Job 34–35

Chapter 34

¹Then Elihu said:

²“Hear my words, you wise men,

and give ear to me, you who know;

³for the ear tests words

as the palate tastes food.

⁴Let us choose what is right;

let us determine among ourselves what is good.

⁵For Job has said, ‘I am innocent,

and God has taken away my right;

⁶in spite of my right I am counted a liar;

my wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’

⁷What man is like Job,

who drinks up scoffing like water,

⁸who goes in company with evildoers

and walks with wicked men?

⁹For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing

that he should take delight in God.’

¹⁰“Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding,

far be it from God that he should do wickedness,

and from the Almighty that he should do wrong.

¹¹For according to the work of a man he will requite him,

and according to his ways he will make it befall him.

¹²Of a truth, God will not do wickedly,

and the Almighty will not pervert justice.

¹³Who gave him charge over the earth

and who laid on him the whole world?

¹⁴If he should take back his spirit to himself,

and gather to himself his breath,

¹⁵all flesh would perish together,

and man would return to dust.

¹⁶“If you have understanding, hear this;

listen to what I say.

¹⁷Shall one who hates justice govern?

Will you condemn him who is righteous and mighty,

¹⁸who says to a king, ‘Worthless one,’

and to nobles, ‘Wicked man’;

¹⁹who shows no partiality to princes,

nor regards the rich more than the poor,

for they are all the work of his hands?

²⁰In a moment they die;

at midnight the people are shaken and pass away,

and the mighty are taken away by no human hand.

²¹“For his eyes are upon the ways of a man,

and he sees all his steps.

²²There is no gloom or deep darkness

where evildoers may hide themselves.

²³For he has not appointed a time for any man

to go before God in judgment.

²⁴He shatters the mighty without investigation,

and sets others in their place.

²⁵Thus, knowing their works,

he overturns them in the night, and they are crushed.

²⁶He strikes them for their wickedness

in the sight of men,

²⁷because they turned aside from following him,

and had no regard for any of his ways,

²⁸so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him,

and he heard the cry of the afflicted—

²⁹When he is quiet, who can condemn?

When he hides his face, who can behold him,

whether it be a nation or a man? —

³⁰that a godless man should not reign,

that he should not ensnare the people.

³¹“For has any one said to God,

‘I have borne chastisement; I will not offend any more;

³²teach me what I do not see;

if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more’?

³³Will he then make requital to suit you,

because you reject it?

For you must choose, and not I;

therefore declare what you know.

³⁴Men of understanding will say to me,

and the wise man who hears me will say:

³⁵‘Job speaks without knowledge,

his words are without insight.’

³⁶Would that Job were tried to the end,

because he answers like wicked men.

³⁷For he adds rebellion to his sin;

he claps his hands among us,

and multiplies his words against God.”

Chapter 35

¹And Elihu said:

²“Do you think this to be just?

Do you say, ‘It is my right before God,’

³that you ask, ‘What advantage have I?

How am I better off than if I had sinned?’

⁴I will answer you

and your friends with you.

⁵Look at the heavens, and see;

and behold the clouds, which are higher than you.

⁶If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against him?

And if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him?

⁷If you are righteous, what do you give to him;

or what does he receive from your hand?

⁸Your wickedness concerns a man like yourself,

and your righteousness a son of man.

⁹“Because of the multitude of oppressions people cry out;

they call for help because of the arm of the mighty.

¹⁰But none says, ‘Where is God my Maker,

who gives songs in the night,

¹¹who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth,

and makes us wiser than the birds of the air?’

¹²There they cry out, but he does not answer,

because of the pride of evil men.

¹³Surely God does not hear an empty cry,

nor does the Almighty regard it.

¹⁴How much less when you say that you do not see him,

that the case is before him, and you are waiting for him!

¹⁵And now, because his anger does not punish,

and he does not greatly heed transgression,

¹⁶Job opens his mouth in empty talk,

he multiplies words without knowledge.”