« | Job 26 | » |
1 Then Job spoke again and said:
2 What help you give to the powerless, what strength to the feeble arm!
3 How you counsel, as though he had no wisdom; how profuse is the advice you offer!
4 With whose help have you uttered those words, and whose is the breath that comes forth from you?
5 The shades beneath writhe in terror, the waters, and their inhabitants.
6 Naked before him is the nether world, and Abaddon has no covering.
7 He stretches out the North over empty space, and suspends the earth over nothing at all;
8 He binds up the waters in his clouds, yet the cloud is not rent by their weight;
9 He holds back the appearance of the full moon by spreading his clouds before it.
10 He has marked out a circle on the surface of the deep as the boundary of light and darkness.
11 The pillars of the heavens tremble and are stunned at his thunderous rebuke;
12 By his power he stirs up the sea, and by his might he crushes Rahab;
13 With his angry breath he scatters the waters, and he hurls the lightning against them relentlessly; His hand pierces the fugitive dragon as from his hand it strives to flee.
14 Lo, these are but the outlines of his ways, and how faint is the word we hear!
The New American Standard Updated Version (NASU)
The New American Standard Updated Version (NASU) is a highly respected English translation of the Bible known for its rigorous adherence to the original languages of Scripture. First published in 1995 by the Lockman Foundation, the NASU is an update of the New American Standard Bible (NASB), which was originally completed in 1971. The NASU seeks to improve upon the NASB by enhancing readability and modernizing the language while maintaining the translation’s reputation for being one of the most literal translations available. This makes the NASU a preferred choice for serious Bible study, preaching, and teaching.
A key feature of the NASU is its commitment to formal equivalence, or a word-for-word translation philosophy. The translators aimed to produce a text that is as close as possible to the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek manuscripts. This approach ensures that the NASU captures the precise meaning and structure of the original texts, providing readers with a highly accurate and reliable representation of the Scriptures. The use of formal equivalence makes the NASU particularly valuable for those who desire a deep and detailed understanding of the Bible, including scholars, theologians, and students of the Word.
In updating the NASB, the NASU made several important changes to improve clarity and readability. While maintaining the accuracy and literalness of the translation, the NASU incorporates modern English expressions and smoother sentence structures. This makes the text more accessible to contemporary readers without compromising the precision that the NASB is known for. The NASU also includes updated cross-references and footnotes, which provide additional context and insights, further aiding in the study and understanding of the biblical text.
Despite its many strengths, the NASU has faced some criticism. Some readers and scholars argue that the translation’s emphasis on literalness can sometimes result in a text that feels stiff or less fluid than more dynamic translations. Additionally, while the NASU’s updated language makes it more accessible, some feel that it could go further in adapting to contemporary usage without losing its accuracy. Nevertheless, the New American Standard Updated Version remains a highly esteemed translation, valued for its fidelity to the original texts and its usefulness for in-depth study and precise interpretation of the Bible.