Job 32–37

Elihu Contradicts Job’s Friends

32So these three men ceased answering Job, because he was ^arighteous in his own eyes. ²Then the wrath of Elihu, the son of Barachel the ^bBuzite, of the family of Ram, was aroused against Job; his wrath was aroused because he ^cjustified himself rather than God. ³Also against his three friends his wrath was aroused, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.

⁴Now because they were years older than he, Elihu had waited ¹to speak to Job. ⁵When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, his wrath was aroused.

⁶So Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, answered and said:

“I am ^dyoung in years, and you are very old;

Therefore I was afraid,

And dared not declare my opinion to you.

⁷I said, ²‘Age should speak,

And multitude of years should teach wisdom.’

⁸But there is a spirit in man,

And ^ethe breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.

^9fGreat ³men are not always wise,

Nor do the aged always understand justice.

¹⁰“Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me,

I also will declare my opinion.’

¹¹Indeed I waited for your words,

I listened to your reasonings, while you searched out what to say.

¹²I paid close attention to you;

And surely not one of you convinced Job,

Or answered his words—

^13gLest you say,

‘We have found wisdom’;

God will vanquish him, not man.

¹⁴Now he has not ⁴directed his words against me;

So I will not answer him with your words.

¹⁵“They are dismayed and answer no more;

Words escape them.

¹⁶And I have waited, because they did not speak,

Because they stood still and answered no more.

¹⁷I also will answer my part,

I too will declare my opinion.

¹⁸For I am full of words;

The spirit within me compels me.

¹⁹Indeed my ⁵belly is like wine that has no ⁶vent;

It is ready to burst like new wineskins.

²⁰I will speak, that I may find relief;

I must open my lips and answer.

²¹Let me not, I pray, show partiality to anyone;

Nor let me flatter any man.

²²For I do not know how to flatter,

Else my Maker would soon take me ^haway.

Elihu Contradicts Job

33“But please, Job, hear my speech, And listen to all my words.

²Now, I open my mouth;

My tongue speaks in my mouth.

³My words come from my upright heart;

My lips utter pure knowledge.

^4aThe Spirit of God has made me,

And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

⁵If you can answer me,

Set your words in order before me;

Take your stand.

^6bTruly I am ¹as your spokesman before God;

I also have been formed out of clay.

^7cSurely no fear of me will terrify you,

Nor will my hand be heavy on you.

⁸“Surely you have spoken ²in my hearing,

And I have heard the sound of your words, saying,

⁹‘I ^dam pure, without transgression;

I am innocent, and there is no iniquity in me.

¹⁰Yet He finds occasions against me,

^eHe counts me as His enemy;

^11fHe puts my feet in the stocks,

He watches all my paths.’

¹²“Look, in this you are not righteous.

I will answer you,

For God is greater than man.

¹³Why do you ^gcontend with Him?

For He does not give an accounting of any of His words.

^14hFor God may speak in one way, or in another,

Yet man does not perceive it.

¹⁵ⁱIn a dream, in a vision of the night,

When deep sleep falls upon men,

While slumbering on their beds,

^16jThen He opens the ears of men,

And seals their instruction.

¹⁷In order to turn man from his deed,

And conceal pride from man,

¹⁸He keeps back his soul from the Pit,

And his life from ³perishing by the sword.

¹⁹“Man is also chastened with pain on his ^kbed,

And with strong pain in many of his bones,

^20lSo that his life abhors ^mbread,

And his soul ⁴succulent food.

²¹His flesh wastes away from sight,

And his bones stick out which once were not seen.

²²Yes, his soul draws near the Pit,

And his life to the executioners.

²³“If there is a messenger for him,

A mediator, one among a thousand,

To show man His uprightness,

²⁴Then He is gracious to him, and says,

‘Deliver him from going down to the Pit;

I have found ⁵a ransom’;

²⁵His flesh shall be young like a child’s,

He shall return to the days of his youth.

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

He shall see His face with joy,

For He restores to man His righteousness.

²⁷Then he looks at men and ⁿsays,

‘I have sinned, and perverted what was right,

And it ^odid not profit me.’

²⁸He will ^predeem ⁶his soul from going down to the Pit,

And his life shall see the light.

²⁹“Behold, God works all these things,

Twice, in fact, three times with a man,

^30qTo bring back his soul from the Pit,

That he may be enlightened with the light of life.

³¹“Give ear, Job, listen to me;

Hold your peace, and I will speak.

³²If you have anything to say, answer me;

Speak, for I desire to justify you.

³³If not, ^rlisten to me;

⁷Hold your peace, and I will teach you wisdom.”

Elihu Proclaims God’s Justice

34Elihu further answered and said:

²“Hear my words, you wise men;

Give ear to me, you who have knowledge.

^3aFor the ear tests words

As the palate tastes food.

⁴Let us choose justice for ourselves;

Let us know among ourselves what is good.

⁵“For Job has said, ^b‘I am righteous,

But ^cGod has taken away my justice;

^6dShould I lie concerning my right?

My ¹wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’

⁷What man is like Job,

^eWho drinks ²scorn like water,

⁸Who goes in company with the workers of iniquity,

And walks with wicked men?

⁹For ^fhe has said, ‘It profits a man nothing

That he should delight in God.’

¹⁰“Therefore listen to me, you ³men of understanding:

^gFar be it from God to do wickedness,

And from the Almighty to commit iniquity.

^11hFor He repays man according to his work,

And makes man to find a reward according to his way.

¹²Surely God will never do wickedly,

Nor will the Almighty ⁱpervert justice.

¹³Who gave Him charge over the earth?

Or who appointed Him over the whole world?

¹⁴If He should set His heart on it,

If He should ^jgather to Himself His Spirit and His breath,

^15kAll flesh would perish together,

And man would return to dust.

¹⁶“If you have understanding, hear this;

Listen to the sound of my words:

^17lShould one who hates justice govern?

Will you ^mcondemn Him who is most just?

¹⁸ⁿIs it fitting to say to a king, ‘You are worthless,’

And to nobles, ‘You are wicked’?

¹⁹Yet He ^ois not partial to princes,

Nor does He regard the rich more than the poor;

For ^pthey are all the work of His hands.

²⁰In a moment they die, ^qin the middle of the night;

The people are shaken and pass away;

The mighty are taken away without a hand.

²¹“For ^rHis eyes are on the ways of man,

And He sees all his steps.

^22sThere is no darkness nor shadow of death

Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.

²³For He need not further consider a man,

That he should go before God in judgment.

^24tHe breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry,

And sets others in their place.

²⁵Therefore He knows their works;

He overthrows them in the night,

And they are crushed.

²⁶He strikes them as wicked men

In the open sight of others,

²⁷Because they ^uturned back from Him,

And ^vwould not consider any of His ways,

²⁸So that they ^wcaused the cry of the poor to come to Him;

For He ^xhears the cry of the afflicted.

²⁹When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble?

And when He hides His face, who then can see Him,

Whether it is against a nation or a man alone?—

³⁰That the hypocrite should not reign,

Lest the people be ensnared.

³¹“For has anyone said to God,

‘I have borne chastening;

I will offend no more;

³²Teach me what I do not see;

If I have done iniquity, I will do no more’?

³³Should He repay it according to your terms,

Just because you disavow it?

You must choose, and not I;

Therefore speak what you know.

³⁴“Men of understanding say to me,

Wise men who listen to me:

³⁵‘Job ^yspeaks without knowledge,

His words are without wisdom.’

³⁶Oh, that Job were tried to the utmost,

Because his answers are like those of wicked men!

³⁷For he adds ^zrebellion to his sin;

He claps his hands among us,

And multiplies his words against God.”

Elihu Condemns Self-Righteousness

35Moreover Elihu answered and said:

²“Do you think this is right?

Do you say,

‘My righteousness is more than God’s’?

³For ^ayou say,

‘What advantage will it be to You?

What profit shall I have, more than if I had sinned?’

⁴“I will answer you,

And ^byour companions with you.

^5cLook to the heavens and see;

And behold the clouds—

They are higher than you.

⁶If you sin, what do you accomplish ^dagainst Him?

Or, if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to Him?

^7eIf you are righteous, what do you give Him?

Or what does He receive from your hand?

⁸Your wickedness affects a man such as you,

And your righteousness a son of man.

⁹“Because ^fof the multitude of oppressions they cry out;

They cry out for help because of the arm of the mighty.

¹⁰But no one says, ^g‘Where is God my Maker,

^hWho gives songs in the night,

¹¹Who ⁱteaches us more than the beasts of the earth,

And makes us wiser than the birds of heaven?’

^12jThere they cry out, but He does not answer,

Because of the pride of evil men.

^13kSurely God will not listen to empty talk,

Nor will the Almighty regard it.

^14lAlthough you say you do not see Him,

Yet justice is before Him, and ^myou must wait for Him.

¹⁵And now, because He has not ⁿpunished in His anger,

Nor taken much notice of folly,

^16oTherefore Job opens his mouth in vain;

He multiplies words without knowledge.”

Elihu Proclaims God’s Goodness

36Elihu also proceeded and said:

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

That there are yet words to speak on God’s behalf.

³I will fetch my knowledge from afar;

I will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.

⁴For truly my words are not false;

One who is perfect in knowledge is with you.

⁵“Behold, God is mighty, but despises no one;

^aHe is mighty in strength ¹of understanding.

⁶He does not preserve the life of the wicked,

But gives justice to the ^boppressed.

^7cHe does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous;

But ^dthey are on the throne with kings,

For He has seated them forever,

And they are exalted.

⁸And ^eif they are bound in ²fetters,

Held in the cords of affliction,

⁹Then He tells them their work and their transgressions—

That they have acted ³defiantly.

^10fHe also opens their ear to ⁴instruction,

And commands that they turn from iniquity.

¹¹If they obey and serve Him,

They shall ^gspend their days in…