Let me have silence, and I will speak: the first clause is literally “Be silent from me.” “From me” has been rendered variously by different translators. Dhorme says it means “Abstain from speaking to me.” The Septuagint and some others omit “from me.” Good News Translation renders the line accurately with “Be quiet and give me a chance to speak.”

And let come on me what may: this line in Hebrew ends with “what,” but the meaning is to be taken as “come what may,” “let be what will be.” So Job is saying he is ready to pay the price for whatever may happen to him for speaking out. The line may be expressed “it is unimportant what happens to me,” “let happen whatever will happen,” or “I don’t care what may happen to me.”

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 .