Job 34–35

Elihu Asserts God’s Justice

34Then Elihu answered and said:

²“Hear my words, you wise men,

and give ear to me, you who know;

³for ^gthe ear tests words

as the palate tastes food.

⁴Let us choose ^hwhat is right;

let us know among ourselves what is good.

⁵For Job has said, ‘I am ⁱin the right,

and ^jGod has taken away my right;

⁶in spite of my right I am counted a liar;

my wound is incurable, though I am ^kwithout transgression.’

⁷What man is like Job,

who ^ldrinks up scoffing like water,

⁸who travels in company with evildoers

and walks ^mwith wicked men?

⁹For ⁿhe has said, ‘It profits a man nothing

that he should take delight in God.’

¹⁰“Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding:

far be it from God that he should ^odo wickedness,

and from the Almighty that he should do wrong.

¹¹For according to ^pthe work of a man he will repay him,

and ^qaccording to his ways he will make it befall him.

¹²Of a truth, God will not do wickedly,

and ^rthe Almighty will not pervert justice.

¹³Who gave him charge over the earth,

and who ^slaid on him¹ the whole world?

¹⁴If he should ^tset his heart to it

and ^ugather to himself his ^vspirit and his breath,

¹⁵all flesh would perish together,

and man would ^wreturn to dust.

¹⁶“If you have understanding, hear this;

listen to what I say.

^17xShall one who hates justice govern?

Will you condemn him who is righteous and mighty,

¹⁸who ^ysays to a king, ‘Worthless one,’

and to nobles, ‘Wicked man,’

¹⁹who ^zshows no partiality to princes,

nor regards the rich ^amore than the poor,

for ^bthey are all the work of his hands?

²⁰In a moment ^cthey die;

at ^dmidnight the people are shaken and pass away,

and the mighty are taken away by ^eno human hand.

²¹“For his eyes are on ^fthe ways of a man,

and he sees all his ^fsteps.

²²There is no ^ggloom or ^hdeep darkness

where evildoers may hide themselves.

²³For God² has no need to consider a man further,

that he should go before God in ⁱjudgment.

²⁴He ^jshatters the mighty without investigation

and sets ^lothers in their place.

²⁵Thus, knowing their works,

he ^moverturns them in the night, and they are crushed.

²⁶He strikes them for their wickedness

in a place for all to see,

²⁷because they turned aside from ⁿfollowing him

and had no regard for any of his ways,

²⁸so that they ^ocaused the cry of the poor to come to him,

and he ^pheard the cry of the afflicted—

²⁹When he is quiet, who can condemn?

When he hides his face, who can behold him,

whether it be a nation or a man?—

³⁰that a godless man should not reign,

that he should not ensnare the people.

³¹“For has anyone said to God,

‘I have borne punishment; I will not offend any more;

^32rteach me what I do not see;

if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more’?

³³Will he then make repayment to suit you,

because you reject it?

For you must choose, and not I;

therefore ^sdeclare what you know.³

³⁴Men of understanding will say to me,

and the wise man who hears me will say:

³⁵‘Job ^tspeaks without knowledge;

his words are without insight.’

³⁶Would that Job were tried to the end,

because he answers like wicked men.

³⁷For he adds rebellion to his sin;

he ^uclaps his hands among us

and multiplies his words against God.”

Elihu Condemns Job

35And Elihu answered and said:

²“Do you think this to be just?

Do you say, ^v‘It is my right before God,’

³that you ask, ^w‘What advantage have I?

How am I better off than if I had sinned?’

⁴I will answer you

and ^xyour friends with you.

^5yLook at the heavens, and see;

and behold the clouds, which are higher than you.

⁶If you have sinned, ^zwhat do you accomplish against him?

And if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him?

^7aIf you are righteous, what do you give to him?

Or what does he receive from your hand?

⁸Your wickedness concerns a man like yourself,

and your righteousness ^ba son of man.

⁹“Because of the multitude of ^coppressions people ^dcry out;

they call for help because of the arm of ^ethe mighty.¹

¹⁰But none says, ‘Where is God my ^fMaker,

who gives ^gsongs in the night,

¹¹who teaches us ^hmore than the beasts of the earth

and makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?’

¹²There they ⁱcry out, but he does not answer,

because of the pride of evil men.

¹³Surely God does not hear an empty cry,

nor does the Almighty regard it.

¹⁴How much less when you say that you ^jdo not see him,

that the case is before him, and you are ^kwaiting for him!

¹⁵And now, because ^lhis anger does not punish,

and he does not take much note of transgression,²

¹⁶Job opens his mouth in empty talk;

he ^mmultiplies words ⁿwithout knowledge.”