Job 30-37
New American Standard Bible
Chapter 30
1'But now those who are younger than I mock me, Whose fathers I refused to put with the dogs of my flock. 2Indeed, what good was the strength of their hands to me? Vigor had perished from them. 3From poverty and famine they are gaunt, They who gnaw at the dry ground by night in waste and desolation, 4Who pluck saltweed by the bushes, And whose food is the root of the broom shrub. 5They are driven from the community; They shout against them as against a thief, 6So that they live on the slopes of ravines, In holes in the ground and among the rocks. 7Among the bushes they cry out; Under the weeds they are gathered together. 8Worthless fellows, even those without a name, They were cast out from the land. 9'And now I have become their taunt, And I have become a byword to them. 10They loathe me and stand aloof from me, And they do not refrain from spitting in my face. 11Because He has undone my bowstring and afflicted me, They have cast off the bridle before me. 12On the right hand their mob arises; They push aside my feet and pile up their ways of destruction against me. 13They break up my path, They promote my destruction; No one restrains them. 14As through a wide gap they come, Amid the storm they roll on. 15Sudden terrors are turned upon me; They chase away my dignity like the wind, And my prosperity has passed away like a cloud. 16'And now my soul is poured out within me; Days of misery have seized me. 17At night it pierces my bones within me, And my gnawing pains do not rest. 18By a great force my garment is distorted; It ties me up like the collar of my coat. 19He has thrown me into the mire, And I have become like dust and ashes. 20I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer me; I stand up, and You turn Your attention against me. 21You have become cruel to me; With the strength of Your hand You persecute me. 22You lift me up to the wind and make me ride it; And You dissolve me in a storm. 23For I know that You will bring me to death, And to the house of meeting for all living. 24'Yet does one in a heap of ruins not reach out with his hand, Or in his disaster does he not cry out for help? 25Have I not wept for the one whose life is hard? Was my soul not grieved for the needy? 26When I expected good, evil came; When I waited for light, darkness came. 27 I am seething within and cannot rest; Days of misery confront me. 28I go about mourning without comfort; I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help. 29I have become a brother to jackals, And a companion of ostriches. 30My skin turns black on me, And my bones burn with fever. 31Therefore my harp is turned to mourning, And my flute to the sound of those who weep.Chapter 31
1'I have made a covenant with my eyes; How then could I look at a virgin? 2And what is the portion of God from above, Or the inheritance of the Almighty from on high? 3Is it not disaster to the criminal, And misfortune to those who practice injustice? 4Does He not see my ways, And count all my steps? 5'If I have walked with deception, And my foot has hurried after deceit, 6Let Him weigh me with accurate scales, And let God know my integrity. 7If my step has turned from the way, Or my heart followed my eyes, Or if any spot has stuck to my hands, 8Let me sow and another eat, And let my crops be uprooted. 9'If my heart has been enticed by a woman, Or I have lurked at my neighbor’s doorway, 10May my wife grind grain for another, And let others kneel down over her. 11For that would be a lustful crime; Moreover, it would be wrongdoing punishable by judges. 12For it would be fire that consumes to Abaddon, And would uproot all my increase. 13'If I have rejected the claim of my male or female slaves When they filed a complaint against me, 14What then could I do when God arises? And when He calls me to account, how am I to answer Him? 15Did He who made me in the womb not make him, And the same one create us in the womb? 16'If I have kept the poor from their desire, Or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail, 17Or have eaten my morsel alone, And the orphan has not shared it 18(But from my youth he grew up with me as with a father, And from my infancy I guided her), 19If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, Or that the needy had no covering, 20If his waist has not thanked me, And if he has not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep, 21If I have lifted up my hand against the orphan, Because I saw I had support in the gate, 22May my shoulder fall from its socket, And my arm be broken off at the elbow. 23For disaster from God is a terror to me, And because of His majesty I can do nothing. 24'If I have put my confidence in gold, And called fine gold my trust, 25If I have gloated because my wealth was great, And because my hand had obtained so much; 26If I have looked at the sun when it shone, Or the moon going in splendor, 27And my heart was secretly enticed, And my hand threw a kiss from my mouth, 28That too would have been a guilty deed calling for judgment, For I would have denied God above. 29'Have I rejoiced at the misfortune of my enemy, Or become excited when evil found him? 30 No, I have not allowed my mouth to sin By asking for his life in a curse. 31Have the people of my tent not said, ‘Who can find one who has not been satisfied with his meat’? 32The stranger has not spent the night outside, For I have opened my doors to the traveler. 33Have I covered my wrongdoings like a man, By hiding my guilt in my shirt pocket, 34Because I feared the great multitude And the contempt of families terrified me, And I kept silent and did not go out of doors? 35Oh that I had one to hear me! Here is my signature; Let the Almighty answer me! And the indictment which my adversary has written, 36I would certainly carry it on my shoulder, I would tie it to myself like a garland. 37I would declare to Him the number of my steps; Like a prince, I would approach Him. 38'If my land cries out against me, And its furrows weep together; 39If I have eaten its fruit without money, Or have caused its owners to lose their lives,Chapter 32
1Then these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2But the anger of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, burned against Job; his anger burned because he justified himself before God. 3And his anger burned against his three friends because they had found no answer, yet they had condemned Job. 4Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were years older than he. 5But when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men, his anger burned.
7I thought age should speak, And increased years should teach wisdom.
8But it is a spirit that is in mankind, And the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding.
9The abundant in years may not be wise, Nor may elders understand justice.
10So I say, ‘Listen to me, I too will tell what I think.’
11'Behold, I waited for your words, I listened to your skillful speech, While you pondered what to say.
12I also paid close attention to you; But indeed, there was no one who refuted Job, Not one of you who answered his words.
13So do not say, ‘We have found wisdom: God will defeat him, not man.’
14But he has not presented his words against me, Nor will I reply to him with your arguments.
15'They are dismayed, they no longer answer; Words have failed them.
16Should I wait, because they are not speaking, Because they have stopped and no longer answer?
17I too will give my share of answers; I also will tell my opinion.
18For I am full of words; The spirit within me compels me.
19Behold, my belly is like unvented wine; Like new wineskins, it is about to burst.
20Let me speak so that I may get relief; Let me open my lips and answer.
21Let me be partial to no one, Nor flatter any man.
22For I do not know how to flatter, Otherwise my Maker would quickly take me away.
Chapter 33
1'However, please hear my speech, Job, And listen to all my words. 2Behold now, I open my mouth, My tongue in my mouth speaks. 3My words are from the integrity of my heart, And my lips speak knowledge sincerely. 4The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life. 5Refute me if you can; Line up against me, take your stand. 6Behold, I belong to God, like you; I too have been formed out of the clay. 7Behold, no fear of me should terrify you, Nor should my pressure weigh heavily on you. 8'You have in fact spoken while I listened, And I heard the sound of your words: 9‘I am pure, without wrongdoing; I am innocent and there is no guilt in me. 10Behold, He invents criticisms against me; He counts me as His enemy. 11He puts my feet in the stocks; He watches all my paths.’ 12Behold, let me respond to you, you are not right in this, For God is greater than mankind. 13'Why do you complain to Him That He does not give an account of all His doings? 14Indeed God speaks once, Or twice, yet no one notices it. 15In a dream, a vision of the night, When deep sleep falls on people, While they slumber in their beds, 16Then He opens the ears of people, And horrifies them with warnings, 17So that He may turn a person away from bad conduct, And keep a man from pride; 18He keeps his soul back from the pit, And his life from perishing by the spear. 19' A person is also rebuked by pain in his bed, And with constant complaint in his bones, 20So that his life loathes bread, And his soul, food that he should crave. 21His flesh wastes away from sight, And his bones, which were not seen, stick out. 22Then his soul comes near to the pit, And his life to those who bring death. 23'If there is an interceding angel for him, One out of a thousand, To remind a person of what is right for him, 24And he is gracious to him, and says, ‘Free him from going down to the pit, I have found a ransom’; 25Let his flesh become fresher than in youth, Let him return to the days of his youthful vigor; 26 Then he will pray to God, and He will accept him, So that he may see His face with joy, And He will restore His righteousness to that person. 27He will sing to people and say, ‘I have sinned and perverted what is right, And it is not proper for me. 28He has redeemed my soul from going to the pit, And my life will see the light.’ 29'Behold, God does all these things for a man two or three times, 30To bring back his soul from the pit, So that he may be enlightened with the light of life. 31Pay attention, Job, listen to me; Keep silent, and let me speak. 32 Then if you have anything to say, answer me; Speak, for I would take pleasure in justifying you. 33If not, listen to me; Keep silent, and I will teach you wisdom.'Chapter 34
1Then Elihu continued and said,
2'Hear my words, you wise men, And listen to me, you who understand.
3For the ear tests words As the palate tastes food.
4Let us choose for ourselves what is right; Let us understand among ourselves what is good.
5For Job has said, ‘I am righteous, But God has taken away my right;
6 Should I lie about my right? My wound is incurable, though I am without wrongdoing.’
7What man is like Job, Who drinks up derision like water,
8Who goes in company with the workers of injustice, And walks with wicked people?
9For he has said, ‘It is of no use to a man When he becomes friends with God.’
10'Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do evil, And from the Almighty to do wrong.
11For He repays a person for his work, And lets things happen in correspondence to a man’s behavior.
12God certainly will not act wickedly, And the Almighty will not pervert justice.
13Who gave Him authority over the earth? And who has placed the whole world on Him?
14If He were to determine to do so, If He were to gather His spirit and His breath to Himself,
15 Humanity would perish together, And mankind would return to dust.
16'But if you have understanding, hear this; Listen to the sound of my words.
17Shall one who hates justice rule? And will you condemn the righteous mighty One,
18Who says to a king, ‘You worthless one,’ To nobles, ‘You wicked one’;
19Who shows no partiality to the prominent, Nor regards the rich as above the poor, Since they are all the work of His hands?
20In a moment they die, and at midnight People are shaken and pass away, And the powerful are taken away without a hand.
21'For His eyes are upon the ways of a person, And He sees all his steps.
22There is no darkness or deep shadow Where the workers of injustice can hide themselves.
23For He does not need to consider a person further, That he should go before God in judgment.
24He breaks in pieces the mighty without investigation, And sets others in their place.
25Therefore He knows their deeds, And He overthrows them in the night, And they are crushed.
26He strikes them like the wicked In a public place,
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 that He would hear the cry of the afflicted—
29When He keeps quiet, who can condemn? And when He hides His face, who then can look at Him, That is, regarding both nation and a person?—
30So that godless people would not rule, Nor be snares for the people.
31'For has anyone said to God, ‘I have endured punishment; I will not offend anymore;
32Teach me what I do not see; If I have done wrong, I will not do it again’?
33Shall God repay on your terms, because you have rejected His? For you must choose, and not I; Therefore declare what you know.
34Men of understanding will say to me, And a wise man who hears me,
35‘Job speaks without knowledge, And his words are without wisdom.
36Oh that Job were tested to the limit, Because he answers like sinners.
37For he adds rebellion to his sin; He claps his hands among us, And multiplies his words against God.’?'
Chapter 35
1Then Elihu continued and said,
2'Do you think this is in accordance with justice? Do you say, ‘My righteousness is more than God’s’?
3For you say, ‘What advantage will it be to You? What benefit will I have, more than if I had sinned?’
4I will answer you, And your friends with you.
5Look at the heavens and see; And look at the clouds—they are higher than you.
6If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against Him? And if your wrongdoings are many, 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 is for a man like yourself, And your righteousness is for a son of man.
9'Because of the multitude of oppressions they cry out; They cry for help because of the arm of the mighty.
10But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, Who gives songs in the night,
11Who teaches us more than the animals of the earth And makes us wiser than the birds of the sky?’
12There they cry out, but He does not answer Because of the pride of evil people.
13God certainly will not listen to an empty cry, Nor will the Almighty regard it.
14How much less when you say you do not look at Him, The case is before Him, and you must wait for Him!
15And now, because He has not avenged His anger, Nor has He acknowledged wrongdoing well,
16So Job opens his mouth with empty words; He multiplies words without knowledge.'
Chapter 36
1Then Elihu continued and said,
2'Wait for me a little, and I will show you That there is still more to be said on God’s behalf.
3I will bring 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.
5Behold, God is mighty but does not reject anyone; He is mighty in strength of understanding.
6He does not keep the wicked alive, But gives justice to the afflicted.
7He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous, But with kings on the throne He has seated them forever, and they are exalted.
8And if they are bound in shackles, And are caught in the snares of misery,
9Then He declares to them their work And their wrongdoings, that they have been arrogant.
10He opens their ears to instruction, And commands that they return from injustice.
11If they listen and serve Him, They will end their days in prosperity, And their years in happiness.
12But if they do not listen, they will perish by the sword, And die without knowledge.
13But the godless in heart nurture anger; They do not call for help when He binds them.
14 They die in youth, And their life perishes among the cult prostitutes.
15He rescues the afflicted in their misery, And opens their ears in time of oppression.
16Then indeed, He induced you away from the mouth of distress, And instead of it, a broad place with no constraint; And your table was full of rich food.
17'But you were full of judgment on the wicked; Judgment and justice take hold of you.
18 Beware that wrath does not entice you to mockery; And do not let the greatness of the ransom turn you aside.
19Will your cry for help keep you from distress, Or all the exertions of your strength?
20Do not long for the night, When people vanish in their places.
21Be careful, do not turn to evil, For you preferred this to misery.
22Behold, God is exalted in His power; Who is a teacher like Him?
23Who has appointed Him His way, And who has said, ‘You have done wrong’?
24'Remember that you are to exalt His work, Of which people have sung.
25All people have seen it; Mankind looks at it from afar.
26Behold, God is exalted, and we do not know Him; The number of His years is unsearchable.
27For He draws up the drops of water; They distill rain from its celestial stream,
28Which clouds pour down; They drip upon mankind abundantly.
29Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds, The thundering of His pavilion?
30Behold, He spreads His lightning about Him, And He covers the depths of the sea.
31For by them He judges peoples; He gives food in abundance.
32He covers His hands with the lightning, And commands it to strike the target.
33Its thundering voice declares His presence; The livestock also, concerning what is coming up.
Chapter 37
1'At this also my heart trembles, And leaps from its place. 2Listen closely to the thunder of His voice, And the rumbling that goes out from His mouth. 3Under the whole heaven He lets it loose, And His lightning travels to the ends of the earth. 4After it, a voice roars; He thunders with His majestic voice, And He does not restrain the lightning when His voice is heard. 5God thunders wondrously with His voice, Doing great things which we do not comprehend. 6For to the snow He says, ‘Fall on the earth,’ And to the downpour and the rain, ‘Be strong.’ 7He seals the hand of every person, So that all people may know His work. 8Then the animal goes into its lair And remains in its den. 9From the south comes the storm, And from the north wind the cold. 10From the breath of God ice is made, And the expanse of the waters is frozen. 11He also loads the clouds with moisture; He disperses the cloud of His lightning. 12It changes direction, turning around by His guidance, That it may do whatever He commands it On the face of the inhabited earth. 13Whether for correction, or for His earth, Or for goodness, He causes it to happen. 14'Listen to this, Job; Stand and consider the wonders of God. 15Do you know how God establishes them, And makes the lightning of His clouds to shine? 16Do you know about the hovering of the clouds, The wonders of One who is perfect in knowledge, 17You whose garments are hot When the land is still because of the south wind? 18Can you, with Him, spread out the skies, Strong as a cast metal mirror? 19Teach us what we are to say to Him; We cannot present our case because of darkness. 20Shall it be told Him that I would speak? Or should a man say that he would be swallowed up? 21'Now people do not see the light which is bright in the skies; But the wind has passed and cleared them. 22From the north comes golden splendor; Around God is awesome majesty. 23The Almighty—we cannot find Him; He is exalted in power And He will not violate justice and abundant righteousness. 24Therefore people fear Him; He does not regard any who are wise of heart.'King James Version
8They were children of fools, yea, children of base men: they were viler than the earth.
9And now am I their song, yea, I am their byword.
15Terrors are turned upon me: they pursue my soul as the wind: and my welfare passeth away as a cloud.
16And now my soul is poured out upon me; the days of affliction have taken hold upon me.
23For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living.
24Howbeit he will not stretch out his hand to the grave, though they cry in his destruction.
34Did I fear a great multitude, or did the contempt of families terrify me, that I kept silence, and went not out of the door?
35Oh that one would hear me! behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me, and that mine adversary had written a book.
37I would declare unto him the number of my steps; as a prince would I go near unto him.
38If my land cry against me, or that the furrows likewise thereof complain;
Chapter 32
1So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram: against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God. 3Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job. 4Now Elihu had waited till Job had spoken, because they were elder than he. 5When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, then his wrath was kindled. 6And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said, I am young, and ye are very old; wherefore I was afraid, and durst not shew you mine opinion.
14Now he hath not directed his words against me: neither will I answer him with your speeches.
15They were amazed, they answered no more: they left off speaking.
7Behold, my terror shall not make thee afraid, neither shall my hand be heavy upon thee.
8Surely thou hast spoken in mine hearing, and I have heard the voice of thy words, saying,
13Why dost thou strive against him? for he giveth not account of any of his matters.
14For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not.
28He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light.
29Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man,
Chapter 34
1Furthermore Elihu answered and said, 2Hear my words, O ye wise men; and give ear unto me, ye that have knowledge.
9For he hath said, It profiteth a man nothing that he should delight himself with God.
10Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding: far be it from God, that he should do wickedness; and from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.
11For the work of a man shall he render unto him, and cause every man to find according to his ways.
15All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust.
16If now thou hast understanding, hear this: hearken to the voice of my words.
30That the hypocrite reign not, lest the people be ensnared.
31Surely it is meet to be said unto God, I have borne chastisement, I will not offend any more:
Chapter 35
1Elihu spake moreover, and said, 2Thinkest thou this to be right, that thou saidst, My righteousness is more than God's?Chapter 36
1Elihu also proceeded, and said, 2Suffer me a little, and I will shew thee that I have yet to speak on God's behalf.
25Every man may see it; man may behold it afar off.
26Behold, God is great, and we know him not, neither can the number of his years be searched out.
Christian Standard Bible
Chapter 30
1But now they mock me, men younger than I am, whose fathers I would have refused to put with my sheep dogs. 2What use to me was the strength of their hands? Their vigor had left them. 3Emaciated from poverty and hunger, they gnawed the dry land, the desolate wasteland by night. 4They plucked mallow among the shrubs, and the roots of the broom tree were their food. 5They were banished from human society; people shouted at them as if they were thieves. 6They are living on the slopes of the wadis, among the rocks and in holes in the ground. 7They bray among the shrubs; they huddle beneath the thistles.
8Foolish men, without even a name. They were forced to leave the land.
9Now I am mocked by their songs; I have become an object of scorn to them.
10They despise me and keep their distance from me; they do not hesitate to spit in my face.
11Because God has loosened my bowstring and oppressed me, they have cast off restraint in my presence.
12The rabble rise up at my right; they trap my feet and construct their siege ramp against me.
13They tear up my path; they contribute to my destruction, without anyone to help them.
14They advance as through a gaping breach; they keep rolling in through the ruins.
15Terrors are turned loose against me; they chase my dignity away like the wind, and my prosperity has passed by like a cloud.
16Now my life is poured out before me, and days of suffering have seized me.
17Night pierces my bones, but my gnawing pains never rest.
18My clothing is distorted with great force; he chokes me by the neck of my garment.
19He throws me into the mud, and I have become like dust and ashes.
20I cry out to you for help, but you do not answer me; when I stand up, you merely look at me.
21You have turned against me with cruelty; you harass me with your strong hand.
22You lift me up on the wind and make me ride it; you scatter me in the storm.
23Yes, I know that you will lead me to death— the place appointed for all who live.
24Yet no one would stretch out his hand against a ruined person when he cries out to him for help because of his distress.
25Have I not wept for those who have fallen on hard times? Has my soul not grieved for the needy?
26But when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, darkness came.
27I am churning within and cannot rest; days of suffering confront me.
28I walk about blackened, but not by the sun. I stood in the assembly and cried out for help.
29I have become a brother to jackals and a companion of ostriches.
30My skin blackens and flakes off, and my bones burn with fever.
31My lyre is used for mourning and my flute for the sound of weeping.
Chapter 31
1I have made a covenant with my eyes. How then could I look at a young woman? 2For what portion would I have from God above, or what inheritance from the Almighty on high? 3Doesn’t disaster come to the unjust and misfortune to evildoers?
4Does he not see my ways and number all my steps?
5If I have walked in falsehood or my foot has rushed to deceit,
6let God weigh me on accurate scales, and he will recognize my integrity.
7If my step has turned from the way, my heart has followed my eyes, or impurity has stained my hands,
8let someone else eat what I have sown, and let my crops be uprooted.
9If my heart has gone astray over a woman or I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,
10let my own wife grind grain for another man, and let other men sleep with her.
11For that would be a disgrace; it would be an iniquity deserving punishment.
12For it is a fire that consumes down to Abaddon; it would destroy my entire harvest.
13If I have dismissed the case of my male or female servants when they made a complaint against me,
14what could I do when God stands up to judge? How should I answer him when he calls me to account?
15Did not the one who made me in the womb also make them? Did not the same God form us both in the womb?
16If I have refused the wishes of the poor or let the widow’s eyes go blind,
17if I have eaten my few crumbs alone without letting the fatherless eat any of it—
18for from my youth, I raised him as his father, and since the day I was born I guided the widow—
19if I have seen anyone dying for lack of clothing or a needy person without a cloak,
20if he did not bless me while warming himself with the fleece from my sheep,
21if I ever cast my vote against a fatherless child when I saw that I had support in the city gate,
22then let my shoulder blade fall from my back, and my arm be pulled from its socket.
23For disaster from God terrifies me, and because of his majesty I could not do these things.
24If I placed my confidence in gold or called fine gold my trust,
25if I have rejoiced because my wealth is great or because my own hand has acquired so much,
26if I have gazed at the sun when it was shining or at the moon moving in splendor,
27so that my heart was secretly enticed and I threw them a kiss,
28this would also be an iniquity deserving punishment, for I would have denied God above.
29Have I rejoiced over my enemy’s distress, or become excited when trouble came his way?
30I have not allowed my mouth to sin by asking for his life with a curse.
31Haven’t the members of my household said, "Who is there who has not had enough to eat at Job’s table?"
32No stranger had to spend the night on the street, for I opened my door to the traveler.
33Have I covered my transgressions as others do by hiding my iniquity in my heart
34because I greatly feared the crowds and because the contempt of the clans terrified me, so I grew silent and would not go outside?
35If only I had someone to hear my case! Here is my signature; let the Almighty answer me. Let my Opponent compose his indictment.
36I would surely carry it on my shoulder and wear it like a crown.
37I would give him an account of all my steps; I would approach him like a prince.
38If my land cries out against me and its furrows join in weeping,
39if I have consumed its produce without payment or shown contempt for its tenants,
Chapter 32
1So these three men quit answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2Then Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite from the family of Ram became angry. He was angry at Job because he had justified himself rather than God. 3He was also angry at Job’s three friends because they had failed to refute him and yet had condemned him.
4Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were all older than he.
5But when he saw that the three men could not answer Job, he became angry.
6So Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite replied: I am young in years, while you are old; therefore I was timid and afraid to tell you what I know.
7I thought that age should speak and maturity should teach wisdom.
8But it is the spirit in a person— the breath from the Almighty— that gives anyone understanding.
9It is not only the old who are wise or the elderly who understand how to judge.
10Therefore I say, "Listen to me. I too will declare what I know."
11Look, I waited for your conclusions; I listened to your insights as you sought for words.
12I paid close attention to you. Yet no one proved Job wrong; not one of you refuted his arguments.
13So do not claim, "We have found wisdom; let God deal with him, not man."
14But Job has not directed his argument to me, and I will not respond to him with your arguments.
15Job’s friends are dismayed and can no longer answer; words have left them.
16Should I continue to wait now that they are silent, now that they stand there and no longer answer?
17I too will answer; yes, I will tell what I know.
18For I am full of words, and my spirit compels me to speak.
19My heart is like unvented wine; it is about to burst like new wineskins.
20I must speak so that I can find relief; I must open my lips and respond.
21I will be partial to no one, and I will not give anyone an undeserved title.
22For I do not know how to give such titles; otherwise, my Maker would remove me in an instant.
Chapter 33
1But now, Job, pay attention to my speech, and listen to all my words. 2I am going to open my mouth; my tongue will form words on my palate. 3My words come from my upright heart, and my lips speak with sincerity what they know. 4The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. 5Refute me if you can. Prepare your case against me; take your stand. 6I am just like you before God; I was also pinched off from a piece of clay.
7Fear of me should not terrify you; no pressure from me should weigh you down.
8Surely you have spoken in my hearing, and I have heard these very words:
9"I am pure, without transgression; I am clean and have no iniquity.
10But he finds reasons to oppose me; he regards me as his enemy.
11He puts my feet in the stocks; he stands watch over all my paths."
12But I tell you that you are wrong in this matter, since God is greater than man.
13Why do you take him to court for not answering anything a person asks?
14For God speaks time and again, but a person may not notice it.
15In a dream, a vision in the night, when deep sleep comes over people as they slumber on their beds,
16he uncovers their ears and terrifies them with warnings,
17in order to turn a person from his actions and suppress the pride of a person.
18God spares his soul from the Pit, his life from crossing the river of death.
19A person may be disciplined on his bed with pain and constant distress in his bones,
20so that he detests bread, and his soul despises his favorite food.
21His flesh wastes away to nothing, and his unseen bones stick out.
22He draws near to the Pit, and his life to the executioners.
23If there is an angel on his side, one mediator out of a thousand, to tell a person what is right for him
24and to be gracious to him and say, "Spare him from going down to the Pit; I have found a ransom,"
25then his flesh will be healthier than in his youth, and he will return to the days of his youthful vigor.
26He will pray to God, and God will delight in him. That person will see his face with a shout of joy, and God will restore his righteousness to him.
27He will look at men and say, "I have sinned and perverted what was right; yet I did not get what I deserved.
28He redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit, and I will continue to see the light."
29God certainly does all these things two or three times to a person
30in order to turn him back from the Pit, so he may shine with the light of life.
31Pay attention, Job, and listen to me. Be quiet, and I will speak.
32But if you have something to say, answer me; speak, for I would like to justify you.
33If not, then listen to me; be quiet, and I will teach you wisdom.
Chapter 34
1Then Elihu continued, saying:
2Hear my words, you wise ones, and listen to me, you knowledgeable ones.
3Doesn’t the ear test words as the palate tastes food?
4Let us judge for ourselves what is right; let us decide together what is good.
5For Job has declared, "I am righteous, yet God has deprived me of justice.
6Would I lie about my case? My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression."
7What man is like Job? He drinks derision like water.
8He keeps company with evildoers and walks with wicked men.
9For he has said, "A man gains nothing when he becomes God’s friend."
10Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding. It is impossible for God to do wrong, and for the Almighty to act unjustly.
11For he repays a person according to his deeds, and he gives him what his conduct deserves.
12Indeed, it is true that God does not act wickedly and the Almighty does not pervert justice.
13Who gave him authority over the earth? Who put him in charge of the entire world?
14If he put his mind to it and withdrew the spirit and breath he gave,
15every living thing would perish together and mankind would return to the dust.
16If you have understanding, hear this; listen to what I have to say.
17Could one who hates justice govern the world? Will you condemn the mighty Righteous One,
18who says to a king, "Worthless man!" and to nobles, "Wicked men!"?
19God is not partial to princes and does not favor the rich over the poor, for they are all the work of his hands.
20They die suddenly in the middle of the night; people shudder, then pass away. Even the mighty are removed without effort.
21For his eyes watch over a man’s ways, and he observes all his steps.
22There is no darkness, no deep darkness, where evildoers can hide.
23God does not need to examine a person further, that one should approach him in court.
24He shatters the mighty without an investigation and sets others in their place.
25Therefore, he recognizes their deeds and overthrows them by night, and they are crushed.
26In full view of the public, he strikes them for their wickedness,
27because they turned aside from following him and did not understand any of his ways
28but caused the poor to cry out to him, and he heard the outcry of the needy.
29But when God is silent, who can declare him guilty? When he hides his face, who can see him? Yet he watches over both individuals and nations,
30so that godless men should not rule or ensnare the people.
31Suppose someone says to God, "I have endured my punishment; I will no longer act wickedly.
32Teach me what I cannot see; if I have done wrong, I won’t do it again."
33Should God repay you on your terms when you have rejected his? You must choose, not I! So declare what you know.
34Reasonable men will say to me, along with the wise men who hear me,
35"Job speaks without knowledge; his words are without insight."
36If only Job were tested to the limit, because his answers are like those of wicked men.
37For he adds rebellion to his sin; he scornfully claps in our presence, while multiplying his words against God.
Chapter 35
1Then Elihu continued, saying:
2Do you think it is just when you say, "I am righteous before God"?
3For you ask, "What does it profit you, and what benefit comes to me, if I do not sin?"
4I will answer you and your friends with you.
5Look at the heavens and see; gaze at the clouds high above you.
6If you sin, how does it affect God? If you multiply your transgressions, what does it do to him?
7If you are righteous, what do you give him, or what does he receive from your hand?
8Your wickedness affects a person like yourself, and your righteousness, a son of man.
9People cry out because of severe oppression; they shout for help because of the power of the mighty.
10But no one asks, "Where is God my Maker, who provides us with songs in the night,
11who gives us more understanding than the animals of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the sky?"
12There they cry out, but he does not answer, because of the pride of evil people.
13Indeed, God does not listen to empty cries, and the Almighty does not take note of it—
14how much less when you complain that you do not see him, that your case is before him and you are waiting for him.
15But now, because God’s anger does not punish and he does not pay attention to transgression,
16Job opens his mouth in vain and multiplies words without knowledge.
Chapter 36
1Then Elihu continued, saying:
2Be patient with me a little longer, and I will inform you, for there is still more to be said on God’s behalf.
3I will get my knowledge from a distant place and ascribe justice to my Maker.
4Indeed, my words are not false; one who has complete knowledge is with you.
5Yes, God is mighty, but he despises no one; he understands all things.
6He does not keep the wicked alive, but he gives justice to the oppressed.
7He does not withdraw his gaze from the righteous, but he seats them forever with enthroned kings, and they are exalted.
8If people are bound with chains and trapped by the cords of affliction,
9God tells them what they have done and how arrogantly they have transgressed.
10He opens their ears to correction and tells them to repent from iniquity.
11If they listen and serve him, they will end their days in prosperity and their years in happiness.
12But if they do not listen, they will cross the river of death and die without knowledge.
13Those who have a godless heart harbor anger; even when God binds them, they do not cry for help.
14They die in their youth; their life ends among male cult prostitutes.
15God rescues the afflicted by their affliction; he instructs them by their torment.
16Indeed, he lured you from the jaws of distress to a spacious and unconfined place. Your table was spread with choice food.
17Yet now you are obsessed with the judgment due the wicked; judgment and justice have seized you.
18Be careful that no one lures you with riches; do not let a large ransom lead you astray.
19Can your wealth or all your physical exertion keep you from distress?
20Do not long for the night when nations will disappear from their places.
21Be careful that you do not turn to iniquity, for that is why you have been tested by affliction.
22Look, God shows himself exalted by his power. Who is a teacher like him?
23Who has appointed his way for him, and who has declared, "You have done wrong"?
24Remember that you should praise his work, which people have sung about.
25All mankind has seen it; people have looked at it from a distance.
26Yes, God is exalted beyond our knowledge; the number of his years cannot be counted.
27For he makes waterdrops evaporate; they distill the rain into its mist,
28which the clouds pour out and shower abundantly on mankind.
29Can anyone understand how the clouds spread out or how the thunder roars from God’s pavilion?
30See how he spreads his lightning around him and covers the depths of the sea.
31For he judges the nations with these; he gives food in abundance.
32He covers his hands with lightning and commands it to hit its mark.
33The thunder declares his presence; the cattle also, the approaching storm.
Chapter 37
1My heart pounds at this and leaps from my chest. 2Just listen to his thunderous voice and the rumbling that comes from his mouth.
3He lets it loose beneath the entire sky; his lightning to the ends of the earth.
4Then there comes a roaring sound; God thunders with his majestic voice. He does not restrain the lightning when his rumbling voice is heard.
5God thunders wondrously with his voice; he does great things that we cannot comprehend.
6For he says to the snow, "Fall to the earth," and the torrential rains, his mighty torrential rains,
7serve as his sign to all mankind, so that all men may know his work.
8The wild animals enter their lairs and stay in their dens.
9The windstorm comes from its chamber, and the cold from the driving north winds.
10Ice is formed by the breath of God, and watery expanses are frozen.
11He saturates clouds with moisture; he scatters his lightning through them.
12They swirl about, turning round and round at his direction, accomplishing everything he commands them over the surface of the inhabited world.
13He causes this to happen for punishment, for his land, or for his faithful love.
14Listen to this, Job. Stop and consider God’s wonders.
15Do you know how God directs his clouds or makes their lightning flash?
16Do you understand how the clouds float, those wonderful works of him who has perfect knowledge?
17You whose clothes get hot when the south wind brings calm to the land,
18can you help God spread out the skies as hard as a cast metal mirror?
19Teach us what we should say to him; we cannot prepare our case because of our darkness.
20Should he be told that I want to speak? Can a man speak when he is confused?
21Now no one can even look at the sun when it is in the skies, after a wind has swept through and cleared the clouds away.
22Yet out of the north he comes, shrouded in a golden glow; awesome majesty surrounds him.
23The Almighty—we cannot reach him— he is exalted in power! He will not violate justice and abundant righteousness,
24therefore, men fear him. He does not look favorably on any who are wise in heart.
New Living Translation
Chapter 30
1'But now I am mocked by people younger than I, by young men whose fathers are not worthy to run with my sheepdogs. 2A lot of good they are to me — those worn-out wretches! 3They are gaunt from poverty and hunger. They claw the dry ground in desolate wastelands. 4They pluck wild greens from among the bushes and eat from the roots of broom trees. 5They are driven from human society, and people shout at them as if they were thieves. 6So now they live in frightening ravines, in caves and among the rocks. 7They sound like animals howling among the bushes, huddled together beneath the nettles. 8They are nameless fools, outcasts from society.
9'And now they mock me with vulgar songs! They taunt me!
10They despise me and won’t come near me, except to spit in my face.
11For God has cut my bowstring. He has humbled me, so they have thrown off all restraint.
12These outcasts oppose me to my face. They send me sprawling and lay traps in my path.
13They block my road and do everything they can to destroy me. They know I have no one to help me.
14They come at me from all directions. They jump on me when I am down.
15I live in terror now. My honor has blown away in the wind, and my prosperity has vanished like a cloud.
16'And now my life seeps away. Depression haunts my days.
17At night my bones are filled with pain, which gnaws at me relentlessly.
18With a strong hand, God grabs my shirt. He grips me by the collar of my coat.
19He has thrown me into the mud. I’m nothing more than dust and ashes.
20'I cry to you, O God, but you don’t answer. I stand before you, but you don’t even look.
21You have become cruel toward me. You use your power to persecute me.
22You throw me into the whirlwind and destroy me in the storm.
23And I know you are sending me to my death — the destination of all who live.
24'Surely no one would turn against the needy when they cry for help in their trouble.
25Did I not weep for those in trouble? Was I not deeply grieved for the needy?
26So I looked for good, but evil came instead. I waited for the light, but darkness fell.
27My heart is troubled and restless. Days of suffering torment me.
28I walk in gloom, without sunlight. I stand in the public square and cry for help.
29Instead, I am considered a brother to jackals and a companion to owls.
30My skin has turned dark, and my bones burn with fever.
31My harp plays sad music, and my flute accompanies those who weep.
Chapter 31
1'I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust at a young woman. 2For what has God above chosen for us? What is our inheritance from the Almighty on high? 3Isn’t it calamity for the wicked and misfortune for those who do evil? 4Doesn’t he see everything I do and every step I take?
5'Have I lied to anyone or deceived anyone?
6Let God weigh me on the scales of justice, for he knows my integrity.
7If I have strayed from his pathway, or if my heart has lusted for what my eyes have seen, or if I am guilty of any other sin,
8then let someone else eat the crops I have planted. Let all that I have planted be uprooted.
9'If my heart has been seduced by a woman, or if I have lusted for my neighbor’s wife,
10then let my wife serve another man; let other men sleep with her.
11For lust is a shameful sin, a crime that should be punished.
12It is a fire that burns all the way to hell. It would wipe out everything I own.
13'If I have been unfair to my male or female servants when they brought their complaints to me,
14how could I face God? What could I say when he questioned me?
15For God created both me and my servants. He created us both in the womb.
16'Have I refused to help the poor, or crushed the hopes of widows?
17Have I been stingy with my food and refused to share it with orphans?
18No, from childhood I have cared for orphans like a father, and all my life I have cared for widows.
19Whenever I saw the homeless without clothes and the needy with nothing to wear,
20did they not praise me for providing wool clothing to keep them warm?
21'If I raised my hand against an orphan, knowing the judges would take my side,
22then let my shoulder be wrenched out of place! Let my arm be torn from its socket!
23That would be better than facing God’s judgment. For if the majesty of God opposes me, what hope is there?
24'Have I put my trust in money or felt secure because of my gold?
25Have I gloated about my wealth and all that I own?
26'Have I looked at the sun shining in the skies, or the moon walking down its silver pathway,
27and been secretly enticed in my heart to throw kisses at them in worship?
28If so, I should be punished by the judges, for it would mean I had denied the God of heaven.
29'Have I ever rejoiced when disaster struck my enemies, or become excited when harm came their way?
30No, I have never sinned by cursing anyone or by asking for revenge.
31'My servants have never said, ‘He let others go hungry.’
32I have never turned away a stranger but have opened my doors to everyone.
33'Have I tried to hide my sins like other people do, concealing my guilt in my heart?
34Have I feared the crowd or the contempt of the masses, so that I kept quiet and stayed indoors?
35'If only someone would listen to me! Look, I will sign my name to my defense. Let the Almighty answer me. Let my accuser write out the charges against me.
36I would face the accusation proudly. I would wear it like a crown.
37For I would tell him exactly what I have done. I would come before him like a prince.
38'If my land accuses me and all its furrows cry out together,
39or if I have stolen its crops or murdered its owners,
Chapter 32
1Job’s three friends refused to reply further to him because he kept insisting on his innocence.
2Then Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the clan of Ram, became angry. He was angry because Job refused to admit that he had sinned and that God was right in punishing him.
3He was also angry with Job’s three friends, for they made God appear to be wrong by their inability to answer Job’s arguments.
4Elihu had waited for the others to speak to Job because they were older than he.
5But when he saw that they had no further reply, he spoke out angrily.
6Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said, 'I am young and you are old, so I held back from telling you what I think.
7I thought, ‘Those who are older should speak, for wisdom comes with age.’
8But there is a spirit within people, the breath of the Almighty within them, that makes them intelligent.
9Sometimes the elders are not wise. Sometimes the aged do not understand justice.
10So listen to me, and let me tell you what I think.
11'I have waited all this time, listening very carefully to your arguments, listening to you grope for words.
12I have listened, but not one of you has refuted Job or answered his arguments.
13And don’t tell me, ‘He is too wise for us. Only God can convince him.’
14If Job had been arguing with me, I would not answer with your kind of logic!
15You sit there baffled, with nothing more to say.
16Should I continue to wait, now that you are silent? Must I also remain silent?
17No, I will say my piece. I will speak my mind.
18For I am full of pent-up words, and the spirit within me urges me on.
19I am like a cask of wine without a vent, like a new wineskin ready to burst!
20I must speak to find relief, so let me give my answers.
21I won’t play favorites or try to flatter anyone.
22For if I tried flattery, my Creator would soon destroy me.
Chapter 33
1'Listen to my words, Job; pay attention to what I have to say. 2Now that I have begun to speak, let me continue. 3I speak with all sincerity; I speak the truth. 4For the Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. 5Answer me, if you can; make your case and take your stand. 6Look, you and I both belong to God. I, too, was formed from clay. 7So you don’t need to be afraid of me. I won’t come down hard on you.
8'You have spoken in my hearing, and I have heard your very words.
9You said, ‘I am pure; I am without sin; I am innocent; I have no guilt.
10God is picking a quarrel with me, and he considers me his enemy.
11He puts my feet in the stocks and watches my every move.’
12'But you are wrong, and I will show you why. For God is greater than any human being.
13So why are you bringing a charge against him? Why say he does not respond to people’s complaints?
14For God speaks again and again, though people do not recognize it.
15He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in their beds.
16He whispers in their ears and terrifies them with warnings.
17He makes them turn from doing wrong; he keeps them from pride.
18He protects them from the grave, from crossing over the river of death.
19'Or God disciplines people with pain on their sickbeds, with ceaseless aching in their bones.
20They lose their appetite for even the most delicious food.
21Their flesh wastes away, and their bones stick out.
22They are at death’s door; the angels of death wait for them.
23'But if an angel from heaven appears — a special messenger to intercede for a person and declare that he is upright —
24he will be gracious and say, ‘Rescue him from the grave, for I have found a ransom for his life.’
25Then his body will become as healthy as a child’s, firm and youthful again.
26When he prays to God, he will be accepted. And God will receive him with joy and restore him to good standing.
27He will declare to his friends, ‘I sinned and twisted the truth, but it was not worth it.
28God rescued me from the grave, and now my life is filled with light.’
29'Yes, God does these things again and again for people.
30He rescues them from the grave so they may enjoy the light of life.
31Mark this well, Job. Listen to me, for I have more to say.
32But if you have anything to say, go ahead. Speak, for I am anxious to see you justified.
33But if not, then listen to me. Keep silent and I will teach you wisdom!'
Chapter 34
1Then Elihu said:
2'Listen to me, you wise men. Pay attention, you who have knowledge.
3Job said, ‘The ear tests the words it hears just as the mouth distinguishes between foods.’
4So let us discern for ourselves what is right; let us learn together what is good.
5For Job also said, ‘I am innocent, but God has taken away my rights.
6I am innocent, but they call me a liar. My suffering is incurable, though I have not sinned.’
7'Tell me, has there ever been a man like Job, with his thirst for irreverent talk?
8He chooses evil people as companions. He spends his time with wicked men.
9He has even said, ‘Why waste time trying to please God?’
10'Listen to me, you who have understanding. Everyone knows that God doesn’t sin! The Almighty can do no wrong.
11He repays people according to their deeds. He treats people as they deserve.
12Truly, God will not do wrong. The Almighty will not twist justice.
13Did someone else put the world in his care? Who set the whole world in place?
14If God were to take back his spirit and withdraw his breath,
15all life would cease, and humanity would turn again to dust.
16'Now listen to me if you are wise. Pay attention to what I say.
17Could God govern if he hated justice? Are you going to condemn the almighty judge?
18For he says to kings, ‘You are wicked,’ and to nobles, ‘You are unjust.’
19He doesn’t care how great a person may be, and he pays no more attention to the rich than to the poor. He made them all.
20In a moment they die. In the middle of the night they pass away; the mighty are removed without human hand.
21'For God watches how people live; he sees everything they do.
22No darkness is thick enough to hide the wicked from his eyes.
23We don’t set the time when we will come before God in judgment.
24He brings the mighty to ruin without asking anyone, and he sets up others in their place.
25He knows what they do, and in the night he overturns and destroys them.
26He strikes them down because they are wicked, doing it openly for all to see.
27For they turned away from following him. They have no respect for any of his ways.
28They cause the poor to cry out, catching God’s attention. He hears the cries of the needy.
29But if he chooses to remain quiet, who can criticize him? When he hides his face, no one can find him, whether an individual or a nation.
30He prevents the godless from ruling so they cannot be a snare to the people.
31'Why don’t people say to God, ‘I have sinned, but I will sin no more’?
32Or ‘I don’t know what evil I have done — tell me. If I have done wrong, I will stop at once’?
33'Must God tailor his justice to your demands? But you have rejected him! The choice is yours, not mine. Go ahead, share your wisdom with us.
34After all, bright people will tell me, and wise people will hear me say,
35‘Job speaks out of ignorance; his words lack insight.’
36Job, you deserve the maximum penalty for the wicked way you have talked.
37For you have added rebellion to your sin; you show no respect, and you speak many angry words against God.'
Chapter 35
1Then Elihu said:
2'Do you think it is right for you to claim, ‘I am righteous before God’?
3For you also ask, ‘What’s in it for me? What’s the use of living a righteous life?’
4'I will answer you and all your friends, too.
5Look up into the sky, and see the clouds high above you.
6If you sin, how does that affect God? Even if you sin again and again, what effect will it have on him?
7If you are good, is this some great gift to him? What could you possibly give him?
8No, your sins affect only people like yourself, and your good deeds also affect only humans.
9'People cry out when they are oppressed. They groan beneath the power of the mighty.
10Yet they don’t ask, ‘Where is God my Creator, the one who gives songs in the night?
11Where is the one who makes us smarter than the animals and wiser than the birds of the sky?’
12And when they cry out, God does not answer because of their pride.
13But it is wrong to say God doesn’t listen, to say the Almighty isn’t concerned.
14You say you can’t see him, but he will bring justice if you will only wait.
15You say he does not respond to sinners with anger and is not greatly concerned about wickedness.
16But you are talking nonsense, Job. You have spoken like a fool.'
Chapter 36
1Elihu continued speaking:
2'Let me go on, and I will show you the truth. For I have not finished defending God!
3I will present profound arguments for the righteousness of my Creator.
4I am telling you nothing but the truth, for I am a man of great knowledge.
5'God is mighty, but he does not despise anyone! He is mighty in both power and understanding.
6He does not let the wicked live but gives justice to the afflicted.
7He never takes his eyes off the innocent, but he sets them on thrones with kings and exalts them forever.
8If they are bound in chains and caught up in a web of trouble,
9he shows them the reason. He shows them their sins of pride.
10He gets their attention and commands that they turn from evil.
11'If they listen and obey God, they will be blessed with prosperity throughout their lives. All their years will be pleasant.
12But if they refuse to listen to him, they will cross over the river of death, dying from lack of understanding.
13For the godless are full of resentment. Even when he punishes them, they refuse to cry out to him for help.
14They die when they are young, after wasting their lives in immoral living.
15But by means of their suffering, he rescues those who suffer. For he gets their attention through adversity.
16'God is leading you away from danger, Job, to a place free from distress. He is setting your table with the best food.
17But you are obsessed with whether the godless will be judged. Don’t worry, judgment and justice will be upheld.
18But watch out, or you may be seduced by wealth. Don’t let yourself be bribed into sin.
19Could all your wealth or all your mighty efforts keep you from distress?
20Do not long for the cover of night, for that is when people will be destroyed.
21Be on guard! Turn back from evil, for God sent this suffering to keep you from a life of evil.
22'Look, God is all-powerful. Who is a teacher like him?
23No one can tell him what to do, or say to him, ‘You have done wrong.’
24Instead, glorify his mighty works, singing songs of praise.
25Everyone has seen these things, though only from a distance.
26'Look, God is greater than we can understand. His years cannot be counted.
27He draws up the water vapor and then distills it into rain.
28The rain pours down from the clouds, and everyone benefits.
29Who can understand the spreading of the clouds and the thunder that rolls forth from heaven?
30See how he spreads the lightning around him and how it lights up the depths of the sea.
31By these mighty acts he nourishes the people, giving them food in abundance.
32He fills his hands with lightning bolts and hurls each at its target.
33The thunder announces his presence; the storm announces his indignant anger.
Chapter 37
1'My heart pounds as I think of this. It trembles within me. 2Listen carefully to the thunder of God’s voice as it rolls from his mouth. 3It rolls across the heavens, and his lightning flashes in every direction. 4Then comes the roaring of the thunder — the tremendous voice of his majesty. He does not restrain it when he speaks. 5God’s voice is glorious in the thunder. We can’t even imagine the greatness of his power.
6'He directs the snow to fall on the earth and tells the rain to pour down.
7Then everyone stops working so they can watch his power.
8The wild animals take cover and stay inside their dens.
9The stormy wind comes from its chamber, and the driving winds bring the cold.
10God’s breath sends the ice, freezing wide expanses of water.
11He loads the clouds with moisture, and they flash with his lightning.
12The clouds churn about at his direction. They do whatever he commands throughout the earth.
13He makes these things happen either to punish people or to show his unfailing love.
14'Pay attention to this, Job. Stop and consider the wonderful miracles of God!
15Do you know how God controls the storm and causes the lightning to flash from his clouds?
16Do you understand how he moves the clouds with wonderful perfection and skill?
17When you are sweltering in your clothes and the south wind dies down and everything is still,
18he makes the skies reflect the heat like a bronze mirror. Can you do that?
19'So teach the rest of us what to say to God. We are too ignorant to make our own arguments.
20Should God be notified that I want to speak? Can people even speak when they are confused?
21We cannot look at the sun, for it shines brightly in the sky when the wind clears away the clouds.
22So also, golden splendor comes from the mountain of God. He is clothed in dazzling splendor.
23We cannot imagine the power of the Almighty; but even though he is just and righteous, he does not destroy us.
24No wonder people everywhere fear him. All who are wise show him reverence. '
English Standard Version
Chapter 30
1"But now they laugh at me, men who are younger than I, whose fathers I would have disdained to set with the dogs of my flock. 2What could I gain from the strength of their hands, men whose vigor is gone? 3Through want and hard hunger they gnaw the dry ground by night in waste and desolation; 4they pick saltwort and the leaves of bushes, and the roots of the broom tree for their food. 5 They are driven out from human company; they shout after them as after a thief. 6In the gullies of the torrents they must dwell, in holes of the earth and of the rocks. 7Among the bushes they bray; under the nettles they huddle together. 8A senseless, a nameless brood, they have been whipped out of the land. 9"And now I have become their song; I am a byword to them. 10They abhor me; they keep aloof from me; they do not hesitate to spit at the sight of me. 11Because God has loosed my cord and humbled me, they have cast off restraint in my presence. 12On my right hand the rabble rise; they push away my feet; they cast up against me their ways of destruction. 13They break up my path; they promote my calamity; they need no one to help them. 14As through a wide breach they come; amid the crash they roll on. 15 Terrors are turned upon me; my honor is pursued as by the wind, and my prosperity has passed away like a cloud. 16"And now my soul is poured out within me; days of affliction have taken hold of me. 17 The night racks my bones, and the pain that gnaws me takes no rest. 18With great force my garment is disfigured; it binds me about like the collar of my tunic. 19God has cast me into the mire, and I have become like dust and ashes. 20I cry to you for help and you do not answer me; I stand, and you only look at me. 21You have turned cruel to me; with the might of your hand you persecute me. 22 You lift me up on the wind; you make me ride on it, and you toss me about in the roar of the storm. 23 For I know that you will bring me to death and to the house appointed for all living. 24"Yet does not one in a heap of ruins stretch out his hand, and in his disaster cry for help? 25Did not I weep for him whose day was hard? Was not my soul grieved for the needy? 26But when I hoped for good, evil came, and when I waited for light, darkness came. 27My inward parts are in turmoil and never still; days of affliction come to meet me. 28I go about darkened, but not by the sun; I stand up in the assembly and cry for help. 29I am a brother of jackals and a companion of ostriches. 30My skin turns black and falls from me, and my bones burn with heat. 31My lyre is turned to mourning, and my pipe to the voice of those who weep.Chapter 31
1"I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin? 2What would be my portion from God above and my heritage from the Almighty on high? 3Is not calamity for the unrighteous, and disaster for the workers of iniquity? 4 Does not he see my ways and number all my steps? 5"If I have walked with falsehood and my foot has hastened to deceit; 6(Let me be weighed in a just balance, and let God know my integrity!) 7if my step has turned aside from the way and my heart has gone after my eyes, and if any spot has stuck to my hands, 8then let me sow, and another eat, and let what grows for me be rooted out. 9"If my heart has been enticed toward a woman, and I have lain in wait at my neighbor 's door, 10then let my wife grind for another, and let others bow down on her. 11For that would be a heinous crime; that would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges; 12for that would be a fire that consumes as far as Abaddon, and it would burn to the root all my increase. 13"If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or my maidservant, when they brought a complaint against me, 14what then shall I do when God rises up? When he makes inquiry, what shall I answer him? 15Did not he who made me in the womb make him? And did not one fashion us in the womb? 16"If I have withheld anything that the poor desired, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail, 17or have eaten my morsel alone, and the fatherless has not eaten of it 18(for from my youth the fatherless grew up with me as with a father, and from my mother 's womb I guided the widow ), 19if I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, or the needy without covering, 20if his body has not blessed me, and if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep, 21if I have raised my hand against the fatherless, because I saw my help in the gate, 22then let my shoulder blade fall from my shoulder, and let my arm be broken from its socket. 23For I was in terror of calamity from God, and I could not have faced his majesty. 24 "If I have made gold my trust or called fine gold my confidence, 25if I have rejoiced because my wealth was abundant or because my hand had found much, 26 if I have looked at the sun when it shone, or the moon moving in splendor, 27and my heart has been secretly enticed, and my mouth has kissed my hand, 28this also would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges, for I would have been false to God above. 29"If I have rejoiced at the ruin of him who hated me, or exulted when evil overtook him 30(I have not let my mouth sin by asking for his life with a curse), 31if the men of my tent have not said, ‘Who is there that has not been filled with his meat?’ 32(the sojourner has not lodged in the street; I have opened my doors to the traveler), 33if I have concealed my transgressions as others do by hiding my iniquity in my heart, 34because I stood in great fear of the multitude, and the contempt of families terrified me, so that I kept silence, and did not go out of doors — 35Oh, that I had one to hear me! (Here is my signature! Let the Almighty answer me!) Oh, that I had the indictment written by my adversary! 36Surely I would carry it on my shoulder; I would bind it on me as a crown; 37I would give him an account of all my steps; like a prince I would approach him. 38"If my land has cried out against me and its furrows have wept together, 39 if I have eaten its yield without payment and made its owners breathe their last, 40let thorns grow instead of wheat, and foul weeds instead of barley." The words of Job are ended.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, burned with anger. He burned with anger at Job because he justified himself rather than God. 3He burned with anger 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 burned with anger.
7I said, ‘Let days speak, and many years teach wisdom.’
8But it is the spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.
9 It is not the old who are wise, nor the aged who 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 among you who refuted Job or who answered his words.
13Beware lest you say, ‘We have found wisdom; God may vanquish him, not a man.’
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 shall I wait, because they do not speak, because they stand there, and answer no more?
17I also will answer with my share; I also will declare my opinion.
18For I am full of words; the spirit within me constrains me.
19Behold, my belly is like wine that has no vent; like new wineskins ready to burst.
20 I must speak, that I may find relief; I must open my lips and answer.
21I will not show partiality to any man or use flattery toward any person.
22For I do not know how to flatter, else my Maker would soon take me away.
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. 4 The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. 5 Answer 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 pinched off 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 ears, and I have heard the sound of your words. 9You say, ‘I am pure, without transgression; I am clean, 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, for God is greater than man. 13Why do you contend against him, saying, ‘He will answer none of man '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 on 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 conceal pride from a man; 18he keeps back his soul from the pit, his life from perishing by the sword. 19"Man is also rebuked with pain on his bed and with continual strife in his bones, 20so that his life loathes bread, and his appetite the choicest food. 21His flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen, and his bones that 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 merciful 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 sees his face with a shout of joy, and he restores to man his righteousness. 27He sings before men and says: ‘I sinned and perverted what was right, and it was not repaid to me. 28He has redeemed my soul from going down into the pit, and my life shall look upon 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 be lighted with the light of life. 31Pay attention, O Job, listen to me; be silent, and I will speak. 32If you have any words, 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 answered 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 know among ourselves what is good.
5For Job has said, ‘I am in the right, 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 travels 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 repay 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 set his heart to it and gather to himself his spirit and 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.
17 Shall 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 on the ways of a man, and he sees all his steps.
22There is no gloom or deep darkness where evildoers may hide themselves.
23For God has no need to consider a man further, that he should 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 a place for all to see,
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 anyone said to God, ‘I have borne punishment; I will not offend any more;
32 teach me what I do not see; if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more’?
33Will he then make repayment 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 answered and 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.
5 Look 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?
7 If 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 heavens?’
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 take much note of transgression,
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 get 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 on the throne he sets them forever, and they are exalted.
8And if they are bound in chains 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.
11 If they listen and serve him, they complete their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasantness.
12But if they do not listen, they 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 youth, and their life ends among the cult prostitutes.
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 cramping, and what was set on your table was full of fatness.
17"But you are full of the judgment on the wicked; judgment and justice seize you.
18Beware lest wrath entice you into scoffing, and let not the greatness of the ransom turn you aside.
19Will your cry for help avail to keep you from distress, or all the force of your strength?
20Do not long for the night, when peoples vanish in their place.
21Take care; do not turn to iniquity, for this you have chosen rather than affliction.
22Behold, 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’?
24"Remember to extol his work, of which men have sung.
25All mankind has looked on it; man beholds it from afar.
26Behold, God is great, and we know him not; the number of his years is unsearchable.
27For he draws up the drops of water; they distill his mist in rain,
28which the skies pour down and drop on mankind abundantly.
29Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds, the thunderings of his pavilion?
30Behold, he scatters his lightning about him and covers the roots of the sea.
31For by these he judges peoples; he gives food in abundance.
32He covers his hands with the lightning and commands it to strike the mark.
33Its crashing declares his presence; the cattle also declare that he rises.
Chapter 37
1"At this also my heart trembles and leaps out of its place. 2Keep listening to the thunder of his voice and the rumbling that comes from his mouth. 3Under the whole heaven he lets it go, 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,’ likewise to the downpour, his mighty downpour. 7He seals up the hand of every man, that all men whom he made may know it. 8Then the beasts 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 around and around 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 him who is perfect in knowledge, 17you whose garments are hot when the earth is still because of the south wind? 18Can you, like him, spread out the skies, hard as a cast metal mirror? 19Teach us what we shall say to him; we cannot draw up our case because of darkness. 20Shall it be told him that I would speak? Did a man ever wish that he would be swallowed up? 21"And now no one looks on the light when it is bright in the skies, when the wind has passed and cleared them. 22Out of the north comes golden splendor; God is clothed with awesome majesty. 23The Almighty — we cannot find him; he is great in power; justice and abundant righteousness he will not violate. 24Therefore men fear him; he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit."New International Version
Chapter 30
1"But now they mock me, men younger than I, whose fathers I would have disdained to put with my sheep dogs. 2Of what use was the strength of their hands to me, since their vigor had gone from them? 3Haggard from want and hunger, they roamed the parched land in desolate wastelands at night. 4In the brush they gathered salt herbs, and their food was the root of the broom bush. 5They were banished from human society, shouted at as if they were thieves. 6They were forced to live in the dry stream beds, among the rocks and in holes in the ground. 7They brayed among the bushes and huddled in the undergrowth.
8A base and nameless brood, they were driven out of the land.
9"And now those young men mock me in song; I have become a byword among them.
10They detest me and keep their distance; they do not hesitate to spit in my face.
11Now that God has unstrung my bow and afflicted me, they throw off restraint in my presence.
12On my right the tribe attacks; they lay snares for my feet, they build their siege ramps against me.
13They break up my road; they succeed in destroying me. ‘No one can help him,’ they say.
14They advance as through a gaping breach; amid the ruins they come rolling in.
15Terrors overwhelm me; my dignity is driven away as by the wind, my safety vanishes like a cloud.
16"And now my life ebbs away; days of suffering grip me.
17Night pierces my bones; my gnawing pains never rest.
18In his great power God becomes like clothing to me ; he binds me like the neck of my garment.
19He throws me into the mud, and I am reduced to dust and ashes.
20"I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer; I stand up, but you merely look at me.
21You turn on me ruthlessly; with the might of your hand you attack me.
22You snatch me up and drive me before the wind; you toss me about in the storm.
23I know you will bring me down to death, to the place appointed for all the living.
24"Surely no one lays a hand on a broken man when he cries for help in his distress.
25Have I not wept for those in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor?
26Yet when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, then came darkness.
27The churning inside me never stops; days of suffering confront me.
28I go about blackened, but not by the sun; I stand up in the assembly and cry for help.
29I have become a brother of jackals, a companion of owls.
30My skin grows black and peels; my body burns with fever.
31My lyre is tuned to mourning, and my pipe to the sound of wailing.
Chapter 31
1"I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman. 2For what is our lot from God above, our heritage from the Almighty on high? 3Is it not ruin for the wicked, disaster for those who do wrong?
4Does he not see my ways and count my every step?
5"If I have walked with falsehood or my foot has hurried after deceit—
6let God weigh me in honest scales and he will know that I am blameless—
7if my steps have turned from the path, if my heart has been led by my eyes, or if my hands have been defiled,
8then may others eat what I have sown, and may my crops be uprooted.
9"If my heart has been enticed by a woman, or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,
10then may my wife grind another man’s grain, and may other men sleep with her.
11For that would have been wicked, a sin to be judged.
12It is a fire that burns to Destruction ; it would have uprooted my harvest.
13"If I have denied justice to any of my servants, whether male or female, when they had a grievance against me,
14what will I do when God confronts me? What will I answer when called to account?
15Did not he who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?
16"If I have denied the desires of the poor or let the eyes of the widow grow weary,
17if I have kept my bread to myself, not sharing it with the fatherless—
18but from my youth I reared them as a father would, and from my birth I guided the widow—
19if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing, or the needy without garments,
20and their hearts did not bless me for warming them with the fleece from my sheep,
21if I have raised my hand against the fatherless, knowing that I had influence in court,
22then let my arm fall from the shoulder, let it be broken off at the joint.
23For I dreaded destruction from God, and for fear of his splendor I could not do such things.
24"If I have put my trust in gold or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’
25if I have rejoiced over my great wealth, the fortune my hands had gained,
26if I have regarded the sun in its radiance or the moon moving in splendor,
27so that my heart was secretly enticed and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,
28then these also would be sins to be judged, for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.
29"If I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune or gloated over the trouble that came to him—
30I have not allowed my mouth to sin by invoking a curse against their life—
31if those of my household have never said, ‘Who has not been filled with Job’s meat?’—
32but no stranger had to spend the night in the street, for my door was always open to the traveler—
33if I have concealed my sin as people do, by hiding my guilt in my heart
34because I so feared the crowd and so dreaded the contempt of the clans that I kept silent and would not go outside—
35("Oh, that I had someone to hear me! I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me; let my accuser put his indictment in writing.
36Surely I would wear it on my shoulder, I would put it on like a crown.
37I would give him an account of my every step; I would present it to him as to a ruler.)—
38"if my land cries out against me and all its furrows are wet with tears,
39if I have devoured its yield without payment or broken the spirit of its tenants,
Chapter 32
1So these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2But Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became very angry with Job for justifying himself rather than God. 3He was also angry with the three friends, because they had found no way to refute Job, and yet had condemned him. 4Now Elihu had waited before speaking to Job because they were older than he. 5But when he saw that the three men had nothing more to say, his anger was aroused.
6So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said: "I am young in years, and you are old; that is why I was fearful, not daring to tell you what I know.
7I thought, ‘Age should speak; advanced years should teach wisdom.’
8But it is the spirit in a person, the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding.
9It is not only the old who are wise, not only the aged who understand what is right.
10"Therefore I say: Listen to me; I too will tell you what I know.
11I waited while you spoke, I listened to your reasoning; while you were searching for words,
12I gave you my full attention. But not one of you has proved Job wrong; none of you has answered his arguments.
13Do not say, ‘We have found wisdom; let God, not a man, refute him.’
14But Job has not marshaled his words against me, and I will not answer him with your arguments.
15"They are dismayed and have no more to say; words have failed them.
16Must I wait, now that they are silent, now that they stand there with no reply?
17I too will have my say; I too will tell what I know.
18For I am full of words, and the spirit within me compels me;
19inside I am like bottled-up wine, like new wineskins ready to burst.
20I must speak and find relief; I must open my lips and reply.
21I will show no partiality, nor will I flatter anyone;
22for if I were skilled in flattery, my Maker would soon take me away.
Chapter 33
1"But now, Job, listen to my words; pay attention to everything I say. 2I am about to open my mouth; my words are on the tip of my tongue. 3My words come from an upright heart; my lips sincerely speak what I know. 4The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life. 5Answer me then, if you can; stand up and argue your case before me. 6I am the same as you in God’s sight; I too am a piece of clay.
7No fear of me should alarm you, nor should my hand be heavy on you.
8"But you have said in my hearing— I heard the very words—
9‘I am pure, I have done no wrong; I am clean and free from sin.
10Yet God has found fault with me; he considers me his enemy.
11He fastens my feet in shackles; he keeps close watch on all my paths.’
12"But I tell you, in this you are not right, for God is greater than any mortal.
13Why do you complain to him that he responds to no one’s words ?
14For God does speak—now one way, now another— though no one perceives it.
15In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber in their beds,
16he may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings,
17to turn them from wrongdoing and keep them from pride,
18to preserve them from the pit, their lives from perishing by the sword.
19"Or someone may be chastened on a bed of pain with constant distress in their bones,
20so that their body finds food repulsive and their soul loathes the choicest meal.
21Their flesh wastes away to nothing, and their bones, once hidden, now stick out.
22They draw near to the pit, and their life to the messengers of death.
23Yet if there is an angel at their side, a messenger, one out of a thousand, sent to tell them how to be upright,
24and he is gracious to that person and says to God, ‘Spare them from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom for them—
25let their flesh be renewed like a child’s; let them be restored as in the days of their youth’—
26then that person can pray to God and find favor with him, they will see God’s face and shout for joy; he will restore them to full well-being.
27And they will go to others and say, ‘I have sinned, I have perverted what is right, but I did not get what I deserved.
28God has delivered me from going down to the pit, and I shall live to enjoy the light of life.’
29"God does all these things to a person— twice, even three times—
30to turn them back from the pit, that the light of life may shine on them.
31"Pay attention, Job, and listen to me; be silent, and I will speak.
32If you have anything to say, answer me; speak up, for I want to vindicate you.
33But if not, then listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom."
Chapter 34
1Then Elihu said:
2"Hear my words, you wise men; listen to me, you men of learning.
3For the ear tests words as the tongue tastes food.
4Let us discern for ourselves what is right; let us learn together what is good.
5"Job says, ‘I am innocent, but God denies me justice.
6Although I am right, I am considered a liar; although I am guiltless, his arrow inflicts an incurable wound.’
7Is there anyone like Job, who drinks scorn like water?
8He keeps company with evildoers; he associates with the wicked.
9For he says, ‘There is no profit in trying to please God.’
10"So listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do evil, from the Almighty to do wrong.
11He repays everyone for what they have done; he brings on them what their conduct deserves.
12It is unthinkable that God would do wrong, that the Almighty would pervert justice.
13Who appointed him over the earth? Who put him in charge of the whole world?
14If it were his intention and he withdrew his spirit and breath,
15all humanity would perish together and mankind would return to the dust.
16"If you have understanding, hear this; listen to what I say.
17Can someone who hates justice govern? Will you condemn the just and mighty One?
18Is he not the One who says to kings, ‘You are worthless,’ and to nobles, ‘You are wicked,’
19who shows no partiality to princes and does not favor the rich over the poor, for they are all the work of his hands?
20They die in an instant, in the middle of the night; the people are shaken and they pass away; the mighty are removed without human hand.
21"His eyes are on the ways of mortals; he sees their every step.
22There is no deep shadow, no utter darkness, where evildoers can hide.
23God has no need to examine people further, that they should come before him for judgment.
24Without inquiry he shatters the mighty and sets up others in their place.
25Because he takes note of their deeds, he overthrows them in the night and they are crushed.
26He punishes them for their wickedness where everyone can see them,
27because they turned from following him and had no regard for any of his ways.
28They caused the cry of the poor to come before him, so that he heard the cry of the needy.
29But if he remains silent, who can condemn him? If he hides his face, who can see him? Yet he is over individual and nation alike,
30to keep the godless from ruling, from laying snares for the people.
31"Suppose someone says to God, ‘I am guilty but will offend no more.
32Teach me what I cannot see; if I have done wrong, I will not do so again.’
33Should God then reward you on your terms, when you refuse to repent? You must decide, not I; so tell me what you know.
34"Men of understanding declare, wise men who hear me say to me,
35‘Job speaks without knowledge; his words lack insight.’
36Oh, that Job might be tested to the utmost for answering like a wicked man!
37To his sin he adds rebellion; scornfully he claps his hands among us and multiplies his words against God."
Chapter 35
1Then Elihu said:
3Yet you ask him, ‘What profit is it to me, and what do I gain by not sinning?’
4"I would like to reply to you and to your friends with you.
5Look up at the heavens and see; gaze at the clouds so high above you.
6If you sin, how does that affect him? If your sins are many, what does that do to him?
7If you are righteous, what do you give to him, or what does he receive from your hand?
8Your wickedness only affects humans like yourself, and your righteousness only other people.
9"People cry out under a load of oppression; they plead for relief from the arm of the powerful.
10But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night,
11who teaches us more than he teaches the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds in the sky?’
12He does not answer when people cry out because of the arrogance of the wicked.
13Indeed, God does not listen to their empty plea; the Almighty pays no attention to it.
14How much less, then, will he listen when you say that you do not see him, that your case is before him and you must wait for him,
15and further, that his anger never punishes and he does not take the least notice of wickedness.
16So Job opens his mouth with empty talk; without knowledge he multiplies words."
Chapter 36
1Elihu continued:
2"Bear with me a little longer and I will show you that there is more to be said in God’s behalf.
3I get my knowledge from afar; I will ascribe justice to my Maker.
4Be assured that my words are not false; one who has perfect knowledge is with you.
5"God is mighty, but despises no one; he is mighty, and firm in his purpose.
6He does not keep the wicked alive but gives the afflicted their rights.
7He does not take his eyes off the righteous; he enthrones them with kings and exalts them forever.
8But if people are bound in chains, held fast by cords of affliction,
9he tells them what they have done— that they have sinned arrogantly.
10He makes them listen to correction and commands them to repent of their evil.
11If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment.
12But if they do not listen, they will perish by the sword and die without knowledge.
13"The godless in heart harbor resentment; even when he fetters them, they do not cry for help.
14They die in their youth, among male prostitutes of the shrines.
15But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction.
16"He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food.
17But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked; judgment and justice have taken hold of you.
18Be careful that no one entices you by riches; do not let a large bribe turn you aside.
19Would your wealth or even all your mighty efforts sustain you so you would not be in distress?
20Do not long for the night, to drag people away from their homes.
21Beware of turning to evil, which you seem to prefer to affliction.
22"God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him?
23Who has prescribed his ways for him, or said to him, ‘You have done wrong’?
24Remember to extol his work, which people have praised in song.
25All humanity has seen it; mortals gaze on it from afar.
26How great is God—beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out.
27"He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams ;
28the clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind.
29Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds, how he thunders from his pavilion?
30See how he scatters his lightning about him, bathing the depths of the sea.
31This is the way he governs the nations and provides food in abundance.
32He fills his hands with lightning and commands it to strike its mark.
33His thunder announces the coming storm; even the cattle make known its approach.
Chapter 37
1"At this my heart pounds and leaps from its place. 2Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice, to the rumbling that comes from his mouth. 3He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven and sends it to the ends of the earth. 4After that comes the sound of his roar; he thunders with his majestic voice. When his voice resounds, he holds nothing back. 5God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. 6He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’ 7So that everyone he has made may know his work, he stops all people from their labor. 8The animals take cover; they remain in their dens. 9The tempest comes out from its chamber, the cold from the driving winds. 10The breath of God produces ice, and the broad waters become frozen. 11He loads the clouds with moisture; he scatters his lightning through them. 12At his direction they swirl around over the face of the whole earth to do whatever he commands them.
13He brings the clouds to punish people, or to water his earth and show his love.
14"Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God’s wonders.
15Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash?
16Do you know how the clouds hang poised, those wonders of him who has perfect knowledge?
17You who swelter in your clothes when the land lies hushed under the south wind,
18can you join him in spreading out the skies, hard as a mirror of cast bronze?
19"Tell us what we should say to him; we cannot draw up our case because of our darkness.
20Should he be told that I want to speak? Would anyone ask to be swallowed up?
21Now no one can look at the sun, bright as it is in the skies after the wind has swept them clean.
22Out of the north he comes in golden splendor; God comes in awesome majesty.
23The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.
24Therefore, people revere him, for does he not have regard for all the wise in heart? "
New King James Version
Chapter 30
1“But now they mock at me, men younger than I, Whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock. 2Indeed, what profit is the strength of their hands to me? Their vigor has perished. 3 They are gaunt from want and famine, Fleeing late to the wilderness, desolate and waste, 4Who pluck mallow by the bushes, And broom tree roots for their food. 5They were driven out from among men, They shouted at them as at a thief. 6 They had to live in the clefts of the valleys, In caves of the earth and the rocks. 7Among the bushes they brayed, Under the nettles they nestled. 8 They were sons of fools, Yes, sons of vile men; They were scourged from the land. 9“And now I am their taunting song; Yes, I am their byword. 10They abhor me, they keep far from me; They do not hesitate to spit in my face. 11Because He has loosed my bowstring and afflicted me, They have cast off restraint before me. 12At my right hand the rabble arises; They push away my feet, And they raise against me their ways of destruction. 13They break up my path, They promote my calamity; They have no helper. 14They come as broad breakers; Under the ruinous storm they roll along. 15Terrors are turned upon me; They pursue my honor as the wind, And my prosperity has passed like a cloud. 16“And now my soul is poured out because of my plight; The days of affliction take hold of me. 17My bones are pierced in me at night, And my gnawing pains take no rest. 18By great force my garment is disfigured; It binds me about as the collar of my coat. 19He has cast me into the mire, And I have become like dust and ashes. 20“I cry out to You, but You do not answer me; I stand up, and You regard me. 21 But You have become cruel to me; With the strength of Your hand You oppose me. 22You lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride on it; You spoil my success. 23For I know that You will bring me to death, And to the house appointed for all living. 24“Surely He would not stretch out His hand against a heap of ruins, If they cry out when He destroys it. 25 Have I not wept for him who was in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor? 26 But when I looked for good, evil came to me; And when I waited for light, then came darkness. 27My heart is in turmoil and cannot rest; Days of affliction confront me. 28 I go about mourning, but not in the sun; I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help. 29 I am a brother of jackals, And a companion of ostriches. 30 My skin grows black and falls from me; My bones burn with fever. 31My harp is turned to mourning, And my flute to the voice of those who weep.Chapter 31
1“I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman? 2For what is the allotment of God from above, And the inheritance of the Almighty from on high? 3 Is it not destruction for the wicked, And disaster for the workers of iniquity? 4 Does He not see my ways, And count all my steps? 5“If I have walked with falsehood, Or if my foot has hastened to deceit, 6Let me be weighed on honest scales, That God may know my integrity. 7If my step has turned from the way, Or my heart walked after my eyes, Or if any spot adheres to my hands, 8 Then let me sow, and another eat; Yes, let my harvest be rooted out. 9“If my heart has been enticed by a woman, Or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door, 10 Then let my wife grind for another, And let others bow down over her. 11For that would be wickedness; Yes, it would be iniquity deserving of judgment. 12For that would be a fire that consumes to destruction, And would root out all my increase. 13“If I have despised the cause of my male or female servant When they complained against me, 14What then shall I do when God rises up? When He punishes, how shall I answer Him? 15 Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same One fashion us in the womb? 16“If I have kept the poor from their desire, Or caused the eyes of the widow to fail, 17Or eaten my morsel by myself, So that the fatherless could not eat of it 18(But from my youth I reared him as a father, And from my mother’s womb I guided the widow); 19If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, Or any poor man without covering; 20If his heart has not blessed me, And if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep; 21If I have raised my hand against the fatherless, When I saw I had help in the gate; 22 Then let my arm fall from my shoulder, Let my arm be torn from the socket. 23For destruction from God is a terror to me, And because of His magnificence I cannot endure. 24“If I have made gold my hope, Or said to fine gold, ‘ You are my confidence’; 25 If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, And because my hand had gained much; 26 If I have observed the sun when it shines, Or the moon moving in brightness, 27So that my heart has been secretly enticed, And my mouth has kissed my hand; 28This also would be an iniquity deserving of judgment, For I would have denied God who is above. 29“If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, Or lifted myself up when evil found him 30 (Indeed I have not allowed my mouth to sin By asking for a curse on his soul); 31If the men of my tent have not said, ‘Who is there that has not been satisfied with his meat?’ 32 ( But no sojourner had to lodge in the street, For I have opened my doors to the traveler); 33If I have covered my transgressions as Adam, By hiding my iniquity in my bosom, 34Because I feared the great multitude, And dreaded the contempt of families, So that I kept silence And did not go out of the door— 35 Oh, that I had one to hear me! Here is my mark. Oh, that the Almighty would answer me, That my Prosecutor had written a book! 36Surely I would carry it on my shoulder, And bind it on me like a crown; 37I would declare to Him the number of my steps; Like a prince I would approach Him. 38“If my land cries out against me, And its furrows weep together; 39If I have eaten its fruit without money, Or caused its owners to lose their lives;Chapter 32
1So these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2Then the wrath of Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was aroused against Job; his wrath was aroused because he justified himself rather than God. 3Also against his three friends his wrath was aroused, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.
4Now because they were years older than he, Elihu had waited to speak to Job.
5When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, his wrath was aroused.
6So Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, answered and said: “I am young in years, and you are very old; Therefore I was afraid, And dared not declare my opinion to you.
7I said, ‘Age should speak, And multitude of years should teach wisdom.’
8But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.
9 Great men are not always wise, Nor do the aged always understand justice.
10“Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me, I also will declare my opinion.’
11Indeed I waited for your words, I listened to your reasonings, while you searched out what to say.
12I paid close attention to you; And surely not one of you convinced Job, Or answered his words—
13 Lest you say, ‘We have found wisdom’; God will vanquish him, not man.
14Now he has not directed his words against me; So I will not answer him with your words.
15“They are dismayed and answer no more; Words escape them.
16And I have waited, because they did not speak, Because they stood still and answered no more.
17I also will answer my part, I too will declare my opinion.
18For I am full of words; The spirit within me compels me.
19Indeed my belly is like wine that has no vent; It is ready to burst like new wineskins.
20I will speak, that I may find relief; I must open my lips and answer.
21Let me not, I pray, show partiality to anyone; Nor let me flatter any man.
22For I do not know how to flatter, Else my Maker would soon take me away.
Chapter 33
1“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. 4 The 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. 6 Truly I am as your spokesman before God; I also have been formed out of clay. 7 Surely no fear of me will terrify you, Nor will my hand be heavy on you. 8“Surely you have spoken in my hearing, And I have heard the sound of your words, saying, 9‘I am pure, without transgression; I am innocent, and there is no iniquity in me. 10Yet He finds occasions against me, He counts me as His enemy; 11 He 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 contend with Him? For He does not give an accounting of any of His words. 14 For God may speak in one way, or in another, Yet man does not perceive it. 15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, When deep sleep falls upon men, While slumbering on their beds, 16 Then 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 perishing by the sword. 19“ Man is also chastened with pain on his bed, And with strong pain in many of his bones, 20 So that his life abhors bread, And his soul succulent 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 a 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 says, ‘I have sinned, and perverted what was right, And it did not profit me.’ 28He will redeem his 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, 30 To 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, listen to me; Hold your peace, and I will teach you wisdom.”Chapter 34
1Elihu further answered and said:
2“Hear my words, you wise men; Give ear to me, you who have knowledge.
3 For the ear tests words As the palate tastes food.
4Let us choose justice for ourselves; Let us know among ourselves what is good.
5“For Job has said, ‘I am righteous, But God has taken away my justice;
6 Should I lie concerning my right? My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’
7What man is like Job, Who drinks scorn like water,
8Who goes in company with the workers of iniquity, And walks with wicked men?
9For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing That he should delight in God.’
10“Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding: Far be it from God to do wickedness, And from the Almighty to commit iniquity.
11 For He repays man according to his work, And makes man to find a reward according to his way.
12Surely God will never do wickedly, Nor will the Almighty pervert justice.
13Who gave Him charge over the earth? Or who appointed Him over the whole world?
14If He should set His heart on it, If He should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath,
15 All flesh would perish together, And man would return to dust.
16“If you have understanding, hear this; Listen to the sound of my words:
17 Should one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn Him who is most just?
18 Is it fitting to say to a king, ‘ You are worthless,’ And to nobles, ‘ You are wicked’?
19Yet He is not partial to princes, Nor does He regard the rich more than the poor; For they are all the work of His hands.
20In a moment they die, in the middle of the night; The people are shaken and pass away; The mighty are taken away without a hand.
21“For His eyes are on the ways of man, And He sees all his steps.
22 There is no darkness nor shadow of death Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
23For He need not further consider a man, That he should go before God in judgment.
24 He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry, And sets others in their place.
25Therefore He knows their works; He overthrows them in the night, And they are crushed.
26He strikes them as wicked men In the open sight of others,
27Because they turned back from Him, And would not consider any of His ways,
28So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him; For He hears the cry of the afflicted.
29When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble? And when He hides His face, who then can see Him, Whether it is against a nation or a man alone?—
30That the hypocrite should not reign, Lest the people be ensnared.
31“For has anyone said to God, ‘I have borne chastening; I will offend no more;
32Teach me what I do not see; If I have done iniquity, I will do no more’?
33Should He repay it according to your terms, Just because you disavow it? You must choose, and not I; Therefore speak what you know.
34“Men of understanding say to me, Wise men who listen to me:
35‘Job speaks without knowledge, His words are without wisdom.’
36Oh, that Job were tried to the utmost, Because his answers are like those of wicked men!
37For he adds rebellion to his sin; He claps his hands among us, And multiplies his words against God.”
Chapter 35
1Moreover Elihu answered and said:
2“Do you think this is right? Do you say, ‘My righteousness is more than God’s’?
3For you say, ‘What advantage will it be to You? What profit shall I have, more than if I had sinned?’
4“I will answer you, And your companions with you.
5 Look to the heavens and see; And behold the clouds— They are higher than you.
6If you sin, what do you accomplish against Him? Or, if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to Him?
7 If you are righteous, what do you give Him? Or what does He receive from your hand?
8Your wickedness affects a man such as you, And your righteousness a son of man.
9“Because of the multitude of oppressions they cry out; They cry out for help because of the arm of the mighty.
10But no one 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 heaven?’
12 There they cry out, but He does not answer, Because of the pride of evil men.
13 Surely God will not listen to empty talk, Nor will the Almighty regard it.
14 Although you say you do not see Him, Yet justice is before Him, and you must wait for Him.
15And now, because He has not punished in His anger, Nor taken much notice of folly,
16 Therefore Job opens his mouth in vain; He multiplies words without knowledge.”
Chapter 36
1Elihu also proceeded and said:
2“Bear with me a little, and I will show you That there are yet words to speak on God’s behalf.
3I will fetch my knowledge from afar; I will 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, but despises no one; He is mighty in strength of understanding.
6He does not preserve the life of the wicked, But gives justice to the oppressed.
7 He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous; But they are on the throne with kings, For He has seated them forever, And they are exalted.
8And if they are bound in fetters, Held in the cords of affliction,
9Then He tells them their work and their transgressions— That they have acted defiantly.
10 He also opens their ear to instruction, And commands that they turn from iniquity.
11If they obey and serve Him, They shall spend their days in prosperity, And their years in pleasures.
12But if they do not obey, They shall perish by the sword, And they shall die without knowledge.
13“But the hypocrites in heart store up wrath; They do not cry for help when He binds them.
14 They die in youth, And their life ends among the perverted persons.
15He delivers the poor in their affliction, And opens their ears in oppression.
16“Indeed He would have brought you out of dire distress, Into a broad place where there is no restraint; And what is set on your table would be full of richness.
17But you are filled with the judgment due the wicked; Judgment and justice take hold of you.
18Because there is wrath, beware lest He take you away with one blow; For a large ransom would not help you avoid it.
19 Will your riches, Or all the mighty forces, Keep you from distress?
20Do not desire the night, When people are cut off in their place.
21Take heed, do not turn to iniquity, For you have chosen this rather than affliction.
22“Behold, God is exalted by His power; Who teaches like Him?
23 Who has assigned Him His way, Or who has said, ‘You have done wrong’?
24“Remember to magnify His work, Of which men have sung.
25Everyone has seen it; Man looks on it from afar.
26“Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him; Nor can the number of His years be discovered.
27For He draws up drops of water, Which distill as rain from the mist,
28 Which the clouds drop down And pour abundantly on man.
29Indeed, can anyone understand the spreading of clouds, The thunder from His canopy?
30Look, He scatters His light upon it, And covers the depths of the sea.
31For by these He judges the peoples; He gives food in abundance.
32 He covers His hands with lightning, And commands it to strike.
33 His thunder declares it, The cattle also, concerning the rising storm.
