Job 34–35

¹And Elihu answereth and saith: ²Hear, O wise men, my words, And, O knowing ones, give ear to me. ³For the ear doth try words, And the palate tasteth to eat. ⁴Judgment let us choose for ourselves, Let us know among ourselves what is good. ⁵For Job hath said, ‘I have been righteous, And God hath turned aside my right, ⁶Against my right do I lie? Mortal is mine arrow—without transgression.’ ⁷Who is a man like Job? He drinketh scoffing like water, ⁸And he hath travelled for company With workers of iniquity, So as to go with men of wickedness. ⁹For he hath said, ‘It doth not profit a man, When he delighteth himself with God.’

¹⁰Therefore, O men of heart, hearken to me; Far be it from God to do wickedness, And from the Mighty to do perverseness: ¹¹For the work of man he repayeth to him, And according to the path of each He doth cause him to find. ¹²Yea, truly, God doth not do wickedly, And the Mighty doth not pervert judgment. ¹³Who hath inspected for Himself the earth? And who hath placed all the habitable world? ¹⁴If He doth set on him His heart, His spirit and his breath unto Him He gathereth. ¹⁵Expire doth all flesh together, And man to dust returneth.

¹⁶And if there is understanding, hear this, Give ear to the voice of my words. ¹⁷Yea, doth one hating justice govern? Or the Most Just dost thou condemn? ¹⁸Who hath said to a king—‘Worthless,’ Unto princes—‘Wicked?’ ¹⁹That hath not accepted the person of princes, Nor hath known the rich before the poor, For a work of His hands are all of them. ²⁰In a moment they die, and at midnight Shake do people, and they pass away, And they remove the mighty without hand. ²¹For His eyes are on the ways of each, And all his steps He doth see. ²²There is no darkness nor death-shade, For workers of iniquity to be hidden there; ²³For He doth not suffer man any more, To go unto God in judgment, ²⁴He breaketh the mighty—no searching! And He appointeth others in their stead. ²⁵Therefore He knoweth their works, And He hath overturned by night, And they are bruised. ²⁶As wicked He hath stricken them, In the place of beholders. ²⁷Because that against right They have turned aside from after Him, And none of His ways have considered wisely, ²⁸To cause to come in unto Him The cry of the poor, And the cry of the afflicted He heareth. ²⁹And He giveth rest, and who maketh wrong? And hideth the face, and who beholdeth it? And in reference to a nation and to a man, It is the same. ³⁰From the reigning of a profane man, From the snares of a people;

³¹For unto God hath any said: ‘I have taken away, I do not corruptly, ³²Besides that which I see, shew Thou me, If iniquity I have done—I do not add?’ ³³By thee doth He recompense, That thou hast refused—That thou dost choose, and not I? And what thou hast known, speak. ³⁴Let men of heart say to me, And a wise man is hearkening to me. ³⁵Job—not with knowledge doth he speak, And his words are not with wisdom. ³⁶My Father! let Job be tried—unto victory, Because of answers for men of iniquity, ³⁷For he doth add to his sin, Transgression among us he vomiteth, And multiplieth his sayings to God.

Chapter 35

¹And Elihu answereth and saith:— ²This hast thou reckoned for judgment: Thou hast said—‘My righteousness is more than God’s?’ ³For thou sayest, ‘What doth it profit Thee! What do I profit from my sin?’ ⁴I return thee words, and thy friends with thee, ⁵Behold attentively the heavens—and see, And behold the clouds, They have been higher than thou. ⁶If thou hast sinned, what dost thou against Him? And thy transgressions have been multiplied, What dost thou to Him? ⁷If thou hast been righteous, What dost thou give to Him? Or what from thy hand doth He receive? ⁸For a man like thyself is thy wickedness, And for a son of man thy righteousness.

⁹Because of the multitude of oppressions They cause to cry out, They cry because of the arm of the mighty. ¹⁰And none said, ‘Where is God my maker? Giving songs in the night, ¹¹Teaching us more than the beasts of the earth, Yea, than the fowl of the heavens He maketh us wiser.’ ¹²There they cry, and He doth not answer, Because of the pride of evil doers. ¹³Surely vanity God doth not hear, And the Mighty doth not behold it.

¹⁴Yea, though thou sayest thou dost not behold Him, Judgment is before Him, and stay for Him. ¹⁵And, now, because there is not, He hath appointed His anger, And He hath not known in great extremity. ¹⁶And Job with vanity doth open his mouth, Without knowledge words he multiplieth.

Chapter 36