The Bible for Young People

by Unknown

Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,

Oh that I were as in months past,
As in the days when God preserved me;
When his candle shined upon my head,
And when by his light I walked through darkness;
As I was in the days of my youth,
When the secret of God was upon my tabernacle;
When the Almighty was yet with me,
When my children were about me;
When I washed my steps with butter,
And the rock poured me out rivers of oil;
When I went out to the gate through the city,
When I prepared my seat in the street!
The young men saw me, and hid themselves:
And the aged arose, and stood up.
The princes refrained talking,
And laid their hand on their mouth.
The nobles held their peace,
And their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.
When the ear heard me, then it blessed me;
And when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me:
Because I delivered the poor that cried,
And the fatherless, and him that had none to help him.
The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me:
And I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.
I put on righteousness, and it clothed me:
My judgment was as a robe and a diadem.
I was eyes to the blind,
And feet was I to the lame.
I was a father to the poor:
And the cause which I knew not I searched out.
But now they that are younger than I have me in derision,
Whose fathers I would have disdained
To have set with the dogs of my flock.
I cry unto thee, and thou dost not hear me:
I stand up, and thou regardest me not.
Thou art become cruel to me:
With thy strong hand thou opposest thyself against me.
Thou liftest me up to the wind; thou causest me to ride upon it,
And dissolvest my substance.
For I know that thou wilt bring me to death,
And to the house appointed for all living.
Howbeit he will not stretch out his hand to the grave,
Though they cry in his destruction.
Did not I weep for him that was in trouble?

Job 31

Was not my soul grieved for the poor?
When I looked for good, then evil came unto me:
And when I waited for light, there came darkness.
If I have withheld the poor from their desire,
Or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail;
Or have eaten my morsel myself alone,
And the fatherless hath not eaten thereof;
If I have seen any perish for want of clothing,
Or any poor without covering;
If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless,
When I saw my help in the gate:
Then let mine arm fall from my shoulder blade,
And mine arm be broken from the bone.
If I have made gold my hope,
Or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence;
If I rejoiced because my wealth was great,
And because mine hand had gotten much:
This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge:
For I should have denied the God that is above.
If my land cry against me,
Or that the furrows likewise thereof complain;
If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money,
Or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life:
Let thistles grow instead of wheat,
And cockle instead of barley.

The words of Job are ended.

So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu: against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God. Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.

And Elihu reasoned with Job, that God gave no account of his ways to men, but called them to repentance. And Elihu said,

Surely thou hast spoken in mine hearing,
And I have heard the voice of thy words, saying,
I am clean without transgression, I am innocent;
Neither is there iniquity in me.
Behold, he findeth occasions against me,
He counteth me for his enemy,
He putteth my feet in the stocks,
He marketh all my paths.
Behold, in this thou art not just:
I will answer thee, that God is greater than man.
Why dost thou strive against him?
For he giveth not account of any of his matters.
For God speaketh once,
Yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not.
He keepeth back his soul from the pit,
And his life from perishing by the sword.
Then he is gracious unto him, and saith,
Deliver him from going down to the pit:
I have found a ransom.
He looketh upon men, and if any say,
I have sinned, and perverted that which was right,
And it profited me not;
He will deliver his soul from going into the pit,
And his life shall see the light.
Lo, all these things worketh God
Oftentimes with man,
To bring back his soul from the pit,
To be enlightened with the light of the living.

Job 34

For his eyes are upon the ways of man,
And he seeth all his goings.
There is no darkness, nor shadow of death,
Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
When he giveth quietness, who then can make trouble?
And when he hideth his face, who then can behold him?
Whether it be done against a nation, or against a man only:
Surely it is meet to be said unto God,
I have borne chastisement,
I will not offend any more:
That which I see not teach thou me:
If I have done iniquity, I will do no more.
Job hath spoken without knowledge,
And his words were without wisdom.
My desire is that Job may be tried unto the end
Because of his answers for wicked men.
For he addeth rebellion unto his sin,
He clappeth his hands among us,
And multiplieth his words against God.