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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Job 23 ESV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/job/23.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/job/23-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">ESV</a> > Job 23</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../job/22.htm" title="Job 22">◄</a> Job 23 <a href="../job/24.htm" title="Job 24">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">English Standard Version</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/esv/nas/job/23.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div></a><div class="chap"><p class="heading">Job Replies: Where Is God?</p><p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/23-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>Then Job answered and said:</p> <span class="block-indent"><p class="line-group"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/23-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">“Today also my complaint is bitter;<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Or defiant">a</a></sup></span></span><br /><span class="indent">my hand is heavy on account of my groaning.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/23-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Oh, that I knew where I might find him,</span><br /><span class="indent">that I might come even to his seat!</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/23-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">I would lay my case before him</span><br /><span class="indent">and fill my mouth with arguments.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/23-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">I would know what he would answer me</span><br /><span class="indent">and understand what he would say to me.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/23-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power?</span><br /><span class="indent">No; he would pay attention to me.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/23-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">There an upright man could argue with him,</span><br /><span class="indent">and I would be acquitted forever by my judge.</span></p> <p class="line-group"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/23-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">“Behold, I go forward, but he is not there,</span><br /><span class="indent">and backward, but I do not perceive him;</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/23-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him;</span><br /><span class="indent">he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/23-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">But he knows the way that I take;</span><br /><span class="indent">when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/23-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">My foot has held fast to his steps;</span><br /><span class="indent">I have kept his way and have not turned aside.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/23-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">I have not departed from the commandment of his lips;</span><br /><span class="indent">I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/23-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">But he is unchangeable,<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Or one">b</a></sup></span> and who can turn him back?</span><br /><span class="indent">What he desires, that he does.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/23-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">For he will complete what he appoints for me,</span><br /><span class="indent">and many such things are in his mind.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/23-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Therefore I am terrified at his presence;</span><br /><span class="indent">when I consider, I am in dread of him.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/23-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">God has made my heart faint;</span><br /><span class="indent">the Almighty has terrified me;</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/job/23-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">yet I am not silenced because of the darkness,</span><br /><span class="indent">nor because thick darkness covers my face.</span></p><A name="footnotes"></a><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="footnotesbot">a</span> <span class="fnverse">2</span> Or <i>defiant</i><br /><span class="footnotesbot">b</span> <span class="fnverse">13</span> Or <i>one</i><br /></span></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">ESV Text Edition® (2016).<br /><br />The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by <a href="http://www.crossway.org/home/esv/">Crossway Bibles</a>, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.<br /><br />The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. 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