Job 33

ELIHU CONFRONTS JOB

33But now, Job, pay attention to my speech,

and listen to all my words.

²I am going to open my mouth;

my tongue will form words on my palate.

³My words come from my upright^f heart,

and my lips speak with sincerity what they know.

⁴The Spirit of God has made me,

and the breath of the Almighty^g gives me life.^h

⁵Refute me if you can.

Prepareⁱ your case against me; take your stand.^j

⁶I am just like you before God;

I was also pinched off from a piece of clay.^k

⁷Fear^l of me should not terrify you;

no pressure from me should weigh you down.

⁸Surely you have spoken in my hearing,

and I have heard these very^A words:

⁹“I am pure, without transgression;

I am clean and have no iniquity.^m

¹⁰But he finds reasons to oppose me;

he regards me as his enemy.ⁿ

¹¹He puts my feet in the stocks;

he stands watch^o over all my paths.”

¹²But I tell you that you are wrong in this matter,

since God is greater than man.^p

¹³Why do you take^q him to court

for not answering anything a person asks?^B

¹⁴For God speaks time and again,

but a person may not notice it.

¹⁵In a dream, a vision^r in the night,

when deep sleep comes over people^s

as they slumber on their beds,

¹⁶he uncovers their ears^t

and terrifies them^C with warnings,

¹⁷in order to turn a person from his actions

and suppress the pride of a person.

¹⁸God spares his soul from the Pit,^u

his life from crossing the river of death.^D

¹⁹A person may be disciplined on his bed^v with pain

and constant distress in his bones,^a

²⁰so that he detests bread,

and his soul despises his favorite food.^b

²¹His flesh wastes away to nothing,^E

and his unseen bones stick out.

²²He draws near to the Pit,

and his life to the executioners.

²³If there is an angel^c on his side,

one mediator out of a thousand,

to tell a person what is right for him^F

²⁴and to be gracious to him and say,

“Spare him from going down to the Pit;

I have found a ransom,”^d

²⁵then his flesh will be healthier^G than in his youth,

and he will return to the days of his youthful vigor.^e

²⁶He will pray to God, and God will delight in him.

That person will see his face^f with a shout of joy,

and God will restore his righteousness to him.^g

²⁷He will look at men and say,

“I have sinned and perverted what was right;

yet I did not get what I deserved.^H

²⁸He redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit,

and I will continue to see the light.”

²⁹God certainly does all these things

two or three times to a person

³⁰in order to turn him back from the Pit,

so he may shine with the light of life.^h

³¹Pay attention, Job, and listen to me.

Be quiet, and I will speak.

³²But if you have something to say,^A answer me;

speak, for I would like to justify you.

³³If not, then listen to me;

be quiet, and I will teach you wisdom.