Job
Summary
Job Chapter 17 is a bleak continuation of Job's lament, as he feels his spirit is broken and his days are numbered. He describes himself as a "byword to the nations" and a man in whose face people spit. Job looks at his friends: whom he calls "scoffers": and finds no wisdom among them. He expresses his total lack of hope, stating that his only remaining plans are for the grave, which he calls his "father," and the worm, which he calls his "mother." Despite this overwhelming darkness, Job insists that the righteous will still hold to their way and that those with clean hands will grow stronger.
"My spirit is broken, my days are extinguished, the grave is ready for me."
"Surely scoffers surround me; my eyes must dwell on their hostility."
"Give me a pledge, O God, and be my witness. Who else will give me a hand in security?"
"You have closed their minds to understanding; therefore you will not let them triumph."
"If a man denounces his friends for a reward, the eyes of his children will fail."
"God has made me a byword to the nations; I am a man in whose face people spit."
"My eyes have grown dim with grief; my whole frame is like a shadow."
"Upright men are appalled at this; the innocent are stirred up against the godless."
"Nevertheless, the righteous will hold to their way, and those with clean hands will grow stronger."
"But come on, all of you, try again! I will not find a wise man among you."
"My days are past, my plans are shattered; yet these were the desires of my heart."
"These men turn night into day; in the face of darkness they say, 'Light is near.'"
"If the only home I hope for is the grave, if I spread my bed in the realm of darkness,"
"if I say to corruption, 'You are my father,' and to the worm, 'You are my mother' or 'my sister,'"
"where then is my hope? Who can see any hope for me?"
"Will it go down to the gates of death? Will we descend together into the dust?"