Job 21:1-34 NIrV

[1] Job replied, [2] “Listen carefully to what I’m saying. Let that be the comfort you people give me. [3] Put up with me while I speak. After I’ve spoken, you can make fun of me! [4] “I’m not arguing with mere human beings. So why shouldn’t I be angry and uneasy? [5] Look at me and be shocked. Put your hand over your mouth and stop talking! [6] When I think about these things, I’m terrified. My whole body trembles. [7] Why do sinful people keep on living? The older they grow, the richer they get. [8] They see their children grow up around them. They watch their family grow larger. [9] Their homes are safe. They don’t have to be afraid. God isn’t punishing them. [10] Every time their bulls mate, their cows become pregnant. And the calves don’t die before they are born. [11] Sinful people send their children out like a flock of lambs. Their little ones dance around. [12] They sing to the music of tambourines and lyres. They have a good time while flutes are being played. [13] Those who are evil spend their years living well. They go down to their graves in peace. [14] But they say to God, ‘Leave us alone! We don’t want to know how you want us to live. [15] Who is the Mighty One? Why should we serve him? What would we get if we prayed to him?’ [16] But they aren’t in control of their own success. So I don’t pay any attention to their plans. [17] “How often are their lamps blown out? How often does trouble come on them? How often does God punish them when he’s angry? [18] How often are they like straw blowing in the wind? How often are they like tumbleweeds swept away by a storm? [19] People say, ‘God stores up the punishment of evil people for their children.’ But let God punish the evil people themselves. Then they’ll learn a lesson from it. [20] Let their own eyes see how they are destroyed. Let them drink the wine of the Mighty One’s anger. [21] What do they care about the families they leave behind? What do they care about them when their lives come to an end? [22] “Can anyone teach God anything? After all, he judges even the angels in heaven. [23] Some people die while they are still very strong. They are completely secure. They have an easy life. [24] They are well fed. Their bodies are healthy. [25] Others die while their spirits are bitter. They’ve never enjoyed anything good. [26] Side by side they lie in the dust of death. The worms in their graves cover all of them. [27] “I know exactly what you people are thinking. I know you are planning to do bad things to me. [28] You are saying to yourselves, ‘Where is the great man’s house now? Where are the tents where his evil family lived?’ [29] Haven’t you ever asked questions of those who travel? Haven’t you paid any attention to their stories? [30] They’ll tell you that sinful people are spared from the day of trouble. They’ll say that those people are saved from the day when God will judge. [31] Who speaks against them for the way they act? Who pays them back for what they’ve done? [32] Their bodies will be carried to their graves. Guards will watch over their tombs. [33] The soil in the valley will be pleasant to those who have died. Many people will walk along behind their bodies. Many others will walk in front of them. [34] “So how can you comfort me with your speeches? They don’t make any sense at all. Your answers are nothing but lies!”