Jo’s Place

Job’s Sixth Speech was a Response to Bildad So, Job spoke again to his accusers: “How long will you torture me? How long will you try to crush me, with your words? You have already insulted me, ten times. You should be ashamed, of treating me so badly. Even if I have sinned, that is my concern, not yours. You think you’re better than I am, using my humiliation, as evidence of my sin. But it is God, who has wronged me, capturing me in His net. “I cry out, ‘Help!’ but no one answers me. I protest, but there is no justice. God has blocked my way, so I cannot move. He has plunged my path, into darkness. He has stripped me of my honor, and removed the crown …from my head. He has demolished me, on every side, …and I am finished. He has uprooted my hope, like a fallen tree. His fury burns against me; He counts me as an enemy. His troops advance. They build up roads, to attack me. They camp all around my tent. “My relatives stay far away, and my friends have turned against me. My family is gon...

Bildad’s Second Response to Job Since God did not respond to Job, Bildad, the Shuhite, replied: “How long before you stop talking? Speak sense if you want us to answer! Do you think we are mere animals? Do you think we are stupid? You may tear out your hair in anger, but will that destroy the earth? Will it make the rocks tremble? “Surely the light of the wicked will be snuffed out. The sparks of their fire will not glow. The light in their tent will grow dark. The lamp, hanging above them, will be quenched. The confident stride of the wicked will be shortened. Their own schemes will be their downfall. The wicked walk into a net. They fall into a pit. A trap grabs them by the heel. A snare holds them tight. A noose lies hidden on the ground. A rope is stretched across their path. “Terrors surround the wicked and, it troubles them at every step. Hunger depletes their strength, and calamity waits, for them to stumble. Disease eats their skin; …death devours their limbs. They are torn fro...

Job Continues to Defend His Innocence “My spirit is crushed, and my life is nearly snuffed out.” Job said to God. “The grave is ready to receive me. I am surrounded by mockers. I watch how bitterly they taunt me. You must defend my innocence, O God, …since no one else will stand up for me. You have closed their minds to understanding, but do not let them triumph. They betray their friends for their own advantage, …so let their children faint with hunger. You, God, have made a mockery of me among the people; they spit in my face. My eyes are swollen with weeping, and I am …but a shadow of my former self. The virtuous are horrified, when they see me. The innocent rise up against the ungodly. The righteous keep moving forward, and those, with clean hands, become stronger and stronger. “As for all of you, come back with a better argument, though I still will not find a wise man among you. My days are over. My hopes have disappeared. My heart’s desires are broken. These men say that night i...