That he may turn man aside from his deed is connected in Revised Standard Version to verse 16 as the purpose of 16. Good News Translation, on the other hand, translates this verse as an independent sentence. This first line is literally “to remove man’s deed,” which does not suggest a coherent meaning. Consequently the word translated deed is changed to read “evil,” and then the entire phrase is translated “to prevent men from doing evil.” Pope has “to deter men from evil.” Good News Translation takes the position that deed in the context refers automatically to “evil deeds,” and so translates “God speaks to make them stop their sinning,” which expresses the thought well. It is probably best to express verse 17 as the purpose for the events in verse 16, and so we may translate “He does this to make people stop doing evil deeds” or “This is to make them stop sinning.”

And cut off pride from man: cut off translates the Hebrew term “hide,” according to the Revised Standard Version footnote. This line is literally “pride from man he covers.” Cut off is a very slight change from the Hebrew “he covers” and is widely accepted. Cut off pride from man suggests “prevent people from being proud.” Good News Translation seems to accept the change but translates more clearly than Revised Standard Version: “and to save them from becoming proud.” In some languages this line may be rendered, for example, “and to keep them from having swollen hearts” or “and to stop them from acting with big heads.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, Wiliam. A Handbook on Job. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .