Job 9

Ἰώβ

1 ΥΠΟΛΑΒΩΝ δὲ Ἰὼβ λέγει·

Then Job answered and said,

2 ἐπ᾿ ἀληθείας οἶδα, ὅτι οὕτως ἐστί· πῶς γὰρ ἔσται δίκαιος βροτὸς παρὰ Κυρίῳ;

I know of a truth that it is so: for how shall a mortal man be just before the Lord?

3 ἐὰν γὰρ βούληται κριθῆναι αὐτῷ, οὐ μὴ ὑπακούσῃ αὐτῷ, ἵνα μὴ ἀντείπῃ πρὸς ἕνα λόγον αὐτοῦ ἐκ χιλίων·

For if he would enter into judgement with him, [God] would not listen to him, so that he should answer to one of his charges of a thousand.

4 σοφὸς γάρ ἐστι διανοίᾳ, κραταιός τε καὶ μέγας. τίς σκληρὸς γενόμενος ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ ὑπέμεινεν;

For he is wise in mind, and mighty, and great: who has hardened himself against him and endured?

5 ὁ παλαιῶν ὄρη καὶ οὐκ οἴδασιν, ὁ καταστρέφων αὐτὰ ὀργῇ·

Who wears out the mountains, and [men] know it not: who overturns them in anger.

6 ὁ σείων τὴν ὑπ᾿ οὐρανὸν ἐκ θεμελίων, οἱ δὲ στῦλοι αὐτῆς σαλεύονται·

Who shakes the [earth] under heaven from its foundations, and its pillars totter.

7 ὁ λέγων τῷ ἡλίῳ καὶ οὐκ ἀνατέλλει, κατὰ δὲ ἄστρων κατασφραγίζει·

Who commands the sun, and it rises not; and he seals up the stars.

8 ὁ τανύσας τὸν οὐρανὸν μόνος, καὶ περιπατῶν ὡς ἐπ᾿ ἐδάφους ἐπὶ θαλάσσης·

Who alone has stretched out the heavens, and walks on the sea as on firm ground.

9 ὁ ποιῶν Πλειάδα καὶ Ἓσπερον καὶ Ἀρκτοῦρον, καὶ ταμιεῖα νότου·

Who makes Pleias, and Hesperus, and Arcturus, and the chambers of the south.

10 ὁ ποιῶν μεγάλα καὶ ἀνεξιχνίαστα, ἔνδοξά τε καὶ ἐξαίσια, ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός.

Who does great and unsearchable things; glorious also and excellent things, innumerable.

11 ἐὰν ὑπερβῇ με, οὐ μὴ ἴδω· ἐὰν παρέλθῃ με, οὐδ᾿ ὧς ἔγνων.

If ever he should go beyond me, I shall not see him: if he should pass by me, neither thus have I known [it].

12 ἐὰν ἀπαλλάξῃ, τίς ἀποστρέψει ἢ τίς ἐρεῖ αὐτῷ· τί ἐποίησας;

If he would take away, who shall turn him back? or who shall say to him, What have you done?

13 αὐτὸς γὰρ ἀπέστραπται ὀργήν, ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἐκάμφθησαν κήτη τὰ ὑπ᾿ οὐρανόν.

For [if] he has turned away [his] anger, the whales under heaven have stooped under him.

14 ἐὰν δέ μου ὑπακούσηται, ἦ διακρινεῖ τὰ ρήματά μου·

Oh then that he would listen to me, or judge my cause.

15 ἐάν τε γὰρ ὦ δίκαιος, οὐκ εἰσακούσεταί μου, τοῦ κρίματος αὐτοῦ δεηθήομαι·

For though I be righteous, he will not listen to me: I will entreat his judgement.

16 ἐάν τε καλέσω καὶ μὴ ὑπακούσῃ, οὐ πιστεύω ὅτι εἰσακήκοέ μου τῆς φωνῆς.

And if I should call and he should not listen, I can’t believe that he has listened to my voice.

17 μὴ γνόφῳ με ἐκτρίψῃ; πολλὰ δέ μου τὰ συντρίμματα πεποίηκε διακενῆς·

Let him not crush me with a dark storm: but he has made by bruises many without cause.

18 οὐκ ἐᾷ γάρ με ἀναπνεῦσαι, ἐνέπλησε δέ με πικρίας.

For he suffers me not to take breath, but he has filled me with bitterness.

19 ὅτι μὲν γὰρ ἰσχύι κρατεῖ· τίς οὖν κρίματι αὐτοῦ ἀντιστήσεται;

For indeed he is strong in power: who then shall resist his judgement?

20 ἐὰν γὰρ ὦ δίκαιος, τὸ στόμα μου ἀσεβήσει· ἐάν τε ὦ ἄμεμπτος, σκολιὸς ἀποβήσομαι.

For though I should seem righteous, my mouth will be profane: and though I should seem blameless, I shall be proved perverse.

21 εἴτε γὰρ ἠσέβησα, οὐκ οἶδα τῇ ψυχῇ, πλὴν ὅτι ἀφαιρεῖταί μου ἡ ζωή.

For even if I have sinned, I know it not [in] my soul: but my life is taken away.

22 διὸ εἶπον· μέγα καὶ δυνάστην ἀπολλύει ὀργή,

Therefore I said, Wrath slays the great and mighty man.

23 ὅτι φαῦλοι ἐν θανάτῳ ἐξαισίῳ, ἀλλὰ δίκαιοι καταγελῶνται·

For the worthless die, but the righteous are laughed to scorn.

24 παραδέδονται γὰρ εἰς χεῖρας ἀσεβοῦς. πρόσωπα κριτῶν αὐτῆς συγκαλύπτει· εἰ δὲ μὴ αὐτός ἐστι, τίς ἐστιν;

For they are delivered into the hands of the unrighteous [man]: he covers the faces of the judges [of the earth]: but if it be not he, who is it?

25 ὁ δὲ βίος μού ἐστιν ἐλαφρότερος δρομέως· ἀπέδρασαν καὶ οὐκ εἴδοσαν.

But my life is swifter than a post: [my days] have fled away, and they knew it not.

26 ἢ καί ἐστι ναυσὶν ἴχνος ὁδοῦ ἢ ἀετοῦ πετομένου ζητοῦντος βοράν;

Or again, is there a trace of [their] path [left] by ships? or is there one of the flying eagle as it seeks [its] prey?

27 ἐάν τε γὰρ εἴπω, ἐπιλήσομαι λαλῶν, συγκύψας τῷ προσώπῳ στενάξω.

And if I should say, I will forget to speak, I will bow down my face and groan;

28 σείομαι πᾶσι τοῖς μέλεσιν, οἶδα γάρ ὅτι οὐκ ἀθῶόν με ἐάσεις.

I quake in all my limbs, for I know that you will not leave me alone [as] innocent.

29 ἐπειδὴ δέ εἰμι ἀσεβής, διατί οὐκ ἀπέθανον;

But since I am ungodly, why have I not died?

30 ἐὰν γὰρ ἀπολούσωμαι χιόνι καὶ ἀποκαθάρωμαι χερσὶ καθαραῖς,

For if I should wash myself with snow, and purge myself with pure hands,

31 ἱκανῶς ἐν ρύπῳ με ἔβαψας, ἐβδελύξατο δέ με ἡ στολή·

you had thoroughly plunged me in filth, and my garment had abhorred me.

32 οὐ γὰρ εἶ ἄνθρωπος κατ᾿ ἐμέ, ᾧ ἀντικρινοῦμαι, ἵνα ἔλθωμεν ὁμοθυμαδὸν εἰς κρίσιν.

For you are not man like me, with whom I could contend, that we might come together to judgement.

33 εἴθε ἦν ὁ μεσίτης ἡμῶν καὶ ἐλέγχων καὶ διακούων ἀνὰ μέσον ἀμφοτέρων·

Would that [he] our mediator were [present], and a reprover, and one who should hear [the cause] between both.

34 ἀπαλλαξάτω ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ τὴν ράβδον, ὁ δὲ φόβος αὐτοῦ μή με στροβείτω,

Let him remove [his] rod from me, and let not his fear terrify me:

35 καὶ οὐ μὴ φοβηθῷ, ἀλλὰ λαλήσω· οὐ γὰρ οὕτω συνεπίσταμαι.

so shall I not be afraid, but I will speak: for I am not thus conscious [of guilt].

Greek: the Septuagint as the Orthodox Media Network published it (Mount Athos); 2 Maccabees and the Prayer of Manasseh from Brenton's edition (1851). English: Brenton's translation (1851), its spelling updated by Michael Paul Johnson; public domain. About these texts.