Job 17
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My breath is corrupt, my days are extinct, the graves are ready for me.
2 Are there not mockers with me? and doth not mine eye continue in their provocation?
3 Lay down now, put me in a surety with thee; who is he that will strike hands with me?
4 For thou hast hid their heart from understanding: therefore shalt thou not exalt them.
5 He that speaketh flattery to his friends, even the eyes of his children shall fail.
6 He hath made me also a byword of the people; and aforetime I was as a tabret.
7 Mine eye also is dim by reason of sorrow, and all my members are as a shadow.
8 Upright men shall be astonied at this, and the innocent shall stir up himself against the hypocrite.
9 The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger.
10 But as for you all, do ye return, and come now: for I cannot find one wise man among you.
11 My days are past, my purposes are broken off, even the thoughts of my heart.
12 They change the night into day: the light is short because of darkness.
13 If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness.
14 I have said to corruption, Thou art my father: to the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister.
15 And where is now my hope? as for my hope, who shall see it?
16 They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when our rest together is in the dust.
Public Domain KJV text from Wordproject.org
Job 17:1-16
Job Continues: Where Then Is My Hope?
1“My spirit is broken; my days are extinct;
the graveyard is ready for me.
2Surely there are mockers about me,
and my eye dwells on their provocation.
3“Lay down a pledge for me with you;
who is there who will put up security for me?
4Since you have closed their hearts to understanding,
therefore you will not let them triumph.
5He who informs against his friends to get a share of their property—
the eyes of his children will fail.
6“He has made me a byword of the peoples,
and I am one before whom men spit.
7My eye has grown dim from vexation,
and all my members are like a shadow.
8The upright are appalled at this,
and the innocent stirs himself up against the godless.
9Yet the righteous holds to his way,
and he who has clean hands grows stronger and stronger.
10But you, come on again, all of you,
and I shall not find a wise man among you.
11My days are past; my plans are broken off,
the desires of my heart.
12They make night into day:
‘The light,’ they say, ‘is near to the darkness.’
13If I hope for Sheol as my house,
if I make my bed in darkness,
14if I say to the pit, ‘You are my father,’
and to the worm, ‘My mother,’ or ‘My sister,’
15where then is my hope?
Who will see my hope?
16Will it go down to the bars of Sheol?
Shall we descend together into the dust?”
ESV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Job 17:1-16
1My spirit is broken,
my days are cut short,
the grave awaits me.
2Surely mockers surround me;
my eyes must dwell on their hostility.
3“Give me, O God, the pledge you demand.
Who else will put up security for me?
4You have closed their minds to understanding;
therefore you will not let them triumph.
5If anyone denounces their friends for reward,
the eyes of their children will fail.
6“God has made me a byword to everyone,
a man in whose face people spit.
7My eyes have grown dim with grief;
my whole frame is but a shadow.
8The upright are appalled at this;
the innocent are aroused against the ungodly.
9Nevertheless, the righteous will hold to their ways,
and those with clean hands will grow stronger.
10“But come on, all of you, try again!
I will not find a wise man among you.
11My days have passed, my plans are shattered.
Yet the desires of my heart
12turn night into day;
in the face of the darkness light is near.
13If the only home I hope for is the grave,
if I spread out my bed in the realm of darkness,
14if I say to corruption, ‘You are my father,’
and to the worm, ‘My mother’ or ‘My sister,’
15where then is my hope—
who can see any hope for me?
16Will it go down to the gates of death?
Will we descend together into the dust?”
NIV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Commentary
My spirit is broken and my eyes are dim with grief. All the plans and dreams of my heart have been shattered. I have become an object of ridicule to others. Who can see any hope for me?
Job’s lament is the dirge of all those who have been robbed of health, of loved ones, of a career, of the fondest hopes of a human heart. He sings the song that every mourning heart moans.
When life’s possessions and accomplishments have been swept away, when what makes you “you” has vanished, when you are nothing but a source of gossip and scorn to others, what provides the hope to keep breathing? To keep trying? To never give up?
Hope is not conjured up through willpower. Hope exists by believing that there is more beyond the suffering. It always looks beyond the losses. Hope fuels itself by claiming promises from God, who never leaves you though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed. Hope is found by weeping in the compassionate presence of a Savior who catches your tears in His bottle of remembrance.
Suffering may endure for the moment, but joy will last for eternity. That is hope!
Lori Engel
Chaplain (currently disabled), Eugene, Oregon USA
