Job 13

Job rebukes his friends for their false counsel, asserting his own understanding and desire to speak directly with God. He declares his unwavering trust in God, even unto death, and expresses his conviction that he will be justified. Job then challenges God to reveal his transgressions and questions why God treats him as an enemy.

Job begins by asserting his equal understanding with his friends, dismissing their counsel as worthless lies and urging them to remain silent. He questions their motives, suggesting they speak deceitfully for God and warns them that God will reprove their partiality. Job then passionately declares his resolve to speak to God, regardless of the consequences, affirming his faith even if God slays him, confident in his own righteousness. He expresses his belief that God will be his salvation and challenges anyone to contend with him, knowing he will be justified. Finally, Job turns his plea to God, asking Him to remove His hand and dread, so they can reason together, and demands to know the extent of his sins and why God hides His face and treats him as an enemy, comparing himself to a fragile, decaying thing.

Job opens by stating that he possesses the same understanding as his friends, asserting his equality and rejecting their supposed wisdom. He sharply criticizes them, calling them "forgers of lies" and "physicians of no value," and advises them that their silence would be their greatest wisdom. Job then challenges their integrity, questioning if they speak wickedly or deceitfully for God, and warns them against showing partiality, for God will surely reprove such actions. He emphasizes God's excellency and dread, suggesting it should make them afraid, and dismisses their arguments as fleeting and insubstantial. Job then demands silence from his friends, declaring his intention to speak directly to God, regardless of the personal cost, even putting his life in his hand. He expresses profound faith, stating, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him," while simultaneously affirming his resolve to defend his own integrity before God. Job believes that God will be his salvation, as a hypocrite cannot stand before Him, and asserts his confidence in his eventual justification. He challenges anyone to plead against him, feeling compelled to speak lest he perish. Turning his address to God, Job makes two requests: that God withdraw His hand and remove His dread, so he can speak without fear. He then invites God to call upon him, or allow him to speak and God answer. Job earnestly asks God to reveal the number and nature of his iniquities and sins. He questions why God hides His face and considers him an enemy, likening himself to a fragile, wind-blown leaf or dry stubble. Job laments that God writes bitter things against him, imputing the sins of his youth, and meticulously scrutinizes his every path, treating him like a prisoner in stocks, while his body wastes away like a moth-eaten garment.