Job 23 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

Job’s Eighth Speech: A Response to Eliphaz

Job 23:1Then Job spoke again:

Job 23:2“My complaint today is still a bitter one,
and I try hard not to groan aloud.

Job 23:3If only I knew where to find God,
I would go to his court.

Job 23:4I would lay out my case
and present my arguments.

Job 23:5Then I would listen to his reply
and understand what he says to me.

Job 23:6Would he use his great power to argue with me?
No, he would give me a fair hearing.

Job 23:7Honest people can reason with him,
so I would be forever acquitted by my judge.

Job 23:8I go east, but he is not there.
I go west, but I cannot find him.

Job 23:9I do not see him in the north, for he is hidden.
I look to the south, but he is concealed.

Job 23:10“But he knows where I am going.
And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.

Job 23:11For I have stayed on God’s paths;
I have followed his ways and not turned aside.

Job 23:12I have not departed from his commands,
but have treasured his words more than daily food.

Job 23:13But once he has made his decision, who can change his mind?
Whatever he wants to do, he does.

Job 23:14So he will do to me whatever he has planned.
He controls my destiny.

Job 23:15No wonder I am so terrified in his presence.
When I think of it, terror grips me.

Job 23:16God has made me sick at heart;
the Almighty has terrified me.

Job 23:17Darkness is all around me;
thick, impenetrable darkness is everywhere.

For more information on this translation, see the NLT Preface.