The Book of Job Paraphrased, Chapter 10 – Chapter 11
CHAP. X.
ARGUMENT.
In this Chapter the paſſionate Complaints and Expoſtulations with God, from which Job tells us (in the foregoing Chapter) he intended hereafter to refrain, break out afreſh; and he earneſtly deſires to know what his Guilt is: which God, who made him, he was ſure could not but perfectly underſtand, if there was any; and needed not, for the diſcovery of it, to expoſe him to theſe ſevere Torments. Which, he ſtill is of the opinion, may juſtify his Wiſhes of never being born, or of dying preſently after. Though, thoſe Wiſhes being vain, he acknowledges it is more rational to deſire, that God would be pleaſed to intermit his Pain a while; if He did not think fit quite to remove it.
1. MY ſoul is we ary of my life, I will leave my complaint upon my ſelf; I will ſpeak in the bitterneſs of my ſoul.1. AND ſince Life is a burthen to me, which can find no eaſe but onelyonly in complaining, I will take that liberty, (for it is in vain to contend againſt it, IX. 27.) though no words can expreſs my Anguiſh and Miſery.
2. I will ſay unto God, Do not condemn me; ſhew me wherefore thou contendeſt with me.2. O Thou Supreme Judg of all, do not pronounce thy final Sentence againſt me, till Thou haſt firſt ſhewn me what the Crimes are for which I ſuffer.
3. Is it good unto thee that thou ſhouldeſt oppreſs? that thou ſhouldeſt deſpiſe the work of thine hands? and ſhine upon the counſel of the wicked?3. What benefit wilt Thou receive by my ſpoils? or is it agreeable to Thee to ſlight thine own workmanſhip, and to countenance the reaſonings and deſigns of evil men?
4. Haſt thou eyes of fleſh? or ſeeſt thou as man ſeeth?4. Doſt Thou judge of things as Men do, who can ſee no farther then the outſide, or are led by their affections?
5. Are thy days as the days of man? are thy years as man's days,5. Muſt Thou take time, as we do, to find out the truth, and underſtand the bottom of a buiſineſs?
6. That thou enquireſt after mine iniquity, and ſear…beſt after my ſin?6. Is that the reaſon Thou uſeſt me thus ſeverely, (and haſt laid me upon a Rack,) and as it were examineſt what I have done amiſs?
7. Thou knoweſt that I am not wicked, and there is none that can deliver out of thine hand.7. Surely Thou (whoſe Vengeance none can eſcape) knoweſt without the help of ſuch torments, that I am not guilty.
8. Thine hands have made me, and faſhioned me together round about; yet thou doſt deſtroy me.8. There is no part of me but was moſt elaborately made and faſhioned by Thee; (and therefore Thou canſt not be ignorant of me;) though now Thou art about to ruine me.
9. Remember, I beſeech thee, that thou haſt made me as the clay, and wilt thou bring me into duſt again?9. Need I put Thee in mind that I was formed by Thee, as the Potter works the Clay into what ſhape he pleaſes; and now Thou art crumbling me in pieces again?
10. Haſt thou not poured me out as milk, and crudled me like cheeſe?10. Didſt not Thou gather all the ſcattered Parts together, and compact them in my mother's womb?
11. Thou haſt cloathed me with skin and fleſh, and haſt fenced me with bones and ſinews.11. And firſt cover them with Skin, and then with Fleſh, and at laſt ſtrengthen them with Bones and Sinews?
12. Thou haſt granted me life and favour, and thy viſitation hath preſerved my ſpirit.12. And in due time bring me into the world, and give me all the Comforts of life, and by thy conſtant care preſerve both it and them?
13. And theſe things haſt thou hid in thine heart: I know that this is with thee.13. Thou canſt not have forgotten theſe things: and I am ſure that this Miſery I now endure is not without thy order.
14. If I ſin, then thou markeſt me; and thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity.14. I cannot offend Thee in the leaſt, but Thou (by whom I was thus formed) muſt needs know and obſerve it; and I cannot avoid thy Puniſhment for it.
15. If I be wicked, wo unto me; and if I be righteous, yet will I not lift up my head: I am full of confuſion, therefore ſee thou mine affliction;15. If I be wicked, I am undone; and if I be righteous, I am ſo oppreſſed that I cannot look upon what a lamentable confuſion I am in, beholding nothing but Miſery which way ſoever I caſt mine eyes.
16. For it increaſeth: thou hunteſt me as a fierce lion; and again thou ſheweſt thy ſelf marvellous upon me.16. For it grows greater and greater, while Thou purſueſt me as a Lion doth his prey; and when I hope there is an end of my Troubles, ſendeſt more to fill me with new aſtoniſhment and horrour.
17. Thou reneweſt thy witneſſes againſt me, and increaſeſt thine indignation upon me; changes and war are againſt me.17. Freſh witneſſes of thine Anger riſe up againſt me: Thou multiplieſt thy Plagues upon me; ſo that there is no end, but onelyonly a change of my Conflicts.
18. Wherefore then haſt thou brought me forth out of the womb? Oh that I had given up the ghoſt, and no eye had ſeen me!18. And therefore I cannot but wiſh as I did at the firſt, that my Mother's womb had been my Grave: Happy had it been for me if I had died there, and never come into this miſerable world:
19. I ſhould have been as though I had not been; I ſhould have been carried from the womb to the grave.19. Or that I had died as ſoon as I was born, and been carried from the Womb to my Grave;
20. Are not my days few? ceaſe then, and let me alone, that I may take comfort a little:20. To which I am now very near. May I beg therefore but this one favour, that ſince Thou wilt not quite remove thy Hand, Thou wilt forbear a while to ſtrike, and let me breathe and refreſh my ſelf a little;
21. Before I go whence I ſhall not return, even to the land of darkneſs, and the ſhadow of death;21. Before I depart thither from whence I ſhall not return, (to ask any more favours;) be laid, I mean, in my Grave, the place of diſmall darkneſs:
22. A land of darkneſs, as darkneſs it ſelf, and of the ſhadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkneſs.22. Where it is as dark as dark can be; and there is no ſucceſſion of day and night, as we have here, but one perpetual night.
CHAP. XI.
ARGUMENT.
This Chapter gives an account of the ſenſe of Zophar about the buiſineſs in diſpute. It is uncertain whence he was deſcended; but probably he dwelt upon the borders of Idumaea, (for there we find an ancient City called Naama, XV. Joſh. 41.) and from thence came to viſit Job in his Affliction. But in ſtead of joyning with him in his Prayer for a little reſpite from his Pain, (with which Job had concluded his laſt Diſcourſe,) he calls him an idle Talker, and accuſes him of irreverence towards God. Concerning whoſe incomprehenſible Counſels, and irreſiſtible Power, &c. he diſcourſes with great ſenſe, and gives Job exceeding good Advice: but ſtill follows the opinion of the other two Friends, that he would not have been ſo miſerable, if he had not been Wicked.
1. THEN anſwered Zophar the Naamathite, and ſaid,1. HERE a third Friend of Job's (Zophar of Naama) began to ſpeak with no ſmall paſſion.
2. Should not the multitude of words be anſwered? and ſhould a man full of talk be juſtified?2. Doſt thou think to ſtop our mouths with abundance of words; and by thy Talkativeneſs to perſwade us thou art innocent?
3. Should thy lies make men hold their peace? and when thou mockeſt, ſhall no man make thee aſhamed?3. Muſt we not confute thy falſe Allegations; but ſuffer thee to be inſolent, becauſe thou art miſerable?
4. For thou haſt ſaid, My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in thine eyes.4. For thou pretendeſt not to have offended either in word or deed; and that God himſelf can find no reaſon to condemn thee.
5. But, Oh that God would ſpeak, and open his lips againſt thee;5. O that He would vouchſafe to ſhew thee thine errour, and with his own mouth confute thee!
6. And that he would ſhew thee the ſecrets of wiſedom, that they are double to that which is! know therefore that God exacteth of thee leſs then thine iniquity deſerveth.6. That He would ſhew thee the ſecret Reaſons of his wiſe Counſels (which far ſurpaſs thine) in this Affliction; and make thee know that He would be juſt, if He ſhould puniſh thy Sin more ſeverely!
7. Canſt thou by ſearching find out God? canſt thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?7. Art thou able, after all thy buiſy inquiries, to give an account of God's Judgments, and perfectly comprehend the Reaſons of his Providence?
8. It is as high as heaven, what canſt thou doe? deeper then hell, what canſt thou know?8. Thou mayeſt as well take a meaſure of the height of Heaven, or of the depth of Hell.
9. The meaſure thereof is longer then the earth, and broader then the ſea.9. The Earth and the Sea, as long and as broad as they are, have their bounds; but that hath none.
10. If he cut off, and ſhut up, or gather together, then who can hinder him?10. If He ſeize upon any thing, and ſhut it up, (as a Hunter doth his prey in a net,) He will gather it, and who ſhall force Him to reſtore it?
11. For he knoweth vain men: he ſeeth wickedneſs alſo, will he not then conſider it?11. For he knows vain Men, (who mind not what they ſay or doe,) He ſees their moſt hidden wickedneſs; and will not He puniſh it?
12. For vain man would be wiſe, though man be born like a wild aſſe's colt.12. Shall Man, void of underſtanding, take the confidence to diſpute with God? Man, who is naturally as rude and blockiſh as a wild Aſſe's colt?
13. If thou prepare thine heart, and ſtretch out thine hands towards him;13. If thou art truly wiſe, ceaſe diſputing, and fall to Prayer.
14. If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedneſs dwell in thy tabernacles.14. If thou art guilty of any Sin, baniſh it quite away; and reform thy ſelf and thy Family.
15. For then ſhalt thou lift up thy face without ſpot, yea, thou ſhalt be ſtedfaſt, and ſhalt not fear:15. For then ſhalt thou look chearfully again, and be perfectly freed from this loathſome condition: yea, thou ſhalt be ſettled without any fear of loſing thy Happineſs.
16. Becauſe thou ſhalt forget thy miſery, and remember it as waters that paſs away:16. Which ſhall be ſo great, that it ſhall blot out the remembrance of thy paſt Miſeries: or thou ſhalt think of them as of Waters, that are run away, and will return no more.
17. And thine age ſhall be clearer then the noonday; thou ſhalt ſhine forth, thou ſhalt be as the morning.17. The reſt of thy Life ſhall be more glorious then the Sun at noon: even thy darkneſs ſhall be like the morning-light.
18. And thou ſhalt be ſecure, becauſe there is hope; yea, thou ſhalt dig about thee, and thou ſhalt take thy reſt in ſafety.18. Thou ſhalt be confident, though any evil threaten thee; becauſe there is hope God will deliver thee: thou ſhalt dig wells of water, and none ſhall diſturb thy Tents or thy Flocks.
19. Alſo thou ſhalt lie down, and none ſhall make thee afraid; yea, many ſhall make ſuit unto thee.19. Thou ſhalt be in perfect peace, and none ſhall diſquiet thee: yea, the multitude ſhall ſue to thee for thy Favour, and the greateſt perſons ſhall deſire thy Friendſhip.
20. But the eyes of the wicked ſhall fail, and they ſhall not eſcape; and their hope ſhall be as the giving up of the ghoſt.20. But the Wicked ſhall in vain look for Happineſs: they ſhall not eſcape their deſerved Puniſhment, but their hope of Deliverance ſhall faint away.