lord, and address my speech to God:
5:9. Who doth great things, and unsearchable and wonderful things without number:
5:10. Who giveth rain upon the face of the earth, and watereth all things with waters:
5:11. Who setteth up the humble on high, and comforteth with health those that mourn.
5:12. Who bringeth to nought the designs of the malignant, so that their hands cannot accomplish what they had begun:
5:13. Who catcheth the wise in their craftiness, and disappointeth the counsel of the wicked:
5:14. They shall meet with darkness in the day, and grope at noonday as in the night.
5:15. But he shall save the needy from the sword of their mouth, and the poor from the hand of the violent.
5:16. And to the needy there shall be hope, but iniquity shall draw in her mouth.
5:17. Blessed is the man whom God correcteth: refuse not, therefore, the chastising of the Lord.
5:18. For he woundeth, and cureth: he striketh, and his hands shall heal.
5:19. In six troubles he shall deliver thee, and in the seventh, evil shall not touch thee.
5:20. In famine he shall deliver thee from death; and in battle, from the hand of the sword.
5:21. Thou shalt be hidden from the scourge of the tongue: and thou shalt not fear calamity when it cometh.
5:22. In destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: and thou shalt not be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
5:23. But thou shalt have a covenant with the stones of the lands, and the beasts of the earth shall be at peace with thee.
5:24. And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle is in peace, and visiting thy beauty, thou shalt not sin.
5:25. Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be multiplied, and thy offspring like the grass of the earth.
5:26. Thou shalt enter into the grave in abundance, as a heap of wheat is brought in in its season.
5:27. Behold, this is even so, as we have searched out: which thou having heard, consider it thoroughly in thy mind.
Job Chapter 6
6:1. But Job answered, and said:
6:2. O that my sins, whereby I have deserved wrath, and the calamity that I suffer, were weighed in a balance.
My sins, etc... He does not mean to compare his sufferings with his real sins: but with the imaginary crimes which his friends imputed to him: and especially with his wrath, or grief, expressed in the third chapter, which they so much accused. Though, as he tells them here, it bore no proportion with the greatness of his calamity.
6:3. As the sand of the sea, this would appear heavier: therefore, my words are full of sorrow:
6:4. For the arrows of the Lord are in me, the rage whereof drinketh up my spirit, and the terrors of the Lord war against me.
6:5. Will the wild ass bray when he hath grass? or will the ox low when he standeth before a full manger?
6:6. Or can an unsavoury thing be eaten, that is not seasoned with salt? or can a man taste that which, when tasted, bringeth death?
6:7. The things which before my soul would not touch, now, through anguish, are my meats.
6:8. Who will grant that my request may come: and that God may give me what I look for?
6:9. And that he that hath begun may destroy me, that he may let loose his hand, and cut me off?
6:10. And that this may be my comfort, that afflicting me with sorrow, he spare not, nor I contradict the words of the Holy one.
6:11. For what is my strength, that I can hold out? or what is my end, that I should keep patience?
6:12. My strength is not the strength of stones, nor is my flesh of brass.
6:13. Behold there is no help for me in myself, and my familiar friends also are departed from me.
6:14. He that taketh away mercy from his friend, for saketh the fear of the Lord.
6:15. My brethren have passed by me, as the torrent that passeth swiftly in the valleys.
6:16. They that fear the hoary frost, the snow shall fall upon them.
6:17. At the time when they shall be scattered they shall perish: and after it groweth hot, they shall be melted out of their place.
6:18. The paths of their steps are entangled: they shall walk in vain, and shall perish.
6:19. Consider the paths of Thema, the ways of Saba, and wait a little while.
6:20. They arc confounded, because I have hoped: they are come also even unto me, and are covered with shame.
6:21. Now you are come: and now, seeing my affliction, you are afraid.
6:22. Did I say: Bring to me, and give me of your substance?
6:23. Or deliver me from the hand of the enemy, and rescue me out of the hand of the mighty?
6:24. Teach me, and I will hold my peace: and if I have been ignorant of any thing, instruct me.
6:25. Why have you detracted the words of truth, whereas there is none of you that can reprove me?
6:26. You dress up speeches only to rebuke, and you utter words to the wind.
6:27. You rush in upon the fatherless, and you endeavour to overthrow your friend.
6:28. However, finish what you have begun: give ear and see whether I lie.
6:29. Answer, I beseech you, without contention: and speaking that which is just, judge ye.
6:30. And you shall not find iniquity in my tongue, neither shall folly sound in my mouth.
Job Chapter 7
7:1. The life of man upon earth is a warfare, and his days are like the days of a hireling.
7:2. As a servant longeth for the shade, as the hireling looketh for the end of his work;
7:3. So I also have had empty months, and have numbered to myself wearisome nights.
7:4. If I lie down to sleep, I shall say: When shall I rise? and again, I shall look for the evening, and shall be filled with sorrows even till darkness.
7:5. My flesh is clothed with rottenness and the filth of dust; my skin is withered and drawn together.
7:6. My days have passed more swiftly than the web is cut by the weaver, and are consumed without any hope.
7:7. Remember that my life is but wind, and my eye shall not return to see good things.
7:8. Nor shall the sight of man behold me: thy eyes are upon me, and I shall be no more.
7:9. As a cloud is consumed, and passeth away: so he that shall go down to hell shall not come up.
7:10. Nor shall he return any more into his house, neither shall his place know him any more.
7:11. Wherefore, I will not spare my month, I will speak in the affliction of my spirit: I will talk with the bitterness of my soul.
7:12. Am I a sea, or a whale, that thou hast inclosed me in a prison?
7:13. If I say: My bed shall comfort me, and I shall be relieved, speaking with myself on my couch:
7:14. Thou wilt frighten me with dreams, and terrify me with visions.
7:15. So that my soul rather chooseth hanging, and my bones death.
7:16. I have done with hope, I shall now live no longer: spare me, for my days are nothing.
7:17. What is a man, that thou shouldst magnify him or why dost thou set thy heart upon him?
7:18. Thou visitest him early in the morning, and thou provest him suddenly.
7:19. How long wilt thou not spare me, nor suffer me to swallow down my spittle?
7:20. I have sinned: what shall I do to thee, O keeper of men? why hast thou set me opposite to thee and am I become burdensome to myself?
7:21. Why dost thou not remove my sin, and why dost thou not take away my iniquity? Behold now I shall sleep in the dust: and if thou seek me in the morning, I shall not be.
Job Chapter 8
8:1. Then Baldad, the Suhite, answered, and said:
8:2. How long wilt thou speak these things, and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?
8:3. Doth God pervert judgment, or doth the Almighty overthrow that which is just?
8:4. Although thy children have sinned against him, and he hath left them in the hand of their iniquity:
8:5. Yet if thou wilt arise early to God, and wilt beseech the Almighty:
8:6. If thou wilt walk clean and upright, he will presently awake unto thee, and will make the dwelling of thy justice peaceable:
8:7. In so much, that if thy former things were small thy latter things would be multiplied exceedingly.
8:8. For inquire of the former generation, and search diligently into the memory of the fathers:
8:9. (For we are but of yesterday, and are ignorant that our days upon earth are but a shadow.)
8:10. And they shall teach thee: they shall speak to thee, and utter words out of their hearts.
8:11. Can the rush be green without moisture? or sedge bush grow without water?
8:12. When it is yet in flower, and is not plucked u with the hand, it withereth before all herbs.
8:13. Even so are the ways of all that forget God, an the hope of the hypocrite shall perish:
8:14. His folly shall not please him, and his trust shall be like the spider's web.
8:15. He shall lean upon his house, and it shall no stand: he shall prop it up, and it shall not rise:
8:16. He seemeth to have moisture before the sun cometh; and at his rising, his blossom shall shoot forth.
8:17. His roots shall be thick upon a heap of stones; and among the stones he shall abide.
8:18. If one swallow him up out of his place, he shall deny him, and shall say: I know thee not.
8:19. For this is the joy of his way, that others may spring again out of the earth.
8:20. God will not cast away the simple, nor reach out his hand to the evil doer:
8:21. Until thy mouth be filled with laughter, and thy lips with rejoicing.
8:22. They that hate thee, shall be clothed with confusion: and the dwelling of the wicked shall not stand.
Job Chapter 9
9:1. And Job answered, and said:
9:2. Indeed I know it is so, and that man cannot be justified, compared with God.
9:3. If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one for a thousand.
9:4. He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath resisted him, and hath had peace?
9:5. Who hath removed mountains, and they whom he overthrew in his wrath, knew it not.
9:6. Who shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.
9:7. Who commandeth the sun, and it riseth not: and shutteth up the stars, as it were, under a seal:
9:8. Who alone spreadeth out the heavens, and walketh upon the waves of the sea,
9:9. Who maketh Arcturus, and Orion, and Hyades, and the inner parts of the south.
Arcturus, etc... These are names of stars or constellations. In Hebrew, Ash, Cesil, and Cimah. See note chap. 38, ver. 31.
9:10. Who doth things great and incomprehensible, and wonderful, of which there is no number.
9:11. If he come to me, I shall not see him: if he depart, I shall not understand.
9:12. If he examine on a sudden, who shall answer him? or who can say: Why dost thou so?
9:13. God, whose wrath no man can resist, and under whom they stoop that bear up the world.
9:14. What am I then, that I should answer him, and have words with him?
9:15. I, who although I should have any just thing, would not answer, but would make supplication to my judge.
9:16. And if he should hear me when I call, I should not believe that he had heard my voice.
9:17. For he shall crush me in a whirlwind, and multiply my wounds even without cause.
Without cause... That is, without my knowing the cause: or without any crime of mine.
9:18. He alloweth not my spirit to rest, and he filleth me with bitterness.
9:19. If strength be demanded, he is most strong: if equity of judgment, no man dare bear witness for me.
9:20. If I would justify myself, my own mouth shall condemn me: if I would shew myself innocent, he shall prove me wicked.
9:21. Although I should be simple, even this my soul shall be ignorant of, and I shall be weary of my life.
9:22. One thing there is that I have spoken, both the innocent and the wicked he consumeth.
9:23. If he scourge, let him kill at once, and not laugh at the pains of the innocent.
9:24. The earth is given into the hand of the wicked, he covereth the face of the judges thereof: and if it be not he, who is it then?
9:25. My days have been swifter than a post: they have fled away and have not seen good.
9:26. They have passed by as ships carrying fruits, as an eagle flying to the prey.
9:27. If I say: I will not speak so: I change my face, and am tormented with sorrow.
9:28. I feared all my works, knowing that thou didst not spare the offender.
9:29. But if so also I am wicked, why have I laboured in vain?
9:30. If I be washed, as it were, with snow waters, and my hands shall shine ever 80. clean:
9:31. Yet thou shalt plunge me in filth, and my garments shall abhor me.
9:32. For I shall not answer a man that is like myself: nor one that may be heard with me equally in judgment.
9:33. There is none that may be able to reprove both, and to put his hand between both.
9:34. Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his fear terrify me.
9:35. I will speak, and will not fear him: for I cannot answer while I am in fear.
Job Chapter 10
10:1. My soul is weary of my life, I will let go my speech against myself, I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
10:2. I will say to God: Do not condemn me: tell me why thou judgest me so?
10:3. Doth it seem good to thee that thou shouldst calumniate me, and oppress me, the work of thy own hands, and help the counsel of the wicked?
10:4. Hast thou eyes of flesh: or, shalt thou see as man seeth?
10:5. Are thy days as the days of man, and are thy years as the times of men:
10:6. That thou shouldst inquire after my iniquity, and search after my sin?
10:7. And shouldst know that I have done no wicked thing, whereas there is no man that can deliver out of thy hand?
10:8. Thy hands have made me, and fashioned me wholly round about, and dost thou thus cast me down headlong on a sudden?
10:9. Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as the clay, and thou wilt bring me into dust.
10:10. Hast thou not milked me as milk, and curdled me like cheese?
10:11. Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh: thou hast put me together with bones and sinews:
10:12. Thou hast granted me life and mercy, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit.
10:13. Although thou conceal these things in thy heart, yet I know that thou rememberest all things.
10:14. If I have sinned, and thou hast spared me for an hour: why dost thou not suffer me to be clean from my iniquity?
10:15. And if I be wicked, woe unto me: and if just, I shall not lift up my head, being filled with affliction and misery.
10:16. And for pride thou wilt take me as a lioness, and returning, thou tormentest me wonderfully.
10:17. Thou renewest thy witnesses against me, and multipliest thy wrath upon me, and pains war against me.
10:18. Why didst thou bring me forth out of the womb? O that I had been consumed, that eye might not see me!
10:19. I should have been as if I had not been, carried from the womb to the grave.
10:20. Shall not the fewness of my days be ended shortly? Suffer me, therefore, that I may lament my sorrow a little:
10:21. Before I go and return no more, to a land that is dark and covered with the mist of death:
10:22. A land of misery and darkness, where the shadow of death, and no order, but everlasting horror dwelleth.
Job Chapter 11
Sophar reproves Job, for justifying himself, and invites him to repentance.
11:1. Then Sophar the Naamathite answered, and said:
11:2. Shall not he that speaketh much, hear also? or shall a man full of talk be justified?
11:3. Shall men hold their peace to thee only? and when thou hast mocked others, shall no man confute thee?
11:4. For thou hast said: My word is pure, and I am clean in thy sight.
11:5. And I wish that God would speak with thee, and would open his lips to thee,
11:6. That he might shew thee the secrets of wisdom, and that his law is manifold, and thou mightest understand that he exacteth much less of thee, than thy iniquity deserveth.
11:7. Peradventure thou wilt comprehend the steps of God, and wilt find out the Almighty perfectly?
11:8. He is higher than heaven, and what wilt thou do? he is deeper than hell, and how wilt thou know?
11:9. The measure of him is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.
11:10. If he shall overturn all things, or shall press them together, who shall contradict him?
11:11. For he knoweth the vanity of men, and when he seeth iniquity, doth he not consider it?
11:12. A vain man is lifted up into pride, and thinketh himself born free like a wild ass's colt.
11:13. But thou hast hardened thy heart, and hast spread thy hands to him.
11:14. If thou wilt put away from thee the iniquity that is in thy hand, and let not injustice remain in thy tabernacle:
11:15. Then mayst thou lift up thy face without spot, and thou shalt be steadfast, and shalt not fear.
11:16. Thou shalt also forget misery, and remember it only as waters that are passed away.
11:17. And brightness like that of the noonday, shall arise to thee at evening: and when thou shalt think thyself consumed, thou shalt rise as the day star.
11:18. And thou shalt have confidence, hope being set before thee, and being buried thou shalt sleep secure.
11:19. Thou shalt rest, and there shall be none to make thee afraid: and many shall entreat thy face.
11:20. But the eyes of the wicked shall decay, and the way to escape shall fail them, and their hope the abomination of the soul.
Job Chapter 12
Job's reply to Sophar. He extols God's power and wisdom.
12:1. Then Job answered, and said:
12:2. Are you then men alone, and shall wisdom die with you?
12:3. I also have a heart as well as you: for who is ignorant of these things, which you know?
12:4. He that is mocked by his friends as I, shall call upon God and he will hear him: for the simplicity of the just man is laughed to scorn.
12:5. The lamp despised in the thoughts of the rich, is ready for the time appointed.
12:6. The tabernacles of robbers abound, and they provoke God boldly; whereas it is he that hath given all into their hands:
12:7. But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee: and the birds of the air, and they shall tell thee.
12:8. Speak to the earth, and it shall answer thee: and the fishes of the sea shall tell.
12:9. Who is ignorant that the hand of the Lord hath made all these things?
12:10. In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the spirit of all flesh of man.
12:11. Doth not the ear discern words, and the palate of him that eateth, the taste?
12:12. In the ancient is wisdom, and in length of days prudence.
12:13. With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.
12:14. If he pull down, there is no man that can build up: if he shut up a man, there is none that can open.
12:15. If he withhold the waters, all things shall be dried up: and if he send them out, they shall overturn the earth.
12:16. With him is strength and wisdom: he knoweth both the deceivers, and him that is deceived.
12:17. He bringeth counsellors to a foolish end, and judges to insensibility.
12:18. He looseth the belt of kings, and girdeth their loins with a cord.
12:19. He leadeth away priests without glory, and overthroweth nobles.
12:20. He changeth the speech of the true speakers, and taketh away the doctrine of the aged.
12:21. He poureth contempt upon princes, and relieveth them that were oppressed.
12:22. He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth up to light the shadow of death.