Job 36–37

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 prosperity,

And their years in pleasures.

¹²But if they do not obey,

They shall perish by the sword,

And they shall die ⁵without ^hknowledge.

¹³“But the hypocrites in heart ⁱstore up wrath;

They do not cry for help when He binds them.

^14jThey ⁶die in youth,

And their life ends among the ⁷perverted persons.

¹⁵He delivers the poor in their affliction,

And opens their ears in oppression.

¹⁶“Indeed He would have brought you out of dire distress,

^kInto a broad place where there is no restraint;

And ^lwhat is set on your table would be full of ^mrichness.

¹⁷But you are filled with the judgment due the ⁿwicked;

Judgment and justice take hold of you.

¹⁸Because there is wrath, beware lest He take you away with one blow;

For ^oa large ransom would not help you avoid it.

^19pWill your riches,

Or all the mighty forces,

Keep you from distress?

²⁰Do not desire the night,

When people are cut off in their place.

²¹Take heed, ^qdo not turn to iniquity,

For ^ryou have chosen this rather than affliction.

²²“Behold, God is exalted by His power;

Who teaches like Him?

^23sWho has assigned Him His way,

Or who has said, ‘You have done ^twrong’?

Elihu Proclaims God’s Majesty

²⁴“Remember to ^umagnify His work,

Of which men have sung.

²⁵Everyone has seen it;

Man looks on it from afar.

²⁶“Behold, God is great, and we ^vdo not know Him;

^wNor can the number of His years be discovered.

²⁷For He ^xdraws up drops of water,

Which distill as rain from the mist,

^28yWhich the clouds drop down

And pour abundantly on man.

²⁹Indeed, can anyone understand the spreading of clouds,

The thunder from His canopy?

³⁰Look, He ^zscatters His light upon it,

And covers the depths of the sea.

³¹For ^aby these He judges the peoples;

He ^bgives food in abundance.

^32cHe covers His hands with lightning,

And commands it to ⁸strike.

^33dHis thunder declares it,

The cattle also, concerning ⁹the rising storm.

37“At this also my heart trembles, And leaps from its place.

²Hear attentively the thunder of His voice,

And the rumbling that comes from His mouth.

³He sends it forth under the whole heaven,

His ¹lightning to the ends of the earth.

⁴After it ^aa voice roars;

He thunders with His majestic voice,

And He does not restrain them when His voice is heard.

⁵God thunders marvelously with His voice;

^bHe does great things which we cannot comprehend.

⁶For ^cHe says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth’;

Likewise to the ²gentle rain and the heavy rain of His strength.

⁷He seals the hand of every man,

^dThat ^eall men may know His work.

⁸The beasts ^fgo into dens,

And remain in their lairs.

⁹From the chamber of the south comes the whirlwind,

And cold from the scattering winds of the north.

^10gBy the breath of God ice is given,

And the broad waters are frozen.

¹¹Also with moisture He saturates the thick clouds;

He scatters His ³bright clouds.

¹²And they swirl about, being turned by His guidance,

That they may ^hdo whatever He commands them

On the face of ⁴the whole earth.

¹³ⁱHe causes it to come,

Whether for ⁵correction,

Or ^jfor His land,

Or ^kfor mercy.

¹⁴“Listen to this, O Job;

Stand still and ^lconsider the wondrous works of God.

¹⁵Do you know when God ⁶dispatches them,

And causes the light of His cloud to shine?

^16mDo you know how the clouds are balanced,

Those wondrous works of ⁿHim who is perfect in knowledge?

¹⁷Why are your garments hot,

When He quiets the earth by the south wind?

¹⁸With Him, have you ^ospread out the ^pskies,

Strong as a cast metal mirror?

¹⁹“Teach us what we should say to Him,

For we can prepare nothing because of the darkness.

²⁰Should He be told that I wish to speak?

If a man were to speak, surely he would be swallowed up.

²¹Even now men cannot look at the light when it is bright in the skies,

When the wind has passed and cleared them.

²²He comes from the north as golden splendor;

With God is awesome majesty.

²³As for the Almighty, ^qwe cannot find Him;

^rHe is excellent in power,

In judgment and abundant justice;

He does not oppress.

²⁴Therefore men ^sfear Him;

He shows no partiality to any who are ^twise of heart.”