6:2 “·I wish [or If only] my ·suffering [anguish; irritation] could be weighed and my misery put on scales.
6:3 ·My sadness [L It] would be heavier than the sand of the seas. No wonder my words ·seem careless [blurt out; are wild/rash].
6:4 [L For] The arrows of ·the Almighty [L Shaddai] are in me; my spirit drinks in their poison; God’s terrors ·are gathered [are ranged; enter into battle] against me.
6:5 ·A wild donkey does not bray when it has grass to eat [L Does not a wild donkey bray for grass?], ·and an ox is quiet when it has feed [L Does not an ox bellow for fodder?; C Job’s complaints are as natural as the sounds animals make when hungry].
6:6 ·Tasteless food is not [L Would tasteless food be…?] eaten without salt, and ·there is no [L is there…?] flavor in the ·white of an egg [or juice of a weed; C Job’s “food” (his lot in life) is inedible].
6:7 I refuse to touch it; such food makes me sick [C a word connected to menstruation and therefore ritual uncleanness; Lev. 15:19–30].
6:8 “How I wish that I might have what I ask for and that God would give me what I hope for.
6:9 How I wish God would crush me and reach out his hand to ·destroy me [cut me off].
6:10 Then I would have this ·comfort [consolation] and be glad even in this unending pain, because I would know I did not reject the words of the Holy One.
6:11 “·I do not have the [L What is my…?] strength to wait. ·There is nothing to hope for, so why should I be patient [L What is my end that I should arrange my life]?
6:12 ·I do not [L Do I…?] have the strength of stone; ·my flesh is not [L is my flesh…?] bronze.
6:13 ·I have no power to help myself [L Is there no help for me?], because ·success [resourcefulness] has been ·taken away [driven] from me.
6:14 “They say, ‘·A person’s friends should be kind to him when he is in trouble, even if he stops fearing the Almighty [or Those who withhold loyalty from their friend do not fear the Almighty/Shaddai; C Job here criticizes his friends’ attitude toward him].’
6:15 But my ·brothers [C Job’s three friends] cannot be counted on. They are like ·streams that do not always flow [L wadis; C seasonal riverbeds that are dry in the summer], streams that sometimes run over.
6:16 They are made dark by melting ice and rise with melting snow.
6:17 But they ·stop flowing [L are silent] in the dry season; they disappear when it is hot.
6:18 ·Travelers [or Caravans] turn away from their paths and go into the desert and die.
6:19 The groups of travelers from Tema [C an oasis in north Arabia] look for water, and the traders of Sheba [C in south Arabia; both places were well known for their trade through the desert] look for it hopefully.
6:20 They are ·upset [L ashamed] because they had been sure; when they arrive, they are ·disappointed [dismayed].
6:21 You ·also have been no help [L become like this to me]. You see something terrible, and you are afraid.
6:22 ·I have never said [L Did I ever say…?], ‘Give me a gift. Use your wealth to ·pay my debt [or make a bribe for me].
6:23 ·Save [Rescue] me from the enemy’s power. ·Buy me back [Redeem me] from the clutches of ·cruel [violent] people.’
6:24 “Teach me, and I will be quiet. ·Show me [L Help me understand] where I have been wrong.
6:25 ·Honest [Virtuous; C Job speaks sarcastically] words are painful, but your ·arguments [reproofs] prove nothing.
6:26 Do you mean to correct what I say? Will you treat the words of a ·troubled [despairing] man as if they were only wind [C that is, empty]?
6:27 You would even ·gamble [cast lots] for orphans and would ·trade away [sell] your friend.
6:28 “But now please look at me. I would not lie to your face.
6:29 ·Change your mind [L Return now]; do not be unfair; ·think [return] again, because my ·innocence [righteousness] is being questioned.
6:30 What I am saying is not wicked; I can ·tell [L taste] ·the difference between right and wrong [or tragedy].
Want to give us your feedback? Suggestions?
Would like to help?
Click here to become a Patreon. Entry level is FREE:
www.patreon.com/ScriptureAwakened Thank you!