38Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind:
2‘Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
3Gird up your loins like a man,
I will question you, and you shall declare to me.
4‘Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
5Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
6On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone
7when the morning stars sang together
and all the heavenly beings* shouted for joy?
8‘Or who shut in the sea with doors
when it burst out from the womb?—
9when I made the clouds its garment,
and thick darkness its swaddling band,
10and prescribed bounds for it,
and set bars and doors,
11and said, “Thus far shall you come, and no farther,
and here shall your proud waves be stopped”?
12‘Have you commanded the morning since your days began,
and caused the dawn to know its place,
13so that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth,
and the wicked be shaken out of it?
14It is changed like clay under the seal,
and it is dyed* like a garment.
15Light is withheld from the wicked,
and their uplifted arm is broken.
16‘Have you entered into the springs of the sea,
or walked in the recesses of the deep?
17Have the gates of death been revealed to you,
or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?
18Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?
Declare, if you know all this.
19‘Where is the way to the dwelling of light,
and where is the place of darkness,
20that you may take it to its territory
and that you may discern the paths to its home?
21Surely you know, for you were born then,
and the number of your days is great!
22‘Have you entered the storehouses of the snow,
or have you seen the storehouses of the hail,
23which I have reserved for the time of trouble,
for the day of battle and war?
24What is the way to the place where the light is distributed,
or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?
25‘Who has cut a channel for the torrents of rain,
and a way for the thunderbolt,
26to bring rain on a land where no one lives,
on the desert, which is empty of human life,
27to satisfy the waste and desolate land,
and to make the ground put forth grass?
28‘Has the rain a father,
or who has begotten the drops of dew?
29From whose womb did the ice come forth,
and who has given birth to the hoar-frost of heaven?
30The waters become hard like stone,
and the face of the deep is frozen.
31‘Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades,
or loose the cords of Orion?
32Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season,
or can you guide the Bear with its children?
33Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?
Can you establish their rule on the earth?
34‘Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
so that a flood of waters may cover you?
35Can you send forth lightnings, so that they may go
and say to you, “Here we are”?
36Who has put wisdom in the inward parts,*
or given understanding to the mind?*
37Who has the wisdom to number the clouds?
Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,
38when the dust runs into a mass
and the clods cling together?
39‘Can you hunt the prey for the lion,
or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
40when they crouch in their dens,
or lie in wait in their covert?
41Who provides for the raven its prey,
when its young ones cry to God,
and wander about for lack of food?
39‘Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?
Do you observe the calving of the deer?
2Can you number the months that they fulfil,
and do you know the time when they give birth,
3when they crouch to give birth to their offspring,
and are delivered of their young?
4Their young ones become strong, they grow up in the open;
they go forth, and do not return to them.
5‘Who has let the wild ass go free?
Who has loosed the bonds of the swift ass,
6to which I have given the steppe for its home,
the salt land for its dwelling-place?
7It scorns the tumult of the city;
it does not hear the shouts of the driver.
8It ranges the mountains as its pasture,
and it searches after every green thing.
9‘Is the wild ox willing to serve you?
Will it spend the night at your crib?
10Can you tie it in the furrow with ropes,
or will it harrow the valleys after you?
11Will you depend on it because its strength is great,
and will you hand over your labour to it?
12Do you have faith in it that it will return,
and bring your grain to your threshing-floor?*
13‘The ostrich’s wings flap wildly,
though its pinions lack plumage.*
14For it leaves its eggs to the earth,
and lets them be warmed on the ground,
15forgetting that a foot may crush them,
and that a wild animal may trample them.
16It deals cruelly with its young, as if they were not its own;
though its labour should be in vain, yet it has no fear;
17because God has made it forget wisdom,
and given it no share in understanding.
18When it spreads its plumes aloft,*
it laughs at the horse and its rider.
19‘Do you give the horse its might?
Do you clothe its neck with mane?
20Do you make it leap like the locust?
Its majestic snorting is terrible.
21It paws* violently, exults mightily;
it goes out to meet the weapons.
22It laughs at fear, and is not dismayed;
it does not turn back from the sword.
23Upon it rattle the quiver,
the flashing spear, and the javelin.
24With fierceness and rage it swallows the ground;
it cannot stand still at the sound of the trumpet.
25When the trumpet sounds, it says “Aha!”
From a distance it smells the battle,
the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
26‘Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars,
and spreads its wings towards the south?
27Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up
and makes its nest on high?
28It lives on the rock and makes its home
in the fastness of the rocky crag.
29From there it spies the prey;
its eyes see it from far away.
30Its young ones suck up blood;
and where the slain are, there it is.’
40And the Lord said to Job:
2‘Shall a fault-finder contend with the Almighty?*
Anyone who argues with God must respond.’
Job’s Response to God
3Then Job answered the Lord:
4‘See, I am of small account; what shall I answer you?
I lay my hand on my mouth.
5I have spoken once, and I will not answer;
twice, but will proceed no further.’
God’s Challenge to Job6 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind:
7‘Gird up your loins like a man;
I will question you, and you declare to me.
8Will you even put me in the wrong?
Will you condemn me that you may be justified?
9Have you an arm like God,
and can you thunder with a voice like his?
10‘Deck yourself with majesty and dignity;
clothe yourself with glory and splendour.
11Pour out the overflowings of your anger,
and look on all who are proud, and abase them.
12Look on all who are proud, and bring them low;
tread down the wicked where they stand.
13Hide them all in the dust together;
bind their faces in the world below.*
14Then I will also acknowledge to you
that your own right hand can give you victory.
15‘Look at Behemoth,
which I made just as I made you;
it eats grass like an ox.
16Its strength is in its loins,
and its power in the muscles of its belly.
17It makes its tail stiff like a cedar;
the sinews of its thighs are knit together.
18Its bones are tubes of bronze,
its limbs like bars of iron.
19‘It is the first of the great acts of God—
only its Maker can approach it with the sword.
20For the mountains yield food for it
where all the wild animals play.
21Under the lotus plants it lies,
in the covert of the reeds and in the marsh.
22The lotus trees cover it for shade;
the willows of the wadi surround it.
23Even if the river is turbulent, it is not frightened;
it is confident though Jordan rushes against its mouth.
24Can one take it with hooks*
or pierce its nose with a snare?
41*‘Can you draw out Leviathan* with a fish-hook,
or press down its tongue with a cord?
2Can you put a rope in its nose,
or pierce its jaw with a hook?
3Will it make many supplications to you?
Will it speak soft words to you?
4Will it make a covenant with you
to be taken as your servant for ever?
5Will you play with it as with a bird,
or will you put it on a leash for your girls?
6Will traders bargain over it?
Will they divide it up among the merchants?
7Can you fill its skin with harpoons,
or its head with fishing-spears?
8Lay hands on it;
think of the battle; you will not do it again!
9*Any hope of capturing it* will be disappointed;
were not even the gods* overwhelmed at the sight of it?
10No one is so fierce as to dare to stir it up.
Who can stand before it?*
11Who can confront it* and be safe?*
—under the whole heaven, who?*
12‘I will not keep silence concerning its limbs,
or its mighty strength, or its splendid frame.
13Who can strip off its outer garment?
Who can penetrate its double coat of mail?*
14Who can open the doors of its face?
There is terror all around its teeth.
15Its back* is made of shields in rows,
shut up closely as with a seal.
16One is so near to another
that no air can come between them.
17They are joined one to another;
they clasp each other and cannot be separated.
18Its sneezes flash forth light,
and its eyes are like the eyelids of the dawn.
19From its mouth go flaming torches;
sparks of fire leap out.
20Out of its nostrils comes smoke,
as from a boiling pot and burning rushes.
21Its breath kindles coals,
and a flame comes out of its mouth.
22In its neck abides strength,
and terror dances before it.
23The folds of its flesh cling together;
it is firmly cast and immovable.
24Its heart is as hard as stone,
as hard as the lower millstone.
25When it raises itself up the gods are afraid;
at the crashing they are beside themselves.
26Though the sword reaches it, it does not avail,
nor does the spear, the dart, or the javelin.
27It counts iron as straw,
and bronze as rotten wood.
28The arrow cannot make it flee;
slingstones, for it, are turned to chaff.
29Clubs are counted as chaff;
it laughs at the rattle of javelins.
30Its underparts are like sharp potsherds;
it spreads itself like a threshing-sledge on the mire.
31It makes the deep boil like a pot;
it makes the sea like a pot of ointment.
32It leaves a shining wake behind it;
one would think the deep to be white-haired.
33On earth it has no equal,
a creature without fear.
34It surveys everything that is lofty;
it is king over all that are proud.’
Job Is Humbled and Satisfied42Then Job answered the Lord:
2‘I know that you can do all things,
and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
3“Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?”
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
4“Hear, and I will speak;
I will question you, and you declare to me.”
5I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
but now my eye sees you;
6therefore I despise myself,
and repent in dust and ashes.’
Job’s Friends Are Humiliated7 After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: ‘My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends; for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. 8Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt-offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly; for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has done.’ 9So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the Lord had told them; and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.
Job’s Fortunes Are Restored Twofold10 And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his friends; and the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. 11Then there came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and they ate bread with him in his house; they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him; and each of them gave him a piece of money* and a gold ring. 12The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; and he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand donkeys. 13He also had seven sons and three daughters. 14He named the first Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. 15In all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job’s daughters; and their father gave them an inheritance along with their brothers. 16After this Job lived for one hundred and forty years, and saw his children, and his children’s children, four generations. 17And Job died, old and full of days.
Friday, May 29, 2009
May 28 Job 32-37
32So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2Then Elihu 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, though they had declared Job to be in the wrong.* 4Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job, because they were older than he. 5But when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouths of these three men, he became angry.
6 Elihu 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 truly it is the spirit in a mortal,
the breath of the Almighty,* that makes for understanding.
9It is not the old* that are wise,
nor the aged that understand what is right.
10Therefore I say, “Listen to me;
let me also declare my opinion.”
11‘See, I waited for your words,
I listened for your wise sayings,
while you searched out what to say.
12I gave you my attention,
but there was in fact no one that confuted Job,
no one among you that answered his words.
13Yet do not say, “We have found wisdom;
God may vanquish him, not a human.”
14He has not directed his words against me,
and I will not answer him with your speeches.
15‘They are dismayed, they answer no more;
they have not a word to say.
16And am I to 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.
19My heart is indeed like wine that has no vent;
like new wineskins, it is ready to burst.
20I must speak, so that I may find relief;
I must open my lips and answer.
21I will not show partiality to any person
or use flattery towards anyone.
22For I do not know how to flatter—
or my Maker would soon put an end to me!
Elihu Rebukes Job33‘But now, hear my speech, O Job,
and listen to all my words.
2See, 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.
6See, before God I am as you are;
I too was formed from a piece of clay.
7No fear of me need terrify you;
my pressure will not be heavy on 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.
10Look, he finds occasions against me,
he counts me as his enemy;
11he puts my feet in the stocks,
and watches all my paths.”
12‘But in this you are not right. I will answer you:
God is greater than any mortal.
13Why do you contend against him,
saying, “He will answer none of my* words”?
14For God speaks in one way,
and in two, though people do not perceive it.
15In a dream, in a vision of the night,
when deep sleep falls on mortals,
while they slumber on their beds,
16then he opens their ears,
and terrifies them with warnings,
17that he may turn them aside from their deeds,
and keep them from pride,
18to spare their souls from the Pit,
their lives from traversing the River.
19They are also chastened with pain upon their beds,
and with continual strife in their bones,
20so that their lives loathe bread,
and their appetites dainty food.
21Their flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen;
and their bones, once invisible, now stick out.
22Their souls draw near the Pit,
and their lives to those who bring death.
23Then, if there should be for one of them an angel,
a mediator, one of a thousand,
one who declares a person upright,
24and he is gracious to that person, 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 vigour”;
26then he prays to God, and is accepted by him,
he comes into his presence with joy,
and God* repays him for his righteousness.
27 That person sings to others and says,
“I sinned, and perverted what was right,
and it was not paid back to me.
28He has redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit,
and my life shall see the light.”
29‘God indeed does all these things,
twice, three times, with mortals,
30to bring back their souls from the Pit,
so that they may see the light of life.*
31Pay heed, 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.’
Elihu Proclaims God’s Justice34Then Elihu continued and 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 being right I am counted a liar;
my wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.”
7Who is there like Job,
who drinks up scoffing like water,
8who goes in company with evildoers
and walks with the wicked?
9For he has said, “It profits one nothing
to take delight in God.”
10‘Therefore, hear me, you who have sense,
far be it from God that he should do wickedness,
and from the Almighty* that he should do wrong.
11For according to their deeds he will repay them,
and according to their ways he will make it befall them.
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 all mortals return to dust.
16‘If you have understanding, hear this;
listen to what I say.
17Shall one who hates justice govern?
Will you condemn one who is righteous and mighty,
18who says to a king, “You scoundrel!”
and to princes, “You wicked men!”;
19who shows no partiality to nobles,
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 mortals,
and he sees all their steps.
22There is no gloom or deep darkness
where evildoers may hide themselves.
23For he has not appointed a time* for anyone
to go before God in judgement.
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
while others look on,
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 an individual?—
30so that the godless should not reign,
or those who ensnare the people.
31‘For has anyone said to God,
“I have endured punishment; 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 pay back to suit you,
because you reject it?
For you must choose, and not I;
therefore declare what you know.*
34Those who have sense will say to me,
and the wise who hear me will say,
35“Job speaks without knowledge,
his words are without insight.”
36Would that Job were tried to the limit,
because his answers are those of the wicked.
37For he adds rebellion to his sin;
he claps his hands among us,
and multiplies his words against God.’
Elihu Condemns Self-Righteousness35Elihu continued and said:
2‘Do you think this to be just?
You say, “I am in the right before God.”
3If 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;
observe 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 affects others like you,
and your righteousness, other human beings.
9‘Because of the multitude of oppressions people cry out;
they call for help because of the arm of the mighty.
10But no one says, “Where is God my Maker,
who gives strength in the night,
11who teaches us more than the animals 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 evildoers.
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.’
Elihu Exalts God’s Goodness36Elihu 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 bring my knowledge from far away,
and ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
4For truly my words are not false;
one who is perfect in knowledge is with you.
5‘Surely 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 on 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 they listen, and serve him,
they complete their days in prosperity,
and their years in pleasantness.
12But if they do not listen, they shall perish by the sword,
and die without knowledge.
13‘The godless in heart cherish anger;
they do not cry for help when he binds them.
14They die in their youth,
and their life ends in shame.*
15He delivers the afflicted by their affliction,
and opens their ear by adversity.
16He also allured you out of distress
into a broad place where there was no constraint,
and what was set on your table was full of fatness.
17‘But you are obsessed with the case of the wicked;
judgement and justice seize you.
18Beware that wrath does not entice you into scoffing,
and do not let the greatness of the ransom turn you aside.
19Will your cry avail to keep you from distress,
or will all the force of your strength?
20Do not long for the night,
when peoples are cut off in their place.
21Beware! Do not turn to iniquity;
because of that you have been tried by affliction.
22See, God is exalted in his power;
who is a teacher like him?
23Who has prescribed for him his way,
or who can say, “You have done wrong”?
Elihu Proclaims God’s Majesty
24‘Remember to extol his work,
of which mortals have sung.
25All people have looked on it;
everyone watches it from far away.
26Surely God is great, and we do not know him;
the number of his years is unsearchable.
27For he draws up the drops of water;
he distils* his mist in rain,
28which the skies pour down
and drop upon mortals abundantly.
29Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds,
the thunderings of his pavilion?
30See, he scatters his lightning around him
and covers the roots of the sea.
31For by these he governs peoples;
he gives food in abundance.
32He covers his hands with the lightning,
and commands it to strike the mark.
33Its crashing* tells about him;
he is jealous* with anger against iniquity.
37‘At this also my heart trembles,
and leaps out of its place.
2Listen, listen to the thunder of his voice
and the rumbling that comes from his mouth.
3Under the whole heaven he lets it loose,
and his lightning to the corners of the earth.
4After it his voice roars;
he thunders with his majestic voice
and he does not restrain the lightnings* when his voice is heard.
5God thunders wondrously with his voice;
he does great things that we cannot comprehend.
6For to the snow he says, “Fall on the earth”;
and the shower of rain, his heavy shower of rain,
7serves as a sign on everyone’s hand,
so that all whom he has made may know it.*
8Then the animals go into their lairs
and remain in their dens.
9From its chamber comes the whirlwind,
and cold from the scattering winds.
10By the breath of God ice is given,
and the broad waters are frozen fast.
11He loads the thick cloud with moisture;
the clouds scatter his lightning.
12They turn round and round by his guidance,
to accomplish all that he commands them
on the face of the habitable world.
13Whether for correction, or for his land,
or for love, he causes it to happen.
14‘Hear this, O Job;
stop and consider the wondrous works of God.
15Do you know how God lays his command upon them,
and causes the lightning of his cloud to shine?
16Do you know the balancings of the clouds,
the wondrous works of the one whose knowledge is perfect,
17you whose garments are hot
when the earth is still because of the south wind?
18Can you, like him, spread out the skies,
unyielding as a cast mirror?
19Teach us what we shall say to him;
we cannot draw up our case because of darkness.
20Should he be told that I want to speak?
Did anyone ever wish to be swallowed up?
21Now, no one can look on the light
when it is bright in the skies,
when the wind has passed and cleared them.
22Out of the north comes golden splendour;
around God is awesome majesty.
23The Almighty*—we cannot find him;
he is great in power and justice,
and abundant righteousness he will not violate.
24Therefore mortals fear him;
he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit.’
6 Elihu 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 truly it is the spirit in a mortal,
the breath of the Almighty,* that makes for understanding.
9It is not the old* that are wise,
nor the aged that understand what is right.
10Therefore I say, “Listen to me;
let me also declare my opinion.”
11‘See, I waited for your words,
I listened for your wise sayings,
while you searched out what to say.
12I gave you my attention,
but there was in fact no one that confuted Job,
no one among you that answered his words.
13Yet do not say, “We have found wisdom;
God may vanquish him, not a human.”
14He has not directed his words against me,
and I will not answer him with your speeches.
15‘They are dismayed, they answer no more;
they have not a word to say.
16And am I to 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.
19My heart is indeed like wine that has no vent;
like new wineskins, it is ready to burst.
20I must speak, so that I may find relief;
I must open my lips and answer.
21I will not show partiality to any person
or use flattery towards anyone.
22For I do not know how to flatter—
or my Maker would soon put an end to me!
Elihu Rebukes Job33‘But now, hear my speech, O Job,
and listen to all my words.
2See, 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.
6See, before God I am as you are;
I too was formed from a piece of clay.
7No fear of me need terrify you;
my pressure will not be heavy on 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.
10Look, he finds occasions against me,
he counts me as his enemy;
11he puts my feet in the stocks,
and watches all my paths.”
12‘But in this you are not right. I will answer you:
God is greater than any mortal.
13Why do you contend against him,
saying, “He will answer none of my* words”?
14For God speaks in one way,
and in two, though people do not perceive it.
15In a dream, in a vision of the night,
when deep sleep falls on mortals,
while they slumber on their beds,
16then he opens their ears,
and terrifies them with warnings,
17that he may turn them aside from their deeds,
and keep them from pride,
18to spare their souls from the Pit,
their lives from traversing the River.
19They are also chastened with pain upon their beds,
and with continual strife in their bones,
20so that their lives loathe bread,
and their appetites dainty food.
21Their flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen;
and their bones, once invisible, now stick out.
22Their souls draw near the Pit,
and their lives to those who bring death.
23Then, if there should be for one of them an angel,
a mediator, one of a thousand,
one who declares a person upright,
24and he is gracious to that person, 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 vigour”;
26then he prays to God, and is accepted by him,
he comes into his presence with joy,
and God* repays him for his righteousness.
27 That person sings to others and says,
“I sinned, and perverted what was right,
and it was not paid back to me.
28He has redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit,
and my life shall see the light.”
29‘God indeed does all these things,
twice, three times, with mortals,
30to bring back their souls from the Pit,
so that they may see the light of life.*
31Pay heed, 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.’
Elihu Proclaims God’s Justice34Then Elihu continued and 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 being right I am counted a liar;
my wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.”
7Who is there like Job,
who drinks up scoffing like water,
8who goes in company with evildoers
and walks with the wicked?
9For he has said, “It profits one nothing
to take delight in God.”
10‘Therefore, hear me, you who have sense,
far be it from God that he should do wickedness,
and from the Almighty* that he should do wrong.
11For according to their deeds he will repay them,
and according to their ways he will make it befall them.
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 all mortals return to dust.
16‘If you have understanding, hear this;
listen to what I say.
17Shall one who hates justice govern?
Will you condemn one who is righteous and mighty,
18who says to a king, “You scoundrel!”
and to princes, “You wicked men!”;
19who shows no partiality to nobles,
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 mortals,
and he sees all their steps.
22There is no gloom or deep darkness
where evildoers may hide themselves.
23For he has not appointed a time* for anyone
to go before God in judgement.
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
while others look on,
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 an individual?—
30so that the godless should not reign,
or those who ensnare the people.
31‘For has anyone said to God,
“I have endured punishment; 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 pay back to suit you,
because you reject it?
For you must choose, and not I;
therefore declare what you know.*
34Those who have sense will say to me,
and the wise who hear me will say,
35“Job speaks without knowledge,
his words are without insight.”
36Would that Job were tried to the limit,
because his answers are those of the wicked.
37For he adds rebellion to his sin;
he claps his hands among us,
and multiplies his words against God.’
Elihu Condemns Self-Righteousness35Elihu continued and said:
2‘Do you think this to be just?
You say, “I am in the right before God.”
3If 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;
observe 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 affects others like you,
and your righteousness, other human beings.
9‘Because of the multitude of oppressions people cry out;
they call for help because of the arm of the mighty.
10But no one says, “Where is God my Maker,
who gives strength in the night,
11who teaches us more than the animals 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 evildoers.
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.’
Elihu Exalts God’s Goodness36Elihu 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 bring my knowledge from far away,
and ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
4For truly my words are not false;
one who is perfect in knowledge is with you.
5‘Surely 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 on 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 they listen, and serve him,
they complete their days in prosperity,
and their years in pleasantness.
12But if they do not listen, they shall perish by the sword,
and die without knowledge.
13‘The godless in heart cherish anger;
they do not cry for help when he binds them.
14They die in their youth,
and their life ends in shame.*
15He delivers the afflicted by their affliction,
and opens their ear by adversity.
16He also allured you out of distress
into a broad place where there was no constraint,
and what was set on your table was full of fatness.
17‘But you are obsessed with the case of the wicked;
judgement and justice seize you.
18Beware that wrath does not entice you into scoffing,
and do not let the greatness of the ransom turn you aside.
19Will your cry avail to keep you from distress,
or will all the force of your strength?
20Do not long for the night,
when peoples are cut off in their place.
21Beware! Do not turn to iniquity;
because of that you have been tried by affliction.
22See, God is exalted in his power;
who is a teacher like him?
23Who has prescribed for him his way,
or who can say, “You have done wrong”?
Elihu Proclaims God’s Majesty
24‘Remember to extol his work,
of which mortals have sung.
25All people have looked on it;
everyone watches it from far away.
26Surely God is great, and we do not know him;
the number of his years is unsearchable.
27For he draws up the drops of water;
he distils* his mist in rain,
28which the skies pour down
and drop upon mortals abundantly.
29Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds,
the thunderings of his pavilion?
30See, he scatters his lightning around him
and covers the roots of the sea.
31For by these he governs peoples;
he gives food in abundance.
32He covers his hands with the lightning,
and commands it to strike the mark.
33Its crashing* tells about him;
he is jealous* with anger against iniquity.
37‘At this also my heart trembles,
and leaps out of its place.
2Listen, listen to the thunder of his voice
and the rumbling that comes from his mouth.
3Under the whole heaven he lets it loose,
and his lightning to the corners of the earth.
4After it his voice roars;
he thunders with his majestic voice
and he does not restrain the lightnings* when his voice is heard.
5God thunders wondrously with his voice;
he does great things that we cannot comprehend.
6For to the snow he says, “Fall on the earth”;
and the shower of rain, his heavy shower of rain,
7serves as a sign on everyone’s hand,
so that all whom he has made may know it.*
8Then the animals go into their lairs
and remain in their dens.
9From its chamber comes the whirlwind,
and cold from the scattering winds.
10By the breath of God ice is given,
and the broad waters are frozen fast.
11He loads the thick cloud with moisture;
the clouds scatter his lightning.
12They turn round and round by his guidance,
to accomplish all that he commands them
on the face of the habitable world.
13Whether for correction, or for his land,
or for love, he causes it to happen.
14‘Hear this, O Job;
stop and consider the wondrous works of God.
15Do you know how God lays his command upon them,
and causes the lightning of his cloud to shine?
16Do you know the balancings of the clouds,
the wondrous works of the one whose knowledge is perfect,
17you whose garments are hot
when the earth is still because of the south wind?
18Can you, like him, spread out the skies,
unyielding as a cast mirror?
19Teach us what we shall say to him;
we cannot draw up our case because of darkness.
20Should he be told that I want to speak?
Did anyone ever wish to be swallowed up?
21Now, no one can look on the light
when it is bright in the skies,
when the wind has passed and cleared them.
22Out of the north comes golden splendour;
around God is awesome majesty.
23The Almighty*—we cannot find him;
he is great in power and justice,
and abundant righteousness he will not violate.
24Therefore mortals fear him;
he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit.’
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