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Elihu Rebukes Job

33‘But now, hear my speech, O Job,
   and listen to all my words.
² See, I open my mouth;
   the tongue in my mouth speaks.
³ My 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.
⁶ See, before God I am as you are;
   I too was formed from a piece of clay.
⁷ No fear of me need terrify you;
   my pressure will not be heavy on you.

⁸ ‘Surely, you have spoken in my hearing,
   and I have heard the sound of your words.
⁹ You say, “I am clean, without transgression;
   I am pure, and there is no iniquity in me.
¹⁰ Look, he finds occasions against me,
   he counts me as his enemy;
¹¹ he puts my feet in the stocks,
   and watches all my paths.”

¹² ‘But in this you are not right. I will answer you:
   God is greater than any mortal.
¹³ Why do you contend against him,
   saying, “He will answer none of my^* words”?
¹⁴ For God speaks in one way,
   and in two, though people do not perceive it.
¹⁵ In a dream, in a vision of the night,
   when deep sleep falls on mortals,
   while they slumber on their beds,
¹⁶ then he opens their ears,
   and terrifies them with warnings,
¹⁷ that he may turn them aside from their deeds,
   and keep them from pride,
¹⁸ to spare their souls from the Pit,
   their lives from traversing the River.
¹⁹ They are also chastened with pain upon their beds,
   and with continual strife in their bones,
²⁰ so that their lives loathe bread,
   and their appetites dainty food.
²¹ Their flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen;
   and their bones, once invisible, now stick out.
²² Their souls draw near the Pit,
   and their lives to those who bring death.
²³ Then, if there should be for one of them an angel,
   a mediator, one of a thousand,
   one who declares a person upright,
²⁴ and he is gracious to that person, and says,
   “Deliver him from going down into the Pit;
   I have found a ransom;
²⁵ let his flesh become fresh with youth;
   let him return to the days of his youthful vigour”;
²⁶ then he prays to God, and is accepted by him,
   he comes into his presence with joy,
and God^* repays him for his righteousness.
²⁷   That person sings to others and says,
“I sinned, and perverted what was right,
   and it was not paid back to me.
²⁸ He has redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit,
   and my life shall see the light.”

²⁹ ‘God indeed does all these things,
   twice, three times, with mortals,
³⁰ to bring back their souls from the Pit,
   so that they may see the light of life.^*
31 Pay heed, Job, listen to me;
   be silent, and I will speak.
³² If you have anything to say, answer me;
   speak, for I desire to justify you.
³³ If not, listen to me;
   be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.’

Elihu Proclaims God’s Justice

34Then Elihu continued and said:
² ‘Hear my words, you wise men,
   and give ear to me, you who know;
³ for the ear tests words
   as the palate tastes food.
⁴ Let us choose what is right;
   let us determine among ourselves what is good.
⁵ For Job has said, “I am innocent,
   and God has taken away my right;
⁶ in spite of being right I am counted a liar;
   my wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.”
⁷ Who is there like Job,
   who drinks up scoffing like water,
⁸ who goes in company with evildoers
   and walks with the wicked?
⁹ For he has said, “It profits one nothing
   to take delight in God.”

¹⁰ ‘Therefore, hear me, you who have sense,
   far be it from God that he should do wickedness,
   and from the Almighty^* that he should do wrong.
¹¹ For according to their deeds he will repay them,
   and according to their ways he will make it befall them.
¹² Of a truth, God will not do wickedly,
   and the Almighty^* will not pervert justice.
¹³ Who gave him charge over the earth
   and who laid on him^* the whole world?
¹⁴ If he should take back his spirit^* to himself,
   and gather to himself his breath,
¹⁵ all flesh would perish together,
   and all mortals 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 one who is righteous and mighty,
¹⁸ who says to a king, “You scoundrel!”
   and to princes, “You wicked men!”;
¹⁹ who shows no partiality to nobles,
   nor regards the rich more than the poor,
   for they are all the work of his hands?
²⁰ In a moment they die;
   at midnight the people are shaken and pass away,
   and the mighty are taken away by no human hand.

²¹ ‘For his eyes are upon the ways of mortals,
   and he sees all their steps.
²² There is no gloom or deep darkness
   where evildoers may hide themselves.
²³ For he has not appointed a time^* for anyone
   to go before God in judgement.
²⁴ He shatters the mighty without investigation,
   and sets others in their place.
²⁵ Thus, knowing their works,
   he overturns them in the night, and they are crushed.
²⁶ He strikes them for their wickedness
   while others look on,
²⁷ because they turned aside from following him,
   and had no regard for any of his ways,
²⁸ so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him,
   and he heard the cry of the afflicted—
²⁹ When he is quiet, who can condemn?
   When he hides his face, who can behold him,
   whether it be a nation or an individual?—
³⁰ so that the godless should not reign,
   or those who ensnare the people.

³¹ ‘For has anyone said to God,
   “I have endured punishment; I will not offend any more;
³² teach me what I do not see;
   if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more”?
³³ Will he then pay back to suit you,
   because you reject it?
For you must choose, and not I;
   therefore declare what you know.^*
34 Those who have sense will say to me,
   and the wise who hear me will say,
³⁵ “Job speaks without knowledge,
   his words are without insight.”
³⁶ Would that Job were tried to the limit,
   because his answers are those of the wicked.
³⁷ For he adds rebellion to his sin;
   he claps his hands among us,
   and multiplies his words against God.’