Job 21 — Legacy Standard Bible

God Does Not Punish the Wicked

21Then Job answered and said,

²“Listen carefully to my speech,And let this be your way of consolation.³“Bear with me that I may speak;Then after I have spoken, you may ^amock.⁴“As for me, is ^amy musing ¹to man?And ^bwhy should ²I not be impatient?⁵“Look at me, and be appalled,And ^aput your hand over your mouth.⁶“Even when I remember, I am dismayed,And ^ahorror seizes my flesh.⁷“Why ^ado the wicked still live,Continue on, also become very ^bpowerful?⁸“Their ^aseed is established with them in their presence,And their offspring before their eyes,⁹Their houses ^aare safe from dread,And the rod of God is not on them.¹⁰“His ox mates and does not fail;His cow calves and does not miscarry.¹¹“They send forth their little ones like the flock,And their children skip about.¹²“They lift up the tambourine and harpAnd are glad at the sound of the pipe.¹³“They ^aspend their days in prosperity,And ¹suddenly they go down to Sheol.¹⁴“They say to God, ‘^aDepart from us!We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways.¹⁵‘¹Who is ²the Almighty, that we should serve Him,And ^awhat would we profit if we entreat Him?’¹⁶“Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand;The ^acounsel of the wicked is far from me.¹⁷“How often is ^athe lamp of the wicked put out,Or does their ^bdisaster fall on them?Does ¹God apportion destruction in His anger?¹⁸“Are they as ^astraw before the wind,And like ^bchaff which the storm steals away?¹⁹“You say, ‘^aGod stores away ¹a man’s wickedness for his sons.’Let ²God repay him so that he may know it.²⁰“Let his ^aown eyes see his decay,And let him ^bdrink of the wrath of ¹the Almighty.²¹“For what desire does he have for his household ¹after him,When the number of his months is cut off?²²“Can anyone ^ateach God knowledge,In that He ^bjudges those on high?²³“One ^adies in his full strength,Being wholly carefree and at ease;²⁴His ¹sides are filled out with fat,And the ^amarrow of his bones is moist,²⁵But another dies with a bitter soul,Never even eats anything good.²⁶“Together they ^alie down in the dust,And ^bworms cover them.²⁷“Behold, I know your thoughts,And the plans by which you do violence against me.²⁸“For you say, ‘Where is the house of ^athe nobleman,And where is the ^btent, the dwelling places of the wicked?’²⁹“Have you not asked those who pass by along the way,And do you not recognize their ¹witness?³⁰“That the ^awicked is reserved for the day of disaster;They will be led forth at ^bthe day of fury.³¹“Who will declare to his face about his actions,And who will repay him for what he has done?³²“While he is led forth to the grave,Men will keep watch over his tomb.³³“The ^aclods of the valley will ¹gently cover him;Moreover, ^ball men will draw up after him,While countless ones go before him.³⁴“How then will you vainly ^acomfort me,Indeed when your answers remain full of ¹falsehood?”