1 Zophar of Naamath spoke next. He said:
2 Is babbling to go without an answer? Is wordiness a proof of uprightness?
3 Do you think your talking strikes people dumb, will you jeer with no one to refute you?
4 These were your words, 'My conduct is pure, in your eyes I am free of blame!'
5 Will no one let God speak, open his lips and give you answer,
6 show you the secrets of wisdom which put all cleverness to shame? Then you would realise that God is calling you to account for your sin.
7 Can you claim to fathom the depth of God, can you reach the limit of Shaddai?
8 It is higher than the heavens: what can you do? It is deeper than Sheol: what can you know?
9 It would be longer to measure than the earth and broader than the sea.
10 If he intervenes to close or convoke the assembly, who is to prevent him?
11 He knows how deceptive human beings are, and he sees their misdeeds too, and marks them well.
12 Hence empty-headed people would do well to study sense and people who behave like wild donkeys to let themselves be tamed.
13 Come, reconsider your attitude, stretch out your hands towards him!
14 If you repudiate the sin which you have doubtless committed and do not allow wickedness to live on in your tents,
15 you will be able to raise an unsullied face, unwavering and free from fear,
16 for you will forget about your misery, thinking of it only as a flood that passed long ago.
17 Then begins an existence more radiant than noon, and the very darkness will be bright as morning.
18 Confident because there is hope; after your troubles, you will sleep secure.
19 When you lie down to rest, no one will trouble you, and many will seek your favour.
20 But as for the wicked, their eyes are weary, there is no refuge for them; their only hope is to breathe their last.
Versículos relacionados com Job, 11:
In Job 11, Zofar, one of Job's friends, expresses his opinion on his friend's situation and offers advice on how he should act. Zofar suggests that Job is suffering because he deserves it, and that the solution to his problems is to repent and seek God. The verses related to the topics addressed in Job 11 are:
Job 4:7 - "Remember now: Who has never perished, being innocent? Or where were the straight destroyed?" Zofar suggests that Job's suffering is a deserved punishment, and that he must have committed some sin to be going through it. This verse talks about the idea that people suffer only deserve themselves, which is a common belief in Job's time.
Proverbs 3:11-12 - "My Son, the Lord's correction, nor is it discouraged when he is rebuked by him; for the Lord rebukes whom he loves, as the Father, to the Son to whom he wants well." Zofar believes that Job's suffering is a punishment of God, but this verse shows that divine correction is not necessarily a punishment, but an act of love and care.
Job 9:20. Zofar suggests that Job should repent and seek God to end his suffering, but this verse talks about the difficulty of someone who is innocent to defend himself with accusations.
Psalm 34:19 - "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him from all." Zofar believes Job is only suffering because he deserves it, but this verse shows that suffering can happen even with righteous people, and that God is able to rid the righteous of all his afflictions.
Isaiah 40:31 - "But those who await the Lord will renew their strength and rise with wings as eagles; they will run and will not tire; they will walk and not to stick." Zofar suggests that the solution to Job's suffering is to repent and seek God, and this verse talks about the importance of hope and trust in God to face the challenges of life.
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