King James Version

Job 17:12

They change the night into day: the light is short because of darkness.

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Hebrew

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לַ֭יְלָהlaylahnightלַיִלnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “night”, the ordinary formH3915properly, a twist (away of the light), i.e. night; figuratively, adversity(mid-)night (season).לְי֣וֹםleyomto as long asיוֹםpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “to as long as”, the ordinary formH3117a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)age, [phrase] always, [phrase] chronicals, continually(-ance), daily, ((birth-), each, to) day, (now a, two) days (agone), [phrase] elder, [idiom] end, [phrase] evening, [phrase] (for) ever(-lasting, -more), [idiom] full, life, as (so) lon…יָשִׂ֑ימוּyasimvputשׂוּםverb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “put”, an unfinished actionH7760to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)[idiom] any wise, appoint, bring, call (a name), care, cast in, change, charge, commit, consider, convey, determine, [phrase] disguise, dispose, do, get, give, heap up, hold, impute, lay (down, up), leave, look, make (out), mark, [phrase]…א֝֗וֹרorbrightאוֹרnoun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “bright”, the ordinary formH216illumination or (concrete) luminary (in every sense, including lightning, happiness, etc.)bright, clear, [phrase] day, light (-ning), morning, sun.קָר֥וֹבqarovnearקָרוֹבadjective, adjective, masculine, singular, absolute — “near”, the ordinary formH7138near (in place, kindred or time)allied, approach, at hand, [phrase] any of kin, kinsfold(-sman), (that is) near (of kin), neighbour, (that is) next, (them that come) nigh (at hand), more ready, short(-ly).מִפְּנֵיmipnefrom a- foreפָּנִיםpreposition, noun, common, both genders, plural, construct — “from a- fore”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH6440the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposition (before, etc.)[phrase] accept, a-(be-) fore(-time), against, anger, [idiom] as (long as), at, [phrase] battle, [phrase] because (of), [phrase] beseech, countenance, edge, [phrase] employ, endure, [phrase] enquire, face, favour, fear of, for, forefront(-…חֹֽשֶׁךְchoshekhdarkחֹשֶׁךְnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “dark”, the ordinary formH2822the dark; hence (literally) darkness; figuratively, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickednessdark(-ness), night, obscurity.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

They change the night into day; the light is short because of darkness.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

They change the night into day: The light, say they , is near unto the darkness.

Young’s Literal Translation

Night for day they appoint, Light [is] near because of darkness.

World English Bible

They change the night into day, saying ‘The light is near’ in the presence of darkness.

Darby Translation

They change the night into day; the light [they imagine] near in presence of the darkness.

Douay-Rheims

They have turned night into day, and after darkness I hope for light again.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

They change the night into day; the light is short because of darkness.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

I have turned the night into day: the light is short because of darkness.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Νύκτα εἰς ἡμέραν ἔθηκα, φῶς ἐγγὺς ἀπὸ προσώπου σκότους.