Job 21:19

You may say, ¹  ‘God stores up a man’s ²  punishment for his children!’ ³  Instead let him repay ⁴  the man himself ⁵  so that ⁶  he may know it!

It is said, ‘God stores up a man’s punishment for his sons.’ Let him repay the man himself, so that he will know it!

" You say, ‘God stores away a man’s iniquity for his sons.’ Let God repay him so that he may know it.

"‘Well,’ you say, ‘at least God will punish their children!’ But I say that God should punish the ones who sin, not their children! Let them feel their own penalty.

You might say, 'God is saving up the punishment for their children.' I say, 'Give it to them right now so they'll know what they've done!'

You say, God keeps punishment stored up for his children. Let him send it on the man himself, so that he may have the punishment of it!

You say, ‘God stores up their iniquity for their children.’ Let it be paid back to them, so that they may know it.

They say , ‘God lays up one’s iniquity for his children’; Let Him recompense him, that he may know it .

You may say, ¹  ‘God stores up a man’s ²  punishment for his children!’ ³  Instead let him repay ⁴  the man himself ⁵  so that ⁶  he may know it!

¹ tn These words are supplied. The verse records an idea that Job suspected they might have, namely, that if the wicked die well God will make their children pay for the sins (see Job 5:4; 20:10; as well as Exod 20:5).

² tn The text simply has אוֹנוֹ (’ono, “his iniquity”), but by usage, “the punishment for the iniquity.”

³ tn Heb “his sons.”

⁴ tn The verb שָׁלַם (shalam) in the Piel has the meaning of restoring things to their normal, making whole, and so reward, repay (if for sins), or recompense in general.

⁵ tn The text simply has “let him repay [to] him.”

⁶ tn The imperfect verb after the jussive carries the meaning of a purpose clause, and so taken as a final imperfect: “in order that he may know [or realize].”