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Job 16:18

Made Simple — Modern English Translation

Translated by Verse Made Simple Editorial
KJV ORIGINAL
O earth, cover not thou my blood, and let my cry have no place.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE

O earth, don't cover up my blood, and don't let my cry for help be silenced or forgotten.

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

Job is crying out that his suffering and innocence should not be hidden or forgotten, demanding that the injustice done to him be witnessed and remembered.

📚 Historical Context

In the Book of Job, set in ancient patriarchal times likely in the land of Uz, Job is in the midst of a heated dialogue with his friends who accuse him of hidden sins as the cause of his suffering. He utters this desperate plea, asking the earth not to cover his blood, which draws on ancient Near Eastern beliefs that the blood of the innocent cries out from the ground for justice, similar to the story of Abel in Genesis. This verse highlights Job's insistence on his integrity and his call for divine vindication amid his unexplained trials.

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