Job 33

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.”