Job 33:1–37:24
33 “But now, please hear my speeches,a Job,
and hearb all my words.
2 Please look, I open my mouth;
my tongue in my mouth speaks.
3 My words declare my heart’s uprightness,
and my lips sincerely speak ⌊what my lips know⌋.c
4 The Spirit of God has made me,
and the breath of Shaddai gives life to me.
5 “If you are able, answer me.
Present your argument ⌊before me⌋;d take your stand.
6 Look, before God ⌊I am like you⌋;e
I myself was also formed from clay.
7 Look, dread of me should not terrify you,
and my hand will not be heavy upon you.
8 “Surely you have spoken in my ears,
and I have heard the sound of your words:f
9 ‘I am clean, without transgression;
I am pure, and there is no guilt in me.
10 Look, he finds fault against me;
he reckons me as his enemy;
11 he puts my feet in the block;
he watches all my paths.’
12 “Look, in this you are not right—I will answer you:
Indeed, God is greater than a human being.
13 Why do you contend against him,
that he will not answer all a person’s words?
14 Indeed, God speaks in one way,
eveng in two,h yet someone does not perceive it.
15 “In a dream, a vision of the night,
when a deep sleep falls on men slumbering on their bed,
16 then he opens the ear of men,
and ⌊he frightens them with a warning⌋i
17 to turn human beings aside from their deeds,
and he keeps man from pride.
18 He spares his life from the pit
and his life from passing over the river of death.
19 “And he is reproved with pain on his bed,
evenj with the strife of his bones continually,
20 ⌊so that⌋k his life loathes bread,
and his inner selfl loathes ⌊appetizing food⌋.m
21 His flesh is wasted away from sight,
and his bones, which are invisible, are bared.
22 And ⌊he⌋n draws near to the pit
and his life to the killers.
23 “If there is a messenger beside him, a mediator, one of a thousand,o
to declare to a human being his uprightness
24 ⌊so that⌋p he is gracious to him, and he says,
‘Deliver him from descending into the pit;
I have found a ransom.’
25 His flesh is renewed with his youth;
he returns to the days of his youthful strength.
26 He prays to God, then he accepts him,
and he sees his face with a shout of joy,
and he repays to the human being his righteousness.
27 “He will sing to men, and he will say,
‘I have sinned and have perverted what is right,
and it was not paid back to me.
28 He redeemed my life from going down into the pit,
soq ⌊I will enjoy the light⌋.’r
29 Look, God does all these things
twice, three timess with a person
30 to bring his life back from the pit
⌊so that he may enjoy the light of life⌋.t
31 “Listen attentively, Job; listen to me;
be silent, and I will speak.
32 If ⌊you have anything to say⌋,u ⌊answer me⌋;v
speak, for I desire ⌊to justify you⌋.w
be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”
34 Thusa Elihu ⌊spoke up⌋b and said,
2 “Hear my words, you wise men,
and listen to me, you who know,
and the palate tastes ⌊food⌋.c
4 Let us choose justice for ourselves;
let us determine among ourselves what is good—
5 for Job has said, ‘I am righteous,
but God has taken away my justice.
6 Should I lie concerning my justice?
Though I am without transgression, my wound caused by an arrow is incurable.’
who drinks scorn like water?
8 And he goes on the road in company with instigators of mischief,
and walks with men of wickedness.
9 Indeed, he says, ‘A man does not profit
when he takes delight in God.’
10 “Therefore, listen to me, ⌊people who have sense⌋:d
far be it from God ⌊that he should commit wickedness⌋e
and that Shaddai ⌊should do wrong⌋.f
11 Indeed, he will repay according to a human being’s deeds,
and according to a man’s way he will let it happen to him.
12 What’s more, God truly does not act wickedly,
and Shaddai does not pervert justice.
13 Who gave him charge over the earth?
Org who laid on him the whole world?
14 If he should set his heart to it,
and he should gather his spirit and his breath to himself,
15 all flesh would perish together,
and humankind would return to dust.
16 “Buth if you have understanding, hear this;
listen to ⌊what I say⌋.i
17 Shall he who hates justice really govern?
Or will youj declare the Righteous One, the Mighty, guilty?—
18 the one who says to a king,
‘You worthless man,’ to noblemen, ‘You wicked man,’
19 who ⌊shows no partiality to officials⌋k
and who ⌊does not take note of the noble more than of the insignificant⌋,l
for all of them are the work of his hands?
and in the middle of the night the people are shaken, and they pass away,
and they take away the mighty ⌊effortlessly⌋.m
21 “Indeed, his eyes are upon the ways of man,
and he sees all his steps.
22 There is no darkness, and there is no deep shadow
where instigators of mischief might hide themselves.
23 Indeed, he has not yet appointed a time for man
to go to God in the judgment.
24 He shatters the mighty without investigation,
and he sets others in their place.
25 Therefore he knows their works,
and he overturns them in the night
⌊so that⌋n they are crushed.
26 He strikes them ⌊where the wicked stood⌋,o
⌊where there are onlookers⌋,p
27 because they have turned aside from him
and have not understood any of his ways,
28 so that they cause the cry of distress from the helpless to come to him,
and he hears the cry of distress from the needy,
29 but he remains quiet, and who can condemn?
And he hides his face, and who can behold him?
Yetq he is over a nation and over a person alike,
30 so that godless human beings should not reign,
nor those who ensnare the people.
31 “Indeed, does anyone say to God, ‘I have endured chastisement;
I will not act corruptly again;
32 teach me yourself ⌊what I cannot see⌋;r
if I have done wrong, I will not repeat it’?
33 ⌊According to your judgment⌋,s must he repay it because you rejected this?
Indeed, you must choose, and not I, sot declare what you know.
34 ⌊Those who have sense⌋u say to me,
and the wise man hearing me says:
35 ‘Job speaks without knowledge,
and his words are without insight.
36 Would that Job were tested up to the end
because his answers are like those from men of mischief,
37 for he adds transgression to his sin;
he claps hands among us,
and he multiplies his words against God.’ ”
35 Moreover,a Elihu ⌊spoke up⌋b and said,
2 “Do you think this is justice when you say,
‘⌊I am right⌋c before God’?
3 If you ask what it profits you:
‘How do I benefit ⌊by refraining from my sin⌋?’d
4 I myselfe ⌊will give answer to you⌋f
and to your friends with you.
5 “Look at the heavens, and see;
and observe the clouds that are higher than you.
6 If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against him?
And if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him?
7 If you are righteous, what do you give to him,
or what does he receive from your hand?
8 Your wickedness affects a person like yourself,
and your righteousness affects humans.
9 “Because of the multitude of oppressions, they cry out;
they cry for help because of the arm of the mighty.
10 Butg no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker,
who gives songs in the night,
11 who teaches us more than the animals of the earth
and makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?’
12 There they cry out, buth he does not answer
⌊because of the pride of evildoers⌋.i
13 “Surely God does not hear an empty plea,
and Shaddai does not regard it.
14 ⌊How much less⌋j when you say that you do not see him,
that the case is ⌊before him⌋,k and you are waiting for him!
15 Butl now, because his anger does not punish,
and he does not acknowledge the transgression at all,
16 ⌊therefore⌋m Job opens his mouth in empty talk—
without knowledge he multiplies words.”
36 Thena Elihu continued and said,
2 “Bear with me a little longer, and ⌊I will explain⌋,b
for ⌊I still have something to say on God’s behalf⌋.c
3 I will bring my knowledge from far away,
and I will ascribe righteousness to my maker,
4 for truly my wordsd are not falsehood;
one who has perfect knowledge is with you.e
5 Look, God is mighty butf does not despise anyone;
he is mighty and ⌊good in understanding⌋.g
6 He does not keep the wicked alive
buth grants justice to the afflicted.
7 He does not withdraw his eyes from the righteous,
buti he sets them forever with kings on the throne, and they are exalted.
8 “And if they are tied up with fetters,
if they are caught in the cords of misery,
9 thenj he declares their work to them,
and their transgressions, that they are behaving arrogantly.
10 Sok he opens their ear to the discipline,
and he commands that they return from mischief.
11 If they listen and serve him,
they complete their days in prosperity and their years in pleasantness.
12 Butl if they do not listen, they perish by the sword,
and they pass away without knowledge.
13 And the godless of heart cherish anger;
they do not cry for help when he binds them.
14 ⌊They die in their youth⌋,m
and their life ends among the male shrine prostitutes.
15 He delivers the afflicted by his misery,
and he opens their ears by the adversity.
16 And what’s more, he allured you ⌊out of distress⌋n
into a broad place, where in place of it was no constraint;
and what was set on your table is full of fatness.
17 Buto you are obsessed with the judgment of the wicked;
judgment and justice take hold of you.
18 Yes,p it is wrath, so that it will not incite you into mockery;
and do not let the ransom’s greatness turn you aside.
19 Will your cry for help sustain you without distress,
orq all the efforts of your strength?
20 You must not long for the night,
to cut off people ⌊in their place⌋.r
21 Take care, you must not turn to mischief,
for because of this you have been tried by misery.
22 “Look, God is exalted in his power;
who is a teacher like him?
23 Who has prescribed his way for him?
Ors who says, ‘You have done wrong’?
24 Remember that you should extol his work,
of which people have sung.