Job 32–37

Chapter 32

¹So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. ²Then Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became angry. He was angry at Job because he justified himself rather than God; ³he was angry also at Job’s three friends because they had found no answer, although they had declared Job to be in the wrong. ⁴Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were older than he. ⁵And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, he became angry.

⁶And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered:

“I am young in years,

and you are aged;

therefore I was timid and afraid

to declare my opinion to you.

⁷I said, ‘Let days speak,

and many years teach wisdom.’

⁸But it is the spirit in a man,

the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.

⁹It is not the old^r that are wise,

nor the aged that understand what is right.

¹⁰Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me;

let me also declare my opinion.’

¹¹“Behold, I waited for your words,

I listened for your wise sayings,

while you searched out what to say.

¹²I gave you my attention,

and, behold, there was none that confuted Job,

or that answered his words, among you.

¹³Beware lest you say, ‘We have found wisdom;

God may vanquish him, not man.’

¹⁴He has not directed his words against me,

and I will not answer him with your speeches.

¹⁵“They are discomfited, they answer no more;

they have not a word to say.

¹⁶And shall I wait, because they do not speak,

because they stand there, and answer no more?

¹⁷I also will give my answer;

I also will declare my opinion.

¹⁸For I am full of words,

the spirit within me constrains me.

¹⁹Behold, my heart is like wine that has no vent;

like new wineskins, it is ready to burst.

²⁰I must speak, that I may find relief;

I must open my lips and answer.

²¹I will not show partiality to any person

or use flattery toward any man.

²²For I do not know how to flatter,

else would my Maker soon put an end to me.

Chapter 33

¹“But now, hear my speech, O Job,

and listen to all my words.

²Behold, I open my mouth;

the tongue in my mouth speaks.

³My words declare the uprightness of my heart,

and what my lips know they speak sincerely.

⁴The spirit of God has made me,

and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

⁵Answer me, if you can;

set your words in order before me; take your stand.

⁶Behold, I am toward God as you are;

I too was formed from a piece of clay.

⁷Behold, no fear of me need terrify you;

my pressure will not be heavy upon you.

⁸“Surely, you have spoken in my hearing,

and I have heard the sound of your words.

⁹You say, ‘I am clean, without transgression;

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

¹⁰Behold, he finds occasions against me,

he counts me as his enemy;

¹¹he puts my feet in the stocks,

and watches all my paths.’

¹²“Behold, in this you are not right. I will answer you.

God is greater than man.

¹³Why do you contend against him,

saying, ‘He will answer none of my^s words’?

¹⁴For God speaks in one way,

and in two, though man does not perceive it.

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

when deep sleep falls upon men,

while they slumber on their beds,

¹⁶then he opens the ears of men,

and terrifies them with warnings,

¹⁷that he may turn man aside from his deed,

and cut off^t pride from man;

¹⁸he keeps back his soul from the Pit,

his life from perishing by the sword.

¹⁹“Man is also chastened with pain upon his bed,

and with continual strife in his bones;

²⁰so that his life loathes bread,

and his appetite dainty food.

²¹His flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen;

and his bones which were not seen stick out.

²²His soul draws near the Pit,

and his life to those who bring death.

²³If there be for him an angel,

a mediator, one of the thousand,

to declare to man what is right for him;

²⁴and he is gracious to him, and says,

‘Deliver him from going down into the Pit,

I have found a ransom;

²⁵let his flesh become fresh with youth;

let him return to the days of his youthful vigor’;

²⁶then man prays to God, and he accepts him,

he comes into his presence with joy.

He recounts^u to men his salvation,

²⁷and he sings before men, and says:

‘I sinned and perverted what was right,

and it was not requited to me.^v

²⁸He has redeemed my soul from going down into the Pit,

and my life shall see the light.’

²⁹“Behold, God does all these things,

twice, three times, with a man,

³⁰to bring back his soul from the Pit,

that he may see the light of life.

³¹Give heed, O Job, listen to me;

be silent, and I will speak.

³²If you have anything to say, answer me;

speak, for I desire to justify you.

³³If not, listen to me;

be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

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^w the whole world?

¹⁴If he should take back his spirit^x 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^y 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,^a

¹⁶Job opens his mouth in empty talk,

he multiplies words without knowledge.”

Chapter 36

¹And Elihu continued, and said:

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

for I have yet something to say on God’s behalf.

³I will fetch my knowledge from afar,

and 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, and does not despise any;

he is mighty in strength of understanding.

⁶He does not keep the wicked alive,

but gives the afflicted their right.

⁷He does not withdraw his eyes from the righteous,

but with kings upon the throne

he sets them for ever, and they are exalted.

⁸And if they are bound in fetters

and caught in the cords of affliction,

⁹then he declares to them their work

and their transgressions, that they are behaving arrogantly.

¹⁰He opens their ears to instruction,

and commands that they return from iniquity.

¹¹If…