Job is confident that God would find him innocent of all charges. There an upright man could reason with him: There translates the Hebrew word which normally has that meaning. It can refer back to the seat where God judges in verse 3, although verse 3 is four verses back. Some scholars give it the meaning “Then” as a reference to the time of Job’s future court case with God. Dhorme suggests a change to get “he would observe….” While New English Bible, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, and Revised Standard Version keep There, Good News Translation and others do not translate it. New Jerusalem Bible follows Dhorme but joins verse 7a to verse 6b. The meaning may also be taken as “when he hears my case.” Although verse 7 is separated from verse 3, there does not seem to be any valid reason for omitting the word. Upright man translates the same word used to describe Job in 1.1. It is also used in 5.17; 6.25, and has the meaning of “good, honest, respectable.” See also 1.8; 2.3; 8.6. Reason translates a verb used in Isaiah 1.18 and means “discuss, argue, dispute.” Revised Standard Version follows the Hebrew quite literally and translates this line without direct reference to Job. However, the next line makes it clear that Job speaks of himself. Therefore Good News Translation breaks the line into two sentences: “I am honest; I could reason with God.” This line may also be rendered, for example, “When that time comes I will reason with him because I am honest,” “When we meet he will listen to my argument because I am honest,” or “At that time he will listen to a good argument from an honest man like me.”

And I should be acquitted for ever by my judge: this line is the consequence of the previous line. Acquitted translates a verb used reflexively with the sense “to deliver one’s self.” By my judge is in the Hebrew “from my judge.” As it stands the text seems to give the sense “And I would be forever delivered from my judge” (Dhorme). This also seems to be the understanding of Hebrew Old Testament Text Project. However, there are other ways to understand and translate this line. The Septuagint and the Vulgate have “from my judgment,” that is, from the judgment God has taken in regard to Job, and so New Jerusalem Bible translates “judgment” as “case”: “So I should win my case forever.” Good News Translation shifts to the active and, instead of by my judge, has “he (God) would declare me innocent once and for all.” The line may also be rendered, for example, “and he will declare me innocent and free forever,” “and God, who is my judge, will say, ‘Not guilty, freed forever,’ ” or “and my judge who is God will set me free forever and declare me to be innocent.”

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 .