These two verses may be taken together as offering two alternatives. A similar contrast between obedience and disobedience is found in Isaiah 1.19-20. The first alternative is If they hearken and serve him, in which hearken is an archaic English verb meaning either “listen” or “obey.” In the Hebrew no object is expressed with serve, but the implied object is clearly God, as in Good News Translation. The consequences are described in the next two lines.

They complete their days … means that they will live their lives counted in line b as days, and in line c as years. In terms of parallelism line c goes beyond line b by shifting from the smaller time unit to the larger one. Line b expresses the same thought as in 21.13. Prosperity translates a Hebrew word which can have that meaning or “happiness, success, well-being.” Pleasantness in line c is almost the same in meaning. Good News Translation and others reduce lines b and c to one and use two nouns to describe the final state of their lives. Good News Translation has “peace and prosperity,” Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “happiness and felicity,” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “happiness and peace,” and Bible en français courant “the greatest happiness.” Translators should use expressions for prosperity and pleasantness that are fully natural in the receptor language.

But if they do not hearken presents the opposite condition of that in verse 11a, and the result is given in the last half of the line as they perish by the sword, which is the same expression used in 33.18. Many translations understand this expression to have the sense of crossing the river to death, as is possible also in 33.18. It is also possible to understand this as referring to their destruction, as in Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, and New International Version. Bible en français courant, which uses the metaphorical expression in the text, has the nonfigurative rendering in a footnote. While both renderings are possible, it is recommended to translate verse 12 in the same way as in 33.18, and not change here as Good News Translation does.

And die without knowledge gives the reason for their dying, not merely the circumstances. Good News Translation has shifted this line to come before line a, which gives a more logical progression of thought. This line may be rendered, for example, “they die because they are ignorant” or “because they lack understanding they die.”

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 .