Job 6:22

“Have I ¹  ever said, ²  ‘Give me something, and from your fortune ³  make gifts ⁴  in my favor’?

Have I ever said, ‘Give something on my behalf, pay a ransom for me from your wealth,

"Have I said, ‘Give me something,’ Or, ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth,’

But why? Have I ever asked you for a gift? Have I begged you to use any of your wealth on my behalf?

It's not as though I asked you for anything--I didn't ask you for one red cent--

Did I say, Give me something? or, Make a payment for me out of your wealth?

Have I said, ‘Make me a gift’? Or, ‘From your wealth offer a bribe for me’?

Did I ever say, ‘Bring something to me’? Or, ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth’?

“Have I ¹  ever said, ²  ‘Give me something, and from your fortune ³  make gifts ⁴  in my favor’?

¹ tn The Hebrew הֲכִי (hakhi) literally says “Is it because….”

² sn For the next two verses Job lashes out in sarcasm against his friends. If he had asked for charity, for their wealth, he might have expected their cold response. But all he wanted was sympathy and understanding (H. H. Rowley, Job [NCBC], 63).

³ tn The word כֹּחַ (koakh) basically means “strength, force”; but like the synonym חַיִל (khayil), it can also mean “wealth, fortune.” E. Dhorme notes that to the Semitic mind, riches bring power (Job, 90).

⁴ tn Or “bribes.” The verb שִׁחֲדוּ (shikhadu) means “give a שֹׁחַד (shokhad, “bribe”).” The significance is simply “make a gift” (especially in the sense of corrupting an official [Ezek 16:33]). For the spelling of the form in view of the guttural, see GKC 169 §64.a.