Job 36

36Elihu continued:

²“Bear with me a little longer and I will show you

that there is more to be said in God’s behalf.

³I get my knowledge from afar;^k

I will ascribe justice to my Maker.^l

⁴Be assured that my words are not false;^m

one who has perfect knowledgeⁿ is with you.^o

⁵“God is mighty,^p but despises no one;^q

he is mighty, and firm in his purpose.^r

⁶He does not keep the wicked alive^s

but gives the afflicted their rights.^t

⁷He does not take his eyes off the righteous;^u

he enthrones them with kings^v

and exalts them forever.^w

⁸But if people are bound in chains,^x

held fast by cords of affliction,^y

⁹he tells them what they have done—

that they have sinned arrogantly.^z

¹⁰He makes them listen^a to correction^b

and commands them to repent of their evil.^c

¹¹If they obey and serve him,^d

they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity^e

and their years in contentment.^f

¹²But if they do not listen,

they will perish by the sword^ag

and die without knowledge.^h

¹³“The godless in heartⁱ harbor resentment;^j

even when he fetters them, they do not cry for help.^k

¹⁴They die in their youth,^l

among male prostitutes of the shrines.^m

¹⁵But those who sufferⁿ he delivers in their suffering;^o

he speaks^p to them in their affliction.^q

¹⁶“He is wooing^r you from the jaws of distress

to a spacious place^s free from restriction,^t

to the comfort of your table^u laden with choice food.^v

¹⁷But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked;^w

judgment and justice have taken hold of you.^x

¹⁸Be careful that no one entices you by riches;

do not let a large bribe^y turn you aside.^z

¹⁹Would your wealth^a or even all your mighty efforts

sustain you so you would not be in distress?

²⁰Do not long for the night,^b

to drag people away from their homes.^b

²¹Beware of turning to evil,^c

which you seem to prefer to affliction.^d

²²“God is exalted in his power.^e

Who is a teacher like him?^f

²³Who has prescribed his ways^g for him,^h

or said to him, ‘You have done wrong’?ⁱ

²⁴Remember to extol his work,^j

which people have praised in song.^k

²⁵All humanity has seen it;^l

mortals gaze on it from afar.

²⁶How great is God—beyond our understanding!^m

The number of his years is past finding out.ⁿ

²⁷“He draws up the drops of water,^o

which distill as rain to the streams^c;^p

²⁸the clouds pour down their moisture

and abundant showers^q fall on mankind.^r

²⁹Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds,

how he thunders^s from his pavilion?^t

³⁰See how he scatters his lightning^u about him,

bathing the depths of the sea.^v

³¹This is the way he governs^d the nations^w

and provides food^x in abundance.^y

³²He fills his hands with lightning

and commands it to strike its mark.^z

³³His thunder announces the coming storm;^a

even the cattle make known its approach.^eb