Paraphrase on the Book of Job, Chapter 6
CHAP. VI.
1. ELiphaz having thus ended his1. But Iob answered, and said, speech to Job, partly consisting of reproofe, and partly of advice; Job replies as followeth:
2. Thou blamest me for bewailing2. Oh that my griefe were throughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together! my selfe, when as wo is me, my griefes are an insupportable burthen, as thou wouldest soone perceive, didst thou but feele the weight of them all together as I doe.
3. Being for number and weight3. For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea, therefore my words are swallowed up. like the very sand of the sea, dost thou blame mee then for bewailing, seeing my affliction is so exceeding great that I want words to complaine enough?
4. For the grievous paines which I4. For the arrowes of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrours of God doe set themselves in aray against me. endure are as so many poisoned arrowes shot into me, and that by the Almighty hand of God himselfe, which have diffused their venom into all the parts of my body and soule, and have even spent and wasted my spirits and strength with their intolerable griefe; for all the terrible afflictions and affrightments of God, have joyntly in flesh and spirit combined and set themselves in battle aray against mee.
5. Is it not naturall for every thing wilde or tame to lament it selfe in case of necessity and why then will not you5. Doth the wild Asse bray when hee hath grasse? or loweth the Oxe over his fodder? allow me that liberty, but condemne mee for that which is naturally common to all creatures, especially in this my extreme misery?
6. And doth not sense and experience teach you your selves, that no unsavory thing can be relished without6. Can that which is unsavory be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the white of an egge? some seasoning, neither can a man force his appetite to thinke that to be tastefull which is not so.
7. And is not this my case? for those very things, which heretofore my soule durst not so much as thinke upon;7. The things that my soule refused to touch, are as my sorrowfull meate. is it not now forced (with what sorrow and griefe you may imagine) continually to feed upon them? And will you then be so unnaturall and unreasonable as to force me unsensibly to swallow downe these afflictions which are so painfull, and not give me the liberty to season my unsavory torments with a little needfull lamentation?
8. But seeing you will not grant me liberty, I must be forced to take it; for seeing I can have no other reliefe, I8. O that I might have my request! and that God would grant me the thing that I long for! must speake my minde. O therefore that I might have my request, and that the Lord would grant mee the thing that I long for.
9. Even this, That it would please9. Even that it would please God to destroy me, that hee would let loose his hand and cut me off. him to destroy mee at once, that hee would no longer restraine his hand from making an end of mee, but that he would graciously dispatch me out of these torments.
10. If I could but gaine this at his10. Then should I yet have comfort, yea, I would harden my selfe in sorrow; let him not spare, for I have not concealed the words of the Holy one. hands, to hope to be dispatched by these tortures, that I might come to be judged of God, and not of men, then would I even joy in them, and be so farre from being discouraged, as that they should animate mee in hope of mine end by them; neither would I intreat the Lord to spare mee, but would thinke them, the worse the better; for I feare not to appeare before God, because I know my conscience acquits me as having been faithfull in the sincere delivery of his truth to all that I have spoken to, how ever you may judge of it.
11. Doe you blame me for desiring11. What is my strength, that I should hope? and what is mine end, that I should prolong my life? to be dissolved, when as alas, what is my strength, compared with these insupportable miseries, that I should thinke my selfe able to hold out under them, or hope for long life? and what evill can there be in mine end, that I should desire to prolong my life?
12. Sure you take mee not to be12. Is my strength the strength of stones? or is my flesh of brasse? made of flesh, or if so, yet not to be sensible that thinke me able to beare these burthens without bemoning my selfe.
13. Me thinkes you should thinke13. Is not my help in me? and is wisdome driven quite from me? mee best able to judge of mine owne estate, and best to know my remedy, except you thinke mee deprived of mine understanding.
14. It is the Lords will and commandement;14. To him that is afflicted, pity should bee shewed from his friend; but he forsaketh the feare of the Almighty. that to him that is afflicted, pity should be shewed from his friend; but thou, whom I have alwaies taken for my friend, hast forsaken the feare of the Lord, and hast falsified thy duty to me herein, whilest that thus in stead of comforting me, thou condemnest mee.
15. You whom I esteemed as my15. My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, and as the streame of brookes they passe away. brethren, have approved your selves but hollow in friendship to mee; for because I have alwaies taken you for my friends, and have found you heretofore in my prosperity to stand me in stead, I was in hope to have had supply of comfort from you in this my need; and now you faile me, even like so many land-floods, which when a man hath use of water afford none.
16. For though in the winter season,16. Which are blackish by reason of the yce, and wherein the snow is hid. when waters abound, they make shew to befriend us, and by their yce seeme to be our storehouses of preserving snow and water against the scorching time of sommer.
17. Yet when sommer comes, they17. What time they wax warme, they vanish: when it is hot, they are consumed out of their place. themselves grow sensible of the heat, and in stead of yeelding the refreshing they promised, as the heat of the Sunne increaseth, so they waste away by degrees, till at last, then, when there is most need they vanish quite away as if they had never beene.
18. They either finde new waies to18. The paths of their way are turned aside; they goe to nothing and perish. bestow themselves, not keeping their wonted course, but are drunke up of the earth, or else are utterly exhausted and dried up of the Sunne.
19. This the Caravan or company19. The troupes of Tema looked, the companies of Sheba waited for them. of Merchants that trade unto Tema, and also those which traffique unto Sheba, have experience of, as they travell through the hot desart countries of Arabia; for whereas in the winter time they have seene and travelled over frozen waters, they conceived hope to finde refreshing from them as they come that way in Sommer.
20. But when as in Sommer they20. They were confounded because they had hoped; they came thither, and were ashamed. had travelled farre in confidence of them, and approching thither, where they hope to have them, they finde themselves miserably disappointed, and in so much the worse case, because they trusted in them, and then they are angry and ashamed at themselves for their owne credulity and improvidence to relie upon them.
21. Such like are you to mee; for21. For now ye are nothing; yee see my casting downe, and are afraid. whereas I put my confidence in you, because of your former seemingnesse, now that I have use of you, you stand me in no stead, but have utterly deceived my hopes of kindnesse and consolation from you, and because you perceive the Sunne of affliction to be risen upon me, and feare, if you should shew your selves the same to mee as heretofore, I might prove a burthen to you; therefore you turne strangers to me.
22. Me thinkes you might afford22. Did I say, Bring unto mee? or give a reward for me of your substance? me a few comfortable words, seeing that I neither am, nor desire to be any otherwaies beholden to you; I am sure I have given you no such cause to feare me, as should move you to assume this distance; for though indeed I be in want, yet I have begged nothing of you to cause you to be thus weary of me.
23. Neither have I beene troublesome23. Or deliver mee from the enemies hand? or redeeme mee from the hand of the mighty. or chargeable to you in all my sufferings, either for rescue or ransome of me, or any thing that is mine out of the enemies or oppressors hands.
24. I wonder wherein I should deserve24. Teach me, and I wil hold my tongue: and cause mee to understand wherein I have erred. so ill of you, I would be loth to excuse my selfe in any thing wherein I justly deserve to be blamed; therefore if you will undertake to shew me my errour, I will be willing to learne, and ready to heare, so that you can justly demonstrate to me wherein I am faulty.
25. For grave, modest, and just reproofe25. How forcible are right words! but what doth your arguing reprove? carries authority with it, and shall ever prevaile with me; but how unconsonant to a right reprehension hath your discourse beene, being composed of nothing but untrue arguments, issuing from inconsiderate misprision?
26. And doe you imagine that that26. Doe yee imagine to reprove words, and the speeches of one that is desperate, which are as wind? which I have said, either concerning my selfe or my misery, is but so many idle and hasty words, and doe you reprove mee thereafter, or thinke you they are meerely the fruits of a brainesicke head, begotten by my desperate fortune, and so value them as wind?
27. Truly in so doing you are both27. Yea, yee overwhelme the fatherlesse, and you digge a pit for your friend. most uncharitable, and not unlike them that oppresse the fatherlesse by adding misery to misery in your unjust condemning me for my speeches and necessary complaints, and most unrighteous, even as they that betray the trust of a friend to his utter undoing, in going about to overthrow my only support by disputing against my uprightnesse.
28. Now therefore be better advised,28. Now therefore be content, looke upon me, for it is evident unto you, if I lie. and be no more so rash to condemne me, but consider me well, both what I am, and what I have said, and you will easily be satisfied, that I speak the truth in sobriety and knowledge of my selfe.
29. Bethinke your selves I pray you29. Returne, I pray you, let it not be iniquity; yea, returne againe, my righteousnesse is in it. of the cruell wrong you have offered me, I wish it for your own good, lest it prove your sinne, and procure your punishment; yea, I advise you againe to charge me no more so unjustly, but consider that you lay my very righteousnesse at stake (which is my onelyonly prop in this my misery) than which you cannot doe me a greater injury.
30. When thus you charge mee30. Is there iniquity in my tongue? cannot my taste discerne perverse things? with sinfull speeches, as if I had no conscience nor feare of God to awe me from uttering perverse, unjustifiable things in my owne behalfe.