Hear now my argument, and listen to the plea of my lips.
Parallel translations
- WEB Hear now my reasoning. Listen to the pleadings of my lips.
- KJV Hear now my reasoning, and hearken to the pleadings of my lips.
- NKJV Now hear my reasoning, And heed the pleadings of my lips.
- NASB “Please hear my argument, And give your attention to the contentions of my lips.
- NLT Listen to my charge; pay attention to my arguments.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Job calls his friends to stop talking and hear his argument. He demands a fair hearing of his defense.
Overview
Job pleads, 'Hear now my reasoning; listen to the pleadings of my lips.' He asks his accusers to become listeners. Having been lectured at length, he insists that justice requires they weigh his actual case rather than condemn him with assumptions.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Job 34:2“Hear my words, O wise men; give ear to me, O men of learning.
- Job 33:1–3“But now, O Job, hear my speech, and listen to all my words.
- Prov 8:6–7Listen, for I speak of noble things, and the opening of my lips will reveal right.
- Judg 9:7When this was reported to Jotham, he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim, raised his voice, and cried out: “Listen to me, O leaders of Shechem, and may God listen to you.
- Job 21:2–3“Listen carefully to my words; let this be your consolation to me.
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Christ at the center
Job's cry for a mediator who can lay his hand on both God and man, and his confidence that 'my Redeemer lives' and will stand on the earth, reaches forward to Jesus the living Redeemer.
How Job 13:6 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.