Job

Chapter 6

Job Replies: My Complaint Is Just

Job answers by insisting that his outcry is proportionate to the weight of what has fallen on him. He longs for death rather than continued torment, then turns toward his friends and says that in the place where he needed kindness and truth, they have proven as disappointing and unreliable as streams that vanish when the thirsty arrive.

This chapter begins Job's direct reply to Eliphaz and shows how far apart their readings of suffering are. Job does not accept correction because he does not see himself as hiding guilt; instead, he presses the reality of his pain and the failure of his companions to meet it honestly.

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Job 6

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vv. 1-30

Job Replies: My Complaint Is Just

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T¹hen Job replied: ²“If only my grief could be weighed ³For then it would outweigh the sand of the seas — ⁴For the arrows of the Almighty have pierced me; ⁵Does a wild donkey bray over fresh grass, ⁶Is tasteless food eaten without salt, ⁷My soul refuses to touch them;

⁸If only my request were granted ⁹that God would be willing to crush me, ¹⁰It still brings me comfort, ¹¹What strength do I have, that I should still hope? ¹²Is my strength like that of stone, ¹³Is there any help within me

¹⁴A despairing man should have the kindness of his friend, ¹⁵But my brothers are as faithless as wadis, ¹⁶darkened because of the ice ¹⁷but ceasing in the dry season ¹⁸Caravans turn aside from their routes; ¹⁹The caravans of Tema look for water; ²⁰They are confounded because they had hoped; ²¹For now you are of no help; ²²Have I ever said, ‘Give me something; ²³deliver me from the hand of the enemy;

²⁴Teach me, and I will be silent. ²⁵How painful are honest words! ²⁶Do you intend to correct my words, ²⁷You would even cast lots for an orphan ²⁸But now, please look at me. ²⁹Reconsider; do not be unjust. ³⁰Is there iniquity on my tongue?

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01vv. 1-30Job Replies: My Complaint Is JustJob argues first that his grief is so heavy his words can hardly be measured against it, then says plainly that death would be easier than the life now left to him. From there he turns on his friends, comparing them to seasonal streams that promise help from a distance but disappear when the desperate finally need them.